Mariners of the Red Tornado

[BlueWizard]

Iyapo holds his ground and unleashes his breath upon the nearest fish and surrounding Skum. The water is boiled, and the Skum are killed in mass in the area, the aboleth is only minorly effected. Iyapo jets out of the water and up above Ramose.

Ramose casts bear's endurance on himself, and holds his ground above the Skum.

Zhako decides to retreat up the rope...

Jondalar casts Fly and jets into the air as well!

Baka holds his shot... as do Ghedi and Manu.

The aboleth create more illusory darkness, and sink to the darkness. The many remaining Skum swarm up and begin to pull and bash at Ramose. He does feel a little poked and battered by the many beasts. He will also see the lower end of the rope has been grappled. Those on the rope will soon have to make hold checks to stay on the rope for lower Skum are begining to grab the rope and swim about with it. {Currently that only effects Ramose and Zhako.}

The archers each pick off Skum as they rise to the top, but Ramose is still surrounded.

End Round 2------------------------------------------>

Initiatives:
Iyapo 12+4
Ramose 13+2
Zhako
Jondalar 5+0
Baka 10+4
Ghedi
Manu
Aboleths and their Skum

[Fredricus]

Iyapo

Iyapo sees Ramose swarmed by the skum and unleashes his fiery breath on the skum surrounding Ramose

Spoiler

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(4d6)[10] fire damage, DC 21 ref half. Aboleth gets burned (1d6)[3](1 turn remaining) + (1d6)[5](2 turns remaining)

[Rapscallion]

Jondalar will launch a lightning bolt into the Skum surrounding Ramrose. his spell will come in and hit the mass but not in a direction that would encompass Ramrose.

[Toxic Avenger]

Ramose

Somewhat surprised at how quickly the Skum were able to surround him, Ramose sighs as he makes a few cuts at his assailants while keeping an eye open for a path that leads upward.

Spoiler

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OOC: Full attack (3 BAB into PA) and a 5 foot 'step' upward, if possible.

For attack and damage rolls, the enhancement bonus of the sword needs to be added in, and I don't know what it is, so...

1st Attack: (1d20+15)[35]
Damage: (1d8+18)[21]

2nd Attack: (1d20+10)[30]
Damage: (1d8+18)[26]

AC: 28 // HP: 103/85 // Fort: +15 // Ref: +12 // Will: +18

Freedom of Movement
Protection from Evil, 10' radius

{OOC: Holy Crap! TWO natural 20's! I'll do the crit confirmation in the OOC thread...}

[Nomad5]

Baka

Baka continues to try and pick off skum as they come up to Ramose. For a moment he considers diving in to help him but knows that this will just make retreat more difficult. "Ramose, call if you need help on the line." He watches Iyapo's powerful breath wash across the rising skum. "Jondalar, try to reach the abominations."

Spoiler

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AC: 24 HP:63
Buffs: Bull's Strength
Bonuses: Recitation(+2/+0), Aquatic Enemy(+1,+1)
Feats: Point Blank(+1/+1), Rapid Shot (-2), Precise Shot

Attack#1: (1d20+17)[34] CritHit#1: (1d20+17)[19]
Dmg#1: (1d8+5)[11] Crit#1: (1d8+5)[13]

Attack#2: (1d20+17)[26] CritHit#2: (1d20+17)[29]
Dmg#2: (1d8+5)[8] Crit#2: (1d8+5)[7]

Attack#3: (1d20+10)[18] CritHit#3: (1d20+10)[21]
Dmg#3: (1d8+5)[12] Crit#3: (1d8+5)[10]

[BlueWizard]

Iyapo will burn and fries many more skum in the lake, and the dead will sink to the lake-floor.

Ramose hacks away as more skum attack him, after the heat dissipates. These aboleths had a city of these slave-skum it seemed! He can only do so much with two arms.

Zhako is at the top of the rope now and watches as the more powerful tend to business below.

Jondalar kills many more as he accurately targets a mass of skum near Ramose.

Baka kills a couple of more skum.

Ghedi and Manu aid, but to just a little effect.

The skum pull and attack Ramose, but seem to do little against his armor. They still swarm, and Ramose sees only more coming! They rise from the darkness by the dozens!

End Round 3------------------------->

Initiatives:
Iyapo 12+4
Ramose 13+2
Zhako
Jondalar 5+0
Baka 10+4
Ghedi
Manu
Aboleths and their Skum

[Fredricus]

Iyapo

Iyapo continues to flame the swarm of Skum around Ramose and himself.
"We should attack the Aboleths instead, it would break the skum"

Spoiler

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(4d6)[17] fire damage, ref 21 half. Aboleth (1d6)[3] + (1d6)[5](round remaining) fire damage

[Toxic Avenger]

Ramose

"I agree, but I think we might need a boost of speed if we're to catch them..." Ramose replies as he continues his assault on the Skum who are grabbing at the rope.

Spoiler

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OOC: Full attack (2 BAB into PA) and a 5 foot move, if necessary.

1st Attack: (1d20+16)[29] (+Sword Bonus)
Damage: (1d8+16)[17] (+Sword Bonus)

2nd Attack: (1d20+11)[28] (+Sword Bonus)
Damage: (1d8+16)[24] (+Sword Bonus)

AC: 28 // HP: 103/85 // Fort: +15 // Ref: +12 // Will: +18

Freedom of Movement
Protection from Evil, 10' radius

[BlueWizard]

Iyapo boils the skum good this time with his steamy breath! The skum drop by the dozens to the dark water!

Ramose hacks at a couple more, and as Jondalar sees the skum retreat and he can hold his spell.

The skum swim into the darkness below and the Aboleth seem to have halted their first assault.

End Combat-------------------------->

After a minute Ramose will see that the lake has calmed, but everyone knows more lurks below. No sign of Atal can be seen, and it is not likely he survived a swarm on his own.

The group all will be able to get into the lake with no trouble now.

[Nomad5]

Baka

Why the reprieve? They could have thrown more of the skum at us and overwhelmed us.

"Quick down the rope. We have nowhere to go but forward." Baka continues his guard as everyone lowers to the water. He quickly lowers himself down to the water. After securing the rope he quaffs his potion, draws his spear, and looks to the others.

[BlueWizard]

The group is able to move down into the underground lake, and everyone can see the pitch black 20 feet below. Even Ramose's light will not be able to penetrate this Deep, evil darkness.

[Rapscallion]

Jondalar


"Maybe they are pulling back to their place of power and await us there with more powerfull numbers. Sound tactics according to my father and evil is cowardly."


Jondalar will test his power of Daylight on the darkness.

[Fredricus]

Iyapo

"A straight fight is for fools and the enemy knows it. What's your strength worth if you can't use it to the fullest?" he said as he spied forth in the darkness

Spoiler

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The fire burning the Aboleth finally looses it's grip on it. (1d6)[3] fire damage and free off entangle

[Nomad5]

Baka

"I am not a strategist for battles. This is their lair, but if we cannot see them, then they probably cannot see us. We have some potions of invisibility that could aid us as well. We could try for stealth but will likely have to face them eventually."

"I believe the young Iyapo is right. If we can kill the Aboleths, the skum will fall or scatter. But this will not be easy. I can think of no surprises to release on them that won't result in a face-to-face battle. They have every advantage. We could explore the two near temples on the east and west. They may not be able to follow into a smaller area. But then we may just trap ourselves in."

[BlueWizard]

Zhako agrees with Jondalar and warily looks into the water."I'm stickin' close to Brother Ramose."

Daylight will help light up the underwater darkness, but it is difficult, and you can see that it is near equal and strange magic.

There are two sets of ruins that can be made out. Massive buildings from the layout that might've housed giants. The tops look ruined, but it appears they may have the lower levels still intact deeper into the darkness.

One is more intact than the other.

All the map says here is 'Look to the Temple of Death.'

[Nomad5]

Baka

With the help of the light Baka will point out anything he can see that looks significant on either of the temples, carvings, statues, etc. "Ramose, do you recognize any symbols of Death on these ruins? Anything that could lead to one or the other?"

[Fredricus]

Iyapo

Iyapo ponders on something "You say this darkness isn't natural, but caused by some magic?" he asked. Iyapo hadn't yet grasped the concept of magic. His abilities he saw as natural but those off others confused him.

He then concentrated and his eyes shone dimly white

Spoiler

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(1d20+8)[20] dispel magic

[BlueWizard]

With Iyapo's dispel clearing out a small part of the light, Ramose is able to decipher some of the ancient markings on these large buildings.

Ramose will notice that both are related to evil, but the symbols are ancient and almost unheard of. It will take him a moment, but he can see the mostly ruined building is some sort of academy of Death. The building was huge!

The bottom could still not be seen. There are areas that seem powerfully dark lower in the lake.

The other building was dedicated to Necromantic arts, and probably housed many undead at one time. Many evil crypts kept them as guardians.

Both were temples, but non-human temples. The writing was strange and wavy. Ghedi gasps when he is finally aware of what is happening below, and in the water. He is frightened, and almost scared to read it. "The language of the Aboleths...The fish beings. Ancient, ancient, ancient... I can read this... but I dare not say it aloud. The temples are covered with incantations of summoning...demons of death. The other summons creatures of undeath."

The intact 'undeath' temple was two stories higher, and littered with the debris from the ruins of the other.

Ramose would have to do closer research to determine what gods these were dedicated to, but concepts were worshiped, and Death, Lust, and Power, and are legitimate sources of divine power. Ra tried to balance these things a little more.

[Rapscallion]

Jondalar


"Finally something broke our way." Jondalar will muse over the temple writings. (Knowledge: religion +5)

[BlueWizard]

Jondalar won't be able to decipher more than Ramose or Ghedi.

Jondalar will sense great evil magic coming from deeper in the lake... and this is with only his knowledge arcana.

[Toxic Avenger]

Ramose

After examining the runes and taking in the scene, Ramose repeats what the map says. "Look to the Temple of Death. Hmm...somehow, I'm guessing that just looking to it won't be enough. No, that would be too easy. That means we're going inside this one, then."

He holds out his orb of light to whomever will take it as he adds, "Whoever wants one, take it. We could use some more light yet, and I still have a few more of these." If anyone takes him up on the offer, then Ramose produces another glowing orb from his backpack before moving toward the nearest entrance to the Temple of Death. "Onward, then. We're running out of time."

[BlueWizard]

Ghedi, Manu, and Zhako will take orbs of daylight as you all swim towards the darkness.

The daylight orbs project out 20 feet into the darkness, but no shading beyond or dimlight beyond. This is a powerful darkness. At 40 feet down this darkness effect and evil takes place.

The ruined building has a giant stone door entrance on the lake floor... the area by the door is swirling in darkness, that the daylight can't penetrate. Great evil radiates from this area, and all of you suffer for it. {-2 to all actions, no save}

Lurking in the shadows are the telepathic fish-voices of the large beasts. They probe your minds for any thing they can get. You can tell by the swirling dust under the water that the skum passed by not long before... it looks like in every direction.

The large stone door to the Temple of Death is open. But, so is the Temple of Undeath's door.

The top of the ruined temple is too smashed to provide an entrance, and closer examination will have to be made for roof access of the Temple of Death.

The Temple of Undeath seems quite intact and foreboding, as it rises high above you as you descend into the deep waters of the lake, far out of the reach of the rope. You will go 100 feet before you reach the ground. These buildings are large!

[Toxic Avenger]

Ramose

The sun priest recites a simple prayer before taking a more thorough look at the the roof of the Temple of Death.

{OOC: Detect Magic}

[Nomad5]

Baka

Baka recites a prayer in his head as he feels his anxiety rise being in the open near these temples after the Aboleth attack. I hope you are not lost to us Atal. Being turned in Skum seems like a grim fate indeed. I do not want to free you by burying my spear in your heart.

His frustration starts to show through. "Is it a riddle? Look to the Temple of Death? Are there any other symbols or significant features on the map?" We have risked much and lost much. Do not force a hasty decision now to lose it all. "How long has the sceptre been here? Could there be markings on the temple to show its presence?"

[BlueWizard]

Ramose will see no magic up on the ruined roof, but will sense magic from the darkness swirling in front of the main entrance below, and in the darkness all around him. It is powerful darkness, but Ra was at least lighting the area around His orbs. The group could see each other.

From what the ship has gathered over the course of adventure, the sceptre has been there perhaps for a few thousand years. These temples under the lake are a lot older, they are somehow protected from water-wear by magic residue which Ramose also detects. Their age is impossible for Ramose or any of you to tell, for it is on scale with eons, and more powerful methods of magic would be needed to find the age of these aboleth temples.

Ramose will see some movement among the rubble on the roof, perhaps some hiding skum?

[Toxic Avenger]

Ramose

Not knowing if the movement was spotted by anyone else, Ramose gets the attention of those around him. "See that? Something's on the roof over there..." He says as he nods toward the appropriate direction.

Suddenly wondering if the obvious movement could be a diversion on the part of the Skum, Ramose makes a quick glance in all other directions.

[Rapscallion]

Jondalar

Jondalar will ready a lightning ray (schorching ray w/electricity) and gaze upwards at the movement.

[BlueWizard]

There are indeed skum lurking on the roof of rubble. It is clear there was probably at least another whole level that is gone, but it would've been equal to a 4 story building. The aboleths are huge.

The Skum will swarm if you move on them. Likely Jondalar can scatter them again with his powerful magic.

[Fredricus]

Iyapo

"We should take car of the skum now before they become a problem" he said determined

[Rapscallion]

Jondalar


Jondalar will quickly recast fireball without energy substitution.

"You have time to duck ?" and casts the small glowing orb up towards the Skum and then it arcs into their midsts. "this should be good."