Keydas manages to avoid the worst of the geyser's energy, then says, "How many more darkmantles do you think are in this room? I don't think it's only one."
Ghyrryn and Kraath will follow the wall along to the back to get near the stone. "Let me know when you are ready"
If any beasties pop out while they move, they will attack. If not, they will be readied to attack.
Keydas considers, then says, "Valeria, go for the Activation Stone. I'll cover you if any of those Darkmantles show up."
Keydas sets up to attack any darkmantles he sees, eyes scanning the room.
Valeria realized at the last second what the sound meant from the geysers and managed to duck partly behind the door, avoiding the worst of the scalding. In fact it did no real harm to her as the extra kinetic energy she carried around her body soaked up and dissipated the remaining heat preventing her flesh from being harmed. Nodding in agreement, and hoping that two targets would make it harder for any remaining creatures to focus their attacks and improve their odds of reaching the stone she moved when Ghyrryn did making her way around the fissures and up the opposite side from the gnoll to the stone.
[dice=Ref]1d20+7+1
Valeria realized at the last second what the sound meant from the geysers and managed to duck partly behind the door, avoiding the worst of the scalding. In fact it did no real harm to her as the extra kinetic energy she carried around her body soaked up and dissipated the remaining heat preventing her flesh from being harmed. Nodding in agreement,and hoping that two targets would make it harder for any remaining creatures to focus their attacks and improve their odds of reaching the stone she moved when Ghyrryn did making her way around the fissures and up the opposite side from the gnoll to the stone.
Valeria realized at the last second what the sound meant from the geysers and managed to duck partly behind the door, avoiding the worst of the scalding. In fact it did no real harm to her as the extra kinetic energy she carried around her body soaked up and dissipated the remaining heat preventing her flesh from being harmed. Nodding in agreement she headed towards the door in the southwest and waited for it to open so she could see what was on the other side.
Round 19
Round 19 ends Wednesday 6/20 @ 8:00 PM EDT.
With no other darkmantles appearing, Keydas says, "Okay, Snotra, you and I should move to the next door now. Once we're there, Ghyrryn can press the activation stone."
Keydas suits action to words and moves to the door behind Valeria. Once there, he again prepares to shoot any darkmantles that appear, readying his bow.
Ghyrryn moved swiftly to cross the room, lithely stepping over and around the geysers in his path. There was a gurgling once from one of the larger geysers, but he stepped quickly past and the noise subsided. In what seemed like minutes, but was in actuality only moments, the gnoll stood beside the activation stone.
Ghyrryn activates the stone. If nothing else happens, I will move to the door, keeping along the wall where it seems less disturbed. If a threat appears near me I'll attack it.
Ghyrryn activates the stone and the metal door slides to the side, revealing a wood-paneled room. On the wall immediately opposite the door is a large pile of bones. Beside the pile sat a creature that looked like a winged lion, with a spiked tail and an incongruously lovely woman's head. She smiled at you demurely, revealing dainty, sharp teeth.
"Oh do come in, I don't bite. My name is Jespeth, and I am a sphinx. If you know anything about sphynxs, you'll know that what we love more than anything in the world is riddles. Won't you come and play a riddling game with me?"
Keydas is sure he's heard the term before, but he can't recall any specific information about sphynxes.
Cautiously, Keydas steps into the room. "And what, pray tell, are the rules of the riddling game?"
Smiling she says, "Why, quite simple really. Answer my riddle and you may be rewarded with a great treasure. I'm afraid you will only get one guess however, so take your time and be sure you are prepared."
Looking the party members over carefully she asks slowly, "Are. You. Ready?"
Entering the room with the others Valeria found herself intrigued with the dangerous creature. She couldn't help but say, "My, aren't you the beautiful one Jespeth. I've never heard of your kind before but as it seems you're a guardian of this place I don't think we have a choice if we want to move forward." She looked at the pile of bones, "Are those the remains of the ones who failed your riddle?"
Jespeth can't help but smile to the warm compliment Valeria lays on her. When the aetherkineticist looks at the bones, the sphinx's eyes follow her movements and look at them as well. After a moments regard on the bones she nods several times, "Oh, yes. Yes, I'm afraid they were unsuccessful."
Sweeping a hand across the party she states, "But I'm sure that won't be the case with you all! If you're ready to begin, please come in and take a seat and be at ease."
Kraath and Ghyrryn will move in, but they are not at ease.
Moving to the seat nervously Valeria took on and waited to hear what the sphinx's riddle to them would be.
Once everyone is in the room she waits for them to be seated. If they refuse to sit she informs them they may not participate in the riddle. Once everyone has decided, she begins ”A boy was at a carnival and went to a booth where a man said to the boy, ‘If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you 50 copper pieces.’ The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agrees, thinking no matter what the carny writes he'll just say he weighs more or less. In the end the boy ended up paying the man 50 copper pieces.”
Looking at those seated, she asks ”What did the boy weigh?”
Keydas takes his seat and listens to the Sphinx's riddle. He pauses, thinking a moment, processing the words in his mind.
Valeria considered the riddle carefully knowing that her life was on the line. She didn't want to get this wrong but it seemed everyone else was having as much trouble as she was with the riddle. Finally she thought she hit on something, riddles often had a simple answer that was obscured by misdirection, lots of information that had nothing to really do with the answer and usually the answer was stated in an obvious way that you had to really work to grasp through all of the muck. She knew the answer couldn't be a weight, the kid would only lie even if it was right, and the money had nothing to do with it she was certain. Then it hit her, the man said what he was going to write and that was the answer.
Rising Valeria moved to stand before the sphinx bravely putting herself between her team mates and the striking creature. "The man didn't give the boy's weight in numbers or words, what he wrote instead was," she gave a nervous smile as she hoped she was right on this, "Your exact weight."
Ghyrryn was nervous, such mindteasers weren't his strong suit. As Valeria spoke, he softened a bit. The answer was obviously correct, though they didn't know how their judge thought.
Still, he tensed to leap forward and strike if the sphinx did not approve of their answer.
PERCEPTION
Only +7 when further than 10 feet from a fallen ally)
INITIATIVE
WILL SAVES
Only +4 vs bardic performance, language-dependent, and sonic effects
FORT SAVES
REFLEX SAVES
"Oh, you guessed it! You ruined my riddling! I shall have to eat you now!" With those "completely unexpected" words, the creature sprang to its feet, wings unfurling in the small room and sharp talons extending from her paws.
R22: snotra, ghyrryn, keydas, valeria, creature
Ghyrryn and Kraath step forward to strike the duplicitous creature.
Keydas's mouth drops open in surprise as the sphinx lunges for them. How very rude. I thought if we answered the riddle, we got to go on. This is quite annoying. He stands from his chair and shouts, "Focus our attacks on it! We will have to slay the traitorous beast!"
"Hey! I answered your riddle Madame Jespeth, I was even going to try for a kiss before we moved on." She gave the creature a look of sympathy and said, "I would rather be your friend and try to get you out of here than fight you." Her expression turned sad then, "Seems like that isn't going to happen now." Valeria stepped back a few feet with a sad and hurt expression on her face.
Seeing no option Veleria grabbed a bone from the pile, wrapped it in strands of aether, and sent it slamming it into the sphinx.
Snotra's mouth joined Keydas's on the floor in awe. This hadn't been the first time Valeria had surprised them, but it was one of the best times yet.
"Well done Val-" But before she could finish her compliment she was startled at the creatures uncouth outburst, Nod hissing in surprise and pulling back five feet behind Kraath.
Acting on instinct, the witches hands intertwined in an ornate arcane manner and flew to her lips, templed pointer fingers pressed firmly to them. With what sounded to everyone else a brief hushing noise escaping Snotra's lips, sounded much deeper and lasting longer to the winged beast as her magics attempted to lull jespeth to sleep.
"Shhh!"
Ghyrryn and Kraath savaged the young creature, making her stagger from her injuries, coincidentally lurching out of the path of the bone that Valeria flung at her. The damage was too much for her to concentrate on defending her mind as Snotra's slumber hex battered down her defenses and she crashed to the ground, snoring softly.
Round 23 ends 7/2 11 pm EDT
Relieved the creature was down for a time Kleora gestured towards the switch and then moved to it. She pointed at the door to move on as she looked at her team and waited until they were in position to go through quickly before she pressed the switch.
Taking care not to wake the sphinx, Keydas moves to the desk and begins looking through it, trying to see if there was anything in it or on it. He points at the chest in the corner near the door as he does so, in case it holds something useful.
As far as Keydas can tell, the desk is mere ornament, as there is nothing in any of its drawers.
The chest is unlocked.
Inside the chest is a belt lined with fur from some small creature.
Ghyrryn seems confused that people are ignoring the creature that was going to eat them. While it's asleep, it will wake up and they may need to return this way.