Tot takes one look at the metal monstrosities and gulps.
"I hope they don't eat. They could swallow me whole."
"These tophets will try to eat you, imprisoning you in their iron bodies, watch out!"
Yasmin almost feels bad for confirming Tot's fears.
Tophet? Didi you make up that name on the spot, dear? Never heard of them, but we learn everyday till our last.
Tot groans and tries not to let her voice get much higher.
"Did you have to tell me that?!"
Rallos ducks the worst of the steel construct's attacks... skipping to the side as his rapier gouges a brutal score into the flanks of his attacker. Murassa is far less fortunate, maybe still feeling the effects of his suspension in time, he finds himself battered... and, worse still, caught within the Tophet's jaws...
Ea rushes to the defense of Murassa
Titania, he'll need your help now, use your sword and don't pull your blows
"It's not polite to eat your guests. Hospitality these days." As soon as the tophet tries to grab Murassa, he feels magics attempting to extract him from the iron creature's grasp.
As is often the case, Yasmin's first action is to speed up everyone's movements!
Ea rushes forwards with her weapon swinging - the heavy spiked ball crashing into metal and leaving the vaguest hint of a dent - whilst, straining and pulling at the tophet's jaws, Murassa tries to pull himself clear... but to no avail, and even now he can feel himself being dragged into statue's throat...
Rallos presses his attack.
Well, if i get swallowed, i'll give it a hell of a stomachache!
Tot takes in a deep breath and steels herself before charging in and looking to slice the Tophet trying to eat Murassa.
"Don't get swallowed! I don't want to hurt you trying to cut you out!" She tells Rallos as she rushes past him.
Then it's time for the hacking to begin.
There is a tremendous noise of metal upon metal as the fight echoes across the walls and floor of the chamber... Rallos landing several blows before he finds himself scooped up and caught within the maw of the tophet - whilst Titania, bitten opportunistically as she strides in to help Murassa, is too slow to stop Murassa from disappearing into the cavernous belly of his attacker - and can only watch as the maw closes shut.
in a flurry of blows, Ea tries to free Murassa
Rallos tries to wiggle free of the tophet.
Tot sets her stance and snarls at overgrown stove.
"Best be spittin' him out, tubby," she growls just before she moves into a blur of steel.
"Damn it, sorry Murassa!" Yasmin is definitely disappointed that she couldn't break her friend free. "We're really glad to have you back!"
Seeing Rallos in peril, Yasmin hopes to have better luck aiding her dextrous friend.
She then blasts the enemy with ice, hoping to break Murassa free (if Tot's impressive assault doesn't do it first).
Between the rage inside its steel belly and the hellknight fury outside of it, the tophet carrying Murassa lasts mere seconds before its rotund stomach is cleaved open... Whilst Rallos falls deep into the stomach into the other statue - even as it is wreathed in ice...
Rallos tries to wrighle free again, feeling the boost of Yasmin's magicks.
Tot smoothly moves from attacking one of the rotund, fire-spewing monsters to the other with a fluid step that is more like a dancer's movement than that of a brutally efficient fighter.
The illusion is only momentary, shattered as Tot once again becomes a whirling specter of destruction.
As Rallos wriggles free of his captor, prying open the jaws of tophet from the inside before pulling himself clear... Moments before Titania drives her blade deep into the stomach of the statue - and stopping its perverse animation forever...
Whilst the group recove, the doors to the east swing open to reveal the strangest of vistas. Beyond the entrance hall is a ledge overlooking a huge and strikingly beautiful natural cavern. Steep steps descend from the ledge to the cavern oor. Covering the floor is a sprawling garden of weird blossoms, towering fungi, and alien-looking plants whose bulbs and pods sway in the still air.
A short distance away, the Emerald Spire pierces the center of the cavern. Paths lead east and west from the foot of the stairs through the foliage. The whole cavern is illuminated by a mysterious radiance that shines from the crystals embedded in the ceiling extremely high above. In the wall at the east end of the ledge stands a set of stone double doors decorated with reliefs of serene faces.
Tot drops her sword and grabs Murassa by the front of his tunic. A crazed look in her eyes.
"You have no idea!" she hisses before looking about a little scared.
"The time we lost nine months was the worst. I was floating in... I dunno! I couldn't feel solid ground and just kept tumbling around like a leaf at the mercy of the wind."
Seeing the lush paradise, Tot shakes her head.
"I don't trust it! There's gotta be some kind of trap or beasty waiting to munch on us in there," she says, backing into Murassa and almost knocking them both over.
Could this place get any crazier? It's almost enough to make a man retire....almost... the tiefling muses as he binds his wounds.
"Definitely hard to trust a place with the seal of the undead and statues that try to eat you! Though if you believe the automatons above us, we are witnessing the Pleasure Gardens. Here, I can help you with your wounds . . . it'll just take a few minutes." Yasmin takes out a familiar wand of Infernal Healing. She starts to use it unless someone objects to receiving such healing.
In between applying healing, Yasmin looks for hidden magical auras that might give further clues about what they were seeing and where to go next.
Ea watches out, and traces the spiral of Pharasma in front of her eyes, an old and simple spell she hasn't used recently
|
Murassa quickly backed up from the half-crazed woman with a worried look. "Uh, maybe we should take a break?" he said cautiously as he glanced at the others. Nodding in thanks as Yasmin dispensed some much needed healing, he looked back towards Titania. "I'm...sure this place won't be...as bad?" He awkwardly placed his hand on her shoulder plate to try and calm her down.
Whilst the friends relax momentarily - allowing Yasmin's healing to run its course - Ea's eyes grey over briefly... looking outwards over the strange gardens and its overgrown foliage, she sees life... radiant glorious life in all of its wonder... and then, turning towards the doors to the east, she sees yet more tangled strings of fate - leading into and from whatever is behind the grand entrance.
Tot sighs and calms down somewhat.
"I've been a little too high strung, haven't I? Sorry. It's just..." She slumps as the infernal energies heal her, and a... queasiness? No, that wasn't right, but something along those lines comes over her.
Great, another weird magic thing for me to worry about.
"The fight before you disappeared brought back some really bad memories for me. Then when you just vanished, I kinda lost it. I guess you can feel better knowing that even devils have nightmares." Her tone isn't heated or spiteful, just melancholy, and her sapphire eyes are dark as she stares off into the cavern for a long moment.
"I guess I'll go first. That should scare up anything waiting in ambush." She hefts the sword onto her shoulder and starts making her way towards whatever exit the others point her to.
Seeing Murassa awkwardly comforting Titania causes a smirk to appear on Yasmin's face.
"Hey, Murassa, is that the real you?" Yasmin pokes Murassa playfully as if testing his substance. "Glad to see you finally warming up to our Hellknight. Still the bravest of us all despite her demons. Let's try those doors to the East first."
Yasmin uses a Wand of Heightened Awareness on herself. (49 charges remain). If initiative is rolled, she will expend the spell for a +4 bonus.
This small theatre is painstakingly hewn from the stubborn rock. Below the wide stage against the east wall, a rusty grate covers an orchestra pit, before which rotted chairs face the stage in crooked rows. To the north, a short flight of steps leads up to the stage, and to the south, another set of steps descends to the orchestra pit.
...it is through the orchestra pit that Ea's strands of fate trail.
As Yasmin came near, he whispered, "Please get her off of me." When the Hellknight finally let go, he couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips. "Let's just see what this place wants of us. I just don't want to be eaten again. That was unpleasant."
"You mean you don't like having a woman all over you? Murassa, I'm surprised to learn you're so uninterested!" Yasmin seems to be having much too much fun with the new Titania-Murassa vibe.
As they enter the stage, Yasmin is tempted to try out a few tales from the harem. "I think I would've enjoyed doing theater. Tonight! A tale of glorious redemption!" Yasmin strikes a pose of exaggerated importance as she speaks.
This looks out of place...a theater in an underground cavern? Odd...like every other thing down here. So I suppose it fits. Oh well... the tiefling muses as he looks around.
Oblivious to Murassa's attempts to put someone between himself and her, Tot continues making her way into the room and notes the grate with some concern. She keeps an eye out for fey in the underbrush. It'd be her luck to wind up in some embarrassing spot because of them.
A bit scared of our swordmaiden? She seems to have a liking for you... Rallos jests as he playfully elbows Murassa in the ribs.
I am sure she likes you....we can't be out investigating caverns our whole lives, you know... as the tiefling has a cheeky smirk on his face.
Keep quiet, boys.
Ea sounds like a strict school mistress
"Let's check out the orchestra pit," concludes Yasmin, as Ea gets the group back into focus.
The orchestra pit fills most of the space under the stage, and its floor lies 10 feet below the stage - a grate covering the space between the stage and the chamber floor is made of rusted iron... and its from somewhere beneath this grate that Rallos sees some movement. He has little chance to explore this further before a tiny humanoid creature, dressed somewhat like a troubadour and with unfurling leathery windows, puffs into existence.
Smiling, he bows to his 'audience' "Why, I have guests!" it exclaims "May I perform for you, my dears?"
"Do you know 'Abrogail's Gilded Girdle'?" The question slips out before Tot can bite her tongue.