Second Darkness [Shadow in the Sky] (IC)

[lostsole31]

Okay, Visto. You are at the door, and you don't sense anything off. What do you do?

[meemaas]

If he senses nothing, he will open the door and enter. If something happens the moment he opens the door, he'll call it out to the others first.

[lostsole31]

Welcome to the Red Room (Area 33)!

This rough chamber has a short bar and a number of battered tables and chairs squeezed into it. The walls and floors are crudely painted a rusty red. This is the Gold Goblin’s “underground” bar that services the Octahedron. A bartender and guard handle the crowds when the fighting pit is open. Drinks here cost double what they cost at the Goblin’s Tankard.

Now what?

[silphael]

"No bottle thrown, nor brawl ? Damn, this place has lost its magic apparently."

[lostsole31]

"I heard about this place working here, but Saul shared the info with us," Sol says. "I think it only operates at special times, rather than constantly."

[bcool999]

Ozlech

Ozlech will enter and take a look around the room asking Ginny to do so as well.

”One good thing I can say about Saul, he keeps the alcohol flowing. First a wine cellar and now a private bar for his death arena? We will have to grab a couple of bottles for our victory celebration later.” Ozlech says with a grin on his mug.

Spoiler: OOC

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Not wanting to take the time to take 20, but perception checks for Ozlech and Ginny for the room.

[lostsole31]

"Well, don't go crazy," says Sol. "See, I'm like a junior partner here. He killed or scared off the other junior partners. So a couple bottles is fine, but I have a feeling that my responsibilities are about to get a whole lot bigger until I can sell this place off. I just came here for a job, not to run a club. But, yeah, I don't want to pick apart the Goblin because that may be something I'm responsible for. Gotta figure out how that works after this."

It will be assumed the rest of the party comes in and takes a look around here as well.

Ozzy, Ginny, and the rest of the party don't find anything "special" .... beyond a set of stairs and a sign saying "To Octahedron."

[silphael]

Eric goes toward the stairs.

"Well, let's go then, nothing to see apparently here."

[lostsole31]

"Sounds good!" says Sol, following Eric, and genuinely curious about the section of casino he'd heard about, but never went to.

Everyone else likewise files behind them. Visto first, sensing he'll likely be called on more often, then Rod, Apophis, Ozzy, and Ginny.

They get down the stairs to a second sublevel. The stairs empty to a 5'-wide passage that continues east 20' before turning south. There are two doors on the northern wall, at both ends of the hall. This hallway (35) also appears to double as an armory. Hanging from the walls of this hall are weapons used by Octahedron combatants intelligent enough to make use of them, as well as a variety of chains, harnesses, spiked collars, leashes, and other animal training equipment.

What now?

[silphael]

Eric somewhat curiously looks through the weapons while advancing.

"Anything you fancy ?"

[lostsole31]

As the party looks at what is there, there is really nothing worth taking. A lot of it is more for show than any useful lethal combat, and nothing that fits the wheelhouse of the characters. Kind of like in modern era when you have those lovely "wall hanger" swords that wouldn't do well in actual combat.

What now?

[AggressiveBread]

Rodriguez looks around at the mostly useless weapons and frowns. ”He’s got to have something good down here besides the booze. Although, the booze is nice. We should keep going, and keep our eyes peeled.”
Rodriguez motions towards the two doors.

[lostsole31]

A sort of unspoken protocol is beginning to form as the group knows each other more and more. Eric steps a few feet down the hallway and Visto comes up to listen at the first door. He listens and senses nothing, and then opens it up. Looking in (36), the room has sand and old bloodstains on the floor and a rough wooden table. A cabinet holds dirty bandages, needle and thread, and splinting materials. Visto easily recognizes this as some type of rough infirmary.

A search of the infirmary is made. At the back is a single, clearly-marked, single potion of cure light wounds for emergencies. Sol is able to verify that the contents match the label.

The rest of the infirmary is searched, with nothing interesting showing up.

What now? Do you take the potion? If so, is it more "party treasury?" Is it used? or does someone seek to outright claim it?

[meemaas]

Visto recommends the potion be carried by one of the party front-liners in case of emergency.

[lostsole31]

Eric is consistently the "first-in" but such a potion is poison to him. Rod is usually the next up, so we'll give him the potion (just to move things along).

Eric moves to just into the southern hallway while Visto is at the second door. Visto checks it safe and listens. There are dogs barking on the other side.

What now?

[silphael]

Eric takes a defensive stance.

"Anyone that can calm down animals ?"

[lostsole31]

"Don't look at me!" says Sol. "I work with strange chemicals that have scents that linger on my clothes that animals don't normally like."

[bcool999]

Ozlech

Upon hearing that dogs are to be found ahead, Ozlech grimaces and sighs before saying, ”I can try and calm em down. Give me a second or two to prepare. Probably won’t work though…”

With that Ozlech puts his hands up to his face and the tiny sparks of force which glimmered at his fingertips starts to fade Ozzy quickly gathers the unbound Akasha before it dissipates and applies it to his face as some would apply makeup. The skin blemishes on his face and even the pallor of his skin becomes more healthy and natural looking as he dons the visage of the nymph.

“Ugh. Like smearing mud on my face except it never dries. Now the dogs should be more willing not to turn me into a chew toy, but again no promises.” Ozlech says in disgust making ready to open the door to try and calm the dogs.

Spoiler: OOC

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Using my 1/day Veilshift to switch Riven Darts for Nymphs Visage (Akashic Trinity Veils).

Will also switch Essence from Aura of the Adaptable and my Akashic Army to bring Nymph’s visage up to max E capacity (2) which gives a total of +4 insight bonus to Diplomacy and Handle Animal and can influence the attitude of animals with diplomacy checks.

[lostsole31]

The party shifts position to allow Ozzy and Ginny to move up. He opens the door to greatly increase the cacophony within to the rest of the hallway.

Five mangy dogs and two angry monkeys .... all caged .... greet him with howls and barks. There is even a sizeable cage that holds something bigger than a normal dog, but that one is empty, bearing a plaque that says, "Pigsaw" on it. This appears to be some type of kennel, likely for divers entertainment for underground pit fighting.

What now?

[silphael]

"We will have to remember that those are here, and find them caretakers. Now let's keep going."

Noting the lack of door in the kennel, Eric returns to the corrider.

[lostsole31]

Steeply inclined bleachers and narrow stairs make up this crude arena that looks down into the Octahedron fighting pit 10 feet below. A short stone rail and iron bars running from the rail to the ceiling prevent any accidental entries into the contests.

[bcool999]

Ozlech

Glad that he did not need to rely on his lacking skill with animals to avoid conflict with the beasts, Ozzy addresses Sol in the spectator stands and asks, ”So you think you’ll keep the fight pit if you end up keeping the place? It could be a pain to manage. Too bloody and you need new fighters every fight, too tame and the audience gets bored.”

[lostsole31]

As Sol files into the bleachers area, "I .... I don't know. I think the first thing is going to be checking the books to see what comes from where. Like, I am the worst person to be running anything in this town. It's just not my style. I'm from Brastlewark, a town full of gnomes. And they might have all manner of silliness to us humans, but at least one didn't feel like one had to compromise their values."

The party searches the whole bleachers area, finding nothing of interest.

"Well," Sol says, "Vancaskerkin was coming downstairs. So somewhere around here is something he was looking for, unless he was just going to lock himself into a room and hope. But he doesn't strike me as the hoping kind ... but the contingency kind. Should Visto and I hop down and check out the pit below? It's the last place to check."

[AggressiveBread]

”Might as well. If all else fails, I’d like a chance to dust off my interrogation skills when Saul wakes up.” Rodriguez leans over the railing to look into the pit below

[lostsole31]

Sol produces a sunrod, hits it to create light for himself, and then jumps into the pit.

Visto, do you follow?

[meemaas]

Visto does indeed follow.

[lostsole31]

Sol and Visto alight on the pit floor below. When they get there, they hear a squealing grunt from the southwest.

Round One ...

R1T23: Visto, it is all dim light down here because the torches haven't been lit to go low enough for a pit fight right now. You see something large and barrel-shaped in the southwestern corner. The ceiling height down here is 15'. What do you do?

[meemaas]

With no active aggression, Visto waits for Sol to lead the way, paying no mind to the squeals.

Spoiler

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While we may be in Initiative, Visto has no reason to act like he is in combat, and so will delay.

[lostsole31]

R1T23: With no active aggression, Visto waits for Sol to lead the way, paying no mind to the squeals.

R1T16: "Boar!" calls out Sol. "Tough, hard to kill, mean as hell ... boar!"

He throws a bomb that lights up a scarred, grizzly, terrible-looking boar. It is a crit that nails the boar in the snout for 19 fire! Sol flies up 10'.

R1T8: With one target moved away, the boar launches itself forward to charge Visto. It leaps up, and gores Visto in the neck for 6.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23: Visto, as you've been directly attacked. Do you come out of delay?

Apophis on deck, Rod in the hole ...

[meemaas]

Now that the boar has attacked, Visto allows the rush of combat to overtake him, and immediately pushes himself upward into the air, hoping to avoid the followup strike as he does, before he focuses his energy and creates the sound of Thunder past the boar, hoping to disorient it.

Spoiler

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Nonaction: Generate 1TE and invest it into The Uproar
Move action: Fly up 10 feet, similar to Sol, although probably a little harder. He won't do anything special to try to avoid the AoO this triggers.
Swift action: Invest two free E on the Stormbound side into Verdant Vambraces.
Standard action: Activate The Uproar, targetting the boar.

Boar must make a DC 15 Fort save or take (3d4)[9] Sonic damage, become Deafened for 1 minute, and flat-footed for one round. If successful, he takes half damage and is only deafened for 1 round.