The detect magic spell is less than useful here as the entire place just radiates with magic, however he can tell there are multiple spellbooks and likely a few items of significant power amongst the shelves, but they'd require a manual search to really sort out the valuables.
If Saphren grasps the significance of their situation he does not show it. It must be my birthday. he says as he begins to examine items in the room.
He will grab items that look valuable or useful focusing on smaller items first. And anything that would help them disguise or hide themselves will get his attention fast.
Brenna likewise splits her time between looking for small valuable objects and picking bits of dead drow flesh out of the chinks in her armor.
"Passing through this threshold without speaking the password will likely trigger some kind of alarm. When we move through we should expect to be noticed."
"I can use the archway there as a door-portal to travel anywhere within a few hundred feet. I may be able to set up some kind of distraction if we can't figure out anything else."
Vex gleefully joins in the larceny.
"You still have those tunnel digging fungus things?"
Lyr slowly smiled. It wasn't a pretty sight given that he didn't have lips or most of his cheeks. Mostly his already rictus grimace just got a little bigger. "Yes I do."
He rifled through his pack and came up with a black iron jar. He opened it and placed it against the wall.
While you strategize and Lyr gets ready to just carve out the side of the tower, Saphren gleefully scampers over to the amazing array of loot in this room. As he reaches out, there's a horrible rasping sound. Floating out of one of the bookshelves is a dry, hovering corpse, its chest a prison of jagged ribs, within which is trapped a small, tormented ghostly form. It is clearly hostile as it moves to attack!
This creature is a devourer, a horrific undead monster that can typically be found stalking prey on the Ethereal and Astral Planes. The tiny figure in its rib cage is the trapped essence of a slain opponent upon which it feeds to sustain its unnatural life.
The devourer is named for its ability to consume an enemy’s life essence. The devourer reaches out and touches its victim, that is slain instantly if their body fails to resist the devourer’s horrific magic. The slain creature’s essence is trapped within the figure in the devourer’s ribs which takes on the features of the victim. Only the most powerful magics can free the victim, though destroying the devourer has the same effect. Luckily, a devourer can only hold a single essence at a time.
A devourer’s touch drains the life energy of its victim, inflicting a negative level with ever touch. It can even do this through the use of its spectral hand spell-like ability. Devourers are also resilient to magical attacks.
(+2 in surprise)
Zoso
Besh
Saphren
Lyr
---
Devourer
---
Brenna
Lyr didn't know what it was, but he knew hostile undead when he saw it.
Vex didn't know what it was either, but she knew what to do when a fight started.
When your character is not in immediate danger or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn't help.
This thing looks bad. We need haste Besh! Saphren does not know what this is but does know he does not want to be close to it. He spring attacks and springs back. If he gets haste he springs back farther. :)
Shuddering slightly, but with confidence in zir companions' abilities: "I dunno what it is, but it looks scary!"
[dice=Knowledge Religion]1d20 + 10
Shuddering slightly, but with confidence in zir companions' abilities: "I dunno what it is, but it looks scary!"
Saphren rushes in and scores a spectacular hit on the creature, knocking a few dry ribs loose - before it can even react he's back in place. Lyr, Vex, and Beshtori all cast spells to prepare for the oncoming fight. Zoso bursts into song to motivate y'all.
Brenna rushes forward with her axe. "It's like chopping dry wood!" she says enthusiastically. All the while, every step precipitates the squish squish of sloughed-off dead drow flesh in her armor's joints.
Good news. This undead is corporeal. Everything else about it is mean though.
Please to be herself again, Brenna rushes around the hole in the ground for the floating creature, swinging out with her axe. The thing simply floats up into the air and her axe swishes under it. It then reaches out for her.
Brenna lets out a horrid scream as black energy courses through her, trying to snuff out her life and draw her into the creature. However, she is a mighty opponent, and although she is hurt, she remains very much still in the fight.
Brenna, don't get close to it! Saphren warns in horror, too late. He quickly springs in, attacks and springs back out. This time, after seeing Brenna misss, his focuse is to lower the creature's AC.
Besh frowns worriedly as Brenna is hurt, and points zir staff at the creature:
*pew* *pew*
Zoso suddenly snaps his fingers and cries out. "That's a devourer!"
This creature is a devourer, a horrific undead monster that can typically be found stalking prey on the Ethereal and Astral Planes. The tiny figure in its rib cage is the trapped essence of a slain opponent upon which it feeds to sustain its unnatural life.
The devourer is named for its ability to consume an enemy’s life essence. The devourer reaches out and touches its victim, that is slain instantly if their body fails to resist the devourer’s horrific magic. The slain creature’s essence is trapped within the figure in the devourer’s ribs which takes on the features of the victim. Only the most powerful magics can free the victim, though destroying the devourer has the same effect. Luckily, a devourer can only hold a single essence at a time.
Devourers can deflect certain spells onto the souls it has devourerd, which may lead to the soul being released. They are highly spell resistant and can cast a variety of spells. As well, they can cause energy drain with their attacks, or can snuff out weaker lives like a candle to consume souls.
Saphren rushes in, his falchion scoring another spectacular hit on the devourer. Beshtori the sends out two scorching rays!
Zoso
Besh
Saphren
Lyr
---
Devourer (-97)
---
Brenna
"RrrrrrRRRRRAAAAHHHH!!!"
Brenna flips out. She doesn't seem keen to listen to reason at this point.
The black necrosis affecting her veins doesn't stop her, the deadening in her fingers and hands doesn't stop her, the horrid bloody splotches in her vision don't stop her.
Her axe briefly flares up with blue-black ice as she lashes out at the monster.
Lyr had been meaning to aim the positive energy charge at the undead, but seeing the terrible wounds the thing had inflicted on Brenna, he changed tactics. He moved in and tapped her on the back.
Then he let loose with a charge of healing energy for good measure.
As Brenna madly beat on the devourer, Beshtori's ray and finally Zoso's arrows finish the job. The creature collapses into the ground - which Brenna then proceeds to smash into a pulp.
Assuming that Saphren resumes his looting, you stow away some very interesting magical objects:
- dozens of spellbooks
- a book in undercommon titled 'Treatise on the Construction and Maintenance of Stone Golems' which radiates magic
- another magical book which is completely empty but seems to contain more pages than it should
- a magical candle
- a magical statuette of a stone horse
- a crystal ball
After checking on Brenna the rogue completes his looting job. Some good loot here. Not sure I can carry much more. Sahpren boasts. Time to leave?
"I'm good, I'm good," says Brenna as she comes down from her rage and catches her breath. "Thanks for the backup. That coulda been bad."
She stuff what loot she can fit in her back and says, "Let's get the hell outta here."
Lyr finishes putting the tunnel creeper on the wall and activates it with a splash of water.
Lyr spreads the fungus on the wall, and stepping back, splashes it with water. There's an immediate grinding sound, although a fairly quiet one, as the fungus eats through the side of the wall. In around four minutes the crystal of the tower has been consumed, and a hole leads to the outside, around 20' from the top of House Vonnarc.
The grounds extend out before you, and as of yet, nothing has spotted you. You are 50' in the air right now, and the roof of the estate is all you can see at the moment. Northwards the estate roof slopes down towards the patio and pool.
Peering north and south from the hole you've made you see the expecting guard patrols moving around. You're also not aware of the details, but there's no shortage of magical means of detection in the area as well. The giant hole in the side of the tower form the inside was likely not one of the anticipated security breaches, however.
Vex quickly used an illusion to mask the hole in the wall, making it look the same as it had a few minutes earlier.
Now they could take their time a bit.
You all hang tight, waiting for a drow patrol to move by. Finally, a lone guardswoman walks beneath, not bothering to glance up to notice the gaping hole in the side of the tower. As she steps by, you all join hands with the little gnome, vanish, and step into the air.
Everyone lands safely and you check behind you to see a lone guard moving northwards on a patrol. The occasional drow mills about the grounds but things aren't too busy now. Having worked as guards yourselves, you know enough of the stations.
[ooc]I need stealth checks from everyone at +20. It's around 200' to the stables from here so easy enough to get there in the duration of your spell. I'll figure out the interior of the stables after your next action (since I now know you're going there lol).
Vex made it her job to scout ahead and relay back any drow movement she spotted, allowing the invisible group to more efficiently maneuver towards the stables.
You successfully make your way across the enormous Vonnarc grounds, keeping away from known guard patrol paths. The house slowly just continues on its day around you, not noticing you at all. After passing by a few sets of guards, you finally approach the stables.
Since the geckos can climb walls, the stables have a closed roof and large double doors leading inwards. Two bored guards stand outside. You are unsure of any more drow inside.
Saphren motions for the group to close with the guards where he obviously intends to cut them down where they stand.
Nodding in agreement with Saphren's plan, Besh positions zirself so that Saphren (and Brenna?) can attack while keeping everyone else invisible.
When the others are ready Saphren strikes.
Lyr casts silence on one of his drow-bane arrows, then shoots a guard with it right as Saphren strikes.