The Slave Pens controlled, you follow the surge of Azlanti rebels up through the twisting and turning tunnels of intricately worked stone upwards. You meet with Laurus and the other escaped Thassilonians. While not as eager for combat as the Azlanti, Laurus bravely offers to lead you and them up to the temple district where he once served as a herald. It’s a long trek, but finally you come out of carved caverns and into the blinding sunshine.
Wide flagstones cover the plaza leading to a stepped pyramid. Larger-than-life statues of serpentfolk and snakes line the plaza, alongside pictograph-covered pillars and small cages filled with all manner of furry, chattering creatures.
Laurus blinks as he eyes the deserted plaza, empty even though it is midday. He points out some of the sites to you. “Where are they all? Libraries, restaurants, and warming parlors line the plaza. Serpentfolk merchants sell clothing, servants, and magic -- this should be full!” Nervously, he takes his leave of you and the Azlantis as you explore.
As you look around, you suddenly realize that someone must have activated the temple’s defenses, for the statues have begun to move! The Azlantis join forces against other statues that start to attack them on the plaza, while you face the ones here.
Everyone but Balon is up!
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Sparkle-Weave reacts quickly casting haste on Cacumattus, Daeris, Balon and Ely.
A hasted creature gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves. Any condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
All of the hasted creature's modes of movement (including land movement, burrow, climb, fly, and swim) increase by 30 feet, to a maximum of twice the subject's normal speed using that form of movement. This increase counts as an enhancement bonus, and it affects the creature's jumping distance as normal for increased speed. Multiple haste effects don't stack. Haste dispels and counters slow.
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"Look, that slight shimmering in the air over there, that looks a lot like the same magic that brought us here? Some kind of shelter for the civilian population, maybe?"
"Those things look like some kind of constructs, usually no flesh and not much brain..." He fires his fiery beam at the righthand guardian, then moves for cover.
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"They had better not have gone through it... You remember the rose. Make sure the Azlanti know that way means death for them."
Daeris steps in front of Guen, to be sure she receives the constructs charge if it should come. Magically hasted, she pulls and fires two blunt arrows, hoping they will be more effective on the thing's construction.
Sssssss. CRASH!
The Purple guardian barely has time to flail its tail uselessly before falling soundly into the pit.
Meanwhile, other things are happening. Sparkle-Weave hastes. Orin advises. Cacumattus tosses out a scorching ray on the Red Guardian...
...and easily makes his caster level check. The construct looks down, apparently with disbelief, as it catches fire.
Ssssssss?!
Daeris meanwhile pumps out a bunch of arrows. One hits. The second misses and the first only does about half the damage it should. Guen cowers behind her mistress.
The Salty Kraken is up! And there's a foe who needs some adamantine! My poor, poor constructs!
Click. Whirr.
The Kraken charges the red construct!
Both guardians heal 2 hit points.
The purple one is caught in a pit, and slams uselessly against its walls.
Sssss-THUMP! Sssss-THUMP!
Meanwhile the red one takes a five foot step and full attacks the Salty Kraken with its evil dagger.
The whole party's up!
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Then she drew a tindertwig and struck it, setting the splintered mass ablaze. The fire danced in the reflection of her large, green eyes as she pulled the adamantine weapon blanch she had purchased earlier that day. She had only two cold iron arrows left after the great reptilian creature was slain, so she selected 5 mundane and 5 blunt arrows to prepare with the blanch. Before long, she had completed her task and marked the ends of the shafts near the fletchings with a piece of charcoal so she would not confuse them with the non-blanched varieties.
Daeris considers the field and decides to move in for a flank with the colorful human since she had an adamantine weapon and she would be at a disadvantage to fire into melee. She drops the bow and sprints across the stone flooring, her speed enhanced and loops around as she comes in from the other side without opening herself to attack. She calls Guen to attack the same creature, finally deciding to let the poor cat into the fight.
Guen sprints into the fray, moving swiftly even without haste. She moves in to bite at the thing, growling over the hard, cold feel of it's construct skin against her teeth as she shakes it, trying to pull it's footing out from beneath it.
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Vibrating with speed-enhancing magic and cheered on by Orin, The Salty Kraken grins maniacally even as her dagger wound bleeds and as Daeris steps in to distract the statue from behind. With lightning speed, she tips her hat to the elf in thanks as she jumps back to put the statue at range. She then swings her guisarme forward in an arc before whipping it back as she prepares another strike, like a monstrous tentacle of metal batting the construct about as if it were a drunk sailor in a storm.
Orin cheers on Ely. Sparkle-Weave climbs. Reesa fires off a magic missile...
...and makes the caster check to overcome SR!
Meanwhile, Daeris comes forward with her blade and her cat, providing a flank for Ely. Ely goes full attack on red, shredding the poor construct and sending gears and springs flying.
SPROING-rrk.
What do you plan to do with the Guardian in the pit?
Cacumattus and Balon are up!
Click. Whirr.
Cacumattus moves forward, thinking. With no adamantine, his crossbow bolts will be near worthless against the construct in the pit. Might as well burn a wand charge to burn a charged graven guardian.
Balon delays. Cacumattus burns.
The Graven Guardian makes its reflex and receives half damage, and then heals that amount back this round.
Then the Graven Guardian attempts to climb out of the pit...
...but instead slams uselessly against the pit wall.
Sssssss-THUMP. Ssssssss-THUMP.
The whole party is up!
Click. Whirr.
Trying to still conserve his own spells*, Cacumattus uses another charge from the Burning Hands wand.
Reesa calls for everyone to damage the Guardian while it is still in the pit, then brings out her magic missile wand.
Cacumattus once again uses his burning hands wand.
The Guardian fails its reflex save.
Orin, Sparkle-Weave, Daeris, Ely, and Guen are up!
Ely readies an attack for when the creature comes in range. As it is not large and neither are you, you cannot strike it from here. Sparkle-Weave hands Cacumattus a heavy crossbow. Cacummatus uses it and misses!
Okay, let's speed this up.
[dice=Round 5 Climb]1d20+3[/dice
Go ahead and hit the Robot with whatever you have that's ranged this turn if you have it.
BTW, at our level the Aid Token info linked to above remains unchanged.
Orin, Daeris, Balon still up!
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Daeris spots an advantageous place to fire from, but she is unwilling to drop her curve blade. She sheathes the blade, steps out to clear the shot as she calls Guen to her side and snatches her back-up bow into her hands. She pulls arrow after arrow, selecting the ones she blanched with adamantine earlier. Her magical haste allowing her to send one more than usual.
Daeris goes up for a better view, and shoots into the pit. The first misses, the second hits!
Then, based on its prior super-secret roll, the creature climbs out, and not wanting to fall back into the pit, moves forward before engaging with Ely. It hisses with a triumphant mechanical sound.
Ssssssssssss!
The whole party is up!
The Kraken's attack of opportunity hits the guardian, then she trips the hissing construct, and although her iterative attack misses, her extra haste attack hits because the creature is now prone!
Everyone except Ely is up! Come on, put this hissing construct out of my misery!
Orin advises, than bites but does no damage. Sparkle-Weave prepares to heal the severely wounded Salty Kraken. Daeris shoots into melee, but hits only once. Still, her hit does full damage!
Cacumattus, Reesa and Balon are all up!
Crash!
Orin falls in the pit.
Click. Whirr.
Balon attempts to five foot step and finish the Serpentine Guardian.
He succeeds!
Now, to confirm your Victory Point.
Now that you have defeated the idols, you may study the remains to make useful notes on serpentfolk artifice. You as a group can attempt a single skill check using one of the following skills: Appraise, Craft (sculptures or stonemasonry), Disable Device, Knowledge (arcana or engineering), Perception, Profession (architect, engineer, or miner), Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device.
I will allow Take Ten and Aid Another on everything except UMD, which I believe specifically excludes those ways of enhancing the skill.
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Orin will climb out of the pit and Sparkle-Weave will use a charge of infernal healing.
As soon as Sparkle-Weave starts the healing on Orin she gets totally distracted.
"Ohhh, I bet they used the magic to do cool stuff, I bet I can pull on this tail and do cool stuff as well."
Sparkle-Weave wanders about pushing and pulling on variou bits of artifice, occasionalyl throwing in a detect magic to try and figure out how everything works.