[Group 2] The World's Largest Dungeon - IC

[Quakes]

There's nothing else that we can do to help them here. The good acolytes of the sun god will care for their health, and they can begin a new life. We would do much better rallying the defense against the oncoming horde, before it can lay waste to any more of the countryside.

[Mr. X]

"Star Spire the closest city with any sort of army, so I agree that it may be the best place to begin."

He glances hungrily at a nearby inn, 'The Spitted Pig'.

"This Lord Gyburn seems to have the momentary situation well in hand, and if he desires our report on the morrow, I think we should give it to him... If we want to have any sway over the higher powers, we'll need friends who sit closer to their levels...

... In the mean time, it has been months since I've slept in a proper bed, or eaten a proper meal, and I feel we might be well advised to enjoy the luxury while we can."

[Sucrose]

Kulkav nods, already eying the stream.

"...I know of ways to get to Star Spire without too much trouble. For now, though, I'll enjoy what peace we've found. It's been a long while since I've felt remotely safe where I slept. As for the meeting, ...I do not know much of the noble lowlander courtesies; are any of you educated in such things?"

[Mr. X]

"It depends a little on the noble, but for the most part, minding your manners is all that is really important... Bow when they come in the room, stand untill they've seated, don't speak untill spoken to, and tack a 'My Lord' on the end of just about everything you say... To be honest, I'm far from experianced in the matter, but some of them would occasionally come to the college at Clear Water every now and again.

Many were quite reasonable and respectable... Just as many made you want to spit (even if it cost your head)... Hopefully, this 'Lord Gyburn' is one of the good ones."

[Mr. X]

Finding your way into the inn, you are greated by the smell of a honey glazed suckling pig, turning on a spit over the fire... You cannot be certain that you have not died, and passed through the gates into the heavens.

The barkeep takes your gold, and motions you to seats at the long wooden table, where he serves each of you a cut off the pig and a mug of ale...

... No king ever ate so well.

At length, your bellies are full, and your fingers licked clean. During the meal, the barkeep placed great cauldrons of water over the fire, and brought them near to boiling for your baths. Once you are scrubbed and scoured clean, you are ushered upstairs to your rooms, where the narrow straw mattresses you are presented with are such a far cry from the cold flagstone floors of the dungeon that they might be featherbeds.

You settle in to sleep in more comfort than you've even dreamt of since embarking on this venture, so long ago...

... But in your dreams there is no safety... Endlessly the dark passages twist and stretch on before you, around every turn terrors of the dark assail you... Those squamous tenticled things, the girl shrieking in your ears, the horrific multitudes of the subterranian city, that bearded face, stitched to the face of the goblin leader... The Worm...

... And then that blinding light, glorious for a moment, before fading into that devastated city, the faces of the trapped and dying, the lost and the unrecoverable, their horrid cries and clawing fingers reaching out to you, filling your ears untill you feel you must go mad...

... A blood curdling shriek rips through your ears...

... You jerk awake, uncertain of your surroundings for a moment, but gradualy aware that the scream was not from within your head...

[Simba]

Vlorah's reflexes, honed from long year living in the streets, kick in as the scream wakes her. Jumping up she draws her daggers and settles in a defensive crouch even before her conscious mind registers it. Looking around she scand the room for danger.

Unlike the last days when she was depressed and sad, she seems alert and ready for action again.

[Quakes]

Elias comes awake suddenly, trying to remember where he is after a night of tormenting visions. He looks down, and seems surprised that his sword is already in his hand, barely remembering having called for it, and absurdly grateful that it is so quick to respond to his need. He quickly dons his leggings, glad that his armor is comfortable enough to sleep in, then thinks of his more heavily clad companion, and rushes out to help him if he needs it.

[Mr. X]

For Kulkov:

Spoiler

Show

Just a note: If you didn't sleep in your armor, even with help, there's no way you're going to get it on in time to deal with whatever is going on...

(That's for the Mechanus Gear, at least, and any armor heavier than Scale Mail. Others should be manageable.)

[Fates]

Malthos wakes, his recent anxiety and frustration having built up to the point at which he is aching to punch something.

Spoiler

Show

Listen check to find whence came the scream: (1d20+8)[25]
Initiative: (1d20+7)[23]

[Mr. X]

The party rushes out of their rooms in various stages of readiness and undress...

Fredric staggers out wearing nothing but a loincloth and a necklass of teeth, a bizzare, jagged knife in one hand...

... It's Arian... His door is locked from the inside, but his terrified screams and beatings against the walls, as he battles whatever is attacking him within, echo through the inn...

[Fates]

Malthos rushes into the scene, and begins chanting, his brown bedrobe swooshing about in the same manner that his cloak would at a more convenient time. He raises his hands and utters three names in some alien tongue, and the ground beneath him begins to tremble and shake.

Spoiler

Show

Casting Summon Nature's Ally III, summoning (1d3)[3] small earth elementals. By the way, what are the floor and door made of?

[Mr. X]

For all:

Spoiler

Show

You're on the second floor of the in, so wooden floorboards. The door is wood also, and is not so sturdy that it could not be broken down.

[Fates]

Malthos cries out and order to his stony minions and points toward the door. The three elementals rush forward, attempting to break down the door.

Spoiler

Show

The elementals make attacks against the door.
They use full round actions, and so automatically hit.

Reducing damage by five/attack due to wood's hardness of 1, but increasing by 1 because both the elementals and the door are on the ground, and by another 1 because the elementals are using Power attack. That makes the damage total 1d6+1/attack.

(3d6+3)[16]
The door has 10 hit points/inch of thickness.

[Quakes]

Elias lets the elementals batter at the door, then attempts to crash through to discover the source of the screaming.

Spoiler

Show

strength to knock down the door if necessary
(1d20)[2]

hopefully not necessary with that roll...haha

[Mr. X]

The earthen monstrosities smash the door to splinters, and Elias slips between them into the room...

"FIENDS!!! PISCENE ICTHIAN TROGLODYTIC OBSENITIES!!!" Arian screeches, smashing his head against the wall as he wrestles madly against some absent foe... He's soaken wet, and covered in blood. His one good eye bulging and rolling madly, his other, rolling on the wet blanket where he clawed it out...

"THE VIGIN!!!" He screams, convulsing violently, and vomiting up a great quantity of brine... Strings of seaweed and kelp coming up with it, and hang dripping from his mouth and nose...

With sudden certainty, you realize that he's drowning...

[Quakes]

Elias runs over and tries slaps him full across the face, attempting to wake him from the deadly nightmares. Seeing the blood running down the man's face, he curses vehemently as he realizes he's left his curatives in his room.

Spoiler

Show

Heal
(1d20+5)[19]

Malthos! There's some foul magic causing him to drown. I've done what I can, but he needs a real healer.

[Mr. X]

Arian convulses, and vomits again, this time all over you... As you try to help him, his one good eye rolls onto you, his pupil shrinking in to a pin point...

His hands, wet and slimy, snap out and catch you around the throat, tightening, trying to squeeze the life from you... He is very much awake, but whatever he is seeing, it isn't you...

"YOU'll DIE WITH ME FISH!!!" he sputters, before retching again...

Spoiler

Show

Arian's attack:
(1d20+5)[17]
Damage:
(1d3+2)[5]

Since you're trying to help, I'm afraid he catches you flat-footed. Also, if your armor doesn't include a gorget, he'll ignore your worn AC as well...

[Quakes]

Spoiler

Show

Easily hits me. Is he initiating a grapple? If so, I'll draw the kukri at my hip. If not, I'll just retreat, declaring dodge, making my AC 23 against a possible attack of opp.

[Mr. X]

For Elias:

Spoiler

Show

Definitely grappling you. You may attempt to escape with a Str Check, DC: his attack roll.

[Fates]

Malthos orders his elementals to tear the madman off of Elias, and hold him down upon the ground.

Spoiler

Show

All three elementals try to grapple Arian and move him as far away from Elias as possible.
(1d20+1)[9]
(1d20+1)[10]
(1d20+1)[19]
(1d20+1)[10]

Because Arian is already grappling, no grab attempt is needed and no attacks of opportunity are allowed-he just rolls three opposed checks.

Keep in mind, Malthos himself hasn't done anything yet- I'm just waiting to see how the elementals handle things.

[Sucrose]

Kulkav rushes in, wearing little more than a loincloth; it seems that the great dragonborn has not yet accustomed himself to wearing armor.

He rushes to aid the elementals in pulling Arian off Elias, chanting some sort of Gol-Kaa war cry.

Spoiler

Show

Since he lacks the Endurance feat or a Restful armor crystal, Kulkav does not sleep in his Mechanus gear. Fortunately, this seems like the sort of fight where it's not necessary. However, after this, he might try to pick one up at the next point where we have access to a mage's shop.

Going to try to grapple Arian off Elias as well.
Grapple check - (1d20+14)[25]

[Mr. X]

Arian gibbers madly, his vice-like grip tightening ever further around Elias' throat, twisting and writhing so erratically, that only one of the sluggish elementals manages to get a grip on him before Kulkov bursts into the room, catching the pudgy man by the scruff of the neck, tearing him off the sailor, and flinging him back onto the floor...

Scrabbling against the wall into a corner like a rabid rat, and upsetting the table there, the poor man coughs and gags, strings of kelp and seaweed bursting from his nose and mouth like leafy tendrils, his eye rolling blindly as he desperately claws at his throat, trying to draw breath into his brine filled lungs... But his strength is waning, and his struggles becoming weaker...

[Sucrose]

Kulkav stares helplessly, before turning to Malthos.

"Can you do something for him?! I've never seen such a thing!"

[Fates]

Malthos looks at Kulkov, and presses his finger to his own lips, then approaches Arian, kneeling, searching the archivist for some idea of what is happening to him.

[Fates]

Spoiler

Show

Heh, forgot this part.
Heal check: (1d20+15)[29]
Also casting detect magic.

[Mr. X]

For Malthos:

Spoiler

Show

It is a powerful curse... His lungs and stomach being magically filled with sea water, and keep re-filling any ammount he manages to purge...

If you can cast 'Remove Curse', and have it prepared, you may attempt a Caster Level Check, DC 26, to break the curse.

If you can't, there is nothing that can be done for him.

[Fates]

Malthos turns his head toward Kulkav. There is nothing that can be done for him- he has been cursed, in such a way that his lungs are filling with seawater. I do not have to correct magic prepared, and even if I did, the chances of success would be miniscule. The most we can do for him is to end his suffering.

[Quakes]

Spoiler

Show

If i can, I'll Administer some herbs to dull pain. If not, use a sap to do non lethal damage and knock him out.

[Mr. X]

Unable to do anything else, Elias beats the squirming madman unconscious... Even so, it takes nearly a full minute for him to finally stop twitching...

As you all watch the agonizing demise, you are filled with a horrid sense of cold... If you cannot be safe alone in bed, in a locked room, then what?

[Fates]

Malthos stands by the door, shaking ever so slightly. A shame....We should bury him, I suppose- it's only polite, and he was...friendly, at the very least. I will clean and prepare the body, if that's alright with all of you.

Spoiler

Show

Bluff check (Malthos plans to loot Arian's corpse): (1d20+2)[20]