Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

[Toliudar]

Nine dots float back a bit into the hallway. Well, if that's the way we're playing it.

"How do you know we're not supposed to be here? Does the boss tell you everything?"

She gestures towards one of the not-so-befuddled giants.

Spoiler

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Dot casts a Silent Charm Monster on another of the giants. Will DC 26 negates.

[Debbie_D]

The giant that Dot gestures at appears confused.

Duh...boss said smack around any humans not these four. You not one of those four.

[Toliudar]

Dot shakes her head impatiently.

"Do I look human to you? I'm two feet tall, I'm floating in midair, and there are nine of me. What part of that says 'human' to you?"

[Debbie_D]

Duh the giant looks even more confused...okay, not smack you 'round, but dey still human, smack dem 'round good The giant looks quite pleased at having reasoned that one out.

[lostsole31]

"And baby makes three."

Lil charms the last giant (Will DC 33 negates).

[Debbie_D]

Spoiler

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There are 4 giants, not 3

Lil spell appears to snare a third giant, who now is wearing a stupid, confused look.

Still waiting on: Melinda, Tallesin, Ireth, Atareth

[Vulaas]

"I'll guess that you want the last one charmed as well? I don't really know what they're saying, but they don't seem too hostile. Furthermore, I really don't think it's entirely right to take their free will away just because of their being in our way. But, I would rather avoid a fight altogether if we can. I could help talk to them, but I don't know the language. Would anyone be able to help on that?"

[Ason]

Tallesin telepathically sighs, "Unless this creature enjoys cultured conversation, I cannot charm it. Always the wrong spell readied..." With that, he prepares himself for combat by casting Toxic Weapon [PHBII] on his sword but keeping it in its sheath for now.

Tallesin also winkingly teases Atareth, "You could always try Common, you know. I hear it's quite popular."

[Kalirren]

Melinda is surprised by Dot's choice of tactic, but plays along. If they hadn't made an appearance in the room, the giants would have been charmed without any internal conflict to tip them off. Oh well. Time was likewise an asset anyway. With a swift word and a few gestures, Melinda throws a charm at the last giant in the hopes of preventing it from running off and raising the alarm. Will negates at DC 29.

[Debbie_D]

The willpower of the thuggish giant is no match for the power of Melinda's charm spell, and it too falls prey to the enchantment.

All the giants are now charmed.

Next?

[Kalirren]

"It's okay," Melinda reassures the giants. "We were going to see the boss anyway. No need to take us there yourselves. Oh, and by the way, just to let you know, before you get in trouble for it..."

Melinda hushes her voice, and focuses on the one she herself has charmed. "I think a book's been misplaced on the library shelves," she communicates in a worried tone. With all of her tiny body she makes a giant-sized hushed gesture towards the room from which they'd just come. "In the Planar Geometries section? It's about the classification of algebraic topologies of locally Euclidean metrizations of infinitely differentiable Riemannian manifolds." Melinda nods, sealing away her hypnotic patter in the giant's impressionable, confused mind with the ruby's special kiss. "Catalog says it's in there. But it's not where it's supposed to be. If the Master has to look for it himself, Master will be furious. You should all go find it now and put it back where it belongs."

Which way does the cord lead out of the room?

Hypnotism, base Will DC 26. Even though she's only affecting one of them, that one's utter conviction of her fabrication ought to be enough to keep all of them occupied. And a Bluff check to swindle the rest of them: (1d20+34)[44]

[Toliudar]

Dot and her bearer squeeze through the doorway into the room and look around, sliding off to the side to get out of the way of any giants heading to the library.

"Ooh, right. I remember that one time that a pit fiend stole one of the books. You could hear the screaming a mile off."

Spoiler

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Aid another to Melinda's bluff, auto succeeding.

[Debbie_D]

Duh...book?...out of place?...you go see boss Kotep?...we go find book..maybe see you later? The confused giants head off towards the library, while the "find the path" leads out a door on the right hand side of the library.

[Kalirren]

"Oof," Melinda lets out. Language barriers aside, dealing with dull people could just make your head hurt so much...She tries not to panic about the fact that Kotep Himself is incarnate on this plane, instead proceeding straight to the indicated door and putting her ear up to it before opening it.

[Listen check: (1d20+29)[47]]

[Debbie_D]

Melinda hears nothing at the door, and since it is not locked, she opens it. Beyond the door, she sees a hallway that runs straight. On each side of the hall, spaced at regular intervals, are doors, 3 to each side. At the end of the hall is one more door, and the path appears to indicate progressing through it.

[PSinger]

By now, Atareth (still invisible, but making sure her mates knows where she is) recognizes that the musican's ear is much more sensitive and relinquishes that role to her ... which makes sense since Melinda is really the literal trailblazer anyway.

[Kalirren]

"Now that we have some respite," remarks Melinda, casting a glance backwards to make sure the entire party had made it through the last door, "I should mention the one weakness of my spell - it will find the most direct path to our destination. Not necessarily the safest or the best. We know our Adversary Himself has a private study in this place. It's useless to ponder the case where he's noticed us already. So let's assume that as soon as He notices any of us, our cause is lost."

Melinda points forwards to the door at the end of the hallway. "I can't trust this spell not to take us straight past Him on our way. Or any opponent that might more immediately alert Him. I could attempt to divine whether or not that is the case. But that would take ten minutes. What do people think?" She traverses the hall and listens at the door at its end.

[Debbie_D]

This time, listening at the door gives no benefits to Melinda, as she hears nothing. Either there is nothing to hear, or whatever is in there is being really quiet

[Toliudar]

Dot responds via the mental link.

"In the event that we are being observed, may I suggest that we continue our conversations in this way.

"At the very least, though, Melinda, your marvellous magic should warn you of any traps in your path. There are many ways to determine what's on the other side of a door, if we're willing to take the time. This, for example."

The air elemental sets Dot down on the floor, and vanishes as a small stone figure takes its place. Dot weaves a simple spell, and the figure vanishes. She speaks softly in the rasping and gutteral tongue of the earth.

"Go through the floor under that door, come up the other side and take a quick look around. Then come back the same way and report on what you have seen."

Spoiler

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Using Summon Elemental to bring in a small earth elemental. Casting Invisibility on it and instructing it as indicated.

[Debbie_D]

Several moments pass, and then Dot (plus anyone else who can see invisible) sees her elemental returning.

@Dot, and anyone else who understands earth elemental

Spoiler

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Several large tables of differing size and unknown purpose. 4 humanoid shaped figures, covered with large, sharp barbs, all along their bodies and down the length of their tails. Although not engaged in battle, they appear agitated.

[Kalirren]

Melinda takes in the elemental's report with her earlier tongues spell still functioning. [Yes, it had to be tongues. Comprehend langauges only works on something or someone you're touching.]

"Barbed devils?" Melinda thinks to the others. "Seems likely. Not many other things look like that. Though it would be painful, I say we hit them hard and fast if we can. It'd be too risky to go in soft. Any one of them might decide to teleport away for help, and these are smarter than the giants. Can someone catch them all with a chained dimensional anchor?"

[Toliudar]

Dot nods at Melinda's insightful analysis.

"Agreed. If we hit them hard enough, they won't have time to teleport away. Perhaps I can hold back and act after everyone else - I may have a way to take them out of the picture if we aren't able to deal with them more directly."

[Vulaas]

"How far were the fiends from each other? That should be a determining factor in our tactics against these creatures. Otherwise, are these particularly potent devils? If not, I think we should deal with them in a method that saves as many of our resources for when we deal with Kotep."

[Toliudar]

After quizzing the elemental in Terran, Dot elaborates to the group telepathically with a clarification of the approximate size of the room and the creatures' positions inside it.

[Debbie_D]

After quizzing the elemental, the room appears to be about 50X50, and the creatures are spread out within it. To affect them all for sure with one spell, it would have to have a 50X50 effect, or at least 40X40.

[Kalirren]

"They're being awful quiet in there," Melinda remarks. "I think they know we're near, so we have to deal with them. Bypassing the room isn't an option.

"Since they're so spread out, we can take them one at a time, and then mend our wounds with the wand. I'll try to make it so they don't decide to run."

"Everyone ready?"

[Readied action upon door opening to cast Cloak of Bravery, -not- excluding the devils-or-whatever inside the room. Typically the spell just gives a +10 morale bonus to allies within 60' on saves against fear, which makes it great for rabble-rousing, but if it has a chance of making the devils choose to stand their ground, it's worth trying...]

[Toliudar]

Dot steps back out of the way and positions the elemental to open the door on a nod from her. Once the others are ready to head in, she signals for it to open the door for them.

[Debbie_D]

The elemental swings open the door, and inside, the party can see what should be a gaming room. There are at least two pool tables with all the necessary accoutrements, and several tables that could be set up for poker or blackjack. There is even a roulette table in the far corner.
However, of more interest at the moment are the 4 barbed devils that are rising up from their various positions. Their bodies quiver and twitch in the anticipation of the upcoming battle, and their eyes dart everywhere, taking in the whole picture of the party.
Please roll initiative, OOC.

[Debbie_D]

Melinda's readied action of casting the cloark of bravery goes off as planned when the door opens. She is not quite sure if it will have the effect intended (although it will make anyone who might have been planning to cast some sort of fear effect rethink their strategy) but the devils dont look like they are ready to flee either.

(stilll waiting for conclusion of initiative rolling)

[Debbie_D]

Dot up, Lil on deck, Ireth to follow