Byung-He: As you glare up at the ceiling about 20' above you a glint of red catches your eye. Focusing on it, you realize it is a pair red eyes staring back down at you. Seeing the eyes you are able to adjust your frame of reference to see the two slate colored creatures clinging to the ceiling, surveying the party. You cry out a warning just as they detach and begin to fall upon what they believe to be unsuspecting prey.
As they fall you notice a strange coloration to them that was not in line with what you remember from the book.
So Initiative order will be:
Byung-He (that is luckily appropriate since you are the one that identified and noticed them).
Fiendish Darkmantle (Red)
Fiendish Darkmantle (Blue)
Zordlon
Unbeugsam
Zurne
Dornhold
So Byung-He, go ahead and post your action then I will post an update with monster actions and then anyone can post in whatever order they please and we will adjudicate contradictions as they come up. This is not a surprise round, so you get your full set of actions, move and act.
I am placing the darkmantles on the board, but please keep in mind they are currently 20' up. They have not fallen yet, but will on their turn.
"LIKE THOSE LOOK OUT!" Byung-He crys out in a near panic. He reacts with the only combat spell he knows casting a hand at the blue Darkmantle and casting Murderous Command. (DC 16 will) Darkness swirls around his body as he does so, pooling out from his hand and into the creature, dissolving into it like mist. In the creature's many eyes shadows dance and whisper betrayal of its companion.
-
-
As Byung-He shouts a warning, a large shadow detached from the ceiling and descends on Zurne!
Hit
Grappled
The darkmantle hits Zurne with a glancing blow, but a pair of tentacle wrap around his chest and one arm, squeezing air from his lungs.
Noticing that succulent prey is about to be stolen from it, the other darkmantle screams in rage and dive bombs it’s compatriot.
Miss
Unfortunately the attack so filled with rage does not have the patience or temperance to strike true.
With a smile Unbeugsam moves closer into flanking position and swings his axe.
Zordlon holds his action until Zurne draws his weapon (Otherwise no flanking), and slips around the beast.
"Watch your head!" he shouts as he triggers his wrist sheath, popping a dagger into his hand.
Zurne pulls out his cutlass and scans the room, including the ceiling.
[dice=Perception]1d20 + 10
"I'm not having the best of luck," he says quietly. "Look around. I don't think we are alone."
Zurne chops at the red darkmantle.
He attempts to escape the things grasping, squeezing tentacles...slithering desperately, fighting for his life.
Uncognizant of the danger to Zurne behind her, Taanimohka moves, lashing out with a swift kick and punch to the darkmantle by Byung-He.
Move Action: Move to engage red darkmantle
Standard Action: Attack!
[+0 BAB, +2 Str, +1 Weapon Focus]
[+2 Str, +1 trait]
[+1 BAB, +2 Str, +1 Weapon Focus, -2 Flurry]
[+2 Str, +1 trait]
As the first darkmantle descends, Zurne lashes out to protect himself but his blade glances off of its blubbery hide without biting in.
Once the darkmantles have revealed themselves and attacked, the party springs into action.
Zurne struggles against the grasping tentacles and manages to extricate himself from the grapple with the red darkmantle. ().
Zordlon slinks around behind the red darkmantle as it is distracted attempting to detach Zurne's limbs, and sinks his dagger directly into one of its many eyes.
Meanwhile, Unbuegsam and Taanimohka gang up on the blue darkmantle, between their attacks they reduce it to a writhting unresponsive mass.
Dornhold, seeing that the blue one is no longer an immediate threat, moves in beside Unbuegsam to hit the red with his mace...
...but the swing goes wide and impacts on the stone floor ineffectually.
Byung-He seeing the mauled Zurne moves into action to lay on hands and channel his life force into him sending a numbing almost narcotic warmth into him as wounds mended in seconds.
- Stable!
The bleeding from the blue darkmantle closest to Taanimohka and Unbuegsam slows to a trickle. It is either unconcious and stable or it is dead. [DC 15 Heal check to ascertain condition, DC 10 if you have a rank in Knowledge Arcana.]
The red darkmantle, noticing it is harried and hedged in, turns it's attention to Zordlon and moves next to him along the wall in an effort to gain some protection from others by backing towards the corner.
-
-
The tentacle that lashes out at Zordlon strikes him soundly across the face before wrapping forcefully around his neck, squeezing the life from him.
Zurne, revitalized, swings at the red darkmantle again.
As the tentacle wraps itself around his throat, Zordlon lets out a gasp of air and collapses, landing in a heap on the floor.
Taanimohka looks at the mass on the floor and assumes the foe is slain. She moves to support her allies.
Move Action: Move to space south of Zordlon...
Standard Action: Attack red darkmantle
[+2 Str, +1 weapon focus]
[+2 Str, +1 trait]
Byung-He rushes forward over the bloody body of the blue darkmantle to deliver a glowing healing spell by touch to Zordlon risking the creatures wrath.
Unbeugsam moves in next to Zurne, truly hedging in the final darkmantle, and takes a swing with his axe...
...which connects with the beast only because of its distraction in grappling with Zordlon.
. Despite several failed attacks by others in the party the damage inflicted by Zordlon and Unbeugsam fells the beast. With a squeal of pain it falls unconcious and laxens its grip around Zordlon's neck.
Both darkmantles now unconcious, a quiet comes over the room once more.
Byung-He looks nervously at the ceiling as if expecting more of the creatures to be lurking as he tends to the fallen Zordlon. "Is anyone else injured?"
"For all we know, these things could regenerate," says Zurne, and stabs each of them in the large fleshy main part of their bodies, using his cutlass systematically.
"I apologize, creature, for not finding another solution than your death," he mutters to each one as he does so. "I can see that a single orc or humanoid would be quickly overwhelmed by such a beast. We must remain careful. Even when looking at the ceiling, I did not detect them."
"I am untiuched, many thanks Byung-He."
Taanimohka's lip curls in slight revulsion, but she nods at Zurne's efficient method.
"I too saw nothing. Vigilance is its own reward."
Byung-He takes a moment to tend Zordlon's injuries with some herbs and poultices laying on his hands and channeling some life force into him.
"It seems the orcs from before were not as ready to handle such deadly creatures. Once we are recovered we should search this area and then check the other hallway?"
Ripping his axe out of the body of his enemy, Unbeugsam grins.
"That was indeed fun!"
Zurne pokes around the now, hopefully, dead darkmantles.
A more thorough search of the room turns up little other than what was found before. The original purpose of this room remains a mystery, although it is large enough to act as a larder or sleeping area.
The bodies of the dead darkmantles are similarly devoid of anything worth taking. The creatures are small and gamey, with little meat. An attempt could be made to butcher them if necessary, but you are not certain how they would taste, and your own rations have not given out yet to make you desperate enough to find out.
The body of what had been their meal on the otherhand, does have a few interesting items that you had noted before, namely a heavily damaged set of leather armor in need of repair before it is servicable again, as well as a masterwork dagger, a battleax, and a money pouch at his waist.
Turning out the money pouch, you find 3 gold, 15 silver, and 20 copper, as well as a piece of parchment with a crude handdrawn map on it. It appears to provide a layout of some of the surrounding rooms and corridors, although there is no telling how accurate it is or what may or may not be missing.
Byung-He glances over Zurne's shoulder at the map squinting to make up the features and try to orient where they are in relation to the crude drawings. "It looks like we should go east then down and explore the other area leading to the secret room we found earlier. Hopefully we don't encounter more of these things but if we do I will rely on you all to handle them."
Taanimohka ignores the corpses belongings as she has no need for equipment nor desire for coinage. She peruses the map also.
"I agree - a sensible approach. One thing strikes me as odd - these large areas of grey are few and far between - might they hide secret passages or spaces?"
"Thank you for your healing magic. It would be a most divine irony for our lady to take me so quickly after entering this... dungeon."
Zordlon helps to inspect the bodies.
"If no one objects, I could use the dagger the orc was using. It appears of much finer make then my own."
Picking it up, he slots it into his wrist sheath, tucking his other dagger into his belt.
"This seems to be quite a large section the orc has mapped out. I am still slightly wounded, and would prefer for someone else to take the lead, but I agree that we should clear the zone before that secret door."
"I still have more healing prepared for the day but my ability to actual fight is very limited so I will need to stay behind stronger people as well. Taanimohka or Unbeugsam would be best suited to lead the way east."
"I am sure there can be no keeping Unbeugsam from the destiny known as "leading the way bravely". I stand beside him to assist."
Taanimohka moves forward with the dwarf, taking care to look for dangers, traps and tricks.
Taanimohka, scooping up the stone of magical light that your compatriots continue to refresh, you and Unbuegsam head into the narrow hallway to the east of the room, following it around the bend as indicated on your newly acquired map before arriving at a T-Intersection.
You stand at a T-intersection. 10' north of you the corridor ends in a blank stone wall. Turning to the south you can see another iron bound wooden door about 20' away. If the map is to be believed that heads into a room about 45'x30', one with a secret door in its western wall that completes the circle on this northern cul-de-sac. You see nothing remarkable about the corridor itself, just another hallway to traverse in your exploration.
Moving closer to the stone wall north Unbeugsam checks for secret doors.
Byung-He happily follows along squinting his eyes against the light and resting his hand on the shoulder of Unbeugsam as they walked like a seeing eye dwarf. It was reassuring to have a comrade ready to defend him and being close enough to heal him with a touch. As he approached the north wall Byung-He followed him. "I agree, the map layout does make this wall suspicious and we have found secret doors before."
Following along, Taani looks also, seeing as the others deem a secret portal might be present.
The elf frowns.
"Zordlon? Zurne? Can either of you discern anything. I forfend mine eyes are useless..."
Unbeugsam examines the wall more closely and sees no sign of a secret door at first, but then a small dot of green light in the center of the wall catches his attention. As he blinks, thinking it is a figment of his imagination, the dot coalesces into a green dart of magical energy that shoots directly towards the center of his chest!
Dodging quickly to the side the dart narrowly misses Unbeugsam and flies to the end of the hall where it impacts the door. You can now notice burn marks in the wood and metal where this dart has apparently hit the door before and begun to eat away at the barrier.
Byung-He darts back and lets out a cry of alarm. "Are we under attack?!"
"Well, that's certainly my cue. Lucky that is poorly aimed. I wonder if time has caused it to malfunction. Everyone stand back, just in case."
Zordlon inspects the wall, trying to disable the trap.
Between blasts from the trap Zordlon confidently removes a piece of stonework and deftly disables the magical sensor responsible for triggering the mechanism. As you examine your handiwork you can see that this trap is of different design than the previous burning hands trap. The enchantment to launch an acid arrow is built directly into the wall. Each time it discharges it takes about 30 seconds to build up enough arcane energy to be primed again. By that time you have finished your work and the trap will no longer function unless you decide to re-enable the sensor.
It is impressive handiwork, and on a day when you were less on your game you can see how this would have given you quite a bit of trouble. For now it seems the Lady of Mysteries guides your path.
"Our thanks, Zordlon," says the druid. "We can consider re-arming this trap if we need a safe haven in this labyrinth."
Zurne opens the door after listening for a moment.
You search for a secret door, but come up empty.
You are in fact so confident that there is a door here that you take your time searching in detail. . After 2 minutes of indepth investigation you again come up empty. Sometimes a wall is just a wall.
Byung-He stands back and lets the experts work while he takes the time to nervously glance around at the ceiling as if expecting more tentacled monsters to appear at any moment. He looked at the door with the acid burnt into it and takes a few cautious steps toward it listening for any sounds beyond.
Zurne shrugs and smiles. "Well, that's that. Byung-He, what do you see?"
Taanimohka stands on guard, ready to defend those investigating walls...
Coming carefully in to join the rest of the party accompanied by the two donkeys Sayarisha notes, "Things are getting dangerous much faster than anyone could have possibly foreseen." She turned to her hireling and asked, "Dornhold, my loyal warrior how are you doing?"
Flexing his shoulders under his armor Unbeugsam moves forward ready to eat what is comming in.
"Dear Forgefather, for what I am about to receive, make me eternal gratful!"
Byung-He hears nothing in the room beyond the southern door, although the general background noise of the dungeon continues. In the far distance you hear the sounds of battle, screaming, death cries, eating. It all combines into a whispered cacophony that seems to reach your ears due to the unnatural way that sounds seem to travel through these halls.
To the best of your knowledge the door appears to be untrapped, unlocked, and with nothing living on the far side of it.
"Nothing that I can hear. I'll let someone else check it though but it seems safe enough."
Byung-He backed up to rest against the wall further back.