14 more damage to the elemental from that rather nasty blast plus the additional math damage discussed in the discussion thread puts it at -172. It looks pretty beat up but will just not give up!
Gnasher is not healed this time and looks pretty worried since he missed all his strikes. In desperation he consumes another spell to put him at -97.
; DC 24 Reflex save or start taking 3d10 burn on next turn for rounds
; DC 24 Reflex save or start taking 3d10 burn on next turn for rounds
Two more hits puts Gnasher down to -132. Where do all those HP go?
Gnasher fast heals 3 HP
Ongoing effects not mentioned below: Elder elemental is using the Wind Stance and has concealment when it moves, it apparently also has blind fight and spring attack.
Bold may go.
Urah (-23 HP; 5 ER vs. fire)
Malgrim Gryh (-32 HP)
Gnasher (-129 HP; 20 ER vs. fire; raging/fast heal; DC 24 Reflex save or start taking 3d10 burn for 3 rounds; DC 24 Reflex save or start taking 3d10 burn for 1 rounds).
Seif (-0 HP)
Shadow (-51 HP; 30 ER vs. fire, invisible)
❖❖❖ Round 15 ❖❖❖
Elder elemental (-172 HP; 20% concealment)
Seif-al-Din desperately tries to take the edge off Gnasher's wounds.
Remember that Urah can attack or heal if you are really worried.
Urah casts a spell and walks up to poke Gnasher.
Malgrim steps slightly closer and sends another Spindle flying at the elemental.
As the stench of his fur burning rises into the air, Gnasher, checks his footing so as not to slip in the puddle of his own blood. Relieved the others are able to heal him, he burns more magic to heal himself as well. Realzing he and the elemental are both near death he again lifts Zenzibar and repeatedly chops at the elemental.
The elder elemental collapses in a heap of mud and fiery slurry one assumes must be its blood.
COMBAT OVER!
Gnasher beats out the flames still lingering and the party assesses its status. BTW, you only make one burn damage roll per turn, they are not cumulative other than extending the duration.
Urah (-23 HP)
Malgrim Gryh (-32 HP)
Gnasher (-103 HP)
Seif (-0 HP)
Shadow (-51 HP)
Somehow Seif is the only one to come out of that battle unscathed :}
Feel free to drain Urah and make cure rolls for yourself. I'll record any uses on his character sheet. Current status of his spells:
Level 1 Sorcerer Spell uses (8/day): mage armor,
Level 2 Sorcerer Spell uses (8/day): 2x invisibility
Level 3 Sorcerer Spell uses (6/day): fly
Level 1 Oracle Spell uses (8/day): CLW
Level 2 Oracle Spell uses (8/day): 2x CMW
Level 3 Oracle Spell uses (6/day):
So he has a LOT of slots available, including lots of infernal healing through his sorcerer slots.
Seif-al-Din puts 6 Infernal Healings into Gnasher, then keeps going with CMW.
Once Gnasher is mostly patched up, he shifts focus to Shadow...
...then Malgrim.
Meanwhile, Urah heals himself twice with Infernal Healing.
Watching the last elemental dissipate, Gnasher breaths a deep sigh as he releases the rage. Moving slowly, he sheaths the falchion and retrieves his bardiche, moving about the elemental remains checking to see if there is anything of value remaining. As the 'Infernal healings' flow through his body and Sief-al-Din's spells take hold, he considers the situation. Shaking his head, "Gnasher use best spells to heal, has this." He holds up his 'infernal healing' wand, in case anyone needs to use it. Giving Urah and Seif-al-Din a knowing look, he adds, "Tribe move slow, maybe find place to rest."
As he speaks, he moves north towards the 'hidden' doorway. Pausing in the doorway, so as to keep anything from getting to the tribe, he takes the room in at a glance.
"I agree we need to find a place to rest. It might be worth doing it in the stairwell, but the smell is terrible. I doubt anything would trouble us there though." Malgrim says as he wonders how many huge elementals wander these halls.
Seif-al-Din nods.
"At the very least, however, we should check out the rooms that the elemental poured out of - the last thing I want to discover in the middle of resting is that there is some sort of summoning portal in there that pumps them out after a set time..."
The elder elemental is wearing some kind of bracers. They are magical. Urah uses a scroll of identify and
Identifies them as bracers of AC 3. Gnasher sees a room with bare walls. Looks like a place to hang out and wait. There is a door to the west of the room, already open. Also, in the room you are currently in there is another hidden door to the south.
Seif-al-Din checks-out the 'hidden' door.
Bracers of Armor (+3) but same thing, right?
Realizing Seif-al-Din had notices the hidden door to the south Gnasher grunts, moving from the northern doorway and follows Seif-al-Din towards the door to the south. Adding "Door in northern room going west, tribe check it too before tribe rest." As he moves into the southern room he keeps a keen eye out for traps.
That was a LOOONG combat. Bogged down is an accurate description. But I missed Seif's post about entering the southern room and only saw the comment about the bracers so your nudge was useful.
This chamber to the south is bare, save for a few sitting rugs on the floor and the slumped, mummified form of a long-dead humanoid wearing shreds of decayed leather armor and silk scarves. It clutches a thin silver wand in one hand, a wand of magic missile (CL 7th, 17 charges).
Seif-al-Din nods, and cautiously moves over to the door to the north west, waiting for the others to join him before opening it.
... There is a door to the west of the room, already open.
Turning, Gnasher follows Sief-al-Din, back into the northern room. Shifting his bardiche, he offers, "Let Gnasher go first, just in case." as he steps past Sief-al-Din through the open door.
The floors of this dimly lit chamber are marred by scorch marks and smears of smoke and ash. Light is provided by an ornate brazier that burns in a small side room, standing before a tall tripartite reredos of cast bronze. The wings of the reredos exhibit images of burning warriors engaged in battle with beings composed of whirlwinds or water. The large central portion, however, bears an engraving of an ornate fountain in exquisite detail.
Malgrim follows along with the others and will move cautiously to search the ornate fountain for any traps.
There do not seem to be any traps on it.
If you made 20:
Pausing for a moment Gnasher stops and admires what seems to be some sort of religious tryptyche. Shrugging, he looks around the room, then gestures back the way they came."Gnasher saw hallway past room full of debris. Maybe tribe check debris for magical items, maybe tribe check beyond room?" As he looks questioningly from Malgrim to Seif-al-Din.
"This is a shrine dedicated to Khofu, an obscure figure of ancient Plane of Fire lore."
You do not find anything by mundane searching.
"I think we are pushing our luck. We should fall back and rest." Malgrim says as he looks towards the next door and shakes his head.
Hearing Malgrim's concern, Gnasher nods, "Tribe has spoken."
Moving to the door of the room with Khofu's shrine , Gnasher gently closes it. Dropping his pack near the door he lays his bedroll out in front of the door. Sitting down in front of the door he begins to rummage through has pack for jerky, stating. "Gnasher will guard door."
Malgrim peers into the next room from the opening. This chamber (B5) is dark, save for a single flickering lamp on the north wall. All of the room’s other lamps have gone out. A scattering of debris covers the floor—it looks like pieces of equipment, weapons, and assorted odds and ends including a large, rolled-up carpet. The brass walls are decorated with imprints of humanoids wreathed in flame, sitting upon prayer mats and bowing toward the exit to the west. There is yet another passageway leading further west from which you hear the tinkling of water. You decide not to enter the room, wanting to be at your best before advancing.
After resting in place, Gnasher begins to stir. Packing his gear, he picks up his bardiche. As they move from the first room, through the room with the scattered equipment towards the gurgling water, he gestures towards the odds and ends, "Anything magical?"
Urah checks for magic and uses his identify scrolls on the items that are magical. Besides the gear you will use to level up, you find (in B5) a gold urn encrusted with sapphires worth 2,500 gp that holds the ashes of an ancient efreeti pasha, a half-melted crown of adamantine worth 500 gp, a cloak of resistance +2, a minor ring of cold resistance, a Large +1 cold iron dagger, a 5-foot-by-10-foot carpet of flying, a bag of holding (type II) that holds a spell component pouch, 240 platinum pieces, and an extra set of equipment for azer mamluks—a suit of scale mail, a masterwork heavy steel shield, a masterwork warhammer, and 3 shortspears.
In B4 the reredos is magical and may be used to cast a clairvoyance spell to look into any chamber in the reliquary (areas B1–B6).
I added the magic items to your loot sheet.
Seif-al-Din whistles, impressed by the carpet.
"Now *that* is a nice piece!"
After everything has been packed away, he then trundles back around to the next area.
Realizing the carpet may be more than a carpet, Gnasher moves shoulder to shoulder with Seif-al-Din into the next room.
As you move through the wide passage from B5 to B6 you welcome the cool spray of refreshing mist. At its center stands a large fountain, its basin composed of fire-glazed porcelain inset with lapis lazuli and its central font constructed of marble of the purest white. A jet of cool water gushes into the air and falls back into the basin where it slowly drains away, causing the gas lamps to flicker in the moisture-laden air. Anyone with a rank in knowledge (planes) would know that a body of water like this on the elemental plane of fire is an extreme rarity.
When you enter the room, a creature rises from the waters to greet you.
"Who are you and what is your purpose here?!"
If you make a DC 20 knowledge(planes) roll you know that his is a marid and may go ahead and look at the pathfinder resources concerning marids. If you have any ranks in the skill, you know is that this is a water genie but do not know any particulars.
Seif-al-Din readily knows that this is a marid, and bows politely.
"I am Seif-al-Din. As for why I am here, truthfully, it is mostly to get out - we want to go home. We have unfinished business. Who are you? A marid on the Plane of Fire strikes me as unusual, to say the least."
As Seif-al-Din communicates with the 'marid' Gnasher shifts his baridiche to his shoulder, so it appears less threatening. Nodding his muzzled head, he adds. "Tribe leave 'Kakishon' end up here."
Malgrim approaches the pool and looks around for any signs of traps or wards as the other stalk to the water creature.
@Gnasher
Seif does not need your pathetic help :)
@Malgrim
No traps
@Seif
"Kakishon? I know nothing of that foreign land, but I can understand why you would want to leave this fire pit. Oh, the tales I could tell you. I am so glad you have come, children of the Mortal Realms. Long have I languished in this place. I am a daughter of a line of rulers long gone from the Realm of Water. I am Shazathared. Many of your lifetimes ago was I tricked and abducted by the efreeti prince who would now be consort to Ymeri, Queen of the Inferno. Jhavhul was his name, and he called upon mighty magic of the ancients to imprison me within this fountain. He wanted me first to entertain him, but as his lust for Ymeri grew, his interest in me waned until, finally, he ceased his visits to me altogether. I know not what occurred, but Jhavhul has not returned in these many centuries, and I long for the companionship of my kin.
“While I know little of this palace of brass, I do know that somewhere within it lies a source of immeasurable power—a potent artifact hidden somewhere in the palace above our heads whose theft has brought down the curse that traps us all here. What it is I cannot say, other than that its presence feels like a malignant, choking algae on the surface of a spring pool. Find this source and either destroy it or have it taken from this place, and I feel that the curse upon this realm will be lifted. And with it, my prison shall be weakened. Free me, and you shall be richly rewarded and gain the eternal friendship of the Marid Court.”
Seif-al-Din nods gravely.
"It wold be a pleasure to assist you in your own escape from this place. Thank-you for the information."
He then pauses, thoughtful, as he realises that there are no other exits from this room.
"I don't suppose you know how to reach the palace?"
Raising an eyebrow hearing they had followed Jhavhul to his own castle, Gnasher smiled a toothy smile. "Tribe kill Jhavhul, Tribe destroy artifact too."
Shifting his Bardiche he pauses waiting with bated breath for the Marid to tell them how to proceed to the rest of the castle.
The stairs end here and it seems like this is a dead end. You have no idea how you would make any progress to the sections described and, unfortunately, neither does Shazathared who is and has been stuck in this fountain for a very, very long time.
On the bright side she does suggest that the PCs use this chamber to retreat to if they need to rest and recover.
Even better, she offers he yearly wish to Seif, who has a way with forging relationships though she does warn him that using it to free her would not work. The fountain is an artifact and impervious to most magics.
Shazathared is willing to cast any of her spells or spell-like abilities on the PCs as they wish in order to aid them in their quest.
At will—create water, detect evil, detect good, detect magic, invisibility, plane shift (marid and up to eight creatures, to Elemental, Astral, or Material Planes only, though not while bound to the fountain), purify food and drink (liquids only), quench (DC 20), water walk 5/day—control water, gaseous form, obscuring mist, water breathing (other creatures only)
3/day—quickened cone of cold (DC 22), ice storm, quickened quench (DC 20), see invisibility 1/day—elemental swarm (water elementals only),
permanent image (DC 23), persistent image
4th (1/day)—dimension door, modify memory (DC 21)
3rd (4/day)—confusion (DC 20), displacement, glibness, haste
2nd (5/day)—cure moderate wounds, detect thoughts (DC 19),
mirror image, suggestion (DC 19)
1st (5/day)—cure light wounds, grease (DC 18), identify, obscure object
0 (3/day)—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 17), mage hand,
mending, message, prestidigitation
Which is not very useful in your current circumstances :(
As they leave the Marid's fountain room, Gnasher pauses to pick up the magic ring, fitting it to his paw and stuffs the 'magic' carpet in the 'Magic' bag and ties it to his pack. Smiling he turns to the others, "In case tribe not pass this way again."
Proceeding to the steps, he ponders the second riddle. Commenting, "Jhavhul have funny taste in puzzles."
Seif-al-Din bows politely.
"I thank-you for your great gift. We will definitely do our utmost to free you."
Not seeing any other exits, he frowns.
"Do we have to go back through those square rooms again...?"
Seif-al-Din is obviously not looking forward to it.
The wish alone is worth it as you can use it to boost a stat permanently.
"I think we have found all the secret doors here. It is possible that the square rooms lead elsewhere as well." Malgrim says with a shrug.
Hoping Malgrim was wrong, Gnasher gestures towards the stairs, "Tribe check stairs before going below." He slowly heads down the stairs, checking each platform they'd so quickly passed over.
As he descends to the bottom he addressed the three warriors with the strange looking taskmaster "How warriors and taskmaster get here? Tribe find no more doors."
Your searches prove fruitless, though Urah has an idea. He discovered a scroll of arcane eye and he is hoping he can use it to scout a way out of the maze.
"You came back!? Did you find our master?"
Seif-al-Din smiles awkwardly.
"I think we did... but he appears to have been killed. We found an efreet that had been strung up as a warning by some fire elementals, whom we subsequently killed."
The bodak responds with, "In that case we must retrieve the body, to make sure. I have instructions to resurrect him if that happens."
He does not see fit to answer the question about how they got there, but you recall something about using the sewers
"Fair enough."