"I do not believe my tribe has ever had a Shaman capable of changing the weather."
Having investigated this room, caused some sort of weather control to occur, and allowed Groomahk to destroy the speakers from which the voice of the metal men came from, Rikal leaves this room and wanders his way down the hall to the door Karek is opening.
Omc Groomahk is finished saving his war-band from the dreaded speakers, he rushed off to assist Rikal and Karek. They chills bring much glorious battle to feed his ax and stir his loins!
Chotka gave the room another quick search to ensure there were no hidden enemies, or powerful weapons abandoned there, then followed his companions.
Chotka gave the room another quick search to ensure there were no hidden enemies, or powerful weapons abandoned there, then followed his companions.
Chotka's search revealed nothing, though he was quite sure Groomahk slew the talking metal. The sworn band pressed on to the next set of doors, which did not do the bidding of their card and remained shut.
After a good deal of snarling and chest thumping, Chotka stood back from the door to allow his orc companion some room to unleash his fury.
Groomahk bares his tusks to his chief, showing his strength.
veS-ra'wI'! wej Dachugh Qap baS loD against groomahk DeS HoS!
He grips both sides of the metal slabs and heaves, ripping the doors apart.
War-leader! The works of the metal men shall not stand against the strength of Groomahk's arms!
Groomahk bares his tusks to his chief, showing his strength.
veS-ra'wI'! wej Dachugh Qap baS loD against groomahk DeS HoS!
He grips both sides of the metal slabs and heaves, ripping the doors apart.
Groomahk's mighty thews could not throw the doors open!
Groomahk steps back snarling at the door.
Groomahk steps back snarling at the door.
Groomahk gestures at the other door and snarls
Chotka nodded and attempted to open it.
Words failing him on his anger, Groomahk descends on the door and tries to force it open as well.
Rikal kept an eye out to see if Groomahk's snarls and attacks on the doors were drawing any enemies to them.
The door opened to Groomahk's tender ministrations, falling in with a satisfying crash. Beyond lay a large metal cave. A table and odd-looking chairs stood in its center. To one side, there was no wall. Instead, the valley where they battled the skeletons spread out before the Sworn Band. Dozens of crude images of a pickaxe of skulls and bones were painted on the other walls in something white. With them were something that looked like runes, but of a strange sort.
A four-armed skeleton lay on the floor, sprawled out facing the not-wall. It did not move.
Noticing the runes, Rikal casts detect magic to determine if they are magical.
Noticing the runes, Rikal casts detect magic to determine if they are magical.
Rikal recognized similarities with the holy sign from before, but these depictions were all badly off. They looked like they might be the work of someone who had seen such an icon once, long ago, or heard a description of one and tried to make their own.
He sensed no sorcery about the chamber, but as he searched it his eyes fell upon a card sitting on the table. It was just as the brown one that had opened the doors before, only black.
Cautiously stepping into the room, Rikal keeps a careful eye on the four-armed skeleton as he moves forward to take the black card from the table.
Chotka followed, and casually shattered the skeleton's ribcage with his orc skull ram. "What? They attacked us before... Just making sure." After slaying the inanimate skeleton, Chotka moved up beside Rikal. "Why is this card black? The doors open to brown. Perhaps something else opens to black? Or perhaps it is a warning. Do your visions tell you more?"
Chotka followed, and casually shattered the skeleton's ribcage with his orc skull ram. "What? They attacked us before... Just making sure." After slaying the inanimate skeleton, Chotka moved up beside Rikal. "Why is this card black? The doors open to brown. Perhaps something else opens to black? Or perhaps it is a warning. Do your visions tell you more?"
The skeleton did not stir when Rikal passed, or even when Chotka smashed its ribs.
"The door Groomahk tried to break down did not open with the brown card. Perhaps it will open to this black one."
"Let's try it then. I'm growing impatient that our enemies hide behind this maze of metal."
The Sworn Band tried the door again, this time with the black card. It opened at the swipe of the strange thing, revealing a long corridor of metal that bent off to either side. To the left, it ended in a tumble of rocks and debris. To the right it reached out of sight. Just across its width stood another pair of doors.
Rikal looks at the debris and says, "I do not think we can travel that way. Which door should we try first?"
"Let's try this one here. If we can't get through, we can check where that hall leads."
The sworn band passed through a short corridor and another pair of doors, coming to a brightly lit chamber. A large metal desk with blinking lights and strange glowing panels sat atop a raised area on the far end of the room, near to a round table. Two couches of a black material stood nearer, wrapped around a pair of metal pillars, alike in hue. Splatters of dried blood stained the floor and walls near to the northern doors, while here and there rust-red mold and fungus clung to the southern wall. Bright panels lit the chamber.
[dice=Knowledge] 1d20 + 6;
Karek can't quite place the fungus or mold.
Chotka moved swiftly towards the northern doors and crouched down to examine the blood splatters.
"Struggle. Good. Our kin did not go willingly." Pointing at the metal desk, he added, "More weather magic you think? We should test to be sure. Maybe it tells more secrets like brown and black cards."
After a moment, Chotka cautiously approached the desk as he had before and touched one of the glowing panels, this time remaining standing to observe the effects.
Chotka moved swiftly towards the northern doors and crouched down to examine the blood splatters.
"Struggle. Good. Our kin did not go willingly." Pointing at the metal desk, he added, "More weather magic you think? We should test to be sure. Maybe it tells more secrets like brown and black cards."
After a moment, Chotka cautiously approached the desk as he had before and touched one of the glowing panels, this time remaining standing to observe the effects.
Most of the panels did nothing at all. One flashed and blinked with no clear pattern, crazy colors spreading across and blowing away like sand in the wind. Once in a while an image of a four-armed lizard-man appeared for fleeting moments. Something that may have been runes appeared almost as often, never the same set twice.
Rikal watches as images appeared in the air above the desk. Shaking his head, he says, [b]"I see nothing of use here. The runes look to be confused, without words or order. This...light covered desk may no longer be working.
Chotka nodded. "This is good. If their magics are weakening, then perhaps they are no longer as strong as my tribe's most powerful shaman. If they were, we would certainly die."
Chotka accentuated his point by beating the haft of his axe against his chest.
Groomahk laughs and pounds his chest.
veS ra'wI'! qa' baS-loD puj 'ej mach! chaH crush maH bIngvo' DaS!
He looks around for something to smash and kill.
War leader! The spirits of the metal-men are weak and small! We will crush them beneath our boots!
Chotka led back to the blood spattered northern doors and attempted to open them with the black card.
The doors opened easily, showing tat the bloodstains continued along the walls and floor. Scorch marks and smears of ash showed further signs of some fairly recent altercation. Four tangled mounds of metal lie farther in, surrounded by strangely colored stains.
Groomahk stomps into the area, ax in hand. He glares at the walls and twisted heaps of metal men as though they will come to life and attack at any moment.
Chotka moved beside Groomahk and inspected the destroyed metal.
** spoiler omitted **
Chotka moved beside Groomahk and inspected the destroyed metal.
The twisted metal was clearly the remains of metal men, slain well. They bore the marks of arms, and also burns that could have come from fire...or the Dark Arts.
Rikal moves in with them and inspects the metal men before examining the strange colored stains around them.
Rikal moves in with them and inspects the metal men before examining the strange colored stains around them.
[dice=Survival]1d20+5
Rikal doesn't think so.
With less else to occupy them in the corridor, the Sworn Band press on. At its far end stand a pair of doors. The first slid open to show a another corridor and still more shut doors. The second opened into a room.
A long table held various unusual stones and containers of what seemed to be dirt, running down one wall. Against another ran a line of metal desks with glowing panels and buttons, next a large device that emitted a steady hum like a metal bee. At its heart flickered a ball of russet mud. Dust covered much of the room, save a clean swath between the doors that led straight to the device. A swollen bulk wrinkled like a man's brain sat near the device, wide, flat mushrooms growing from its side and thick tendrils spreading from its bottom. A mouth, almost as wide as the mass, split its crown.
The door had no sooner opened than the Sworn Band all began to see strange visions at the corners of their eyes. Fragments of their memories danced at the edge of seeing, all flashes and half-moments that constantly threatened to fill their whole gaze and wash away the room.
"Where am I? Who are you? What is this place?" An earnest voice spoke in words that the Sworn Band all felt as much as heard. Even as they were spoken, the chamber remained silent but for the hum of the machine.
"Who are you and where have the metal men taken my kin?" Chotka roared back to the strange thing.
Rikal stares at the thing, unsure what it is. He tries shaking his head to clear the visions, but he accomplishes nothing. "There is black magic at work in this room."
Karek
Karek [dice=Knowledge(Nature)] 1d20 + 6;
Karek thinks this creature might be a Rotbrain, a thinking plant. Such things are unknown except in unnatural places tainted by the Dark Arts. He believes it likely a horror from beyond the stars. The sound of thunder may harm such a thing.
"Who are you and where have the metal men taken my kin?" Chotka roared back to the strange thing.
"I don't know. I've never been outside. There were creatures like you, but creatures not like you dragged them through here. They left a delicious red food on the floor. Do you have any more of that?" the voice asked, innocent.
"Uh... no. But we might be able to find some for you. Which way did they go?" Chotka asked, confused.
Karek yells a warning as he moves forward to attack. "Beware! This thing seeks to eat us."
"Use the weapons of sound." He adds.
"Uh... no. But we might be able to find some for you. Which way did they go?" Chotka asked, confused.
"They went through that other d-"
Karek yells a warning as he moves forward to attack. "Beware! This thing seeks to eat us."
"Use the weapons of sound." He adds.
Karek's cast began well, but a flood of half-memories suddenly flowed over his vision at a critical moment and his javelin fell short. The same storm of images afflicted the rest of the Sworn Band, save for Groomahk.
"That was very mean!"
First off, it's got a distracting aura. Will DC 16 to avoid a -2 to attacks.
Groo is too dim-witted to be distracted. :)