| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Violant barks back in Utopian.
Violant comes back to her senses after a few minutes, and sighs as she drags the dagger out of her foot.
"I... apologize about the outburst. Dragged myself out of it with a dagger to the foot. I am Violant.... wait, did I manage to hit the Barghest?"
Violant rouses herself from the Confusion before any one else has a chance to act.
The cavern grows silent as the din of combat ends. Gathering yourselves down in the "throne" room, you see that the Barghests worshippers and subjects were nothing but old, broken goblins skeletons that are precariously positioned into acts of worship.
More formally, the women, introduces herself again, Renali lowers her hands as the tension eases, tilting her head slightly as she observes the group. With a warm yet cautious smile, she speaks again, her accent carrying a rhythmic lilt. "Ah, it seems the storm has passed on its own. Fortunate." She inclines her head respectfully. "I am Renali, a traveler far from home. And you—what brings you down into these depths? This is no place for the unprepared."
Her accent is unique, it sounds like she is speaking common with a Mwangi accent
She isn't human, she may be some sort of shapechanger. You remember that there is a race of Arachnid Shapechangers that live deep in the Mwangi expanse, rarely do they interact with the other races, preferring to live in secluded villages
Violant eyes her closely. "Wait. I recognize that accent... and something seems off. You're from the Mwangi expanse, right? Lines up with the kobolds that..." she just has a gaping mouth for a second. "So it must be real and here! Anyways... I hate to intrude, but are you some form of shapeshifter? I know there are arachnid shapeshifters in the Mwangi expanse, but the name escapes me. For all I know, you could be a kitsune... or a doppelganger, hence me... intruding like this."
An... Aranea? Was that the word?
◆ Treat Poison: (Medicine Check allows bonus if successful allows bonus. Not sure if this is the case here as the persistent poison seems different from most poisons... no stages etc.).
Medicine
◆◆ HEAL: Two action heal on Doxie (Oppa).
Flat Check: No bonus
"You have sharp ears and a sharper mind. Yes, I am from the Mwangi Expanse… and yes, I am what you suspect."
She places a delicate hand over her chest and inclines her head.
"I am Anadi. Not a doppelganger, nor a kitsune, and certainly no trickster. My kind are weavers, seekers of knowledge, and, above all, we prefer peace when it can be had."
She gestures to the party, her many eyes scanning them thoughtfully.
"Now that you know me for what I am, tell me—what is it that you seek in these darkened tunnels?"
Doxie sees the woman and hears the conversation about her strange accent but is more concerned with the fading Doxie... and himself by association.
"Here girl. I'll pray a bit to give us more time... but we've got to rid your system of this poison before it takes us both down".
Flat Check
Maybe you can find something in the additional rules that will help.
Persistent Damage Rules
The additional rules presented below apply to persistent damage in certain cases.
Persistent damage runs its course and automatically ends after a certain amount of time as fire burns out, blood clots, and the like. The GM determines when this occurs, but it usually takes 1 minute.
Assisted Recovery.
You can take steps to help yourself recover from persistent damage, or an ally can help you, allowing you to attempt an additional flat check before the end of your turn. This is usually an activity requiring 2 actions, and it must be something that would reasonably improve your chances (as determined by the GM). For example, you might try to smother a flame or wash off acid. This allows you to attempt an extra flat check immediately, but only once per round.
The GM decides how your help works, using the following examples as guidelines when there's not a specific action that applies.
The action to help might require a skill check or another roll to determine its effectiveness.
Reduce the DC of the flat check to 10 for a particularly appropriate type of help, such as dousing you in water to put out flames.
Automatically end the condition due to the type of help, such as healing that restores you to your maximum HP to end persistent bleed damage, or submerging yourself in a lake to end persistent fire damage.
Alter the number of actions required to help you if the means the helper uses are especially efficient or remarkably inefficient.
"Ah, the name Anadi escaped me. I am Violant Turra, professor of Mathematics at Lepidstadt University in Ustalav, here on a sabbatical. We're here to investigate, and I'm personally here in search of Alseta's Ring," she says as she motions to her holy symbol. "It's a teleportation network that I firmly believe now is somewhere around here, what with all the creatures from the Mwangi expanse showing up."
"A pleasure, Miss Turra," she says, inclining her head. "I don't know what is called but what you are looking for may be here, that would explain much." She exhales, as if deciding whether to share her own tale, before continuing. "I was watching the Cinderclaws when they reactivated an ancient Aiudara Gate. I thought to follow, to learn… but when I stepped through, I found myself trapped instead." She gestures around. "When they tried to send more through, they damaged the portal—shutting it down and sealing me here."
Her voice tightens slightly, but she remains composed. "I fled, slipping past that beast you just slew, and hid among the spiders. Not ideal, but better than the alternative. It has been… some time now, and I grow eager to return home."
"You are not the only outsiders I have seen here," she says, her voice quieter now, as if recalling something unsettling. "Not long ago, a woman—an elf—came through. She did not stumble or hesitate; she walked with purpose, like one who knew exactly where she was going."
She glances at the fallen barghest, then back to the group.
"She spoke with that beast, bargained with it. I do not know what she offered, but the creature let her pass without challenge. Since then, she has been in the portal chamber—watching, waiting. She has been there for at least a day, perhaps two."
While listening to the woman and Violant talk Lyra sets up her medic supplies and starts to treat wounds for at least the next couple hours. Working on 2 patients at a time she is able to patch up her companions.
” kkllekic by her flame that beast really took a bite out of you Stom! And poor Doxie, don’t worry I will get you feeling good as new. As my mother used to say iiillktu shhuelt faaasew kkleiiitx” looking at the puzzled faces around her, “heh it makes a lot more sense in Orcish”
you each get
After patching up Stom and Doxie she turns her attention to Samael and Violant, their wounds not taking up as much time as the others.
If im reading it right i could treat wounds on each of you 3 times an hour.
So with that GM if you are okay with it can i change the healing everyone got?
For Stom and Doxie:
Your new totals from the first rolls and this one are now = 66
Sam and Violant it looks like I got you back up to full with the first round of healing so I also will treat wounds on myself.
And with that we should all be back up to full. If you aren't let me know and we can add in another round of treat wounds.
"Thanks to both you and Sarenrae for the healing, Lyra. Who knows, if I had gotten rejected from Twilight I might have been a Cleric myself... back to the question at hand though. The elf. Was she like me, as in only partially elven? Or was she entirely elven? Full elves have pupilless eyes, and I ask because this might be a half-elf we've heard... things about," Violant says with a bit of disappointment in her voice.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Yes! both Doxie and I thank you from the bottom or our hearts. You shall henceforth be known as "Dragon Healer".
Nodding, "It was hard to get a good look at her, I saw the pointy ears, long blond hair and dressed all in black and grays,"
Looking around this area, you see a small alcove and tunnel in an off shoot of this main chamber, Oppa would have no problem traversing but anyone bigger would be squeezing to get through.
Oppa, always on the hunt for treasure crawls through the tunnel into a dingy and moist constructed room is more a cellar than a cave, though lumpy mounds covered in oilcloth tarps still lend it an unpleasant air.
Lifting up the tarps there are a number of skeletons, goblinoid, humanoid, elflike, orcish all mixed in, likely the remains of past victims. There is a number of items piled up, a magical breastplate, a magical chain shirt.
Oppa also easily sifts through the remains and finds a feather token in the shape of a Fan, a Fear Gem(similar to the one you guys have found before), a pair of pristine white gloves, and a 9.5" stick of fine cherry wood, inlaid with a silver spider web pattern.
+1 Breastplate
+1 Chain Shirt
Feather Token Fan
A Pair of Healer's Gloves
A Wand of Web
First 10 minutes:
Next 10 minutes:
Next 10 minutes:
Next 10 minutes:
Next 10 minutes:
Violant marvels at how quickly Samael is able to identify everything. "You are certainly a polymath if I've ever seen one Samael."
She then tries to identify the Breastplate. "First rune of armor potency."
"Dragon Healer does have a nice ring to it!" she grins her tusky grin and looks at the gloves, "Samael these might be a good fit for you, so that you can heal yourself incase i cant get to you fast enough."
"Humpf! More fighting stuff... though that wand is pretty nice".
There's only a single tunnel leading out of this chamber, Renali explains, "Beyond here is a deep hole in the ground it leads to the portal chamber we came through, Malarunk, the leader of the Cinderclaws was there, I'm not sure what has transpired between them since the Elf came through,"
Following the tunnel, it does indeed open up into a wide room, then drops away in a series of ten-foot-high cliffs into a chamber. To the south, a seven-foot-wide hole in the floor drops down into a chamber below.
Renali speaks up, "Its about a 20 foot drop, it becomes a worked stone area, like the basement to some fortress, it is well made despite how old it is, I wasn't able to explore much as I had to flee Malarunk at the time. Without being able to turn into a spider, the drop is shear, there'd be almost no way to climb back up naturally,"
Looking around, the group sees plenty of stalactites that could be used to anchor ropes.
"I've got rope and a climber's kit"
Stom stays silent while the party talks with Renali, the anadi. The fight with the barghest nearly cost Stom his life, and he spends a good bit of time in silence before thanking Lyra for her healing touch, yet again.
As Samael and Violant identify the magic equipment, Stom eyes the breastplate in particular. "This is well-crafted and a good bit of an improvement on my current armor. Any objections to me taking it?"
"Armor is too heavily restrictive for arcane movements, I have no problem with you taking it."
Nodding towards Stom "I agree I think that breastplate would work great for you!"
Following Renali down the tunnel system, Lyra listens as she tells of her time being here. "wait did you say Malarunk? We killed a boggart in the basement of the Hellknight Citadel, and his last dying breath he mentioned that name. We killed a number of cinderclaws and other creatures from the Miwanig expanse."
As the group makes preparations to descend the clifts, Stom quickly swaps out his current breastplate for the well-crafted, magical breastplate. "Hopefully, this armor will protect a bit better, especially from such strong attacks like the barghest's."
Stom looks around for a place to tie off the rope. "Samael, maybe you go first. And I'll steady the rope while the other climb down, and come last. Does that seem like a decent plan?"
Samael ties his rope using his climber's kit equipment to secure a good knot then tosses the other end down the 20ft hole. He slides down effortlessly, landing into a dark, stone worked area, he looks around and gives the all clear and the rest of you slide down after him.
The stone and architecture matches the Citadel Altaerein you explored earlier. Either this place is somehow connect to the Citadel or was built by the same people.
Its dark but some light if filtering through from above where you party waits. This area seems to have once been a small complex of rooms, but their original use is anyone’s guess today, for some ancient catastrophe seems to have melted the walls in places, leaving behind a half-demolished complex. In the few places where the walls are still intact, however, the delicate carvings indicate that whoever once built these rooms was a skilled artisan. Far to the southwest, a partially melted stone archway opens into a larger room. Here and there are a few remains of skeletons as well as some dead boggards and charau-ka's, the apian creature's you all fought earlier in the basement of the Citadel. Definitely signs of a struggle took place.
You all think you hear what sounds like arguing coming from the far side of this room. You see an archway leading out of this area into a much larger, grander room.
Creeping up to the arch way, you see The walls and domed ceiling of this large circular chamber are elegantly carved in spiraling designs. To the north, a double door stands in the side of a squared-off column protruding from the wall, while to the south an open archway leads to a stairwell leading up that’s been blocked by rubble. In the center of the room stand six statues of elves, all facing outward and arrayed around a dry fountain.
Empty benches sit in four alcoves to the east and west, nestled between six stone archways built into the wall. Each of these archways bears a different type of decor, but with the exception of the northeastern archway (which is partially collapsed and opens into a ruined chamber beyond), each archway leads nowhere—they are filled with plain, featureless walls of polished stone.
In the central chamber by the empty fountain, is a large hulking Charau-Ka, he is flanked by two Skeletal Hellknights as well as a tall, pale, blond Half-Elf. The Half-Elf and the Charau-Ka look like they've fought recently but appear to be arguing, oddly enough in Draconic.
Voz Lirayne says vehemently, "Explain to me again, you slack-jawed imbecile, how exactly you managed to get through these gates"
Malarunk, chuckling, baring his fangs"You wouldn’t understand, necromancer. Dahak’s fire burns away weakness. Perhaps the gates simply recognized strength and not..." he gestures vaguely at her, dismissively"...whatever you are."
Voz Lirayne, spitting the words through clenched teeth, "You arrogant little ape. If you and your zealots could fix them before, you can tell me how to fix them now. I am not leaving empty-handed."
Violant's breath hitches, in pure and utter anger, as she hears the crass conversation taking place, where it's taking place. She decides to concoct a plan before she loses her ability to speak Taldane. The only person who might even understand her angry Utopian screeching is possibly Voz herself.
She whispers the following. "I'm going to cast Elemental Zone on them, if any of you can, try to keep them inside the area. Voz is a spellcaster, so try your best to stay out of it lest she slash and electrocute you as well. If any of you have any electricity or slashing spells, use them. If any of you have any bludgeoning spells I haven't seen, tell me now because I can increase their effectiveness as well. I figured I should get this plan out before we cleanse this place of them, I doubt anyone can understand me in the midst of battle except maybe Voz.
Violant grabs at the Glaive from the party's weapons for use with hand of the Apprentice.
Violant reconsiders her options, and grabs the rapier.
Leaning in to whisper"I think thats a great plan Violant. Renali, will you be helping in the fight to come? you said they mentioned a GATE! Oh maybe it can help you get home! Lets sneak up and maybe we can catch them by surprise.
"slashing it is"
The two of them are continuing to argue, they haven't yet noticed your presence in this broken off archway room.
Alseta's Ring
Samael -
Malarunk -
Lyra -
Voz Lirayne -
Skeletal Hellknights -
Violant -
Stom -
Oppa / Doxie -
Being as quiet as possible,
◆ Enter Fourberrie stance.
◆ Begin juggling a card.
◆ Begin juggling a second card
Samael quietly readies himself for battle, the soft thwip thwip of juggled cards are the only thing that could betray him.
Malarunk sniffs the air, holding up a a single clawed hand, "Shut it women, you smell that? Something's nearby and it isn't the rot breath of a necromancer,"
Looking around he sees the open archway and seeing the flickering light within he points and sneers at Voz, "You've led your little followers right to us! You handled my group well enough, I'm sure you can handle these ones too, your smugness,"
He casts a spell on him self, and a shimmering field surrounds his body.
Alseta's Ring
Samael -
Malarunk -
Lyra -
Voz Lirayne -
Skeletal Hellknights -
Violant -
Stom -
Oppa / Doxie -
Now that their cover is blown Lyra quickly moves up and casts a spell. A shimmering flash of light bursts in the middle of the group of enemies.
Lyra moves into the opening, just enough to direct her shield and holy symnbol toward the group of foes and launch a spray of bright glitter, coating all four enemies, potentially dazzling them.
Most of the foes shrug off or are able to cover their before the coating of glitter affects them.
Voz steps forward, speaking first to Malarunk in Draconic "You better help, otherwise we'll both be dead, enemy of my enemy and what not," then address you all, "Hiding in the shadows, that fool Calmont ruined everything, I've had to accelerate my plans greatly, months of research rushed, I've worked too hard to let random adventurers stumble upon my greatness!"
Speaking in an unfamiliar language:
She then casts a spell on herself, creating mirror like after images to appear, making it hard to pick out her true body amongst the mirror images.
The Two hellknight skeletons stride forward and ready their magical glaives for the first people to approach.
Alseta's Ring
Samael -
Malarunk - Dazzled 2 rounds, Sanctuary DC 23 to overcome
Lyra -
Voz Lirayne - Dazzled 2 rounds, Mirror Image(4 images)
Skeletal Hellknight 1 - Dazzled 1 minute
Skeletal Hellknight 2 - Dazzled 2 rounds
Violant -
Stom -
Oppa / Doxie -
Violant addresses Voz in a steady Utopian, her voice practically dripping with venom as she casts Three-Action Elemental Zone, targeting Voz and everyone else there (Electricity + Slashing)
"I do not even know if you can understand me, but necromancy? I am not going to pretend I have some moral high ground and say that 'necromancy is defying Pharasma's order.' You and I both know that's utter b$~!~#!#. What it is, however, is uninspired and lazy. What, obtaining power through just pouring Negative Energy into corpses? Is that the most you can offer, Voz? I'm not going to let you defile anything else of the Welcomer any longer."
◇ Samael will continue juggling.
◆ He will juggle out a third card.
◆ He will toss a card at Skeleton 1.
slashing damage.
◆ He will juggle out a third card.
Stom sees the two undead creatures blocking the way deeper into the chamber, and charges in hoping to clear a path. He swings his greatsword in a wide arc, connecting with both skeletons.
◇ Rage
◆ Stride
◆◆ Swipe
Stom rushes forward right into the readied strikes of the two skeletal hellknights.
As a reaction, Skeletal Hellknight 1 reaches out, metaphysically inflicting spiritual pain on your soul.
Violent summons another elemental zone, surrounding the area in a metal conducting electrical zone. Samael takes advantages and thwips a card out, slicing it into one of the nearby hellknights, but it seems to resist most of the slashing damage.
Alseta's Ring
Samael -
Malarunk - Dazzled 2 rounds, Sanctuary DC 23 to overcome
Lyra -
Voz Lirayne - Dazzled 2 rounds, Mirror Image(4 images)
Skeletal Hellknight 1 - Dazzled 1 minute, 1 damage
Skeletal Hellknight 2 - Dazzled 2 rounds
Violant -
Stom - 14 damage
Oppa / Doxie -
Stoms takes a hit from one of the skeletons, shrugs it off and sweeps his greatsword across the two of them, his powerful slash doing considerable damage despite their resistance.
Alseta's Ring
Samael -
Malarunk - Dazzled 2 rounds, Sanctuary DC 23 to overcome
Lyra -
Voz Lirayne - Dazzled 2 rounds, Mirror Image(4 images)
Skeletal Hellknight 1 - Dazzled 1 minute, 11 damage
Skeletal Hellknight 2 - Dazzled 2 rounds 10 damage
Violant -
Stom - 1 damage
Oppa / Doxie -
"Stay back here girl till we get a better idea on what's happening".
◆ RK: Religion
◆◆ Scatter Scree (Basic Reflex Save)
(Bludgeoning Damage).