"The limit is now one per party. I have determined the twelve of you to be one party. Yes Lady, you can exchange items."
"Is that so?" Xavien mutters with a tinge of exasperation, though he does not contest the inevitable's ruling. "I suppose we shall be withdrawing the key, then."
Recent thefts? Kenton asks, somewhat incredulous. Recent, you say? Just how recent?
"Where is this policy written, and who is ultimately responsible for the policy?"
The creature is OFFENDED at Aurelia's question, implying that its very existence is not proof positive of its authority on the matter. It doesn't deign to answer her, giving only Kenton attention.
"The immortal dire-rat wizard Dagio stole a ring at eleven twenty-two ante meridiem on the sixth day of Abadius in the year four thousand four hundred seventy five, Absalom Reckoning."
"Is that so?" Xavien mutters with a tinge of exasperation, though he does not contest the inevitable's ruling. "I suppose we shall be withdrawing the key, then."
Xavien looks expectantly at the inevitable. "Where may we retrieve it?"
Kenton just shakes his head and wanders away, muttering under his breath. Holding us responsible for you not doing your job 350 years ago...
"I shall return forthwith."
Indeed, the inevitable goes through the door and returns with a key in hand, "As requested."
It simply then floats, assuming your business here is concluded.
Xavien takes the key, then changes the subject. "What is in there?" he asks the floating inevitable, pointing at the door to the west.
"Why do you ask? Are you a thief?"
"Of course not!" Xavien laughs, the sound ringing strangely in these cobwebbed chambers. "Simple curiosity, dear guardian."
"It is simply a reading room, a quiet place if needed. It hasn't been needed."
"I see! May we use it now? I wish to study this key."
"Yes, this is allowed." Factor Twelve follows Xavien into the rather bare reading room.
"My thanks," Xavien replies jovially. He sits down at the desk and studies the key with magic, and glances around the room from time to time.
Xavien finds nothing of interest, magical or otherwise.
"Back to the door, then! Good day, dear librarian. Or is it night?" Xavien leads the way back to the doubly-locked door.
"It is currently forty-seven minutes into the twenty-second hour of the day. Good Evening."
Factor 12 then hovers back to the center of the room, leaving you free to head back to the door.
All that, and it can tell time too! Kenton says with some exasperation. As my uncle is fond of saying: there is nothing like being helpful, and that was in fact nothing like being helpful.
Shaking his head, he follows along behind Xavien.
The party returns to the hallway with the door... the haunted hallway. What do you do?
"Stay back! Allow me to weather the visions and secure our egress."
Motioning for the others to keep their distance, Xavien takes both keys to the door.
Xavien pushes through alone! He keeps his strength about him, but the negative energy still hurts Once past the swirling bloody circles, he unlocks the door!
Waiting for Xavien to open the door, Aurelia rushes past next!
Xavien gives the door a quick look before he opens it. Indeed, very quick.
Kenton waits until the rest of the nobles have gone through, then takes up the rear of the group.
Xavien makes a quick look, but the hall turns to the right and opens into a massive chamber. It's impossible to figure out what he's looking at before Aurelia rushes in.
Kenton stands behind the nobles, awaiting a sign to push them forward...
Aurelia: 12/12 hp
Corran: 6/14 hp
Ianthe: 17/17 hp
Kenton: 11/24 hp
Leo: 14/24 hp
Xavien: 11/22 hp
With more than half of the party sporting substantial wounds, and running low on healing power, there does not seem to be anything for it but to press forward in hope of escape.
Xavien rounds the corner and motions for the others to follow .
The entire party rushes to the other side of the haunted hallway.
Wide stairs descend into this tiered, circular chamber. Chairs stand in odd positions throughout the room, collected into circular patterns, even outside of the greater circular patterns of the hall itself. Circular gouges mar the surface of the wooden walls and floor here, some left to stand alone, while others are multiple circular scratches overlaying one another, joined by lines and scrawlings. The greatest concentration of circles gathers on the ceiling, some forty feet above, where multicolored circles inscribed with artistic fanaticism surround a five-foot-wide hole in the ceiling.
Aurelia takes a keen interest in lines and scrawlings, trying to get a bettern understanding of their nature, and what their presence means. She also whispers a quick cantrip to detect magical auras.
Lady Aurelia doesn't detect any magic within the room, though she can't quite scan the far edge of the room from her current position.
Before she can advance though, a booming (albeit alto) voice fills the room. The acoustics are such that it's impossible to discern a source.
I CONDEMN THEE. You are intruding in MY kingdom and interrupting MY important research into the “will of the circles.” I, the Hierophant of the Arc, Archduke of Tangencies, the Beginning and the End—sentence YOU TO DEATH!"
Uninterested in the notion of being sentenced to death out of hand, Lady Aurelia Basri stands tall. "You are in the Kingdom of Taldor, and standing before you are a number people who represent the interests of this great land. Who are you to lay claim here? Stand before us, so that we might face these patently false accusations!"
"I doubt this 'archduke' will prove a compelling conversation partner, Aurelia," Xavien mutters darkly. He draws his longsword, but keeps his hand-axe ready-to-hand at his belt.
"Stay close, everyone."
Loyal subjects of the Immortal King of the Unit! I command thee! Kill them! Kill them all!"
From crevices in the ceiling, two swarms of rats descend upon the party!
Round 1:
Trant: Move
Kenton: Go
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Go
???: TBD
Swarms: TBD
Xavien: TBD
Leo: TBD
Ianthe: TBD
INITIATIVE:
Aurelia works through a quick spell, creating a ball of green acid that she quickly hurls at the nearby swarm!
Her aim is... well, very very off.
Corran pushes past Aurelia and takes a position to guard her right side. He takes a moment to curse his lack of any sort of splashy, dramatic damage and decides the best thing he can do is inspire the others to greater heights. He begins to sing, and laces his song with magic.
Bardsong. I should have 5 more rounds today. Inspire Courage.
Corran lends some inspiration to the fight against the swarms, but Aurelia will need more than that.
Round 1:
Trant: Move
Kenton: Go
Corran: Bard
Aurelia: Jeff
???: TBD
Swarms: TBD
Xavien: TBD
Leo: TBD
Ianthe: TBD
Kenton moves forward, drawing his rapier as he moves. He swallows hard at the mass of rats, but is determined to demonstrate his courage before the assembled nobles.
Kenton's rapier does the bare minimum, though some rats do become kebobs!
"Behold the immaculate circumference!" Finally the source of the voice is made clear as a dire rat, clinging to the ceiling, casts a spell of acid arrow!
The green missile streaks towards Corran the bard! , but misses!
The swarms quickly overtake Trant and Kenton!
They overwhelm her, crawling up inside her dress!
Round 1:
Trant: Move (Nauseated)
Kenton: A bit
Corran: Bard
Aurelia: Jeff
Dire rat?: MM
Swarms: ATK
Xavien: Go
Leo: Go
Ianthe: Go
Ianthe takes aim at the dire rat and lets loose a crossbow bolt at it.
Ianthe's aim is considerably off as she tries to catch the dire rat on the ceiling!
Round 1:
Trant: Move (Nauseated)
Kenton: A bit
Corran: Bard
Aurelia: Jeff
Dire rat?: MM
Swarms: ATK
Xavien: Go
Leo: Go
Ianthe: Miss
"Ah!" Xavien exclaims, understanding. "You must be the immortal dire-rat wizard, Dagio. We shall test that immortality, if we may!"
"Spread out, friends! Use fire, if you can!"
Wasting no time, Xavien breaks into song as he moves, weaving his melody in concert with Corran's.
"Mine eyes have seen the glor-y! of the coming Taldan ranks;
We are trampling out the vin-tage, where the grapes of wrath are stored;
We hath loosed the fate-ful lightning of our terr-i-ble swift swords;
Our truth is marching on!"
"Glory! Glory of the empire!
Glory! Glory of the empire!
Glory! Glory of the empire!
Our truth is marching on!"
"Have at them!" Invigorated by the joined voices of Corran and Xavien, Leo leaps to Kenton's aid.
THREAT BUT IT IS A SWARM AND CANNOT BE CRIT DAMMIT
Xaiven knows that nothing requiring a mind or thought will work on the swarming rats. Thankfully they're large enough that weapons will have at least some effect! They have nothing beyond their constant bites (often containing disease.)
Leo drives his blade through quite a few as Xavien's song stirs the blood!
Trant tries to clear herself of rats!
Round 2:
Trant: Move
Kenton: Go
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Go
Dire rat?: TBD
Swarms: TBD
Xavien: TBD
Leo: TBD
Ianthe: Miss
Aurelia quickly conjures another eagle, draining herself of the innate magic she's harnessed. The bird of prey appears 30ft up in the air, and when the arcanist points at the ceiling rat it streaks toward dire vermin.
+1 if Evil
She then moves closer, longsword ready.
Kenton hears the raging song and blood rushes to his head.
Kenton doesn't feel anything immediately, which in some ways is even scarier... He keeps his dinner down as he kills a few more rats. The swarm is less than half its original number now.
Aurelia conjures forth yet another eagle, who unfortunately fails to connect with the rat.
Round 2:
Trant: Move
Kenton: Miss
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Magic and miss
Dire rat?: TBD
Swarms: TBD
Xavien: TBD
Leo: TBD
Ianthe: Miss
Corran maintains the bardsong and hucks a dart at the closest swarm...
,
4 Rounds of Song remain...
Corran hurls the dart with a lot of force, driving it through a few rats. IT's nearly enough to disperse the swarm!
The dire rat yells at the bird, "Stupid avian! You do not deserve the Circle!" He takes out a wand and jabs it at the bird, releasing a large burst of electricity.
The eagle is promptly electrocuted! The two swarms run amok towards each other, crawling right over Leo and Xavien:
Round 2:
Trant: Move
Kenton: Miss
Corran: Hit
Aurelia: Magic and miss
Dire rat?: Magic!
Swarms: ATK
Xavien: Go
Leo: Go
Ianthe: Go