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When Octaris reaches the next door, its slides aside with an airy whiff. Inside, scores of martial weapons placed securely within crystalline cases await use. Of particular note, several ornamental weapons lie in state in their own cases and a handsome set of vambraces dominate the shelf on the eastern wall.
Of course, there is a blue ball floating here as well.
Zephyr examines the blue balls of energy to determine whether he has seen anything like them before.
"Are they...powering this place?" he wonders.
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Zephyr's question is partially answered as crystals within the energy balls in each of the rooms on the first floor of the tower buzz and hum with electricity, sparks flying, sending arcs into the air as spectral djinn suddenly appear and flit and flicker determinedly about the central atrium, raising their hands as if invoking some supernatural power. Rhyol, Zephyr, and Krakos also notice a throbbing lightning pattern growing within the cyclone itself in the center of the atrium. The energy balls fully coalesce into crystals brimming with electric energy.
Round 1 - Surprise Round - Everyone is up
Octaris
Rhyol
Krakos
Zephyr
Ember
Jamila
Electric Boogaloo
Ember follows the others into the tower. "I don't like the look of that," she says motioning to the black mass engulfing the tower. She nods in agreement to Rhyol's explanation of the cyclone and then moves over to inspect the alcoves and then see what Jamila has discovered in the adjoining room.
When the atrium begins to crack with electricity, she turns to see what is going on.
"It appears that the power of Ranginori, a benevolent lord of air who was trapped and exiled ages ago, has manifested itself here. Maybe this tower was where he was trapped. Unless you worship Ayrzul, I don't think physical attacks will harm it. We need to use non-air spells"
She begins singing a song about a large fireball clearing away everything in its path.
Hearing Ember's advice, Jamila retrieves her oil of flame arrow and applies it to her arrows.
Octaris backs away as Ember begins her song. The mephit could feel the fire welling up inside her. He tries to stay well away from the impending blast of fire and prepares to blast the electricity djinn with water after Ember has burned it.
"Unless you worship Ayrzul, I don't think physical attacks will harm it. We need to use non-air spells"
Spell-less, Rhyol looks around impotently for a moment before her 'face' lands on the closest crystal. that seems to be feeding to ghostly channelers. We won't know if we don't try. she says as she throws her weight against it.
for
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Krakos' acid splash attempt goes horribly amiss and lands in a puddle on the floor.
The aetheric djinn spiral about the room and your bodies with a whirlwind ferocity until they finally merge back into the central cyclone of twisting air.
The room goes instantly silent, although the cyclone continues to spin slowly and the room rotates, barely in sync with it.
After a pause, each of you can hear the individual crystals in each room buzz and arc with electric energy as they completely consume the blue fields that surround them. It sounds like they are "powering up".
Octaris
Rhyol
Krakos
Zephyr
Ember
Jamila
Electric Crystals - powering up
Zephyr tries to determine how to manipulate the crystals, but they seem awfully bizarre.
Zephyr casts resist energy, concerned the lightning is about to discharge.
Ember moves up next to Jamila to have a clearer shot. She continues her song, pausing only a moment to unleash her breath at the cyclone.
Flush with success, Rhyol quickly slithers up and around to another crystal. Focusing on the bangle stuck on her favorite spike, the thoqqua makes another, mightier slam.
for and
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Rhyol races into the other alcove and furiously smashes the crystal there. Krakos acid splashes again, but the crystals appear to be too resistant for his acid to affect. Zephyr, sensing the oncoming storm, protects himself. Ember and Octaris unleash attacks on the swirling vortex in the center of the chamber, but it seems to do nothing to it now. There is a strange silence as Jamila finishes pouring her oil on her arrows.
With a burst of light that fills the entire tower, electricity arcs from the remaining crystals and sends bolts of lightning in every direction. They tear into each one of you (except Octaris) and for a moment it is as if you are all conduits in the massive display. From the corners of your blurry eyes, the arcs and webs of electric energy pulsate and cover the walls and doors, even from those doors still closed.
When it ends, the eerie silence returns. But will it happen again, you wonder...then you hear the familiar buzzing of the crystals as they power up again.
Rhyol - 28 damage
Krakos - 28 damage
Zephyr (Resist 10) - 46 damage
Ember - 28 damage
Octaris (imp evasion) - 0 damage
Jamila (Resist 10) - 18 damage
Electric Crystals - powering up again
Jamila shoots a pair of flaming arrows at one of the crystals.
Significantly singed, Rhyol slithers quickly towards the still functioning crystal she can see and smashes into it.
for plus
Ember looks worried that her breath did nothing to affect the vortex. She then braces for the worst as the electricity arcs throughout the room. Fortunately, her small size helps her avoid some of the damage. "Let's hope it takes some time to recharge," she says. She continues her singing as she senses she can use her breath again. Noticing the others attacking the crystals, she casts a cantrip to open the door to the west and then flys into the room while pulling out her longspear.
Octaris turns to target one of the crystals with his water blast this time. "Destroy all the crystals!"
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Rhyol races to smash another crystal with her fiery frame. Krakos and Zephyr speed out of the tower as they sense another electric blast. Ember deftly opens the door with a quick spell and races in. Apart from another blue crystal, the room simply contains a large block of black granite hovering in the air, surrounded by floating chairs.
Octaris blasts a crystal but it doesn't quite shatter completely. One more blast ought to do it, he thinks. Jamila launches a double shot of flaming arrows at her crystal and it shatters on the second impact.
Just as it shatters, the rooms fill up again with the electric discharge, tensing the bodies of those still remaining inside. Although not as strong as the first assault, it still takes a harsh toll on everyone, except Octaris, that is.
Once again, the crystals buzz as they power up again.
Rhyol - 53 damage
Krakos - 28 damage
Zephyr (Resist 10) - 46 damage
Ember - 40 damage
Octaris (imp evasion) - 0 damage
Jamila (Resist 10) - 33 damage
Electric Crystals - powering up again
Octaris blasts the crystal again, hoping to destroy it this time. Then he speeds over to an unopened door to try and locate the other crystals.
The bolts of energy once again almost knock Ember out of the air. She looks at the crystal in the room and then out the doorway towards the safety of the exit to the tower. "I don't think I'll be able to do both," she thinks as she ponders her next move. With a sigh of defeat, she turns towards the door and moves quickly out of the tower.
"The crystals are charging too quickly. I couldn't get hit again. If I die, who will tell of our tale," she says to the group, the disappointment apparent in her voice.
Zephyr draws his wand of cure light wounds and heals some of his own wounds, preparing also to heal his companions.
Jamila takes the whole brunt of that burst but stays determined. She moves on to the next door and shoots at the damaged one.
Very scorched, but feeling oddly lucky, Rhyol slithers quickly back to the entrance and hops off, lazily floating the the air.
That...that hurt. And I only had the one drink to heal scars.
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Most of you flee to the safety of the winds outside and begin the process of healing. Octaris blasts the crystal to pieces in the southern room with another well-placed hit and races toward a new room. Jamila moves and takes a shot at the crystal hovering over the table, damaging but not destroying it.
Preparing for the blast, the two remaining inside take minimal damage, Octaris having dodged his third bolt of the day.
The remaining crystals begin to hum again.
Rhyol - 40 damage
Krakos (3 heal per turn) - 13 damage
Zephyr (Resist 10) - 42 damage
Ember - 40 damage
Octaris (imp evasion) - 0 damage
Jamila (Resist 10) - 39 damage
Electric Crystals - powering up again
Zephyr continues healing himself, then prepares to help the others.
As Ember reaches into her bag to retrieve her wand of clw, she feels the warmth of healing from Krakos' spell. "Thank you, that was close. I was hoping there would be a pause between discharges, but apparently not. I hope they are doing ok in there. She surveys her companions to determine who is the most injured. Seeing Zephyr healing his own wounds, she uses her wand on Rhyol.
Jamila shoots again at the crystal.
Octaris opens the door and if he sees a crystal, he'll blast it with water.
Rhyol lets out a satisfied *hissss* as Ember's wand balms her wounds.
Thank you very much. That storm hurts! The thoqqua looks inside at the two of their party remaining within. Octaris is very good at dancing with the lightning.
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Octaris quickly opens the door and see what appears to be a library, with the offending crystal floating between the central shelves that hover and hang from the walls at a variety of artistic angles. He blasts the crystal before it can recharge and Jamila finishes one and almost two crystals off with a flurry of fiery arrows.
The lightning storm returns like clockwork, although everyone can tell its intensity is waning with every crystal shattered. Even Jamila finds it easier to dodge the bolts fury. It returns to the familiar buzz just as soon as it discharges.
Rhyol - 35 damage
Krakos (3 heal per turn) - 10 damage
Zephyr (Resist 10) - 34 damage (8+4+7 healing on the way)
Ember - 20 damage
Octaris (imp evasion) - 0 damage
Jamila (Resist 10) - 41 damage
Electric Crystals - powering up again
Octaris sneers at the crystal and blasts it with water again.
Seeing the others in the tower successfully dealing with the crystals, Ember continues to heal the wounded.
Some more of Rhyol's wound close as she hisses. Is it clear? Are there more crystals?
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Octaris blasts the visible crystal to oblivion, and the group braces for the electric storm again. This time it barely registers for Octaris and Jamila, but manages to hit Krakos square in the back. Strangely, there is an extended silence after this burst, and the group seizes on it to open the final door and destroy the final crystal within.
Rhyol - 30 damage
Krakos (3 heal per turn) - 18 damage (fully healed in 6 rounds)
Zephyr (Resist 10) - 15 damage (after listed wand use from above)
Ember - 20 damage
Octaris (imp evasion) - 0 damage
Jamila (Resist 10) - 41 damage
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As the final crystal is shattered, the slowly rotating cyclone in the center of the tower briefly intensifies before dissipating entirely, revealing a palpitating 10-foot-diameter ring of hundreds of colors near where the tower’s roof once existed.
Each shelf contains a minor magical effect that directs gravity toward its back, both preventing the contents from tumbling out, as well as preventing the books from degrading over time. Most of the knowledge contained in the volumes here is esoteric and extraordinarily specific. Volumes with titles such as Breathing, Volume XI: Concerning the Respiration of Mephits and Fruit of the Forest of Oils: A Treatise on the Safe Harvesting of Unknown Alchemical Reagents Suspended in Water are common.
Jamila sighs in relief when the crystals are all destroyed. She hasn't had to work that hard in ages! She drinks her solitary potion.
She sets to looking around the facility in more depth.
"Look at these lovely Vambraces!"
Vambraces? What do they do? hisses Rhyol as the armless thoqqua cautiously slithers forward. And what is that ring? Is it dangerous too? That storm was unexpected.
Octaris laughs as the last of the crystals is destroyed. "Ha! What would you all have done without me!" He giggles and then seems to settle down suddenly.
The mephit flies through the rooms, helping everyone search. Oddly, the wizard seem unconcerned about the books in the library.
"So what now? Do we enter this portal? Where in the planes would it take us?"
"These mithral bracers allow the wearer to use gaseous form, invisibility, and wind wall each once per day. Quite useful and very stylish!"