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"Hmp. Yes, they're keeping the portal closed as a precaution. I'll let them know you're coming. Before you go, can you show us the exact spot where you saw them last? Perhaps they inadvertently triggered a teleportation rune." Once Yawellis leaves the group, Itka writes a note on the sending slate to let the Sandswept Hall know he's coming.
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...leading upwards by the machine was wreathed in wards. Odd too: they looked like they were created recently, definitely not by the ancient Osirians. But the runes looked quite powerful: I don’t think anything living or dead was getting through them...”
Moonlight’s eyebrow raises in interest ”Before you go, brave guardian...” flattery, even exaggerated, tends to loosen lips ”...please tell me more about this ‘machine’... do you imagine it has a key? Or perhaps there is a ritual for it’s sealing and unsealing? Maybe a command word?...”
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"Hmp. Yes, they're keeping the portal closed as a precaution. I'll let them know you're coming. Before you go, can you show us the exact spot where you saw them last? Perhaps they inadvertently triggered a teleportation rune."[/ooc]
Moonlight’s eyebrow raises in interest ”Before you go, brave guardian...” flattery, even exaggerated, tends to loosen lips ”...please tell me more about this ‘machine’... do you imagine it has a key? Or perhaps there is a ritual for it’s sealing and unsealing? Maybe a command word?...”
"Of course" Yawellis exclaims. "They were by that device last I saw them, its in the middle of a crossroads near that warded stairwell. It’s some blend of tech and magic, unlike anything I’ve seen before. We were trying to figure it out before the undead overwhelemed us, and as the three of us later were going back to it is when I lost them."
The catfolk carefully leads you down a hallway that quickly curves to the right. you notice this passage is also a bit wet, and loops around a bit before ending in another shut stone door from whihc water is slowly leaking out from underneath.
But Yawellis instead turns again and directs you to a small circular chamber. Hallways connect to it and lead out from all sides - the passageway to your right being an ascending stairwell on whose walls are several lines of glowing silvery dust forming warding runes.
In the center of the space a strange box sits on the floor. Dark purplish-red electricity flickers along a wire coiled around the handles of two paddles that emerge from this box which is etched with writing in a strangely angular script. A roiling ball of shadow is caught between the paddles.
"This is where I last saw Janahar and Tetabu." Yawellis confirms.
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Holding his wrists aloft, orange divine light surrounds our shady hero’s arms, as little Atlant symbols begin writing themselves like tattooed sleeves, written seemingly by a floating ethereal gauntlet, accompanied by low chanting in that same language, glowing his eyes brightly and radiating a halo of shimmering knowledge!
After reading the inscription aloud, he proceeds to inspect the machine’s general design principals, how it interacts with magical energies, and what it’s function might be!
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"Huh, right. I could ask Shylye to help us >Comprehend Languages<." He looks up to the team. "Maybe Azlanti?"
Moonlight begins to read the inscription with magical aid. "Right, like that."
Manny is certain he's figured it all out!
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Before leaving the room where they party found Yawe, Anjo searches the dead for anything the group might have missed.
When Yawe leads them, Anjo is checking for signs of footprints to confirm others went this way.
Anjo leaves the mystery of the box to the others, unless they actually need more assistance.
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Zenith approaches the room and stares that the box for a few minutes, racking their brain if they have encountered anything like this before
"I may have come across this before, in my past life..." the duskwalker says after being struck with an glimpse of their past.
Their voice trails off as they switch to focus on the energy coming from the box. "And the stars....what did they tell me about this?
Lastly, Zenith looks to the script and tries to decipher the familiar writing
The dead have nothing of note or value, but Anjo continues his observations as the party continues on. He sees several footprints leading to and from the crossroads room, but no booted footprints leading down any of the other paths beyond the one you just came down
Moonlight spends some moments looking at the box's structure before leaning in closer. The strange wiring and metal contraptions embedded within the wood suggest the device seems to have come from Ustalav of all places - or at least it was made by someone from there.
The cleric then joins Zenith, who is already hard at work looking at the markings on the object. While the Shadowtongue text and inscriptions are fragmentary, piecing them together both agents learn that this device is referred to as an Umbral Vise It function is to stabilize areas of 'turbulence' between the Material and Shadow Planes. However, the pair also note the Shadowtongue markings have two subtle curiosities. First, some of the markings are slightly mis-aligned, whihc is causing an additional effect of thinning the barriers between the planes. Specifically, a trickle of the Negative Energy Plane is seeping into the Material Plane as well. Even curiouser: there are several tiny and hidden alterations to the cipher text - alterations which call out the 'Sandswept Hall' specifically. These changes seem to have caused a link between the pyramid here and the Osirion Lodge and generated a 'Shadow Path' between them!
While this is going on, Manny inspects the energies emitting from the Vise. The bard senses not only Shadow planar energy seeping out from the object, but Negative energy as well. The effect of this energy leeching out into the surrounding area is the source of the negative enrgy weakness you all are suffering from, and likely could also be warping and enhancing other aspects of the structure nearby in a Hazardous way. Destroying the device would likely prevent both side effects.
Finally, while Manny himself is a bit stumped on how to use the device Zenith and Moonlight both figure out after a brief investigation that by flipping a few switches and priming a button or two one could use this Vise to travel between the Material Plane and the Shadow Plane!
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Fabner the gnome suddenly appears at the entrance. His eyes go wide at the sight of the mechanical device.
"Strange, indeed, yet quite marvelous!"
Franzine smiles with a roll of her eyes.
"How'd I know you'd find a way to follow us in here, Fabner. Good thing you're here, though. Can you take a look at this thing?"
"I sure can, my dear!" he says excitedly with a tip of his hat.
Fabner kneels in front of the device, gets out a set of tools from his pack, and fiddles around with a few of the parts sticking out. He rubs his chin in puzzlement.
"Hmm. Verrrry interrresting form of design here..."
"Ustalavian goblins must've made this." he concludes.
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"Okay. Ustalav. Line between the planes. Material and Shadow Plane travel." Manny scratches his head. "Someone from the Shadow Plane definitely wants to disrupt the Sandswept Hall."
He shrugs. "I bet if we destroy it we can shut down most of their advantages. But... they'll just build another one, right? Maybe we should keep it intact for now, and destroy it if we get in trouble."
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Moonlight is quick to intercept the now-healed Franzine, chopping his own arm to cut her curiosity short without actually touching her, instead scolding ”No. We do not just flip switches. We seek to understand first” then turning the other direction as Manny uses short language to summarize, he fails to repress a snarl, and seemingly having dubbed himself primary proctor of the Umbral Vise, explains in long form about it’s construction, energy interactions, and function, using methodical and unrushed language.
Finally ”This device is too valuable to simply destroy. Let us instead deactivate and abscond with it.”
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There's such a crowd around the device that Itka, last to arrive due to her bad hips, can't get a good look at it. Stooping lower, she manages a glimpse between folks' elbows...
...but it's not much to go on.
He shrugs. "I bet if we destroy it we can shut down most of their advantages. But... they'll just build another one, right? Maybe we should keep it intact for now, and destroy it if we get in trouble."
"Hmp. I agree. Let's try to deactivate it and bring it back for study. Perhaps reverse engineering it can show us how to counteract its effects if they use another one against us."
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Moonlight is quick to intercept the now-healed Franzine, chopping his own arm to cut her curiosity short without actually touching her, instead scolding ”No. We do not just flip switches. We seek to understand first.”
"Are you sure?" she brusquely asks.
"Wouldn't turning it off stop the shadow creatures from getting through?"|
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Franzine seems peeved at Moonlight, so Itka tries to take the sting out of his lecture...by giving another lecture. This one is shorter, and her tone is significantly less condescending. "Hmp. Probably, but which switch? What does each switch do? Does each switch do only one thing? What happens if multiple switches are flipped at the same time? Do patterns matter? Is there a trap built into it, for instance one switch might summon a dangerous creature or teleport all living creatures to a dangerous location. That's why we're being careful about the switches. Perhaps that might explain why the other Pathfinders disappeared."
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Zenith waits for the air to settle after Itka's lecture before adding, "I think most of you are skipping over that this device is intended to stabilize the two planes. I fear destroying it would be just a temporary solution, and that there is greater long-term risk in doing so." The kayal briefly pauses, "We must secure and repair it" they conclude.
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"Sounds like we're not going to destroy it, then?"
"Moonlight, do you want to inspect it some more? Figure out exactly how it works? Seems like you're the expert on it." He winks at Franzine. Some people love to feel important. May as well let him to the important work.
"If we're done here, we should either check out this watery room, or keep moving." Manny points at the stone door with water leaking out, and also points down a corridor.
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Moonlight “allows” another of his “guardians” to physically carry the Umbral Vise, raising his brow to indicate that the manual labor of bearing it by back is well below someone of his station and prestige.
He also allows Manny to lead the team east by the compass...
A grateful Yawellis prepares themselves and heads out as you use your slate to get the other side of the portal open. You also receive a response on your own fragment.
Excellent news Yawellis safe. Continue to search for the others. The device is Ustalavan? Caution: you may not be alone. Object curious, keep with care.
Then you continue onwards into the pyramid. After a short turn the hall across opens into a larger room. Faded paintings cover the walls showing a giant man with a dog-like head holding a regal-looking falcon. He commands an army against a force of human warriors, winged cat-like creatures with human heads and torsos, and flying figures with leonine lower bodies. In the background, a pyramid seems to fade at its apex.
On the floor of the chamber several tall, wooden, open-topped, shrine-like chests fill much of the room. From the entryway you can see that a few chests hold alabaster jars, with lids carved to resemble human or animal heads. Many more open jars are scattered over the floor, lids lying discarded nearby.
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Moonlight tries to interpret the history relayed by the faded paintings and alabaster jars...
Crafting (*) +10
Lore: Desert (*) +10
Lore: Herbalism (*) +10
Lore: Sothis (**) +12 or +13 to Recall Knowledge about ancient history, peoples, and cultures.
Medicine (**') +13
Religion (*) +10
Society (**) +12 or +13 to Recall Knowledge about ancient history, peoples, and cultures.
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"Alright. We saved one. Let's save another! And another!" Manny proceeds down the hallway.
"Whoa, that's uh... quite a battle." Manny looks at the painting. "What happened here?"
+11 Religion, +9 Society
If neither skill applies, Manny will try to Aid. He has a +7 to Anything else via >Clever Improviser<
Manny recognizes that the walls' painting were remarkably elaborate, but the fading of the years makes it hard to draw too much information about their deeper meaning. Zenith however interprets the images' iconography as depicting a fierce battle between the forces of Set - the Ancient Osirion god of darkness, deserts, storms, and murder. Known as the 'Lord of the Dark Desert', in the paintings his army seems to be trying to stop the mortal figures from taking the falcon back from him. The kayal also sees inscriptions on the intact canopic jars that indicate they contain the remains of those who died in conflict with Set.
Moonlight has a similar reading of the art as Zenith does. The scholar does note a few other details though. First, the winged-cat creatures are sphinxes but the other winged humanoids are maftets. And even more importantly, based on the stylization of the falcon its regal bearing seems quite pronounced. the bird held by Set is meant to represent a stolen pharaoh.
As the trio moves into the room to take in and better examine the paintings - and the rest of you following after them - you get a better look at the space. The room extends to your left and then continues around a corner. You notice several more jars broken and shattered on the floor, but other than some dried stains there is no sign of the organs that were once presumably in them.
...that is until a *squelching* sound cuts through the quiet and draws your attention. From behind one of the tall chests a mass of viscera begins to crawl up. Looking like a shoved-togehter heap of bone, muscle, fat, and sinew the roiling ball of flesh begins squirming towards you, and Manny and Zenith spy a second moving flesh-lump also stirring near the back of the room!
Initiative
Anjo
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Moonlight hums low, chanting in Necril, a slow and methodical ”Return...” repeated over several syllables and toned with breathy patience, as divine orange energy swirls around him, a desert haboob cyclone, sandy and dusty and warm, splitting into a pair and wrapping both of his wrists, which, with a touch left and right, he funnels into engulfing the primary arms of two of his comrades, those weapons each taking on the vortex, positive energy ripping from the epicenters, a tuning fork sound clanging as they pierce air particles, and shining bright like miniature suns!
◆) Recall Knowledge
◆◆) Disrupting Weapons @ Franzine and Zenith
Arcana (*) via Ancestral Longevity +10
Crafting (*) +10
Lore: Desert (*) +10
Lore: Herbalism (*) +10
Lore: Sothis (**) +12 or +13 to Recall Knowledge about ancient history, peoples, and cultures.
Medicine (**') +13
Religion (*) +10
Society (**) +12 or +13 to Recall Knowledge about ancient history, peoples, and cultures.
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Franzine is awestruck by the elaborate paintings and the descriptions of their meaning.
"Wowww. Incredible."
Her moment of awe is broken by the appearance of hideous blobs of flesh oozing forward.
"Eep! What is that disgusting thing!?!"
Franzine gratefully accepts Moonlight's magical enhancement to her weapon.
Anjo's ears perk up and focus as he empowers his bow. Unfortunately, the ranger isn't quite familiar with the thing moving towards you all.
The nearer blob squirms over the chest and continues rolling up to Manny . From its disgusting mass a half-formed arm reaches out to slap at the bard. It strikes him quite hard, and as chunks of flesh tear off of Many from the jagged bone splinters within its appendage that 'hand' also wraps around the Pathfinder to latch onto him.
for
With the thing in their faces Manny and Moonlight both try to identify their attackers, but each can't quite place it at the moment . The cleric then enhances Franzine's and Anjo's armamnets - that at least is pfully successful.
Initiative
Itka
Manny 43/85 HP, heroism'd bleeding 1d6, Enfeebled 1, Grabbed, can have taken AoO, 2 actions left
Frazine, disruptive weapon'd
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"Whatever that is, I don't like it." Manny cracks his whip.
"Hey hey! Hands off the merchandise!" The thing wallops Manny and tries to hold him down. "You're not a fan, and you're not exactly my type."
"A little help, here?" Manny decides to >Inspire Courage< to help himself and his team.
Apparently watching Manny squirm makes the >Lingering Composition< last much longer.
With a good cry for help, Manny tries to Escape.
Manny's luck runs out. "Reminds me of this one minor noble. She wouldn't let me leave town for weeks! I had to write the perfect comedy to get her to laugh. Help"
Moonlight shakes his head and calls forth a bit of Ng’s fortune. Heroically, he finally places these blobs as Shanrigol. Made from accidental combinations of alchemy, necromantic energy, and discarded pieces of flesh, these bizarre creations are both aberrations and undead. They can squeeze and rip the flesh and vitality from their grabbed prey, and their semi-gelatinous forms make slashing and piercing strikes less effective than normal - something Manny demonstrates first hand as his whip crack only mildly injuries his target.
Initiative
Inspire Courage up (4 rounds)
Franzine, disruptive weapon'd
Itka blesses many of the 'smack'ers, while Manny's lash's positivity belatedly kicks in. that seems to burn it quite a lot worse than the actual slash.
Initiative
Inspire Courage up (4 rounds)
Franzine, disruptive weapon'd, guidance'd
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"Use blunt weapons on 'em, eh?"
Franzine shakes her shield.
"Unfortunately, it's my blade that was enhanced by Moonlight. I'll see what I can do. I'm going around to flank that icky blob and get Manny free!"
Franzine hustles up and around the narrow hall to get on the other side of the blob. She gives the disgusting thing a smack with her shield.
↺) Reactive Shield
↺) Divine Grace
↺) Glimpse of Redemption
↺) Shield Block w/ Disarming Block
*(or 1 less than current sum of hardness + break threshold).
"Unfortunately, it's my blade that was enhanced by Moonlight."
Franzine strides through the room and bashes at the shanrigol gripping tight onto Manny. Caught off-guard by the strike, it takes a solid blow from the champion.
From the back of the room the second flesh-blob squelches up and around towards Franzine. It too swings out with a fleshy appendage, but the slap slides off of her heavy armor.
for
Initiative
Inspire Courage up (4 rounds)
Anjo, gravity weapon'd, guidance'd
Zenith, disruptive weapon'd
Anjo's first arrow strikes true, but his second shot goes wide and his third seems to glance off the beast. . The arrow pierces through the amalgum, though the piercing shot seems to lose some of its momentum as it passes through its outer skin.
Initiative
Inspire Courage up (4 rounds)
Zenith, disruptive weapon'd
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"Unfortunately, it's my blade that was enhanced by Moonlight."
GM is making the PbP medium work like if we were IRL. Over a couple of posts, there were secret checks and hero point rerolls - essentially what happened was Moonlight discovered the Bludgeoning weakness (or lack of Resistance) before casting Disrupting Weapons, just like if he had done that at the table, and so, would have chosen the best instrument for the job, having received the info before the casting.
=)
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Zenith dashes around the room's chests until they get behind Franzine. Zenith then attempts to launch themself off one of the chest's sides and slide around one of the Shanrigols , followed by another tumble off the wall back to where they started. As they move back they try to punch the blob with their gauntlet.
"Hold on Manny! We'll clean it up in no time!"
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