Unable to do much more than keeping his friends alive, Yog'Moi tries to withstand the torrent of teeth while weaving spell and prayer.
Hotcha retaliates—
—and becomes invisible!
"Thanks Yog," Xin groans. Standing, he directs Hotcha towards an opening in the monster's defenses.
Hotcha finishes off the first monster with a flurry of blows, then she disappears! Its many heads splash back into the water as it falls. Esh slices the second monster, then Xin spurs Hotcha to land another hit, though Xin himself misses with his backstab.
The remaining monster lashes out with its numerous heads, biting everybody except for Hotcha. Esh manages to hop over its swinging tail again!
Hotcha unleashes a Ki flurry on the second monster!
The hobgoblin squints until he can see the creature's aura. He casts a spell to attempt to separate the spirit from the body.
The creature resists Yog's spirit blast, but Esh lands a good hit, and both Hotcha and Xin score several devastating strikes that bring the many-headed serpent down!
Once the battle is over, a search of the area reveals magical auras at the bottom of the bog. Anybody who swims through the fetid water uncovers another fragment of the magical conch. You also find six major crystal shards and three antimagic oils.
The hobgoblin goes through the heap of shinies and gives it a nod of approval. "These oils, I think they might come in mighty handy. I'm not quite sure how they affect healing magics, but I assume it blocks that as well? Still, when presented with the choice of being zapped by a demi-god sorcerer or not being able to be healed through magical means ..."
Hotcha is happy to swim for treasure, then gladly accept some healing while she meditates for Ki.
After resting long enough to heal all of your injuries, you continue across the strange island. An hour later, you find yourselves at another site of interest.
The side of this hill is covered in vertical stone obelisks laid out in precise measurements. Telescopes, orreries, and other astronomical devices dot the ruins. Though the sky is the same impossible night as everywhere else on the demiplane, here things seem somehow clearer, the stars nearer.
As you explore the area, you are caught off-guard as two of the telescopes suddenly animate, gears whirring and clicking as they scuttle forward!
Your instinctive battle cries throw off the constructs. Still, they move in and unleash cones of bright, radiant energy!
Yog'Moi knew it! The first time he had encountered a sextant he couldn't believe the name to be real. Who would name a useful piece of equipment so?! Someone who you obviously cannot trust. "From insects to sextants, no, no, NO! We won't die by your ha ... gears!"
Hotcha dodges with ease.
She makes a hasty stride into a flank position and attacks!
[ooc]If critical hit: + damage and the electricity also harms up to two other targets within 10 ft.
Bolstered by Yog'Moi's rallying cry, the rest of the team rushes one of the constructs. Your attacks leave it damaged, even with its resistance to physical damage.
The construct retaliates, swinging its telescopes like hammers. It batters Hotcha.
The other construct creates a scintillating pattern that washes over all of you!
Failure: The creature is confused for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Failure: The creature is stunned for 1d4 rounds. After the stunned condition ends, the creature is confused for the remaining duration of the spell.
Hotcha is pretty sure she’s attacking The Enemy and the best thing to do is to attack The Enemy.
“Take this and this and this and THIIIIIIS!”
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Yog'Moi joins the fray with lightning and thunder as he dashes forward.
Esh resists the scintillating pattern and delivers a critical hit that destroys the damaged construct! Both Xin and Hotcha are confused.
Fortunately, both of them rush at the other construct instead of their allies! Xin scores two light blows, while Hotcha delivers a critical strike, setting it ablaze! The construct deftly evades Yog'Moi's chain lightning!
The construct steps away from its attackers and fires a prismatic spray at the pair! The fires burning it peter out.
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”Daaaaaah, take THAT you guy?!!”
Uncertain about what he can do to end Xin's state of confusion, Yog'Moi instead opts to heal his companions.
[ooc]Well, there you go. He can act normally this round, so I'll direct his attacks to the construct.
Yog passes out some healing as Xin snaps out of his confusion. Together, he and Esh stab and slice the construct. Hotcha strikes out at the construct again even though she is confused, and while most of her attacks don't hit, the final one is a critical hit that destroys the badly damaged enemy!
In the aftermath of the fight, you are able to search the area. Lodged into a section of one of the observational obelisks is a fragment of the enchanted conch shell! Several jewels and foci are built into the obelisks—while many are hewn glass or quartz, an obsidian crystal ball and a lavender and green aeon stone are among them.
The hobgoblin picks up the crystal ball and weighs it in one hand. It ain't heavy enough to knock someone out by throwing it, so how useful can it be? "Here, Esh, for you", and with an underhanded throw he passes the ball to Esh.
Now, the stone of lavender and green, however! The priest's eyes open wide as he puts it in his hands and studies it. "Xin, Hotch, one of you want this? Enemies tend to fling their spells at you, so eh, this might come in handy."
Xin catches the stone and says "Thanks,", then looks at Hotcha. "Flip you for it?"
The hobgoblin picks up the crystal ball and weighs it in one hand. It ain't heavy enough to knock someone out by throwing it, so how useful can it be? "Here, Esh, for you", and with an underhanded throw he passes the ball to Esh.
"My thanks," I reply as I peer at the sphere. "At the very least, this should help us do some scouting, should it become necessary."
Hotcha replies, ”Tails. Landing on my head will hurt.”
She knows he means a coin.
Xin flips a coin that is nearly half as large as his tiny companion.
The coin lands on tails and Xin good-naturedly waves Hotcha on to her prize.
"Next time, kid. I'll get you next time."
Yog'Moi uses the moment to open a jug of some awful-smelling brew and takes a sip. He then dips a fingertip into the jug and splashes a drop of alcohol over the stone. "An ordained priest of Hei Feng has witnessed this coin toss. Let it be known that Hotcha has earned the right to claim the aeon stone."
Once you have settled the matter of the aeon stone, you continue exploring the strange island. You travel for a few hours as the hills give way to a sandy desert. At the bottom of a large dune lies a pile of statues, shattered into pieces, each depicting a female figure. Pieces of metal, gold, and jewels protrude from the sand, sliding down to a central point.
As I stare down into the pit of treasures, I am reminded of an antlion.
"I can't help but feel this is a trap of some sort," I muse to the others as they join me.
"Yup," says Xin, surveying the scene.
Xin doesn’t notice anything that looks dangerous or suspicious!
Hotcha considers the effect her fire had on the sand masks. She flies almost 20 feet above the pit and hurls a flurry of Sprite’s Sparks to see if the sand becomes glass—then flits away in case a big fairy-eating sand monster lives down there!
Yog'Moi scratches his bald noggin and observes Hotcha's probing efforts. "You got this, Hotch."
As Hotcha flies close to the pit and starts hurling sparks down at it, she sees a free-standing mirror amidst the gathered debris. Her reflection in the mirror suddenly narrows its eyes, and the sprite finds herself being drawn towards it!
Luckily, Hotcha resists the eldritch magic. She flings a spark at the darkside mirror, destroying it before it can do any more harm!
Once you are sure there are no other dangers lurking nearby, you are able to search through the trash heap. Foremost among the treasures here is another fragment of the magical conch. You also find a supreme sturdy shield, +3 major handwraps of mighty blows, a wand of smoldering fireballs in the shape of a circle, a set of pins that function as bracers of armor type III, and a ring of spell turning that bears the image of a tortoise.
Hotcha does a triple backflip in the air at the discovery of the handwraps.
**”This is… the best of the best of the—!!”**
She kneels on solid ground and begins to wrap her tiny hands. There’s an ear-to-ear grin on her face throughout the process… and once her hands are wrapped, she opens her fingers and just… stares at them for a while.
"Nice!" says Xin.
"That's a fine collection of trinkets and baubles you got there, spriteling! All that in return for breaking a mirror? Tsk tsk, this better not bring us seven fights full of bad luck," he says as a sly grin finds its way to his face.
Once you have secured the treasures here, you continue your trek across the island. The sun, or what passes for it in this strange demiplane, sets after a short while, and night falls. Soon thereafter, you can hear raucous shouts and cries coming from up ahead.
The trees part, and you find yourselves in a clearing. In the center of the clearing stands a fifteen-foot-tall yagura platform with strings of paper lanterns leading out in all directions. The sound of flutes and drums fills the air, as does the smell of frying skewers and buns. An array of creatures dance around the platform, from animated umbrellas to women with long necks to old men with enormous heads, and though there’s a joyous abandon in their steps, a look of desperation gleans in their eyes.
Atop the central platform stands a man with a wild look in his eyes. He plays the flute, and it is his music that seems to be compelling the other creatures to dance.
"Lovely. A pied piper situation," I grumble, and with a nod to the rest of the group launch myself over the enthralled dancers and onto the platform, putting the full force of the jump behind my sword.
Hotcha follows Esh’s lead. ”BOOOOOOOOOO! Get off the stage ya jerk!”
The fairy flies up to kick the man off of the central platform!
Yog'Moi supports his companions by smiting the Yokai with lightning. The first thunderbolt is aimed at the pied piper, but once hit, the lightning spreads around indiscriminately among the denizens of the yagura platform.
While Yog recognizes some of the individual yokai in the parade, he doesn't know what they might be capable of united. He blasts the piper and the yokai with lightning!
Esh leaps through the air, soaring over the dancing yokai and landing on the platform to slice the piper! Hotcha follows the elf, delivering a powerful kick, but the piper doesn't budge!
Xin activates his winged boots and takes to the air as well.
The piper is badly wounded and on fire, but he grins maniacally. "You will not interrupt my night parade!" He mimes creating an imaginary box around himself, and you find it difficult to approach him, as if the walls were real! "Now, dance, my puppets! Dance!" He plays an invigorating melody on his pipe, spurring the horde below to attack!
"SEIYA! SOIYA!" the yokai shout in a series of energetic call-and-responses, their shouts battering Esh and Hotcha!
"WASSHOI! WASSHOI!" the revelers cry as they dance with wild abandon, threatening to sweep you up in their riotous celebration!
Success The target laughs and dances. It can’t use reactions as long as it stays in the area, and if it attempts to use a concentrate action, it must succeed at a DC 5 flat check; on a failure, the action is lost.
Failure As success, except the target is also slowed 1 while in the area.
Critical Failure As success, except the target is also slowed 1 while in the area and the flat check DC is 10.