In the Shadow of Tomb Mountain

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Several Months Ago...

The room was tall and the necromancer, to contrast, was quite short. Little more than a goblin, his stature stood in contrast to his renown. "Barag the Benefactor" they called him, "Barag the Lifetwister" as he was known in his schooling days. He wore a silken tunic the color of smooth onyx rattling in a bone-man's head, and a large hat shaped like a smokestack with a wide brim. Overall the man might strike an onlooker as a comical sight more than any serious folk, but as many a fellow wizard had discovered in duels across the years, the eyes that hid beneath his wide brim hat were the steely traps of a genius, and he was not to be underestimated. Stretching high and lofty above the goblin, the arch-supports of the dome-roofed room in which he worked uplifted banners with arcane insignia and the sigils of many a demon-kin. The moon shone half-full through a circular window in the top of the vaulted roof.
"Oh Maggot-Retch, Be-spake of in the Tome of Defilement..." Barag held aloft a musty text, it's leatherbound jacket decorated with the embossments of facial features in a disorganized mess. "We beseech thy power in the name of Kaskal- Dread Lord of Coldpeak Castle, lord over all he surveys. Reach forth from the slovenly planes of Abyss, reach forth and render unto your undead master the forms of six!" The book, now held so high above the little goblin's head as to stretch his bone-thin arms to their full reach, began to glow with an unholy dark-light. The glow became a shine, and the shine became a roaring vortex of unholy energy. In the darkness of the vaulted room, with nothing but the moonlight dimly streaming in from the ceiling above to offset the fel-glow of the book, six Casket-Cocoons suddenly hopped up with a loud KER-THUNK! They scrabbled across the floor with a terrible skittering noise, coming to rest inside the broad ritual-circle at equal measure from each other. With six THUMPs they stop, creaking idly like a door on rusted hinges. Then, a seventh, as another Casket-Cocoon unexpectedly hops to it's place with tremendous scraping.
Barag glanced to his side, eyeing the seventh Casket-Cacoon, "Well that's an unexpected turn of events..." He mumbled.
The Caskets began to shake horribly, rattling and rocking. Inside distant screams like a chorus of the damned shuttered out from the Powers Below, the thin cracks between the planks of aged wood within the Casket Cocoons shone out with a black crackling energy and the whole room shook. "Yes! YES! COME YOGRIMOND, COME ATTATHATCH, COME FRIGDI! BIND THESE UNHOLY VESTIGES AND GIVE THEM UNLIFE!"
Then, all the rattling stopped. The dark light emanating from the book and the Casket-Cocoons ceased, and the only sound now in the dry stillness of the room was the plink-plink-plink of nails falling idly from the sides of loosened caskets.

Seven dark shapes drop like heavy sacks of lead from freshly opened Casket-Cocoons- slick with ritual-ectoplasm.


Today...

A mist paws the edges of the window outside like a purring cat looking to come inside, casting a foggy hue to the midnight moonlight as it strings its way along the cast of the room in which you've all come to reside. It's been several months since you were newly mewlingly born upon the dark names of Maggot-Retch, Yogrimond, Attathatch and Frigdi.
The Dread Lord was well pleased with your creation, and entrusted all martial training to grand Vizier Amorah. To those whose power lies in magic, you were entrusted to the keeping of grand Vizier Toth. Now, some months later, you lounge on couches in a luxury room of Coldpeak Castle, a misty night coiling through the air outside.

(We will begin at an established time, this is just to set the scene)

[Mathias1313]

Gurgle spends the majority of his time around you all eagerly trying to gain your favor by introducing new dishes for you. Most made from halflings but sometimes from other things. He also enjoys sneaking up on you to offer said dishes.

[Daishain]

Vossen and Gugro stand working their forms together, the two deathknights swinging their respective blades with deadly precision. The pair's physical forms are hidden behind nearly identical dark green and black armor, different only in terms of size, Gugro stands nearly a foot taller than his 'brother'. A glowing purple crystal floats gently in between them.

Eventually, they stop. A mortal would have been exhausted after the practice, but of course that was no problem for the dead. Gugro settles in to polish his weapon, a wicked looking polearm with a spiked hammer on the end.

Vossen approaches the others, "Have any of you any thoughts on our mission?"

[samduke]

holly observing the sparing between Vossen and Gugro,
Vossen approaches the others, "Have any of you any thoughts on our mission?"
Nothing at this time however if you are up for it I would like to spar with you. as I am needing to maintain my warrior edge.
Drawing her twin blades, Balestra's into Advance-Lunge followed by a series of Parry and Counter-Parries. ceaseing the training after a while. Vossen proving to be a great training partner.

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros sits in a corner of the room, humming to himself. Between his dark robes, black bones and the shadows lingering far from the moonlight coming in the window, he's barely more than a smudge against the background, easy to ignore except for the occasional bubbling sound coming from the pot in front of him. For some unknowable reason the Lich has taken to making tea, despite having no digestive tract or even means of tasting it without using magic to transmute himself into an arcane parody of life, something he has done with increasing regularity. He hasn't quite started insisting that those of his siblings with lips taste test it for him, but considering his usual attitude it can't be far off. He's never seemed to pay nearly as much attention to the training sessions as he does to his strange hobbies, not that it's ever stopped him from passing the Vizier's tests when they're applied.

When Vossen asks his question Xeros turns, blue flames twinkling merrily. His voice is totally incongruous with his bleak appearance, reminiscent of nothing so much as an enthusiastic young scholar. "Thoughts? I've had hundreds. Thousands even. We are going to a place that nobody has ever returned from, to visit the single greatest wellspring of necromantic energy on this plane. It is tremendously exciting." He clacks his teeth together to punctuate the statement. "There will surely be monsters and all manner of arcane anomalies. Perhaps even death traps, if old Toth's lectures are anything to go on. If I had my way, we'd be on our way to the caverns right now!" A sigh escapes his nonexistent lips. "Ah well. At least there are still a few interesting things to do here. I believe this pot should taste slightly of peppermint. I don't suppose any of you would like to critique it?" He peers around the room, hopefully.

[Genth]

Taste is irrelevant. A mortal concern speaks a voice, quietly, into the minds of all present. It's source is well known, a wretched figure of black rags and indistinct features, sitting in a thronelike chair. A dark-hued staff, made it seems of elongated, blackened bone sits in the figure's thin, grey-skinned fingers, and beside it sits two skeletal creatures - a coiled pile of bones, as if a snake, save with a humanlike skull, watching the proceedings with startlingly blue, preserved eyes; and the ragged form of a wing-armed creature, it's wings now bereft of skin and transformed into wickedly sharp talons, small crackles of dark, necromantic energy shifting across the bones. As to the mission however... I share your sentiments, brother. Mitharaq says, turning his hood, apparently empty save for bright green pinpricks of light for eyes, towards Xeros. We might be the most powerful creations of our kind. But we will need cohesion to return with the power our Lord needs.

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles, currently in the form of a small long haired human child, looks up expectantly to Xeros and holds out a cup. Oooh, that would go lovely with this bowl of halfling stew. I gave him the just the right amount of fright before he died. Gives the dish a little zing.

Gurgles turns to Mitharaq, As to cohesion, I do not think that will be an issue, dear brother. I trust our creators in their decisions. They made us for a purpose yes, but the way in which they made us, I believe, is also very purposeful. After reading many of the tomes that reside within Tombspeak, I do not recall many times where a group of incredibly powerful undead, he takes a moment to wave his hand gesturing to all of you, gathered together with not just a singular goal but also a bond.

Gurgles then offers up bowls of his halfling stew to all of you, in the hopes you might partake with him.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

The winds howl outside, gusting across the lattice work of moldering shutters along the western side of Coldpeak Catle and sending a shudder through the room that twists at errant candlelight. A combination of fire-light and darkvision turn the large study into a menagerie of black and white suffused with radii of dim color. Outside the door, the still *creak*ing of the skeletal champions that serve as door guards are a silent reminder of motion in an otherwise static scene. Vossen and Gugro move through set after set, playing their moves off of Holly as the three spar in quiet contemplation of the journey ahead. Xeros and Gurgles share in excited but hushed tones those recipes that they've learned. Xeros suggests a new dish involving finely sliced fillet's of halfling, while Gurgles complements the suggestions with comments instructing Xeros to add more iron into his tea, perhaps with blood. The Sable Siblings (as you've already come to be known to the handservants that wander Elysium Heights and Arcania) await the apportioned hour with excitement.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

The night curdles on outside, thick air only growing thicker like the culmination of some imminent storm resting solemnly on the mountain's peak, all grey hair and beard streaked with misty streams of lightning to cap the normally bald-faced Tomb mountain. Out of the night, out the window and far down on the streets where the high-roofed guard towers of Elysium Heights keep the common raff of the rest of society at bay, a solemn horn clarions out into the night.
There is a knock at the door, followed by a stench so foul as to almost elicit retching from even the more skeletal members of your congregation. The door opens and in walks the stately form of a very well dressed zombie Troglodyte.
Ah, you all think in recognition, it's the Dread Lord's beloved personal assistant, Trog-Jaw.
An ironic name, for Trog-Jaw was made from a corpse in need of a lower jaw, and thus could only speak through use of a magical orb affixed with leather strappings to the inside of his mouth.
"Your presences are requested at the front gates, my most imperious lieges," Trog-Jaw salivates out from the dimly glowing green orb about his mouth, "The public awaits their champions after all, and the streets will lead you to the mines. The mines, as I'm told, are where you all are to depart for lands most *southern*." He shudders in spite of himself, jostling a small nest of spiders into crawling from the hollow of his left eye down across his chest cavity.
He motions for you all to follow, ushering each one out with the upraised cheeks that you have come to assume insinuate a smile. Through maze-like halls he leads you, past torturing rooms, forgotten studies, whole laboratories lying dormant of study, and so much more. In time you come to the huge, multistoried entry hall, lit with floating sconces of blue flames. Written above, in faded necroscript embossment, reads "We Cast Off Man-Like Gods, In Favor Of God-Like Men." Adorned at the top are the facial busts of Kaskal, Amorah, and Toth. Hands outstretch from the left and right of each of the latter two names in the design, each finger hanging a bust on a chain of each of the sixteen High Ghouls of the city. Beyond the wide swept gates of the castle, the courtyard was still as clear as ever, but beyond it droves of undead flocked by the entrance gates to the courtyard, flooding in from every direction to wait at the foot of Elysium Heights, eagerly expecting to catch word of the Sable Siblings arrival.
Trog-Jaw turns, eyeing the group over with dimly glowing hollow sockets. "Have you anything to announce to the crowd? Or shall we send them away?"

[Daishain]

Vossen looks at Gugro, then to the others, "Someone should speak. My brother and I are more used to dashing hopes than fostering them, but we are well aware how important such things are in maintaining a content populace."

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles looks to Xeros immediately in the hopes that he will say something as he has seemed the most entertaining of the siblings so far.

[samduke]

so I know they are expecting something from their champions, I think the mission here is more important than words.

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros smiles... Somehow. His skull is always grinning, but he manages to convey happiness, or at least amusement, purely through the angle of his jawbone relative to the rest of his skull. It's more than a little bit eerie. Regardless, he takes a few steps forwards to the head of the group and raises his voice to a friendly shout. "I am overjoyed to see such a lively turnout! Honestly, it warms my bones to see so much support from the working dead of our great city. Ladies, gentlemen, and of course those who defy any rational categorization, I assure you that my siblings and I will do our utmost to achieve our goal and deliver us all from the villainous forces of Good that threaten our peaceful, right-minded unlives! So long as we have your heartfelt support... Metaphorically speaking, for those of you missing any unnecessary organs... I am certain that we will triumph!" With a small flourish he takes a small bow, then steps back to rejoin the group.

"There we go, that outta make them happy." He hums contentedly, looking around the city, seemingly no longer concerned with the crowd now that he's given his little speech.

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles looks up admiringly, in the form of the human child he is always in, at Xeros and vigorously claps in unison with the onlookers.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

The crowd erupts into a cacophonous assemblage of shrieks and hollers that only the dead would consider a sign of celebration. Banshees shrieked their terrible shriek, bonemen rattled their arms inside their rib cages, zombies beat their heads against the walls and crawling hands, vaulting through the air from rooftops, performed aerial acrobatics, slapping against each other in a resounding applause from above. Sleepless hoardes of ghosts and gaseous vampires swirl through the air above you as you all enter among the people. The people keep their distance by small measures, always close enough to touch, never close enough to accidentally step before you. They fill the streets with a carnival of rotten flesh and horrific perversions of life.
You have a map of the city, etched in blooded ink on a scrap of skin that still bristles with warmth and life. On it, the districts are roughly stitched in. There is also a stitched "x" marking the entrance to the mines.
Do any of you have anywhere in the city you'd like to explore, or would you like to head straight in?

[Daishain]

The crystal floating in between the twins pulses as one by one, the sable siblings are invited to form a more tangible connection. Vossen can be heard speaking over the telepathic bond, "We will head straight there, but should any have business to attend to, just maintain the bond and we can expedite your return."

Bringing all into the collective.
Gugro has a maneuver that let's him teleport allies to his side, normally it is limited to 30', but the collective lets him use it on members at any range.

[Genth]

Not a bad bond. Mitharaq comments, speaking silently from the rear of the group. His movements are smooth, gliding even, and always accompanied by the Naga and the strange winged creature. As for me... I have everything I require. My beast awaits at the entrance to the mines, and my monster follows beneath the earth. he explains, referring naturally to the other monstrous creatures he keeps in thrall as a matter of course.

[ArendK]

Mordecai walks with the group, basking in the adoration of the hordes of his brethren before him. Wearing ornately decorated white robes over his armor, the mage addresses those whom were basking in their greatness. As he speaks, Mordecai gradually gets louder and louder, becoming more and more animated as he speaks, reaching over and laying a hand on the shoulders of various listeners.

"My "brother" Xero is far too modest, eloquent as he may be. We are every bit the paragon of our kind; the fact that we stand so highly is because each and every one of you have contributed to us. Humans, elves, dwarves, all their champions pale in comparison to our excellence. And that is because we are the embodiment of the greatest ideals, talents, and knowledges passed down for millennia, each refined and improved upon the last like the greatest of arts reaching higher levels of perfection mortals only dream of. We are the realization of the transcendence of perfection beyond compare that each and every one of you have honed in your unlifetimes. For that, we thank you. And for that, we offer a gift."
"We have been conjured, created and bound in these forms with a purpose. That purpose is the eradication of those who would seek to wipe you, our kinsmen, from this world. When we have eradicated these would be conquerors, the tales told will be ones the flesh-lings sing about with despair and embarrassment about the failure of their prime champions; they will be snuffed out like a candle underneath our might. Our bards will celebrate it as a pristine monument to undeaths undeniable superiority over the living. We have lifetimes to perfect and master our crafts; none can match the results of those whom death itself is only a minor annoyance. The great works of music, statues, stories, and legends that will be inspired from their decimation will resonate in the bones, flesh, and ethereal energy of each and every one of you because you had the honor and privilege of basking in our glory on this day. You will be able to tell your spawn and disciples that you were there when we set off into Tomb Mountain. You will be able to tell them about our triumphant return, and that you heard our tales of glory straight from our mouths."

There where come a day when the living know their place under our heel. Our gift to you is that day! And the road to that day starts NOW!"

Unlike Xeros, Mordecai basks in their reactions, soaking in the adulation.

Once the crowds mellow out, Mordecai will head to the gathering point with the others, continuing his fiery speaking to the public.

[Mathias1313]

Upon entering the collective, Gurgles can be heard softly humming every so often or on occasion giggling quietly. He will disappear in the crowd and reappear at the designated meeting spot.

[samduke]

sticking close to the twins, holly walks along mentally preparing for the unknown.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Out in the streets the dead celebrate (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCAD2lrZb64), and everywhere profane dancing and song lent their frenetic energy to the night. Ribbons of dancing lights string their way through the air after you as you all wind through the crowded cobbled streets, Willow-the-wisp's trailing faint clouds of cold ethereal mist in their wake like streamers humming above your heads.
Before long, everyone stands before the sepulchral entrance to the Onyxian Mines. Glassy black columns of obsidian strike a Grecian looking design. Cracks in the dull marble and stone of the structure betray the pure lengthiness of it's history.
"Spare a finger, sirs or madams? Perhaps you've a spare nerve cluster?" A zombified beggar, the upper half of it's head cleanly missing, slumped slack on the columns, hound-gnawed hands outstretched in supplication.
A creature looking something like a cross between a feral lynx and a raven clutched the bust-head of a gargoyle that loomed over the gaping dark entrance. Dusty rutted deep into the ground told the tale of many millions of days of the undead trudging along into the mines to earn their daily allotment of energy. On the front, in graffiti-style, someone has splattered paint to read " 'Nyx Hole Below, Beware where fungus grow!"
Inside, a brief antechamber leads down a set of well worn stairs cut into the stone to the mines below.
What do you all do?

[Daishain]

Vossen shrugs, hefts his sword, and starts trudging down the stairs, burning eyesockets watching warily for trouble. Gugro follows shortly behind, polearm ready to strike over his brother's shoulders.

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles will silently breeze past the pair of intimidating Graveknights, silently entering the shadows to scout ahead of the group.

[samduke]

walking down the stairs continuing to stick close to the twins, looking about listening for trouble

[Genth]

Joined in due course by strange, hunch-backed skeletal thing, Mithraq's party draws up the rear of the group, deathly silent and seeming to ignore all distractions as they walk through the city.

It would be prudent to decide upon a order as we travel... comes his hiss of a voice within the other's minds. Since Gurgles has taken it upon himself to scout. I require physical protection, but my instruments can be placed as needed... I suggest the Moon-Beast near the front, as it is the most expendable.

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros pushes forwards, not quite outpacing Gurgles but clearly not at all hesitant, looking fairly eager as the group pushes down into the mines. "Protection? Hum. Don't worry about that with me. These bones are the next best thing to indestructible, and I'll get myself out of trouble if we run into anything that can actually hurt me." He looks around, eyes burning merrily. "Mmm. It feels... Quiet, here. Not like the city. I should stay close to the front. I can see a lot farther than the rest of you, down here, and I'll feel it if anything gets too close."

[Bobbyjackcorn]

As the party pushes forward into the dark, down the cascading stairs like the cold black marbles of onyx rolling around in the skull of an errant zombie, Holly and Marshal Vossen- each experts in the oft-forgotten art of map reading- roil over the parchment sheet of human skin upon which the map was inked. They converse for some time, listing possible routes, eliminating each one in turn as they twine toward an efficient path. In time, Holly sets a finger down on the map, setting a course.
The ruins beneath the city of Tombspeak sprawl like an anthill in all directions downward, filled with huge crystallizations of Onyx- sable halls in a land that time has forgotten and all life has abandoned. Through them, the six walk, gliding like errant shards of night through the whiled hours before dawn. Tall columned walls bespeak of a time before the dead, with rooms in each and every turn that suggest, no, *insist* upon a history filled with life and the daily striving of poor and mortal men. Banners still hang limp, dead in the underground breeze and too faded by the millennia to hark back to that before time any more than a blank piece of parchment could speak of a forest.
It's inside just such of these blackened halls, mayhaps half way down the projected path to the drop point when Gurgles returns early from scouting around a corner. Ahead, he explains, is a large room, adorned above with an indoor balcony perhaps thirty feet from the ground. On it's west, an immense waterfall rushes from the ceiling into some lower reaches through an aperture in the floor. Scattered about the room is loose debris and silt, and ambling around, loud as the screeching sound of old metal hinges with Clank, Clank, Clank sounds the whole way, is a golden statue.
Mordecai and Xeros listen intently as Gurgles describes the statue, walking as it is throughout the room as if noisily stalking for prey. They exchange a look for a moment, then share their glances with the others.
Tis a Golden Golem blocking the path.
The entrance to the room is roughly thirty-five feet away around a corner, the room itself another thirty feet in length from end to end, and the golem crouches at it's center.
How do you all proceed?

[Mathias1313]

Have any of you come across some knowledge of this automaton? I unfortunately know nothing of such things. Gurgles quietly asks telepathically into the collective. He seems to love idea of the collective but still seems to whisper a lot for some reason.

Awaiting information and possibly battle plans from his siblings, Gurgles will drift back into the shadows and wait for their consensus.

While waiting for his siblings to make a decision, Gurgles "thinks" into the collective the idea of him surprising the Golem and crushing it in his embrace while gurgling maniacally.

[Daishain]

"Such things are mindless no? Even less capable of rationality than our bretheren in death who have not been uplifted. Beyond satisfaction, there is nothing to be gained here by destroying it. In fact we may lose out on an opportunity to change such an asset into a useful tool. Will the construct follow us if we simply bypass the chamber, do any know for sure?"

[ArendK]

As they walked, Mordecai would often remark on the histories of the mortals remnants. His tone, endlessly upbeat for miles
"Brothers, look upon these fallen vestiges and accomplishments. Like their makers, they age and fade. But our fate will not let us end thusly; we won't fade to time and age. We just get better, like the finest of wines. That is our legacy over these mortals."

As they enter the chamber, the mage weighed his options. He rattled his brain (figuratively) for any details about the entity that Gurgles may have forgotten that would be detrimental or helpful to any battleplan of "hugging" the hunk of valuable metal to death.

[roll0] Knowledge Roll- same modifier for all core knowledge skills [arcana, religion, dungeoneering, geography, history, planes, local, engineering, nature and nobility].


As the team enters, Mordecai will fall back a step away from the golem; entities notorious for their notoriously pesky resistance to magic. Knowing the right tools to pick it apart would be integral to passing it. Unfortunately, Mordecai was a little too excited to punish mortals when they set out on their journey and didn't quite have the forethought to think that there were things in the mountain that WEREN'T fleshy and living that might try to despose of the valiant heroes of Tombspeak. Mordecai thought about the safety of his worm, but decided against it. The golems armor would be too hard for the beast and the golems strikes devastating. Instead the mage called upon the elements, spinning magical energy into the room with a relatively basic spell at his great power. The destructive warmth the spell would have normally brought flickered for but an instant, Mordecai's will snuffing every bit of heat manageable in the area the spell would have burned. Molten gold could still pose a problem to his brothers, but frozen and brittle? Not so much.

Mechanical Explanations of the movements
Move Action- Scoot my arrogant box of bones to the back of the group, keeping the thing in sight.
Standard Action- Fireball DC 23, using Admixture to change it to cold damage so it will affect the least of us if anyone does get it (I think only Mitharaq and Gurgles aren't flat immune to the cold, but I might have missed someone).
[roll1] Spell Resistance (for the golem if needed and any other graveknights)
[roll2] Cold damage, save for half.



"Greetings gilded guardian! We are passing through on a noble quest and kindly need you to step aside!" the magician belts loudly as he maintains his position in the middle of the group. Given the rocky enclosed terrain, the sound echoes throughout the corridors echoing in the magical knights voice. A smile would have stretched onto his face if he had lips, giving anyone and everyone in the area the impression that Mordecai simply liked hearing himself talk.

[samduke]

" Will the construct follow us if we simply bypass the chamber, do any know for sure?"

I believe that it stands in our way at a crucial junction within the chamber, our options such as they are seem limited to attempt sneaking past, tunneling past or finding out directly if it is hostile.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

As they enter the chamber, the mage weighed his options. He rattled his brain (figuratively) for any details about the entity that Gurgles may have forgotten that would be detrimental or helpful to any battleplan of "hugging" the hunk of valuable metal to death.

[roll0] Knowledge Roll- same modifier for all core knowledge skills [arcana, religion, dungeoneering, geography, history, planes, local, engineering, nature and nobility].



With a Knowledge of 39 in History you are able to discern that this is one of the many golems that roam the deeper parts of the Onyxian mines. Left here by a previous society, they've little more in common with each other than they do anything else they encounter; Some speak, some are hostile, and many seem to toil or work away at odd tasks with no rhyme or reason. Overall, they are an unpredictable danger, and powerful at that.

[Daishain]

Vossen and Gugro study the thing. The former holds up two fingers, "I suggest one of two plans. Option one: spread out and engage in hit and run tactics, stay mobile and out of reach as much as possible, this thing does not appear exceptionally mobile. Option two: Two of us stage a diversion while Gugro and the rest swiftly make for the other side. Once there, my brother teleports the diverters to his side, and we simply move on unmolested."

[Genth]

Or.... speaks Mithraq's almost silent voice within the group's minds, and the robed figure waves a hand, bidding the four-legged skeleton, strange bloody tendrils falling from it's mouth, to walk forwards, and stand within striking distance of the Golem.

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros seems unperturbed. "It's only a golem. Hardly dangerous, thanks to its lacking speed. We can simply run past it. Even with prismatic energy, it is unlikely to cause significant harm before we outpace it, and given our capabilities restoring such damage is a trivial matter. There is no reason to..." He watches Mithraq send one of his mindless minions forwards and expels a burst of air from his nonexistent lungs. "Hum. If you wish to engage it, I will provide support. Please inform me if you are in danger, and I will assist." The second statement is addressed to the group collectively, and Xeros makes no move to attack the golem himself.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

The shuffling bag of bones slides its way down the hall, around the corner and into the room with the Golem. Peaking around the corner and into the room, the group watches on as it quickly shimmies across the rough bits of broken rock and silt littering the ground to stop at the feet of the large Golden Golem.

Then, the golem begins to speak.

"Bring soft wines for Solicitus, Dreamer in the Deep. Through wormy corpulescent hell and into the briny below, we followed him like a beacon, like arriving at a home not our own. Plates of metal bring us-" It stops for a moment, observing the vacant stare of the skeletal monstrosity, then swiftly glides across the room towards it and smashes an arm into it, as if swatting a fly on the wall...



The mighty fist of the creature slams down hard on the skeletal creature-
46 to hit
smashing through it's defenses-
23 bludgeoning damage
and shooting an arc of vicious yellow-hued lightning through the skeletal remains.
Skeletal Moonbeast rolls a reflex s.t: 8 on the die, plus 9: 17 (failure)
80 electricity damage.

Total damage taken: 103



"What a low, low thing, to be born of the drift." It states enigmatically, apparently more to the room, by tone, than the skeletal creation.

Everyone make a Sense Motive check.

[samduke]

Watching the golem react to the four-legged skeleton, hearing the riddle the golem presented.

EDIT
Looking & listening about (Perception).
"Hey guys there's something here that I think is important over there, pointing to the waterfall, it looks like a door. but I am getting a smell of gas"... realizing that the sickly colored waterfall is likely laced with a flammable liquid.. "up above us I heard a sound, like maybe part of a trap'.

"As for that" pointing to the Golem, "This is a Gold Golem they're said to hit like a truck and spew randomized prismatic energy with every attack and it is probably mad or haunted by a ghost and thus unpredictable.

I advise extreme caution here."

[Mathias1313]

Oooo Fun Gurgles slips into the shadows as he walks into the room.

Gurgles enters the rooms at 20ft per round using stealth.
[roll0] Lurker in Darkness will block sense that can Auto detect me.
Gurgles tries to position himself within 40ft and waits for the Siblings to decide on a course of action.

You all hear a trilling gurgle in your minds as well as You let me know what we are to do, Siblings. Do we fight or flee?

[Genth]

Bah. A useless Relic Mithraq telepathy's to his comrades. He gestures, and the badly injured moonbeast pulls back, moving away from the Golem even as its form begins to repair. I have no interest in it. Destroy it, it should pose no threat.


Withdraw Action for the Moonbeast. It heals like, 7 Damage.

[Mathias1313]

Trap? Did you say Trap Holly? Gurgles thinks at the collective.

Gurgles moves silently towards the waterfall to take a better look.

Perception roll [roll0] to locate Trap and if possible Disable device [roll1]

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Trap? Did you say Trap Holly? Gurgles thinks at the collective.

Gurgles moves silently towards the waterfall to take a better look.

Perception roll [roll0] to locate Trap and if possible Disable device [roll1]

Behind the brackishly colored waterfall, you can see the scarce outline of a door now. Above, at the tip of the archway, there are mechanics set and designed from what appears to be rock. It takes a moment to realize: it's an impromptu flint and tinder attached to a spring and a breaker wire. Interference could mean activating the device, and getting to it would surely require dousing one's self in the water in the process. It smells pungent, like wafting oils and rotten eggs, and the air has taken on a slight misty quality here, close to the waterfall. You decide to press on, and you wade into the fouled water to disarm the trap.
Tense moments pass in the quite in the dark, Gurgles appropriately gurgling along to a tune under the flow of the waterfall, swishing the stuff in his mouth. For a brief moment, the flint and tinder's breaker wire snaps in Gurgles hand, and there's a flash of concern through Gurgles. No more than a moment's worry though- his hand moves deftly, and he swiftly disarms the trap.
The door looms wide, carven with images of wide eyed faces, upraised in supplication to a central figure. The faces are all worn to hell and back, very nearly featureless.
Holly, about this time realizes that while the scouts did explore this area, they didn't mark the door on your map. Who knows what could be behind it?

Mordecai, would you like to activate one of your contingencies now, or reformulate?

[Daishain]

"I must confess, this is more interesting than I initially expected. Let us see if the golden man over there will reveal more to me. Please observe carefully. My brother will retrieve me if this thing proves to be truly hostile."

Vossen steps out walking up towards the Golem, although he stops outside of easy striking range. He calls out, "If that low thing offends you, perhaps you would prefer to converse with me."

Gugro has a readied action to teleport Vossen to his side at the first sign of trouble.

[samduke]

watching Vossen walk out towards the golem, holly will ready action: if golem attacks Vossen - then
Edit: Golem is the target of Iaijutsu Focus - Intimidate - Fearsomeness - and she uses her Call Armor

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Motes of darkness seep through from seemingly nowhere to form the slick angles of Holly's armor, forming from some otherly place.

Vossen steps forth, into the chamber, and the golden golem stands upright, turning it's head to face the green-tinged armored shell of a knight addressing it.
It smiles a creaking, impossibly metal-bending smile.

"Bring soft wines for Solicitus, Dreamer in the Deep.
Through wormy corpulescent hell and into the briny below,
we followed him like a beacon, like arriving at a home not our own.
Plates of metal bring us union in the ending of all things
To coalign a spine of cord and wire-
We divined a realm of ire.
Seek not what lies at the heart of the mountain,
Turn back from beneath, and from evil's fountain."

It pauses, awaiting response, a hand gestured mechanically forward.

Gugro, Holly, Gurgles and Mordecai all stand tensed, ready for combat in a moment's notice. The acrid stench of flammable gas is now naturally apparent to anyone within ten feet of the entrance. Vossen can hear a slicing sound coming from a hall at the top of the balcony.

[Mathias1313]

You hear Gurgles trill in the collective, So exciting

Roll for Initiative is [roll0]
Swift action to enter my grapplers stance and move action to empower my attacks.

[Genth]

Mitharaq watches as his fellows approach the golem, drifting forwards a few feet so as to ensure a good look. Wonderful. It knows poetry. How quaint.

[Daishain]

"We have need of what lies at evil's fountain. Perhaps you can tell us what happened when you passed into the briny below? Maybe we can find another way."


Over the network, Vossen says, "If I were to guess, the spirit inhabiting this golem was from a being that once walked the path we are on. If we can cut through the madness, there might be useful information to be had. Any ideas would be appreciated."

[Bobbyjackcorn]

"We have need of what lies at evil's fountain. Perhaps you can tell us what happened when you passed into the briny below? Maybe we can find another way."


Over the network, Vossen says, "If I were to guess, the spirit inhabiting this golem was from a being that once walked the path we are on. If we can cut through the madness, there might be useful information to be had. Any ideas would be appreciated."

The whole body of the creature shudders, stutters, and shakes. Steam coils out of the sides of it's neck in a billowing cloud, then it ceases it's shaking and looks back at Vossen from the place it's shaken head has wandered to.

"Solicitus stood at the gateway beyond hell,
He awaited us in the City Beneath Black Waves,
They took from us our fleshy forms and made for us these graves.
'Neath the briny dark we toiled, suffering for the fount's joy,
but older than our people still, the buildings loomed about,
teaching us their ancient ways, the gate to freedom's route."

The golem looks at it's hands, blank metal stare transfixed as it twitches it's digits.

[Daishain]

"Tell us, if you can, about Solicitus. Who is he, what is he?"

Over the network Vossen asks, "If this is indeed a spirit, I might be able to wrest control, and then we should be able to make use of this asset, worth a try? Or perhaps someone else has a better idea."

[Bobbyjackcorn]

"Tell us, if you can, about Solicitus. Who is he, what is he?"

Over the network Vossen asks, "If this is indeed a spirit, I might be able to wrest control, and then we should be able to make use of this asset, worth a try? Or perhaps someone else has a better idea."

"Solicitus is the drinker of Soft Wines,
the Dreamer in the Deep whose reign extends,
the beating heart the forms the beginning of the ends.
Follow, and I can show you his face,
footsteps fall in the cold-iron hall,
and the king is preparing a ball."

The golems arm, upraised to the air, began to rotate and spin on the axis of it's elbow. Silent energy thrums through the air in waves, radiating from the arm.

[ArendK]

Mordecai casually draws his staff, and reviews his spells; his necromancy focus currently was too....limited to be of much use against the golem, but thanks to a mind honed over eons gifted to him, it was but a small matter to wipe a spell from his mind and replace it with another.

"If the gas is coming from the waterfall, it's off no concern. The golems riddle is most likely the easiest means to disable whatever traps are ahead, or at least the immediate ones. I can probably stop the waterfall and push the gas to the opposite end of the room, though it might get a bit...breezy in here. I'd suggest holding onto something if we take that option."

The golem doesn't seem a threat, and an incendiary gas or liquid posed no threat to the mage. But his brothers didn't all have his wealth of protections, magical and otherwise. The mage quickly contemplates the riddle, rattling it through his impressive intellect, drawing comparisons to legends, myths, historical facts, and anything else that might cross-reference to get an answer.

Quick Study- Dropping Undeath Inversion to prepare Acid Pit. Costs 1 of my reservoir points (start with 12 each day, max of 18 by sacrificing spells, brings me down to 11 available).

Pull out the Staff of Heaven and Earth from my Efficient Quiver

Riddle Solving (the Mordecai way!)- Running each line through every knowledge skill he has to see if he can get a sensible lead on the riddle and exactly what the golem is saying (otherwise I'm just going to wing it interpreting it and solving it). I'm rolling the most likely ones that it might be as far as I can see
[roll0] Arcana
[roll1] Geography
[roll2] Religion
[roll3] History
[roll4] Planes
[roll5] Nobility
[roll6] Dungeoneering

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Mordecai casually draws his staff, and reviews his spells; his necromancy focus currently was too....limited to be of much use against the golem, but thanks to a mind honed over eons gifted to him, it was but a small matter to wipe a spell from his mind and replace it with another.

"If the gas is coming from the waterfall, it's off no concern. The golems riddle is most likely the easiest means to disable whatever traps are ahead, or at least the immediate ones. I can probably stop the waterfall and push the gas to the opposite end of the room, though it might get a bit...breezy in here. I'd suggest holding onto something if we take that option."

The golem doesn't seem a threat, and an incendiary gas or liquid posed no threat to the mage. But his brothers didn't all have his wealth of protections, magical and otherwise. The mage quickly contemplates the riddle, rattling it through his impressive intellect, drawing comparisons to legends, myths, historical facts, and anything else that might cross-reference to get an answer.

Quick Study- Dropping Undeath Inversion to prepare Acid Pit. Costs 1 of my reservoir points (start with 12 each day, max of 18 by sacrificing spells, brings me down to 11 available).

Pull out the Staff of Heaven and Earth from my Efficient Quiver

Riddle Solving (the Mordecai way!)- Running each line through every knowledge skill he has to see if he can get a sensible lead on the riddle and exactly what the golem is saying (otherwise I'm just going to wing it interpreting it and solving it). I'm rolling the most likely ones that it might be as far as I can see
[roll0] Arcana
[roll1] Geography
[roll2] Religion
[roll3] History
[roll4] Planes
[roll5] Nobility
[roll6] Dungeoneering



In the houses of the oracles of the Arcania, there are sometimes etched upon the walls strange missives about Solicitus, a demon or god that visits the oracles in dreams and offers them wine. When they look upon the wine however, they are met with utter revulsion.



The term "soft wines" is sometimes used to refer to the liquified form of souls by good outsiders and evil outsiders alike.



The poems don't seem to regard the traps from the room.



That arm is definitely cycling rapidly through it's prismatic beam, searching for an element. The only one you couldn't see in the rapid shifting glow...was fire.


Suddenly, a fireball slings loose of the glowing arm of the golem. The room erupts into a sudden explosion of hellfire. Everyone make your dexterity saves, the air has erupted into flame, causing an immense explosion that rocks the earth and pries loose bricks and rocks of varying sizes from the walls and ceiling.

[ArendK]

Mordecai stands amid the flames and debris; the rituals used to create him protected him from the golems attack largely, only the largest of rocks inconveniencing the cocky mage. In the chaos and smoke, he waited while the battle unfurled until he could relocate the golem by sight again.

"That was annoying..." Mordecai muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the room looking for the golem amidst the smoke from the flames and debris.

Once he does, he begins calling magic to his mind, targeting not the golem, but the ground underneath it. Forcing a pit to an extradimensional plane below it's feet, the walls of it coated in a slick green slime all the way to a pool of glowing green viscous liquid at the bottom of it. Total depth of 60 feet with the pool a depth of 5 feet at the bottom, it should be enough to remove the mildly annoying Golem from the equation for the moment. The pit he pours more of his magic energy, increasing the pull of the pit to the golem.

Waiting is just an in character descriptor of being last in the initiative order. Casting Acid Pit, with a point of my Reservoir to increase the Reflex save to DC 26 to avoid going to the bottom of the bit for 13 rounds. It has no spell resistance as it does not directly affect the golem. And if someone makes the mistake of grappling this thing before my spell goes off....well, this will be entertaining.

[Genth]

The flames and rocks miss Mitharaq himself, for the most part, but his minions take a harsh blow, the Moon-Beast collapsing into a pulsing pile of bones. Unpleasant. the Shah replies, and holds his staff aloft, a pulse of fetid necromantic energy flooding across the room. As he does this, the Naga lets out a low hiss from her skeletal jaws, pinprick eyes flaring. She dashes across the room, tail just barely flicking across Vossen's back, and he suddenly blurs, becoming indistinct and difficult to pin down.

Mitharaq's Action is to Channel Energy [roll0] To heal us friendos.

Moon-Beast 0/119 (Gains no healing, as is 'dead' for an hour)
Poopabala 88/153
Naga 79/147
Mitharaq 163/171

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles' eyes widen as he see the fireball explode from the Golem, That's it, I'm done

[roll0]

The little "child" shoots forward in a flash of speed, as 4 tentacles sprout from beneath his clothing. He lashes out at the Golem.

Move action up to 40ft and then Grapple up to another 10ft away.
Grapple check = [roll1]
If successful, Constrict for [roll2]

[samduke]

REF save +11 (1d20+11)[18]

if we are into combat...
Holly had a held action and on initiative would move into combat
Holly (Initiative +8, intimidate +33)
(1d20+8)[26], (1d20+33)[47]
Discipline: Fearsomeness : successfully uses the Intimidate skill to cause a creature within 10 feet to become shaken can instead cause that creature to become frightened

held action attack: because she went into the Iaijutsu Focus +14, (1d20+14)[28] she should be able to make an
attack roll [roll0] +3 morale bonus needs to be added
Confirm Critical Brutal Slash [roll1] failed to threaten
Iaijutsu Strike Damage [roll2] Slashing magic : [roll3] Acid
Terrifying Iaijutsu (Ex): if holly successfully hits, all foes within 30 feet must succeed at a Will save (DC 20) or become shaken for 1d4+1 rounds - in addition to the frightened condition from above

[Daishain]

Gugro feints with his polearm at the construct even as he sends a bolstering pulse along the network binding the group.

Vossen meanwhile steps up and strikes down, as hard as he has been trained to do.

Gugro activates Stance of the Thunderbrand (+4 dodge bonus to AC, weapon reach increases by 5', all movement, including teleportation effects and withdrawal actions, provokes AOOs), Using his standard action to activate Defending the Pride (Allies in collective or 60' gain +4 morale boost to AC for 3 rounds). Finally, he uses the Aid another action as a move action to add +2 to Vossen's next attack (class feature says its a MA) thereby activating his Zeal feature which adds a +3 Morale bonus to collective member attack rolls for the next three rounds. It is worth noting that Gugro's reach for AOOs is 20' at the moment

Vossen activates Stance of Agression (-2 AC, +2d6 damage on a hit), and for his standard, attacks with Impaling Strike (+4d6 damage, attack ignores damage reduction, normally the target also must pass a save vs con damage, but I believe this guy is immune) attack (with bonuses from Gugro's stuff factored in) damage [roll]2d4+9d6+11
Gugro's Reflex save [roll1]
Vossen's Reflex save [roll2]

[Bobbyjackcorn]

The room erupts into fire, rocking with the strength of the explosion, and the rocks and bricks of the upper level crumble in upon you all.

Mitharaq, silent as a shadow and sable as sin, releases a mighty pulse of necromantic power, sweeping over the room and flooding it with negative energy. The wounded amongst the party find their wounds stitching themselves shut as the radiance suffuses them with a dark light.
Gurgles saw it all, reacting almost as quickly as it happened, and now with the room still a vacuum bereft of air, the child lunges forward, propelled by immense black tentacles. The monstrous being begins to peel down the golem's appendages one by one, , crushing through it's armor as it goes.
With Gurgles still in mid grapple, Holly once more opens her eyes- a rock had momentarily sent her vision spinning. Coming to, she unleashed a terrifying roar, amplified by the negative energy in her body and fiendish pacts suffusing her creation such that even the golem can not resist the chill compulsion to fear her as she comes ever nearer to the grappled subject of her ire. releasing a brutal upward iajutsu strike from the sheath at her side, a swath of the golden armor flies away to reveal the insane mechanisms that propel it forward- and the soul trapped at the center powering it, emaciated and shriveled.
Gugro's mind spears out in all directions through the link between you all: an immense wave of mental power recalculating and correcting thousands of subconscious movements at light speed. His eyes smolder with black light, and Vossen's begin to glow the same.
The Golem, stricken by some trace of mortal fear, turns it's horror-sculpted face to the balcony above and attempts to pry Gurgles off it's body. It pries him loose, just narrowly, and begins to flee, provoking the opportunity for Gugro, Vossen, Holly, and Gurgles to attack.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Vossen and Gugro lunge after the fleeing automaton! With a swipe in hard from the left, Vossen's shimmering green falcion cuts deep into the melting metal, cutting a swath of exposed wire piped through the shriveled soul within. Gugro's Lucerne just narrowly misses the fragile center of the creature and clang's off a hunk of plating at a bad angle.

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros simply watches the others converse with the golem, seeming intrigued. He doesn't make any comments himself for the moment, satisfied to merely observe, but seems to be caught entirely off-guard by the nightmarish storm of fire released by the construct, simply standing in place as flames rage around him and shrapnel batters his bony form. In the end the seems to be largely unharmed, a few charred spots and nicks the entire sum of the damage. "Hum. That was unpleasant. And quite rude." As the hulking figure turns to flee the burning globes in his eye sockets turn to face it, and he raises one hand. "I think not." With an arcane word and a gesture, the earth in front of the golem's lumbering stride begins to swirl and shift, turning into a sucking morass that clutches at the construct's feet and actively hinders its movements.


Xeros casts Shifting Sands, such that the 20-foot radius circle of the spells effect just barely overlaps with the golem's space, and extends as far in front of it as possible. He will then take a Move action to keep pace with the Golem, staying well out of reach of its melee attacks.

The entire radius of the spell effect counts as Difficult Terrain, and all creatures in the area of the effect take a -10 penalty on Acrobatics tests. Anyone who attempts to enter the area or begins its turn in the area (by definition including the Golem) must pass a DC 26 Reflex save or be Entangled for one round (in addition to the effects of Difficult Terrain). Any Entangled creature attempting to move in the Shifting Sands takes another DC26 Reflex Save (and must include the penalty from being Entangled). Failure results in the creature falling Prone and being prevented from moving.

[samduke]

AoO: Iaijutsu focus still in effect
attack roll [roll0] includes morale bonus
Confirm Critical Brutal Slash if subject to criticals -see OOC
Iaijutsu Strike Damage [roll1] Slashing magic : [roll2] Acid
Terrifying Iaijutsu (Ex): if holly successfully hits, all foes within 30 feet must succeed at a Will save (DC 20) or become shaken for [roll3] rounds in addition to any previous fear conditions from above (this would progress the fear track, shaken, frightened, cowering ect...)

[Bobbyjackcorn]

AoO: Iaijutsu focus still in effect
attack roll [roll0] includes morale bonus
Confirm Critical Brutal Slash if subject to criticals -see OOC
Iaijutsu Strike Damage [roll1] Slashing magic : [roll2] Acid
Terrifying Iaijutsu (Ex): if holly successfully hits, all foes within 30 feet must succeed at a Will save (DC 20) or become shaken for [roll3] rounds in addition to any previous fear conditions from above (this would progress the fear track, shaken, frightened, cowering ect...)

Holly slashes forward in an aggressive secondary maneuver, shoving her weight behind the blade. Acid sprays in an artistic splash along the charred walls and flecks of malleable gold fly into a splatter pattern, making the walls glitter with light in the oppressive darkness.
The shattered, bent remnants of the golem shudders backwards for a step or two, when the ground itself rises up, pulling and dragging it down into a deathly pit of acid. Even so, Vossen still slashes once more down the length of the golem, shattering the glass container holding it's soul in place.
When the magic is all said and done, nothing remains but shifting dust and brick. Mordecai and Xeros look at each other with the satisfaction of janitorial functions well done while the melee combatants of the group assess what few wounds they may yet have.
The waterfall has been routed through a fault in the ceiling, letting tricklings of water drip throughout most of the room. The door, cracked and blown through, reveals the shallow impression of an antechamber behind it.
Above, the soft shlink, shlink, SHLINK! of the blades rings softly down into the quieted room.
Pebbles drop errantly from the frame of the balcony.

[Mathias1313]

As Gurgles slinks away from the defeated automaton, his tentacles retract back under his clothing and he resumes the form of his human child.
Hmm, Lets take a look around shall we?

Perception roll to search this area and then the alcove [roll0]

Bravo to us all, siblings. It was nice to stretch our power a bit.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

As Gurgles slinks away from the defeated automaton, his tentacles retract back under his clothing and he resumes the form of his human child.
Hmm, Lets take a look around shall we?

Perception roll to search this area and then the alcove [roll0]

Bravo to us all, siblings. It was nice to stretch our power a bit.

You search through the debris, tossing aside rubble here and there with errant disregard for the smoking tendrils of thick smoke wading all around. You find the gilded breastplate from the golem, half melted, but still likely worth a hefty sum of passive negative energy. Inside is inscribed,
"Behold the ending of days,
Uphold the righteous one's praise,
Behold the fury of thunder,
Behold the furious fire,
Behold the earth god's ire."
Inside the room there appears to be a large opalescent green crystal hovering in some form of magical stasis. It is roughly the length of two people long, and in the rough diameter range of a whole person's length. Inside it's fascinating form, shadows flicker dimly, as if in play, or struggle. About the room are several vials of liquids of various fantastic colors, each vial shaped like a star fruit with a one-use crackable seem at the tip.
In the corner, the skeleton-carapace of a long dead bug-man creature lies in dust in a corner, lit only by the ominous glow of the crystal. The distinct smell of crackling electric wires and ozone permeates the room.

Above, the balcony holds at least the weight of one "Gurgles," and appears to lead down a hall that was marked on the map as "Deactivated trap. If retriggered, press third stone to the left of entrance." You promptly deactivate the trap according to the guidelines, and see that before you, frozen in mid air, are cycling fanblades, so thin and moving so quickly, as to look invisible at activated speed, leaving no hint of their movement but the occasional scraping of a blade on the stone. With the blades stopped, the hall is free to traverse, deeper into the Onyxian mines.

[Daishain]

Vossen and Gugro look about, checking for any important details but touching little. "This seems interesting, you arcanists have any idea what's going on with this mess?"

Gugro perception [roll0]
Vossen perception [roll1]

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Vossen and Gugro look about, checking for any important details but touching little. "This seems interesting, you arcanists have any idea what's going on with this mess?"

Gugro perception [roll0]
Vossen perception [roll1]

Gugro and Vossen see little else aside from what Gurgles has already preened over. The bug-man appears to have perhaps been wearing clothes at some point, but either animals or time itself have taken them from it.
The crystal in the center of the room behind the waterfall silently thrums away.

[ArendK]

Mordecai looks at the glyphs, racking his brain as a cross-reference.

[roll0] Knowledge Roll or if it's Spellcraft, add another +6.

"Hmmm.....the craftsmanship seems fine, though if our golden friend is anything to judge by, there's bound to be more than meets the eye."

[DaedalusMkV]

Xeros approaches the strange array with an expression of clear interest, getting close enough to observe it carefully. "The number of vials seems significant. It seems that whoever built these things had something of an obsession with the prismatic colours... Or at the very least, found prismatic energy useful enough to focus on."


Xeros will use Detect Magic to search for any magical auras in the area.

Spellcraft to identify any auras: [roll0]
Knowledge (Arcana) to figure out the purpose of the crystal and the liquids, if possible: [roll1]

At the same time, he will use his Necromantic Touch to restore all of his lost HP, and offer to do the same for any other member of the group that might need it.

[samduke]

be carefull over there Xeros that may be trapped

[Mathias1313]

Traps you say?
Gurgles approaches the array alongside Xeros and examines it for the possibility of Traps.

Perception for Traps [roll0]

Hmm.....

[Genth]

The Moon beast being carried on the back of the winged creature, Mithraq and his party enter the chamber too, still hanging back passively. He casts his gaze across the room, searching for hints of their next action.

Perception. [roll0] Nagas Know Arcana [roll1]

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Mordecai looks at the glyphs, racking his brain as a cross-reference.

[roll0] Knowledge Roll or if it's Spellcraft, add another +6.

"Hmmm.....the craftsmanship seems fine, though if our golden friend is anything to judge by, there's bound to be more than meets the eye."

Mordecai, wracking his expansive intellect, reels through lists of earth gods and old poetry found within the Onyxian Mines in an attempt to decipher what the poem might be referencing. While it's still too vague to draw any concrete conclusions from, he notes with interest that there is a deity known as "Yon-Kalath" who presides over thunderstorms in underground cave systems. Yon-Kalath is an angry deity best known for opposing the gods' decisions to go into hibernation at the end of the Deific Age almost 4,000 years ago.


Xeros approaches the strange array with an expression of clear interest, getting close enough to observe it carefully. "The number of vials seems significant. It seems that whoever built these things had something of an obsession with the prismatic colours... Or at the very least, found prismatic energy useful enough to focus on."


Xeros will use Detect Magic to search for any magical auras in the area.

Spellcraft to identify any auras: [roll0]
Knowledge (Arcana) to figure out the purpose of the crystal and the liquids, if possible: [roll1]

At the same time, he will use his Necromantic Touch to restore all of his lost HP, and offer to do the same for any other member of the group that might need it.


Xeros's eye sockets flare with blue light, flooding the room in a dim glow as he begins searching the room for magic. Ultimately, he finds six faint auras- one for each starfruit-shaped bottles- and one strong aura emanating from the crystal.
Of the bottles, four grey potions of swirling liquid give emanations of abjuration, while one of a distinct orange hue with forming and dissolving shapes of crystalline structures gave a transmutation aura, as did the final potion of deepest hyper-blue coloration.

The strong aura wafting off the crystalline structure smacks of Necromancy, Abjuration, and Conjuration. From a hazarded guess, one might presume it holds souls or similarly difficult-to-preserve energetic structures, but while that may yet be true, a seam along the edges of it betray a secondary purpose: it seems to contain something.

Lastly, Xeros notes, with some curiosity, that the room is lined with lead, the light from his detection spell fading and boiling away at the edges meeting the walls, floor, or ceiling.


Traps you say?
Gurgles approaches the array alongside Xeros and examines it for the possibility of Traps.

Perception for Traps [roll0]

Hmm.....

Luckily, Gurgles runs a thorough lay out of the room and determines that no traps lay in wait here.


The Moon beast being carried on the back of the winged creature, Mithraq and his party enter the chamber too, still hanging back passively. He casts his gaze across the room, searching for hints of their next action.

Perception. [roll0] Nagas Know Arcana [roll1]

Mithraq strolls in, casting a cold-iron stare over the room. He sees the crystal, it's seam along it's length, and the flickering shapes of shadow within.

[samduke]

holly looks over the area standing guard expecting the worse

[ArendK]

Mordecai smirks at the memory of Yon-Kalath as a deity of storms in the deep.

"There was an older god, Yon-Kalath worshipped as a deity of storms that occur here underground. When the gods ended the Deific Age, he was one of the ones who opposed their decision to enter their hibernation. Likely, thunder is a reference to him. And his 'ire' may be directed towards the gods, though from accounts, he was a bit of a malicious deity with a temper. Fickle as deities are, his ire may be directed at us for what he would see as trespassing."

Mordecai takes a dismissive look at the vials.

"A puzzle most likely. Of course, more likely designed against the living, so should we get the designers intent wrong, our bodies should withstand it much more resiliently than fleshlings. We cannot starve, we do not breath, and the elements cause most of us discomfort at the worst. Most likely, the potions need to be either drank or applied to the crystal in a specific order to remove whatever seals and barriers intended. That being said, the question is are the barriers for keeping us out or something else in?"

[Mathias1313]

One way to find out...
Gurgles approaches the orange hued Vial and picks it from its resting place
Curiosity always getting the better of him.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

One way to find out...
Gurgles approaches the orange hued Vial and picks it from its resting place
Curiosity always getting the better of him.

Gurgles picks up one of the colored philters shaped like starfruit. It's orange-amber hue casting a dull glow on the vampire's dusty face and vacant eyes. Nothing immediately changes, save for the steadily dissolving and reforming crystals deep within the yellowish haze. The top is a single-use glass bead stopper that must be cracked before the liquid can be gotten to.

[samduke]

do you need any help over there with moving those things?

[Mathias1313]

I was expecting.... something bad to happen... hmm. Siblings perhaps we should just take the vials and the crystal with us?

Gurgles muses to himself as he swirls the amber liquid around in the vial, staring intently at it.

That way, Siblings, those of you who are more arcanely attuned will have more time to investigate them?

[samduke]

watching over her sibling carrying those vials,.
do as you like lets go

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles puts the 4 vials away into his backpack and then eyes the large crystal, Estimating if he can take that as well...

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Gurgles puts the 4 vials away into his backpack and then eyes the large crystal, Estimating if he can take that as well...

Standing at about the length of two men and the circumference of a whole person, the crystal estimates not. It does however have that seam down the side...

[Mathias1313]

Hmm, curious...

Perception roll for possible traps within the seem
[roll0]

Gurgles nimbly slides his fingers across the crystal unto they come to the seem and he deftly slips his fingers through the seem...

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Hmm, curious...

Perception roll for possible traps within the seem
[roll0]

Gurgles nimbly slides his fingers across the crystal unto they come to the seem and he deftly slips his fingers through the seem...

Soft fountains of noise begin to bubble out of the seam, filling the room with a vibrationous whirring. Inside, glyphs inlaid in the crystal shimmer. Those shadowy shapes continue to flit about in the crystal. No traps seem to lie in wait inside the seam as Gurgles runs his fingers along the inside.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Soft fountains of noise begin to bubble out of the seam, filling the room with a vibrationous whirring. Inside, glyphs inlaid in the crystal shimmer. Those shadowy shapes continue to flit about in the crystal. No traps seem to lie in wait inside the seam as Gurgles runs his fingers along the inside.

The crystal, held motionless in the moment, slips open, the seam creaking wider in your hands.

Inside, gauntlets gleam green, all sharp angles of glassy crystaline metal. They hang on a jagged edge of the hollow crystal casket's inner chamber.
Whispering sounds usher from it's finger tips.
In your minds, you all hear a booming voice proclaim, "I AM YONDAR, THE SHIFTING THUNDER!"

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles drops the crystal to the ground and leaps back.
Tentacles flailing about him menacingly, he prepares for battle...

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Gurgles drops the crystal to the ground and leaps back.
Tentacles flailing about him menacingly, he prepares for battle...

"YONDAR THE SHIFTING THUNDER DEMANDS TO BE PICKED BACK UP!"
You look down, the gauntlets, now splayed on the ground, appear to be the source of the thought-noise.

[Daishain]

Gugro and Vossen look at each other. Gugro says, "In a moment perhaps, for now we would know your nature and purpose."

Over the network he continues, "Another haunted item? can anyone determine the nature of those things without touching them?"

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Gugro and Vossen look at each other. Gugro says, "In a moment perhaps, for now we would know your nature and purpose."

Over the network he continues, "Another haunted item? can anyone determine the nature of those things without touching them?"

"YONDAR IS THE SHIFTING THUNDER, LIGHTNING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! YONDAR IS STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND THE STORMS!"

The fingertips of the emerald gauntlets spark at the mention of lightning and storms, as if in excitement.

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles scampers forwards a bit and squats near the talking gauntlets...
You know, it would be really nice if you stopped shouting. Tell you what, if you stop shouting maybe I can take you with us?

[Bobbyjackcorn]

gurgles scampers forwards a bit and squats near the talking gauntlets...
you know, it would be really nice if you stopped shouting. Tell you what, if you stop shouting maybe i can take you with us?

"yondar the shifting thunder will try to tone it down some!

[Mathias1313]

Excellent, Yondar. TY very much. Now perhaps we could have a quick conversation. I would be most interested in how the Shifting Thunder got tucked inside a giant crystal in the middle of nowhere.

Gurgles asks in an unusually pleasant tone. Looking intently at the pair of gauntlets and all their magnificence.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Excellent, Yondar. TY very much. Now perhaps we could have a quick conversation. I would be most interested in how the Shifting Thunder got tucked inside a giant crystal in the middle of nowhere.

Gurgles asks in an unusually pleasant tone. Looking intently at the pair of gauntlets and all their magnificence.

"Yondar remembers the war! It was decided that Yondar would stay, in case the surfacers came to return what they started with the destruction of the Aetherium Machine."

[ArendK]

Mordecai, rubbing where his ears might once have been as the sound rattled his skull, bemusedly walks to the crystal containing the entity known as Yondar. As he begins to speak, the flamboyant wizard begins laying on the charm and flattery

"Such INTRICATE magic! While trapping a soul within a gem or crystal is not UNUSUAL per se, one that allows the one within to still communicate with something beyond singular targeted telepathy is indeed a wonderful act of craftsmanship indeed. Oh, you must be quite the sight in your natural state Yondar the Shifting Thunder, and whoever crafting this magical work of art is indeed a true artist. If I didn't know better I'd have said they were one of us."

"Now you said you were hear in case the surfacers returned to destroy the Aetherium machine...are you intending on stopping them, or aiding them?"

[roll0] Diplomacy- Mordecai is trying to lay on the charm thick and pry some information out of Yondar the Shifting Thunder.

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Mordecai, rubbing where his ears might once have been as the sound rattled his skull, bemusedly walks to the crystal containing the entity known as Yondar. As he begins to speak, the flamboyant wizard begins laying on the charm and flattery

"Such INTRICATE magic! While trapping a soul within a gem or crystal is not UNUSUAL per se, one that allows the one within to still communicate with something beyond singular targeted telepathy is indeed a wonderful act of craftsmanship indeed. Oh, you must be quite the sight in your natural state Yondar the Shifting Thunder, and whoever crafting this magical work of art is indeed a true artist. If I didn't know better I'd have said they were one of us."

"Now you said you were hear in case the surfacers returned to destroy the Aetherium machine...are you intending on stopping them, or aiding them?"

[roll0] Diplomacy- Mordecai is trying to lay on the charm thick and pry some information out of Yondar the Shifting Thunder.

"Yondar is flattered! If he weren't a pair of gloves now, Yondar would be blushing. Yondar was left here as a tool to be used against the surfacers, nothing more. Tell me, what remains of the jungle nations above us?"

[Daishain]

Gugro answers, "Nothing lies above save for desert. You say you are a tool? What kind of wielder are you suited for?"

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Gugro answers, "Nothing lies above save for desert. You say you are a tool? What kind of wielder are you suited for?"

"Then the Jungle Nations are... I see.
I am a tool built for soldiers in a war that it appears no longer has a battlefield. I can be attuned to by those wild enough to understand the storms. If you have a heart as shifting as the storm clouds that roil above and below, we could synchronize. Yondar can summon lightning from below. Otherwise Yondar is afraid it will be of little use to you."


Yondar the Shifting Thunder is an artifact of Yon-Kalath, and can be attuned to by anyone of chaotic alignment, or anyone who worships Yon-Kalath. You'd all be familiar with the concept.

[Mathias1313]

Well, Yondar, I would imagine you would like to not stay here lonely in the dirt. Perhaps if you come with us you would be willing to aid us with information, and perhaps conversation. Would you like that?

Gurgles bends closer to the shiny gauntlet, looking as if he is intent on bringing along his new "friend".

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Well, Yondar, I would imagine you would like to not stay here lonely in the dirt. Perhaps if you come with us you would be willing to aid us with information, and perhaps conversation. Would you like that?

Gurgles bends closer to the shiny gauntlet, looking as if he is intent on bringing along his new "friend".

The gauntlets shine for a moment, glittering green.
"Yondar the Shifting Thunder would like that. Yondar knows much, and longs to feel storm winds again."

[Mathias1313]

Ever the impulsive sibling, Gurgles reaches out and picks up Yondar and slips the gauntlets into the front of his shirt and continues the conversation.
So Yondar, how come you were stuck in that crystal thing ?

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Ever the impulsive sibling, Gurgles reaches out and picks up Yondar and slips the gauntlets into the front of his shirt and continues the conversation.
So Yondar, how come you were stuck in that crystal thing ?
"Yondar's records indicate that he has been inside the crystal for a time surpassing 8,000 years. The details are fuzzy, but Yondar believes in life he was a Storm Priest- an usherer of the violence of nature. Yondar was already gauntlets some few thousand more years at the point that they put Yondar away in case of the war with the Jungle Nations escalating onto home territory. The elders of our country thought it best to keep Yondar and others like him stored across the city in case of emergency."

[Daishain]

Gugro nods, most of this is above his head, but he understands a soldier in need of a battlefield just fine, "The jungle nations might be no more, but a threat of another sort from the surface has arisen. You can find a new purpose with us."

"You say there are others? Is there any chance you could guide us to them? We don't have a great deal of time for sightseeing, but artifacts such as yourself can be of great help"

[Bobbyjackcorn]

"Yondar knows not where the others are hidden, or even if there are any others that havent been taken from their resting places. Yondar knows that there were eight in all, one made in the name of each style of priest: the storm, the quake, the dark, the earth, the spark, the luck, the blood and the dream priests all had a stake in the fight against the Jungle Nations."

[Daishain]

"We'll just have to keep our eyes out then. Shall we move on? We do have a mission to get back to."

In the absence of any objections, Gugro and Vossen will start cautiously heading back to the original path.

[Mathias1313]

Yes, good idea. Lets move on.
Gurgles moves swiftly and silently forward and the stops...

Siblings? Which way should we go? I believe we can go past the blade fan trap fur the into the mines or perhaps we should further investigate the waterfall?


Thoughts?

[Mathias1313]

Gurgles impatiently waits for his siblings to ready themselves.
While we wait perhaps I should check what is behind the door in the waterfall.

Perception check in the door behind Waterfall 1d20+30 to see if is locked.
Disable Device roll in case the door is locked.
Perception roll [roll]1d20+30

[Mathias1313]

Gurgle Shakes his head as he realizes he was about to walk into the room he just came out of...
I think maybe meeting the mighty Yondar has addled me a bit siblings. I'll go scout out ahead.

Perception roll while I scout [roll0]
and of course, Stealth [roll1]

[Bobbyjackcorn]

Stretching on down the hallway from the balcony above, the path leads onward. Down stairs, up shafts, across rooms and through chasms you traverse, pressing further through the trail to the places beyond the Onyxian Mines.
After what may have been hours, or possibly a day or two, your rag-tag band of the unliving comes to the spot the scouts had told them of- cut from the smooth rock of the lowest levels of the mines there is a port hole in the ground roughly 40ft wide. Along its border, Cannon Golems are set as sentries to guard the world of the mines from the threats below. Over the edge, a dense jungle can be seen in a huge open cavern, lit by some light source that swelters off heat from the top of the inner chamber. The golems are Tomb-Mountain property, nothing to concern oneself with themself, however being that four surround the entrance, one questions what could possibly live below to give need for such "overkill" as it were.
Below, a dull rumbling like a herd of sand worms threshing through the desert floor slowly grows louder.
"b r a c e y o u r s e l v e s" one of the Cannon Golems spits out in monotone as they all train their sights on the hole.

What would you like to do?

[Mathias1313]

Over the collective you hear soft gurgles in a kind of sing-song manner.

Gurgles slips into the shadows and gets closer to the opening, so as to get a better vantage point.


Swift action entering Steel grapplers Stance
Move action Empowering myself
Standard action Stealthing and moving closer
Stealth = [roll0]
Perception = [roll1]
Initiative in case you need it = [roll2]

[Daishain]

Gugro and Vossen will halt their advance, whatever is happening, the golems are handling it, and they will likely do so more efficiently without interference.