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"Er.. Uh.." Rindle stammers, twiddling his hands to try to come up with an answer. Wolstine is seeing through this charade. "I gotta go!" He makes a mad dash for the exit.
He seemed very negligent in his actions to prevent avoiding conflict, as though he intentionally wanted to draw the ire of the guardians.
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Hobbo begins chase after Rindle, but realizes something strange about the Halfling. He appears to be changing form, no longer being that of a humanoid of the small variety. As Hobbo maintains a pace after the halfling look-a-alike, it disappears.
****************************************
Eliza shakes her head grimly. "Well, that was most peculiar. I say we continue with our sample gathering. Perhaps without interference we can get it safely." She follows you all as the device continues to hum in her hands.
Thankfully, continuing in the maze doesn't seem to be an issue without a guide. You all come across a new area, that appears crafted entirely from psychic and arcane energy bound in runes and musical notes. The sensation of this room leaves you feeling as though your minds are being bombarded with pounding sensory overload.
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Rextangalin doesn't seem to manage quite well, and he has the feeling something is watching him thoroughly.
Hobbo, unfortunately, finds himself being assaulted by knowledge unknown!
Wolstine manages to move without hinderance.
Korakai gulps. "Well.. Here goes nothing."
Unfortunately for the Tengu oracle, he doesn't do too well either. The party waits to see if anything bad happens, but all they are met with is silence and a feeling of foreboding. With nothing else coming to attack them, they have the freedom to take a sample and move to the next part of the maze.
Passing through the gate of mind takes the Pathfinders to the final stretch of the rune-warped corridor. This room combines the energies of the previous two rooms with primal energy and life essences, forming a forge of creation that the adventurers must pass through carefully in order to proceed.
Doggo follows Hobbo's movement.
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The Pathfinders find themselves having some issues getting through, but eventually manage to get the sample. It isn't a particularly good one however. Before they can turn around and head to a different part of the maze, however, they hear Rindle's voice call out to them. It slowly turns more wicked as he speaks. "Oh, so you managed to get this far huh? Perhaps I should kill you all now, just like I killed your halfling friend earlier. Know the name of your killer, Nevashi, for it shall be the last you hear!"
Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: None
Active Penalties: None
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-0,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-0,Fine)
Rextangalin(-13,Fine)
Nevashi(-0,Fine)
Korakai(-0,Fine)
Mr Chitters(-0,Fine)
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"As if I care what your name is. Did you expect me to know who you are?"
Unsure what might work or not work, Rex tosses a rock at the annoying creature.
◈◈ Cast a Spell - Telekinetic Projectile (attack, cantrip, evocation)
Tradition: occult
Components: somatic, verbal
Range: 30 feet
Targets: 1 creature
"Woof woof!"
Doggo rushes forward and bites at the halfling creature.
With a solid crunch, Doggo bites down hard.
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Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: None
Active Penalties: None
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-0,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-0,Fine)
Rextangalin(-13,Fine)
Nevashi(-26,Fine)
Korakai(-0,Fine)
Mr Chitters(-0,Fine)
It appears the rock that was flung at Nevashi dealt
The ill omen saved Hobbo from a deadly blow, instead causing him to take only a sharp amount of pain from the wicked bite and claw of Nevashi.
Korakai, seeing his ally taking a brunt of attacks from the wicked creature, calls upon his curse. "May the tempests strike you down, foul creature!" Korakai's eyes glow as he stares deeply at the wicked Nevashi.
"Strike at him with the power of good, for it is his weakness! His will is weaker than his body and reflexes!" Korakai then strides up and strikes at him with the khakkara.
Vision of Weakness (cursebound, divination, oracle); Cast [one-action] somatic; Targets 1
creature; Effect You focus your gaze on a creature and gain a flash of divine insight into its nature. If the creature has any weaknesses, you learn them, as well as which of its three saving throw modifiers is lowest. You also learn an inherent understanding of its movements and gain a +2 status bonus to your next attack roll (or skill check made as part of an attack action) against that foe before the end of your turn. The target is then temporarily immune to vision of weakness for 1 day.
It appears the piercing nature of Korakai's Khakkarai weapon deals more damage than the flung rock.
The creature, Mister Chitters, bites viciously at the Doggo.
Resists physical damage except pierce, weakness to good damage.
"Arf Arf 23."
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"Poor willpower and a right blowhard to boot. As if i should fear him. Hmph. I don't even think you can get close to me."
Rex tries to egg Nevashi on and get under his skin.
◈ Bon Mot (auditory, concentrate, emotion, general, linguistic, mental, skill)
Range: 30 feet
Targets: 1 creature
vs target's Will DC
Critical Success: The target is distracted and takes a –3 status penalty to Perception and Will saves for 1 minute.
The target can end the effect early with a retort to your Bon Mot.
This can either be a single action that has the concentrate trait or an appropriate skill action to frame their retort.
The GM determines which skill actions qualify, though they must take at least 1 action.
Typically, the retort needs to use a linguistic Charisma-based skill action.
Success: As critical success, but the penalty is –2.
Critical Failure: Your quip is atrocious. You take the same penalty an enemy would take had you succeeded.
This ends after 1 minute or if you issue another Bon Mot and succeed.
"All that anger and bravado is going to burn you up."
◈◈ Cast a Spell - Blistering Invective (auditory, emotion, enchantment, fear, mental)
Tradition: occult
Components: somatic, verbal
Range: 30 feet
Targets: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Will (DC 23) - The targets gets +4 to save if I am not speaking or it does not understand the language I am speaking (Common)
Effect: 2d6 persistent fire damage.
Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target takes half the persistent fire damage.
Failure: The target is frightened 1 and takes the full persistent fire damage.
Critical Failure: The target is frightened 2 and takes double the persistent fire damage.
Doggo snarls at the imposter before biting him.
Doggo bites down with a solid crunch.
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Congratulations to Rextangalin.
Eliza shakes her head. "Truly unfortunate. He looks like some species of Rakshasa. It seems that he took over Rindle's form, possibly killing the true halfling. Still, we do have to press on. If we find his body along the way, we can retrieve him."
*************************************************
With a lot of samples collected, the adventurers can continue through the maze. The seemingly natural pathway of this stretch of the maze is suddenly filled with gleaming, razor-edged objects. Each construct appears as a floating musical note, scribed from a minstrel’s playbook and etched upon the very air.
Eliza chimes in as she looks around, tearing her concertation off the device for a moment. "A rupture into the Akashic Record, a library of infinite knowledge located in the depths of the Astral Plane, has
caused crystallized lyrics of songs from all corners of existence to spill forth from their extraplanar depository and into this length of the maze."
Humanoid looking creatures with strange writings of mathematical and arcane that float and hover near their forms seem to be working here. As you approach, their workmanship ceases and they gaze up at the newcomers. "Strangers, why do you carry phytoliths upon yourself? Why do you take that which is not yours?"
They are referring to the first sample you got, the phytolith. They look angry that you are carrying it. Perhaps you can convince them that you are not a threat?
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The axiomites seem to ease up when the adventurers explain. "Oh. Well, that sounds reasonable. Here, let us help you proceed on through." They let you through this section of the maze without any issue. Some metallic spikes that seem to be forming from their work, and not the focus of it, look to be made of precious metals such as silver and gold. They don't seem to mind it too much, and thus you take it with you.
************************************************
The maze begins to grow more dangerous after this section. Behind the law is now chaos. Sundered topiary beasts and tumorous growths of the
maze’s vegetation are torn free from the walls and floors, fed into a swirling nothingness by rampaging proteans. This segment of the maze has been shattered by a rift that has transformed the area into a deadly portal between the Maelstrom and the Abyss.
As you get a good view of the area, Eliza seems to be disconcerted. "Sorry my friends! It looks like this area has been overtaken by the forces of chaos made manifest. It looks like our route forward is the same as our route back. We’ll need to use those seedlings growing about to reconnect the broken shards of stone and change the destination of this portal we’re standing on!” Eliza’s brow furrows in concentration as the stabilization device’s magic is assaulted by the swirling chaos all around.
The proteans, offended by your presence, begin to attack!
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Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: None
Active Penalties: None
Rextangalin(-13,Fine)
Blue Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Korakai(-0,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-20,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-11,Fine)
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Red Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Green Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Orange Voidworm(-0,Fine)
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Rex pulls out an elixir and drinks it. As a concealing mist starts to leak from his pores, he tosses a bomb at the nearest creature.
◈ Interact - draw Mistform Elixir
◈ Interact - drink Mistform Elixir (Rex is concealed for 1 minute).
◈ Strike - Bottled Lightning - Moderate (alchemical, bomb, consumable, electricity, splash)
Additional Effect: flat-footed until the start of my next turn.
Splash Damage: 2 electricity.
Edit: Forgot about healing. For healing if we had 10 minutes, Smee would have tried some Natural Medicine.
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Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: None
Active Penalties: None
Rextangalin(-0,Fine)
Blue Voidworm(-12,Fine)
Korakai(-0,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-2,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-11,Fine)
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Red Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Green Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Orange Voidworm(-0,Fine)
The blue protean worm takes the brunt of the electric damage, but then its wounds seem to be recovering. It also appears to absorb some of the electric damage as though it is now accustomed to it.
The worm flies up to bite its teeth right into the Doggo!
It fails to strike the doggo twice.
"Woof Woof"
Doggo goes in for a bite.
He chops down again.
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Wosltine recalls that these void worms have resistances to piercing weapons (3) and a strange anatomy that makes them become resistant to an energy damage they take, usually one type will last for an hour (5) but it cannot change after it is initially started.
Korakai realizes his weapon may be less effective, so he coordinates off of Rextangalin. "If they can resist only one element, I shall make this one resist frost!" He rushes up to orange and uses his Tempest Touch power.
Korokai obliterates the orange Void Worm, and then strides over to the red one. The curse around him seems to have strengthen from a swirling wind into a small storm.
Your minor curse’s aura expands to a 10-foot emanation and carries rain on the winds. The whirling winds impose a –2 circumstance penalty to ranged attack rolls using physical ammunition that target you or originate from you. Your weakness to electricity increases to 5, but torrential rain grants you fire resistance 5.
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Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: Bardic Performance
Active Penalties: None
Rextangalin(-0,Fine)
Blue Voidworm(-18,Dead)
Korakai(-0,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-2,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-11,Fine)
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Red Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Green Voidworm(-9,Fine)
Orange Voidworm(-34,Dead)
The rest of the void worms seem to comprehend the odds are not in there favor, so they instead start using their powers to even the battlefield. Each of the remaining void worms begin to spew forth a cloud of fog from their mouths.
[two-action]
With their keen senses, they can still pinpoint the Pathfinders for an attack!
************************************************
Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: Bardic Performance
Active Penalties: Obscuring Mist, must succeed at a flat DC5 when attacking or targeting with a spell.
Rextangalin(-0,Fine)
Blue Voidworm(-18,Dead)
Korakai(-16,Fine)
Hobbo the Gobbo(-2,Fine)
Doggo the Doggo(-11,Fine)
Wolstine(-0,Fine)
Red Voidworm(-0,Fine)
Green Voidworm(-9,Fine)
Orange Voidworm(-34,Dead)
"Woof woof"
Doggo bites the thing in front of him.
And he bites down again.
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"That was my idea first. Now, how can I fix things when I can't see."
Rex reaches into a pouch and takes a mixes up a few powders into a liquid he drops into his eyes.
◈ Quick Alchemy (Cat's Eye Elixir) - 2 Infused Reagents remaining
◈ Interact (Use Elixir)
"That's better."
He then tosses another flask at the worm attacking the tengu.
◈ Strike - Alchemist's Fire - Moderate (alchemical, bomb, consumable, fire, splash)
Additional Effect: 2 persistent fire damage.
Splash Damage: 2 fire. (The splash damage will only affect the red voidworm.)
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The combined efforts of the Pathfinders, Rextangalin and Wolstine manage to decimate the red worm. The green worm is torn to shreds by Hobbo and Doggo within a matter of moments. With the worms now eliminated, the group finds themselves waiting out the fog and able to resume trying to repair the landscape.
Korakai begins healing the party while waiting for the fog to disperse.
The Tengu Oracle shakes his head sadly though. "I do not have the talent or equipment to aid in this endeavor."