”We should probably do something about that hydra’s corpse. Not something they tell you about in ‘adventurer school. Ha!”
As Sendoski sets up, Oorgatch readies his weapons. He starts with the hand crossbow out, with a poisoned dart loaded.
Yan keeps a lookout, to make sure nothing interrupts the ritual.
While a ritual is a downtime activity, it’s possible—albeit risky—to perform a ritual during exploration with enough uninterrupted time. A ritual’s casting time is usually listed in days. This ritual's time is only 4 hours, getting us into exploration etc.
After much chanting and nervous party members, Sendoski eventually finishes the ritual as his gems turn to dust. Sendoski can see the elemental chains crumbling along with his gems.
Sendoski finds his vision changed... he can now see shapes within the stones. A mild bit of digging reveals 6 rubies imbedded in the walls, each worth 15gp. With the ritual not being a complete success however Sendoski's vision quickly returns to normal.
The live hydra, which you hear splashing around occasionally does not seem interested in bothering you over here at least.
Npw that we've freed the elementals, shall we move on? Yan tries going around the way to bypass the hydra, which he really feels too bad for to kill.
"Huh. So we spent 60 gold pieces to find 90 worth of gems. I think that's probably fair."
Going back to the shaft room the party opens the door to the east revaling a narrow passageway that goes about 20 feet before hitting a T-junction, going north and south.
”let’s go South. Yan moves toward that door and, barring any traps, opens it.
"Sure, that probably won't kill us."
No traps, perfectly safe...
Opening the southern door reveals a chamber who's east and west walls feature sharply angled alcoves that bear stone carvings too defaced to indicate what they originally depicted.
Two angled plinths stand here, one in the alcove to the east and another in the alcove to the west. The south wall opposite your entrance bears the outline of a door but no handle or latch.
Searching the room reveals that the eastern plinth features a strange lock with a round keyhole that Oorgatch's doesn't even know how he'd begin to pick
Scarred One checks the lock for any traps "I think we have a matching key for this lock."
No traps, perfectly safe.
Yan turns the key and opens the door.
Oorgatch draws his crossbow, a poisoned bolt loaded, waiting to see what jumps out at Yan.
The "door" to the south slowly grinds open revealing a short corridor that opens up into a balcony where a large long window made of transparent stone provides an excellent view of the arena below. Two rounded observation areas overlook the area from the north, while a
small room to the south has a small table, an old chair, and 4 glowing glyps on the wall that look similar to the ones back in the VIP observation room.
The arena below has a short stone well, and a side chamber to the east that ends in a charred circle in the stone with a double door nearby
In that southern observation chamber another strange alient Seguthi looks up at you, it/they? hold a wand in one tentacle while taking notes on a slate as it observes a large eyeless lizard breaking crystals in a large cone in front of it with some sort of sonic power. You here in your minds A much more interesting experiment.
It does not seem friendly.
The Seguthi reaches down and touches one of the glyphs and the wall fades from being transparent stone, to being ethehral, the outline of stone barely visible. As soon as this happens the lizard below stops breaking rocks and instead cocks it head, listening to all the new sounds it hears. Its head quickly snapping in your direction.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski
Terrible Lizard
Scarred One
Yan
Oorgatch
Sendoski is up!
The blind dinosaur quickly dodges the debris, clearly not hindered by its lack of sight and moves north and focuses your direction as the loudest and most painful screech comes your way.
Critical Success: Unaffected.
Success: Sickened 1 for 1 round.
Failure Deafened for 3 rounds and stunned 2.
Critical Failure: Deafened for 1 minute and stunned 3.
Seguthi
Sendoski (Fort DC 26)
Terrible Lizard 06
Scarred One (Fort DC 26)
Yan (Fort DC 26)
Oorgatch (Fort DC 26)
Scarred One, Yan and Oorgatch are up!
Yan stumbles forward, hoping to guard the way against the incoming onslaught. piic]Stunned 2 = 1 action…[/ooc]
”What in the hells?”
Oorgatch moves up and fires his envenomed crossbow bolt at the lizard.
He then draws his branch
Oorgatch is meerly sickened 1 for a moment as he shakes off the worst of the sound, both Yan and Sendoski suffer pretty badly though and are deafened and stunned 2.
Oorgatch's bolt glances off the dino's tough scales.
Scarred One can't hear a thing, so he tries to recall what he knows about the creature.
The Seguthi furiously scribbles on their tablet as their stream of consciousness invades your minds, even as your ears are overloaded by sound.
3 of 4 targets auditory cortexes are disabled by Harmonic wave. One target only seems mildly irritated, make sure to pay special attention to his grey matter upon dissection.
It then puts its wand away, drawing a longsword and running it under its fangs.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 3R, Stunned 2
Terrible Lizard 06
Scarred One Deafened 2R
Yan Deafened 2R
Oorgatch Sickened 1
Sendoski is up!
Deafened and stunned Sendoski moves along the balcony.
The lizard roars in a way that only Oorgatch can hear as it pounds forward and attacks the orc with tooth and claw.
The bite reverberates through Oorgatch.
Despite resisting the harmonics, that target seems to suffer fulling from the piercing reverberations. echoes the Seguthi in your minds as it continues to take notes on its slate.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 3R, Stunned 2
Terrible Lizard 06
Scarred One Deafened 1R
Yan Deafened 1R
Oorgatch 40/76
Scarred One, Yan and Oorgatch are up!
Critical Success Your marshal's aura increases to a 20-foot emanation and grants you and allies a +1 status bonus to attack rolls and saves against mental effects.
Success As critical success, but your aura's size doesn't increase.
Failure You fail to enter the stance.
Critical Failure You fail to enter the stance and can't take this action again for 1 minute.
Deafened Yan fails to enter his stance, then attacks:
Choose:
- The ally is unharmed by the triggering damage.
- The ally gains resistance to all damage against the triggering damage equal to 8. After the damaging effect is applied, the enemy becomes enfeebled 2 until the end of its next turn.
- Yan will make it stupefied 2 for the same duration if it's a caster or looks like one
Yan protects Oorgatch
A deaf Yan does not seem particularly inspiring but he does hit despite Oorgatch being in the way.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 2R
Terrible Lizard 06 Enfeebled 2
Scarred One Deafened 1R
Yan Deafened 1R
Oorgatch 51/76
Orcs are up!
Scarred One begins to speak, but as he can't hear his own words, he turns silent very quickly.
He makes an attempt to cast a spell at the lizzard
Than he moves
The worms writhe away harmlessly.
Oorgatch drops the hand crossbow and dives past the lizard-creature, showing all his own disregard for safety, or at least tries.
Failing, he tries again.
He then stabs with his branch.
|
|
Oorgatch heroically tumbles though but only gets a glancing blow in with his branch.
Hopped down into the arena, maybe stupidity provides resistance... notes the Seguthi as they slither their wormlike body slowly up the upper bit towards you. May need to reduce variables to get meaningful results.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 1R
Terrible Lizard -15 Enfeebled 2
Scarred One Deafened 1R
Yan Deafened 1R
Oorgatch 51/76
Deaf Sendoski is up!
The lizard is unaffected and turns towards Oorgatch, having no trouble following his movement despite the lack of eyes.
It chomps down on the swashbuckler
The rest of you see it roar right in Oorgatch's face, Oorgatch unfortunately hears it.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 1R
Terrible Lizard -15 Enfeebled 2 | Frightened 1(EE)
Scarred One Deafened 0R
Yan Deafened 0R
Oorgatch 31/76 (Ref 25)
Scarred One and Yan up (last deafened round)
Oorgatch is up and would do well to make a save.
Oorgatch goes down
Despite the fact that nobody else can hear it roar, it was clearly very loud.
The Seguthi continues to make notes on its slate its thoughts invading yours.
Not immune, rejecting the null hypothesis... Will the small pink one consume the flesh of the fallen? They seem small and undernourished. Perhaps they are partnered with the other green one. More data needed.
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 1R
Oorgatch 0/76 (Prone, Wounded 1 etc)
Terrible Lizard -24 Enfeebled 2 | Frightened 1(EE)
Scarred One Deafened 0R
Yan Deafened 0R
Yan and Scarred One still up.
pb[What will you do, elder?[/b]
Yan delays for scarred one.
Scarred One send healing magic towards the fallen one
Ten he raises shield
Yan calls out to Scarred One, but the deafened Orc can't hear him. Fortunately for Oorgatch he gets healed anyway.
Yan gets his shield up and even with the now conscious Oorgatch flanking he hits with only one of his 2 attacks.
The Seguthi worms their way into on to the circular platform, giving them a bit more room.
Healing was not a variable to be tested this time period, need to remove further interference. as it makes notes on its slate.
From there is reaches across the gap and slices at Scarred One.
But his shield keeps him safe!
Initiative:
Seguthi
Sendoski Deafened 0R
Oorgatch 40/76 (Prone, Wounded 1, Dropped Stuff)
Terrible Lizard -24 Enfeebled 2 | Frightened 1(EE)
Scarred One Deafened 0R
Yan Deafened 0R
Sendoski & Oorgatch are up!
”Huh?” is all Oorgatch can say before he sees the situation he is in.
He then picks up his blade, stands up, and attacks.
|
He sighs.
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Even with help from the flank Oorgatch has no luck connecting.
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The Seguthi succumbs to the evil eye.
And thanks to that distraction to succumbs to warrior's regret.
What an annoying and puzzling effect. I wonder where that one's magic comes from, perhaps dissecting their eyeballs will reveal it, or maybe that furry creature that scurries among their things is the answer. Let us reduce variables and concentrate the lizard attacks on the one in the arena for now.
It continues taking notes on its slate.
The party's hearing finally returns as the lizard continues its assault on Oorgatch down in the arena, ignoring the targets on the raised balcony for now.
It lets out a painful sonic cry in Oorgatch's direction.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is sickened 1 for 1 round.
Failure The creature is deafened for 3 rounds and stunned 2.
Critical Failure The creature is deafened for 1 minute and stunned 3.
It then follows up by repositioning out of Yan's reach and its frightened falls off.
Initiative:
Seguthi Frightened 1(EE) | Warrior's Regret
Sendoski
Oorgatch 30/76 ( Wounded 1)
Terrible Lizard -24
Scarred One
Yan
Scarred One and Yan are up!
"Your vile experiment ends here."
The blades hidden in Yan's black scarf glow with moonlight, rippling under the silk like silver clouds. "And leave my friends alone."
Choose:
- The ally is unharmed by the triggering damage.
- The ally gains resistance to all damage against the triggering damage equal to 8. After the damaging effect is applied, the enemy becomes enfeebled 2 until the end of its next turn.
- Yan will make it stupefied 2 for the same duration if it's a caster or looks like one
Oorgatch is stunned by the sonic blast.
As before Yan's scarf burns with holy flame as he assaults the Seguthi experimenter, deeply wounding the strange alien worm.
This weak willed fleshy one carries some sort of divine power, all these variables are distracting, but I will need to increase them to maximize my learning.
Initiative:
Seguthi -46 Frightened 1(EE) | Warrior's Regret
Sendoski
Oorgatch 30/76 ( Wounded 1, Stunned 2, Deafened 3R)
Terrible Lizard -24
Scarred One
Yan
Scarred One is up!
Scarred One extends his hand and sends primal magic towards Seguthi.
"Your body belongs to the worms!" says the Orc in low voice
Then the old orcs squats on his legs and Jumps behind the Seguthi.