light =Tinkerbell
Wabbit starts searching about with Tinkerbell to guide him. He can't relax till the last shadow is found....BAADDD experience with those a couple of years ago left him weak as a newborn kitten
Cleo stays near Wabbit as she searches.
Aggah does too but tries to help
Furnok begins to look for shadow residue that could be left behind as it slides over surfaces.
Perception
Intelligence
Andreste lights several flammable items like torches on fire, motioning to suggest spreading out. Her motions aren't incredibly useful, apparently.
It take a long, long time before the group manages to find the shadow and eliminate it. Wherever the group travels, the shadow evades, and the group fails to herd the shadow into a confined space. It isn't until the shadow's patience wears thin that it reveals itself. It charges the most singled out and least aware person, and gets a touch in before the group arrives to destroy it. Andreste's strength falters her, like she's just aged twenty years.
Furnok spends his time searching for the remnants of the destroyed shadows. He finds three piles of extremely black goop, commonly referred to as Shadow Essence. Though not immediately aware of what it does, he figures it could potentially be helpful.
Shadow Essence, which is the remains of a Shadow undead, can be used in two different ways. To rogues and alchemists, Shadow Essence is a strength-sapping poison. To spellcasters, Shadow Essence is a material component that makes their shadow spells act 20% more real.
Shadow Essence can be sold for 125gp per dose.
Just after destroying the last Shadow, the group hears a strange sound. A bell, with a single peal of medium pitch. It's coming from downstairs.
Wabbit gets quite frustrated with the time it takes to track down the Shadow but sticks with it as he'll NEVER be able to get back to sleep with it lurking around.
It gets a sneaky powerful hit in on Andreste and then falls to our blades...FINALLY thinking he can relax and go back to bed...but NO...not gonna happen as the strange bell tolls (but for whom)
ugh. What NOW? turning to Andreste do you have any Mage Armor spells remaining? Looks like I may need one. If not I've got a potion I can use but I'd like to save it if possible.
Blasted nasty, what is this stuff? Andraste! Think you can use this? Maker's Breath! This could kill a Mabari!
"Good. Anyone have any idea why these things attacked? Maybe because we opened that door." she answers her own wondering with an opinion, in a voice that is significantly annoyed with herself. She quickly goes over to the kids to make sure they are all okay, explaining that they took out the evil shadows and they'll keep watch for the rest of the night to make sure they don't come back.
Looking at the others, at the sound of the bell, she'll go check out what he new worry and/or wonder is.
Andreste, with her incredible understanding of magic, is able to identify the Shadow Essence. She mentions to Wabbit that she doesn't have another Mage Armour, not until she gets some rest. Cleo checks on the kids. They are terrified. They ask to turn all the braziers on, and huddle together for safety. Menas, a young Taldan boy, doesn't look scared. He's completely disassociated, and mutters about going home while staring blankly at his feet.
---------
The group slowly treads down the stairs. Everything is still, and the braziers are kept alight on the first floor. The bell is rung again, and the faint sound of a very stuffy voice is heard, like someone with a cold.
"Ring-a-ding. Ring-a-ding. Haha"
It is coming from the basement.
I've read stories about this, going into the basement. How about we get the kids out and burn the place down?
I've read stories about this, going into the basement. How about we get the kids out and burn the place down?
Wabbit looks at Furnok quizzically if we burn it down we'll never know what's down here Wabbit says as if pointing out the obvious
Wabbit leads the way down, blade ready and in his other hand a potion of Mage Armor top loosened, ready to be quaffed (such a great word) at a moment's notice.
The group slowly head down the stairs, ready for the worst. Janis notices that the floor beyond the open door is made of wood, and as he carefully peers around the doorway, notices that the wood only reaches maybe 10 feet beyond before being the usual stone. He stops the group and takes a closer look. Around the corner he can see a wood, rope, and stone contraption that stands 5 feet tall. On the end of a wooden arm is a sharp iron spike pointed outwards.
K Eng
Andreste examines the trap, but doesn't have a better guess than a spring loaded contraption with a pressure plate or trip wire. She offers these suggestions, but feels its better to leave it to the designated trap expert.
"If you need me to, I can manipulate small objects from this range with magic." she offers to Janis.
Furnok tries to think about his time under the ground and how placing weight can possibly help keep traps from springing.
This is one of those things kids learned in school while Wabbit was playing hooky fishing
Cleo cranes her neck to see what they are all looking at "Oh, that looks like it would hurt." basically being no help at all.
Andreste can figure out a little bit. The contraption is designed so that a large set of stone blocks collapse, which makes the arm extend outwards. The part that she's having trouble with is figuring out how the contraption is supposed to be triggered.
Furnok recognizes that the stones used in the contraption are simple sandstone, and not the dark magical stonework used in the tower. He figures that the group are about 8 feet underground now. There's been a very long debate about whether oozes are considered liquids or solids.
"Janis... are you going to able to disarm that?"
Janis takes a good look and thinks that he probably doesn't need to do anything fancy. He asks to borrow Andreste's glaive and decides that sawing off a rope from a distance would probably work.
It takes a couple seconds, but Janis cuts a rope. The stones tumble to the floor, which makes the arm jet outwards with the iron spike. After it shoots out, the arm shows a joint, making it turn 90 degrees and pointing the spike downwards. The spike then falls about 5 feet directly into the wooden flooring.
As they enter the room, Janis and Andreste take a closer look. They discover a false covering of wood, hiding a loop of rope. They figure out that if someone stepped here, their foot might be caught by the rope, and pulled over when all the stones fell. The spike would probably end up skewering the hapless person in the chest if they fell prone, or perhaps a headwound if they were still standing.
Type mechanical; Perception DC 15; Engineering DC15; Disable Device DC 15
EFFECTS
Trigger touch (step on hidden plate); Reset manual
Effect
Step 1. Drag maneuver +15 to pull target 5 feet
Step 2. Target makes a DC15 acrobatics check to remain standing. If they succeed, go to 3a, otherwise go to 3b
Step 3a. Atk +15 melee (iron spike; 1d8+1/×2)
Step 3b. Coup de Grace (2d8+2)
Bypass
Simply knowing where the pressure plate is is enough to bypass the trap without any skill checks.
Disable possibilities
Finding and destroying the trap, locating the pressure plate and either prodding it with an item to trip it or carefully removing the fake flooring, then removing the rope.
Notes
Small sized characters are immune to step 3a. If they end up at step 3b, then an attack roll must be made first before the Coup de Grace, as it targets their head rather than their heart.
The floorboards only extend several feet before showing the bare dark stone beneath. The area is again in the form of a circle, but this time there are no hallways. There are rooms, roughly a dozen around the circumference of the room. In the middle of the floor are seven pillars to hold up the ceiling, and in the middle of them is the familiar cylinder with the mysterious door they've seen on each floor. However, the door here has been broken through. Those with darkvision see a large bird cage and an open treasure chest near the door. Standing next to it is the silhouette of a small creature, about Halfing height. It's just standing there, either gazing at the opening of the broken door, or directly at the party. In it's hand is a handbell.
Wabbit watches the trap with great interest hoping to learn a bit so as not to get decapitated in the future and then he notices the halfling sized shadow Well hello there...And who might you be? Were you ringing for us?
The figure doesn't move, but its voice echoes upon the vacant stone. A raspy, but feminine voice speaks, though with a heavy accent.
"I has trade. Lots. How be Menas? Speak and bring."
"Menas is one of the children. The young boy who was incoherent." Cleo whispers.
"What are you wishing to trade?"
"Ya, Menas the boy." The voice replies. "I has more drugs. In human tongue called Feydust and I gots more Hazemind like Stinky asked. I remembered hehe. But! I wants to know how Menas been? Did he walk in sun? How Menas feel?"
I don't know who Menas is, but how much for feydust and hazemind?
"Menas must come back. Inkadrovik wants to know Menas' time here."
"Is Inkadrovik your name?" Cleo asks
"Nononononono Am Bizza." The silhouette shakes its head. 'Bizza' suddenly yells something in a foreign language, that even Andreste doesn't know. Then it/she continues to stand there in the dark.
"Why you just stand there? Go get Menas, or no drugs!"
"No." Cleo says simply. "We will not get the child for you, or purchase your drugs." at least she won't.
"Oooooooo you make me mad! We'll take you instead!" Bizza yells. She says something in another tongue, and suddenly more silhouettes start to crawl out of the broken door.
Wabbit drinks his potion of Mage Armor (standard), activates his scarf (swift, +5ft reach, 1 panache) and moves forward 30ft (move) so his light can reveal what's going on at the doorway
Furnok steps up in front of the party and readies an attack to whack any nasty that tries to get past him
+11 Attack 1d12+4 damage, reach. 2 AoOs a round
Furnok steps to the front to defend the party. Bizza casts a spell and disappears. Six creatures crawl out from the hole in the door and spread out around the party. Those with darkvision (or lowlight) see small, dark blue skinned creatures with white hair and eyes full of cataracts. They're extremely skinny, like a bag of bones and muscles. Some of them have skin riddled with scab wounds.
Two of the closest creatures, one on each side, shoot at Furnok with their small hand crossbows. The first shot misses, but the second shot hits him in the shoulder. Furnok can feel the burning sensation of poison in the wound, but it looks like his body will fight it off.
Then the group hears singing from the remaining creatures. It's some sort of ballad, and it sounds very calming. Janis wonders, perhaps it would be a good take a nap?
Not being able to see much, Cleo cast light on Aggah's arrow before she shoots it at the furthest one she can see.
Wabbit drinks his potion of Mage Armor (standard), activates his scarf (swift, +5ft reach, 1 panache) and moves forward 30ft (move) so his light can reveal what's going on at the doorway and tries to look like an inviting target
AoOs x4, Combat reflexes
Flurry +6bab +4dex +1size , -2 piranha striking, +1 waveblade Agile -2FD
Wabbit moves forward after drinking his potion to illuminate the creatures. Now within striking distance (thanks to his scarf) he gets a proper view of the creature. The one he's in front of blinks and squints, then growls like a dog and curses in a foreign language.
Aggah shoots a light into the other nearby creature, which screams in pain. The light embeds itself into the creature, creating an eerie red glow.
Now that Furnok can properly see the creatures, he at first assumes them to be Svirneblin, or dark Gnomes. However, the language isn't right. He soon realizes that they are not Svirneblin, but rather a creature known as the Derro, who speak Aklo. Derro are very secretive creatures that are rarely seen. Furnok doesn't know much about them, but he knows that they are mostly blind, and use echolocation instead. He's also aware that Derro absolutely hate bright light, especially sunlight.
Furnok moves up 25 feet and bashes one
Furnok jogs up to the Derro closest to Wabbit, and BAM! Smashes it into the stone floor with his hammer.
Andreste moves forward to get a better view and then unleashes a controlled fireball to engulf as many of the creatures as she can. If she would get more than one extra enemy in the blast by including an ally (at least a two-to -one ratio), she will reluctantly and apologetically do so; if she can get a bunch without including an ally in the blast, so much the better.
20ft Radius burst (40 ft diameter)
Damage vs enemies
Damage vs allies 8
Reflex Dc 20 for half in either case.
Unwilling to burn both Wabbit and Furnok for one extra Derro, Andreste launches her fireball towards the largest mass, catching four Derro in the blast. When the fireball explodes and the dust settles, she notices that two of the four have died, but the other two are completely unharmed. Darn rogues.
Suddenly, a cacophony of hundreds of chirping birds is heard. There's a loud scream from the back of the group as the chirping fades. It's Cleo, now covered in lines as her veins are scorched with lightning. Bizza materializes in front of her, with her hand over Cleo's armour.
"I hates you! Derro! Derro!" She coughs
Meanwhile, one of the rogues in the back sneaks out of Andreste's vision and immediately shoots her with a crossbow bolt. Though it hurts, Andreste does resist the poison. Another Derro skitters back and reloads its crossbow, while the last Derro continues to sing.
OINKKKKK!!!!!
Bacon leaps ahead and attacks the nasty Derro who hurt Cleo!
Furnok moves up 10 feet and whacks the singing Derro
Bacon defends Cleo valiantly like the good pig he is. He tackles Bizza, but she's still got more endurance. Furnok goes over to the singing Derro and bonks him once on the head. He nearly dies then and there, and his singing is replaced with moans of pain.
Andreste casts telekinetic volley, lifting nearly a dozen bolts from he quiver and sending one of them hurling at the derro who attacked her.
Telekinetic Volley for piercing damage.
Cleo will step back and heal herself.
While Aggah fires an arrow at the singer.
Andreste fires a bolt at the distant Derro, and it yelps as it nips the little creature in the leg. Cleo steps back to heal herself, while Aggah tries but misses her shot. Wabbit moves forward to the previously-singing Derro and finishes it off, while Janis draws his bow and easily feints Bizza for a deadly shot next round.
Bizza suddenly screeches unbelievably loud, stunning most of the party and hurting their ears. Only Andreste manages to resist, while Furnok and Wabbit are too far away. Then she slinks into the shadows where only those with darkvision can spot her. The next closest Derro skitters closer and shoots Aggah, poisoning her in the process. The final Derro skitters even further back and reloads its crossbow.