Fort save lol just typical. Yes it is dead
Duardlara holds up the mithral chain shirt. "One of the challenges I have had to deal with is that my armor would restrict my movements, causing me to make mistakes as I cast spells. That's why I gave up on wearing armor." She turns the shirt back and forth, examining the workmanship, "But I believe I have figured out how to cast my spells successfully even when in armor. I have seen elven workmanship similar to this that wizards could utilize and not compromise their ability to contribute."
Referring to the remains of the centaur that the devil was carrying, "Which is all a long way of saying, if I may, I would like to claim this unfortunate creature's chain shirt."
"I have no interest in it and if it would help you, I say take it!" Venja says with a smile... "Need any help getting into it?"
Help yourself
With an uncharacteristically shy smile, the elf shakes her head, "No, I can manage." She looks at the witch, "I really hope this works. It's something that has frustrated me for so long..."
Duardlara slips into the chain shirt, tugging here and there to get it to sit on her thin frame properly, and any that observe her doing so might notice that her outline appears somewhat indistinct, almost hazy.
Satisfied, she removes a pair of decorated bracelets, one from each hand, and offers them to the group at large. "These offer some minor protection, if anyone might gain some use from them, but they did little good when I had my leathers, so I don't expect they will help me now."
"Oh, and I've been meaning to see if this would be useful to someone else. The logic of the spell escapes me, but maybe someone else can make it work."
"I wouldn't mind those bracers... I think they would help me... " she pauses and waits to see if anyone else speaks up for them...
"Help yourself. I'm more interested in a lie-down than some more bling."
Duardlara isn't the girly sort, but she bats her eyelashes at the magus, softening her expression, and suddenly looks the part. With a husky tone, she says, "A girl's got to have a little bling to feel good about herself." But as she puts on the show, a hidden dagger springs into her grip. It is in clear view, so you know there is no threat, but you also know she is making a point, even if she has no intention of delivering one.
With a wicked smirk, she reloads the sheath on her forearm, but the smirk fades into a genuine smile as she looks at her friends. "I'm very happy that I no longer have to be that girl to survive. It's good to know someone always has your back. Shall we determine shifts? I can watch early or late, but I need to recharge to be able to memorize tomorrow's spells."
"Right" Orgar says to Duardla with a grin.
"At least we agree about what constitutes bling."
"As far as when to be on guard, I'm not fussy."
"Just so long as I do get some much-needed beauty sleep!"
"I need my eight hours of course... so I'll take a watch early or late but not in between if that's okay."
Cynehelm, an inveterate admirer of both ladies and bling, watches the exchange between Duardlara and Orgar with a smile. His little flock is odd, but no more odd than the place in which they find themselves.
"I'll be happy to take the middle watch," says the priest. "It reminds me of being on campaign. I would wish you a good night but I have no idea what time it is in this strange place, so I wish you a good rest and the blessings of the Lady."
I can take first watch, just need a little relaxation. Jetro sips on his tea and hard biscuits.
After finally achieving a full night's rest the group decides to head out to explore the other passageway leading out from the chamber. Moving on you see the decor on the walls change from a winter motif to that if a summer motif. Along the way you also see an image of a very pregnantut naked woman etched into the rock. 50 ft further on you come your a locked door.
Duardlara inspects the door and questions her sanity. Double checking it again she is pretty sure that she has seen this for brier but from the other side. Opening it carefully she is certain that you have been here before as you see a familiar sight.
This grand chamber h a s t h e appearance of a dark temple. Intricately woven tapestries hang from the walls, depicting dark rests beneath crescent moons and lled with beasts and capering hags. Along the west wall stands a large stone hearth containing the charred remains of a bale re. On either side of the hearth hangs a large cauldron; one is iron, the other copper. To the le of the hearth, the wall is painted with the giant image of a nged crone with raven's wings and a donkey tail. A longspear hangs on the south wall of the room, pointing east, while a curved sword hangs on the north wall, pointing west. In the northeast corner stands a plain oaken table holding wooden panpipes, a polished copper bowl, and a silver punching dagger.
So are we doubling back on ourselves? The whole place seems to be connected.
You entered the bottom door on the right. The first door on the right lead to the blood caps. The passageway at the far bottom right is what you have explored already. You have not tried the bottom left door.
"As are the three aspects of the maiden, the mother and the crone... all interconnected."
Bottom left it seems.
"Fair enough; we might as well try that other door."
"Funny we'd end up back here again."
"Could there be a significance to the tripartite theme beyond merely the decorative?" asks Cynehelm. " For instance, has anyone noted different types of rooms or hazards associated with the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone?"
No idea about those.
It is the same room. I thought you left the items as you did not want to offend Baba Yaga since thus is a chapel area of sorts.
The elf pauses, looking around the room. ”What if one of these items is what we need in our search for Baba Yaga?”
Might be, can you see if any are magical and figure out what they do?
”We identified several as magical when last we visited this temple. The spear is particularly effective against giants, for example.”
"Do you think there are any more giants about?"
"If so, that spear would be a bonus."
« აღმოაჩინე ჯადოსნური » . .
Orgar will look around for anything else here that shows up as magic.
The longspear on the south wall is a +1 giantbane longspear, while the curved sword on the north wall is a +1 cold iron scimitar. The panpipes on the table are pipes of haunting. The punching dagger is +1 alchemical silver punching dagger.
As you approach the cauldron though to identify it you recognize the magic of illusion before all hell breaks loose. A creature made of green fire appears in a flash before disappearing again.
She nods, "Yes, there is a pretty good chance that we will cross the paths of giants, especially after we leave this place. There was a group that attacked us near the Hut, in fact. The scimitar would be more effective than standard steel against most fey and the punching dagger would be useful against werewolves and the like. But now that I look around once more, I realize we never completed our examination of the cauldron when the witchfire appeared."
The elf moves up to the cauldron and looks in. She will take the longspear and gently press the butt of the weapon into the cauldron to see if the magic is hiding something that lays within.
Jetro picks his teeth
Heading out of the room after gathering the magical items you find yourselves following a long twisting stair. Assuming Duardlara scouts ahead she comes upon the following.
A long and winding stone staircase finally ends at a wooden door. Peeking in you see a set of rickety stairs that descend into a cavern whose walls support rough wooden shelves piled high with all manner of weird bric-a-brac: tiny sculptures, fetishes, amulets of metal and clay, locks of hair, pin-riddled corn husk dolls, and more than a few weathered tomes. Yellowed glass jars hold vile and suspect-looking samples suspended in unknown fluids, and small clay pots overflow with unknown dusts, powders, and sickly colored unguents. Beneath the shelves, a couple of crude worktables, covered in mysterious stains and clumps of aged tallow, hold more items of similar nature. A huge wooden mortar bound with iron bands stands near the tables, its club-sized pestle propped within. In the south side of the room, a ring of small stones surrounds a small fire that fills the entire room with the scent of pine. In the center of the room you see an attractive woman heavy with child entertaining a frost giant. They do not notice you at first and neither the frost giant nor the woman seem to be in any immediate danger from the other.
Orgar grips the hilt of his scimitar.
Still remembering his last, and unpleasant, meeting with frost giants.
He tries to scan the room for anything else that seems odd.
Or more odd than they already see, at least.
Yesh, let us leave these two lovebirds alone
”I presume this is the giant’s lab. Perhaps the pregnant woman seeks magical assistance.” Seeing Orgar’s reflexive response to word of a frost giant, she nods in understanding. ”They appear to be having a peaceful conversation and did not indicate that they had seen me. We may be able to pass them by.”
The language was giant and it seemed like it was normal conversation. However you get the sense that the woman was the resident and the giant was the visitor. The woman was asking why the giant was here, if there was plenty of game outside still, what the weather was like, etc.
The passagewsy is large enough to allow a large creature to walk easily or 2 medium creatures side by side. There are no other doors leading out of the area.
On one of the shelves you spot a book that looks quite interesting. It is titled: Cookbook of Arcane Augmentation!
”Interesting. The mortar and pestle are appropriate for a giant, but the woman speaks as though she is the one that lives here. I suspect she is not what she appears - perhaps she is also a giant.”
”I saw a book on the shelf entitled ‘Cookbook of Arcane Augmentation’ - Interesting as a topic, of course, but it lends credence to the idea that she has skill with transmutation magic and has another form.”
Well no sense hanging around it sees.
"Or we could just saunter on in and chat her up", Orgar says in jest.
I don't think they want to be interrupted.
"Come now Jetro, we can't be simply avoiding everyone we meet - we are here for a reason" - Helgash argues.
"Can you remind what that reason is?" says Cynehelm. "I'm just here because you rescued me and Orgar."
"She's a pregnant woman...in a labyrinth. I think we should proceed with cautious diplomacy."
"I can Cynehelm - we seek Baba Yaga herself, to right what one of her daughters is trying to do to our own world, an Eternal winter..." - the paladin responds - "We have toiled and faced much, but our last clue, obtained from inside her own hut, has sent us here - 'Seek now the sisters three who are one: Mother, Maiden, Crone. But know that the Maiden is elusive, and may only be caught with the waxing moon'"
He then turns to their own Winter Witch and Infiltrator - "It was Venja who remembered the reference to Artrosa, and Duardlara that pointed us here, to the northeastern part of Iobaria to continue our search, chasing an omen spoken through a crow's voice" - he adds, then speaking to all again - "And I have remembered something else which was eluding me - a promise to Ratibor, that we would seek a means to release him. That we would find the 'Cookbook of Augmentation' for just such purpose" - the tiefling finishes.
"This is why we cannot leave. As far as we know, the woman in there can actually be Baba Yaga in one of her manifestations, can she not? 'The Mother'?" - Helgash insists with a smile - "And I always give Diplomacy a chance, my friend"