The team returns to Alyreha in the foyer. "So, how's the house hunt? Takumi, could you stay here for a bit? I could use you and Shinju to help hold some of the wards in place. Helps that you have hands. And horns."
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Landon helps to fill Alyreha in on the group's progress and shows her the research notes gathered so far.
"Anyways, we're getting ready to head upstairs now. Any idea what to expect? Any heads-up you could provide would be appreciated."
"Also, how are you managing the wards so far? After that last fight I'm feeling a bit wormed out, but I'd rather not take a breather if the whole place is about to collapse on us."
"Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh..." Alyreha thinks as Landon shows her the research. "I... there's too much missing. I need more fragments. Bring me 5 and we can get started."
"As the wards, I can keep them stable for a few more hours, no problem. I am heads above. Take sometime to heal, I don't want you getting ahead of yourself! HA!"
Amiri listens to the back and forth between Landon and the skull, smirking at the jokes and wondering when and if they'll get more crude, but once he's ready to continue she leaves the topic for another time.
"So you're staying here Takumi? Keep an eye on us with those viewers, send in the brute squad if we fall down a magic hole ok?" She winks before hauling that giant sword upstairs with the others. She pays close attention to details, knowing there's probably another trap lying in wait.
After taking time to heal and recover, you bid goodbye to Alyreha and head upstairs.
There are plenty of rooms to check and investigate.
- Four small rooms on the western edge (Necromancy Study, Home Office, Reading Room, Teaching Hall)
- An auditorium slightly east (Enchantment Auditorium)
- A central atrium (Evocation Atrium)
- A showroom at the eastern room (Transmutation Showroom)
"Ya, I'm all for a royal rumble up here, but let's try to keep the odds in our favor." She agrees on checking out the large central room first before they clear out the small stuff later.
The central area of this room has pedestals with runes corresponding to acid, cold, fire, and electricity, with central runes placed for sonic and force. The walls of the larger portion of the room each have their own extravagant mural representing one of the four elements.
The northern wall is covered by the image of an enormous caldera of an unknown volcano, a vast lake of lava that almost seems to glow intensely. The southern wall displays a vast coral reef, and the light from the ocean’s surface almost seems to dance. The eastern wall displays a yawning cave, and the depths seem almost real. The western wall displays a fierce tornado tearing through an open field. The image somehow perfectly captures the fury of the intense winds. The western section of the floor portrays beams and circles along with complex equations, while the eastern section of the floor is covered in sine waves and elaborate musical notation. The ceiling above is painted with the four elements all blending, and the center piece is a brightly glowing evocation rune, crackling with energy.
As you step into the room, the rune above activates its defenses, which send burst of cold air and beam of white magical light into the central squared off portion of the room. The magic summons hostile elementals to greet you intruders!
Amiri
Torrin
Gray Ice Snake
White Water Blob
Landon
Kosh
Purple Ice Snake
Yellow Water Blob
Nykor
Amiri and Torrin are on alert after the last sudden attack- and their vigilance pays off!
Amiri and Torrin wait for the enemy to come to them.
The Gray Icicle quickly approaches.
But it's not very effective.
The water blob surges forward before trying to strike Torrin with its tendrils.
Torrin has a chance to react before the blob gets close.
Gray Ice Snake
White Water Blob
Landon
Kosh
Amiri
Torrin (Can use Reactive Strike on Gray)
Purple Ice Snake
Yellow Water Blob
Nykor
Kosh and Landon prepare to join their friends in combat.
Amiri stares in amazement at everything going on, at least until she dodges the bite of an icy looking snake. "More summoned guard dogs to tangle with, my pleasure!" She grins and lets her anger flow into strength. She tries to carve that ice beast into cubes!
Kosh rallies the team into action, Amiri and Torrin join him in destroying the icy snake. Torrin then hits the watery blob in front of him. It barely survives.
Landon has a moment to act before reinforcements arrive.
White Water Blob (6 damage)
Landon
Kosh (Lingering Composition: Courageous Anthem 0/3)
Amiri (Rage 9 Temp HP)
Torrin (Reaction Used)
Purple Ice Snake
Yellow Water Blob
Nykor
Kosh and Landon prepare to join their friends in combat.
Landon finishes off the blob and raises his shield, just in case.
The icy snake moves up.
Torrin sidesteps the snake.
The blob also moves up.
Amiri doesn't care.
Purple Ice Snake
Yellow Water Blob
Nykor
Landon
Kosh (Lingering Composition: Courageous Anthem 0/3)
Amiri (Rage 9 Temp HP)
Torrin
"More? Yes please, keep 'em comin'!" Amiri hollers loudly so the gods (or magics) keep sending her sparring partners.
She glares angrily at the water blob before slashing mightily, sees her reflection in the blob's ripples, and yes, it is truly frightening!
Amiri does care. She and Kosh obliterate the remaining blob, turning into a water puddle.
Purple Ice Snake
Nykor
Landon
Kosh (Lingering Composition: Courageous Anthem 1/3, Shield)
Amiri (Rage 9 Temp HP)
Torrin
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Landon re-positions himself in order to flank the creature with Amiri, .
He thinks he may have heard tales of creatures like this before, and tries to confirm his suspicion with the most reliable method he knows - attacking it.
But ultimately it doesn't matter what kind of creature is attacking the party, so he attacks again.
Landon knows it can be slashed and he knows it can be shot. Nykor's arrow obliterates the snake, rendering it into a pile of ice chunks.
Amiri's mood dips as the last obvious enemy falls, she kicks around looking for more, if she's lucky.
She pulls out a secret drawer from near one of the murals and angrily dumps it on the floor before moving on to keep searching out some angry critter.
"Found something, maybe." She points to the paperwork on the floor while breathing heavy.
Amiri calms down and notices the 4th piece of research. Where to, next?
- Four small rooms on the western edge (Necromancy Study, Home Office, Reading Room, Teaching Hall)
- An auditorium slightly east of the small rooms (Enchantment Auditorium)
- A showroom at the eastern room (Transmutation Showroom)
Two small desks lay on the eastern and western sides of this small study room. The western desk hums with a soft, soothing sound while the eastern one buzzes with an unsettling low noise. On either desk, numerous crafting and repair supplies lie scattered about, and prototype golem frames are piled up against the northern wall. The shelf on the southern wall contains several books in an array of unusual languages. On all four walls, arcane runes shake and spark with instability. In fact, a buildup of void energy shoots out like a lightning bolt, trying to sap your life!
Amiri, Landon and Torrin feel the energy shoot into them, trying to sap their strength.
Torrin (DC Fort 18 Save vs 8 damage)
Landon (DC Fort 18 Save vs 8 damage)
Nykor
Unbridled Necromantic Energy
Amiri (DC Fort 18 Save vs 8 damage)
Kosh
Nykor rushes in and helps Landon as they use their Arcane knowledge to seal the necromantic energy so it cannot harm anyone else.
Amiri and Torrin feel the energy's lasting effects. Landon especially feels tired and realizes he will need most of the day to fully recover.
Can Torrin withstand the energy that resides within?
Torrin (DC Fort 18 Save vs 8 damage)
Landon (16 damage, Enfeebled 1 day)
Amiri (3 damage, Enfeebled 1 hour)
With the hazard dispelled, you can search the room. A thorough search reveals some of the books on the shelves have marks along their spines. The three books in question are written in Celestial, Empyrean, Requian and Necril. Each has further markings in its table of contents and in certain marked passages.
Amiri's eyes dart around the room, hands gripping her sword tightly, finally she starts to relax and leans against the wall, tired. "Whatever that was really packed a punch to the gut." She wheezes, trying to catch her breath.
Looking at the strange words she shakes her head "All a bunch of gibberish to me. I'll keep watch while you all work that out."
Nykor's friend says it smells like death and it's not worth looking into. Landon disagrees and deciphers the text, noting it has a sudden swerve into True Name research. This is the 5th piece of Alyreha's research you've found. He's certain of it, no one else would would write, "knuckleheads" like she would.
Torrin feels the draining effects of the magic. It would take an hour or so to recover his full strength. Landon isn't as lucky, he will need a full night's rest to really recover.
Torrin (8 damage, Enfeebled 50 minutes)
Landon (16 damage, Enfeebled 1 day)
Amiri (3 damage, Enfeebled 50 minutes)
You continue to search the small rooms.
This room has several letters and other correspondence splayed on the desk alongside certificates and other obtuse bureaucratic paperwork. Numerous supplies for writing letters and correspondence scattered around and inside the drawers of the desk.
Most the letters are decades old and none have any relevance to the current situation, but you can find one letter with the seal of the Blakros family on the bottom of it. The letter is a brief thank you note from Nigel Aldain thanking Alyreha for a tour of her manor and of her collection of magical items and artifacts.
No research notes, though. Onto the next room!
Alyreha set this room up to be a quiet reading room where she could focus on her numerous magical tomes. Most of the books have been moved upstairs to the Research Tower, but a few still remain, namely several complicated books on magical theory, many of them focused on interactions with the Cradle of Creation, (the plane of positive energy) and study of living constructs.
You can find a >cantrip deck< consisting of five >stabilize< cards in one of the desk drawers.
There remains 1 room to check.