Kalitharsis:The Lone Raider

[Jair Barik]

Why do men not live in the palaces of the past age? The resplendant glory of the great manses and temples, the castles and pleasure domes, the regal beauty of that world we have left behind through the events of the Scourging? Why for fear of going to sleep one night only to find yourself drowned in sand the next morning! Oh we say the architecture of the past age is completely lost to us but thats only half true! Deep down every man knows that the ruins in the Shifting Sands are those very same buildings we abandoned an age ago! They are there for the taking! Any man may have them! Head out into the southwest and claim your prize! Repopulate that little corner of the world now untouched by civilisation! Ha! Only if you have sand for brains! Who could possibly live in such a place where the geography seems to change daily, there is no permanent body of water, and danger lurks at every step! No, I think we can safely say there is no hope for civilisation within the shifting sands...
Baron Havelock addressing the Senate of Aol

You see it rise up before you. A solitary tower that breks the sky line. You spotted it a day ago when you saw something where there was previously nothing. It means that its fresh. It is unlikely anyone else will have reached it yet as you were quite near yourself when you first laid eyes upon it. Also it may stay around longer. You never can tell how long things will stick around, a day, week, month? But generally you want to aim to go for places that have only just risen. Improves your odds of finding the good stuff before its looted or vanishes back beneath the sands. Of course that does mean any dangers are yet to ber tested, any traps yet to be disarmed and so on. On the plus side it might be less likely that anythings moved in yet. Might being the operative word though...

It is now about an hours walk off, less if you fly. A pillar of white stone, etched from top to bottom, perhaps twenty levels in height maybe more. It is windowless so its impossible to say for sure. Still its sure to have loot within it you can bet on that. Everything around here has loot in it. Everything.

[M@XWeru]

SHEET

Rhylus rubbed his hands together, even as he soared across the desert sands, easily avoiding virtually all mundane desert dangers - no giant scorpion could reach him, nor could the quicksand threaten his steps. That tower looked promising indeed, oh yes. hadn't he read something, somewhere, about wizards doing their research in towers? Maybe even white ones? Ho ho ho, this was going to be great! Just as long as he took care, he might uncover some of his greatest findings yet. Straining as he tried to will himself forward faster (despite the futility of the act), he licked his dry lips in anticipation. The wait was always the worst part - worse than treating his wounds, and worse than lying sick with poison-induced fever. It was worse, even, than having your research stolen for lack of care back in Shadehearst. Indeed, nothing was worse than the wait.

To the onlooker, he must have looked as some sort of baggage-laden ghost as he floated through the air in his white desert robes. Luckily, there were no onlookers. There rarely were, this far out into the desert. He'd met one, once - a lone adventurer, pale-faced but laden with treasure, lone survivor of his party. He hadn't survived Rhylus. It might not have been a nice thing to do, but the man had almost a week's travel back to safety, and his gear served a halfling better than it did a scorpion or a quicksand pit. The end justifies the means, you know. Rhulys folded his arms and nodded as he thought so.

Once he arrived at the tower, he intended to drop his gear off a safe distance from the base, then to fly up to the top of the building, and blast his way in through a wall. He was in no hurry, after all, and he figured that higher ground (and an extra escape route) would be handy.

[Jair Barik]

Before you manage to reach the tower you spot something behind your shoulder. Quickly gaining on you it drops down after you from the sky, a large winged creature more than twice your size. Before you can act it is just within 20ft of you and you can suddenly smell it. It reeks of dead animals, rotten food and a thousand other unpleasant things. You have just lost your lunch, hope nobodies down there... (you are sickened for 6 rounds, your initiative) the creature is bird like in appearance but much too big. Its long bald neck and head ending in a hooked beak.

Spoiler

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(1d20+1)[20] spot
(1d20+4)[20] init
(1d20+4)[5] (1d6)[6]

(1d20+1)[3]
(1d20+6)[25] (1d8+4)[8]

[M@XWeru]

Cough and spitting the last gobs of vomit from out of his mouth, Rhylus spun around to fly belly up, and dove backwards toward the desert floor. Reaching out, he fired off a blast of dark energy at the beast. "Disgusting creature! Die!". Its exact nature intrigued him, but he certainly didn't have the luxury of studying it alive...

Spoiler

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I have no idea what's going on with those rolls you just made. I'm not even sure if it's my spot and initiative.

Actions:
Moved downwards 20'
Fire Eldritch Blast at the bird-thing

Attack roll: (1d20+11)[20] (touch attack)
Damage roll: (5d6)[17]

[Jair Barik]

The creature is hit in the chest by th blast and gives a violent cawing noise. (did you remember the -2 penalty? it hit either way just curious) Enraged by your atack it dive bombs your fleeing form snapping out at you with its vicous beak and catching you on the arm. Its grip tightens but it lets go and flies onwards ending up some 30ft ahead of you and beggining to wheel around for another attack (8 damage)

(your initiative, I made some rolls for you. In the future though don't read the spoilers)

[M@XWeru]

Snarling, Rhylus twisted his flying his self to face the monstrous bird again. He could only hope that the bite was not infectious - it wouldn't to do fall sick during the first day of the dig. Reaching forward with both hands, he let off another blast. Seemed like it was nothing but an animal, after all.

(No I forgot about it. Embarrassing, since I had to look it up in the first place. Is that 8 damage after my damage reduction?

What does the creature look like, more specifically? Is it a random desert monster I should've seen before, or is it something stranger?)

Attack: (1d20+9)[23]
Damage: (5d6)[9]

[Jair Barik]

Your blast catches the creature a second time but it still has the strength to fly back round on another pass and hit you once more with its snapping beak, before flying off a further 30ft and beggining to make its turn back round (10 damage pre DR). You have a better view of it now and it reminds you strongly of a vulture, only bigger, much bigger. This is not surprising though as most creatures that live in the shifting sands are more savage than others of their species.

Spoiler

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(1d20+6)[26] (1d8+4)[10]

(first hits damage was before damage reduction.)

[Jair Barik]

Spoiler

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(1d20+6)[11]
(1d8+4)[6]

(Also think you could put a link to your sheet in the first post?)

[M@XWeru]

(Added it - I'll just keep on turning to blast the thing. I don't have time to make a long post right now, to my grief. ): )

(1d20+9)[22]
(5d6)[17]

[Jair Barik]

Taking another blast to the head the creature appears to think twice about making another attack and instead turns about flying off in the opposite direction to that you were heading in. It quickly makes a gap of over 160ft between you and it, its wings flapping with a renewed vigour and its black form fast disappearing.

(your initiative)

[M@XWeru]

Arms and legs dangling weakly, Rhylus ground his teeth and panted. Spitting out the last of the vomit, he cursed the desert and all its disgusting monsters. He glared at the monsters fast-disappearing back, but there was nothing he could do to stop it from escaping - besides, driving it off or killing it didn't matter, just so long as he got rid of it. Just as long as it didn't come back...

Slowly, he turned around in the air and, still feeling somewhat queasy, began floating toward the tower.

[Jair Barik]

You near the tower and manage to gain a full estimate of its dimensions. it appears to be about 100ft in its diameter and perfectly round. Its height is significantly harder to guess at though but as you approach you can see it is almost flat topped, though there is a slight protrusion at its highest point. Towards the ground the tower emerges from a large domed building, the tower breaking through the dome but both appearing to be the same structure. It doesn't look as though there are any holes or breaches in the structure, indeed it is quite well preserved, but there are four staircases that lead up into the domed building from the desert floor. At your current height though you cannot make out if they have doors at their tops or not.

(gain 400xp)

[M@XWeru]

Dropping down to the desert floor some hundred feet away from the domed building, Rhylus began setting up his tent and unloading his gear into it - keeping only his personal battle-equipment and a single water skin. All the while, he kept a wary eye out for activity in the direction of the ruin. Once satisfied with his frugal home away from home, he called up his eldritch powers, casting every beneficial spell he could muster upon himself before taking off again.

This time, he flew straight upwards and in a wide spiral until he was level with the roof of the tower, and on the opposite side of it from his own camp. Staying at just below maximum range, Rhylus began firing away at the tower wall, attempting to blast a hole in it.

(Activated See the Unseen, Devil's Own Luck (Fortitude), and Fell Flight (again), am staying at 50' away from the tower's upper level, casting Eldritch blast until the wall breaks)

[Jair Barik]

As you set up your camp you notice that the stairs lead up to a roofed area with a large stone doorway in the wall of the domed building. The roof had obscured this door from you previously, you assume there will be more doors like this at the other stairways. You fly up towards the top of the tower and senf dorth an eldritch blast at the wall. It hits the stonework and, much to your surprise, a length of crackling green lightening blasts forth from the stone in arching branches. Unable to dodge aside in time it hits you sending wracking pains through your body and causing you to flinch up for a brief moment. You remain in the air though, wounded but still alive. (18 damage, do you want to shoot again or not?)

Spoiler

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(1d20+6)[7]
(3d12)[18]

[M@XWeru]

"Ow, ow, ow, ow", said Rhylus to himself once the pains had subsided. His lips split into a grin - now he really wanted to know what was in there. Folding his legs, he sat down in mid-air and called up his healing powers, as he decided on his next course of action. Then, in no particular hurry, he allowed himself to sink back down to the desert floor. Hovering over within range of the doorway, he looked into the dusk of the stone portal overhead. This was a place of powerful magic, no doubt, and the secrets of this tower's construction could get him well on the way to building a fortress of his own. The question now was, whether the tower could be entered at all without provoking that green lightning. Taking aim for the doorway, he shot off another blast of energy.

(Is there an actual door in the doorway, or is it just an empty portal?)

[Jair Barik]

The eldritch blast hits the doorway and is absorbed into it, green light circling outwards and rippling across the surface of the door. The light quickly fades and the doors are once again nothing but plain stone. They appear to be very thick and heavy, clearly intended for one of human stature and great strength with rusty metal handholds and thick hinges.

(that answer your question? also how are you healing?)

[M@XWeru]

(Fiendish Resilience, Fast Healing 1 for two minutes)

Frowning, Rhylus started to bombard the door - throwing another four eldritch blasts at it to see if the green lightning would eventually run out.

[Jair Barik]

The door absorbs each succesive shot in much the same manner as the first one. It stands firm before your onslaught but thankfully gives no retalation in the same manner as that given by the tower itself, seeming to act in a purely defensive manner.

[M@XWeru]

Sighing, Rhylus went back to his tent. So much for opening the place from a safe distance. Digging through his equipment, he eventually produced his trusty crowbar from under the piles of junk. There seemed to be no other answer to this, than good old-fashioned elbow grease - he'd have to break that door open. With any luck, he wouldn't get himself friend or impaled or pounced by the first monster he found. Baaah...

With an expression of resignation, he walked up the flight of stairs and jammed the crowbar into any crevice he could find, trying to break the door open.

[Jair Barik]

With a creak and a groan the door grudgingly pulls open, almost falling off of its hinges in the process. Clouds of dust fall down from the door frame and the ceiling as you look into the chamber before you. Bathed only in the illumination of a few shafts of light that pierce through the cracks in the roof the almost complete darkness is no match for you fiendishly enhanced senses. You can see that this room was once some conservatory or greenhouse of some sort, its roof appearing to be sand coked glass, slightly domed at the centre, and its walls and floor all covered in vines, trees and plants rising from the ground and filling the space about you. All dead now of course, petrifyed it would appear either by natural or unnatural process, all are now some form of stone or perhaps salt. A pathway leads across the chamber to a door at the other side, only diverging to circle round a dried out fountain in the middle of the room. As well as the path to the door the fountain also splits off into two more paths headed left and right into the tangle of dead plants.

[M@XWeru]

"Interesting", Rhylus said to himself, more out of habit than anything, and took a step forward, stooping down to examine the dead plants. Searching for any well-preserved flowers in the mess, he looked for one he could break off from the general jumble and have a closer look at. If these were sturdy enough not to break in his grasp, perhaps he might take a few as souvenirs or a lot as trade goods. It would depend on what he could otherwise find, of course.

Once finished with the examination, he left the plants be and sauntered over to the fountain, stopping briefly to peer in either direction. If there were no clues in either direction, he intended to take the left path.

[Jair Barik]

Breaking off a flower it crumbles into dust in your fingers.

Looking down either path you dont see any major differences. Both have similar growth along the edges of them and go on into the dark. Taking the path on the left you travel around in a curve that has thick growth on each side, it eventually opens out into a room similar to that which you had been in before, in this room though the fountain is shattered and broken.

[M@XWeru]

"So... something in here can shatter stone", said Rhylus to himself as he spied the shattered fountain. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that it would have died of starvation or old age already. Oh, well". In truth, the warlock wasn't overly concerned. After all, wasn't there always a beast of some sort in these places? Frowning, he looked around the room quite carefully from where he stood, trying to spot any other exits, interesting items or general clues as to the nature of the tower. If it was nothing more than a botanical garden, there would not be wards around it remaining active for so long. He would have to proceed with caution.

[Jair Barik]

Upon closer examination this room does have more exits than the previous one. In addition to the passages either side of the fountain and the two doors (one headed off to the right, the other to the left (presumably back outside) the glass of the roof here has a break in it large enough for a person to fit through.

[M@XWeru]

Troublesome. There were signs of lacking structural integrity here, and there were too many doors for comfort. Rhylus bit his lip, but soon came to a decision. Moving toward the left door, he put his shoulder against it in an effort to inch it open - just enough that he could see what lay outside. If it were truly just another exit to the building, the warlock reckoned it would either be buried and impossible to open. Even if it wasn't, he'd be able to cross one way off his exploration list. If that were the case, he would head toward the other door. The crack in the ceiling was just a little too tempting to be reliable, and might have been made by whatever smashed the fountain.

[Jair Barik]

(The ceiling is glass, mostly coated in sand as in the first room)

Pushing the door open with some effort you reveal the sand outside. The open desert lies before you the door seems unwilling to budge before you though and only opens a crack. As soon as your efforts loosen it slams shut once more. Behind you a grinding echoes throughout the room reverberating off of the walls around you.

Crattthooon trazk'tr... Tejiksavik... Khropek tanzaraw

Another sound fills the air, like a voice, harsh, choked.

[M@XWeru]

Rhylus groaned. Always. Always these abominable guardians. Why couldn't these ancient bastards just store their eldritch secrets in a box with a lock? Oh, well. It was time for pain.

With these thoughts, Rhylus turned around to face whatever monstrosity lurked in the darkness. His arms tingled with forbidden power as he prepared to lob a blast of purple energy the moment he was attacked.

[Jair Barik]

Behind you the door across the fountain has opened into a small antechamber, 15ft long and of a width you cannot determine from this angle, another door sits on the opposite wall, there is still no sign of life though.

[M@XWeru]

This is too obvious to be a trap, Rhylus thought to himself. It had to be a double-bluff, designed to make him look for another path. Then again, it could be a triple-bluff, in which case just walking right into it would be idiocy. Gah, it was making his head spin to just think of it.

Stepping up to the shattered fountain, he picked up a piece of stone and chucked it into the newly opened antechamber.

[Jair Barik]

The stone comes away easily into your fingers and you chuck the lump into the antechamber. It smashes on the opposite door. The sound of it cracking against the stone echoes thrpughout the chambers. For a brief few seconds you see something before you, there is green fields of... grass? rolling hills and a gravel path, a mighty stone tower sits before you, a man with a donkey waves at you, it is gone and you are back in the room.