Charles groans.
Great. Just what I needed!
He then tries to take out the remaining tiny fiend.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Sighing, Charles chases after the remaining warrior.
|
An enormous spiral staircase leads up from the east end of this room. Near the doorway, a large, jagged iron ring — apparently the top half of a cauldron — hangs from a frame of wood and bones next to a large stone hammer.
Standing next to it is the injured warrior, who charges forward, murder in his eyes!
Fortunately, he remains quite ineffective.
XW (-7)
Charles (-84)
Archibald (-)
With a snort, Charles tries to finish him off.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles and Archibald move to stand at the bottom of the stairs, ready to pulverise whatever comes down them.
Charging into the jaws of death...
Charles shifts his focus, and unleashes.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles shifts his focus again, and keeps firing.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
|
|
Charles' first shot blows away his chosen target, before wounding the one behind it.
Archibald then rips then one next to it apart.
The final one, unbowed, avoids the worst of the electrical blast, and comes forward, swinging wildly...
...and actually lands a hit!
XW (-12)
Charles (-92)
Archibald (-)
I can't take much more of this...
His breathing ragged, Charles keeps up the pressure...
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles drags the bodies downstairs to the ever-growing pile, then has a nice rest in the 'hidden' chamber.
Nearly two hours later, he heads back to complete his sweep of the upper level.
|
|
The entrance is blocked by a rich velvet curtain bearing the image of storm cloud emitting lightning. Lingering magic causes any creature touching the curtain to feel a prickling of static electricity and smell ozone; this effect is harmless.
The chambers beyond are crowded with furniture and luxuries. To the west, a massive four-poster bed at the center of the south wall is littered with colorful silk pillows. A nearby brass brazier gives off bright light and is surrounded by thick carpets, more pillows, and crates overflowing with clothing in all styles and colors. To the east stand another brazier and a desk covered with religious treatises bearing annotations.
Seated at the desk is an incredibly attractive woman... with curving horns, bat wings, sharp claws, and a sinuous tail!
Curled up at her feet is a wolf with blood-red fur and glowing eyes, whilst perched upon her shoulder is another tiny fiend.
Looking up as the curtain is pushed aside, she curses!
Cursing, she stands, and casts Dominate upon Charles.
The wolf jumps up, and charges forward...
...landing a solid blow on Archibald.
The tiny devil mutters to itself, then disappears.
WS (-)
Q (-)
BW (-)
Charles (-; Will save)
A (-)
For a moment, Charles thinks he is losing his mind, but then he holds onto it.
Snarling, he designates the Wolf as his Prey, and starts firing, encouraging Archibald to do the same.
|
|
When Charles resists her spell, the beautiful fiend visibly wilts.
The wolf then burns in the electrical discharge, but she dodges it...
...and then a brace of arrows (aided by a biting bear chaser) do a number on the wolf.
The beautiful fiend lets out a surprisingly salty curse, and tries to Charm Charles.
Meanwhile, the tiny fiend reappears, and tries to sting Charles...
...whilst the wolf keeps trying to savage Archibald...
...but surprisingly, only lands one blow.
WS (-8)
Q (-)
BW (-23)
Charles (-)
Archibald (-21)
Archibald gives the female fiend a friendly 'hrmph'.
Charles curses, and tries to drop the wolf.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
|
|
Venom pumps through Charles' veins.
Despite this, Charles still manages to put a pair of arrows through the wolf's skull.
His subsequent arrow lightly wounds the tiny fiend...
...which avoids the worst of the electrical discharge, as does its mistress.
The beautiful fiend chuckles.
"Your pet likes me; why don't you reconsider your own resistance to my charms..."
She then casts Charm again.
Meanwhile, the tiny fiend tries to sting Charles...
WS (-12)
Q (-9)
Charles (-6)
Archibald (-21)
Charles snorts.
"Lady, I am not into that kind of bondage..."
Gritting his teeth, he directs his attention towards her, trying Cold Iron (and shifting to Silver if that doesn't work)!
He then tosses a brace of force missiles.
|
|
The poison continues to burn away at Charles' veins...
The beautiful fiend is stung by Charles' rejection...
...but not as much as she is by his arrows, which sear her flesh as they pierce her.
(His force missiles also prove quite damaging.)
Snarling, her face twists with rage!
"Maggot! You WILL bow down and worship me!"
She tries to Charm him again.
Meanwhile, the tiny fiend continues to try and sting Charles...
...but he dodges and weaves too well for it.
WS (-43)
Q (-9)
Charles (-7)
Archibald (-21)
Charles smirks.
"No, no I don't think that will happen..."
He then keeps pumping Cold Iron and force missiles in her direction.
|
|
The fiend is completely shocked when Charles fights off her mental domination, yet again.
However, she retains the presence of mind to dodge his arrows (although the force missiles are another matter entirely).
Snarling, she tries once more!
Meanwhile, the tiny fiend makes a nuisance of itself...
WS (-60)
Q (-9)
Charles (-7; Will; Fort)
Archibald (-21)
Charles remains utterly un-enthralled by her charms.
"No means No!"
He then keeps firing.
Charles turns around, and tries to obliterate the tiny fiend.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
|
|
Charles' second arrow destroys the tiny fiend.
Reading through the notes on the desk, Charles learns that this fiend, a Succubus named Balenni, was responsible for corrupting the servants of Gozreh at the Hermitage, but that ultimately, she herself served the leader of the Troglodytes here, someone named Cavnakash, who was in turn sent by his superiors from a place called Moonstone Hall beneath the city of Escadar.
Balenni speculates that Cavnakash’s superiors are powerful priests of Zevgavizeb, although “Moonstone Hall” isn’t likely a temple to Zevgavizeb, but rather a co-opted temple once dedicated to some other deity.
Not wanting to face whatever is on the next level in his current diminished state, Charles decides to once again dump the bodies outside, then head back down to the hidden room to have a full rest.
Charles heads down the corridor on his way downstairs.
|
|
The southern half of this large room contains a 15-foot-deep pit. A short ramp leads into the pit, but stops after 5 feet, ending with a sudden drop-off that descends to the bottom.
At the bottom of the pit are three hideous blobs of flesh, that appear to have once been human... but their lower torsos and legs have become slug-like, and their upper bodies are covered in disgusting tumours.
Upon spotting Charles, they react angrily, wailing piteously, the pitch *really* grating on your nerves.
Charles (-7)
Archibald (-)
G (-, -, -)
Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Charles does his best to end these horrible monstrosities.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Cursing, Charles keeps up the pressure.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
With an almost regretful sigh, Charles keeps firing.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
"Scheisse!"
Charles shifts his focus, and keeps firing.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
|
|
None of Charles' arrows find their mark.
The heavily injured one dodges the electrical discharge, whilst the other is mildly inconvenienced.
The heavily injured one continues to have trouble climbing.
The middle one claws at Charles.
The third *finally* pulls itself up onto the ledge.
Charles (-17)
Archibald (-)
G (-47;5' up, -20, -)
"Damn it!"
Charles keeps firing...
Archibald starts biting...
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles looks on incredulously.
"That... is pretty disgusting."
He then keeps firing.
Archibald keeps biting...
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
|
|
Distracted by the gory explosion, only one of Charles' arrows hits.
Fortunately, both fleshwarps fail to dodge the electrical blast.
Unfortunately, that means one of them explodes, showering Charles and Archibald with ichor and viscera.
The remaining creature claws at Charles, landing a nasty punch.
Charles (-33)
Archibald (-)
G (-29)
Charles looks ready to vomit.
I am so glad that I know Prestidigitation!
He shifts his focus, and keeps firing.
Archibald keeps biting...
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles spends several minutes vomiting, then settles down to thoroughly clean himself and Archibald with Prestidigitation, before retreating downstairs to rest.
I think that is the most disgusting experience I have ever had. I hope nothing ever tops it...
Charles applies the Cytillesh extract to one of his arrows, and heads upstairs, ready to take on whatever he finds...
|
|
A sun-shaped platform of marble rises ten feet above the flat, mud-brick summit of the Erran Tower. Four large columns support another marble slab over the circular staircase in the center of the tower summit, but there are no walls, so the open-air platform provides a commanding view of the Isle of Erran, the Inner Sea, and the Isle of Kortos to the south. A blazing ball of light three feet in diameter swings around the tower summit in a lazy circle, never approaching closer than within forty feet of the tower, causing shadows to spin across the marble. The orb provides bright light but no heat; instead, a soothing feeling of growth and life emanates from it. On the platform, a small heap of ripped nets, broken poles, and other debris is surrounded by several charcoal marks of geometric shapes.
Crouched on one 'outlook' is a pteranodon, whilst hunched over the charcoal drawings on the ground is a heavily-muscled Troglodyte, a wicked-looking maul at his side, who reacts with fury when he spots Charles.
The Pteranodon flaps over, despite a lame wing, and tries to take a bite out of...
...Archibald!
After it misses, it then flaps away again, landing on the other side of the top of the tower.
Pteranodon (-)
Charles (-)
Archibald (-)
Cavnakash (-)
With a chuckle, Charles waves cheerily at the Troglodyte.
"Hi there! I am a travelling tower inspector. I don't think this structure is currently up to code... it was infested with all sorts of vermin!"
He then casts Spider Climb, walks over to the Troglodyte, picks up his maul, and walks away again, going up one of the pillars, 'sheathing' the maul when he is out of range.