|
Modra stands ready in his defensive posture as the creatures attack, then looks a little put out to be left out as the bites, lice, and vomit are unleashed all around him but not at him. "Wha' else can go wrong around here?" He gripes, then hastily adds, "Do no' want the answer!"
The dwarf hefts his warhammer and tries to protect his companions from the creatures attacking them the only way available: By bashing the threats until they are no more.
He sighs dramatically at himself, then tries again to smash the creature attacking Yata.
After finally connecting (presumably), Modra steadies himself for a moment and raises his shield. "Torag protect us!" With a flash of divine energy, ethereal shields spin around the party within his aura, offering the protection of a champion to all who stay close.
The benefit applies only while an ally is in your aura, ending for any ally that leaves and applying to any that enters later. As normal, you don't count as your own ally and therefore don't get the benefits of the spirit shields yourself.
Lidya takes the boost in energy and begins levelling precise stabs at the creatures.
|
Morthos and Lidya strike back - nearly leveling one of them, but they seem a little stouter than their usual brethren. Modra connects solidy as well, then protects his allies with a spiritual shielding. Alessandra ponders, then inspires and steps.
The creatures hover and continue their assault, but they pay dearly and one blinks out of existence. The lice hang around, though.
Orange creature -7 damage
Yellow creature -20 damage <destroyed>
Yata -8 damage
Purple creature -11 damage
Dawnfriend -5 damage
Bustral <AC 15>
Red creature -10 damage
Morthos -15 damage <extend boost>
Modra -2 damage <shields of the spirit up>
Alessandra <sickened 1>
|
|
Yata retreats to thunderstrike and her attacker chooses the other mage to harass and infest.
Orange creature -10 damage <clumsy 1>
Yellow creature -20 damage <destroyed>
Yata -8 damage
Purple creature -15 damage
Dawnfriend -5 damage
Bustral -6 damage
Red creature -10 damage
Morthos -15 damage <extend boost>
Modra -2 damage <shields of the spirit up>
Alessandra <sickened 1>
|
Bustral mutters, "annoying little buggers." as he quickly casts a spell and a translucent, greenish-gold Shield of force appears. He then waves his staff, muttering as he does, and lightning arcs forward trying to hit Purple and Red....
Duration: until the start of your next turn
You raise a magical shield of force. This counts as using the Raise a Shield action, giving you a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, but it doesn't require a hand to use.
While the spell is in effect, you can use the Shield Block reaction with your magic shield. The shield has Hardness 5. You can use the spell's reaction to reduce damage from any spell or magical effect, even if it doesn't deal physical damage. After you use Shield Block, the spell ends and you can't cast it again for 10 minutes.
Heightened (+2) The shield's Hardness increases by 5.
An arc of lightning leaps from one target to another. Each target takes 2d4 electricity damage with a basic Reflex save.
Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 1d4.
|
|
Modra tries to intercept the bite but only forces it slightly astray. Dawnfriend dazes a little creature then bolsters Morthos. Bustral raises shields and explodes one of the creatures into nothingness. The one on Dawnfriend bites deep.
Orange creature -10 damage <clumsy 1>
Yellow creature -20 damage <destroyed>
Yata -8 damage
Purple creature -23 damage <destroyed>
Dawnfriend -12 damage
Bustral -3 damage <shield, stupefied 1>
Red creature -17 damage
Morthos -15 damage <guidance, extend boost>
Modra -2 damage <shields of the spirit up>
Alessandra <sickened 1>
Lidya strikes at the one harrassing her brother
|
|
Morthos blasts away the one flitting too close to his face and Modra hastily finishes off the other, leaving the librbry calm and still once again (save for a few quiet gagging noises from Alessandra).
Every few seconds the lice circling Bustral irritate his systems, but can be suppressed through itching.
Orange creature -21 damage <destroyed>
Yellow creature -20 damage <destroyed>
Yata -8 damage
Purple creature -23 damage <destroyed>
Dawnfriend -12 damage
Bustral -3 damage <stupefied 1>
Red creature -29 damage <destroyed>
Morthos -15 damage
Modra -2 damage
Alessandra
-------------------------------
As the battle ends, a few objects suddenly enter your phase of reality, accompanied by a loud whooshing sound.
There is a nondescript romance novel, two potency crystals, and four minor healing potions that apparate on the shelf next to Yata. The pages of the romance novel suddenly flip back and forth a few times.
|
|
The sound of metal scrapping metal starts as Bustral tries to scratch the critters from his joints.
"What is going on with that book?" he asks while he studies it intently....
"I think someone might be trying to communicate with us like we did with the students. Everyone see if we can figure this out, please."
|
|
After the creatures have been dispatched, Modra focuses his attention on the party members who have taken damage, apparently a more immediate concern for him than taking notice of the flapping book pages. Tapping the healer's toolkit at his hip, he says, "If ye do no' have a better way o' fixin' up yer wounds, I'll have a look at ye."
|
Brother Dawnfriend seemed very interested in the romance novel even before it began its curious behavior.
His interest in the subject matter seems to strongly distract him from the ability to interpret the message ... and when a skittermander is distracted, everyone is distracted. "So, do you think he'll ever realize that she really loved him all along? Will they ever get together? Oh, dear ..." It's a real nail-biter ... and with 6 arms, Dawnfriend's got a lot of nails to bite.
Fortunately, though, he can multitask. He casts healer's blessing on Morthos and then a wide blast heal spell while everyone is clustered near the book.
Clearly his concern about the fictional lovers is interfering with his ability to connect with the divine healing power of Sarenrae, but he tries again.
Despondent over the plight of the lovers, Brother Dawnfriend cannot bear to keep reading the book and instead goes to meditate in the corner to try to get himself back under control.
|
|
The dwarf watches the curious skittermander flip through the book rapidly with his six arms. As Dawnfriend walks off to the side, Modra follows thoughtfully. "Never even knew there were books about tha' kind o' thing," he says, then as something else occurs to him, wonders awkwardly, "They've got books, erm, where ye come from?"
|
|
Dawnfriend is able to find all the students gathered in the main hall again. They are mostly sitting around discussing what has happened so far, but a few are quietly working on their homework or other pursuits.
Some of you try to reason through the meaning of the message. Although the three words together don't make any natural connections, "focus" may indicate a magical bent (perhaps a spell or ritual) and there are certainly a few "chambers" in the lodge (bedrooms upstairs, maybe).
There are, of course, a few rooms on this level you haven't searched as well.
|
|
Largely oblivious to the shuffling of the book pages as it was happening, Modra listens to his companions as they explain the phenomenon and what few hints were gleaned. "En't much more ta do but keep lookin' an' hope we find somethin' like a focus, eh?"
Here the dwarf tries to pitch his voice a bit louder, in case whoever sent the book clue is listening. "Professor or whatever else be there, don't be givin' up on us yet, we'll get ye back to us, and us all back where we ought." A beat, then, "An' the students doin' what they ought."
On that note, he looks around the library and sighs. "Did we get tha' lad countin' up papers 'fore he walked on out? These young'uns en't all the most... studious bunch."
|
|
Modra follows after Dawnfriend to check on the gathered students in the main hall. After walking around with, entirely unseen by the students, the gaze of a stern and humorless proctor, he nods with satisfaction and returns to the others. "Lookin' like those young'uns are as good as they're gonna get," he says.
"I'm in favor o' checkin' out down here 'fore goin' upstairs, but I en't gonna fight if ye all want ta check up top first. Long as we're stayin' together."
|
|
Starting in the courtyard, you find it open to the sky above, which still has the distinct emerald hue. A cobblestone pathway winds its way between carefully tended topiaries and past a burbling fountain. After a thorough search that turns up nothing particualrly unusual, you head into the armory next door.
Weapon racks and suits of armor on display stands line the walls of this well-stocked armory. Several weapons are laid out on the table, along with whetstones and oil clothes. This room is quiet, with only the weapons left in slight disorder, as if the ones responsible for putting them away have been absent for some time.
The last open room to be checked (unless you want to break into the records room that you discouraged Alec from trying to enter) is the conference room off of the main hall.
The conference room is deserted, but a handful of paers remain on the table.
After deliberation and research, the staff asked arcanists from the Grand Lodge to concoct a complex ritual that would reconnect the lodge and its surroundings to the Material Plane in case of emergency. Venture‐Captain Armeline Jirneau trained all staff members in the activation procedure.
You find a specific sheet marked In Case of Planar Emergency that reads as follows:
--------------------------------------------------
Reminder! Arcanists from the Grand Lodge have warded the entire grounds with a Material Failsafe ritual in order to contain possible damage from extraplanar anomalies related to the Maze of the Open Road. Triggering the protections of the ritual is a straightforward process, but requires the following focus items:
• A pitcher of pure water
• A steel shield
• A large lodestone
To achieve maximum ritual potency, bring the focus items as close as possible to the center of any extraplanar disturbance. Grasping the focus item firmly, speak the activation word, “Narven.” To avoid accidental triggering of the ritual, simultaneous activation of all three focus items is required, so please coordinate carefully with fellow staff members. Focus items may need to be activated as many as three times to firmly re-anchor the area to the Material Plane.
A handwritten scrawl in the margin notes: “I have stored the lodestone in my quarters so it will not be misplaced.
“~A.J.”
--------------------------------------------------
|
|
Brother Dawnfriend immediately begins perusing the papers. "Wow, glad they left this stuff all sitting out on the table for us. Does anyone have a steel shield? There is probably a pitcher in the kitchen ... But can we fill it, or will we need the kids to do that?" He tilts his head. "Who is A.I.?" He looks around. "Ooh, maybe we're trapped in a simulation run by an artificial intelligence." Who knows what craziness he's rambling on about.
|
|
Strapped to the dwarf's arm is indeed a steel shield, a solid piece of craftsmanship onto which is etched a pillar in an art deco kind of style. "Erm," he stammers as Yata takes note of it. "Aye, 'tis good steel, an' a good shield, if it comes to tha'." This added regretfully before Modra steps up to take a look at the notice himself.
"En't much sense in all o' this. If the lodge made this happen wi' tha' ritual, why'd the young'uns make it normal an' we're... ye know..." He waves his arms in the direction of the odd emerald sky. "An' we still en't seen the professor 'round here..." A put-upon sigh. "Well, least we know where to look for tha' lodestone."