Chronolark - Part 5

Log Info

• Title: Chronolark - Part 5
  
• GM: Whirlpool
• Characters: Thoth, Reithak, Tlanexhuani
  
• Location: The Badlands
  
• Summary: Adventurers are asked to go to Genrivia, in order to uncover magical artifacts that might help find temporal anomalies.

GAME: Thoth casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 7 DC: 15

Thoth, as they get closer, touches a spot at the side of its eyes. Its eyes begin to glow, and it almost looks like two cones of 'detect magic' are radiating out from it. Sneaking a bit closer, trying to get a better reading.

"The Magic, this one believes it strange." Which isn't something Thoth has oft said. After all, between now and then, it's quite used to what magic should look like. "But, they art most assuredly magic." It adds.

"This one suggests we move quietly if we must move through here."

"I don't know what's going on here, but if magic like that's still active, might be more stuff that's still active and dangerous." Reithak nods slowly, keeping one hand on their sword. "Think they're here to keep the neighborhood safe or something? Let's not press that theory, and keep on, then. Let's not give them time to think anything is amiss."

One definitely has the singular feeling that they are being watched.

Whether it's by the kobolds stalking you (they're stalking you, that's for sure, right?), the statues on the rooftops of the still-existent buildigns above, or something else is unclear.

But you push along, following the map. You're closing in on your destination, now, and it's clearly part of this 'mini-village' that the statues are 'protecting'. Moving swiftly, you find yourselves standing in front of one particular such building. Squat and standing tall, the reinforced stone bears many a crack and mossy growths all over each, spreading across it.

It's several floors form thje look of it, at least three, but this is apparently where the vault is supposed to be located. The doors are made of stone, and the ancient shuttered windows are sealed too -- though those certainly look like a good push could break them open.

...which gives rise to the question of why that hasn't already happened here, as it clearly has on the other buildings around you.

GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (13)+13: 26

Tlanexhuani was very loud (very unintentionally) before. Now he is very quiet, eyes flicking to the statues on high, stone floor below, and shadowy corners in between. That and to his peers, in case they've noticed something he hasn't.

Ra comes back down, as Thoth chirps at it. It lands on its shoulder first, as Thoth puts its hand near one of the larger tears in the stone seals. The two chirp between eachother for a bit - Thoth telling it to get through and give it a look at what's going on, on the inside.

Thoth tries to help the fluffy owl, even pushing its butt a bit to get it through the difficult hole...

Press...

Puuuush...

POOF!

Feathers flurry near the entrance and Ra caws irritatedly from within at having been pushed through so rudely.

"I don't like this one bit. Looks too weird here, might just be those statues." Reithak grumbles, keeping watch for a bit until Thoth decides on another idea to investigate further. "Thoth dear, I know you're a bird, but you're made of metal, and as someone with an equally feathered but not metal behind, you gotta be more gentle than that." The large egalrin huffs. "Anyways, how are we going to get them out of there now?"

The chirps are enough to pull Tlanexhuani's attention to Thoth and Ra, and the actions that follows enough to keep it. After watching with likely confusion, the Makari regains his voice. "This one believe..." his words are whispered silent as he looks to the be-owled opening, " iss danger shoving one's owl in strange holes, ssa?"

Thoth turns towards Tlanexhuani and Reithak with its long beak aimed between the two of them, kind of just staring in confusion. "This one believes Ra to be tougher than you give them credit for." It points out, remarkably defensive about the capabilities of the magical owl.

The group can hear Ra chirp from the other side, and Thoth nods its head from time to time. "Ra wishes you to know. Very dusty, lot of debris. Very dark. Stairs up and down. Ra feels unsafe, it is not alone. It would like us to get in there and protect her." The tone is remarkably neutral. As if listing off facts.

GAME: Thoth rolls Diplomacy: (14)+0: 14

"

"It's not about durability, it's about whether something's pleasant. I'm just saying that I'd be irritated if someone did that to me too." Reithak huffs, taking a look at one of the windows. "Right, not waiting around then. Tlan, lets find the window that looks the least sturdy, and make our way in!"

Tlanexhuani doesn't like the sound of that; not the chirping, but the contents of it. "Ssa," his tail thumps lightly as he agrees and then starts looking for an easier way in. If nothing else, staring statues, angry walking statues, strange mouths, big spiders, and kobolds won't find them so easy inside.

GAME: Thoth rolls Perception: (16)+8: 24

GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (3)+13: 16

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls perception: (16)+10: 26

With some careful searching, the weakest entry point is located, a window around back. The shutters there look the most easily removed with the least amount of disturbance. From there, it's just a matter of a little pulling, someting Tlan is more than capable of doing, and climb into the darkened interior.

You immediately hear scurrying sounds beneath your feet.

GAME: Thoth casts Dancing Lights. Caster Level: 7 DC: 17

At the feeling of something scurrying at its feet, Thoth is quick to cast a small spell. Flicking its fingers to send a threesome of lights outwards to illuminate the area near their feet and around them - while Ra tries to make its way to them by flight.

Tlanexhuani is pleased that the shutters come off with little noise. Happy that it is not so difficult to climb thought. He feels downright comfortable off the streets. Mostly. For a moment?

He looks down to the floor at his feet with the scurrying soon enough. "Scavengers? Iss still food in thiss place?" He would've thought it long since turned to dust.

Clambering inside, Reithak takes a look around, not finding too much until Thoth actually lights the area up. "You hear that, Thoth? Tlan?" They ask, tilting the side of their head towards the floor. "Let's make sure we have at least one other exit here. Sounds like something's below us."

As light is cast, you can indeed see rats scurrying around your feet.

Skeletal rats.

Literally.

They are also moving ...backwards?

Perfectly backwards, actually, all their motions in reverse.

Otherwise, you're in an area exactly as Thoth's familiar described; a clutter filled back room full of debris and ancient furniture that's threatening to fall apart. A singular door leads deeper into the home. It's ... out of proportion to the size of the building outside.

Thoth considers the backwards moving skeletons, and tries to grab one. To see if perhaps it would affect its own inner workings in some kind of unusual way were it to interact with something that was - in technical terms - 'chronologically fucky'.

GAME: Thoth rolls Melee: (13)+4: 17

GAME: Thoth rolls Will: (16)+6: 22

"Iss not ... normal... The backwards." Tlanexhuani knows rats are normal. Skeletons are normal. Even skeletal rats, then, are normal. He then looks to the door, long and hard. There could be no rats behind the door. There could be worst things, instead, too.

"That's... not exactly what I was expecting, no. That just isn't right." Reithak agrees, looking more than a bit surprised by the creatures. "Is that caused by the thing we're in here looking for, or something else? Are we going to be able to move it safely when we find it?"

Thoth grabs onto the skeletal rat, and immediately releases it, stumbling back. It then chirps; "We should avoid touching these things." It declares in a voice that is remarkably firm for the War Golem. A statement of fact, that must not be disputed. "This one suggests we pass through that big door, find what we seek, and then leave this place soon. Time is not how it should be here."

"Iss best idea," Tlanexhuani agrees with Thoth. "Get thing, leave, not touch other things. That Thoth sounds so certain yet not concerned is concerning by itself. The Makari then heads for the door.

"You sure uh, well, alright then." Reithak sighs as Thoth reaches for one of the rats and immediately drops it. "Big door sounds promising right? Let's hope whatever security they had broke down over time and we can just get in, get out, and leave before things get really bad. I'm with Tlan, no more touching anything beyond what's strictly necessary. That really doesn't look like well, things don't act like that."

Care is taken. This whole place 'feels' fragile.

You pick your way through the building, moving from the back room you're in to another -- which has four doors leading in every direction. Now, the exterior of this building in no way matched thatg. This is far larger in ints interior. Some kind of Mage's Mansion, perhaps? Either way, you're getting the feeling you're not strictly just within Genrivia anymore.

You're somewhere else, too, and the rules of time are not playing nicely.

No, instead, as you take steps deeper into the building, time itself seems to be reversing. The rats? Growing their rotted-off flesh back. The building? Twisting back into a more recognizable furnished shape.

Color spreads along the walls, a vibrant azure blue adorned with paintings that had fallen apart. Family members, judging by the similiarity in their human facial characteristics.

Thoth remarks; "This one is starting to suspect it may be wise not to retrieve the item we seek, if it is what is causing this abnormal behavior." It is remarkably calm seeming for an area that has time /going backwards/. A most concerning thing. "This one also wishes to propose that we do not stay here long. If skeletons are walking, it means that time is passing forward and backwards as well. This one is uncertain what this will do to you." Looking to the Biological folk.

Tlanexhuani stares at the scenery unfolding, well, un-olding, around them. He blinks several times. "Ssa" Not much else for him to say as he has no idea what is going on... or not any explanation of it. Then there is a sudden short hiss of passing amusement. "This one younger iss not terrible... but iss wise not stay long." He then looks to the others more seriously. "If not collect thing, at least find thing? Or go now?"

Time seems to stop for a moment, externally.

... and then starts moving forward again. Things rapidly rot around you and return ot the state they were in when you got here, rats included.

Fortunately, it isn't taking you with it.

"Kind of beautiful in a way, but mostly horrifying, and no small amount disturbing." Reithak mutters, lingering just a moment and continuing on. "I really don't feel like being younger, not much benefit there, and older is ideally avoided, too. As for the thing? Might need to just bring it out and get it to someone that can take care of it, in case it's spreading from this spot at all."

"Anyways, you're fine, Tlan, you don't look a day over seventy." The egalrin jokes, sticking their tongue out in the sith-makar's direction before continuing further into the building.

Whirl - we proceed onwards"

This pattern continues as you explore the floor, and eventually do locate a set of stairs up and down.

... here's a problem.

With the pattern of disintegrating and reintegrating, the stairs ... fall apart and then reassemble themselves.

In practice, that means you can use them to go down.

... if you're fast. Presuming the vault is down there. Or up. They weren't sure. They just knew that this home beloinged to someone who had worked on time magic, and would have useful information and items present for their purposes. Ostensibly.

Thoth, startled, stares at the tears in the stairs, and settles its affairs as it prepares and shares the desire to go downstairs. It doesn't put on any airs, as it glares at those stairs. In the end, thanks to its lights, it will not be caught unawares as it bears to head down those stares - hoping itself will not need any repairs.

GAME: Thoth rolls Athletics: (19)+0: 19

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls athletics: (8)+1: 9

"Guess we're going down first? Alright, makes sense, we can clear out there, first." Reithak nods, glancing down the strange staircase and not looking too pleased by it. "Hoping there'll be a way back up, since I can't exactly fly back here. Anyways, I'm just making excuses for myself, down I go!"

And with a hop, skip, and several large flaps, the egalrin manages to get their wings wide enough to at least cushion their way down. Hopefully the time mess wasn't affecting gas physics to the point the air wouldn't catch, but it was too late to consider such things.

Tlanexhuani watches the others hop and/or skip through the air when the stair is not there. He watches the timing and then takes his own leap. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the slow lizard is a bit slow. He lands on them as they reform. Not so good.

On the other claw, slow lizard is heavy. Whether rotten or just half-formed, the stairs don't hold him, so he succeeds in going down anyhow. The next flight breaks his fall... but are also broken. It isn't one big fall, but a series of small ones. Crashing, loud ones.

... above you, now, you hear the pitter-patter of feet on what must be the roof.

Several sets of feet.

...at the bottom of the steps is more clutter, coming and going. There are no skeletal rats here, no, at least that's true for the moment.

This room -- perhaps the open beginnings of a basement in some way, expands in all directions, with walls adorned with old frames and older paintings of landscapes too faded even when the magic of time plays them back.

The floor grows carpeted, then threadbare, then bare, then back the other wa6y again. The doors grow ramshakcle and then reform.

One such door leads to a hallway, a softly glowing light shining at the end of it.

Another leads to pitch blackness -- of the magical kind.

"This one can see in the dark." Thoth remarks, as if this needed to be pointed out as a War Golem. The old thing doesn't realize that is part of the standard package for many generations after itself. It then turns to look towards the place with the glowing light. "But this one recommends we perhaps start with that place first." Pointing at the glow coming from beyond that door, and begins to approach to look through it.

Reithak suddenly has to swerve as a large lizard threatens to knock the egalrin out of the air, and the large egalrin flutters madly as they reach the ground. "Tlanexhuani, you alright there?" They ask, turning their head to the ceiling. "Ah, crap, better be quick down here if we can. I'd say starting with the bright area is probably the best bet, I don't really want to be gnawed by skeletal rats in the dark."

Tlanexhuani rights himself and gets up from the floor before he might become part of it, or a rug. "This one is... not injured." 'Fine' does not just seem right. "Ssa, go for light. Is ssomething." He can see well enough in the dark, but if they are looking for a thing in a hurry, glowing is the best first start.

The forwards-backwards momentum of 'time' continues as you approach the door. If anything, you not ice it seems to accelerate as you get closer to it. This could be a good thing, in the sense that it means you're close to something useful, or the root of the problem.

The door, on the opther hand, is a problem. 

For one, it's a metal door, the kind that doesn't so easily fall apart with time, but it does seem to seal-reseal itself again and again. Timing to grab it and pull it open looks possible, but you'd have to be precise... and given what Thoth experience when he picked up one of the rats, carries a potential risk. 

Secondly, you can hear sounds from above. 

... a crash. 

And then a louder crash. IT sounds like something just entered the house. 

Several some things, actually.