It is, it is, a glorious thing...

Game Master Arythain

Luca tilted her head slightly as she waited for Dante... or Dante's sword... to tell them what was going on.

(Yeah, that was just what this group needed. More non-human things telling them what to do.)

Despite the ennui he was feeling from constant combat, heightened awareness, and magical healing, Dante panicked and almost jerked his sword back out. "There is a demon in there. Dead. Starved probably. Full of enormous maggots. Altered by feeding on the creature," he says out load. To the blade he mental asks, "Closer look?"

"Mhmm. Can't wait for supper time." Kien responds to the morbid description.

"Burn it?" Luca suggested, looking around to see if there was anything they could improvise as a torch to help get rid of its body with. Then, after a moment of confused thought, "...Do demon corpses burn?"

"Does it see a way in?" Tyrus asked. "If we can't get in it doesn't really matter... unless it gets out."

Dante relays Tyrus's question.

"There is a way in. And thus a way out. A door to the south," Dante says reeling his blade in.

Is that in the direction of any of the buildings? Would the door be above ground or below?

South is the direction of the royal residences you recently searched. The main temple is to the north. And by the distance you had to lower the rope it is definitely below ground level.

Well, no point searching the same area twice. ...But seriously, can we burn this corpse out from above? XD If there's the potential for a maggot swarm or something, I'd much rather eliminate the threat from as far away as possible.

"Then I suggest we return to the royal residences, harvest some fresh food, and make secure the room we found. Tomorrow we can push past the silver line and see what we can find." Tyrus suggests.
Agreed - possibly enough alchemist's fire, or even oil, might work. Dante's sword should be able to describe the positioning well enough to work out if that is so.

Luca wasn't the strongest person around, but she was pretty good at scampering around - and as the group headed off to the royal residences, she headed over to the trees she'd seen before. Some fresh fruit would probably be good, at least, and supplement what rations they still had.

Harvest time. ...She'll use some Sagari to knock fruit down if need be.

Without copious amounts of something flammable, I don't see that happening. Also I am pretty sure demons have resistance to fire.

"I don't think the hell-maggots are going anywhere but I think I'd rather sleep in the barracks than the royal residence. Just in case," Dante says but is not up for arguing. If vetoed he rolls with it like everything else so far.

Still waiting on decisions/actions!

As mentioned, Luca is going to harvest some of the fruits they saw earlier, in hopes of finding some way to make a nice meal out of them. ^^

"Very well. We'll harvest some fruits, return to our camp, and move enough to camp in the Barracks." Tyrus sighed "Might be worth killing the maggots just so that we can sleep in better quarters."
Plan: set up as above, rest. Tomorrow we breach one of the barriers. I have no preference - the Royal Quarters if no-one else wants to speak up with a better idea.

The group calls it a day after the monotonous-but-necessary work of searching the rest of the surface-level buildings. They easily harvest some of the ripe fruits from the royal apartment grounds, and set up camp in one of the barracks buildings. While bare, it is at least sturdy and secure. Tyrus runs a couple basic alchemical tests on the fruit and determines they are unlikely to be toxic. And indeed, they are not.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, and the party rises with the next dawn.

Luca woke early - she hadn't slept deeply in years - and quietly set about putting together a breakfast for everyone. They were doing more exploring, after all, and were going to need their energy. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would have to do.

As Kien wakes to breakfast he gives one of his exceedingly rare smiles. "Thank you." Having a warm meal ready for him is an easy way to his heart.

Dante is slow to wake and slow to move. He's fine physically but the constant awareness one needs in such dangerous conditions is draining. Even with the aid of a sentient blade. But it's power was based off his and so it wasn't all that powerful yet.

Tyrus rises, finally. The heat had kept him from proper sleep, but he's finally managed to get enough to clear his spells. "Let me study while I eat, and we can go on."

Dante looks over at Tyrus and slowly remembers he had spells to prepare too. He pulls out his spellbook and starts reading. Despite his reduced focus lately he could always muster enough for this.

"So the mansion silver line or the temple?" he asks after an hour of study.

Kien snorts. "Pick your shithole..." He mutters. "The temple." Kien votes.

Luca didn't really like temples - for many reasons - but it probably wouldn't be too bad as long as she didn't touch anything. "Um... let's go, then...?" she said, standing up. No time like the present to get things done, after all.

"Very well. To the temple then. I will cast my defences before we enter the area ward against magic, and I suggest you all do the same. Is everyone read? Then let's begin."

Dante's defenses didn't last that long so that was not an option. There had to be something they could do to stop that annoying trap in the temple. Hopefully they found a way to turn it off or disrupt it deeper in. Dante makes sure everything is packed up and ready to go before following them out towards the temple.

So head to the trapped corridor in the temple first.

You return to the temple, heading down into the below-ground once again. The claustrophobic corridors keep you in single file. You come to the silver-threshold once again. Beyond it is another stone door.

Kien gives the door and surrounding area a look for any traps.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

If nothing dangerous is apparent, Kien moves to open the door.

Kien moves past the silver line. It sparks brightly for the briefest of moments, then fades again. Beyond it, Kien carefully examines the door itself and finds no other signs of danger. It resists at first, but a solid shove dislodges the grit of ages and the door grates open.

Beyond the door, the passage takes a turn southward and loses the look of finished stone. Peering into the gloom, Kienyach cannot spot an immediate threat.

The corridor extends beyond Kien's vision, and is pitch-black.

Luca glanced at the dark corridor, then the others. "Um... I feel like magical lights would be better than torches." she said after a moment. "We should try to keep our hands as free as possible... right?"

Tyrus tenses, clenches when the sparks start, and then looks vaguely disapointed. A second later he tenses again. "It may be set for spellcasters. Hold on, I'm coming through!"

It must not have been a trap, Dante thinks as Kien crosses the line without exploding. He takes a careful step across, pauses for a moment, then continues on. Cantrips, he remembered, did not set off the temple's magical vengeance spell so he sends several orbs of light into the gloom.

Dancing Lights ahead of us.

The silver sparks again with each figure to pass through it, but to no immediate ill effects. Dante sends light on ahead of the group, revealing a long corridor whose floor ceases to be brick and turns to packed dirt after a few paces.

You keep walking until you come to an opening - a long, thin room extending from both side of the hall, which continues on the far side. The room itself is entirely formed from stone bricks, unlike the natural earth of much of the corridor. There appear to be some sort of statures at either end of the room.

Luca stopped right at the entrance to the room as her eidolon moved forward, sniffing and occasionally pawing at things as it worked to determine if the area was safe. Even so, it never went more than thirty feet away from her.

Perception (Fluffy): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

"...Is it bad that I'm wondering if this chamber gets filled with arrows?" she asked, glancing towards the walls.

Tyrus pales and spins round when the ward sparks again for him... but calms down a moment later when he realises it does nothing.

"Oh. Good point." Tyrus concedes "I'd been worried about those statues."

Fluffy detects nothing amiss in the room. As the rest of the group enters, however, a familiar spark of light flashes and a translucent field appears across the corridor you just left. It's appearance seems to shimmer and coruscate.

Even as the magical field appears, the eyes of two of the statues - one on either side of the room - light up as well. Blood begins to pour from their mouths and noses, spilling onto the stone in front of them and taking humanoid shape.

Different Arcana role here.

Begin Combat!

The figures seem to be forming sluggishly. You have a round of combat before they are active. The combat map can be found at the link in the top - it is the top right portion.

Dante K:Arcana Wall: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Dante K:Arcana Statues: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Blade K:Arcana Wall: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Blade K:Arcana Statues: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Dante looked back at the shimmering wall but didn't have time to analyze or reflect on it. The statues were moving. He saw a kind of crimson haze around them and recognized the feature. "Sacrificial Spirits. That red stuff is their blood and it burns like acid. Pretty sure armor isn't going to help. Weak to cold." Dante pauses to groan as he remembers their strength. "Blade and arrow are almost worthless. Fist and mace are fine." And of course he couldn't use either of those well nor did he prepare the very simple cold cantrip he knew. He'd have to sacrifice a higher level spell to do anything. He moves to the end of the hall, just in the room and faces left, waiting for one to approach. Hopefully Kien or fluffy had his back.

Move while drawing blade. Ready to cast Elemental Touch and attack the first that comes in range as part of Spell Strike. 1d6 cold damage if hit and DC 15 fort or be fatigued if applicable.

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Damage+Elemental Touch: 1d6 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (1) = 9

Crit confirm: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 Probably not
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 4 + (5) = 12

have we dropped Timms?
Can't do roll20 at work, will post at home.
knowledge: arcana: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26
knowledge: arcana: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26
"That wall will be harder than it looks to take down." he offers.

Know Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Know Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Luca didn't know much about the magic - no surprise, really. She wasn't terrible at magical subjects, but she wasn't even remotely close to being an expert. Before she could do any other type of reaction, however, her vision went dark and the sound of magical chanting briefly escaped her lips. A moment later, an aura of speed settled over Dante, Kienyach, Tyrus, and her eidolon. For at least a few moments, it would increase the speed they could do things - and perhaps shield them from harm.

Haste on the four mentioned, lasting 4 rounds. ^^

Her Eidolon crouched down behind Kienyach a moment later, taking up a defensive position to guard the hallway and the fragile people behind it.

Fluffy: Total Defense. AC: 23.

Rounds of Haste left: 4/4

Invigorated by Luca's spell, Tyrus reconsiders his strategy in an instant. Moving with a speed never seen in the old man he bolts forward, sprints towards the blood-monsters, throws up his hand and unleashes a modified firestarter spell. Gout after gout of blue-green fire plays over his opponents.
should be able to catch two. burning hands: 5d4 ⇒ (4, 2, 3, 2, 3) = 14 DC16

Not so much "dropped" Timms as "completely forgot about him." If one of you wants to steer him, go for it, but it'll take me too much extra time.

I'll wait a bit longer for Kien.

Kien cracks his neck and rolls his shoulder.

Delay, as soon as something threatening shows up he will go for it.

Tyrus: Actually you'll only catch one, but one because there is only one on each side.

As Dante and Kien take en-guard positions, Tyrus rushes in to bathe one of the emerging guardians in flame. The rippling liquid bubbles and spits angrily. Still only partially formed, it makes no attempt to avoid the full brunt of the attack.

14 damage to Guardian +1.

End Combat Round 1

Begin Combat Round 2

Guardians Init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

The guardians take form, surprisingly detailed visages of men formed from the blood. They look about with faces of rage at the intruders.

But they're apparently kinda slow. Party up!

As Luca's haste spell continued, she blacked out again - and a rapid chant spun from her lips as the Void took hold and began to send forth minions. Of course, they always took a few seconds to arrive...

Activating Summoning Mastery. As a full-round action, it finishes right before her next turn. Fluffy's out, so she can only maintain one of these at a time.

Meanwhile, her small eidolon crouched low and growled at the creatures threatening its master - though it continued to guard the way back (while allowing allies to pass if they wanted), protecting the fragile casters. It had never been much of a warrior, and was even less so now - but it was pretty darn good at dodging when it focused on that.

Fluffy: Total Defense. AC: 23.

Rounds of Haste left: 3/4.

Tyrus steps back, calls out "Kien - defend me so I can augment you!" A moment later he begins a seemingly endless stream of occult gibberish.

5ft back, Cast Enlarge Person on Kien... but it is ALSO a full round action and finishes right before his next turn, assuming Kien can keep him from being attacked...

Kien steps between Tyrus and the new threats, waiting for the magic to kick in.

Well if they weren't coming to him... Dante's spell takes hold and his blade turns ice blue. As it moves it leaves a cool mist in its wake. With Luca's hasted movement, he practically glides along the floor as he moves in to strike the nearest blood beast.

Cast Elemental Touch (Cold) and hold until I move in to strike.

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Damage+Elemental Touch: 1d6 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 4 + (1) = 7 6 weapon and 1 cold. Awesome.

Dante's sword passes through the fluid of the guardian's body, splashing the bubbling acidic blood - but is unharmed by it. Bits of the guardian freeze and fall to the ground where they shatter into bloody slush.

Guardian 2 takes 5 damage.

Kien's new stature causes him to stoop, but he is able to fit into the room without debilitating effects - if only barely.

Finishing their amalgamation, the guardians look around with their uncannily detailed faces, assume a wary stance, and begin their attack. One counterattacks Dante, swinging its fists with the grace of a practiced pugilist. The other moves as if to take in a great breath - and blasts a spray of its own sanguine form over Tyrus and Kienyach.

One fist catches Dante, and while the impact hurts somewhat it is the burning of the blood upon his skin that causes the bulk of the damage. Meanwhile, Tyrus and Kien are both able to turn aside from the spray of their own attack, avoiding the bulk of the damage. Tyrus shows his prodigious talent by completing his spell even through the pain. Not that it would have been much either way.

8 damage to Dante, 4 damage to Kien and Tyrus. 5 Damage to Guardian 2.

End Combat Round 2

Begin Combat Round 3

Tyrus lays a hand quickly on Kien's back. "Finish it!" he advises as even more magical strength floods the enormous half-elf.
Using Enhancement touch to add +2 enhancement to strength for 2 rounds.
I think that means he should have : +4 strength -2 dex size, is large (-1 to hit, better damage), hasted extra attack, +1 to hit, +1 to AC and +1 to reflex. GO KIEN!