The Savage Tide, Part 2 (IC)

[PSinger]

Here is Rabbi Cohen's plan...

Cast freedom of movement (80 min) on self and Tom.
Cast magic vestment on self.
Cast align weapon twice, once on Skald's bow, and once on Tom's spear.
Cast troll arms on self.
As soon as we open the door, cast prayer on group - constructs are immune to the penalty.
Opening attack, cast break object. Then earth storm.
Go melee with Tom as secondary melee. Skald needs to stay at range and shoot.

Does Tom or Skald have anything to add? Are Tom and Skald both good with the plan?

[Swami Monsoon]

That sounds good.

Tom will cast Resist Energy (fire) on everyone.
He will cast Resistance on anyone who isn't already wearing a resistance item.
He will summon his elemental and then cast Fire Shield (from the spear) on himself just before entering the room.
Aura is set to Toughness.

Does Skald have any useful buffs?

[lostsole31]

Skald's buffs are more for himself and his archery. Sorry.

[PSinger]

So, here's a thought from Rabbi Cohen. What if the other two hold back just a bit while he goes in and smashes all of those damn screaming ape statues. I know he can outfly the golem so as soon as it comes out to investigate (if that's what it does) he can fall back, wait awhile, then go in again. Once we have our "real attack" against the golem, I don't want something to trip off that will get us closer to it than we want quite yet. This might take a few passes.

How does that sound?

[Swami Monsoon]

That could work, but once the golem enters the hallway it could stay there a while.

[PSinger]

"That's fine," says Eliezer. "We could wait an hour each time as a reset."

[lostsole31]

I am not going to belabor this, but handwave it. It will take practically all day long with hit-and-run, but Rabbi Cohen will finally have smashed all of the ape statues. When the party next goes in, they can go up to the entrance without any problem. Any changes to what was intended, or moving on smartly?

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom's plan for buffs, etc. is the same.

[lostsole31]

The three return to the now quiet hallway with shattered ape statues strewn about. A careful look around the corner by Skald will reveal that the door is closed. The assumption and hope is that the golem is back on the other side of the room per programming/ orders, but Rabbi Cohen knows that a Lemorian golem is not a wholly mindless construct like most golems ... though how intelligent is unknown.

Pre-Round One through Three
Tom casts resist energy (fire) on himself, then Skald, then Rabbi Cohen. Rabbi Cohen casts freedom of movement on himself and Tom, then magic vestment on himself. Skald casts a spell on himself and his features grow lean and elongated, and a pair of antlers grows from his head. Tom's aura is Toughness.

Pre-Round Four
Skald casts a spell of wisdom on himself. Rabbi Cohen casts align weapon (good) on Skald's bow. Tom casts resistance on Rabbi Cohen.

Pre-Round Five
Tom begins meditating for his servant. Skald casts a spell on himself, and his eyes grow wide and raptor like, and feathers grows on his antlered head. Rabbi Cohen casts align weapon on Tom's spear.

Pre-Round Six
Tom's winter servant arrives. He then casts fire shield on himself. Rabbi Cohen casts troll arms on himself. Skald casts a spell on his quiver.

Pre-Round Seven
Tom opens one of the doors wide as Skald opens the other door. Rabbi Cohen casts a prayer on the group.

Round One ...
R1T18: Tom, what do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Map

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[Swami Monsoon]

Tom moves a short distance into the room and then waits for the enemy to make its move...

Spoiler

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Move to the square just below and left/southwest of the number '16' on the map.
Ready action (if possible) for when target is in sight/in range
Cast Frost Fall centered on golem
Damage (2d6)[5]

[PSinger]

Whenever Lazer goes, he will continue as originally planned, even if he needs to take time with movement ... and he wants to be at a height of 25' or more.

[lostsole31]

R1T18: Tom moves into the room but enough away from the fire pit to not feel more than simple heat. He readies to drop a frost fall on the golem as soon as it comes in view.

R1T16: Skald flies in to the east away from the pit and to a height of 20'. He shoots an arrow that shatters against the golem.

R1T11: Much more focused on making sure he has a height advantage, Rabbi Cohen flies in and up to a height of 25' off the deck of the temple while being almost above Tom.

R1T10: The golem moves to intercept Skald and hits Skald with a tentacle for 11 mod. Skald shouts out in pain. "Follow my voice to northwest, Tom!"

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T18: Tom, you ready trigger wasn't tripped. Do you maintain that readied action, or do you do something else. You didn't see any of what happened between Skald and the golem (it's just put there for completeness). What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Map

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Skald on deck, Rabbi Cohen in the hole ...

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom moves toward the sound of Skald's voice...

Spoiler

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I guess I'll have to expend the rest of the round with another move action.
Tom circles around the firepit, keeping a safe distance, and moves to the square two south of Skald and one west of the lower right hand pillar.

[lostsole31]

R2T18: Tom moves towards the sound of Skald's voice. He sees the golem, still visibly damaged from the last battle and he casts frost fall right on it (10' off the ground), but this time it seems entirely unaffected!

Spoiler: Whoops!

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It was forgotten. Instead of going retro, we will credit last round's and this loss forward on the duration of your winter servant. What do you direct it to do? Note that you do not run the elemental, but give it orders. For now, your winter servant is right in front of you.

R2T16: Skald tries to break off and around, but a tentacle whallops him anyway for 11 mod. Skald flies over the top of the pit and around to the other side of the room and is now towards the ceiling (35' altitude).
R2T11: Rabbi Cohen flies along the west and then casts a spell at the golem, but his spell seems to be totally resisted by the golem.

R2T10: The golem moves forward slightly to attack the Winter Servant. A tentacle smashes into the servant for 11 mod and it is then grappled and constricted for 12 mod. It hits with its other three tentacles, and the winter servant is dispelled.

Spoiler: So, never mind.

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Yeah, so, at least that it saved you from dying, right?

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T18: Tom, well your Winter Servant saved your life, but it only lasted briefly. What do you do?

Skald on deck, Rabbi Cohen in the hole ...

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom retreats a bit and blasts the golem with a more powerful surge of cold.

Spoiler

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Move back as far as he can get and maintain line of sight (probably somewhere just right/east of the '16' by that angled corner in the wall).
Cast Ice Storm (off the spear) on golem, off center if needed, making sure not to hit Lazer or Skald.
Damage: (3d6)[12] (2d6)[11]

[lostsole31]

R3T18: Tom retreats a bit and then blasts the golem with a more powerful surge of cold. Though the spell goes off and it is storming as it was last battle, just like last battle the golem is unaffected by the spell.

Spoiler: Ice Storm

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Everywhere within that darker blue circle is in the ice storm.

R3T16: Keeping his altitude by the ceiling, Skald comes up almost to the ice storm and his Starbow shoots a lot of radiance at the golem. It takes 18 radiance damage.

R3T11: Rabbi Cohen speeds down to the ground, casts a spell and slams his hammer on the ground. A line traces up to the golem where rock and electricity blasts upwards. The golem is unaffected by the electricity, and the stones merely bounce off of it.

R3T10: Even with the ice storm raging, the golem takes 2 fire from the heat of the pit. It moves out of the ice storm and back up onto the dais, but passes close by Rabbi Cohen, who manages to slam the thing for 11 + 5 fire.

End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T18: Tom, the golem is out of your view again. You obviously don't want to go along the east because of your own ice storm. What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Map

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Skald on deck, Rabbi Cohen in the hole ...

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom moves to the other side of the room and breathes cold at the enemy...

Spoiler

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Move west/left to a spot just east/right of the SW/lower left pillar.
Breath weapon (30' line) vs. golem
Damage (3d6)[13]

[PSinger]

Rabbi Cohen concentrates and casts blessing of fervor on the group, then steps towards the golem.

Spoiler

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Concentration (1d20+13)[16], then 5' step. Take the defensive benefit. For this round, take the +2 dodge bonus to AC (and Ref saves).

[lostsole31]

R4T18: Tom moves to the other side of the room and breathes cold at the enemy. The Lemorian golem, despite its size, is not entirely taken aback and moves enough to only take 6 cold.

R4T16: Skald effectively hovering, descending only 5 feet and coming forward as much. He sends out a full volley, the first two arrows striking. The power of righteousness placed on the bow is enough to overcome the golem's stone hardness, doing 19 total.

R4T11: Rabbi Cohen tries to cast a spell defensively, but fails.

Spoiler

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He didn't need to step forward.

R4T10: The golem now unloads its fury on Rabbi Cohen. The first tentacle hits the angel in the neck for 7 mod. The next strike crits his left hand for 20 mod. A third strike just hits him in his left hand for 11 mod. The last tentacle hits him in the upper right arm for 7 mod. At no time was it able to establish a hold, courtesy of the freedom of movement spell, and the prayer likewise saved Lazer's bacon from rotting gangrene.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T18: Tom, what do you do?

Skald on deck, Rabbi Cohen in the hole ...

[Swami Monsoon]

No longer able to delay the inevitable, Tom advances on the enemy and strikes at it with his spear...

Spoiler

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Move up to left/west side of golem (just left/west of Lazer)
Attack (1d20+12)[19]
Damage (1d6+7)[12] (1d6)[6]
Current bonus is AC/saves
Attack/damage rolls include Prayer but not aligned weapon or any other buff

[PSinger]

Spoiler: Tom

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My spell failed. Blessing of fervor is not running.

Rabbi Cohen attacks the golem with precision.

Spoiler

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I did not add prayer, since I know you like to do adders like that.
Attack 1: (1d20+12)[15], damage (1d8+8)[11] + (1d6)[1] fire
Attack 1: (1d20+7)[27], damage (1d8+8)[14] + (1d6)[2] fire

[PSinger]

Critical severity roll (1d20)[19], bonus damage (3d6)[12]

[lostsole31]

R5T18: No longer able to delay the inevitable, Tom advances on the enemy. As he gets close, he gets hit in the face with a tentacle for 14 mod and is blinded from the pain! Tom continues, his foot hitting the riser of the dais' stairs and he strikes with his spear but misses. Luckily, Tom has freedom of movement running for him. Still, the strike hit Tom's fire shield and caused 8 cold.

R5T16: Skald sends out another volley. The first arrow hits for 12, the second barely lands for 11, and the third hits for 10! There are massive cracks on this thing now and it isn't moving quite right.

R5T11: Though Lazer's first strike is more exploratory, his second strike is a crit that blasts the chest of the golem and it shatters and falls to rubble on the top of the dais.

You have finally defeated the great temple guardian!!! Still, there is a danger ... Tom, roll a Fort save against the rotting effect of the tentacle's strike!

[lostsole31]

A small crucible stands on the dais. Likely used to make offerings to the Prince of Demons, the crucible contains ashes and charred bits of pulverized bone. In the bottom of the crucible lies a ring that Lazer detects magic from (a faint-to-moderate abjuration). After a little study, he determines that it is a ring of protection +2.

Also, the flame now gutters out in the fire pit now that the golem is destroyed. Nothing remains of Amella or her gear, not even really ash so completely was she destroyed and "cooked off."

Are there any takers for the ring? Skald, of course, is interested; Rabbi Cohen has no comparable item; Tom's ring is a +1 ring.

[PSinger]

Rabbi Cohen says, "Against evil opponents, if pressed and willing to give up access to lesser spells, I can bring an aura of holiness about myself that will protect as well as that ring. But only against evil opponents and only if I'm willing to cause havoc with helpful spells. Still, that protection is afforded me. I say Skald, for his prodigious shooting, and to help assuage the loss of his eye sometime back, should get the ring.

"Tom, you have a ring of this type, though not as powerful. Have you a problem with that?"

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom has no problem with that.

[PSinger]

Rabbi Cohen hands the helpful ring to Skald. "May this protect you for a long time to come."

[lostsole31]

DENOUEMENT

Rabbi Cohen leads a brief eulogy for Amella Venkalie over the now cooling fire pit. Instead of level grinding the place, in his wisdom he and Skald agree that the three of you should leave this place to the elements.

With the destruction of the Lemorian golem, the power of the temple shatters. A terrible oppressive aura fades, and over the course of the next several days, Fogmire reverts to normal jungle and swamp. The fog is the first to fade, and by the time the PCs emerge from the shrine, it has burned off completely. Monstrous predators soon infest the region, but the unholy influence of Gaping Maw over this portion of the Isle of Dread never returns.

With Tavey rescued, he is battered and bruised and refuses to speak of his time in captivity. From this point onward, the young cabin boy is more reserved and quiet. His enthusiasm for the isle has vanished, and he can sometimes be seen staring off into the distance and shuddering.

When the PCs emerge from the shrine to Demogorgon, they are enthusiastically greeted by Shouting Tree, Avner Meravanchi (surprisingly), and even Tavey, and they were waiting for you outside. With the fog lifted, it's a relatively simple matter to head south, and by the end of a day's march, the PCs are rewarded with a wide trail. Skald notes that this is no mere game trail -- it's a poorly-maintained, but nonetheless recently used trail running northwest to southeast. Rabbi Cohen recognizes the trail from descriptions that Urol had given him, and informs the PCs that it leads to the friendly village of Tanaroa to the southeast.

[lostsole31]

SEGUE

The group is busy dealing with the strange monsters of this land. First is a flock of three terror birds, a day later is a pack of six deinonychuses, and finally another terror lizard - similar to the one you fought on the beach when you first got to the Isle of Dread. Though all battles are pitched, yet the party prevails without a loss and making sure the colonists are all safe. Meanwhile, young Tavey Nesk has been growing quickly and doing a good job of growing under Shouting Tree's tutelage.

Eventually, the group reach the end of the trail at a fifty-foot-high wall of stone that blocks the trail. This wall stretches across the two-mile-wide isthmus entirely, but a pair of massive wooden gates in the center allow passage. As the PCs approach, the Tanaroan villagers who guard the wall issue a challenge. The villagers can understand a few words of Common, but Rabbi Cohen's "truespeech" really makes communication, though there is still the fact he acts as an intermediary. With Tom's help (it seems he resembles a figure of an ancient protector), Rabbi Cohen does a phenomenal job with his Diplomacy, calming the natives. Though they immediately offer safe passage, Rabbi Cohen wisely recommends to see the chieftain.

The Tanaroans realize that the colonist group are outlanders and come to the conclusion that you are looking for Farshore. After allowing the group a bit of time to rest, a few select villagers escort the PCs to the village of Mora 30 miles to the south. From there, the group is put into a number of simple canoes and taken to the colony of Farshore.

As the PCs approach the colony, it becomes obvious that trouble is afoot. Even before the PCs sight the walls of Farshore, they spot plumes of smoke rising in the air. Screams and the unmistakable sounds of battle reach the PCs ears, and as they grow closer, they recognize Lavinia's ship, the Blue Nixie, docked at one of several piers along with multiple smaller ships. Yet there is one ship that does not belong, a rugged-looking caravel with red sails and a crimson Jolly Roger flying from its main mast - the pirates of the Crimson Fleet have come to Farshore, and their attack is under way!

Spoiler: OOC

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This is a cut scene, not a decision point or even an RP point.