Yes, you came in on the left, but outside the archives is another staircase leading up to the scriptorium.
You descend down to the lower level of the Overflow Archives. Flooding from the library above has turned this storage chamber into a treacherous bog. Rising above the black lake, the flat tops of many rows of shelves create a makeshift maze of causeways. A deluge of water cascades down the steps. Four narrow corridors channel rivers of seawater off into the darkness.
Four glowing spheres of light hover at the bottom of the staircase and start to move towards the middle of the room as soon as you reach the bottom.
The floor of this room is flooded to the point of being a deep bog, and the ceiling is 15 feet high. The shelves here are broad enough to act as walkways, requiring no Acrobatics check to traverse while moving at half speed and only a successful DC 5 Acrobatics check to walk along at full speed.
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
Ticlo scans the room, looking for more scroll fragments.
“Or a whale, Good Abraxi. An opportunity to be delivered from evil like that story in the Chronicle of the Righteous, perhaps?” Her tone is friendly, inviting even.
Acrobatics vs DC 5:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Antonella springs from staircase to walkway like a cat, before remembering the other feline in the party. “How are you holding up, Whiskers? I’m sorry that there’s so little I can do for you right now.”
Knowledge (arcana):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
The paladin activates the light function on her wayfinder and clips the instrument to her plain white belt. “What do you make of those glowing spheres, Sihir? I’m going to follow them towards the centre of the room for a better look.”
Perception for threats and items of interest:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
The philosopher-priestess smiles. “Irori’s Shuriken: ‘The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.’ I suspect you have the right of it, my friend! Let us see where they lead, eh?”
Survival to track foxes:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Indeed it is! :)
Raul surveys the area, fairly certain that the party is searching for a fox. His instincts go to work and he begins the hunt.
Survival:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 Profession(trapper) - maybe?:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 "Foxes aren't fish!"
Antonella considers her throw-away line. “Hmm ... this whole ‘fish’ theme does seem to be being forced upon us. I wonder if it is masking another bigger concept.”
She *shrugs* “I am sure all will be made clear in time.”
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
When he hears the shriek, Ticlo draws and drinks a potion of enlarge person in anticipation of the attack.
Sure, why not. Everybody can, DC5 Acrobatics when moving faster than half speed.
Sihir knows that the creature is a zombie. Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 5/magic and slashing; Immune cold, electricity, magic missile, undead traits; Resist fire 10
He throws a magic missile at the undead vulture but the missile does not harm the animal. immune to magic missile
While Ticlo drinks a potion Wembly casts haste and sends Whiskers to attack the bird. The bite and one claw attack hit the zombie vulture and rip out several pieces of rotten meat.
Abraxi jumps across the bookshelves and draws his axe. He attacks the undead vulture but the water distracts the Tiefling and he misses.
no Aoo, still FF without combat reflexes
yep, blinding ray should work
Sihir tries to blind the vulture with a ethereal grey beam. The undead creature looks directly into the beam and is blinded.
The vulture takes a step back and tries to bite Whiskers but misses.
Bite:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19 50%:1d100 ⇒ 321-50 misses
Just in the moment you think the attacks are over for ne next seconds you see a tiny worm rising from the water next to Abraxi. It flies up and bites.
Bite:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21 Damage:1d3 ⇒ 1 Fly:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (19) + 23 = 42 Tiny creature, Aoo for Abraxi
The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
What kind of action/movement cost to get up on the shelves? How high are they? And why, oh why, did I enlarge myself in these cramped quarters?
The shelves are not high, I'd say 5 ft and don't require a climb check to get up, just one square of movement. And yeah, it's a bit cosy for large creatures. The water is 4 ft. deep (deep bog).
Abraxi swings his greataxe at the disgusting worm which just bit him and hits it hard.
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
Slow day at work.
Ticlo clambers onto the shelves to approach his quarry, drawing his polearm on the way.
Acrobatics:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
His anger builds up, and he takes a swing at the vulture creature.
Raul climbs the bookshelf, rushing towards the next one and attempting to leap across while drawing his greatsword.
Big Man Acrobatics!:1d20 + 4 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 - 1 = 9
Safely to the next bookshelf, Raul prays to Gorum for protection. Shield of Faith, current AC 16
Raul moves across the shelves and Antonella swings her fists at the vulture, hitting it on the head. Sihir makes sure the vulture remains blinded Abraxi swings his axe at the undead bird and brings it down. Ticlo and Whiskers attack the worm and bring it down as well. changed Ticlo's and Whiskers' attacks to hit the worm, the vulture was already down
combat over
Scroll 1, Spellcraft DC23:
A scroll of magic circle against chaos.
Scroll 2, Spellcraft DC23:
A scroll of slow.
Scroll 3, Spellcraft DC23:
A scroll of arcane sight.
From the main room four hallways lead to the NE, NW, SE and SW.
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
Raul leaps down into the water with his sword cutting through the air, only to splash down next to a battle already transpired. "That was it? What a disappointment!"
|AC 17, T 17, FF 14|HP: 50/50|F +3, R +6, W +5 (+2 vs shadow/death)|Init +3, Perc 0|CMB +3 CMD 16|11/11 Blinding Rays, 8/8 Invisibility Field, 10/10 Veil, 1/1 Arcane Bond, 1/1 Jewel
"If you like that one, you can have it - it could certainly be useful, but I think the other two are a bit darker*: this one curses your enemies' every movement and action to take half again as long, and that one will briefly empower the reader to see magic even more freely than I normally can."
* = all-purpose Wayang colloquialism for "better/preferable."
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
Sihir leads the way and checks the northwest hallway. The wall is ligned with shelves and it ends in a half-circle room, another hallway splits to the southwest.
Half-Elf Bloodrager 4 | AC 20 T 11 FF 19 | HP 35/35 | F +6 R +3 W +3 | Init +4 | Perc +9 (low-light vision) | Sense Motive +0 | Rage 6/15 | Rage, Long Arm, Englarge
Antonella is surprised but not disappointed at how easily their fairy-tale opponents succumb to the party’s strength.
“I was also expecting a tougher fight, Raul. Perhaps it’s a good thing we have you at full strength for the next bout?”
“I’m surprised at how literal the poem fragments have been. I still think there is a deeper meaning surrounding the ‘Name of the Fox’ though.”
As they slosh up the north-west passage, Antonella remains quiet as she thinks.
Once they reach the wall, she stops:
“Has anyone got paper and quill? If we do a rough sketch of this level … the fish-shape Abraxi called out could well be an insect’s body – see? The fish tail becomes a butterfly’s head. And let’s assume the passage we just travelled is symmetrical … that implies the level is moth-shaped!”
“The fox is an agent of Chaos who as a mortal was Varisian. The patron deity of Varisia is the Song of the Spheres, who is also associated with sleep and dreams.”
So the owl cast deeper, awaking a SLEEPER.
“The worm we fought was of the Void – which is also associated with the Black Butterfly’s Liege. I wonder if the Fox and this whole setup is something Desnan or dream-related?”
As we have heard, the worm’s got by the bird Who gets up so early a-dawnward,
The priestess pauses to take stock of the party’s remaining clues. “A-DAWNWARD implies east to me. Maybe we should consider travelling in that direction?”
Abraxi raises his eyebrows and nods. "That's very insightful, Antonella. I don't think I would have ever made any of those connections." Shrugging, he continues. "Perhaps east is better, but best not leave anything unexplored."
You start to search the eastern part of the archives' vault. The walls are ligned with shelves and to open doors lead into rooms to the northeast and southeast. It is dark.
