Nice! You'll just have to take my word for it but Breach really needed that. I'd have felt pretty terrible if it went the other way after you pointed out my omission.
Also - that was post 6,000! Awesome.
There's no hero points until post 7,500 (should we ever reach such a milestone - ideally this game will be over by then! I like to think we're closing in, how about a big push for the finish line.)
But to celebrate 6,000, let's give Breach an extra bonus use of his Star Tribe jewelry, i.e. he can make an extra visit (ask a question) to "Future Breach" sometime.
Hah. As if Karek wants magic to happen to him.
"Hold a second there Karek - I don't know if that's a very good--"
There is a faint popping sound and then Karek completely vanishes.
Hah. As if Karek wants magic to happen to him.
The tiny colorful winged insect that flutters where Karek once stood is so small, it takes a few seconds before Donkor even notices it.
Assuming he still has control of his faculties, Karek flutters around, exploring his space, and seeing if he has any special senses or whatever. Presently, he figures he'll do what he went over here to do, and fly down the hole to his dwarven brethren.
"Lydia, let's get you down the shaft next. Please allow my great friend Ilma-aello to transport you in comfort.
Will instruct Ilma to carry Lydia down, if she is so inclined. If the purple cloud guest happens to solidify in transit...oh well.
Assuming he still has control of his faculties, Karek flutters around, exploring his space, and seeing if he has any special senses or whatever. Presently, he figures he'll do what he went over here to do, and fly down the hole to his dwarven brethren.
-
Stretching his delicate but surprisingly nimble wings, Karek angles into a steep bank and arcs over the lip of the shaft. From there he drops into a nosedive and careens down the massive tube picking up speed.
"Lydia, let's get you down the shaft next. Please allow my great friend Ilma-aello to transport you in comfort."
The Scarab nods in asset. While nervous, she is clearly motivated to be away from the chamber in which she was imprisoned.
The purplish-colored sphere zips over to the edge of the shaft and forms a flattened disc on its top. Ilma-aello is anxious to move quickly. She cautions the Potentate she will be forced to leave him soon.
Gritting her teeth, Lydia scrambles aboard on all fours. She does her best not to look down.
There's a loud thunder crack and Ilma-aello descends like a bullet train.
Donkor rushes back from the bas relief of the firefly, trying to catch everyone's attention to alert them to Karek's disappearance and possible transformation.
"Wait, wait!" he calls.
"Moonpate! You've got to call your elemental off! I think Karek's in the shaft!"
The Butterfly Effect
Meanwhile Karek is flying downwards, halfway down the shaft, when he suddenly feels the sensation of a massive field of air pressure generating above him.
It is a shock wave.
Something filling the shaft is headed for him at an incredible speed. He feels like he is in the chamber of a musket and a black powder ball has just been fired behind him.
Karek's not sure, but he doubt's his wings were built to handle this kind of gale force wind.
What kind of butterfly am I?
Karek takes desperate evasive action! He manuevers his wings to hug the wall, making himself less of a target for whatever is rushing at him. Hopefully it will miss him.
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What kind of butterfly am I?
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Well that's gotta be on a list of questions you never thought you'd have to ask. . .But since you did, I will mention that earlier on, Gandel made a successful Knowledge check to identify the sculpture as an Osiriani firefly. (I appreciate that's not the same thing as a butterfly but Karek and Donkor are far from experts in entomology.) It seems reasonable to predict that that's the form Karek has now been forced to assume.
Karek takes desperate evasive action! He manuevers his wings to hug the wall, making himself less of a target for whatever is rushing at him. Hopefully it will miss him.
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I'll take a Fly check for that funky evasive maneuver Captain. No doubt Karek has invested heavily in ranks in the Fly skill for just such an occasion.His simulated Dex will give him a +6 but there's a heavy-handed penalty of -2 on account that Karek has been an insect for all of 10 seconds. That's a D20 roll with a net of +4 (plus his copious ranks in Fly). Surely Ilma-aello does not fill out the entire shaft.
In the event Karek cannot make a successful DC 17 check, he'll also need a Reflex save as well (with a +6 ability modifier, plus whatever else he's got).
At least I'm not burdened by armor, right?
Life as a 1 Hit Point creature
The darkened cylinder suddenly fills with a column of violet-tinged air. Karek’s entire world shakes as he experiences the most catastrophic storm of his life.
When he first made the trek to Osirion, Karek had heard of the nation’s violent desert sandstorms and had come prepared. But none of that could prepare him for the unnatural hurricane-force winds now rushing down the tube.
Karek tries to steer towards the huge vertical plane which must be the tube’s exterior wall, hoping it will afford him some measure of protection.
He is too late.
The wind force grabs a hold of the convex of his wing and forces him into a tailspin, flipping the hapless firefly over and over. Suddenly the wall is approaching far faster than Karek anticipated . He tries to break, but the force of the maneuver tears at his wings, threatening to sheer them off.
He careens into the wall – or did the ground suddenly fly up and hit him? There’s a horrible crunch as his naked exoskeleton splits open, but even that is hard to hear over the sonic scream of the rushing wind.
Karek experiences an overwhelming alien sensation which he thinks might be a signal of pain. He then blacks out for what must be several nano-seconds before he sees again. When he finally does, the purple wind storm has passed.
However, now he is rolling down the tube in free-fall, picking up speed as gravity takes hold. Karek’s not sure he even still has wings, let alone whether they will work. He bounces into the wall, rolling head over tail, then again and again. Crash! Crash! CRASH!
Struggling with all his insect might, Karek forces his appendages to stretch outwards as he attempts to arrest his fall and escape the wall’s staccato-like punishment.
Success!
Still rattling in the aftershock, Karek finds purchase in the open expanse and returns to the center of the tube, slowly spiralling downwards. He is one battered bug.
The Mithral Scarab is now down - she rushes over to greet Hal, Breach and Gandel. Although it was only a couple days ago, it seems like ages since the four of them all camped out together in Lydia's slave tent worrying about such lesser things as Khymrasa.
Hurgah peers down the tube, trying to see what happened to his barbarian buddy.
"Hoy, down there - did Karek make it down? He turned into a small bug and flew down the hole."
-
Yes, and Xerissa. And, if they count, a couple of small-sized earth elementals.
After the glad tidings of seeing Lydia again, Breach hears Hurgah speak of Karek. "Did The Reaver just say Kogan is a 'small bug' who 'flew' down the tube? He's jokin', right?" Breach raises an eyebrow, worried he's not. Just to be safe, Breach begins to take a careful look around, seeing if he notices a bug of any sort. "Just in case he's not jokin', be careful where ya step," he tells the others as he searches.
The Karek bug makes his way down the tube and alights on the firefly statue at the bottom of the shaft.
Karek's tumultuous landing is observed by Breach.
When Karek arrests on the firefly bas relief in the chamber below, he quickly polymorphs back to his former self.
Former self being not entirely accurate, however, Karek looks rather worn. As though he's just survived a run in with a huge goblin horde.
Having deposited the Mithral Scarab, Ilma-aello rockets back upwards and collects Xerissa. She too reaches the bottom safely. The elemental races upwards once more, again alerting Moonpate that her time on the material plane is almost at an end.
Breach is taken aback by the instant form of Karek. "Hmph. What'd ya do, Kogan, mess with somethin' you weren't suppose to? Let's avoid turnin' into a bug again, hm? Lot harder ta use your axe that way," he says, grinning wryly.
Ye know I dinna use an axe, Shaddershield. Now somebody come 'ere and vix me. Karek groans and looks around. Dey doughd of ebryding 'ere, huh?
"Ahhk! Karek! What just happened? Are you alright!?"
Hal coaxes the healing power of the Lord of Forges to heal Karek.
Channel Energy
Gandel will keep his eye on the purple cloud in the midst of Illma-aello.
Gandel will keep his eye on the purple cloud in the midst of Illma-aello.
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A wise precuation. I will make a Spellcraft check for Gandel off-screen.
Although it is hard to know for certain, Gandel suspects there can't be much more than a minute or two at most on that gaseous form cloud. it is showing multiple signs of solidification - flashes of color and definition, in particular.
On the other hand, Ilma-aello is down to her remaining seconds. It is though, quite amazing the distance she can cover in those seconds as she zips up and down the shaft at incredible speeds.
Currently the cloud is going nowhere and doing nothing, other than what Ilma-aello demands. She has complete power over it.
Gandel will cast a message to Moonpate.
"Do you have any suspicion as to the identity of this purple mist? It seems we have precious little time before it becomes who. In addition, Illma-aello may vanish before this who can act of its own accord".
Hal coaxes the healing power of the Lord of Forges to heal Karek.
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Wow! I just checked and unless I missed it, nobody actually healed the poor Scarab since her capture. She can definitely benefit. That puts her at full - she does not have many hit points.She is most appreciative, though as empathetic as she is, she is also worried that Karek did not seem to benefit as much.
You know, I think this is the second time Halstadt has laid the divine-style alignment tester on her. What do I gotta do to persuade you Lydia is one of the very few people you can trust around here?
Hurgah will hang back until Moonpate decides to decend, by whatever method he chooses. The he will head down himself, most likely by bug elevator.
Seeing that Karek is still badly injured, Hal calls upon Angradd again infusing Karek with healing warmth.
Cure Serious Wounds
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I was just ribbin ya. I am a fully converted fan of Hal's alternative alignment testing systems. I haven't forgotten one of his techniques exposed Suekahn and may have prevented a surprise round, which could have otherwise gone badly.Seeing that Karek is still badly injured, Hal calls upon Angradd again infusing Karek with healing warmth.
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Decisions, decision, which one did you choose? (An uncharacteristically high roll for Hal on that heal - are you slipping?)
I'm fine, lass. Goo'da see you, by da way. Karek huffs in Lydia's direction.
Karek calls back up the hole, Da buddervly works, bud id hurds! Catching sight of the elemental spiraling up and down, he puts two and two together. Look out ver da cloud.
Donkor, peering down the hole, comments with some interest. "Karek seems to have recovered. Who's next?" He's somewhat eager to try the bug route and to heal his bestest friend Karek, but he'll wait until the cloud is out of the way.
Since the party is heading down, perhaps the gaseous form should be placed at the bottom of the pit?
Donkor, peering down the hole, comments with some interest. "Karek seems to have recovered. Who's next?" He's somewhat eager to try the bug route and to heal his bestest friend Karek, but he'll wait until the cloud is out of the way.
-
Well since the air elemental transport was Moonpate's idea and Phrip has posted that he wants the party altogether, I am going to infer that he plans to ride Ilma-aello.With Donkor and Hurgah both deferring and seemingly interested in travelling by firefly, that makes Moonpate next.
Moonpate makes an undignified belly flop into the shaft and is immediately caught by a purplish Ilma-aello sphere, with a perfectly shaped concave.
She then jets back down the shaft carefully depositing Moonpate. Unfortunately, at that point the spell's duration ends.
In addition to possibly stranding Hurgah and Donkor up above, the violet vapor cloud has been suddenly liberated on the lower level.
The cloud wastes no time in attempting a slow-motion getaway, seeking to exit the room. It is a bit comical though, as anyone wishing to keep up with the cloud can do so with a brisk walk.
Hurgah nods towards the firefly carving.
Go. I will bring up the rear. he says to Donkor, scanning the room once again for signs of trouble.
Donkor, peering down the hole, comments with some interest. "Karek seems to have recovered. Who's next?" He's somewhat eager to try the bug route and to heal his bestest friend Karek, but he'll wait until the cloud is out of the way.With Donkor and Hurgah both deferring and seemingly interested in travelling by firefly, that makes Moonpate next.
Moonpate makes an undignified belly flop into the shaft and is immediately caught by a purplish Ilma-aello sphere, with a perfectly shaped concave.
Karek walks off his pain, stalking the purple cloud closely to see what it might become.
Donkor touches the firefly, and voluntarily fails any ensuing save.
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And it may get tougher still!I see that Hal discarded his remove curse already when he recently cast cure serious wounds on Breach.
He needs a new candidate I'm afraid.
At Hurgah's urging, Donkor touches the stone carving of the Orsiriani firefly. The ancient magic functions exactly as anticipated: the priest polymorphs into a tiny winged insect.
However, without Ilma-aello racing up and down the tube, Donkor has a much more pleasant and uneventful decent than Karek. Once Sooron reaches the bottom and the chamber below, he executes a graceful landing on the second bas relief carving and instantly returns to back to human form.
Seeing his comrades in the soft glow of Gandel's dancing lights, Donkor briefly reports on his strange trans-body experience and assures everyone he is unharmed.
Gandel's eyes alight with jealousy and you can see the adventurous professor is gravely disappointed that he missed the experience.
Sooron then calls back up to Hurgah to let him know the way is clear.
Hurgah is next. Although his transformation is no less bizarre, his journey is also a safe one.
The Dune Squad has now, once more, been reunited on the cold floor of an even lower level of the hidden pyramid of Ahn'Sehlota.
That is, perhaps, save for Karek, who is now following the violet-tinged cloud of mist as it silently tries to slip away.
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No problem - that would have been cooler, but it turns out the end result would have been the same.
I see that Hal discarded his remove curse already when he recently cast cure serious wounds on Breach.
"Now what the blast is that purple cloud?" Breach still feeling quite ragged turns to Halstadt. "Morgrym, you got somethin' that can rid me system of this poison? I'm not feelin' it course through me anymore, but it's left me a bit weak. I'll take anythin' ya got if it'll help."
Actually Javell, I think I'm right on this. After Halstadt descends down the shaft with his ring of featherfalling he finds an injured Breach and casts cure serious wounds.
Seeing the battered Breach, Hal calls upon Angradd to heal the injured dwarf.
Cure Serious Wounds 3d8+8
P.S. Restoration and lesser restoration can assist with healing ability damage. If anyone has that on tap.