|
"The big hole next, eh? Fine then."
Since D. suffers no burn from his invisibility, he activates his new power, going invis similar to a Predator stalking Arnie.
Also, D. will now preferably start combat by using his longer range, if at all possible. As in, the party gets first shot if possible to initiate a fight.
|
The genie takes leave with you, her elementals dispersing across the asteroid as they aid the groups of Pathfinders in their search for their captive. You make for the crater, which is minutes of travel by foot from the frozen city. From the edge, the crater's bottom is a distant sight, and the vastness of stars and void looms overhead. Some incredible force tore open the ground here, leaving the stone shattered and sharp. The rocks are unusually warm to the touch and willfully twist and cut when grasped. In contrast, the gentle breeze pouring up from below is pleasant, yet the rocks emit an unhealthy green glow, likely to have affected you if not for your planetary adaptation
The crater opens with a gradual slope downwards. If you're going in, you'll need to climb down.
|
Gallix takes one look at the steep slopes of the crater and nods his head decisively. He reaches into his chest pocket and snaps the small red seal on the end of his cigarette as he puts it between his teeth. As he breathes in the empowering fumes, his muscles ripple and bulge and his face becomes almost beastial in some aspects. His hands even seem to grow broader and his fingers longer as the alchemical reagents course through his body.
Once his transformation is complete, he extends an overlarge hand towards Mr. Peppers. "C'mon, Peppers," he says in a smoky growl, the ember at the tip of his cigarette bobbing up and down as he speaks, "I'll help ya down."
|
|
Sirettis flies down into the depths of the crater. As she reaches the middle part of the descent, two guardians take shape from the crater lining and hurl stones at her, quickly melting back into it.
Uesugi, Gallix, and Mr. Peppers successfully scale the wall, reaching the top of the mid-tier of the cliff, and can continue climbing down.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Unseen Servant, squeeze this canister of Impact foam right over there! Now, go around and around in a spiral!"
Impact foam applied, Cup encourages Oolong to make the climb alone, realizing that her dog would have trouble climbing while carrying her, too! "C'mon boy, let's do this."
Then she looks at the Asteroid. "Wait a minute, it's low gravity here." An idea forms in her head. A glorious, crazy, contraption-using gnomish idea! "Wow. Oh, this will be the best thing ever! No bleaching for me! No gnome has done this before... No one!"
Doing some quick mental calculations...
...she miscalculates to such an extent that she believes her hare-brained idea for getting down will work.
"It's low gravity... A Buoyant Balloon can float upwards with a load of 20 pounds, but I weigh 37 with my own gear. Still, there's got to be air resistance if you add the cloak and use it as a parachute, right?"
Holding the edges of her Cloak of Resistance like a parachute, she inflates her Buoyant Balloon and puts it under it for extra buoyancy.
"This way I'll fall, but I'll fall slowly!" Then she leaps off the cliff, aiming for the impact foam, attempting to glide down.
Then she notices the elementals throwing rocks. She calls out in terran, "I don't suppose we could negotiate?"
"Ow!" Cup yells as a rock hits her. "Don't you know you could hurt someone doing that?"
|
|
A rock lobs into Sirettis' side and another into her shoulder, bloodying the sylph. She safely reaches the ground afterwards. D manages to carefully climb down the first section of the crater.
Cup tosses some impact foam in, but Oolong's paws can't properly grab the rocky edge of the crater, and he makes no progress at all. Cup safely reaches the bottom, but not before getting struck with a rock once.
Sirettis (landed), Cup (landed), Oolong (needs 3 climb checks), D (needs 2 climb checks), Uesugi (needs 2 climb checks), Gallix (needs 2), Mr. Peppers (needs 2)
Oolong is getting nowhere! He barks anxiously. "Woof!"
As he feels his claws lose purchase, he jumps to try to hit the impact foam!
|
|
Uesugi looks as the earth spirits meld back into the crater. He concentrates thinking on back to the the temple of the Vudran god Ragdya. Speaking the words of veneration to Ragdya he feels his fingers and toes slightly elongate and get stronger.
Blessed now by Ragdya he clambers down the mountain his blade in one hand ready to strike at one of the earth spirits should they try to tempt fate.
|
|
D quickly loses his grip and plunges towards the ground, getting struck by a vault guardian's stone on his way down. Sirettis quickly layers her hair on the foam, doubling its thickness, and D bounces into it, breaking his fall.
Uesugi gets a stone to the head while he carefully climbs down.
Oolong tumbles down the crater, yelps and pounces off the edge, landing in the hairy impact foam, his paw folding under him and straining his tendon.
Sirettis (landed), Cup (landed), Oolong (landed), D (landed), Uesugi (landed), Gallix (needs 2), Mr. Peppers (needs 2)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
“We’ve discovered a path to the Vault Entrance!” Sorrina Westyr’s image appears drenched but defiant, in the midst of pouring heavy rain. Ignoring the water sleeting off her, the Master of Spells points with her wand as she illuminates the asteroid map behind her. “Reports from those traveling through the Ice Reservoir indicate that most of the enemies in that region have been mopped up, though a few scattered groups may still be dealing with ongoing fights.” She taps the map. “We’ve discovered an entrance to the Vault through this area. If you’re nearby, proceed here as fast as you can!”
Then a serious expression crosses her face. “Our efforts have not gone without notice. My divinations indicate that Kelizandri, the Brackish Emperor himself, is displeased and wreaking havoc. Beware of flash floods and rain! Take care, Pathfinders!”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Click. Whirr.
Gallix rubs his pretty face where the rocks grazed it. "I am going to get those guys! HEY! NOT THE FACE!"
|
|
Gallix easily climbs down the rest of the way, allowing Mr. Peppers to use his gloves for extra leverage, but as Peps scurries down and avoids the rocks, Gallix takes a few to the face!
Everyone is now at the bottom of the crater. The terrain smooths out and contains paths fit for travel at the crater's bottom. Uneven trails converge toward a vast unnatural cavern entrance hollowed out of the basin. Signs of once-impenetrable defenses litter the area, battered and toppled as if broken down from within. How do you proceed?
|
|
D. ends up below, not as badly hurt as he could have been, through the quick aiding of his teammates.
He makes an appreciative nod to everyone.
"Thank you. The fall would have been...what was that word,...-uncomfortable- if you hadn't aided me."
D. oversees the immediate surroundings, and peers for any signs of lingering hostile forces.
When everyone is ready, he goes stealth mode.
As Longjing flutters down, he squawks as a couple rocks hit him!
"RAWWWWK! Watch out! The cowardly varlets are around here somewhere, I know it! " He turns angrily to the hills. "What?! Are you afraid to face a dragon? Show yourselves!"
|
|
As D peeks out into the cavern under cover of invisibility, he notices a large, bulky creature with beady eyes and crystal-studded skin. It has not yet noticed him.
I have placed you all on the map (slide 8). If you'd like to move somewhere else, please do so now, because once D takes his shot, combat is on!
|
|
With how D. went invisible, the other team members now know what contours to carefully watch for, as he moves.
Then he sees the big creature....
Big, rocky, solid. This will be something.
"At attention, there is some big rocky looking creature further ahead."
He launches his blast, a grin on his face.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The silence is broken as D breaks his cover by blasting the nearest creature with sand. A chunk of his body falls to the ground, and it turns and roars into the tunnel. It does not sound happy!
"আরে রকি, তুমি কি মনে কর? যে একটি সামান্য stung ওহ, তুমি কে?"
Hey Rocky, did you feel that? That stung a little. .. Oh hey, who are you!?
It points at D and then drags its other hand slowly across its neck. It's clobberin' time!
Sirettis recognizes the green-tinged creature as an earth elemental, but this one is much larger than the ones from the gate. They have damage resistance to all damage types, but no spell resistance.
The whole party, Green, Blue (-28), Red
|
|
Mr Peppers hustles down to the front for a clear shot "Dammit, I knew I should have prepared FIREBALL!" His shoulders slump a bit but he quickly perks up. Time to show off some of the power I learned in the desert!
He waves his hands precisely, speaking clear, concise words of Elven magic and pulls out and waving a furry glass rod, and unleashes a bolt of blinding lightning from his fingertips through both the Red and Green giants!
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Spirit you still have the wand. Increase my size so that I can match these earth spirits and send them back to their master. Come Little Dragon we are needed."
Uesugi advances staying close enough to remain within the range of the wand and readies his blade for the first opponent.
|
|
Gallix rushes past D, Uesugi, and Peppers, shouting to them as he goes, "I'll draw them off! Stay back, Peps! We don't want another goblin dog situation, right?" He moves up beside the large boulder outside of the passage and waves at the massive earthy creatures.
"Hey, Mud for Brains! Over here! Bring it on big guy! I got all the strength I need to take you out right here!"
Gallix enters his fighting stance, just because he can hardly keep from bouncing anyway with all the excitement, and gets ready for the attacks to come.
|
|
D blasts the azurite-lined rock troll again, this time taking off a chunk of its rock hard pecs. Both the elemental and red troll get zapped when a bolt shoots out of Mr. Peppers' palm. Uesugi gets super-sized and, along with Gallix, prepares to attack whatever may come near.
Mr. Peppers determines the two trolls have no damage reduction nor spell nor energy resistance.
The blue troll rushes over to Gallix, displaying an intimidating rocky fist and then roaring in the brawler's face.
Red rushes up behind him, seeking to get closer. The duo of trolls seem to heal somehow as gravel surrounds their wounds and mends some of the damage.
The elemental burrows deep into the ground and moves somewhere, but as it leaves no tunnel or trail behind, you aren't exactly sure just where it may have gone.
: The whole party, Green (-17, burrowed), Blue (-63), Red (-12)
|
|
"Woah, where'd that big one go? I don't like the look of that one bit. Let me try enhancing that sword 'Sugi and I'll get out of your way..."
Mr Peppers heads back behind the overly large man and draws out his blessed weapon wand, touching it to the now large katana as he does so. It gives off a faint white heavenly glow "Perfect, your sword will strike true, especially against Evil."
|
|
D's third sand barrage is powerful enough to cause the giant rock troll to topple over and slam into the earth, tremors ringing out as the area shudders from the impact. The troll falls unconscious.
: Gallix, Uesugi, Cup, Longjing, Sirettis, Green (-17, burrowed), Blue (-100, unconscious), Red (-12)
Riding his mighty steed into battle, Longjing dances and weaves as he launches off Uesugi's head towards the remaining troll. "Dragon Attaaaaaaaaack!"
|
|
Gallix is genuinely impressed by the creature's display, and his knees knock slightly as he prepares to make his own display. "Alright, that was pretty good. Let's see how you deal with..." Gallix's boast is cut short as a pellet of sand the size of a cherry pit slams into the troll that had stepped up to threaten him. "Oh! Alright then."
Then cup yells out instructions to hit the thing with fire to keep it down. "Right! I've got that covered!" He pulls a vial from inside his cloak and quickly throws it on top of the troll, with Cup's whip snapping at it to slam the vial directly down onto the beast's unconscious form. He also calls upon his experiences in Isger and recalls how Nixa had shown him to throw splash weapons for greatest effect.