Zelphar readies to use his "pew pew" wand again if she casts another spell, so as to interrupt it.
Merritt's crossbow bolt goes wide. Tseghet marches forward after buffing. Zelphar readies to pew.
Tarrin goes to cast her domain power again, only to find it sizzle in her attempts to not provoke. She frantically reaches one final time for her holy symbol, provoking from Torrak and Tseghet.
Torrak's ball and chain deflect away from Tarrin not an inch from her face, and Tseghet's attack ends up going wide because of it.
But like a bar of soap in a shower, it continues to evade her.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: none
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Tarrin (Buff 1; Holy symbol on ground; -32)
Merritt (-2)
Torrak (-2;)
Tseghet (-2)
Zelphar (-2)
EDIT: a few things. Zelphar's readied action didn't go off because she completely failed to cast the spell. Numbers were adjusted a bit due to misremembering Tseghet's inspire bonus.
Keeping his chain short, Torrak boxes the cleric in with a sad look in his eye. "Shame, tha only person tah know meh by reputation is gonna die at mah own hands!"
Winding up for another mighty swing, the Dwarf lifts the metal sphere overhead with both hands and tries to finish the job of smashing her head, once and for all.
________
As expected, Torrak brutally murders the woman. She is dead. Brought to exactly negative con.
---Da loots---
The scouts have the same things as the others. Only things of note are 2 potions of CLW, and 2 poisons.
Tarrin:
A potion -
A chain shirt that pings as magic -
A rapier that pings as magic -
Light crossbow
Holy symbol of Norgorber
Torrak drops the ball to the ground heavily. "Well thah was fun!" he cheers as he cleans each of his ears out with a dirty finger. "And tha ringin' has stopped! What a day," he continues as he loots the corpses.
"Anything else in here, or should we start heading on again?"
________
In game: The blood still reeks of balsamic vinegar. And walking across the floor of this room gives Torrak the sensation of tasting something akin to raw egg yolk, though without the texture.
Also, Torrak doesn't notice anything aside from that.
|
"Zelphar, can you tell if this weapon and armor do anything special?" After Zelphar examines their new items, Merritt begins leading the group back into the complex. "I know there's that really attractive door over there , but we've definitely missed a couple of rooms back there . Let's close the loop on those, first."
Is there any mechanical effect to the Synesthesia? No problem continuing to RP it out, it's fun!
________
"Hm, I'm pretty sure that rapier is magically enhanced to both hit easier and have deadlier attacks. I'm not sure about the armor though. I'll wait on it and take another look tomorrow."
This room is full of small cages containing rabbits, mice, rats, cats, and dogs. The din is deafening, and the room smells strongly of animal waste. Of note, several rats are bright orange, most of the rabbits and cats appear to glow faintly, and the dogs smell like blood. One of the dogs looks directly to Merritt as he opens the door and bays like a donkey.
A man from the opposite corner of the room turns his shoulder before shuttering in fear for a moment. "You guys lost?" he shouts, drawing a flask from his hip.
Only then do the Pathfinders also notice the sound of metal slithering across the stone floor.
The snake rushes forward, directly towards Merritt.
But it misses.
Phenogian then runs up behind the metal snake and a cascade of colors bursts from his outstretched hand, coating everybody but Zelphar.
But literally everyone is fine.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: None.
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Iron Cobra
Jaris Phenogian
Merritt
Zelphar
Torrak
Tseghet
Well. He ded.
Merritt's bomb flies through the air, over the cobra, and into the wizard's coat. Before he knows it, though, the wizard is in shreds, as the concussive force of the bomb alone knocked the wizard out.
The snake manages to avoid a majority of the fire and wizard chunks.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Inspire Courage +1
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Iron Cobra (-3)
Merritt
Zelphar
Torrak
Tseghet
Torrak tries to rush the room, but the Tiefling crowds him out. Grumbling, he steps around and tries to sling his weapon over Merritt'shoulder. "Damn ih, first ya kill tha finger-waggler an' then ya geh in tha way!" he complains. Why do I smell bacon? That snake looks like metal, but... could it be? The fabled snakon?
________
Zelphar Contributes.
Torrak's ball and chain skitter off the creature's metallic hide and collides with the floor, instead.
Zelphar's magic missile flies from his want with enough force to expose some of the creature's internal gears.
The creature once again lashes out at Merritt.
It gets nowhere close to the Tiefling.
----
The next room: This room is chocked with tables stacked with stills and alembics, flasks, bubbling vats, and crockery. The eastern wall is fitted with stout wine racks filled with bottles of various sizes and shapes.
Treasures
All vials are labelled:
11 bottles of wine
5 bottles of brandy
8 bottles of vinegar
14 vials of "synesthetic agent"
8 vials of "antidote for synesthetic agent"
3 vials of acid
4 vials of small centipede venom
3 potions of CLW
2 potions of Bull's Strength.
---
Continuing to the final room
Please decide if you'd have buffed before entering the room before continuing.
An ancient stone door opens into a dusty old crypt. Five stone sepulchers sit in the chamber's northern and center portions. Each is carved with an effigy of a masked man or woman. To the south, one large sepulcher lies, its lid secured with iron bands.
"Place gives meh tha creeps..." Torrak admits. "Let's bash 'em all an' move on, yeah?" he suggests, making sure there is plenty of slack in the chain. "Anyone else smell some cheese? I gotta wiff of a blue just a moment ago. Or was it a goat cheese? Bah, sod it."
Once everyone has had a chance to form up, he steps into the room and starts to break open each of the sepulchers. "Better to jump tha undead before they jump me!"
________
Zelphar casts heightened awareness on himself before the Pathfinders approach the next door. ”Torrak, you might like to consume one of these next time we meet some foes,” says Zelphar as he holds up the two potions of Bull’s Strength.
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Merritt chuckles to see Torrak rub Tseghet's values the wrong way. He had no concern of his own, but both were proving valuable allies, and it made no sense to let one drive the other off. "Tseghet, you know Torrak's just looking out for our well-being. We still live, and these tombs sit a small hallway away from a temple to Norgorber. I'm sure Iomedae makes no claim over these." He waits patiently to see if the dwarf unearths some threat, treasure, or--more likely--both.
Torrak begins triple checking the sarcophagi, one by one, and until he smashes the one with the iron bars, nothing happens.
The iron barred sarcophagus DOES hold an undead. The flesh of this animated corpse is rotting and putrid, its body skeletal in places and its eye sockets glowing with red light.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
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Tseghet
Zelphar
Torrak
Merritt
Undead (Prone)
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”A wight!” Tseghet proclaims. ”Do not it touch you, or it will drain the life from you as surely as Iomedae’s sword cleanses the stain of evil from the world! Now rise up, and remember how the Inheritor scoured an entire city of the shapeshifting fiends living within - and how she did not break open graves that had been sealed for good reason! Or any graves, for that matter!” The half-orc strides forward, morningstar in hand to smash evil before it can rise again.
"This is why ya smash the coffins!" Torrak declares, clearly feeling vindicated. Ready for action, he vaults over the stone and rounds on the Wight. Relentlessly, he smashes his weapon into the stirring corpse. Merritt's bomb provides a decidedly metal addition to the beating, the wave of fire underscoring the savagery.
________
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Tseghet rushes forward. Merritt drenches the thing in fire. Torrak smashes into it, causing it to lurch upwards.
It decides to continue the movement and attempt to stand up.
It then dies horribly as Tseghet and Torrak smash it to bits.
Loot: A fancy breastplate on the body worth some moneys.
---
Casing the joint, the Pathfinders find one remaining room.
A finely woven rug with a subtle tan and moorit pattern covers the floor of this bedroom. A garderobe enclosed by a wall is in the northeast corner, and to the west of it stands a large wardrobe.
The wardrobe is locked. But as Merritt takes 20 to open it, you find more loot, including another Spire transport token.
Since you honestly have no reason to search the location with the secret door, since it's the bathroom, you move on. There was no loot, just a bit of backstory on Tarrin that's not important since she's a puddle of flesh.
With that, the Pathfinders deem the floor cleared, and return to the surface.
They also gain access to the following:
Greenblood oil (100gp each, limit 2 doses)
Potion of invisibility (300gp)
spire transport token (600gp, limit 1)
Please post in the discussion when your characters are leveled up and ready to go. Also expect the chronicles to show up there sometime within the next 48 hours.
"Alright, alright." says venture captain Ambrus Valsin, again from atop the spire ruins. "After hearing your reports, clearing the floors may no longer be the best wording. So, I'm going to be a bit more specific here." Ambrus pauses as he looks into each of the Pathfinders' eyes. "For the remainder of this expedition, you are to ensure there's a safe way for Pathfinders to enter and exit each floor. That way we can be sure to properly document what goes down here."
"Understood?"
---
As you approach the next floor of the spire, an acrid, nauseating reek fills the air at the bottom of the stairs--a musky, reptilian stench.
After beginning to adjust to the smell, the Pathfinders continue. The stairs descent to a small chamber of smooth, hewn stone lit by a dim greenish light from two strange, torchlike devices on the walls. A metal door with a simple latch mechanism glows with a dim green light in the middle of the north wall. The walls and ceiling are decorated with drawings and writings in bright colors. The depictions are abstract but somehow alien and disturbing.
Within this room stands a humanoid with a scaly, dull-gray hide. Its frame resembles that of a cave lizard, with a long tail and crests on its head and back. It wears a colorful leather garment and carries a walking stick.
As soon as he takes notice of the Pathfinders, he quickly pipes his head up with his arms stretched wide. In common, the lizardman speaks. "We welcome you to the Godhome. You wish to make sacrifice now, or visit? Take holy grub maybe?"
"Got it Ambrus, carve ah path an' make sure thah Pathfinders can get back through," he confirms with a nod.
--------
Torrak has his weapon in both hands when the gray lizard calls out to them. The metal fist at the end of his weapon shimmers in the strange light. This is above my paygrade.
He turns to Tseghet expectantly. So far he's been good at deciding what needs to be smashed and what doesn't, don't see why this'll be any different.
________
"The Inheritor does not look kindly on those who sacrifice others for their own gain,"
"Oh no no!" shouts the creature. "Not sacrifice people. No. Give the god some iron-metal, and it will bless you and send you on your way! All good visitors make gifts of iron-metal to the god!"
"And what do you mean, Godhome?"
"This place. Home to our god!"
"What deity makes its home here?"
"Skraa-orm thagh! The god in the box! It is very powerful!"
"If you're ready! Please! Follow me to the Godbox! You make sacrifice, and you be on your way!" The strange creature then opens the door and begins walking through the hallway beyond.
Torrak stabs Merritt with his eyes. "Ah what now?!" he hisses. "Every Dwarf knows how tah say 'iron' without specifyin' thah it's also metal. Mus' be one ah those stupid lizard gods," he protests.
Nothing better happen to Skullcrusher. Just got the damn thing magiced! Patting some redundant daggers on his waist, he leads the way for the group after their host.
As Torrak follows behind the troglodyte, it leads through some halls before coming to a large copper door. The emerald spire peeks through the walls of the hallway.
The creature opens the door to reveal a hexagonal, metallic structure about ten feet wide and almost twenty-five feet tall looming in the center of a high-ceilinged room. The hex emanates a greenish-white light. All kinds of gears and armements are stuck to its silvery sides, including dozens of weapons, shields, and pieces of armor, as well as lanterns, buckles, and tools. To the north and south of the object stand two large stone statues, each depicting a troglodyte with its arms upraised in adulation. Four copper-colored metal doors lead out of this chamber, one from each corner of the room.
"The Godbox will now accept your offering!" shouts the troglodyte, excitedly as he steps into the room and out of the way.
"It is the magic of Skraa-orm thagh! He lives in the box, and takes the iron-metal! It's not stealing!"
"If you are not yet willing to sacrifice, maybe you want holy-grub!?" The troglodyte's eyes grow excited at the prospect of this "grub". "We can do sacrifice later, if you want."
Torrak frowns. It's like a rust monster's dream come true. The metal comes to it! I don't trust the damn rock.
Cautiously, the Dwarf raises a dagger in the air and lets go. "Whah is this holy-grub? Like tha worm thing or tha food?" I'm gonna kill it if it says 'both.'
________
Torrak raises his dagger and lets it go. It clangs to the floor with a loud thud before slowly skittering across the floor. As it gets close to the strange device, it lifts from the ground and collides with the rest of the metal on it with a satisfying thud.
"The grub is just things to eat, things to drink. The god gives them to us! I can take you!" the troglodyte shouts. He begins licking his lips as the dagger collides with the Godbox. The troglodyte waits for a bit before continuing "Oh no. The god wasn't pleased with your offering. He not let you through! The god in the box demands more iron-metal!"
Torrak rolls his eyes and sidles close to Tseghet. "I'm ready tah, ya know, liberate tha lizard from it's duties. Jus' give tha word," he offers. Sick of it already, greedy metal-holding god be damned. Let's just kill it and walk in ourselves.
"To lower, of course. Let you through to lower. You visitors. All visitors want to go lower! The Godbox does not speak for itself, green one, so I must be the godspeaker."
"If you wish, I can let you go back to the surface and get more metal for the god in the box! He will be more pleased than ever with fresh iron-metals!"
"Thieving!?" the troglodyte asks, obviously offended. "This land is ours, and the god in the box is how we live! It is only natural to give gifts to the god! Everybody coming through has had to pay tribute of iron-metal each time, yes. If you do not wish to pay tribute, you must leave."
"First you were gonna let us through without payin', now because we didn't pay enough, yer gonna stop us?" Torrak clarifies sternly. "Yer gonna show us this grub first, then we'll talk more about tha toll."
________
The troglodyte sheepishly jumps a bit, before squeezing past that Pathfinders. "This way, then," he says quietly, trying not to startle the scary dwarf.
This room contains a large stone vat in the middle of the eastern wall. It seems to be filled with a pasty, pink substance. Just north of the tub, a tall door made of lustrous coppery metal leads east, and passages exit the chamber to the north and south. Three torchlike devices in the wall glow with a soft green light, as does the metal door.
Two other troglodytes are in the room, currently consuming the pink substance.
"The grub is there." he says, pointing to the vat. "Very delicious."
Zelphar stays behind his fellow Pathfinders, mostly keeping quiet. Before anyone approaches the ‘grub’ he casts detect magic into the room.