Boogies....
I see the potential for using Mr Cox's designs in combination with magic.... These channels that he calls neural circuitry.... An elemental spirit like that which animates a golem....bound to Mr Cox's circuitry.... Could provide us with useful weapons against the Great Old Ones....
Heheh! I want whatever you had, Doc!
Mikey Jay high-fives Dr Hoffmann, who is laughing and giving everyone massages, pupils as dilated as Spongebob's were on the MDMA pills he swallowed....
Dances with Hell-No Kitty, Aaron, and Sun Mi....
Joins the dance, a rare smile on his face....
Dances with Lakra....
Hmmm.... But I don't have the ability to bind any sort of elemental to this plane or to his equipment. I can only keep them here a few minutes at a time...
Levinson's eyes grow wide with excitement, a rare feeling since the end of the world, and she turns to the figurine,
But I know who can! If we could convince Merlin to scribe a scroll for us for planar binding, I can figure out the rest. Imagine, a being of pure electrical energy loyal to us that we can use for both a power source and pilot in the machines! Mahatma, you're a genius! she kisses the marble elephant's head about to run off to find Merlin, but she is soon distracted by Radsworth leaving the growing party outside.
Although... I do have another idea that might be helpful in the upcoming battles. Recently, I noticed my abilities to summon creatures have somehow expanded beyond my expectations. For instance, in this last set of encounters, that hulking figure straight from heiroglyphics appeared and saved my hide, yet I wasn't even reaching out for anything specific. I just needed something. she pauses briefly in though, But regardless, I have an idea on how to get some answers, and Professor Radsworth seems to be a trustworthy confidant.
Levinson dismisses Kepler for the evening, and reaches out into the planes beyond locating a set of entities that can help give her answers.
With comical "BAMF" sounds and poofs of purple smoke, four Augmented Silvanshee appear around the professor and her marble companion.
Wonderful. Now come on, Mahatma, let's go find Radsworth, we have some divine communing to do...
Joins the dance as well....
Sister Maria raises her hands to the heavens and dances ecstatically....
The ghostly image of a gaunt but dapper gentleman of the late 19th century dances among the living dancers....
Another ghostly dancer, this one a redneck of the 21st century, joins the dance as well....
Of course, brother! Anything for you, man!.... I f@!@in' love you, dude!.... You're so cool, Mikey Jay.... Here ya go, bro....
Dr Hoffmann puts a couple Spongebob pills in MJ's hand....
Take those, and bring it in, bro.... That's right.... I'm not gay, but I want a hug, MJ....
He hugs MJ for an awkwardly long time....
Thanks, Doc! I love you, too, bro! Heehee! Those beans are working you over, huh?
MJ grins back at the Spongebob faces grinning maniacally up at him from the pills in his palm, then pops them in his mouth and swallows, doing a not-bad impression of Spongebob laughing....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
In the voice of the narrator from Spongebob Squarepants:
Two hours later....
This is the best time I've had in years, guys.... I love you guys! HAHAHAHA!! Spongebob is kickin' my ass!! HAHAHAHA!!.... You are all so f&@*ing beautiful, man....
MJ's eyes are pools of darkness, his mouth a crescent moon of mirth and ecstasy....
He dances and claps his hands, grinning like a loon....
This feels like home....
While the others are dancing and tripping and unable to easily find the professor, Levenson instead takes her small party to a spacious study away from the noise allowing Mahatma to transform and stretch his trunk.
OK... So time to break out the feline Magic 8-Ball... Now according to the books I found earlier this should be fairly simple... she looks into the too large eyes of one of the floating outsider cats, So.... I just ask you the questions and you can get answers from your deity?
The eerie feeling of the celestial creature's Truespeech fills the room as Levinson is able to mystically understand what the cat is saying, That is correct.
Ok.... Six yes or no questions.... Here goes...
After a second's pause, the summoner unleashes in rapid succession a swarm of questions that have been plaguing her:
Is Nature Boy dead?
Was what attacked him truly one of the Great Old Ones?
Is Derrick truly King Arthur?
Are any of the rest of us... Reincarnations of mythical figures?
The silvanshee answer "yes" to each question.
In the moment the silvanshee answers "yes" to Levinson's last question, the young professor feels that she is waking from a dream of sorts....
She has a momentary feeling of vertigo, followed by a sense of soaring on artificial wings as an aeronautical pioneer.... Then an impression of a looming, alien entity, somehow malevolent to all other life.... Then a brief darkness....
....Then a feeling of sadness mingled with power, privilege, and ambition, and the stinging venom of an asp searing her veins.... A loving vision of Mark Anthony fleetingly speeds through her head....fading to black....
....Then the scent of olives and sea salt.... The spray of foam.... Swine milling about on a rocky shore.... An island in the Mediterranean Sea.... The music of the lyre, plucked by Orpheus? Or is it Kailin Kros?.... A clever lover.... Odysseus?.... Or Radsworth?....
....Then the strange reverie fades, like waking from a dream within a dream....
Ok... That was unexpected... Now I can sympathize with Kate about her morning sickness. I have never felt so nauseous...
Looking around her, the first of the four cat's eyes have lost their divine glow and the circle of floating felines has rotated 90 degrees like a clock ticking down the questions left.
Looks like I took too long to ask the last two questions and lost them... Ok, Naomi, focus, how often do you get to ask a god for direct answers...
Looking into the eyes of the Silvanshee currently facing her, Levinson continues her questioning:
So.... Did that vision mean we are all reincarnations?
Were we... I don't know... Fated to be brought together?
Wait a second. Is fate real?... Stupid Naomi, don't ask dumb questions... Be smart about this...
She ponders a moment on the other members of the team, and on the conversations she has had with Radsworth concerning the integrity of individuals entrusted with weapons of immeasurable strength. Unfortunately her reverie was seen as too long, and the commune ended for the second cat as the ring rotated once more as Levinson swore in Yiddish under her breath.
Can.... Can we defeat Cthulhu?
Is the world in any way salvageable?
Or... Or are we just doomed now to whittle away into extinction?
Do I matter enough to make a difference if they do go bad? I mean, compared to King Freaking Arthur, I'm just a biologist with bunch of zany Saturday morning cartoon cohorts... Um, no offense Mahatma...
Ugh... Come on Naomi, now isn't the time for mopey high school insecurities to arise, focus on what needs to be asked...
Is the Silver Tower important for us to reclaim in order to defeat Cthulhu?
Does it contain any sort of artifact that can help us win?
As the ring rotates once more and the final communing Silvanshee orients itself to face to Levinson, the professor grows more nervous.
Will Cox's creations help save what humans are left?
Do I have the ability to summon powerful enough creatures to power his mechanized suits?
Or... Will we have to risk the lives of more people to operate them?
Finally she asks the question she has been loathing...
Ok... Ok... Are all the Fierce Ones... Trustworthy?
If any of them turn on us, will we be able to survive the group being torn apart?
Ok... That was unexpected... Now I can sympathize with Kate about her morning sickness. I have never felt so nauseous...
Looking around her, the first of the four cat's eyes have lost their divine glow and the circle of floating felines has rotated 90 degrees like a clock ticking down the questions left.
Looks like I took too long to ask the last two questions and lost them... Ok, Naomi, focus, how often do you get to ask a god for direct answers...
Looking into the eyes of the Silvanshee currently facing her, Levinson continues her questioning:
So.... Did that vision mean we are all reincarnations?The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Were we... I don't know... Fated to be brought together?
The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Wait a second. Is fate real?... Stupid Naomi, don't ask dumb questions... Be smart about this...
The silvanshee says "Yes...."
She ponders a moment on the other members of the team, and on the conversations she has had with Radsworth concerning the integrity of individuals entrusted with weapons of immeasurable strength. Unfortunately her reverie was seen as too long, and the commune ended for the second cat as the ring rotated once more as Levinson swore in Yiddish under her breath.
Can.... Can we defeat Cthulhu?The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Is the world in any way salvageable?
The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Or... Or are we just doomed now to whittle away into extinction?
Do I matter enough to make a difference if they do go bad? I mean, compared to King Freaking Arthur, I'm just a biologist with bunch of zany Saturday morning cartoon cohorts... Um, no offense Mahatma...The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Ugh... Come on Naomi, now isn't the time for mopey high school insecurities to arise, focus on what needs to be asked...
Is the Silver Tower important for us to reclaim in order to defeat Cthulhu?The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Does it contain any sort of artifact that can help us win?
The silvanshee says "Yes...."
As the ring rotates once more and the final communing Silvanshee orients itself to face to Levinson, the professor grows more nervous.
Will Cox's creations help save what humans are left?The silvanshee says "Yes...."
Do I have the...
The silvanshee says "Yes...."
When the dawn creeps into the east on April 24th, the lively dancing and flute music settle down into a restful slumber that seems supernaturally deep and refreshing.... As if you slept in a place where evil and misfortune could not exist.....
Safe.... Protected.... Hidden from the sight of the enemy....
On awakening, the FOs are better equipped to face the horrors that await them in The Silver Tower....
Levinson gets her gear in order still half asleep. As she pulls on her boots, slides into her trench coat, and slips Mahatma into his leather pouch handing from her neck, Naomi can't help but feel a little jarred from her experience the night before.
The professor takes a minute to summon Kepler before warding him with Mage Armor and throwing him a large bone left over from last night's feast.
With the Silvanshee's answers and the vision burning in her mind, she slings her rifle over her shoulder, grabs her staff and heads out into the Box's meeting space to find the others.
Back to the Silver Tower... It's going to be a long day...
MJ emerges from his tent with a big grin on his stubbly face....
Woah, what a night!
He stretches and smiles at Levinson....
Sleep well?.... I feel like it was only a few seconds that I slept.... But I'm rested like I've slept for a full eight hours....
It is around 11:00 AM on the 24th of April, a warm, breezy day in The Grand Canyon....
Feels like a good day for killing evil, eh, Levinson?
Mikey shades his eyes from the sun as he watches a hawk wheel in the sky overhead....
Something like that, She replied with a wicked grin as she loads flaming rounds into the magazine of her M16.
I'll feel a lot more rested once we clear out the tower. And maybe we can loot a Tempurpedic store next so I can finally sleep on something more comfortable than a camping bedroll.
Kepler beats his giant wings, and the hulking beast soars off into the air scouting the area for an easy meal.
Gooood morning folks! How did ya sleep?
Kailin awakes well rested and ready for the day. He grabs his bag and heads off to meet the rest of the group.
Radsworth joins the others, stretching out as best he can. He looks a little tired still, and his fingertips are stained with ink from scribing scrolls late into the night.
"Good morning all. I've done what I could in mitigating the specific threats within the dungeon we know of. Thanks to Chesterfield, Abjuration magic is on the menu for today. It means I'll be leaving a lot of the magical explosions at home though."
As he sets about getting ready to leave, he smiles at Naomi.
"I wonder if you would feel the rough ground even through 100 mattresses, Naomi?"
Then he notes her choice of ammo and figures he should share what he's learned about the creatures one more time.
"The Piscodaemon and the Qlippoth are without doubt the lords of the Silver Tower. They resist all elemental damages, except holy and negative energy. They also possess a number of spell like qualities. The most concerning are several mind affecting powers, like confusion. I will be watching Koran closely. Against these creatures, give him and Arthur plenty of space. I have a few wards that can help against evil spells prepared, but they can be dispelled easily."
Radsworth thinks for a moment.
"I fear you would be wasting your flaming rounds Professor Naomi, due to the elemental resistances I mentioned. Yingzen, you should note that the Qlippoth can see your magic items auras even when you are stealthed, so that is no defense against him. I will not be preparing invisibility or fly, as the building roofs and their uncanny senses negate them both. They also possess strong spell resistance, so I have eschewed variety for redundancy in my selections."[b]
He looks at Arthur, who has been strangely silent. A sense of concern grows.
[b]"I have two odd choices among my spells today. First is obscuring mist. I don't think their magical sight can penetrate a solid fog. If you are hurt, retreat to the mist! Daisy should be there and waiting to help you. Be vocal so she can find you. Second is a spiked pit spell. It doesn't allow spell resistance. It's just a nasty pit in the ground. Be careful not to fall in. If they dodge the trap, Mikey or Koran should be able to shove them in. Finally.. I dont recommend we fight them together if possible. I have some phase lock rounds left over from the battle with the Thing Under The Balcony. Those should keep their plane shifting in check, but I only have 2."
He lets his final thoughts fade. They might not even find either Lord of the Tower Today, but preparation would be key.
1st: Mage Armor x2, Burning Hands x2, Shield, Obscuring Mist.
2nd: Communal Protection from Evil x3, False Life, Scorching Ray
3rd: Dispel Magic x2, Spiked Pit x2, Haste
4th: Named Bullet x2 (4 slots total)
I have some defense against mind-controlling myself radsworth, and as you may have noticed some experience with confusion to.
Levinson begins unloading the ammo and replacing it with standard metal cartridges quite begrudgingly.
No relying on elemental attacks... well there goes most of my repertoire. I may have to get Merlin or one of the other heavy hitters to scribble a few scrolls for me before we go then.
She pauses for a moment looking at Kailin and Radsworth thinking back to her vision. Probably not the time or place to bring it up... it can wait until after we take care of the tower...
She quickly refocuses on the task at hand as Radsworth finishes his briefing: I have a few decent crowd control tricks up my sleeves that should help prevent us from getting overwhelmed.
And don't worry, Koran, I can always recharm your monstrous, raging self back to our side. she adds with a devilish grin.
Metamagic: 3 (Extend)
Level 3: 3
Level 2: 6
Level 1: 5
In Effect: Mage Armour (8 hours remaining)
Merlin emerges from his tent, dressed in his wrinkled Armani suit and alligator-skin boots, and now with the feathered headdress of a Navajo shaman on his head....
Good morn, all! The Navajo shamans made me an honorary member of their esteemed order last night, quite an honor, I must say.... A most splendid celebration you inspired with your flute last night, Maestro Kailin.... A much needed morale boost for the tribes, and for us all, I dare say.... Very timely.... Well, if we are all here, and ready to return to The Silver Tower.... Let us join hands....
Merlin smiles at Levinson.
Any odd dreams last night, love?
He puts an age-gnarled hand on the young professor's shoulder....
His Trickyness, Senior Coyote, spoke to me of a newfangled kind of golem as we danced last night.... A golem given spirit by a pretty lass with the power of summoning.... A summoner akin in power to an ancient sea witch of the Hellenic Age, who once seduced a certain adventurous hero and transformed his crew of sailors into swine.... But never mind the rambling of an old tiefling like me....
Merlin winks at Levinson and grins through his gray beard....
He looks around at the assembled heroes.... Tried and true souls, determined to fight against the oppression of the Great Old Ones and Their inimical dogma.... Such noble spirits, refusing to rest from labor in the Karmic Sea of Nirvana.... Ever rising again in new forms to contest with evil and entropy....
Odysseus/Abraham Lincoln/Radsworth, clever, resourceful, thoughtful, ever ready for all contingencies....
Orpheus/John Lennon/Kailin, piercing through the veil of illusions to perceive the heart of reality, and empassioning his fellows to action and glorious motion....
Raven/Miyamoto Musashi/Yinzen, superb swordsman uniting flesh and bone with steel in a perfect dance of death....
Attilla/Genghis Khan/Koran, relentless will of determination fueled by rage against the oppressor, an unstoppable engine of furious destruction....
Arthur/General Patton/Derrik, a champion of righteousness, defender of the weak, and inspiring hero for humanity....
Kwan Yin/Mary Magdalen/Daisy, sacred prostitute, balm of the wounded, motherly protector, compassionate healer
Heracles/Bruce Lee/Mikey Jay, exemplar of martial excellence, personification of the glory of combat and adventure....
And Circe/Amelia Erhardt/Levinson, enchanting, seductive, enthralling and inspiring in her adventurous ambition and determination to elevate humanity....
Here, surely, if ever there was a band of heroes so assembled (the Argonauts, the Round Table, the Peers of Charlemagne), was a band who might defeat the Great Old Ones yet....
Merlin grins as he peers up at the now giant-sized Koran....
Hmm.... Daisy, I think ye'll be busy bandaging this big fellow's head! Heheh! He'll be ducking and squeezing a bit in the world o' men, now, but I reckon he packs an even mightier wallop, now as he stands the height of Goliath or Balor....
Yeah! What the fuh, dude! Your arms are bigger than my whole body! Haha! I almost feel sorry for the next thing you smash with that friggin' steel tree you call a hammer....
MJ is clearly impressed by the permanently enlarged physique and armament of Koran....
The events of the Tower was wearing on Arthur... the knowledge that this tower was more terrifying than he thought; The horrors inside more diabolical than he could have imagined. Cultists that were beyond saving. It mentally and physically stunned him for quite a time. Though the biggest was his current state of... transformation. As his power seemed to grow.. he seem to change more than he could imagine.. and that previous transmutation was...instinctive. This made Derrik afraid of what he might become. That creature was both Demonic.. and Angelic in nature... But perhaps it was a boon rather than a curse? No.. He could not think upon that in such a way.. His humanity is what kept him sane.. it will be what continues to do so.
When they had finally returned to their current base of operations, Derrik brooded, pondering upon how he should act.. what he should do..If he had taken the right path. When Jewels finally returned.. devastated from the venture back from the Meeting of a Great Old one.. He was tender at first...And When they made love.. More Fierce than the Fierce in their groups title; there were many marks.. surprisingly more by him.
During a night in which they had made such a romp... he was visited by the man in Alabaster Armor.. but he was different.. he had.. a Horned helm..much like Derrik. He pointed to his Axe arms "You have grown, My son.. but you need to learn Penitence as well.. Your enemies grow stronger.. and through such you shall as well.. Not many can survive the trial.. but i have.. Faith in you. Now.. Awake to your Trial" When he awoke his armor was upon him and he felt..swifter inside of it.. but his right arm.. it was Alabaster like the Man's armor.. and Dawnbringer was attached as if by a chain.
He awoke out of his pondering and now saw the group as they discussed things.. Talking in the first time in a long while.
"Well then.... I suppose it is time we crushed these defilers.."
It is, indeed, Arthur. Let us depart....
The FOs join hands and Merlin teleports them off to Sarasota, to the parking garage behind The Silver Tower.... It is about 11:10 AM, Wednesday, April 24th, 2013....
A hot, humid day on the southwest coast of Florida....
Moving in their accustomed marching order, the Fierce Ones make their way to the front doors, where they are met by the stench of rotting carcass and a flock of buzzards swarming the corpses of the chimera and the cultists slain in yesterday's assault....
It does not appear the bodies have been moved, other than by scavengers feeding on them....
The buzzards flap their wings and croak angrily, flying a short distance away as the FOs pass nearby, returning eagerly to the grisly feast after the strangers who interrupted them have all entered the Silver Tower....
Inside, the ground floor also reeks of death, not surprisingly, and the droning buzz of hundreds of flies attests to the fact that a smaller but more numerous species of scavenger has been attracted to the indoor slaughter, as well....
It is quiet on the ground floor. Yingzen quickly scouts out the ground floor, determining that it has been left abandoned, and the FOs proceed up to the second floor, which also proves to remain as they left it yesterday....
Proceeding up to the third level, they are met with the first wave of defenders at the top of the stairs....
Yingzen keeps to the shadows as best as he can while moving through the tower trying to remain ahead of his friends scouting
Camped at the top of the stairs in a 15-ft-wide hall that runs north-south the length of the third floor are:
The Spitter of Nightmares (hydrodaemon);
The barghest;
14 Morays;
8 sinspawn;
8 ghuls;
And 2 cult priestesses!
The Morays, sinspawn and ghuls form 10 ranks of 3 between the top of the stairs and where the Spitter of Nightmares, barghest, and two priestesses are camped, and the sinspawn seem to quickly catch Yingzen's scent as soon as he is about 15 feet from where the stairs open onto the third level: they begin howling an alert!
Initiative, please....
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative result 17 (not letting me post die roll ATM for some reason)....
Initiative result 8....
Initiative result 9....