Magdi glares up at the Augur's Throne, his lips pursed. "Hags, huh." He muses. "Well, didn't Tonny say that the witchlightning could be part of such a coven?" Folding his arms, he looks down. "I think we should be wary of any obvious entrance. Jonah, can your bird do scouting?"
Whatever the response, Magdi prepares for the incursion by casting a few spells upon himself.
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“I don’t believe there was any indication. However, based on the location and environment, I would be surprised if there was not at least one sea hag integrated into the coven. According to Professor Drillic, they have a predilection for electricity and, well, storms.” Tonny shrugs helplessly from the ship’s deck where he sits fussing with bottles and packets of various powders.
“I don’t know that any of us can fly - well, besides Rosemary, but can she carry the end of a rope up to the top and tie it to something so the rest of us can climb up safely? Otherwise we might try that broken wall on the north side - it looks shorter at least.”
Unfortunately, no, tying off a rope for us to climb is not one of the things I have taught her to do... never really came up before you know?
Jonah eyes the tower, but doesn't have any bright ideas
"maybe the best route is the simplest. just go through the door, ready for a fight."
With lack of any more specific training, Rosemary could be given a grappling hook already bound to a rope, and perform a basic throw attack to see if she manages to anchor it on the balcony of the tower.
You know the basics about hags and their covens including specifics on sea hags Tonny is mentioning.
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Tewa prepares herself for battle.
Tewa pulls out a scroll and grins. ”I have a stone shape scroll I have been keeping for a rainy day. We could make our own door.”
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Tonny’s eyes widen and a smile creeps across his face like the ivy climbing the broken tower walls.
“Oh! Here, before we go in - these are ready!” The scholar carefully picks vials out of their carrying case and stands passing them out to his companions. “Jonah, this one has some camomile and milk thistle extract in it - well, and some mint, but that’s to help with the taste because some folks don’t like the taste of thistle and that one lady said that she expected it to taste minty because it’s green, which is odd, but it was easier to add it than to try to convince her…”
“Tewa, you’re familiar with these two, but this one is new - it’s the same one Magdi used back at the egg’s cove, though I did adjust the amount of moth scales in this one after consulting with him on the texture.”
Magdi smiles at Tewa's forethought. "Excellent. All of you, try to stay close to me. I've warded myself and the area around me against those with evil in their hearts, and Harborwing's protection will aid us in our defenses against such beasts and beings."
He looks to Jonah. "I also have a spell that ought to help your bolts tear the flesh of our foes, so be aware that I may enhance them."
At Tonny's comment, the shaman nods, his cheeks darkening. "I should hope that it's, erm, somewhat more palatable. For all that it saved me much pain, I, erm... it was not something I found terribly enjoyable."
Tewa decides to use her scroll on the closed tower thinking it might give the best surprise opportunity to the group even if the group's ship was probably spotted approaching the tower at this clear area of the storm eye.
Landing on a nearby area and quickly advancing through the swamped ground, you reach the tower and Tewa says the words that cast the magic of the scroll touching the wall to produce a 4 feet circular hole that passes through it. The scroll becomes dust.
With some effort, you do squeeze into the tower.
A large mahogany table surrounded by chairs stands in the center of this room. A pair of bookshelves along the southern staircases contains hundreds of meticulously organized files and books. The northern wall contains a double door.
Luckily it seems there is no one in here right at the moment, which gives you the calmness to squeeze through the whole without further issues.
The decoration indicates this place was used by the members of the Saoc Brethen to search for astrological signs. The bookshelves though, and the disarray of documents at the table, makes you think this is being used currently as an office. The shelves are full with documents and dedicating a few hours you probably could gather information on what these people have been doing.
At least three creatures have been recently here and the state of disarray on the documents over the table and the chair makes you think they left recently in a hurry.
You think they left through the stairs going up.
Jonah drinks the potion from Tonny once they get inside the room, figuring there is no point in waiting.
Looks like several creatures were in here, pretty recently. I think they left in a bit of a hurry, probably up those stairs!
Jonah drinks his infusion, and Tewa probably does the same with the ones with longer duration.
While Tonny resits the desire to sit and read, Jonah points out the stairs going up. There are two sets, one going north, one going south. Both have tracks.
There is another exit out of the tower, through the doors you decide that lead to the courtyard.
Magdi nods his agreement with Jonah. "Yes. Should Wingless here go investigate?" He eyes the stairs, then his spirit animal. "On the other hand, perhaps not."
Avoiding to explore the courtyard, the group decides to climb the stairs after the tracks. Observing both stairs apparently join to the same room, a part of the group goes north while the other goes south, hoping to reach up at the same time.
An arcane summoning diagram flickers with a sickly light in the center of this room atop a semicircular platform, encircled by the burnt remains of offerings, fetishes, and talismans. A bloodstained altar sits just south of this, while to the north, three oversized beds covered with furs and filthy sheets stand in a large alcove.
Floating over the summoning diagram, there is something moving that looks like a dark storm cloud, with sparks suggesting eyes and long sweeping arms charged with bolts of lightning.
The huge elemental sparks aggressively towards you at first sight!
You do know this is a lightning elemental. As most elementals, they lack a clear physiology, making them immune to critical hits and flanking.
As expected, they can deal electrical damage if they hit you, and they can fly.
Judging by the size of it, this is a greater lightning elemental. Whatever summoned this here, it must be a powerful effect or caster.
Greater elementals have resistance to all weapons (DR 10/-) and are more efficient when attacking creatures on metal armor or wielding metal weapons (+3 to their attacks).
Their only weakness is perhaps their low Will save, although as other elementals, they are immune to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
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“Oh, a lightning elemental! And a big one too. Probably summoned by those runes - I don’t know if disrupting them would be enough to send it back to the plane of air, but it doesn’t seem likely it’ll give us the opportunity to do so. I’ll ask, just in case.” Tonny clears his throat and tries to yell in the nicest and most annunciated way possible.
As he waits for a response, a stream of consciousness flows nervously from his mouth. “Big one, probably fourth stage of Professor Elzim’s classification chart, that means resistance to all weapons and electricity, alright, that last one isn’t really because of its size, kinda like how its electricity is drawn to any metal, like weapons or armor, regardless of its size, watch out for that, maybe Magdi has more of that warding against shocks available, that seems like it could be really useful right about now…”
Jonah does something heroic!
Quickly identifying the creature, Tonny gives very good advice to the party while trying to reason with it.
"I have a better plan. I finish with you then win my freedom!"
The creature answers Tonny with a sparkling voice.
Then it flies over Magdi to slam on him with a crackling hand full of energy, just before slamming back at Jonah.
The creature apparently reaches very far, because it hits hard on both of his targets.
Jonah tries to slip into the corner of the room to shoot the elemental. He casts Gravity Bow on himself once out of the reach of the elemental.
With his crossbow further enhanced Jonah releases a volley on the elemental. unfortunately it isn't the most effective
"Gah!" Magdi stumbles back as electricity and impact sends agony searing through his body. With an effort of will, he summons a ward around Tewa, before stumbling back in the hopes that the creature might not strike him again.
Jonah tries to tumble out of the stairs, but the electrical elemental sparkles in his direction while he does so.
Regretfully, it hits badly, sending the hunter to the ground, unconscious.
Tewa does something heroic!
Adriana casts a healing spell on Jonah.
Then moves forward, closer to the elemental, while activating her judgement.
Magdi touches Tewa, the spirits attending the call to protect the sailor warrioress.
Tonny maneuvers, trying to avoid being smashed by the huge elemental.
Jonah stands up, and stepping out of reach, shots his crossbow once, the bolt scratching the elemental slightly .
Feeling barely any harm from Jonah's bolt, the elemental focuses on the approaching warriors.
The hit on Adriana is terrible, you hear her ribs being crushed as the slam breaks through her torso!
"Adriana!" Magdi rushes to her side, chanting a spell. WIth a quick touch, he sends healing energy through her. "Stay with me, friend."
Jonah is a bit shaky after getting knocked down and quickly revived, but he continues to fire bolts at the lemental from as far away as possible in the limited confines.
Tewa decides that the best move is to raise her own own size to more closely match that of the elemental.
Now enlarged, she calls upon her ancestors to guide her instincts in battle.
Adriana attempts to give herself some protection against the electricity.
With her spell fizzling, she instead adjusts her judgments to give her greater protection.
Magdi walks around the stairs trying to stay out of reach and touches Adriana with positive energy, quickly healing her.
Jonah shots from safety, this time one of the bolts stabs deeply, though not as harmfully as expected.
A giant Tewa adjusts her fighting stance, calling for the favor of the seas to help her against the elements.
Adriana's wounds heal a bit more, while she protects herself a bit from the electricity.
Tonny looks for a safer position from where to fight.
The elemental keeps fighting right and left.
Both time it connects, but Adriana's goddess preserves her from part of the wounds, while Tewa's force field partially absorbs the damage on her.
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Tonny gulps and runs further along the stairs, then points at the elemental. “It’s drawn to metal, so use that to make it go right where you need it to go! Like, it’s pulled toward your blade, so lean into that and don’t let it try to redirect its momentum!” he yells, fumbling at his belt for a banana-yellow bottle that he gulps desperately in one long swig before choking and coughing in a panic.
Magdi chants a spell, drawing on spirits of flame and air as he tries to avoid giving the lightning elemental an opening by shifting slightly further away from it. A small fire ignites in one hand, burning atop the skin without scorching him.
Tonny drives the ire of the elemental who strike him hard. The sacrifice of the half-elf is not unperceived by his allies who get instantly inspired by his words while his arms elongate like whips themselves.
Meanwhile, Magdi calls for the mystic forces of the spirits, and a flame appears on his hands.
Magdi hurls his fire at the lightning elemental, hoping to sear away some of its defenses.
Jonah is annoyed but not really that surprised that his arrows aren't doing as much as normal against the elemental. he continues firing, hoping to at least chip some damage through
Despite the huge size of the target, Magdi's flame is avoided when the creature dodges it with lightning speed.
Trying to not be brought down on his spirits, Jonah keeps shooting bolts, two of them chipping the center of mass of the elemental despite its innate resistance.
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Tonny gulps and runs further along the stairs, then points at the elemental. “It’s drawn to metal, so use that to make it go right where you need it to go! Like, it’s pulled toward your blade, so lean into that and don’t let it try to redirect its momentum!” he yells, fumbling at his belt for a banana-yellow bottle that he gulps desperately in one long swig before choking and coughing in a panic.
Finally prepared, Tewa begins trying to hack away at the elemental.
Adriana activates her Bane and tries to begin harming the powerful elemental herself.
Finding her space, Tewa creates momentum swinging her greatsword over her head to strike with a descending movement that cracks through the elemental. The backslash is even more terrible, finding the true essence of the creature and disrupting it with the blade's magic.
Adriana tries to slash herself, it seems to fail, but then Tonny corrects the Sanrenrite with an inspirational advice, she sets her fits on place correctly and the blade strikes for true!
The elemental roars in Auran "Your efforts are futile! Like an ant in the middle of a storm, there is nothing you can do!"
The tempest forms limbs that strike like a thunder on both Adriana and Tewa, though their magics partially protect each of them.
Magdi takes a quick glance over his comrades, already regretting not preparing more healing spells. It's almost dead. Got to get rid of it fast. He hurls another burst of fire at the elemental, ignoring its booming bellows.
Jonah is frustrated with the low amount of work he is doing, but keeps shooting
Magdi's flame hits the elemental, the fire causing sparks to go in all directions for full damage.
Jonah finds the spot and finally manages to put his three bolts on the electrical creature, that despite having no vital organs, suffers the accumulated pressure of the ammunition.
Tonny carefully advances, trying not to drive the ire of the elemental, and readying a dagger.
Adriana swings her scimitar, calling for the help of the goddess to bring justice to the Sodden Lands.
But the tough nature of the element in front means she only manages a scratch.
Tewa does something heroic!
The elemental keeps smashing both warrioresses at side and side.
The slams are terrible, but thanks to the protective mantle of the gods and divine spirits, both of them manage to hold for a bit more.
Tewa is having difficulty keeping her swings going as the elemental's blows keep pounding at her.
Feeling herself close to droping, Tewa takes a risk and tries to give herself a heal.
Adriana struggles to hit the damn elemental herself.
Magdi growls under his breath. "We're nearly finished! Destroy it, friends!" With that he hurls another fistful of fire at the elemental.
Tewa slices in the air as her blows land short and resolves to take some time to heal hearself.
With the mighty power of Sarenrae, Adriana takes one more chunk of the electrical mater of the elemental.
Meanwhile Tonny closes in, and performs some distracting attacks giving an opening to Adriana.
Controlling the power of fire, Magdi throws another blob of fire that burns through the physical defenses of the creature, which is left in a bad state.
Jonah does something heroic!
Crackling in deathless fury, the elemental relentlessly try to punish the two warriors for the suffered destruction, in an attempt to end both ensemble.
Despite the brutal strikes overloaded in electrical power, both warriors hold their position. Adriana though, is looking terribly bad, but she embraces the radiant symbol of Sarenrae, ready for the ultimate sacrifice!
JonahJonah spends two more rounds shooting
round 1
round 2
Magdi takes a quick glance at his comrades, concerned. We need to stick together in the future. He recognizes, before hurling one of the final bursts of flame he can manage.
Jonah scores three more hits with his bolts, which slightly, but continuously, keep harming the elemental's structure.
Magdi's third burst of flames strikes just so easily and burns the elemental, his flames finally consuming the elemental, whose electricity fades and disbands under the power of the shaman!
With the elemental destroyed, it is just much easier to have a careful look at the room you have been fighting in.
An arcane summoning diagram flickers with a sickly light in the center of this room atop a semicircular platform, encircled by the burnt remains of offerings, fetishes, and talismans. A bloodstained altar sits just south of this, while to the north, three oversized beds covered with furs and filthy sheets stand in a large alcove.
The altar detects as magical.
Upon close study to the central altar where the elemental stood, you determine one can activate the platform and call forth an elemental by charging the four power nodes.
A creature can charge a node by expending the energy of a 2nd-level or higher spell or spell-like ability into a node—doing so requires a successful DC 25 concentration check.
On a success, the node glows with energy, while on a failure, the spell is lost and the node must wait 24 hours before a new attempt to charge it can be made.
Once all four nodes are properly charged, the conjuration platform can be used to cast a planar binding spell.
Once any creature has been conjured with the platform, it cannot be used or charged again until the current conjured creatures are either slain or allowed to return to their planes of origin.
Near the northern beds, you find stacked piles with all the relics and other objects taken from the Lirgeni enclave.
Magdi sighs heavily as the elemental finally fades. "Who requires healing?" He asks, drawing his wand. "I didn't connect to spirits of life today, but rather those of battle. If we stick together, the spirit ought to be able to provide us with more inspiration than otherwise we might have."