The image of Sorrina Westyr appears as she helps an enormous water elemental dispatch a band of gargoyles. “We do not stand alone in our efforts, my friends. Our teams discovered a band of rebels fighting back against our adversaries and we have begun to coordinate with them. Some much needed assistance should be arriving shortly.”
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Round 4-5
Effects none
Gravity normal (2/?)
Terrain flooded squares (white boxes, deep bog)
- Red -
- Yellow -
- Hamith -
- Anibal -
- Darvan -
- Sahba -
- -----Round 5-----
- Graxzos -
- Amelia -
- Anduris -
Hamith, Anibal and Graxzos don't respond quickly enough to the increased gravity, as their attacks fall short of the target. Darvan morphs into a large snake, then slithers up to the fight. Amelia's magic strikes true though.
Fortunately, the mist also moves sluggishly in the suddenly strong gravity, and fails to even touch Graxos.
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Hamith chops at the mist yet again. Frustration begins to show in his face, his voice.
"Die infernal creature!"
Attack!
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Seeing that arrows are no good, Anibal goes for a different approach. He attempts to break the creature's spirit.
"You can see it is pointless. We will overcome you, eventually. Perhaps giving up might save your hide.", he speaks to the creature with a cold, calculated voice.
Standard: Demoralise
Move: Half-speed through difficult terrain
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You enter an expansive cavern with several other tunnels leading into it. In the middle swings an enormous block of ice bound in chains, hanging from the icicle-covered ceiling. Hundreds of figures are flash-frozen within, caught in a moment of horror and agony. At the front of the inanimate crowd stands a regally clad giant who stares ahead defiantly.
From the giant's regalia, you suspect that she is Shahzada Zhaleh Setat, the rebel leader whom you were told about earlier. As you start to approach the iceberg, the cold becomes painful, warning you of imminent frostbite.
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After the mist dissipates, Anibal makes mental a note to not piss off Amelia, and picks up his glowing pebble. He concentrates again and the rock starts glowing more, as if its fading power was restored.
"Everyone doing okay?", he asks, reaching for the wand on his belt. He sets his sight on Hamith and Anduris "You guys look a little pale. Feeling alright?"
Later:
Entering the room with the ice block, he moves closer, and feels the chill taking over as he approaches the ice block. He extends a hand towards the ice, takes a step forward, and immediately retracts the hand with a grimace.
"That's no good. This thing is too cold to touch. Will we try to light a fire underneath? I have some alchemical stuff with me that we might use...", he taps the vials strapped to his bandolier.
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Hamith says to Anibal, silently cursing himself, "I feel a bit off. Does anyone have a way to magically treat this? I don't believe I bought any scrolls for this occasion."
Later in the room with the ice block, Hamith remarks at the massive block of ice. "I have a vial of my own. Can anyone else produce fire? We can try one first and see what effect it has on the ice and then if that doesn't work, we can try the chains."
He pulls out a rope and grappling arrow and shows it to the others to signal his backup plan.
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"I don't have anything that can help you, Hamith, I am sorry.." Amelia says as the man deals with the after affects of the fight.
Amelia strides into the room, looking about at the puzzle before them and considering her options. "Well, we can try to break the ice from here.." she says as she watches Darvans attempt. "Or we can find a way to lower the chains first so that those poor souls don't come crashing to the ground from way up there. I have a wand that might help out.. but I don't know if it will be effective." She pulls a wand from her pack and holds it up for the others to see. "Shall we give this a try first?"
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Darvan nods to Anduris. "Either one would be helpful; it seems our best bet would be to break the chains at the top. Anyone here that has adamantine, or otherwise large and damaging, weapons should get up there fastest. I can create a shillelagh if needed, and will have my wand to heal anyone that requires it."
Darvan will climb Anduris' chain (unless his shillelagh has the best chance of breaking the chain).
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If the alchemist's fire does well against the ice, melting a large portion of it, Hamith will ask that anyone else that has a source of fire use it.
Otherwise, his turns follow as below.
Hamith will say to Anduris, "Yes, my friend. The chain would be helpful, as would the spider climb. My greatsword would do well against the chains I think, as would your sword."
If Hamith goes below 20 hp he will heal himself with his wand of CLW from his spring-loaded wrist sheath before moving on.
If Hamith goes below 15 hp, he will use Lay on Hands on himself as a swift action.
At the top, Hamith will line up his shots, automatically hitting with melee attacks.
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After Darvan and Hamith climb up, Anibal shouts at them: "You folks have any rope? Toss it down and I'll give you some alchemical stuff.
If they lower any rope, Anibal takes off his scarf and ties it up to make a makeshift bag. He puts the vials from his bandolier into the bundle and secures it to the rope.
"Warm up the end of the chains with the alchemist fire. If that fails, we can try to dissolve the chain with the acid."
Anibal will try to toss the vials towards the top of the ice block so that Darvan or hamith can catch them.
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As the others go to work on the chains and on the ice block from above, Amelia considers the problem and takes a different tack. She looks over at Graxzos and says "Would you mind staying here with me for a bit? I don't want to be the only one down here if this all goes badly!" Satisfied she will be well guarded, she holds a ruby ring up for a moment and grimaces. "I have a feeling that I will regret this, but its the best I have for right now." she mutters before pressing the ring to her forehead. A brief flash of light from within the ruby bespeaks the rings true purpose before she lowers her hand and immediately goes into a brief trance of spellcasting. Finishing, she points her fingers to one of the chains encasing the block of ice and releases the power.
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Hamith's first flask has a clear, quick effect. It weakens several square feet of ice enough that one of the creatures frozen inside is able to unclench its fist. With that seeming to work well, everyone backs away from the supernatural chill and waits while Anibal lobs another flask at the same spot.
Once the napalm burns out, the creature is able to free its entire arm and start wriggling its torso. A minute later, the ice cracks and sheds several creature-sized icebergs. Two of the frozen prisoners manage to escape and begin rubbing their limbs to warm up.
Over the next few minutes, they free a couple more creatures, who free others, and the process quickly snowballs. Of course, they free their leader first, and she is most grateful to the Pathfinders, but completely convinced that the fight is helpless.
"Thank you, most graciously. Thank you. Please, we must escape now, while we can. Once they are free, my subjects will help you return home."
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Hamith steps forward and beseeches the leader before they begin preparations to leave.
He says, "Please, the Society needs your help. With your aid, we will be able to finish this. Your people view you as a leader. Would they wish to flee, or stand strong and finish this threat once and for all so that no other future generation may bear this burden? Please."
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Anibal looks at Hamith and then at the rebel leader freeing her subjects, and hearing Hamith speak, he tries a different approach.
"If you run now, you will leave your allies behind. Not us, but your own people. The Pathfinders did find some of them, and set them free. They are coordinating to drive the enemy back. Together. If you don't want to help us, help your friends, at least. We might give you the edge. Or vice versa."
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Amelia watches in awe as the various creatures break free from their prison. Gleefully, she claps her hands and then rushes in to help anyone looking like they may need a hand before turning to where the others are convincing Zhaleh to join the group efforts of the ongoing fight. Once the offer is made, she turns her head left and right, evaluating her team as she considers the offer.
The asteroid groans as if an invisible weight had been lifted from it, leaving the air cleaner and breathing easier. The reassuring breeze emanating from tunnels suddenly drops in intensity, leaving a feeble stream that whistles weakly as it drifts off into space. A moment later, portals wreathed in tumbling stone open all across the asteroid, and Sorrina Westyr urgently beckons everyone to come through.
“We've truly grabbed the scorpion by the tail. Whatever entity was holding us at bay has loosened its grip, but it has redirected its efforts to cutting off the source of air that allows us to survive in this place. The path forward is no longer filled with lethal energy. We have at most…an hour or two before we must return home or face asphyxiation. But if we press forward and find the source of the air, I believe it is tied to whatever captive is imprisoned here. Our portal minders will stand ready in case we need to evacuate quickly.”
Sorrina leads the assembled Pathfinders toward the edge of an immense, steeply sloped tunnel that descends into a miles-wide, spherical cavern. A crude stone fortress floats near the cave's center as if it were a rocky sun, and enormous slabs of earth orbit it like a miniature asteroid belt. These slabs gravitate inward toward the fortress, but periodic blasts of air slow their approach and cast the jagged masses back toward the edge of the cavern. Each gust is slightly weaker than the last.
Robed figures cling to the rocky slabs and chant loudly, as if empowering the stone. Unimpressed, Sorrina Westyr casts a spell at one of the distant cultists and flings him off his crude platform.
“iiiiiieeeeeeee!” The cultist screams, arms and legs askew as he hurtles toward the fortress and collides with its surface with a faint splat.
“Woo hoo, Bullseye!” Drandle Dreng claps, then goes back to organizing a party of Pathfinders who are busily unpacking knotted ropes. “Hurry, there’s not a moment to lose!”
“We must get to that fortress,” Sorrina announces before signaling others to lower knotted ropes down to the cavern. “Clear off the opposition, then we'll make our way inside. I find it reassuring that whatever lies within the fortress has an aura of good, and no doubt seeks our aid.”
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A rune-scribed floating island begins drifting beneath the tunnel and brushing against the lowered ropes. "These rocky fragments gravitate toward the fortress." Sorrina shouts as she hanges from a rope. "If we can cling on before it travels out of reach, it should carry us toward our destination."
The iceberg-sized rock spins slightly, revealing a host of undead cultists that cease their chanting, point toward the Pathfinders, and let loose unholy wails.
"Now!" cries the Master of Spells, and agents begin rapelling down to the crude platform.
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"Flying is not my thing, either. Let's stay grounded, shall we?"
Seeing that some of the pathfinders opted for a rather hasty approach, he attempts to catch his companions, if possible.
Anibal grabs one of the ropes and starts his descent towards the floating rock.
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For every 5 that you beat the DC by, choose one question from this list
For every 5 that you beat the DC by, choose one question from this list