Hi, RL is kicking me in the balls atm, I'll be back by Thursday. Please be patient.
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Hi, RL is kicking me in the balls atm, I'll be back by Thursday. Please be patient.
The party can hear the bugbear still speaking in Goblin, and it seems to be approaching. Goblin: "Lady Nualia! Someone has killed our defenses. Get ready to fight!"
Wide stone ledges of red marble line the curving walls of this room, which is well lit by four burning skulls that sit in each corner. Three chairs rest in the room, and both stone ledges are covered with old books, scrolls, teeth, bones, scrimshaw artwork, jars of deformed creatures soaking in brine, taxidermied animals and limbs, and other strange objects. To the north, a large round fountain filled with frothy blue water fills the room with the gentle sound of bubbling. A woman stands in this room, accompanied by a demonic looking dog. The woman has silver hair, violet eyes and her armor is shaped so that her belly is visible. Her belly is scarred and her arm ends in a red monstrous talon. Knowledge local DC 15:
This is Nualia, the supposedly dead daughter of Father Tobyn. Her tomb is one in that crypt that got robbed in the Sandpoint goblin raid. Knowledge religion DC 20:
Her scars can be recognized as the mark of Lamashtu. Together with the transformed hand, this means that she has been favored by Lamashtu, which is probably why she has a demonic dog next to her. Knowledge planes DC 13:
This is a Yeth hound. They are given as reward for service to powerful evil beings. They like to feast on intelligent creatures. More information can be asked by the monster identification rules. Init:
Dolgrin doesn't hear anything in particular.
Brand blocks the doors as best as he can.
The group manages to jury rig a small bridge and are able to pass the trap without activating it. The curious eye can see a couple of glaives hidden in the walls, waiting to cut through the corridor. It should do a lot of noise too. At the end of the room, there are two doors, one to the north and one to the south.
The group can hear the hobgoblin shouting something in the distance, outside.
Dolgrin is checking the room very carefully and as well before he moves forward he finds a pressure plate on the floor. Surely enough, some slits on the wall indicate that something dangerous awaits the unwary adventurer. It's a trap! Sadly, it's a magical trap, and it would require one to jump over it to pass safely.
Got a little busy, but it's ok now.
This short hallway rises in a slope to the east. Five feet from the western door, the floor is polished and shiny, unlike the dusty floor elsewhere. A pair of stone statues depicting stern men wielding glaives stand in alcoves north and south of this section of the hallway. At the eastern end stand two stone doors, their faces carved with strange runes. Just past the doors is a third alcove in which a partially collapsed statue sits. The top half of the statue is missing, leaving behind a ragged stump of a torso.
The statue's expression is somewhat reminiscent of the one below Sandpoint, of a woman holding a book and a ranseur. However, the woman was angry whilst this one seems more diplomatic. Neither Izumi nor Rooke can really remember anything about it. The many levels of this goblin fort were clearly built in different times, this one being the oldest. A door lies to closed to the east.
The woman nods and seems to tend to Tsuto for now. Dolgrin moves down. A stone door just around the corner from the steps hangs slightly ajar, the detailed carvings that once covered its surface defaced by chisel marks and hammer blows to the extent that only a few remnants of images (mostly of gemstones and crowns) remain. The floor here is slanted downward toward the west. A door to the east opens to another room where two pillars support the ceiling. In many places the stone walls, floor, and ceiling are caked with ancient grime and soot. Alcoves in the north and south walls contain partially damaged statues of a man in robes clutching a book and a glaive. The entire room is canted toward the west, and whatever ancient upheaval caused the complex to tilt knocked the statues from their bases so that now they lean against the western walls of their alcoves.
The dogs seem to not like getting bitten and move at the tiefling again. GM screen:
The dogs manage to bite her.
The group manages to drag Thakus' body behind closed doors. The dogs seem to angrily claw at the door. The group quickly drags him back upstairs. There is no sign of the bugbear who came up and the dogs do manage to fly around the corridor to where the group was, but they don't notice they got upstairs. Sweat is running down their brows as they look at each other trying to figure out what happened.
Shoot! Hope you're ok!
Tsuto is too groggy to fight being tied up and the woman doesn't fight back.
The pair seems pacified in the corner. Looking around, the group realizes that there is a way back east and a supposedly secret semi-opened door to the west.
The woman ignores Rooke and Izumi and pours the liquid into Tsuto's mouth. Tsuto opens his eyes slowly and she seems to calm down. Realizing that she is probably doing something she shouldn't, she tells the group "I have known him since he got here. You should leave now. Go away!"
The woman ignores Rooke and pours the liquid into Tsuto's mouth. GM screen:
The woman looks at Dolgrin for confirmation and, after getting it, kneels next to him cradling his unconscious body. She starts fumbling her things looking for something. After a while she is glad as she finds what seems to be a potion.
The dogs find the new target exciting and go for her. GM screen:
The tiefling's magic seems to stop the dogs attacks on her.
I suppose the holidays are keeping everyone busy. I'm busy too, so it's ok. I hope we can pick up in January.
I suppose the holidays are keeping everyone busy. I'm busy too, so it's ok. I hope we can pick up in January.
Ribitta:
They're called Yeth Hounds. They're evil outsiders usually dispatched by an evil deity as a reward for service. They have DR 5/silver.
Poppy waits to see what happens. Rooke's speech coupled with Dolgrin's sudden non aggression makes the woman pause. She takes a moment to check what the dwarf is doing.
The woman asks anxious "Is he alive?"
The dogs are as surprised as the others. The returning newcomer thrusts her weapon and feels some resistance, but blood still trickles out.
Rooke evaluates that Tsuto is very hurt . Izumi confirms that as her swing is too fast for him to dodge in his state, and he falls unconscious from his wounds. The multi-woman doesn't seem to like this and looks angry.
As Tsuto is heard and breaths harshly, he smirks as he thinks the invaders might be losing their momentum.
The dogs continue yelping and attacking Brand. GM screen:
Brand narrowly escapes the attack.
Azadi takes a look at the woman's body and notices that, beside the incredible looking breastplate and sword, she has a weird looking medallion.
Knowledge planes DC 18:
These dogs will probably eat Thakus if he is left here. Wisdom DC 15:
The woman that Brand killed is probably someone the leader in this place. The dogs turn to Brand to attack. GM screen:
The dogs miss Brand.
I've never dealt with player death before. If you survive the doggies, maybe you can bring the corpse back to Father Zantus. Or maybe Thakus wants to reroll?
GM screen:
The dog furiously bites at Thakus as he gets up.
Poppy zaps Tsuto again.
Poppy shoots some lightning at Tsuto which he barely manages to dodge the worst part. He seems very hurt from all the punishment the others dealt on him. This time, however, he has nowhere to run. He looks to the sides feeling helpless but still jabs at Dolgrin, hoping for a miracle. The woman, however, looks at Izumi enraged and screams "Don't hurt him!" and casts a spell aimed roughly at her. Her scream coming from 6 different versions of her sound a little spooky. GM screen:
Tsuto lands one slap, but the woman is a little scared of being attacked by Rooke and fails to concentrate.
While Brand manages to draw some blood from the dog, Azadi is sure he hit it straight in the flank. However, it's skin seems very thick.
That's ok, Poppy, do you want me to bot you? Glad the family is there for him.
Thakus fills the room with positive energy. The dogs are confused for a moment, but the regain their focus. However, one goes for their archnemesis, Brand, and the other goes for Thakus. GM screen:
Brand's attacker hurts its tooth on his shield, but Thakus is an easy target laying on the ground.
Brand hits the hurt dog, but his swing doesn't go past its skin.
The dogs turn their attention to Brand, definitively the scarier target at the moment. GM screen:
Once again the dwarf's defenses prove too much for them.
Tsuto, Ameiko's evil half-brother, punches Dolgrin twice in quick succession while the woman casts another spell. It provokes a very strange effect where five versions of herself pop up and they move with her. It's really hard to tell where the real one is. GM screen:
Tsuto's attacks only hit air.
The dogs, tasting blood, continue thrashing at Azadi. GM screen:
One of the dog bites really hard into him, cracking bone.
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