Amunet-Ra unleashes another volley of shuriken onto Achillobator.
Attack 1
Attack 2
Striding forth from the shadows, Hamza gathers the ambient darkness around him into a rough feather like shape, and hurls the fell energy at Achillobator.
Continuing to wield the shadows as a weapon, he grasps the souls of Troodon and Sassochus.
[dice=Perception]1d20+11
The ascetic notices a gelatinous entity gush forth in a viscous mass from beneath the immense, highly ornamented ceiling plate of the sacrificial pit, ascending from the closed space below entirely by the force its own, liquid locomotion.
With the caster securely bound, Rilkus turned his mind upon the invisible foe attempting to attack him. The dwarf’s eyes had been damaged in his captivity, but his mind was more powerful than ever. Deciding that he did not wish to take it alive, he attacked Paralitian.
[dice=Perception]1d20+14
With the caster securely bound, Rilkus turned his mind upon the invisible foe attempting to attack him. The dwarf’s eyes had been damaged in his captivity, but his mind was more powerful than ever. Deciding that he did not wish to take it alive, he attacked Paralitian.
[dice=Grapple with surge Paralitian]1d20+13+1d6
[dice=Hit Paralitian]1d20+14
[dice=Damage with 2d6 acid]1d6+2d6+24[dice=Hit Paralitian]1d20-5+14
[dice=Damage with 2d6 acid]1d6+2d6+24
The dwarf notices a gelatinous entity gush forth in a viscous mass from beneath the immense, highly ornamented ceiling plate of the sacrificial pit, ascending from the closed space below entirely by the force its own, liquid locomotion.
Leonidas runs up the wall, stopping in front of Amunet-Ra. He begins to sing a discordant song and takes on a ghostly appearance before gesturing at the large crocodile, willing it to sleep.
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[dice=Fort(stench-DC:14)]1d20+18
[dice=Perform: Sing]1d20+12
Jimbli remains behind the massive croccodile's foreleg, and continues slicing into it. He maintains a scowling squint and a tight grip as the creature's blood sprays upon him.
He then turns his sword to the center mass of the beast, and fires a warbling blast of force.
Using Mirror Dodge (Su)
When hit by a melee or ranged attack, you can expend one use of mythic power as an immediate action to replace yourself with an illusory duplicate and teleport to any open square within 30 feet of your current position. You take no damage from this attack, which instead destroys your illusory duplicate (similar to mirror image). Using this ability requires a line of effect to the teleportation target square.
Jimbli remains behind the massive croccodile's foreleg, and continues slicing into it. He maintains a scowling squint and a tight grip as the creature's blood sprays upon him.
[dice=Cela Fang shortsword]1d20+10
[dice=damage]1d4+7+2d6
[dice=Cela Fang Shortsword]1d20+5He then turns his sword to the center mass of the beast, and fires a warbling blast of force.
[dice=Sonic blast from sword vs Touch AC]1d20+0
[dice=sonic damage]5d8[dice=perception]1d20+12
The halfling notices a gelatinous entity gush forth in a viscous mass from beneath the immense, highly ornamented ceiling plate of the sacrificial pit, ascending from the closed space below entirely by the force its own, liquid locomotion.
Striding forth, his stone blade dripping acid and freshly spilled blood, Rilkus growled ”Submit.” His mind focused on the enemy leader, pushing the spellcaster into the ground.
Striding forth, his stone blade dripping acid and freshly spilled blood, Rilkus growled ”Submit.” His mind focused on the enemy leader, pushing the spellcaster into the ground.
Aura stench (30 ft., DC 21, 10 rounds)
Striding forth, his stone blade dripping acid and freshly spilled blood, Rilkus growled ”Submit.” His mind focused on the enemy leader, pushing the spellcaster into the ground.
Rilkus reached the corpse and muttered ”Well, suppose that counts as submitting.”
And that’s when the stench hit him. Forcing back the reflex of gagging he closed his eyes and focused on the caster in elemental form.
Rilkus used his psychic powers to try and pull the caster out of cover and into line of sight of the party. He was certain that they could kill it if he could bring it to them.
Rilkus reached the corpse and muttered ”Well, suppose that counts as submitting.”
[dice=Fort]1d20+9
And that’s when the stench hit him. Forcing back the reflex of gagging he closed his eyes and focused on the caster in elemental form.
[dice=Telekenisis]1d20+13
Rilkus used his psychic powers to try and pull the caster out of cover and into line of sight of the party. He was certain that they could kill it if he could bring it to them.
Total CoverIf you don’t have line of effect to your target (that is, you cannot draw any line from your square to your target’s square without crossing a solid barrier), he is considered to have total cover from you. You can’t make an attack against a target that has total cover.
[dice=Sassochus vs. Hamza]3d20
[dice=Sassochus vs. Hamza]9d6 + 39
[ooc]Hamza actually teleported away, he's not in danger.[ooc]
Cae will wait for the last enemy to show up again.
[dice=Per]1d20+13
Leonidas maintains his translucent form and gestures at the oversized crocodile to disrupt its ability to dodge attacks just before he erupts into mad laughter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
As their foes fall one after another before the deadly onslaught of Hamza's companions, the shadowy warrior calls out to Troodon. "My friend, you seemed hesitant to do battle with us before, and clearly this one is going our way. I do not wish to kill you, but that is a likely outcome at this point. Come, let us talk instead of continuing to fight."
Rokan points down at the ornamented plate and yells out to his group. Careful, there is some sort of slime entity rising from the ground there. It seems to be driving upward of its own effort.
As their foes fall one after another before the deadly onslaught of Hamza's companions, the shadowy warrior calls out to Troodon. "My friend, you seemed hesitant to do battle with us before, and clearly this one is going our way. I do not wish to kill you, but that is a likely outcome at this point. Come, let us talk instead of continuing to fight."
"Who among our number is still living? Is Sassochus, the steed of the Vermillion Dome, still living? ()"
"Yes, the mighty Sassochus is still alive, but all your other cohorts have fallen. Let us put an end to further bloodshed."
[dice=Per]1d20+13
The mystic sees nothing amiss.
As their foes fall one after another before the deadly onslaught of Hamza's companions, the shadowy warrior calls out to Troodon. "My friend, you seemed hesitant to do battle with us before, and clearly this one is going our way. I do not wish to kill you, but that is a likely outcome at this point. Come, let us talk instead of continuing to fight."
The demon sees nothing amiss.
"Yes, the mighty Sassochus is still alive, but all your other cohorts have fallen. Let us put an end to further bloodshed."
"Very well, if you will leave my good servant in peace, I will join you -- and we must, together, flee these halls as quickly as possible. You know little of the immense danger that hunts us, even now."
Lenny watches Troodon intently, not having let the adrenaline or cautious recede from his being just yet...
Of course the adrenaline also interferes with his social inferences.
Hamza lowers his crossbow, but does not put it away. While he was hopeful the fight had indeed ended, he was not foolish. "Excellent! I am glad we are able to come to an accord. I do not wish there to be more bloodshed than necessary. Tell me, what stalks these halls that hasten your step? While I do not disagree with your proposed course of action, forewarned is forearmed, as they say."
Hamza lowers his crossbow, but does not put it away. While he was hopeful the fight had indeed ended, he was not foolish. "Excellent! I am glad we are able to come to an accord. I do not wish there to be more bloodshed than necessary. Tell me, what stalks these halls that hasten your step? While I do not disagree with your proposed course of action, forewarned is forearmed, as they say."
The troglodyte slithers up, still adopting a liquid, elemental manifestation, from beneath the immense barrier presented by the engraved lid of the sacrificial pit. Troodon gradually divests himself of his current elemental form, returning to the lizard-like shape in which he was first encountered. He continues to eye the demon warily as replies,
"Stranger, the scouting of the area already conducted by the respective Chromatic Societies of the Vermillion and Ochre Domes, the Red and Yellow Societies of the Ruling Colors of the Slassan, have uncovered a peculiar property of these tombs. This is the danger -- any living entity that falls within them is raised again after some variable interval as a dreadful undead being, increased in both power and malice."
"Already, you have dispatched the Hounds of the Ochre Dome, the Chabaradoncephori, which were sent before my party, and they doubtless will soon arise, if they have not already, in an even more powerful and awful from than they had previously assumed."
"Likewise, Paralitian, Shadow of the Ochre Dome, the bodyguard of Archillobator, the Herald of the Ochre Dome, and the latter's minions, will all soon arise again, and combine their strength with that of the felled Hounds. Archillobator will not quickly forgive my retreat from the melee, nor my willingness to parlay with your assembly."
"The emissaries of the Ochre Dome will be only too gratified to expend their anger to slake their Society's rivalry with my own."
"Despite your impressively alacritous and savage dispatch of the servants of the Ochre Dome, I am doubtful we will be able to stand against their revived forms, combined together in a new formation."
"Fortunately, this malignant effect appears to be confined to the tombs, and our speedy exit from their passages will put us beyond the reach of our foes."
As he speaks, a peculiar feature of the reptilian creature becomes evident -- Troodon has a jaw full of many small teeth, but they are not like the teeth of typical meat-eaters. Instead of little serrations running up and down the back of the teeth, as in most meat-eaters, they are larger bumps running along the side, as in many plant-eating dinosaurs and lizards.
Lenny watches Troodon intently, not having let the adrenaline or cautious recede from his being just yet...
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+11
Of course the adrenaline also interferes with his social inferences.
Hamza nods in understanding. Or at least partial understanding. "You'll have to forgive me, but I'm sort of new here, and am unaware of what these great Societies you speak of are. My ignorance aside, I agree with your assessment, and think we should leave this area post haste. Thankfully, I was gifted a most useful map that should be able to guide us to wherever our next destination might be."
Hamza nods in understanding. Or at least partial understanding. "You'll have to forgive me, but I'm sort of new here, and am unaware of what these great Societies you speak of are. My ignorance aside, I agree with your assessment, and think we should leave this area post haste. Thankfully, I was gifted a most useful map that should be able to guide us to wherever our next destination might be."
It seems clear that the troglodyte is genuinely solicitous of coming to an understanding, now that its confederates have been dispatched from the field of combat.
Troodon nods thoughtfully,
"Yes, I can see the difficulty. I am not used to strangers, or those unacquainted with the situation of my people. I will try to explain briefly."
"For over a millennia, the Clutch of Lazzagabad and the Venomdrinkers were among the troglodyte clans that dwelt in the complex of caves beneath Kalidnay, far below the rift that extends to the south of the city, known as the Rift of Baltoush. The tribes migrated into this region in the wake of the city's fall, when the power of Abalach-Re no longer kept the denizens of the deep regions far from her domain."
"Our tribes, and other dwellers of the subterranean reaches, took advantage of the rich fungi harvest and underground game fostered by the Deathdrop Falls, which descend from the Lake of Doom in the center of the ruined city, and terminate in the depths of the earth, joining other rare rivulets of water from the cliffs of the Rift of Baltoush -- a region which once, in the Green Age, was a verdant marshland."
"A little over a year ago, one of the great caverns near the underground lakes at the foot of the Deathdrop Falls was mysteriously occupied by visitors from another world. They called themselves the "slassans," and told us that they hailed from a world known as Serran, somewhere far away in the night sky. They claimed to be a race of explorers, scientists, and scholars, and there is, undoubtedly, some truth to their claim."
"They brought one of their vast dome cities to the caverns below Kalidnay by means of an artifact known as the Phase Heart, which they told us they had inherited from their makers, another race known as the dramojh. The Phase Heart has the ability to open, as well as control, gates to other worlds. It was this item that awoke the sleeping sorceress queen, and thereby unlatched the gates of the Great Orrery."
"The slassans are not a unified society -- they are governed by several "Societies of the Ruling Colors". We have encountered four of these. The first, is that of the Red Chromatic Society, the chief alchemists and engineers of the slassans, and the faction to which my tribe pledged their loyalty. Second, is that of the Azure Chromatic Society, who are a reclusive sect of scholars. Thirdly, the Green Chromatic Society, a bestial caste of warriors who are little better than slaves to their kin."
"Forth and finally, there is the Yellow Chromatic Society. This last are feared and hated by their kin, but are undoubtedly the most powerful. They are lords of death and nethermancy, and are the emissaries of the Mazefather, a mysterious entity whose discovery precipitated that of the Phase Heart, as well as the ascent of this society to the apex of the slassan civilization. Their 'priests', such as they are, are called Emenators, and enforce the will of the Mazefather upon the other Chromatic Societies. It is by the will of the Yellow Society Emenators that the slassans have come to Athas, and seek to work their will upon its inhabitants."
The scroll upon which the map is etched is composed of some mysterious, luminous alloy, whose contours reflect a rainbow spectrum of color as its outer surface reflects the low illumination of the tomb.
As it is unfurled, a startling, brightly-colored image manifests across its exposed, inner face. It clearly offers a map of the ruins of Kalidnay and the surrounding locales, for it possesses a clear similarity to the hand drawn image kept in the great hall of Destiny's Chariot.
However, this is, undoubtedly, a more wondrous, and impressive image, as if the area were being somehow viewed from the heavens. The terrain shifts ever so slightly, reflecting the momentary migration of the desert sand and small rivulets of water -- though how this might be possible is difficult to conceive.
Several additional features standout -- several frames surround what appear to be floor plans of different complexes, and these are connected by arcs of color to different locations of the map.
Additionally, the entirety is captioned in a slender, unknown script.
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The story thus far (courtesy your favorite minstrel)...
Thus have I heard...
In the early days of the Age of Heroes, the dolorous form of Destiny's Chariot came to wander amongst the interminable reaches of the Great Alluvial Sand Waste's south easterly reaches. This fabled moving palace, once the luxurious summer domicile of Kalid-Ma, sorcerer queen of Kalidnay, it was rescued a millennia past, following the vast city's sudden destruction, by the agents of House Vordon.
This redoubtable merchant enclave, though given birth in the lost city of Kalidnay, was reborn in what would, in our latter days, become the Free City of Tyr.
But just as they had been reborn in former times, so they faced ruin in these latter years, for the end of cruel Kalak's rule in Tyr brought the simultaneous abolishment of human bondage.
And thus Clan Ashtarte-Athirathu of House Vordon found itself impoverished, fallen from their recent majesty, and dispatched its favorite daughter, the Lady Almah, alongside her ever-dutiful major-domo Garavel, and my own humble person, to restore the forgotten trading post of Kelmarane. This a lost possession of the house lay far off, in the vicinity of the Lost Oasis, and, with the reclamation of this prize, the fortunes of the beleaguered clan stood in the gaze of a fresh upsurging, like a desert fountain thought dried up by the weltering sun.
Destiny's Chariot wended amongst the dunes in a strange journey astride the ruins of its birthplace, when its grand progress was arrested by unexpected apparitions in the distance, portending an unexpected life still stirred within the devastated city state.
What more, the caravan was halted by the admonitions of Faalcuun the Magnificent, a former apprentice of the supposedly long-dead sorcerer-king Dregoth of Giustenal. This terrifying, decrepit t'liz, a horrible remnant of a half transformed dragon, restored to a pale semblance of life as a essence-drinking undead abomination, dispatched its herald Nalcaros from the Pavilion of Mercy to stop the progress of House Vordon before the ruined city. For know that Faalcuun's great power had seized a marvel of the distant Green Age, a vast, mobile pyramid shaped by mysterious arcane energies.
Lady Almah dispatched a delegation to parlay with Nalcaros, the herald of Faalcuun, and likewise an undead creature. He belonged to a forgotten race, the gnomes, and stood as a brutal testament to the violent age of the Cleansing Wars.
Nalcaros ushered our heroes into his master Faalcuun's presence within the heights of his throne within the Pavilion of Mercy, where Dregoth's former apprentice revealed deep mysteries to those gathered before his awful personage.
For the ancient city of Kalidnay had been reawakened -- the black orbs containing the minds of the sleeping sorcerer-queen and her five greatest templars had been reawakened, and with them the Great Orrery, a colossal black ring that hung in the heavens above the ruins, and offered an open gate to dark powers wishing to enter Athas.
What more, this unanticipated stirring of the ancient sorcerer-queen's hateful spirit had drawn emissaries of the other sorcerer-kings of the Tablelands, who hoped now to secure the power for which they had felled their sister over a millennia ago -- the greater seed, an obsidian orb of great power which derived from a world accessible only through the portal of the Great Orrery. And so it was that the Shadow King Nibenay, Hamanu, the Lion of Urik, and the Dread King Dregoth had all sent their most trust worthy servants to wretch power from the ruins. And they should shortly descend upon the once sleeping city...
In addition, Faalcuun revealed to our heroes that the source of the greater seed, the Great Orrery, and other obsidian wonders of the Green Age was not, as they supposed, the halflings or the other powers of the age, but a species of ancient malevolent entities, who wandered the stars, known only by the name of Stoneburners. These entities, and their ancient rivals, the Glassmakers, were in fact responsible for all psionic and magical arts, as well as life on Athas.
Strengthened by the fell power of Faalcuun, our heroes decided to attempt an ingress of the city, whereby they would quiet the minds of Kalid-Ma and her templars stirring in the four Talons of the Mother, and the Great Temple at the heart of the city. By disabling the pylons at each of these locations, the threat to Athas would be at least temporarily halted.
Our heroes resolved to attempt an entrance to the ruins through the Riese, the name of the vast subterranean complex within the ancient diamond mines of Kalidnay. Upon arriving at the dead fire-mount, they found the complex not so abandoned as they might have expected -- and instead interrupted a gruesome sacrifice made by the servants a mysterious soul-trading fiend who now ruled the mines.
Helping the heroes was a small party from a distant world, deposited in Athas by the Great Orrery.
However, their quick intervention allowed them to save several intended sacrifices -- including a halfling warrior and druid, and a noble elf maiden of the Serpent Sing tribe.
The intellect devourers who parlayed with our heroes sought an alliance against a mysterious threat -- the serpent spiders, a race of extra dimensional wanderers who had recently come to the dark places beneath Kalidnay, and vied with the devourer's own master for control of the ruins of the ancient city-state.
The halflings revealed that they had been part of an expedition from distant Raam betrayed by disguised dray -- apparently a new race of draconic beings sworn to Dregoth of Giustenal. These had traded the captives to the morlocks, intellect devourers, and their mysterious master who now ruled the mines.
And so it was revealed that Dregoth's servants had already entered the ruins at the behest of their terrible master, but our heroes possessed no means of revealing the dray's arcane disguises.
At the urging of the rescued elven maiden, our heroes made a short journey to a forward camp of the Serpent Singer tribe, which resided within a ruined temple. There, one of the leaders of the tribe, the Dreaderseer Anubisemonekeh, parlayed with our heroes, and agreed to exchange the desired knowledge of aura-reading, which might reveal the presence of the disguised dray, in exchange for their provision of ancient knowledge from the kreen tomb that lay astride the temple where were gathered the elves.
While meeting with the elves, a mysterious stranger, known as Cae, arrived on the scene, claiming to hail from Balic by the shores of the Estuary of the Forked Tongue
And thus our heroes resolved to enter the tomb of the ancient kreen, servants of the Red God Dargulin, allay of the corrupted pyreen Rajaat.
A fierce melee with flying abominations at the entrance of the tomb dispatched one of our redoubtable heroes, who had no time to mourn.
Their entrance was again arrested by the arrival of three new strangers -- a dwarf imprisoned in a nightmarish machines, a cloaked figure from Raam, and a kreen awakened from its slumber within the tomb.
Before they could fully aquatint themselves with these newcomers, our heroes were again assaulted by the forces of the serpent spiders -- a party of troglodytes and their animal servants. After a fierce melee, the remaining troglodyte began to reveal much of its masters and their desires...
And so we return to the tremulous depths of the Mortuaries of the Mantis Priests....
In the archives of the Shadowvault, the ageless archive of shadowed Alaka, the young Hamza once encountered in his studies an ancient scroll whose contents might bear upon the present tribulation.
This record spoke of the Stoneburners, the ancient progenitors of the defiling magic, travelers of the stars, and visitors to Athas in the earliest ages of the world. In a great war between their minions and those of the Glassmakers, their celestial counterparts, the cruel race was brought low in a vast, apocalyptic battle that spanned the heavens.
Some of the Stoneburners survived this Armageddon by transferring their consciousnesses into three sided pyramids made of an unknown alloy, enigmatic receptacles connected to the 'Mazeworks', a dreadful pocket dimension where the Stoneburners and their allies had been imprisoned by the Glassmakers and their allies. In ancient lore, they are known as the 'Fathers of the Maze'.
It would appear one of these dreadful entities, surely the equal of any sorcerer-king, has awakened and been freed from its extra-dimensional confinement. With this freedom, it now directs the invasion of these slassans and their troglodyte servants.
”The inventors of defiling magic...and one awakened, here? A threat then to our world and all others. This must be stopped, but how? I was imprisoned by it’s servants. There must be a way to destroy it.” As he mused this, his stony brow furrowed in thought. ”Let us at least leave tomb before the guardians arrive.”