"Stop! I may still be out of phase, and touching me might extend the effect to yourself!... Sir."
Not sure what rolls need to be made.
Q: Does Caromarc have any idea how to get MM out?
Q: Will touching him extend the effect to Caromarc?
Q: Can he be dimension doored out of the wall?
Q: Will damaging the wall free, or hurt, him.
The basket that Sandru tips over thuds to the floor. The lid falls off. A slender, stunningly attractive young woman who was crouched in the fetal position rolls out of the basket. She is dressed in a bomber jacket, a billowy linen shirt, khaki jhodpurs, and a brown handkerchief wrapped around her head. Her skin is suntanned. She tucks into a roll elegantly, tumbles a few times, puts her hands on the floor to steady herself, and stands. The whole movement is executed in a way that's preternaturally agile and strangely gymnastic.
When she speaks, she looks to the floor in a way that's exotic and demurely shy.
"Oh! Who are you?" She looks around. "We...I...am trapped in here! Have you come to free me?" The alternative occurs to her. "Or to kill me?"
Shing! She draws a dagger.
I drop my shield into place and advance. Lies...
, add +6 for hidden/secret
"Possibly. Sandru, calm down. Tell us how you came to be here."
The woman rears back, alarmed. "You're one of them, then. Thieves!" She slashes her dagger at Sandru. The gesture is impotent.
In response to Ianez's question, she turns coquettishly with averted gaze. "These thieves of Norgorber, see for yourselves. They are ruthless! They led us here into this trap. We were...I was...hiding from them." She catches on her words. There is something unusual. She keeps tabs on Sandru from the corner of her eye.
"Wait!" she cries. "Can it be? Is it Ianez Gastnicht? Do you remember me?"
La Siréene sighs as the party is forced to move on without time to rest. However, She immediately trusts Caromarc, and follows him through, but with eyes open, in amazement and enjoyment as reality turns into something else and back again... only to see the librarian disintegrate into dust, to La Siréene's puzzlement.
Huh. The librarian died. Odd.
La Siréene carefully observes the panicked woman, studying her features carefully. as she does, she reaches for her spell component pouch...
Quinn moves closer to the woman with hands and palms opened towards her, revealing that he is unharmed."I am Officer Quinn of the 'Swamplights' division. We are not here to harm you......and you are?"
The policeman waits for an answer.
Blackacre watches the girl's response to Quinn's question closely , but makes no immediate move to draw a weapon.
Right before the librarian's betrayal, a ghostly blue light passed over his features. Usually, you could tell if that was significant. But the light seems to be playing tricks on your eyes. You're left with only the jarring note of his bizarre, abrupt end.
"You have me at a disadvantage, ma'am. I feel that I should know you, but I do not remember your face."
Something about her behavior is wrong. You would do well to doubt her.
Something about her behavior is wrong. She seems untrustworthy.
There's a green aura around the woman, bleeding out to gray around the edges. This aura is alien. Also, one of deception. It appears that indeed, something is up...
She seems like a sympathetic sort of kid. Maybe she really does need help.
"Let me refresh your memory," says the woman.
"There was a man named Eibor Gastnicht, a world famous adventurer who treasure-raided Osirion tombs.
"Eibor's son, named Sasha Gastnicht, followed in his father's footsteps.
"Sasha's daughter, name of Ingret Gastnicht, notoriously kept up the family tradition.
"Ingret had a son named Tibor Gastnicht, who kept the museums of Ustalav full and the sacred sites of Osirion empty."
And she tells her tale...so on, and so on...down through the years... Her words laced with bitterness and venom.
...this grandson a treasure-seeker...
...that great-grandson a scholar...
...this great-great granddaughter an expatriate...
...that great-great grandchild a bounty hunter...
"All of them had one thing in common. The end justified the means."
The woman folds her arms in a defensive posture. "Let me be plain. It was all corrupt colonialism, and theft in the guise of respectability." She paces back and forth. "Maybe you're not aware of the crimes of your ancestors, Ianez Gastnict. But since you're a historian, I highly doubt it. That very first raid of your ancestor Eibor resulted in an unexpected consequence. The pharoah cursed him...and all of his descendants down through the ages! At first, the curse could be lifted by returning the stolen goods. But the Gastnichts were too stingy and shortsighted to do that.
"Ianez, did it ever seem odd...the dire fates that befell your family? Did you think it by chance? Or chance mingled with design?"
Another similarly-dressed woman climbs from one of the other baskets. "I'm an Osirion guide, named Shanti. This is my sister, a laborer, named Jubet. We worked on one of your recent excavations, Mr. Gastnicht. You had your head in your books. You didn't realize we wanted you out of Osirion. You didn't see we were plotting against you.
"Now it comes down to this...a reckoning with Eibor's heir.
"We have a new employer now. The pharoah your ancestor originally wronged. He will collect on your debt that is due, and fulfill the curse on your family line!" She cackles hysterically. "You don't remember my face? Well, here, let me remove my hat so you can take a better look! HA!" Both women whip the handkerchiefs off of their heads. Their hair are nests of writhing snakes! At the same time, the lid on a sarcophagus slams open. A cold, dry gust of air blows through the room. It takes your breath away. There is the moan again.
Out steps the mummified pharoah!
GASTNICHT!...
The MAP for the encounter. (Also posted to 'Campaign Info' page).
This is a more serious threat... I move to Phoebe, to protect the young Oracle of Flames.
Phoebe, be ready! Blackacre, Ianez, Caromarc... weaknesses?
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The first medusa, Ianez's former guide, Shanti, attacks. The snakes on her head hiss, swaying to and fro. The effect is mesmerizing. She grins with malice triumphantly, and opens her eyes wide. They glow evilly in the gloom.
"Time to pay for your family's sins!" she says. She turns to Ianez and unleashes her gaze on him.
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Can Caromarc (and Elspeth) roll to know what they are? I know mummy is religion, but I don't want to look up medusa to see what knowledge they fall under... guessing Nature?
Caromarc:
Elspeth
MM
Round 1:
Once again the archaeologist calls upon the luck that has saved him so often in the past, but his face shows an internal conflict as he turns away from the angry medusa. She's right...I knew all that, but set it aside. The quest for knowledge is noble enough, but theft is theft.
Quinn averts seeing at the creature, he either focuses on her body or uses his trainging as a monk to "feel" the target.
He fires his typical barrage of 3 arrows at medusa #1.
Likewise, you regret not conferring with Osirionologist colleagues more deeply. While mummies loom large in myth and legend, a tall tale over brandy in the library in front of a fire, this one before you is the real deal. Full of rage at you as a meddling interloper!
Mummies can attack normally. An aura of despair surrounds them, which can paralyze even the bravest adventurers. They inflict a vile disease called 'Mummy Rot', which is both a cure and disease...removing this condition is complicated. Better to avoid it if you can. Some mummies are also priests and spellcasters. This looks like a high-level specimen. He might be one of those. Oh yes...you recall that mummies are vulnerable to fire.
Ianez avoids the medusa's wrathful gaze.
Quinn's daring strategy pays off. All three arrows strike the medusa! She twitches, staves off the pain, extracts the arrows, and tosses them to the floor.
Blackacre draws his crackling sword as he steps confidently up to the closer Medusa. He imbues his blade with the power to destroy monstrous humanoids and takes a two-handed slash as he yells, To the hells with you!
Round 1:
Still torn, Ianez lets reflex take over and sidesteps before casting a spell. Ectoplasmic ichor appears at his call, slicking the area around the mummy king.
Likewise, you can only imagine what exotic religion or rituals can create a creature like the mummy. But it views you as quite foreign too, and is full of rage at you as a meddling interloper!
Blackacre delivers swift retribution! The hair of snakes dart their forked tongues and angrily hiss.
"No!" the second medusa cries out. "Meddling fool!" She steps out from behind her basket , and turns her glowing eyes on Blackacre.
Never one to ignore an allegation of foolery, Blackacre turns his eyes on the second medusa...
La Siréene, faithful that her teammates are perfectly capable of taking down the closest Medusa without her assistance, decides to target the other, first moving towards her to give her a straight line of attack, then placing her palm over both her human and her mechanical eye, closing them to this enemy.
Then, enjoying herself immensely, she makes a high-pitched, close imitation to a snake’s hiss, as she lets fly venom from her lips, straight towards the Medusa, striking her blind.
"HSSSSSSS!"
Blackacre, victorious from his attack against the first medusa, falls into the gaze of the other one standing behind her. Their eyes meet. The inquisitor fades to gray all over and turns into stone.
The second medusa screeches. "You witch!" She clutches her eyes in pain.
Phoebe, the Pharaoh!
Phoebe's eyes turn molten. Her body bursts into flame like a big candle. She clenches her fists, and strides towards the mummy. When she is halfway across the room, the mummy opens its mouth and sighs. The sound is deep, hollow. The fire around Phoebe changes from normal orange to the violet, heatless fire that was in the brazier. She douses, then reignites. The flames are now violet.
She turns back to Sandru. "What happened?" She looks around confused. She snaps her fingers together like flint, examining the sparks. "I can't light normal fire in here. Something about the air in this room."
She casts detect magic in the direction of the mummy, and focuses her eyes a moment on the images that start to rise, hazy and wavering, like to the surface of a lake. "There are magical blue auras in the room. Hieroglyphs." She turns in a circle. "On the walls." She turns some more. "On the sarcophagus." She keeps turning. Her jaw drops.
"Oh my gosh. All over the place..."
"Don't meet their gaze! It will petrify you!" The manservant calls, then starts calling out advice to those who are attacking the medusae
screwing up hs eyes, Caromarc starts casting
Elspeth glides towards the closest medusa - and attacks!
The medusa throws a vicious kick at Elspeth. She only manages to stumble into her attack.
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The pharoah utters his unholy, staggering moan. AAAHHHoooOOOH! GASTNICHT! He raises his palm towards Ianez and projects a blast of light from his open palm .
DIE!
The archaeologist is blasted by the POWER OF THE SUN!
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Round 2:
I ignore the snake-witches and quickly rejoin Phoebe, throwing my cloak over both of us. The others seem fine, besides poor Gaston. Help me understand what magic besides fire the Oracle has...
"Gaston!!!" the monk shouts in horror as he is turned to stone.
Seeing the real threat of these snake-headed women, the Zen Archer focuses his anger and unleashes another volley at medusa #1. He does not stare at the medusa but keeps his focus on her feet.