"What are they doing?!" Jessa whispers in horrific fascination, "Is that...some...kind of...ritual? Or what?"
I whisper back; "I'm not sure. But they don't look like they're open to negotiation..."
I whisper back; "I'm not sure. But they don't look like they're open to negotiation..."
"I...umm...think you might be right," Jessa agrees, "But it's such a shame! They're speaking a language that's not been heard for thousands of years! If they know that much, imagine what else they might know about Varisia's past?"
I whisper back; "I'm not sure. But they don't look like they're open to negotiation...""I...umm...think you might be right," Jessa agrees, "But it's such a shame! They're speaking a language that's not been heard for thousands of years! If they know that much, imagine what else they might know about Varisia's past?"
"Jessa, I'm much more concerned with preserving our own immediate future. Everyone ready?" Once he gets the nod, Kenzo steps out to the spot at that top of the stairs to the right, allowing Eugen to move straight up to the center of the platform and the head of the walkway, and let's fly with a dagger at the closest target.
1d20=10+7=17 initiative,
1d20=9+4=13 to hit, 1d4=3+1=4 damage
The creature, surprised by the sudden appearance of a knife in its back, howls angrily. Its companion, craning its head to the side to look around the other, widens its eyes in surprise.
I focus upon a strange sound of bells i've never heard, the soft wind of wings i've never felt and the sweet smell of nectar i've never tasted.
It wells within me for a second, and then a burst of heavenly fire gouts from my chest toward the nearest beastie.
heavenly fire (1d20+3=19, 1d6+1=2)
Following Kenzo's lead, Jessa draws back on her longbow and lets an arrow fly. She targets the same creature with a knife in its back. And this time, the motion comes more naturally for her.
Jessa's attack with longbow... (1d20+3 = 21 to hit, 1d8 = 4 damage)
The already wounded creature stumbles but does not fall as it is struck twice more in less than a second.
still in pain from my wounds, but hoping to press the advantage, i charge the same beast that Kenzo stuck with his dagger.
Eugen's moves swiftly behind the already injured monstrosity and cuts it down. It falls to the ground, twitching, but it is clearly not dead.
I move up behind Kenzo ready to heal him if necessary.
Round 1: The underground prison
Monsters - Initiative: 16
Gyorgy - Initiative: 15
Eugen - Initiative: 13
Jessa - Initiative: 13
Magazin - Initiative: 9
The injured monster rolls to it's side, falling off the wooden platform, ten feet to the ground below. Damage: (1d6=6)
The other steps forward, with what appears to be a gleeful look in its eyes and lights into Eugen.
Monster attacks Eugen: (1d20+2=8, 1d20+2=10, 1d20=8)
The creature attacks with more enthusiasm than skill and Eugen manages to keep the thing at bay.
Round 1: The underground prison
The creature attacks with more enthusiasm than skill and Eugen manages to keep the thing at bay.
i rush forward after parrying its attacks and try to catch it off guard with a thrust.
Kenzo has a 17 for initiative, posted above for the suprise round.
Kenzo has a 17 for initiative, posted above for the suprise round.
So you did. Which means that you have an action available to you now, one which will take place before the first creature rolls off the platform.
Jessa draws another arrow and fires again at the beast attacking Eugen...
...but the shot sails wide and out of sight into the room below.
I yelp in shock at the monster's ferocity before unleashing another blast of Heavenly Fire.
Heavenly fire at the other one (1d20+3=15, 1d6+1=6)
"These things are crazy!"
Kenzo has a 17 for initiative, posted above for the suprise round.So you did. Which means that you have an action available to you now, one which will take place before the first creature rolls off the platform.
Kenzo follows his first throw with a second at the other creature, but this one misses the mark.
Eugen's stroke cuts the creature and Gyorgy scorches it, but it does not go down.
I step around Kenzo and strike at the thing!
Attack roll and damage roll as necessary. (1d20+3=23, 1d8+2=3)
Magazin moves up next to Eugen and clubs the thing hard on the head. It totters and then falls, its skull open to the air.
As the creature lays on the ground, its wounds begin to close, though it is clearly unconscious.
As the creature lays on the ground, its wounds begin to close, though it is clearly unconscious.
Round 2: The underground prison
Kenzo - Initiative: 17
Monsters - Initiative: 16
Gyorgy - Initiative: 15
Eugen - Initiative: 13
Jessa - Initiative: 13
Magazin - Initiative: 9
"It's healing itself!" Jessa cries out a warning.
i continue to hack apart the nearest monster.
"i'm totally okay this time guys, i just figure we might want to take advantage of the breather to make sure these things stay down."
On swift stroke of the sword later and the thing atop the platform is good and dead, its body no longer healing itself.
Kenzo follows Eugen's lead and drops off the platform to the floor below. After retrieving his dagger from the first creature, he firmly grabs its head and snaps its neck.
Seconds later the other creature is likewise dead upon the stone floor of the room. Kenzo observes that the wood below the platform is as highly polished as the wood atop the platform. The whole structure looks new.
Kenzo climbs the stairs to join the others. "Should we check the cells, or press on?"
Kenzo climbs the stairs to join the others. "Should we check the cells, or press on?"
"Um, err, um... maybe we should check for people?"
"Um, err, um... maybe we should check for people?"
"Right," Jessa nods, "If there are holding cells down here...and they kidnapped Ameiko and...did those horrible things to her father...well, who knows who else they have down here."
She hesitates for moment and then shares, "Though I wonder about this place. It's ancient. Far too ancient for mere goblins to be using or Ameiko's brother. There must be something else down here..."
A check of the holding cells quickly proves them all to be empty, though a couple appear to have seen possible recent use, containing as they do straw. The majority of them contain not even dust, indicitave perhaps of them having been cleaned.
"I haven't found a thing," says Kenzo. "Let's press on. The question is, back the way we came, or through the door they were standing by?"
"I haven't found a thing," says Kenzo. "Let's press on. The question is, back the way we came, or through the door they were standing by?"
"As much as I'd like to go back and review that statue," Jessa contemplates, "I'd recommend continuing in the direction these brutes seemed to favor. Hopefully, it will lead us to someone more talkative about these ruins...or help us find any more unfortunates that were kidnapped."
"Let's move on then - the statute won't be going anywhere, and we can always return to it later."
The archway to the east leads to a dark, twenty foot hall. The room at the east end of the hall is likewise unlit. The room is twenty feet long, east to west and fifteen feet wide. The room is filled with archaic and rusty torture devices, the purpose of which, for several of them, are not obvious. In the northwest corner of the room is a sphere of iron bands, sharp spikes pointing inwards. A star shaped wooden frame in the northeast corner is covered with hooks. In the center of the room is a table, covered with leather straps and cranks which appear designed to turn and twist the straps. Strangely enough, while all of the iron is showing signs of age, the wood appears polished, almost like new.
There is a door on the southern wall, and another closed door on the east wall.
The archway to the east leads to a dark, twenty foot hall. The room at the east end of the hall is likewise unlit. The room is twenty feet long, east to west and fifteen feet wide. The room is filled with archaic and rusty torture devices, the purpose of which, for several of them, are not obvious. In the northwest corner of the room is a sphere of iron bands, sharp spikes pointing inwards. A star shaped wooden frame in the northeast corner is covered with hooks. In the center of the room is a table, covered with leather straps and cranks which appear designed to turn and twist the straps. Strangely enough, while all of the iron is showing signs of age, the wood appears polished, almost like new.
"What kind of place was this?" Jessa asks aloud, "A torturous dungeon from ancient Thassilon? I shudder to think what horrors took place here...and by the look of that well-cared for wood, it may yet be in use!"
Although she continues to take in each an every discovery of the ruins, she maintains a steady pace behind the warriors in the party...increasingly afraid of more violent creatures like the ones they battled earlier.
"...and by the look of that well-cared for wood, it may yet be in use!"
A closer inspection reveals that the iron, in many places, is rusted beyond practical use. Strangely enough, there are rusted bolts in new looking planks, and yet it is obvious that the nuts and bolts have been rusted together for some time.
"...and by the look of that well-cared for wood, it may yet be in use!"A closer inspection reveals that the iron, in many places, is rusted beyond practical use. Strangely enough, there are rusted bolts in new looking planks, and yet it is obvious that the nuts and bolts have been rusted together for some time.
"Oh, I see what they've done there; very clever..."
"Oh, I see what they've done there; very clever..."
The wood, Gyorgy surmises, has been magically treated with something akin to the druidic Ironwood spell, perhaps coupled with some sort of permenancy. When touched, it does not have the texture of wood, but instead feels more like a very smooth stone.
I kneel down and run my hand acroos the flooring; "The wood and the metal might well be the same age. It's been treated with some kind of permanent Ironwood effect..."
Then I knock on the wooden flooring; "Hard as flint, and as hard-wearing."
I turn to Jessa; "Thassilonian magic?"
"Thassilonian magic?"
"No doubt," Jessa nods, "They were masters of any number of arcane mysteries from that age. Fascinating stuff, isn't it?"
"Fascinating only in so far as how such people who accomplished so much could condone such atrocities," Kenzo replies to Jessa and Gyorgy's comments. We should keep moving; once we've done a thorough search, we can come back and take some notes and make some sketches. Hopefully, this complex isn't that big."
"So," he asks standing between the two doors, "Should we go left or right?"
"left?"
"Fascinating only in so far as how such people who accomplished so much could condone such atrocities," Kenzo replies to Jessa and Gyorgy's comments. We should keep moving; once we've done a thorough search, we can come back and take some notes and make some sketches. Hopefully, this complex isn't that big."
"Oh, I fully intend to take as many notes and make as many sketches as my parchment will allow," Jessa agrees, "Atrocious or not, I've always believed that history deserves studying lest we be doomed to repeat it. I think that lesson applies with ancient Thassilon in particular..."
"So," he asks standing between the two doors, "Should we go left or right?"
"It looks like the door across the way just continues in the same direction as the corridor we used to enter here," Jessa notices, "Let's examine the door on the right in case it's just a sideroom. Better to search those than leave them unopened behind us..."
"It looks like the door across the way just continues in the same direction as the corridor we used to enter here," Jessa notices, "Let's examine the door on the right in case it's just a sideroom. Better to search those than leave them unopened behind us..."
"Sounds like a plan, um, err..." Gyorgy shuffles awkwardly to the back.
The door on the south wall opens to reveal a smaller room. There is an odor of rot within the room and the crumbling dry-rotted remains of several chairs and a lont wooden table clutter the floor of the room. Unlike the other rooms, this one is dusty. To the south stand three stone doors, each bearing a strange symbol - a stylized seven pointed star.
After a moment, the symbol is remembered to be the same as that on the book the red marble statue was holding.