Othniel's Tyrant's Grasp I

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

Gilbert swung his hammer, and the second tooth fairy exploded into a beautiful (but horrid smelling) cloud of sparkling white fairy dust, coating himself and Henrietta. The final fairy shrieked at the death of its friend and took off at full speed away from the castle.

Spoiler: OOC

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The second tooth fairy explodes into a cloud of glittering white fairy dust, which clings to Gilbert and Henrietta. It smells so foul that it sickens you for 2 rounds, unless you pass a fortitude save. The remaining fairy takes one look at the gooey remains of one compatriot on the ground and then at the cloud of white dust and takes off for parts unknown.

You loot two sets of thieves tools.

[CockroachTeaParty]

When it looked like the coast was clear, Cotyledon crossed the bridge as quickly as safety allowed.

"I am truly not fond of fey. I don't understand what they are doing in the Dead Roads in the first place. Was anyone badly hurt? I have plenty of healing magic available."

Seeing a smattering of minor injuries, she clasped her hands together as a golden glow radiated outward. While not completely healing the worst of the damage, it soothed lingering pain and reduced inflammation.

(Healing everybody 2 hp from a channel energy)

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

"Ah, that soothes a bit. Thanks Coty."

Taking the time to luxuriate a little bit in the healing, Henrietta then turned to the party's slayer.

"Check the door real quick, please, Bellas?"

[zabbarot]

"Thanks! Let's head in then? I don't like being out in the open on this precarious bridge." Gilbert moved to head inside so they could keep going up.

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

They found that the door to the upper level of the palace was stuck. Henrietta was in front, so it was up to her to provide egress.

Spoiler: OOC

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Gonna need a strength check to pull upon the stuck door. And as you are distracted by the 30' drop, you're going to have to roll. If you fail by 5 or more, I'll need an acrobatics check to avoid falling.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

Henrietta reared back her leg and aimed a kick squarely at the doorknob.

Spoiler: Actions

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Strength: (1d20+2)[13]

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

The door made a brief (but rather awful) scraping sound as it swung inward, and Henrietta could see that she'd slightly bent the door knob, but the group had gained entry, finally. A hallway stretched across the entire front length of the level, and scattered around were a few crude nests no doubt belonging to the tooth fairies they'd just tangled with. Another door sat near the western end leading north.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

Henrietta looked back at the others.

"Well, I'm pretty sure our target's through the door in the next room. We still trying to talk our way out of this, or are we just charging in?"

[PepperP.]

Bellas narrowed her eyes at the door menacingly.

"Oh I suppose we can talk first, but I'm in a nasty mood at the moment. Somebody else should do the talking."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

"Well, it ain't me neither."

She looked to the others.

"Anyone else? No? Well then..."

Channeling her powers for the first time in front of everyone, Henrietta moved up to the door, proceeded to cast a spell on herself, then flung it open.

Spoiler: Actions

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Henrietta moves to the door to the next room, casts Divine Favor on herself, then flings it open. If it is locked, she will try to kick it open.

Strength: (1d20+2)[13]

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

The door gave way to Henrietta and she beheld a room seemingly bereft of any living creatures. Strips of loose wallpaper in the once-elegant salon were held into place by teeth jammed into the walls like makeshift staples. A folding dressing screen was patterned with lively scenes of a fat tooth fairy blessing subjects with a wooden scepter. A dressmaker’s dummy leaned against it, wrapped in tulle and silk. A door led south and another led east.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Has anyone wondered whether we actually did die, and this is Hell?"

Cotyledon idly asked as she scanned the area for any sign of MAGYQUE

(COTY CASTS DETECT MAGIC YO)

[PepperP.]

"Only about fifty times since I woke up in that coffin." Bellas moved into the room warily scanning for traps, magic and invisible creatures.

Spoiler: ooc

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checking for traps, magic and using spirit sense to check for invis creatures. (+2)

[zabbarot]

"I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to deserve hell. Were you sinners?" Gilbert stared at the decorations with morbid curiosity. "East?" He gestured at the eastern door and moved to open it, if no one objected.

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

Coty's spell pinged a point before them - on the dressmaker's dummy, in fact. And as Bellas moved forward, the dummy twitched.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Oh, that dummy over there is magical! It's quite likely another construct. There have been an unusual amount of those here."

Cotyledon stayed well behind the more killy members of the party and let them deal with the problem like whaaat?

[zabbarot]

"We definitely don't need another magic dummy." Gilbert approached it cautiously with his hammer ready in case it did anything cagey.

[PepperP.]

"Was I a sinner....?" Bellas thought of the absurdity of the question for a moment.

"Depends on the god, I suppose." She pulled out her long curved blade and followed Gilbert warily.

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

The party's suspicions were proved true, though it was not the dummy that animated, but the dressing screen. The furnishing folded up toddled over to Gilbert, and attempted to bludgeon the poor fellow with a hideous tongue that appeared out of nowhere, but one of the screen's legs caught on the base of the dummy and the strike went wide.

Spoiler: When Dressing Screens Attack!

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The screen (M on the map) 5' steps and attempts to thwack Gilbert, but rolls a natural 1.

Spoiler: Knowledge (Dungeoneering): Bellas, Coty, Gilbert, Vesper

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You all immediately know what this is. Rather than an animated object, it is a mimic!

Mimics are thought to be the result of an alchemist’s attempt to grant life to an inanimate object through the application of an eldritch reagent, the recipe for which is long lost. Over time, these strange but clever creatures have learned the ability to transform themselves into simulacra of man-made objects, particularly in locations that have infrequent traffic by small numbers of creatures, thus increasing their odds of successfully attacking their victims.

Though mimics are not inherently evil, some sages believe that mimics attack humans and other intelligent creatures for sport rather than merely for sustenance. The desire to completely fool others is thought to be a part of their being, and their surprise attacks against others are a culmination of those desires.

A typical mimic has a volume of 150 cubic feet (5 feet by 5 feet by 6 feet) and weighs about 900 pounds. Legends and tales speak of mimics of much greater sizes, with the ability to assume the form of houses, ships, or entire dungeon complexes that they festoon with treasure (both real and false) to lure unsuspecting food within.

You know that mimics are immune to acid and have a sticky tongue they use to grapple their prey.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

In answer to Coty's question, Henrietta replied.

"Off and on. For a while I thought I was really dead. But for whether or not this is hell, well... seeing everything that's gone on has made me think 'bout luck a lot. Certainly I don't think if it were hell I would have finally made that breakthrough in casting -"

Further conversation was cut off as the mimic revealed itself. Moving forward, Henrietta swung her glaive toward it, her attacks now imbued with divine magic.

Spoiler: Actions

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My attacks are boosted by Fate's Favored and Divine Favor.

Attack: (1d20+8)[19]
Damage: (1d10+6)[11]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Cotyledon kept her distance, but nevertheless placed a hex upon the treacherous creature.

Spoiler: OOC

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Evil Eye time! DC 14 Will save or take a -2 to AC for 6 rounds, 1 round if it makes the save.

[zabbarot]

"I take it back. I would have preferred the dummy." Gilbert swung his hammer down at the mimic.

Spoiler: action

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To-hit (1d20+8)[23]
Damage (3d6+7)[23]

[Nefarion Xid]

Vesper took up position in the doorway and threaded a trio of cards through the crowd to the dummy.

Spoiler: Rapid, Deadly Aim, Full Attack. Point Blank.

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(1d20+2)[15] attack 1
(1d4+4)[8]

(1d20+2)[13] attack 2
(1d4+4)[6]

(1d20+2)[3] attack 3
(1d4+4)[8]

[PepperP.]

"Mimic? Huh." Bellas seemed almost impressed.

"That's not something you see everyday." She slashed at the unusual creature even as she spoke.

Spoiler: ooc

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(1d20+7)[16]
Damage
(1d10+5)[10]

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

The mimic died swiftly, leaving the adventurers unharmed. Knocked off the shoulder of the clothing dummy, Coty discovered a second magical pauldron that seemed to match the first which they'd found in the tomb. Nothing else in the room detected as magical, but the door to the east remained untried.

Spoiler: OOC

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You find a second Pauldron of the Serpent, completing the set (except they have hearts to match the theme of Roslar.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

Henrietta moved up to the door to the east and listened at it.

Spoiler: Actions

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Take 10 on Perception at the door for a total of 18.

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

Spoiler: Henrietta

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You faintly hear the sound of a voice instructing someone else to attack "when they come in the door."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta

Henrietta turned back and hissed in a low voice at the others.

"Sounds like our target is on the other side, and they're not friendly. I just heard them saying to attack the instant we come through."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Henrietta... again

Taking a deep breath, Henrietta cast a spell on herself once again.

"<Shield of faith.>"

She then turned back to the group. "Gilbert? With me."

She then raised her leg and smashed it into the door.

Spoiler: Actions

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Take 10 on a Strength check for a total of 12 to smash open the door.

[Othniel]

Palace of Teeth

With the splintering crack of the door jamb, Henrietta barged into the throne room. The lofty hall she found herself in had two alcoves to the east, each bearing a standing suit of spiky armor. Several teeth were affixed to the armors’ visors, forming a grin on one armor and a scowl on the other. A large throne stood between them, with mounds of tattered pillows heaped upon its seat. There was no other visible exit from the room. Upon the throne sat a bulbous shape - a tooth fairy with an insectile abdomen, legs, and wings: Queen Carnassial.

"So, my pusillanimous son, Uspid, has sent assassins!" she shouted at the top of her shrill little voice, drawing herself up and clutching her scepter. "You will not find me easy prey!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Bellas and Vesper win initiative. Q is Queen Carnassial, and S is Skritcher, an esobok psychopomp similar to what you fought in top of the guard tower.

Spoiler: Queen Carnassial

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