Raeus-Sins of the Fathers IC

[ChaosArchon]

7th day of Gladrius, X302 ACM

The world of Raeus is a vast world, and from all corners of creation rumors have been rushing around. Some in the West are saying that the Alaen Remnant has been mobilizing its military, and many believe they may try to retake the lands held by the Forest Consortium; however the more cynical mortals believe Alaen's ambitions are on a much larger scale.

There are more rumors that a small war has erupted in Altanara between the government and a rebel faction who claim to be led by a prophet of Luxus Sol. Of course it is obvious that Hydra is the one ordering the government to crack down on the rebellious zealots, but nobody is sure why.

A rumor that hits close to home is the frightened whispers that the mysterious Butcher of Truth and Lies has been spotted near the Desert of Black Glass, and has been leaving a trial of bodies in his wake.

Even darker rumors have come to shore, saying that some believe the Tear is growing larger, and those who believe these rumors fear what this omen signals.

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However none of this weighs upon your mind too heavily, as you have just arrived in Fortis, one of the many fortress cities in the United Kingdoms Coalition. You have came at the behest of Lord Ares, who has put out requests for people brave enough to adventure into the Desert of Black Glass, promising great rewards for those who succeed. After being weeks of being personally vetted by Lord Ares' chief adviser, Acela Elvakin, you and five others have been summoned in front of Lord Ares.

You now stand before him, and he appears to be older human, most likely in his mid fifties. However he is powerfully built and looks as if he could still best a man half his age. He sits before you on his throne, cloaked in a majestic purple robe hemmed with what appears to be white fur and with a red swords embroidered throughout it. However you notice beneath this robe lies what appears to be heavy full-plate, which faintly shimmers every so often. Beside him are two knights in steel armor, both holding spears at their sides.

The throne room is a fairly plain stone throne room, decorated with a golden throne and a long red carpet, which you now stand on, bowing.

Lord Ares now motions for you to rise and says in a kind but stern voice, "Congratulations, you have all been chosen by Lady Acela out of all the applicants to journey out to the Desert of Black Glass in my name and go to where I believe a great Second Age relic is hidden. According to a source I met long ago, there is a particular oasis in the desert which hides a small relic, which may lead to a wondrous cache of relics. If you succeed in finding this relic, I shall reward you handsomely. I wish you the best of luck in your journey, and while they may not watch Raeus anymore, may the gods protect you. Now do any of you have any questions for me?"

[TheBoyce]

Standing literally head and shoulders above the rest, the half-giant Loramar's eyes narrowed both in concentration and concern. This job had been short on details to begin with,but that made sense when it was just rumors and a chance to get the job. Now however the group had been assembled and they were setting off on a undoubtedly dangerous journey into a harsh land and details were still...lacking. Loramar turned his massive head slightly bringing his gaze fully to bear ontheman sitting on the throne:

"Lord Ares, I would like to thank you for the honor of being chosen, however I would like to ask a series of questions to better prepare us for our mission. First, who is this source and how trustworthy are they? Second is there any information on the likely details of the relic, such as it's size or its appearance. Are we looking for a literal key to a trove or is the relic itself likely to have powers of its own? Finally are we in possession of any maps or directions as to the exact location of the oasis?"

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

A handsome young man stands, hand still over his heart, a broad grin still on his face. Just as he opens his mouth, the half-giant among them speaks, forcing Mel to take a backseat. Instead, he takes the chance to observe the others who had been selected along with him.

Among them is a Tengu and a half-elf, both of whom seem to be dressed similarly. Another, a Cynean whose equipment belied brains that surpassed the already impressive brawn, stands close to a kval that appears miniscule in comparison, who seems far too acrobatic for his own good. Each and every one of these people exudes a number of faint, magical auras from the various trinkets that adorn their bodies. For a moment, Mel feels his eidolon stir in amusement. Yes, this will be most interesting indeed. Finally, his eyes settle on the man who had begun to speak, a large man whose sword immediately sets the hairs on Mel's neck on end. Now that's curious, he thinks to himself as he studies the blade, trying to place its arcane details but not quite figuring out just what was wrong with it. Or perhaps just what was right with it. In a moment of brief obsession, the whispers that swirl within the summoner's mind grew to a murmur, and with a conscious effort he suppresses them again.

When the man finishes speaking, Mel raises his hand from his breast. "In addition, Lordship," he chimes in, "will we be accompanied by any others on this journey? Noncombatants specifically? Architects or geologists, perhaps?" Beneath his shroud, Mel's voice rasps against his facial guard, mixing into his external voice in a haunting harmony that only he could hear.

[Athaleon]

Next to Loramar, in sharp contrast to his imposing height, stood a lean little man. Brown skinned, haired, and eyed, with an oddness about his features that wasn't quite placeable, he stood in a carefully neutral posture while he awaited Lord Ares' response. There was a time for his usual cheek, he thought, and this was not one of them.

[ChaosArchon]

Lord Ares listens to two of the party speak and upon seeing that they have finished says,"Of course I am not sending you on a fools errand, if there's anything I learned when I myself journeyed across the world it is that reliable information is paramount to such ventures. In that light, I am in possession of a map," which he motions to one of the knights beside him to go and presumably fetch it,"which is keyed to the relic key and will guide you to the oasis. As for whether this "key" is literally a key or something else, I must profess I do not know beyond that it is said to be about the size of a small-sized dagger if that helps. Furthermore I shall be sending an archivist with you is fluent in the languages of the nomads in the desert, but more importantly knows much about Second Age relics, and should be able to help identify the key once you all arrive at the oasis." he then says,"It goes without saying that this archivist is a valued member of the city and I would appreciate her safe return."

changed the size of the key, realized it would have been to big :P

By the way you would notice that the armor Lord Ares is radiating a strong magical aura, you would have noticed this since you came in.

[Guard]

Aivor simply stood and watched. The soft-beaks seemed to have what words needed speaking under control. Now was not the time to yapper like nestlings seeking the attention of their mother. The Path bade him watch, so he did.

He blinked.

[Sønderjye]

When Bloom first heard about the journey he couldn't believe his ears. It is almost too good to be true. He would be able to go to the desert and get a grand start on his new garden, he would get handsomely paid and most importantly he would gain allies in this new country.

--------------------------------

Bloom discretely glanced at what had been chosen to be joining him on the journey.
He was suprised when the half-giant spoke. His experience with that kind was well fairly limited but they tended to be very straight forward, strong and easy to manipulate. This one's words was interesting though, as it proved him having some bricks to move despite his appearance. Dangerous combination. And something was weird with that blade.
The synthetist's words suggested that he had tried something similar to this before. That could prove useful. He tried to remember what he knew about magic-scarred.
Bloom found it very hard to read the half-elf. So neutral.

Thank you for chosing me for the journey mylord. I am most honored and will not fail you! he says subtlety sweet talking the lord before asking I will have to ask. How handsome is the reward? and will you be providing supplies such as rations, water and clothing for the journey?

Note that Bloom is entirely covered in loose cloth. The only visible part of him is his yellow catlike eyes, his hands are way too big for his small size. His tail is currently around his waist.
I have no idea which race Guard is playing and waiting for Kasperfage to make his post before Bloom analyse him.
Either to fire or chaos. I obviously don't know anything about magic-scarred. How much would bloom know? knowledge(local) assuming Mael'gon is a humanoid [roll0]

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Mel nods, happy for the additional information. There still clearly wasn't total transparency, but for him to push someone of such power for answers would not be an ideal course of action. He hides his disappointment at not being able to make use of the various languages he had accrued over the years. But what did you expect, he thinks to himself, more than half of what you know you learned for the sole purpose of speaking to Outsiders, not some nomads. At the mention of keeping the archivist safe, the summoner bows. "Rest assured," he replies, "we shall do our utmost to maintain her wellbeing."

In the meantime, he fixes his attention on Lord Ares's armor, focusing on the heavy magic that it was giving off, curious about its intricacies. It was probably beyond his level of expertise, but trying never hurt anybody. Except me, he thinks wryly, scars throbbing at the memory of his time with the Alaen Remnant.

Attempting to identify the school of magic and particulars of the item:

Knowledge (Arcana): [roll0]
Spellcraft: [roll1]

He's technically just a human who's been mutilated and mutated by magic. He's got no special racial talents aside from mental boosts, physical impediments, affinity for magic, and darkvision. However, he IS currently in disguise as a young, handsome human male, so that's all you would see, unless you could see through the Hat of Disguise.

[ChaosArchon]

"Of course you will be provided with for rations and water on this journey although clothing will be up to you I'm afraid, and as to rewards when you return successfully you shall be granted one boon from me, in addition to 10,000 gold pieces each. Does this sound favorable to you all?" Lord Ares says in the same firm but kind tone.

You can detect a strong strong evocation enchantment as well as a moderate transmutation enchantment, however you are not able to discern their effects.

[TheBoyce]

Loramar nodded at the answers and questions that had been exchanged following his initial inquiries. He takes a brief look at his assembled companions they seem rather...small to him. Still that was true of most entities Loramar had met,so he owuld think nothing of it. The half-giant was reasonably certain that there was a fair amount of magic all over each member of the group, but he had not yet attempted to Detect it, that could come later...after the audience.

"I find this proposition to be reasonable and as such I agree to this expedition."

The half-giant considered saying more but decided against it, he was on unfamiliar ground in an unfamiliar land, best not to overextend.

[Athaleon]

Gaius finally spoke up. With a hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth, he motioned to the Half-Giant that towered next to him. "What he said, your Lordship. His grin finally broke, and he relaxed a touch, as he paused for a very brief moment. "I'll go along, ten thousand's a princely sum. And I'll keep your scholar safe; after all I seem to be in very capable company. He had sized up the rest of the motley crew, and each of them had the look of mages about them. Gaius had a few little tricks of his own, to be sure, but he had seen what a real mage could do, and it made him much more confident about going with this expedition. None of the common sellswords or adventure-seekers in this crowd, to be sure.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Powerful magicks. Mel furrows his brow in frustration - the level of intricacy cast upon the armor really was too much for him. At least he was able to find out a little more, albeit only the schools of magic that were cast upon the lord's armor. "Indeed," he agrees, "ten thousand is a handsome reward. Do you expect anything beyond discovery of a cache, such as the recovery of specific items? If the cache is too large, or contains items too large to practically transport, what then?"

[ChaosArchon]

"For right now all I expect of you all is to recover the key and return the archivist back to Fortis safely. After you return we can talk of sending you all to recover the cache, as the information I have received indicated the key and the cache are not in the same place, and we have no leads to where this vault of relics may be, which is why we believe the key to be of such import as it may lead to the other relics." replies Lord Are, and as he says this the knight returns with what appears to be an ancient scroll. "Ah and here is the map which will aid you in finding the key. It shows the region where we are currently in, as well as an arrow which points to where the key is presumed to be."

[kasperfage]

Iska decides after listening to what everybody has said so far that he'd rise and speak, but remains silent as he is amazed by the size of this Half-Giant, standing nearly a head taller it is one of the largest creature's, that is not trying to eat him, that he has ever seen.
"This journey just might be more fun than i thought" He thinks to himself with a small grin, which might have been noticeable if his faces could present such small emotions.

He does a small bow as he says to Lord Ares "Sounds like a very fair deal my lord, i'd be honored to carry out the task"

Shortly after he shifts around his weight to sit down again, but before doing so he looks around for the smaller party member who was nearby before, to be sure not to accidentally sit on him.

[ChaosArchon]

"It seems as if all you are in agreement of your quest. You may all go now, you can have one day to tie up any business you have in Fortis and then the following morning you shall all meet the archivist at the city gate. From there you will begin your quest." says Lord Ares.

If you guys have anything to do in the city, you can RP it such as going to the bars and gathering info about the desert or going to stores to by scrolls or something like that. Otherwise we'll skip to Day 9

[Sønderjye]

I am going to get some clothing for the desert. I suggest you do the same Bloom says with a smooth voice exiting the castle(or whereever the lord spends his day), before going to the bazaar to buy stuff.

He will looks around for general information on the desert and chat with some herbalist about the plants in the oasis. In exchange for good information he will suggest bringing back some plants.

Outfit, Hot Weather 8 gp
Diplomacy for gather information [roll0]
Also diplomacy(if needed) to make the deal with the herbalist [roll1]
Also I can RP if anybody wants to but personally I don't feel a need.

[ChaosArchon]

Mel goes around the town asking people, gathering info from anyone he can and a couple of things pop up a lot. One is rumor that Lord Ares used to be a warlord in the Sons of Suus kingdom but fled with Lady Acela for unknown reasons a few years before Rhak Rez'hin came to power. You also hear rumors that Lord Ares and Lady Acela, along with four other people, used to travel around Raeus battling fierce monsters and recovering priceless treasures, although of course they seem to be retired now. You also hear more rumors that the Butcher of Truth and Lies is believed to be near the border of the UKC after another town was discovered devoid of all life and all the buildings burnt to their structures, the corpses having been moved into an 8 sided cross, the symbol of Lelor’Kaal.

When you mention the desert many people quickly turn pale, calling it a place of death. Others, however, tell you that unless you anger the nomads or go into the areas marked by what appears to be black glass, you will be fine. However there are some dangers that still remain such as hordes of wild dogs and other wild animals which are known to prowl across the desert.
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Bloom meets with an herbalist named Angela who tells him that very little grows in the desert, except for a plant known as the Obsidian Rose. It is known to be useful in recreating a particularly potent poison, as well as its antivenom but is extremely hard to collect. It has an odd affect which mystifies herbalists, as unless it is stored in a lead bag, it will bring death to its collector in a matter of days.

While Angela is honored by your offer to help her, she says she has no need of any Obsidian Rose, however she smiles brightly at you and says you can come by anytime and buy herbs for a discount, as one collector of plants to another.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom looks deep into her eyes trying to uncover if she is telling the truth. Assuming she isn't lying(or he thinks that she isn't lying) he will ask how to dig up and handle the rose. He suggest he need a special shovel?

Ì assume Bloom learned about the same as Mel from the gather information check.
Sense motive: [roll0]
knowledge(nature) to know what he need to buy to replant the rose, taking ten for 27
The gardenbag will likely need sand. I assume it can emulate sun, temperature and water.

[ChaosArchon]

Angela replies, "Well I suppose you would treat it just as you would any plant, although the rose is much hardier due to it out competing every other plant in the desert so it can handle a bit of rough travels. From what I know it requires very little water but quite a bit of sunlight. As for soil, sand seems the most reasonable solution although nobody ever tried planting it in dirt, maybe it would survive there too but who knows. Let's see am I forgetting anything else? Hmmm... oh and the lead bag is important if you value your life, that's really important!" she says in a cheerful way, it is clear she is quite intelligent but the Obsidian Rose is not a plant she regularly deals with.

As far as you can tell she is telling the truth

[Guard]

Aivor spends the early hours shopping for clothes that'll help alleviate heat and accomodate his feathers, which proves to be a not entirely easy task. Afterwards, he scouts out the city for a quiet area, where he sits down to meditate on the approaching journey. He sits unmoving for the rest of the day.

[kasperfage]

Iska remains sturdying with his alembic for the remainder of the day

[Athaleon]

Gaius gathers a backpack full of supplies, nothing out of the ordinary. Almost on a whim, he purchases a blank notebook and some charcoal sticks.


Myth-Weavers appears to be down, or at any rate I can't connect to it. I will update his character sheet as soon as I can.

[ChaosArchon]

9th day of Gladrius, X302 ACM

You all arrive at the eastern gate to the city when the sun is at its apex in the sky, shining high above all; while it used to be a symbol that once that gods had favored the mortals, it now serves as a reminder of the destruction that would be wrought if the mortals began an all-out war once again.

While at the gate you all take in the steel walls, the size of which dwarfs even mature dragons, that form the main defender of Fortis against would-be invaders, it's sentry nests are high above the ground, each stationed by a group of mages ready to unleash ice, earth, and flame on those who would seek to lay siege to a stronghold of the United Kingdoms Coalition.

You all wait for about thirty minutes without seeing either Loramar or the archivist who will be joining you. However you gradually begin to notice a group of strange beasts coming forward towards you, they appear to be horses save that they have two humps on their backs, and seem rather gangly in comparison to the warhorses some of you may have rode at one point. Beside these beasts is a woman who looked no older than twenty and three years of age, dressed in a simple white travelling cloak and wearing thin, emerald glasses.

As she approaches you can hear her saying to all of you gathered at the gate in an apologetic tone, "I am so sorry I'm late, I woke up too late and then I realized I forgot to pack and the camels, oh say hi Joe and Frank, needed to be saddled and and... " she trails off and then regains her composure,"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself, my name is Adrestia and I'll be joining you in your trek across the Desert of Black Glass to act as your translator and analyze any relics or other ancient curios we may come across."

Now that she's finally much closer you can see that underneath her travelling cloak is what appears to be mithril chain-armor, along with what appears to be a short dagger. She appears to be about five feet, six inches high, and quite striking if human women were something you were interested in. She wears a practical pair of travel boots, dyed white. Her hair is raven-black and about shoulder-length.

She greets you all graciously, saying she looks forward to working with you all. As she greets Mel, you can see her look slightly shocked but quickly regain her composure again and give Mel the same warm greeting she extended to the rest of the party. After exchanging pleasantries she says, "Well I suppose we shall be off huh, now begins our adventures," she says with a slight giggle.

Mel you can detect a moderate magical aura emanating from Adrestia's glasses.

[TheBoyce]

Loramar is usually very punctual, unfortunately he could at times be so focused on a certain thing that he forgrts to sleep at a sensible hour. On this particular night the half-giant had managed to find a library filled with books he had, mostly, never read before. The magus was so focused on his reading that he didn't notice when sleep snuck upon and ambushed him. Needless to say he found himself waking up far later than he should. Loramar ran back to the inn where he kept those things not currently on his person and then rushed to the rendezvous point hoping he wouldn't be too late. Naturally this meant he failed to properly prepare for his journey into the desert, but perhaps what nomads they met would be willing to trade with the Iceblade.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

As the archivist approaches, Mel takes note of aspects of her personality. Fairly easygoing, punctuality potentially an issue. Rambles easily. Seems attached to her mounts. Slightly ditzy, but eager. Gorgeous facial features. That last thought came unbidden to his mind, and Mel could feel himself blush as Voll Dunkelheit stirs in amusement. Perhaps as a result of his own facial disfiguration, Mel had always been attracted to beautiful faces, more so than any other part of the female anatomy. Observing Adrestia's reaction, Mel tips his hat almost imperceptibly at her, acknowledging her discovery. Glasses of True Seeing. Unsurprising for one who seeks knowledge. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Adrestia," he replies, bowing. "Actually, I believe it is high time we made proper introductions," Mel continues, realizing that, until now, none of the party had properly acquainted themselves. "I am Mael'gon IV, summoner. I hail from the Alaen Remnant, having travelled through many territories before ending up here. To make it easier for everyone, you may call me Mel."

"As for your tardiness, milady, I'm sure none here are inconvenienced," he says. Seeing their Half-Giant friend lumbering toward them, he adds, "In fact, you seem to have been bested on that front."

[Sønderjye]

The fact that Bloom didn't sense any lies in Angela's voice made him more suspecious. He couldn't understand why she was being so nice to him but decided to play along. Thanks for all the advice Bloom says to her However I have another idea for transporting rose other than a lead bag. I need bat guano, weak epoxy and pulverized lead He then adds with his most charming smile You mentioned something about a discount..

To not delay the game by RP'ing the purchuase I make a diplomacy roll and you can just say how much you feel she would go down in price [roll0]. Original price would be 35 gp.
Also I will be buying 10 more rations. Just in case.
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Bloom mentally shakes his head when he sees his allies outfits. Preparation and not trusting anyone is the key to survival. These guys wouldn't last a day in Torsa.

He does a quick analyse of their guide but one thing strikes him as contradictiveWhy is she apologizing? Why act as if it wasn't intentional? Bloom thinks, believing that their guide came late to prove her status. Well I can play that game too.
One Bloom disappears and another Bloom walks out from behind one of Iska's massive legs. He makes a gracefull bow before speaking It is indeed our pleasure Adrestia and don't worry about the delay. The rising sun over Fortis isn't an unpleasant view. You can call me Bloom Since it would draw attention to the fact that he didn't say anything else about him he quickly asks Living in the desert, have you any experience that could help me find the famous Obsidian Rose? While speaking he takes a long glace at her equiptment.
And nice to meet you Joe and Frank he says to his likely future meal.

Appraising her equiptment [roll1]
Sense motive motive to see if she is lying [roll2]. Note that he will think that she is lying even if the check proves otherwise.

[Athaleon]

"...Pleased to make your acquaintance, miss. The name's Gaius; long story short, I put arrows wherever they're needed." Gaius was somewhat taken aback by their expert's demeanor. Absent-minded? Ditzy? He just hoped she wouldn't get them into trouble down the road with that rambling tendency of hers.

[TheBoyce]

Loramar was pleased to see he was not so tardy as to miss the party. Still the half-giant was concerned, he was lacking in proper desert related supplies a certain, possibly deadly, detriment to the expedition and himself.

"I apologize for the delay and must press my disadvantage. I believe I am not properly supplied for a journey into the Black Desert at present, I became..distracted during the evening. A quick trip to the nearby shops should cover it, though if we need haste I can instea hope to gather appropriate equipment from what nomads we meet"

Knowledge: Geography [roll0] to think up any specific items that would be wise to bring

[ChaosArchon]

When Mel says his full name, Adrestia shows a flash of shock and puts her hand over her heart, the traditional sign to ward off evil, and says, "You share a name with the Tyrant of the Flaming Depths... interesting." As you introduce yourselves to her she says, "Excellent, it looks like you are all really as qualified as Lady Acela says you are. Oh and Loramar don't worry about supplies, I brought enough water and food for us during our trip to the desert, and if we need more I can trade with some tribes for more supplies. Anyway, shall we depart?"

She then signals to one of the guards to open the gate and you wait while the massive steel door, slides into the ground, the earth shuddering as it does so. One can only imagine how deep a chasm must lie below the door for it to be able to fit entirely into the ground.

You then depart from Fortis, going east towards the desert. Not too much of note happens, except for a small indent involving Frank and the discovery "Joe" was actually a Josephine, and after three pretty easy days for travel you arrive at the border of the desert, where you change into any desert clothing you brought with you.

After you all are done changing you venture into the desert, heading due north-east where the map indicates the oasis lies. About an hour after crossing the border you come across a pack of small dogs who are all surrounding something, but you cannot tell what, although you do see the corpse of a horse not too far away from whatever the dogs are surrounding. As you get closer, the dogs turn around, catching your scent, and begin to growl at you. As they do, you notice they have tan fur, black noses which seem almost mushed into their faces, and tails which look curl around their backside but their most noticeable trait is their large teeth, now dripping with blood.

Roll for initiative, Knowledge (Nature) to ID them

[Guard]

Aivorr had been silent during the ride. The sage was yet another soft-beak who squandered her life walking the wrong path. Along her way was knowledge, yes, but wisdom was sorely lacking. Still, she had good taste in mounts, this expidition wouldn't fail due to inadequate equipment. As he spotted the wild dogs ahead, he held up one hand in a fist, got off his mount, and pointed ahead to indicate something was coming for them. He briefly lowered his head as if in prayer, and then, with a wild "Squawk!", wrenched his sword free of its scabbard-hooks.

Here's initiative: [roll0]

[kasperfage]

Iska slowly but surely starts drawing his sword which seems almost too small for him since it was built for humans, but it's a good fit in his hand, and it is obvious that he has held this same sword many times before.

Initiative [roll0]
Knowledge nature [roll1]

[Sønderjye]

Suspecious as always, the first thing Bloom did when he spotted the small dogs he hid behind a camel.

-----

Seing the puppies hostile face Bloom conjures a image of himself to walk beside his comrades and draws his rapier. It couldn't just be average dogs could it? Bloom mutters realising what they were up against.

Swift: Phantom Assailant
Standard: Draw weapon
Knowledge(nature), me favorite knowledge: [roll0]
Initiate [roll1]
Stealth to hide behind a camel [roll2]

[Athaleon]

Gaius had his bow in hand in case the dogs proved hostile. "Call your dogs to heel!" he shouted, in case they belonged to some hunter. All the same, he nocked an arrow and began to size them up as targets.


Initiative: [roll0]

[ChaosArchon]

Gaius 22
Mel 21
Aivorr 19
Bloom 18
Iska 13
Dire Pugs 7
Loramar 4

Map is still a WIP, MapTools is being difficult today.

The four dire pugs now begin to move towards the party, with a light desert breeze softly blowing the sand in front of the party and pugs. Nobody seems to respond to the demand to call off one's dogs and now that the dogs have moved you can see their feast, a humanoid corpse.

COMBAT JOINED!
You can post even if you don't go first, after everyone (all six of you) make a post what you want to do I'll make a post saying what happened the turn, with each person's actions happening in order of initiative.

Oh and just for reference an image of what you're fighting:
http://media-azeroth.cursecdn.com/attachments/21/957/634950220487753860.jpg

[Athaleon]

When it was clear that the dogs were coming to attack them, Gaius loosed a volley of arrows in the hopes of thinning their numbers before they reached the party.


Using Flurry of Bows and spending a Ki point for an extra attack.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]

Ki Pool: 8/9

[Guard]

Centering his energy with high-pitched screech, Aivorr moves to engage the nearest dog. These creatures were simple. Taking out the leader of the pack would scare them off.

He slashes his sword at the animal in two rapid motions.

Expending a Ki point as a swift action, to gain +20ft speed for the round. Speed is now 70ft.
Move action to engage the 60ft.
Standard action flurry of blows at the indicated pug.
Attack 1:[roll0], Damage[roll1]Confirm:[roll2], Damage[roll3]

Attack 2:[roll4], Damage[roll5]Confirm:[roll6], Damage[roll7]

[Sønderjye]

Open fighting like this is so not my style Bloom mutters before appearing from behind the horse. He runs 40 feet straight before throwing himself behind a bank of sand, hoping that the confusion, his fast movement and the color of his desert suit will help him stay unnoticed by the dogs.

He will have Illusion-Bloom run in front of him to cover his movements even more, so he'll be standing about 5 feet in front of him.

Stealth to stay or become hidden is the pugs see him [roll0]
Perception to notice which of the pugs if any that spots him [roll1]

[ChaosArchon]

Mel looks at Loramar and says, "Gotta go fast!" and Loramar becomes enshrouded in a white aura, feeling as if he could move faster and act more quickly.

casts Haste

[TheBoyce]

Loramar felt the the surge of the spell wash over him, and nodded in appreciation. The half-giant considered his options, the pugs were likely not going to be much of a challenge, but the Iceblade knew what his current priority should be, protecting the archivist. However the best way to do so remained unclear given the flurry of action being unleashed, but the half-giant had a plan.

His exact actions would depend on the positioning of the pugs when he put his plan into motion, and whether they were actively threatening his own person or the archivist in truth. Most likely Loramar would attempt to use his not inconsequential arcane power, however there was a potential issue with that plan, the half-giant was still not fully comfortable in his armor, while he was approaching a point where he could wear it without it interfering in his abilities, he was just not quite there yet, still he would trust in his abilities to carry him through.

If no threats are visible, Loramar will simply move closer to the archivist.

If a Pug is within 10 feet of Loramar he will use Spell Combat (casting defensively if needs to) to cast Enlarge Person on himself and the attempt to pop that pug...twice.

If a Pug actively threatening the archivist he will move to it and attempt to cut it apart

If Pugs are still alive, but not near him or the Archivist he will move between the Pugs and the Archivist and cast Enlarge Person on himself, to give him reach for potential AOOs.

Rolls as needed:

Spell Failure (25% chance) [roll0]

Concentration DC17 [roll1]

Attack roll 1[roll2]
Damage roll 1 [roll3]
If Loramar is using Spell Combat he subtracts 2 from his attack roll but adds [roll4] to the damage assuming enlarge Person is successfully cast, the minus 2to attack still applies if he is using spell combat even if the spell is miscast

Attack 2 [roll5]
Damage 2 [roll6]
bonus from Enlarge Person [roll7]

[kasperfage]

Iska quickly drops his sword and starts mixing various reagents he has hanging in different locations around his body and under his cloak.
He pours the reagents into a small glass and flings it at the middle-most dog.


Dropping your equipped weapon is a swift action to my memory
Attack roll(with haste buff) [roll0]
Damage on primary target [roll1]
Damage on any target within 5ft is 2+3

[ChaosArchon]

With the sun shinning high in the sky, Gaius unleashes a barrage of arrows at the gore-soaked pugs as they charge at the group. Three of his arrows strike true, and two of which appear to impale themselves into the pugs, however miss the vital points of these small dogs and are not any more damaging than normal. The fourth arrow sails past the fourth pug, who continues the charge with his brothers, who are all sporting the arrow in one's side trend.

As Gaius launched his barrage of arrows against the wicked pugs, Mel turns to the party and begins chanting, and the party feels as if they can move faster than usual and become enshrouded in a white aura.

Aivorr squawks at the pugs, and rushes to meet them in battle, moving far away from the party in order to meet them mano-a-mano and attacks the unharmed pug, slashing twice at it. While his second slash misses, it does not matter, as his first strike decapitates the pug, sending it's head spinning high into the sky.

Bloom, appearing to dislike the open plain he finds himself in, cloaks himself in a deception which none of the pug's senses as able to pierce, to them he has just vanished from existence and no longer their concern.

Iska masterfully crafts a caustic concoction which he flings at the middle of the pack, however he miscalculates his aim, and the flask goes sailing past his enemies. Somewhere a bit ahead, a small snake is writhing in pain, having been unexpectedly attacked by a mysterious explosive flask.

The pugs, seeing a new meal before them and the one who murdered their brother, attack their strange avian foe but all their attacks are dodged by the feathered monk.

Lorarmar, seeing that the pugs still live but are still far away moves closer to the archivist and casts a spell on himself which results in him becoming twice as big as he normally is.

[Guard]

Aivorr becomes a whirling dervish of grey steel, orange flashes of cloth, and black feathered doom as he slashes about him with his sword. There's a certain violent grace to it, and if it wasn't for the momentary flashes of red blood and the pained yelps of his enemies, one might think he was merely enacting a particularly frenzied wardance.

Using another ki point to make an extra attack with my flurry. I gather that there's three pugs left, right? If there's only twoby my turn, redirect attacks marked "3" to pug #2. If there's only 1 left, redirect attacks marked Pug 2 & 3 to the sole pug.
(Pug 1)Haste attack: [roll0], [roll1]damage[roll2], [roll3]damage

(Pug 1)Ki attack: [roll4], [roll5]damage[roll6], [roll7]damage

(Pug 2)Flurry attack: [roll8], [roll9]damage[roll10], [roll11]damage

(Pug 3, or pug 2 if there's no pug 3)Base Attack: [roll12], [roll13]damage[roll14], [roll15]damage

(Pug 3, or pug 2 if there's no pug 3)Iterative attack: [roll16], [roll17]damage[roll18], [roll19]damage

[Athaleon]

Gaius furrowed his brow at the results of his volley. He'd nailed three of them, two of which should have been put down instantly. "No ordinary dogs, these" he muttered. Now that some of his companions were engaging them in melee, he picked out his targets more carefully before he let fly another salvo.


I just realized I totally forgot about Deadly Aim. Using that from now on.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]

[Sønderjye]

Bloom disappears for just a second before reappearing besides one of pugs. He then moves into the the pugs spaces and turns into a whirlwind of staps. An indigo copy of his rapier has appeared in his other hand.
swift: indiho jaunt to teleport 15 ft.
Free: move 5 ft to move into pugs square. They don't get an aao because of a Kval racial trait.
Full: full attack
Haste attack: [roll0] dmg [roll1]
Firat hand attack: [roll2] dmg [roll3]
Secondary hand attack: [roll4] dmg [roll5]
And
First hand attack [roll6] dmg [roll7]
Second [roll8] dmg [roll9]

[TheBoyce]

With the pugs numbers dwindling a defensive position was no longer necessary. Loramar would, assuming any pugs were left, would charge the nearest remaining pug and swing Xavios down with both hands in a crushing overhand swing.

Attack: [roll0]

Damage: [roll1]

[ChaosArchon]

Gauis unleashes another barrage of arrows at the pugs. However this time three of the his arrows miss due to a strong breeze making them fly wide and miss Gauius' intended targets, instead hitting three more snakes in the distance, having investigating their flaming brethren. However his forth shot connects with one of the pugs, piercing its face and instantly killing it.

Mel rushes toward Aivorr in order to help dispatch the two remaining pugs, as he arrives he swings his bastard sword at one pug, bisecting it where it stands.

Aivorr whirls like a dervish, swinging his blades around at the remaining pug. However for all his effort the pug dodges his attacks, barking at him as if they were laughing at his inabilty to hit it.

Bloom suddenly reappears next to the surviving pugs, who are currently barking at Aivorr. The small Kval deftly plants his daggers into the remaining pugs, causing them to collapse onto the ground, as dead as marble.

735xp for everyone

As the last pug falls to the ground Adrestia stands stunned, but eventually speaks saying,"Well done, although the pugs didn't seem too dangerous you all dispatched them expertly, I can only hope you show that same proficiency versus a more formidable foe."

[Sønderjye]

When the last puppy bites the dust Bloom moves over to the half-eaten corpse and search it for valuables. He will share if he finds anything.
He then draws a dagger from his sleeve and cuts open the stomach of the pugs. Sometimes animals eat weird stuff. He is looking for metal and plant seeds.
When a stomach is punctured it spills out all it's half-devoured content, quickly followed by a disgusting smell. None of this seem to bother Bloom however.

[Guard]

Aivorr bows his head as if in agreement, or prayer, it is hard to tell.
Shortly afterwards, he paces a little distance away from the caravan, although easily within speaking distance, and sits to rub the blood off his sword with sand. That done, he removes his clothes, folds them into a neat little pile, and begins to roll in the sand, rubbing into his feathers. Once he rises, the sand runs off him in waves, and he shakes himself violently to get rid of it. It becomes apparent that he can make his feathers rise on end.
Sandbath done, he puts on his clothes and rejoins the caravan.

[ChaosArchon]

As Bloom disembowels the pugs, Adrestia averts her eyes. To Bloom's surprise, the one of the pugs had eaten some gold coins, most likely from their humanoid victim.

Upon searching the chewed up corpse that pugs had been feasting on, Bloom find a scroll with some writing on it. However it is covered in blood and badly ripped and thus illegible to Bloom.

You find 6 gp, Adrestia will remember this

[Athaleon]

Gaius puts his bow away as he strikes up to the dead dogs, his nose wrinkling at the smell. "Feral pugs? Didn't know that could even happen. Guess we're lucky they weren't wolves. Unless you're going to check for change in each of their stomachs, shall we continue?" No one had been hurt, and he wasn't keen on sticking around any longer than they had to. He casually retrieved any arrows he could, and moved to get a look at the road ahead.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom will offer everyone a share of the loot(that is one slimy coin with a piece of partly devoured flesh attached to it). He is curious to see who will actually accept it.
He also grap the scroll. He will ask for permission from our talented guide to sit on a camel while he will try to put together what was on the scroll.
linguistic to figure out what was on the scroll. [roll0]
I don't know if it's possible to do but Bloom will try in lack of better things to do. If possible he will take 20 for 35

[TheBoyce]

Loramar is not particularly squeamish about taking the gold, but decides against it as he didn't actually do anything during the fight outside of spending a minimal amount of arcane energy. So they half-giant will wave off the small entity's offer, and will then look around using his currently increased height to look further into the distance.

Perception: [roll0]

[ChaosArchon]

Mel too declines the gore-encrusted gold coin and asks Adrestia if she is unharmed, to which she replies she is not.

After cleaning the blood off your weapons of choice, the party continues on its path towards the oasis where the key is believed to be found. After another uneventful day of travel, the party arrives at the oasis.

It looks like a small piece of Elysium, especially compared to the barren desert you have been travelling through for the past few days. The oasis sports verdant green palm trees, along with emerald grass and sparkling sapphire pool of water.

However despite the gorgeous environment, the key is nowhere present. Confused Adrestia pours over the map and looks over her notes she brought with her, attempting to discern if she made a mistake in where the key could be.

[Athaleon]

Gaius milled about and fidgeted anxiously with his bow, as he often did when standing idle. "I doubt we arrived at the wrong oasis. Maybe someone beat us here and made off with the key?" He wandered around looking for any sign that anyone had done so. "If any of you are tracker types, maybe look around yourselves."


[roll0] Perception

[Sønderjye]

Trash Bloom says loudly as he throws the scroll over his shoulder and into the sand.

-----------------------

We should all look around. The more eyes the merrier right? Bloom answers before he starts looking around. He will also look closely at the vegetation

perception [roll0]
Knowledge nature to identify potential new adsitioma to the garden [roll1]

[ChaosArchon]

As you search the oasis, both Bloom and Gaius notice a piece of stone sticking out of the sand in one of the sandy areas of the oasis. As you bring attention to it, Adrestia comes over to inspect it, and taking all due care, brushes off the sand to reveal a tablet of stone stuck in the sand, with strange inscriptions on it. Upon seeing the lettering Adrestia exclaims,"Oh my... this is an ancient script that was quite widespread in this area during the First Age, however the language and its people mostly died out due to the God War. Lucky for us it's also a language I'm well versed in. If you give me just a moment I'll have this translated, maybe it's a clue to where this key is hidden."

After half an hour of referencing her notes and the tablet, Adrestia stands up and says bemused,"It appears to be a riddle of all things, but maybe it's a clue nevertheless. It reads 'A natural state, I'm sought by all. Go without me and you shall fall. I am the equal of two different halves. I am what remains after a purchase. What am I?' and that's it..."

[Sønderjye]

I am a riddle-hater Bloom says as he takes off his cloth and armor and jumps in the lake to escape the unpleasant heat.

[Guard]

Aivorr quickly determines what he thinks to be the correct answer. He stands, and makes his way over to Adrestia, in order to get her attention. He motions for her to follow, and leads her to the nearest bit of sand unobtruced by oasis grass. He swipes the sand flat to create an even surface, and painstakenly writes, with the backwardsfacing talon of his foot, "AIR".

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Throughout their travels, Mel stays close to the academic, studying her as they move toward the Desert of Black Glass. For whatever reason, he himself had never noticed his adopted name's resemblance to that of the tyrant of the divine pantheon, and that realization only made him gravitate toward Adrestia more. He attempts to approach her several times, but is foiled each time, be it Frank's discovery, or the untimely appearance of the dire pugs. He distractedly dispatches the beasts, buffing his allies whilst taking a few swings at the beasts himself. As he cuts them down, Mel senses the annoyance of his eidolon. You will face a proper challenge soon enough, friend.

Observing the tablet alongside Adrestia, Mel follows Aivorr as the birdman leads the academic away, frowning as he watches the word AIR appear in the dirt. "Reminds me of a similar riddle," he mutters, scratching his head. "The answer was different, of course, and far less eloquently worded." As he speaks, the summoner digs into his mind, searching for any scrap of information that might help shed some light on the origins of the riddle etched in stone.

Rolling Knowledge (History): [roll0] because I'm pretty sure this is the most relevant. Anything else I might want to roll?

[Sønderjye]

Bloom swims in the refreshing clear water. This is how you should live your life, but where is the bloody rose!
Seeing the skull on the bottom he dives. He picks it up wondering where the rest of the reptilian went.

[Sønderjye]

After some time Bloom emerges from the water. In his big right hand he is carrying a small skull and water is dripping from his white horns onto his smooth blue skin. He sends whoever is looking a sparkling smile. He moves to the pile of equiptment.

The first thing Bloom does is notice the position of his allies. He notice that Adrestia, Mel and Aivorr is standing close to each others just outside the range of eavesdropping. Suspecious. What are they plotting? Is there a connection between them? Were they planning on killing the rest and taking the reward for themselves? He looks through his equiptment twicw to ensure that nothing is stolen while being prepared to stab with the knife in his sleeve if one of the three beforementioned people attack him. He is well aware that he can't get away on his small legs so fight is the only possibility.

When he is done checking his stuff, is dry and have put on his armor he will suggest out loud So the tablet must be the key we were supposed to find. Let the baron figure out what it means, that wasn't what we're paied to do

[Athaleon]

Gaius frowned at the riddle. He'd heard some riddles in his time, most of whom had obvious answers, but he was drawing a blank on this one. He simply shrugged and returned to searching for more clues.


I doubt I'll get another Perception roll to look for more stuff, so this is just how he'll pass the time for now.

[ChaosArchon]

"Oh! I know," says Adrestia, "it's balance! We seek to balance hunger versus being too full, therefore balance is a state sought by all, if you're not balanced then you will fall over, and your balance is what remains after you buy something. I don't know what the whole thing about two equal halves thing is, maybe the person who wrote it was an idiot."

As she says the word "balance" you all begin to feel the sands shift and the earth move as right ahead of the tablet, a descending passageway opens up.

Note to self, no riddles, they are game killers

[Athaleon]

"Of course." Gaius muttered. "I wonder if they anticipated some random group of travelers stopping at this oasis, and someone just saying the word 'balance' in conversation." He peered into the gloom, wondering if there were any traps or creatures within.


Perception: [roll0]

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"Well done, Adrestia," Mel says, smirking, "as expected if someone of such academic prowess. Though now that you mention it, the last part was actually the most relevant. If two halves are equal, then they are balanced, are they not?" Stepping forward, Mel taps the ground before him with his bastard sword, inching toward the entrance. Nothing had set off the magical detection Mel possessed, which meant that all this motion was caused by some contraption, unaided by the arcane. If that is the case, Mel thinks, then that means any traps would have to be nonmagical as well.

[Sønderjye]

Balance? That doesn't make any sense! How the heck is balance a natural state? Sickness, fear and death is natural states. Where is the balance when a natural vulcano explodes and kills everything in miles radius. And who in their right mind seeks balance? I seek gold and freedom. Balance of being hungry and too full? No child in Torsa have ever troed being too full! I can see the balance trip over thing but where is the balance in haggling?when merchanta haggle they make sure you don't have any balance left Bloom thinks as he with a bow invites the group into the passageway. This way he will end up being the last to enter.
Suddenly he realises that if theit guide could solve this odd riddle she must have known the answer before seing the tablet. Who of the others know this as well? Probably the two she was speaking to. he thinks back to the first meeting.Perhaps she didn't arrive late to prove her dominance to us, perhaps she came late to prove her dominance to her hirelings but why would she need to make such a gesture? Could there be conflicts? Mel's bow had been geniune so it couldn't be him, however he remembers how silent Avoir had been at the initial meeting. This card could be important if played right.

[TheBoyce]

Loramar raises an eyebrow at the proper answer to the riddle, he had gotten caught up by the last bitof it and had thought that the answer would be change. Having found the final answer he couldn't help but attempt to reason out the rest of the answer.

"Given the mercantile nature of the last bit I would assume that was a reference to scales and the balancing thereof. Alternately the riddle is going to have additional meaning further into this...place. The mechanism behind this construction must be most impressive, I would enjoy a closer look..."

The Half-giant begins to stride towards the opening, his single-minded focus on a new and exciting thing likely to get him into trouble...again.

Knowledges! Dungeoneering [roll0]
Engineering [roll1]
Perception [roll2]

[ChaosArchon]

As far as you can tell the entrance was opened using a mundane system of gears which slide the entrance door open and closed. However the gears seem ancient in design and must have been around here for quite some time.

[Guard]

Aivorr took this as a sign that he should not let himself get caught in the notions of those who roamed the skies exclusively. As he had chosen to seek the way, he should remember to strive for balance. He would meditate on this teaching tonigt, but for now, there was a path to be traveled. He unhooked his sword, as to be prepared for whatever guardians the constructors of this riddle might have left behind inside.

He was more than ready to descend.

[ChaosArchon]

The party descends into the underground structure, discovering it to be lit by glass orbs which seem to be enchanted by a Light spell. Due to the illumination emitted from these orbs, you are able to see the murals on the walls as you walk through the structure. The murals depict a great empire where what seem to be all the mortal races, along with some you recognize as having been wiped out during the God War, and all these races were ruled by a race of beings who had six eyes, six wings, and surrounded by pillars of something. However the further you get into the structure, the worse things get from the six-winged beings. It appears this carving had recorded the history prior to the God Wars, and then shows the progression and decline of this empire during the War of the Gods. You seem strange, massive cities being engulfed in a blast which results in a large cloud which resembles a mushroom and civilians are decimated by such fearsome weapons.

As interesting as this all is however, the party stops short as Gaius motions for everyone to stop. He then strolls over to what appears to be a loose tile and lifts it up, revealing a pressure plate which presumably would have activated some trap or another.

What is the roll to disable traps?

[Athaleon]

"Careful to step around this thing, and watch out for more traps." Gaius marks the trap, drawing a circle around it with a charcoal stick from his backpack. He quickly drew a crude skull next to it, a 'danger' symbol that no one could fail to recognize. "I shouldn't even touch this. And until we find out what it does, we'd better not try to set it off remotely either."


Gaius has a high Perception, but no Disable Device ability.

[TheBoyce]

"Simple physics most likely, still wise to avoid. Still I must wonder are the traps meant to keep all out, keep only those not in the know out, or to prove those who approach worthy. An interesting question methinks. Still I suppose secondary to not setting them off."

Loramar's giant eyes begin to sweep around the hallway in a more focused pattern, attempting to tease out any potential dangers. However there was more he felt he should do, calling upon his arcane as well as mundane senses, the Iceblade began to sense the magics ambient to the area.

Cast Detect Magic

Perception: [roll0]

[Sønderjye]

When everyone has entered Bloom follows. He will whisper balance to the door.

Bloom isn't ghat interested in the murals, however he is very interested in the glass orbs. Gaius is there any traps connected to the shining orbs?
If Gaius says no Bloom will start collecting the orbs, being convinced that they are good money worth.

[ChaosArchon]

As Bloom unscrews the orbs from the ceiling he feels a slight shock run through his body and the orbs feel warm to the touch, and as he removes them from their place, the light they emit goes out.

[Sønderjye]

Stubid anti-graveropper magic Bloom mutters before following the others. He keep the one he took down.

[ChaosArchon]

As you continue down the hallway you eventually come to a room completely empty, save for a pedestal wherein a card-shaped object, flanked by two statues which appear to be made completely out of masks forming the statue's being.

The room itself is fairly well-lit, thanks in part to the many orbs of light set far above the party, much too high for any tiny thieves to steal from.

[Athaleon]

"Small object on a pedestal flanked by two statues? It's got to be a trap." Gaius declared smugly. "I wonder what's the angle here? Better look around thoroughly before we touch anything."


Perception: [roll0]

[Sønderjye]

Good idea Gaius Bloom says, standing by the entrance hopefully out of harms way. He draw his rapier and have his illusion follow Gaiu around the room.
Thr tiny thief considers standing on the half-giants shoulder and steal some orbs just to spite the creator of the room.

[ChaosArchon]

As far as you can tell the statues and the pedestal are linked in some way, although the statues are unarmed to it seems unlikely for a blade to swing from them should you pick up the object

[Athaleon]

Gaius slowly stepped up to the pedestal to examine the object on it in more detail.

[ChaosArchon]

As you examine the object, you notice parts of it change color depending on how the light hits it. There is also a line of white and black lines, as well as an image of a key. There is also a script of some sort printed on the object, but you don't recognize what language it is.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"...was the focal point of this Age as prior to the War in Heaven, mortals had little interaction with the Aetheric beings beyond prayer, and the occasional miracle wrought in the name of the gods," Mel said as he stopped beside Adrestia in the chamber, as though reciting from a text. "These ruins are amazing - they must hold some key to uncovering more of our past," he continues excitedly, "correct me if I'm wrong, but these murals depict images likely from the Second Age, but it may well extend as far back as the First Age, and as recent as the Third!"

From the corner of his eye, the summoner catches a glint of color - the object further into the room, nestled between two statues and beset by two of his companions. While he'd certainly never been in these particular ruins before, he has done enough dungeon crawling to know how dangerous a lone object can be. Wary, Mel sweeps his surroundings, checking for anything out of the ordinary in terms of mundane traps, simultaneously sending out psychic feelers for anything unusually magical.

Perception: [roll0]
Detecting any new magicks in the area.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom is patiently waiting at the entrance. He hasn't much experienxe with dungeons. They tens to be rare in the city.

[ChaosArchon]

You detect no magical effects within the room, not even from the orbs of light, which is curious to you.

[TheBoyce]

With his companions focused on the obvious draw of the object in the middle, Loramar would focus his attention on the twin statues, his feet pounded against the stone as he made his way to the pedestal. The half giant would once again wrack his brain to draw out what knowledge he could.

It's time to roll!
History [roll0]
Dungeoneering [roll1]
Arcana: [roll2]
Religion [roll3]

[ChaosArchon]

These statues seem impossibly old, but you recognize the faces on the masks from the murals you saw on the way to this room. In fact they look like golems, except much more finely constructed and lack any surfaces other than the masks which make up the statue. However they do look like an early form of some type of golem indeed.

[Athaleon]

"Adrestia," Gaius called out at length, "what do you make of this? Could be instructions on where to find the key. Or if it's magic, maybe this is the key itself. Ever heard of anything like this?"

[ChaosArchon]

Adrestia walks over and examines the object for a few minutes, making sure to look at it from every angle. After her examination she says,"Hmmm... the script on it is something not even I know, which means it's not Second Age script. Perhaps First Age then. Nevertheless, it was keyed to this map which means either this is the key itself, or is another clue on the way to find the key." she says while still looking at the object,"It doesn't look like any key I've ever seen, although I never have seen statues like those or orbs like the ones in the hallway to this room, further making me think this isn't a Second Age instillation."

[Athaleon]

"Well then, unless there's a hidden door somewhere around here, there's nothing left to do but try to decipher this thing. I've no clue about the second, so I guess that leaves me to do the first." Gaius then busied himself with searching for a hidden door or switch. "Might be nothing left to do but grab the card and go."


Perception: [roll0]

[ChaosArchon]

Ouch, I hate to say this on such a good roll but there is literally nothing else in the room

[Sønderjye]

Does someone have the ability to decipher it? Bloom asks

[TheBoyce]

Loramar's discover has given his pause, as he continues his examination of the statues closely, that they are not magical in nature astounds him and he would love to know how they were made and what they can do, and why they haven't reacted to their presence. The half-giant's focus is great, though from a great distance he here's mention of removing...something from the chamber, his consciousness expands back to encompass the full reality.

"Belay that thought, these are no mere statues! I know not exactly what they are, but they are more than they appear. Removing the...thing they preside over could have unknown consequences."

[Sønderjye]

Is that a "no I can't decipher it? Bloom asks

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"Unfortunately, that would seem to be the correct assumption Bloom," Mel says as he approaches the others, his boots clacking against the stone floor. "I speak just under a dozen languages, and have encountered many more, but like Adrestia this is nothing like I have ever seen before. Moreover, judging by our dear scholar's reaction, it would seem any attempt at deciphering the script would prove either fruitless or time consuming, or both."

As time wears on and each of them examine aspects of the chamber, the summoner becomes increasingly aware of the fact that, until someone interacts with the object on the pedestal, very little would happen within this chamber. Before anyone has time to react, Mel reaches out and plucks the card from the pedestal, immediately taking several large steps back. His other hand on his sword, Mel falls into a combat stance, ready to react to whatever trouble might come.

[ChaosArchon]

As Mel plucks the object from the pedestal, the whole party hears a voice of metal and gears say,"Thieves, your destruction is the will of the Masters, and we are their instrument." as the two statues whirl to life, and before you are two humanoid creatures. Their bodies made up of countless masks, all of which have four eyes, clearly these creatures were not made in the form of humans. All the masks seems to stare at you with a cold, emotionless look. You are simply a chore to take care of in their eyes.

Bloom
Statue 1
Aivorr
Mel
Gaius
Statue 2
Loramar
Iska

They are Mask Golems, beware the masks.

I realize I said they weren't magical, I forgot constructs count as magic. I always thought of them as machines but I guess if an arcana roll is req they are still magical, my mistake.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Mask Golems! Having had the distinct displeasure of facing of these formidable constructs in the past, Mel backsteps into the tunnel, staying as far away from the golems as he possibly can, while still remaining within a reasonable range. After a quick incantation, he snaps his finger, and a black ooze materializes seemingly from thin air, coating the creature on his left in a thick layer of slippery grease. By the time the film of gunk settles, Mel has already turned to face the other golem, sword up in anticipation of its assault. "I've hampered one of the monstrosities - if you fight at close range, engage that one," he yells, making sure the others can hear him, "keep your eye out for flying masks until I am able to incapacitate the other one too!"

Move action to be 40 feet from one of the golems while being as far from the other as possible. Standard action to cast Grease on target golem, whom I believe gets no save. Though considering the circumstances, these golems may be different and do get a save against grease.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom moves his right hand to the rapier in his left hand and pulls an indigo version out of it. He throws the indigo rapier after one of the golems. He then moves right to seek cover behind one of his allies, preferably within 15 ft of the golems.

standard: Throw weapon. I'm not sure about the rules for improvised weapon. I assume rapier damage remain the same even when used in an improvised way but I take a -8 to hit(4 from improvised and 4 from range incresement)
To hit [roll0]
Dmg [roll1]
Move: move behind tank.

[Athaleon]

Gaius heeded Mel's warning, and loosed a volley of arrows at the golem that was not covered in slime. "Pull back to the hallway! "


If he needs to take a Move action to put a tank type between himself and the golems, he will do that and fire a single shot. Otherwise he will take a 5' step back and full attack. Using Perfect Strike on the first attack in either case.

Attack: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

In case he does use Flurry:

Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

[TheBoyce]

These foes seem much tougher than the feral pugs from earlier in the journey, so Loramar will adjust his arcane expenditures accordingly, his eyes turn black for a moment as lightning begins to crackle along Xavios's edge. What comes next will depend on how close the greased up Mask Golem is to the Magus. His tactic virtually identical to his idea against the pugs, get to a distance of 5 feet,make himself even larger, and bring Xavios down in a bisecting motion.

Swift Action: Arcane Pool Xavios with Keen and Shock
Other actions: If he can take a 5 foot step and be withing 5 feet of Greasey he will use Spell combat to Enlarge Person himself and then slice it up, otherwise he will just move to Greasy an slash him.

Spell Failure: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
If Enlarged [roll3]

[ChaosArchon]

Bloom deftly tosses his rapier at the first golem, however his aim is not true and it sails past the metal monstrosity. Seeing his blade miss the target, Bloom backs up behind Loramar, hoping the giant can protect him.

The first golem moves impossibly fast and manages to get into close range (sq E5) with Mel and attempts to bash the thief with his metallic fists of many faces. It's first blow misses the summoner, however it's second attack manages to connect and deals 11 damage to Mael'gon IV

Mel, fearing for his life after the golem's attack, moves to the hallway that had led to the room and then mutters a series of arcane words, whereon their completion as field of grease appears around the first golem and some of it appears to have slipped between the cracks of it's masks and is impeding some internal mechanism.

Gaius moves behind Loramar as well and unleashes an arrow at the second golem and his arrow strikes true, although it appears as if it did less damage than it would upon another foe.

The second golem moves to engage the giant of a man which is Loramar. It's first swipe at him manages to connect and deals 5 damage, however Loramar manages to deftly dodge it's second strike.

Enraged by the assault upon his person, Loramar manages to become even larger with his knowledge of the mystical arts but his attack on the second golem proves to be futile as it avoids his attack.

ok so if anybody feels I played out their actions incorrectly, just tell me and I'll change it. the E5 is a reference to the map I posted in the OOC, the letters are the horizontal rows which goes from A-K, and the vertical rows go from 1-10. the second is where Mel used to be.

[Athaleon]

Gaius continues backing away and shooting steadily.


5' step back and keep shooting at the same one. Spending a Ki point to gain an extra attack, and using Perfect Strike again on the first shot.

Attack: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

Attack: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]

Edit:

Wrong damage die ><

Also, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim give him 19-20 crit range, and Perfect Strike uses the reroll as the confirmation roll. Feel free to reroll the damage for however many hits I got :/

[Sønderjye]

Bloom waits until someone has attacked the golem to be sure that the golem is distracted. He then vanishes in a indigo mist and appears under the golem that just attacked Mel. He tries to chop off it's heel with several hits.

Delaying action until someone has the undivided focus of the golem(aka hits it).
Swift: Indigo jaunt to teleport under the Golem.
Free: Arcane Fission to make a copy of his rapier similar to the one he threw.
Fullround:
Main-hand attack 1 [roll0] dmg: [roll1]
Off-hand attack 1 [roll2] dmg: [roll3]
Main-hand attack 2 [roll4] dmg: [roll5]
Off-hand attack 2 [roll6] dmg: [roll7]

[TheBoyce]

Loramar grunts as the constructs strikes him and uses the force of the blow to step back. His now giant size allows him greater reach and he intends to lead this golem on a merry dance of death. The half giant grips his Xavios in a two handed grip As his eyes once more flair with power and more arcane energy surges into the Black Blade. Having failed at an overhanded chop the magus will attempt to bisect his foes with a horizontal slash.


5 foot step back
Swift: Use Arcane Strike
Swing: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] lightning [roll2]

[ChaosArchon]

The first golem now shifts it's attention to the closest thief it can find, this being Loramar. It swings it's masked fists at the giant and connects both of its blows, dealing a total of 22 damage to the man.

Bloom, seeing the first golem focus on Loramar, disappears in a blue explosion, only to reappear right below the first golem. He unleashes a flurry of blows upon the masked monstrosity and manages to land the first three of his strikes. However the golem's innate armor seems to soak up most of the damage from the blows, but Bloom can tell some damage is still done.

Mel, seeing that his allies need to most advantages possible in this situation, uses his arcane prowess to allow all the others to act with even greater celerity.

Gaius leaps back and fires another barrage of arrows at the metallic demons who threatened his friends, and amazingly all of the arrows strike the first golem and utterly annihilate the being. Emboldened by his success and the Mael'gon's magic, he fires an arrow at the remaining golem which strikes it and deals a sizeable amount of damage.

The second golem, viewing Gaius as the killer of its partner and the biggest threat currently, dashes towards him and attempts to strike him twice with it's bronze fists. Gaius manages to avoid contact with the first attack, however the second one strikes him soundly in the gut and deals 10 damage.

Battered but not beaten, the now gigantic and hastened Lorarmar unleashes a mighty slash at the remaining golem and his crackling blade manages to make contact, rending apart portions of its metallic form. However the golem still stands after the first assault, and Loramar launches a second attack thanks to Mael'gon's magic. The second attack strikes the golem with the sound of thunder and manages to finish the construct once and for all.

Everyone receives 2,400xp. Also wow you guys deal alot of damage, why is it that most of your damage doesn't match up with your sheets :smallconfused:

[Sønderjye]

So I guess that was thr key? Bloom says as he gracefully avoids the falling golem. He sheath his rapier and walks casually over to the thing. He thenz realises it won't fit hid back and sends a look towards the big guyd behind him.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Mel stands over the greased golem, nursing a sore in his shoulder where the golems blow connected. He suffered no such injury to his own person, of course, thanks to the spiritual barrier that allowed his eidolon to shield him from such blows; however, he is connected to Voll, and the attack had been immense - even now, he could feel his companion's pain, hear his growls in his mind. Peace, friend, Mel thinks to him, you will find relief soon. He pulls a wand from his pack, using the built in needle to prick his finger, letting a single drop of crimson blood drip onto the ruby at the other end. As the gem begins to glow, he mutters a small incantation, and immediately the pain on his shoulder subsides, the raging in his mind quieting with it. There, he thinks as he puts the wand away, noting the infinitesimally small crack that begins the process of the wand's decay.

He surveys the wreckage, picking through the giant mechanical carcasses for anything salvageable. "A dungeon with guardians like this means there's more to it than meets the eye," he says out loud, "which means that, with the defeat of these monsters, something should have revealed itself. Somebody needs to give this cavern another once-over, starting with where the golems had been standing."

[Sønderjye]

Is that your way of thinking that this isn't the key? Bloom Mel as he starts looking around. He has already made up his mind that there is nothing here but that one seems to be convinced otherwise.

perception to search the room. [roll0]

[Athaleon]

Gaius took a moment to catch his breath, and quickly examined the plinths where the golems were standing. "Call it a hunch, but I don't think there's anything else here. This card has to be the key, we just have to bring it back for proper study, and maybe we'll find out how it works."

[TheBoyce]

Loramar is ill tempered both by the pain from the several hits he took and from the fact he took them at all, he hefts Xavios high into the air and brings it crashing down on the remains of the golem he just ended. Breathing heavily he then stows Xavios away on his back.

"That...could have gone better."

[ChaosArchon]

As Loramar recovers from his bout with the golems, he hears Xavios whisper to him,"You did well my master, your righteous fury at these things in order to protect your party filled me with satisfation."

I totally did not just now remember Xavios is a living blade, why do you ask :P

[Sønderjye]

Adrestia do you think this is the key? Bloom asks the archivist. He still doesn't trust her but she seems to have worked for Ares before so if she said it was the key he could get his money.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

After checking the room once over, Mel returns to Adrestia's side, card-shaped artifact in hand. "Unfortunately, I think you're right," he says to Gaius, coming to the same conclusion, "though this means we'll now need to search for the location of whatever this object was meant for, since it has clearly brought us nothing but trouble and a dead end here." He sheathes his sword, frowning at his surroundings. So many phenomenal displays of arcane power, yet not a wisp of magical energy. Very, very odd indeed.

[ChaosArchon]

Adrestia speaks up after being silent for so long,"Well that was certainly an excellent show of power, both by you all and whoever these "Masters" were. As for what looks like a playing card, I guess that must be the key we were sent to retrieve given taking it is what triggered the guards. Oh shall we depart now?" she says as she motions to the hallway now darkened due to a certain indigo trickster lifting all the orbs.

[Sønderjye]

Looking forward to getting his reward Bloom says Let us departure then

[Athaleon]

"Whatever the case, it looks like we're done here. Onward and upward." Gaius gestures towards the exit.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom moves up the stairs. For every step he takes you can hear the crystal balls bash into each other undwr his vest

[ChaosArchon]

The party eventually leaves the strange tunnel underneath the deserts to the ravages of time itself as they join back up with the two camels on the surface. Not much time is spent resupplying from the oasis, although Adrestia refills the cache of water she brought with water from the oasis.

You travel for a few days when you come across a small road on your way back to Fortis. The road itself is nothing special, a simple dirt road which reeks of droppings from the beasts which the mortals used to traverse the land. However what is special is the fact that in the distance you see a large pillar of smoke rising to the heavens as you hear blood-curdling cries fill your ears as men, women, and children cry to the gods to save them.

[Sønderjye]

Can any of you see what's going on? Bloom says from the top of a camel.

Perception to see what they need help to [roll0]

[Athaleon]

Gaius' bow was in his hand instantly, with an arrow nocked. "Sounds like a raid. Let's check it out, might be enough of us to make a difference."


Perception: [roll0]

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"Whatever it is, screaming for the gods certainly will do them no good," Mel says grimly, speeding to a jog. His eidolon-fueled legs carry him forward, hand already on his bastard sword as he surges past the camels.

[Sønderjye]

Heh, good one Bloom says as he starts running towards the screaming mob. He draws his rapier as he is running. Let's join the party
He is happy that he stocked the small orbs on Frank, no way he would have been able to fight carrying all those.

His small legs carry him towards the fight faster than one would have expected for someone that small but he will still fall behind if the others run as fast as they can.

[ChaosArchon]

The two who deigned to survey the scene in the distance can tell a small nearby town has been lit on fight, presumably by raiders. As you arrive you can smell the stench of burnt flesh and newly spilt blood, along with the familar smell of voided bowls as the deads' bodies gave up on processing the food they no longer needed. The entire village is in flames and all around you can see people lying on the ground, dead. Some are armed in steel and other such weapons of war but many of civilians who seemed to have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only living beings appear to be four people gathered in the town square. Three of the people seem to be men garbed in furs and the sort and pointing weapons at a small girl who is the fourth living person in the town. The girl appears to be of two and ten years of age, clothed in a simple black robe and a ruby necklace of some design which appears to be quite valuable.

[Sønderjye]

Bloom has seen worse in Torsa so he quickly regain from his unsettlement with the situation. He walks over to a man and picks up his sword before realising he have no way of transporting it back to the town and puts it down Need to buy myself a Frank He says to himself

When he spots the group he ducks for cover and moves closer while drawing his rapier. He aims for small crate roughly 10 ft away from one of the men.

stealth [roll0]