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  1. - Top - End - #631
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

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    I think I'll start singing a Dwarven miners' song. Dunno, something like
    "Chip, chip, chip the rock
    gently piece by piece.
    Steadily steadily steadily steadily
    we are going deep."


    Bet it will confuse the hell outta them when they hear singing from the other side
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  2. - Top - End - #632
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    Sallera
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    Trunk jogs up to the newly appeared mechanism and gives it an experimental gentle tug, then if nothing untoward happens he puts his admittedly small strength behind it and tries to pull it from the ground, hoping to insert it elsewhere.

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    (1d20-1)[10] I'd assume that it shouldn't be too difficult if the original inhabitants needed to use it often, but if I fail then Shard's much larger strength can have a go.
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  3. - Top - End - #633
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    Those outside:
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    The mechanism fails to so much as wiggle as Trunk pulls on it; being apparently designed to move several tons of stone evidently includes some secure bearings.

    A jaunty tune begins to echo from the other side of the wall in time with the pounding; while the words of the song escape you, the voice is obviously Grimmgang's.
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  4. - Top - End - #634
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    "Well...he can't be in too much trouble if he has time to sing an upbeat song. Remind me not to let him sing in the future, though."

    Daiya calms somewhat, and walks over to the lever that operates the door, inspecting it for its workings.

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  5. - Top - End - #635
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    Grimmgang:
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    The wall finally strikes the portcullis as you step through the hole, but as expected, it does not proceed any further. After several seconds, it begins returning the way it came, presumably under the assumption that anything that was going to die would be dead already.


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    There is a loud thump and a muffled clang as the wall reaches the end of the corridor. After several seconds, it begins returning toward you.

    Daiya:
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    You can't feel anything unusual about the lever's function, but the whole assembly seems to have the sense of workings magical about it, the grey whisper of something hidden, although you can see it with no difficulty if you raise your blindfold. It is very faint, only a half-noticed alert in the corner of your mind; you can't feel anything at all when not in direct contact with it, and it feels more like the residue from an old spell than an active enchantment.
    Last edited by Sallera; 2011-11-21 at 05:31 PM.
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  6. - Top - End - #636
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    well, I'll just go after the wall and keep whacking. Not much of an interesting IC post I can make about that I fear
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  7. - Top - End - #637
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    The formerly-secret door shudders, cracks, and finally shatters in a three-foot wide hole through the centre as Grimmgang completes his mining, shortly before the wall slides back into its original position. Whether it was originally designed to keep something in or out, it is certainly useless now, unless said something is uncommonly large.
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  8. - Top - End - #638
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    "Grimmgang! You're alright!" Shard exclaims with relief. "What just happened?"

  9. - Top - End - #639
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    "<... are going deep.

    Chip, chip, chip the rock
    gently piece by piece.
    Steadily steadily steadily steadily
    we are going deep.>"

    The now more audible miners song stopped abruptly when the cracked stone finally split and shattered, revealing an unharmed Grimmgang, grey with stone dust.

    "Oh settle down you lot, yer acting like a Dwarf doesn't learn tunneling through stone before he grows his first facial hair", Grimmgang scoffed at Shard, resting his axe on his right shoulder.
    "Though to be honest this could have been quite dangerous if I didn't put a hole in the wall back there before triggering the trap." He pointed at the portcullis some way into the corridor; the wall next to it had a sizable gap beaten into it, though a human would have to duck quite low to get through.
    "Anyway, quite the clever construction. I noticed the pressure plate, but the lever on the other side set off the mechanism regardless instead of opening up the portcullis as I hoped. Maybe they wanted a way to trigger the trap against intruders noticing the plate, safely from the other side of the portcullis..."
    He trailed off, giving his armor and clothes some claps go get rid of the grey dust covering him, though some of it and even small chips of rock remained nested in his beard. "Some fine workmanship that was, moving flawlessly after all this time. Shame I had to smash it really, that construction would even make a Dwarven engineer proud."
    Last edited by TheFallenOne; 2011-11-24 at 08:34 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  10. - Top - End - #640
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    "Well, we are all glad you are safe. Your heritage did indeed prove fortunate this time, however this place is very dangerous. Next time we might not be so lucky."

  11. - Top - End - #641
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    "Surely smashing through the wall it closed didn't damage the mechanism itself? In any event, it is well that you are not trapped. What else did you see back there?"
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  12. - Top - End - #642
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    "Just the triggers to the trap, though I haven't explored past the portcullis. Anyway, let's move on." He walked back along the corridor, sidestepping through a hole that seemed uncomfortably small for anyone not dwarf-sized to get to the other side of the portcullis. Once there, he slowed down, again carefully looking for traps, though he doubted there'd be placed two in a row.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  13. - Top - End - #643
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    Shard nods and clumsily climbs through the hole, it's glowing body immediately lighting up the hidden tunnel with swirls and whorls of color.

  14. - Top - End - #644
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    Bypassing the now-harmless trap, you pass the portcullis and start down a long and winding staircase lit only by Shard's fitful glow; it descends in a pair of steep and wide curves, and by the time it opens up into a larger chamber, Grimmgang can sense that you are nearing two hundred feet below the surface. A pair of humanoid statues with draconic features sits ahead, observing you from each side of a short, wide platform before a long and lethal drop. A dull red glow comes from the bottom of the pit; it seems you have come upon one of the veins of magma that permeate the area around Haka'torvhak, although it is thankfully still some eighty feet below you, and the air is not unbearably hot. Three large platforms hang from thick chains over the chasm, partially bridging the gap to the other side, where the stairs seem to continue; two of them are smaller, and seem to form half of an actual bridge, whereas the third hangs parallel to the edge, from much larger chains, and is further lit by a dimly glowing shard in the ceiling above. Four thinner chains dangle from the ceiling at regular intervals above the path formed by the smaller bridges.

    Daiya:
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    You can sense a notable wave of magic from the embedded crystal.


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    You're at the south end of the room. Crosses are the smaller chains, blue is the crystal.

    Last edited by Sallera; 2011-11-29 at 09:53 PM.
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  15. - Top - End - #645
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    Despite the shortness of the opening Grimmgang had made, Daiya has little difficulty: her new body is surprisingly slight for the amount of strength it has.

    "Hold. Either that is the most powerful spell ever devised to make a dull glow, or there's something else about that crystal. Give me a minute or two to investigate. And in case it goes badly, can we anchor me with a rope? I don't want to get pitched into that lava down there. Trunk, Shard, if you have any detection spells you want to cast..."

    After assuring that she is as secure as she can be, Daiya moves close enough to the crystal to begin analyzing the magic aura about it.

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    Spellcraft (1d20+1)[14]
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  16. - Top - End - #646
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    The ceiling is only fifteen feet or so above your current position; Daiya is able to sense the crystal without risking the hanging platform.

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    Your instinctive sense for magic does not extend to a trained analysis of its effects, but although you've never seen one, the crystal's appearance does seem to match descriptions you've heard of Khyber dragonshards, the main purpose of which is in binding.

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    Spellcraft's a trained-only skill. Incidentally, due to the reliance of several of your senses on blindness, is Daiya still going around with the blindfold on all the time?
    Last edited by Sallera; 2011-11-30 at 02:06 PM.
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  17. - Top - End - #647
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    Grimmgang scratched his head, wearing a rather comical open-mouthed expression. "Is this some kind of riddle with those chains? I really don't like the setup with the magma below."

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    Would I beat the wall and ceiling climb DC with a 25?
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  18. - Top - End - #648
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    The ceiling was clearly blasted out of the rock with some care, but aside from the area directly above the platforms, no effort was made to smooth it out, and those have other anchors in the edges and chains; you judge that you would be able to find adequate handholds to keep yourself from falling while traversing it, albeit not without some difficulty.
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  19. - Top - End - #649
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    Oh yeah, dangit. I meant to put some points in that. And yes, because although she does greatly appreciate the newfound gift of sight, she also lived her whole life in training to operate without it. Having it all of a sudden at her age is confusing, and she won't risk her well-being on being awestruck.

    tl;dr version: Whenever in a dungeon, assume that she will be wearing the blindfold unless otherwise noted.

    If I slip up (I'm a seeing person myself and will often assume ability to see) just let me know and I'll edit as necessary. When not in the field (such as milling around town) she'll forgo the blindfold, to avoid undue attention and enjoy her restored sense.
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  20. - Top - End - #650
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    "I doubt the chains were placed for swinging. Given the mechanical nature of the temple so far, I would hazard a guess that these chains move the platforms to provide passage to the other side...as I mentioned before, let us show more caution before we go pulling on them..."

    Shard looked up at the ceiling attempting to discern the connection between the smaller chains and the heavier ones.

    "Is there a way to ascertain the functioning of this room, without activating a certain death trap?"

  21. - Top - End - #651
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    "The walls and ceiling look scalable; I could make it to the other side or maybe up to the crystal if you notice anything special about it Daiya."
    The dwarf gave the chains and platforms a closer look and gave Shard an agreeing nod. "Notice the placing of the platforms. If the chains indeed make them move, they are located so you can get in, but not out. It does seem to be a prison...
    If we want to give it a try, I can try catching the nearest chain with my grappling hook. I won't trust the platforms until we tested how things work."


    Sallera
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    what does with difficulty mean, would I need to actually roll in some places instead of taking a flat 25?
    Last edited by TheFallenOne; 2011-12-02 at 02:45 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  22. - Top - End - #652
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    Ah, no, just means the DC is 25. You can make it by taking 10.
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  23. - Top - End - #653
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    Wrapping the hook around the chain with a well-placed toss, Grimmgang gives it a tug, and the platform lurches into motion, swinging slowly across the chasm and coming to rest next to the centre platform. The mechanism seems to be in passable condition.

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    No one's saying anything, so let's just get the workings of the thing out of the way.

    Platform's currently under the second chain, roughly where you'd expect it to be were someone to use it to cross.
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  24. - Top - End - #654
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    "Well...it seems to work as we suspected. Shall we cross? Daiya, what about that crystal stands out to you?"

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    Typical holiday/finals slowdown it looks like. Will try and keep the game moving but if we need to bundle up for a few weeks of hibernation I can handle it...

  25. - Top - End - #655
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    "Well, since my training in magic is more...mentor-studen...and less formal, I can't get a solid interpretation of what it's for. It does seem something like something my mentor told me about. Dragonshards. Used in binding. That's all I remember unfortunately."
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  26. - Top - End - #656
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    Grimmgang aimed his hook at the second chain, reasoning that pulling it should move the platform back to its starting position. At Daiyas words, he furrowed his brow in confusion. "So what exactly does that mean? Could it bind us in place somehow if we trigger it in some fashion?"

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    he's so wonderfully clueless about magic
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  27. - Top - End - #657
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    "Well, not exactly, no. In the magical sense, binding is about limiting...free will usually. You bind demons or devils to your will, that means they have to do something you ask of them. It is possible that in the case I'm remembering it means binding in place, but I would bet against it."

    Daiya still hasn't developed visual cues, and the blindfold obfuscates most of her face anyway, but her confusion and working thought processes are etched in her words just the same.
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  28. - Top - End - #658
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    "Well, I can climb up there and smash the crystal, but you are the magical people, so you have to make the call on whether that's the right thing to do", Grimmgang grumbled, getting impatient with the apparent indecision.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff the Green View Post
    Actually, when you first put up the post where the gazebo started trying to eat us, I assumed you were pulling our legs and you'd put up the real post soon enough.


  29. - Top - End - #659
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    Default Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

    "I believe that would be most unwise Grimmgang," Shard answered.

    "I believe this may well be the demon-prison Circle spoke of. We must be near the crypt of it's half-dragon guardian. Stay alert, and let us cross to the other side."

  30. - Top - End - #660
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    As Shard steps onto the platform, it feels a subtle transfer of energy, as though the light within it is flowing down into the stone; it lasts only a second, but in the next, the crystal flashes a dark blue, and two wisps of smoke flow down to the central platform, materializing to each side. The creatures that form might best be described as dogs, if one had to give them a name, but no such dog ever lived on the Material Plane. Black plates of chitinous armour cover their spine and their upper legs, and their exposed fur is a sickly shade of greenish-yellow. Their ribs stick out prominently from their sides, as though they were completely starved, and they lack eyes entirely, their muzzles consisting of an oversized, rounded jaw with a barbed tongue that seems too long for their size, hanging a foot or two out of their mouth and constantly lashing through the air. Soundlessly, they turn toward you, searching.

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    Well, you almost had a good thing going.

    Initiative:
    Grimmgang: 19
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    Enemies: 10
    Daiya: 9
    Shard: 6

    Grimmgang and Trunk can act (you'll probably have to NPC Trunk again).

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