Through the Portal

[MorkaisChosen]

Barag crouches slightly, watching the bats fighting the crystal... thing. Rapier in hand, he waits to see if they can handle themselves against the creature, ready to leap into combat if they seem to be outmatched.

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Basically delaying unless a bat dies, in which case charge!

[Admiral Squish]

Oggy sees the bats attacking the crystal, and decides to fire through the bats to hopefully catch the crystal off-guard.

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Attack: (1d20+10)[16](26)
Damage: (1d8+4)[4](8)
Shock: (1d6)[1](1)
Attack: (1d20+10)[17](27)
Damage: (1d8+4)[7](11)
Shock: (1d6)[2](2)
Note: The extra +1 to attack and damage is from point-blank shot, which I just realized I haven't been counting. Remove it if he's moved outside of 30 feet.

[Psionic Dog]

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Crystal AoO - (1d20+10)[22] (1d4+6)[8]

Bat1 Attack - (1d20+5)[8] (1d8+4)[10]
Bat2 Attack - (1d20+3)[10] (1d8+4)[7]

The lead bat squeezes into the room and around the crystal to attack, and a second bat (and the croc) squeeze into the spot the first bat vacated. Mr Crystal jabs the lead bat hard, and it takes another 8 damage, before DR. That bat isn't particularly hurt. Both bats miss, as does the corc (partially from being squeezed by the bat, partial because of the crystal's cover. Oggy's first shot also misses among the squeeze of bodies, but his second strikes true and chips away another piece of the creature while widening the cracks in it's body. In fact, it isn't looking too good. The creature takes a step back from the door, and in flash of light vanishes. (Graaf-Niig, the Dire Bat in the room may make an AoO.)

End of Round.
End of Combat (for now)

[MorkaisChosen]

Barag

Barag stalks quietly to the next doorway, his forepaws almost padding on the air, sniffing for any hidden enemies- particularly the smell of mould he detected before.

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Scent: (1d20+15)[26]

[J-H]

Graaf-Niig
The final blow:

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attack - (1d20+5)[12]
damage - (1d8+4)[5]

Spellcraft & Arcana checks to identify the vanishing:
Spellcraft - (1d20+13)[27]
Knowledge, Arcana - (1d20+12)[23]

[Psionic Dog]

Silence.

For one long moment there is silence in the ruins. Mr. Crystal had vanished. The Shadow Skeleton was slowly fading/evaporating in the quiet. The incorporeal shadow had dissipated.

For one long slow moment silence ruled as the portal explores began to drift apart to investigate the rest of the ruin, and
¢ƒß∞¶ •çæ ∑´¥Ω¡ the old voice thunders from the far end of the ruin, once again in the unknown language.

[JettWilderbeast]

Alanor

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Alanor strains to discern the direction of the voice and then keeping quiet as possible heads towards the voice.

Dice;
Listen - (1d20+4)[19]
Move Silently - (1d20+2)[4]
Hide - (1d20+2)[10]

[Admiral Squish]

Oggy was letting the tension off his bow. When the voice boomed, though, he drew back the arrow again. "Next time the portal opens, we're getting a linguist..." He commented, peering down the hallway. The voice could only be coming from deeper into the ruins, they were still in all of the rooms thus far.

[MorkaisChosen]

Barag

Barag's ears prick up at the sound, and he too strains to hear where the voice comes from.

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Listen: (1d20+2)[9]

[J-H]

Graaf-Niig
Using the previously-cast Message to communicate with everyone in the party without alerting any other creatures to our presence:
"It looked like the crystal creature Dimension Doored out. I wonder if we've seen the last of it or not? I'm guessing it was the origin of the psionic attacks, but I could be wrong on that. Anyone see anything from your explorations?"

[Psionic Dog]

Barag

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The voice is distant and vaguely from the other end of the ruin.

Scent: Nothing really new. You smell the rot from the shadow creature stronger now in death than life. You smell the musty time that has passed these ruins by. You smell distant mold, some of which may have passed through this room several hours back. You also catch a new faint scent, unidentifiable yet vaguely like a newly forged sword or fresh-cast glass.

The voice booms again more insistently, and two new voices call back answer. The closest seems to come from the direction Alanor went in.

[MorkaisChosen]

Morphins back to half-elf form, Barag says, "I smell glass- crystal- probably that creature. Nothing else."

He returns to hybrid form and cautiously stalks to the next room, glancing back at the others to see if they are following and ready.

[JettWilderbeast]

Alanor
Using the message spell cast earlier Alanor whispers to the others; I'm in a back room... The crystal like creatures are here and the voice that just made a noise is in here but I can't discern what it is....

[J-H]

Graaf-Niig
In reply, "How many crystal creatures? That last one gave us a tough fight. Can you describe the path in? I'll start the bats that way."

The bats start heading towards the back room Alanor is in.

[J-H]

Graaf-Niig
"And can we get some healing?"

[Legoshrimp]

Orian
"Who needs healing?" Orian heals whoever says they need healing.

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first heal (1d8+5)[7]
second heal (1d8+5)[6]

[Psionic Dog]

After receiving a heal from Orian (This Ok?) Barag heads off in the direction of Alanor.

For several seconds the voices hold a noisy (and incomprehensible) exchange, and then there is a silence. This new silence is even shorter than the silence that followed the combat. It is broken by the clang of metal on stone followed by the infuriated roar of a large creature, possibly a dragon.

What dose the Portal Exploratory Force do?

[J-H]

Graaf-Niig
Using the still-active Message spell, Graaf-Niig asks "What is it?!?" to the entire party.

He then heads off after Barag and the bats towards wherever Alanor is.

[Admiral Squish]

Oggy found all the mental chatter distrurbing, and slightly distracting. But even with distractions, he could hear something wrong about the sound. "Hold on, guys. That sound was weird. It seemed too much like that huge voice earlier, I think they're faking it." He said through the spell as he crossed the rooms over to Alanor, moving quickly but quietly. He'd rather get the drop on his foes than give himself away with a misplaced hoof.

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I think this calls for move silently, and maybe hide. Dunno, though.
Move silently: (1d20+23)[10](33)
Hide: (1d20+23)[14](37)

[Psionic Dog]

So, having fought every step of the way out of the water, onto dry ground, and then across the land into the single looming ruin in eyesight the brave portal explores found their labor was not yet done: they had to vanquish the welcoming party too. Time stood still as they fought terrors we may only dream of: living shadows of pure evil one of substance, the other incorporeal and both backed by the power of living crystal. Mighty as these foes were those legendary explorers were mightier still and within the span of a single minuet they were victorious as the ruin went still.
However, this peace would not last: Those fearless explores who dared plunge deeper still found more of the living crystals: smaller than the first to be sure but in growing numbers. No sooner has this discovery been made did The Voice of The Ruin cry out followed by many answering cries in an unfathomable language, and more worrisome still came the scrape of steel on stone an indignant answering bestial roar.
— Excerpt from Gibler's Collection of Historic Exploration

((Embellished synopsis provided by DM as reminder of the plot and as apology for long delay))

Oggy

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Before you slip into the crowded room behind a dire bat you spy a small cyrstal creature creeping up the opposite side of the ruin (H20)

Amillia

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It takes two rounds to worm you way out the window (DC15 escape artist), and you then you start to fly back out to the door everyone originally entered by.
If this isn't quite what you had in mind feel free to adjust this. See map for current location

So, what do the explorers do next? The two small cystalin creatures 'south' of Alanor advance to door as Alanor retreats with tentative threatening jabs try to drive everyone back out the top, but subside slightly as the bats come poring into the room. The beast in the back of the ruin continues to loudly bellow.

Revised Map

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[J-H]

Are the bats capable of charging the crystals? There's a door and they're large so I'm not sure.

[Psionic Dog]

((Nope, no charging.

By the way, how is everyone? I know the Admiral is winding up his time here, but what is everyone else doing, or waiting on?))

[MorkaisChosen]

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Sorry...

Are those crystal thingies being obviously hostile?

[Psionic Dog]

((They are at least unfriendly, but you can't tell if they are actually hostile.

Anyway, as only J-H, MorkaisChosen, and Admiral Squish have posted in the past two weeks, so I'm calling a player meeting over in the OOC thread to review the fate of this game.))

[Legoshrimp]

Orian
Orian moves as close as he can to the room with the crystals in it.
((What is everyone HP at?))

[Psionic Dog]

And there the brave explores stood, piled into a room with a pair of unfriendly crystalline spiders below. The crystals refused to give ground but stood fast stamping legs and making short tentative threatening lunges at the group. The explores would not back down, but were uncertain how to proceed. Then a third crystal appeared behind the first two, with two more appearing to flank the group. For a moment peace hung in balance before Orian gave a sudden grunt as an unseen force once more grabbed at his mind. Each convinced the other had attacked first the ground quickly tumbled into chaotic combat...

What happened:
As everyone stares glaring at each-other 3 more crystals appear. (O-23, K-17, J-16). Orain takes (2d10)[10] damage, DC13 will negates.

Everyone, roll initiative.
I'll guess I'll role for Graaf-Niig. Initiative - (1d20+4)[12]

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I 123 - (1d20+2)[3]
I 45 - (1d20+2)[5]

[MorkaisChosen]

(1d20+5)[13]

Initiative, yo.

[Legoshrimp]

Orian
init - (1d20-1)[10]

[Legoshrimp]

Orian
Here is my saving throw.
will - (1d20+10)[14]

[Psionic Dog]

OK, rolling initiative for those who say they're still in but haven't rolled yet.

Alanor Initiative - (1d20+2)[13]
Oggy Initiative - (1d20+4)[7]

Do to very very poor rolling for opponents everyone can act first.
Please State actions.