Shattered Star: The Asylum Stone [IC]

[Tippnick]

Iluvar stares at the man and his eyes begin to water.

Spoiler: fort save vs smell

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Fort save
(d20+11)[28]

[DrK]

Akif

Akif looks at the man, and shakes his head. "What is that stench? I have smelled ghasts that are more aromatic than you" he mutters looking to his brother with some surprise

Spoiler: Fort Save

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(1d20+22)[27]

[lostsole31]

Tunuak grins, seeing as everyone (incl. the NPCs) resisted being overcome by the smell. "Biological defense. You all passed. It might be unpleasant, but you won't have to worry about it - other than the olfactory annoyance - for the rest of the day."

[Qazgir]

"How intriguing" Sisir says, before turning to his brother and speaking in Giant, "what an interesting new companion Myki has found us."

[lostsole31]

Myki screws up her face in confusion (and lingering disgust from the spell) and looks at the Scribe, who simply just shakes his head slowly.

"Let us enter," says the Scribe. "Tunuak, you stay behind us as we will need you to advance for healing matters."

The group enters the Therassic Spire and the librarian is overcome by the smell she goes ahead to clear out her fellow librarians to give a wide stench-berth for the party to get through and enter the ancient, cracked, long, winding, irregular passage.

On the passage nearing that first room, does anyone prepare any long-term buffs (i.e., 10 min/ level or longer)? Sisir, what psychofrackitses do you set up with whom?

[Tippnick]

"I am ready to go as soon as you finish any prepatory spells.", Iluvar says to the group at large.

[DrK]

Akif

Akif looks at his brother, grimace on his face at the stench. [in giant] "Most of the companions we have met here have been unusual, it has been an illuminating quest in these foreign lands" [/giant]. At mention of the biological defence he shakes his head "An unusual response to stress" he replies and nods towards the way forward walking alongside their smelly guide.

Spoiler: OOC

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No spells cast for Akif

[Qazgir]

"Please, allow me to impart a defensive measure before we continue," Sisir says as he reaches out to his companions one by one.

Spoiler: Psychofrackitses

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Sisir will impart the following Tricks if allowed:
Akif - Mask Misery
Iluvar - Mask Misery
Scribe - Mesmeric Mirror
Myki - Mask Misery
Tunuak - Compel Alacrity

[lostsole31]

The party winds up in the room where there was the strange blob security defense that has the door. Myki checks the door clear and nods to Akif to open the door, which ostensibly he does, revealing a 30'-long passageway (5' wide) heading to the east before it seems to curve away to the northeast.

Meanwhile, 15 down on both sides (north and south) are two doors.

Akif, you are in front. What do you do?

[DrK]

Akif looks suspiciously at the corridor then with a sigh walks up to where the doors and pauses to listen at the North and South door. If he doesn't hear anything he'll make some room for Myki and nod, "friend Myki, could you check that there is nothing untowards on the doors?"

[lostsole31]

Myki nods after she looks over the doors.

[DrK]

With Myki’s nod Akif leans the spear against the wall beside the door and with shield held in front of him goes to forcefully push open the door, a brief ”Make ready!” to the rest before he throws it open…

[lostsole31]

Ummm ... which door? There are two facing doors ... one each to north and south.

[DrK]

Akif looks between the two doors and after a seconds pause wrenches open the door to the north,

Spoiler: OOC

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Apologies, I was going to start with the North door.

[lostsole31]

Dusty, decomposing red drapes hang from this room’s ceiling, and tall iron candle holders stand in each of the chamber’s corners. Inlaid into the floor in wide, iridescent lines is a circle of runes, its center filled by a seven-pointed star. Floating above the chamber's center is a disembodied head of a snake, weeping multicolored tears.

[DrK]

Akif pauses in the doorway looking at the unusual creature and the runes before stepping further down the corridor to make some space, ”a strange creature and glowing runes, I do not what this is.”

[lostsole31]

Myki is not currently holding a light source (despite being a lamplighter for the city, so The Scribe moves forward with the fire-light offered by his flaming ranseur.

He studies it for a bit and then says, "So, that head belongs to a 'couatl,' a creature who comes from beyond our world, but most of whom have spent so much time on it that they are as if born to it, and so they must eat ... usually the same food as snakes. They are usually servants of deities of righteousness and justice, though some operate independently of any greater being. Their name itself in an ancient Azlanti simply means 'serpent.' Ancient peoples strongly associated couatls with wind, war, agriculture, and the morning star.

"What bothers me is that it is a disembodied head over what is obviously some type of magic circle in the form of the Sihedron - enscribed onto the floor. Though not a trap, per se, yet I am sure that any creature entering this room will be a living catalyst that triggers the summoning circle so that the bound couatl will be taken from durance vile and brought forth. Given the symbols I see, it doesn't matter its own morality, for it seems that being trapped by a calling like this, it may prove that it is bound by magic to attack whomever summoned it, that is, the person who came into the room and in turn finished the binding."

[DrK]

Akif listens curiously and peeks into the room at the floating head. "Maybe something for later then my friends?" he watches it carefully and instead, after moving his spear from the north door to beside the south door gently opens the southern door instead, curious to see if more heads and summoning circles will lie beyond.

[Tippnick]

Iluvar comes up to look in the room with the floating head. He will look at the creature and use his Deathwatch Eyes to determine if the creature is undead. "If it undead, I say we destroy it.", says Iluvar as he moves to view it.

[Qazgir]

At Iluvar's statement Sisir will shrug, "that is acceptable to me, otherwise, unless one of us wishes to investigate it further, I will agree with my brother and say we move along."

[lostsole31]

The Scribe solves it by shutting the door and then trading places with Akif. He and Myki check the southern door safe.

Now what?

[DrK]

As everyone seems happy enough Akif will open the southern door.

[lostsole31]

This chamber contains several grooved stone tables of various sizes, and the floor slopes gradually toward several large drains. The ceiling is obscured by what appears to be a woven mesh of spiked metal chains suspended eight feet overhead, while a few gray robes and cloaks still hang on the wall to the east of the door. Also inside are a trio of creepy-looking women. Wickedly barbed chains adorn their lean figures, and gaps in the bindings reveal deathly pale flesh etched with jagged scars.

Despite their look, they smile to Akif. Very warmly and enthusiastically they wave him in, "Welcome, warrior. I am Nili, and these are my sisters Nezhi and Nahi. We have been trapped in this chamber for millenia. We once were given what were needed for our work, but that stopped an eternity ago, and we have existed in his chamber in boredom. You, mighty warrior, have freed us."

[lostsole31]

The Scribe touches Akif's shoulder to switch places with him so he can see. He concentrates, then looks in, his eyes glowing silver.

Then he simply shuts the door. "Those are kytons, evil creatures created by Zon-Kuthon with uncanny control over the chains in the ceiling. I would rather just make them come get us or leave us alone, rather than us step in where they have the advantage to control the chains hanging in the ceiling. Agreed?"

[DrK]

Akif looks at the room, at the chains and the strange women He listens to the Scribe and nods, "Not the women I would choose to have fun with to be sure." he adds grabbing the spear back in hand from where he'd left it on the wall.

"Ladies... stay there he adds as the Scribe closes the door on them

[lostsole31]

CORR: The above post did NOT happen as noted by the player. This is the correction.

---

Akif looks at the door, thinking of the chains and strange women he briefly saw as he listens to the Scribe and nods. "Not the women I would choose to have fun with to be sure." he adds, grabbing the spear back in hand from where he'd left it on the wall.

As the party gets ready to continue, he says a sort of hopeful prayer, "Ladies... stay there."

Fifteen feet to the east, the corridor curves in a sort of concave north-and-east pattern for some 20' before righting itself again to the east and revealing a long passage going some 45' before curving off again. Akif gets near a door to the south ... and there are a couple other doors along this passage as well.

Myki doesn't sense anything amiss with that southern door.

[lostsole31]

The Scribe mentions a new tactic. Because of the tight passages and long passages, at least for the time being, Akif should relinquish door duty and instead take a vanguard position just east against any unknown dangers that may scramble your way. Akif agrees and moves off a little.

"Sisir, you are extremely well-defended as well - especially against hardened surprise attacks," says The Scribe, "are you willing to take over door duty?"

[DrK]

Akif nods to the scribe heading past the doors and keeps an eye out, as he waits he does glance back at the others, ”does it worry you all having those creatures behind us? They haven’t pursued us yet but that doesn’t mean they won’t soon.”

[lostsole31]

"Pfft," Myki says in a soft voice. "They have to deal with Tunuak's stench if they do."

[Qazgir]

Sisir will nod, and move to the head of the party. He focuses for a moment, picturing a warrior ready to fight, raises his shield, and opens the southern door.

Spoiler: Action!

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Cast Anticipate Peril on Sisir.