That is indeed the end of the second chapter. You each have leveled up if you care to post your 8th level stats.
All, I'm going to step away from the game for awhile to focus on other things. I've greatly enjoyed gaming with you all for the last four and a half years. You are welcome to keep the game going with a different GM. Perhaps we can pick the game back up again in the future if we collectively decide to do so.
As the battle rages, Aliseya undergoes a fateful transformation from wickness to serenity. As she begins to levitate, Naught dashes to pick up the unconscious Zelda. The golem swipes at her twice as she does so, but misses both times.
Naught steps into Ali's waiting arms with Zelda and the three heroes step over the tower edge into the darkness below.
As you plummet over the edge, you are surprised to see a monstrous shape climbing up the tower walls. As you fall and get closer you see that the climber is none other than the Beast! The Beast locks eyes with you momentarily and winks. It then continues its climb to the top of the tower where it will enter into mortal combat with its sibling - the aberrant promethean.
As you continue your fall, your mind races through all that has happened over the last several years - the Ravengro murders, the ghosts of Harrowstone, the gothic darkness of Lepidstadt, the trial of the Beast and finally the nightmarish constructs of Count Caromarc. Somehow you know that the Whispering Way and their imprisoned patron, Tar Baphon, are behind all of this. Perhaps you will find a way to stop the cultists if you can somehow survive.
As the swirling mist at the bottom of the gorge draws closer, you become aware of ethereal winged psychopomps manifesting around you. Ali reaches to grab onto a window ledge and feels her boots begin to activate. Perhaps death will be held at bay. Perhaps you will survive to live another day.
With a mighty shake, a massive flesh golem abomination bursts through the wooden shudders on top of the tower observatory. The stitched abomination appears to be made from the parts of at least half a dozen creatures, including choker, chuul, cloaker and ettercap, blended together into a disgusting mass of unlife. The creature reaches its tentacles to the raging storm clouds above and howls with unearthly fury. As if to answer, flashes of lightning and crushing booms of thunder rage around you.
Everyone may take your first round action as the aberrant promethean emerges from the tower. You may also take your second round action if you beat a 9 for initiative. Roll 20 is updated.
You managed to scale the external walls and find your way to the tower roof. Around you torrents of rain gust and soak you to the bone. Lightning flashes ever several seconds. You are shaken by the constant cacophony of booming thunder.
The tower opens onto a flat platform high above the raging waters. A spire of twisted iron rises from the tower’s roof in a series of three triangular iron platforms. Perched at the very top stands a huge lightning conductor and numerous lightning rods.
A peculiar brass device, studded with dials and protrusions and filled with a strange purple liquid, stands high atop the tower, attached to a huge silvery conductor by thick, rubber coated cables.
The homunculus points to its mouth and shakes its head. It then begins pantomiming a lurching creature and pointing to the room above you. It then points back to you and feigns being dead. Finally, it points to the faded chalk markings on the wall.
Zelda finds the faint outlines where chalk markings were erased from one of the walls. She finds that with the assistance of the others, she can faintly read the markings.
markings:
A crude chalk diagram depicts the iron spire atop of the
tower, and two strange apparatuses at its pinnacle. An
arrow points to the larger of the two devices, next to the
words “The Storm Caller must be activated to energize
the Bondslave Thrall.”
Suddenly a one legged homunculus flashes into existence near the top of the stairs. It cautiously approaches you with its hands in the air.
You move up through the trapdoor to the room above. This circular room is choked with webs. A stone staircase curves along the wall to another trapdoor in the ceiling.
Outside the thunder and lightning strikes have increased to a frenetic tempo.
Naught charges the girallon but her claws cannot penetrate its flesh.
Govannon likewise swoops on the flesh golem and manages to catch it off guard with his attack, but he finds that his scimitar hardly is able to cut through the creature's thick hide.
Govannon:
You know that the creature is DR 5/adamantine
Zelda slips in next to Naught but is unable to hit the golem.
The garillon flesh golem begins furiously rending Govannon with its four claws (48 hp damage).
A large variant garillion flesh golem steps out from behind the cage as you enter the room. The creature's eyes glow a fiery red as it begins to shriek and pound its chest.
Initiatives please. You may take your first round action if you beat a 7. Please adjust your positions on Roll 20.
Govannon struggles to open the door of the tower against the torrents of rain and gusting wind. On the other side, a curving stone staircase winds along the wall of this circular chamber up to a trapdoor in the ceiling some thirty feet above. The room is in chaos, with books, alchemical equipment, and curiously twisted metal everywhere. A huge, broken cage stands in the center of the room, its bars bent and door smashed open.
Govannon opens the north door to reveal another cylindrical room. Other than the two stone doors high on the walls, this room seems bare save for the dark waters covering the floor.
Govannon then opens the eastern door to reveal the light of day. A grand stone bridge arches over the gorge to a stack of rock on which perches a high tower topped with a lightning rod. Dark storm clouds are forming overhead and sheets of rain are starting to come down.
Govannon opens the nearest door to find a room that mirrors the previous two rooms. The room seems to be infested with various fungi that cling to every surface. The broken remains of an iron walkway juts from the water, also now infested with fungi. Two doors stand high up on the walls - one of which you stand in.
Aleksander knows that Zelda will begin the transformation into a vargouille within the next 24 hours. The process can be paused through exposure to direct sunlight but can only be stopped using a remove disease spell.
Gavannon splits the last bat winged gorilla head as Aliseya crushes its scull. The undead beast falls screaming to the cages below.
2400 XP
As the head hits the water you see some movement in one of the three cages below. A weak whimper echoes through the chamber - sounding vaguely like a cry for help.
On a second cage there is a flash of movement and color. As you squint through the shadows you see what appears to be a bird of some sort strutting on top of the cage ... it appears to be a peacock!
Aliseya casts a spell on the bat winged gorilla head - causing it to shriek in pain and push away from Zelda.
Govannon splits one of the flying heads in two with a slice of his scimitar and a flash of arcane power.
Aleksander again smashes the second creature attacking Govannon with his ring - pulverizing it and sending it spinning to the watery depths below.
Round 3
The remaining vargouille again moves to Zelda and latches onto the paralyed rogue (please make another DC 16 fort save or begin a dreadful transformation.)
Zelda finds herself paralyzed by the creature's hideous cry.
Govannon flies up to engage the undead beasts.
Aleksander activates his ring and a ram shaped force projection smashes into one of the bat winged heads.
Aliseya issues a murderous command, but the undead creatures resist.
Round 2
Two of the creatures converge on Govannon - one of the undead creatures is able to lock its jaws on Govannon (3 hp damage and make a DC 14 fort save. A failed save means that the damage cannot be healed by normal means.)
A third creature descends to Zelda and begins kissing the helpless rogue (make a DC 16 fort save).
With a screech the bat like creatures descend toward you. As they enter the light, you see that they are bat-winged gorilla heads that each trail dangling entrails.
Govannon identifies two of the potions as a potion of displacement and a potion of gaseous form. The two remaining vials of reddish liquid are not magical.
Knowledge, Arcana DC 20:
The reddish liquid is alchemically preserved basilisk blood.
Govannon finds that the hall extends 50' to the east and ends in a door. There are also two additional doors on the north and south walls.
Aleksander detects no evil from corpses, but he does detect evil radiating from the darkness above him.
Govannon opens the door to find a hallway that heads east. He sees another door across the hall. To the west there is a small alcove with shelving. There are four vials on the shelves.
Govannon opens the door to reveal a room similar to the previous room. A rotting stench comes from a trio of headless, apelike creatures inside heavy iron cages. The waters lap against these corpses, while the twisted remnants of an iron walkway lie half-submerged in the water. As with the previous room, double doors enter the room from the south wall 30' below you. There is also a door across from you on the north wall - the catwalk is again missing.
Govannon opens the door to reveal a circular chamber empty save for dark water 30' below where your at. A pair of double doors open into the room on the southern wall at water level - below you. A single door is across from Govannon on the northern wall. The shattered remains of an iron catwalk that once connected the western and northern doors dangles precariously from the wall.
Water floods out from behind the door as Govannon pulls it open. Within you find a 20' wide hallway that goes both left and right. In front of you a stairwell goes up. The hallway is flooded with about 3' of water.
You exit the building traverse the exposed, winding, narrow pathway that climbs the bare rock face. Several hundred feet below you the raging river rapids roar.
Everyone make a DC 10 climb check to avoid slipping off of the narrow path.
The path ends at a small stairway that descends 10 feet to a recessed iron door. Above you, four interconnected towers loom.
The room above is an empty attic. Through a small window, looking down and to the north, you see that the path outside the curios door (J11) leads to a tower perched on the edge of a cliff. A long lightning rod extends from the top of the tower.
Gathering storm clouds can be seen on the horizon.
The stair leads to a second story room. Three dissected, preserved harpies sit in huge bell jars in this room, along with jars containing four stuffed bats, the skeletal front legs and head of a griffon, and the preserved wing of a roc which is slowly losing its feathers. A ladder leads up to a trapdoor in the ceiling. A door exits the room from the north.
Govannon opens the door to reveal a room with the preserved remains of numerous sea creatures. The skeleton of a sea cow dominates this room, hung from the ceiling on a set of iron rungs and held together by a steel frames. Numerous jars sit on shelves within the room, The skeleton of a sea cow dominates this room, hung from the ceiling on a set of iron rungs and held together by a steel frames. Numerous jars sit on shelves within the room, containing alchemically preserved octopuses, tubeworms, the head of a skum, a curiously repellent eel-like creature with fangs, and a strange, mermaidlike creature with the upper body of a monkey and the tail of
a fish.
Knowledge, Nature DC 16:
The mermaid creature is a ningyo.
Perception DC 20:
You spot a secret door in the northwest corner of the room. Opening the door reveals a spiral staircase going up.
