Yukarii's mind lashed out and assaulted Xindrya's target with a blizzard of conflicting mental imagery.
<--- PASS
Zendara takes a step back and fires another arrow a point blank range into her opponent. She easily hits the smaller elemental which seems to be hurt by this
Fighting cautiously, Edwins's scimitar which was now glowing a ghastly shade of red flicked out and scored deeply into the elemental's body causing some of it to briefly flicker a sickly orange before it returned to its customary electric blue hue.
Xindrya's rapier plunges in deeply into the strangely spongey body of the large elemental, she was sure she hurt it although its attack didn't falter.
Edwins sorcerous protections prove too strong for the large elemental bypass this round despite all the thunder and fury of its arcing attacks.
<--- MISS
<--- MISS
The smaller elemental fighting Dr Munroe landed a solid blow which further bloodied and singed the poor man's face.
<-- HIT
The other large elemental surged into Xindrya. It's presence caused arcing that was frightening to behold from her rapier and along one of these discharge paths it slammed into her. Her innate resilience protected her from the arcing but not from the brute force of this attack and its followup which left her seeing stars with blood freely flowing from her smashed up nose.
<--- HIT
<--- CRIT
<--- MISS
The final smaller elemental surged into Zendara as her mithril shirt was surrounded with flickering St Elmo's fire, leaving her bloodied and singed.
<--- HIT
Hurting now, Dr Munroe lashes out at the small elemental that burned him sending bit's of its essence flying. The elemental seemed to be on it's last legs...
<--- HIT
Alarmed by the beating Xindrya was taking, Marek shot the bigger elemental. At this distance he couldn't really miss and his arrow vanished inside it's brightly glowing body!
<--- HIT
Environment: Normal brigntness near party
Buffs and Debuffs:
Xindyra Mutagen, Shield, heroism, barkskin, blur
Edwin Mage Armor, Perceptive Cues, Shield, Resist Electricity, Bane Elementals
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii
Zendara Gravity Bow
Xindyra Mutagen, Shield, heroism, barkskin, blur
Edwin Mage Armor, Perceptive Cues, Shield, Resist Electricity, Bane Elementals
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii
Zendara Gravity Bow
Damage Log:Round: 1
Red was hit by Edwin for 9 (total damage taken 9)
Edwin was hit by Red for 15 (total damage taken 15)
Magenta was hit by Xindrya for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Xindrya was hit by Magenta for 9 (total damage taken 9)
Yellow was hit by Dr Munroe for 10 (total damage taken 10)
Yellow was hit by Marek for 9 (total damage taken 19)
Magenta was hit by Yukarii for 22 (total damage taken 29)Round: 2
Yellow was hit by Xindrya for 9 (total damage taken 28)
Black was hit by Zendara for 5 (total damage taken 5)
Green was hit by Marek for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Edwin was hit by Red for 5 (total damage taken 20)
Dr Munroe was hit by Green for 10 (total damage taken 10)
Zendara was hit by Black for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Green was hit by Marek for 5 (total damage taken 12)Round: 3
Blue was hit by Xindrya for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Blue was hit by Yukarii for 11 (total damage taken 18)
Dr Munroe was hit by Green for 8 (total damage taken 18)
Red was hit by Edwin for 26 (total damage taken 35)
Black was hit by Zendara for 5 (total damage taken 10)
Xindrya was hit by Magenta for 18 (total damage taken 27)
Xindrya was hit by Magenta for 11 (total damage taken 38)
Green was hit by Dr Munroe for 11 (total damage taken 23)
Blue was hit by Marek for 11 (total damage taken 29)Totals:
Red: 35 damage
Edwin: 20 damage
Magenta: 29 damage
Xindrya: 38 damage
Yellow: 28 damage
Black: 10 damage
Green: 23 damage
Dr Munroe: 18 damage
Zendara: 7 damage
Blue: 29 damage
COMBAT ORDER:
Xindyra
Edwin
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii <----- WE ARE HERE
Zendara
Yukarii, Zendara, Xindyra and Edwin are up.
Edwin continued slashing at the huge elemental in front of him. He knew it was his job to vanquish this enemy; the others had their hands full at the moment.
Xindyra goes on the defensive.
She holds a parry action prepared if the thing still stands and attacks her.
Zendara shoots Black again.
(point blank, bullseye shot)
(gravity bow, point blank, focused shot)
Yukarii lashed out with her mind once more at the large elemental in the hopes of having more effect this time as she sensed it's previous resistance to her was but a fluke.
Yukarii sensed the resistance of the elemental was a fluke and she was right! This time she battered straight past its mental defences and set it reeling, she was confident that it had been profoundly hurt by her mental assault.
<--- FAIL
Zendara backs away from the small elemental and fires another accurate shot which goes straight through it, wisps of electrical essence boil off the wound.
Fighting cautiously Xindrya manages to beat past the big elemental's guard and plunges her rapier in once more! This time it was different, half the team had been focusing their fire on it and this last blow was the straw that broke the camel's back. It suddenly deflated as its essence leaked out in scorching arcs which crawled around the floor before dissipating.
Edwin was also fighting cautiously and he too managed to score another powerful hit, sinking his scimitar up to the hilt in the side of the elemental and twisting, leaving the elemental looking extremely ragged as its essence leaked out of it. Still dangerous, it lashed out at him but Edwin was ready for its assault and dodged everything it had.
<--- MISS
<--- MISS
The smaller elemental Dr Munroe was fighting was clearly fading as it half heartedly lunged forwards. Dr Munroe was ready for it and he simply stepped aside at the last moment.
<-- MISS
The other small elemental chased Zendara and landed a glancing blow.
<--- HIT
Dr Munroe waited for the elemental to surge back towards him before landing a powerful punch which seemed to burst it into three distinct pieces which crackled loudly as it fizzled away.
<--- HIT
Marek took carful aim at the elemental that had been harassing Zendara and suddenly there was an opening. His arrow lanced into it, bursting something inside and it too deflated and fizzled out in a cascade of sparks.
<--- HIT
Environment: Normal brigntness near party
Buffs and Debuffs:
Xindyra Mutagen, Shield, heroism, barkskin, blur
Edwin Mage Armor, Perceptive Cues, Shield, Resist Electricity, Bane Elementals
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii
Zendara Gravity Bow
Xindyra Mutagen, Shield, heroism, barkskin, blur
Edwin Mage Armor, Perceptive Cues, Shield, Resist Electricity, Bane Elementals
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii
Zendara Gravity Bow
Damage Log:Round: 1
Red was hit by Edwin for 9 (total damage taken 9)
Edwin was hit by Red for 15 (total damage taken 15)
Magenta was hit by Xindrya for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Xindrya was hit by Magenta for 9 (total damage taken 9)
Yellow was hit by Dr Munroe for 10 (total damage taken 10)
Yellow was hit by Marek for 9 (total damage taken 19)
Magenta was hit by Yukarii for 22 (total damage taken 29)Round: 2
Yellow was hit by Xindrya for 9 (total damage taken 28)
Black was hit by Zendara for 5 (total damage taken 5)
Green was hit by Marek for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Edwin was hit by Red for 5 (total damage taken 20)
Dr Munroe was hit by Green for 10 (total damage taken 10)
Zendara was hit by Black for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Green was hit by Marek for 5 (total damage taken 12)Round: 3
Blue was hit by Xindrya for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Blue was hit by Yukarii for 11 (total damage taken 18)
Dr Munroe was hit by Green for 8 (total damage taken 18)
Red was hit by Edwin for 26 (total damage taken 35)
Black was hit by Zendara for 5 (total damage taken 10)
Xindrya was hit by Magenta for 11 (total damage taken 20)
Green was hit by Dr Munroe for 11 (total damage taken 23)
Blue was hit by Marek for 11 (total damage taken 29)
Blue was hit by Yukarii for 24 (total damage taken 53)
Black was hit by Zendara for 8 (total damage taken 18)Round: 4
Blue was hit by Xindrya for 11 (total damage taken 64)
Red was hit by Edwin for 20 (total damage taken 55)
Zendara was hit by Black for 6 (total damage taken 13)
Green was hit by Dr Munroe for 9 (total damage taken 32)
Black was hit by Marek for 12 (total damage taken 30)Totals:
Red: 55 damage
Edwin: 20 damage
Magenta: 29 damage
Xindrya: 20 damage
Yellow: 28 damage
Black: 30 damage
Green: 32 damage
Dr Munroe: 18 damage
Zendara: 13 damage
Blue: 64 damage
COMBAT ORDER:
Xindyra
Edwin
Elementals
Dr Munroe & Marek
Yukarii <----- WE ARE HERE
Zendara
Looking around, Edwin noticed that his elemental was the only one left; emboldened, he went in for went in for what he hoped was a decisive slash!
Nobody had time to assist Edwin as he surged forward with one last powerful slash which ruptured the elemental's body which convulsed as its essence poured out like a fire cracker sending wild sparks flying. Suddenly the fight was over revealing a room filled with smoke, the stench of burned flesh, hair and ozone. Just about everyone had been hurt but it was over.
A few minutes later as you were patching up your wounds you heard the whine of motors and an armoured door in the floor opened. Up floated the strangest thing, a large ovoid of some dark material. It looked quite substantial yet ungainly and perhaps even slightly fragile.
Writing in the city script appeared on the walls and floors.
That's Vesta. She wants us to follow her.
Zendara moves after Vesta, still thinking it was sad that the others hadn't been willing to get an upgrade chip even after they found some anesthetic. She doesn't dare mention it again though, knowing she was at risk of freaking Yukarii out again. It was just leaving the possibility behind that was bringing it back to mind. Such a shame.
Oh, and she has arranged transportation to the surface for us. We're not coming back, so make sure you have everything that you want.
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The ovoid mind floats infront of you exactly the way bricks don't and it leads you towards a side corridor which winds it's way between deserted industrial buildings before coming to what what it described as a service railway terminus. Behind you in the distance you see winking actinic lights which illuminate the entire cavern. Vesta tells you that its sealing various buildings and erecting barriers in preparation for collapsing the tunnels. This serves two purposes firstly to slow the progress of The Kez when they eventually tunnel down here and to preserve the buildings in the unlikely event history takes a different course.
You board a strange looking boxy metal contraption which glided silently on the metal rails and suddenly you are accelerating away. The service tunnel seems featureless as you hurtle along and you loose track of time. Vesta told you that only fifteen standard minutes had passed when the train stopped at a tiny station and he/she/it warned you that while the lift you entered would take you up most of the way, there'd be a lot of stairs. As you started walking upwards the lighting dimmed briefly and you heard the echoes of a distant blast. It was no longer possible to go back the way you came.
Your legs were burning by the time you reached the surface. You had to push open a manhole cover and you found yourselves in a ruined building where some titanic force had shattered the builders stone and caused it to melt in places. You emerge into the glorious sunshine for the first time in what feels like weeks.
Oh, over there is the Dawntreader! Looks also like a lot of boxes. Guess we better load up.
Dr Munroe shaded his eyes with one hand as he looked in the direction Zendara pointed, excitedly he replied, "Oh yes! Well we'd better get over there, I'm sure Mariam and the other ls will be worried sick."
You started off towards the valley but a metallic voice from the floating ovoid warned you about the valley in Marin.
Indeed when you looked there was a strange miasma and you caught sight of several very large things stirring in the distance with more legs and appendages than seemed strictly necessary.
"Just as well Mariam isn't here eh Dr? She'd want a pair of those for the zoo!" quipped Marek.
With a sardonic laugh Dr Munroe replied, "What makes you think she hasn't got a pair already? We've been long enough!"
With this disturbing thought (the things were large) you set off walking upwards towards the top of the hill and you picked your way along scree covered highlands before descending down a different valley that Vesta judged as being safe.
Several hours later you arrived at the airship which was laden with many boxes of all sizes lashed to the decks.
Before long a call came from one of the lookouts and Braenar and Mirriam bustled out to greet you. Braenar called out a cherry "Hullo! Good to see you safe and sound. And my you seem to have made a friend." He marvelled at the floating mind.
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Professor Dexter told you, "We were starting to get seriously worried and were debating what to do when a day or so ago these giant metal spiders appeared. We got really worried until it turned out they were inexplicable delivering supplies. It was the darnedest thing but one of them left a written note from somebody called Vesta saying you were unharmed and these were the supplied you'd requested. Moreover the note warned us of the arrival of The Kez and that we should make ready to depart."
The ship is packed and ready to go when you are.
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Xindyra quickly relays the information of the hazard to the others.
"Our floating ally, Vesta, firmly suggests we take a longer route. The valley is said to be polluted with radioactive fallout and is home to abominations."
At the mention of Vesta having delivered the supplies, she turns her head to the floating mind.
"Our sincerest thanks for the delivery, Vesta."
Edwin was glad to finaly be back at the Dawntreader; it was the closest thing to home that he had right now. "Ready to get going, but where to?"
"Now that's the question..." replied Dr Munroe, "In the short term we should get away before the Kez get here, go anywhere they are unlikely to go which is probably strange up until the air gets really cold and due west. After that I think we need to have a conference on board to digest the things we've learned and decide if we want to risk a raid on The Kez's museum to open a gateway or if we want to search for a plan B."
Sounds good. Let's get underway as quickly as we can, then we can discuss our options.
The lines holding the Dawntreadder down were hauled in and with a gentle whirr of the rotors the airship bobbed upwards. True to Dr Munroe's words you headed more or less straight up giving a fantastic view of the ruins and the churning atmospheric vortex that surrounded the archipelago. Of the Kez ships mercifully there was no sign.
As you climbed higher the air grew thin and frigid and still the vortex towered over you. Braenar herded everyone inside and declared, "The Dawntreadder has a few non standard tricks up her sleeve, if all the doos and port holes are closed she's hermetically sealed. She can't hold a full atmosphere but she can maintain three quarters, we're going to go up and over. Might get a little bumpy but nothing like before!"
For the next hour The Dawntreadder kept on rising until the haze obscured the islands below and you were level with the mountainous crown of the storm. But your ascent wasn't finished yet, up you rose until the port holes froze over with ice and the hull began to sing from the pressure. You looked out of the heated bridge House windows to see the great maelstrom below. Satisfied at last Braenar steered to starboard and the Dawntreadder slowly came round before starting the long journey west. As you passed far over the rim of the maelstrom the still air become markedly rougher but not enough to really pose a problem.
After a couple of hours the bouncing smoothed out and Braenar adjusted the Lift Crystal trim and the ship slowly descended. Everyone's ears popped a few hours later when you'd descended low enough to open the doors. Everyone crowded outside and below there was an endless plain of white clouds, above the azure of a late summer afternoon.
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The hulking presence of the Mind Vesta interrupted your thoughts and to your surprise its metallic voice announced in perfect common, "I have been studying your language, I believe I am now able to converse without misunderstanding. We are now at the limit of my telemetry, passive sensors have detected a fleet of vessels from the second civilization you call Kez. They flew through the maelstrom from the north and many of their ships were damaged. I do not believe we have been spotted."
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How did they find or know about your city? The timing seems strange... there isn't a tracking device aboard our ship, is there?
Xindyra stood at the rails enjoying the enchanting sun over the field of clouds.
"To think, last month i wouldn't have imagined seeing this. Seeing various spooky and weird things included...but this view is gorgeous."
She puts some hair that waves in front of her face back behind her ear.
"Good thing tiefling ears have a little more edge to hang hair behind, over human ears."
In response to Vesta, she chimes in with Zendara.
"That would be a bummer. It is too convenient otherwise, i suppose.
Vesta, how would you or your people go about finding such a device?"
Braenar bristled at the suggestion The Dawntreader had been tracked but the androgynous voice of Vesta replied, "That is the most likely explanation. The second box behind you contains a device known as a chipfinder, this one can only find tracker chips within 1000 feet or so, but more powerful chipfinders have a range of up to 500 miles. Trackers are tiny synthetic devices the size of a small fingernail inserted under the skin of a living host, who may not be aware of its presence."
Dr Munroe pointed out, "You know the maps to the Archipelago were stolen although Braenar informs me the maelstrom has moved enough to require a substantial search if the directions where blindly followed. So despite the theft, the timing does seem suspicious..."
We need to use this chipfinder to make sure no one is tracking us, or we are putting the whole world in danger... the device doesn't seem to be working for me though. Anyone?
Edwin just shook his head.
*looks up from notebook*
After hearing the story from Xindyra, Zendara asks the professor who would be best to remove the tracker, because that needed to be done NOW. They needed to be free of strange evil cults following them.
Dr Munroe sighed deeply when the story came out and gently told Ellis, "That tracking chip will have to come out, I'll ask Mariam to do it. She has an undergraduate medical degree with full honours and quite some field experience so you'll be good hands."
Ellis looked scared but nodded.
A little while later, Mariam came by with a leather duffel bag and asked for a pail of water to be boiled. She took Ellis to a side room that sometimes served as an impromptu medical bay and started unpacking.
Soon she had a little spirit burner lit and set about sterilising her scalpels, forceps and other medical gear with the flame. She tried to reassure Ellis, saying "Don't worry I'll give you something to numb the area, you won't feel much of anything. The chip is just beneath the skin of your shoulder blade and we'll only need a small incision, I don't think it'll scar either."
All the men where shoo'd out of the room and half an hour later, Mariam emerged with a strange looking rectangular fleck of dark material that shimmered oddly in the light. With a triumphant smile she said, "Here's our tracking device, shall we toss it over the side?"
Braenar spoke up, saying "Nae, I have a better idea. Let's attach it to a weather buoy, sail low until the winds howl release it. That'll send The Kez on a merry chase and no mistake!"
Professor Dexter laughed, "I like the way you think Braenar!" She glanced around the room and asked, "Any objections?"
Good idea unless there is a more lethal trap we could lead them into. Certain death would be better than a merry chase.
She looks at Vesta
Any ideas?
Vesta's androgenous voice replied at once, "The buoy's flight system could be calibrated to gradually fall into the interior. Anyone foolish enough to follow would surely perish."
Ah, perfect.
She turns to Braenar.
Can we do that?
Braenar fusses with his beard as he mutters, "Aye that we can, the Buoy would likely survive deeper than any airship on account of being small and very sturdy. Still t'would be a terrible death we'd consign anyone that follows."
After a moment's consideration his tone changed, "Bah! If any captain's fool enough to follow that signal into the depths of the world they deserve everything they get. Everyone knows its death, even if strange things have been seen below."
Quarter of an hour later and with little ceremony a reprogrammed buoy is loaded with the tracker chip and dumper overboard to slowly descend into the interior. Meanwhile Braenar spun the Dawntreader's wheel to point in a semi random direction and so you all headed NNW at top speed.
Giving everyone nearby a meaningful glance, Braenar asked "That course is good for some hours but we need to decide where to go next."
Dr Munroe chuckled softly, "That my friend is the question. Plan A seems to be to head to The Core and somehow find our way to the Mitterland Imperial Museum in the middle of the Kez homeland. As I'm sure you're aware lift crystals don't work in the interior of big islands so we'd have quite the trek to get there, at least two hundred miles or so through hostile territory. Once we're there we need to break into the museum find this portal, attach a micro fusion generator and power it up and hope to Elodin and all the saints that it's still working and keyed to Indar. Assuming it is, from there we need to somehow figure out how to use the solar wells to destroy the darkness back on Oberon and er hope that's enough to send this outer god Nylarthotep packing. Ha sounds simple! What could possibly go wrong?!"
Shaking his head he added, "Vesta mentioned there might be some alternatives. I guess we should consider them now."
Some of you notices the shadow of Vesta's ovoid as silently appeared behind you. A thin bluish beam shone out this and the image of Dr Taproot appeared. He looked around and remarked in Marin (which was translated to common in another voice with a slight delay), "Congratulations for convincing Vesta to let you leave." He glanced around and said, "Well this uh charming vessel is rather different from what we had in my day, I'm sure it'll do..."
This earned a scowl from Braenar who folded his arms in annoyance.
Dr Taproot didn't seem to notice as he carried on, "Not sure I'll ever get used to the seemingly bottomless skies below whee by all rights there should be solid ground. Anyway I've been doing some research, I stand my recommendation of using the Indar Solarwells but at the back of my mind there's the worry that what if gods forbid that didn't pan out? Well in the archives I've found two possible leads."
The flickering blue image of Dr Taproot started pacing as he spoke, "About fifteen years before everything went to hell, the entire applied arcaneology department of the university of Titania simply vanished one morning. Titania was the second largest settlement on Oberon and the university was well regarded and the sudden disappearance of several hundred of the most brilliant arcanists was a great shock. Generally everyone assumed there had been some kind of terrible accident but I'm not so sure of that."
"I've read some of the correspondence of the Dean Professor Angelis to his wife and children. They where in the Vega system at the time and he'd been exhorting them to return with all haste due to a 'catastrophe of world shattering proportions' that had been predicted by multiple long range divinations. We know that Professor Angelis was interested in teleportation and gate magic. What's more there's some circumstantial evidence that the entire department was plane-shifted into either the Ethreral or the Astral plane but with the same coordinates as in the material world. In theory it would be possible to check and see where they went. Vesta understands that Professor Angelis was working on a plan to teleport the entire planetary system to a different safe location in the wider metaverse..."
"The other thing I've heard whispers about, but without access to the interlinks can't check is the meaning of the phrase 'Jhistal Raraku Elodin Imperator'. It was linked to a sect of Elodin's clergy, one that Nylarthotep's cultists went to an extraordinary lengths to silence. This must have been important, for the cult spent hundreds of agents, even going as far as lighting builder's suns to assassinate the High Clerist Markos Imari and everyone else in Titania. I think perhaps you could talk to the current day church of Elodin, or maybe the followers of St Ignatius of the Scroll. They may well have records that date back before the sundering."
Hmm. That plane shift idea is interesting. Might be worth talking to Allison Dyer back at the university.
(fail)
Yukarii listened to all that Dr Taproot said as he explained Vespa's alternative options.
"I agree, Dyer-dono would be the one to ask about this." Yukarii hesitated as she remembered what she could of the two religious groups mentioned and said, "We should ask Maria Elenara-dono and Alice Wrexham-senei about that phrase. If anyone has an answer it will be them."
Edwin pondered all this information. He didn't understand all of it, but he eventually volunteered, "It does sound like we should look into Professor Angelis' warnings to his wife and children. He must have been on to something.
"Regarding the 'Jhistal Raraku Elodin Imperator' thing, we might want to talk to Maria Elenara, the high cultist of Elodin, who lives in Noravale. We could also consult with Alice Wrexham, head of Religion & Antiquities back at the Miskatronic; I think she's well connected on those matters. Dr. Monroe, do we have an easy way to contact her from the Dawntreader?"
We do have the automatic writing thing we got before we left...
Dr Munroe nodded, "That's true we have a quill of automatic writing attuned to the university. What message would you like to send? We should probably be careful of how much we say, on the one hand we don't want to dismissed as crackpots and on the other hand I'm uncomfortable with the military or The Kez getting wind of what we've found..."
Well, good point, we need be careful... but then again if we actually go back the university we risk another person getting chipped, and might bring the bad guys down on our friends. What does everyone think we should do?