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Shortly after returning, Sabi, writes to "Pathfinder & Roebuck" mail order, asking for a belt of mighty constitution. When the reply returns later, "You are not heroic enough", he is rather deflated, until one of his friends points out that they found one in the Spire, and he could try buying it from the Hellknights instead.
During his downtime , Sabi spent some time practicing his penmanship. Unfortunately, he had to put aside his study of languages to do so.
He also spends some time showing off his new "barrier" talent that he'd been practicing, erecting multiple sheets of ice to provide some cover.
Alright, back out into the wilds...
Your trip into the wilds is fairly uneventful, there does seem to be a increase in varmints and other small game as the goblins are no longer eating every rodent in sight but they provide no threat to seasoned explorers such as yourself.
The splinters hold to their word and allow you free passageway deeper.
The stairs descend to a small chamber of smooth, hewn stone lit by a dim greenish light from two strange, torchlike devices on the walls.
A metal door with a simple latch mechanism glows with a dim green light in the middle of the north wall. The walls and ceiling are decorated with drawings and writings in bright colors. The depictions are abstract but somehow alien and disturbing. The inscriptions are in primitive Draconic.
An acrid, nauseating reek fills the air—a musky, reptilian stench.
A reptilian creature, seemingly unaffected by the stench seems to be awaiting your arrival by the door. He's weaing a colorful leather garment and leaning on a walking stick.
He smiles and speaks "We welcome you to Godhome. I am Slaagh. You wish to make sacrifice now, or visit? Take holy grub maybe?”
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"Hmmm... Interesting... It seems that those inscriptions mentions some religious words, proclaiming this place to be 'godhome'", he told to the party, just before the troglodyte appears with its stink, and the cleric starts to spew.
"For Sarenrae sacred flames...", he plagues between a vomit and another.
Slaagh eagerly responds
"Yes, we gladly show you around, we are peaceful, god takes care of us, gives us things to eat, things to drink, come I can take you."
He will open the door behind him, step through and motion to follow him
Looking into the next room two light-sticks are mounted on the walls of this chamber, and every surface is adorned with crudely rendered paintings. Passages lead north and east. A short corridor in the north wall leads to a larger room. Two troglodytes appear to be in the northern room, although it's hard to see what they are doing from here.
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Sabi nods as Tico speaks. I knew that. Why does he get all the credit.
He smiles ruefully as the cleric retches. Sabi is quite happy that his work with the elements has given him a strong stomach.
He doesn't know Draconic. Such a shame, he thinks. The text on Draconic was right there in the library. I even thought about studying it. Oh, well, maybe next time.
The sight of the Troglodyte makes him a bit uneasy. Maybe we can have Tico try the food first.
Slaagh leads you to the northern room.
This room contains a large stone vat in the middle of the eastern wall. It seems to be filled with a pasty, pink substance.
Just north of the tub, a tall door made of lustrous, coppery metal leads east, and passages exit the chamber to the north and south. Three torchlike devices in the wall glow with a soft green light, as does the metal door. Two troglodytes are here, touching up a wall painting.
The pink substance has a horrible smell, even worse than the troglodytes. Slaagh doesn't seem to notice and walks up, scoops a handful out and eats it.
Aftewards he scoops another handfull out and offers it to you.
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Valya wrinkles her nose but manages to stifle her revulsion.
Greetings Slaagh
She eyes the reptilian cautiously.
One advantage to having teeth and claws, my hands look to be away from the weapon on my back and yet I am ready to fight regardless. I'm sure Nar said something about diplomacy being an iron hand in a velvet glove or somesuch, I wonder if this counts?
She nods as the party is shown through several rooms, before politely refusing any of the pungent pink gloop being offered.
So Slaagh, is 'godhome' literally the home of a god? How do you and your people come to live here?
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"Tico here is our leader. I think it only fair that he partake on our behalf."
Tico just looks at Sabi.
Slaagh responds to the several questions while the painting Troglodytes keep out of your way.
"Yes, our God skraa-orm thagh lives here, why we call it godhome. This stuff is the holy grub, it is refreshed by our god every day. We've been here several generations, thagh is very benevolent."
Nar is sickened by the disgusting slop.
Slaagh frowns, a bit surprised that the food doesn't agree with Nar, but that doesn't deter him from continuing. "You want more tour, or perhaps leave an offering for god?"
Slaagh responds "“Give the god some iron-metal, and it will bless you and send you on your way! All good visitors make gifts of iron-metal to the god!”
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Hmm.. Iron metal, let's see what I've got. Well, Erastil likes arrows and they're Cold Iron maybe that will work
Nar will pull out a quiver of Cold Iron arrows and a crowbar. I don't carry a lot of metal, but I'll happily leave some of what I have as Gods should be revered. I have this quiver of arrows, which I know are only partially made of metal, and this crowbar that is made of all metal but not as good metal as the arrows.
Unless told otherwise, Nar will leave the arrows and the crowbar as a sacrifice.
Slaagh responds "Those look like good sacrifices, not sure if enough but god not here, God over here"
Slaagh will lead you through the metal door to the central chamber. Where a hexagonal, metallic structure about ten feet wide and almost twenty-five feet tall looms in the center of this high-ceilinged room, emanating a greenish-white light.
All kinds of gears and armaments are stuck to its silvery sides, including dozens of weapons, shields, and pieces of armor, as well as lanterns, buckles, and tools.
To the north and south of the object stand two large stone statues, each depicting a troglodyte with its arms upraised in adulation. Four copper-colored metal doors lead out of this chamber, one from each corner of the room.
You all notice a strange force tugging at your metal armor and weapons, pulling them toward the device in the center of the room. At this distance it is only strong enough to say make belted items point towards the center.
Slaagh pulls out a broken metal gear and throws it towards the center. As if freed from gravity it quickly veers towards the hexagonal box and clangs as it sticks to the outside.
"Meet skraa-orm thagh" says Saagh
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Feeling the blade i her scabbard pressing against her back, Valya takes a step back
no offence to your god, but I think we shouldn't get too close. Nar, I advise you provide your sacrifice at range as it were...
Valya regards the box with some suspicion, before turning to Slaagh
Thank you for takign us in to the presence of your god, but can I ask you whether you have any trouble from the other levels? Do you know of Klarkosh? And is there a way to get to a lower level from here?
Slaagh responds "Yes, there is a way down. I can show you where it is, but only thagh can open it from this side. We do know of the foul Klarkosh, he resides beneath the flooded level. He calls himself master of the spire and is no friend of ours. Below us has lots of water, it moves too, stays fresh, plenty of room to breathe at least in area near our level. Some strange lithe blue people live there, we've tried to talk with them but they aren't very friendly."
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As long as we've moved into a new room, is there anything of note amongst the clutter in the room. Nar will take a look around after he gets past the introduction to thagh.
Thank you Valya, I think you are probably right.
Not enough, says our friendly tour guide. Maybe I have one more thing I can give away. My brothers and father would be so disappointed to know I'm even considering it, but I can probably get a new one in town. I'd hate to part with it but, it maybe for a god such a sacrifice is appropriate.
On seeing your god, I have one more sacrifice I can make, while it is metal, it is a far bigger sacrifice for me sentimentally. This blade I carry is the mark of my family but for Skraa-orm thagh and his doorway, I figure it may be worthy.
In addition to the crowbar and arrows Nar will offer up his scimitar.
Slaagh nods at the scimitar and crowbar and motions for you to keep the arrows, their metal content being relatively low.
After Nar proves the crowbar and Scimitar, they quickly fly and attatch themselves to the godbox, there is an eerie hum that begins deep inside thagh followed by a pair of metallic clicks in the distance.
Slaagh will lead you on to the exit with a bit more tour guide along the way.
"Everyonce in awhile skraa-orm thagh brings us new members for our tribes from the surrounding lands. It provides us with all we need, fresh food and water and occasional other supplies, it truly is a god."
Slaagh does not take you into the warrens but points them out along the way to the exit chamber in the northeast corner. Where a tall troglodyte statue stands in the center of this otherwise featureless square room, its arms outstretched. Light-sticks are mounted on the east and west walls, providing dim green illumination, augmenting the stronger glow from the door.
In the northeast corner, a section of the stone floor is cut away
perfectly, revealing a stairway that descends into darkness.
From there you are able to descend to the next level.
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Tico feels relieved to not have to engage into combat, at least not this time.
The cleric didn't feel comfortable in that environment, addition to the sickness, that "Godbox" of the troglodytes was at least bizarre.
"Well, let's continue. Thanks for help, Slaagh" thanked him, as he went to the lower level with his companions.
The ramp winding down from the level above ends in a flight of stairs leading to a dank, low-ceilinged room. The curved surface of the Emerald Spire takes up the northwest corner, and to the east is a broad stairway leading down to a dark passage from which the soft sound of lapping of water emanates. A small, closed door stands in the south wall. Several toad-sized crabs skitter about...
Sabi recognizes the crabs as fresh water crabs, likely meaning the water down here is kept clean somehow and that there is some sort of smaller food source. While harmless to larger creatures on their own, this type of crab can be dangerous in large numbers.
Skittering up the far stairs is a gigantic orange crab like monstrosity with strange silvery markings. Resting on the creature's back is a small blue winged creature with one of the tiny crabs on its shoulder
Behind the crab-like monstrosity is a blue-skinned, blue-haired humanoid clad in mail with a silvery rune on his face.
He shouts at you:
" قتيل، بتخصيص بل كان, غير أن"
2 separate Nature and 3 separate Planes checks.
What do you do?
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What Tico noticed about that exotic fauna, left him on alert. They could be more powerful than they appeared.
Unable to understand what the creature said, the cleric attempts to communicate with him, just after call for Sarenrae's blessings:
"Hi, I'm Tico. Can you understand me?"
After his words, Tico draws his scroll of comprehend languages and will use it, if the undine couldn't understand him.
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When they headed back to town. Nar spent some time performing a sword dance from his native land hoping to collect money to find a suitable replacement for the scimitar he lost. Despite not being a scimitar that represented his family, he found a nicer quality one than he previously had and hopes it can adequately represent that past. He'll spend some time making sure the tannery is running well and that the employees are all taken care of and scrounge around town looking for supplies for a water-filled level.
Before heading down through skraa-orm thaagh, he'll look at Tico and hand him a scroll. We may want to use this when we get down there. Please feel free to use it on all of us when the time is right
Umm, I'm sorry I don't understand
Responding to Tico's common the creature speaks in common back "I said go away, I'm studying the spire here and you're disrupting it."
Assuming you don't actually immediately leave and abandon your quest...
"I said shut up and go away!"
The tiny blue critter hops off the crab's back and flees, dropping the poor little crab off its shoulder and onto the ground. Fortunately it lands on its feet.
Despite Tico's diplomatic words, the creature has no interest in conversation.
Initiative
Nar
Sabi
Tico
Big Blue
Crab
Valya
Little Blue
Nar, Sabi and Tico are up!
Tico blesses the party!
Sabi and Nar are still up!
Sounds like the currents are mild, I'd give a -2 circumstance penalty to swim against it, and potentially make it take some extra movement to go against.
Concentrating is a standard action unfortunately.
Slick doesn't seem like the ice is particularly thick, I imagine a creature with reasonable strength wouldn't have any trouble busting through it.
While kinetic cover in theory requires being "supported by the ground" I think casting it as on top of the water is cool enough that it's no problem.
All that said, we're in the water level and as a Hydrokineticist, you should be awesome here, especially on this level I'm quite inclined to be extra generous on interpretations of your powers
Nar quickly thunks an arrow into the blue meanie who screeches out in pain, while the crab like monstrosity balances on its extra legs without trouble.
The blue meanie wiggles his fingers as arcane power envelopes both him and the crab monster, increasing their speed dramatically
The crab then skitters across the ice using its claws to help balance instead of readying them for combat, almost falling, but managing to close with Sabi and take a bite.
The bit takes a nice chunk out of Sabi
Initiative
Valya
Little Blue
Nar
Sabi
Tico
Blue Meanie 12
Crab
Valya is up!
The crab, aided by its supernatural speed narrowly skitters out of Valya's reach.
The blue meanine begins casting a spell
Others are up in init
Tico protects himself with magic and moves into the room, the craby creature hesitates for a moment but takes a bite out of Tico anyway.
Nar's arrows stick harmlessly into the creatures tough carapace.
Initiative
Sabi
Blue Meanie 12
Crab
Valya
Tico
Nar
Sabi is up!
[spoiler=GM Dice]
[/spoiler=Gm Dice]
Sabi moves further into the room and nails the critter in the back with an icy blow, almost knocking the creature off its feet.
The creature then pulls out a potion and drinks it, healing about a 3rd of its wounds.
It then directs the crab to attack Sabi, which it does with a flurry of claws and bites.
Fortunately for Sabi it only connects once.
Initiative
Valya
Tico
Nar
Sabi
Blue Meanie 17
Crab
Everybody is up!
Valya only manages to penetrate the crab's tough exoskeleton with a single claw.
Tico misses with his firebolt, and Nar is unable to get either arrow to stick into the crabby monstrosity.
The blue meanie ducks just in time to avoid Sabi's frigid blast just as Sabi is able to duck in time to avoid the crab's bite.
The crab skitters and continues its aggression towards Sabi, managing to connect with a claw.
Having a reprieve from any new damage that round the blue meanie begins casting a summoning spell
Initiative
Valya
Tico
Nar
Sabi
Blue Meanie 17
Crab 7
Everybody is up!