Dark's Age of Worms IC

[TheDarkDM]

Examining the stone block inside the southern niche, Louise finds no sign of a pressure plate. However, as her attention rises up the block, she notices something on the pillar itself. Hidden mere inches above the block is a catch of some kind.

[Tychris1]

Entering the room behind Louise, Cordellia placed both of her hands on her cane, and gave the room around her an imperious gaze. Eyes squinted in concentration, they suddenly opened wide, and her whole mouth curled into an airy grin. Standing tall, she took her hat off with her left hand, tucked her cane beneath her armpit, and struck a pose with her right hand. As her eyes flared with emboldened arcane might she ruffled her hair in excitement, and watched the ring on her finger sparkle with magic before gingerly strolling around the room. Eyes ablaze with violet witch-light Cordellia hummed a simple elven ditty her father used while accounting.

Spoiler: MOAR MAGIKZ

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I cast Detect Magic! And then I do a cute little strut around the room, glancing at things, and admiring my own reflection if anything is shiny enough to give me such.

[Tychris1]

Swinging her leg around with a ballerina’s grace Cordellia pointed her foot at the statues behind them ”We have the greatest magic school radiating from each of these fine eidolons,” falling back on her leg she glanced at the bed disgustingly ”The grossest of the lot reeking off the bed,” She carefully waltzed to the block before stopping halfway and pointing dramatically The dullest school on the dull block, Cordellia whipped a long smirk across her face as her veiled right hand stroked her chin “And absolute mysteries coming from the bed, that door, and the ceiling!”

She huffed, dusted herself casually, and threw her jacket off and over her shoulder. “Maybe the bed is some kind of monster maker. You lay upon it and when you perish it turns you into the living dead... or worse!” She whipped around to crack a large grin at Corrine “Want to test it?” She giggled.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

"Huh. This loose brick on the pedestal - there's a catch of some kind above it."

[Othniel]

Corinne

The bard's only response to Cordellia was to ignore her and focus on examining their surroundings. Her eyes lit upon a symbol inscribed upon the black egg which sat on the red pillar. "That is the symbol of Ogremoch," she offered, "a legendary prince of elemental evil. One of four. I...cannot recall which element he is associated with."

[CockroachTeaParty]

It was difficult to make out Reynauld's frown of concern beneath the visor of his helm.
"Monster beds... elemental evil... just let me know if anything needs to be smashed."

[Tychris1]

"Simone, if you would darling, I'd like to test something." Cordellia said before walking over to the magical bed. When her clerical companion was on hand she slide onto the bed and began the process of laying down on it.

[TheDarkDM]

Expecting to feel the touch of cold stone, Cordellia is instead greeted by a warm cushion of air as she reclines into the long-abandoned bed. Silent eddies of wind embrace her every contour, easing her into a comfort greater than any feather mattress. As her head sinks into the bed's invisible pillow, the wizard feels a supernal weariness begin to steal into her limbs. Her ironclad focus manages to fight off the compulsion, but Cordellia feels the promise of drowsiness and rest lurking in the unassuming rock.

[Tychris1]

"Ah, it's just a very demanding bed I see. Nothing so exciting as turning me into a blood sucking monster...." She spun out of the airy comfort of magic "More of a blood sucking monster."

Just as she was about to leave the bedroom she glanced at the carvings of the statues and pursed her lips quietly in thought. Wiggling an eyebrow she chirped conceitedly "Oh! These are names of some sort. This one is the middle man, the Sarcophagus the layman, and whoever marked the mirror the grandest of them all. Fascinating. I do hope that Allustan can study the mirror fully and maybe even fix it."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

After deciding that the catch and brick were probably not a trap, Louise flipped the catch, and, if that did nothing, then pressed the brick.

[TheDarkDM]

With the turn of the hidden switch, the stone block beneath her begins to rumble. Absent any apparent mechanism, it begins to drift upwards, ascending past her head and sliding into a dark gap hidden in the shadows of the ceiling. When it stops, it has meshed perfectly with the ceiling, and revealed the cause of its descent. Beneath the block is a shattered pressure plate, on which some unlucky tomb robber met their end. Only shattered bones remain inside a strangely pristine suit of silvered chain mail. A bag rots at the corpse's side, the gleam of metal poking through where stitches have turned to gaping holes. All around the sorry scene are the smashed remnants of stone pegs and some manner of artisan's tools, their exact use impossible to discern. However, not everything in the alcove is destroyed. Four hidden nooks survived the falling block, and at irregular positions around the pillar they hold two wands, a pair of goggles, and a monocle. One wand is carved from grey ash, while the other is but cloth wrapped around a jagged shard of onyx. Both goggles and monocle are gold-rimmed around their crystal lenses, while the monocle is accentuated by a gold chain leading to an ear clip.

Spoiler: OOC

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The chain mail, monocle, goggles, and two wands all detect as magical.

Inside the rotting bag, you discover the shattered remains of statues of some kind, a conclusion that is easier to reach with the presence of three undamaged statuettes - miniature versions of a grand palace, a slim spire with eight connected smaller towers of different heights, and some manner of grand stadium.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

Carefully retrieving the items inside as best she could, Louise called the rest of the party over to come take a look.

[Tychris1]

”What a charming find you’ve made Louise. A divining monocle and goggles. An ashen wand of conjuring. Some armor fashioned much like the stone and an onyx wand that I can’t yet decipher.” She took the wand in her hand reflexively and sniffed it suspiciously “If these are anything like our ring and sword so far we’ve probably just hit the proverbial motherlode if this whole cairn!”

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

"Well, I can definitely attest that the statuettes are worth about 200 gp each, assuming we can get in contact with the right collector." Louise smiled. "So in all honesty, I'm inclined to agree with you."

[Othniel]

Corinne

"Very good find, Louise!" Corinne said, enthusiastically. "Good eye."

[Tychris1]

"Well this is all just good and dandy buy, how about we go on ahead, and open up that door to see if there's any other goodies inside?" She brandished her rapier just in case a monster instead lurked behind it "My Arcane Armor won't last forever and neither will my magical eyes."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Reynauld gathered up the suit of chainmail, still intact despite the crushing end to its previous owner.
"Just a moment. Rae, would you be so kind as to lend me a hand?"

The crusader began to remove his old, dented suit of scale mail, first carefully removing the tattered tabard of the Sun Father before going to work on the buckles and straps. With Rae's help, he pulled the heavy hauberk of silver chain links over his undersuit of padding, testing the weight. It was a heavier pull on his shoulders, but it was similar enough to his old armor, and the shining silver chain made him look far more respectable. He returned the old tabard over his chest and strapped on his trusty old helm, ready to go.

"Now, where to next? Shall we examine that strange egg?"

[Tychris1]

”Oh..... it’s a latrine. That’s just... impeccable!” Cordellia said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm, sighing once her rapier wasn’t immediately put to use opening the door, and began to head towards the workshop. Gripping it tightly to her breast she stopped for a moment, adjusted her hair so as to have full sight in both eyes, and donned her hat in the most “I’m here to win the day as best I can but I’m not really trying to” way she could. Cautiously she entered the workshop and sweeped her magical sensors.

[TheDarkDM]

Casting her attentions across the ancient workshop, Cordellia is perhaps disappointed to find no additional magical auras. The staff held by the statue is not stone, but a separate length of petrified wood that Cordellia judges to be the equal to the finest of quarterstaves. Its length is marked by six graven markings at irregular intervals, cut with such artifice as to inspire a fleeting doubt in the staff's strength. Little else in the workshop is worthy of note, save the red pedestal with its black egg. A closer inspection reveals nothing more from the dark sphere, but the pillar itself is sculpted from a crimson metal that defies easy classification.

Spoiler: OOC

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The staff in the statue's hand would double as a Masterwork Quarterstaff.

Cordellia suspects the metal pillar might be some extraplanar material - if they enter the workshop and are directed to examine it, Louise, Simone, or Cordellia guess it might be worth 300 gp.

[Tychris1]

"At the very least the staff and this pillar will sell for several hundred gold pieces. We should probably bag these on our way out of this disgusting lair."

Uneasily, Cordellia approached the statue, and tried to take the staff for herself. Examining it for a brief moment she aimed it at the egg experimentally.

[PepperP.]

"You're shining in that mail like a proper man of Pelor now, Reynauld." Simone paid her bodyguard the highest compliment she could before flinching as Cordellia pointed the staff at the mysterious egg.

"I'm so jumpy. I just don't trust anything in this dratted cairn."

[Tychris1]

With no obviously horrendous reaction to the bold faced claiming of the masterly crafted quarterstaff, Cordellia waved it at the egg, and also garnered no ill fate. Shrugging she circled around the pillar and the egg three feet away, meticulously observing its surface at a distance, and then quickly snatching it and stowing the egg away if it seemed safe enough.

Spoiler: OOC

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Taking 20 to Search the Pillar and the Egg and then taking the egg if it doesn't appear trapped

"Rae, my boisterous beauty, be a dear and take that pillar. It's quite expensive you see." She instructed as she carefully slide her cane behind her and snuggly fastened it by the strap of her leather bag.

[TheDarkDM]

As Cordellia's fingers brush the cool exterior of the black sphere, she feels a faint rumble from its core. Before she can react, iron-hard fingers close around her wrist, the dark egg unfolding like some hellish hedgehog into a humanoid form of basalt and granite. The golden symbol of elemental evil prominent on its forehead, the four-foot-tall creature growls a the wizard in a language more akin to an avalanche than any mortal tongue.

[Tychris1]

"OH MY HEAVENS!" Cordellia shouted as the creature suddenly apparated and she took a step back away from it. Eyes burning with violet flames she brought her hands together and unleashed a fountain of fabricated flames upon the foolish faience fitted with frightening freedom.

Spoiler: OOC

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Five foot step

BURNING HANDS MOTHER****ER:(4d4)[5]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Reynauld only knew two things: that the symbol on the creature had something to do with evil, and that his job was to protect his companions. To that end, he stepped forward, maul in hand.
"Release her, fiend!" he shouted as he brought it down with all the force he could muster.

Spoiler: OOC

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Reynauld will take the Ironguard's Glare stance. So the elemental takes a -4 penalty to attacks on everyone but Reynauld. The elemental is aware of this.

He'll then use a Stone Bones strike. If it hits, he gets DR 5/adamantine for a round.
Attack: (1d20+5)[10]
Damage: (1d10+4)[14]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

Somehow, Louise doubted that arrows would do anything against this being.

But even so, she had to try.

Spoiler: Actions

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Fire away! Using Inspiration for everything!

Attack: (1d20+5)[22]
Damage: (1d6+4)[7]

[TheDarkDM]

Contrary to her fears, Louise's attack strikes true. Whizzing past Cordellia's ear, the arrow buries itself in the creatures forehead, as if the foul symbol engraved there had served as a target. The scream that follows fills the room with the sound of stone shattering against stone, and as the elemental topples forward it crumbles into pebbles upon the floor.

[Tychris1]

Quickly seeing that the pillar was far too heavy for them to move traditionally, Cordellia cradled her chin between her thumb and index finger, and slyly smiled. "Well, that was terrifying. At the very least we can take this pricey slab of metal with us the next day once I've prepared some floating platters of force to bear the weight. Maybe we can get someone in town to smelt it down or purchase it as an incredibly heavy nightstand." Flicking her hair to the side as she turned to leave the workshop she put a hand upon her hip and pouted teasingly "Lets be on our way then. Only one thing left to vigorously inspect as far as yours truly could be concerned."

[CockroachTeaParty]

"A fine shot, Miss Louise!" said Reynauld as the elemental ceased moving.

The crusader listened to Cordellia, nodding his approval.
"One imagines selling a large slab of metal in town is going to raise a few questions as well. It's probably best to liquidate our treasure all at once, to prevent any overeager souls from retracing our footsteps and getting themselves killed in the process.

But yes, I believe that strange wind vortex hallway is the last unexplored area. I have not seen it with my own eyes, so I have little insight on the matter. As long as we have magic to prevent another catastrophic fall, we're in a better position to try and find a way past it."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Louise

Louise blinked in surprise, and then smiled, as she took down the elemental in a single shot.

Well. Apparently I still have it in me after all.

She turned to Reynauld.

"The real killer in that hallway was nothing magical, despite what you'd think - it was entirely mechanical. It was rather devious, really. So focused was I on the giant face that I completely neglected to check the approach for any pressure plates. That was what really set the trap off. The good news is that if I am careful, I should be able to disarm the pressure plate this time, and we can avoid setting it off."

"With that in mind, is there anything else we need to do before we go there?"

If no-one replied in the affirmative, Louise lead the way back to the face-hallway.