A Thorn In The Hand IC

[Wordplay]

'Indeed, Verossa has a way of nicknaming all those she comes into contact with. Think of it as a harmless affectation, I beg you - I suspect it is one of these old soldiers habits I do not fully understand'.

Actually, I think it's an aide memoire, to help her remember new people, but hopefully that should soothe ruffled feathers and get us moving quickly. I will defer to Verossa in this, I think. We would have little chance of leaving without these folk.

[Malak'ai]

The group nod at Raif's explanation and start following along. Ventera complaining a little about not being allowed to bring a 'metal man' along to 'play' with on the way. Though she does eventually quit griping when Comsaro glares at her, making her way sulkily up to walk beside Eleanora, a little smirk appearing on her face.

[Machuchang]

"I cannot recall their names, though I may have heard of them." Eleanora whispered back to Raif. "As to whether we can trust them, I am not sure if we have much of a choice. Either way, I like their implications not. If I remember anything, I will consult you."

As the party began to move out, the dame wracked her brain for information on either Tahlruamy or his companions, doing the best she could to ignore the large, redheaded woman creeping up behind her.

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Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty): (1d20+10)[16]

[Malak'ai]

Eleanora:

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You remember what Daranard told you about Talhruamy. Yes, he does have a brother, two actually (one being his half-brother, the current High King). Both younger than him, even if by a matter of hours.
You have also heard that the two elder brothers look identical, though the younger of the two has not been seen or heard from in over a century after their father remarried and it turned out that, for some unknown reason, the eldest son from that marriage would succeed him as High King.

[Marlowe]

Verossa returns to the elevator platform and tests her rope, not entirely trusting the infernal device. "Apparently, there's no easy way to summon this thing once it's up and you're down" she mutters. "Or they'd have found it. This place is supposed to keep what's in, in."

[Malak'ai]

Once you make your way back to the elevator shaft you come up to a blank wall. The rope that Verossa left is laying on the floor, severed.
The wall looks as solid as any of the others. No cracks or markings that would indicate that there had ever been a doorway there.

[Marlowe]

Verossa, inwardly horrified but somehow unsurprised, taps on the wall with Jemima, testing to see if it is an illusion.

"Automated response? Or enemy action? In any event, I think it just became very important to find and neutralise the source of the AMF and shut it down. With our magic working the Clerics could stone-shape us to freedom eventually."

[Malak'ai]

Comsaro sighs, "Just like every other place we thought a exit should be. Lumara... See if you can find anything." he says, leaning against the side wall of the passage way.

The blonde haired woman reaches up and starts tying her hair back. It's at this point that you notice her ears are slightly pointed.
She walks up to where the doorway should be and starts scanning her eyes over the stonework.
After about 10 minutes she stands back up. "Well. The footprints in the dust show that they certainly came through here, but I have no idea how the door disappeared. The mortar is still intact, there's no scraping or markings to indicate any sliding sections or hidden panels where it might have come from."

[Marlowe]

"Marvelous" quoth Verossa, her smile flaring. "Let's be a little less subtle about this"

Putting the glaive against the wall and wielding Jemina two-handed, she give the annoying barrier a bash.

[hits automatically, so power attacking for everything:
Dam:(1d8+10)[12] - 8 (hardness)

[Heh. Assuming it's a standard superior masonry wall she could be through in 15 rounds.]

[Malak'ai]

**Hey Marlowe, I think you got your numbers round the wrong way round.**

A resounding clang echoes around the tunnel as Verossa strikes the wall. Unfortunately, even with the effort she put behind the strike, her warhammer barely scratches the stone.

[Marlowe]

[How so? str 17 with 2-handed weapon is +4. Power-attacking 3 points BAB is another +6 damage, so 1d8+10, subtracting the walls hardness of 8 (unless it's like iron reinforced or something). Masonry walls have 90 hit points, thicker rock walls have a lot more. Certainly seems doable, even if it's not the way I usually do things.]

EDIT： I see the confusion, I'm using the warhammer, not the glaive. I'm not using a masterwork cold iron weapon on stone.

[Malak'ai]

**Ahhh. I understand now. I lose track of all your different nicknames.**

[Marlowe]

Verossa will keep trying, alternating with using her remaining javeling to pick away at the mortar.

Bunch of damage rolls cause a student didn't show and I'm bored.

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(1d8+10)[16]-8
(1d8+10)[12]-8
(1d8+10)[17]-8
(1d8+10)[12]-8
(1d8+10)[11]-8
(1d8+10)[18]-8
(1d8+10)[15]-8
(1d8+10)[15]-8
(1d8+10)[11]-8
(1d8+10)[14]-8

At the very least, it's therapy.

[Malak'ai]

Verossa keeps chipping away at the wall. Larger segments of stone coming away now, though there doesn't seem to be an end to how far the wall goes back.

[Wordplay]

'Malevolence. Enemy action or not, it seems malevolent to me'.

Raif makes ready to aid Verossa in chipping away at the wall, then pauses.

'We probably could mine our way out as a last resort, but before that, perhaps it might be more productive to find the source of the iron golems? It seems likely to me that wherever they're coming from was a workshop, due to their number, and workshops need convenient exits and entrances to move their goods and products'.

'As for what you call the anti-magic field...I've little idea how to find a way to shut it off, other than to search for it'.

Raif thinks for a moment.

'Master Halabur, Master Drayner, how do you think you would you go about accomplishing this through magic or other skill?' Raif gestures to the wall.

[Arranis Thelmos]

"I prepared a powerful evocation spell today, I suppose I could try blasting the boulder. I am a little worried we'd need it to face whomever blocked off our escape route though."

[Marlowe]

Verossa continues, though starts to pace herself warily [I won't make any more damage rolls, just assume she's doing the average.]. "It'll be funny if this turns out to be not a wall, but a portal into the Elemental Plane of Solid Standard Masonry. Somebody try clearing the rubble over at the other intersection, and ask our friends what they've been eating these five days."

[Wordplay]

'No, no, I meant if you were trying to create the same effect as this - that is to say cutting off our exit with a rock wall that apparently goes further back than should be possible, how would you go about doing it? For example, would you use magic or mechanical means? If we can work out how it was done, we might be able to work out how to counter it'.

'Personally, I suspect an illusion was involved...in fact...

'Is it possible that this strangeness, which Verossa called an anti-magic field, is itself an illusion?'

Raif attempts to cast Detect Magic.

[Malak'ai]

Raif:

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You go through the ritual of saying the words and doing the actions, but nothing happens. No build up of magical energy, no increase of power running through your body. Nothing.

[Malak'ai]

Taking Verossa's advice, Drayner motions to Eleanora to follow him. He heads does the hallway out into the intersection, sizing up the clearing job in front of him. "Well... Guess we better get started."

[Wordplay]

'Indeed - our magic pouches are unlikely to work within this....field...and I gave most of my spare rations to the elves'.

Well, if it is an illusion, it is a very good one. The theological implications of the alternative are disturbing. Is this a fragment of the real world to come? Or a distortion of it? A complete surrender to the fiction of this world? Yes, that must be it. A truly false lie then. Still...

Raif tries to clear his troubled mind and turn it to the task at hand. Something occurs to him...

'Actually Verossa, I'm a little bit more worried about what they've been drinking. Without magic I cannot replenish our water. Now, my waterskin is full, and I think m'Lady had some too, but that will barely last us a day. Without fresh water, we will be dead in about four days'.

Raif turns to Comsaro.

'M'Lord, have you found a supply of water?'

Raif reaches into his pack and withdraws parchment, ink and pen.

'I wonder, m'Lord, would it be possible for you to describe the areas which you have explored so far on this parchment? It would greatly aid us to get a sense of our surroundings'.

[Machuchang]

Eleanora followed closely behind Drayner, trying to do so without catching Tera's attention.

[Malak'ai]

Comsaro takes the parchment and pen and starts scribbling.
After a couple of minutes he finishes and hands it back to Raif. When you look at it, you can instantly tell that the man is no artist. The lines are rough and shaky and everything looks like it was done by a 2 year old.

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[Arranis Thelmos]

*Edited as per below post *
Halabur stands on his tippitoes to get a better look of the map. "Huh. I don't think we saw that entrance now, have we? Ought we go up back that way and explore there?"

[Malak'ai]

**Oops... I just realized that I didn't make it clear (in any way at all) that the text isn't actually on the "map", I've put that there just so you know which is the entrance and which is the exit from the room .**

[Wordplay]

Raif says 'Thank you very much m'Lord, most informative'.

'I wonder, have you tried exploring in this direction yet? Furthermore, I do not think you mentioned if you had found any water m'Lord...given our situation it is of grave concern'.

[Malak'ai]

Comsaro smiles and places a hand on Raif's shoulder, "Cut all that M'Lord dung out. I'm not a Lord, just a servant. And no, we haven't found water, or food. We had brought a few supplies with us but finished them last night."

[Wordplay]

'My thanks, Comsaro. It looks like we will run out of water tonight then, and food as well'.

Raif indicates the unexplored direction on the map.

'So what lies in this direction? Is there any reason why you haven't explored this way yet? I pray my comrades do succeed in discovering the door by which we entered, but I have my doubts about this enterprise'.

Raif picks up the errant everburning torch, and examines the flames carefully, to see if he can detect any breeze, or movement either of the flame, or the air on his own skin.

WIS Check (1d20+4)[21]

[Malak'ai]

Raif:

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The flickering of the flame stays the same except when an errant breath makes it sway.

Comsaro shakes his head, "We've been too busy fighting Tera's 'toys' to really do any exploring of this place. Even if they did not sap our energy, without the gifts Kord blesses me with, we have no way to determine what we'd face or restore ourselves if the odds were greater than we could safely handle."

Drayner and Eleanora:

As you start sifting through the rubble, removing masonry from the pile, you start seeing the path beyond is clear.
After an hour's lugging stone, you are left with a gap that could be squeezed through safely. If you were able to move the larger pieces of rock, you could widen the hole significantly.

[Wordplay]

Raif nods.

'Well, I cannot see any sign of a breeze down here either'.

'I think for now, perhaps we should focus on clearing this wall'.

Raif helps Elenora and Drayner move the rocks.

STR Check (1d20+2)[22]

While Raif helps, he talks to Comsaro.

'Forgive me if I speak out of turn, but could you tell me about your companion Tera. She seems a little different - in some ways childlike - yet at the same time I get the feeling I stand in the presence of one of the most dangerous people I have ever met'.