Auri detects no magic in the room. Her and Dupine move to the next door:
Durpine can here a LOT of hissing, as if from a handful of large snakes.
This wide room has two alcoves to the west and east. The western alcove bears mosaics of a burly cyclops with a flail and shield. In one image, a human with a conical hat hands the cyclops the flail; in each other image, the large cyclops is smashing fiends or serpent-headed humanoids with it. A large slab in this alcove is empty, but a shelf above it contains a fine looking heavy flail and a steel shield. The smaller alcove to the east contains two slabs; above them are depictions of a pair of cyclopes servants tending to the burly cyclops’s needs. Inside are a pair of strange creatures, each the size of a horse. They are large snakes with two heads, one at each end of their long, coiling bodies. Both display large sets of fangs and both display hints of fiendish blood.
They seem to be attacking a woman who cowers towards the back, she's nearly in a fetal position, her hood pulled tightly to her face as if it added protection.
Round 1:
Piper: Go
Kyra: Go
Amiri: Go
Merisiel: Go
Dupine: Go
Baddies: TBD
Auri: TBD
Dupine wastes no time, but his first two blows fail to damage the beast. The third one hits right on target, doing considerable damage.
Round 1:
Piper: Go
Kyra: Go
Amiri: Go
Merisiel: Go
Dupine: Hit
Baddies: TBD
Auri: TBD
Red: 14
Merisiel too seeks to get the jump on the strange snakes. He blade sinks deep into the body.
Round 1:
Piper: Go
Kyra: Go
Amiri: Go
Merisiel: Hit
Dupine: Hit
Baddies: TBD
Auri: TBD
Red: 33
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Over the course of her time in the Mwangi Expanse, Amiri has come to realize she hates snakes; and the only thing she hates more than snakes, she has just learned, are snakes attacking someone defenseless.
Rage (Free action), activate powerful blow rage power (Swift), charge Black, drawing her greatsword along the way.
plus if confirmed (it's flat footed but I'm not thinking so...)
Amiri's blow slices the snake creature into two living, fighting snakes... but only for a second. The blow was too devastating, and the halves collapse in a bloody heap. the helpless woman screams at the violence.
Round 1:
Piper: Go
Kyra: Go
Amiri: Crit
Merisiel: Hit
Dupine: Hit
Baddies: TBD
Auri: TBD
Red: 33
Kyra's swing is quite off balance, and Piper's attempt to knock the amphisbaena off balance doesn't seem to work as the snake's "footing" is too solid.
The remaining heads split their attention on Amiri and Merisiel:
for and a FORT save
MISS
Amiri is still working on recovering from the charge when the snake bites her!
The woman, no longer cowering, gives a scream that's angry, not scared. She stands up and takes a step forward, revealing a serpentine face and snakes for hair! EVERYONE (except Auri and Piper need to make a FORT DC 16 save or be petrified!)
Round 1:
Piper: Grease
Kyra: Miss
Amiri: Crit
Merisiel: Hit
Dupine: Hit
Baddies: ATK
Auri: Go
Red: 33
You can 100% look and HAVE to take a save when you get within 30'.
Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature's face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, etc. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains concealment against that opponent.
Wearing a Blindfold: The foe cannot see the creature at all (also possible to achieve by turning one's back on the creature or shutting one's eyes). The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent.
With the luck of the gods, Auri keeps her from and closes enough to deliver a telling blow to the medusa! She's clearly injured, but there's plenty of fight left in her.
Round 2:
Piper: Go
Kyra: Go
Amiri: Go
Merisiel: Go
Dupine: Go
Baddies: TBD
Auri: TBD
Red: 33
Medusa: 27
Amiri's rage is pretoection enough as she goes right after the medusa without feeling the effects of her gaze. With a single swing of the sword too big for most, she knocks the medusa out!
A short second later, August smashes the skulls of the amphisbaena!
Out of combat!
Looking around this room, the party finds far more than in the last. Stepping around the knocked out medusa you spy a couple interesting items.
The shelf above the slab to the west holds a heavy flail imbued with magic. Slitherbane is a Medium heavy flail, but the cyclops wielded it in one hand. The shelf also contains a large hero’s steel shield. This too is magical.
This +1 axiomatic monstrous humanoid bane heavy flail has a heavy ball etched with images of stylized eagles and sunbursts. The weapon can cast liberating command three times per day, but generally uses this power only on its wielder. It has the special purpose to slay serpentine creatures, and can use neutralize poison at will when its wielder is in combat with such creatures. Slitherbane communicates rarely, primarily in archaic aphorisms about fighting monsters or distrusting serpents.
+1 bashing heavy steel shield sized for a Large creature.
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"It should be called 'medusabane', not slitherbane!" smiles Auriferous.
For the moment she puts aside her own great sword, and gives the heavy flail a couple of swings to get a feel for it.
She thinks about the image of the snake creature that she saw in the vision to see what the opinion of the flail may be of it.
"Anyone have good ideas about how to get those discs out from the room with the snake-thing? Just wait for the golem to go in and mangle it?" she asks.
"What did Juliete say about the Golem? She didn't seem that concerned which is worrying."
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"If so, we need a plan. Someone in the corridor who can receive the disks through the holes. " she looks around the group trying to assess who might be able to reach them.
"If the holes are too high to easily reach, I can make someone taller for a few minutes. But I am loathe to split the group, especially not knowing enough about what we face, and whether the snake thing really is an enemy.."
She thinks for a moment.
"Does anyone have protection from evil handy? If so, I could try and detect whether it is evil... that would help me understand the situation, but I would prefer not to risk falling under its charms while I do so."
I'll take a Knowledge (Engineering) check from anyone who has it.
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"If there is to be combat, I should go into that room, though after watching the monolith take apart that giant ape earlier... I'm not sure how much help will be required. Piper, if we are to tranport the discs, then your haste would also be very helpful."
She sighs.
"We still don't know what putting the dics into the slots will do..Or how they were removed to begin with. Or how the medusa got in here, and why the investigation team was unaware of her."
The paladin shakes her head. "I feel like I am playing cards against someone, with rules I don't know and cards that I cannot see."
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Amiri turns to Auri with some amusement. When someone did that to me once, I broke the table and made up my own rules, she says. Maybe that's what you need to do — upset the apple cart a little.
After a moment's thought, Amiri continues. You know what, you guys said that that Arletta lady, she was normal, right? Not like Juliet? Maybe we should talk to her about this. Show her the spaces here and see what she thinks.
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"I still have the one. I doubt anyone will be going through my bag. And if they do, they'll lose fingers." Merisiel grins. "I can get behind asking Arletta. Maybe she knows something about this. Otherwise my vote is to stick the discs in their slots. It's bound to do something, and I'm curious what that might be."
With a massive CRACK! You're jarred from your conversation. It sounds like the massive guardian is nearly through to whatever that is on the other side...
August is by the crack, (looking in or no?) everyone else place themselves.
The monolith hasn't busted through YET, but it's coming.
Not in initiative, so you can go wherever at this point.
Piper knows that you've got about 2 minutes before the door shatters.
Auri notes that at 8' up a normal person can't really reach.
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Auri quickly looks around the group.
"Kyra, I suggest you stay here and put the dics in their slots as we pass them through the small hole. Amri, I guess it is up to you, me and the golem to take on the snake thing, while August, you grab the disks and pass them through the small hole to Kyra. How does that sound to everyone?"
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"Merisiel.." says Auriferous with a start. The quiet elf had vanished from her vision and attention, again.
"I suggest we fit your current disc into the alcoves now, along with the disc of darkness. You join Dupine in grabbing one of the two discs in the central room and pushing them through the hole."
She looks around, "How does that sound as a plan?"