Remy quickly climbs down the pillar into the next chamber, getting to the bottom and preparing to face the monstrosities!
Borgol suggests, "Maga, can you throw that far? You guys blast them at range, Remy and I can keep them busy."
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Flik manages to climb to the top of the platform, before the dwarf at the bottom even starts climbing. However, the call to action from Borgol, puts urgency on the dwarf's mind, as he accidentally grabs a yellow cone.
As this happens, Maga is nearly at the top of the shaft. The cones of glass transform into horizontally aligned razor-sharp shards of magically strengthened glass that immediately begin to spin around the shaft’s circumference. Immediately, the rope snaps with a twang, and Maga struggles to hold on...
Remy takes initiative, and cradles one of the pillars in the next room with her hands, sliding down the long column without any problems. Seeing this, the creatures burst into life, and advance.
The blue flesh drops from where it is hanging down to Remy, it's amorphous form moving seamlessly through the maze of columns. The yellow monster pushes itself up through the cracks, and into the space with Borgol, Flik and Maddie.
Round 1
@ Remy -2 CON (MA) - at the bottom
@ Fergus (Smite)
@ Flik -2 CON (--)
+ Maga Sorsh -36 lethal (--) - -prone
@ Borgol (--)
@ Maddie -3 CON (MA)! Vexenion (yellow - top, blue - bottom)
Everyone ay act!
Since the blob-fiend is kind enough to come to her, Remy obliges, stepping up and unleashing her fury upon it!
After softening the blow to the alchemist's fall, Fergus will continue his climb.
Flik activates his naturalist abilities against the creatures.
Maddie will cast haste, and turn invisible.
Borgol steps up, to defend those at the top of the platform against the creature.
Maga drinks a potion of fly.
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Maga thanks Fergus for catching him, standing up and drinking his extract, "Thanks, ahhh, for catching me." He nods and begins to fly.
Both Remy and Maga confirm an amazing barage of blows, as the other wordly creatures struggle to keep their form. Both creatures writhe on the spot, and open their maws. The fighters find themselves being engulfed by endless darkness.
The monk slides around her attacker, but Borgol is not so lucky. The ranger is engulfed completely.
Round 2
@ Remy -2 CON (MA) - at the bottom
@ Fergus (Smite)
@ Flik -2 CON (--)
+ Maga Sorsh -25 lethal (Fly)
@ Borgol -16 lethal (--) - Swallowed Whole
@ Maddie -3 CON (MA, Invisible)! Vexenion (yellow -25 top, blue -58 bottom)
Everyone ay act!
Remy keeps attacking!
Borgol shakes his head, "Bad idea", starts to cut his way free with his spiked shield.
for
for
for
Flik continues dispensing advice.
Fergus finishes his climb and hurries to the fray. He wonders where Borgol went!
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Maga flies up from the bottom, and hovers over the gap between the previous climbing trial and the higher platform, he comments, "Where did Borgol and Remy go?"
The alchemist will throw one of his bombs at the creature.
Remy continues her assault, quickly turning the creature in front of her into an unmoving pile of flesh as it quickly deflates letting out all sorts of viscous paste and gasses. She brings her attention above her, where her allies are in more trouble.
On the main platform, the rest of the team watch as the miniature of Borgol's outline flails around inside the creature, slipping on the first attack from all of the bile and other-wordly acid which is inside the belly of this beast. Luckily, the ranger lands on his shield which penetrates the slimy insides of the creature, causing it to screech in pain.
Those of you on the outside, watch as the creature looks healthier than it did previously, you think it is slowly beginning the processes on digesting your friend. From where it stands, it unleashes a flully of tentacles at the bard.
Round 3
@ Remy -2 CON (MA) - at the bottom
@ Fergus (Smite)
@ Flik -14 lethal -2 CON (--)
+ Maga Sorsh -25 lethal (Fly)
@ Borgol -26 lethal (--) - Swallowed Whole
@ Maddie -3 CON (MA, Invisible)! Vexenion (yellow -48 (-7) top,
blue -lots bottom)Everyone ay act!
Remy struggles to climb back up to help Borgol.
Borgol winces, Not enough room to swing a sword in here... and really not good footing to power attack.... Could try growing, but I'd probably end up stuck between its bones.. Though that might be after I burst it's gullet.... Deciding that's probably best as a desperate "last resort", he swings his shield again with all of his strength.
for
for
for
Fergus, figuring out where Borgol had gone, attacks the creature eating him.
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Maddie quickly cast's a magic missile spell, and Maga throws another bomb at the creature.
Just as the spells hit, Fergus rushes forward and slams his greataxe heavily down on the beast, trying not to hit the silluette of Borgol inside. As the creature staggers around, Borgol pierces it's insides with his spiked shield, bursting outwards, covering his dwarven friend with vile and guts.
Maga holds in a laugh, "Oh, there he is. Is Remy in there with you too?"
Remy struggles to find a grip on the pillars, the slime from the creature still on her skin. The forest of pillars around her too tall for her to grasp onto.
Atop the platform, you can tell the only way forward is over a large gap in the next circular room.
"Is everybody okay up there?" Remy calls.
"We're good! Do ya need help, Remy?" Maddie responds, floating down to eye level with the monk, but upside down.
"I'm alright. Let's keep going, shall we?"
Borgol says, "I'm covered in slime and blood. Give me a minute to wash it off and to...," he stops speaking and instead simply releases a burst of healing energy.
Borgol takes a moment to tap himself with the wand, "Maga, can you heal yourself, or do I need to do it for you?"
”Can you all hop across? If not, maybe we can climb down and climb back up again. Or lay something down you can walk across?”
"This adventuring life! We strike down eldritch horrors, but come up short at a gap in the floor." Flik grins, bringing a little levity to the aftermath of the battle.
Borgol says, "I'm covered in slime and blood. Give me a minute to wash it off and to...," he stops speaking and instead simply releases a burst of healing energy.
Fergus laughs. Thanks to you, me too!
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Maga nods, "Thank you Borgol, but i am quite alright. I will take care of the wounds myself."
Making your way across the gap takes a little bit of effort, but you eventually all climb across. The ceiling of this large domed chamber rises thirty-five feet, while a wall of iron bars blocks a broad hall heading off to the west. A fresco of a six-headed serpent covers the floor, though parts of it have been worn away by the passage of time, and it appears as if someone has smashed the serpent’s six heads with some form of heavy bludgeon, leaving those parts of the fresco cracked and damaged.
As you begin investigating the room, you realize the fresco of the six-headed hydra on the ground is more than a design. Suddently, all your senses go on alert as you begin to hear the sound of serpents hissing and smell the stink of burning flesh permeating through the air. Before you know it, a ghostly six headed hydra materializes in the center of the room above the fresco, one of it's heads bludgeoned in and contorted. "HHHHHSSSSSSSHHhhhhhhsSSSSSS!"
The heads of the hydra coil upwards, as toxic fire spews from the incorporeals heads.
Fergus and Borgol take the brunt of the damage, as the torrent of fire washes over the party.
Round 1
! Hydra, Favorite of Thybidos
@ Remy -2 CON (MA)
@ Fergus -24 lethal (--)
@ Flik -2 CON (--)
@ Borgol -24 lethal (--)
@ Maddie -3 CON (MA, Fly)
+ Maga Sorsh (Fly)Everyone ay act!
Borgol asks, "Anyone have any pointers to fighting the ghost of a hydra? I'm guessing it's too tough to make go away with a blast of channeled energy."
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"Find its bones!" Maddie calls out, "It's a haunt, not a ghost! You see, when a creature dies, even if its internal soul-density isn't enough to pull it back from the- eep!" she dodges a head, having floated just a bit too close, returning to her position from before, turning invisible and starting to run around to look for the hydra's bones.
Remy tries to find the bones as well.
Borgol watches Remy, then rushes forward to help, longhammer in hand.
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The transparent snake coils back its multiple heads, as it rears for a another torrent of fire towards the group.
Fergus steps forward in the path if fire, raising his axe menacingly so that the incoporeal creature would target him instead of his allies. This gives enough time for Remy and Borgol to slip past, and begin excavating the mural beneath it. The figments of the creature coil around the ranger and the monk, the memory of this once powerful creature seem angered by your presence here.
Round 2
! Hydra, Favorite of Thybidos (haunt)
@ Remy -13 lethal -2 CON (MA)
@ Fergus -56 lethal (--)
@ Flik -15 lethal -2 CON (--)
@ Borgol -32 lethal (--)
@ Maddie -3 CON (MA, Levitate)
+ Maga Sorsh (Fly)Everyone ay act!
Remy pummels the floor repeatedly, trying to bash a hole through it!
Borgol doubles in size, and between Remy's strikes, he his huge weapon as though it were a massive sledge.
Fergus will lay hands on himself and continue to try and distract the serpent.
Flik thinks on what he knows about haunts, then shouts, "Stand aside, guardian of Thybidos! We're hear to defeat your master's murderer!"
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Remy and Borgol bash the floor beneath them, the ground crashing with every blow. Eventually, the mural collapses beneath them, revealing a small cache of large bones, preserved by all eternity untill you had uncovered them.
The creature is almost stunned, as it is completely taken back by Flik's words, not quite sure what to do with the situation. The ethereal tendrils still grappling onto Remy and Borgol, but not attacking.
Remy wriggles free of the ghostly tendrils, then leaps nimbly down to the bones. She moves among them with style, smashing skulls and snapping vertebrae, almost seeming to turn the destruction into a dance.
Borgol follows Remy, and then, looking at the bones, releases a wave of positive energy into the bones, hoping the power of life can purify them.
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Flik says a quick proverb he read once in an ancient tome to farewell the spirit, while Maddie translates. Fergus licks his own wounds, saying a quick prayer to Angradd. Remy dances her way to begin disintegrating the bones of the hydra, with her fists, as Borgol helps to infuse the ancient remains with some holy energy to finally put the creature to rest.
Maga sighs, floating patiently as you deal with that encounter, "Well done. That hydra was probably one of Thybidos' pets, which was slaughtered by Alaznist. I mean, if i was a powerful Runelord, i would keep hydras as pets, wouldn't you?"
The next long corridor turns to the right twice, before your path forward is blocked by a plain, iron slab almost 50 feet tall. The slab is completely plain and has no interesting features.
But as you approach, a dark voice beckons you, "So, you've come..."
Remy glances at Maga. "No. I think I'd have a horde of cute puppies instead."
The monk clambers up out of the pit and approaches the iron slab. As the voice calls out, she shivers involuntarily. She reaches out to grasp Borgol's hand.
"Yes, Thybidos. We are here to speak. Let us in."
Borgol draws in holy light from the Stag God once again, this time to heal rather than purify the bones.
Borgol chuckles at Remy's statement, "Exactly! That's a tomb that would be a delight to explore. It would be far less terrifying... and, if you're defending the tomb, considerably sneakier when they suddenly attack."
Borgol squeezes the offered hand for a moment before releasing to cast Divine Favour on himself, then drawing his blade, and willing holy energy into it. "Aye, and give us back our friends, too."
Fergus thanks Borgol for the healing magic.