Search Posts
"Immune to a lot, weak to Electricity. Let's test that vulnerability, shall we?" Justin pops the wand from his wrist-sheath into his hand, and levels it at the fast-moving nightmare.
Justin doesn't even try to keep up with Karrin. Although he puts away his fair share. What the hey! It's a celebration. They survived a trip to a Plane no SANE humanoid visits on purpose! Main goal and others rescued. And he's pretty certain any excess calories he's eating will be worked off on their NEXT trip, which starts in,.... DANGIT! They're gonna be late! Well,... maybe just ONE more bite. And drink. (Which explains the condition they arrived in at the start of the Main Thread right after!) ;P
'Well you know what would be a great cap to this adventure? Food. Let's go to that Ogre place and get the whole roasted boar. I think it's stuffed with onions, chestnuts, and other secret ogre seasonings." "When you're right, you are RIGHT!" Justin agrees.
THAT info seems to boggle Justin's mind a bit. His eyes glaze over slightly. "Aw man. Sometimes I really do wish I could be a simple research wizard. The possibilities with this stuff is literally limited only by the imagination." "I just dont have the TIME."
"Maybe? Or maybe they thought he knew or discovered something and grabbed him to make sure he kept quiet? So to us it looks like a random kidnapping? Or maybe all of them WERE random kidnappings. Except you. Because you really WERE snooping around their kip." Justin shakes his head and smirks. But his heart isn't really into it, so the sarcasm is weak. Or maybe just tired. "Well Murph, I know YOU do your best. I'm not so sure I'd agree about some of your co-workers though. I mean 'Richard' really makes it hard not to call him by his nickname sometimes. MOST times honestly."
Justin scribbles notes into his small leather-bound traveling notebook. "Makes sense. Let me know if we, and by 'WE' I mean 'YOU', need to save any of it for any specialty potions. Or if it can be used in any alchemical or magic items we can make use of. Otherwise,... I know a couple of people that might be interested." 'No WAY am I giving that fat tiefling alchemist-wannabe anything like THIS. But I'll bet that, yeah. They'll be interested.'
Justin replies to Murphy. "Well. That figures. Let me know if you need a good excuse. I'm sure I can come up with something. I'll tell them I needed YOU for a consultation for a change." Justin smirks. "So, what you're saying is, Even if we had hard and indisputable evidence that the Scarlet Circle was kidnapping Sigilites, which I would HOPE is against the law, It would have to be more than 'mugging someone in an alley' to get them involved enough to take the Circle down?" "Sheesh. I KNOW they're nicknamed 'Hardheads', but still, Sheesh. No Offense Murph." "Kinda makes me wish I had pushed for a more 'finish what we started' approach. But I was just glad to find you still alive and kicking. And I'm TRYING to keep the whole 'Burning everything I touch to the ground' to a bare minimum. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I might need to re-think that strategy again."
"Everyone OK?" The wizard asks. Justin glances at the now-battered and broken spider-things on the ground. "Memnon, Unless you tell me there's something on the bodies of immense mystical and/or alchemical value,... Nope. I mean, I'm interested in unusual constructs. BUT other-planer, Abyssmal Constructs? THAT'S a bit much, even for me." Justin walks over to the star-shaped depression in the wall. He turns to the others. "Everyone OK?" He asks again. "Buckle up boys and girls. We're going home! Before anything else on this rusty-hind-end cube tries to eat us!" Justin reaches over his shoulder to his haversack, and pulls out a flask of lamp oil. He dribbles a drop or two of oil into his palm, and slaps it onto the center of the star.
The wizard, somehow managed to evade the 'Tornado of Terror', and maintain his summoning chant. (Amazing what a strong sense of self-preservation can accomplish. And an Adrenaline rush never hurt either.) Justin finishes his conjuration with a verbal flourish, and a look of what can only be relief.
The Azata hovers in the air before her summoner, a look of mild amusement on her seductive features. "Hail Lillend!" Justin calls to the Azata.
The wizard grins. "And, if you can help us to kick it's semi-ethereal backside, that would be great too." The winged elvish-serpent lady throws back her head and laughs. It is a pleasant, musical sound. "This should prove to be interesting. I shall aid you human wizardling. Kindly make the battle a tale worth telling!" The Lillend Azata unslings a small harp, and begins strumming and singing. "Oh for,... Would you lot quit playing around." Merle unleashed a barrage of magic missiles on the thing. Justin pulls out his Blasting Rod and points it at the crazy critter. "I'm not sure I'd call it playing,... Shazbot!"
Alessia’s damage: 3d6 + 1d8 ⇒ (1, 4, 4) + (1) = 10
The wizard's eyes widen.
"You have GOTTA be kidding me!"
"Oh no. Retreivers. They're Abyssmal Constructs! If we run, they'll come after us, but we'll be able to fight them one at a time in the tunnel. Here we have more room & can all concentrate attacks, but they have the movement advantage." "They're tough. Like those Constructs in the Vamp base. Don't waste energy on anything fancy, they're probably immune. Hit them the standard THREE ways. Hard, Fast and Continuously!" It's hard to tell if Justin if giving directions, or just thinking out loud. The wizard's fingers twitch as he speaks, as if unable to decide which spell to start.
Justin almost stutters and falters his spell upon hearing the creatures' immunities, on top of it's considerable magical resistance. But he recovers and smoothly continues the summoning chant.
Justin is considering how best to tell Memnon exactly where the crystal paperweight can go soak his head, but the Mimir's suddenly sincere warnings put all thoughts of their usual banter out of his mind. "Flying Polyps? I've read of those. Barely. Magic resistant? They sound more like Magic IMMUNE." "Of COURSE their magic resistant. Where would the fun be otherwise?" "You heard the Crystal ball! Merle, Haste please. Fly the warriors if you can. Defensive buffs everyone! Don't waste direct magic attacks. If you do, Lightning is your best bet! Memnon, if we can break through it's magic resistance, is there anything it's immune to? If so we don't wanna waste magic on it."
"I'm gonna call in reinforcements for this one,..." Justin says, backing up to the rear of the group. The wizard points a finger and draws a circle of flame around himself. It turns Blue. Then he begins chanting in the cadence of a summoning spell. "Elements of Eternity, Above and Below, Balance of Essence, Fire beget Snow. Locktwarr danelora, Luatha danu, tuatha tuatha, chnox danu,..."
"LOTS of practice recently my friend. LOTS of practice."
"Memnon!" Justin calls, tapping the small but obvious lump under his coat. "Take a peek please. I need to know how to kill this thing!"
"Oh, BUGGER. Literally."
"Spiders. Why'd it have to be Spiders,...?!?"
"Seriously how have you lunatics survived this long?" Merle facepalming as the two jump in "Clean living?" Justin offers, swiftly checking that all his defensive enchantments are still in place. "Karrin, then Merle and I, the rest bring up the rear. Quickly. We don't know how long the Gate will stay open, or if it's one-way." Justin says, pointing at each in turn. His other hand holds his 'Blasting Rod' at the ready. Justin looks at Memnon with an eyebrow raised in question, holding his coat open. With a brief nod, and a suspicious lack of snarky commentary, the Mimir ducks inside the offered protection of the spell-armored coat.
"Yes Hamar. It's a magical Gate. We go through it. Preferably without looking too closely, at the figures,... within,..." The wizard starts to stare, and then shakes his head vehemently. "Yes. Through. Quickly."
Justin sends an flicker of Will through his mystic tattoo, and the now-familiar half-a-dozen (or so) magical, colored, candle-lights pop into being. Justin points silently, and the lights spread out and rise slowly upwards.
"Check the walls. Carefully."
"If you say so." Memnon starts to read out the inscription. "Ah, are you sure that's a good idea Mem,...??" As the Mimir finishes, a strange thing occurs. The statue animates! It stands tall on its batrachian hind legs, and spreads its webbed arms. The furnace door in its belly opens up and a pale green fire springs to life within the cavity. A hushed sourceless whispering infuses the still air of the chamber Justin floats into the air, and backwards. Several Feet. "OK,... But THAT is definitely unusual!"
"THAT, must be our 'path'. I think. The ones who left that note must have discovered the secret, but couldn't read Aklo. Lucky them!" Justin floats back closer to the now 'lit' statue. Cautiously. "Warriors first? Secure the entrance. And um, be sure to look up." Justin adds, having a sudden, terrifying, flashback to that ONE room in the floating citadel of the Negative plane. (THIS wizard, for one, will NEVER presume 'up' is 'safe' again.)
"The Right IS always right. Unless it's a Left. Remember, Two Wrongs don't make a right. BUT three Lefts do!"
Justin crawls in to the statue/sacrificial frog, (Reluctantly, and only after using his Prestidigitation Charm to protect himself from the worst of the interior 'residue'). The wizard tries to read the inscription, but his eyes end up squinting more and more at the unruly script until his headache returns. Justin backs out of the unpleasant space. "I do not recognize that language. It's similar to Infernal, in that it just seems wrong, but I'm not certain what it is. Can you read it Memnon?"
Justin also investigates the statue and now-empty pool it sits in.
Apparently, The wizard is momentarily paralyzed at the sudden resurgent memories of his attempted ingestion. Twice. Justin shudders and shakes himself. "Shards and Shells, What a memory!"
Justin nods. "Hmph. Thanks Memnon. Well, you can't argue with statistics. Actually, I despise statistics, because they are the ONE branch of Math that you CAN make lie. But we're gonna roll with it." Justin smiles at Karrin. "Well, you heard the paperweight. Left it is! Um, Ladies first?" he smiles.
Justin: …I can deduce that more danger lies in more tracks so I obviously cannot take the left hand path. However, the other way leads downwards, and all good adventurers know that going downwards leads to greater danger, so CLEARLY I cannot take the right-hand path. . However, I have studied the origins of language, and I know that sinister is an ancient word meaning left, so clearly I cannot take the left path. However, I have also studied the works of great adventurers, and in studying I have learned that on should always go left in a maze, so I cannot take the right handed path! Karrin: Now you are just stalling. Justin: YOU’D LIKE TO THINK THAT, WOULDN’T YOU?!?
Justin looks at the spot on the wall indicated by Hamar, Then he looks at the barbarian himself. Then He looks back the way they came. The wizard facepalms. "Oh. Because of COURSE it is. Put the entrance to the hidden burial chamber in the LAST place anyone would think, or want, to look. Good job Hamar." The wizard turns about and heads back the way they just came from. "I'm guessing that whomever discovered that little secret left that message because they weren't able to get back out again. And wanted the next 'visitors' to this place to at least have a chance. Let's not disappoint them." The wizard seems, not angry, more sad, at this most recent discovery.
Justin looks at where Alessia points. "Ah. Right. So we either go Right, and AVOID where more traffic goes, OR we count on the more-used path being where the Portal is anchored?"
"A-HEM!" The crystal skull manages to make even that brief noise sound sarcastic. "IF I may?" (Justin wonders how an inexpressive Carved bit of Crystal manages to express certain emotions, like disdain, so clearly?!?)
"Hm. No signs saying 'Exit to Sigil This way'. Remind me to file a complaint." Justin shakes his head. "Without a clue, one direction is as likely as the other. We need some sort of a search pattern. And a guarantee that the Vamps aren't sending out a search party for their missing prisoners." The wizard points to the various branches. "Right or Left? OR Upwards vs. Downwards. Take your pick!" "WHERE is a Planar Ranger when you NEED one?!
"I'm beginning to think the only one 'dumb as a brick' here is the wizard."
"Rassin'-Frassin-manipulative-little,..." Justin mutters to himself as he follows the rest into the seam.
Memnon's hissing snicker reverberates strangely off the walls.
"He was the old party leader" Karrin says, "Until we voted Justin into power." "Yep. He had eyes like a hawk." Justin does a double-take. "Wait, what?!? When did we 'vote'?!?"
Justin scribbles some lines in his journal with a charcoal stub. Then tucks it away again. "Yes please Hamar. Keep an eye out for hidden doors. I've read of entire tomb complexes that were built to look already looted, while the true burial chamber was completely hidden. Some builders just have way too much time on their hands I guess?"
Behind a pile of rusting clockwork gears, Alessia sees a fissure in the wall that has a distinct greenish tint, like the copper pieces in Sigil. It is about half a kilometer from their position Justin looks at Alessia, then follows her outstretched finger. The wizard holds a hand up to shade his eyes.He squints. Hard. "Huh. Well I'll be an Imp's Uncle. Lookit that. Way to go Eagle-Eye Alessia! Issaac would be proud!"
"Hey, ah,... you wanna slow down Alessia? I mean, JUST a little? Wait for the others." |