Before following Valessa and Beren I ask the old elf "Where's the control room?"
When I catch up to Beren and Valessa and see the thing I whisper "What is that? It looks like a puppet my great-uncle made for Midsummer's Day once." While I draw and load my crossbow and search my memory for something like it other than my great-uncle's puppet.
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Knowledge: Dungeoneering
The creature is a lurking strangler, a product of the same depraved mind that fashioned the Beholders and their ilk. So similar to the great eye beast are they that they too share eye ray effects.
Bardic Knowledge
The beast is one of the lowerst ranking of the twisted servants of the daelkyr. They are used as spys and guardians, and by the most powerful leaders of the mad hordes even familiars.
When I catch up to Beren and Valessa and see the thing I whisper "What is that? It looks like a puppet my great-uncle made for Midsummer's Day once." While I draw and load my crossbow and search my memory for something like it other than my great-uncle's puppet.
"Yeah, but where's its body?"
"Well" I whisper back to Brick "it doesn't have a body its just meant to be weird and a little scary, at least that's what my uncle's puppet was meant to do. And it did, the way he moved it and how it looked gave me nightmares for weeks when I was 8." I take careful aim at the creature and address Beren "Should we fire on it?"
“Watch out for it Beren,” Valessa warns, backing away slightly and training her bow on the thing. “It fires magic rays from it’s eyes – and I don’t think it’s called a lurking strangler for nothing either. We’d best use bows.” Valessa draws hers back, preparing to fire.
“Get it!” Valessa yells. “It’s going to tell someone – thing – we’re here!”
Despite the incredible difficulty of firing nearly straight up, you manage to hit the creature, but with no real idea of its internal structure, you can't tell if the wound was mortal or a nick.
I as it flies past I let my bolt fly at the strange creature.
Sari watches as the creature hovers over the group. As she sees it start to fly pasts Valessa Sari throws her Xen'drik Boomerang at the creature after it passes Valessa.
Ruuz watches the creature on the ceiling dart away, "Be careful that is doesn't lead you into an ambush or a room similar the this one." Ruuz reaches for his crossbow and loads a bolt and takes a step closer to Jyra ready to protect her if need be.
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Initiative table, round 1:
Beren: 23
Sari: 17
Jyra: 16
Valessa: 15
Ruuz: 14
Lurking Strangler: 10
Professor Ghorkin: 7
Rokko: 6
Merreck: 5
Brick: 4
The creature was hovering right at the beginning of the side corridor leading to the Chamber of Sighs, and when Beren turned to leave it went straight up to the ceiling. His blind sense is how it was detected. Now it is 30 feet above you, and 20 feet down the main corridor, which puts it about 25' from entering the spherical room.
It just sat there watching for a while, before attempting to run off, so everyone has had a chance to return to the main corridor for the fight.
Sari and Merreck's attacks both miss the tiny writhing creature so high above.
Beren
Beren repositions his bow, pulls back the string, and takes aim. He closes one eye for good measure then launches an arrow.
“Beren…” Valessa looks at her archery teacher in dismay – although she has to admit that it was as much luck as skill that her own arrow had hit – and she feared it was a minor hit at that.
“Jyra – it’s almost above you – do something!” she yells.
Sari looks over her shoulder to see where her boomerang went, hoping that nobody managed to see that yet again she wasn't able to catch it. Sari takes note as to where her boomerang is so she can pick it up after the creature is gone. Sari pulls out her shortbow.
"Yea Jyra at least grab something to try to hit it, that is unless you are afraid you might mess up your hair or something. The least you could do is pretend you know how to actually fight." As Sari leans closer to Valessa and whispers, "What a waste of flesh, if that is what she is even made of." Sari looks towards Jyra watching her every move in hopes that if she doesn't make herself useful maybe Sari will have a chance to hit the creature again. Sari looks up to get a better idea of the range the creature. Sari not seeing a clear shot at the creature takes aim where Valessa is pointing and pulls back her bow and lets it fly.
Valessa's eyes flick momentarily towards Sari, as she attempts to draw a bead on the fleeing creature. "Just watch your back around her," she whispers to the Denieth woman. "Talk more later - let's get this thing!"
Attack: 12+4+6 (action point) = 22. Damage: 5 – that’s better!
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Beren's Attack misses, but Sari and Valessa manage to bring the creature down, though momentum causes it to still pass through the small crack and into the spherical chamber.
Jyra, looks exasperated on her turn, and makes it obvious her only weapon is a small belt dagger, which looks almost ornamental.
Comically easy combat over.
"Well, that was easy." I say as I load another crossbow bolt and look into the chamber to see if I can see the creature.
I trot after it, keeping my crossbow ready should another one of the creatures or something worse appear.
"Hmm - I wonder where it was heading? It seemed to be acting intelligently."
"Good thinking Rokko. It was going the way that we came. Maybe it had some type of key from his eye ray that would open those other doors." Beren stows his bow and unsheathes his blades, "I prefer these anyway," he quickly says to Valessa. Then he sneaks to the edge of the door to the spherical room and looks around before entering to examine the body.
"Reporting to something," says Valessa darkly, looking about.
"Well, assuming Beren doesn't find anything interesting out there, where to now?"
"Not really sure lets have a look around." Ruuz scans the room "Is everyone all right to continue?"
"Not really sure lets have a look around." Ruuz scans the room "Is everyone all right to continue?"
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"Good thinking Rokko. It was going the way that we came. Maybe it had some type of key from his eye ray that would open those other doors." Beren stows his bow and unsheathes his blades, "I prefer these anyway," he quickly says to Valessa. Then he sneaks to the edge of the door to the spherical room and looks around before entering to examine the body.
The creature is quite dead on the floor. You note that attempting to sneak about in the spherical chamber is about pointless as it is increibly well lit now.
Glancing around, you do notice one odd and out of place thing; there are vines growing down the rope you used to descend only a few minutes ago.
I look up at the vine encrusted rope and say "Dammit! Why can't something normal happen?" I pull out my scimitar and go over to the rope, trying to see the sky so that I can figure out what time it is.
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I look up at the vine encrusted rope and say "Dammit! Why can't something normal happen?" I pull out my scimitar and go over to the rope, trying to see the sky so that I can figure out what time it is.
The vine is only about 10 feet down from the top, but deffinetly growing.
Looking up through the hole is looking straight up at the noon sun. Have your action point back.
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"Not really sure lets have a look around." Ruuz scans the room "Is everyone all right to continue?"
The creature ran back to the main spherical chamber, which had 3 exits, only one of which you could open.
The exit you have opened lead to a massive corridor, with several smaller corridors branching off. The main corridor continues to the "horizon", which you estimate to be miles.
"Beren you and Sari go ahead and take lead and lets see whats in each of the alcoves"
Ruuz looks down at the creature they just killed, "Professor Lorkin do you want this to take back or not?"
After checking over the body, Beren rechecks the two other doors to make sure that they are still locked. He also does a quick scan to see if there would be some type of device that would be activated by the creature's eye ray. "If it was headed this way, it might have a means to open one of these doors. What do you think Professor?", Beren asks Ruuz as he looks over the doors again.
"Beren you and Sari go ahead and take lead and lets see whats in each of the alcoves"
Beren turns to regard Ruuz's alter-image, then nods his head. He nudges his head sideways to cue Sari to follow then re-enters the long hallway and moves to investigate the next hollow. He holds his double swords on display incase there are any more surprises.
Rokko follows after Beren at a safe distance of about 20', crossbow drawn.
Beren turns to regard Ruuz's alter-image, then nods his head. He nudges his head sideways to cue Sari to follow then re-enters the long hallway and moves to investigate the next hollow. He holds his double swords on display incase there are any more surprises.
Sari grabs her boomerang and catches up to Beren.
Sari follows Beren into the hallway keeping her bow drawn ready for anything. She looks around to see if she notices anything different from the last time they walk this hallway. She looks back towards Ruuz and gives him a nod. "I think it is ok for you to come this way, there seems to be nothing this far in, well at least that I can see."
As Beren approaches the next hollow ...
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The cross corridors of the hollows are unifomely spaced at 40' apart. The next hollow branches in both directions, though the magical lights of the right branch have seemingly all failed.
The left branch plunges roughly 100' into the sidewall, at a slightly downward angle. Along the sides you see several doors, but any details are lost because of the angles.
Looking further down the main corridor, you can see another set of small hollows another 40' down, follwed by major intersection of the giant sized corridors 60' after that.
Suddenly you catch sight of a sphere of dirt and debris rolling up the corridor. Apparently it is collecting the dust from the floor, attempting to keep the hall clean, but just as much dust is leaking from the faltering magic, so the hall remains unchanged.
Rokko peers into the unlit corridor to the right using his darkvision.
I eye the dustball thing with apprehension and say "What the hell is that thing?" and shift my scimitar intoa more ready position as I look around.
Beren looks down the hallway, then turns back to look at Rokko, "That elf you saw, he give any inclination of where this thing might be? This place is big." With both swords drawn, Beren moves along but stops and crouches along the right wall as darkness encloses the side hallway at the intersection. Looking at Rokko again the Shifter whispers, “Great place for an ambush. Rokko, do your goblin eyes see anything?” Beren then reaches deep within himself and brings forth his ancestry powers once again hoping to detect any type of sneak attack before it occurs.
Beren looks down the hallway, then turns back to look at Rokko, "That elf you saw, he give any inclination of where this thing might be? This place is big." With both swords drawn, Beren moves along but stops and crouches along the right wall as darkness encloses the side hallway at the intersection. Looking at Rokko again the Shifter whispers, “Great place for an ambush. Rokko, do your goblin eyes see anything?” Beren then reaches deep within himself and brings forth his ancestry powers once again hoping to detect any type of sneak attack before it occurs.
"Unfortunately not, he didn't mention it."
"Wonderful. We're sent on a quest of great importance to the future of the world and our informant couldn't do us the basic curtesy of telling us where the Hell we're supposed to find this thing? What is it with prophets? Why can't they give more specific information. I mean, yeah it makes a better story if we must prove out worth by discovering the mysteries on our own but maybe that should be left for, I don't know, sometime the world isn't in grave danger if we don't complete our task swiftly? Always bothered me in the stories. Why can't the damn fortune tellers be specific instead of poetic yet confusing?" I say sarcastically as I walk down the corridor, not being particularlly attentive while doing so.
"Wonderful. We're sent on a quest of great importance to the future of the world and our informant couldn't do us the basic curtesy of telling us where the Hell we're supposed to find this thing? What is it with prophets? Why can't they give more specific information. I mean, yeah it makes a better story if we must prove out worth by discovering the mysteries on our own but maybe that should be left for, I don't know, sometime the world isn't in grave danger if we don't complete our task swiftly? Always bothered me in the stories. Why can't the damn fortune tellers be specific instead of poetic yet confusing?" I say sarcastically as I walk down the corridor, not being particularlly attentive while doing so.
"Prophet. A prophet or prophetess is a person obligated with the responsibility of being a follower from a holy person or thing with the purpose of making social change. I don't know why they can't give good thoughts. Do you?"
Sari listens to Beren talking and silently wonders which way they are going to go. She looks down the hallways hoping maybe she will see a flicker of movement or something to give them a heads up as to which way to go. Sari seeing and hearing nothing other then the chatter of the group, looks towards Beren. "Well I don't know which way to go but I think we need to keep moving.
"Well I don't know which way to go but I think we need to keep moving.
Beren turns to regard the House Member and quietly says, "Patience my Comrad-in-Arms. Remember, I found footprints in the beginning of this corridor . They belonged to someone. The obvious choice is to follow the lighted passageway first, but that also leaves a great chance for any possible ambush waiting us in the darker corrider to attack us when we reach the light. We must tread careful or we will not be treading at all. Give me a few moments. If someone is in striking distance, I should be able to detect them. Stay against the wall and have your weapons ready." Beren then turns back to peer deeper into the darkness hopeing his heightened senses or Rokko's vision finds any potential lurkers before they have a chance to strike.
Between Rokko and Beren sensing no impending ambush, Beren turns to the group, "Since we have a lighted corridor, I say we investigate there first. Any thoughts?" Beren, still with swords in hand, will make his way to the first door in the lighted corridor and inspect it for any more elven writing. While he moves, he looks around for anymore footprints.
Ruuz watches the ancient magic try to clean the large hall, "Great now we have giant dust bunnies running around. Well it appears that we are not the only ones down here so lets keep an eye out but I agree with Sari lets keep moving."
Ruuz steps up behind Rokko with his crossbow watching for any dangers.