|
42 moves forward 30 feet while chanting a spell with one hand and pulling out his main scimitar with the other. Once he gets within 15 feet of it, he points his right hand and lets a ray of dark energy race forth from his fingers and engulfing the metal beast. Ray of Exhaustion
|
[spoiler=GM rolls]
The beast bellows as 42's spell strikes it, and its movements appear to slow somewhat. Constantin follows 42 into the room, and Alden and Naala attempt to wound the beast, but only Naala manages to score a glancing blow. Exiel follows up with another decent stab at the monster, but it is nowhere near as devastating as an assault by Sue would have been.
Toro bellows in pain and rage, and moves towards the one who has caused him the most hurt so far, lashing out at him with horn and hoofs
He comes close to skewering and bashing Exiel, but a Alden and Naala throw themselves against his metallic flank and cause him to stumble at just the last minute, buying the aasimar time to duck out of the way.
A short moment later, you hear a female grunt of exertion as Sue breaks free from the effects of Toro's breath and brushes a thin residual film of rock from her body.
Initiative order - round 2:
Alden - 25
Exiel - 24
Toro - 19
Sue - 14
-------------resolved
42 - 12
Constantin - 9
|
|
42 darts back 5 feet then moves up beside Alden and finally to the beast. Chanting a spell along the way. A dark purple aura starts to glow around his sword, sparks fly off of it as he jabs the metal beast. Lightning leaps from his sword as he strikes delivering a shocking blow to the metal beast.
|
|
42 charges up to the large beast and delivers a devastating blow, and the rest of the group follow up with strikes that leave the creature in ribbons on the floor.
In the back of the cavern lies the half-eaten corpse of a frost giant, the gorgon's most recent victim. A quick search of the corpse yields a sack made from a goat's stomach containing:
a climber's kit
50 feet of giant-sized rope
rough-cut gemstones worth a total of 2,650 gp
The cavern is otherwise empty.
###################################################
You follow the other branch of the tunnel, to a small cavern with rough and jagged walls, though the stone floor is smooth and appears to have been swept clean. A small pool of water surrounded by pale white stones lies to the west. Along the opposite wall to the east, an oaken table holding a wooden bowl and a silver chalice sits in a small alcove.
To the northeast, a short passage leads to a stone door engraved with the image of a naked, pregnant woman sitting in a meditative pose. The woman's hands lie folded in her lap, and a full moon is painted upon her belly. A trio of waist-high pillars of stout gray stone stands in the corridor just before the door.
The shallow pool is filled with a foot of fresh, clean water. The wooden bowl on the table contains corn seed. The silver chalice is empty. The tops of the three stone pillars in the northeast passage have been hollowed out to create shallow fonts or bowls, each with an engraved symbol chiseled into the bottom of the font. From west to east, the symbols are a stylized ear of corn, a six-spoked wheel, and a downward pointing triangle inside a circle.
|
|
42 chuckles. Thats easy. he walks to each one and points them out.
In order, these symbols represent corn, the sun, and water. These three elements are part of a crop-planting fertility ritual used by Iobarian witches to celebrate the passage into womanhood.
He stands back looking at the simbols in the wall. "What would Celie say about this. he wonders out loud.
|
|
"Hmm....but the door depicts a full-grown woman, whereas the pictures we've seen before appear to be of a younger maiden. Perhaps this ritual is important for opening the door? A 'passage into womanhood' could be a reference to passing through that door." Exiel muses as he inspects the shallow fonts.
He points to the wooden bowl the corn seed within, then picking up the silver chalice, he scoops some water out from the pool.
"We have corn and water, now what could we use for the sun?"
|
|
The door opens to yet another passage. It is decorated with a motifs, like the other passages you have seen before, although they appear to bear a somewhat different theme - a bear nursing her cubs, a cornucopia overflowing with fruits, a large wheatfield full of stalks ripe for the picking. A pregnant woman is also present in all of the motifs, and bears a strong resemblence to the maiden in the motifs you've seen in the other passages.
The passage is also lit with the same glowing rocks you have seen in the other passages, and you can see that this passage leads to what appears to be another cavern, except that it has been walled up about 30 feet in. A single stone door is set in the middle of that wall, once more bearing engraved with the image of a naked, pregnant woman, though this time she is depicted as sitting on a chair with a book in her hands. The door itself is locked.
|
|
Exiel sucks a deep breath through clenched teeth in frustration.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you think we are, but I assure you we have no idea who you are or what you are talking about. And unfortunately, it does not look like we'll be getting any answers out of you."
Turning to the rest of the party, he sighs and says, "if we find out more about her jailor, perhaps we can come back for her, but for now, maybe we should just check out the other passage?"
|
|
You return to the chamber where you fought the hag, and proceed down the Northern passage. The illumination of this passage gradually fades, becoming dark and cold. Even your light cantrips, lanterns and ioun torches are eventually suppressed, though those amongst you with darkvision can see that the motifs on the walls have changed. Bare trees amidst a snow-covered landscape, a waning moon in the sky, rotting animal carcasses, and amidst them all, a motif of an old crone staring impassively.
|
|
As all of your light sources sputter out one by one, only the continual flame spell on Constantin's ring continues to light your path...as well as announcing your presence to anyone and everyone who might be in the chamber ahead.
Eventually, the light from Constantin's ring pours into a new cavern. Like a harrowing cage woven from bone, wood, and sinew, a tangle of massive drying racks in this cavern exhibit the splayed remains of dozens of woodland creatures, some dead, some still twitching. Narrow wooden planks serve as precarious walkways leading between the racks, with several rope ladders ascending to various levels. Bloodstained leather buckets filled with cruel and filthy vivisection tools hang from the hideous structure in several spots.
You hear some sounds of activity coming from within the cavern. Faint sounds of scurrying and wood clacking on wood.
You are about 20ft away from the entrance of the cavern.
|
|
Exiel and Lucien peer into the cavern, trying to make sense of the scene. Exiel in particular tightens his grip on his hooked lance.
Exiel's keen-eared familiar whispers something in his ear, and he raises his hand to halt the party.
"Something or someone up ahead has heard or seen us coming. Not sure how many there re, but we probably want to be ready when we go in. Everything we've encountered in here seems to want to kill us..." he hisses urgently.
|
|
Exiel and Sue take a look around the room.
Initiative order - round 2:
Sue - 20
Constantin - 18
Exiel - 15
Alden - 10
42 - 5
|
Viscount Constantin Vladescu-Blakros points in the direction of the top of the racks.