The Orc Caves
The light from Milhars spell illuminates the cave. The natural feature is bigger than the magical illumination, thoug the hint of obsidian walls and other features can be made in the shadowy recesses.
The remains of a fire lies lies to the right of the entrance, sheltered from the winds that would enter this cave. A natural chimney exits the area, slightly offset from the firepit, and a pool of water seems to be trapped within a shallow bowl here, most likely from rains that seeep down through the chimney crack. These features are not new to those who were here last.
The entire cavern seems decorated with paintings and pictographs of the natural fauna and flora of the region.
Knowledge History or Linguistics DC14
These writings and pictograms date back a very long time. From the the animals present and the style of wrtings used, they could easily be placed as over 500 years old.
Perception DC16 (only 12 for Algret)
These pictograms are overwritten in places by some form of arcane scrollwork. More of the protective wards that Symmington described at the entrance if their style is anything to go by. They are only barely visible in the light from Milhars spell. However, when one knows what to look for, they seem obvious, particularly in the shadowy reaches of teh light. They almost have a hew of their own in the darkened recesses of the cave.
Many small fetishes and magical foci are hung around the cavern, and a msall larder seems to have been built into the walls itself. Meat and other foodstuffs hangs within this space, seemingly preserved in a fresh state by some form of magic.
Spellcraft DC13 Divine casters only DC 18 for non divine casters
This is a modified version of a purifying cantrip known by many priests and shamans. The orcs seem to have been able to harness the natural power of this place to create a perpetual zone for this spell within the cavern. The size of the larder and the nature of the spell means you could keep enough fresh food in this place for a single person to survive many weeks without having to leave and replensih supplies.
As Milhar leads the group deeper into the cavern, an anomily at the back of the room becomes obvious. One section of the wall seems to be slightly curved outwards. It is almost impossible to see from the entrance, and only became apparent when Milhar moved near it. The curve and the natural light bending properties of the obsidian walls served to create an optical illusion, concealing the small entrance to a deeper chamber beyond this one.
Perception (sound based) DC14
There is a rumbling noise from within this far room, as of some large creature breathing or maybe the distant sound of thunder.
I'm a good Boss... why does everyone with any experience whatsoever keep quitting on me... :/
The beach[b]
Christoff looks up at the beautiful young half elf and becomes serious all of a sudden. [b]"Ah yes, you mean Paera. I had noticed she was spending more time with the noble girl. There is something you ought to know about Emallion my dear. They.."
His conversation is cut short by the sound of shouting and screaming from further down teh beach. All eyes turn towards Pietro as he runs into camp, fairly pushing a lovely young woman in front of him as he comes. At first people aren't sure what he is saying, but then words "Evil" and "Ocean" seems to catch everyones attention and the crowd moves as one.
With a certain amount of screaming and shoving, the entire group seems to surge towards the rear of the camp area, getting as close to the picket of sharpened stakes as they can. All eyes turn to the ocean as they eventually settle.
At first nothing can be seen, then a shape is seen to rise from the water. A scaled head, replete with a deep red crest and the bulging eyes of a fish. A great maw of sharpened teeth gleams in teh firelight as it tastes the air, then it turns briefly from the crowd and makes a grunting noise that ripples through the water surrounding its gills.
More shapes emerge from the water, all of them similar to the first. Each creature stands and begins to walk from the waves, but only as far as the shadows cast by the campfires. Each creature seems to be armed with a trident spear but apart form that appear to be naked. No discernable gender can be seen from their external appearence though. One of the creatures calls from the shadows, its voice croaky and hard to discern. It speaks common, very badly. "Venn to come us. Deal is here. To meat be had"
Captain Venn moves through the crowd, gently tapping Bo Dan and the now armed Pietro on the arm as he goes, He alos nods to Jaekal and Cynthia, indicating they should follow him as well.
When they are all close, he whispers "This is going to be trouble. They come at neither the place nor time we agreed to meet when I brokered or deal. Keep and eye on them, we may have to show our strength to them in order to kep to the orginal deal. The Sahuagin can be vicious bastards when they think they have the upper hand."
Her smile falters and then fades away completely though as the other woman, Cynthia, joins their small group. Although there is no denying her beauty, something about the woman rubs the monk the wrong way and so Bo-Dan finds a warring of emotions in herself in the presence of the leather clad human. Not wanting to start off on bad terms with someone upon whom her life may very well depend in the near future Bo-Dan bows her head slightly as she replies in a monotone voice
"Greetings to you, Cynthia. Perhaps, at your convenience, you might consider sitting down with Pietro and I and filling us in on the details of your village and the fate which befell it? Anything you can share with us which may aid us in our quest would be welcome."
Cynthia, still not knowing or trusting these people, seems stand offish, although her gaze seems to linger occasionally here and there, as if searching for something she can't quite seem to find. Looking at the Half-Elf before her makes her think suddenly of Kyle and she absently runs her hand across the Kukri sheathed at her side.
"Greetings to you both. To be honest there's not much I can tell about what happened in the village. I woke up a few days ago to the sound of huge Spiders assaulting my home and watched my lover struck down before my eyes by one of the creatures. I managed to hide inside for a time until Phillipe, the young boy I arrived with, came knocking at my door begging for help. I quickly packed and we left the village as quickly as we could, disturbing some of the creatures as we left and receiving assistance from the cook of all things. don't know why they attacked or what they were after short of food, but it's certainly nothing I've ever seen before."She pauses for a second to let the information sink in before continuing. "From what Phillipe told me, the survivors seem to be holed up to letinside the Tavern on the far side of the village from my home. Whether they will still be alive when we return I don't know, but at the worst we will be able to secure supplies for the ship, as wiout any more food my hope is thet the Spiders will simply move on."
"We should prepare ourselves fro the trip if we are to leave in the morning. I'd like to talk with the Captain and see what kind of supplies he's after so I can figure out how best to proceed when we get there. Excuse me." She nods her head and turns abruptly, moving off in the direction of the Captain, hoping to have a word with him.
Upon finishig her conversation, she busies herself with preparing her equipment for the trip, attempting to clean her clothes and bathe after her trek through the jungle and beach, before turning in for an early night.
If I do drop off at a crucial time please feel free to DMPC me. I have no problem with people doing this as I know how much a PbP depends on regular posting (I may have been in just one or two games before this one... ;) ).
Perception
Stunned by Shale's action Algret's attention is largely diverted as she looks at te little doll, that glances up at her resolutely. She crouches own to one knee.
"Did you just do that to peotect us?" She reaches out with her mind, seeking the empathic connection for Shales emotions and motivations. As she rises, her vision passes across the storage space. As she looks more closely, the intricacy of the divine energy in place implies a different way of thinking about purification spells, only requiring one to ask the right question of their Deity.
Spellcraft
"This spell is amazing. I'll have to study it once we're done."
There are 10 Sahuagin in total. They are standing at the edges of teh firelight, so are hard to make out. They're only about 10 feet from the waters edge as well, which currently puts them about 15 feet from Captain Venn has called everyone in teh group to himself. Pietro can sense teh evil nature of the creatures, without even trying.
Give me a general idea of your position relative to the fishmen and Venn. Also what you're doing while Venn starts to negotiate. Soem rolls you can make for me to speed things up - Sense motive (-2 becasue of the foreign nature of teh creatures), perception (-2 if you don't have low light vsion, +2 if you have darkvision), Diplomacy (if you're trying not to look threatening in any way), Intimidate (if you are trying to look threatening in any way). Cheers
Sense motive
perception
Intimidate
Pietro stands to the left and slightly behind Captain Venn. He tries to look big, tough and confident without looking too aggressive. He wishes his oldest brother were here; he' s much bigger.
As Cynthia is about to head off to bed, she hears a commotion in the camp and goes to see what the problem is. She sees Captain Venn give her the "follow me" nod and ducks back to her gear, quickly donning her armour and grabbing her weapons before hurrying over to the meeting.
Symington studies the walls with curiosity. He conjures up a small blue ball of light on his fingertip, and uses it to examine the writings' details.
"Curious. I presumed that these were the work of our departed shaman, or his teachers. But these writings and pictograms date back a very long time. From the the animals present and the style of writings used, I would place them as, oh, easily over 500 years old." He murmurs to no one in particular as he gazes at the walls.
He moves closer to a patch of wall, squinting intensely. Then he backs up, hiding his light behind his back, then pulling it forward once more. He makes 'Hm' and 'Ah' noises as he performs his curious dance.
"Fascinating. These pictograms are overwritten in places by some form of arcane scrollwork. More of the protective wards that I noticed at the entrance if their style is anything to go by. They are only barely visible in the light from your spell Milhar. However, when one knows what to look for, they seem perfectly obvious, particularly in the shadowy reaches of the light. They almost have a hue of their own in the darkened recesses of the cave. See there? And,... yes, there?" he says, pointing out two areas with a flick of his cane.
When Milhar moves forward, revealing the 'hidden' entrance to the deeper caves, Symington gives a look of concern to Seraph on his shoulder.
"Did you hear that? It almost sounds like something, breathing?" he frowns pensively.
"I sincerely hope that it;s simply the depths of the cave gasping for air, but for some reason, I don't feel inclined to bet my coin on that." He mutters dryly.
Symington gives a brief, small smile to Vik.
"After you, sir!" he says pleasantly.
As the woman named Cynthia gives her brusque report on the happenings in the village the duty conscious monk opens her mouth to take the woman to task for leaving without even first checking if there were other survivors or not. But as the leather clad woman turns and walks away without before giving anyone a chance to reply, Bo-Dan's mouth snaps shut with an audible click.
Deciding not to pursue her or the matter at present, Bo-Dan merely thinks to herself 'There is something about that woman that I do not trust...'
The beach
Christoff looks up at the beautiful young half elf and becomes serious all of a sudden. "Ah yes, you mean Paera. I had noticed she was spending more time with the noble girl. There is something you ought to know about Emallion my dear. They.."
His conversation is cut short by the sound of shouting and screaming from further down teh beach...
...Captain Venn moves through the crowd, gently tapping Bo Dan and the now armed Pietro on the arm as he goes, He alos nods to Jaekal and Cynthia, indicating they should follow him as well.
When they are all close, he whispers "This is going to be trouble. They come at neither the place nor time we agreed...
Once again cut off from making any kind of reply or further question, this time to Christoff, Bo-Dan has trouble concentrating for a moment on Captain Venn's words as in her mind keeps echoing 'I should know What about Emallion?!'
But finally cluing in to the seriousness of the situation the half-elf puts all personal issues aside for the moment and focuses all her attention on the Captain and the lizard creatures. Moving to the right of the Captain Bo-Dan stands in a relaxed but ready pose, trying to look as intimidating as possible and prepared to leap into action at a moments notice.
Sense Motive:
Perception:
Intimidate:
Milhar watches the blue magelight play over the symbols. "Maybe the sound of thunder or a volcano. Algret would know better than I."
He shrugs it off, "this isn't solving anything. Shall we go? Vik? Everyone ready?"
Milhar watches the blue magelight play over the symbols. "Maybe the sound of thunder or a volcano. Algret would know better than I."
He shrugs it off, "this isn't solving anything. Shall we go? Vik? Everyone ready?"
Symington bows politely, waving his arm in a grand 'after you' gesture.
The orc Caves
Vik hefts his axe and goes steps through the portal followed by the others. Algret, Symmington and Milhar are almost immediately confronted by a feeling of fear. The three magic users turn as one, looking at the companion dolls and the now flying Seraph. The moment they passed the threshold of this doorway, the companion creatures stopped in their tracks. Sen and Shale were both merely standing, their heads tilted to one side and shking slightly, as if a great fear had suddenly gripped them .Seraph fluttered briefly around the cavern before alighting on a shelf carved into teh chamber. The crow spoke a single word in its croaking common "Danger".
Vik stood within the second room, oblivious to the toubles the mages were having. This room was obviously the personal wuarters of the Shaman. It was filled with furs to make bedding, a small table with some simple eating utensils kept to one side and that represented the sole posessions of the orc. However, this hadn' caught Viks eyes either. What had the Ulfen's undivided attention at this point was the pulsing circle of magic in the rear of the room and the creature semingly trapped within it.
I was vaguely humanoid in shape, though obviously not of the flesh. It appeared as if great slabs of obsidian had been carved from the ground and slapped together crudely to form arms legs and a body. Thick ropes of glowing red rock wound their way through its body, as if coming from deep within the ground. Indeed, a spiderweb of these red lines laced out from where the creatures feet would be if it were a true humanoid. AS the Barbarian watched, the creature strained against some invisible force, its arms trying desperately to break free of shackles the Ulfen couldn't see. AS it did so, the circle of magic around the creature flared briefly and the ground shook slightly below all their feet.
The crature trned its head towards Vik, glowing sparks of rock that appeared to be eyes piercing into his own mortal orbs. A noice like the grinding of rocks rolling in the fast waters of a winters melt reverberated through the chamber, seemingly coming from the creature. With a start, Vik realised it was trying to speak to him.
Kmowledge the planes or Knowledge dungeoneering DC 12
This is an elemental. A failry large one, but not like the really powerful ones you've heard of, and certainly not as large as the one bound to the hull of Vixen
Knowledge Planes or Dungeoneering DC14
As for DC 12 plus - This particular Earth Elemental seems infused with hot rock or magma. It seems to be drawing this from a natural seem in the ground below it. It's body is laced with the material
Knowledge planes or Duneoneering DC18
As for DC 12 and 14 plus - The hot rock coursing through this creautre is most assuredly unatural for its kind. What's more, the elemental most assuredly feels unfortable or even in pain as a consequence of the substance. It would be equivalent to a humanoid having a moderately strong electrical current repeatedly pusled through their bodies. It seems helpless to prevent this
If any one can speak Terran (Note Dwarves can make an untrained knowedge check of DC 20 to try and understand this as it is similar to their language. Ulfen can't. The langages are like the two poles of teh dwrven tongue)
Terran
The creature said "Free me soft skin. I no longer wish to serve your kind". It seems to think that the group are orks
For those magic users who see the magic circle.
Spellcraft DC 23 (like identifying a magic item, to give some insider info)
The magic circle obvioulsy binds the creature. It also channels power from the great stones outside. These stones seemingly store power from some source and then feed it into this room. The creature within the circle then acts like an earthing rod for the magical power, feeding it into the ground and off to some porbably distant location. The spell is a complex melding of many types of magic, and ultimately serves to channel the massive power of at least two types of elements into one large protective ward somwhere outside this cave complex. Unfortunately, the magic seems to be failing. It will take some working out to see if it can be rechannlled to both keep this thing in teh circle, and keep the wards active that the spell is generating
Milhar strains to listen to the sounds of rocks clattering and water gushing up ahead, but cannot make out anything of value.
He shakes his head at Sen, "look take the others and make beds for healing and rest, look for useful things in the cave then wait. Don't worry I will be fine Sen."
He looks across at Algret and Smythe murmuring again, "we will be fine."
Symington holds up a finger and gives a swift, very slight, negative shake of his head to Seraph.
He looks with a raised eyebrow at Milhar and Algret, his expression one of curiosity. "Our companions are obviously wiser than we are,..." he muses aloud. At the rumbling from the next room, and the tremor, Smythe looks at Algret and Milhar again, and swiftly follows the Ulfen into the chamber.
Symington stops behind Vik, not moving as he peers around the room. Finally his gaze settles upon the creature in the circle. He raises an eyebrow. Raising his cane to eye level, he murmurs a few words, and taps himself lightly on the forehead, muttering 'Comprendo'.
Settling his cane back onto the ground, Symingto addresses the creature.
"I apologize, would you mind repeating that?" He asks politely.
"An earth elemental, fairly large, certainly not as powerful as the one bound to the Vixen,..." Symington mutters, fading off as he becomes interested in, and intently studies the circle the creature is in.
After several log moments, Smythe raises his cane, indicating the circle.
"The magic circle binds the creature. Obviously. It also appears to channel power from the great stones outside. These stones seemingly store power from,... some source, and then feeds it into this room. The creature within the circle then acts like an earthing rod for the magical power, feeding it into the ground and off to some probably distant location."
The magus shakes his head in appreciation of the spellcrafting.
"The spell is a complex melding of many types of magic, and ultimately serves to channel the massive power of at least two types of elements into one large protective ward somewhere outside this cave complex. Unfortunately, the magic seems to be failing. It will take some working out to see if it can be rechanneled to both keep this elemental in the circle, and keep the wards active that the spell is generating."
He turns to his companions, drawing himself to his full height, and unconsciously adding to his aura of haughtiness and superiority.
"The question, gentlebeings, is whether we should keep it here. If my translation charm is operating properly, the creature is indicating that it wishes to be free. Without knowing more about the wards it is powering, and how and why it came to be here, I am loathe to keep an intelligent creature prisoner. With your cooperation, I will speak with it and see if it can provide answers."
Symington turns to the elemental, and approaches the circle fearlessly. Placing his cane on the ground and resting his hands upon it, he looks at the elemental and nods politely.
"Can you understand me? It is my desire to assist you if possible." He says in common. "In order to do that, There are many things that I need to know."
"How did you come to be here?"
"Was it an agreed arrangement, or were you forced to serve?"
"What do you know about the magics you are connected to?"
"Are you causing the tremors? Or are you controlling them?"
"What do you intend to do if released? Return to where you came?"
When Smythe starts talking to the creature Vik loosens the grip on his axe just a little bit, realizing that his particular skill set is not immediately needed in this event.
When Smythe starts talking to the creature Vik loosens the grip on his axe just a little bit, realizing that his particular skill set is not immediately needed in this event.
Unfortunately while Symmington can clearly understand the creature, it seems unable, or unwilling to listen to his questions. It continually repeats the phrase "Set me free". The creature becomes more emphatic each time states this, further struggling against its magical bonds.
The beach
Captain Venn moves forwards towards the shadowy fishmen. He holds his hands out to his sides, showing he is unarmed and begins to talk to them in a strange lanquage. The man is a wealth of surprises in what he can do.
Bo Dan watches the exchange, noting the subtle changes in the way some of the creatures stand. They become more aggressive by the second, the tridents they hold swinging to face the captain. Their crests seem to raise in response to something the captain says, and a few of tehm throw quick glances to each other. The monk tenses, knowing this moment is coming.
The creature at teh back of the pack shouts a command, and half the creatures surge towards teh captain, tridents forward and ready to spit him where he stands. The other half turn contemptuaously from the captain and begin moving towards the racks of drying meats and barrels of brine. Their intention to take what they want is very obvious.
Apparently negotiations didn't go well.
The beach
Sense Motive Check:
Initiative:
Seeing the negotiations turn hostile, Cynthia throws her left hand out towards one of the creatures and a crackling bolt of lightning surges out from it to strike it in the chest, small discharges dancing across it's still wet hide as it roars in pain.
Arcane Bolt (Electricity) at the nearest Sahuagin (Ranged Touch Attack):
Damage:
She then races towards the creature she just hit, drawing her Curve Blade as she goes.
In the Ork Shaman's Cave
The sorcerer shakes his head at the sounds of water and rocks falling, but the frustration of Symmington soon becomes apparent.
"I remember when we first came here I had a dream about skeins of power heading into the island. MAybe they didn't lead to this cave, maybe there is a place that is warded for a reason. We cannot be sure that this creature will not attack us. These tremors will free the creature one way or the other."
"Our aim was to protect the orks and I doubt that setting the rock monster free would be what they wanted. The creature is obviously serving the ork people in some way. It is how that is the question. Vik is that thing friendly? Can your heightened senses tell?"
Meanwhile, back at the Cave,
Symington sighs, frustration showing in his pursed lips but otherwise not evident in his manner. He turns back to the others and shakes his head.
"Either it cannot, or refuses, to understand me. It simply continues to repeat its demand to be set free." He places a finger on his forehead, as if hoping to jog forth a thought.
"Your right Milhar. Even though I am loathe to leave any intelligent creature trapped, and in obvious discomfort, we simply do not have enough information. Yet. Where does the power lead to? WHAT is it powering, precisely? And what happens if the power feed stops? These are the questions that we must procure answers to." He glances again at the elemental trapped in the circle.
"And swiftly. It will not be long before these enchantments fail, and we find out the answers the hard way. I would prefer to have a solution in place before then!"
Initiative:
Repulsed by the waves of evil rolling off the amphibians, Pietro concentrates on maintaining a neutral expression. He's working at it so hard that he's slow to react to the creatures' sudden action.
"Treachery! " he cries and rushes to the captain's side.
Battle on the Beach
Bo-Dan begins to accompany Captain Venn as he moves forward to confront the amphibious lizard-like humanoids but with a curt gesture he instructs her not to follow. With a look of concern on her face, the half-elf nevertheless obeys.
Initiative:
As the negotiations obviously fail and the creatures attack, the monk, primed and ready for just such treachery, blazes into action launching into a flying snap-kick at the head of one of the creatures attacking the Captain.
Attack & Damage:,
At the tremor Algret reaches into the earth, her awareness spreading out, past Vik to encounter the creature. She looks to Shale, the fear remanating through their bond.
"Stay her with the others, guard our backs. We will be safe enough."
She enters the room warily, following the supernatural senses.
Spellcraft
The beach
The caves
The beach