Seeing one of Rasil's arrows strike home, and sensing that an attack would go well, Gabriel takes aim for the same creature. He gathers his power, causing a loud, swirling mass of energy to appear centered around his invisible self, then releases a torrent of water streaked with electricity flowing straight toward the injured foe.
Now back in plain view, his invisibility shattered by his attack, Gabriel grins and says "Hi sunshine" with a little wave.
The old woman hobbles into the room and whistles appreciatively at Gabriel's pummeling electro-aquatic blast. She doesn't know much about these creatures except they seem to like light and heat. But Outsiders had so many changing immunities, it was impossible to know what would affect them. Given that, she falls back on 'the old reliable'. She screeches to the elemental lords and is rewarded as a bolt of lightning lashes from her clawed hand, whips into the Shining Child Gabriel ignored, then arcs and grounds itself in the other Child.
Spell Effects:
Ascendant Mage Armor - +6 AC, 50% critical hit or sneak attack becomes normal hit - 15 hours
See Invisibility - 150 mins
Celerity - +1 attack on FULL Action; +1 AC/T; +1 Reflex - 15 rnds
Seeing his attack, quick and hidden as it was, did little in the way of impeding the enemy's onslaught, he drops his bow, runs stealthily up under the nearest enemy (if any have survived) while drawing a single wakizashi, jumps, and attempts to touch it with his free hand.
If successful, Rasil employs his natural tie to the Shadow Plane to shift this creature there, effectively taking them out of play. Whether it succeeds or not, he falls back to the ground, sword at the ready.
The barrage of offensives drops one of the hideous monstrosities, and the combination of Mahb's spell and Rasil's blade grievously injure the survivor. In a blind rage, the creature lashes at the ninja with clawed hands, but his strikes fail to connect.
Rasil swiftly dodges the monster's attacks, and channels his ki into his sword arm to return with his own lightening fast attacks.
Gabriel once more takes a deep breath, and a large and loud display of energy begins to swirl around him. It almost looks like droplets of water are being pulled out of the air around him. He then lets loose another spray of water, this time lacking the streaks of electricity.
Seeing Gabe blast the thing again, Vars decides that it's probably not going to last long enough for him to engage, so he stays clear to avoid providing cover for it.
As Rasil's jump is mis-timed and hs strike goes to miss, Gabriel's blast hits the being square in the chest, throwing it against the ceiling with a sound of cracked stone. Plummeting to the ground, the bodies of the two creatures start dissolving into fine dust, until there's nothing left.
In the four alcoves are seated four mummies, the ancient builders of these catacombs. They have been apparently buried with significant treasures, according to the ancient Taldane custom.
- axiomatic shortbow
- scroll of forcecage
- scroll of mage's sword
- lyre of building
- violin of blasting (works like a horn of blasting)
"They weren't very personable. No respect for their elders."
"Indeed. This new generation of monsters just got brought up wrong. "
"Aye, whatever happened to liches bent on world domination? Or Orc chieftains wanting to expand their territory? You could at least understand the motivation there."
"At least they provided a bit more of a challenge than the last bloke" Gabriel says, after chuckling lightly at the other's complaints. He begins to examine the various treasures, and nods appreciatively. "And were guarding good loot too. I'll admit to being a little disappointed at the lack of animated mummies, though."
Gabriel will collect the scrolls and stow them in his pack.
"They're saving the 6-armed mummies and draco-liches until later."
"Always good to have something to look forward to. "
Rasil sneaks along the hallway to the south, scouting the path.
"It seems that I'm blind" he says as he looks around blinking. "Does anyone have the means to fix that? I mean, my eyes have been going for a while now, but this would be a hell of a coincidence. I can compensate, but it is annoying. "
"You're not blind, just dazzled by my beauty." She lets out a dramatic sigh at how hard it is to be so gorgeous. Then she slaps Duke lightly on the forehead and his vision clears. "Better?"
"Oh, I guess you're right. My eyes have got so bad, it's hard to tell at times. " as he continues to blink the fuzzy shapes get a bit more distinct.
Gabriel snorts at the romantic exchange between the two, and quickly collects the remaining loot. He then fades from view again and moves to join Rasil heading south.
The hag follows after the vanishing scouts, very much visible.
Vars goes clanking along into the room in his normal not at all stealthy manner.
Looking around, you appear to have two options: a door opening on the left of the corridor, or two branches on the eastern side of the catacombs.
Rasil checks the door for traps and locks.
There is only a simple lock that can be opened rather effortlessly.
Rasil opens the door and listens inside.
As you peek inside, you spot what seems to be a thoroughly looted treasure room. Empty chests, barren weapons racks, and unadorned armor stands litter the floor, while three squat urns of fired clay painted with funeral scenes sit on the floor against the southern wall.
Rasil examines the urns for hidden goods that might have been overlooked by the previous looters.
Hearing no word from the scout, Vars heads in after him and looks around squinting.
Mahb sniffs around the room. "Mebbe it's my optimist nature and chipper attitude...but I don't want to believe this room has been looted. And also, who looted it when everything else seems untouched?"
"That's a good point. It could be a trick. "
"Heh, didn't peg you for a chipper optimist, Mahb. Maybe the looters ran afoul of our glowy friends in the other room before they could loot anything else?" Gabriel takes the time while everyone else is searching the empty room to take another swig of his flask.
The detect magic spell doesn't show anything in the room... except for the urns. Apparently, the looters thought them to be just funerary vases, and left them alone. This turns out to be good for you, as you recover a vast amount of precious stones: agates, aquamarines, zircons, but also several opals, rubies and a single sapphire of the purest blue. All in all, you can estimate their worth around ten thousand gold pieces.
Three of the stones, one from each urn, are decidedly magic: a blue sphere, an iridescent spindle, and an orange prism.
Rasil loads the gems into Yura's pack without even really asking, and awaits the magic users' assessments of the magical items.
The old woman examines the magical stones and describes what they do.
"A fine haul, to be sure. Shall we move on?" Gabriel flies back out of the room and heads south.
"Yes, still not getting any younger. Go get em Rasil. "
Rasil tilts his head indignantly and sticks his arm out down the hall for Vars, as if to say, "After you."
"Ok, the scout doesn't want to scout. Fine with me. Make sure nobody sneaks up on us at least. " and he will take the lead and head to the south and then east.
Mahb puts two of the magical stones in her pocket - in case they became useful at some point. She sets the Orange Prism spinning around her head.
She hobbles along behind Duke.
While Rasil and Vars are bickering about who goes first, Gabriel will scout ahead, while flying and invisible. He'll keep an eye out for any enemies or traps.
Because of the labyrinthine design of the tomb, it takes you about an hour to make sure that you have explored every corridor, but you find nothing else. Apparently there are no more rooms in these catacombs.
"All that walking didn't do my bunions much good." She wiggles a foot painfully, "Where to next?"
"Well we are looking for keys of a sort. Did we find anything which fit the riddle?"
"We found that bloody knife."
"Aye, and possibly the lockless key as well" Gabriel agrees with a grunt. All that bloody sneaking around, and nothing more? Bah... "Best get back surface-side and check the next building."
No pings, everything undisturbed.
Rasil rolls his sightless eyes at the word "scout," "I haven't been a scout for over a century, little one..."
In spite of his words, the assassin--finding that there were no new discoveries--bounds upstairs and listens out the door to ensure nothing and no one new had appeared since they entered the crypt.
"Little one? Hurmph. " he mutters listening to the odd comment from the scrawny guy. Not worth an argument. I'm too old for that.
and he heads back upstairs to move onto the next building.
Mahb offers gleefully, "Well he is blind as a bat... maybe you sound short."
"He sounds human, which means I'm around thirty years older than he is." Rasil mutters over his shoulder.