Planescape: Center of All - IC

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash feels the cold intensely, in a way that her body doesn't usually. She makes no comment, but continues to float above and behind the centre of their small island of light.

[Archmage1]

In the absence of other information, Eilyra continues forwards at the cautious rate of 30 feet per round.

[kinem]

Round 2:

The party continues forward, but after only another 15', encounters a wall ahead.

Antis says "This cavern is as wide as we walked, but longer in the other direction. Too dark to know which way to look for anything. There's an altar in here, and who knows what else."

Ash and Center continue to feel the harmful effects of the cold.

OOC: Damage (1d6)[3] for Center and and (1d6)[5] for Ash

[Archmage1]

Seeing the wall, Eilyra reaches into her pack once more, and produces one of the black robes, before passing it to Ash. "It might help. Or you might just get bothered by the spirit again. Be wary of what it says, if anything."
She then starts to the left, continuing for the usual 30 feet.

[Toliudar]

Ash

With a grateful nod, Ash waves off the offered black robe.

*That's a kindness, but I still have one of the black ones also. But my own cloak is more likely to be of service if we encounter some difficulty here.

*But...if this is a large cavern, perhaps we could pick up the pace a bit?*

[Cavir]

Avakuss glances at Antis. "If you've been in here, which way to the altar?" If Antis doesn't answer quickly Avakuss turns left and keeps moving, staying within the light and moving as fast as the light source will.

[paradox26]

Taric doesn't feel the cold with the robe on, but feels sympathy for those who don't. "If you are harmed too badly by the cold, perhaps we can swap over before the cold brings you to death, so we all are harmed only somewhat instead of a couple of us being harmed greatly," he suggests. He sees Avakuss head to the left as they wait for Antiss to respond, and he starts to guide the group in the same direction, since he is on the left hand side of the freed human, so he can gently jostle everyone towards that side. Though if Antiss says to go in the opposite direction, he will immediately turn and start to head in that direction, being wary of staying close to Antiss at the same time, so the man can't escape.

[kinem]

Antis says "Not sure. Been a long time."

Moving to the left, the cavern wall begins to curve back 'south'.

Ash and Center continue to get frostbittten. Antis seems no worse for wear.

OOC: Damage (1d6)[1] for Center and and (1d6)[2] for Ash

Spoiler: map

Show

A = Avakuss (purple robe)
C = Center
H = Ash
E = Eilyra (10' torch, purple robe)
T = Taric (purple robe)
N = Antis
         XXXXXXXXXXX
         XX.........
         .AN........
         .CE........
         .TH........
         ...........
               .....
               .....
               .....
               .....
               .....
               .....
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Archmage1]

Eilyra picks up the pace, shifting to 60 feet of movement per round, and continues following the wall, keeping an eye out for oddities.

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash keeps an eye on the wall and her brain scanning for other minds up ahead.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Searching the wall as they go. (1d20+37)[42]

[Cavir]

Avakuss is fine with the quicker pace. His eyes and sword focus forward while his awareness keeps focused on Antis expecting a betrayal.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Listen (1d20+10)[30]

[kinem]

Round 4:

The group continues to follow the cavern wall as it curves around, moving more quickly as the unnatural cold continues to harm Center-of-All ((1d6)[4]) and Ash ((1d6)[6]).

Just as the wall has curved some 90 degrees since you first started following it, you do see something new. Something large and shiny up against the wall. It's a mirror ... about 4 feet square and framed in metal, and placed in a nook so that its center is about 6' from the floor.

As soon as you catch sight of the mirror, you see your own reflection in it ... Is that the last thing you will ever see?

OOC: Make a Will save (vs DC 23 but with a -5 penalty, so effectively vs DC 28) or be trapped within the mirror. When a creature is trapped, it is taken bodily into the mirror. Size is not a factor. A victim’s equipment (including clothing and anything being carried) remains behind.

A creature not aware of the nature of the device always sees its own reflection. The probability of a creature seeing its reflection, and thus needing to make the saving throw, drops to 50% if the creature is aware that the mirror traps life and seeks to avoid looking at it (treat as a gaze attack).

Antis does see his own reflection and vanishes, leaving behind his pants and his rod.

If you have arcane sight and did not fall victim to the trapping effect, you can can now see that the mirror has a strong aura of abjuration magic.

OOC: PCs to act

Center's Will save (1d20+21)[40] vs DC 28

Spoiler: map

Show

A = Avakuss (purple robe)
C = Center
H = Ash
E = Eilyra (10' torch, purple robe)
T = Taric (purple robe)
N = Antis (vanished but left stuff behind)
M = Mirror of Life Trapping

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX.........
XXXXXX..............
XXXX................
XXX.................
XXAN................
XMCE...        .....
XXTH..         .....
XXX...         .....
               .....
               .....
               .....
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Archmage1]

Seeing the mirror, and realizing the trap moments before she sees herself, Eilyra shakes it off before she immediately closes her eyes and puts the robe she was offering Ash over the mirror, ensuring that the hood falls such that it covers the mirror, before she reaches down, and claims the rod Antis left behind.

Afterwards, she looks away from the covered mirror, and looks to see if anyone else was affected.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Anything magical among Antis's belongings?

[Cavir]

Avakuss sees the mirror and feels the pull of the mirror's magic. His disciplined mind resists the pull as Antis vanishes. Eilyra quickly covers the mirror. "Good thinking. Wonder if Antis knew that was coming, and where he went. Is that mirror simply hanging? If so we could take it and study it later so we can finish here quicker."

[Toliudar]

Ash

Firmly believing that she had no soul left to steal, Ash simply stares impassively at the mirror until the dragging, sucking sensation creases. She nods her approval of Eilyra's quick thinking.

*I'm fairly sure that I can get Antis out, when we're ready for that to happen. But in the interim.*

She drifts to the ground long enough to retrieve the strange metal rod, although not the pants. She offers it to Avakuss, then drifts up to examine how the mirror is affixed to the wall.

Spoiler: Search

Show

Looking at the wall to determine how the mirror is attached. Search: (1d20+37)[39]

[paradox26]

Taric feels a massively powerful drawing sensation as his very soul is attacked by the mirror. However, he manages to resist the pul by calling upon every ounce of his willpower, and after a long, almost eternal, moment, his soul embeds itself fully back into his body, and he moves out of the line of sight of the mirror, feeling a deep sense of fear at such an item's existence.

[kinem]

Other than Antis, none of the group was trapped into the mirror.

Eilyra, thinking quickly, threw a black robe over the mirror. While that prevents further trapping for now, you can't tell how the mirror might be held in place with the robe blocking the view.

Both Eilyra and Ash reach for the iron rod that clattered to the ground when Antis vanished, and both pick it up simultaneously. Although Antis didn't seem to have a problem holding it, the metal rod proves to be intensely cold, and the purple robe doesn't protect Eilyra's hand. Both take (1d6)[2] damage from touching the rod.

Center ((1d6)[4]) and Ash ((1d6)[4]) continue to take damage from being exposed in the cold cavern.

OOC: Total damage so far:
Center 17, Ash 22, Eilyra 2

As before, Cold Resistance does not help against this cold. PCs to act.

[Archmage1]

As the freezing cold of the handle burns her hand, Eilyra quickly dumps it into her haversack. "Better examine it in more detail elsewhere."
She then looks over the robe covered Mirror, before looking to Avakuss. "Think you can move it without uncovering it? We can examine it outside of this cold."

[Cavir]

Avakuss seeing both of them getting stung by the rod's cold thinks quickly. He grabs the corner of his cloak and lifts it to create a pseudo pouch but Eilyra quickly dumps the rod into her magical sack."They really embrace the divine cold. I'll see about the mirror. Turn away just in case." Sword sheathed, he grabs the mirror by the sides along with the cloak ensuring the cloak doesn't slip off then lifts the mirror up and out.

[Toliudar]

Ash

From her heritage, Ash had rarely noticed the cold growing up, and even magical cold had rarely done much harm to her. This constant whittling away was becoming annoying. She turns away from the mirror as Avakuss attempts to remove it from the wall.

*Indeed. Let's finish our examination of this literally benighted cavern, and move on.*

[kinem]

Upon grabbing the metal sides of the mirror, even through the cloak, Avakuss feels the strange bite of the unearthly cold. He is able to pick it up, though.

OOC: (2d6)[6] damage

PCs to act

[Archmage1]

Seeing Avakuss grab the mirror, Eilyra continues to lead the way around the edge of the cavern, moving south, then east.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

60 feet of movement in total, so assuming there isn't another passage or anything, we should end up near the entrance)

[Toliudar]

Ash

Seeing Avakuss wince with the not-cold upon grabbing the mirror, Ash quickly pulls out and unfolds her portable office/home, and points to the ladder down.

*Avakuss, if you put it down on the first level down - just reach down and drop it - it'll be safe, and will have an opportunity to warm up before we need to examine it again.*

Once he's done so and is clear of the pit, she folds it up again.

[paradox26]

Taric keeps looking away as the mirror is maneuvered. Then when the party starts moving again, he keeps up with the pace, trying to get out as soon as possible. He is careful to remain inside the light of the torch, though, not moving on ahead as he might otherwise do. He can't be sure that there aren't things waiting in the darkness, kept out by the protection of the light.

[Cavir]

Avakuss nods and puts the mirror into the hole, careful to place it so that it faces the wall and with the cloak still covering it. He'll then continue leading on with Eilyra controlling the direction and speed.

[Toliudar]

Ash

Gathering up the edges of her home, she efficiently refolds it and floats upward, ready to continue following Eilyra.

[kinem]

Continuing around the wall, the group is nearly back at the entry tunnel, having explored most of the left side of the dark cavern.

OOC: damage (1d6)[5] Center, (1d6)[6] Ash

Spoiler: map

Show

A = Avakuss (purple robe)
C = Center
H = Ash
E = Eilyra (10' torch, purple robe)
T = Taric (purple robe)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX.........
XXXXXX..............
XXXX................
XXX.................
XX.........    .....
X.......       .....
XX.........    .....
XXX.................
XXXX........A.......
XXXXXX......CE......
XXXXXXXXXXX.TH......
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Archmage1]

Eilyra heads towards the exit, thinking that they could spend a bit of time examining the mirror, and planning their next move.

[Cavir]

"Ash, take my cloak. I can deal with the cold better. Let's finish going through the area while we still have the incense. We can pick up the pace." Avakuss will give Ash his cloak if she will take it.

[Archmage1]

Eilyra nods. "Very well. We have the center, and the other half of this room to explore. Let's finish the edges first, then, the center."
With that, she changes her course and increases her speed, moving at a rate of 80 feet per round as she circles the chamber.