The Complex of Doom (IC) Thread 2

[razorback]

Shim spends a few moments explaining what he knows about Slaadi, rumors, and stories he had heard over the years. "I have some minor illusions that might be able to confuse or draw them off. Some false images and false sounds... I can alter my form slightly but not enough to mimick their forms. We can try to use that along with whatever tricks you guys have to either seperate or draw them off each other. Create a sounds in one place, an image somewhere else... give'em a bit o' chaos themselves." Shim says with a devilish grin.

[Cavir]

"You can't remember which colors are more powerful either huh?"

"We hide behind trees and brush then use a rock to make a sound for them to look this way. They see the image of of an older child that just realized they were seen and runs away. Maybe that will be small enough quarry to just draw one of them. They fall into our ambush while I am invisible above dropping chaos into their ranks with summoned undead. Any better ideas? We need to hurry before they break that portal."

[Dexam]

"What's so important about these portals that we need to attack the slaadi without provocation? Don't we have enough things in this place trying to kill us, without actively making enemies? Sure, if they attack us, then defending ourselves is fine, but shouldn't we try negotiating with them first? If they do speak a common language, maybe we can find out why they're trying to destroy the portal, and convince them to stop."

[razorback]

Shim has a slightly stunned look on his face at the question. "Uh... I guess I've always been told that these creatures are hostile to our kinds. Never gave it much though since I've never met one before. I suppose we can try to parlay with them or just leave them be, but I'd prefer not to leave a potentional enemy at our back."

[Kish]

"If we don't have to fight, we shouldn't. Your description makes them sound kind of randomly aggressive, though," Matai comments.

[Cavir]

Kricen had a look of disbelief. "You do understand the part where they want to inject their eggs in you so their young can feast from the inside out, right? Think about that process. At least I only deal with the already dead. Not slow painful torture then death. Are you willing to become a one time nest for them? Trying to talk to them gives them the chance to strike first with their magics."

"I agree, I don't want to leave a potential enemy at our back, especially when we may face a t-rex or two which may attract slaadi attention. So, we abandon this area and the Whitemarsh quest, who we might face anyway later without a key weapon against him, or we maximize our chances against the slaadi through surprise. Which is it?"

[Kish]

"I wouldn't have expected a necromancer who drags rotting corpses along everywhere to be so squeamish about biology. But to be clear--they automatically attack humanoids on sight and try to lay eggs on them? They're not unpredictable or even randomly aggressive, just consistently aggressive?" Matai asks.

[Cavir]

"Squeamish? No. Making a point. They are Chaotic Outsiders that see us as prey, are already pissed off for some reason, and are getting more pissed off not being able to break that portal. You think that will make for a peaceful chat? Be my guest. I'll do what I can to save you but three of them hitting you with magic is not good odds for saving."

[Dexam]

"With all due respect, how do you know that they see us as nothing but prey; and that they are 'pissed off and getting more pissed off'? You haven't even seen them yet. For all we know, that portal is some kind of one-way trap from their Plane, and they're trying to destroy it before more of their kind get pulled into here and can't escape."

"All I'm trying to say is that once we initiate aggression, it closes all other options. We can choose to try and avoid them. We can choose to try and parlay with them if we can't avoid them. We can choose to fight if we need to defend ourselves. But if we attack them, our only options become fight or flee. So I'll ask again: what is so important about that portal pillar thing that we need to risk our lives preventing them from destroying it?"

[Cavir]

"A fight wasn't the only option I mentioned. We can avoid the area which to me seems going back the way we just came, better than becoming trapped between slaadi and dinosaurs. Or you can go talk to them. I do recall in my studies slaadi are highly unpredictable and dangerous. If you want to risk trying to parley then go ahead but we will have lost our advantage and I will be staying out of sight if you do. These are not creatures of the forest. I'm tired of repeating. Make your choice."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm glad there is a back and forth in this.

[razorback]

"While I would prefer to avoid conflict as much as possible, if we are to continue forward, we need to deal with them... intelligently. Sure, we can sneak past them, but as Kricen has said, we are setting ourselves as a potential two-pronged combat. I don't see us as being able to parlay with them. Whether that is right or wrong, I don't really want to be turned into a hatchery for some otherworldy creature. I'll slit my own throat before that happens."

[Cavir]

Kricen looks to Caidacyn for her decision.

[Dexam]

"How about this as a compromise: I will visibly approach them ahead of the rest of the group and see if I can communicate with them. If the Slaadi act aggressive or hostile towards me, I'll turn invisible and everyone else can launch their attacks... does this sound agreeable?"

Spoiler: OOC

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If everyone else agrees to this plan of action, Caidacyn will approach the Slaadi, trying to look as non-threatening as possible, with a readied action to Walk Unseen at any sign of hostility, aggression, or use of magic.

[Cavir]

Kricen looked to Matai and Shim to see if they could talk sense into Caidacyn but the killoren looked to have her mind set.

"Tell me this before you go. If this does prove fatal to you, are you ok with your body continuing to help fight the Complex? I will honor your choice either way, you can see I have done so so far."

He looks around at the layout of the land. "We'll setup there. Pass between those trees if you are hurrying back and have them follow you through. I'll have the undead ready to attack from either side after any slaadi pass that point. I doubt the undead will do the jobs themselves, but they will give us a little time for us to hit them. I have a wand of Shield. I'll try casting it on you just before you leave. It will only last a minute. I suggest we all fully prepare for combat. Spells, wands, potions, anything that can help. Once Caidacyn heads out I'll go invisible too. Shim, you said you could do an illusion? Maybe something for them to target and waste a spell on."

Spoiler: OOC

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Have undead be ready for an ambush. Max on one side, Val and Victor on the other, Babs would come out and face them head on (plugging the hole). They are concealed from the direction the slaadi would be coming from. Orders are to attack the first slaad that comes through .

Once (if) Caidacyn is about to go I'll try UMD on my Shield wand on her. UMD DC 20. Can't try anymore if I roll a Nat1. Keep trying until Nat1 or success.
Cast Spectral Hand (lasts 6 minutes). Damage comes from my normal hp, not temp hp.
Charnel touch on myself to cure above damage.
Use Eternal Wand of Invisibility on myself (lasts 3 minutes).
Use Broom to go up about
Use Shield wand on myself. Continue using the UMD rolls below. If I need more I'll roll in OOC. Lasts 1 minute.
Be back by Babs. Have ready: Broom, Obscuring Mist scroll, Eternal Wand of Invis

UMD DC 20
(1d20+10)[16]
(1d20+10)[30]
(1d20+10)[22]
(1d20+10)[23]
(1d20+10)[17]
(1d20+10)[20]
(1d20+10)[22]
(1d20+10)[18]
(1d20+10)[15]

[Kish]

Matai nods his head. "I'd still ask whether they're guaranteed to be hostile, or unpredictable, myself, but trying to talk to them is brave. Do you know if they mind control?" he asks Kricen.

When Kricen moves to use his Shield wand, Matai holds out a hand. "It'll work reliably for me; simpler to let me have it for a few seconds." If Kricen hands over the wand, he uses it on Caidacyn and then Kricen, then hands it back. He'll use his Protection from Evil wand on Caidacyn unless Kricen indicated a negative probability of slaadi using mind control.

[Dexam]

"Tell me this before you go. If this does prove fatal to you, are you ok with your body continuing to help fight the Complex? I will honor your choice either way, you can see I have done so so far."

Caidacyn gives Kricen an I-can't-believe-you're-even-asking-me-this look. "Given this place has a tendency to give the bodies of the fallen an unnatural unlife, if anything at all proves fatal to me, burn my remains and scatter the ashes."

She thanks Matai and Kricen for any protective spells that they provide, and waits until they indicate they're ready for her to proceed. Once all is in place, Caidacyn turns invisible and approaches the clearing, returning to visibility just inside the cover of the plant-life. She observes the Slaadi for a few moments, before stepping just into the clearing and waiting to see if they notice her. If they don't react, she gains their attention, trying to look as non-threatening as she can.

"Hello? Can you understand me? Do any of you speak this language?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ready an action to step back out of the clearing and activate Walk Unseen if the Slaadi charge/attack, cast any spell/spell-like ability, approach closer than 30', or make any kind of motion, gesture, or sound that might be considered overtly threatening or aggressive.

[Cavir]

Kricen shakes his head. "I don't remember the texts I read specifying what magics they had."

[J-H]

Caidacyn returns, now protected by some magics. The slaad are almost done smashing down the portal-tower, but she notices that there’s far more stone lying around the clearing than there should be. Perhaps it’s been broken before?

She speaks clearly, and they stop and look at her. The red one says something in a deep, gurgling voice; the blue one responds; you can’t tell what they are saying.
The green one holds up a giant paw to the others and looks at Caidacyn. Its voice is hard to understand, but it does seem to speak Common!

“You jungle person. This your jungle? Why this bring us here? Not where we supposed to travel.”

[Dexam]

Caidacyn breathes a sigh of relief when the Slaad speaks, and doesn't show any immediate signs of hostility.

"No, this is not my jungle," she replies, concentrating hard to understand the green Slaad's speech. "I'm a traveller here, like you. I can't say why that brought you here; why are you trying to destroy it? There are many dangerous beasts in this jungle, and the noise you are making might attract them."

[J-H]

"Material Plane. Fey? Tricks and strange...rules. No trust!" It sneers at that word. "Many Slaad lost traveling for one, two, many, many years! We stop. Prove truth, show thoughts!"

It activates some sort of spell like ability and starts stomping closer to Caidacyn.

[Dexam]

Caidacyn takes a reflexive step backwards into the foliage, but remains visible.

"Wait, what? No tricks - I'm telling the truth!"

Recognising its magic as some form of mind-reading, she concentrates her thoughts on the party fighting for their lives against the dark tentacles and mutated raptors; and while she fears the Slaad, the thoughts of a mutant tyrannosaur terrifies her even more.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

5' step back, but not going invisible yet. Walk Unseen is still readied, though.

Allow the Detect Thoughts (willingly fail save), but focus thoughts on the dangers of the jungle and the Complex.

[J-H]

The green slaad stomps forward, muscled and unsubtle. It's bulky, but does not have well-defined muscles the way an ogre might. It stares at her from a short range, its broad-set eyes shielded by bony ridges on both sides of its thick skull. The eyes lack the bulbous vulnerability you'd see on a frog's, and are so widely set that it's impossible to meet the gaze of both at the same time.

...

"Creatures here, things belonging to Limbo or beyond." The green slaad muses. "Travel someplace else, come here instead.... maybe find others."

It looks at Caidacyn. "You may go."

[Dexam]

Caidacyn briefly considers asking more questions, but decides not to risk aggravating the green slaad - it doesn't look as though it would take being questioned all too well. "Thank you for your time," she says, before retreating back into the foliage and returning to the rest of the group.

"Well, I managed to speak with one of them - the green one speaks Common, but it's kind of hard to understand; I don't think the others speak it at all. The green one also has some kind of ability to read surface thoughts, if you let it. I wasn't able to learn all that much... they're not openly hostile, but I get the impression that they don't particularly care for the company of non-Slaad. I was able learn that they were travelling, most likely from Limbo, and were trying to go somewhere else but ended up here instead. They said that this has been happening to Slaad travellers for many years, and they think something here is causing it and they want to stop it. I think they also want to find the others of their kind that have been brought here. That's about all. I think we'll be able to move past them, provided we don't do anything aggressive, but them seem intent on destroying that pillar - I don't think we'll be able to stop from doing that without a fight, which personally I'd rather avoid."

[razorback]

As the creature looks, from a distance, hostile Shim prepares to launch into an attack to help save Caidacyn but sees the others showing restraint. Following their lead and being rewarded for it, she returns a few minutes later to report her findings. "Ok, I think I can live with that. Sounds like they know their being here isn't our doing, so hopefully they keep that in mind if or when we meet next." Looking at the others, he says "That ok with the rest of you? Ready to continue on?" While he sounds confident, internally he is still has mixed feelings about leaving potential hostiles behind.

[Kish]

"We don't have any reason to care about the pillar really, do we?" Matai asks. "It doesn't sound like they have any reason to be our enemies. Well done!"

[Cavir]

"Interesting and surprising. The map mentions where there are more outsiders. We could use that to our advantage. We tell them where they will probably find others of their kind though we shouldn't mention we still have the map. Sending them off to their comrades will get them away from us and may make things better for us if we have to head that way. Question is do we send them through t-rex territory as a shortcut? That would help us, even if they don't want to fight the dinosaurs together."

"The pillar? Yes it seems to be a lost cause."

[razorback]

Shim listens to Kricen, taking in what he is saying, as he ponders for a moment. <We're all just pawns on his chessboard> he thinks to himself, not taking it personally. "Well, sounds solid. We do help them, in a way that benefits us the most, while just leaving out a couple of... minor points.
I can live with that."

[Kish]

"Let's not lie to mind-readers, particularly when we don't need to and doing so would rule out getting their direct and knowing help and might result in them coming back for revenge," Matai says. "Tell them that there are aggressive animals between them and where they should expect to find others of their kind, and offer to fight along with them. If they ask, be honest that we want to get through there ourselves. That's if it actually would be a shortcut. If they could get there just as quickly and easily without dealing with the dinosaurs...I think trying to deceive them would be more risk than gain, for my part."

[Cavir]

"You have good points for being honest with them. I agree. If you look at the map here, without cutting through they would have to go all the way around the lake to be safest. Getting their help against the Complex could help them too. Caidacyn, are you willing to talk to them again?"

[Dexam]

Caidacyn makes a concerned face. "To be honest, I'd prefer not to. While they're not hostile, they're not very friendly either. The green one recognised me as kin to the Fey, and were worried that I was trying some kind of trick on them. If we're going to suggest a temporary alliance, it might be best if we be up front about it and present it as a group. I doubt they'll say yes, but it's so hard to guess what they might be thinking."