Round 2__________________
Zane Argentus_______
Noting the damage the creature's touch does to Cynara, Zane utters a spell that intermittently shifts his presence between planes.
Cast Blink
Zane realized the magnitude of the threat as he shifted between planes...
"Yes! Try to avoid it touching you! We'll need to get Cynara cured as soon as possible." Zane responds.
Sylvianna__________
Sylvianna sends two more shots into the water at the creature.
Cynara_______
Cynara invokes a restorative magic she hasn't yet had to use, and only recently learned. But in her inexperience she's unable to stop the strange power transforming her flesh.
Casting remove disease. Caster level check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Zephram Taranis______
Zephram readies his bow and nocks an arrow, waiting for parry of the aboleth to break the surface.
Shortbow (Readied): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Nakoda_______
It was several blinks before Nakoda realized that she had been spaced out in front of the pool, and shook her head, looking back at the others in confusion.
ENEMIES________________
The creature lunges up from the depths, exploding out of the water in wrathful tangle of tentacles.
Four long tentacles writhe from this three-eyed fish-like creature's flanks, and its green body glistens with thick, clear slime.
Zephram’s held shot goes off, but it missed into the water.
for damage and Fort save dc20 or flesh turns to slime.
for damage and Fort save dc20 or flesh turns to slime.
for damage and Fort save dc20 or flesh turns to slime.
for damage and Fort save dc20 or flesh turns to slime.
’Very well humans, you will join me in the underwater where you will answer all questions at leasure…’
Aboleth: 50
Round 3____________________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
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As the twisted aberration emerges, attacking them, Sylvianna fluidly side-steps the flailing tentacle, droping her bow at her feet and drawing her swords in a single blur of movement, before uleashing a pattern of attacks against the aboleth.
Zephram winces as the beast lashes out to him, only to see the attack bounce off his sinewy, mutated flesh, That was most fortunate... He drops the bow, and pulls his rapier, studying the creature's movements carefully, making ready for the next time it tries to strike.
for
Zephram's deep strike, and especially Sylvianna's furious slash that managed to sever one of the tentacles, forced a shriek of pain from the Aboleth that hurt your minds (). It dove suddenly, heaving up a huge splash that drenched you with slimy water. It does not reappear.
There is nothing left but inch deep puddle of water and a severed tentacle flopping about.
You sense two magic auras.
One is some kind of Illusionary magic of lesser power over the whole room. The other is of Conjuration magic of great power centered on the gateway (made of the purest alabaster, carefully shaped to look
like a ring of leaves) behind the pool.
The elf claps her hands to her head with a cry, standing stunned for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "Well, that was unpleasant. Let's see what we have here--and where did it go?" She murmurs a quick spell and looks around, concentrating. "There's some sort of illusion aura over the room, and that gateway positively reeks of conjuration magic. Zane, I suspect this is more your area of expertise."
Zephram freezes for a moment, wincing at the sound that seems to tear at him... He shakes it off and prepares too lunge forward at the strange creature.. waiting... then sighing, "I don't much like the thought of leaving something so dangerous and evil behind.... Can those things teleport to safety?"
You aren't sure about teleportation and Aboleths. You've heard that they are extremely intelligent and have powerful mind abilities, but that's it.
The water is settling down now. Looking down into the water, you can see some thirty feet down. You see no sign of the creature.
The keening noise seems to have no effect as Zane studies the water.
Your initial scan senses two magic auras.
One is some kind of Illusionary magic of lesser power over the whole room. The other is of Conjuration magic of great power centered on the gateway (made of the purest alabaster, carefully shaped to look
like a ring of leaves) behind the pool.
You notice blood traces tracked from the door behind you to the door across the chamber. I looks like bootprints smearing blood droplets. Soldiers carrying their wounded?
You wait tensely, waiting for an attack, but nothing happens.
After a moment, Zephram shrugs, "It seems to be gone."
He scans the room, the halts... "There seems to be a blood trail -- droplets smeared by boots perhaps. It goes from the door we came in to... " He points to the far door, "..there."
Sylvianna studies the blood trail.
Cautiously exploring the pool, you find it goes down twenty feet to an illusionary floor. Beyond is another ten feet, with an exit pipe covered in [/i]Deeper Darkness[/i].
You get a chill down you spine at the thought of pursuing it, but you're fairly sure that, since it's wounded, it's not going to come back anytime soon.
The tracks seem to be Drow, or mostly Drow. The blood... seems to be elven; but it's really hard to distinguish Drow and Elf, you can't be certain.
Checking out the double door...
Studying the doors Zane shifts his gaze into the arcane spectrum. "It isn't trapped."
'Well, then. The way would seem obvious--let's be about it. Before we go, though, are any of you injured?"
Zephram shakes his head, "Not I."
When you're ready and open the door, you see...
Opposite the doors of this massive room stands a towering archway made of shimmering black stone.
The archway’s keystone seems strangely out of place—unlike the surrounding black stone, the keystone is a pale gray and bears fragments of a spiky set of Thassilonian runes.
Inside the archway is a world of shadows in which a strangely beautiful elven city can be seen.
Smears of blood along the floor seem to lead up to and through the archway into the flickering world beyond.
Standing at the base of the stairs that lead up to the portal is a heavily scarred Drow, his hands resting on the crosspiece of a blackened greatsword that has sparks arcing around its edges, its point stuck into the stone floor.
His head came up to glare at you, and a dark smile dances across his lips.
“Master Nolveniss bade me give you his apologies,” he says in almost a whisper, “that he will not be present to see you die.”
Upon uttering this mocking message, he plucked his greatsword easily from the stone, and charged with unnatural speed!
He locks on Sylvianna, of course.
for a possible magic and slashing damage plus electrical damage.
Plus auto bullrush that would ordinarily have flung Sylvianna back into the Aboleth pool, but she dug her heels in and was only ground backward five feet.
Nakoda is forced back as well, her heels dangling over the water (Ref save DC20 to duck right or left 5 ft. instead if she wants.)
Round 1__________________________
Players may take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
"I am a bit." Zane replies.
"Nothing major, only slight injuries." Sylvianna responds.
Cynara taps Zane twice with a wand,and herself twice more.
Cynara raises her hands and invokes a blessing on the party.
Round 1__________________________
(npc) Zane Argentus_______
In a decent position and angle, Zane unleashed his Telekinetic Fist!
Hit! for bludgeoning damage.
Sylvianna______
Thrown back by the Drow assault, Sylvianna drew both swords and fought back.
Miss.
Hit! for piercing damage
Hit! for piercing damage. Threat!
Nope.
Cynara______
Cynara raises her hands and invokes a blessing on the party. Casting bless; everyone gets +1 to hit.
Nakoda______
Nakoda almost teetered at the edge of the pool, but the Warchant was was so easy to come that she was chanting before she realized it. The chant was changed a little as she applied some magic to Sylvianna, her form shimmering like the horizon before resolving into several extra copies.
_________________________
(npc) Zephram_______
Sidling 5 feet angling for an eventual flank, Zephram realized what they faced.
”He’s a Pain Taster! Damage only makes him stronger! Take him fast as you can!”
Miss.
Hit! for piercing and magic damage.
ENEMIES________________________
Taking strength from the damage he received, the scarred drow goes into a frenzy of attacks, focusing his greatsword on Sylvianna.
for for a possible magic and slashing damage plus electrical damage.
Hit! Image popped.
for for a possible magic and slashing damage plus electrical damage.
Hit! Image popped.
DR1/-, SR19
HP:73
Round 2____________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
Party is Blessed; +1 to hit and +1 vs fear effects.
Sylvianna has 3 mirror images left.
Heeding Zephrams words Zane reaches out, altering the flow of time around his allies to drastically increase their speed.
Responding to the hated enemy's frenzy of violence with her own, Sylrianna unleashes a flurry of vicious attacks, seeking to put the vile drow down.
Zephram allows himself a small smile as Nakoda steps into position, then lashes out with his rapier, his already swift hands boosted by Zane's magic.
for
for
With every hit he took, the Pain Taster grew stronger and harder hitting; his greatsword whirling like a great unstoppable scythe as it overpowered your defenses. You are all bleeding from wounds he inflicted (those within 10ft.)
But Zane's Haste made the difference, and the increased flurry of attacks finally took their toll, and Zephrams last attack caused him to collapse dead on the floor. It looks like there's not a drop left of his blood that's not on the floor.
Searching his body you find:
*drow poison bolt (2)
*potion of bear’s endurance
*+1 shocking greatsword
*+2 mithral shirt (Shadowed)
*mwk hand crossbow with 10 bolts
*150gp worth of various coinages
Across from you stands a towering archway made of shimmering black stone.
The archway’s keystone seems strangely out of place—unlike the surrounding black stone, the keystone is a pale gray and bears fragments of a spiky set of Thassilonian runes.
The shape, texture, the runics... that seems a remarkably precise match to the Riddleport Cyphergate Archway! But how?
Inside the archway is a world of shadows in which a strangely beautiful elven city can be seen.
Smears of blood along the floor seem to lead up to and through the archway into the flickering world beyond.
Now that you can study the image closer, you see that the image of the shadowy elven city in the portal begins flickering with increasing intensity, even going so far as to vanish for a few seconds at a time.
Your suspicions are correct; the portal is preparing to close—its recent activation is apparently only a temporary thing. You have less than a minute before it closes entirely.
Sylvianna spits on the paintaster's corpse, flicking the blood off her blades before re-sheathing them.
”This is almost identical to the Riddleport Cyphergate!” Zane exclaims, incredulously. ”How is that even possible?”
Smiling at Nakoda as she heals him, he turns to look at the blood streaks she indicates. ”You’re right…It’s drow…..or elven in nature
As he continues to look through the portal, the mage sucks in his breath. [b]”The portal is getting ready to close, we have less than a minute before it closes completely.”
Zephram stares at the pain taster, distracted at the thought of the degree of fervor, if not insanity, that would be required to take on such a mantle. Can't help but wonder if mother had a touch of that in her... single-minded research...
He shakes himself out of his thoughts as Zane speaks, quickly turning his attention to the gate, then nodding, "I concur. We must act quickly, if we are to act."