The eye definitely radiates powerful conjuration and enchantment magic. The brave monk inserts the green crystal in the hollow and instantly, the shard is vaporized and the runes on the disc's circumference light up in a green color, as they snake around the circle of the eye to the next hollow. The monk then places the red crystal from the octopus tree's lair and again it is used up and runes light up, now in red, and snake their way to the last hollow.
"Whoa, that was not a wise decision, Rothgar! Quick, try the blue remnants, perhaps we can finesse the solution where the key was missing!"
Gideon watches, his face a frown of concern as he holds the handful of the blue crystals for rothgar. He will lean over to Flizzibus. "Got any glue?" he asks. "Might be faster." he shrugs. "Well, unless one of you can repair it... We might have to delay further. I dislike them getting such a lead on us, though."
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"We have no choice. Maybe the dwarf can try it again."
The first time, the disc powers down when the crystal pieces are placed inside. Realizing his mistake, the dwarf repeats the process, going much slower, more in tune with the arcane nature of the device, and the Eye accepts the shattered pieces! The disc glows in blue, green, and red and pulses with energy, seemingly beckoning you to step forward onto its surface. Flizz and Pele sense magic emanating off the disc telling them to leave this area, but the two of them resist the enchantment magic, sensing however a great level of discomfort around the disc (-4 penalty to Dexterity while around its magic). Pele theorizes it could be an Antipathy spell. Rothgar and Gideon feel no effect from the spell.
"I would hazard a guess this is a portal or teleporter of some design. Where it leads, and who built it I cannot say. If you would like to press forward, this seems our path. I cannot teleporter but once more today, but I have plenty of offensive magic remaining to continue."
"We should go while it is open." he says, moving forward. "Rothgar, lead the way."
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"Sure, the magical field doesn't bother me." The dwarf steps onto the disc.
As Rothgar steps on the disc, he vanishes from sight. Assuming you are brave enough, you all step onto the disc, despite the intense discomfort for Flizz and Pele.
The sudden shift in environment was shocking and overwhelming for a moment. The sound of the raging tempest was gone, replaced by a gentle wind carrying birdsongs and the drone of buzzing insects. The sky above was overcast, yet it did not seem ready to storm. The edge of a sprawling, black forest, dense and overgrown, filled the view in one direction. Tall trees sagged with branches heavy with moss, their dark eaves dropping to the ground in some places. From within came a cacophony of insects and singing birds. Now and then, a ghostly green glow appeared in the trees, only to fade moments later, as if whatever creature was generating it was afraid to be seen. In the other directions, grassy hills rose. Opposite the forest, these hills eventually became a range of rocky, barren mountains. A flash of brilliant lightning ignited the sky above the mountains for a moment, and the distant peal of muted thunder echoed down from the slopes a few moments after.
As you look around your surroundings and step off the disc, four beings suddenly materialize at the edge of the forest. They are tall, gallant figures bedecked in glimmering, gossamer armor, with cloaks of vicious nettles draped across their shoulders. Halos of churning insects swirl about their heads. They wield wicked, barbed spears in both hands, and four poles fan out from the plates of armor across their upper backs. Attached at the end of each pole is a banner, one fiery red fringed with bright, crimson flames, another translucent white leaving a trail of cloud in its wake as it danced on the wind, a third deep brown and cracked like parched earth, and the last blue as the ocean on a cloudless day and frothing with bubbles. In silence, the quartet of beings approach.
They stop some ten paces away from the party, and one steps forward.
“I am Tylanthros, Guardian of this Realm. We are the Last Resort, as surely as the trees and stones and sea and air around you. We protect the secrets of this island from all trespassers. You have mastered the Portal of Storms, and therefore must be brave, but it remains to be seen if you belong here at all. Why are you here? What do you seek?”
Pele looks to the more charismatic members of the crew, whispering under his breath.
"Be very careful. I imagine they are elemental guardians, likely tied to this plane and quite powerful. Hopefully, they will allow us to pass in search for our targets."
Bowing deeply Flizzibus speaks up.
"Well met, noble warriors, my name is Flizzibus and I am in company with my friends Pele the Powerful, Rothgar the mighty and Gideon the wise. We seek wisdom, wisdom of times gone by and stored at this place, so we were told, that one day, in times of need, noble men could find a way to truly slay a befouling monstrosity and rid the world of grave danger. Are we at the right place! Is our quest... just?"
Rothgar chimes in, "Aye, I am Rothgar Steelfist, a practitioner of the monkish arts. We seek the secret of a dracolich's phylactery and we understand there is a wealth of knowledge stored here. Our purpose is noble. By the way, have you seen another band led by a priest with a skeletal hand around here too?"
Gideon speaks up. "I am Gideon Goldwater, speaker for the Dawnflower and witness to her mercy. We come in search of the Phylactery of a being of great evil, so that we may destroy it for good. We have been on the tail of a powerful necromancer who seeks to use the Phylactery for his own evil deeds, and already he bears an artifact of great evil upon him."
Tylanthros smiles, "“You seek the Fountain, although you do not yet realize it. The Fountain of Dreams is linked to all things in Last Resort. The earth, the dark trees of the Doomshroud, the clouds above, my life and that of my brothers are a part of it. If the waters are consumed, the Order of the Storm’s rite is undone. The secrets kept from the world will be released, and the great creatures of legend imprisoned here on this isle shall be unleashed upon the Prime once more. You say your purposes are noble? This remains to be seen. Accomplish four tasks and prove yourselves to be the heroes of old returned. The Fountain shall not be despoiled lightly.”
The strange creature looks at his three brothers, then back to you. “The Fountain of Dreams shall know those destined for its gifts in but one way. It will know them by the Trials of Tilagos. Survive these trials, and you may slake your thirst on what you seek. Fail, and Last Resort shall be your grave. I am Tylanthros, and the first trial is the Claiming of Krathanos’s Golden Belt.”
A second of the quartet of creatures speaks up next. “I am Beskawahn, and the second trial is the Silence of the Doomshroud’s Mournful Song."
The third speaks. “I am Thadimar, and the third trial is the Death of the Thorn Vale Nightmare.”
Finally, the last creature speaks. “I am Sayren-Lei, and the final trial is the Harvest of the Living Feather of the Roc King.”
Tylanthros speaks again. “These trials complete, return here and we shall show you the Fountain of Dreams. Until then, we shall watch. And wait. As for the man with the rotting hand? He has come to Tilagos with his flock, seeking knowledge as you do. Even as you linger, they seek to complete the tasks we have named. If they outspeed you, then the secrets of the Fountain are theirs. Who claims the secrets of the Fountain matters little to us, for once these secrets are claimed our role in Last Resort has come to an end.”
"Dear Lords, if I may, we are strangers to a foreign land. Could you help us a with some informations. Who is Krathanos, and what about the others?"
With no ranks in Diplomacy, Rothgar just says "Wait..
"Looks like it's a race to who completes the trials first and Priest with the Hand has head start. So my thoughts, we have a forest to one side, hills to the other, and mountains to another. Each trial could be tied to each landscape. Where should we go first?"
Looking at the others Flizzibus shrugs."Which way now? I think that"claiming the golden belt sounds like a plan!"
"Sounds as good a place to start as any. I can't really recall anything about such stories or legends in my readings, though."
Actually, Pele searches back in his mind and remembers reading in one of books on the arcane planes of an ancient murderous titan named Krathanos, who was said to have wreaked havoc on the Prime Material Plane, before he mysteriously vanished about 500 years ago.
About rocs, he knows normally they are terrifying, legendary birds renowned for their ability to carry off elephants and other big animals. A typical roc is 30 feet long from beak to tail, with an 80-foot wingspan and weight of up to 8,000 pounds. He cannot imagine how big a Roc King must be. While rocs are capable of sleeping in the air as they soar solo across great ranges in search of food, they generally return home to the mountains to roost and procreate. They prefer rocky crags that are completely inaccessible by terrestrial means, building vast nests of tree trunks and ruined masonry.
"Okay, there are my thoughts. Vale means valley which is usually associated with mountains. Rocs live in mountains, per Pele. So the Nightmare and Roc King are in the direction of the mountains. That leaves the forest to the other side, which might be where the Doomshroud is - it is full of singing birds and we have to silence the song. As for the evil titan, guess we will have to just look for him. I say, we head for the forest."
"I don't know if these tasks need to be completed in order, but the forest sounds as good a place to start as any. After you, my stalwart compatriots."
Pele flys behind the group, invisible as usual, racking his memory for any other clues or tidbits which met help their quest.
As the party begins crossing through the forest, you realize you have never seen any such thing in your travels. This particular forest is a lonesome, alien landscape. Its black, monolithic trees appear to shift unnaturally without the aid of wind. The canopy blocks out the dim light provided by the overcast skies, and the forest is dark as night as a result. The drooping trees continuously weep a thick black ichor. This sap is oily and foul smelling.
About 3 hours into your travels, you begin hearing in the distance a sad song, but each of you hears different verses. To Rothgar, the song tells of the slaughter of dwarves at the hands of orc tribes; to Pele, the song is about the drow assault on an elven city and the desecration of magic; to Gideon and Flizz, the song depicts the torture and imprisonment about children. As you continue traveling, you realize the trees are growing scarcer as you are about to reach a clearing. The song you hear is getting louder.
Thinking for a moment Flizzibus speaks to others."This song is horrible. Can anyone make some earplugs? Or maybe we have to fight this tree in silence."
"I may have a spell that can let us fight in silence, if you wish. But it will hamper us as well." Gideon offers.
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"Silence would stop physical singing, as well as my spellcasting abilities. There is no guarantee this sound is not a mental phenomenon, however. It sounds differently to each of us, which suggests a mental delivery, rather than a physical one."
Before approaching closer, Pele casts an extended magic circle against evil, centered on himself.
Sensing danger may befall the party, Rothgar pulls out his wand and spends another charge, turning his skin into tough scales.
He then addresses the party, "This song business is sad and worrisome. I remember in my youth fighting harpies, who could charm through their song. Songs can mess with the mind and I am sure the Doomshroud is not a benevolent creature. So we should be prepared against the enchantment of the song. When we approach, I will stay close to Flizz, as his presence protects against such dangers. Gideon, you should stay close to Pele, if possible, within his circle, to protect your mind against evil. Other than that, let us approach the clearing."
After the spellcasting, the party proceeds to the an incredibly wide open circular clearing, measuring about 1200 feet in diameter, with only a single black tree in the middle. No other tree grows near this 50-foot-tall monstrosity. The menacing tree sways hypnotically, its many black branches undulating like serpents, dancing to the tune of its mournful melody. As you listen, the tune of the song now sounds like the weeping of a woman who has lost her beloved, while to others it sounds like the cold baleful wind blowing over a desolate graveyard. The tree is obviously old and unspeakably evil.
Moving forward Flizzibus charges the tree.
Rothgar resists the song's bewitching effects. "We have to take the fight to it; I am sure it will pick us off with spells and such if we fight from a distance. Luck be on our side." The dwarf concentrates and in an instant disappears from sight and appears on the opposite side adjacent to the tree. He then draws his fist back and unleashes a devastating blow on the tree!
Rothgar and Flizz rely on their training to resist the lure of the Doomshroud's song.
Rothgar's D-door is within range and he appears and strikes a vicious blow to the evil tree, busting through its thick and enchanted bark, although some of the damage is minimized.
Flizz just double moves forward.
Flizz moves 80' forward.
Round 1:
The Doomshround's bark suddenly starts rapidly growing back where Rothgar punched it. The tree suddenly sprouts spidery legs and lets off a quickened lightning bolt at the monk. It then rears back and tries to smash the dwarf with one powerful tree trunk slam, but Rothgar's size beguiles his agility and he deftly dodges the blow thanks to his armored scales, though he feels the power of the blow, as grass and dirt fly up from the impact!
"Gideon, stay close and I will grant you flight for a bit of time."
Pele prepares to cast fly on Gideon if he comes within reach, then move along with the cleric 40' closer to the tree.
Rothgar easily sidesteps the Doomshroud's bolt of lightning. Realizing his enemy's tough bark will all but deflect most of his normal blows, Rothgar reels back and unleashes another Improved Vital Strike blow on his enemy.
Gideon remains close and nods. "We need to get close enough to support Rothgar." he says. "I can be most effective around 250 feet."
Round 2:
After the devastating blow from the monk, the Doomshround focuses its attention solely on the dwarf and tries to smash him again! One of its trunks slams into the monk, doing severe damage.
Flizz moves closer
"I suggest we move as quickly as possible, Gideon. Our dwarven friend is tough, but I don't know just how powerful that tree creature is as of yet."
Pele runs towards the fight 160' (overland flight 40' × 4)
Rothgar feels the might of the tree and tries to be more cautious, relying on his ki for an extra burst of speed and agility.
Of course. Riding at full speed.
Round 3:
Rothgar's fist bounces off the colossal tree's tough hide with no damage.
The tree's bark self-repairs as the Doomshroud goes back on the offensive, bringing down two powerful tree trunks on the monk, trying to end him before his allies arrive. One powerful blow is unavoidable and breaks some of the monk's ribs in the process, but the dwarf is sturdy and holding his own against the powerful tree.
Racing toward battle!