Into The Temple - Part 2
Log Info
- Title: Into The Temple - Part 2
- GM: Whirlpool
- Characters: Rune, Harkashan, Eztli, Silmeria
- Location: Felwood
- Summary: The lost temple of Eluna stands revealed, its grounds consecrated, and the the exterior secured. Now all that's left is to begin its exploration.
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (3)+13: 16
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 20.
It is now Rune's turn! ColumnA is next!
The statues have closed in, moving forward as not quite a unit. Their exquisite craftsmanship is on display. A closer look shows signs of battle damage on all of them, now more evident up close from the subtle tell-tale cracks in their features. This most recent one advanced on Silmeria, raising a metal-shodded staff over its head to bring down on her, though she is able to avoid it thus far.
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (10)+34: 44
GAME: Rune rolls use magic device: (9)+23: 32
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 18.
It is now ColumnA's turn! Silmeria is next!
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+20: (8)+20: 28
The clue that these statues are more than a threat to her weapons, Rune decides that risking her blades is not a good idea at the moment. For the time being, she shifts them defensively, not moving to engage with the statues directly, and instead tries to move closer towards the orb that seems to possibly be at the center of the problem.
Since her previous attempts at communicating with the more modern Sildanyari tongue didn't have any effect, Rune falls back on an older Elven tongue, hoping that perhaps something might be keyed to that language. "We are friends of the Sky-Singer. I serve her handmaiden. We are here in peace." <Mynsandraal>
As she gets closer, though, her brows furrow slightly, taking in the orb and then looking from it to the statues and back again. Slipping back into the common tongue, she waves a hand towards Maeva, "I think if we work together, we can figure this out. It... may just need a delicate touch, but I'm pretty sure this thing does control the defenders."
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 17.
It is now Silmeria's turn! Bryn is next!
GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+2+1: (13)+11+2+1: 27
GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+2+1-5: (7)+11+2+1+-5: 16
GAME: Silmeria rolls 1d6+2+1: (6)+2+1: 9
GAME: Silmeria rolls 1d6+2+1: (2)+2+1: 5
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 16.
It is now Bryn's turn! Column 5 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 14.
It is now Column 5's turn! ColumnbB is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 13.
It is now ColumnbB's turn! Eztli is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 9.
It is now Eztli's turn! Column 3 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (16)+13: 29
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+20: (17)+20: 37
While Silmeria would like *nothing better* than to explore a sacred magical artifact, *someone* has to engage with the columns. And with herself being the only weapons-baring one of the bunch who isn't *risking* that weapon...
- BLAM!*
- BLAM!*
Enchanted bullets *spang* off the stone guardians, and Silmeria takes a hopping step back. "Over here~!" she sings out. "Would you like a threat to pummel? *I am very threatening~!"
GAME: Eztli refreshes spells.
GAME: Eztli casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 13 DC: 17
GAME: Eztli casts Wall of Force. Caster Level: 13 DC: 23
Stone elves that were resistant to magic, resistant to weapons, and probably couldn't be stabbed in sensitive bits by Rune? No, that was very, very bad news.
"Ah crap, just give me a second, I'll try to buy us some time!" The sorceress coughs, waving one hand. "Flames envelop us and shield us from harm!" they chant, a small ribbon of flames flickering to life from their hand that snaked across the ground, encircling the party. The flames died out just as quickly, leaving a haze of heat around the group until that too vanished, leaving an invisible, but very solid barrier between them and the columns. "Hope their magic nullification doesn't extend to smashing things too. Let me know if you can figure it out, if not, I'll drop this as soon as I can."
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 9.
It is now Column 3's turn! Column 4 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 7.
It is now Column 4's turn! Column 6 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 6.
It is now Column 6's turn! Maeva is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 5.
It is now Maeva's turn! Harkashan is next!
GAME: Harkashan rolls Spellcraft: (11)+25: 36
GAME: Harkashan used a Ponder the Orb.
A sizzling wall of energy has cut off the columns. They stand there a moment, assessing a situation that is no doubt slightly beyond their meager comprehension. One by one, they raise their weapons and 'chnk', chipping them against the wall.
Over and over again. One at a time. With great force.
It isn't accomplishing much.
Maeva kneels down by the orb, still rubbing her injured arm with a glance towards Harkashan and Rune. Black scorch marks run along it now, matching the pattern of her veins visible through her woody skin color.
"You know," she begins, "That was clever," she tells Eztli.
"Whatever this is, it must be plugged into the spire's magic. Given the lower level of mana back when it was in use versus now, it's no surprise it's unstable." Her eyes level on Rune.
"*Very* unstable. I think we may need ttot supress the mana, and then lift it out of the recess. Maybe we can command them back to sleep." She glances ttowards the Wall of Force.
Eztli, meanwhile, can sense soomething happening to the wall...
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 4.
It is now Harkashan's turn! Column 7 is next!
GAME: Eztli rolls spellcraft: (7)+13: 20
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 2.
It is now Column 7's turn! Rune is next!
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 20.
It is now Rune's turn! ColumnA is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 18.
It is now ColumnA's turn! Silmeria is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 17.
It is now Silmeria's turn! Bryn is next!
Harkashan moves with the rest of them as the field of force comes up. Touching tails with Eztli in that moment, in the same way that someone might put their hand on someone's shoulder to show pride. "Nice job." He rumbles, as he moves towards the orb, trying to figure out what is going on.
"Hrrrm, agreed. It is getting rather unstable. But I agree - we can use it to deactivate the soldiers if we can 'calm' it. That'll mean draining its magic energy from it though." He notes, crossing his arms and thinking this through, pondering the Orb and considering how to best reduce its magical energies.
There is a moment of hestiation from Rune as she keeps her hands back away from the orb. "Unstable like... could go 'boom' unstable?" At least, that's what she gets from the conversation. "Yeah, we should definitely be careful." She seems to consider the situation, "If someone else can supress the magical energies, then I'm pretty sure I can manipulate the orb out of the recess with no problem." Her eyes search for the others. "Magic isn't my strong suit."
So, for now, the rogue seems to pull her gloves upwards, wiggling her fingers, and preparing to deal with moving the orb, when and if someone else manages to get it more... under control and less volitile.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 16.
It is now Bryn's turn! Column 5 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 14.
It is now Column 5's turn! ColumnbB is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 13.
It is now ColumnbB's turn! Eztli is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 9.
It is now Eztli's turn! Column 3 is next!
GAME: Silmeria used a Ponder the Orb.
GAME: Silmeria rolls perception: (8)+23: 31
GAME: Eztli casts Greater Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 22
GAME: Eztli rolls 1d20+13: (3)+13: 16
GAME: Eztli rolls 1d20+13: (1)+13: 14 (EPIC FAIL)
"Thanks Hark, but, don't really thank me just yet." The small makari huffs, casting a worried glance out and over to the wall. "I think it's something to do with this place being some sort of weird mana siphon but it really doesn't like that wall. It's getting drained, and I don't know how long it'll take to go through it."
At least the statues were held at bay for the time being, even if the sound was rather unpleasant. "Just suppress the magic right? I'll just see if I can't do that then." Eztli offers, raising one hand and trying to weave another complicated spell, but this time, the sorceress was looking frustrated. "It's like this place is trying to unmake my magic before it even reaches the orb." They growl as the disenchantment fails to take hold.
Everything stops.
It's just a moment, sure, but it's a critical moment. Eztli's dispel seems to have worked. For the moment.
... that's when the swirling orb begins to intensify, pulsing with a more rapid and flickering light. The statues have all stopped moving, but *something* is definitely impacting the orb more directly from Eztli's efforts.
"I don't think that's good," muses Maeve. "It must interact with mana displacement differently than what we're used to. This magic was conceived of when there was a lot less of it floating around, so.." She starts to hum, gently, a soft, urgent melody that aims towards bolster the steadiness of Rune's hands. "Let's get it out of the crook and see if we can't deposit it somewhere."
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 9.
It is now Column 3's turn! Column 4 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 7.
It is now Column 4's turn! Column 6 is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 6.
It is now Column 6's turn! Maeva is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 5.
It is now Maeva's turn! Harkashan is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 4.
It is now Harkashan's turn! Column 7 is next!
GAME: Harkashan rolls Spellcraft+2: (10)+25+2: 37
GAME: Harkashan rolls Will: (14)+25: 39
GAME: Harkashan rolls 1d6: (2): 2
Eztli's spell is being messed with severely, and it's clear that Rune can remove it, but it'll need to calm down first. And instead of calming, that orb is getting more and more violent by the moment. He grits his teeth and steps forwards. "I will do this." He remarks, as he adjusts his step forward, squinting at the bright light that is coming from the orb.
Then, with both hands, he thrusts forwards. "Rune, be ready! On my mark!" As his hands impact the orb and his body begins to sizzle there with divine and other energies! He hisses, a pale white light coming from his maw, almost like a dragon about the breathe out its breath weapon.
Sparks of intense magic hit his body as he quickly tries to act on the energies within. Like building a series of magical and divine circuits as he tries to guide the energies to a new place to go instead of the orb... himself.
"Eluna! I dedicate this divine energy to you! I bid you to receive it from my mere mortal vessel!" He calls out loud, as the orb begins to unload into him. Cracks showing in his scales, as pale white light visciously branches out from his fingertips towards his hands, slowly breaking up his scales leading up along his arms. Pure energy going towards his soul, from which he can try and properly bid it up. But the surge is intense. He's practically drooling at the intense pain.
The smell of 'roasting lizard' is coming rather clear. He refuses to shout in anguish, but there's an intense pained growl coming from the Sith-makar as a few of his lava-rocks burst upon his armor, like a bursting lightbulb!
"Rune! Maeva! Do it now!" He calls to the two of them, as the brightness reduces upon the orb. "Eztli!"
GAME: Rune takes ten on disable device+1+4: (10)+32+1+4: 47
Rune's fingers twitch slightly and she gives a quick nod at the mention of being 'ready'. Other than that, her eyes are keenly focused on the orb and on the task at hand. It's like watching a predator waiting to pounce.
The moment that Harkashan calls out to Eluna, there is a faint glow from the necklace that dangles from Rune's neck, as if in reaction to this 'sacrifice' from her companion. However, it quickly flickers back out again at the same moment the lava-rocks burst on Harkshan's armor.
Even before her name fully leaves the Makari's muzzle, Rune is shifting the weight of the orb out of the recess and holding it in her gloved hands. Her eyes looking at the others with a distinct expression of: 'now what?'
Wincing in sympathy as Harkashan offers to literally hold his hands to the fire, Silmeria watches very, very closely as Rune starts to carefully lift the orb from its socket... and her eyes widen, as she finally gets a look underneath the plate. "It's still channeling all that power... *RUNE! LIFT IT UP!*"
The moment Rune does so, Silmeria pelts toward the pedestal, snatching the mithril-decorated steel circlet off her head and sliting it into place. "Back up back up back up, hurry!"
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 5d6: (16): 16
GAME: Whirlpool removes the timestop.
Timestop by Whirlpool has left.
"Wait, shit, shit, it's not the spell going wrong, it's just, too much for the damn thing!" Eztli curses loudly, taking a step back and bumping into the wall that was behind her. And now Harkashan was suffering for messing up the spell, with nothing to do but try to get it under control instead.
Everything after seemed to go a bit better, minus smells of extra lava-fied harkashan. "G-gotcha! I'll drop this once everyone heads to leave!" She calls back to Silmeria. "Hark, you alright to move?"
As the group works together, Silmeria blocking the flow of energy, and Rune ensuring that the orb comes undone. Soon, Harkashan is holding the orb, and looking around him. Smoke still coming from his body, but it doesn't look like he's as bad for wear as he used to be. "This place truly is potent." He them rumbles firmly, while ensuring that the statues have gone still.
"Let us continue exploring while my protective magics remain, shall we?" He then adds. "I am not one to remain still." As he takes a few steps, then looks at the orb in his hands, and idly hands it off to Maeve. There's a little bit of a 'sticking' sound, like part of his scales were stuck on the orb. Fused to it. "Here."
"Lifting, lifting!" Rune takes a step back, still holding the unusual orb in her gloved hands as she looks more than a little shocked at the turn of events. Silmeria's quick movements and then the shower of sparks have her squinting behind the lenses of her crystaline glasses.
"Is... it safe now? We're not going to explode or something, right?" The rogue may be able to fake it from time to time, but it's obvious she knows very little about the magic that runs through this place. And holding what may very well be a bomb is a little scary. Just a little.
As Harkashan moves to fully take the orb from her, there a small squeak of relief. She seems more than happy to let him have it. She takes off her gloves and wipes her hands on her trousers before putting them on again. Apparently things had felt a bit tense.
Sticking a fork in a light socket is *rarely* a good idea.
And in this case, it... only sort of is. The moment she chunks the crown down onto the pedestal, she screams as the burning mana flowing through Harkashan, lashes out at her, too. Stumbling backward, the Vardaman leans against the wall of heat-shimmer, panting for breath and waiting for her hands to stop shaking.
Harkashan, halting, a bit out of it, realizing that Silmeria had been hurt, offers a hand out to her. "Shaman Silmeria, do you require my assistance in healing those wounds?"
"I don't think we're going to explode, no. We're okay otherwise for now." Eztli sighs, running one hand over her face with everything that had happened so quickly. The small makari grumbles, and shakes her head. "Shaman Harkashan, you need your own assistance too. Take care of those horrible burns too and well, I'm sorry for messing that up."
"I'd appreciate it," Silmeria answers with a strained smile. "...But I can wait until you've seen to your own, Brother. My wounds are upsetting... Yours seem *grievous.*"
Harkashan rumbles, looking at the pale white light still coming from between his scales, then to Eztli. "Regular healing will not cure these wounds. They will heal in time." He remarks. "Do not worry about messing up. That is what you have friends for, Shaman Eztli. You will do better next time." He is certain of it, bowing his head. With that said, he steps back up to Silmeria, and takes a moment to send a wave of his healing energies through her body - touching her shoulder for a moment.
GAME: Harkashan rolls 11d6: (34): 34
Rune takes in a deeper breath when it seems confirmed that they aren't about to face magical backlash for their tampering. There is a grateful nod to Eztli. "For now. If this room is any hint at what else has been left abandoned in here... we could very well have some dangerous things waiting for us."
She glances between Silmeria and Harkashan, a corner of her lip quirking at the comparison of wounds. "Harkashan is pretty tough. I've seen him deal with worse." She cocks her head at him, seeming almost amused at the rush of healing energy. "You'll be fine, love. Nothing time won't fix."