Jakun still "protected from Evil" opens this set of doors with a deep breath and a snort.
With her knuckles in bits, and plastered with sweat from smashing another set of statues, Caitlyn stands next to Jackun - ready for whatever horrors lurk behind the door.
The doors swung wide at Jakun's touch. Beyond he found a chamber beneath a shattered dome. Huge slabs of marble lay scattered about, half-melted. Above lay a vault of uneven rock. In the chamber's center, three metallic objects shone brightly next to a human skull. From the distance, and given the poor light, it was hard to say what they were.
[b] Paladine, be with us! [/n] she invokes,
Caitlyn take a sharp breath, clutching her hammer before asking Jackun, "What happened here? Did the art do that?"
Caitlyn take a sharp breath, clutching her hammer before asking Jackun, "What happened here? Did the art do that?"
Jakun shrugs, "The takes I've read are that a magical explosion smashed this place during the Dwarfgate Wars. Perhaps whatever that was did this damage and killed that fellow who is bu a skull now.
Hold here, let us see if magic allows us to claim what it is that shines".
Jakun attempts to use Mage Hand to bring the closest of the three shining objects across the room.
Jakun shrugs, "The takes I've read are that a magical explosion smashed this place during the Dwarfgate Wars. Perhaps whatever that was did this damage and killed that fellow who is bu a skull now.
Hold here, let us see if magic allows us to claim what it is that shines".
Jakun attempts to use Mage Hand to bring the closest of the three shining objects across the room.
The shiny object rose up and drifted over to Jakun's waiting hand. It was a silver circlet or just the sort he thought likely granted control over the skeletal warriors that the Companions dispatched some time ago.
"Hmmm, well, it would have been difficult to retrieve this in time to not have to dispatch them eh? Let's see what else lies there".
Jakun again uses Mage Hand to levitate the next object to his hands.
She continues her prayer to the Platinum Dragon.
"Hmmm, well, it would have been difficult to retrieve this in time to not have to dispatch them eh? Let's see what else lies there".
Jakun again uses Mage Hand to levitate the next object to his hands.
Jakun brought himself another circlet like the last. Then a third.
"Damn...
I suppose we will have to explore this room more thoroughly".
Caitlyn sighed and scanned the room suspiciously.
She stared to move forwards before stopping to ask, "Is there anything we should know? For example if the floor in front of me was enchanted..."
Jakun nods and checks the room for Magic.
Caitlyn sighed and scanned the room suspiciously.
[dice=Perception]1d20+12She stared to move forwards before stopping to ask, "Is there anything we should know? For example if the floor in front of me was enchanted..."
Caitlyn saw no more than at first appeared: tumbledown marble slabs, the skull, doors in the dstance, and the room's walls.
Jakun's divination showed a strong aura of necromancy about the bones ahead and a fading one about the circlets. Nothing else shone to his magic, all the way to the doors at the chamber's far end.
"The skull is Necromantic, let us ware it around round the room to the far doors".
Caitlyn gives it a most distrustful look, grits her teeth before edging along the wall like a crab to try and get past...
The Companions edged around the chamber. Keeping to its walls and as far from the skull as they could. It availed them not, as they no more than got halfway through before the skull rose. Dust swirled around it in the vague shape of a black robed man. Its glinting eyes followed their movements, but it did not strike.
Sweating despite Skullcap's dank cold, Caitlyn muttered, "I hate this place so much! I think I'm going to have nightmares."
She examined the door on the other side before trying to open it.
Perhaps the light of the Platinum Dragon could cleanse this place. she says
Perhaps the light of the Platinum Dragon could cleanse this place. she says
Sweating despite Skullcap's dank cold, Caitlyn muttered, "I hate this place so much! I think I'm going to have nightmares."
She examined the door on the other side before trying to open it.
[dice=Perception]1d20+12
The door appeared much the same as others in Skullcap to Caitlyn, heavy stone marked by old flame but otherwise unremarkable.
Jakun looks at the door to determine if it can be opened and if it can, he opens it.
He turns to the Revered Daughter, "With that black robe swirling these may be the remains of the evil wizard Fistandantilus, I am not sure I wish to combat even his remains in this place".
Mittens is certain that the skull and dust are undead...and overwhelmingly powerful!
It appears his evil continues after his death she says.
Noting how close Marie's hand was to her holy symbol, Caitlyn leant in close to whisper, "Best leave it well alone! Lets get out of here."
She then opens the door.
Noting how close Marie's hand was to her holy symbol, Caitlyn leant in close to whisper, "Best leave it well alone! Lets get out of here."
She then opens the door.
Caitlyn opened the door. Beyond lay a large chamber. Though it itself was lost in Skullcap's usual chill murk, brilliant white light streamed in through archways to the east and west. Directly opposite her, a pair of huge iron doors stood closed.
Looking either way from the junction, the Companions could see glittering treasure piled high on the floor. To the east, a map case bearing a hammer motif was prominent among the prizes. To the west, the most visible treasure among the many was a shining dwarven helm adorned with large gems.
Jakun will step through the portal and once more detect magic on the items within his line of sight.
Jakun will step through the portal and once more detect magic on the items within his line of sight.
Jakun detects moderate conjuration about the arches to either side.
"Pause. These arches are magical, we may wish to smash them before we proceed".
Caitlin's fists and feet were still cracked and bleeding from all the statues she'd smashed. She glanced at Jackun, "Please tell me I can use the hammer this time?!"
Using wyrmslayer to demolish the arches would hurt her hands no end, but at least it would be quick, she could put a lot of force behind the weapon's sharp spike. Once everyone was ready she set about turning both sides of the arches to rubble! Sweat and sparks flew as she used Wyrmslayer like a pickaxe.
Caitlyn smashed and smashed in the cold dark beneath Skullcap. It was slow, tedious work hammering into stone walls cut from hard rock and burned by arcane fires. After an hour she had only broken free about a foot of the archway's frame. The magic within remained undisturbed, per Jakun's divinations.
The Deathless One remains so even in this time and age. We need to by pass these evil locales and find the path. The refugees are depending on us. I feel like we have been done here for years the Revered Daughter states.
Plastered with sweat and hands ringing from the repeated strikes, Caitlyn panted, "This seems futile! Jackun what do you suggest?!"
Jakun snorts in frustration, "This damned place is so steeped in magical traps it boggles even my mind. I suppose we've no choice but to cross the threshold.
I will do so first..."
Jakun takes a deep breath and passes through.
Jakun snorts in frustration, "This damned place is so steeped in magical traps it boggles even my mind. I suppose we've no choice but to cross the threshold.
I will do so first..."
Jakun takes a deep breath and passes through.
Jakun stepped into the arch and vanished.
Jakun felt magic grip him and he flickered through a chill, silvery void that gave way to a lightless chamber somewhere that the melted, black walls told him was still within skullcap. He stood inside the remains of a prison cell, one of many that lined the walls. Skeletons lay on the floors of most of the cells, sometimes several in a heal. He shared his own with two. Its door lay folded in half, as if it had melted and bent under its own weight and then cooled that way. He might have to squeeze just a little to pass the door, but it presented no real obstacle. Beyond it, on the far wall, stood an archway identical to the one he'd stepped through.
He slips through and approaches the new archway to step through...
Turning to Mariel, looking surprised, Caitlyn asked [b]"What just happened?!"[/ooc]
Turning to Mariel, looking surprised, Caitlyn asked [b]"What just happened?!"[/ooc]
Mittens found nothing had changed about the archway save that Jakun was gone. Then an instant later Jakun reappeared, standing just inches from him.
Jakun growls, "Well, that was not very enlightening".
He turns around and peers into the room, "I believe we need to get in here. Maybe there is a clue as to a word to nullify the teleport trap..."
The revered daughter will cast guidance on the party asking Paladine to aid their efforts.
I am not sure Caitlyn. Perhaps something arcane? she replies to her friend.