The Challenge Pit

This job was farmed out through the Adventurer's Guild, but it had originated from Better Homes and Dungeons. The mission is clear head to the dungeon and explore it until you reach its end. However long that takes, whatever dangers you face. So here you are facing a pit in the ground a circular staircase reaching downward as far as you can see. Which isn't terribly far given the unnatural darkness of it. It looks rather like there had been something here before this hole in the ground so perfectly circular is the shape of it.

You traverse downwards until you reach a doorway stuck in the middle of the path. You can see further staircase beyond it, but there's a door stuck in the center of the staircase nonetheless. It seems... oddly out of place being a doorway made entirely out of metal and with distinct runes written on its surface.

Deak looks at the writing and asks, "I don't make sense of it, do you?" Meanwhile, he looks at the staircase beyond the door.

Sorscha says, "Not likely." She says as her tiger pads up next to her. "Well...I hope this little pit likes tigers."

Deak says, "Well, here goes nothing. He grasps the handle and tries to open the door.

Sorscha says, "To say the least." She says as she goes to step up beside Deak…

The door opens easily, and it opens into a huge room. A room much larger than the doorway should open to considering that it should open to the other side of the staircase. In fact the room looks to be the same shape and size of the pit iteself; split in half. Across the width of the room there is a huge mirror. You know it's a mirror because you can see yourself across the space. An exact image of you opening the door into this clean white room.

Sorscha says, "That is.......Why a mirror in a completely clear room?" She says softly. She walks in with her tiger padding in next to her. Of course, the tiger seems unimpressed with the mirror.

Deak looks at Sorscha, then looks at her tiger, and walks in. He says, "Who knows why people spend their money the way they do?"

GAME: Sorscha rolls perception: (18)+8: 26
GAME: Deak rolls Perception: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL) 
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (1)+6: 7 (EPIC FAIL)

As you walk into the room Sorscha's tiger's reflection does not turn with her in the way that her tiger in real life does. Instead it starts charging right for you!

Sorscha shouts something in elven to her tiger.....and the tiger is on guard, but not in time.....

GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (5)+13: 18
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (14)+13: 27
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+8: (2)+8: 10
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+11: (4)+11: 15
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+8: (3)+8: 11
GAME: Deak rolls Weapon2: (12)+6: 18

Deak throws his net at the charging Reflection-of-Tiger, successfully entangling the ferocious beast.

And right upon the mirror-image tiger taking charge, something else swooshes right past Deak and Sorscha from behind them, with a flurry of white and gold gleams trailing along it. The blur of motion takes form, once in mid-air, as one (1) Zant, spinning through the air and guiding one foot slamming down upon the top of the tiger-- with his other foot raised up high, up to the level of his own head, before it's slammed down hard too.

"Sorry!" he calls back. "I'm late!"

GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1-5: (4)+10+-5: 9
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (3)+6: 9
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d8+3: (5)+3: 8
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+4: (19)+4: 23

Sorscha, seeing the tiger entangled, moves in to cut the tiger while it's entangled...and gets one cut in. Aurora moves in as well, but the bite misses.

The mirror tiger growls furiously and wiggles free of the net binding it in place.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (15)+10: 25
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (12)+5: 17
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+3: (6)+3: 9
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+6: (15)+6: 21
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (4)+13: 17

The mirror image of Sorcha closes in, using a mirror image of her own weapon to strike. Similarly Deak's mirror image throws a net at him, tangling the man up while the last mirror image closes in on Zant and attacks him with a blow to the face - which thankfully misses.

GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (11)+13: 24
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (14)+13: 27
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+11: (4)+(3)+11: 18
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (7)+(3)+8: 18
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (3)+(2)+8: 13
GAME: Deak rolls Concentration: aliased to Cleric+Wisdom+2: (1)+6+4+2: 13 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Deak casts Prayer. Caster Level: 6 DC: 17

"Alright, we ca--" Zant starts to yell back to Deak and Sorcsha, only to be interrupted by his own squeak as he leans himself just enough to the side that... a very familiar-looking fist swishes past his face. And he finds himself staring back at himself. "OH COME ON!"

The dodging motion carries him further to the side, one hand drawn back with fingers flexed out-- with a bright, fiery glow suddenly overtaking the hand as it clenches into a fist, followed immediately after by his left hand.

"ORA!" A quick hook from his right fist into his mirror-image, followed by a quick jab from the left, and a vicious uppercut again from the right, right into his mirror image's chin.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS!"

GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1: (7)+10: 17
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1-5: (7)+10+-5: 12
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (9)+6: 15

Deak says, "Holy Althea, protect... protect... Oh, SHIT!... oops."

GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d8+3: (2)+3: 5
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d6+2: (2)+2: 4
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (7)+6: 13
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (20)+6: 26
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (16)+6: 22
GAME: Sorscha rolls 2d6+4: (10)+4: 14

Sorscha takes a blade to her shoulder, but she concentrated her attacks on the tiger. Sorscha's sword does a little damage, but Aurora does the most. One of her big paws manages to shatter the tiger...which....bewilders the tiger a bit. "They're not real. Deak...if you have something to shatter these things...use it."

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (16)+5: 21
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+3: (7)+3: 10
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+3: (2)+3: 5
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (15)+13: 28
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (20)+13: 33
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+8: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (13)+13: 26
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+1d6+11: (5)+(6)+11: 22
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (5)+(4)+8: 17
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (3)+(4)+8: 15

The tiger has fallen but the copies of you seem emboldened by this. Or perhaps it is the mirror Deak's oddly spoken and terrible screech-filled prayer that does it. Sorscha is hit again and Zant is laid into so hard that he is literally seeing red.

GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (15)+13: 28
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+11: (5)+(6)+11: 22
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (1)+13: 14 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (12)+13: 25
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+8: (15)+8: 23
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (1)+(4)+8: 13
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (4)+(3)+8: 15
GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (14): 14
GAME: Deak spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
GAME: Sorscha rolls 4d6: (16): 16
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1: (3)+10: 13
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1-5: (20)+10+-5: 25 (THREAT)
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1-5: (7)+10+-5: 12
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (15)+6: 21
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (10)+6: 16
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (7)+6: 13

Deak is still hanging out entangled in the mirror image of his magical net, but that doesn't stop him from radiating the holy energy of Telmentar to the healing of his allies and himself.

GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d8+3: (7)+3: 10
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d6+2: (2)+2: 4

Touching her chest with her shield hand, Sorscha heals more of her wounds before she smacks her copy with her sword, and her tiger manages to bite her copy as well. Seems Aurora can smell who the copy is as well.

Zant visibly wobbles, staggering backwards over the sudden, destructive assault from his mirror image. For just a second, he looks like he's about to fall over backwards-- only to suddenly stamp his foot down and lean his weight in forward, smashing his fiery fist into his copy's face-- and the instant the blow causes it to scatter into dust, he spits blood out of his own mouth and suddenly leaps into a spin through the air, fire overtaking his legs now too (albeit suspiciously not burning his clothes) as they rain down several blows into Deak's mirror image before he even lands back down on the ground.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (14)+10: 24
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (14)+5: 19
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+3: (6)+3: 9
GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6: (7): 7

The mirror image of Sorcha is still standing, swinging at her purposefully. Meanwhile the mirror image of Deak murmurs the same backwards prayer that Deak did and heals Sorcha and himself.

GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (17)+13: 30
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (10)+13: 23
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+11: (6)+(4)+11: 21
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (6)+(6)+8: 20
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (20)+13: 33
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+8: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (14)+13: 27
GAME: Zant rolls 2d8+2d6+16: (11)+(5)+16: 32
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+1d6+8: (6)+(1)+8: 15
GAME: Deak spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (7): 7

Deak whistles as Zant, Sorscha, and Aurora gain the victory over all the toughest of their foes. A burst of life energy explodes from his body for the second time in less than 12 seconds, restoring health to the 'good guys'.

Rejuvenalized by the channeling of positive energy from Deak (thank the gods!), Zant sends another jumping, spinning double-kick into the mirror-image of Deak, and almost as if in the same motion, slides right over towards Sorscha's mirror image. A dropping fist slams down HARD into the mirror-image's head to force it doubling over, only to get a knee slamming in it's face from below right after. And as the thing disperses into a pile of dust, he winces and sends a sheepish look to Sorscha. "......Sorry."

GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1: (7)+10: 17
GAME: Sorscha rolls weapon1-5: (12)+10+-5: 17
GAME: Sorscha rolls 1d20+6: (11)+6: 17

Sorscha goes after Deak and tries to smash him too, along with her tiger. Unfortunately....she scrapes off of his armor..or robes. Either way...nope.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6: (12): 12
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (10)+13: 23
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+13: (8)+13: 21
GAME: Zant rolls 1d20+8: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+11: (3)+11: 14
GAME: Zant rolls 1d8+8: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (14): 14
GAME: Deak spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.

Deak shakes the sand off himself then as he goes to pick up and fold his own net, says, "You guys were awesome to watch!"

Zant wobbles a few steps over, with his hand rubbing along the side of his head, bleary after the beatdown he took down earlier. ".... Sorry I technically punched you guys."

"Heh. Thanks. Not that I really do much." Sorscha says as she pets her tiger...who purrs. She then looks to Zant. "Bah. I attacked my own tiger and Deak. It's not like they were real."

As you gather yourselves together a gong rings loud and clear and a door appears in the mirror. A door forward. Further into this pit.

Deak says, "Not at all. Besides, that perversion of worship my copy did deserved divine retribution."

Sorscha looks to the door that's revealed and she walks her way forward to the door to open it....

Zant, meanwhile, trails behind Sorscha to the way of the door, though he looks a bit wary. "... You think there's going to be some similar kind of horribleness on the other side?"

-TBC-