As Aidan and Kazushi proceed down the east passage the entire party is on the lookout for anything potentially harmful.
Aidan puts out a hand stopping the party in their tracks. He points to an oddly shaped glyph on the wall. The intrepid adventures know it is some sort of trap.
"It was obvious they won't rely on the gates alone," sighs Aidan. "It's probably magic. Does anybody know how to deal with those things? If not, I suggest we move outside and I try to do the same thing I did with the door."
"Lagun could set it off, but... " Tio shakes his head. "No, I haven't any idea to bypass it otherwise.
"I have an idea. Come back. it looks very like a trap, I am going to try to set it off from a distance. While speaking, Kazushi leads the group about 20 feet back from the glyph, gathering a couple of stones on the way. She then fires them at the glyph with her Might of the Mind Bloodline Power and waits to observe the results.
Picking up a large stone, Kazushi throws the stone towards an adjacent square to the glyph. Landing with a large '', the Shrieking Alarm trap begins to bray with an ear-splitting noise.
The trap sprung, the Caravan guards are now free to move further into the mine should they wish to.
Kenax hisses at the noise. "Hsss.... this is not pleasant. It will also attract attention. We should make haste." He covers his ear-holes against the pressure of the noise in the cave.
"This was not the idea." exclaims Kazushi, loud enough to be heard over the noise. "This way? Seems as good as any." Kazushi suggests, pointing to the passage to the left leading to the area labelled 2 on the map.
"Yeah," Aidan shouts loud enough. "As good as any."
Aidan steps inside the left room, taking a look around.
As the caravan guards explore deeper into the mine, they come into a wide chamber.
This large chamber shows signs of habitation,though the furnishings are crude at best.
Two of the antlered creatures, hanoshafyr as the local call them, seem to be standing on guard duty. They turn to look at the group, as if scanning for something.
They eyes go wide as they grip their clubs and advance in a threatening manner.
"You lot again!" exclaims Kazushi, moving forward and casting a colour spray on the two Hanoshafyr.
The closes hanoshafyr falls to the floor, unconscious, blinded, and stunned for rounds, while the other hanoshafyr just grips its club tighter, waiting for the opportunity to club the intruders.
"Lagun, to arms!" Tio says as he raises his arm towards the conscious hanoshafyr, even as Lagun materializes, shooting forth from Tio with his fist extended.
Advancing towards the closest enemy, the blue hanoshafyr tries to club and gore Lagun.
Lagun blocks the Hanoshafyr's blows with his shimmery fists, and retaliates, swinging said shimmery fists almost haphazardly toward the strange creature.
Tio calls after his friend after its potentially vicious blow, "Good, now another! "
Lagun once more raises a scintillating fist to one of the guards.
Aidan focuses on the hanoshafyr and quickly releases two long blades, going for damage and not accuracy.
Kazushi fires one of the stones she previously gathered at the hanoshafyr.
The caravan guards team up and utterly kill the remaining hanoshafyr.
Kazushi searches the room and looks for any other exits, saying:-
"Somebody should coup de grace the fallen hanoshafyr. We can't really leave foes alive behind us to fight again in this situation."
"What do we have here?" says Aidan finishing the fallen enemy. "The Duarrans have those hanoshafyrs as guards, it would seem."
He then joins Kazushi in her search.
Kazushi searches the room and looks for any other exits, saying:-
Unfortunately, the Sorcerer doesn't find anything of value.
Moving southward, the caravan guards find A strange cylinder of hewn phrenoric ore lies in a pool of water here. Thick footprints surround it, but there is no sign of the creatures that may have left the tracks.
All the caravan guards save Kenax can tell that the column is hollow, though not empty.
Kazushi collects the club of one of the fallen hanoshafyr and uses it to tap the column, trying to establish how much phrenoric ore there is and how much hollow space. She then has a good look at the footprints to see if they seem to be left by hanoshafyr, humans or what, while asking:-
"How much is this phrenoric ore worth?"
"How much is this phrenoric ore worth?"
Kazushi collects the club of one of the fallen hanoshafyr and uses it to tap the column, trying to establish how much phrenoric ore there is and how much hollow space. She then has a good look at the footprints to see if they seem to be left by hanoshafyr, humans or what, while asking:-
The short fight concluded, Lagun once more dissipates, blowing away into nothing, with a wave.
"I haven't the foggiest; I'm not much of a trader. What worries me more is what they might be using this for. With all these footprints around, I can't imagine they're trying to move it much; it must have some sort of purpose."
(Sorry, have been getting murdered at work. Year end stuff. Putting in extra hours like crazy.)
Kenax was fazed by the noise still, having not wanted to go deeper into the cave. Upon arriving, he hears Kazushi asking her question. "This one would think it is worth much, but knows nothing of mined rocks. It supports a town." He is somewhat able to follow tracks hopefully, having been worthless in the fight.
"No idea," Aidan shrugs and looks for any footprints to no avail.
Examining the tracks, the caravan guards can recognize hanoshafyr beastial footprints near the cylinder.
"Hanoshafyr prints. " Kazushi observes "Onward and forward I presume." Kazushi moves back to her position in the group's move order as they continue towards the next chamber.
"Staying where we are doesn't appear to be doing us much good. Onward," Tio says, holding the lantern ahead of him as the others, assumedly, fall in behind him.
"All right then," Aidan ventures forth.
The caravan guards leave the ore cylinder and press further into the mine.
A wall of ectoplasm blocks any further progress into the mines. Waves of green slime are pressed against the ectoplasm, blocking further sight into the mines. A series of phrenoric ore columns stand guard in rows, with the encroaching slime seeming to slowly reach out, threatening to engulf them. To the northwest, a crude nest has been made out of straw, while a small desk and chair sit nearby with some scattered papers laying upon the surface of the desk. Just as you finish taking in the room, three of the antelope-headed creatures attack.
Aidan steps inside, throwing two daggers at the middle creature. "More of them!"
Tio takes a step forward, once more raising his hand to direct his friend.
Aidan's fierce attack is more than enough to drop the hanoshafyr while Tio and Lagun fail to score a hit on the hanoshafyr.
Standing dangerously close to the reverberating slime, Lagun doesn't show any outward signs of distress, yet.
The first hanoshafyr attacks Lagun.
While the other hanoshafyr moves to avenge his vanquished companion.
The first beast's club hits the astral constructs but all their other attack miss wide of the mark.
Kazushi moves forwards so she has a clear view of the hanoshafyr in combat with Lagun, using her mystical power to send a stone unerringly towards its target.
Lagun rears back after he's struck, losing chunks of Aetheric "flesh" before bearing back down upon his foe, striking hard for his size, Tio urging him on to a second blow from the sidelines.
Aidan continues with his attack and launches his heavier blades into the creature in front of him but misses wildly because of how sudden the enemy closed the distance.
Kenax draws his bow, then draws it back to loose an arrow at the nearer creature, , hoping to get it off Aidan in rather quick form.
The arrow lands, but with less effect than might be desired.
Fighting for their lives, Kazushi uses the power of her mind to fling a stone at the hanoshafyr. The stone crushes into its kneecap, causing the creature to hobble around the battlefield.
Lagun then steps forward and slams his fist into the beast causing it to momentarily loses its balance before righting itself. Blood begins to stream out of its nose as it wobbles.
Adian sends forth his blades all missing wildly in the fray.
Kenax is able to use the opening to embed a feather shaft into the hanoshafyr's shoulder.
First the hanoshafyr strikes out at Lagun, while the hanoshafyr tries to bring down the soulknife Aidan.
Kazushi, encouraged by her earlier success, again uses Might of the Mind against the hanoshafyr in combat with Lagun.
Aidan waves his hand at the hanoshafyr in front of him, launching two daggers into the enemy.
Though Kazushi's rock flies wide of its mark, Aidan's daggers thud in home to the hanoshafyr's chest with a 'THWACK'. The hanoshafyr falls in a pool of its own blood, dying.
Kenax steps forward and fires an arrow at the red hanoshafyr.
Lagun once more slams his fist into the beast, if Kenax hasn't already taken it out. Tio, if necessary, directs a second blow from his Aetheric friend.
Kenax's arrow is enough to down the last of the hanoshafyr. It slumps to the ground, lifeless.
As the caravan guards enter the room and approach the stanchions, Tio and Kazushi suddenly are overcome with a wave of nausea. You are now sickened. Try as you might, you cannot escape the sound of a faint buzzing sound from behind the ectoplasmic wall.
You know the only way for the stanchions to work properly is to place a psionic individual in them.
Searching the area, the guards find a repletion goblet and a journal.
Slot —; Price 6,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
This goblet is formed from a basalt-like stone permeated with veins of violet crystal. The bearer can expend 1 PP (or one use per day of a Psi-like ability) in order to sustain his body without the need for food or drink. The repletion goblet can be used by any number creatures per day, though each creature must provide its own PPs.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, sustenance;
Cost 3,000 gp
The journal is written by Horik Duarran, . It details his need for capturing psionically gifted individuals because the stanchions are failing faster than previously expected and new sacrifices will be required sooner than expected to increase the strength of the Oblation.
"What is that?" Aidan walks up to the ectoplasmic wall. He reaches with his hand, but jerks it away. "Probably not a good idea."