I'll take that to mean the game. I hope you're not of those sadomasochists that enjoy pain. :)
Game on!
You know what they say... Desperate situations...
Yeah, all of you guys are doing a really good job.
I'm really enjoying the game.
Game on!
Needless to say that I can recap one round rather quickly so if you all post today, I should be able to move this game along tonight.
BTW, I'm in South Carolina (US) so EST for me.
At the sound of the coffin slamming itself shut Rubani looked up from his fruitless search effort. And was then immediately mystified as his fellow Pharasmin had apparently vanished. Only Akhmose and the sarcophagus stood on the dais. That was when the muffled shout from the Warpriest could be heard and the cleric realized, with horror, that the ancient relic had swallowed her whole.
There was something vaguely poetic in a coffin trying to end a follower of the Lady of Graves, but Rubani had no time to contemplate this; not while a comrade was being chewed on by a big animated casket.
The icicle left his outstretched hand immediately. To heck with the rising water and never mind that he was trying to destroy a significant historical artifact; the sarcophagus needed to be opened right now.
Hit: The ice shard found its target: one of the cracks left by Akhmose and Naomi. It wedged itself deeply into the coffin, sending more pieces pieces crumbling to the floor.
Miss: The coffin was simply too well made for the icicle to penetrate and it shattered upon impact.
That's cool; I can always recap tomorrow night.
"Naomi!", the dwarf cried as he saw her engulfed by the sarcophagus. He briefly wondered where Akhentepi's body was, if the tomb had room to swallow someone else. But with no time to ponder that, he summoned the strength of stone and swung the khopesh in a low arc as hard as he could, hoping to avoid piercing any vital organs of Naomi.
I'll give Shalina a few more hours before moving this along tonight. If she doesn't answer, I'll have her cast the CLW on herself.
Game on!
Having withdrawn as far as she could from the sarcophagus, Shalina was now helpless to do anything when it swallowed the priestess - especially with the rising water making it more and more difficult to move around. She felt guilty, but only for a moment, that it had been Naomi and not herself.
Using her random knowledge of random things, Shalina yelled advice at Akhmose and Azghaad as to where to hit the sarcophagus in order to free Naomi as quickly as possible.
Turn 28 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Shalina knowledge check and clw on self
, yes
Rubani misses ice shard
Naomi misses with dagger
Sarcophagus attack Ahkmose
, miss
Azghaad grabs hammer
Akhmose hits but hardness
water at 1.5 feet
Desperately the young wizard cast his mind over the past, his keen memory revealing scene after scene of little Naomi hefting the enormous head and smashing through things.
Must be some mechanism to reduce the weight he reasoned, attempting to lift the hammer, and feeling something pull in his back
"Argh! Son of a one eyed puss bubble" he swore.
Still, what could he do? Moving his left hand up to the head, he redoubled his efforts and managed to lift the hammer's head above his own.
Ah! Centre of mass above mine. That'll work. It seems busy with Akhmose...
Moving his entire body to position the hammer he had a vague idea that he should probably be using the hammer to defend somehow, but it was all too obvious that once he started to lower the enormous weight on the end of his lever he was not going to be able to stop it falling.
Screaming in pain as the damned sarcophagus took advantage of his opening to bludgeon him, it took all he had not to drop the hammer early - but he did it.
He felt the wards he had just cast soak up the blow, and blessed the simple spell that provided so much protection.
Weight on a large lever. If I can increase the leverage, I can do more damage. Need to lengthen the lever.
Once finally in position he moved his hands down the haft, he balanced the hammer almost comically above his head, then pulled. He didn't swing the hammer so much as try to guide the head down onto the Sarcophagus.
The head accelerated as it descended, but the initial movement was slow enough for the Sarcophagus to avoid it.
Need to apply more force at the start. Total force will be reduced, but I'll actually hit.
"This is harder than I thought!"
Somehow - possibly because the sarcophagus had not registered the manoeuvre as an attack - the hammer fell, and the head struck hard.
No prestidigitation is just 'for show'. You could help Rubani try and hit with that icicle of his. He's got one left.
From outside her stone would-be crypt, Naomi heard Shalini call out the advice about cold. Well, I'm not dead yet and it doesn't seem to be crushing me any further. "Pharasma, grant me the icy touch of the grave so that I might freeze this stone." Naomi prayed to the Lady of Graves. A blue-white glow lit her dagger and chilled the sarcophagus as the Lady granted her prayer.
Akhmose once more swung the khopesh in a low arc, trying to shatter the sarcophagus, using the back side of the blade to deliver force without dulling the blade. He tried to keep a steady rain of blows up to distract it from the wizard behind it.
Shalina moved over to Rubani. "Your icicle may be the only thing we have that will do significant damage to the sarcophagus. I will help steady your aim by keeping you balanced against the water, if that is okay with you." Bracing herself against the wall behind him, Shalina held Rubani's torso so that he didn't have to fight the water current to keep his balance.
Rubani:
I'll 'bot you along' later tonight if I don't hear from you. Sorry to be so harsh on the 48-hour deadline but I really don't want to spend more time for 1 round of combat.
Besides, the water IS rising. :)
Game on!
Rubani swore under his breath as his projectile flew wide and missed the sarcophagus.
Aw hells... I should have practiced more with these... Oh, but who am I kidding? Don't flatter yourself, cleric. These pitiful ice shards would most likely just shatter upon impact regardless.
Just then Shalina could be heard over the still pouring water.
"Cold! It's vulnerable to cold!"
... Should have practiced more. Sh*t.
Still annoyed at himself, the bard surprised Rubani by wading over to him and locking her arms around his torso.
"Your icicle may be the only thing we have that will do significant damage to the sarcophagus. I will help steady your aim by keeping you balanced against the water, if that is okay with you."
"... So no pressure, then? Heh. Alright. Thank you for the assist, Miss Sekh-at. Let's see if we can't do together what I fail at alone."
The cleric pointed two outstretched fingers at the floating coffin. A thin layer of frost started coating them as he tried to take aim. He noticed an immediate difference. This really was easier with Shalina supporting him against the flood. It was a bit awkward but his hand was certainly steadier. What didn't make this easier was the characteristic searing numbness of frostbite in his hand. Rubani could tell that this was his last icicle for the day; he couldn't handle any more of them.
Dying frostbitten and drowned in the desert... What a ludicrous fate you saved for me, my Lady. ... Pharasma, please let this one strike true.
The cleric closed his eyes as the fully formed icicle left his hand. He couldn't stand the sight of wasting such a crucial blow. Except judging by the loud crack that immediately followed it had certainly hit something.
The ice shard was lodged inside the sarcophagus. What's more, it seemed to have partly liquefied upon finding its target. Icy water was running through the cracks left by Akhmose and Naomi, spiraling out from the icicle. It then immediately froze over again, expanding in the process, and cracking the surface of the ancient coffin.
"Well. Ha ha! That went about as well as could be expected. I should never have doubted you. Well shot, Miss Sekh-at."
Good stuff.
Turn 029 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Shalina aids Rubani
Rubani hits for 10 hp
Naomi casts ice weapon blessing
Sarcophagus attacks (1=Akhmose, 2=Azghaad)
, Akhmose
, miss
Azghaad flanks and strikes
, hit
Akhmose busts it open
Azghaad sagged in relief as the sarcophagus de-animated and Akhmose started checking Naomi.
"Is she okay?" He tensed again as he realised there was every possibility that the intense little priestess had succumbed to some fourth trap.
Everything froze as he heard the spark. Had he been right?
"We have to get out of here, now! Before another spark! Rubani, can you help Naomi?"
He bent, grabbed the hammer and somehow managed to get it over his shoulder. As soon as he did he felt the haft cutting into his shoulder, while the head overbalanced him.
Still, he ran for the outside doors. Water was only going to render this harder, cushioning the blows.
Through his head flashed idea after idea: He could heat the water, creating steam and cracking the door... and broiling them all alive. He could send an arcane missile at the door once, maybe twice... but at best that would be a tiny crack. He could make a small crack, then freeze the water inside and...
"Rubani! Wait! Can you freeze the water over here?"
Reaching the stairs he dived off the platform, swinging the hammer with the momentum of his body. In his mind this was a glorious arc, where the hammer head hit the door with all the mass of his body behind it.
In practice while a trained warrior might have pulled off the elegant trajectory he envisioned, it was not something to attempt the first time he held a hammer. His feet hit the water a little early, slipped out from under him, and deposited him on the ground. Fortunately the two feet of water cusioned his fall, and he used the hammer to lever himself to his feet, drenched in water.
The enormous head swung him around in a perfect circle, pivoting around his hand as he flashed through the air in a beautiful arc, touching down just as the head cracked into the door.
Grateful to lose the weapon, Azghaad dashed back towards the sarcophogus looking for a large piece to use as a battering ram.
Trying his best to aim for a weak looking spot on the door Azghaad was stunned to find that his right hand was already dripping with blood where the haft had worn through the uncalloused, soft skin of a scribe.
As he helped Naomi to her feet, Akhmose exclaimed, "Thank the gods you're alright!" The dwarf looked at the rising water and glanced about for any large objects that were floating, in case he needed to stay aloft later. He approached the edge of the dais and examined the southern doors, using his training as a mason to and look for weaknesses.
As he helped Naomi to her feet, Akhmose exclaimed, "Thank the gods you're alright!" The dwarf looked at the rising water and glanced about for any large objects that were floating, in case he needed to stay aloft later. He approached the edge of the dais and examined the southern doors, using his training as a mason to and look for weaknesses.
[dice=Kn. Engineering]d20+2
The doors are built enough to put a master dwarf to shame, or perhaps they were built by master dwarves.
It's just as hard to bust them open as it is to break them down.
Naomi spilled out of the broken sarcophagus, dagger sending flashes of blue light across the chamber as it reflected in the water. Dripping wet, Naomi managed to stand with Akhmose's help. "Never thought that might happen. Thanks for getting me out!" Hearing Azghaad's call to action, she turned just in time to see the wizard go flying at the doors with her hammer. Shaking her head in disbelief, "You know Akhmose, as crazy as that looked, I think he's got the right idea." Naomi drew her scythe and marched across the dais, starting down the steps into the water.
Continuing into the water, Naomi raised her scythe and brought it down against the door. The blade rippled in the pale light of the room and she certainly connected with the door, but the dull thud was a meager start to breaking it down. There had to be a another way.
Rubani, Shalina?
I'd like to recap tomorrow so let me know what you'll do other than "glub, glub, glub..." :)
Game on!
Following his own strike Rubani was hugely relieved to see the sarcophagus finally crack open under the joint attack of Akhmose and Azghaad. And speaking of, look at that wizard go! Rubani found the sight of Azghaad wielding a giant warhammer with the same hands that normally spat fire hugely impressive; the dissonance between the man and the action spoke volumes to the cleric. Here was a scholar who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty and step outside his comfort zone when necessary. He had to smile at the sight. A smile that only widened when he saw Naomi get to her feet with the aid of the paladin.
Yes! She's alright! Now we can... um...
'Drown together' seemed the most likely option. The half-elf's smile faltered as he eyed the rising water. They were no closer to actually getting out of this death trap.
"Rubani! Wait! Can you freeze the water over here?"
Rubani's eyes fell to his right hand for a moment; his 'icicle' hand. It was shaking. "Sorry, friend. I'm all out. I..."
The blue light from Naomi's dagger distracted him. It took him a moment to puzzle it out, but it should have been obvious to him. The warpriest and cleric served the same deity. It only made sense that their granted powers were similar, although they applied them very differently.
"Azghaad! Perhaps Miss Zeitoun's knife would do the job?"
Breaking down the door would certainly solve their current predicament, but Rubani honestly wasn't sure if it could be done, although Naomi and Azghaad seemed intent to give it a try. What he was certain of was that he and his piddly dagger, his only weapon, couldn't help in this respect. With no other clear option he decided to resume what he had done earlier: the cleric resumed circling the room, wading through the water and looking for something, anything, that could help them. There had to be some escape from this trap. There had to.
Round 4:
Round 5:
Shalina breathed a sigh of relief as Naomi tumbled out of the sarcophagus and then realized she was still holding on to Rubani. She quickly disentangled herself and sloshed toward the closed door. They had to open it before the water overwhelmed them.
"We have to get out of here, now! Before another spark!
He bent, grabbed the hammer and somehow managed to get it over his shoulder. As soon as he did he felt the haft cutting into his shoulder, while the head overbalanced him.
Still, he ran for the outside doors. Water was only going to render this harder, cushioning the blows.
If the situation wasn't so dire, Shalina would have laughed as the wizard waded past with Naomi's hammer. She may have been able to suppress the laughter but she couldn't hide the smile that crossed her face.
"Azghaad! Give Naomi back her hammer and help me figure out the door's weak spots. Your knowledge of engineering and my ability to manipulate mechanisms may be able to work together and figure out a way to open the doors. Meanwhile, the others can try and weaken the integrity of the doors."
Shalina was focused on trying to open the door and so her back was to the columns. However, she felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck in warning...or maybe it was her imagination.
I'll try to recap tonight (if not then tomorrow morning) but in the meantime...
In the spirit of let's get to know those already very well fleshed out PCs a little better...
Tell us about a 'fear' of your PC. Obviously, we want to know why, how did it start, etc.
If you want to tell it 'in character' (assume the PCs have a quiet downtime), even better...
Game on!
Turn 030 is up.
Good stuff by all, especially Azghaad.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
(action 1-2)
Akhmose regarded the well-made stone doors. Their feeble attempts didn't seem likely to break them, although he had to admit he couldn't think of a better chance to get out. As he noticed that the waters were no longer rising, he breathed a big sigh of relief. But a moment later a group of mummies floated into the room. Noting their holy symbols, he felt a pang of sadness for these individuals who gave, or lost their lives so long ago. "Behold the dead," he intoned. "I would not disturb them. They gave their lives, or they were taken."
It's about 3' deep at its highest before it starts draining.
The dwarf paused, a look of uncertainty on his face. He had always felt a respect for the great pharaohs of old, but confronted with the evidence of those who died to be interred with their master, he felt a great unease at the thought. But without a lot of time for philosophical thoughts, he looked around, considering their options. "Naomi, can you get these new doors open?" Giving her a chance to examine the lock, he turned his attention back to the dais, looking to see if anything lay hidden under the sarcophagus.
"Azghaad! Give Naomi back her hammer and help me figure out the door's weak spots. Your knowledge of engineering and my ability to manipulate mechanisms may be able to work together and figure out a way to open the doors. Meanwhile, the others can try and weaken the integrity of the doors."
Azghaad whipped around to look at Shalina, blinked, saw that the resolute little avatar-of-destruction was headed his way and held the hammer out, head first, towards her. As soon as it was taken he fumbled in his pouch for a stub of chalk and started scrawling on the doors frantically.
Azghaad's scrawled chalk marks, counts upon them, showed the water had stopped rising.
Why? Wasn't this enough? Is there some fourth act still to come that...
When the dead issued forth, Azghaad - already frantic with fear and worry - acts without thought. His eyes rolled back in his head and he called upon long-learned skills.
One one hand I see he'd be terrified of dying without insufficient power, so that transition to Nethys' realm in the Maelstrom leaves him forever a weak, powerless servitor with no power to alter the world to suit him better at all.
That's a pretty abstract fear though. At this point it's pretty much a fear of dying. I see that it could lead to complications with his Pharasmin friends later on, but that's about it.
My initial thought was water, given he studied fire, but then I realised that made no sense. Why not learn defences against the thing you most fear? And a Fire mage is pretty weak against water.
Further thought made me realise. A wizard who was scared of something would see that as more powerful. They would learn as much as they could about it. Sure, the fear might make it harder to concentrate in its presence, but logic dictates the only way to beat your fear is confront it. It is telling Wizard's only good save is Will.
I would like his fear to be Fire - or more accurately the intense pain of being burned. Easy enough for this to have happened in his childhood, and for him to have been healed. Heck, if it burned half of him it would have seemed like some sort of divine message - though I'm not saying it should.
Sure, he's practically immune to fire. That doesn't mean he's happily going to run into a burning building! That immunity is one of the things that drew him to fire magic in the first place. The promise that, one day, he'll never have to worry about fire again.
Some sorceror half-efreeti might be a maestro of fire because of his blood, and love it. Azghaad hates it. He fears it. That's why he masters it.
Any slip up and he risks burning. That just encourages him to double, triple check everything.
Sound alright?
Naomi dropped her scythe and grabbed the hammer back from Azghaad, "Thanks! The hammer ought to do more damage to these doors anyway." Just as she wound up for another slam on the doors, she saw the mage scribbling with chalk. "Some new spell? What are you...oh, it stopped."
Just then, the doors opened. Sure that some new threat was about to burst into the room, Naomi spun as best she could in the water, sending a small wave across the room as she started toward the hidden doors. At first she assumed the dozen bodies were probably an undead threat. Then seeing the Pharasmin symbols, she paused "Who would leave a dozen mummified Pharasmins in here...and why?"
From behind her, she heard Azghaad beginning some arcane incantation. She spun yet again, throwing her hands up, "No, no, no! They aren't undead. Stop! We mustn't disturb them further."
After calming down Azghaad and having him look closer at the mummies, Naomi started over toward the additional doors Rubani found to the west. Making her way across the dais, Naomi spotted a strange disturbance in the water near her feet. "Look, a hidden drain. I think the water might be starting to go down."
Rubani waded through the waist high water over to the others. He kept casting glances back to the northern doors, a quizzical look on his face. In the battle between relief and surprise over seeing their watery deaths halted, bewilderment somehow won out. Was this it? This much water couldn't even drown Naomi, he thought. And she's tiny! Was there something yet to come or had the thousand-year old trap just succumbed to its age and malfunctioned?
The latter seemed increasingly likely as the minutes passed and nothing happened. Well, not exactly nothing. As the bizarre floating procession of mummies appeared, bobbing up and down in the water, the cleric was left agape. He listened with horror as the paladin explained their presence: these were the builders of the tomb, slaves slain to protect the secrets of the monument, such as the trap designed to kill the party, to ensure that Akhentepi could rest soundly. Rubani didn't know Akhmose's thoughts but his own mirrored that of the dwarf right now. He too had long admired the powerful Osirion of old. To know that they practiced such brutal burial traditions was distressing to say the least.
Multiple violent deaths to ensure the serenity of one corpse... Madness! And where is the venerable Akhentepi anyway?
The supposed sarcophagus, now broken, had clearly never housed the man's remains. Was this whole room just a decoy?
You know, Akhentepi, I defended you when Azghaad questioned the extravagant burial customs of your age. I originally joined this expedition circus specifically because I wanted to protect tombs such as yours. I have repeatedly insisted that you and yours should be treated with as much respect as possible. Now, I admit that the previous few death traps have left me a bit miffed at you, but this? This I cannot abide. I take it all back. You're a bit of a cock.
The cleric had to turn away from the mummies, such was his agitation. Luckily he immediately found something productive to occupy himself with: Naomi's and Shalina's wounds.
"Forgive me, I should have done this right away. Miss Zeitoun, Miss Sekh-at, could you please scoot closer...? Thank you."
A golden light radiated from the half-elf's holy symbol as positive energy washed over the two women.
When the light faded it had done almost as much good to the caster himself as to the actual recipients. Positive energy is good for the soul and Rubani felt much calmer. He turned around and started wading out to the corpses, intending to inspect them and determine if there was anything he could do for them. Which was when he heard a call from Naomi and noticed that Azghaad was chanting. The resulting jet of flame sprang from his hands straight for the bodies.
The cleric's hands were up and weaving their way through a conjuration spell before he really registered what was happening. The mummies could no be harmed. As the wizard's spray of fire traveled through the room a big mass of water suddenly materialized in its path. The two collided in a great sizzling sputter that sent steam flying before both vaporized.
"MR. GLYPHSTELE!"
The half-elf's voice was laced with as much shock as actual anger.
"Do I have to remind you of the agreement under which this party was formed? 'Honor the departed'! That is what my church asked of you, and more importantly, that is what we agreed upon together! Miss Zeitoun or myself would handle the deceased, that is what was promised! Unless undeath is found we let the deceased rest! Now, I don't know if these mummies aren't exceptionally patient ghouls waiting for the opportune moment to strike. That may well be the case. But! Until they have gnawed my ruddy arm off and I have determined with absolute certainty that they are in fact hostile, you are not to damage a single maggot in their rotten bellies! Only then will I count on you to avenge my tragic, if noble, death. Do we understand each other?"
Shalina watched as Azghaad scrawled on the door. It was then that she realized that the water level wasn’t rising anymore. Maybe the destruction of the sarcophagus stopped the trap from progressing or maybe the water was just meant to hinder movement while the sarcophagus swallowed and suffocated each one in turn. The archaeologist suppressed rising panic at the mere thought of being trapped in such a confined space in the dark and was once again glad that it had been Naomi and not herself the coffin had targeted.
“Well, that was a rush! Cannot say I have ever experienced a trap having so many components before - electricity, an animated construct, and so much water – this is a new one for me. The cost and effort of damming that much water in the desert was quite a feat indeed. Obviously this burial chamber was a decoy since I do not think that Naomi had any company in the sarcophagus. It seems they went through a lot of trouble to make a fake burial chamber whose sole function was to act like a trap.” Shalina couldn’t help but be impressed by the cunning and ingenuity of the architect.
Shalina turned towards the sound of doors opening. Seeing the dead floating out rather than walking seemed unthreatening to her so she deferred to the actions of the Pharasmin to see what to do. It was then that there was a chaotic mixture of yelling, fire, and more water. Being somewhat close to Azghaad and understanding the intentions of Rubani and Naomi, Shalina moved towards the wizard while speaking soothingly. “The danger has passed Azghaad. Right now we need your thoughts, not your magic. You don’t need to fight.”
When the whole situation settled and they began to look around the room again, Shalina thanked Rubani for his healing. "It has been awhile since I have had others looking out for my well-being. You have my gratitude."
Shalina looked at the western doors which Rubani had uncovered. She silently chided herself for not having found them first. Knowing that doors were never hidden without a reason, it seemed reasonable that this should be the direction to go. “I suggest we try to find out what is behind here."
OOC: Yes, we like inter party conflict as long as it is 'minor' and does not preclude you from 'being a team'. It also goes without saying that every player involved must still be 'having a good time'. Anytime that is not happening, please raise your hand.
I don't know of the dice rolling that goes into create water stopping flame jet nor do I really care. It set up a 'nice situation' for roleplaying and I have no doubt that Azghaad will rise to the occasion and provide some excellent retort and/or points to consider.
The doors to the west can be opened as soon as the water recedes and I'm assuming this is where you'll want to go. I'll pick the next turn with the group exploring behind the west doors unless I hear otherwise.
I'll probably recap tonight even if I leave the Rubani/Azghaad conversation open for further input.
Questions?
Game on!
Azghaad's fear...
Thank you. Very insightful and very appropriate. I'll try and give you opportunities to face your fear. :)
Turn 31 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
At the sound if the sharply intaken breath from Shalini, Naomi looked ahead to see what the other woman had spied. Seeing the tide of cockroaches, the priestess exclaimed "Roaches! Get back Shalini!"
The warning that her hammer would not work against the roaches set Naomi back on her heels. But hearing that alchemical fire might work, set her hands reaching for one of the vials on her bandolier. She grabbed the cool glass and ripped it out of the leather strap that held it in. The glass shone in the light for a moment and then the sound of shattering glass was quickly replaced with the "FWOOOM" of an explosion as fire engulfed the roaches. Hoping the fire would finish them, but worried that it might not, the priestess retreated a few steps to let the fire take effect and to get clear of the bugs if it didn't.
"Bugs can be squashed can't they?" Grabbing the massive hammer off her back once more, Naomi leapt forward and smashed it into the mass of insects. The hammer slammed into the ground with a satisfying crunch as more roaches flew in every direction. But hundreds more continued to swarm as Naomi looked on wondering what to try next.
Retreating from the swarm, Naomi grabbed at a glass bottle on her bandolier. With a quick toss, she pitched the alchemist's fire into the middle of the bugs, a fiery explosion covering the swarm with red and orange flame.
As Azghaad sent a jet of flame to light the mummies, Akhmose grimaced, afraid this would trigger some trap are cause them to come to life. But Rubani doused the flames with water and nothing seemed to come of it, so he once more breathed a sigh of relief. As he waited for the waters to subside, he tried to see if it was possible to explore the place whence the mummies issued.
Entering the lower room, Akhmose studied the walls. In the flickering torchlight, the textured wall seemed to move...what was causing that effect? He flinched as he realized it was covered in insects. Holding his khopesh in his shield hand, he fished out an alakali flask from his belt and looked for an opening to throw it.
Akhmose approached the swarm. He didn't think the shield would provide much protection, but the insects shrank back from it, at least for a moment. Not sure if the effect would last, he struck while he could. It seemed an ineffective weapon against so many creatures, but he beat at them with his khopesh, using the flat of the blade to try to smash as many as possible.
Third option: I'm missing something.
Not trying to be annoying here, just working out how flamabble stuff is. Big difference between bone-dry dust on a desiccated wooden chest, and a wooden chest a foot in a nearly flooded room!
The doors would not unlock unless all the water drained so yes, you had to wait.
The room you're currently in was never flooded.
Other questions?
When the dead issued forth, Azghaad - already frantic with fear and worry - acted without thought. His eyes rolled back in his head and he called upon long-learned skills.
From behind her, Naomi heard Azghaad beginning some arcane incantation. She spun yet again, throwing her hands up, "No, no, no! They aren't undead. Stop! We mustn't disturb them further."
Rubani turned around and started wading out to the corpses, intending to inspect them and determine if there was anything he could do for them. Which was when he heard a call from Naomi and noticed that Azghaad was chanting. The resulting jet of flame sprang from his hands straight for the bodies. The cleric's hands were up and weaving their way through a conjuration
spell before he really registered what was happening. The mummies could not be harmed. As the wizard's spray of fire traveled through the room a big mass of water suddenly materialized in its path. The two collided in a great sizzling sputter that sent steam flying before both vaporized."MR. GLYPHSTELE!"
The half-elf's voice was laced with as much shock as actual anger.
"Do I have to remind you of the agreement under which this party was formed? 'Honor the departed'! That is what my church asked of you, and more importantly, that is what we agreed upon together! Miss Zeitoun or myself would handle the deceased, that is what was promised! Unless undeath is found we let the deceased rest! Now, I don't know if these mummies aren't exceptionally patient ghouls waiting for the opportune moment to strike. That may well be the case. But! Until they have gnawed my ruddy arm off and I have determined with absolute certainty that they are in fact hostile, you are not to damage a single maggot in their rotten bellies! Only then will I count on you to avenge my tragic, if noble, death. Do we understand each other?"
Azghaad throttled his link to the plane of fire down as much as he could at Naomi's shout, but had already committed too far to stop.
Obviously uncomfortable with being yelled at, Azghaad started to react with anger of his own, then stopped and considered. A few moments pass before he continues, attempting to justify himself.
"I saw these moving, saw you over there channelling the power of Pharasma down on them and assumed hostility. I have been in too many situations in the last two days where lives depended on quick action."
"Honor the Departed. I had understood that to apply only to the interred dead, not those moving. I understand that this is your area of speciality." these words seemed to hold special meaning for Azghaad "I am not disputing your mastery of your subject matter. I am disputing the lengths to which you seem to carry your veneration for the dead."
"Life is more important than death. The life of a Channeler of Dinve Power more than some itinerant architect. YOUR life, Mr Madu, is worth more to me than the life of some prose I don't even know - at least to me! It is CERTAINLY worth more than the preservation of that same prosaic's corpse! I recognise your god demands that one should put aside friendship when following rules. MINE DOES NOT."
"Should the situation arise again, I will try to restrain myself. I want a commitment from you that you will not endanger the lives of anyone in our party for a classification activity!"
Naomi's jaw drops as Azghaad tried to explain further, "Men!" she harrumphs. "Are the words, 'I'm sorry' simply not in your vocabulary?" She waves at the mummies bobbing in the water. "We made a mistake. We need to be more careful. And we need to be more observant. Now both of you stop arguing and get over here to help me re-inter them with proper respect in that chamber."
"Go Naomi!" cheered Azghaad, standing behind Naomi and doing his best to sweep the vermin toward her with his quarterstaff.
There are times it makes sense not to use fire he mused, looking around the room full of valuable and flammable antiques.
"Retreat! We need to lure them back into the corridor!"
"Retreat! We need to..."
Azghaad started to talk, then stopped, looking on with horror as the vial arced overhead, spraying liquid fire over the furnishings in the room.
"The dust" he whispered, as the powdery dry dust, stirred up by combat, started to swirl. In his mind he looked back on the room yesterday. The multi-legged vermin in the flour. The vial of alchsmist's fire exploding. The bandolier of vials, so like the ones Naomi carried.
"Run!" he screamed, grabbing at Naomi's collar and pulling her off balance as he tried to flee with her. The logical wizard he aspired to be vanished. In its place was a confused boy.
Azghaad backs up to ensure Naomi is not trapped. He sends balls of light dancing over the vermin, in the hopes of distracting them into attack.
Once the party is into the safe, bare stone stairs, Azghaad positions himself to destroy the cockroaches.
"If you could leave some alchemist's fire in the middle of the stairs of the stairs, I'll ignite it from the top."
Strength lent to him by fear pushed Azghaad up the stairs. A stumble left a bone deep bruise he didn't even notice, and cost him his grip on his team-mate and his quarterstaff. Unheeding he scrambled up the stairs as much on his hands as his feet.
Strength lent to him by fear pushed Azghaad up the stairs, a fragment of Naomi's collar in his hand. A stumble left a bone deep bruise he didn't even notice, and cost him his quarterstaff. Unheeding he scrambled up the stairs as much on his hands as his feet.
Shocked back to sense for a moment, the wizard stumbled backwards from the little cleric, and explained
"If you ignite the swarm... it'll go everywhere! this whole room will go up! Smoke will knock us out, then the heat will shatter your other bombs! We need to retreat... set them on fire in the corridor, or the water room!"
Seems like the discussion on fears came at a great time.
You're going to need to work out how true Azghaad's worries are. Not sure how flammable all these grave goods are.
I was thinking about Alchemist's Fire. A glass vial full of air-contact greek fire seems pretty dangerous. Now, I don't know many GMs who actually roll to see if one does crack, but it seems like something that could have happened.
Would you be okay if Azghaad had a vial when he was young that did crack, then ignited, then dropped burning alchemist's fire down him? Could have left burn scars all down one of his legs.