Rokan will run directly east
and wait until there is a direct line between him and the droid
and then manifest Energy bolt in a line that excludes his teammates on the other side of the droid.
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The light rain turns to mist as Cae begins a new song, providing a beat by thumping his staff on the ground, improving the perception of those nearest him.
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Vyse's hidden crooning continues.
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Raxus continues to toss rocks at the metal creature.
Breathing in deeply, Ehawee takes a moment to concentrated then lets out a scream, audible only to the scorpion creature.
Jimbli rushes in.. he flings a glowing blade at the unnatural scorpion as he charges. Another blade appears in his hand as he gets in close. He stabs into its side before disappearing.. blinking a couple dozen feet away and in the air - with another glowing blade ready to throw.
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.
Deflecting Shot
Discipline: Tempest Gale (Counter); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 30′
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant
You know well that a sudden shot can disrupt the enemy and remove a potential threat. You can initiate this counter in response to an attack being made against you or an ally within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged disarm attempt against the attacker, using a Sleight of Hand check (d20+28) in place of your combat maneuver check. If your disarm attempt is successful, the attack is negated (even if the weapon cannot actually be disarmed). This disarm attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Drawing on the darkness suffusing his soul, Hamza empowers his kama with shadow and smoke.
He then strikes the construct with a vile attack, twisting the curse already affecting it.
Hamza attacks once more, then blinks away from his foe.
Finally, he mediates on his inner malice, recalling the maneuver he just expanded.
The Scorponok battle droid sputters under the weight of the savage combined assault initiate by the Company of the Broken Tablet, seemingly paralyzed from action by their devastating barrage of attacks.
Ito chuckles as he observes the martial spectacle,
"Well, it appears you all have this well in hand, but don't be shy to let me know if either my own person or that of my two royal charges might render any assistance to your cause."
Amunet-Ra gives Ito an annoyed look, but focuses on smashing the weird construct.
Stunning Fist DC 24
Amunet-Ra gives Ito an annoyed look, but focuses on smashing the weird construct.
[dice=SMASH 1]1d20 + 34; 1d8 + 80
[dice=SMASH 2]1d20 + 34; 1d8 + 80
[dice=Free Bullrush against the next wall]1d20 + 34; 2d6 + 40
Stunning Fist DC 24
Tyren watched, somewhat in awe, at the explosive display of his companions. Truth be told, he was somewhat taken aback, as even SADIE was incapable of such wanton destruction, and SADIE was an artifact of a time when steel was as common as sand. Still, he couldn't stay back and do nothing, and so he held back until everyone else had made their move.
Once they'd made their moves, Tyren focused upon the spark of spiritual energy upon which he'd signed his contract with the Grey, and channeled the power of the afterlife into a pool beneath the Droid's legs. Over ten feet, the material world seemed a little less firm--It was almost slippery in nature.
Finally, once he'd done so, he began his macabre juggling act again, firing a barrage of bullets at the droid.
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Style Strike Trip Ki Throw: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (15) + 35 = 502d6 + 40 ⇒ (2, 5) + 40 = 47
Doing damage like unarmed on successfull ki throw. Amunet-Ra counts as large and can trip 2 sizes bigger.
Tyren has it right. Stun lasts untill the beginning of my turn, now he needs to save again, if he makes it he is free.
Forgot that, but i would also like to declare the first attack there a stunning fist attack. Means he must make a fort save DC 24 +1 per size larger than medium or be stunned until right before my next turn.
Forgot that, but i would also like to declare the first attack there a stunning fist attack. Means he must make a fort save DC 24 +1 per size larger than medium or be stunned until right before my next turn.1d20+12
The keening sound of the kreen wraith's cry is heard through the monitor of the camera mounted atop the scorpion-like robot.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Style Strike Trip Ki Throw: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (15) + 35 = 502d6 + 40 ⇒ (2, 5) + 40 = 47
Doing damage like unarmed on successfull ki throw. Amunet-Ra counts as large and can trip 2 sizes bigger.Tyren has it right. Stun lasts untill the beginning of my turn, now he needs to save again, if he makes it he is free.
Style Strike Trip Ki Throw: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (15) + 35 = 502d6 + 40 ⇒ (2, 5) + 40 = 47
Doing damage like unarmed on successfull ki throw. Amunet-Ra counts as large and can trip 2 sizes bigger.Tyren has it right. Stun lasts untill the beginning of my turn, now he needs to save again, if he makes it he is free.
Amunet-Ra gives Ito an annoyed look, but focuses on smashing the weird construct.
[dice=SMASH 1]1d20 + 34; 1d8 + 80
[dice=SMASH 2]1d20 + 34; 1d8 + 80
[dice=Free Bullrush against the next wall]1d20 + 34; 2d6 + 40
Stunning Fist DC 24
Ri'Kli'Klek stands, dumbfounded, at the others' display of martial prowess. How was it possible...? Not with three dozen warriors from the Red God's army would he have thought it possible to damage such a thing!
"Are all warriors in these times as powerful as ye?" he asks, awed.
Hamza/Foo Creature 42
Cae Leonidas/Raxus/Lizard 38
Amunet Ra/Tyren Lourofesh 32
Gu/Jin En Mok 29
Jimbli 25
Eahwee 24
Scorpion Annihilator Droid 19
Rokan/Ri'Kli'Klek 16
Scorpion Annihilator Droid -1
Effects:
Aura of Divine Favor: +2 luck to attack/damage
Aura of the Moon: +2 to Fort saves, +4 temp HP/turn
Inspire Courage: +8 attack/damage
Mutagen: +2 natural armor, +4 Dex, -2 Wis (Duration 33/60m)
Animal Aspect (Tree Lizard): Climb 15' (Duration 0/6m)
Enlarge Person (+2 Str, -2 Dex, +1 size category) (Duration 0/6m)
Ant Haul (*3 carrying capacity) (Duration enough)
Absorb Blow (DR 1/--, energy resistance 10) (Duration 2/10 rounds)
Wounds: 54/54
Vitality: 132/157 (+4)
AC: 44, touch 33.
Stamina: 5/14
Action Points: 7
Mythic Power: 5/7 (uses Surge, Absorb Blow, Retributive Reach AoO boost, HO Mythic Lunge reach extension)
Martial Focus: Expended
Extracts prepared:
1st: CLW, Enlarge Person, Ant Haul, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness
2nd: Animal Aspect x1, Invisibility x1, Blood Transcription
Arcanotoxin: 5/12
Mutagen: Used
Maneuvers readied:
1st:
2nd: Weakening Venom Prana
3rd: Tortoise Defense
Stance: Poisoner's Stance
Piercing Thunder Style: Inactive
Weapons:
Spear:
Unarmed Strike: Arcanotoxin+Elf Poison 3/3 strikes
Armiger's Mark: 0/11
Extended Defense: 0/1
Skill Tricks (per-encounter):
Extreme Leap: 0/1
Leaping Climber: 0/1
Wall Jumper: 0/1
Collector of Stories: 0/1
Far Hand wild talent: 0/2
Cold Vengeance rage power: 1/1
Disproportionate Retribution counterstrike: 0/1
Discern Kith slaver-hunting thing: 0/1
Fortune Hex reroll: 0/1
"Are all warriors in these times as powerful as ye?" he asks, awed.
Wait, the kreen *actually* thinks they're from another time? And...the way his conversation with Kchac'Thraa went makes a great deal more sense if they actually *are*.
This just keeps getting stranger.
Jin grits her teeth and grimly hangs on to the shaft of her spear- the wood creaking and twisting under her grip as she capitalizes on the hole she's made to the thing's interior with short, sharp spiraling motions.
I'm going to have to replace the edges after this. Obsidian on metal is going to cause a fair bit of chipping.
Making a full attack against the droid: per the Lancer sphere, I'm ignoring all armor, shield, and natural armor bonuses it has to AC for as long as it's impaled. , +2 if Kchac'Thraa is a slaver, , + if applicable. , +2 if Kchac'Thraa is a slaver, , + if applicable. That delivers one dose of Arcanotoxin at DC 33 (then it wears off the weapon), one dose of drow poison at DC 23 (and it does likewise), one dose of Dizzying Venom at DC 24 (similarly), and two doses of Weakening Venom at DC 25.
Arcanotoxin: Frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; Effect 2 Dex and Str damage and sickened, 4 Dex and Str in the 3rd and subsequent rounds; Cure 2 saves
Elf poison: Frequency 1/minute for 2 minutes; Effect Unconciousness for 1 minute/unconciousness for 2d4 hours on a second failed save; Cure 2 saves
Dizzying Venom: Frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; Effect 3 Wis damage; Cure 1 save
Weakening Venom: Frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; Effect 1d4+1 Str damage: Cure 1 save
Her unseen companion continues wearing the thing down, as well.
Holding on to the spear as her companions wail on the thing is a challenge in itself: when Amunet-Ra somehow manages to throw the colossus, she's forced to flip entirely end over end to keep her grip. It's difficult, but forcibly keeping the barbed thing in the 'wound' as the robot is moved around it is just as damaging as if she'd twisted it herself.
Weakening Venom: Frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; Effect 1d4+1 Str damage: Cure 1 save
Ito chuckles,
"Well, that was all highly amusing, I must admit! Well fought, strangers. And who might your mighty party be, and on what errand are you ventured? I would fain know the questing of so formidable an association as that of your own."
"We're...hup..."
Leaving her spear stuck in the behemoth for the moment, Jin leaps lightly down from the nearly vertical rock face she was clinging to.
"We're here for more or less the same reason you are, actually. A sorcerer-king, long thought dead, now looks for knowledge and power in the ruins of Kalidnay to restore themselves to glory and lay all else to waste. We're here to stop them.
Yours is Sielba. Ours is Dregoth."
She stretches.
"Incidentally, that thing isn't destroyed- just...suspended, until something wakes it up. Does anyone have a good way to finish it off now that it isn't struggling?"
"We're...hup..."
Leaving her spear stuck in the behemoth for the moment, Jin leaps lightly down from the nearly vertical rock face she was clinging to.
"We're here for more or less the same reason you are, actually. A sorcerer-king, long thought dead, now looks for knowledge and power in the ruins of Kalidnay to restore themselves to glory and lay all else to waste. We're here to stop them.
Yours is Sielba. Ours is Dregoth."
She stretches.
"Incidentally, that thing isn't destroyed- just...suspended, until something wakes it up. Does anyone have a good way to finish it off now that it isn't struggling?"
Ito gestures at the elaborate feast which Jin and other members of the Company of the Broken Tablet had been preparing until interrupted by the automaton's unexpected intrusion,
"Well, why don't we not waste this delectable meal you've just prepared, and discuss the matter further? I feel certain we can come to an equitable arrangement that will benefit both our causes."
As he speaks, the enormous forms of his two 'royal charges' become visible, their magical concealment seemingly dispelled. Both earth drakes are enormous, easily 50 paces in length.
The gray, black, and brown reptilian creatures are covered with thousands of small, spiny scales.
Their massive forelegs are designed for digging through solid stone.
Their hindlegs are equally as powerful and may also be used for digging, but most often serve as anchors.
The Earth drakes’ tails are short but incredibly thick, which forces the monsters to swagger when they walk.
Their rather short and high vertebrae of the back are in their middle region reinforced by ossified tendons running along the tops of the neural arches. Sacrals seven and eight have longer processes, causing the sacrum to have an oval profile in top view. On top of the sacrum a neural plate is present formed by a fusion of the neural spines of the second through fifth vertebrae.
The Earth drakes’ heads are wedge-shaped. The scales on the top of their heads overlap to protect the earholes. The front of their heads is equipped with a high toothless beak. The core of the top beak is formed by a special rostral bone. Behind it, the premaxillae bones are located, embayed from behind by very large circular nostrils. The premaxillae meet on their midline in a complex bone plate, the rear edge of which is reinforced by the narial strut. From the base of this strut, a triangular process juts out into the nostril.
The creatures' eyes are inset and covered by two eyelids — a soft, inner eyelid which is airtight, and an outer, protective, scaly eyelid which is highly puncture-resistant.
Ito chuckles again,
"Come your royal highnesses, I am sure their are sufficient victuals for you as well!"
Ri'Kli'Klek watches the scene with his usual unreadable, insectoid gaze.
"While disabled, ye should be able to damage its more delicate and vital components through joints in its armor. Its core should be roughly in the center of its body. Damage to the core would render it inoperable without significant repair."
It's too bad our foe is mechanical nature, and not something that could have been added to our feast. Oh well.
He walks up to the inert droid to survey how they might apply a well-placed coup-de-grace.
The muscular, caramel-skinned druid points demonstratively at the surrounding grotto as the party returns to its preparations for the feast.
"This grotto is a remarkable location, and artifact of the most ancient days of the world. It is a small demi-plane situated at the meeting place of all the Elemental Strongholds associated with the domain of Earth -- not only the Great Elemental Stronghold of Earth, but also the subsidiary domains of magma, mineral, dust, mud, and dozens of others. My two royal charges were naturally drawn to its energies because of its near proximity to their ancient extra-planar home, long abandoned by their race. Here, they can enjoy a semblance of its familiar energies without risking the ire of the natives of the Great Elemental Stronghold of Earth who have perpetually resented the ancient hegira of the drakes from their home planes to explore Athas."
"This marvelous grotto contains doors open upon many, many locations in Athas. In addition to the dark caverns of the kreen wraith from which you have recently exited, their are passageways to the Kalidnay ruins, those of Yaramuke and Celik and Giustenal, and to the distant reaches of the continents beyond our present location of Hargalor, whose eastern coast contains the Tablelands."
He points out several unseen objects in the air,
"That one exits, I believe, in the Domains of the Merchant Princes, which lies across the Sea of Silt from the Tablelands, on the far western shores of the Continent of Saan-Gabiathan. It is said that there are city-states there in number comparable to the Tablelands, but that they are ruled by vicious merchant houses who struggle among themselves through a hidden war waged with assassins."
Ito gestures another direction,
"That one, I believe, exits in a little known domain that lies far to the south, beneath the Carboniferous Sea at the bottom of the world. I have read that there is a vast domain composed of what is referred to as 'heavy' or 'hard water' that fills a gulch of immense dimensions at the nadir of the Carboniferous Sea's heart. It is rumored that this mysterious realm hosts creatures from both the most distant past of our world, great monsters of terrible size and mien, but also the remnants of this planet's original inhabitants extirpated by the Cleansing Wars -- creatures known as orcs and others. It is said they may have escaped their destruction by traveling the winding vaults of time, and found themselves within a weird refuge concealed from the sights of most others who still persist in these savage lands."
He points out yet another,
"And that one, if I have interpreted the records correctly, leads to one of the Soaring Lands, territories also known as the Flying Continents. It it supposed to comprise an immense jungle of venemous flora ruled by flying serpents and their bloodthirsty followers, who erect great many-stepped temples to their patron's honor. This land is even stranger than most of the levitating islands, for it consists of two continental masses that face one another vertically, and are connected at their outer reaches by strangely-fused mountains. For this reason, it is known colloquially as the 'Folded Fear'. It is marvelous that the two halves of the domain are perpendicular to the surface of Athas, such that those in its midst, upon whichever side they are located, are as if they strode sideways on the wall of a tower of other structure. I am sure it is most unnerving."
Ri'Kli'Klek watches the scene with his usual unreadable, insectoid gaze.
[dice=Lore (Ancient Tech)]1d20+11
"While disabled, ye should be able to damage its more delicate and vital components through joints in its armor. Its core should be roughly in the center of its body. Damage to the core would render it inoperable without significant repair."
Ito then lists several more locations onto which the portals of the grotto terminate,
"That one leads to the Helheart, a terrible location at the center of the Hellwastes that bestride the Red and Terrible City of Urik. The three immense volcanoes at the center of the tortured waste spew forth a turgid black ichor that runs into the deep gulch beside the trio of immense, sky-scraping peaks. It is said that the upper reaches of the Helheart is so high that there is no air to breath. Legends say that the black ichor flows from the wounded heart of the world, and that it would drown all the lands were it not for the presence of the deep gulch, known as mysteriously by several names including the Victor's Fall, the waves of black, steaming liquid would quickly consume all the Tablelands. The various breeds of beasts that plague the Red City are also birthed by the mutagenic properties of the Helheart."
"That portal evacuates in the midst of the City State of Eldaaritch, a cloistered city-state to the north of the Seven Cities. It is an island domain ruled over by the paranoid sorcerer-king Dasknior. It is also known as the 'City of Mirrors', because of the network of spy-glasses that riddle the metropolis."
"That one leads to the depths of the Mountain of Assassins which overlooks the City-State of Raam. Here, the hired killers of the sorcerer-queen Abalach-Re plan to dispose of their patron's enemies. However, within their number are a sect of killers known as the Thugge who continue to revere the ancient powers who once ruled the city, and subtly plot the overthrow of its current masters."
"And this one leads to the outskirts of the Free City of Tyr, among the sugarcane plantations of the nobility."
"Well, sir, not all warriors are as mighty as we," Tyren said idly as he approached the fallen droid, But our people are all warriors these days. 'Tis the necessity of the era."
Tyren squinted at the massive robotic scorpion, now quite immobile, and traced out some vital points upon it. "Were I to guess--Mind you, my actual experience with ancient machinery is somewhat lacking--But were I to guess, I'd say that the joints closest to the mandibles look to be the best spot. A compact magi/psionic energy source would still be quite complex, I'd imagine. Especially one to last for so many millennia." The bard paused, then looked at the droid longingly, "Oh, how I do wish I could dismantle this. Those fluid movements suggested a trove of animating machinery that might yet be used to repair our destitute lands." Regretfully, he turned away and instead looked toward the massive Earth Drakes and bowed, listening intently as they explained the various passages. Truly he could understand why the Myceloids wanted this place--And appreciated the fact that they should not have it.
"Well, sir, not all warriors are as mighty as we," Tyren said idly as he approached the fallen droid, But our people are all warriors these days. 'Tis the necessity of the era."
Tyren squinted at the massive robotic scorpion, now quite immobile, and traced out some vital points upon it. "Were I to guess--Mind you, my actual experience with ancient machinery is somewhat lacking--But were I to guess, I'd say that the joints closest to the mandibles look to be the best spot. A compact magi/psionic energy source would still be quite complex, I'd imagine. Especially one to last for so many millennia." The bard paused, then looked at the droid longingly, "Oh, how I do wish I could dismantle this. Those fluid movements suggested a trove of animating machinery that might yet be used to repair our destitute lands." Regretfully, he turned away and instead looked toward the massive Earth Drakes and bowed, listening intently as they explained the various passages. Truly he could understand why the Myceloids wanted this place--And appreciated the fact that they should not have it.
The druid chuckles,
"Repair our lands! Stranger, you must never have ventured or know aught beyond the reaches of the Tablelands. As I believe I have averred in my reference to the locations beyond our current climes accessible by means of this marvelous intra-planetary cynosure, the rest of the world is considerably worse than the Tablelands. I've heard that the Unbearable Lands of Chasth'nakk'karr to the north are more awful by many measures than both Hargalor, the home of the Seven Cities of the Sorcerer-Kings, and Saan-Gabiathan eastward across the gulf of the Sea of Silt which contains the Archipelago Empire of the Dragon of Ur-Draxa. Indeed, it is said the virtually the entirety of Chasth'nakk'karr is overrun by a collection of savage peoples, none of which are properly humanoid. Virtually the entire territory lacks breathable air, being in height so immense, and only scattered valleys are sufficiently low to contain a normal atmosphere. Armies of elemental, fungal, undead, and automatic entities war over these breathless heights. The limited low-lying and more survivable areas far underground are populated by exceptionally savage races that have learned to contend with the armies of the unbreathing that dominate the majority of the continent's territories."
"Now does that sound salvageable to you stranger?"
Effects:
Mutagen: +2 natural armor, +4 Dex, -2 Wis (Duration 43/60m)
Ant Haul (*3 carrying capacity) (Duration enough)
Wounds: 54/54
Vitality: 132/157
AC: 44, touch 33.
Stamina: 5/14
Action Points: 7
Mythic Power: 5/7 (uses Surge, Absorb Blow, Retributive Reach AoO boost, HO Mythic Lunge reach extension)
Martial Focus: Expended
Extracts prepared:
1st: CLW, Enlarge Person, Ant Haul, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness
2nd: Animal Aspect x1, Invisibility x1, Blood Transcription
Arcanotoxin: 5/12
Mutagen: Used
Maneuvers readied:
1st:
2nd:
3rd: Tortoise Defense
Stance: Poisoner's Stance
Piercing Thunder Style: Inactive
Weapons:
Spear:
Unarmed Strike:
Armiger's Mark: 0/11
Extended Defense: 0/1
Skill Tricks (per-encounter):
Extreme Leap: 0/1
Leaping Climber: 0/1
Wall Jumper: 0/1
Collector of Stories: 0/1
Far Hand wild talent: 0/2
Cold Vengeance rage power: 1/1
Disproportionate Retribution counterstrike: 0/1
Discern Kith slaver-hunting thing: 0/1
After Jin carefully washes the poison off of her hands, the fish has to go in first- it's the ingredient in the biggest lumps, and they'll have to be in the hot-pot the longest to cook through. Jin momentarily pauses when she sees that Rokan hasn't been separating the flesh from the bones, as she'd have done instinctively- but, really, a bit of texture is scarcely going to be noticed by a creature with a maw that more closely resembles a siege weapon than anything else, and the bones will increase the richness of the stock. After a few minutes for a light crusting of salt to settle in, into the enormous vessel they go, for a bit less than ten minutes: then the cabbage, the long onions, the mushrooms. Ideally, there'd also be some crunchy root vegetable, and there are a few in the cavern, but taking the time to clean and peel enough would take far too long. It's a bit of a mad rush to get all the ingredients into the pot quickly enough- but on the bright side, the enormous scale of the thing means that they don't need to be delicately chopped into bits of the right size, but rather tossed into the pot whole after just a bit of cleaning.
The next bit would normally be tricky: a nabe on an ordinary scale would cool down quickly enough that the whole thing would be done just as the broth reached an edible temperature. But three hundred qafiz of broth will take a fair bit longer to cool down than one. Jin fishes out her cauldron from the bottom of the vessel with a long, hooked rod, and with a muttered "Bardi", the broth inside cools as swiftly as it first heated. Lowering the cauldron back down into the vessel and swishing it about for a bit with the rod is somewhat awkward, but a reasonably good way of stirring-
"And this one leads to the outskirts of the Free City of Tyr, among the sugarcane plantations of the nobility."
Jin curses and fumbles the cauldron, barely catching the rod at the last instant and singeing her fingertips in the hot stew.
"I, wha- excuse me, what was that last one?"
Her focus wavers, but with the broth brought to temperature, the hotpot is so close to finished that it'd be a waste to stop now. A sprinkling of aromatic herbs on top, a final tasting, and it's finished- the rich, savory smell satisfyingly refuting her fear that the stock would be stretched too thin. The texture, of course, is atrocious from the point of view of someone her size, with everything in chunks that are far too big. But it ought to be perfect for the hulking drakes, and the freshness of the ingredients makes it deliciously savory.
"Allez cuisine, your highesses!"
They'll have to either improvise their own utensils or take turns sipping directly from the huge, wide-mouthed earthenware vessel. It's a flaw, but Jin isn't about to spend another hour chopping down a tree and whittling a titanic pair of spoons: she joins the others in enjoying the meal, and approaches Ito with dolmathakia in hand and a questioning look on her face.
"That Tyrian portal, in particular, might help explain something that's been puzzling me for some time now. The last thing Tyren and I remember, before about thirty hours ago, we were in Tyr: we seem to have lost about a week of time, but that's not nearly long enough for us to have been brought here by conventional means. Is there any possibility that these portals have recently been used without your noticing?"
Tyren frowned, considering Ito's implications. It's true. There's a great deal in this world that's wrong. But it might yet not be as terrible as we've been lead to believe... "There are places, I think, that we shall never repair. Many more, however, are problems we have answers to--Simply put, they are just not easy answers. I don't think I'll live to see this world put whole again, but I do think I can help the process begin."
Upon Jin's extrapolations, Tyren cried out. "Teleportation! Of course! Though I imagine that it would be simpler to do a one-way teleportation. There are many ruins in Tyr--The thought that one such ruin might lead here would be of no surprise to me.
Hamza sits close to Ito, but across from, so that he may best converse with the druid. He listens intently as their host describes the various portals and where they lead to. The Domains of the Merchant Princes sounded of particular interest to him, as it reminded him of his home city of Alaka.
However, he starts slightly at the mention of a portal to Raam. "I am unsure if I like there being a means to travel to the Mountain of Assassins. I realize your highness could likely prevent it's misuse, but it still does not sit well with me."
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Rokan listens intently about the portals with piqued curiosity.
At the mention of the portal of Kaliday he nods and looks around at the others.
Hmm, no, not Tyr. I've spent enough time there. Some questions though. Are all of these portals in your control? That is, are they "yours"? Do you require a cost to use them? Are they one-way or can they be used to return to this place?
** spoiler omitted **
After Jin carefully washes the poison off of her hands, the fish has to go in first- it's the ingredient in the biggest lumps, and they'll have to be in the hot-pot the longest to cook through. Jin momentarily pauses when she sees that Rokan hasn't been separating the flesh from the bones, as she'd have done instinctively- but, really, a bit of texture is scarcely going to be noticed by a creature with a maw that more closely resembles a siege weapon than anything else, and the bones will increase the richness of the stock. After a few minutes for a light crusting of salt to settle in, into the enormous vessel they go, for a bit less than ten minutes: then the cabbage, the long onions, the mushrooms. Ideally, there'd also be some crunchy root vegetable, and there are a few in the cavern, but taking the time to clean and peel enough would take far too long. It's a bit of a mad rush to get all the ingredients into the pot quickly...
"Well, from the available evidence which we have managed to assemble, it appears your assailants were the strange new race known as the dray who serve the, until recently, deceased sorcerer-king Dregoth. If they are indeed the one and the same who have undertaken to convocate this vicious sect known as the True Children of the Deepest Gray, then I would presume that they travel under their own reconnaissance, and by their own means. The strange realm known as the Gray distorts the passage of time, well at least it does from our perspective." The druid pauses, flexing his sculpted chin meditatively. "I suppose from theirs it is our time that passes in a strange fashion. But, no matter, the essence of the matter is that the hours are accounted differently in the howling, colorless wastes of the Gray than within the Tablelands under the auspices of the twin moons and the searing heat of the Crimson Sun. It may be that a week or more passed for you and your companion in the Gray, but that only an hour transpired in the Tablelands, or contrariwise, it is difficult to say when speculating about so foreign a locale as the land of the dead and the mad and the sleeping."
Hamza sits close to Ito, but across from, so that he may best converse with the druid. He listens intently as their host describes the various portals and where they lead to. The Domains of the Merchant Princes sounded of particular interest to him, as it reminded him of his home city of Alaka.
However, he starts slightly at the mention of a portal to Raam. "I am unsure if I like there being a means to travel to the Mountain of Assassins. I realize your highness could likely prevent it's misuse, but it still does not sit well with me."
"Well, such a world as this contains aught to make any uneasy, I cannot salve that trepidation."
Rokan listens intently about the portals with piqued curiosity.
At the mention of the portal of Kaliday he nods and looks around at the others.
Hmm, no, not Tyr. I've spent enough time there. Some questions though. Are all of these portals in your control? That is, are they "yours"? Do you require a cost to use them? Are they one-way or can they be used to return to this place?
Ito smiles,
"This grotto is none of ours, we are simply its favored guests, even the two royal highnesses currently in my charge. As I have already described, it is positioned between the Elemental Stronghold of Earth and the planes of its various related or subsidiary elements, the exact characterization of which will depend upon one's interpretation of the structure of the dozens or hundreds, or thousands or millions even, of dimensions known as the Inner Planes. The grotto is connected to a wide reaching and incompletely explored network of intra planar tunnels that similarly lie between the various inner planes and it adjoins the Prime Material just as it does the various Elemental Strongholds associated with the Element of Earth. This vast web work of passages preceded our arrival, and shall survive our departure."
"The portals are of various sorts, some in ready visual evidence, and many concealed from common view, some permanent and others stationary, some require an offering to open, while others depend on either simpler or more complex mechanisms. There is not one rule for all."
Mutagen: +2 natural armor, +4 Dex, -2 Wis (Duration 45/60m)
Ant Haul (*3 carrying capacity) (Duration enough)
Wounds: 54/54
Vitality: 132/157
AC: 44, touch 33.
Stamina: 5/14
Action Points: 7
Mythic Power: 5/7 (uses Surge, Absorb Blow, Retributive Reach AoO boost, HO Mythic Lunge reach extension)
Martial Focus: Expended
Extracts prepared:
1st: CLW, Enlarge Person, Ant Haul, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness
2nd: Animal Aspect x1, Invisibility x1, Blood Transcription
Arcanotoxin: 5/12
Mutagen: Used
Maneuvers readied:
1st:
2nd:
3rd: Tortoise Defense
Stance: Poisoner's Stance
Piercing Thunder Style: Inactive
Weapons:
Spear:
Unarmed Strike:
Armiger's Mark: 0/11
Extended Defense: 0/1
Skill Tricks (per-encounter):
Extreme Leap: 0/1
Leaping Climber: 0/1
Wall Jumper: 0/1
Collector of Stories: 0/1
Far Hand wild talent: 0/2
Cold Vengeance rage power: 1/1
Disproportionate Retribution counterstrike: 0/1
Discern Kith slaver-hunting thing: 0/1
You could build a fair-sized merchant house on the strength of that alone. The possibilities of instant travel across the length and breadth of the Tablelands, without having to form long caravans, sweat across endless desert, fight off hunting cacti and bandits...
I'll need to come back here, somehow.
She's tempted to stop and ponder on it- but she can't bring herself to take her attention from her food for too long. Even having access to fresh fish to be able to make sushi to begin with is a rare treat, but she's never been able to make it with fish like this: pristine, unpolluted by the magical and biological wastes of the strange Nibenese fish-farming process.
"This place and- mmh!- and its wonders are absolutely fascinating, but I fear we're getting somewhat off-track. We were discussing how we could collaborate- and I think sharing map information would be a good first start.
How much of this complex have you explored? That horrible thing and its minions must have curtailed your expedition somewhat. We can map out the path taken from the surface."
** spoiler omitted **
You could build a fair-sized merchant house on the strength of that alone. The possibilities of instant travel across the length and breadth of the Tablelands, without having to form long caravans, sweat across endless desert, fight off hunting cacti and bandits...
I'll need to come back here, somehow.
She's tempted to stop and ponder on it- but she can't bring herself to take her attention from her food for too long. Even having access to fresh fish to be able to make sushi to begin with is a rare treat, but she's never been able to make it with fish like this: pristine, unpolluted by the magical and biological wastes of the strange Nibenese fish-farming process.
"This place and- mmh!- and its wonders are absolutely fascinating, but I fear we're getting somewhat off-track. We were discussing how we could collaborate- and I think sharing map information would be a good first start.
How much of this complex have you...
The druid nods in polite acknowledgement of Jin's query as he chews his first bites of the delectable spread prepared by the alchemist and her companions.
Upon swallowing, he responds,
"Well, I and my royal charges entered the sacred grotto through a gate which manifested within a collection of ancient ruins far above us atop the kaleidoscopic massifs of the Rainbow Rise -- the Harru Goos Gazah."
Tyren left the rest of the negotiations to his fellows, as they seemed more apt to the subject. For the time being, he turned his attention instead to the food. Meat, he found, was indeed delicious, if rare. I haven't a clue why, but meat always reminds me of the dead... Tyren winced internally, Well, thank the sands that at least it doesn't smell like the dead. He bit into the fish and smiled, continuing to eat silently.
Ri'Kli'Klek stood in silence for a long while. Hearing the descriptions... to a degree he was shocked life still existed on Athas.
Had all his sacrifices, all the others who rebelled with him had given up, been for nothing?
After a long moment, he decided that, no, if it had not been for the rebellion agains the Red God, there would likely have been two who ruined the world. From what they had said, it was Rajaat and his disciples who had wrought such destruction. Perhaps life would have been wholly extinguished had the Red God still been active also.
With swift, smooth motion Ri'Kli'Klek jogged forward and joined the others. He carefully joined in the meal, though he wiped off some of the spices as he did so.
"Kreen tastes are not as those of others," he observed.
Pokes at the food, not sure how much she would trust those not understanding her tribe's cooking. To be fair though to the chef, it had smelled good, but some of the spices where not to her taste, however she could completely understand the craftsmanship behind it.
As some of the group sat and talked negotiations, she decided to engage in some banter with those around her. Why not get to know better her companions, especially ones who she was quite sure not from this time.
" So Ri'Kli'Klek, what exactly is Kreen taste? I must say your people are not... well common to be found." How best to tell someone they were an ancient relic delicately?
Ito Boranchakara, the mysterious representative of the Sthan'Baromsokh-Php'Phendei-Mnoussacheate Sahchip or the Earth, Heaven, Humanity Union of Yaramuke, alongside his draconic charges, the True Drake prince and princess known respectively as Puthyrith-Rainsey the Thunderclap and Chanthavy-Chanvatey the Diamond Blossom, pauses meditatively for an extended moment as he chews his food.
Suddenly, a heretofore unheard voice of deep tone and thunderously-resounding cadence breaks forth into the the collective minds of the assembled dinner party. This voice is of a masculine timbre, and is quickly joined by a female counterpart.
Apparently, the True Drakes have finally decided to join the conversation.
The True Drake prince Puthyrith-Rainsey the Thunderclap beings, "Well, what will you do now? Kchac'Thraa's servant has been subdued, but the wraith itself persists in its gloomy environs in the shadowed cavern yonder. Now, doubtless, you have cultivated his fierce anger."
"Yet, perhaps your original quest exerts still a stronger claim on your persons? As our dutiful attache has just averred, this marvelous grotto contains a plethora of doors to a thousand, thousand locales, including many in the ruins above."
"Given our common desires to halt the further encroachment of the sorcerer-kings on Athas, my own company would be happy to assist you in locating the right portal to achieve your entry into the ruins. You might return at a later time of advantage to finally vanquish Kchac'Thraa and his fungoid servants."{/b]
Then, the True Drake princess Chanthavy-Chanvatey the Diamond Blossom interjects as well,
[b]"We shall be unable to accompany your group on your excursion into Kalidnay, but you appear very capable," the massive creature laughs with a series of throaty intonations that shake the ground beneath the Company of the Broken Tablet and cause the interior vaults of their skulls to ring tremulously with seismic vibrations of incredible power.
She continues as the incredible effects of her draconic amusement gradually abate,
"Still, we possess much knowledge of the ruins from our previous expeditions into their reaches, and would be willing to offer what useful intelligence we can in the furtherance of your task."
The mysterious elf named Slavathras, addressed as Silan Tilak of the Thoughtmakers by the Dreadseer Anubisemonekeh of Amunet-Ra's Serpent Singer Tribe, and who had taken the title Mindshadow when swearing the oath of the Company of the Broken Tablet, gazes fixedly at the True Drake princess Chanthavy-Chanvatey the Diamond Blossom.
The peculiar qualities of his arms and armament are a fair complement to the greater enigma of his person, origins, and designs. Slavathras' armor is composed of what appear to be the carcasses of several immense pangolins, a strange species of 'scaly ant eaters' distinguished by the large, protective keratin scales which cover their soft skin. They are the only known mammals with this feature.
Native to the torpid regions near the city-states of Gulg and Nibenay, the physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large hardened overlapping plate-like scales, which are soft on newborn pups, but harden as the animal matures.
From the appearance of Slavathras' breastplate, epaulets, and helmet, all of the contributing animals were of an adult age.
These scale-like plates are composed of keratin, the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made, and are structurally and compositionally very different from the scales of reptiles.
The pangolin's scaled body is comparable in appearance to a pine cone, and the warped fusion created by merging the exoskeleton's of at least three of the scaly ant eaters endows Slavathras' with an at once indelible, frightening, and ludictrous appearance, something like a predatory cactus or a feral, carnivorous porcupine.
Under threat, the pangolin can curl up into a ball when threatened, with its overlapping scales acting as armor, while it protects its face by tucking it under its tail. Presumably, Slavathras' armament would endow him with similar capabilities.
The scales are sharp, providing extra defense from predators or humanoid assailants.
His pique nose curls slightly in annoyance before the bard speaks,
"Well, if you insist, I shall address my query publicly your majesty!"
Slavathras' seems to quickly labor to regain his composure as he continues the question which, apparently, he had been attempting to issue surreptitiously, without the knowledge of his fellows among the Company of the Broken Tablet,
"It has been told in legend that the interior of Athas is hollow, and contains many strange and marvelous lands and peoples. I would know whether any of the gateways encompasses by this remarkable grotto, currently of your possession, leads to this interior world."
The mysterious elf named Slavathras, addressed as Silan Tilak of the Thoughtmakers by the Dreadseer Anubisemonekeh of Amunet-Ra's Serpent Singer Tribe, and who had taken the title Mindshadow when swearing the oath of the Company of the Broken Tablet, gazes fixedly at the True Drake princess Chanthavy-Chanvatey the Diamond Blossom.
The peculiar qualities of his arms and armament are a fair complement to the greater enigma of his person, origins, and designs. Slavathras' armor is composed of what appear to be the carcasses of several immense pangolins, a strange species of 'scaly ant eaters' distinguished by the large, protective keratin scales which cover their soft skin. They are the only known mammals with this feature.
Native to the torpid regions near the city-states of Gulg and Nibenay, the physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large hardened overlapping plate-like scales, which are soft on newborn pups, but harden as the animal matures.
From the appearance of Slavathras' breastplate, epaulets, and helmet, all of the contributing animals were of an adult age.
These scale-like plates are composed of keratin, the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made, and are structurally and compositionally very different from the scales of reptiles.
The pangolin's scaled body is comparable in appearance to a pine cone, and the warped fusion created by merging the exoskeleton's of at least three of the scaly ant eaters endows Slavathras' with an at once indelible, frightening, and ludictrous appearance, something like a predatory cactus or a feral, carnivorous porcupine.
Under threat, the pangolin can curl up into a ball when threatened, with its overlapping scales acting as armor, while it protects its face by tucking it under its tail. Presumably, Slavathras' armament would endow him with similar capabilities.
The scales are sharp, providing extra defense from predators or humanoid assailants.
His pique nose curls slightly in annoyance before the...
"Aye," replies the halfling druid in an expression of at once appreciative recognition and a furiously kindled curiosity, "there are reports of this strange locale among the records of my order within the great city of Raam. I remember, in particular, a volume entitled the Sañjīvakālasūtrasaṃghātarauravarīravamahārauravamahārīravarāpanatapanamahāt āpanaavīci Nakara Sūtra, which purports to contain a description of the 'many and varied hells and hell regions." Of course, those with a deep knowledge of the Athasian afterlife know that the righteous and unrighteous alike face a bleak dissolution in the realms of the Gray, and that there is neither a heaven of reward, nor a hell of punishment. Nevertheless, it seems apparent to me that the work reflects an account of historical expeditions into the interior of the planet some number of thousands of years ago, and that its descriptions correspond to realities that lie miles and miles beneath our feet. The narrative of the Sañjīvakālasūtrasaṃghātarauravarīravamahārauravamahārīravarāpanatapanamahāt āpanaavīci Nakara Sūtra is a flowery and extended account of the trials and tribulations faced by one party that passed through a seemingly endless network of caverns beneath Athas. They emerged into an immense space which appeared to comprise another world, and which they took to be a realm of torment for the souls of the wicked. I remember descriptions of large beasts and savage, shaggy monsters, in addition to feral tribes and weird climes, such as inverted, flying mountains."