The Search for Kore

"Excuse me," says the elderly priest of Vardama as he reaches the briefing room. "I'll make it quick. One of the inquisitors is missing! And I believe I know why and where they went based on what they said. I'd like you to go there and find them. They've gone to the Tomb of Adderkind a sorcerer who, as you've no doubt figured out, a sorcerer with an obsession with serpents and serpent folk and what not. He attempted to find his way to Am'shere long before the portal was born and had some success. Unfortunately, we only recently located his supposed tomb where his minions concealed him and his work for his eventual 'rebirth'. You will go there and purge the place, recover our Inquisitor, and return to us."

...and that's how you arrive at a lonely hillock on the edge of Alexandrian territory by airship. A lonely hillock with a tunnel heading in...

A tunnel that leads you to...

A DOOR. It's a double door, actually, so it's twice as evil. Made of granite.

"So your executor is missing. Fair enough. We'll find him." Melora's prety gruff, but pointed about it. Once there, she stares at the door...and even pokes at it. Huh. Definitely granite." Two small hands crash down on the table with all the force of a wet loaf of bread. "EXCELLENT!" Exclaims Disaster in a small musical voice, the young Gnome beaming brightly. "I was just working on a device to detect Inquisitors and another to report the locations of local fauna of a reptilian limbless variety, i.e: snakes!" Even saying 'i e' the little Gnome begins to pick at his gear and tool covered clothing his speech accelerating as he does so. "This is a wonderfulOportunityForMeToFurtherTheFieldsOfBroadPlaneDetectionAndRangedHerpetologyEvenMoreSoWithTheDoomCasterTwoHundredEightTeenICanEnterDeconstructiveHerpetologyViaApplicationOfHighVoltage!"

Seanait glances around the group, then hrms, cocking her head at the door. Then she looks at the gnome, saying wryly, "Maybe... we could just try to open the door first?" After all, it might not even be locked?

"Open the door?" Disaster asks looking at it with a critical eye. "Well I suppose we could do that." He changes direction on his suit and begins pulling out different tools. Walking over to inspect the granite edifice.

Lollia eyes the door with distaste once they arrive. "...so, it's a tomb....with dead things inside. And snakes." she asks, yet agian, to confirm that they're ACTUALLY going to go in someplace like that. "Like...snakes with poison? Or like, giant snake god guardian snakes?"

Ennis offers, "I'll try the door." He steps up to it and says, "Open sesame?" while knocking on it.

Toha takes everything in a certain ominous silence. Briefing, to trip, to.... door. She steps closer to the doors and a breaks the silence with, "The last time I was in a team that forced a door, there were traps. one was gas."

There's a tall figure in the back of the group. Nearly seven feet tall and broad through the shoulders for all it tapers from there. A sith-makar if the flicking tail is any indication, or the snout that emerges from the depths of the cowl worn pulled up and over to hide much of anything else. The darkness of the robe and the slightly hunched posture makes Zeke somewhat easier to overlook, but even given those things it's simply difficult to ignore someone his size. He doesn't offer to open the door. Or even touch it. Or even to move from his place way in the far back of the group. He just watches everyone else talking whilst his green eyes flicker from one person to another.

Nothing happens when the door is knocked on.

It's a door.

What, were you expecting a mimic?

Melora shakes her head. "All righ....If we're not gonna try it." She says and stumps her way forward. She pushes on the door too.

Seanait glances over at Lollia, "Or dead snakes, perhaps." She looks up at Melora, stepping forward in case it /is/ a mimic that's just being clever. Or maybe it wasn't awake yet.

Lollia frowns, then warily stays back slightly. In case the door explodes. Or bites someone. Or is trapped. Basically, she's going to be a good wizardess and not try to be at the front at the moment.

Toha shakes her head as everyone gets impatient and shifts the grip on her fifteen pound lock pick from 'walking stick' to 'You have made poor life choices, sir'. Assuming the door hasn't exploded in the meantime, she'll step up and get ready to smash it in.

Ennis steps back to allow room for those with a more brute-force approach to do their business.

GAME: Melora rolls perception: (20)+5: 25
GAME: Zeke rolls perception: (2)+2: 4
GAME: Lollia rolls perception: (15)+6: 21
GAME: Disaster rolls Perception: (17)+2: 19
GAME: Seanait rolls perception: (4)+17: 21
GAME: Toha rolls perception: (12)+6: 18
GAME: Ennis rolls Perception: (11)+3: 14

Melora looks back to everyone else, then simply pushes on the doors to open it....

Seanait stays near Melora, looking prepared for... well, undead snakes, or whatever is down here anyway.

The blonde elf wizardess wrinkles her nose, sniffing. "Doesn't even look like it's been opened...are we sure he's in here? And not, like, waiting to follow us in once we go through all the traps?" she murmurs, following reluctantly. Because ewwww. Dead things and snakes are not some of her favorite things.

Toha half-lowers her hammer as the door is pushed open. So much for that, "Have t'know we were comin', wouldn't he?"

At Lollia's remarks. Ennis looks around behind them, his hand on the hilt of his rapier.

The door does not appear trapped, or if it was, they were expertly disarmed. The door is easy enough to open as well, though it grinds considerably as you try to do so quietly.

Still, you're inside now, and it would appear to be an unlit corridor, requiring your own sunroads and lanterns or, yes, darkvision to see. The walls are decorated with arrays of bass-relief snakes in various acts, from eating to...eating... to, okay, it's all eating.

They're snakes. Eating is pretty much what they do.

The tunnel ahead leads to a wider chamber, dominated by a central sculpture of you guessed it,. a rather large pair of snakes.

So this guy was a bit obsessed, yes.

"Hah!" Disaster states as a lantern is brought out and lit, then hung from his right shoulder. "Well this is interesting." The little gnome says as it investigates the designs on the wall. Then as they enter into the large chamber Disaster produces a small sketch pad with which he goes to work drawing the general gist of the giant snake sculpture. "Mmmhmmm, there may be a theme at work here."

Seanait shakes her head slightly, glancing at the gnome, "Possibly. We might have to explore further to make certain of the theme, however."

Ennis shakes his head. "Well, a pit of vipers. How gauche. I suppose they are too many to worry about eradicating them. Maybe yonder statue conceals a passageway."

Zeke is the last into the room by virtue of being willing to wait around for everyone else to go through the door first. Almost insisting on it in fact. He looks around at the room with rapt attention, first one way and then another. For the moment he keeps his opinions on the decor to himself, but he definitely seems interested in it to say the least. He nears one of the walls, squinting to get a good look at it and then turning his green eyes on the main object in the room. It's impressive.

"Wiggling." the golem remarks, swapping her Earthbreaker for the longsword at her waist. While her face is immutable, there's something in her voice. Is she trying to be funny?

GAME: Lollia casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 2 DC: 16

Seeing the giant snakes, Lollia twists her lips in disapproval, but pauses to murmur a soft spell, fingers gracefully moving through the motions, before a shimmering nearly invisible armor appears over her body. Because it might keep from being bitten and she's all about that.

Melora says, "We could probably make a path to it....."

Seanait cautiously moves across the room, taking her quarterstaff in hand to poke any possible snakes that emerge, since there aren't any around right now, and heads towards the exit on the other side.

Ennis walks along with Seanait, occasionally poking the floor in front of him with the point of his blade.

Lollia follows along behind the vanguard, pulling her longbow off her shoulder absently to hold in her left hand as she glances around alertly. "...people who are this into snakes are just weird."

As seems his way the tall sith-makar in the back continues to bring up the rear, his staff held high enough up of the ground to keep it from striking as he walks. It makes him a quiet if notable shadow. Zeke's green eyes follow the statue well into the room until they are practically out of it.

Toha continues along with the others, looking around methodically, though she's gone back to silent running.

Crkk.

Just as Lollia speaks, the two snakes stir from their stony slumbers.

They begin moving.

ATTACKING.

GAME: Ennis rolls Weapon2: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Ennis rolls 1d6+1 just in case: (5)+1 just in case: 6
GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Melora rolls 1d10+4: (6)+4: 10

"Well....at least the creeping down isn't going to be a problem." Melora says as she tromps her way forward and chips at the snake with her axe.

GAME: Seanait rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Seanait rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Seanait rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (7)+7: 14

The first stone snake makes a grab at Seanait but its jaw snaps shut around the bird's arm before they're able to pull back unharmed.

Seanait narrows her eyes, then lets out a loud raptor-like screech before punching at the other snake, trying to distract it. While her first strike misses, her follow up punch actually knocks some chips loose.

GAME: Zeke rolls weapon1: (14)+7: 21
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d6+4: (4)+4: 8
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (8)+7: 15

The other snake moves in swiftly, aiming to snatch at Zeke since they moved! Fortunately for Zeke, it doesn't quite manage to get a hold of them.

Seeing one of his comrades attacked lights a fire in Zeke's eyes and though a moment ago the sith-makar had been about to speak, to suggest that perhaps they leave these things alone - it seems that it is too late for that. Now he leaps forward, striking the snake that tried to bite Seanait with his quarterstaff. The blow cracks away a few chips of stone and reveal a harsh expression on Zeke's face as the motion blows back the cowl on his head and reveals the six dark horns that alight his skull.

GAME: Lollia casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 2 DC: 16
GAME: Lollia rolls 1d6: (1): 1
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (17)+7: 24

Lollia's eyes get huge as the statues move, then she lets out a shriek, dancing back as they come smashing down to start to attack the partly, her hands coming up as she performs a few quick gestures...and her scream dopples out of audibility as she targets the snake, vibrating it briefly as part of the cracked stone breaks away.

GAME: Toha RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 6 temporary HP
GAME: Toha rolls weapon2-1: (12)+8+-1: 19
GAME: Toha rolls 2d6+6: (5)+6: 11
GAME: Ennis rolls Weapon2: (9)+7: 16

As things get more lively, and the aggressors are obviously of tougher stock, Toha immediately goes to the place deep down that holds her 'whitefire'. Silver, faintly glowing mist begins to wisp out of her seams, as a ruby mote of fire ignites in her eyeslit as she closes the distance, dropping the longsword and yanking her earthbreaker free for the windup and-WHOK! The hammerhead smites chips from the stone serpent.

GAME: Ennis rolls 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7

Ennis keeps stabbing at his same target, succeeding in chipping it a little more. He says, "Too bad this isn't a hammer!"

GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (20)+8: 28 (THREAT)
GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (3)+8: 11
GAME: Melora rolls 1d10+4: (9)+4: 13
GAME: Seanait rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Seanait rolls 1d20+7: (10)+7: 17

Melora is still chipping away at the snake. Eventually she'll get through. Tink...tink…

GAME: Seanait rolls 1d8+1: (6)+1: 7
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (8)+7: 15

A second swing at the bird!

It reaches over at them and tries to eat them, to no avail. It does appear to be quite capable of swallowing, given the way it's jaw unhinges and such. Might it be hollow in some way?

GAME: Zeke rolls weapon1: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d6+4: (3)+4: 7
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (3)+7: 10
GAME: Lollia casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 2 DC: 16
GAME: Lollia rolls 1d6: (2): 2

It was not acceptable the first time, nor is it the second. The snake comes in to bite Seanait and Zeke responds with a sharp retort to the tip of its nose. It's as though he's training the stone beast though clearly it is slow to learn its lesson. There's a grim and stubborn expression on Zeke's face however and it doesn't seem as though he intends to stop trying.

The second snake to act, however, is still trying to get a hold of Toha! It does not actually succeed, this go around, either. These are not very effective combatants even if they are animate, it would seem.

There's a brief pause to Lollia's motions as she leaps back, backpedalling away from the snake devouring people! To get, um, space. Yes. Space. Also to take a breath and scream again, really, really loudly at the first snake until it shatters.

GAME: Toha rolls weapon2+1: (12)+8+1: 21
GAME: Toha rolls 2d6+8: (10)+8: 18

Toha's firelight slides along her eyeslit to align with the second snake as it makes another attempt at her and recenters as she turns bodily to assert her objections. The Earthbreaker's grip creaks in her grip and then comes around to SLAM into the side of the serpent!

GAME: Ennis rolls Rapier: aliased to Weapon2: (12)+7: 19
GAME: Ennis rolls 1d6+1: (3)+1: 4
GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (16)+8: 24
GAME: Melora rolls 1d10+4: (8)+4: 12
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (13)+8: 21
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (3)+8: 11
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+1: (2)+1: 3
GAME: Zeke rolls weapon1: (15)+7: 22

More rocks fly away from the snakes as Melora chips at it. "This is taking a very long time. No one else is getting hurt?"

GAME: Zeke rolls 1d6+4: (4)+4: 8

Ennis, deprived of his target by the success of Lollia's scream, switches to the other, and chips a little off of it.

GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (17)+7: 24
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 2d6+4: (7)+4: 11
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+11: (11)+11: 22

Zeke shifts his weight. There is another one of these things still active; still trying to eat his comrades. Though he hardly knows them, his protective nature means that knowing them matters very little. Protecting others does. So he smacks the second snake on the nose as he had the first, hoping to disway it from further attacks.

GAME: Lollia casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 2 DC: 16
GAME: Lollia rolls 1d6: (5): 5

Lolli erks as...well, Toha gets swallowed. This is not a good thing! A quick series of motions and another scream that become inaudible as she tries to focus on the snake's jaw, hoping to crack it open again!

GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Ennis rolls Rapier: aliased to Weapon2: (15)+7: 22
GAME: Ennis rolls 1d6+1: (3)+1: 4

Ennis takes another stab at the big stone Toha-eater. He continues chipping away at the problem.

GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (13)+8: 21
GAME: Melora rolls 1d10+4: (6)+4: 10
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (11)+8: 19
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5

Seanit follows up Melore with another strike herself! It's some more damage.

Melora's doing her best....at being stubborn. But now the war golem gets swallowed...so she hits the snake again…

GAME: Zeke rolls 2d6: (7): 7
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+12: (13)+12: 25
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+4: (1)+4: 5
GAME: Lollia rolls d20+1: (4)+d20+1: 5

Lollia mmphs and lifts her bow at last, almost fumbling pulling out an arrow as she tries to aim for the cracked bits! And....wow. That was a clean miss. Not just a close miss, not even where she might have hit a party member just...whiff. Over there. She was totally aiming for that bas relief of a snake.

GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Ennis rolls Rapier: aliased to Weapon2: (18)+7: 25 (THREAT)
GAME: Ennis rolls Rapier: aliased to Weapon2: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Ennis rolls 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5

Watching the snake eat Toha, Zeke lets out a little cry of alarm. There's little that he can do about it, but he grasps his staff in either hand. For a moment he forgets about his crystalline hand and lifts his jaw skyward. A small radiance expands from his claws, reflecting up his crystalline arm in a cascade of rainbows eaten away by the darkness of his cloak until the light fades. He knows his prayer to the Dragonfather has been heard, and those whom share comradeship with him now are rejuvenated.

GAME: Melora rolls weapon1: (5)+8: 13
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+8: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Zeke rolls weapon1: (12)+7: 19
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d6+4: (5)+4: 9

This time, Melora's strike isn't right on the blade, but glances off of it. "Go down already!"

Zeke can not see his comrade to know if the other is alright or not, so he grasps his quarterstaff and uses it for its secondary purpose - hitting. With both hands tight around the haft he strikes the snake for a second time; watching in amazement as the thing finally hits the ground with a clatter of rocks. "Hello?" He immediately moves forward to see if he can catch sight of Toha still within the stone beast.

The good news: With the two serpent guardians dispatched, you are able to search much of the rest of the 'tomb' and its chambers. Several of the rooms look fairly empty but for more snake sculptures and a few trivial artifacts from travel to Am'shere. Seems he did find it!

The bad news: there is no sign of Kore, anywhere!

You do encounter one door, far too heavily trapped to go through. You'll need to come back another time for that. It would certainly appear that Kore did not make it that far. She is not in a snake, either.

With no further leads, and in need of assistance to get past the final door, you return to Alexandria to report your findings.

Listening to you, the elderly cleric of Vardama is nodding along.

"I see, I see. This is worse than I thought. No sign of Kore, then?? Dreadful. WE'll need to dispatch more search parties."

A small dark-skinned half elf in simple Monk's clothes stands up from a corner of the room where they've been perched, unseen, on a chair outside of the office. Come to think of it, that figure might have been there when all of you first arrived.

"Elder?" The girl speaks in a murmur, staring at the old Inquisitor while she does. "I'm right here. I was told you'd be right with me for our meeting..."

Kore's been right under the cleric's nose. For six hours. Well, she IS small enough to be easily overlooked...

-End