Zay swims upwards a little, ignoring the light bleed from their dino hide in order to get into a good position-- in the water above Invandi's head.
Then, claws and teeth come into play against the green-hued skum, in a flurry of teeth and swipes and snaps.
Uot readies to attack.
Wall Damage Taken: 22/27
Aurelian dispatches the first skum quickly while Houghton's spear pierces multiple times through the hide of the second. The skum holding this side of the line are all defeated.
The crossbow skum shoots its crossbow at Aurelian twice more, but both shots go wide again. The other appears ready for combat but does not approach.
The wall of ice starts to shatter across its entire surface. The barrier's strength is almost gone.
HP 74/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 4/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
Ready to parry the attack that he knows will be coming his way, Aurelian swims forward toward the nearest skum.
Invandi swims forward, slipping between electric bursts, to aid Aurelian Fauche with the nearest foe.
for
for
for
for
for
On seeing that their allies have already dropped the nearer skum, Zay swims into danger.
Glorandral damage taken: 12
Uot damage taken: 0
Aurelian is ready for the skum's attacks and ably deflects it to the side. The skum attacks again as he approaches, however. Aurelian's blow in return slides off the edges of a shield of force.
Invandi slides into combat without difficulty but also has trouble landing a blow on the skum warrior, far more powerful than those he has already dispatched.
Zay swims up to protect his allies and gets a single bite in on the crossbow-wielding skum. It seems delighted by this development as it drops its crossbow and exercises its fury back on him. A pair of horns grows from its head as it attacks.
The skum fighting Aurelian and Invandi also drops its weapon and uses its teeth & claws to fight instead.
The two remaining crossbow-wielding skum aim their weapons at the group and fire. One strikes a lucky hit!
The Wall of Ice groans one last time before the entire wall bursts, unable to withstand the strength of the electricity trap.
Tatienne swims up to threaten one of the large skum with Zay and threaten the nearer crossbow skum.
HP 57/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
In perfect position with Zay on the other side, Aurelian shrugs off the minor wounds and unleashes his full fury on the skum.
"Where! Are! Our! Friends!" he says, interspersing words and sword thrusts as he tries to make his foe cower before its oncoming death.
Zay quickly becomes educated that the skum warrior is just as happy to use other methods than crossbow. The education is painful, but the dinosaur snarls, green eyes gleaming with new hostility.
Zay turns on the skum that just left Zay with such wounds and tries to return the favor.
There still seemed to be too many enemies, so Houghon summoned some internal strength from the water itself, and shimmered with power. He then swum towards the enemies.
Glorandral damage taken: 63
Uot damage taken: 45
The skum seem to not understand Aurelian's furious questions as he stabs the armored creature in front of him, landing a quick blow with his rapier and stinger.
Zay turns on the raging skum that wounded him and with Tatienne's help hits the creature with his bite and one of his foreclaws.
Invandi continues to swing his shield ineffectually through the water against the closest of foes.
for
for
for
for
for an additional
Invandi strikes the skum in front of him once with his fist, while it effectively fends off his other blows.
Glorbindral Damage Taken: 103
Uot Damage Taken: gg
Houghton's spear first skewers the skum fighting Aurelian and Invandi, felling the creature before he hits the huge raging skum twice more. The large skum looks alarmed and tries to swim to safety.
Tatienne misses her strike. As the large skum flees, more skum (without longspears this time) from somewhere else in the complex swim into the room to oppose you.
The crossbow skum continue to shoot, targeting Zay, but both miss.
The blows hit hard; Zay takes a moment to heal themselves before moving to engage the newest enemies.
"If that big one has any sense, it'll just keep swimming well away from here," Zay points out.
[ooc]Yeah, we can let it escape for now.[/b]
"Yes, we have more important things to find here," Aurelian says. He seems more fervid than ever to continue his search, certain that it's near an end. He ignores his wounds, ready to press on. "Quickly, let's find our friends!"
He waits impatiently while Tatienne and anyone else looks around the room.
The blows hit hard; Zay takes a moment to heal themselves before moving to engage the newest enemies.
With the larger skum defeated, the remainder fall quickly, providing you with an opportunity to examine the room more closely. The altar dominating the room is in the now-familiar form of a cogwheel and symbolizes invention, science and technology: all aspects of Amaznen's domain of Artifice. The two curved halves of the altar form an eye, representing Amaznen's thirst for knowledge. The two metal rods (and the associated electricity) represent his connection to magic.
The electricity arcing between the rods also extends (though much reduced) to the round table between them. The table holds a receptacle that looks like it could hold an ioun stone.
Tatienne spends some time shutting down the electricity hazard while you search your fallen enemies. You find:
+1 Chain Shirt
+1 Ring of Resistance
8 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds
8 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds
9 Potions of Cure Light Wounds
8 Potions of Magic Weapon
Potion of Shield of Faith
formula book etched into metal sheets bound with corroded brass rings
160g in jewelry and seashell necklaces
520g in pearls
Aurelian drinks one of the potions of cure serious wounds as Tatienne looks around before continuing his pressure to move on.
"We are close!" he implores his companions. "Aurelian Fache can feel that he is about to finish, and we can't wait any longer!"
HP 73/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
Noting the swordsman is drinking the potions to attend to his wounds, Zay follows suit. Though the lack of thumbs is a trouble. "Er... Master Fache? Or Master Abalast? Could you open some of these bottles for me?"
The last of the cuts and wounds on the dinosaur's skin fade away. "Better. Let's go see if we can find your friends, Master Fache. Is everyone ready?"
With a twitch of their tail, Dinozay takes up a spot by Aurelian's side as they swim forward.
After investigating the room further, you don't find any particular way forward. The altar of the room has a receptacle for an ioun stone, however.
Tatienne examines the altar and places an ioun stone into the slot. When she does, the section of wall leading to the rest of the complex slides shut, sealing off the sanctuary. A moment later, a square section of the floor in one of the alcoves slides open, revealing a staircase leading downward. She removes the ioun stone and the process reverses itself.
You descend below to find a long hallway interspersed with closely aligned pillars. A large group of mutant creatures swarms toward you, horribly deformed and insane.
There are a pair of doors to the north, two shimmering fields of force to the north but further east than the first set of doors, and a valve-like door down a hallway to the east.
Aurelian looks unhappy with what the examination reveals. He tries to tell if these were the missing colonists.
Once he's determined what he can, he points to the closest doors. "Let us try these ones first," he says, focused to as fine a point as his rapier.
"Unfortunate...." Zay murmurs after they dispatch the once-humans. They sigh. "I dislike that our enemies can warp people like this. No mercy when we meet them, I think. I am happy to follow your lead, Master Fache. Let me cast a few spells on us before we proceed."
Zay takes up a spot swimming above Aurelian as they tackle the doors the swordsman has indicated.
Aurelian is unable to determine whether the mutants were former colonists or not, but they do appear to be former humans. The mutations to them are indeed sickening.
Entering the chamber to the north, you see strange machinery and tubes in the walls that make up the interior of this room. Embedded in the wall nearest the entrance is a large metal pin panel whose surface ripples at regular intervals; with each wave that sweeps across the panel, new symbols appear on its surface.
The display on the pin panel alternates between two different messages in Azlanti.
With tears in his eyes, Aurelian puts the poor people out of their misery.
He glances around the strange machinery and then looks to Tatienne to see if she can make heads or tails of it. It seems clear that it's not meant to be something he stabs...
Zay takes no joy in administering the quick deaths of mercy, but doesn't seem terribly broken up by it either. They do look with some concern over at Aurelian.
"If these.... were your friends.... at least they're, um, no longer suffering?" Zay offers uncertainly. It might be more comforting if it wasn't coming from the mouth of a dinosaur.
Tail twitching a bit, Zay takes themselves over near Tatienne to hear the translation of the ancient script. (This also has the benefit of removing them from near the mutated corpses. Dinosaur instincts and metabolism are something one has to be wary against.)
"I.... don't have any idea how to operate this. Why do you suppose it's changing so much? You say that it's stating... "unstable" and it keeps listing new symbols. Do they represent units? Like the metal men we've fought? Or... locations? I wonder what the composition indicates. I'm not sure we know enough to make any use of this..."
"Can we breach these force walls? I don't think I have much that might help with force barriers-- but if they don't penetrate through the stone, I could take the form of an earth elemental and glide through the stone. However, if I run into trouble behind the barriers, my only choices would be to engage with it alone, or retreat."
Zay twitches their tail back and forth in the water. "There's also that vault-like door further on."
As Zay gets closer to the pin panel to read the messages, the assembly suddenly changes and goes flat, and a humanlike face emerges from it. A harsh metallic voice and a soft, frienly voice speak in unison, spreading through the water. The lips on the face move, but the voice isn't completely synchronized with the movement.
"Welcome. I was expecting you. There is much to talk about. Where do you come from? It has been long since anyone has come here."
"Aurelian Fache and his friends are from Andoran," the swordsman replies in Common . "Who are you?"
Still, he can't help feeling frustrated. If it's been so long since anyone has come here, that would likely include his friends.
"Andoran you say...is that far from here? What is your home country like?"
Zay's dinosaur head tilts to the side. If they are speaking through the translator of Tatienne, Zay will listen and relay answers accordingly.
"Very far. Across a great ocean to the east. But who are you? Why were you expecting us? Are you aware of what passes through these halls?"
As the pin panel continues conversing with you, the face transforms from humanlike features into something that looks like a three-eyed fish. The soft, friendly voice goes away and only the harsh metallic component of its speech remains. "This was a boring conversation anyway. Now you must die."
The machinery around you begins whirring to life. A cogborn creature emerges from the machine while a sickly green fluid spreads around in the water about you.
The experience is extremely disorienting.
HP 73/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage, lunge (-2 AC = 25)
The liquid has no effect on Aurelian who decides he'll take care of the obvious combatant. He dashes forward, thrusting with his blade, before taking up his usual guard stance.
Aurelian's first two attacks only score the armor of the construct, but his third blow strikes home with great force, forcing open a wedge in the joint of its armor. You hear a grinding of gears as a great pop echoes dully in the water.
Tatienne is sprayed in the face with the vile foul liquid and cannot see!
and is confused for...
Tatienne, despite feeling disoriented and literally confused is able to act normally. Though blinded, having seen where the enemy was, decides to full attack.
Zay feels a strange pulse from the liquid that somehow tries to... change them, in body and form. As Zay is known to do that in their own right, they pause only long enough to ascertain it hasn't seemed to have much effect, then they try and figure out where or what precisely the liquid is coming from, or if it can be stopped...
Tatienne's vision fades away as folds of skin from her cheeks and forehead grow to completely cover her eye sockets. The effect is far more horrifying than she likely knows. Her attacks fail to strike the nearby clockwork construct. Zay struggles to locate any relevant interface in the tangle of metal, then turns to attack the construct, striking the creature but failing to penetrate its tough metal frame.
Houghton and Invandi each identify an ioun node in each eye socket of the large face in the clockwork machine that seem to be acting as a focus. They each move to attempt to strike the relevant objects.
Cogborn #1 damage: 34
Ioun Node #1 damage: 7
Ioun Node #2 damage: 5
The machine produces a second cogborn creature that attacks Zay, while the first attacks Aurelian. The duelist smashes his rapier through the clockwork attacking him, using its momentum to aid in piercing its metal hide.
Trying to stay calm, Tati, as a swift action activates her Archaeologist's Luck and continues to full attack stabbing at machine.
Discovering that dino teeth seem unable to make much progresss against the metal, Zay notices Houhghton and Invandi attacking something else... Zay also notices Tatienne's poor eyes.
"Oh-- that looks terrible, Ms. Talbot-- I'm afraid I don't have any magics that can help it, I'm sorry! I'm going to try and help Houghton and Invandi, it looks like they found something!"
HP 73/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
Aurelian continues to attack the cogborn. "Come, see if you can defeat Aurelian Fache!" he taunts them, trying to draw their attention.
Cogborn #2 damage taken: 13
Cogborn #3 damage taken: 13
Ioun Node #1 damage: 19
Ioun Node #2 damage: 19
Tatienne thrashes about ineffectually, attempting to strike the clockwork creatures she can't see while Zay swims upward toward the ioun interfaces and bites one of them, causing some damage. Invandi and Houghton also continue their efforts to wreck the machine's sensor nodes.
Aurelian lances his rapier through the first cogborn, stopping its movements before he strikes the second creature once with his rapier.
The machine continues its relentless assault, disgorging a third cogborn machine as it does so. The cogborn attacking Tatienne strikes her twice in quick succession. The newest-created cogborn fighting Aurelian earns a rapier stab for its troubles as it fails to pummel the deft swordsman.
Tati screams in pain and frustration, trying not to panic... she stumbles backward 5 ft as a move action and attacks the cogborn that just hit her.
Archeologists luck (8/16)
In case that hits...(my movement provokes an A.O.O.)
Miss chance 1-50 misses
"Careful, Tatienne," Zay mumrmurs, then tries to munch nodes. Dinosaur teeth flash underwater as the critter tries to claw and bite the node into submission.
HP 73/74; Hero Points 2/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
Aurelian continues his assault, wondering if he needs to swim up to help Zay, Houghton and Invandi. But no, Aurelian Fache must keep these smaller creatures at bay. He drives his sword through one's head, then continues on to help Tatienne .