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Farlen closes his spell book and packs it away. His head feels normal again and he feels refreshed. He just wished they had a clear path ahead. But with the start of a new day (though the terrain does not show it) he feels his resolve to overcome and accomplish the tasks recharged. "Today is a new day. I am ready to find our minotaur friend."
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It feels strange to wake in the morning without the welcoming warmth of the rising sun. I anor. Hmm. May the light protect us from the darkness of these tunnels, and the Resplendent Goddess of Fortune guide our steps unto a Prince and an hourglass.
Ember smiles to himself, shouldering on his rugged backpack and stretching his hands as small flickers of fire dance across his fingertips in some kind of warm up exercise - quite literally. He frowns a little at the lack of a wall barring their way, but abandons the thought when he hears the wizard's enthusiasm.
"If you're so sure," he rumbles with a slight shrug and grin, picking up his crossbow and following the cleric's lead.
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The long fruitless search that night was like a colorful explosion of creative foul language. Gaining in speed and creativity as the time moved forward, eventually switching to Dwarven and continuing from there long into the night. At long last though Ironshanks gave up and pulled his scalemail off, dumping his gauntlets to the side and propping himself up against the wall in his bedroll for some rest after his watch ended. Snoring soon followed.
Ironshanks is a bit less defeated looking but far grumpier. "I hope that flow'ry nose of yers is workin' this mornin'!" He says as he eats some dried rations, washing them down with a few sips from his waterskin.
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Farlen looks around and wonders about the skeleton and the puzzle. He wonders also who Garanel is. He figures sooner or later they will not be able to just follow the minotaur prince, they will have to solve what ever problem or trap or issue he could not. After all it has kept him from returning and required he and his friends to look for him now.
Sying he attempts to sniff out the minotaur trail.
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Ember casts his eyes down one tunnel, then the other, frowning equal amounts at both. "This is... troublesome, to say the least. But perhaps inevitable. We have come this far thanks to our noses and Hellena's acute perception , but maybe it's time we relied upon our other senses..." He observes Farlen deep in thought and grins to himself, clicking his fingers with his free hand and playing with the small sparks of fire that jump at each sound.
"Or time we abandoned them entirely. Which path we take is dependent on where we want to go, and this maze will see to it that such a destination will not be easily reached. But if we do not know where we are going, then does it matter which road we choose? We merely need to go where the labyrinth does not want us to." He shrugs, hoping to offer inspiration or aid the wizard if he asks.
Ember doesn't actually know if bluffing the maze is a thing, but he's trying to at least lighten the mood. Getting lost can be fun, right?
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Ironshanks the dwarf continues his grouchy march through the seemly shifting tunnels and corridors only to arrive at another dead end. "I'm startin' to think I'd prefer the frozen North to this s*~+! At least up there I knew which way were North and that everythin' wanted a piece of my axe!"
He does his best to help find the smell of flowery cow amongst the other smells in the room.
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"New, yes, but not a sensation I wish to experience again anytime soon," Ember grumbles, rubbing his jaw in discomfort. "But new is good, I suppose. It means we are progressing. I would wager that Farlen is correct in his assumption about the skeleton, however. There is certainly something to take away from such a clue."
He ponders the cryptic scrawls for a moment as they walk. "Left is back but back is clockwise, and clockwise would suggest we may not be retracing our steps at all, hence that damnable vibration. And judging from the bony state of our unfortunate friend, I am glad we did not pick the path to our right..." He grins grimly, sniffing the air and shrugging when nothing comes up.
"Tell us a joke, dwarf. Or perhaps a story to ease the silence for some time."
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"I ain't no story teller Orc! Story tellers are people that can't get nothin' done themselves so they tell someone else's story." He spits on the ground for emphasis. That and I tell s~&+ty stories... My voice just isn't good for it.
A small smile can almost be seen behind the stout dwarf's beard as he sees the doorway ahead. "'Bout f@#&in' time! This better not be no trick! Khellek, tell me this ain't no trick and I'll buy you a whiskey when we get outta here." As the old man studies the door Ironshanks checks that all of his gear is set and then goes about keeping a close eye on things, staying near the old guy just in case trouble erupts.
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Round 1
Effects none
- Ember
- Ironshanks
- Essence of the Void Whisperer
- Farlen
- Khellek
- Hellena
The bronze door is completely plain, lacking even the symbols and runes that cover the rest of the maze. As Khellek starts to cast his spell, the feeling of relief and accomplishment that everyone feels suddenly slips away. The world spins as colors and sounds blend together into a sickening maelstrom. The chaos passes just as quickly, but the passage is suddenly gone and instead there is now only a scrap of rock, surrounded by inky blackness dotted with distant points of light. Fractured sounds, like whispered curses, float across the darkness.
A piece of the darkness floats toward Farlen, and the wizard's entire body breaks out in goosebumps.
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Ember smirks at Ironshanks' response but doesn't comment further. The dwarf's spirit is not dulled, so mine should not be either.
He turns his attention to the bronze of the door as they approach, partially sharing in the enthusiasm and relief of his companions. His grin widens slightly at the promise of spirits at the end of their adventure. "And I'll buy a drink or two for the rest of you, once our prize has been returned safely home. I am equally as glad to find this door set before us. These walls are becoming tedious to observe. Any challenge would be better than..."
Ember's eyes narrow as the world begins to fall apart around them, and he bites his tongue hard to repel the feeling of nausea. Perhaps poking the bear was a foolish mistake... "This is no simple trick, friends, nor some paltry illusion! Planar magic, ready yourselves."
He grits his teeth and feels for his crossbow as soon as his vision returns, refusing to let the eerie whispers and vast emptiness surrounding them unnerve him. Drawing the weapon and hastily pulling a bolt from the quiver strapped to his belt, Ember takes a few steps towards the edge of the platform to scan the surroundings, making sure no one had been lost in the void and cursing at the shadowy ball that floats towards Farlen.
"Scholar, what is that creature!?" he roars, glaring at the closest string of chain that links some of the rocks.
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"This thing drain blood weakening it prey." "It is weakened by salt. I think it desolves its physical being."
Farlen steps away to the southwest 5', and then pulls is wand of magic missiles, repeats the activation sneeze sounding word and lets fly at the thing. He racks his brain for any spell component with salt in it.
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Ironshanks finishes strapping on his shield then draws out a javelin as he peers nervously down off the edge of his floating rock. "Salt? I'm no butcher. Only salt I got is in my dried meat rations! But I do got a javelin here... INCOMING!" He says as he lets it fly after Farlen backs away. Lets it fly right off into nothingness... "Faulty craftsmanship! Dammit!
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"Ahh, I hate to be rushed...... I'm sure if I had my books I could identify this." moans the scholar.
The scholar sighs, taking out his crossbow as he thinks of an appropriate piece of history.
"When the Ossirian empire faced off against the Jakisha imperium they faced many threats from other worlds. When facing an unknown threat for the first time, they would try to learn its abilities and how to counter them."
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"My apologies, Khellek, but it does not appear we have the luxury of time," growls Ember, bringing his crossbow around and releasing a shot towards Farlen's platform.
The rusty bolt soars over the wispy creature's head and plummets into the vast expanse of nothingness. He grunts in disapproval and quickly sets about loading a second piece of ammunition.
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Round 2-3
Effects Inspire Courage +1 (1)
- Ember
- Ironshanks
- Essence of the Void Whisperer - 5 damage
- Farlen
- Khellek
- Hellena - delay
Farlen backs away and shoots a bolt of translucent energy at the creature. Khellek draws his crossbow and starts lecturing. Ember hastily fires an inaccurate shot, then reloads. Ironshanks' javelin forever disappears into the void. The monster follows Farlen toward the edge, but the wizard continues to evade its attacks.
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"Salt? " queries Khellek. "Good for the hot climes.." looking around he obviously doesn't think this qualifies. "And leeches. Speaking of which, when facing an unknown opponent, using a variety of attacks may help reveal its weakness."
He kicks a bolt into place and then fires.
It would appear the scholars weaknesses include poor accuracy with his crossbow.
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Ember brings up his crossbow a second time, aiming with one eye closed towards the cloud of darkness. He tries to use Khellek's bolt as a guideline for his own, but growls under his breath when the creature advances towards Farlen. Hearing Ironshanks' cry, he decides to hold his shot for a few seconds also.
Wait for it, wait for it...
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Round 3-4
Effects Inspire Courage +1 (2)
- Ember - ready
- Ironshanks - ready
- Essence of the Void Whisperer - 14 damage, grappled
- Farlen - 5 damage, grappled, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution
- Khellek
- Hellena
Farlen continues to back away and fire his wand at the creature, while Khellek's shot falls far shot. Hellena manages to wound the monster as well, while Ember and Ironshanks wait for the right moment. However, the void whisperer finally bites into Farlen and holds on, drinking his blood.