After Candledark removes the bar from the door, Oria is able to open the door, revealing the rest of the room to the party. A nauseating yellow light emanates from a glass sphere levitating ten feet above a distant stairway, which leads up to a large copper door etched with geometric patterns and sigils. Dense yellow smoke billows from the beacon’s aura, flowing down the stairs like gaseous water. The sour light casts eerie shadows from the giant taxidermy exhibits and massive stone structures that fill the chamber, making even the disorganized wooden storage crates seem sinister.
A shaft of wood comes flying out of the darkness at Oria as she stands in the doorway, skipping off the floor and sliding past the party as it misses. Those with darkvision can just see a large winged creature crouched atop one of the stone monuments.
25 Red
15 Kaervek
14 Black
12 Oria
8 Shine
5 Triix
4 Xanac
|
Kaervek takes the scroll of magic circle against chaos and tries to cast the spell from it.
He whispers: "As long as you stay in the range of 10 feet around me, you'll be protected against chaos."
He then steps forward.
As Kaervek steps forward, the floor beneath the party erupts in writhing tentacles!
25 Red
15 Kaervek
14 Black
12 Oria
8 Shine
5 Triix
6 Green
4 Xanac
|
|
Once again, Oria finds herself face to face with an expression of the dark tapestry with the single minded intent of crushing the life out of her. And no friends to bail her out in short order? What a shame. But the shaman's annoyance turns to fear as she realizes her familiar is also caught in the crushing grip of the tentacles. Surely, her precious little conduit will die before she does.
Skin bruises and limbs are forced in uncomfortable directions as she struggles to concentrate on her magic.
It's certainly a clever idea. If breaking things is all she's good for, she reasons, why not break the spell she's trapped in? But alas, even that brute force and magical barbarism requires a degree of finesse that seems to be beyond her.
The party's spells fizzle under the crushing assault!
25 Red
15 Kaervek (Damage: 9, Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Damage: 9, Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Damage: 10, Grappled)
6 Green
4 Xanac
As Shine channels to wipe away the wounds inflicted, another of the winged outsiders flaps into view, crouching atop the 15ft span in front and reading its own spears for the attack.
25 Red
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
6 Green
4 Xanac
|
|
Candledark flees the terrible tentacles, still invisible but now looking for a good spot to hide...
...while he takes a moment to study these remarkable entities.
Next thing anyone knows, a fearsome, ghostly length of frayed rope or spiny chain, with noose-like loops at both ends, comes literally out of nowhere and...
...seizes Oria and begins dragging her out of the tentacles!
Candledark recognizes the alien creatures as grioths, aberrations from the Dark Tapestry. Immune to the cold of the void, they fight with psychic weaponry that channels their mental attacks through the blades. They also have a poisonous bite that weakens their foes with fear. The third and fourth arms do not appear to be a normal trait, nor are they usually so large, possibly due to magic or mutation.
The first grioth flaps his way closer, casting another javelin that strikes Kaervek as the tentacles hold him tight!
25 Red
15 Kaervek (Damage: 11, 3NL, Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled?)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
6 Green
4 Xanac
Kaervek heals some of the puncture wound, before a voice in the dark calls out. "Die, interlopers!" A volley of magical missiles strikes Kaervek with unerring accuracy! The intruder floats above the storage crates, now in view of the door for those with heightened perception.
The tentacles wrap tighter, causing Kaervek to waver. Oria notices the bruises of the magic missiles crack open, blood beginning to flow!
25 Red
15 Kaervek (Damage: 20, Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Damage: 16, Bleed 2, Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Damage: 10, Grappled)
6 Green
4 Xanac
|
Trying to keep her party standing and whole Shine channels a second time, using two channels to quicken the healing. She then casts Fireball catching both grioths. She will place the fireball to be as far from the party as possible and still catch them and not the down person in the room.
This triggers Glorious Heat healing someone for 3 and giving them
+1 to hit. Since no one is wounded after the channel Shine will take the +1 herself.
Both alien monsters flinch away from the burst of flame, screeching in anger!
25 Red (Damage: 12)
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
6 Green (Damage: 12)
4 Xanac
The creature bursts into flames, flailing its multiple limbs in a frenzy!
|
|
Triix finds the hold of the tentacles too strong to escape!
25 Red (Damage: 30, On Fire)
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
6 Green (Damage: 12)
4 Xanac
|
|
Observing the fireworks, Oria attempts to concentrate to use her own magic to add in the destruction with a ball of fire. Such a shame that pattern recognition was never one of her talents.
"Hate... hate this... hate you!" she shouts, quite ungratefully, while hurling a sphere of void-stolen flame at the monsters.
But despite the outburst, she at least has the wherewithal to attempt to discern more about their aberrant foes. Perhaps she can dredge up some sort of weakness or strategy? Beyond 'stop letting them strangle you with tentacles,' that is.
Both grioths burn in the fire, collapsing into charred husks!
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
4 Xanac
Kaervek's missiles streak towards the enemy, but scatter across an invisible shield before they can reach him!
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
4 Xanac
|
|
Candledark watches from the shadows as Kaervek's spell meets its counter.
Good to know, He considers.
The otherworldly gargoyles slain, Candledark creeps up to get a view of a 'gargoyle' of a different sort, and...
I'm going to need...MUCH MORE ROPE!!!
Next thing anyone knows, a fearsome, ghostly length of frayed rope or spiny chain, with noose-like loops at both ends, literally comes out of nowhere and coils itself around the man!
An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.
Candledark creeps up to the corner of the stone Irespan model, casting his new chain upon his victim!
The tentacles continue to put the squeeze on the party as the mutated man wrestles the chain from around him, falling to the crate below. The flames of the burning crate between the two cast a hellish glow in contrast to the eldritch light of the beacon.
"Fool! Begone from my sight!" The man casts another barrage of missiles, striking Candledark where he stands!
15 Kaervek (Damage: 10, Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Damage: 9, Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Damage: 10, Grappled)
4 Xanac (Damage: 15, 2 Bleed)
|
|
As the bothersome tentacles gradually drain her team's resources, Oria considers her own options. Startlingly few of them work well when already under the unfortunate situation of being slowly crushed to death.
The shaman struggles to the best of her ability, so intently focused on the uphill battle that her imagination doesn't even have time to dream up a new form of self admonishment.
Triix continues to hold the dispel scroll at the ready as the crushing wounds are healed again.
15 Kaervek (Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Grappled)
4 Xanac (Damage: 17, 2 Bleed)
|
|
"Fool! Begone from my sight!"
"As you wish," Candledark replies - and just like that, he vanishes!
The man's assault had surprisingly little effect on Candledark, although he notices he is beginning to crumble, like ancient pottery. He suspects that this is no wizardry, but power much like his own! He has never dueled another psychic before, this could get interesting!
Candledark's spectral noose continues to harry the stranger, now trying to wrap itself around his foot...
...while Candledark skitters his way closer!
Kaervek's spear falls short, as the tentacles hold fast. Shine takes the scroll from Triix, preparing to attempt a dispel.
Candledark sees the man fall heavily to the top of the crate as he clambers up the five foot tall smaller crate.
Leaping back to his feet, the wild, bug eyes dart around the crates, searching for the hidden Pathfinder. Seeing nothing, he begins to cast another spell.
15 Kaervek (Damage: 10, Grappled)
14 Black
12 Oria (Damage: 6, Grappled)
8 Shine
5 Triix (Damage: 7, Grappled)
4 Xanac (Damage: 7, 2 Bleed)
|
|
The ghost-noose once again attempts to lasso the man-thing to (relatively speaking) the ground...
...and Candledark, sickle ready in his other hand, tries something altogether new for him - he's enjoyed sneaking up on people with to give them a chilling shoulder-tap before, but never quite like THIS: