In Search of Humanity - Finding the Parts

[~Corvus~]

Vutha feels his soul being wrenched apart as he is pelted by bolts. The only time he felt something similar was when he was teleporting to the Material, but it is a tearing feeling as opposed to a funneling feeling.

At the point where the pain reaches an unbearable threshold, he hears familiar voices. He is in darkness.

The soulgate, sir. It's Ba--
Don't care. It's destabilizing. Emeth, bind it--
SER. IN PROCESS.

Vutha does not feel the pain abate, but he does see a flash of images. He catches a glimpse of a garden where many saplings grow. The warm sun pours into the grove, and the air looks clear. The voices come back into the area he sees.

FLUX SER.
Emeth, more glyphs? I'll sta-

He sees what looks like...a sandy whirlpool? Reflected in its disappearing matrix is what appears to be a shimmering material. Vutha finds himself slowly turning in what looks to him like an enormous hourglass. The voices boom into the glass, causing the shards and rocks to oscillate. This time, he has trouble understanding what's being said.

As the images shimmer once again, he is again plunged into what appears to be darkness. THis time, however, the pain is gone. A voice reaches out to him.

Vutha Suaco, that must be you. If you can hear me, I urge you to speak. Your soul was banished, and we barely contained it beyond death. What happened? Dead so soon?

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha seeing only darkness as he attempts to look around hears the voice calling out at him. He attempts to answer while having multiple things on his mind, "I- I- damn those arrows hurt... Wh- where am-; We were attacked outside. As soon as we left; he told us there was an ambush but NOT an army! I'll- I'll- Why can't I see anything?!"

[~Corvus~]

You are de-stabilized, and will find yourself in a dark room with a single doorway. Do you have your equipment on you? Feel yourself and the world around you. Breathe in the air and try to imagine the door. It is filled with light. There are unlit candles by your feet. Do not hover. The more you interact with this world, the easier it will be to...return.

You hear the voice breathe in and sigh out. Who told you what now?

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha listens to the voice and attempts to imagine the room. As he looks around, he feels for his equipment slowly. As he realizes that everything is in its proper place, including his sword, he looks to his right and sees the door through the darkness. Vutha then slowly breathes in and out before responding, "I do have my equipment and I see the door." As he moves up to the door, he feels himself walking like he did before the curse. Vutha then begins to open the door he continues to talk while breathing like normal as he feels there's no reason to distrust who is talking to him, "It was Tarok, a grand Thaumakarch of my kind that's in charge the enforcement guild." "He told us that there were people waiting outside of where we were, ready to attack us, that they had an ambush set up", Vutha says holding onto the door handle while standing in front of the doorway, just a few inches from the light on the other side. Vutha starts gripping tighter on the door handle as he starts to crush it in his hand, "He didn't mention that there was an army awaiting us as part of the ambush. How did attacking the couple of hunters on the track of the dwarf lead to us getting sl- WAIT... Where are the rest, did they survive?!"

[~Corvus~]

Vutha can feel the metal resisting his crushing grip. His head hurts. It feels as if--as if he's lost something, but he can't remember what. Vutha's vision returns as he crumples the door-handle into scrap.

He can see Abdul, the gnome Nimidia, and an elf that looks...rather stoic, even for an elf. The elf is fiddling with instruments at a table, and Vutha can hardly see what he is doing. Other than the table and a little area around it, the entire room is covered in symbols, many of them indicative of Psionic power. He can discern little, but most do not thrum with power he can measure.

Abdul gives Vutha a confused look. I know little of the culture of the Rethi, and little of your friends as well. But as your kind are from what appears to be a dishonest hegemony, I wouldn't put it past him to only be working in his own idea of self-interest.

As for your friends, I would know little of them. My knowledge of this world is little, and the more I learn about it, the more i'm convinced it's not actually worth saving. And speaking of saving....

He takes a sharp inhale. I'm going to need a favor from you. It involves finding a monster and bringing it back alive. Now...I can give you a device that will protect you from her...unpleasant tricks.

She is a medusa by the name of Eurykhrys. She is a prophet who went into hiding a little more than 50 years ago, and if you can find her, i'd be much obliged.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha drops the crumbled handle that's now in his hand as his head begins to hurt a little. He begins to hold his head in pain until it passes while listening to Abdul speak. As it starts to pass, he feels like he's missing something, something important that he should know. "Yes, most only have enough honor to make themselves better, that's why I decided to leave. I may have sought power which gave me my curse, but I did it to protect those I care for; especially when the price to pay for ending the curse is killing my bloodline", Vutha says as he lets go of his head. "Now, how alive/awake does she need to be if she doesn't want to come nicely?" Vutha continues as he tries to make his eyes come back into focus so he can see more.

[~Corvus~]

Abdul nods. She must be unharmed enough to be able to complete her prophecies. I do not know what physically harming her would do, so I'd prefer her to not be harmed more than is necessary, or at all. I very much doubt she'd enjoy a physical conflict, but she;d be less willing to help a friend of a thug than a friend of a friend.

[blackwind1kaze]

"So, mention you and everything should be golden?" Vutha asks in response, now looking at abdul.

[~Corvus~]

Abdul laughs. Hardly. I am sure she has little interest in me, if she's heard. If she is as good an oracle as she is purported to be, though, i'm sure she can help me with some of my own interests. Eurykhrys is written about in many of the documents that belonged to the Druids and mystics of the Wild Woods before this world went to madness. It is said that she fled from her seaside island to find refuge in the mountains, and only a few years before the Cleansing.

Eurykhrys is said to live "A place where soldiers are sent where they can't fail again." There are mountain-dwellers that find her when they need help, but I suspect you'll need to find her if this isn't the case. It's cryptic at best, but I hope to find one of the great mystics of the multiverse. Even learning of this riddle was... he winces. ...more costly than I care to admit.

He hands over a ring that appears made out of green snakeskin. This should provide you a hefty protection against her nasty gaze, and might be symbolic to boot.


This item allows Vutha a +7 to resist Petrification effects.
http://i.imgur.com/XgTFKJU.jpg

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha puts on the ring and says, "so, how am I getting there or to the general area?

[~Corvus~]

Abdul nods and says, Nimidia can help you there. Emeth and I have concerns that are past-due. If you'll excuse us... He looks expectantly at the Gnome and the Rethi while standing in the room.

Nimidia nods to Abdul and slips out the door while it's ajar. Mister Vutha, I must reserve my powers for other endeavors for the time being. Come, let us walk to another room. As they walk, they pass by many thick, three-foot-wide doors. As they walk, she continues, Are you familiar with a place called the Underdark? It's said to connect all places, and there is a passage from here to Nidea. It only takes a few days' travel, and I believe it would deposit you close to where you'd like to be.

[blackwind1kaze]

[OOC: assuming deposit not posit]

Vutha thinks for a moment but then says, "I can't say I am, though I might have heard the name before at least. But hey, if it gets me where I need to be quickly then I suppose it can't be all that bad right?"

[~Corvus~]

Nimidia grins with Vutha's response. I'm so glad you have a positive outlook on this. Okay. She reaches into a pouch in her side and produces a satchel that bulges with odd shapes--it's clearly an extradimensional-type bag--and when she hands you the satchel it feels light enough. This satchel has five loaves of a special bread made from some plants we cultivate here. They are highly nutritious, and should last you more than the few days it should take to travel your path.

After you enter the door, travel down the right hall, and turn left into the third staircase leading down. You'll find a Troll guarding the entrance to the Underdark. Give him exactly two pieces of this bread. Not one, not three, and definitely not more than three. Got it?

[blackwind1kaze]

"I got it", Vutha says feeling like a mother is talking to him as he grabs the satchel from her hands nicely, even though he would have preferred to snatch it. "Well, anything else Nim, or am I free to go now?"

[~Corvus~]

Nimidia nods. Don't take the wrong staircase. The gnome takes the door handle, which is the latch-and-lever kind, and opens the door. She lets him pass, and waits for him to walk in.

Vutha turns right, and passes many staircases that go straight to the side without dipping downwards. A few stairs travel up. At the end of the stairs, there are yet other doors. As he walks he spots several staircases leading downwards in a row. He finds two off to the right, then two more to the left further down the hallway. By his count that makes five he's seen.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha heads down the 4th staircase he's seen, heading down it.

so five stairs, Left up; down right; down right; down left; down left;
Since the stairs on the right are bundled together before the left leading down, traveling the first down left one is the correct one to how Nim said it.

[~Corvus~]

Vutha travels down the hallway and opens the door and heads in. The door closes shut as soon as he has passed it. There is no latch to open it on this side. He walks for a great deal of time in a bare, dark hallway. After what seems like an hour, he is sure that he's gone the wrong way when he thinks he hears the muted sounds of...snoring?

Not a minute later, he makes his way around a curve in the hallway that opens up--quite suddenly--to an enormous room filled almost entirely by a smooth, mossy green mass. It seems to rise and fall in the rhythm of the sounds that come from the few cracks left in the upper corners of the hallway.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha slowly and calmly draws his blade just to be on the safe side. however he looks around to see if there's a way around the sleeping person without disturbing them.

Honestly, like my character i'm positive this isn't the wrong way, not the way Nim's info is written/spoken.

[~Corvus~]

As Vutha tries to peer around the creature, he catches only a few inches above the ten-foot sized space. He catches no other way around the creature'a belly unless he is a rat or gets violent. He realizes, too, that he can see part of the lower body, but that most of it is below the area he stands.

There seems to be no way around it.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha looks over the character to make sure nothing's wrong with maybe just waking it up.

Because it doesn't really matter if it's nature or dungeoneering

[roll0]

[~Corvus~]

This creature features the mossy skin that is charteristic of a troll. A huge troll.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha pulls out two bread from the sack he has after sheathing his blade again. He then closes the sack and slightly hides the bread behind his back and with his other hand, he lightly taps on the troll's stomach (unless he can reach a shoulder) and says, "Um, excuse me..." while the heat from him might be warming the troll up on accident.

[~Corvus~]

The troll's body shifts, and a fleshy hand absentmindedly scratches at the place where Vutha pokes. It quickly goes back to its (muffled but noisy) rest.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha pokes again, still politely saying, "Hello... excuse me..."

[~Corvus~]

The snoring interrupts briefly and Vutha's hand encounters a fat finger of the troll's. He hears a snort and the hand ascends quickly to above the area. The stomach turns violently and then it lifts out of the way. He feels the walls shake and hears the troll's grunts.

The formerly-blocked passageway stretches a great length--about a hundred feet to the other side--and it seems to be the junction of a cross-shaped hallway. About ten feet below his standing point is a perilous trellis of pits and pockets in the stone floor, and the pits extend well beyond his ability to see. Hot and putrid air rises through the spaces.

Before the head of the troll appears, some fingers appear and grip the passageway. Its face is easily a foot across and more than two feet tall. Whaat? Why you wake meee? YOuuu not Hashmalarrr Its breath smells of plant and moss mixed with decaying flesh.

[blackwind1kaze]

"No indeed not. I'm Vutha and I was sent by Nimidia", Vutha says politely while slightly bowing if the troll can see. "who is Hashmalar?"

[~Corvus~]

Hummm... The troll takes pains to repeat the name several times. It walks away from Vutha's position and repeats the name over and over. If Vutha peers around the corner, the troll looks like he's consulting the walls of the long hallway to the immediate left of the Rethi's position.


It looks at numerous scratches in the walls in the large Dwarven script characteristic of Giant. It would be impossible to read from this awkward angle until you are on the other side.
Nimidia....Not knows Hashmalar. You are customer from Upstairs? You have favor... suddenly the troll looks excited, and his head returns to the opening You are here to feed Mosruuk? Breeaaad?

[blackwind1kaze]

"Yep, you got me", Vutha says showing the two loaves of bread. "I need to reach my destination to complete my mission. Can I pass?"

[~Corvus~]

Vutha, once he presents the loaves of bread, is only vaguely aware of the troll's movement to snatch the loaves. The next thing he knows, he has been knocked about fourty feet backwards. His sword has been knocked from his grasp and his armor feels dented. Yeerrrmmmm When Vutha rights himself, he sees the troll has taken a quarter bite of a loaf but its several-foot-wide mouth overflows with vastly-expanding bread. Two Saponiiss Bread I take you want. What place you go? There are... the troll pauses. Thertee-- it shakes its head and looks again at the wall. Lots of places.

[blackwind1kaze]

"I'm looking for Eurykhrys. She's said to live in a place in the mountains where soldiers are sent where they can't fail again. That is my destination" Vutha says while grabbing his blade back up and then feeling over his armor.

[~Corvus~]

If Vutha was a humanoid, he's sure that he'd have several broken ribs. The troll's eyes glaze over at the mention of specifics. That's not place, that's a riddle. I hate riddles. It huffs out, its...nostrils flaring. It slowly raises its voice to a bellow No try to tricks Mosruuk!! TELL MOSHRUKK WHERE-- Spittle mixed with foaming and expaning bits of bread spew across Vutha's body. The troll cuts off its tirade and ends with Nimidia give name of place? Name of world?

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha thinks for a little bit after saying sorry. Once he remembers he says, "ok, yeah I believe it was Nidea. That sounds right."

[~Corvus~]

The troll considers this as it munches on its bread and regards Vutha. Far away. Dangerous travel. Hmmm...We travel through Feywildland. You not afraid fairy soul-stealers? They try and eatchu. One time, take Hashmalarr, him gone five sleeps. The troll moves its head and sniffs at Vutha several times. Youu don't smell fast. Your magics weak. Youuu suure?

[blackwind1kaze]

"It's where I need to be", Vutha says while sheathing his sword for now.

[~Corvus~]

The troll sniffs again at Vutha. One time, I takes five Succybus, but the fairycreatures, they fly as I run. When I slow down, Succybus all dry an ded. The troll pauses, fidgets and bites its lip. Not travel to darkeydark? Underbridge? Whassit called? It looks again at Vutha. It have brain-stealers and eyeballholders and spiders. Much much betterbetter than fairy soul-stealers.



"Succybus" is almost certainly referring to a Succubus. Five of them are certainly a match for Vutha.


"darkeydark" and "Underbridge" almost certainly refer to a very dark place (under a bridge). This is a troll's way of referring to the Underdark, a place infamous for its ability to connect worlds.
"brain-stealers" and "eyeballholders," coupled with the words "darkeydark" almost certainly refers to the iconic and horrific creatures of the Underdark, notably Illithids and Beholders.

[blackwind1kaze]

"Well, how fast can you run?" Vutha asks for the moment.

[~Corvus~]

The troll grunts. Faster den you. Faeries magic weird. Run slower dere.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha thinks for a moment but then says, "So, there are fairies going through Underdark, interesting."

[~Corvus~]

The troll shakes its head. No, I dun' think you unnerstand.

[blackwind1kaze]

"What don't I understand?" Vutha asked now slightly confused.

[~Corvus~]

The troll takes on an edgy voice. Okay, we leave now? Where we go?

[blackwind1kaze]

"Nidea, and i'm suppose to go through underdark. Isn't that what you were talking about?" Vutha says trying to stay polite.

[~Corvus~]

The troll finally nods. Okays. Undlydarks then Nidea. I gots it. it scratches its arms, under its arms, and then its stomach and chants all the while in Giant. It does this for nearly a minute, and finally says Okays. We goes now. You hangs on to me tight now.

Almost as an afterthought, the troll scoops up Vutha in its arms like a child, and holds him close. One moment they are still; the next, light is a blur. Only a few minutes later, the motion stops in total darkness. We here in nearest Undlydarks. You want us go Nidea now?

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha nods and says, "Yes to Nidea."

[~Corvus~]

The troll nods to Vutha. He mutters something in Giant, and Vutha feels the magical touch of some protection. You prepares sword then. Run through feywildlands, Mosruuk probly trips or something bads. Before anything else can be said, it feels like the troll is running in a tight circle. His rush becomes an explosion into daylight.

Soon, light becomes a blur of color around him. Vutha feels as if he is *cold* beyond imagining. It is as if the cold is so deep, his life force is being sucked out of him. The blurs of light begin to wax and wane, as what look like massive orbs grow and contract before him. In between these sensations, they are often plunged into unspeakable darkness, where Vutha's mind simply cannot not register what is happening. Vutha's mind ages and it does not; He is floating and yet he is not.


Vutha and the troll will take 10 Cold damage per round spent traveling this way. The time spent is... [roll0] rounds. (This damage is already substantially mitigated by magical protection)


Finally, after what feels like both a minute and a few decades, another orb expands before them. A shifting and glowing purple lattice envelops the world. It looks as if it's trying to contract against the orb, and below this lattice, a faint green bubble holds the purple lattice back. Vutha and the troll descend, barely missing a purple tendril. As they pass through the green bubble below it, Vutha feels the rush of wind and air as he never has before.

Mosruuk hits the ground with a wet and brittle SMACK. It has lifted Vutha up, and everything below its arms have turned to a broken and wet, ichorous blob. It lets go of Vutha quickly and says Mosruuk sloppy. Go, make sure fairies not kills us as I...

Mosruuk begins muttering in Giant. A green glow begins enveloping him.
They are surrounded by large, human-sized flowers and enormous thin-leaved trees. The autumnal, leaf-covered ground radiates a warmth and a soft wind carries whispers of childlike laughter. With the wind, the leaves on the nearest tree shift, revealing that they are not leaves--they are small fairy-creatures that all beak out in grins at the same time.
The giant flowers near Vutha rustle and he comes face-to-face with a pale-skinned, human-sized fairy.

http://openbooksociety.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/bdee50252d52d071aa8fdcaed9758052.jpg
Covering the trees

http://www.fairiesworld.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_%C2%A9Natalie_Pierandrei_guelder-rose%C2%A9.jpg
Before him

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha draws his sword and mutters a word to the sword which turns it to its normal size. However, unsure of the fairy before him, he takes a defensive stance (full defense) waiting to see if she does anything.

[~Corvus~]

The fairy stands up shortly. She leans on a flower and looks at Vutha's floating form. Hi there, burning one. What are you?

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha unsure still doesn't drop his guard however he does respond, "I could ask the same of you."

Yeah, I'm totally keeping with my character of him not knowing pretty much anything of the other worlds other than earth XD

[~Corvus~]

I am a Stigmanna--a flower priestess who serves The Odium. Isn't it lovely here? As she sniffs the air, wind blows through the trees towards her. The winged leaf-creatures rattle their wings in an eerie imitation of what leaves might sound like.

Vutha's troll companion pauses between spells. She is distraction. Do not anger it, but watch. It goes back to chanting spells. For some reason, it seems like the troll is having trouble casting its spells: they take much longer here.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha, understanding the trolls advice stays in his defensive potion keeping watch but is nice enough to reply, "I'm a Reth Dekla ((if I'm butchering the name atm it's because I'm tired and I don't have the book nearby)), however I've never lived around lovely things so I wouldn't know."

[~Corvus~]

And I am known as the Lavendar Stain. What brings your fragrance here? You smell of death and corruption. You sure could like it here, you know. See these trees? She motions around her. They are all trees brought to death by rotting from the other worlds. Their souls go here, and so we collect them. Like trophies. The fairy giggles, clearly entertained.

[blackwind1kaze]

"Yeah, I'm still currently in need of myself and my fragrance as you call it, lies a lot" Vutha says still trying to make sure what he says doesn't piss off the Lavender Stain.

[~Corvus~]

Then why are you here, Reth Dekala? Are you another tribute brought by this one? the fairy motions to the troll, who has green and white energies swirling around him. His form is repairing itself at a very fast pace.

[blackwind1kaze]

"No, I'm not", Vutha says only slightly looking at the troll. "I'm just passing through."

[~Corvus~]

That's really too bad, the fairy says. You know, The Odium has a helped many beings from Acheron and the Abyss. We could help you with your killing quests, if you'd like... She raises her petaled brows to Vutha as if this should be a tempting offer.


Vutha's Perception: [roll0]

[blackwind1kaze]

"While that might be a tempting offer for some, I'll kindly decline" Vutha says to her. Vutha then thinks to himself, 'come on troll, any day now.'

btw just a reminder that he is continuing Full Defense every time in case it ends up mattering

[~Corvus~]

Lavendar Stain pulls a flower from the ground. That's too bad, she says, malice dripping from her mouth. I would have hoped you'd at least share our glee for The Great Killings that your races are so keen on. Vutha watches as the giant, glaive-sized flower transforms before him. It becomes stiff and its angles become sharper and more pronounced. But I see you desire something more, don't you Reth Dekala? You wait for me to attack, you do not wish to entertain, and meanwhile you spew your corrupting essence here.

Oh-oh. They dun like that. Varoom Fashoshh Fellkhi VASHOOM!! the troll waves in an intricate pattern as fiery sigils burn near his fat fingers. As he completes the spell, the sigils spread to form huge wall of spreading flame that begins to rage around them. Vutha hears the chirruping cries of the small fey creatures all around them dying or flying backwards from the incredible firestorm Mosruuk has conjured.

Moss Rook, you owe us three tributes, and you DECIDE TO BURN OUR KIN?!? WHERE IS YOUR DIGNITY?? The fairy swings at Vutha violently, the flower moving in a complex and masterful series of attacks. As the flower swings, powder trails from the large flower bulb.


The flower's powder releases noxious toxins as she swings. Make a fortitude save with the DC equal to 1/2 each attack total.
Attack: [roll0] if Crit on 20:[roll1] || Damage: [roll2] Critx2 --> Fort DC 15
Attack: [roll3] if Crit on 20:[roll4] || Damage: [roll5] Critx2 --->Fort DC 6
Attack: [roll6] if Crit on 20:[roll7] || Damage: [roll8] Critx2 ---> Fort DC 14

[~Corvus~]

The Lavendar Stain slides her form backwards before Vutha can swing back at her. We will see about you. Flee while you can. With that, she waves her hand and her form dissipates into a flash of lavendar and white flower petals, which quickly crackle and burn to the intense heat of fire around them.

The troll bows his head, sighing. Grommosh' lulle, Reth Dekala. We goes now. Vutha feels his cuts and frosty aches soothed away by some of the same green energy he saw earlier. Holds on. We haves hurry. Fairy soul-suckers may learn your taste now.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha hurrys up and gets into position for the troll to take off.

[~Corvus~]

The troll shakes his head as he picks up the outsider, and holds him to the side so Vutha's arms are above the troll. [COLOR="#40c000"]We goes back to Undlydarks or try to reaches Nidea?/COLOR]

[blackwind1kaze]

"Isn't there a way to Nidea through the Underdark? I wasn't expecting this exactly" Vutha says slightly agitated.

[~Corvus~]

Beyond them, they see a large discharge of magical energy. The magical fire begins to fade, and a lake's worth of energy pours onto the ground. Steam rises where it makes contact with the fire, and the ground begins to turn to muddy ash, flowing slightly downwards towards them.

The troll starts. uh oh. You Tha smarts one. Where we goes?

[blackwind1kaze]

"I need to head to Nidea through underdark, is that possible?", Vutha asks.

[~Corvus~]

The troll raises his voice again, and starts running in a circle, picking up momentum. Mister Hashmalarr say Undlydarks lead everywheres. We goes there, yes?? Around them, faeries are gaining ground quickly. It certainly is apparent that the troll is looking for clear, simple direction. One of the fairies reaches out from fifteen feet away and Vutha feels...his self being pulled from his body.



Vutha loses [roll0] life. This is not damage, so it cannot be mitigated by Steely Resolve.

[blackwind1kaze]

"GO!!!" Vutha yells in an unearthly tone to the troll as he feels himself slowly being pulled from his body.

[~Corvus~]

The troll crouches down and launches himself skyward. Vutha can sense the faeries are following the troll as fast as they can. Vutha feels more of his life-force draining, but a few seconds later, light and motion again become blurred lines.


Vutha loses [roll0] life

Several minutes later, you land into dry darkness. Vutha can see that they have landed in a similar area they were before. We's here in Undlydarks, but... he points to a hallway which is on the edge of Vutha's vision. There's is da way deeper, but I dun' knows where you needs ta go. Youu heals well now. The troll turns as if to leave, making sure that he has enough space to run back.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha says to the troll, "I need to get to Nidea through the underdark, which is where we are now. Is that still possible?" Vutha is starting to wonder why something so dumb is guarding the stuff.

[~Corvus~]

Hashmalarr says you can goes anywhere, dat Nideas is close by, but I never been. I just know hows to get theres my way. The troll sniffs Vutha again. Youu smelts of magics. Youu not get magic items to help? Ring, ammyoolet, booots? Sometimes Hashmalarr give you something silly-- The troll's head swivels towards the ostensible entrance. Uh-ohhh. He fidgets as if he's in trouble. Uh-ohhh, gotta go. With that, the troll is only *felt* leaving. He is gone before Vutha registers his absence.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha curses to himself as he pulls out his sword, makes it return to it's normal size and light up so he can see further into the darkness. Vutha looks at the ring abdul gave him on his left hand shortly after. 'Great... where to now?', vutha thinks to himself.

[~Corvus~]

Almost as if it required no more urging than an acknowledgement of its existence, the snake-banded ring pulls on Vutha's hand like someone gently tugging him. It urges him to his left of the entrance that the troll had pointed to.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha follows in the direction of the tugging but keeps his guard up while doing so.

[~Corvus~]

Vutha travels. The feeling of guidance persist as he meanders through countless passages and even caverns, mostly on an upwards-sloping path. Vutha feels an absence of cosmic connection--like he cannot properly judge how much time passes--and his mind becomes blank as he follows the subtle pull of the ring. There are several instances when Vutha is nearly trampled over from large contigents of what appear to be dark-skinned elven soldiers marching from area to area. Their weapons thrum with glowing glyphs and much of their armor feels powerful to him. The weight and power of their presence, of hundreds of soldiers, makes the wary outsider willing to stand out of their way.

Whatever and wherever these dark-elf soldiers are marching to, they move along purposefully and with a dismissive air: If Vutha was a threat to them, their nonchalance seemed to say, he would already be dead. Vutha has the feeling that he is watched but is also unmolested. Sometimes, after the soldiers have passed, Vutha believes he can hear the screams and shouts of battle and fragile cracks of great power.

Finally the ring pulls him along a passage with an exceptionally urgent tug. He can see a purple glow from far away, a common sight in the passages he's been led through, and as he turns the corner, the cavern opens up into a great and cavernous area.

http://i.imgur.com/XDRqf1f.jpg
A human-shaped statue twice as tall as Vutha looms over the ledge where Vutha hovers. The statue lights up with light blue glyphs of dwarven script, but it is tough to read them well as they quickly begin to move and shift randomly. He catches the words detection, guardian truth and link among them.
A powerful monotone voice thrums in Vutha's mind. Warm Greeting: Hello, Outsider. Formal Request: Kindly state your purpose here at the edge of the Dwarven Realm.

[blackwind1kaze]

'I seek someone, that I believe to be in nidea. Is this Nidea?' Vutha thinks in response without any waver in his thoughts.

[~Corvus~]

Affirmation: This area connects to what mountain-dwarves call Nidea. Refinement of Query: We are knowledgeable about many denizens of this region. What is the name of the one you seek?

[blackwind1kaze]

'Eurykhrys', Vutha thinks quickly. He then adds in just as quick, 'this is meant to be diplomatic. '

[~Corvus~]

The statue makes a humming sound that vibrates his head. This time, the statue's mouth opens and it speaks to Vutha directly. Observation: You are telling the truth. Helpful Information: There is another one the Council has sent to the Blind Prophet Eurykhrys. She lives past this territory, in Dark Elf space.

Vutha then feels a glowing sigil upon his arm appear. It burns his skin, causing 3 points of damage and his flesh on his upper left arm to sear. A visible raised appears there, and the pain subsides to a pressing ache. Warning:You are marked as a Visitor. You must observe Dwarven Law as you proceed through these lands. If you do not know Dwarven Law, proceed with caution. Observation: Your Sigil will guide you to the correct exit past the Dwarven space. You do not need a guide.

With that, the statue's cloak shifts, it raises its weapon, and a narrow passageway over a treacherous edge appears where Vutha may pass.

[blackwind1kaze]

'Another person?' Vutha mainly thinks to himself as he starts to leave in the direction the sigil is guiding him. He will however try to stay away from really busy areas so he doesn't accidentally get into trouble.

[~Corvus~]

Vutha, guided by the sigil and his ring, is led through alleyways and around treacherous corners of the vast cavern. It appears that the residents of this area are mostly asleep save for the ocassional guard. They eye Vutha warily but mostly leave him alone. Vutha eventually winds his way across the arena-like pit, where he sees the tell-tale signs of faded or washed blood. Whatever it was, his magical guides soon led him past the arena and towards the spire at its top.

Vutha: [roll0]

There, a guard, his beard barely developed, stops Vutha at a circular drawing surrounded by complex runes that make his head hurt. Evening, Visitor. This is a Waypoint. Do you have payment for a crossing, or do you need directions elsewhere? When asked by Vutha what he means by this, the guard elaborates that magical trinkets, rare foods such as exotic hops or mushrooms, or currency to worth a total of 400 gold are accepted for a Waypoint Crossing. He then informs Vutha that Teleportation magics still work this far under Nidea, and so long-distance travel is possible. Is there a place you need to go?

[blackwind1kaze]

"I'm looking for Eurykhrys", Vutha says simply. He seems slightly weird-ed out about this unexpected 'Toll' but he keeps it to himself.

why is it whenever you roll for me you seem to get almost the lowest thing possible? XD

[~Corvus~]

Behind Vutha, a small crystal makes a throat-clearing sound. It is a tiny, purple crystalline cube with translucent yellow legs. Excuse me...would you also accept this visitor's Binding Sigil, provided he is transported outside our territory?

The guard frowns at the crystal, and asks Do you know each other? I thought the Unbound were supposed to be-- --Unless we have found our Likeness. This is the one.

The guard grunts noncommittally.

I'm positive.

The guard mumbles Far be it to question even a lesser of the Shardmind.. He examines Vutha's arm, and manages...Yes. But only because this visitor is marked with Sharn and because you asked so nicely.

He looks at Vutha, and says This...psicrystal here vouches for you, and I am not one to question it. I can have this waypoint send you to Fated Passages, but beware, Outsider: You will be traveling into dangerous territory. There is no return waypoint, and we are at war with the Dark Elves. Best I can do for free. Finally, you will be no longer be marked as a temporary visitor. Hopefully, your quest will be successful.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha nods in understanding and says thank you to both the guard and the psicrystal. Vutha then prepares for both the travel and any fighting that may be coming up soon.

[~Corvus~]

The guard reaches to the nearby wall and grabs a quarterstaff that Vutha would not have otherwise seen. It is some sort of dark wood but otherwise plain, until he moves it to the circle. A spiraling overlay of runes shine upon the staff, which then act as points on the circle. the circle Thrums with energy and blue lines activate in a circle, while the light spreads along twisting and circled patterns. Finally, a triangle emerges in the middle, and he instructs Vutha to step onto the middle of the Waypoint.

The psicrystal surges onto the circle with Vutha. He feels a pull of movement and a metallic pang that transforms into a high-pitched screech. Just as fast, the pang de-oscillates and gives in to the din around him. Blood and ichor spray around Vutha. Five dark-skinned soldiers, all wielding bows and crossbows and as many gigantic spiders are bisected around fading circle of teleportation magic that brought Vutha here. Screams and the sounds of pitched battle are upon him instantly.

Dark-elves, accompanied by monstrous spiders are fighting a battle with dwarves, and Vutha happens to be among the elves. He is quickly approached a white-haired warrior whose lower half of his sword is covered in blood.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c7/55/23/c75523d5f0a30feeb5b5d606186c81ac.jpg
You there! There is a Hydra helping the dwarves, and our spiders cannot take it down. Help us and be handsomely rewarded!

Near the front line of battle, a large multi-headed hydra lays waste to several drow soldiers with its mouths. It shimmers with runes and protective magics, and spells and arrows clatter off its scaly hide. A huge armor-plated spider several times the size of Vutha scrabbles the outsider and slams into the Hydra. Loud sounds of chittering and hissing join the battle as the insect and the hydra engage each other.

The man tosses a hefty bag of...well, they sound like stones to Vutha and turns back to the fight. And more where that came from if you help us!!

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha sighs thinking how the dwarf really did screw him over, even for free. However, apparently he would need to kill this thing to figure out where his safe passage is now. He would have liked to toss the bag back but with the man already turned around, he quickly pockets it and prepares for battle.

Assuming he has time, the following will happen:
Draw sword and return it to normal size and be roughly 30 feet from the hydra if possible.
I'll just keep the crusader stuff from last time for the battle since it never was used.
-9 PP for expansion: Double size and 10 min/lvl
-5 PP for Force Screen: +1 Shield bonus for a total of +5
11/25 PP left; HP 70/80? am I right?

So for the Weapon it is currently at:
+13/+8 ATK; 6d8+10 DAM

List of Maneuvers readied:
Vanguard Strike
Crusader's Strike - Readied
Douse the Flames
FoeHammer - Readied
Mountain Hammer

[darklink_shadow]

Beset by a small legion of Drow, the dwarfs had called in one of countless favors Tirn owed these keepers of lore.

The eight heads whipped and weaved like rope caught in a chaotic storm. One head hissed and cackled maddeningly. "Yesssss, come upon us to your deaths! Kill them all! Come brothers, let us wade into a pool of their blood!"

Another head spoke, though due to the movement of the heads it was only clear the head that spoke now was different based on its choice of words, "Not yet, Chae. We must stand out ground and provide covering fire. Keep the drow at bay."

"Noooo!" Came the keening of lost dreams, but that was cut short with excited and agitated news.

"Giant spider, incoming."

"Yesssssssss! Rip it apart! Bite, rip, tear, kill!"

"Be silent Chae"

And then the spider was upon them. Each head chose it's target and lashed out, some with pure hatred glowing in their beady eyes, and some with noble purpose. But the result was the same, each head bit into the spider's legs at the coxa, the first joint of the leg, and tore the leg off. Eight heads for eight legs, and now the spider was without limb.

With a triumphant roar, many heads flung the legs aside, though a few began to eat the flesh out from within the legs. A spray of blood streaked down the hydra, and splashed on drow and dwarves alike. One head smeared itself with blood purposefully an writhed with sinister glee.

However, the time that it took the hydra to dismember the spider was the only pause the Drow needed to close the gap and attack more directly.

"Damn. We've lost ground."
"Not to worry, Lorn, we will make it up again."
"We wil crush these peasants beneath us, slaughter them all."
"Yesssssss! Kill them! Blood, carnage, death and agony!"
"By the Elder Serpent, be silent Chae!"
"You be silent, Carg, we all are permitted to speak freely, such is the will of Tirn."
"Want to try to make me, Lorn?"

Suddenly eight voices spoke at once, in perfect unison. "ENOUGH! FOCUS ON THE BATTLE!"

And then the hydra was silent for only the briefest of seconds.

"Did anyone else notice the newcomer?"
"Just ported in..."
"Reinforcements?"
"A new threat?"
"Kiiiiiiiiill him!"
"Be silent, Chae!"
"Ignore him. The drow are a threat. We must move forward."
"Agreed, wait until he makes his move. We'll see where his loyalties lie soon enough."

[~Corvus~]

Amid the hissing of the Hydra and its spider-prey, the drow surge forward to push against the dwarves. The few seconds needed allow for seven dark-elf spellcasters to clasp hands together and chant an intricate set of spells that almost pulses with malice at their uttering. Their triumphant grins manifest as the fallen soldiers of both dark elves and dwarves raise up into dark-eyed servitude. Broken armor of these darkly resurrected knits over with black spots, and broken shields snap loudly together. As a few dwarven clerics begin their own counter-chants, the very floor of the battlefield seems to warp.

Blood coalesces into humanoid forms. A few dwarven warriors, beset by these watery forms, attack them, only to have their weapons pass uselessly into their bodies. The weapons propel through the bloody bodies, yanked out of the dwarven warriors' hands. The slight momentum that drives the warriors forward allows the bodies to lurch forwards and plunge their hands into the warriors' throats and noses. This scene repeats itself all over the battlefield. The dark elves, sensing the tide of the battle turning, cheer each other on and press against the dwarves.

Stoic as ever, the dwarves retreat efficiently. They drag their wounded behind a line of tower-shield wielding soldiers sporting halos of power above their helmets. Though the drow drop many of the soldiers retreating and entering this line, just as many spells and powers paralyze and drop the elves in their assault. Thus retreated, the ground itself gives way under the elves' feet, dragging them away into a rush of what seems like liquid stone. A rush of dirt, mud and stone washes over drow, undead and blood-creatures alike, pushing them back into a mounting wave of earth.

As Vutha Suaco watches the very earth move around him, one of the bloody creatures turns to him. It gives off a feeling of malice that reeks not of his home plane but of something far more terrible--of a truth that he was never supposed to comprehend. Vutha feels paralyzed, as if his very soul-being is questioned by the bloody entity--and then at a command word from its controller it moans and shifts its momentum. A mist of vile blood flits by Vutha, only to crisp in his vilefire aura.

The white-haired man wearing what appears to only be a wool coat shouts orders in his language, and flicks his blood-tipped sword towards the dwarves. The casters shout orders to their bloody creatures and undead towards the line of dwarves. Many of the dark-skinned soldiers seem to have disappeared to both Tirn and Vutha's senses--all of them. But even Vutha's temporary travels have demonstrated to him that the Drow are anything but gone: their presence can be suspected but not always sensed. A few of the dark-skinned soldiers look to Vutha and maintain distance from his large sword, but also seem to be judging whether he is friend or foe.

A white-haired woman in chain-mail speaks to Vutha in common. Rethi. We know your kind and the tasks you perform. Will you fight with us or against us? Is the payment you've been granted enough to stay your blade against our kin? Vutha feels a familiar pulse from the gems in his bag. He knows that feeling of collected souls. But never so...efficient. And all the kind his curse demands.


~~~~~ Across the battlefield ~~~~~

Tirn watches the rush and surge of the earth. Even after the years of service to the Dwarves, they often manage to pull out new tricks when he thought they had no more to share. Tirn, Commander Brögun asks him, If'n ya can take tha spider's passage, it may give us tha advantage we need!

The commander had made their objectives clear before the engagement: secure and hold the passages to a temple from Drow assault. If the passages were overrun, do what they could to allow the Ardents and Clerics to complete some Shard ritual. He knew little when Tirn had pressed him for more juicy details--he was just following orders. Typical of the dwarves.

[darklink_shadow]

"We should stay, and hold the line." Carg replied instantly, to which a few heads nodded.

"Stay and slaughter them all!" Chae hissed with venomous hatred, his mouth oozing with the thick, smelly oil he spit out and ignited when breathing frozen fire.

"We have out orders, Tirn." Lorn advised without emotion. A few heads agreed to that.

"If we hold the flank, it is more tactically advantageous. And we must trust in our leadership."

"It will be less dangerous for us as well. No point in dying for this petty squabble. We must find Eurykhrys."

A grunt from each of them, and Tirn made his decision, and started towards the passage.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Chae screamed and spewed an enormous spray of fire at the drow as they departed. Just as he did this, the hydra transformed into a horned goblinoid creature and ran off.

Standard action to use my Hydra Breath Weapon. [roll0] rounds of recharge (+1 Power Surge (+50% duration) +1 Clinging (deals damage again next round) -1 Recover Breath (-1 recharge)

Effect is that any damage they take, they take half of that again for two rounds. As discussed, the damage depends on how many they are hit by: 4d6 if hit by 1, 7d6 if hit by 2, 9d6 if hit by 3, 10d6 if hit by 4 or more. I will angle it to hit all drow twice, if possible (note, all heads are breathing mechanically, but fluffwise, just Chae is exhaling the frozen death.) So the damage is: [roll1] + [roll2] + [roll3] + [roll4] depending on how many times each is hit. We had agreed that evading the damage all together doesn't count as a hit, so improved evading one, and then getting hit by the second and third, for example, would deal 7d6 still. I won't include this explanation each time, just this time for record keeping.

Swift Action: Quicken Assume Humanoid Shape (Varag) (60ft Movement speed is why)

Move: Move 60ft towards the passage.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha pulls out the bag of soul gems again as the woman is talking. After hearing what she asked he says, "I have no quarrel with your people or the dwarves, nor do I wish to have one right now." Vutha lightly tosses the bag to her to catch and continues talking, "my current mission doesn't effect the outcome of this battle. Also, it looks like the hydra is attempting to leave so I will be following after it if possible. If I'm attacked by your people, I will have no choice but to retaliate." Vutha then attempts to walk away without hurting anyone while trying to keep eyes on the hydra.

[~Corvus~]

As Tirn breathes towards the Drow, many of the dwarves grunt in satisfaction. Several wounded soliders fall with the blast, and many take the frosty assault but continue to scramble up the now-tough terrain, their task made more tough by the frosty affliction.

As Tirn shifts, Scout Däela shows the hydra the direction to travel: beyond the retreated position of the dwarves, a small earthen bridge has been temporarily made to follow towards a tunnel that the Drow's spiders use to enter the battlefield. It is higher up on the cavernous area, but Tirn should reach it after a little running.


~~~~~~

The woman in the breastplate nods carefully. Very Well. We will hold you to that. She sends a few loud orders out in her harsh language and the soldiers disperse, no longer concerned with the outsider in their midst. They had a battle to wage, and less foes worked for them.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha will try to follow the goblin (or something like that) Hydra running/sprinting/double moving if need be to keep up.

[~Corvus~]

Vutha recognizes the hydra-turned-7' feral goblinoid as something important. Why else would it be moving on all fours on a horizontally-shifting earthen pillar towards the tunnel from which spiders were coming? This level of cinematic craziness was just another feat to tack onto a day of incredible events.

The Rethi manages to follow its path along the ground. It takes nearly a minute of running full-tilt, but they do reach close to the passage. Behind the Varag, the earthen column has started to collapse, crushing spider and creatures alike, but the momentum of the column is such that the Varag can reach the passage without to much effort: Whomever shaped the earthen bridge must have been an expert shaper.

For Vutha, however, it would be a bit more difficult: He had about sixty feet of sheer climbing to accomplish--somehow--and on top of that, several massive spiders were barreling down towards him.


Tirn will need a DC 14 Jump check to successfully make it into the passage. Vutha will need a means of getting up there.

It looks as if the Varag's earthen column will crash into the cavern wall at the rate it's going, perhaps lending another 15 feet of aid to the Outsider.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn, now a Varag, coils his muscles and springs forward, hoping to land on the other side safely. Though, if it failed, it had a back up plan.

[roll0] If I fail and am about to hit a wall, I will turn into something with a climb speed or a burrow speed to get up. Technically I could just turn into something with a flight speed, but bleh. Flying in a cavern is dumb.

An Asabi to burrow and a jungle goblin to climb. If I have to fly... ugh, Avarial. An elf. Gross. Last resort.

[~Corvus~]

Tirn is moving through the air on stone that used to be a column. He's moved over two hundred feet in about fifteen seconds and is almost exactly on target. Those Dwarves aren't always perfect. His jump will allow him to avoid splattering himself on the wall, but he will need to travel upwards about ten feet.

Vutha reaches the bottom of the cavern and is about to watch a large stone column smash into the cavern walls. Several spiders are descending towards him. One reaches out with its legs, its mandibles dripping saliva. this spider has descended straight from the top of the cavern entrance, and as it drops down it snips away the silken threads that aided its descent.

[darklink_shadow]

Catching onto the fall, the Varag shifts its form as it slides down. A winged elven creature smacks into the wall with an unfortunate thud. Wincing, the creature looks back in time to see spiders descending upon an unknown figure. Assuming that the enemy of his enemy was an ally, or at least an innocent, the Avarai turned back and let out a screaming bolt of electricity right into the spiders.

The Outsider was 60ft away, and then I jumped some distance. Based on my bad check, it couldn't have been more than 10ft or so... but even if it was 30, I can gt in range to use my DFA breath weapon. (I can't use my Hydra on in this form obviously.)

So, damage, [roll0] Power Surge + Recover Breath means my recharge time is 0. Since we ran for a minute, my hydra breath would have returned, but I can't use it in this form, as I said.

[blackwind1kaze]

(assuming there are now no spiders around him from them climbing down/the hydra attacking them)

Vutha keeps out of the way of any spider and climbs upward on the silken threads the one spider left behind trying to get to whatever the hydra is now.

If needed:
[roll0] +4 natural +1 for being bigger.

[~Corvus~]

The spiders leave Vutha alone: they are focused on traveling to where they're being summoned. They are large, as long as Vutha is tall. Gossamer hairs on their chitin flutter in their gait as they scuttle towards the battle. They dribble poison from their mandables, eager to have prey.

As Vutha grabs one of the silken threads he is neither prepared for how sticky it is nor is he prepared to have several other spiders climbing down scuttle away from the lightning breath of the winged elf, giving him a difficult time of the climb.

[darklink_shadow]

"Go away outsider, I have no quarrel with you." The wing elf says passively, flying a ways away. "Or slay them with me, and I will help you across the chasm you are so clearly ill-equipped to cross."

With that, the Elf chases after the spider, breathing more lightening after them.

Can I see a way to collapse the tunnel and prevent the spiders from joining the battle? That's what I am supposed to be doing presently, right? Stopping the advance of the spiders?

[blackwind1kaze]

"Nor do I with either of you. However, one has to wonder why a hydra of all things is down in the underdark" Vutha says as he tries once more to climb the thread.

[roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

"Oh... Finding an old friend. Not an old friend of mine, but an old friend of someone. No one you would know, I'm sure."

[blackwind1kaze]

As Vutha (hopefully) continues to climb up, he responds, "try me."

[darklink_shadow]

"It is no great secret that Eurykhrys is a friend of many. I seek her wisdom. But first I must stop these spiders from joining the battle."

[~Corvus~]

Vutha and Tirn surmount the cliff, the former with a little time but no terrible danger. Amid the echoed sounds of battle, their silence is deafening. At the top, they have an excellent view of the battlefield. The large spiders rush towards the battlefield below, but many remain blocked because of recently-summoned wall of molten stone. The drow concentrate their attacks on the dwarves in small bursts. Short skirmishes happen all over the battlefield for about ten seconds: Groups of drow appear to attack the dwarven lines then vanish, leaving as soon as a loss is taken. Even without the spiders' help, the battle will press the Dwarves' resources.

Facing the other way, he and Vutha catch a subdued but rank smell emanates from the spiders' cavern. Gossamer webs span past where they can see--for there is no light in the cavern, and they must rely upon their darkvision--but they get a sense that it's a massive room. From what they can see, it is crawling with spiders of various size and age. If they would collapse the entrance, it would need to be along this short hallway. A cursory glance reveals little, but perhaps a closer examination of the rocks will reveal more.

[blackwind1kaze]

"So you're the other one they sent huh?", Vutha says in both a comment and a question. "Well, if you're hell bent on blocking this tunnel, once the drows are out of site, i'd be willing help. I am upholding my honorable agreement not to attack the drow, spiders aren't drow as far as I know."

[darklink_shadow]

"Other one?" Tirn let the question hang, while his minds argued internally about this statement. "We are bent on blocking this tunnel. These spider are not drow. The spiders that were once drow are much more hideous, and grotesque, with too many legs. Or are half spider and half drow. Either are not drow, anymore, however, and neither are what we face now."

The creature was revolted by its own appearance, and so it found a place to land safely, and turned into a humanoid salamander.

Move action to move into cavern, somewhere to land, swift action to turn into an Abasi, standard action to make a look around check.

[roll0] Perception

[~Corvus~]

Tirn's search takes less than a minute. He notices widened veins in the top of the tunnel that are mostly soft clay. He catches traces of the clay-substance on his feet: the tunnel isn't exactly stable in its current state. At the end of the tunnel, several more spiders gather, looking at the duo from afar as if to judge if they'd make a decent meal.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn noted the weak state of the tunnel with more interest than he noted the spiders, so sure was he that the spiders would fall before him.

The lizard spewed a thick, oily line of fire at the clay, hoping the heat would loosen it, and cause the tunnel to crumble. In the mean time, he kept himself ready to move out of the way of the falling rocks, either into or out of the tunnel.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha prepares to jump which ever way he needs to after seeing Tirn spit.

[~Corvus~]

Tirn's breath bakes some of the dirt and mud. It cackles and crusts, and some flakes fall off as the dirt curls and crisps. He and Vutha both realize that if the tunnel has stood until now without collapsing, it would take a little more than magical fire to collapse: perhaps a strong arm and a blade to help remove the drier dirt.

[~Corvus~]

It takes a matter of minutes, and a few more spiders clad in battle-armor and dripping with vile venom pass them by as long as they are given wide berth.

It is a simple matter: dry the dirt, pry it loose. Dry the dirt, pry it loose. And then the cavern ceiling begins to crack. Vutha pries out a large section of rock. There is a spurt and a sputter, and fairly soon, the cavern ceiling begins to crumble under Vutha.

[roll0]

[~Corvus~]

Vutha barely makes it in time, and manages to catch several sharp sections of sharp and heated rock in his scramble away. From the other side, they manage to hear a few high-pitched distressed chittering sounds before the sounds of water overtake them.

Soon the rush turns to a roar, as water pours forth from the loosed rocks. The water travels mostly the other direction, into the (now) blocked-off cave, but flows half a meter high towards and past you into the cavern below.

The battle from up here has moved. Clumps of desecrated flesh, spider chitin, gore and assorted bones litter the ground but there are no dwarven soldiers or fresh Drow corpses to be seen.

[darklink_shadow]

Considering the job to be done, Tirn starts off to where he believes he must go to meet with the Medusa. Feeling the cavern might be cramped, the hydra shrinks in size, and changes in shape back into the Varag it was before. "Come along outsider. We have a date with a blind oracle."

[~Corvus~]

[roll0] to each of you. This is half the damage dice I'd give, rounded down, with the collapsed cieling.

Tirn's shift into the primal hobgoblin lends him speed yet again. Their course alters abruptly as they are on a cavern cliff edge, and the earthen bridge the dwarves made earlier is now ruined far below. However, the way to proceed is clear: below them and to the left of their position in the singular other passageway except the way back to the dwarven area. Vutha is able to make it down much more easily than climbing up: the silk facilitates his descent well.


http://i.imgur.com/YSHKpX2.jpg

Their journey down the passage leads them to a series of trellis-bridges. Beyond the first set, options present themselves. Vutha's snake-ring guides them much of the way but eventually they come to two long bridges in divergent directions and Vutha's ring pulls equidistant between them.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn waits for a moment, and then sees the dilemma on the outsider's face. "Left. I'm going left. Right is never right."

Hustling along, Tirn tests the bridge's stability and then runs across if it's safe.

[blackwind1kaze]

sorry, never got a notify that dark posted.

If vutha sees tirn make it across, Vutha will also try to quickly make it across but will be ready to jump if need be.

[~Corvus~]

The two of you make it across the bridge easily. It seems to be in very good repair. You leave and travel for a while along a long corridor wide enough for three dwarves, but you get the sense that you are being followed. When you check behind you, however, there is little to see. There is a larger room ahead of you. Would you like to enter?

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn look all around; above him, at the earthen floors, at the walls and then shrugs. "It is folly to stalk an apex predator." he mused out loud, and then proceeded to continue to follow the outsider with a magic ring to tell them where to go.

[~Corvus~]

As Tirn pressed on, the feeling came back to him but this time it felt the way before some Dwarves came to his location. He didn't know how they did it, but had some ideas.

He hears a voice of a female, and an outline of a two people on horseback and an oddly-shaped bag as well behind him in shimmering white.
"That sounds an awful lot like gladiatorial games, and it's been a good six weeks since I last got to perform in front of a crowd..."

Vutha turns to the voices. What is this? Alala, is that you?

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn turned towards the stranger, though it seemed to be a projection and not a person. "Lalala? Who is Lalala? Do you know of these new comers? We have little time for whatever this is. What do you want, Lalala?"

In your thread, Tirn is described as a Hydra, which us true, but he is shapeshifted into a Varag.

[Stegyre]

Tai

What appears to be a very large rat on the back of the – horse? – nudges the humanoid torso rising from the front of the horse and whispers, "I think it's talking to you."

[~Corvus~]

The forms of Alala, Tai and Omar shift into visibility. Nearby, Omar hears the near-silent curse of a person he can't detect.

Vutha

The sword-wielding outsider hovers to face Tirn. Tai and Alala are companions of mine. How did you all get here?

[whoiam]

"...Huh. When they said they were going to send us to the 'sixth quarter', I was expecting something with... y'know... more dwarves in it. And fewer... giant... hobgoblins..."

Alala doesn't have the knowledge checks to identify exotic species like a Varag.

"Still, that's not important right now. Vutha! It's been... about a day, actually. Huh, seems longer. Still, there was that ambush, and you disappeared, and... yeah, we were kinda left hanging there for a bit. Good to see you're still around, even if we don't seem to be exactly where we were aiming to be. And who's your friend?" Without waiting for an answer, the centaur extended a hand to Tirn. "I'm Alala, an organic self-guided lance propulsion system. Also I think I've just been teleported into the wrong place, so if either of you know which way I'm supposed to go to hit dwarves, some directions would be much appreciated..."

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn stared at Alala for a few moments, seeming to mull over a response. Finally the Varag snatched the centaur's hand suddenly and shook it firmly once before letting go. "Welcome to the Underdark, Lalala, I cannot tell you for sure which way will leave you to dwarves and which way will lead you to a horrible death. But if you come with us to the oracle, and don't need to be violently disassembled, I'll take you back with me to see the dwarves."

Tirn glared at Vultha. "Now lead the way. We do not have time for diversions."

[Stegyre]

Tai

Alala doesn't have the knowledge checks to identify exotic species like a Varag.

But Tai does. He looks the newcomer up and down.
Know(local) [roll0]: this is one of those situations where Tai gets burned due to breaking K(local) into different localities. *grumble**grumble*

Edit: as long as Tai can keep rolling 19s, however, he will refrain from grumbling loudly.
"Hi, Vutha," he says. "Missed you after the battle. What have you been up to, and who's your new friend?"

[~Corvus~]

Vutha leads onward as he speaks. I think I died. Now running an errand for Abdul. Tirn runs a similar errand for the dwarves.


Varags, also known as blood chasers, are goblin-related creatures that are faster, stronger, and more primitive than their kin. Usually found in temperate climates, it is very rare to see them in the Spine except as a slave.

These humanoids stand close to 7 feet tall when upright, but prefer to move and run on all fours. Varags have hunched postures, double-jointed hind legs, and thick sinewy skin. They bear a slight resemblance to a hairy and ferocious hobgoblin, but have a more primitive countenance and two curving horns that sweep away from their skulls. They are less intelligent than other goblin-related creatures.

Varags are vicious creatures, capable of taking opponents by surprise or by direct confrontation. They work as mercenaries for hobgoblin warbands, and are proficient with all martial weapons. Like wolves, varags form hunting packs, with a talented leader typically directing the hunt. They are capable of great stealth and seek to catch their prey unaware whenever possible. They initiate combat from afar, using their superior speed to great advantage.

Varags rely more on their sense of smell to track enemies than on sight or hearing. Feral and chaotic, they hate fighting in close formation. They are naturally attracted to fleeing opponents and eagerly run them down, even at personal risk. When faced with a superior opponent they will employ hit-and-run tactics; by the time their enemies ready a counterattack, the varags are long gone.

They require three times the amount of food that similar sized creature would need, in order to maintain their great speed and stamina. Those that don't recive enough food spend most of their sleeping in order to conserve energy.

Varags can understand speech, but can barely speak. Their primitive physiology makes forming complex words difficult..

[~Corvus~]

As you walk, you become aware that the bridges are not entirely empty. There are figures that march across bridges just beyond your ability to see in the relative dark. Lights, even magically-conjured ones, only reveal that spheres of darkness travel across the bridges, sometimes in long stretches. Those that have senses can feel some of the figures, but it always seems like there are more.

After what feels only like an insufferable number of hours walking, Vutha's ring leads the party to a vast cavern. Although you didnt feel it at first when approaching it, the cavern's chill seeps into your being. Even Vutha's vilefire feels nearly comforting.

http://img.hb.aicdn.com/f6c52714815cb40424a9eb2e21cddf3b656b69a814bf8-OkwDKz_fw658

The environment is attacking you! Please pass a DC 23 Fort test or be fatigued from the walking (it is tough to judge the oassage of time when underground).
You are all in a very cold environment. For every ten minutes you spend here without proper clothing, make a DC 15 (+1 per previous) check, taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. Any nonlethal damage will render you fatigued and Frostbitten. If you have proper clothing, you need only save per hour on the environmental checks. Armor or metal weapons you are wearing or wielding (Except for Vutha) affect you like Chill Metal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/chillMetal.htm) after every hour.


Vutha
Maybe only six or so hours now.

[whoiam]

Alala has enough cold resistance (10 points from Half-Celestial) that the environment can't hurt her. Nor can the chill metal effect, even were she to draw her chain.

And if Tai or Omar don't, they can probably argue that the nice warm Centaur should give them the clothing bonus ;) For that matter, they probably don't have to make the fatigue check unless they decided to get off and walk.


[roll0]

Trailing behind her guide, Alala mutters: "Yay, six more hours. When I find the stupid dwarf that teleported me to the wrong place they are in so much trouble..."

At a more normal volume, she adds, "Well, we should keep going then. Call it a hunch, but I don't think we'll find it too easy to get everyone moving again if we stop here."

[darklink_shadow]

The Varag grumbles at the cold, and the endless walking, and the shadows on the bridges that he suspects are drow. He mutters an strange series of words and scratches his chest, effecting a magical spell.

"Six hours is a good length of time. I would rest before then, if I did not assume we were hunted by Drow."

Endure Elements on myself.
If that isn't enough, Energy Resistance (Cold) on myself.
If that isn't enough [roll0] Fort Save

[Swami Monsoon]

"I can help whoever needs protection from the cold."

Omar looks around.

"How did they manage to dump us way out here... wherever here is? Or was it an accident at all? Maybe they didn't want us around once their dwarf messengers were safe..."


Omar is referring to the Endure Exposure invocation.

[blackwind1kaze]

"hey so far you guys seem to have had a better time then me. Meeting unpleasant fey and even teleporting tof a battlefield surrounded by drow, not the exact way I'd like to meet new races." Vutha states slightly to himself while still following the direction of the pull of the ring.

[~Corvus~]

You eventually make your way through the immeasurably vast cavern to one of hindreds of large opaque walls. Each is at least fourty feet high and more than eighty feet across. A long way off, they look like a multicolored aurora, but up close it swirls with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Each wall has an inscription before it, and the one before you, to which Vutha's ring pulls, reads thus:

I once meet web
in a darn Sun:
men may Say
Twice bawd racks

[whoiam]

Alala just wearily sinks to her knees beside the stone. For her, this has been a long... however long it was.

"Please tell me, " Alala's voice was sounding very resigned here, "That this wasn't what we thought we were after."

Still, she could recognize what she hoped was a riddle when she saw it, even if she had no idea what it was talking about. But she had a genius riding her, so she shuffled around to afford Tai the best possible view of the inscription.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn stares angrily at the words in silence for a while. Suddenly he snarls and walks away from the wall. "Meaningless words. Maybe a riddle. None we can figure out. I S S T? Why is Sun and Say capitalized? We don't know. Maybe we should destroy the wall and move on?"

[Stegyre]

Tai

"I once meet web
in a darn Sun:
men may Say
Twice bawd racks


Not the most straightforward thing, is it?" Tai muses. "Let me think about it." He pulls out one of his tomes, for reference.
Okay, this will depend on character knowledge and smarts, because Tai is much, much smarter than I am.

I'm not sure if solving a riddle should be a pure Int check (+7) or a knowledge (perhaps History: +8?). The real difference is that, by RAW, at least, Cunning Knowledge can be applied to skill checks but not to attribute checks. Either way, I'll make the roll without mods, and ~Corvus~ can apply the appropriate mod: [roll0] (Edit: OMG. "Oh, sure, now everyone's going to blame the rat."

BTW, have we had a rest sufficient to replenish inspiration (short rest) or power points (long rest)?

[blackwind1kaze]

Ooc: now here's where I can play my character well and look stupid later. So couple of things from my mind.


meet - provided I'm not wrong on this, I believe this should be met, so there's an extra E there
Web - spider, drider?
the rest - men working at a construction sight, seeing boobs?

So spider or drider boobs? XD
Edit: or those tatas are meant for like a double moon or something?

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar isn't making any progress on the riddle...

"Some background might help. What was going on before us, uh, latecomers got here? How did you know to find this wall and why is it supposed to be important?"

[~Corvus~]

Vutha looks at Tirn. "Abdul gave me a ring to find a prophet named Eurykhrys, who is a medusa, and a recluse. Abdul wants her back because, according to him, she is one of the great mystics of the multiverse. He wants me to bring her back to him. And Tirn was asked to bring something, too...What was it again?"

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn snarled at Vutha. "I have given you no reason for joining you. I merely protected you from spiders and then followed you so that I too could speak with this oracle. Your ring has led the way thus far, and so if it says to go through the wall, I'd rather just tear down the wall."

[~Corvus~]

Tirn growls back, "Fine. And if we are swarmed by spiders or worse, if you're in trouble, I guess your surly heads wont need my help.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn sneered hotly, still in the guise of a goblinoid. He paused, and seemed to suffer some internal conflict and then shook his head clear. "When spiders descended upon you, I did not hesitate to come to your aid, but I see you have no honor. Should I come under attack, the best I can hope for with someone like you is that they don't flick you a silver to buy your sword. I have survived this long with only myself for company, I need not help from you."

Tirn jerked his neck to the side and then to the other and shifted his weight. A tail burst from the fur covering him, and his skull exploded into tendrils, which expanded into 8 distinct heads that writhed, purple scales glistening over powerful muscles that twitched and flexed as it grow larger and larger until it stood 20ft tall. Having only two legs, the creature lumbered slowly from side to side as it got comfortable. The most interesting aspect, however, was a pair of steel arms that were clearly not natural, but whose hands clenched and unclenched a few times. "Finally free of that form!" "YESYESYESYESYESYES!" "We shouldn't have revealed ourselves!" "Silence. Tirn spoke, and we obey, Caen." "Oh sure, easy for you to say, Lorn." "Still, we should focus on solving the riddle." "Noooo! Rip the outsider apart, crumble the wall under our might, devour the centaur, and squish the rat! Kill everything!" "Chae, enough! We are doing none of those things!" "I don't know Lahg, we might want to destroy the wall." "It is not our wall to destroy! We will commit no acts of violence here, save only if violence is our only recourse!" "Oh can it, Lahg. Obviously we aren't going to go destroying things willy nilly, but we need to be on the other side of the wall, it seems." "He's right. The ring points that way." "I concur with Carg on that point, actually." "Well of course you do, Caen. You just do whatever is easiest, don't you?" "Oh piss off, Lorn." "ENOUGH." "Very well. Let's see if the others have any ideas, and if not, we'll destroy the wall." "AGREED." "Lalala, Tai, other creature, have you any ideas?"

The heads spoke, but writhed so continuously that it was hard to be sure which head spoke at any given time. Twice each head spoke in unison, a much louder, booming noise, but for the most part it seemed the heads were not often in agreement with each other. At the end, all eyes locked onto Alala, Tai and Omar in order. Tirn did not yet know much of the strange creatures, knowing only so far that the centaur fought with a lance, the group worked for the dwarves, and two thirds of their names.

[whoiam]

Alala did not, in fact, have the faintest clue what to do with the riddle. All she knew is that she was tired, this wasn't a dwarven settlement like she'd been expecting, and suddenly this monster was threatening her.... Well, okay, Vutha wasn't much less monstrous than the... other thing... was. Still, he'd been an ally and the new thing was only travelling with them out of convenience, so...

By the time the hydra had finished speaking, Alala was back on her feat and positioned between it and Vutha. In her hand isn't a lance (she didn't really feel up to charging around at this point, anyway), but rather her large spiked chain. One spin, and the head crashes into the ground with a very satisfying thump.
[roll0]
"A suggestion, 'friend' Chew, " Yes, she was annoyed that the hydra kept getting her own name wrong. How did you guess? " that will make your future dealings with our group run a lot more smoothly. It's never a good idea to threaten my allies where I can hear you. I tend to take such things... personally."

Jumping moods rather abruptly, Alala then directs a smile towards a more reasonable head or two. "I apologise, but in these sorts of situations it's always best to make sure people understand where you draw the line. It prevents regrettable incidents later on. Anyway, no, I can't offer much help with the inscription. Riddles weren't exactly a part of my training. But if you're going to try knocking that thing down... well, I can't say I fancy our chances of muscling through something like that, but I'll help, if I can..."

The description wasn't clear on whether there's a space above them or not, so I'm assuming there is. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Corvus, and I'll amend Alala's offer to help kicking the wall down. The description's clear now :)

[~Corvus~]

Intense examination reveals the prismatic wall to meld into the thick and cool ice-encrusted stone. There are no points of space or gap where even a flea would pass through, under, over or around the wall. It is a continuous flat screen offering only a reprive from the curvature of the wall surrounding it.

[darklink_shadow]

The writhing slowed for a moment as all heads stared at Alala. "Ignore Chae." "We always do." "We won't let him harm anyone who doesn't need harming." "NOOOO KILL THEM ALL!" "Oh gods, shut up Chae!" "KILL EVERYTHING! BLOOD!" A few of the heads sighed simultaneously. "Again, please, ignore Chae." "Fear me!" "Don't fear him." "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" "He won't kill anyone." "DEATH! BLOOD!" "Nope, and nope." "Kill..." "Shut up Chae."

A moment of silence. "See? Nobody died." "Anyways, Lalala, there will be no regrettable actions. Most of us are more inclined towards peaceful resolutions." "Most? Everyone but Chae, Loke, and Neze." "I resent that. I rarely prefer violence." "Ok, Loke." "Carg, you are much more prone to violence than I am." "I am not!" "I'd have to agree with Loke here, Carg. I can't think of a single time Loke wanted violence that you didn't, and I can think of plenty of times you did and he did not." "Like when?!" "When that orc was mugging that elf?" "He had it coming Lorn! And you know it!" "Loke didn't think so." "He did, though. I agree with Carg." "The debate isn't if the orc deserved it, Lahg, it's how often Loke and Carg want to react with violence." "Oh. Right. Then I agree with you." "Tch! Fine. Loke is a good, honest fellow and I am a war monger!" "I can agree to that. Heh heh heh." "Ugh. No, Loke is a selfish arrogant jerk, but he doesn't like violence as much as you do." "So who would you say is most violent?" "Probably... Well certainly Chae. And then maybe you, Carg. Then... Caen?" "That's fair. I would put myself third as well." "Fine. But Loke is a jerk." "No one disagrees with that." "Hey! I do!" A few of the heads snickered. "Wait, weren't we talking to the centaur?" "Oh yeah!"

The heads slowed their writhing again to look at Alala. "What did you want again? Not to let Chae eat you? We won't."

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha takes a moment to not let the anger get the better of him. Once calm enough he does state to the hydra, "Just so you know, I never was threatened by the spiders, they knew they had no quarrel with me. However, my honor has its own place, like right now or even back then, my honor can't really tell whether you're truly a friend or an obnoxious enemy. So, my honor tells me currently not to fight until I know more. As for being bought, that's never been a case. I personally find it the worst way to go about things, compared to being helpful to one another. So, would all of you like to decide on which way my honor should go, or should we move on and figure out this riddle as I doubt brute force will tear this wall down."

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar moves closer to Alala. He knows that he does not make for a very intimidating figure. And intimidation does not work terribly well on crazy people... and this dragon, giant whatever guy is clearly a few slices short of a full loaf. And Abdul hired him? Not for the first time, Omar questions the old man's judgment...

Just on a hunch, he says "bawd racks" twice.

[~Corvus~]

When he completes the two phrases, the prismatic wall fluxes, but it neither budges nor dispels. At the very least, Omar knows he's done something right, but he's not sure what.

[Stegyre]

Tai

I think I liked it better when it was smaller, with fewer heads, Tai thinks to himself.

Out loud, he says, "The thought of smashing through actually has some appeal – a good slice to the Gordian knot." He looks at the colors more closely – all the colors of the rainbow. "My concerns is not for swarms of spiders, or anything else, that may be on the other side: it is for the wall, itself.

"I have read of spells like this, with all the colors of the rainbow, and each will do something to you more terrible than the last, and the effects are varied enough that the creatures that readily resists them all are rare.

"I fear we're going to have to solve the riddle.

I hate riddles."
Just following up the hunch: is the wall likely to be some sort of prismatic effect?
K(arcana) [roll0] or spellcraft [roll1]

[whoiam]

Alala may not be an expert on things magical and supernatural, but she knows a chance to employ the direct approach when she sees it.

In this case, backing off a little way, picking up the first small stone she can spot (using her pick to make one if needs be), and then throwing it into the wall, not too close to any of her allies.

[~Corvus~]

The stone rhat Alala throws passes through the wall, but barely. A flare of flame sears the stone to black a few inches past the barrier. Ten feet later, the blackened orb crumbles againt what looks like a second barrier, though the swirls of color make the second color tough to pick out. Tai recognizes it from his extensive stories in the lab as a Prismatic Wall, as he so aptly put it, inflicts objects with flame, acid, electricity, deadly poison, insanity, and banishment to a horrible realm. Each effect is worse than the last, and even the poisons are known to inflict horrible effects on the otherwise immune. Each barrier will stop an effect of increasing potency, but the last one--violet--blocks all possible effects to the other side.

There are stories of 7 spells needed, that if cast quicklyin the proper order can diapel the wall, but it require a selection of powers and knowledge surpassing the paragon (level 11+).

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai watches what happens to the pebble. "Yeah, tempting as it might be as an exercise in machismo, we are not going to 'break' through the wall. If one of you decides to try, please let me know in advance, so I may take notes. I'm sure it would make a valuable treatise.

"Meanwhile, I know that I had the comfort of riding while Alala did most of the work, but I'm bushed. It must be worse for most of the rest of you. You sound like we're being followed, but we haven't seen anything else. Any reason we cannot rest a bit? I can make a reasonably safe and discreet shelter though I'm afraid you –" he indicates the hydra, "– aren't going to fit."
There! I can take a hint on when we should rest, and Tai could really use it.

Among other things, I still need to take his level-up, too. :smallredface:

Oh, and ~Corvus~ had probably already noticed, but the spoiler tags on his last post need to be fixed. See? I knew he'd get it.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn shrugged. "I often fit in places people are surprised to find me."

The heads writhing stopped and they slowly slid together, and the body shrunk down, smaller and smaller as the vibrant scales turned a drab, dusty brown. Cracking the kinks out of his neck, Tirn, now a kobold flung his arms wide. "I not restricted to merely one form. A gift from the gods, to help me blend in."

Turn paused and seemed lost in thought before he added, "This wall... what if we attack it with magic that opposes it? We can do that after sleeping, however. I will keep watch for a while."

[Stegyre]

Tai

"That's fascinating," Tai nods approvingly at the now-kobold. "You have not, I hope, ever heard the story of the Ogre Mage and the Awakened-Cat-With-Boots?

"Well, anyway, if there are no objections, then," Tai focuses his attention on a space barely an inch in front of the wall. Might as well force anything thinking of chancing it to think it may be stepping into a prismatic wall, he thinks to himself. Over several minutes, Space bends and warps, as the rat's mental powers push it out in an extradimensional bubble.

"Step carefully," he indicates with his paws the limits of the portal. "I'll go through first, so none of you need think I'm asking you to step into the wall." He steps through the nigh-invisible portal, temporarily disappearing from sight. Then he puts his head back, where it seems to be floating in the air, poking out of the wall (if one doesn't look very closely). "Right this way. Room for all, and while we can see out, they cannot see in."

Assuming everyone's willing – a rest?

[~Corvus~]

Vutha looks again at the plaque.


I once meet web
in a darn Sun:
men may Say
Twice bawd racks

He thwacks it with a hand and grumbles I don't know how long we need to rest, but the closest we got to this backwards poem is Omar saying something twice. Let's get some rest.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn blinks at the Rat and shakes his head. "I've heard no such tales. I am intrigued." Moving towards the shelter, Tirn hesitates, and then hears what Vutha says and frowns. "Bawd racks, bawd rack, I once met web? Or Bawd Racks, Bawd Racks, in a darn sun, I once met web?"

Not expecting much, Tirn nevertheless speaks to the wall. If nothing happens, as he suspects, he will attempt to follow the rat.

[Swami Monsoon]

I wonder if the capital letters mean anything...

Omar makes one last attempt before entering the shelter.

"I Sun Say Twice"

[Stegyre]

Tai

"Sun-Sun?" Tai asks, doubtfully.

[~Corvus~]

"Sun-Sun?"
With the second word, the wall pulses again, but it does not budge. Other attempts yield no such result.

The camp goes up without trouble. It is warm inside, spacious, and as comfortable as Tai has imagined. It will certainly do.

There are few disruptions to the night, but if they watch outside, they could swear there are heat-like shimmers in the landscape. It's almost as if something is moving beyond their vision.

When Tai sits down to read in the morning, a sudden inspiration hits him about Vutha's earlier words:

...this backwards poem is Omar saying something twice
Tai pulls out a sheet of paper and writes down the following lines:

Twice bawd racks
Twice backwards
Letter by letter, he crosses out the letters in "bawd racks" and the letters in "backwards" and he notices they match exactly. The riddle doesn't make sense because it's a partial anagram!

[darklink_shadow]

Suddenly hit by inspiration in the morning, Tirn pokes his head out of the hole and says "Wobniar, Wobniar, duolc, duolc?" If this doesn't work, Tirn will give up and find a nice part of the cave to curl up and watch the others.

[~Corvus~]

When Tirn completes the second "wobnair," the entire prismatic wall they are next to fluxes and then fizzles with a loud sound. A small but barely-noticed silence descends upon you all. The path is ostensibly clear.

[whoiam]

Alala had been going through her early morning exercises when Tirn managed to, apparently, deactivate the wall. So she repeated her test from the evening before, finding another stone and tossing it through the space where the wall once was.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn scoffed. "I killed the rainbow wall by say its name backwards twice. What weird magic. Let's find something to devour... I expected to be attacked by drow and eat them..."

[~Corvus~]

The stone sails through the air about eighty feet before it clatters upon the icy ground below far away. It is still intact.

[whoiam]

"Hunting later. For now, let's get moving before the wall comes back."

Alala draws a lance from her bag of holding, waits for her passengers to climb aboard (if they don't fancy walking this last part), and holds the lance out in front of her (as a makeshift 10' pole) as she walks past where the wall used to be, going towards the point her stone landed.

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai gratefully resumes his seat on Alala's back: if the journey is anything like the day before, he is happy to let someone else's feet do the walking.

I'm really more of an "idea rat," except when it comes to riddles.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar also climbs aboard...

[~Corvus~]

Vutha declines the ride from Alala. They make their way up into the icy tunnels. The going is tough--it is very slippery and becomes much colder--but as the hallway proceeds the icy halls give way to cut stone.

The paved hallway opens up into an underground library. Spectacularly, light finds its way into the sanctum above, cast with a pale blue light of the melting ice above it. Only as they they get closer do they see it incredible state of disrepair.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/06/b7/f3/06b7f37d74ce119ae22915ab18983da7.jpg

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn follows the funny looking group of people, a rat and a weird thing riding a horseman. What a bizarre sight, even for the Under Dark. Amused, and distracted by internal conversation, Tirn walks carefully so as to not trip.

When they enter the grand room, he looks around and then shrugs. "Which way outsider?"

[~Corvus~]

Vutha frowns. It's not pointing anymore. Perhaps she is close by.

There are several avenues to explore: Upstairs, there is a balcony with two connected rooms and a stairwell shrouded in darkness. There is an adjoining room, similarly bright, that houses a grove of glowing trees. Two other rooms curve and expand, with books and broken shelves all along the walls.

The room has a myriad collection of strange and colorful symbols irreverently scribed over several surfaces, and a long stretch of such symbols mark another entranceway into a dark hallway strewn with broken glass and twisted metal.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"BOOKS!" Tai exclaims excitedly. He hops off Alala and races to the shelves to see what is what.

He also, of course, examines the various symbols to see if he can make sense of them. He consults his handy tomes.
I suspect this is most likely a K(arcane) issue, so [roll0]. (He's got a very high mod for this already, so no use of inspiration to goose the roll even higher.) Edit: Ah, now that roll is more like it.

Specifically, Tai is looking first to determine the meaning of the symbols scrawled over the entranceways and on other surfaces, in case they may provide guidance for the party. Second, he is looking at the books for anything that might be of interest.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn looked at the books and snorted. "Little Rat, let us know if you find anything interesting, yes? You are so small... do you need help reaching the books?"

[Stegyre]

Tai

Using his claws, Tai readily climbs up and down the shelves.
+8 to climb checks and the ability to take-10, ftw
"Size," he replies to Tirn, "is relative. For a rat, I am actually 'big,' though you do not need to address me as 'big rat.' I can appreciate how, from your perspective, everyone is 'small.'" :smalltongue:

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn watches Tai silently for a few moments, nodding to him. "You are spry for someone who loves books. I'm going to look for something to eat. Tell us if you find anything interesting, yes?"

Tirn wanders off, looking around for anything edible.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"Yes, yes," Tai nods distractedly, as he is examining symbols, consulting his own tomes, and looking over the "treasures" on the shelves.

[~Corvus~]

"BOOKS!" He also, of course, examines the various symbols to see if he can make sense of them. He consults his handy tomes.


In terms of practical arcane knowledge, the only wall-writing that serves great functions are the ones set into specific summoning patterns or as wards. As far as he can tell, these symbols are of a strange, undecipherable script. Although some of the words can be derived into common, he can only derive a few conclusions about them:

These colorful drawings are artful depictions known to many as "graffitti," and usually serve to waste the time or money of wizards or cities with their removal. Crafty tricksters may hide dangerous words of power beneath such graffiti with arcane-activation delaying powders. By the time the marks have been revealed, the words have been read several times, so when the marks are fully revealed, they activate with five to ten times their force or power.

The random placement of these marks, however, are most certainly the former, and the only suspect one is the fully-graffitti'd doorway.


Regarding the books, Tai finds an abundance of books regarding prophecies and monotheistic religions from worlds he's never heard of. There are no books in this area, it seems, about this world.

[~Corvus~]

Tirn wanders off, looking around for anything edible.

Tirn wanders.....


[roll0]
1= upstairs
2 = the garden
3 = room right, past the graffitti-marked door, further into the library
4 = room left, further into the library

Tirn hears a sound coming from the upstairs balcony. It sounds like a pivoting foot and a person running away. He'll certainly have to find what it is first!

[whoiam]

For her part, Alala can't read nearly well enough to add much to the reading effort. She also can't see who-or-what-ever Vutha was looking for.

But she could go exploring as well.

While Tirn was wandering in the direction of upstairs, Alala instead would wander over to take a look into the garden.

[~Corvus~]

As Alala makes her way into the garden, she feels an immediate transition of temperature: it is warm and humid, whereas it was very cold and forbidding before. The trees in this garden glow with unnaturally white-and-pale blue luminescent light. Their bark and leafless branches all glow the same. Strong and thick plants grow along the columns, but they lack the leaf-shapes that are so iconic about ivy. Instead, they grow beyond the columns to cover the roof-area and congregate towards the ceiling, and in many areas they mask the old stone.

Alala spots several lantern-bright orbs of green, white and blue that pulse intelligently among the vines, but they seem to be otherwise uninterested with her.

There are many beds further on where she can see a plethora of downward-pointing flowers that look like shooting stars of all colors and sizes. They congregate and grow most prolifically away from the clumps of trees.
http://www.southdakotamagazine.com/pub/photo/thumb/Christian-Begeman-Hogback-Racetrack-6-11-13-4_fitbox_350x350.jpg

As Alala walks around, she notices the exterior walls are also bounded by many of the vine-plants, which seem to indiscriminately grow on any stony surface possible. They even descent and follow a small hole in the garden wall, but with the plants it barely reaches past a foot's diameter.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar winces at the sight of so many books abandoned to the elements. He follows Tai, trying to find books that appear interesting... and are not too badly damaged.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn licks his lips and gives chase after the fleeing creature. If he funds that he does not know which way the creature went, he'll listen for it. If he can't hear it, he'll call out "Hello?" to it and see if it replies. If he hears it, he'll give chase again. If he doesn't, he'll wait patiently for a minute and then give up and go back down stairs to inform his new travelling companions that they are not alone down here.

[whoiam]

So.... Trees, flowers, and a hole suitable for exploration by a rat. On the plus side, she did now have a rat... on the minus, she'd have to wait until he'd read the entire ruined library before she could talk him into poking around in holes. Instead, she wanders back into the starting room, and glances around to check the others' progress.

"Find anything?"

[~Corvus~]

Alala returns to the sounds of a large hydra pursuing something on the second floor. Tirn calls "Hello?" and from a floating bauble he hears, "A substantial reward to whomever catches and kills the Hunters in my sanctum! My ritual must finish!" About ten seconds after this exchange happens, Alala hears a crushing noise, shattering wood, glass items crashing over, general banging of metal objects and what appears to be the sounds of strained voices upstairs.

Omar appears...almost literally lost inside a book. The book itself appears in mostly-good condition, and reads, Plague- --d Plant Afflic---ns througho-- -he Muli---se: A Com--ndium. Many of the words are covered up by what appear to be vines and tendrils growing from Omar's face, hands, even upper chest and neck to envelop the book's cover. A light comes from the book, and only appears to have happened recently. He neither seems to be in pain or distress, but does not respond when talked to.
I have placed Omar's character in "stasis." I think it could lead to some cool things~

Tai finally realizes that there are simply too many books to find exactly what he wants without some amount of luck.

Please make them to search or the like, specified to a type of book. Maybe we can procure something.


Tirn senses--and hears--people very close by a nearby room. Out of what appears to be nowhere, two people shimmer and appear near him. One is a woman in wickedly spiked full plate-mail and a centurion's helm. She has a greatsword strapped across her back but does not wield it at the moment; the other is a copper-skinned half-elf whose breastplate is a swirl of light blue and dark greens. He has a halberd that floats near his left hand, well within reach, but is currently unarmed. As Tirn is about to turn and eat them, a third person in the room nearby crashes through both wall and bookshelf. He wears a fur coat that covers his chest, dark shoulder guards on top of that, and has thick gloves that look like they're made out of stone. He swings a nine-headed and wickedly-spiked whip, eight barbs of which dig into Tirn's neck. He *blinks* away from Tirn and reappears five feet to where his heads eagerly travel, yanks on the whip, and pulls him off-balance. He feels another two people grab his tail, yank and throw him to the side, forcefully.

Before he can do much of anything, Tirn feels his body being lifted and thrown further into the otherwise large room, which looks to be some sort of science lab. He crashes into a table and slams into numerous glass objects, metal measuring apparatuses, and (at the moment) unimportant objects save that they are getting in his way.

The Whip gives Tirn a -32 penalty to all Strength-based checks (no save) and furthermore Tirn takes Great disadvantage on Strength checks for the surprise round: he rolls 3 times and takes the worst of these three rolls. Furthermore, all of his Strength-based attacks next round deal 3/4 their normal damage.

The whip deals [roll0]*2*0.75 = 61 (Rolled a Crit, but 3/4 total damage due to magical whip's other effects. Lucky Tirn.)

The other two initiate a maneuver against Tirn. He flies 10 feet and takes [roll1]*.75 = 18 damage from the other debris he encounters.

Damage total: 61 Piercing, 18 untyped.

[whoiam]

....Well, Omar didn't look in any... immediate... danger. Either he was dead already, or he'd keep. The loud noises from the direction Tirn had taken seemed much more... urgent.

Step one, grab Tai (with or without whichever book he was reading at the time), drop him on her saddle.

Step two, take the quickest possible route to the upper floor - that is, a standing leap into flight.

Step three, upon landing on the upper level, follow Tirn's noises.



Step four is likely to be a charge, but she probably can't get that far in the first round...

[~Corvus~]

Alala can make it up the opened area well enough. The upper spaces of the libraries are spacious but cluttered with research materials and the like into a massive, impromptu lab. Alala observes that it make for poor charging space along the ground.

Alala can make a charge, but she will have to do so from a flying stance to the ground. Battle map to be posted later tonight~

[darklink_shadow]

A massive roar shook the room as all eight heads called out in pain, rage, hatred and hunger. And then, all at the same time, each head sucked in a gulp of air and spewed an massive stream of icy breath.

[roll0] Cold damage. Hit by one stream is the first 6, two is 11, three is 15, four is 18, five is 20 and six is 21. Aiming them to hit as many of them with as much of it as I can.

[roll1] Recharge.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"How am I supposed to read with all that racket?" Tai says to Omar, before noticing that Omar seems deeply engrossed in his own book. :smallconfused: (thinks Tai)

"I –," but before he can say more, Alala is there, whisking him off . . .
Just confirming that Alala's action is alright with me and not resisted by Tai. Suppose I'll wait for the battle map to actually take a combat turn – assuming it's party's turn to act.

[~Corvus~]

Tirn, afflicted by a nasty whip, roars in a spectrum of emotion and breathes a mighty gout of frost. The two adventurers that flung his tail gasp in pain, and the one with the whip-like weapon walks through the breath, yelling all the while, only to swing his right hand around and brings the whip-like weapon around again at Tirn.


Attack - [roll0] damage - [roll1]
Attack - [roll2] damage - [roll3]
Attack - [roll4] damage - [roll5]
Attack - [roll6] damage - [roll7]
Attack - [roll8] damage - [roll9]
Attack - [roll10] damage - [roll11] <--- Crit threat. Did not confirm.
Attack - [roll12] damage - [roll13]
Attack - [roll14] damage - [roll15]
Attack - [roll16] damage - [roll17]

Any hit imposes Disadvantage on Tirn for Str / Dex checks this coming round (roll twice, take worst roll).
5+ hits grant Great Disadvantage (3) & all melee attacks he deals are at 3/4 damage.
9 hits apply Crippling Disadvantage & all melee attacks are at 2/3 damage.

Edit: This round, 4 hits. 3 + 4 + 6 + 6 +4 bonus damage = 23 damage, piercing.


The other two adventurers nod to him and look around. They see Alala, and notice a large amount of fallen equipment between Tirn and Alala. They move towards and beyond the fallen apparatuses, and the one with the halberd sets it pointed towards Alala, while the other taps on a ring that she wears. An aura shimmers before herself and the halberd-wearer, and a faint blue aura appears around the two of them.
Her ring cast Protection from Energy, almost certainly protecting from Cold.
The one who has a greatsword has still not drawn it. Instead, she spaces her hands out: one is close to her neck, the other outstretched, gives Alala the "come at me" motion.

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai grimaces at the scene before him: This is getting messy, quickly, and we know nothing about what's going on here, he thinks.

Mustering his full mental might, he calls out in a loud voice, "You are attacking one of our travelling companions there." (Hard to call the hydra a friend, or even a comrade – hardly know the creature.)

"I SUGGEST you drop your weapons and parlay peace with us, before someone is seriously hurt!
It worked so well the last time: psionic suggestion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/suggestionPsionic.htm), investing 7 pp to affect all 3, if they are still within a 15' radius, I hope, I hope.

DC 21 Will save.

"I'm really a very peaceful rat, especially when people are waving around nasty weapons, trying to carve each other up."

[~Corvus~]

The three Hunters pause temporarily to take this in.


Og [roll0] - if fail, Zealous Surge [roll1]

El Moment of Perfect Mind - [roll2]

Ba [roll3]


The two Hunter facing Alala shake their heads, unmoved by Tai's words. When the one facing Tirn drops his weapon, however, the antlered warrior turns her head, and the two hunter look at each other. The now whipless one with stone-like gloves yells, THEY WILL NOT TALK BUT I WILL!! HYDRAS HAVE MANY VALUABLE PARTS TO SELL, WORTH MILLIONS OF GOLD!!

WE HUNT THE MEDUSA THAT LIVES HERE FOR ITS BLOOD. MEDUSA BLOOD--

The female turns her head towards him and roars, "QUIET, FOOL!!"

[~Corvus~]

One of the wisps that Alala saw earlier in the gardens floats up behind her. Light pours from it, and Alala can see the very-well-illuminated adventurers shield their eyes against the light. The one holding the halberd points it down as he curses obscenities that would make a sailor proud.

Strike now, winged one, Alala hears as a ghostly whisper.

[whoiam]

"....Well, if that's what you're after, would you leave if we agreed to let you take a couple of the Hydra's more annoying heads and a few vials of the Medusa's blood? He's got too many of them as it is, and I'm sure she'd be happy to donate a little in return for you going back and lying to your buddies about how you got it... After all, even if it's not the full load, there'll still be enough there to make you rich. And not one of you would have to take a 6' lance through the eye socket to get it..."

[roll0]

Edit: Ninja'd. By a Ninja.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn shifted his weight and shrunk suddenly into the size of a kobold. "I'm not a Hydra. I'm just a shapeshifter."

Tirn smiled weakly and shrugged, taking a step back and preparing himself in case the ruse failed.

Kobold, also I get to choose which square to occupy and I chose the one furthest from any enemies, especially Mr. Whip.
Spit electric death at the whip guy.
[roll0] Electric Damage (25 reflex save for half) if save is failed, he take half the damage agai next round.
And slowed 25 Fort Save. If saved, slowed for 1 round, otherwise slowed for 3.
Mechanically using electric breath with the slowing rider and both clinging and recovery meta breath feats and power surge to increase durations by 50%.
Bluff Check [roll1]

[whoiam]

Alala's attempt to join the conversation dies unspoken on her tongue as the interruption comes. She could, of course, charge the person who'd been gesturing for her to do so. But assuming they're not suicidal, it's probably a bad idea to charge the person who wants you to charge them. So, instead, she aims for the one who had been setting a halberd against her.

And charges.


Alala's getting to try out her new Pouncing Charge maneuver. Also, Leap Attack! So she jumps into M9/O9 (I'm assuming she makes that jump check - once you've added on speed bonuses, she's making acrobatics checks for the purposes of jumping on a mod in the low 40s...) Square chosen so if halberd goes down easy she can use her iterative attack against helmet. And since she started too close to make that charge without passing over the enemy.

Basic Attack: +19/+14
Basic Damage: 2d6+16
Charge adds: +2 attack (+21/+16), -2 AC
Heedless Charge Power Attack adds: +18 damage, -9 to AC (+21/+16, 2d6+34)
Leap Attack adds +200% Power Attack Damage (+36 damage, 2d6+70)
Leading the Charge stance adds: +13 damage (2d6+83)
Lance adds Double Damage.

Think I got everything!


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]x2

[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]x2

[~Corvus~]

The barbarian looks to the now-Kobold and says, I AM JOHAN OF--and then Alala charges his companion.

As Alala wings over the halberded one, the elf realizes that despite the glare, she is no longer up high above him. He quickly scans and barely manages to swing his weapon around to hit Alala when her lance hits home.


One AoO, not set
Attack: [roll0] Crits on a 16+: [roll1] x3 damage 6 is not a crit.
Damage: [roll2]

Despite his attack, Alala pierces him right through his chest and carries towards the horned woman. The entanglement of the two are such that she easily sidesteps Alala's attack.

Attack: [roll3] vs Touch AC. Horns takes 5 damage for this.
Damage: [roll4] & 15 temp HP granted.
Horns' AC @ -2 & 5 DD pool.


Johan looks at the Kobold. YOU NOT TALK PEACE!!! He taps his heels together, and as Tirn's lightning connects with the bookcase behind Johan, he's already gone, along with the whip that he seemed to have dropped.

[~Corvus~]

The female looks at the grisly scene before her, and mutters, Blood to blood, 'til we are dead. She rushes towards Alala, her body glowing with power. She raises her sword yet again, and Alala sees it this time: A mist of blood flows from her body into the radiant weapon as she thrusts it forward in a powerful jab to Alala's side. She rushes, heedless of any attack from the Centaur, to land her blow.


Alala may take an AoO
Attack vs. Touch AC: [roll0]. Horns takes another 5 damage for this attack.
Divine Surge, per Erratta (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=13292.0): [roll1]
Weapon + PA + Stone Power: [roll2] 15 temp HP, replaced.

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai heaves a sigh. Tirn had at least readily adapted to the suggestion gambit, but the hunters' minds just hadn't been weak enough. Oh, well. He focuses upon impairing the remaining hunter.
Take a move action to get off Alala and then standard action to through an ectoplasmic glob:
[roll0] ranged touch attack = entangled (entangling ectoplasm). Edit: Nat 1. :smallsigh:

The shot, however, goes wide. This just isn't the rat's day.

[darklink_shadow]

Not sure if his attack had any effect, Tirn turns to the last visible enemy. Seeing that the Lalala creature and tiny smart rat thing were going to be caught up in the next breath, Tirn took a step back and unleashed the breath so that it narrowly missed them.


Step back so I am exactly 15 away from Horns. My breath is a 15ft cone, so only she will be effected.
Spit electric death at the horns person
[roll0] Electric Damage (26 reflex save for half) if save is failed, he take half the damage agai next round.
And slowed. Fort Save. If saved, slowed for 1 round, otherwise slowed for 2.
Mechanically using electric breath with the slowing rider and both clinging and recovery meta breath feats and power surge to increase DC by 1.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar suddenly comes to his senses and pulls himself away from the vines sprouting from the strange book.
He lets himself fade into the background and then moves toward the sounds of fighting...

Cast Walk Unseen, move towards combat
I'm off of the current battle map so I'm not sure how far it is.

[~Corvus~]

"Horns," busy attacking Alala, takes the strike to her back and flinches as the magical energy washes over her.
[roll0]


--------below--------

While looking around, Omar sees a staircase nearby and a flail-wielding man with crazy hair flowing from under his helmet and a shiny mithral plate bounds down it His armor shows both cold and electrical burns, and stops when he sees you. "So there were Spellplague survivors. This medusa's collections gets better and better!"

He clicks his heels together and disappears. Strangely, Omar can't even sense him while he's invisible.

Omar hears from nearby, but not from the stairwell, "OGHMA, MORE MONSTERS!! GOING TO GET THE OTHERS!!.


--------above--------

Oghma grimaces when she hears Johan's shouting, looks at her fallen comrade, then at Alala. "We will be back soon, and in much greater force. If we meet again, you all will die. You are a worthy foe, Centaur."

Without letting down her guard, Oghma takes one hand and touches the side of her head. "Estolad" she says, and her form seems to return somewhere.
...Manage to catch a brief glimpse of what's there: A fire, set among the vast cavern they'd been stuck in, behind what appears to be a rainbow-colored shimmering wall (which Tai is welcome to take a Spellcraft check at penalty). The whip-wielding man is there, too, among nine other adventurers, all with impressive-looking gear and weapons.

[whoiam]

Even as she's kicking the fresh corpse off her lance, Alala can be heard whining to herself: "What happened to the days when 'you were a worthy opponent' was code for 'Let's have a drink once the crowd's gone'? It never used to mean 'I'm off to fetch an army.'" With her lance freed, she takes the quickest possible approach to looting her kill - shoving the corpse into her bag of holding. She'll do the same for the dropped whip.

"So, we any closer to finding whoever we're after? I don't want to get stuck down here when their reinforcements arrive. Not exactly the kind of massive open plains I prefer fighting in..."

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn hissed menacingly at no one in particular and then walked back over to the centaur. "Where did the corpse go? You put it in a bag? Selfish! I found them, I want to eat some of it! I am very hungry. And... what are you talking about? 'You are a worthy opponent' means 'I will eat your heart to gain your soul's strength.' This thing you killed... died too fast. Do not eat its heart. You will get no stronger, and maybe weaker from such a weak creature. But it's tender flesh... yessss. We devour it!"

[~Corvus~]

Alala finds that as much as she searches, she cannot find the whip! It seems that somehow, Johan was able to bring the whip along with him.

A floating lamp-like creature finds its way up the stairs along with Omar.

From it, a ghostly voice says, Thank you for your help. I believe there are Dwarves and...others looking for me. You are the adventurers with the progeny of the great Dragon-Sage Jeridexamgra? If so, I have need to speak with you all...

[Stegyre]

Tai

"Okay. Well, can you make it quick and while we're on the move? I think we may have more company soon, and I'd rather be elsewhere." The rat looks around nervously.

[~Corvus~]

The voice replies, In the garden, there is a minor image of a hole in the wall. This illusion hides the entrance. Pass through there to my sanctum. The wisp then floats by to the garden at a leisurely pace, and it floats near the small hole that Alala had observed earlier before it suddenly stops, and then lazily spirals upwards and floats randomly about once again near the rooftops.

The hole looks like a decent-sized (medium) hole where plants from the roof fill it in to form a very small hole, about the size that one of the wisps could fit through. Regardless, it is a seamless illusion job. Any Detect Magic effect used in the room is radiantly blinding, and will prevent anyone from being able to see because of the magics and leave them Dazzled one round after the spell's dismissal.

An attempt to walk through the root-bound area is entirely unimpeded, instead revealing that it is hardly a wall at all, but it is indeed lined with roots and plants from the garden. A short walk down the downward-sloping and curved hallway leads to a dimly-lit chamber, with only one candle burning on the cluttered table nearest the entrance. Familiar voices reach your ears. It appears Vutha arrived earlier.

This personal sanctuary looks ransacked: Book piles are fallen, other tables are strewn with ripped papers laid out in odd patterns. A candelabra on another table is upended and wax covers many books that are partially-burned. Broken shelves rest on books below that lie askew. The large table before the medusa has a clutter of destroyed books and ripped pages, many frantic drawings of Dwarven runes and words in Dwarven, Draconic, and some words that even shift among the pages. Words and writings are arranged among ripped pages that form larger circles and patterns, and one un-ripped tome among them contains neat words in a language and set of characters which none of you are familiar.
This writing looks like what Tai has heard of Druidic, as it resembles the Ogham form from which Loremasters say the language derives its roots.

A figure hooded in a dark blue robe has glowing green eyes that peek out from its fold hisses at Vutha Suaco, "No further close, vile one! Go will I to the Collector, but touch will I not those marked by the Odium." The voice sounds feminine, raspy, and commanding, entirely unlike the voice through the wisps.

Vutha growls, "I already told you! It wasn’t my choice to visit those damned faeries!" The hooded figure straightens and slam a fountain pen on the table. "Choice matters not. Come they have, Outsider. Already they claim and maim and twist this world under their dark songs to find you. Your vileness is exceeded by its vileness."

Suddenly, the medusa falls on the floor, and an upheld hand stops you all from helping her. Wracked with convulsions, her voice utters in a screech, "NononononooooTOO EARLY!!" Blood sprays from the hood, and a myriad of wet popping sounds can be heard beneath her hood. After a short scream that ends with her fist slamming into the stony ground, her voice continues, "The patterns, they are wrong…"

Her body wracks with convulsions once more, and an unearthly voice comes out of her.

"Soon is my last prophecy! Prepare I must!" Disregarding her new visitors, the hooded medusa, with blood dribbling from her robe and from the inside of her hood, sorts through the papers, heedless of the blood on them, until she gets to a small pentagram-like shape drawn over several pages. She gathers these up, folds them into the tome with neat scribbles, and finally gives notice to you all. "Early. Too early, you are. The Odium. Ah, your question I hear." Her voice sharpens as her eyes move and turn to vertical slits when she looks at Vutha. They almost look accusatory. "Revel they do with competitions. Un-Seelie Fey they are, with spells and songs they make and taint the Stardust of the world. Found they did a dying God Kalzareinad. Dragon-magicker, evil-and-eviler, a Forgotton tomb-world of a Forgotten Realm.

Drink and shape and craft minds they do, each of the Odium a fey most Foul. This world they found not, but influence, yes, see it, scry it, YES, and now from this FOUL ONE" she points to Vutha "The way they know." She looks to Alala. "His body, the Bard Bromin, you have it? Bring it, bring it out, quickly, quickly!!"

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar rejoins the group...

"One of the books was... booby trapped. I'm not sure if it was done by whoever that was who attacked us or by whoever built this library back in the day... but when I picked it up, vines came out and entangled me. It took me a while to get free..."

He watches the hooded figure's speech in silence. Is everyone here crazy?

[whoiam]

As Alala rummages around in her bag to find the dwarf's body, she has time to comment: "No eating this one, Tirn. He was important to the dwarves, they're probably going to want the body back."

Then the dwarf's body comes out, and Alala holds it out in front of her. "Please tell me this is going to be quick..."


Of course, it's not that Alala doesn't hear the prophecy... but she's got no idea what most of the things this figure is talking about actually *mean*. She's just hoping they live long enough for Tai to be able to think about it...

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn blinks at the medusa, but doesn't say anything. Whatever is going on with her, he is less interested in than he is in getting that other corpse from Alala's bags. "I don't want dwarf meat. They are friends. I want the flesh of the other thing, the one you impaled with your metal stick. You can have the trinkets on it, I do not care. Let me strip the body and I will eat the corpse, leaving you with any items it had on it."

Whatever the prophecy meant, Tirn was sure the dwarves would know how to stop it. The dwarves who sent Tirn... Ah. That was right. "Prophet! The dwarves have need of your help. I do not know who this unsightly outsider is to you, but it seems you have no love for him. Will you come with me to speak with the dwarves? Where you go after that is not my concern, but I am sure the dwarves will protect you. If not, I will allow you to come and be protected by my many heads. Not so many as you... however."

[~Corvus~]

"One of the books was... booby trapped. I'm not sure if it was done by whoever that was who attacked us or by whoever built this library back in the day... but when I picked it up, vines came out and entangled me. It took me a while to get free..."

While Alala rummages and confers with Tirn, the medusa mumbles "STOLEGreedy bimbo not content with living as a superior being." In a surprising turn of speech, the medusa addresses Omar, "Some books have a mind of their own, because they're written with words of Creation. I used to have a family. We three were sisters, and now one is a minion of a dead god and my younger sister is a terrorist. She used the recipes from that book, and she made the Spellplague. It's good you didn't get lost, or worse, fall in. It's a captivating read, and it does not like to part with its secrets. You're lucky."


"Prophet! The dwarves have need of your help. I do not know who this unsightly outsider is to you, but it seems you have no love for him. Will you come with me to speak with the dwarves? Where you go after that is not my concern, but I am sure the dwarves will protect you. If not, I will allow you to come and be protected by my many heads. Not so many as you... however."

The medusa laughs at the hydra's reply and bows. "Eurykhrys, Eldrith Druid and prophet-in-exile. Dwarves! Air they breathe not, nor light they have from the stars. They are leaving soon. Much time we have not." She turns to Alala and says, "If trust this Hydra the dwarves do, then trust him should you." When Alala procures Bromin's body, she touches points through the unguent coating with dextrous fingers.

She babbles as she gingerly touches several points, and examines the gaping hole, which slowly oozes blood, and pushes some of the guts back in. "I haven't found the cure yet to the Spellplague, Omar. And not for a lack of trying. Every time I burn that book, or destroy it, I find it back on my shelves. If I move, it finds a way to be present. It's probably down here, right now, because you mentioned it. It's like a game, where if you think about the book, or talk about it you lose. The only way to win is to not think about it." Finally, she stands up, her eyes radiating warmth.

"Away, away look you all. To stone I will turn him." When everyone does, they hear a litany of hisses and they see a brief flash of green light.

Eurykhrys' snakes--the ones that are still alive--have sunken their teeth into the fleshy body. Her face radiates with green energy, and several snakes that had appeared to be dead twitch and re-knit their forms.

They're also welcome to take a DC 29 Fortitude save or be turned to Stone.
"A dwarven hero's proper burial. To the earth it will turn in several days. Now as for you..."

She turns her attention to Vutha. She fishes through her tome, finds the stack of blood-spattered papers, and flicks the stack at him. This seemingly harmless gesture takes Vutha off-guard, and the pentagram-like drawing begins to glow red, then orange, then yellow, green, then white. Vutha, meanwhile, seems paralyzed, and Eurykhrys has turned to writing in her tome. "A vessel you are for our passages. Your eternal Torment is over, vile one." She rips a page out that has freshly-written and squirming letters and tosses it onto Vutha. His body and form collapse and compress. His vilefire aura, and his could of noxious fumes, his sword--everything--is sucked into the page. The page flashes with white runes, and then the guiding-ring that Vutha had been wearing hits the page.

It drops to the floor, and Eurykhrys picks it up. She looks to everyone else, gives a casual shrug, and says matter-of-factly "Honestly, I don't know what he was thinking wearing a ring made from one of my sister's own snakes. That's downright offensive, to taunt me like that." She sighs and asks, "To the dwarves we go, or shall this hydra take a meal?

[whoiam]

"What did you...?".....

Alala trails off quickly. She wouldn't really understand what the Medusa had just done to Vutha. She wanted to complain, but the desire to stick up for her ally was still a little weaker than the sense that she really, really, really wanted to be somewhere else right now.

"...Never mind. Mount up, everyone who can't keep up." She sticks the dwarf's petrified body back into the saddlebag of holding, then kneels down to let her passengers mount. "And if someone could point us in the direction of dwarves now we don't have a ring to follow, it'd be appreciated..."

Finally, to Tirn, she comments: "We'll loot the corpse and let you eat once we're safe. For now, we've got a lot of very heroic running away to do."

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn snarls angrily but gives up with a whine. "I know where the dwarves are. I walked all the way here. But the way I kow leads just back the way we came... I think those hunters are that way... I saw a rainbow wall just like the one we passed through when the... the one who hurt you escaped. Maybe there is another way? Or maybe we can fly away? You can fly. I can fly. Medusa has magic fly powers? Maybe we fly away. Or maybe Medusa can hide in magic bag? Just stick out her head for breathing? Maybe I can go in there too, and strip the corpse for eating.. yes? Magic bag party. All the snake people are invited."

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar looks around at the group. Did one of them just say his name? Then how does she...?
He frowns when he hears mention of the "spellplague" and a possible cure. He doesn't think of himself as sick. It's the thought of being trapped once again in his feeble, fragile former body that frightens him...

He climbs aboard Alala without comment.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"That wasn't a real prismatic wall," Tai responds to Tirn's comment of what they both saw. "It's sometimes hard to tell the difference, but if you look very closely at the interface between the colors, it was less exact; much more bleeding of one color into another. In other words, it was a cheap imitation, intended to look like the walls we encountered but lacking the reality." Tai feels proudly pedantic. At least he knows something.

He continues to Tirn, "I think in your 'true' kobold form, you could ride on Alala with the rest of us. She can fly, and I think I can make us invisible at least for a few minutes. We could perhaps slip by any hunters before they know we have gone. I hope."

Tai joins Omar on Alala's back.

[~Corvus~]

The Medusa listens to the conversation, her eyes betraying little but amusement.

She turns to Alala with a somewhat soothing voice and she says, "This predicament we have, it is tricky. More travel I did not expect today. The artifacts, the spells that guard, my sisters' were they. Powerful am I, but I weave fell and rare forms. This place I moved, so the hunters would not find it, and most of my powers, spent. Die we will, should hunters return.

Should we die? Or can one help us live? This one..." she points to the page that Vutha vanished to. "This one is a power. It dies and its soul makes a way back home. The outsider's soul says home is with the Collector. So we can visit, but..." she purses her lips. "The Collector's domain is dangerous. Only if certain of death do we travel."

Eurykhrys turns to a table nearby and rummages around the mess on it, and gives an "aah!!" when she grasps then holds up a plum-sized, purple metal bauble. "Escape Detection. Needs lots of power..." and tosses it to Tai as she turns and continues to rummage around the desk, and pulls out a rod this time that has the words, in very legible Gnome,
Invisible Spell
and hands it to Omar. "I know that look. You want to know how. You read that book: Some of your mind is known to me. Put this under your mouth when you breathe fog...They'll only see fog if they See True.

Finally, she crosses the room to a far table and attacks the fallen Candelabra's wax with her hands. She peels back page after page until she brandishes four scrolls, written (likely) in Druidic. She casts the first two on Alala, allowing the scrolls to burn into ash up as they are cast, and the second ones upon herself:

(Both are untyped bonuses)

17: The first is Cloud Wings, which adds +30 flight speed.
23: The second is Aeriel Alarcity, which adds +30 flight speed and increases maneuverability 1 stage.


They hear the sounds of creaking and crashing upstairs. "Not much time!" Eurykhrys siezes one of the candles, crumbles it to waxy dust, curses, then seizes another one. A (waxy) necklace appears and as she works it, they look like jet pearls. She gives it to Tai (still waxy) and says, "More Power for you. Twenty times a basic power will it give."

"Are we ready?"


Tirn - Loot that corpse. Delectable items await.
Alala - See above. +60 flight speed, +1 maneuverability (spells). Likely Hours of duration.
Omar - Metamagic rod of Invisible Spell. It will work with many of Omar's Invocations.
Tai - Meta-Pearl of Power: 20 bonus PP.
- Bauble grants Escape Detection power.

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn blinks at all the chatter, and quick movement. His natural urge when he sees so much movement at once is to start eating things, and his hunger exasperated this urge, but he resisted it.

Not really interested in riding with so crowded a mass as was on Alala's back, the hydra in the guise of a kobold instead quickly opened the flap to Alala's saddle bags and jumped inside, holding onto the edge and sticking his one head out to look about. "There is so much room! This is cozy. I could just live in this bag."

[whoiam]

"If you're going to make a habit of that, you're going to have to buy me a second saddlebag for my stuff to go into." He was, after all, now between Alala and her spare weapons.

Alala turns back to the entry passage, and advances (quietly) back up to the entry chamber. "I'm going to need directions, " she notes softly as she goes. "And if you could pass my chain out before you become too comfortable, I'd appreciate it."

[roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn make a clicking noise that was essentially the kobold equivalent of a purring kitten. He dropped into the bag to grab the chain and floated back up, out of the bag. "I have no real source of money. Sometimes the things I eat have money, and sometimes the things I eat don't. If I find a new bag, you can have it. I've no use for a bag this large; I have little use for many objects so I have little use for a device to store many objects."

Tirn reached around and started looking at all the objects in the bag until he realized that there was a corpse in the bag and he set to stripping the objects off of it so that he could eat the body without eating its possessions.

Can Tirn turn into a Hydra while in here? Will he fit? I doubt he can stick more than one head out of the bag at a time so it's not an effective fighting position, and I'd need to get out for combat, but would his Hydra form fit inside?

[~Corvus~]

The Medusa looks to Tai. "Maybe you should test out that new bauble. If those hunters have any True Seeing, we will be in danger."

When that is done, Eurykhrys hustles Alala (and team) to the top of the stairs. Behind the illusion you can see the garden. The wisp-like creatures have massive arrows through them, and several are pinned to the vine-covered exteriors. The warm glow of the garden is instead filled with the opaque colors of decay. You all catch glimpses of the Hunters, and the sounds are full of people checking areas and breaking glass and wood. One of the hunters enters the garden. This man wields oversized gloves and a flail with a head three times as big as his helmet-covered one. Across his back hangs several manacles that pulse with electricity as he moves. He looks around the room, his eyes even meeting yours a few times, but he doesn't see through the wall. A series of loud crashes and screaming come from above. Someone beyond shouts, "There's some golems up here, Thom! We could use that flail!"

Eurykhrys snickers and comments, "They found my sister's vault. Those golems are--Hard to damage with magic weapons." The medusa's eyes look foggy for a second as her voice drops to a whisper, but she shakes her head with a curse. "There is one with the massive arrows shooting my wisps in the central chamber!" She fishes in her pockets for some chalk.

She draws a basic map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YRDeCuq-9L9CBVFhLREeOiRhYXxPyr7IUkrE5noHbu8/edit#gid=1573904990), using black chalk for the balcony, orange for the "library" area, blue for the Cavern and the illusory wall, and green for the garden. "Red are the stairs, the A is where the archer is, and G is where I think the golem is." Finally, she takes some white chalk and rubs a space in the middle of the circle. "Here is where we can fly out, but we have to avoid that archer. I can summon a few animals, but they will die quickly, so we have to be sure of what we're doing."

[Swami Monsoon]

"So the rest of the bad guys are in there with the golem?"

Omar points to the orange area of the map.

"If the objective is just to get away, I can block the entrance... at least most of it... for a little while."

[~Corvus~]

Eurykhrys moves her head from side to side and narrows her lips. "A glimpse I saw. Certain I am not...crafty they are, and hiding could they be. But...against magic weapons the golems resist. Difficult are they to kill, and challenge the hunters seek."

[whoiam]

...Well, might as well go for the simple solution. "Can you drop some summoned creatures in the far side of the chamber I'd need to fly out of? Around the archer, preferably?"

With her high speed, Alala could feasibly just make a run for the hole. If something distracted the archer she'd be too far from the ground for the others to attack long before they realised it was a feint. Okay, so running in these quarters was a little risky... but in the grand scheme of things, a bruised leg or two was far better than what she'd end up with if they fought their way out.

Hunters, after all, seemed to have developed an unhealthy pre-occupation with injuring her torso...

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai's eyes go out of focus briefly as his mind activates the power within the bauble. "They'll have a harder time perceiving me now, at least. Sorry I cannot do the same for the rest of you – something for me to research in the future, if we end up having a future." He looks over the medusa's map. "Do you think that archer is the same one who's been plaguing us? I'd love a crack at him . . . " He looks around at his companions. "Perhaps another day. In the end, maybe it does not matter. Maybe we just make a run for it. I think we are faster than they are."

EDIT:
Forgot to add: escape detection manifested; 11 hour duration; Detecting Tai with clairvoyance, true seeing, et al., requires a DC 23 ML or CL check.

[Swami Monsoon]

"If we don't need to go inside the room with the golem and the bad guys... I can make a wall of thorny bushes across the door, and it will probably block the archer too. I just need to be about 150 feet from it for a few seconds..."

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn growled, and looked out of the bag. "I have nothing to aid in hiding. I'd rather fight them but... There is a small chance we may all die horribly. So, if you choose to run and hide like mice... I won't call you cowards. It... might be the right choice. I can breath slowing mist, or freezing jets. I have nothing else to offer this endeavor."

Tirn went back to striping the body inside the bag to get ready to eat it.

[~Corvus~]

"Can you drop some summoned creatures in the far side of the chamber I'd need to fly out of? Around the archer, preferably?"

Eurykhrys nods her head. "Fifteen Hippogryph."


"Do you think that archer is the same one who's been plaguing us? I'd love a crack at him . . . "

Eurykhrys shakes her head. "Know I do not your enemies. Both elf and orc it seemed, and a bow of great power and runic blessings. That bauble...a curious mechanism it is, and designed to manifest on others what would be for only yourself. Try it you must; a gift from a famous Artificer it is."

Finally, Eurykhrys adresses Omar."Your rod you must use (A gift, too, it is, from the same artificer). Invisible it makes your Fog, but to one who Sees True, a fog they see. Clever we must be."


The bauble allows a manifester to use the Nondetection power upon those you touch, irregardless of its standard restrictions.

The meta-rod given to Omar grants the Invisible Spell property to spells and spell-like abilities, and since Omar can imitate a Fog spell, it works. The Invisible Spell meta-feat (Cityscape 61) makes any spell Invisible to the naked eye, but this invisibility is revealed with See Invisibility or True Seeing, rendering it effective as a sight-blocker if they have a detection spell active.

[Swami Monsoon]

"That's a clever trick, but my fog cloud is stationary. If we're moving, we won't be in it for long."

[whoiam]

"Then don't use it on us, use it on them. So, monsters on the ground floor, fog around the archer, and I'll bolt for the gap before they've worked out where we are. Any objections?"

[Swami Monsoon]

"All right then. I'm ready when you are."

[~Corvus~]

In Alala's bag, Tirn manages to fully strip the body, and has the time to gnaw on a delicious foot. This adventurer's flesh is delectable!
---
Eurykhrys

The medusa nods her head. She pulls out an empowering rod and a black-and red striped wand and waves them as she makes gesticulations for her spell. As the summoning spell goes off, the wand splits along the stripes and turns into a copy of the spell, summoning even more hippogryphs.
"รย๓๓๏ภ ภคՇยгє’ร คɭɭץ 5: ђเקק๏ﻮгץקђร ђєคг ๓ץ ςคɭɭ! קг๏ՇєςՇเ๏ภ Ŧг๏๓ Ŧเгє!
"


[roll0]* 1.5, two times. Edit: It's not just you who's flaccid today, Tai!!.


Eight Hippogryph appear, shimmering with protective orange from the imbued summoning. She looks to Tai and Omar and mutters, I hope this works.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"Away we go then," murmurs Tai, who has the easy part of holding on for dear life.

[Swami Monsoon]

As instructed, Omar clutches the rod and visualizes a cloud of fog forming where the archer is stationed. He's not sure if it's working...

Breath of the Night (as Fog Cloud) at the entrance to the golem chamber , using Invisible Spell

[whoiam]

And with the others having done their casting, Alala bolts for the hole.

Don't think there's anything else I need to do here... Guess it depends how well the distractions work :)

[darklink_shadow]

Tirn finishes eating the mortal remains of their previously very dangerous foe and sticks his head out of the bag again to watch and see if anything chases them.

[~Corvus~]

The eight hippogriff surge forward as Alala and the others finish preparations. Presence of the invisible fog cloud is evidenced by the swearing that comes from the central chamber. Alala wastes no time and darts into the chamber at blinding speed and sees a familiar figure: the half-orc half-elf Dobson. He has his characteristic shiny light blue breastplate and the telltale bow. He is concentrating on a spell as Alala moves, and (fortunately) does not see her. As Alala ascends to the roof, she can see the hippogriffs surging towards him as an arrow shot into the fog cloud cackles with energy.

Everyone hears a loud clap as the arrow hits one of the beasts. Omar and Tai feel wisps of the deadly fog cloud float up to them as Alala surges upwards. Dobson has managed a spell that stuns three of the hippogriff and pushes three of them back mid-rush. Alala has no time to look herself, however, because she encounters powerful winds that buffet her perilously downwards once she is through the sanctum's roof.

Alala gets a sense of where she is: The sanctum is poised on the outer edge of a mountain and the roof they flew through is bordered by an icicle-studded cave mouth. They have several hundreds of feet to fall in a sheer drop, and Eurykhrys passes Alala as she must struggle to maintain control of her flight. Omar, Tai and Alala think they hear Eurykhrus say something, but it's very tough to understand.

Eurykhrys
The Medusa transforms herself into an Eagle, speeds towards Alala, and also gets caught in the wind as she moves. She lets out a piercing shriek and with a flash of green energy, transforms into a bat the size of a wolf. She tumbles downward into the powerful wind.



Fly down! Weaker wind!

Omar and Tai recognize these winds as overpowering winds, but not quite hurricane-force winds.

Alala's checks for flying into powerful winds: Str DC 31 check to avoid being buffeted around by the wind.
Everyone riding Alala (Tirn is in a bag so he is exempt) must take a Ref save DC 20 to avoid losing balance during the turbulence. If Alala fails her Str check, take another DC 20 Reflex save.

[Stegyre]

Tai
That man is the bane of my existence, Tai thinks, catching a glimpse of Dobson as they soar past. The rat reaches out with his mind, hoping against hope that he might inflict some misery of his own.
I'm not sure Tai would be permitted the action under the circumstances, but if so:

[roll0]! (spending an inspiration point, because we hate Dobson that much)
Psionic Suggestion, pulling out all the stops: (spending 11 pp for DC 23) Your bow is cursed to kill you unless you destroy it immediately!

Let me know if it's not possible to do this, and I'll re-add the points to my sheet.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar struggles to hold on...

Reflex [roll0]

[~Corvus~]

Tai's concentration, intense and potent, hears a faint amount of more cursing from the chamber. As he and Omar plummet from Alala's bsck, he catches a glimpse of the half-orc hitting his bow against the railing he is standing on, runes fluxing as the bow bends under his strength.

Alala, forced down under the winds, feels Omar then Tai fly off under the perilous gusts. The hard, icy ground below looks to be several hundred feet below.

As Omar plummets he catches sight of Eurykhrys' bat- form soaring past him.

The wind picks up force in short treacherous bursts. Above them, the barely-visible sanctum drops from view and they stare at the ice-and-rock walls of the cliffs on one hand and a vast white snowbank on the other, and below them, harsh icy ground.

[whoiam]

With her riders falling off, and in the middle of this storm, there's really only one choice to make. If she keeps flying, she'll be safe - but she'll have lost the others long before she reaches calm enough winds to be able to steer.

...Sometimes she wished she were more selfish. Because doing the 'right' thing here is about to hurt. A lot.

Alala furls her wings, hoping to fall in the same general area as her riders are. If she reaches an area with calm enough winds that she can pull up without being blown off course, she'll do so. But if not, she'll fall the entire way and try not to knock herself out on landing.

[roll0]

[~Corvus~]

As Alala tucks her wings, she manages to maintain a bearing throughout her freefall. Her bag, however, is not so lucky, and continues its fall. Only a few seconds before she reaches the ground, the winds die down and she has a favorable draft away from the canyon walls.


After doing the math (my brain still hurts from that physics equation), I believe everone's fall time to be 7~9 seconds under inconsistent winds and 100 metres.


Tai feels the powerful grip of batlike talons, and with the beat of wings, his fur ripples as a powerful magical force shoots past him. On the ground below, there appears a portal. Tell Alala to fall into there.
Tai finds himself at Eurykhrys' mercy, given that she has stopped his fall. With a powerful beat of wings, she drifts towards the skewed hole in the ground.

Omar watches as Alala, Tai and Eurykhrys plummet past him. The Centaur's bag tumbles from her, and passes through the...is that a portal in the ground? Tai and Bat surge towards the hole. In any case, perhaps being such a greenbound being had its perks.

[whoiam]

Alala, able to regain control before hitting the ground, lands beside the portal. Her saddlebag had gone through, taking the Hydra with it. Tai and Eurykhrys were still above her, as was Omar. She settled down to wait (since in these winds, she couldn't have gone back up for them) for the others to hit the portal. After all, while Eurykhrys would probably be able to hit it without any issue, Omar didn't appear to have any means of steering. She may need to grab him and run for the portal if he missed it on the way down...

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar tries to the best of his limited abilities to steer himself closer to the rest of the group...

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai feels some satisfaction as he watches Dobson attacking his own bow. It is short-lived, however, as he loses his grip on Alala's back. Saved by the shapeshifted medusa's mercy, all he can do is hope she holds on and does not smash him into the rocks.

It is unpleasant, feeling so powerless.

[~Corvus~]

Tai watches as he plunges through the portal along with a falling Omar. Alala follows, and gravity takes a turn for the worse. You find yourselves plunging sideways from a trunk of a massive tree towards green, misty water below. A massive treetop city sprawls above you, and as you fall, you watch as Eurykhrys takes several massive arrows through her wings, and the three of you see two well-equipped soldiers follow your descent. As you fall towards the broken, mist water below you see the two soldiers above you ready further shots against the now-moving Eurykhrys, who has shifted into a sparrow and upwards against their assault.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f7/61/9d/f7619d2c5e94a5ba0aea1d541a58a7e4.jpg


Two magically-equipped adventurers are ~60 feet away in the air, moving downward only 10'/round.

Tai and Omar are no longer at risk of death from falling; instead, they will take (reduced) damage in 2 rounds from falling into somewhat turbulent waters. You've all fallen ~ 300 feet already.


Below you, a bevy of raft and barge-movers push their craft out of your way.

[whoiam]

So, I think Alala's currently armed with one of her lances, and has her chain about her (since she got Tirn to pass it out of her saddlebag before he set up residence in there). I didn't say explicitly, but it's probably in her haversack now. Which is lucky, since the bag of holding, the second lance, and the bow all fell off a couple of posts ago...


As one of the party members capable of flight (and conditioned to fight), Alala's response to the soldiers trailing them through the portal is to spread her wings again, cruise around in a circle, and get herself in position to charge...

Thanks to the flight rules and her average maneuverability, Alala probably can't arrest her fall, turn, find the enemy, and charge all in one turn. But she should be able to get the positioning done now, to allow her to kick ass next round. Fingers crossed!

[~Corvus~]

Tirn has had plenty of time to strip the man and as a Kobold finds several choice items.

His body is covered in now-fading runes that makes Tirn feel both stronger and more dextrous.

There is a leather helm that looks more like a sneaking mask. As you take it off, the elven man's face and body reveals

http://www.museumreplicas.com/images/Product/large/non-metal-helmets-armor_leather-viking-helmet_54.jpg

The man's halberd bears a family crest. It has distinctive designs upon its haft. It is most certainly a powerful weapon.

http://i.imgur.com/bbrqQrz.png


An Amulet of Vigor that seems to have casting ability; A ring with glittering, opal wings that shift as he moves it about; Another ring with what appears to be a translucent clear stone with golden flecks in it and miniature elven script.

Finally, a suit of armor this man wears bears both elven and dwarven signatures. The straps are atypical, and counter-intuitive. Suddenly the bag of holding begins to fill with...greenish, slightly glowing water.
Tirn must make a decision: cut the body apart to get at the armor, cut the straps and render the armor unwearable for the time being, or flee the bag of holding to find out what's going on.

----
Alala watches the two archers, poised and aimed at Eurykhrys, fire three times each and hit twice each.

[roll0] ct19 [roll1] [roll2]
[roll3] ct19 [roll4] [roll5]
[roll6] ct19 [roll7] [roll8]
Every hit adds [roll9] acid damage

[roll10] ct20 [roll11] [roll12]
[roll13] ct20 [roll14] [roll15]
[roll16] ct20 [roll17] [roll18]
She falters in her flight, and begins to descend, her form melding from tiny bird to her robed form.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar tries to position himself so that he hits the water feet first...

[Stegyre]

Tai

"At least, I know how to swim," Tai mumbles, as he continues to fall. "Medusa, if you can hear me, I can heal you if you get close." With nothing else to do as he plummets, Tai looks at the archers and focuses his pscyhe upon one of them.
Targeted Dispel Psionics (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/dispelPsionics.htm), under the understanding that, with transparency rules, this will affect any magical effects on archer [roll0]
I get a dispel check against each ongoing power/spell, with a DC of 11 plus the power/spells ML/CL. Don't know how many rolls to make, but I'll put 5 here, and ~Corvus~ can add any extra:

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

Hoping to make him plunge into the water, too. :p

[whoiam]

Ascent completed, Alala twists around in the air and charges right at whichever of the two archers is the closest...


Same as her last charge, Pouncing Charge + Leap Attack. If they're close enough together, she'll try to get them both in lance range, just in case Archer 1 goes down on the first hit, but if that's not practical she'll just concentrate on turning the first one into offal and a fine spray of blood...

Basic Attack: +19/+14
Basic Damage: 2d6+16
Charge adds: +2 attack (+21/+16), -2 AC
Heedless Charge Power Attack adds: +18 damage, -9 to AC (+21/+16, 2d6+34)
Leap Attack adds +200% Power Attack Damage (+36 damage, 2d6+70)
Leading the Charge stance adds: +13 damage (2d6+83)
Lance adds Double Damage.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]x2

[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]x2

[~Corvus~]

Alala takes the first archer right in the back. Had her descent been less perfect, she feels like the impact of hitting both the man's breastplate, the man's spine and his breastplate again would have slowed her down. She hears little other than a gurgle, and his hands spasm and his bow drops. She doesn't even have time to drop her victim's body, and as she continues downward, the other archer turns his head, grabs a shortsword, and catches the lance between his longbow and his sword and maneuvers it out of the way (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21105299&postcount=1) as she continues her charge.

Had it not been for Tai's well-placed and disruptive Dispel, she might have hit the guy. However, his descent had increased such that he was barely within reach.

He wastes little time. His all-dark brown clothes billow as he catches his dead companion and gives an impressive in-the-air leap. This step seems fueled by hotter winds than flow from the now-closing portal, and Alala can see the entire six feet of his immolated in white flame. At the apex of his leap's momentum, he has fully drawn the bow back and aims a shot at...is that her head? As he releases his shot, the flames extinguish in a massive gale of wind that rushes for Alala.


Boost using Sudden Leap: [roll0] traveling at least 10' backwards. This movement does not provoke AoO (items).
(Second Swift) Adds +5d6 fire damage to all ranged attacks this round

Attack: [roll1] Crit Threat 19-20x3 [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]+12+[roll4]fire
On Miss: DC 25 Fortitude saving throw & Dazed 1 round.
On hit: DC 25 Fortitude saving throw & Stunned [roll5] rounds


Tai and Omar hit the water just before Eurykhrys' limp-but-still breathing body lands next to them.

I don't want to avoid physics altogether, but some damage is in order. You're hitting turbulent water, so [roll6] bludgeoning to each of you and 10 to Eurykhrys is in order.

The medusa spasms as she hits, and she begins to sink into the depths below. The Elven sailors notice the commotion, steer clear of where Alala and the other archer might hit, and start towards Omar and Tai.

[whoiam]

....Well, that charge had been going fine, right up to the point she took an arrow in the mouth. She dropped her lance (mostly in shock) as she took a quick inventory of her injuries. The point had hit the back of her jaw and ended up sticking out her cheek, thankfully - if the aim had been a little straighter and it had hit the back of her throat, she'd probably be dead now. Even as it was, she could do little but be grateful her tongue was far too burned for her to taste her own roasting flesh. Especially because she wouldn't be eating anything good until she got her hands on a lot of healing magic.

Assuming she lived long enough to make one, she'd need to add fire resistance gear to her shopping list. But that was a fairly hefty assumption. She wasn't going to live through another of those hits. So, chase or flee? Well, she still had her chain with her.... And if she was going to be killed by this little *******'s arrows, she'd rather it hit her in the front. So, that was settled. Draw, close in, not too close - she only needed to be just in chain range. True, he could still shoot her from there, but that's why she swung... at his bow.


Since her bloodline gives her Improved Sunder, Alala gives out no AOO, even if the archer can take them with a bow. And she's out of range for his shortsword.

Alala, I believe, gets 2 +2 bonuses to her Sunder attempt - one for using a two-handed weapon, one for being a size bigger than the archer.

[roll0]
[roll1]

If permitted, Alala will also use her prepared Rabid Wolf Strike in the Sunder attempt, adding another +4 to the attack roll, and another [roll2].

[Stegyre]

Tai

Tai dives down after the form of the medusa, touching her with healing in his paws and trying to draw her back to the surface.
Move action to swim to the medusa. Because of my racial +8, I'm allowed to "take 10": it's just like walking to me. Such a high mod, though: [roll0]

Opportunistic piety to heal class level*2 + Int mod = 25 HP on the medusa, because that's just the sort of rat I am.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar braces for impact, but the landing is not as hard as he feared. He tries to join Tai in aiding the stranger, but he's not an expert swimmer. If anything, he's too buoyant now...

[~Corvus~]

Alala's swing takes her opponent off guard. Used to attacks close-up, he goes to dodge the blow, and instead ends up thrusting his weapon out for her to hit. The bow offers a loud crack upon contact with the chain and although it is not broken in two, its effectiveness is certainly compromised. The other archer, devoid of his magic-assisted ascent, hits the water nearby and begins to swim as other Elves go to rescue him.


--------

The naturally buoyant Omar swims with Tai and provides an excellent surface to hold onto as he manifests some healing powers upon the Eurykhrys. Her breathing stabilizes though she appears to be unconscious. Omar holds her up above the water before other raft-pushers reach the trio and rescue them from the surface.

A longboat near the raft stands to address those in your rescue raft. He wears a multicolored head-dress full of long feathers, and has loose, ceremonial robes over his large frame. His clothes, adorned with turquoise stones and shells of various kinds, strike an imposing if delicate figure. As he speaks (in Elven), you hear a voice creased with age and temperament. You all have appeared in a sacred space within My'Lith'ar. We do not admit outsiders here, and we shall escort you away once your companion-- He pauses as another elf, clad in the green leather jerkins that seem to be popular among the other elves, interruupts him: Elder, this one indicating Omar is of the Arcane Plague! This medusa could be a plague-terrorist! We out to kill them now!

The elder, though he frowns at the interruption, nevertheless ceases his speech and frowns at the three waterlogged adventurers before him. His face, sporting an imposing look, almost challenges them to contradict the younger elf's claims.


--------

Tirn, still in the bag of holding, begins to detect a sense of unnatural danger. He notices that water is pooling around him, despite the fact that the bag is an extradimensional space. He quickly realizes that, somehow, the bag is accepting water. He would do well to escape!

[whoiam]

With the (conscious/alive) archer no longer a direct threat to her, Alala peels off to go looking for her things. Interesting as the Elves' questions are, she can't really help there. It's not that she can't be persuasive... just that in her current state, she's probably not the most reassuring of speakers. If nothing else, she should probably remove the arrow first...

So, priorities: Her allies. Tirn was no-where to be seen, but probably still in her bag of holding. (The Cryohydra didn't exactly seem the stealthy type...). Omar and Tai had Eurykhrys, and the elves had them. They sounded angry, but no weapons yet, so her charging someone would probably just make the situation worse. Next up was her bags. She wasn't sure how bouyant they were, since she'd never dropped them in deep water before, but this wasn't a great time to find out if the answer was 'not very'. That went double if Tirn was still inside. So she'd look for them, and hope Tai and Omar could convince the elves not to shoot them while she fished her things out...