"I'd like to think we're more prepared to deal with the chief this time," Eristinian says. "He caught us off-balance the first time."
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"Spell components, possibly," Eristinan offers, glancing over the fungi-covered room. "Or possibly alchemical reagents, though I would have expected a lab nearby. Perhaps the goblins took over that area for themselves? Either way, given time, I could probably extract the poison from the fungi and give us a weapon to use against the goblins, but it would take time and resources I don't have at the moment."
Eristinian watches the others slam their shoulders into the door to force it open before simply saying, "Let me have a go." He steps up to the door, and give it a kick very near to the latch. The door shudders, possibly loosened by the others' efforts.
Eristinian nods in agreement. "The longer we can go without heralding our return, the better."
"Yes, I was perusing it last night," Eristinian speaks up, withdrawing the map in question. "We're currently heading into this large, damaged section of the map. It looks like there are some smaller rooms to the south - we might want to check that way first."
"Eristinian," the elf replies. "The younger. And welcome."
"You're not wrong - we had a Desnan friar attending us, but his journeys led him elsewhere after our first foray into the caverns. I'd welcome another adventurer with a strong faith, but I admit I do not recognize the goddess you serve. I'm always interested in learning new facts, however."
As it happens, my free time has been next to nothing, so I've just had no time until now to really look at what's going on on the Paizo boards. Glad to see we've got another interested party - let's kick some goblin butt!
"Aye," Eristinian says. "We have foreknowledge of our foe's stronghold now - we can make more preparations."
"Sneak out as best we can," Eristinian says, preparing his extracts for the battle out and back to town. "Hopefully, we can avoid a fight, but if not, we fight to escape first. We almost died because we got trapped in that room."
"Agreed, let's get moving, before he brings the rest of his horde down upon us."
Racing around the battlefield to distract Greatshanks, Eristinian thrusts his blade at the goblin leader's midsection.
"There's more where that came from, cur!", Eristinian says with coldness in his voice as he thrusts his rapier at the goblin again. His overconfidence gets the better of him, though, and the greenskinned creature easily dodges out of the way, cackling all the while.
Eristinian continues to fight, trying to find a way past his foe's defenses.
"Friar, a little intercession from Heaven wouldn't go amiss," he says, stabbing at the goblin once again.
Eristinian reenters the fray, slashing at the goblin harried by both Friar O'Grady and Tasius. "Surrender, beasts, and perhaps we will spare your lives!", he shouts, not waiting to see what this one will do.
After another goblin's blade connects, Eristinian adjusts to stay out of reach of the horsechopper. "Time to even things up," he says, pulling an extract from his pouch, giving it a quick shake, and drinking it. A screen of pure force begins whirling around him.
As goblins rush into the room, Eristinian tosses the coffer and his tools onto the bed, and rushes to Caelryl's assistance. His blade clears his sheath in moments, and he thrusts the point at the greenskin's melon-shaped head.
"Looks safe," Eristinian concludes, and sets about getting it open.
"Couldn't agree more, I'd prefer not to be a lightning rod twice." Eristinian examines the lock, trying to determine whether anything more sinister than a few crude tumblers secure the chest's contents.
Eristinian nods, and asks Kell the questions Caelryl suggested.
"Jeśli znasz tajemnice dotyczące tych ruin, powinieneś nam teraz powiedzieć. Mój przyjaciel ludzki nienawidzi goblinów z nieokiełznaną pasją, a ja będę mógł targować się za swoim życiem z tymi informacjami." Goblin: "If you know any secrets about these ruins, you should tell us now. My human friend there hates goblins with an unbridled passion, and I may be able to bargain for your life with that information."
Eristinian nods at Tasius' question. "Moi przyjaciele chcą wiedzieć, gdzie jest reszta plemienia. Widzieliśmy bardzo mało waszego rodzaju odkąd weszliśmy do tych jaskiń. Jeśli chodzi o to, dlaczego chcę twojego imienia, jesteś pierwszym goblinem, z którym się spotkałem, który miał wystarczająco dużo dowcipu, aby zdawać sobie sprawę z tego, jak by się mogło atakować samobójstwo. To rzadkie, Kell." Goblin: "My friends want to know where the rest of your tribe is at. We've seen very few of your kind since we entered these caves. As for why I want your name, you're the first goblin I've met who had enough wit about her to realize how suicidal attacking us would have been. That's rare, Kell."
"To lepiej. Porozmawiajmy, ty i ja. Możesz nazywać mnie Eristinianem. Co robi twój plemienczyk?" Goblin:
"That's better. Let's have a talk, you and I. You can call me Eristinian. What does your tribe call you?" "Anything you all would like to ask her?"
"I do, though," Eristinian replies. "Możemy cię zobaczyć. Wyjdź, albo ustawimy łóżko na ogień." Goblin: "We can see you down there. Come out, or we set the bed on fire."
Eristinian's eyes flutter open as the blackened flesh on his hands falls away to reveal pink, healthy skin. "Clearly, that was the wrong rune to scratch out," he says weakly, trying to find his feet. "The only silver lining here is that a trap like this rarely can fire off more than once. Let me check that it's gone."
Eristinian's brow furrows as he continues his work, trying his best to forget the consequences of failure.
Eristinian winces as Caelryl shows the makings of the trap. "Dammit, I missed it. How did I miss it?" He withdraws his tools, and begins to work.
Eristinian also examines the box for unusual markings.
"Hmmmm, Marevek," Eristinian says, closing his eyes in thought. "That's not a name we've heard before. Must be a newer player on the scene."
Dungeon crawls are hard to run on PbP. Thanks for keeping at it.
Eristinian looks up, concerned for a moment that there was a complex trap he'd missed. When he realizes that the sound is elsewhere in the complex, he relaxes. "Well, sounds like we solved something we didn't even know was a puzzle," he says, getting out of the well. "Although that brings up a good question - what is so important that the designers of this place decided that the lock needed to be separate from the door?"
"Looks safe enough," Eristinian says, turning the key in the lock.
Having finally dealt with the acid and slime, Eristinian gives a cursory examination to the keyhole. He didn't think anyone would further trap this particular lock, but he didn't want to take a chance, either.
Eristinian winces as Tasius mentions the dry ice. "Of course, foolish of me to forget that. Yes, that's our solution." He withdraws his bedroll and unfurls it. "We should be able to use this to insulate our hands from the extreme cold of the alchemical ice. Anyone want to help me transport?"
"Objective statement: destroy the translucent slime," Eristinian says, kneeling down and shrugging his pack off his shoulders. "Research findings: variant of the green slime, adapted to mimic its surroundings but no other mutations." He rummages around in his pack for a few moments, looking for something. "Removal methodology: powerful magics - lacking; sunlight - unfeasible; extreme cold - unavailable; extreme heat - easily obtainable." He withdraws a flask of liquid, and chucks it into the bath, hardly reacting as it explodes in a burst of flames. "In other words," he says, withdrawing some torches from his pack. "Kill it with fire. Anyone have some lamp oil?"
"Excellent, Eristinian remarks at Tasius' solution. "Now, to deal with the clear slime..."
I am leaving for GenCon in a few hours, and will have limited access to the internet during that time. I will probably be back on Monday, August 22, assuming the eclipse does not portend the end of humanity's existence.
"That's probably solution we have left, unless we come across a comically large amount of lye somewhere," Eristinian says dryly. "But I doubt we have the resources to render the acid inert via alchemical processes."
"Minor telekinesis would be an easy way to get it out, and the preferred solution," Eristinian replies, his eyes still shut as he strolls through his mind palace. "Unfortunately, my talents do not extend to the eldritch. Tasius?"
Eristinian nods his head in agreement to Tasius. "There's little in this place that's made sense. I wonder if the former occupants went mad at some point, and this made sense to them in their madness. So, the ceramic key almost certainly opens the ceramic lock, but we need to get it out of an acid bath and deal with this transparent slime." Eristinian begins to formulate a plan to deal with these particular hazards.
"Perceiving is only half of understanding," Eristinian says to his companions, approaching the pools. "You're wise to exercise caution around these unknown liquids, Caelryl. Fortunately, I have some alchemical training. I might be able to identify them." He begins to examine them for any hint of what they might be.
Eristinian follows along as well.
"Child's play," he sniffs, setting about jamming the pins to prevent easy access to the armory.
I'm still here, it's just that there's not a whole lot to do. :S
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