Shattered Star II: Curse of the Lady's Light (IC)

[lostsole31]

Secret Shrine (Erima, Teofilo, & Co.)

This black marble-walled chamber’s ceiling is lost in a layer of shimmering black fog, while a long golden rug runs down the center of the room on the floor. A rectangular block of polished stone, black with fat blood-red streaks, sits at the eastern end of the rug. Several objects sit atop this stone, and the cinnamon-scented air is filled with a strange, nagging hum like that of a swarm of buzzing insects. The wall beyond the altar stone is decorated with a detailed mural of a voluptuous demonic woman with bat wings, a serrated tail, legs of molten stone, and a crown of seven horns. Both of her hands are held out to her sides, palms turned up toward the ceiling—a globe of blackness hovers above each palm.

The shadow mastiffs were just killed and their bodies lie near the altar where they fell.

Also laying down is the clone of the Runelord Sorshen [Erima]. This is the third time Erima has been killed in that form (iirc), but now Erima lies as once she was ... again a half-orc. But her greataxe was shattered in battle and her armor rent to pieces by the savagery of the shadow mastiffs. Still, when "Runelord Sorshen" changed back to Erima, her wounds disappeared. Yet, she does not wake.

Teofilo and Rezah look at her and sense no life from her, but are too nervous given her recent changes to actually touch her.

It isn't until the Scribe set Xin-Rithux down to check on her medically that there is a change. He lays his palm on her sternum that shouts in pain. Then, his whole body shudders and vibrates like nothing you've seen, and he seems unable to pull his palm away from her chest. The Scribe vibrates too violently from what appears to be energy going from Erima to him (or is it the other way around, or both?) when there is a purplish-green burst of life that blows The Scribe back 10' to hit the altar and fall on dead shadow mastiffs.

Meanwhile, the half-orc woman that looks like Erima from before her tangle with the strange trap that locked her into the form of - supposedly - a clone of the ancient Runelord Sorshen, flutters open her eyes. She doesn't even realize she is on her feet before she finally comes to.

Erima, gone is the connection to the unaligned forces of the universe. Now, there is a strange energy that suffuses you and your thoughts.

Spoiler: Erima

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Instead of, "Oh, yeah, retcon" .... we are treating Erima's update in classes as a comic-book "radiation accident." The final death released the curse, but for reasons unknown that energy changed Erima on a fundamental level .... and The Scribe, too. The Scribe, likewise, was simultaneously cured of his previous curse, and likewise altered body and mind.

In this way, you and Alianium (The Scribe) - albeit in different power sets - include powers of the mind and body that fundamentally link both of you, though to what extent is not yet known.

From this point forward, please do not treat Erima as fully knowledgeable of her class abilities as they are now, but as a sense of discovery as she needs them. Be careful not to turn them all on at once out of impatient of a player who just wants to get things moving.

Before anyone can even respond to this strange circumstance, there is a tremendous sound of multiple splashes in the corridor. It can only come from the area to the north. (Please do not post until I prompt you.)

---

Incoming! (Iluvar & Telgarana)

lluvar and Telgarana, both of you have the queerest feeling in the pit of your stomach as you disappear from one spot and arrive in the other. It is only when it is too late to act that you realize that strange feeling doesn't come from whatever magic teleported or shifted you to whereever you land, but the fact that you don't "land," per se. As soon as you pop into reality, the feeling comes from having the level ground underneath you suddenly cease to exist, and both of you fall into very warm - but not dangerously hot - water.

You plunged into water too quickly for you to have a chance to have taken a breath, and if you don't right yourself quickly, not knowing where you are right now you could drown! Big fat favor the Newcomver did for you in having taken you from one danger only to air-drop you into another!

Round One ...

R1T29: Telgarana, you are "disoriented" underwater and you didn't get a chance to take a breath for falling in, so you are already out of air. What do you do?

Spoiler: "Disoriented" in Water

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"Disoriented" is effectively the prone condition, but in water. Regardless of how your body is situated in regards to gravity, you feel upended, and need to spend a MA to come out of the disoriented state (provokes AOOs) as normal, but not doing so means that while you can begin getting a sense of surroundings, you take normal prone penalties until such time as you spend a MA.

[LazarX]

*Splash! Gag! Spit* Telgarana struggles to right herself.

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Telgarana

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R1T29: *Splash! Gag! Spit* Telgarana struggles to right herself, but ends up finding out that in doing so she is able to stand up and have half of her body out of the warm water. She looks around. The air in this room is almost uncomfortably warm and filled with steam. A grand, tiled bathing pool, the waters steaming hot, sits at the center of the room where Telly is now, while two large red panels stand in the east and west walls. However, the panel to the west is split in half and opened, revealing that side is actually a door.

Spoiler: Room w/ Teofilo and Erima

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R1T27: In the other room, The Scribe stands up from being at the altar, but he does so with more speed and verve than expected. He takes a ballistic arc to smack against the ceiling (6 damage) and then land prone by Erima (5 damage). With a groan, he much more gingerly picks himself up. "Ow."

R1T23: Fallon casts shield on herself and then flies out the door and disappears as she fishhooks around the corner that leads north.

R1T20: Iluvar, you are "disoriented" (see above) underwater and you didn't get a chance to take a breath for falling in, so you are already out of air. What do you do?

[Tippnick]

Iluvar will open his eyes and try to reach out for anything to push off of. Hopefully he can figure out which way is up. "Gah!"

[lostsole31]

R1T20: Iluvar opens his eyes, but is confused by what appears to be light suffusing the water - which is unexpected. He sees something right by him and he pushes off of it. In pushing off of it, he notes that it is soft and gave some. Iluvar then senses his way up, standing up in the water to get a big breath. "Gah!"

He sees Telgarana 10' from him, recovering from being nearly knocked over as she was the one Iluvar pushed off of. The air in this room is almost uncomfortably warm and filled with steam. A grand, tiled bathing pool, the waters steaming hot, sits at the center of the room where Telly is now, while two large red panels stand in the east and west walls. However, the panel to the west is split in half and opened, revealing that side is actually a door.

R1T16: Rezah heads south out the door and fishhooks to the north.

R1T11: Teofilo, what do you do?

[lostsole31]

R1T11: Teofilo lets Ylimancha's wisdom guide his steps as he then double moves out of the room and fishhooks northwards in the passage.

Spoiler: Crunch

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Silver crane waltz.

R1T3: Erima, what do you do?

Telly on deck, The Scribe in the hole ...

[silphael]

Erima moves toward the door, gathering her thoughts into an armor and weapon.

"Damn, that feels weird."

[lostsole31]

R1T3: Erima steps towards the door, but at some point her thoughts go to defense. She only gets a few feet before her body extrudes a faintly luminescent, opaque, green substance from her body that covers over her, hardens, and is shaped into a full suit of jade-like armor. "Damn, that feels weird."

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T29: Telgarana, you nearly got knocked over by a confused, thrashing Iluvar. But both of you have your feet in the aforementioned description of a room ... an obvious bath of some sort. What do you do?

The Scribe on deck, Fallon in the hole ...

[LazarX]

After steadying herself she says to Illuvar "We don't know where we are, and most likely the folks we're supposed to meet have no idea to expect us. Let's get out of this steam bath, dry up, rest, and wait and see if they find us."

Spoiler: Out of the water!

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Telgarana will head towards the open east door and wait for Illuvar

[lostsole31]

R2T29: After steadying herself she says to Illuvar, "We don't know where we are, and most likely the folks we're supposed to meet have no idea to expect us. Let's get out of this steam bath, dry up, rest, and wait and see if they find us."

R2T27: The Scribe looks bug-eyed at Erima while picking up his ranseur, "Erima. You may want to take out a mirror, but you are curiously covered in an ectoplasmic construction of heavy armor, much like a psionic aegis."

R2T23: Telgarana and Iluvar, a woman with two pairs of diaphonous, insect-like wings comes flying into the room with a shining rapier in hand. She calls out behind her. "We have company! Two bogeys in the bathing room. Mauve-cheveaux'd elf and a monk with a punk!"

R2T20: Iluvar, you are at the western edge of the bathing pool. What do you do?

Rezah on deck, Teofilo in the hole ...

[Tippnick]

Confusedly, Iluvar addresses the winged creature, " By bogey I assume you mean bogeyman. Neither one of us are fey even though we are both half-eleven. You, my dear, seem closer to fey than either one of us. I can assure you, I mean you no out-right harm. My name is Iluvar and my companion is Telgarana. I am going to get out of this unexpected bath."

[lostsole31]

R2T20: Confusedly, Iluvar addresses the winged creature, " By bogey I assume you mean bogeyman. Neither one of us are fey even though we are both half-elven. You, my dear, seem closer to fey than either one of us. I can assure you, I mean you no out-right harm. My name is Iluvar and my companion is Telgarana. I am going to get out of this unexpected bath."

R2T16: Rezah double moves forward, but is still in the hallway.

R2T11: Teofilo, you are in the hallway some distance away, and though you might have heard that there was talking, you didn't hear what was being said. What do you do?

Erima on deck, Telly in the hole ...

[Aramiel]

Teofilio approach as discretly as possible, trying to make no noise. He can't hear what is said, and in fact he doesn't want to ear some private matter, but if it might be a source of danger, it's better to be warned and prepared

[lostsole31]

R2T11: Teofilo approaches as discreetly as possible, trying to make no noise. He can't hear what is said, and in fact he doesn't want to hear some private matter, but if it might be a source of danger, it's better to be warned and prepared.

R2T3: Erima, what do you do, now that you have a full-body armor on you (weapon was not created last round)?

Telgarana on deck, The Scribe in the hole ...

[silphael]

Erima looks at her ally.

"Scribe, do you have any idea where the others are ? I finally got my body back, and we should gather back."

[lostsole31]

R2T3: Erima looks at her ally. "Scribe, do you have any idea where the others are? I finally got my body back, and we should gather back."

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T29: Telly, what do you do?

Scribe on deck, Fallon in the hole ...

[LazarX]

Bristling for a moment. Telgarana replies. "Enough comments about my hair! Elves sometimes DO have purple hair, and occasionally they pass it down to their half-human descendants! And what do you have againt the fey anyway?"

She stands up holding out both hands "We mean no ill will to folk of good and/or honest intent, in fact I have the strong sense that we might be needed. But we'd really appreciate an opportunity to rest or at least dry off."

[lostsole31]

R3T29: Bristling for a moment. Telgarana replies. "Enough comments about my hair! Elves sometimes DO have purple hair, and occasionally they pass it down to their half-human descendants! And what do you have against the fey anyway?"

She stands up holding out both hands "We mean no ill will to folk of good and/or honest intent, in fact I have the strong sense that we might be needed. But we'd really appreciate an opportunity to rest or at least dry off."

R3T27: "Your .... armor," says The Scribe to Erima. "You form ectoplasm like an aegis."

He recovers his shock. "We heard a loud splashing to the north from the bathing room. Come..."

And with that, he moves past Erima, but then speeds up dramatically until he runs into the wall and falls down.

R3T23: The fey woman smiles with a tinkling laughter, "My, you're defensive. I simply called out that you had a riot of violet chillin' on your melon. I'm pretty sure I used no judgmental speech."

She makes no move to help, more dumbfounded with amusement than anything else.

R3T20: Iluvar, what do you do? You think you see someone sneaking north up the hallway to the south.

Rezah on deck, Teofilo in the hole ...

[Tippnick]

Iluvar states bluntly, "We were sent by a servant of Pharasma named Lilim. We were sent to meet up with a group of Pathfinders. Hopefully that is you and whoever is sneaking up the hallway."
He steps out of the pool to the Northwest.

[lostsole31]

That should be enough to come out of initiative, even if people are wary now.

"GUYS!" calls out Fallon. "We got fresh meat to meet in place of the nephilim Lilim." (She pronounces the last Lil-EEM.)

Assume everyone makes their way to the bathing room. Perhaps with Erima helping Scribe as he seems to be tripping over his own feet lately.

Introductions and Descriptions! Commence ....

[silphael]

Erima possesses long green hair, reddish-brown eyes, tanned skin, and looks like she has seen the world.

She presents a number of scars over her toned body, and moves with a kind of predatory grace.

She is currently clad in a translucent green crystalline armor that seems to strengthen her feet and waist, and doesn't seem to wear any weapon right now.

[lostsole31]

"Hi, folks! Fallon here!" says a small, waifish woman (5', ~100 lbs.) with purplish-blue, mothlike wings. Her hair is a riot of shades of orange and pink, but she has emerald green eyes. Her ears are exaggeratedly large, much moreso than even an elf. It is difficult (at first, without an assessment) to determine just what she is. She does have a rapier in hand that she puts away. The rapier is of exceptional make, and is almost mirror-like in reflectiveness.

[Tippnick]

Iluvar introduces himself to the later arrivals, "I am Iluvar, I am from Korvosa and we were just battling in an Urgathoan stronghold where a couple of of our companions died during the fight. Lilim arrived towards the end and as she helped Telgarana and I escape we seemed to go to the Boneyard. There Lilim described a task we are beholden to Pharasma to complete that involves several Pathfinders."

Ilivar is a half-elf.standing just under 6 feet. He is lithely built and looks like he is only armed with a dagger. However he looks more than capable of.defending himself. He is still slightly.bruised and battered.

[lostsole31]

A very tall (6'5"), very broad (276 lbs., sans equipment) half-orc has his visor up on his gleaming full plate armor. His face has red-and-gold tattoos that are obviously holy to worship of Sarenrae, Goddess of Healing and the Sun. He has classic green-black hair, but his eyes are green w/ gold specks.

"I am Rezah..."

"*cough,cough* 'the Jolly' *cough, cough*" adds Fallon under her breath.

Rezah's eyes narrow. "I am Rezah," he says with finality, and he allows a long, audible period after that, "servant of the Sun. I keep people from Pharasma's grasp on one hand, and send others to her with the other."

[LazarX]

A striking young woman with silver purple hair and lavender eyes gazes at you. she bears a darkwood bow on her back and sports a slightly curved scabbarded sword whose decorations evoke Tien designs. She pulls out a silver wayfinder that opens up inscribed with the name she then gives.

"I am Telgarana daughter of Kitinara and Raniel, forrmerly of Erages of late, Pathfinder under Lady Shiela Heidmarch of the Magnimar Lodge. Illuvar has already given you the details of our arrival. As to my capabilities, I am a practising sword-mage"

[Aramiel]

Teofilo is an undine, seeming more touched by the air than the rest of his kin, his hair and skin are a quite pale blue. He carry with him a bow and a quiver. He wear some natural inspired vestment. He say on a gentle and formal tone.

"Greetings, I am Teofilo. I will try to help troughout this journey"

[lostsole31]

Just a hair shorter than Rezah is a man with pale skin, nearly as white as snow. Jet black hair with a widow's peak, though only appearing to be within his early 20s. Piercing violet eyes. He is 6'4" and 215 lbs. Wears a scholar's robe and his wayfinder to his side (lit). He also carries a cold iron ranseur of particularly fine make.

"I am The Scribe, given this mission by Venture-Captain Heidmarch. A little more information on Lilim's whereabouts and this business with the Boneyard, if you please. Because of the nature of this underground complex, you didn't just walk along and find us."

[Tippnick]

"The gods answer calls how and when they please. Lilim was an answer to a plea to Pharasma. And Her price was us being here", Iluvar answers.

[lostsole31]

"We've had a busy day here, so it's time for us to finish. Thought we lost this one, again," The Scribe says, pointing to Erima, "we got her back and now it is in her original form, but doing things she didn't before. I don't even know where to begin with that. Let's head into the Gray Maiden's common room, and try to catch you up as best we can, shall we?"

And with that, he heads into the room to the west. Everyone (presumably) follows ... A long, wooden table of ancient design sits in this room, surrounded by uncomfortable-looking wooden chairs. Crates and chests are scattered against the walls, and several doors line the north and south walls between the crates. Huge red panels of painted murals stand to the east and west (though both are open, showing they are doors beyond, including the set to the east that you just came through).

With everyone seated, The Scribe asks, "Before anything else, our mission comes to a screeching halt if Lilim didn't give one of you a certain item...."

The Scribe lets that linger, waiting for the new people to volunteer what that might be.

[LazarX]

Telgarana returns the Scribe's words with a smile. "Actually I took Lilim at her word and assumed that we'd be placed in a spot where you would find us. And you did." She reaches inside her jacket into an interior pouch. "I believe that this will establish our bonafides" she concludes as she takes out the item she was given.