Arcane Destiny

[EdroGrimshell]

You recall that neothilids have an acidic breath weapon and that their is a legend about the glands that produce the acid, although you can't remember the full details. You also remember that neothilids rarely stay in an area with another neothilid.

OOC

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Here's a reminder and a hint, i encourage ingenuity and thinking outside the box.

[chilepepper]

Jecht

Jecht grabs some bits of rubble to wedge the trigger, keeping it immobile once the tome is removed. Pulling out his bundle of tools, he carefully secures everything before cutting the book free and removing it.

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Disable Device (1d20+9)[24]

[EdroGrimshell]

You manage to pull the book free and wedge the rubble without activating any traps. The book is thick and heavier than you expected, inspection shows that the pages are made of bone and is bound in metal painted to look like leather. A look inside reveals diagrams and slanted writing in an odd language you can't identify.

[chilepepper]

Jecht

Jecht does not open the book, but does study it for a moment before passing it on to whomever takes it.

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Using Detect magic for the full three rounds.
Spellcraft (1d20+9)[21]
If I find anything, I'll relate that as I hand the book over.

[AngelOmnipotent]

Terrox

Willingly stepping out into the corridor he keeps an eye on their new aquaintence. He moves up to Volanth and whispers in his ear.

"Do we know what these Neothilids even look like?" He mutters, having taken in all the information and drawn a possible conclusion. "As far as we know, this being could be one of them. It wasn't as if he was trapped where he was, he was free to go if he pleased, and nothing was holding him back. Maybe the other Illithids were keeping him here out of their own safety rather than experiments. Call me a cynic, but something that can slaughter things with relative ease isn't really something I'd like to be travelling with. I sensed he was hiding something before when he was telling us about himself, so maybe this is it." Taking a deep breath, he sighs. "If illithid brains are the only thing he is interested in then we may be safer than I assume, but I'd rather not be lulled into a false sense of security."

((OOC: Sorry for the seeming 'lack' of posting. My timezone obviously clashes with you guys so when I'm asleep you're all awake posting ))

[EdroGrimshell]

"You know i can hear you, right?" Velik says while looking around, "i asure you i am not a threat to you and i do not eat brains. If you want proof of a neothilid look farther down the corridor."

[Evil the Cat]

Volanth

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Was my check high enough to have an idea what neothelids look like physically?

[Ryuuk]

Seri

Seri quickly grabs the book when Jecht passes it on. Odds are it wouldn't be written in common or giant, but such a trinket would surely be of some use. She skims through the pages, looking over each diagram in hope of finding any similarities to the signs and seals of the shadows she knew so well. she steps out of the chamber still carrying and reading the book.

She gaffaws at Velnik's reply. "Maybe your hearing turned out a winner from the change." She takes her eyes off the book to turn and look further down the corridor.

Assuming there's no neolithid creeping towards us, she'll add, "Well, this place seems barren except for the bodies. I honestly don't know how we got here, but I'd like to worry about that after getting away from any country killing daelkyr spawn." She says all this while while flipping through the bone pages. Nonchalantly, she adds "Care to start looking for a way out."

[EdroGrimshell]

Volanth
Yes you did, a neothilid is a long wormlike creature with four long tentacles protruding from its mouth.

Seri
"My training required me to train my hearing from the start, travelling the depths makes relying on sight rather difficult unless you darkvision." he replies, "the only real boost i can identify is the hardened skin, tail, and claws, not that its much to go by. The passage they took me through to get here is on the opposite side of the cavern and requires the ability to fly or levitate unless you're really good at jumping."

[Evil the Cat]

Well Terrox, I can assure you that he is no neothelid, he is not nearly worlmlike enough, and has too few tentacles.

to the rest

Well, we have not gone down this tunnel yet, and it is so far our only visible method of escape. When you are done playing with that book we should carefully head in this direction.

* I point farther down the tunnel, continuing to hold a guard position.

[Ryuuk]

Seri

"Who says I can't do both just fine?." Seri jokes, and closes the book. She places it in her pack to study later. She readies her hatchet and shield. "Lets try to get out of here then"

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Could Seri make any sense out of the book? Did she spot anything resembling the globe, vestige seals or a dragonmark?

[EdroGrimshell]

Seri
The book contains some formulae that you can't entirely decipher, however, you do see a diagram of the orb with a single phrase in two languages, one of which is common reading "bone reaver"

You also see diagrams of other such pods with disturbing names for the creatures they create. Interspersed between these diagrams are what look like spell fomulas or alchemical concoctions.

[Scow2]

Davian Hawkstar

"Seri, did you learn anything from the book?" Davian asks, following with, "If not, perhaps I could look at it? I'm well-versed in many languages, particularly the extraplanar ones, including Daelkyr."

He prepares to follow the others, just as desperate to get out as possible. He intentionally made no comment on the threat Velik may or may not pose to the party, fearing that he may be using an alignment-masking effect, which would explain why he didn't radiate an aura of evil despite being a creature attuned with Negative energy.

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Sense motive Check against everything Velik has said from the 'not-evil' result: (1d20+8)[25]

[Ryuuk]

Seri

"Ah, Daelkyr? Have a look at it then. The diagrams kinda looked like the globe and it had the phrase 'Bone Reaver'..." She gives Velnik a quick look and shrugs. She nods over to him. "My guess is its instructions for whatever they did to him." She turns it to the page with the phrase and holds it out for him to read.

[EdroGrimshell]

Davian
You find that it is not written in daelkyr but rather in draconic and is written in a way similar to a journal. Some of the formulae are spells to prepare the globe while others describe alchemical processes to prepare the creature for the process, the actual description of the ritual causes your stomach to knot painfully describing a pocess that strips all "humanity" from a creature until nothing but a mindless beast is left. It even has some conditions on what could go wrong if not done properly, most of them make you wish you hadn't even handled the book, but one in particular seems to be the case with Velik.

"A transformation of the body that leaves the mind intact, is a result of the incorrect amount of potion used before the process and enhanced psionic abilities in the specimen that results in a boost in mental acuity but lessens the bodily transformation itself, these bone reavers have the longest lifespan and are by far the most human in appearance. More research is required to identify the full extent, are newest specimen is a grey elf called Velik, I regret to say i have grown fond of this creature but i must complete my research."

There is also a description of a bone reaver
"The first bone reavers were a brute model, large monstrocities that held incredible strength but no form of cognitive thought, they were easiest to control and were much like domestic animals.

The second models were based around speed, several times smaller than the brute with incredibly sharp claws capable of inflicting lasting wounds, they had some animal cunning but were still simple to control.

The third model were bombs, they could release massive bursts of negative energy at will but were frail and easily killed, they also developed a way of conetrating the bursts into rays of energy and were the first to fight back.

The fourth model held a natural magic and were called skullocks, they had sorcerer-like abilities and one even took a rat as a familiar, this one managed to escape, i would have loved to have awakened that ones more cognitive thought processes to gain a comrade in the magical arts in this psionically minded society.

The final model that could be easily controlled were the golems, their armor was nigh indestructable and they had the ability to walk through molten rock, we only successfully created two such creatures and only one survived the mental programming, although it continues to fight it even to this day."

[AngelOmnipotent]

Terrox

Unwillingly he lowers his head in a slight bow to their new companion and says softly, "I apologise for the conclusion I jumped to." He takes a deep breath, "I'm sure you can understand that we've just been jaunted here, see signs of battle and slaughter, and you are the only remaining living creature in the area."

He stands back up straight, "Do you know what the statue is used for? It seems to have mechanical parts, unless it was the object blocking off the corridor to this room."

Oddly enough, the mention of Daelkyr doesn't seem to bother Terrox all that much, even though he fears that it should. "Seri, why do you keep mentioning Daelkyr spawn, and not to mention in such a way that you seem excited?" ((OOC: Feel free to disregard this if I've missed something >.>))

[Ryuuk]

Seri

Seri simply smiles. "No reason really. I've just been called that enough times to be curious about the real ones. I make a small living as a fortune teller, you see, and sometimes people overreact to the show... You may too if you were to see it."

OOC:

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If you where to roll Sense Motive, you'd easily realize that there's something more.

OOC I'll say that the interest comes from growing up in Droaam as an adoptive daughter to a Dusk Hag, being a Binder and dealing with vestiges that would be at home in Xoriat and the fact that her Aberrant Mark may have something to do with the daelkyr.

[AngelOmnipotent]

Terrox

"I see." He mutters, not quite sure why anyone would be excited whether having being called one many times or not.

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Well, sense motive then (1d20+7)[18]

I'm not even sure if we're meant to know each other, what we've done beforehand or what, so yeah... no idea who anyone is, what they do, or what they are if we're supposed to know each other, should we say?

[Ryuuk]

Seri

"You will..." She adds, before shutting the book and bringing it to her side. "So, anything interesting in there?"


OOC:

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From my understanding, we were all part of the same expedition to collect Khyber dragonshards. We may now each other at a glance but little beyond that.

[Scow2]

Davian shakes his head, "I'm not sure. I could read it, and it's definately the ritual book responsible for these atrocities, but whether anything in there is useful for our predicament waits to be seen. However..." as he starts to say the most significant aspect that stuck out at him, he raised his voice loud enough for Velik to hear effortlessly, in an adress to the entire party. "Velik's condition is not the result of an incomplete ritual. It's the result of a flawed one... I do not know if he can be restored."

[EdroGrimshell]

"I've never seen the statue before, my guess would be it was installed as an emergency precaution for an out of control experiment."

Velik pauses "flawed? Interesting that i kept my own mind, any ideas on why that is?" he asks as you progress down the corridor.

The corridor itself is bland and side tunnels with odd green glows coming from them, several also have stone doors half open or cracked open. Velik seems incredibly nervous about this area.

[AngelOmnipotent]

Terrox

"Maybe the experiment didn't account for the power of free will." While not liking the presence of Velik, there wasn't much he could do about it aside from being amicable. "What equipment is in that pack of yours exactly? You said it could be useful."

[EdroGrimshell]

"It's mostly mundane equipment, but that equipment can be useful. I have a hundred feat of silk rope, a grappling hook, iron spikes, and other things that have helped me survive down here. I even have an alchemist's kit, although the items i created were used up when i was caught. Also, my psicrystal is stuck in their."

[Evil the Cat]

* From my initial guard position, I suppose I will take point as we head down the hall.

[EdroGrimshell]

"Does anyone have an idea on the glow coming from these tunnels, i have no clue." Velik says, he seems curious and nervous simultaneously and walks up to one of the glowing openings. You see his ears twitch slightly, "there's no sound, but the illithid have many surprises for intruders, a lesson i learned the hard way." He crouches onto all fours looking down one tunnel with a dimmer glow than the others, "should we check the area for anything useful?"

[Ryuuk]

Seri

Seri shrugs "You're the expert, this is my first time in a mind flayer's layer." She steps forward, walking past Velik and peering down one of the tunnel openings. As she walks, a strange glow seems to surround her. It becomes more and more 'solid' until it has taken the shape of a transperant winged humanoid, who's steps and movements follow hers. When she turns back to the party, a ghostly visage is over her face, expressing nothing but pure despair and grief. Her smile underneath it seems almost moking. Then it melts away, almost instantly, leaving no trace. "Come too close and you'll have to carry some of his grief, just give me some space for now. Let me go into the chambers first. That way, if I there's anything alive in there, it'll have to deal with me and its incessant weeping."

If there are no objections, she step into the closest chamber, her axe on hand and shield ready.

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Turned on Focalor's Aura of Sadness. Its a constant mind affecting effect that imposes a -2 penalty to saves, skill checks and attack rolls for anything within 5ft of the binder.

[EdroGrimshell]

"I'll follow, this could be dangerous, if anyone else wishes to follow then come along, otherwise, do not stray far illithids favor psionic traps, and they are difficult to disarm and harder to recognize."

[AngelOmnipotent]

Terrox

"Well you're right with one thing; I've never experienced a Psionic trap before, but I'm definitely handy disarming pretty much anything else. Do these traps have a tell-tale sign, or are they just easier to conceal in general?" He grins, showing the first sign of his lust for adventure since they arrived, feeling more comfortable within the group. "I do like a challenge afterall."

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Terrox will keep 5ft ahead of the group, a Spot of [roll1d20+7[/roll] and Search of (1d20+9)[12] to notice anything out of the ordinary before we reach it.

[AngelOmnipotent]

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Spot: [roll0]
typos.

[AngelOmnipotent]

Okay so spam filter messed up rolls too. Ugh. Spot! (1d20+7)[27]