[Nexus] Reinholdt's Repository

[Reinholdt]

[Nadas Canvas]

"I comprehend." Nadas says. And while I'm sure he has a multitude of further questions, I can't really think of any right now.

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

I can demonstrate by calling Cessie now, if you'd like, Dorota says, holding her amulet in her hand.

[Reinholdt]

[Nadas Canvas]

"A demonstration would be delightful, yes."

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

Dorota presses the rune corresponding to Cessie's amulet, which should grow warm and vibrate way over in Mithar Keep.

[Shadowcaller]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Untrue. The interlopers who dare enter the tomb will face the wrath of the guardian. You will all die. The statues respond.

Becky won't have any trouble opening the portal however unless it needs line of sight or anything like that.

Greg's Group

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Well, they will be able to see the four sarcophagus more closely now that they can through the darkness. They have decayed greatly in the swamp but their features are still somewhat recognizable. It shouldn't be a surprise they depict sleeping gnolls.

They might notice that one of the lids have been moved however, it's not completely closed like the others for some reason.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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"Didn't see that declaration coming." Ilpholin says. And waits on Becky's results.

[Nadas Tent]

Nadas waits to see if Cessie says anything. So they can no doubt talk for hours and hours.

[The Bushranger]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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"I suppose they could have gotten more cliche if they had put their minds to it," Becky agrees.

And nope, no line of sight required, just a clear area on the other end for the shadowspace window to form.

And so it tears open time and space!

...and she motions for Ilpholin to go first.

[Shadowcaller]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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The statues remain silent this time, looks like they don't got any more lines.
The two won't have any trouble getting past the gates though, but if they do use the portal leading past the door, they will speak again.

"The guardian have been activated. Death to all interlopers."

And... nothing seems to happen.

Huh.

In any case, they are now in a long dark (and mostly dry!) staircase leading even deeper down below. There won't be any light for them down there though but it shouldn't hinder them that much.

Descending the stairs they finally hear see light in the darkness below.

Ilpholin

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But before the drow can continue it feels like something grabs on to her legs and attempts to pull her... right into the stairs?
If this pull is successful Ilpholin will find that she's looking at a two-dimensional version of herself as if she were in some sort of two-dimensional game. She will also find that the creature which apparently pulled her into this world is the 'mural' of the monster they saw before chewing on that dead gnoll. It doesn't look very happy either and will attempt to bite her head off.

[Nadas Canvas]

After a while the sorceress voice can be heard at the other end. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"

[The Bushranger]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Oblivious to the snatch-and-grab going on behind her, Becky continues forwards!

...heading torwards the light...

Unless Ilpholin says something or goes 'urk' or something like that.

[Zefir]

Greg's Group

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Well, they will be able to see the four sarcophagus more closely now that they can through the darkness. They have decayed greatly in the swamp but their features are still somewhat recognizable. It shouldn't be a surprise they depict sleeping gnolls.

They might notice that one of the lids have been moved however, it's not completely closed like the others for some reason.

Greg's Group with Greg Deadtimed

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As Zefir enters the room with the sarcophagus he stops looking at them from the entrace.

"Urgh. Vampire Gnolls. Well it's not a stereotype."

He will then head for closer examination of the not so closed one, still waiting for the others as well.

[Morty]

[Nadas Tent]

Nadas waits to see if Cessie says anything. So they can no doubt talk for hours and hours.

[Nadas Canvas]

After a while the sorceress voice can be heard at the other end. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"

Yes, we can hear you, Dorota says. I'm at Nadas' place, and I'm demonstrating how the amulet works.

[Reinholdt]

[Nadas Canvas]

"Greetings Cessie Mithar. It is a pleasure to converse with you again."

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Grabbed? Sure, it seems to be super stealthy. Pulled? Now that's a definite maybe.

No urks here. Just *thwip* and *crack* as Ilpholin shoots out a web at the ceiling to try and anchor herself and keep from being pulled. The crack is a wild whip attack at whatever she thinks grabbed her. It's a pretty blind attack though. If those don't work, then she is pulled in and has to deal with being 2-D.

[Shadowcaller]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Whatever is grabbing her appears to be holding on to her feet, it tries to pull her down but the web endures for now. The whip attack doesn't seem to have any effect on the thing however, the drow can probably feel the claws seem to be made of some kind of stone.

If Becky turns around she will see the monster mural from before (which she managed to miss) somehow have moved to the stairs underneath Ilpholin and it's claws seems to be reaching out from the stairs, attempting to pull the drow into them.

[Nadas Canvas]

"Hello Nadas, hello Dorota nice to hear your voices as well. I have something similar for the council but this is a really useful device. I'm guessing you're at Nadas camp now? How is it there?" Cessie asks curiously.

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

It's a bit different than I imagined, Dorota says. But I think I'd like to find out more about the Weald. According to Nadas, it's even stranger than people say it is.

[Reinholdt]

[Nadas Canvas]

"Yes, well when you come across parasitic flying lily pads, land whales, and quicksandworms, you come to realize people haven't really a clue just how unusual this place is."

[Shadowcaller]

[Nadas Canvas]

"That sounds like very dangerous and fascinating creatures, do you have any drawing of them possibly? This Weald of yours sound like a curious place." Cessie comments.

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

Dorota's eyes widen. Land... whales? Sounds like quite a freak of nature.

[Reinholdt]

[Nadas Canvas]

"Some things in here do defy the conventional logic of physics, yes." Nadas agrees with Dorota.

"I actually have quite a few notes on a number of flora and fauna, including a few amateur sketches. I'm afraid my primary sketch artist had to leave my expedition for personal reasons." Charity left to go sleep with Edijar a lot!

[The Bushranger]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Crack-the-whip!

Becky does indeed spin around at the sudden sound. And takes in the scene before her in an instant!

...and quickly, shadow tendrils rise from the floor in an attempt to grab Ilpholin by the waist and provide additional securing.

As two candy-corn shadow-demon critters manifest and start slashing at the grabbing claws!

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Ilpholin hates fighting stone. Nothing to poison, hard to cut into. She's no hammer person. She seems to be holding steady for now at least, but for how long?

Ilph looks for something to lash her whip around. A pillar would be awesome for this particular case, but there might not be anything. Her ability to actually look around is further limited by the fact that she's got webbing going and that's keeping her head close to still.

[Earl of Purple]

Greg's Group

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"You have no evidence that they are vampire gnolls. They could have been mummified, zombified, or simply reanimated as skeletons. Or they could contain the material anchor tying ghosts, wraiths, shadows, spectres or some other incorporeal undead to this spot. Or they could be simply gnoll corpses, which, whilst boring, are also rather harmless." Despite her words, Nephrim has taken to pointing her pistol just above the closest one, aiming for where she estimates an undead gnoll to be when it emerges.

[FireFox]

[Greg's Group]

Greg heads down the stairs, picks up the shield, and then looks at the sarcophagus. He flicks his hand, using telekinesis to pick up the ajar lid, turn it vertical, and then smash it back down into whatever is inside.

[Shadowcaller]

[Greg's Group]

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Zefir will be disappointed to find that there are no original vampire gnolls in the caskets, instead there are mummified remains of dead gnolls which still after all these years appear to have remained in that state.

Until they open up the sarcophagus with the moved lid.

"AHHH!" The gnoll which seems to have been hiding there screams before it leaps into the air and attempts to dash for the exit. It appears it's holding some sort of book against it's chest.

[Ilpholin's Group]

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As the shadow tendrils start to help Ilpholin up the creature eventually lets go of the drow. The animated mural suddenly charging towards Becky instead in it's two-dimensional form, the demons attacks not doing much damage on it's reinforced exterior. Unless the shadow-mage do something she will find her ankles grabbed by the creature as it will try to drag her into the stairs.

[Nadas Canvas]

"I could help you fund it, it sounds like a very interesting project. What kind of help do you need Nadas?" Cessie asks.

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

Flora and fauna you say? Sounds interesting. I don't have access to funding really, but I could also help out. I'm interested in the plants that grow there, after all, Dorota says. Gods help us all if she gets her hands on some of the stuff found in the Weald. o.o

[The Bushranger]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Do something?

Why, Becky isn't the sort to just stand there and do nothing!

...specifically, she jumps backwards, doing a backflip, and while doing so, opens a shadowspace window below herself, between her and the grabby things!.

This means, of course, the shadow-helpers and shadow-demons go pfft.

It's quite possible, though, that the animated mural reaching for her legs might reach into the Plane of Shadow instead.

The other end of the shadow-jump is target for 'inside the Valcano'.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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Ilpholin is released by all forces at once!
... Except her web.
She zips straight up and smacks into the ceiling face first.


It does keep her preoccupied, unfortunately, for this round.

[Nadas Canvas]

"Oh I couldn't request such a boon from either of you. But as of currently, the expedition needs lots of assistance. A botanist, a chemist, a zoologist, an extra magicologist or two wouldn't hurt, a faetologist, a scetch artist, and... well there is a whole lot here undiscovered. It's why I'm chronicling as much as I can. I can imagine entire teams of people only scratching the surface." Nadas says with some excitement.

He's actually got a lot done in his time here, but so far it's primarily in the field of classification and notes. He figures that even if he doesn't fully catalog the Weald in his lifetime, or find the medicinal cure for cancer, he can at least lay the groundwork out for those who come after him.

[Zefir]

[Greg's Group]

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"I know what could be there, but I think Vampire Gnolls may be the greatest threat."

And then Greg freed another Gnoll. Zefir didnt expected that and isn't able to react until the gnoll left the room. If the gnoll makes it through the other room Zefir will try to freez a little part on the gnolls way, hopefully he will slip and fall.

[Shadowcaller]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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As she leaps backwards the creature don't leap after her, not wanting to leave itself open for attack. Instead it follows her in it's two-dimensional form and will instead attempt to grab her once she lands on the floor again.

If Becky got a glance into the room she might see a golden sarcophagus in the middle of the room which seem to glow with a almost divine light. It appears to be the light they have been following.

Nearby one of them might notice a mean looking gnoll sitting on top of what appears to be a throne. As the guardian monster seem to focus on Becky it leaps down and quickly moves towards the glowing casket though.

[Nadas Canvas]

"Don't forget someone who could protect you while you work. It sounds like it's extremely dangerous to work there after all. I can't imagine many would dare to work for you unless they got the proper protection." Cessie replies.

[The Bushranger]

[Ilpholin's Group]

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As Becky lands, she drops into a crouch and thrusts out her hands, a blast of shadowy fire lashing out at the attacking creature!

[Morty]

[Nadas Canvas]

Hmmmm. I don't really know of any such people, but if I find any, I'll let you know, Dorota says. I suppose I cn analyze much of what is found there, but I'm not cut out for wilderness expeditions.