Ember believes that you would need to cross over to the other side of the disturbance to really be able to close the portal!
The little dragon grimaces.
”Um…mulling it over a bit, I think we may actually need to go through that portal to properly close it.”
“That said, I still think we should get as much information as we can from this tower first before we do that. Hopefully it will give us more information about what exactly we are dealing with.”
Zephyr looks slightly disappointed at Ember’s revelation.
I knew our actions would likely open a portal, but I’d hoped we could close it from this side. Let’s get this over with…
The sylph flies into the portal.
As Zephyr heads towards the portal Ember shouts after him ”Hold on a minute. We should at least all heal up before we go in there and I really think we should explore the rest of this tower first so we’ve got a better idea of what is going on before we head into the portal.”
The water mephit takes up Zephyr's offer for healing.
"Well, that should do it. I agree with Ember. We should look around a bit first."
The mephit then tries to activate an arcane wand. The wand activates. He then reforms his shroud of water into the shape of a shield.
He backs away at the last moment.
What's that? More tower? Okay, but we should make it snappy. We've got to get this thing closed up! Remember, just stuff that helps us in there!
”Let’s see what we can find.”
Ember flys over to the next stone door, checks it for any potential hazards and if the cost is clear tries to open it.
B4. Library
The shelves of this library hover and hang from the walls at a variety of artistic angles. Each shelf contains a minor magical effect that directs gravity toward its back, both preventing the contents from tumbling out, as well as preventing the books from degrading over time.
Most of the knowledge contained in the volumes here is esoteric and extraordinarily specific. Volumes with titles such as Breathing, Volume XI: Concerning the Respiration of Mephits and Fruit of the Forest of Oils: A Treatise on the Safe Harvesting of Unknown Alchemical Reagents Suspended in Water are common.
B5. Meeting Room
A large block of black granite hovers in the air, surrounded by floating chairs.
~
The inhabitants of this tower used this granite ovoid prism as a meeting table. They used all of the stone’s surfaces, reorienting themselves to hover in the most convenient direction.
Even creatures without perfect command of flight used this method—a creature sitting in one of the chairs can move freely about the room without a skill check.
The block exerts a gentle pull upon inanimate objects in the room, drawing them toward its nearest face.
B6. Armory
Along with a basic cache of practical weapons and armor for emergency use. Among the decorative pieces is a set of enchanted bracers.
These are vambraces of the genie (djinni; Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment 275).
B7. Aroma Room
Rows of silver pipes emerge from the ground in this otherwise unadorned room. A few of the pipes are capped with silver lids. Similar lids rest on the floor near the open pipes.
This room is connected to hundreds of small chambers beneath the floor, each of which once contained carefully preserved aromatic substances. Most of the delicate lids fell off when the tower snapped free of the rest of the palace, but a few became jammed rather than displaced.
Ember flies around excitedly trying to pull together the story behind what is going on with this tower.
"Hmmm... So it looks like this library was owned by a djinni called Pahwal ijil Ranginori, who was devoted servant a worshiper of Ranginori..."
As she works her way through the books Ember provides a running commentary to her companions about what she finds and also notes down key information in her note book.
"I think this block was a meeting table and if you sit in the chairs you are able to fly around the room even if you can't normally fly."
Ember feels she is tantalisingly close to knowing what is going on in here, but not quit close enough.
Ember looks a the stuck lids. "Anyone able to open those? I could try but it's not really my area of expertise!"
Kronos is not able to help at all with anything extra in the Armory.
Kronos moves to the lids on the jars and tries to check to see what is inside, but he can't get a good enough grip on them to remove the lids.
What? Only eleven volumes of breathing. Weird. Isn't that so weird? Zephyr muses as they inspect the library.
He is a little more useful in the armory. He takes a quick inventory from the visible racks.
It seems like although most of the palace’s arms were not stored within the Tower of Contemplation. I note a few visually stunning pieces here.
Ah, these are vambraces of the genie.
The sylph shrugs at the significance of this item and adds
Yeah, otherwise it's pretty basic in here. But take what you need.
"What type of Genie are those vambraces associated with? I'm assuming Djinni, which could be useful for anyone who can't fly." Asks Ember as she unsuccessfully fiddles with the stuck lids in the Aroma Room.
Once everyone has done everything they want to do in the tower, Ember looks up at the portal. "It looks like we've explored everything there is to explore here, so I think that makes it about time we went through that thing and worked out how to close it."
"Before we go, is there anyone who still needs healing? Also, Octaris how many time are you able to cast Mage Armor, if you've got any spare I could definitely use one?"
Yes, they are Djinni vambraces. I don't think I can help much with the lids here...
Zephyr looks around the aroma room and half-heartedly attempts to pry on one...
Truly, it is half-hearted.
Returning to the center area with the portal, the sylph frowns.
It doesn't seem like there was any information to help us in the remainder of the tower. Before we enter I would offer some enhancements to any who need them.
"Thanks for the healing. I'm fit as rock now." smiles at his own joke.
"As for the Vambraces, I've already used up the one Potion of Fly I had. So that might be useful to me if no one else can use it."
The water mephit attempts to activate his wand of Mage Armor taping Ember. After a second attempt the wand activates.
"Sure."
”That’s fantastic, thank you!”
The Torrent shrugs. He has no idea to expect on the other side of the Maelstrom so he is as ready to go as he ever will be.
Prepared, or as much as you think you can be given you're venturing into the unknown, you take a deep breath and ascend up into the sparkling, roiling portal. You pass through it.....
~
...and emerge in a strange new place. The color-streaked blackness of the gateway now expands to fill the entire sky.
Above you, a ring of spraking electircity hover in mid-air . Near this ring, brightly colored formations shaped like cracks running through stone pepper the air.
Below you, you descend to a forty-foot-wide stone platform that bears a runic circle. Smaller pieces of stone are connected to this platform with sturdy iron chains.
~
The runes on the circle represent the seven runelords of Thassilon, and the one in the center represents evocation magic, wrath, and the Runelord Alaznist. All evocations spells and effect (including Ember's breath weapon) have their DCs boosted by 2
Ember, Krakos, and Jamila clutch their heads: the very air itself around here seem to press down on them. .
Meanwhile, a cacophony of abstract sounds and random noises echoes out around you. the source of this at least is quickly clear: four creatures hover near the other rocks, each seemingly made of elemental matter.
These creatures appear to be four types of wysps, spheres of elemental matter that typically emits a strange hum that resonates with elemental power. When free to act as they please, they are playful and carefree, with mild differences in personality between the elements.
Air wisps are flighty and capricious, earth wysps are guarded and slow to trust, fire wysps are impetuous and full of bluster, and water wysps are gentle and nurturing.
This section of the Maelstrom rift is a small, self-contained
bubble with a diameter of 80 feet. If a PC travels past one edge
of the map, she reappears on the opposite side of the map. If
she travels more than 60 feet above one of the 20-foot-thick
platforms, she lands on the platform’s flat underside. Like the
Plane of Air, the Maelstrom has subjective directional gravity
(see page 9). Because of the bubble’s small size compared to
the speed of free-fall in subjective directional gravity, a
creature in free-fall may loop around the map several times
on her turn. A PC who lands inside the ring of electricity
appears back in the tower.
]
~
Initiative
Jamila
Ember
Something
Octaris
Zephyr
Rhyol
Krakos
Wysps, elementals
You may make all the knowledge checks above but only those bolded may act.
Ember points at the elemental creatures...
"Oh, look wysps" she exclaims.
"I think we are in a bubble in the maelstrom if you move past the edge you will end up on the other side of the bubble. It also has the same gravity effect as the Plane of Air and that ring up there will take us back to the tower."
Zephyr explains the subtle emphases that the four different types of wysps exhibit .
"Oh, look wysps" she exclaims.
You can attempt to snap the wysps out of their unnatural state, either by using their knowledge of the magical energies surrounding them or by persuading them away from the creature's influence.
Freeing a wysp requires a PC to succeed at a DC 22 skill check as a standard action. The PCs may use Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (planes), Intimidate, or Use Magic Device on this check. A freed wysp no longer grants its bonus to the naunet, instead granting its bonus to creatures of its elemental subtype.
"These wysps seem to be a bit confused. It looks like they have been messed up by all the chaos and are lending power to some other creature. I believe we may be able to help sort them out..."
Ember grins and shouts over to the red wysp "Hello! We're here to help fix the situation, but we could really do with your assistance, how about you give us a hand?"
Ember, Krakos, Rhyol and Jamila clutch their heads: the very air itself around here seem to press down on them.
~
The fire wysp definitely seems to react to Ember’s words!!
Listening to the Pyrausta, Jamila nods faintly. "The runic circle will strengthen evocation magic as well," she adds, before trying to do what she can to assist the earth aspected Wysp, pulling her shield out for emergency defense as she does so.
Jamila looks around and tries to reach out to the earth wysps, but the first few simple entreaties seem to fall on deaf ears.
Three wysps continue to bob about and seem agitated and confused by your arrival.
~
Suddenly, the Maelstrom’s influence produces a mutating effect that functions that warps your very being!
Octaris feels the effect of this plane the hard way!
~
A scraping sound from below, quickly rising and nearing is the only warning you have before a massive beast crawls up to emerge from the central rock’s underside. As its scaled, serpentine form lifts over the edge, it glares at you five and Barks out a chaotic cry.
#^+%<£+%~. $@%}|. ¥£*#~ [|£<}^
Then it flies towards Jamila, and a spiked tentacles strikes her which makes her dizzy!
The creature is 15 ft off the ground!
~
Initiative
Jamila, -7
Ember
Something
Octaris
Zephyr
Rhyol
Krakos
Wysps, elementals
You may make all the knowledge checks above but only those bolded may act.
Ember tries to work out what the creature could be…
Ember has never heard of such a creature before!
Rhyol sees a creature that will finally let her prove herself. She takes a step back and runs to jump the small gap.
You unfortunately don’t know anything either.
The fire creature jumps over the pit to help his allies!
Seeing the tentacle creature attack Jamilia, he rushes over to the creature to pass Judgement on it as he tries to identify it.
Zephyr flies over to Rhyol and, after uttering a series of spell words, puts his hands on her shoulder.
The water mephit simply goes with the flow as the chaotic energies of the maelstrom flows through him.
"That was rad!"
The torrent flies right next to his friend Ember and then lets go at the weird tentacled creature with a blast of water.
"What is that thing?"
The Avalanche knows that this is an Advanced naunet protean but his morningstar is too slow to hit the creature!
~
Zephyr buffs his ally and Octaris overcomes the nausea and hits the creature with his water blast!! But both know nothing about the creature.
~
Rhyol and Ember feel that the fire wysp releases energy in their directions and suddenly strengthens them!!
~
Initiative
Jamila, -7, Will save DC 22, roll d100 and check confusion table in case save not made
Ember
Naunet protean, -15
Octaris
Zephyr
Rhyol, bull's strength
Krakos
Wysps, elementals, fire freed from Chaos
Those bolded may act.
Ember gives a cheery wave of thanks to the fire wysp, steps forward and then has a go at activating the scroll of Good Hope which she is clutching, targeting all of her allies on the main island.
She then pulls out another scroll (of Haste) which she gets ready to use, while maintaining here bardic performance.
"If everyone is able to stay on the big island until I've used this scroll to speed you all up, that would be fantastic. Its only got a limited range."
@GM Nowruz - A water blast should be a physical blast and I do not think it would penetrate DR. Of course this is my first time playing a Kineticist so I cannot say this with my usual confidence. :)
~
Initiative - BUFFS: Good Hope, Inspire Courage +2
Jamila, -7, Will save DC 22, roll d100 and check confusion table in case save not made
Ember
Naunet protean, -17
Octaris
Zephyr
Rhyol, bull's strength
Krakos
Wysps, elementals, fire freed from Chaos
Those bolded may act.
Looking dazed, Jamila wobbles a little, banging herself against the nearby rocks as she goes.
The protean is clearly amused by Jamila’s situation!!
It starts to attack her with all its got but cannot grab her with its tail!! It also tries to strike Krakos once with its tentacle.
The creature can clearly batter Jamila and wound her severely! It then 5 ft steps away from you into the air!!
As its scaled, serpentine form lifts over the edge, it glares at you and barks out a chaotic cry.
#^+%<£+%~. $@%}|. ¥£*#~ [|£<}^
~
Again, the Maelstrom’s influence produces a mutating effect that warps your very being!
Zephyr feels the effect of this plane and it tries to drain him!
~
Rhyol and Ember feel that the fire wysp releases energy in their directions and suddenly strengthens them!!
~
Initiative - BUFFS: Good Hope, Inspire Courage +2
Jamila, -43, Will save DC 22, roll d100 and check confusion table in case save not made
Ember
Naunet protean, -17, 20 ft off the ground
Octaris
Zephyr, DC 18 fort save or 1 negative level
Rhyol, bull's strength
Krakos, -10, Will save DC 22, roll d100 and check confusion table in case save not made
Wysps, elementals, fire freed from Chaos
Those bolded may act. Lots of stuff going on so if I make a mistake please tell me! :-)