Talath uses the Wand of Freedom of Movement on himself.
He attempts to cast a spell but it splutters in his hand as he's crushed in a claw. "A little help here please!" He squeaks out.
Looking at the dire circumstances, Asher surmises that being on land will be the best way to attack the crab is from on land as it has enormous reah and the boat is too constricting.
He gets up and shuffles past Mauro onto land and scrambles up the slope a bit, with Huntress in tow, trying to get a clear lane to use his bow.
Crispin, we'll get you out swiftly!
✦ Nal-Shakar: Caldera Lake (area L1) * ˚ ✦
Becky acts! Asher scrambles out of the boat and onto the steep slope. Perhaps he wishes that had made landfall on the other side with the bridge. Crispin tries to focus and cast a spell but the huge crab shakes him around. Mauro acts! Talath uses the Wand of Freedom of Movement on himself.
Round 1
(wearing swimsuit)
(11 damage, grappled)
(False Life)
(Freedom of Movement)
Bold may act!
Realizing that casting a spell while in the claws of this creature is pointless Crispin draws his dagger and tries to stab the thing. With as much success as his try at casting. "I don't wish to sound like I'm rushing you but could someone please do something!" His attempts at sounding unpanicked are fraying.
[dice=dagger] 1d20 + 3;
[dice=Knowledge Dungeoneering] 1d20 + 9;
Realizing that casting a spell while in the claws of this creature is pointless Crispin draws his dagger and tries to stab the thing. With as much success as his try at casting. "I don't wish to sound like I'm rushing you but could someone please do something!" His attempts at sounding unpanicked are fraying.
As Mauro stands up, he says "This is probably gonna hurt..." Even as he stands he erects a protective barrier of mental energy around himself. Then he steps off the raft and along the shoreline towards the huge crab...
Becky panics when she's unable to identify the looming monstrosity as anything other than a 'really big crab.' She tries to defensively cast a spell . When she fumbles it, she tries to tumble over the side of the boat to take her chances in the water in her aquatic armor.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Caldera Lake (area L1) * ˚ ✦
Becky attempts to cast a spell defensively but the rocking of the boat breaks her concentration! At the same time, Mauro bolsters his defenses with iron focus!
Becky, who acted second in the round, managed not to provoke the crab, but Mauro makes himself look like the juicy target. It reaches out with its free claw!
The massive crab grabs onto Mauro, but the occultist's false life prevents any real damage!
the crab attempts to keep hold onto Crispin and Mauro.
Successfully maintaining its grip, the crab starts constricting Crispin and Mauro in its claws! It's massive chelicerae click in eager anticipation! The crab's eye stalks swivel between Crispin and Mauro as if it is trying to decide if it should keep both or focus its effort on one.
The longer Becky observes the creature, the more she is able to deduce. She thinks the crab is very fast and agile. She thinks it must be a very fast swimmer and excellent at blending into its surroundings. This crab must be at least 16 feet tall and probably weights just over 4,000 pounds.
Round 2
(wearing swimsuit)
(22 damage, grappled, 16 CMD)
(17 damage, False Life, 22 AC, 23 CMD, grappled)
(Freedom of Movement)
Bold may act!
Extremely upset with herself for being unable to inspire her friends with her Naturalist ability in this critical fight, Becky weighs her options. None are good. Steeling what remains of her courage, the teen draws the healing wand Ramona gifted her and cautiously moves closer to the great crustacean.
Asher shouts at his comrades as he takes aim at let's fly with his bow,
Help's a'coming boys!
Talath stands up in the boat and jumps into the water, swimming over to Crispin.
Mauro grimly expends more of his stored psychic energy to renew his defensive barrier as he considers the situation...
Mauro realizes that he is unlikely to break the giant crab’s hold; instead he concentrates and calls
forth a skeletal warrior to aid him. It promptly attacks with the mindless ferocity of the undead...
+6 bab +2 str +2 flanking (with Talath according to the map)
The crabs Dex is likely at a -4 penalty because of grappling someone...
+2 str +3 occultist
The crabs Dex is likely at a -4 penalty because of grappling someone...
Mauro swings his Ranseur with enthusiasm, figuring it’s time to make crab cakes!
The crabs Dex is likely at a -4 penalty because of grappling someone...
+6 bab +5 str +1 enhancement
7 str* 1.5 +2 Champion spirit +1 enhancement
TThe crabs Dex is likely at a -4 penalty because of grappling someone...
+6 bab +5 str +1 enhancement -5 iterative attack
7 str* 1.5 +2 Champion spirit +1 enhancement
Whatever Crispin had to say was rendered an unintelligible mess by the crushing claw grasping him. "Urk, ack!"
His flailing around with his dagger was more risk to himself than the crab. :(
Whatever Crispin had to say was rendered an unintelligible mess by the crushing claw grasping him. "Urk, ack!"
[dice=dagger] 1d20 + 3;
His flailing around with his dagger was more risk to himself than the crab. :(
Asher steadies his footing and lets loose another fusillade of arrows at the crab to try and free his comrades.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Caldera Lake (area L1) * ˚ ✦
The crab's eye stalks swivel between Crispin and Mauro...
It seems to think Crispin is the more delicious prey and holds onto the Arcanist.
Becky taps the wand of Cure Light Wounds on Crispin and his wounds close a little. Asher takes a shot at the crab, but only the first arrow is able to crack the carapace! Crispin tries to strike out at the crab but misses! Mauro swings his Ranseur at the crab - his first swing hits near the already cracked shell and it seems to hurt! Talath moves to get himself into a favorable position!
the poor, hungry crab recoils from the sudden onslaught of attacks. It looks from it's meal to the party as if deciding something.
It's claw releases it's grip on Crispin, dropping the Archanist into the warm egg-smelling water! The crab's eye stalks focus on Asher for a moment, before staring at the next biggest threat.
It reaches out to clack at Mauro, but overwhelmed, it misses!
Round 3
(34 damage, injured)
(wearing swimsuit)
(22 damage, grappled, 16 CMD)
(False Life, 22 AC, 23 CMD)
(Freedom of Movement)
Bold may act!
Asher lets fly more arrows in his workmanlike manner.
Mauro continues his onslaught, swinging his Ranseur with authority...
+6 bab +5 str +1 enhancement
7 str* 1.5 +2 Champion spirit +1 enhancement
+6 bab +5 str +1 enhancement -5 iterative attack
7 str* 1.5 +2 Champion spirit +1 enhancement
Crispin gurgles water for a moment and then hurriedly withdraws from the Crabs reach, swimming to the other side of the raft.
Becky withdraws after Crispin, asking if he's got any spells that can harm the mighty crustacean.
Becky withdraws after Crispin, asking if he's got any spells that can harm the mighty crustacean.
"Yes. Now that I can cast." Is Crispin's somewhat pained response, he is still looking well on his way to an hourglass figure thanks to being squeezed in that claw.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Caldera Lake (area L1) * ˚ ✦
Becky and Crispin both withdraw to avoid the attention of the giant crab. Talath casts Freedom of Movement on Crispin using the wand. Asher's arrows penetrate the crab, injuring it further. Mauro slashes his weapon, finding an already weak spot due to Asher's peppering - and the crab's legs give out!
The crustation's body tilts into the water as its thin, spindly legs immediately give out. The huge body creates wake and the boat you traveled here in rocks violently. Luckily, someone has a moment of clarity to grab the edge so it doesn't go floating off. The wake eventually disperses and the lake is quiet.
Becky gives the corpse another examination and determines this was a shark-eating crab. There is nothing to loot, but you could perhaps butcher the corpse for meat.
.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Tower Exterior (area L2) * ˚ ✦
After docking the boat, you climb the steep side to investigate the tower exterior. One the other side you see that an immense stone double door bars entrance into the building. The right side bears a relief depicting a humanoid woman with ankle-length hair and large butterfly wings holding aloft a single shining star. The left side depicts a stern-looking woman with a blindfold over her eyes holding a single knife above her head, tip pointed down toward herself. At the middle where the both sides of the door join is the symbol of a single spiral with a five-pointed star at its center.
.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Cave Entrance (area L3) * ˚ ✦
This is obviously the secret entrance the scrag talked about. This fifteen-foot-high flooded cave mouth cuts into the steep cliff face at the crater island’s southeastern face. Old, wooden scaffolding props up much of the cave mouth, reinforced by rusted metal brackets and splintered wooden supports.
Mauro delays matters, before we move on from the crab...
"Ok, before we go any further, let's do some healing, I suspect that Crispin would be grateful and so would I..."
[/ooc]Not sure how we want to handle it; a channel from Talath would heal both Crispin and I (and Crispin would likely need a wand charge or two as well), but maybe we just want to use wand of CLW charges... [/ooc]
While that neccesary business is being taken care of, Mauro will again use necromantic energies to fortify himself
Once he has done that, he will summon forth one of his skeletal warrior servants.
Once that is done, he looks longingly at the statuary and says "I wonder what tales your psychometric history will tell me? But not immediately, I suggest the flooded entrance...". He digs in his magic backpack and pulls out and puts on his artificial gills...
Becky emerges from the water and climbs back onto dry land. With a final backward glance at the defeated crab, she remarks, "Maybe we'll be lucky and find a butter golem inside the tower!" As she giggles at her own corny joke, the teen draws Ramona's wand and prepares to heal the wounded.
Talath channels to heal Crispin and Mauro:
Becky stands transfixed for several moments before the main doors of Nal-Shakar, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. She takes in as much detail of the engraved figures on the doors, hopeful that Medrinnah will be able to make an embroidered facsimile of the artwork sometime in the future.
"That's the Azlanti representation of Desna," she tells the others of the winged figure depicted on one door, "and the other is Pharasma. The Azlanti worshiped Pharasma as more of a goddess of prophecy back then, and she and Desna together could gaze at the stars and other heavenly bodies and divine the future...allegedly. I always thought that astronomy was just a load of silly mumbo-jumbo...." Becky frowns and fidgets before admitting something you've rarely heard from the young Know-It-All: "But I may have been wrong about that."
"The architecture, too, is unusual--it features elements from the cyclops empire of Gol-Ghan," the human encyclopedia drones on. "I'm not 100% sure about this, but I seem to recall something about the cyclops of old having the powers of prophecy and the ability to catch glimpses into the future."
At some point, the teen breaks from her reverie and returns to the practical here-and-now, drawing the wand to heal any lingering wounds on her friends.
"Perhaps not 'silly mumbo-jumbo' but not infallible since the Azlanti did not see their own downfall. Although it's nice to see Desna was revered even that long ago."
Asher asks for a Freedom of Movement.
He can hold his breath for a very long time, so he doesn’t need anything for that.
He puts his bow away and pulls his nodachi.
Crispin thanks Talath for his spellcasting, both the spell that freed him from the crabs unwanted embrace, and the healing spells that kept him alive. He's very fond of being alive.
His bruises and pains distract him from the reliefs on the door. :)
✦ Nal-Shakar: Flooded Chamber (area L7) PRE-POST * ˚ ✦
Becky gives the others a brief history lesson on the building's exterior and the party prepares to enter from the secret flooded entrance. Mauro casts False Life on himself and pulls a poor unfortunate skeleton up from the ground. It looks like other skeletons he's risen on this island. Asher secures his bow and switches to a melee weapon. Crispin regains his composure.
Freedom of Movement is cast freely and the warm glow of healing magic can be seen as the party recoups.
Talath takes time to look around the entrance in what he thinks is a thorough examination. He almost misses it, but at the last moment, he stops everyone from proceeding.
Past the collapse trap, you can see a dark, flooded chamber. However, you'll need to proceed past the trap to see more...
Before we enter the water (as Becky lectures), Mauro will take a minute, and switch his skeleton's armor, replacing the tattered remains that it surfaced with, with Asher's hand me downs...
6 rank +3 trained +1 wis +2 racial +3 Skill Focus
Mauro also sees the trap that Talath spotted. He pauses, setting his ranseur down within reach, and pulls out his tools. Readying himself, he sets to work on the trap...
and maybe +1 from guidance...
6 ranks +3 trained +2 dex+2 MW tools
Mauro also sees the trap that Talath spotted. He pauses, setting his ranseur down within reach, and pulls out his tools. Readying himself, he sets to work on the trap...
[dice=Disable Device]1d20+6+3+2+2 and maybe +1 from guidance...
6 ranks +3 trained +2 dex+2 MW tools
Talath obliges with some timely Guidance!
Talath also casts Water Breathing on those in the group that can use it.
Crispin accepts the Water breathing thankfully. He casts Touch of the sea on himself as well.
.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Flooded Chamber (area L7) PRE-POST 2 * ˚ ✦
with the collapse trap successfully disabled by Mauro, the party proceeds into the dark, flooded chamber.
However, as soon as Mauro and his skeletal servant cross the threshold of the disabled trap, there's a tremendous cacophony of sound! You can feel the ground vibrating from the sound, but the rock holds stable thanks to Mauro's talent with disabling traps.
With the exception of Mauro and Becky, everyone's ears hurt from the noise.
(x1.5)
Becky, with her book smarts, identifies the trap as an Empowered Sound Burst and realizes the necklace must have protected Mauro. You're confident that whoever is in this tower definitely knows you are here now.
.
✦ Nal-Shakar: Flooded Chamber (area L7) * ˚ ✦
As you proceed through the crumbled east wall into the basement, you can see the lower half of Nal-Shakar’s basement is flooded by five feet of water. Mold cakes the walls and ceiling in black blotches, rivulets of water leak from cracks in crumbling masonry, and the air is a foul mixture of musty and sulfuric stink from the warm water. A wide stone staircase connects this lower level to an upper level of the basement. There's an archway at the top of the stairs, but from your current angle, you can't see what's upstairs.
"Round 1"
(Aquatic)
(and animal companion) (Freedom of Movement)
(and skeleton) (Necklace of Air Adaptation, Freedom of Movement, False Life 16 temp HP, Water Breathing)
(Freedom of Movement, Water Breathing, Touch of the Sea)
(wetsuit, Freedom of Movement)
Bold may act!