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A wide field of shattered weapons, barrow mounds, and mass graves surrounds the city of Absalom, a vast plain known as the Cairnlands.
Rising from the war-torn earth like the grasping arms of the dead are countless siege castles, towers, and fortresses constructed over the millennia by would-be warlords who tried to take the great city and inevitably failed. Like forgot ten monuments to failed conquerors, the siege castles of Absalom beckon the brave, the fearless, and the foolish with the promise of adventure and untold treasures, ever ready to create heroes or to entomb the fallen.
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A tall, lean human male dressed in scale armor carries a finely-crafted polearm, his long black cloak trailing behind him. In fact, all his clothing is black. He squints as if in bright sunlight despite the overcast skies.
His eyes appear to mask a much older soul than his forty or so years might suggest.
He nods at his new companions.
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A woman of serpentine nature, the light reflecting gently of her scales walks into the gathering. The leathers audibly rubbing against itself in an attempt to break it in. She jabs the Naginata into the ground and introduces herself with a bit of a lisp, I am Hskori, Naga Aspirant from the great Nagajor. Nalinivati has blessed me with the powers of my ancestors they in turn are here to serve you, Tahonikepsu and Amenopheus and the other Scarab Sages as well as the Decemvirate and the Society as a whole.
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Dolgo appears on location as requested.
"Ah yes they said there would be more and here you are. Good day all."
Dolgo is adorned in very light clothing with the exception of the chain shirt that looks to be pulling his slender tall frame to the ground.
He wears a shortbow on his back, daggers on his waist and a pair of daggers can be seen on his wrists in what looks like some mechanical contraption made to release them quickly. Atop the stick of a man he wears a light blue hat.
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A slender woman, with golden blonde hair that falls to her shoulders walks in. She wears a loose flowing red dress, with gold embroidery around the edge. She has a jade pendant hanging around her neck that she subconsciously rubs with her hands. A dagger is on her hip...clearly as a last resort. She has a handful scroll tubes protruding from her backpack, along with a few vials can be heard clinking around as she walks up to the group.
Hello everyone, it's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Jessique, and I believe there is a destiny in all of us. I had just recently finished my Confirmation, and am proud to be a Society member. May our endeavors be filled with knowledge.
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As you make your way closer to your destination and get to know each other better you see the tower in the distance get bigger and bigger as you move closer.
The ruined siege castle now being called the Fallen Fortress rises out of the churned earth of the Cairnlands. No doors or windows mar the otherwise smooth expanse of the tower’s walls. The tower is quatrefoil in plan; its eastern wing has largely collapsed, exposing the interior floors to the open air. Only the topmost level seems whole, though its eastern portion hangs precariously over the mountain of rubble left by the collapse. At ground level, the rubble frames a gaping hole in the side of the building that provides access to the tower’s darkened interior.
The tower stands 80 feet tall and its exterior walls are amazingly smooth.
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Jessique fires a crossbow bolt over the head of one of the dogs but the game of fetch doesn't distract it from trying to get to the walking lunches he sees in front of him.
Dolgo tries to do the same with an arrow shot from his short bow, but he get's similar results.
Hskori tries to calm them down..but his sssslurred speech does nothing to calm them down.
Nijena waits to see what the dogs will do
init
Telos (+Nijena in delay)
Dogs
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The dogs bark and growl and leap forward ready to bite down on some tasty flesh.
One (orange) just moves forward (double move)
Another (blue) leaps into the air and tries to bite Telos (charge) and sees Telos Nodachi fly in front of it's nose before he bounces harmlessly of Telos armor
The last one (red) moves next to Telos as well and tries to bite him in the leg. and it's jaws clamp down around Telos left leg and it starts to tear of a piece of flesh
init
You guys
Dogs
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With one might heave Telos sings his weapon around a wide arc, first cleaving through one of the dogs and then continuing to the next one..who also is dealt such a powerful blow that it falls to ground.
Dolgo throws some daggers at the last dog that's standing but fails to connect with any of them due to him having to be careful to not put a dagger in an ally's back
Nijena then steps forward to slap the dog down
As her hand comes down the dogs jaws go up
but the jaws snap shut way short of her Nijena's hand before she slams it into the side of the dogs skull.
init
Jessique, Hsori
Dog
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As Hsori swings at the dog she is able to slice through it sides causing it to drop to the ground..where it stays.
Now that you have some more time to look at the tower more closely without being attacked by rabid dogs you see;
It is soon apparent that the collapse of the eastern wing has caved in much of tower’s first level as well. The southern wing is entirely filled with rubble, leaving only the northern wing (and part of the western wing) accessible.
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As you make your way through the opening in the tower you see;
The northern wing of the tower seems to have escaped the worst effects of the collapse, but rubble still litters the floor and everything is covered in a thick layer of stone dust. Thick cobwebs cloak the ceiling and hang down the walls like gossamer tapestries. A single archway stands open in the southwest wall.
Telos does not spot anything that raises his concern.
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As Nijena scans the room up ahead she notices a large dark shadow with 8 legs hanging near the ceiling in the webs, it seems ready to strike.
While most of this room escaped the collapse, enough rubble still covers the floor to make the entire room difficult terrain.
The spider is on the ceiling, which is 15ft high.
init
Hskori, Nijena, Jessique
Spider