"... it's trapped ...", the changeling points out right after the trap goes off. It's only after Allie take care of her sister that Elká joins the conversation again. "Please do be more careful and when you think there's even the chance of something being trappy, let me have a look while you wiggle your fingers and put on those 'oh look, I can see magic' goggles of yours. We haven't come this far to be sent back to Pharasma by a gosh darn anti-thieving enchantment."
Allie winces as she takes the staff and it cracks from top almost to bottom. "Magic will still work right?" She asks with a smile.
Gabbi turns to glare at Elká. She opens her mouth for a biting response, but as it sinks in that the changeling is right, she settles for a low growl more directed at herself than anything.
She shakes her head again trying to rid herself of the ringing that's still present in her ears. She gestures towards the southern exit.
Several thick stone slabs, each with metal-tipped corners, ring the edges of this room at several elevations. Rubble and pieces of bone are scattered across the uneven floor. An archway exits to the south.
Three horrid creatures stand at the ready here. Two humanoid-sized fiends wear silken robes. Claw-tipped tentacles emerge from the cuffs, while below their robes' margins, their multiple-jointed legs—almost like a reptilian insect’s—end in clawed, three-toed chitinous feet. Their faces remain perpetually covered by a dark veil, only rounded mouths full of sharp teeth visible.
In front of them, a tiny orb-like creature hovers, its body dominated by an ever-gnashing maw, filled with row after row of mismatched teeth.
The fiends hesitate only a moment before one shrieks in a scratchy, high-pitched voice, "The living are here! What a delectable delight. We'll swallow your souls!"
Venedaemons resist weapons that are not good-aligned or silver, as well as spells. They are immune to acid and resist cold, electricity, and fire.
Cacodaemons resist weapons that are not good-aligned or silver, as well as spells. They are immune to acid and resist cold, electricity, and fire.
"Daemons!" Gabbi calls out as she draws the string on her bow. They're immune to acid and tough to burn, freeze, or shock."[/b]
She mutters a prayer to Pharasm as she releases her arrow at the furthest Venedaemon.
Ellie's brow furrows momentarily, but she identifies the enemy just after Gabbi does. Hum. She doesn't have any silver weapons.
Oh well. She'll just have to hit them extra hard, then.
Moving forward, she strikes at the nearest Venedaemon, aiming to trip it.
As it falls, she strikes at it with her flail.
Gabby shoots the further venedaemon with an arrow, wounding it. Ellie rushes in and trips the other one before bashing it with her flail!
The prone fiend casts a spell defensively and disappears from sight. The other one steps back and waves its tentacles, attempting to slow the group!
The tiny cacodaemon tries to cloud Elly's mind.
The sight horrifies Elká, but knowing that the three demonic are intent on extracting their souls helps the changeling get over her fear. She runs at the tiny floating ball of teeth and swipes at it, hoping to shred it to bits.
Allie slams her new staff into the floor and a flash of silver light illuminates the room for a moment.
Cuddles meanwhile leaps forwards to claw at the smallest demon.
Gabbi flinches at the flash of positive energy released by Allie's staff. In that instance she feels the daemon's spell seep into her bones. She looses another arrow at the still-visible Venedaemon, but the hostile magic is too much.
Ulrich grins as he shrugs off the slow spell and begins to weave magic of his own. "You fools. You're no match for us!"
Affects: Everyone except Ulrich. This includes Cuddles and Kamosh
Lasts for 6 rounds
The transmuted creatures move and act more quickly than normal. This extra speed has several effects.
When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with one natural or manufactured weapon. The attack is made using the creature’s full base attack bonus, plus any modifiers appropriate to the situation. (This effect is not cumulative with similar effects, such as that provided by a speed weapon, nor does it actually grant an extra action, so you can’t use it to cast a second spell or otherwise take an extra action in the round.)
A hasted creature gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves. Any condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
All of the hasted creature’s modes of movement (including land movement, burrow, climb, fly, and swim) increase by 30 feet, to a maximum of twice the subject’s normal speed using that form of movement. This increase counts as an enhancement bonus, and it affects the creature’s jumping distance as normal for increased speed. Multiple haste effects don’t stack. Haste dispels and counters slow.
Ellie shrugs off both magical attacks. Invigorated by Ulrich's magic, she ignores the invisible foe and moves to attack the one she can see.
She swings her flail, trying to knock it down.
She then hits it as it falls.
Elka's claw tears through the cacodaemon's body, and the summoned creature disappears in a puff of greasy smoke.
Allie invokes a prayer and sends Cuddles forward, the tiger scoring a light strike on the venedaemon. Ulrich's spell counteracts the slow effect, and while Gabby misses her shot, Elly moves in and trips the daemon, following up with a powerful smash of her flail!
The prone daemon casts a spell defensively, and the invisible one appears again, both trying to paralyze your toughest party members!
Elká freezes up and stops moving. Her breathing becomes hasty and panicky and her pupils grow wide. What magic is this?!
Seeing Elka freeze up, and having a strange glimpse of another tall black haired woman wearing wicked looking stilettos doing the same, Allie hurries forward to stand between Elka and the demon that froze her. She then claws at the creatures eyes!
Cuddles meanwhile bites and claws at the demon (and gets an AOO if it stands right?)
Gabbi readies another arrow and looses it at the furthest daemon.
Ellie freezes in place, like a statue; barely even able to breathe.
Ulrich casts Dispel Magic to free Elly from her magical prison.
Kamosh squawks out "They can't cast spells when they're dead! Kill them! Kill them dead!"
Elly and Elka stand rigid, paralyzed by the daemons' magic. Ulrich's attempt to dispel the harmful effect is unsuccessful.
As Allie grabs a hold of one daemon, Cuddles rips and tears at the other. Gabby finishes it off with a well-placed arrow!
The grappled fiend slaps at Allie with its tentacles, but its attacks aren't very effective!
Allie continues to wrestle with the demon as Cuddles pads over and swipes at the creatures legs in an attempt to help.
Allie and Cuddles work together to pin the daemon in place. The creature isn't particularly strong, so the pair are able to hold it down long enough for the warriors to recover from the hold spells and finish it off.
Ellie recovers from the spell and hits the thing repeatedly with her flail until it finally stops moving. "Gah. That was..." she shudders. Being helpless really isn't her thing.
She wipes the worst of the gore off her flail. "Keep moving, or rest?"
"I know Cuddles and I are impressive but you don't have to just stand around and watch!" Allie says teasingly as Elka and Ellie finally shake off the magic which holds them.
"Are we going to stop here then?" She asks. "I don't know how much more there is to go but we shouldn't take on a cult stronghold like this. Maybe retrace our steps for a more defensible position?"
"Yeah, let's pull back a room and rest," Gabbi says, with a gesture towards the doorway they came through.
Allie can tell that her sister is quite rattled.
You fall back to the previous chamber to rest and recover. A few hours pass before Elka and Gabby hear soft footfalls approaching from the south. Their darkvision allows them to see a horrid creature attempting to sneak up on you--a spindly, skeletal humanoid that has moldy green flesh, long talons for hands, and a head that seems to be mostly mouth.
Even as Elka and Gabby shout warnings, the creature hisses and rushes forward, biting at Elka! Fortunately, its teeth scrape against her armor but don't pierce her flesh.
Totenmaskes are resistant to cold.
"It's a totenmaske - an undead flesh shaper!" Gabbi yells out. "Don't waste efforts with ice or cold."
She steps back away from the creature, draws her bow and fires.
Allie leaps up from her position against Cuddles' flank and attempts to grasp the creatures spindly arms.
Cuddles simply applies tooth and claw!
Ulrich gets up and casts Boneshaker on the Totenmaske, dealing no damage but forcing it to move forward to get battered by Cuddles, Alessandra, and Elka.
Unaware of the true nature of the creature, Elká spits her vitriol at the undead thing in both word and deed. "I'll rip your face off and feed it to the dogs!", she yells as her claws swoop in with the intent to rake, wreck and ravage.
Ellie moves into a tactical position, aiming to knock the thing down.
If it falls, she hits it as it does so.
The nimble undead dodges most of your attacks, including Allie's grapple attempt and Elly's try for a trip. It resists Ulrich's spell as well. Elka does better, scoring two powerful hits with her claws that rip through its pallid flesh.
The creature retaliates against the changeling, scoring a lucky hit with its claw that rips across her throat.
Out of all of her resources other than arrows, Gabriella calls down her last ounce of energy to enhance her missile before letting it fly at the horror.
Allie and Cuddles surround the creature and pummel it, although the tiger has better aim.
"I'll rip your tongue out and hang you with it, you bastard!" More expletives follow as the changeling returns the thing's violent gesture, and starts ripping it apart bit by bit.
Elka makes good on her threat, tearing the totenmaske apart. Its body falls in multiple pieces.
Gabriella gives the creature a hard kick with a booted foot before returning to slump against the wall to attempt to get some sleep.
Allie and Cuddles return to their corner where Allie scratches behind his ears and soothes him until the tiger rests. She then opens her arm in clear invitation to her sister and does the same (although possibly without scratching behind the ears) until the Inquisitor drops off.
Gabbi accepts Allie's invitation and drops right off to sleep.
Fortunately, the rest of the night passes without further attacks, and you are able to recover from the previous day's battles. Once you are ready, you continue through the tomb.
The eastern section of this marble-walled hall is blocked off by several tons of stone. Parts of the polished floor have been gouged by falling rock near the collapse. Archways exit this chamber to the west, and south. Messages are carved into the stone above each archway, but only a few words are still readable.
The words "Peace for Years" are visible above the northern archway through which you entered this hall. The words “din at His Well” can still be seen above the western archway. The phrase “Support Thy Master” remains above the southern archway.
Elka and Gabby notice that the western archway is narrower than the opening in the Boneyard's version of Roslar's tomb, though they are unsure of the significance of this architectural anomaly.
"That's odd," Gabbi comments as she runs one hand along the edge of the western arch. She nods towards the opening. "Let's find out why."
A large stone dais occupies the western end of this room, and the stone of the curved wall behind it has been carved to resemble hanging draperies. The dais is bare, save for a few pieces of stray rubble.
As Gabby looks around, she sees bits of bone protruding from portions of the walls, as well as swaths of flesh visible between slabs of stone. She quickly realizes that two sections of the walls are animated constructs just as they begin to lurch forward to attack!
"Living walls! They'll try to crush you, so don't let them trap you against a wall. Use cutting weapons! Very temperature resistant."
At her sister's raised eyebrow when Gabbi draws her bow, the dhampir responds, "I don't have a cutting weapon!" before loosing the arrow.
"And what do you think I'm going to do?" Allie replies, snapping her fingers and sending a thrum through everyone's blood.
Cuddles, seeing Allie stand still, charges forwards with Ellie.
Ellie frowns slightly, before brightening again. "I don't have a cutting weapon. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to hit it really, really hard."
She steps into the attack.
------------------------------
Spells Prepared
------------------------------
0th (at will) Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Read Magic, Resistance
1st chill touch,
2nd blood transcription, boneshaker x2,
3rd dispel magic, haste x2, speak with dead
"These contructs are really beginning to upset me." Says Ulrich as he scratches his head while thinking if any of his spells would be of use. Then he realizes... cutting weapons. ELKA HAS CUTTING WEAPONS. He stares at Elka unnervingly while beginning the incantation to make her grow in size.