"Agreed, I too will lend aid to freeing those so imprisoned for so long".
Kythel follows along with Kikinnin, spear in hand.
Maxim steps warily back out of the cellar... brow furrowed;
"So... Seems our Lord Vhalantru likes the grape. That cellar is well stocked, with some mighty fine and expensive vintages..."
He jerks a calloused thumb toward the boxes of wine;
"Easterly wall is false. Illusion. Beyond it I seen six statues an' a pit that drops into the dark. Ain't sure if the statues are petrified guests or guardian constructs. Best we tread wary like..."
The gun-mage nods towards JJ;
"Keep the old fella away from the edge, lessen he falls in. I got me a ring o' feather fallin'. Reckon I could check out the pit, then fly back up?"
"I can climb down to give you some backup as well.." notes JJ.
"Just in case. How were you thinking of getting back up again if you can fly, would you need the ring for the descent?"
"A p-pit? Sounds like we n-need to figure out whether we're ch-checking that first or the upst-stairs," Marigold reminds the pair. "I d-don't like leaving things at our b-back but m-maybe we should c-clear the rest of the m-mansion proper and then ch-check beyond the s-secret wall..."
"I think we should look upstairs first. Whatever is in the pit can keep while we make sure nothing comes up behind us." opines JJ.
Kikinnin tugs on his beard, as the way forks before them. "I think we've made enough noise to have alerted the upper floors. If they're waiting for us, we should head up to meet them, before they get impatient, and come down looking for us. That might prove uncomfortable if we're all kicking around the pit."
The black beard takes to the stairs and heads to the Second Floor, if there are no objections.
"Let's have a swift visit at the upper floor. If we leave the wine like it is they won't notice we have figure out their mischievousness" Eidi smiles wide and follows up Kikinnin to the second floor where he says some arcane words and starts looking around.
The stairs going up end on a landing that surrounds the opening of the main hall ceiling. Around the landing different doors open to unknown rooms in the manor.
JJ cautiously tries the door handle in front of him. Opening the door to see what is within if it is unlocked.
"S-sounds like a p-plan," Marigold whispers as she follows the others up the stairs. She glances over at Eidi as he mutters arcane words.
Definitely more to him than meets the eye...but then again, that's practically everyone we meet nowadays.
Still, it's not a bad idea to be cautious. As best as she can from her position on the stairs she begins to scan for magical auras - that don't come from herself or her friends, that is.
Kikinnin sizes up all the doors on the Second Floor. "Ready, JJ? Let's sweep the area. Maybe we'll be lucky, and the only real focus is the Pit Maxim discovered."
Kikinnin takes a moment to place a hand on Eldgammel, and wake Pocca for the ugly work breathing down their necks.
If he hears the boy yelp, he'll shuffle back across the floor to join JJ. If everything proves as quiet as the downstairs, Kikinnin opens the doors on his side of the staircase, in clockwise fashion.
JJ opens the southern door finding a large study.
This room contains two overstuffed couches that face each other, separated by a low marble table. A gold and jade water pipe sits on the table. A single chair sits in a circular nook to the southeast.
The water pipe testifies to another of Vhalantru's vices. It is quite exquisite, and is worth 800 gp.
Kikinnin opens his door to find a bathroom.
The bathroom is well featured and pristine clean, except for a thick layer of dust that covers everything.
The dwarf follows up to the next room.
This large bedroom features an oversized canopied bed with purple silk sheets. A huge obsidian fireplace is built into the southern wall, and several beautiful paintings of elven cities hang on the walls. A writing desk and comfy chair sit in a circular nook to the northeast.
Everything here is covered in a fine layer of dust. The desk is devoid of any documents or letters.
Marigold scan of magical auras result in nothing found in this side of the house other than the party's own magical items.
JJ moves to block off the last of the upper stories rooms.
"Want to try that Door Maxim?" he asks.
"Though I'm thinking we are not likely to find anyone here if they didn't come out earlier when the fighting made all that noise."
He then realises all the dust is everywhere.
"It is almost like these rooms are not actually used at all..."
Somwhat distracted by the opulent riches on display back, Maxim nods slowly at JJ's request;
"Aye. Will do... Did anyone notice that water-pipe back in the study? 800 Gold Suns fir that alone!"
He wistfully shakes his blonde head, then heads toward the untried door near the bathroom...
As Maxim opens the door, he finds out a library.
This cozy room is dominated by numerous wooden shelves, each filled with dozens and dozens of books. A single reading table and chair sit in the central portion of the library.
The library seems quite well stocked and often used.
A fair number of the books stocked here are on magical theory
The books in the west wing are all about elven and half-elven society. An investigation of these books reveals they have all been quite well read
These books are worth 5,000 gp in all, but transporting them out of House Vhalantru might prove tricky.
Kikinnin finds nothing of interest, which slowly builds his unease. Sure that Vhalantru lurks somewhere in his House, his mind keeps returning to the Pit.
The black beard moves past JJ and to the right, spotting another unopened door, and the last of the Second Floor yet to be explored.
"Is there a third floor? I haven't seen stairs yet. There was that other set of stairs on the Ground Floor, so it's probably behind this door, eh?"
Kythel checks the door Kikinnin points to for traps.
Perception
JJ stays ready, wondering if there is another concealed door to the room that Kikinnin is about to open.
"Isn't carcerri like a pit? Maybe that pit is some type of gateway to it?"
As Kikinnin, JJ and Kythel approach the northwestern door, their eyes spot what lies at the southern side of that house's wing.
More than a dozen birdcages fill this room, each one once home to three or four small but colorful birds (finches mostly). Most of the cages sit atop shelves or tables by the windows, but a few hang from the ceiling by elegant chains. Unfortunately, the colorful contents of these cages all lie dead, apparently for some time, as the smell of rotting flesh is thick in here.
In the middle of the aviary floats a group of six bulbous orbs with a central eye that does not wink, and a large mouth full of long and sharp teeth like daggers. Smaller eyes, connected to twisting appendages, grow from the superior part of the orb shaped bodies.
As your eyes spot their central eye you feel something clings on your throat with a metallic flavor.
You all see Kythel suddenly gets stunned as he tries to reach the door to check it for traps.
The green orb focuses on JJ's magics.
JJ's shield other spell is dispelled.
Then the appendages shot at JJ.
Both rays hit the walls corners near the surprised JJ.
The black orb orientates its central eye to force JJ look at it.
Then two rays spring forth from its eye appendages towards JJ.
The first ray is amiss but the second one strikes true.
The blue orb emits a cone of true fear towards the entrance.
The first ray strikes JJ menacing to weak him, while the second one scorches him in fire.
The rest of you only see multiple magical rays striking at JJ and around, one of them bursting him in flames.
JJ feels the full brunt of the various eyes attacks. But the lad has faced demons, spellcasters, vampires and scary warrior women. While women may twist him around their little fingers, floating eyes... less so.
Resisting their affects he dashes forward, providing himself with a large number of targets to lash out at.
Alakast lashes out. The holy staff lands a hefty blow on the yellow creature even as he wonders
What are these? BeholderS?
Lets see if I have this right, and in order..
Marigold's Round 1
What the?
Upon hearing the sudden burst of noise and flashes of light Marigold hustles after JJ and the rest, wondering just what she's going to find when she gets there...
Maxim nods in appreciation of the library, eyeing with interest some of the tomes;
"Plenty rare texts here. 5,000 Gold or more in value I reckon. Seems our host is a avid reader... 'thou notice he ain't partial to Beefinator or them such stories..."
Hearing JJ's comment about the pit he nods in agreement, shouting his thoughts through to the others;
"Reckon Surabar has the right o' it. Down the pit is where we'll find Lord Vhalantr...!!!"
His musings are cut short as combat ensues, and like Marigold he follows suit, hustling towards the clamour drawing Smaug as he goes!
AC = 33 (Shield of Faith +4 Deflection Bonus, Ring of Protection only a +2 Deflection Bonus)
HP = 160/160
Weapon Equipped = Eldgammel +3 Divine Bond
Condition(s) = Shield of Faith, Divine Bond
Kikinnin sees a pocket pandemonium erupt from the left, so moves to JJ's side, and tries to pass glowing Eldgammel through the floating eye creature like an overly ripe apple.
"So the beholder's making little beholders? Like a fungus, kickin' off spores? If the orb's had time, how many more of these things are loose in Cauldron?"
Eidi advances himself until he has a view of what is happening "Hmmm... these are some kind of Contemplator but... not Beholders, these are Gauths. Lesser versions. Mmm... there is something weird about them... they are tainted by something I cannot really explain"
The half-elf points towards one of the gauths with his staff and attempts to shut its eyes down.
The green guath's eyes are shut down with magical blindness. The elder smiles satisfied.
Enduring the sudden blasting JJ rushes forward facing the jaws of the flying eyes as he approaches.
Dodging away the sharp teeth JJ strikes true at the yellow orb that shrieks in pain.
Marigold and Maxim rush towards the area, still not seeing what is going on.
Kikinnin comes to help the young boy. With a mighty slash of his axe he cuts the central occulus of the black orb. The fleshy orb loosing flight and falling to the ground, all its eyes closing.
Eidi blinds one of the gauths.
Stunned as he is, Kythel can do nothing but drop his held weapons.
The flying orbs adjust their position and start shooting rays at both Kikinnin and JJ.
The yellow gauth turns invisible afterwards.
A rage of magical rays thunder in the aviary, many of them striking in the walls and ceiling, but some of them striking true on target. It seems these gauths can only orientate two appendages in any particular 90º region.
Unable to see, green shrieks and turns invisible.
JJ does his best to dodge the rays, only manging some of them.
He seems to hold up well against the rays that do hit him. Then spins Alakast in a perhaps careless manner and starts striking out!
IMW misses I think
ROE misses
fort saves, not sure how many are required. Presumably we can't see the invisible beholder so its eye doesn't work on us?, not sure if dark blue is still up, or what the black blob on green means. But rolling five in order, just in case. Fails on a one.
Attacks first against red, then against dark blue. If they both drop then steps forward toward the light blue one.
Kikinnin sees Blue approaching to take Black's place, so swings out at the monster, hoping he's just as effective with the second creature needing exterminating.
AC = 33/15/32
HP = 160/160
Weapon Equipped = Eldgammel +3
Condition(s) = Shield of Faith, Divine Bond
Kikinnin keeps his focus on Blue, studying it for its aberrant movements, wondering what makes a thing like that tick. If he manages to bring down Blue with his first couple of swings, he targets Yellow with his last.
"Can they talk, Eidi? We need one of them alive to squeeze some information about Vhalantru out of them?"
Marigold's Round 2
Not entirely sure of what the group is facing - and unaware that quarters ahead remain tight - Marigold slips past Eidi into the hallway towards the source of the fighting...
...and spots Kikinnin fighting against what sure looks like a miniature version of the eye tyrant they'd seen in the depths all those months ago.
"ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು? ಅವರು ಶಿಶುಗಳೇ?"
"What in the world? Are they babies?"
For lack of other options, Marigold tries to fire a ray of searing light at the one foe she can clearly see!
Not wanting to further block the way and with no immediate targets in sight Marigold offers up a prayer to Sarenrae to bolster what allies she can see.
Eidi is up to answer Kikinnin when the sight of the invisible eye overcomes the elder. His eyes open wide and lets his staff fall, visibly stunned by the terror sight.
Kikinnin strikes true at the blue orb as it fires its rays, taking out one appendage.
Both dwarf and JJ resist the worse of the rays rain and withstand in front of the many eyes gaze.
JJ strikes with Alakast and make it spin with a graceful move to strike true again with the far end of the staff, which opens a considerable wound in the bulbous orb, but then the gauth fliew over avoiding the staff further attacks.
Meanwhile Kikinnin slashes in quick succession, cutting in half the blue orb that falls like a feather over the ground, and delivering a third slice to the air.
Approaching to see what happens but only seeing the pile of two dead gauths in front of Kikinnin, Marigold brings up a prayer that hits everyone but Maxim.
Confused about what the group face, and the potential of a logjam in the mansions rooms, Maxim holds off, moving to near where Marigold stands , then noting Eidi's conduction he bellows to the combatants further ahead;
As he holds, the gun-mage retrieves a wand from his pack...
Will Save vs. Fear
Kythel resists the magical fear though he feels real fear from that feeling of near paralysis!
Kythel does indeed attempt to avert his eyes, as the blasts flash, his role is to aid his allies not hamper his foes.
Will Save DC 15 vs. Stun
Kythel feels his link with JJ break and he grimaces and begins casting a spell.
Will Save DC 15 vs. Stun
Appearing next to Kythel is a Hound Archon. "Aid us my new ally against these terrible aberrations! I will aid you in turn".
Immune to petrification, it wades into the fray after Kythel provides it with a buffing spell - Bull Strength.
Greatsword Attack #1 - Damage
Greatsword Attack #2 - Damage
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"We've got several eyeball beasts, with more eyeballs on their eyeball. They keep lancing out with rays, and I don't like they way they look at us."
While Maxim readies himself for the fight and tries to find out what is going on, Kythel brings up a summoned hound archon he buffs with the strength of a bull. The strange celestial creature speaks up and although he speaks in a strange tongue you all can understand it "Where is the evil I shall fight? For the Heaven!"
As the creature wades through it gets stunned by the terrible sight of the orbs' tyrant eye.
The hound's aura of menace though still threatens all the surviving gauths, but has no effect on them.
The yellow gauth appears once more and starts shooting rays at both Kikinnin and JJ.
The red orb emits a cone of true fear towards the heroes.
Many of the rays just land on the ceiling and walls of the manor, but a few of them strike true on Kikinnin and JJ, that have the opportunity to attack as they are shot in close quarters.
Meanwhile the blinded gauth appears shooting rays in random directions before it turns invisible once more with a shriek of frustration.
All the gauths seem to have entered into a strange rage that makes them spit foam through their mouths with uncontrolled fury.
JJ knows his luck can only hold out so long, still, he dodges and does his best to resist the eyes effects. However with so many striking him, he can't avoid them all, and a great weariness comes upon him.
He steps sideways to allow the Archon to enter the fray, and then swings Alakast, with increasing desperation.
All saves at +1 from prayer
Attacks, +1 from prayer, -1 from fatigue, cancel out.
Marigold's Round 3
This is crazy, there's no room to do anything!
Well, there's room for a few things but the overall size of the field and the number of bodies on it are a pretty big cramp on her usual tactics. She tries once more to fling a ray of light at the one foe she can see and then falls back to allow the others more room to work.
"ಬಿಗಿಯಾದ ಕ್ವಾರ್ಟರ್ಸ್ ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಾನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಬೀಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ!"
"Tight quarters so I'm falling back!"
AC = 33/15/32
HP = 151/160
Weapon Equipped = Eldgammel +3
Condition(s) = Shield of Faith, Divine Bond, Prayer
Kikinnin can't keep his shield up to face all directions at the same time, so feels a couple of pings get past it, and he keeps his eyes firmly on the eyeball fellows, willing himself to remain a constant ally in the fight, along JJ's side. He sidles up and into the room with a 5' step, then tries to reduce Yellow and/or Red to mush.
The black beard appears to be wearing thin, as well, Eldgammel landing maybe once of the three swings. "We might want to pull back, JJ. What do you think? You got enough in you to stand our ground?"
JJ reacts to the shooting with an opportunistic attack that leaves the red gauth badly injured.
Despite the fatigue and shaking sight of the horrors, JJ fights back like a young wild boar. His first attack drops the red gauth to the ground, then he sidesteps and fights back the cyan one, striking thrice on the fluffy and bulbous surface of the orb.
Despite the cover and the melee, Marigold's ray strikes true on the yellow gauth, leaving it with problems to hold floating.
Kikinnin picks up where Marigold's leave it, dithering on his initial attack, feeble on his last, but accurate enough to drop the tyrant eye with his second!
Only the cyan orb, and the invisible and blinded green, remain. The group having pushed through the rest of the eyes pack.
Recovering from his stunning, Eidi finally answers back Kikinnin while he picking up his staff from the floor "Hummm... speak? They have mouths and are incredibly smart, thus I guess they shall have some kind of language, not sure if something our ears can really understand" Eidi raises his staff once more and sends a barrage of magic missiles to the invisible gauth, marking the square of the green orb for everyone else "Հանձնել, և մենք կխոսենք:"
"Surrender and we shall talk."
"The green skinned gauth is there, where my force missiles impacted!" he also points up in the direction for Kythel's hound to know where to strike.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kikinnin leans back against the wall, ducking his head around the corner to look back through the doorway. "Two left, Bror. We're getting tuckered out, so bring those pistols around, and take one of them in their big eye. They pop like unripe cherries. You know, their eyes are tough as the pits, but the flesh is easy enough to peel."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Maxim nods, pulling his smoked goggles o'er his eyes, then moves forward double barrelled pistol and wand drawn;
"Finally got a darn use fir these eye-pieces! Right ye are Bror, am bringing' the pain..."
Entering the charnel room, the gun-mage clocks the apparently sole surviving ocular threat;
"Huh. Only seein' one o' the evil eyes!? He'll do fir starters! HEY UGLY HERE"S IRON IN YER EYE!"
He levels his pistol , imbues it with arcane energy and lets it have both barrels!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Thump that skull, Brother, thump that skull!!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Eidi's missiles mark where the invisible orb remains while damaging it.
Maxim puts on cool glasses to make a cool appearance. With a single trigger of his gun, both barrels are shot. The deflagration is followed by the implosion of the gauth as one of the bullets hits just in the middle of the eye. Bits of tissue and blood sprawl all over the room!
Kythel's Hound Archon steps in the fight guided by his scent and Eidi's missiles it slashes on the invisible creature.
Blinded and cornered it does not take more than an instant for the group to batter down the last tyrant eye.
Opening the door in the aviary, you find out a set of stairs going up.
"G-geeze...wasn't exp-p-pecting a bunch of little ones..." Marigold winces as she's finally able to move forward and witness the extent of the carnage for herself. "H-hope that was all of them..."
"I'm with you on that, miss Marigold. And now we don't have any of them to chat up. I suppose we're not done yet, though. Let's check the upper floor, and finish with the House, so we might get to the Pit quicker."
Kikinnin nudges one of the dead gauths, a slight worry across his features, for what's come to Cauldron.
The black beard takes to the stairs, intent on investigating while Pocca's Glow still visits his blade.
"Were they more beholders?" asks JJ, as he pants for breath.
"I mean I kind of thought so many would be tougher."
He takes a seat.
"I feel as bushed as Beatinator after a big battle."
"Um...s-someone said that they're g-gauths? M-must be some v-variant type of beh-h-holder, m-maybe?" Marigold asks, unsure which of her companions came up with the name. "I j-just hope one b-big one isn't any w-worse than a b-bunch of little ones..."
Provided nothing else happens, she moves to follow Kikinnin up the stairs - or to wherever he deems it prudent to visit next.
Eidi kneels to examine the fallen orbs, he takes a piece of tissue and looks through it before discarding it throwing it over his back "Gauths are rare aberrations that inhabit the most distant places of the Darklands. I think they come from the Dark Tapestry like the Contemplators. Even then, these were no normal subjects. Look their skin pustules and the uneven eyes... they remember me of demodands. It is like if someone has been testing some kind of transformation on them, then left them here discarded"
As the others move on upstairs, the half-elf does same after them.
"T-Transformation? G-great...so we r-really don't know what we m-might run up against before it's all s-said and done..." Marigold sighs, visions of beholders the size of giants and Vhalantru with six arms dancing through her head.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Wait.. someone is transforming as nasty a creature as a Gauth into a demodand? That cannot bode well. It sounds like Cagewright work."
Then his eyes brighten.
"Or maybe... maybe they were being punished for being so evil! Like being consigned after death to Carceri as demolands, and somehow came back to Cauldron. " he adds in an excited manner.
"In Watch of the Wrathful, Beatinator faces something just like that. It is a bit of a mystery while you work out what is happening to be honest. But that pit we found... if they came out of that, it could be a gateway to the lower realms!.
He, tiredly, tries one of the doors, hoping to find the stoned Celeste.