GM Rat Sass's Age of Worms

Game Master Governayle

Round Surprise!

a spectral creature slips through the wall next to Pillette and Mortimer.

Oh, no. Alastor? ...Not again.

WillDC15: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Mortimer's eyes glaze over as he stares at the Specter, and begins to drool slightly.

Mortimer and Tynan seem ready to confront the ghostly creature entering the room through the wall, until they hear its chittering. Pillette seems to fall into a kind of trance as well, as her little eyes look up and into a rotted set of teeth.

The creature turns its gaze upon the giant, and it reaches out, a wispy, elongated hand raking towards Mortimer's chest. It just misses.

Touch Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Mortimer, you're no longer fascinated.

Round 1
A- 21
Pillette- 16 (fascinated, 1/4 rounds)
Ascaria- 10
Tynan- 9 (fascinated, 1/4 rounds)
Solrisa- 9
Raella- 5
Mortimer- 3

The party is up!

Round: 1, Initiative: 10

Faced with an opponent he cannot understand, doing things to his friends he does not like, in a room he cannot touch, Ascaria very nearly runs off. But he won’t leave his allies.

He turns to Tynan, gets out a hair pin, and pokes him in an uncomfortable place, ”Break out of it you numb-skull!”

By the power of Ascaria's Hairpin, you are no longer fascinated, Tynan.

Round 11, Init 9

Moves up to attack the incorporeal thing with her normal long sword.

Fight!
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 to hit; (bless)
1d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 damage.

Solrisa's beautifully-executed overhead swing passes directly through the creature, to apparently no damaging effect. The creature looks at the picture of life, its black eyes marking the maiden.

Round 1, Init 9+

Tynan's wandering thoughts are brought into sharp focus by a little prick.

"OW! Uhh... Thanks Ascaria."

Regaining his composure, Tynan moves forward until he's next to Pillette, and gives her a shake to refocus her attention on the situation at hand.

Round 1, Init 5

"Get away from that thing, Sol!"

Rae jumps in front of her sister friendly switch, swinging wildly, as if trying to blow it away with her ridiculous fan like motion to protect her from whatever unnatural thing hanging in the air.

attack, power attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 71d10 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Round 1, Init 3

The creature turns its gaze upon the giant, and it reaches out, a wispy, elongated hand raking towards Mortimer's chest. It just misses.

Mortimer's eyes widen as the creature reaches for him. He blinks as his eyes return to their former luster, and he brushes off his face.

"Whoawhoa -- NOT Alastor!" he involuntarily exclaims, tucking in his abdomen in an effort to stay out of Its reach, don't get It on you! -- It makes Alastor look like a normal healthy 12 year old boy... "I don't want It controlling my body -- It seems to me not something that is capable of reasoning, It probably doesn't burn, and I don't want to touch It! I'm out of here!" He picks up the Slip and beats a hasty retreat for the nearest exit, sounding not much unlike a metal trash can being kicked down a gravel road.

Flowers would have been nice. I hope It isn't following.

Assumed the best of cases and moved on the map.

Ascaria arouses Tynan, who in turn arouses Pillette. Mortimer whisks the halfling off, with her consent, but not before she produces a flask of holy water, uncorking it and dousing the creature directly in front of her.

Splash Weapon: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 for 2d4 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5 damage

The creature shrieks, the sound reverberating through the hall. As the halfling is lost to it like a saddlebag being carried off to the stables, it settles on Raella, its raking somehow thrown off from the still hissing in the air.

Touch Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

To the east, along the hallway, a robed figure fails to remain in the shadows well enough to avoid your detections. He seems to be studying the dynamic between the creature and you all.

Round 2
A- 21 (-5hp)
Pillette- 16
Ascaria- 10
Tynan- 9
Solrisa- 9
Raella- 5
Mortimer- 3

The party is up!

Round: 2, Initiative: 21

Ascaria watches Sol’s perfect swing go right through the monster without so much as slowing down, let alone damaging it. He watches Mort run off in fear of possession, carrying Pillette with him. He eyes the green pillars and what they might mean.

Yep, time to go!

He yells, ”Let us come back and face this creature with more holy water and maybe some magic. Yes, I think that would be best!”

Ascaria makes haste for the door. He knows he’s slow, so he rushes as fast as he can.

Where is the door on the map? Ascaria wants to rush to the far side and ready to close it when the last of the party is out. I've moved myself on the map as far as I can go (double move) so feel free to move me back a little as needed.

Round 2, Init 9

Sol delays, not leaving her sister. If she fights, Sol fights. No retreat, no surrender.

There are two doors, Ascaria- the secret door Tynan swished open from the maze side, and the locked wooden door Pillette picked open, where Tynan and the sisters remain. Your current location is good, as it positions you next to the pressure plate that triggers it.

Round 2, Init 9+

Tynan watches Mortimer snatch up Pillette, and carry her down the hallway, with Ascaria following close after them.

Taking their cue, he withdraws down the corridor. double move

Watching the others retreat, Rae reluctantly nods to the wisdom, "Come on Sol, we'll have to come back. I don't have anything that can hurt that thing." She grabs her sister's hand and tugs. She won't leave without Sol, but she is ready to go.

Round 2, Init 9

Sol gives a look to the wispy creature, knowing that if she just hit it harder, she could get it. But with her sister and party retreating, so does Sol.

Sol withdraws. Can't get to map now, but plz move 40' or so away.

Round 2, Init 3

Mortimer whisks the halfling off, with her consent, but not before she produces a flask of holy water, uncorking it and dousing the creature directly in front of her.

"What was that!? Where'd you get that?!" Mortimer can't help but exclaim. Asmodean Holy Water?! Did she get any on me? He nearly drops the Slip in an effort to check himself for splash, but he can find nothing. Whew! He's not sure which is worse -- the evil chruch's holy water on him or the rotting stench clinging to the air spoiling the otherwise perfectly dark and dreary ambiance of the dungeon.

To the east, along the hallway, a robed figure fails to remain in the shadows well enough to avoid your detections. He seems to be studying the dynamic between the creature and you all.

... What's this?

He gently places Pillette on her feet on the stone floor in the corridor. Ahh, well. It has to be that stuff? Whatever works, I guess. "Have ya got anymore of that? Maybe you can feed the stuff to me, and I can lob it in -- see how far we can get?"

The halfling indicates that it was a one shot deal.

As the others retreat, he considers how best to address the robed figure.

Is he/she/it responsible for this -- apparition thing?
"Maybe if we confront that creature to the east, this other nasty thing will go away. We should look for another way in to the east."

As the party slips from the green hall, the specter moves to the frame of the doorway. It looks along the edges of it, and remains in position. A voice over it shoulder speaks in a dry, dead language.

"Kazniti ih za njihov upad, treba li ih opet vidjeti. Budite strpljivi i čekati s očima ... Čekaj ... i oni će doći ..."

Its constant muttering becomes almost a reply to the voice in the hall.

"Izvući iz nje, pijavica od njega, traže u njoj, izvući iz nje, pijavica od njega, traže u njoj, izvući iz nje, pijavica od njega, traže u njoj, izvući iz nje, pijavica od njega, traže u njoj..."

It lingers for several seconds, then moves from your view. You can still hear it, however, repeating the same words, over and over. The chittering echoes through the green hall.

With your retreat, you are no longer in initiative.

Ascaria closes the door on the creature, seemingly unable to advance beyond the threshold.

"Well that was unpleasant." he mutters.

Speaking a little more loudly he says, "I don't know who that dark figure was in there, but he's got control over this creature whatever it is. Before we can go down this passage, we're going to need a lot more holy water at least."

"Maybe if we confront that creature to the east, this other nasty thing will go away. We should look for another way in to the east."

"I like your idea Mort, but I don't think this thing will go away. We need to vanquish it somehow, and I'm not sure we have the tools just yet. But we will. In the meantime you're absolutely right. Let's see what secrets we can find behind this wall."

"Tynan? Is there a secret door here? Mort's bird man was fleeing to something."

Ascaria moves to the Northeast, where the bird man was fleeing, and provides light for others to find any secret panels that might lie there in this maze.

The map has changed again, so I don't see where the bird man tried to flee, but that's where Ascaria's headed.

Mortimer eyes the specter with curiosity until Ascaria closes the door.

"Before we can go down this passage, we're going to need a lot more holy water at least. [ ... ] I don't think this thing will go away. We need to vanquish it somehow, and I'm not sure we have the tools just yet."

"Hey hey hey... what do you mean by 'a lot' in needing 'a lot more holy water'? Will any water do? I mean if we had water, can anyone here make it holy enough to hurt this thing, or does the water need to come from a special source?" 'Cos if it can be any kind of water...

He stops his thought process shaking his head, as though he regrets asking the question.
As if this place didn't stink enough already. I probably don't have "a lot" anyway.

"Well, uh. I'd sure be able to carry 'a lot' in any event," he says with a hint of regret in his tone, pointing his thumb toward the mule back cords he is wearing.

He follows Ascaria back to the east and north where the wand weaving birdman he clotheslined was headed, hoping the others will soon follow.

"Mort... Mort!"

Giggles

"Stop. It takes 5 pounds of silver and a spell to make even a small amount of holy water. We don't have the silver, and don't have the spell, so keep, uh, your water to yourself."

He laughs with relief at their close call and Mort's earnest offer.

Growing somewhat familiar with these northern corridors, Ascaria and Mortimer lead the way, illuminating the passage that begins to look very familiar to the first secret hallway. Repeating Tynan's gesture at this section of wall accomplishes the same thing- a corridor heading north, likely at the same green hall, is revealed.

Roll20 map is updated, and both Ascaria and Mortimer have been repositioned based on their post descriptions.

"Come on, Sister. We need to keep together." Rae urges Sol to hurry up to stay with the others. With a nod of her head, she includes Tynan as well, "Don't dawdle, Ty. Who knows what else may come floating out of these walls."

moved Rae on the map.

GAH! Sorry. This thread got hidden yesterday and then I brain blanked on it. SORRY!!

Solrisa wonders why the party retreated, assuming they knew something she did not. She follows at the back, trying to protect others from the thing if it follows.

"That was interesting! We should go back and see if we can get it a different way!" Sol chimes cheerily. "Maybe we should try to grab it."

Sol follows Rae, still taking the rear until she decides there is likely to be more danger at the front.

Ascaria looks out at the green light and shakes his head sadly. "No Sol, we can't grab it - it's incorporeal - that means we can't touch it. It takes magic to effect it and we don't have any."

He quietly closes the door.

"Look. We can't go forward, so let's go back. There are areas we haven't searched yet. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something we can use here. If not, we may need to withdraw to town and hope to buy something, more holy water for instance, that seemed to hurt it."

Ascaria looks to Pillette. "Can you wedge these doors shut? Make 'em so they don't open - at least not easily?"

Ascaria roots through his sack and pulls out two flasks of holy water. He offers one to Mort and one to Tynan. "Here, it's all I have, and it's not from the church of Asmodeus so it's OK." he reassures Mort. "Don't use it if you don't have to, we might need it when we return."

"No Sol, we can't grab it..."

Sol nods, understanding completely.

"Maybe my butterfly net would work?" Sol asks hopefully, following the group.

"Can you wedge these doors shut?"

Sol brightens, already thinking about the net in her backpack, her mind thinks upon the other wonderful and useful things within.

'OH! I have my hammer, pitons, and spikes! I can break the doors if you'd like!" Sol chimes, knowing the damage a hammer with a nice spike can do. "I think I can do it!"

Sol sheathes her blade to retrieve her stoneworking tools.

"I agree that we should continue searching through other unexplored areas."

Tynan gratefully accepts the flask of holy water from Ascaria, and tucks it carefully into his belt pouch.

"I don't think returning to town to resupply will be a viable choice... look at what we had to go through just to sneak inside the first time." Tynan pauses for a moment. "Admittedly, this might help a bit." Tynan concentrates on the hat, taking on the likeness of a dwarf.

For ease of transition, the maze has been revealed on Roll20, to the extent of your collective knowledge.

The gnome brandishes two precious vials of holy water, which seem to have a noticeable effect on the specter, courtesy of Pillette. For the more ancient and superior craftsmanship of the passageways here, the halfling nods politely, and attempts to 'fix' closed the secret doors leading to the green hall.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

She admits that she would require substantially more time to perform a better job, but there doesn't appear to be a guaranteed technique to see the doors properly secured. She does the best she can, given the spikes she has.

You have further aspects of the maze you haven't searched yet, you have a stone door to the west honoring Lamashtu, past the central elevator chamber that awaits you patiently enough, and you have a dire boar penned to the east in the hall of Asmodeus. I eagerly await your next course of action.

"Let's try that stone door. Dunno that the dire boar will have any loot to speak of." he snickers.

What do we need to down this damn thing? If holy water works...

"Don't dawdle, Ty. Who knows what else may come floating out of these walls."

Mort nods. "Indeed, we should stick together as much as possible."

Ascaria looks out at the green light and shakes his head sadly.

Something in general about that space really seems to be unnerving Ascaria.

"No Sol, we can't grab it - it's incorporeal - that means we can't touch it. It takes magic to effect it and we don't have any."

A cold empty feeling washes over Mortimer. ... even if I could touch that specter, I wouldn't want to...

"Maybe my butterfly net would work?"

Mortimer's eyes light up at this suggestion. "Oh, hey! Is it magic?!"

"I agree that we should continue searching through other unexplored areas." [ ...] Tynan concentrates on the hat, taking on the likeness of a dwarf.

Moritmer nods again, but is suddenly taken aback by Tynan's transformation. Does this mean I have to worry about stepping on him now too?

"Let's try that stone door. Dunno that the dire boar will have any loot to speak of."

"Bacon and ham, Ascaria. I'm pretty sure it has bacon and ham, and that has to be worth something. First though, as much as I'd like to get out of this maze, maybe we should finish fleshing this out before moving on to the other doors or the pool."

Ascaria wrote:

"No Sol, we can't grab it..."

Ascaria wrote:

"Can you wedge these doors shut?"

Sol brightens, already thinking about the net in her backpack, her mind thinks upon the other wonderful and useful things within.

'OH! I have my hammer, pitons, and spikes! I can break the doors if you'd like!" Sol chimes, knowing the damage a hammer with a nice spike can do. "I think I can do it!"

Sol sheathes her blade to retrieve her stoneworking tools.

He turns to Sol. "Sol, did you want to try to nail or otherwise wedge the doors to the green room shut?"

"Oh, hey! Is it magic?!"

"OH YES!!" Sol says, thinking of all the butterflies and dreams she had caught with her butterfly net...but then she crestfalls as she realizes that isn't what Mort was asking. "Wait. No. It's not that kind of magic."

"Rae knows it's magic, though. We've had some good fun chasing things with this net!" Sol looks at Rae. "Rae, remember!"

"Sol, did you want to try to nail or otherwise wedge the doors to the green room shut?"

Sol looks back at the way of the green door. She wonders what lies beyond the green door. But then she shakes her head.

"I can if you want, but it might take some time to undo whatever I do," Sol says, finally having hammer and spike in hand. "If you want, I'll destroy the doors by hammering out their hinges. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Rae knows it's magic, though. We've had some good fun chasing things with this net!" Sol looks at Rae. "Rae, remember!"

Rae sighs, trying to remember what it was like to be as young as her older twin.

"Yes I remember, but that's not quite the magic we're looking for...Nooo, don't break the doors. Just jam them for now. Like that time we were playing hide or be cleaned with the troll aunties..." What we're we, 6, then? or 8?

She waits for her sister to finish, only somewhat impatiently, then heads to the east.

"If you want, I'll destroy the doors by hammering out their hinges. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Yes I remember, but that's not quite the magic we're looking for...Nooo, don't break the doors. Just jam them for now. Like that time we were playing hide or be cleaned with the troll aunties..."

Mortimer shoots Raella a quizzical look. "Troll aunties?" he asks, incredulously. He shakes his head, as if trying to dislodge from it the image of a pair of old twin Trolls in overall bibs armed with feather dusters.

Feeling somewhat badly since it took Sol quite a bit of work to find her equipment, he nonetheless turns to her and says, "Uhhh, I don't think we need the doors destroyed just yet. We can do that later. Just jam 'em. Then let's just look around this maze and find anything useful that we might have missed."

He follows Raella.

If it's O.K. with everyone, moving around to uncover the rest of this maze area, probably starting with a search of the room behind the red door to the South, then heading westish then northish?

Oh, right, the maze. Yes, let's clear the maze and loot the bodies first. Make sure we leave no stone unturned. Ascaria will check for magic in the two room looking areas as well as around the dead bodies.

"Oh Mort, I can't jam them well. I can break them! That's fun too!" Sol answers and tries to clarify her skill set.

"Rae, remember that time Troll Auntie Grrflumph made us pie?! I LOVE PIE!"

Sol enjoins in the clearing of bodies and keeping keen watch as other loot.

The only part of the maze that puts you off somewhat is the northwestern corridors. More like the weasel runs, as the ammonia hangs heavy in the air. You eventually come across three pronounced rooms that serve as sleeping chambers for the birdmen.

Scattered among the bedrolls and makeshift tables, you find 1100 gold sails throughout all three rooms, a lockbox which Pillette deftly handles and opens, to reveal 3 beautifully-cut diamonds.

Tynan is able to pry up a cobblestone in the more distant room to the east. A small wooden box is pulled free from its burial hole. It opens easily enough, revealing a golden ring with flecks of emerald and agate.

Should you decide to take down the Dire Boar, you will succeed in killing it, but not before Ascaria finds it necessary to expend 1d3 ⇒ 2 charges of the wand in order to restore various party members to health after the boar lashes out in its death throes.

This leaves the green hall to the north, and the stone door to the west.

(I skipped making the DC 32 Perception check, as it's beyond my reach to succeed on.)

Tynan helps to scout out the twisting corridors and foul fowl bedchambers.

"Wanna check this ring out Canary? It looks like it could be worth something."

Tynan takes point, and leads the group to the gray stone door, where he listens for activity behind it.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

Sol blinks, then blinks again.

"Rae, remember! This maze is really mazy! Do you think you'd ever want a house like this! Think of the games of hunt and seek we could play!? Or trolls and ambushes!" Sol squeals with happy thoughts.

"And we could hide treasures for each other too! Just look at we just found." Sol points to the chests and goodies uncovered, then looks momentarily more serious.

"However, we need to find the bad people first. Where do you think they are?"

Sol looks around with her dragon's eyes, hopeful of seeing something bad that she can get.

Ascaria checks out the gemstones hoping to ken their value.
Appraise: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

"Sure thing Tynan, good eye!"

He then dutifully casts detect magic on the found ring, hoping to have better luck.
Spellcraft if applicable: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

He perks up a little as the ring detects as magic. He turns to Sol grinning, "Actually this would make a fun maze if it wasn't so stinky. I think the bad people are through the green hall, but we need more holy water, a magic weapon, something to help us get there."

"That damn incorporeal creature. Mort do you think it's the same as that ghost kid we dealt with earlier? Didn't seem like we could reason with it though as we could with him. Seemed more, I dunno, visceral."

"Do you think it was undead like the boy?"

Ascaria forgets his thoughts and statements as he gazes deeply into the ring...

"Wow."

He holds it up to his hat to check it in the light.

"This is a powerful ring in the hands of, say, a druid. Helps with all manner of nature type stuff - including helping to control animals, moving around in underbrush and the like."

He waves his hand aside, "But none of that matters now. What matters is the ring also lets you cast Shillelagh (link) once a day. That is useful."

He turns to the rest of the party holding up the ring into the light. "All we need is a club or quarterstaff - and we can make it magical for a while!! It'll effect the damn vapor in the other room!" he announces proudly.

"So do we have a quarterstaff? We can make a club out of one of these damn chicken legs if we have to."

Solrisa checks herself for a club or quarterstaff, but doesn't have one. She is of a mind to mention her butterfly net again, but decides against it. That is only useful for clubbing butterflies, wherein instead of clubbing, one is capturing. Outside of that, they are exactly the same thing, Sol reasons carefully.

Sol says nothing, not having a staff.

She looks around at the others.

"Wanna check this ring out Canary? It looks like it could be worth something."

Mortimer stares in awe at the ring. I've never seen anything like that! The emerald flecks with the brittle stone together in gold. It's like Sol's eyes... However did it come to be in such a place like this?

"That damn incorporeal creature. Mort do you think it's the same as that ghost kid we dealt with earlier? Didn't seem like we could reason with it though as we could with him. Seemed more, I dunno, visceral. Do you think it was undead like the boy?"

"No!" his voice cracks as he emphatically replies, wondering where Ascaria's thoughts are going along this line of questioning.

He continues in a calmer tone, "Not like Alastor. To me it makes Alastor look like a normal healthy twelve year old boy. Assuming that thing ever had a soul, it's been long lost to darkness, despair and evil -- It has stared into Oblivion for far too long, I fear. It hungers for life, and only reaches out to steal it like water rushes in to fill the void of a ship's wake. Had we not already liberated him from his curse, in enough time I think Alastor could have ended up like this specter thing."

He pauses for a moment, clearly lost in thought before adding, "That other person in there with it -- does he/she maybe have it under some kind of magic spell that enables he/she to control it?" He shudders."Spooky!"

"' somehow reminds me of Filge's research in the Observatory."

He holds [the ring] up to his hat to check it in the light.

"This is a powerful ring in the hands of, say, a druid. Helps with all manner of nature type stuff - including helping to control animals, moving around in underbrush and the like. But none of that matters now. What matters is the ring also lets you cast Shillelagh once a day. That is useful.

All we need is a club or quarterstaff - and we can make it magical for a while!! It'll effect the damn vapor in the other room! So do we have a quarterstaff? We can make a club out of one of these damn chicken legs if we have to."

Mort looks down at the birdman and shakes his head.

Improvisational Equipment
"I think we saw everything but a staff behind the AsmoDoor. I bet though, that I could convert one of those longspears into a quarterstaff by breaking off the spear end and smoothing down the staff end for someone to use as such."

"Rae, remember! This maze is really mazy! Do you think you'd ever want a house like this! Think of the games of hunt and seek we could play!? Or trolls and ambushes!" Sol squeals with happy thoughts.

"And we could hide treasures for each other too! Just look at we just found." Sol points to the chests and goodies uncovered, then looks momentarily more serious.

"However, we need to find the bad people first. Where do you think they are?"

"I ... Sure... Uhh.. Rae thinks to get a word in edgewise, but gives up under her sister's rapid fire onslaught.

"Unknown, but I'm sure we'll find them... or they'll find us."

Unfortunately, she too finds herself without a club.

"That's probably the best plan, Mort. It beats trying to use one of these guy's femurs."

With a little ingenuity, Mortimer manages to dislodge the metal head of a spear, leaving a pretty sturdy length of wood. It does appear to be suitable enough to crack a skull open, if wielded as a quarterstaff might be.

The group stands nearby the stone door to the west as the giant finishes his task.

Are you returning to the West, or are you returning to the North?

He continues in a calmer tone, "Not like Alastor. To me it makes Alastor look like a normal healthy twelve year old boy. Assuming that thing ever had a soul, it's been long lost to darkness, despair and evil -- It has stared into Oblivion for far too long, I fear. It hungers for life, and only reaches out to steal it like water rushes in to fill the void of a ship's wake. Had we not already liberated him from his curse, in enough time I think Alastor could have ended up like this specter thing."

Ascaira nods, ”So undead then. Well, if it’s undead, I think I may have a trick or two that might help. If clerics can harm undead, maybe I can too. So we’ve a quarterstaff that someone can make magical - who wants to wield it? Rae? Sol? Mort?”

”Then we’ve got two flasks of holy water - unless you’ve got more Pillette. Who wants those? Tynan and Mort - you have them now, but if Mort takes the staff, he should give it to someone else. And this wand?” he holds up the wand of magic missiles, ”Too bad no one can use it.” he puts it back away.

”So the plan, I think, is that we rush the bum. Everybody should rush it initially, not just our staff wielder. We want it to attack all of us, not just our champions. If we see that strange guy again though, everyone who can’t fight the undead, should peel off and get him. He can’t be up to any good, and maybe if we take him out, the beast will be weaker, or lose its focus maybe. I dunno, but it’s worth a shot.”

”Is everybody ready? Remember, don’t touch the green columns. That’s very bad. Don't even look at them. Still bad. In fact, let's get through this room as soon as we can. Bad.”

To the north I think? At least that's Ascarias vote.

"So we’ve a quarterstaff that someone can make magical - who wants to wield it? Rae? Sol? Mort? [...]Then we’ve got two flasks of holy water [...]"

Oh that ring... He smiles, admiring its neutral features. ... Oh that Specter. Mortimer shudders again.

"Uh, the 'staff' is -- something I made. I'd better take the responsibility. I'd never forgive myself if it suddenly failed in the heat of battle," he says, trying to pep-talk himself up for what's ahead. He holds up the flask of holy water, "Who wants?"

"So the plan, I think, is that we rush the bum [...]"

Mortimer holds up his hand. "Uh, not so fast? Let it come when it least expects it. Maybe we can find more helpful things through this West door, like more magic weapons. This ring was a suprise and welcome find. What does everyone think?"

”Then we’ve got two flasks of holy water - unless you’ve got more Pillette. Who wants those? Tynan and Mort - you have them now, but if Mort takes the staff, he should give it to someone else. And this wand?” he holds up the wand of magic missiles, ”Too bad no one can use it.” he puts it back away.

Sol tries to clap with glee, but instead bangs her hammer against her spike.

"Oh! I can use the clubby thing or the wand!!" Sol announces. "Rae, remember that time I activated Mommy's Very Dark Sphere of Floating and No-Touching?!" Sol smiles, then frowns, remembering. "Mom got so mad."

Sol turns excitedly to Ascaria.

"I bet I can do it!!"

Sol turns excitedly to Ascaria.

"I bet I can do it!!"

"Excellent!" Ascaria grins as he hands the wand over to Sol. (38 charges at present)

Mortimer holds up his hand. "Uh, not so fast? Let it come when it least expects it. Maybe we can find more helpful things through this West door, like more magic weapons. This ring was a suprise and welcome find. What does everyone think?"

Ascaria's grin falls a bit, and he turns to Mort and nods in agreement. "Yes, OK, we can wait. You're right, we might find something more we can use. Something for Pillette if you give your holy water to Rae. Er. Or vice versa if you, well, you know, do the opposite."

Ascaria imagines a drawing with Mort having many arms, each with a flask of holy water, handing them to various party members all at the same time. But only one of the vials actually has anything in it. Because of course Mort only has one, silly.

Sol takes the wand, looking around as if trying to find a target. She puts her hammer in her belt and the spike in her pouch for the time being so that she might wield shield and wand.

"Does it have a command word, Ascaria? Or should I just ask it nicely?" Sol points the wand about, unsure what might set it off.