The Challenge of Fort Lancing Part 2
Log Info
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Players =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fidget 2'11" 29 Lb Goblin Female
A purple goblin in a layered, mismatched set of fancy clothes in myriad
Miril 7'7" 410 Lb Giantborn Female
Solid-built giantborn; soil-toned skin, glacier hair.
Schara 5'7" 120 Lb Unknown Unknown
A Tall figure of burnished metal with a fur lined cloak.
Simony 3'5" 34 Lb Goblin Female
Albino Goblin in copper robes edged in blue trim.
Tlanexhuani 7'3" 316 Lb Sith-Makar Male
Azure sith-makar with bronze armor and hammer.
Warrick 5'10" 165 Lb Human Male
A middle aged Eldanar with a big crossbow and armor.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Telamon 5'6" 140 Lb Half-Elf Male
A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes
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The draugr, unholy spawn of whatever experiments were performed in this room, lie in crumpled heaps, defeated. However, it is clear whomever, whatever is in control of the keep now is aware of you. Displeased, perhaps, by your intrusion. The ghostly face has faded from the wall, leaving only the menace of her words. With the southern portcullises now closed twice-over, the only exit is east through the door.
Warrick huffs, unsettled from the ruinic face in the wall that spoke to them all. "... great, the fort is sentient," he deadpans, the winch on the crossbow clicking to a lock as he slides in another bolt. "I should have inferred this from the briefing."
He scans over the group. "And this is why we don't touch random things. Sitrep?"
The albino gestures to the door. "When I last had my ear there, it was quiet. We should expect trouble now, since obviously the person having taken over the place has spoken to us. I honestly hope it's not more undead in here. That is quite an evil thing to do, and I imagine Vardama being quite cross with this sort of thing.
Simony chuckles lightly at Warrick. "I am going to guess that it was a spell of sorts that lets ... whomever the hell that is look around. Perhaps they are running this with not enough help... or the help's all undead." The Goblin huffs, rubbing at her side gingerly. "Those things punch hard. Doing alright here." She steps a bit closer to the ex-guard. "Are you managing alright, Warrick?"
Miril lowers her tetsubo-styled earthbreaker once the last draugr is defeated (read: smashed partway across the room) and the face fades.
"At least we figured out what they did before we were surprised by them later," Miril says, safe and secure in the thought that she didn't touch - she just provided a convenient boost. "I'm all right, though!" Now that she's gotten a bit of a patch up, anyway.
Miril does walk over to where the face was and stares at it. She doesn't really expect to find anything. "But if this place is full of undead..."
Schara stops and looks around, keeping one hand on their death ray, only to stop and stare at the walls. "The wall was talking to us. Right?" The artificer notes. "Are you okay Warrick? And is this related to the spell that they were working on here? It was one consideration I had of how such a spell could go wrong, if melding a person's concioousness to a building would give them some manner of control over the area."
"So, now we potentially have an idea what went wrong. Do we let them know what happened, or continue on? Do you think they can be reasoned with?"
Giving a little quiet nervous laugh, "Heh...heh..heh...oops!" Fidget says, somewhere between embarassed and amused, "Alls well that ends well, though, right?" She professes, still not sure exactly how that trap worked - it clearly required further research, further poking. Later.
"We haven't really figured out what's going on, we just have guesses, though. For example, we don't know if the person is still here and alive. I'm sure they want to know that." the goblin points out, in no way ready to accept that they were done exploring yet.
Warrick puts up a placating hand. "I am fine," he answers to Simony and Schara. "Just mildly rattled. Hate undead," he grumbles, giving the draugr a stink eye before rolling his shoulders. Though the idea of there being more undead potentially doesn't fill him with confidence in the matter. "We don't know yet, Schara. We're going to have to go deeper."
He looks to everyone. "I'm ready to press on. Just..."
A long, tired sigh under that helmet. "Don't... touch anything," he gibbers under his breath. <Goblin-talk>
GAME: Fidget rolls spellcraft: (8)+12: 20
Miril swings her earthbreaker up on her shoulder. "Well then we should be prepared for more of them! I've got this," she says, wiggling the earthbreaker, "and I'm ready to go - but just keep your eyes out! I'll do what I can, too. Something like this - I'm not just going to leave it be."
She looks at the closed portcullis. "Not that I have a choice even if I want to, ha ha!"
GAME: Simony rolls perception: (2)+10: 12
"Honestly, no way to really know if the poking activated them or if it was something else. For all we know, they were festering along til they got to a certain point, and being undead, detected us as life, and jumped out to feed. Best that we get out of here..."
Simony eyes Warrick a moment, before repeating in trade. "Please don't touch anything. At least, unnecessarily. And if you are considering doing so, please let us know so we can prepare."
The albino heads towards the door, and listens carefully for a few moments. She glances at everyone, inhales, exhales... and pulls open the door.
"As long as you are not pretending to be fine for our sake Warrick, since I could see you doing that." The artificer points out, taking some time to flip their wooden hand up and down at the wrist to make sure the joint was still working properly in spite of the blackened wood. "I need to be more careful with this since I don't have any backups."
"I would agree with the others. Now that we know the building seems capable of at minimum sensing us, we should do as much as possible to avoid anything like that." Schara nods. "Unfortunately I have not learned handspeech yet and I should attempt to learn it, even if I would not be capable of communicating at the moment understanding it would be helpful."
"Fine, fine, fine. Less touching." Fidget sort of agrees, taking a last glance around the room before she followed after Simony.
"I hate undead too, can't enchant something that's too dumb to be enchanted. And these ones were resistant to fire, too. That's just rude! It was such a good angle too." Fidget complains as they move forward.
Beyond is a long hallway running north to south, with doors to the north, east, and south. Much like the room before, it has been washed and cleaned quite fastidiously -- perhaps not quite as much as it could be, though.
A dull, reddish brown blotch adorns the wall next to the door you came out of, a slightly smeared handprint. The angle is somewhat peculiar, as those the one who made it was horizontal... or being carried. Trying to prevent being taken into the room with the sarcophagi.
Warrick's helmet turns towards Schara. "I do possess some modicum of resolve," he lightly huffs to them before glancing down at the flopping hand. His visor obscures whatever emotion on his face as he falls in line with the others. "Handspeech is helpful. Merctalk is as well. Former is more common."
As he goes, he does, at least, concede to Fidget, "It was a good angle." Peering over Simony, he shifts a bit as his readjusts his grip on his crossbow. Gaze stopping on the handprint. A breath cycles through.
Miril likes to be nearish the front of the group, and so she tries to end up there, if not precisely *in* front... she's no scout, just a big, obvious target.
It takes her a moment to spot the handprint. It's pretty low for her. Her expression gets stormy, but she does not start yelling about it, which is probably for the best. Instead, after grinding her teeth: "Pick a direction and go, I guess. One way's as good as another!"
GAME: Simony rolls perception: (19)+10: 29
When her face isn't suddenly full of undead things gnawing at her, the albino peeks out into the hallway, and silently tiptoes out the door. She eyes the other three directions, noting the presence of doors there, before her attention is turned to the handprint.
She frowns. "Someone is going to pay for this.", she says, her grip on the warhammer she carries tightening.
"HOnestly, Schara, we're all probably 'pretending' to be okay in some fashion or another. Though I can back Warrick up on his assertion, he does possess more than a modicum of resolve. I mean, he is continuing on despite our first encounter there. That speaks volumes." Simony looks to the warrior then, offering the man a nod. She glances at Miril, and turns again, heading towards the door across the way. Where she once more listens at it for a few moments. Her mouth opens, as if to say something.., and it shuts quickly as she waves to everyone, and puts a finger to her lips.
"Sounds like someone rummaging around in here. Hmmm, at least two, possibly up to four, hard to tell." <Handspeech>
The Goblin holds up two fingers, then waggles her hand, and then holds up four fingers.
"Of course you do, it would take resolve to do that. Or resolve to go if you are fine regardless. But I will trust what you are saying, and we can continue onwards."
Schara stops to look at the walls. "I do not know if we should check the doors where the, I am assuming person was taken from, or if we should check elsewhere? I can not tell at a glance the direction it was moving, especially with how things were cleaned."
Further musings are stopped by a movement the artificer does recognize, and she falls silent, though the artificer tilts her head at further handsigns.
Warrick ceases any talking as he spies Simony's motions. He drops into a stance, adjusting the grip on his crossbow. He makes a circling motion, points to the door, makes a sweep of the hand and thumps his chest once. "Regroup, then breach the door. Ready." <Merctalk>
Carefully reloading her dragonspitter while they examine this room, Fidget notices Simony's handgestures, "Ooh, I underst-" she says about the handsigns before clamping a hand over her mouth in realization of the intent. Perhaps a time for *silent* celebration. Fidget hates those times. She shuffles up near to the door so she can peek inside when they're ready.
Miril still does not understand merctalk or handsign. But she understands that she is being signaled to, and at least she knows what she does at doors.
Miril raises her earthbreaker again. Just in case.
Simony eyes everyone else, as Warrick speaks, before her hand goes up to the handle. The Goblin holds up three fingers. She lowers one, then a second, then a third, and then she pushes hard on the door.
It appears to be a storeroom, but one that has been repurposed for... lack of a better term, sorting things. Piles of parts, debris, detritus litter the floor, being picked through by a quartet of strange, four-armed mechanical constructs, each with a narrow head dominated by a single gem-like eye.
As the door opens, all four look up in unison, and their eyes turn an angry crimson, a buzz like a mechanical wasp coming from them as they leap to their feet. Their eyes pulsing in time with the greenish runes inscribed along the walls...
GAME: Simony rolls 3d6: (11): 11 GAME: Simony casts Bless. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Once more, the opening of a door doesn't immediately end in her doom. Simony is visibly relieved, her hand coming up to the hour glass symbol hanging around her neck. She whispers a prayer to Navos, to guide her companions' weapons and fortify them against fear.
"Going in!", she yells, sounding rather upbeat and cheerful.
"Oh.", she says, looking up at the robotic servants.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20: (15): 15 <OOC> Telamon says, "And that's just enough to hit Simony's touch AC. She is currently entangled now."
One of the four-armed mechanical creatures skitters forward on three legs, almost dancing across the floor as it moves up. A weird artifice device pokes up over it's shoulder, and it makes a loud coughing sound, a rope net shooting out from it and landing across Simony like the proverbial wet blanket!
GAME: Miril rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (7)+3: 10 GAME: Miril rolls 1d20+6: (14)+6: 20 GAME: Miril rolls 2d6+6: (9)+6: 15
Miril was expecting undead. Not constructs! Though she should have been, given they've already seen artifice in the portcullis. She squints at them a moment, trying - and failing - to place them.
One of them fires a net - not at her, thankfully. Since her tetsubo isn't going to be any good getting her free, Miril rushes at a construct, taking a zig-zagging route, and goes for a powerful overhand strike at the thing!
<OOC> Warrick says, "move in, see simony is netted, approach her at 7,7. What does it take to remove a net?" <OOC> Telamon says, "The net has AC 10, 5 HP and can be burst with a DC 25 Strength check, or escaped with a DC 20 Escape Artist check. So you can cut it open with a sword." <OOC> Warrick will draw longsword during movement and cut it GAME: Warrick rolls weapon16+1: (3)+6+1: 10 GAME: Warrick rolls damage16: aliased to 1d8+2: (4)+2: 6
Warrick mentally ticks Simony's countdown against his crossbow, him rushing in after Simony and Miril take the front. He almost drops to a knee, but spies Simony tangled up! "I have you, Simony!" he calls out, turning and ripping free the longsword on his belt.
He almost drops his crossbow as he rushes forward, but he manages to drive the blade through the rope and tear the netting apart with a grunt. "Watch out! They have nets! Keep distance!" he calls out over his shoulder.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (14)+6: 20 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d4+6: (1)+6: 7 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20: (12): 12 <OOC> Telamon says, "And hits."
The servitors stalk forward on their weird tripodal legs, moving with surprising speed. One backhands Warrick with a loud CLANG, the angry red eye in its face suggesting it's a bit peeved with the former guardsman. Another sprints up and plants its feet, launching another net at Miril this time and tangling her in its cords.
GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/arcana: (14)+10: 24 <OOC> Fidget says, "Slide around the wall to 7,13. Pearl of Power to get Burning Hands back. Burning hands 1 and 4." GAME: Fidget used a Pearl of Power (1st). GAME: Fidget casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (1)+4: 5 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (6)+4: 10 GAME: Fidget rolls 3d4: (8): 8
Fidget knows this hand gesture of Simony's, too! She chooses not to announce it to the room this time, instead quietly smirking in self-congratulation. The door bursts open and a lot of stuff happens all at once. With her companions rushing in, Fidget joins the charge, following Miril and running alongside the wall - but NOT touching it - to get a spot just behind them and draws fire into a ball in front of herself, then sprays the flames over the two nearest automata, grinning as they show no signs of ignoring her wizardly might this time. "These rustbags don't like lightning. And they heal, which is cool, but inconvenient, so... murder them quickly?" she yells out, giving a little squeak of alarm as one of them advances on her.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (12)+6: 18 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d4+6: (1)+6: 7
The most battered servitor turns, the flames starting to die down as its half melted countenance glares at Fidget. Bits of clockwork try to reassemble themselves, as it takes a mincing step forward, and swings a punch directly into the gobbo wizard, knocking her sideways.
GAME: Schara rolls craft/artifice: (5)+10: 15 GAME: Schara activates her Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex GAME: Schara rolls 1d20+3+4+1: (15)+3+4+1: 23 GAME: Schara rolls 2d6+4+1: (11)+4+1: 16 <OOC> Schara says, "robit is dazzled for 1 round assuming it can be."
Schara is still trying to process what everyone was saying when combat broke out. The artificer shakes their head and refocuses, peering into the room. "Just a moment!" She shouts to the others as she runs inside, hitting a switch on her left arm on the doorway in the process that causes their armor to whirr at a steady hum, plates shifting around the various joints. Death ray readied, she starts to aim. "I recognize these from one of my textbooks, I can't remember the Kulthian term but they are commonly referred to as clockwork servants, and if they weren't a threat at the moment I would love to study them further since I could really use their self repairing functions in my own armor but, ah! right!"
The artificer huffs and shakes her head, shooting a large gout of flame out of their arm at one of the servants. "Self repairing, right! And quite rapidly, focus one at a time down so they will stay in an inoperable state!"
GAME: Simony rolls weapon2+1: (8)+5+1: 14 <OOC> Simony says, "Free reroll?" GAME: Simony rolls weapon2+1: (9)+5+1: 15
Simony huffs in annoyance as suddenly, she's netted. The Gobbo begins to struggle, "ACK! What the actual...?" Then Warrick is there a moment later, slicing through the net with ease. "T.thanks Rick!", she says, sounding flustered, before she squeaks. "Look out!" Sim growls and brings up her hammer, though it doesn't make that much of an impressive sound as she brings it down upon the robot that slammed into the warrior."
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20: (9): 9
Another net goes sailing past Simony, right over her head, and smacks into the wall uselessly. The clockwork creature almost looks disappointed...
GAME: Miril rolls 1d20+5: (19)+5: 24 GAME: Miril rolls 2d6+6: (7)+6: 13
Fidget runs over to her - past her, with acid. "Thanks," Miril says, before winding up for another swing. Her blows may not be that fast, but they're powerful. Except:
Miril is abruptly entangled in a net!
This actually mostly seems to make her mad. "Agh - these stupid constructs! Servitors or not, I'm going to smash them if they keep at this! Can you tell them to stop, if they're for repair?" She doesn't actually wait for an answer before she swings; even with a net half-wrapped around her arm and holding it in, she manages a solid blow, sending gears everywhere despite the bad technique.
<OOC> Warrick says, "drop longsword, rapid shot 2. if it kills, target 4" GAME: Warrick rolls weapon1+1+1: (18)+7+1+1: 25 GAME: Warrick rolls damage1+1: aliased to 1d10+0+1: (5)+0+1: 6 GAME: Warrick rolls weapon1+1+1: (8)+7+1+1: 15
Warrick grunts as one of the servants slams into him, knocking him back some before shoving it off. He looks back to the others, seeing one member get netted, but the fire slinger laying down the suppression and Miril finishing one. "Yes!" he calls out with Schara. "Focus fire!" he says as the artificer blasts.
He tosses the longsword aside, pulling up his crossbow and letting loose two bolts. Only one lands, but it hits hard. He pulls back. "Best way to make them stop is to get rid of them!"
<OOC> Telamon says, "Servant 2 opts to self-heal." GAME: Telamon rolls 1d10: (1): 1 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (15)+6: 21 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d4+6: (2)+6: 8
The servitors aren't giving up without a fight. Indeed, slowly but steadily the damage inflicted on them is being repaired by some arcane artifice, metal knitting back together and clockworks realigning. One of the machines pauses, but then shifts behind Simony, while another stalks over and slams a fist into Warrick's back with a brutal strike.
GAME: Fidget used a Pearl of Power (1st). GAME: Fidget casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15 GAME: Fidget rolls 3d4: (11): 11 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (17)+4: 21 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (2)+4: 6
Focus is not Fidget's strong point. Fire, on the other hand...
Fidget uses her little legs to weave in and out of her companions, touching nothing! She winds more magical fire between her fingertips and sends it rolling by Simony in a wave that briefly engulfs two of the constructs, sending slag dripping to the floor from their shells, but they continue to move. She then employs the handspeech she does know and gives the robots a double handed rude gesture for staying upright.
GAME: Schara rolls 1d20+3+4+1+1: (8)+3+4+1+1: 17 GAME: Schara rolls 2d6+4+1: (11)+4+1: 16
Schara, now more focused on the combat, resets the death ray and takes aim again. "Keep it up, we'll be able to get through them!" She shouts over the din of combat, readying another blast of flame that hits the clockwork servant square in the chest. There's an unpleasant grinding noise from the contraption as malformed gears attempt to keep turning, quickly silenced as the servant falls to the floor.
<OOC> Tlanexhuani will move into the room? "I don't see doing much else until knowing what is happening, which is after moving in. :)"
Guarding is important and Tlanexhuani has a biased towards it; something could rise up (again) or try to attack them from behind. After a few moments of hearing something attacking the group from the front (so to speak), though, he can't delay any longer. He comes briskly steeping his way in after Schara to see what is going on.
GAME: Simony spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY. GAME: Simony rolls 3d6: (7): 7
Two of the robot servants go down in quick succession, and Simony cheers. Her holy symbol glows once more as she implores Navos to see to her companion's wounds as they do battle with the forces of chaos. Definitely chaotic in here. "Watch out Fidget!", she calls out as one of the remaining servant advances on the arcanist.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (11)+6: 17
Another mechanical minion strides forward, swinging its metallic fist at Fidget... and the blow just -stops- an inch before her flesh, the glimmer of magical force blocking the blow. The machine actually gets a bug-eyed look of disbelief on its blank countenance.
GAME: Miril rolls 1d20+4: (18)+4: 22 GAME: Miril rolls 1d4+4: (2)+4: 6 <OOC> Miril says, "Yes; I'm going to move around to 10,10 to 'flank' with Warrick. I don't actually know if he threatens with the crossbow so I might not be flanking, but if the sword comes out I definitely will be."
Having smashed her construct of choice, Miril switches her tetsubo to a one-handed grip and struggles for the knife she has strapped on her hip, cursing. (It wouldn't be a struggle if it wasn't caught in the net, too.)
But she gets it out and slices herself free, stepping out from the bundled net and around the pile of debris. She looks... unhappy.
<OOC> Warrick will rapid shot 4, then five foot step to 7,7 to leave it for someone else to flank it if they can GAME: Warrick rolls weapon1-2+1+1: (8)+7+-2+1+1: 15 GAME: Warrick rolls weapon1-2+1+1: (15)+7+-2+1+1: 22 GAME: Warrick rolls damage1+1: aliased to 1d10+0+1: (6)+0+1: 7
Warrick gasps as he's struck in the back, him barely catching his footing before Simony's blessing reinvigorates him. He nods in thanks towards her before spinning around to see Schara blast one to pieces. He blinks, turns, and point blank fires the crossbow into the servitor next to him, the first shot missing, but a quick reload and a jab with the front making sure it lands.
He slides back. "Advance!" he points to where he was, should someone wish to get in there.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (8)+6: 14 <OOC> Fidget says, "Hold action until either 3 or 4 dies or moves."
This clockwork servitor just sops up abuse, and comes back for more. When Warrick backs off, it spins on its waist and brings its fist around in a circling arc that hisses just past Miril's nose, narrowly missing her.
GAME: Schara rolls 1d20+3+4+1+1: (8)+3+4+1+1: 17 GAME: Schara rolls 2d6+4+1: (9)+4+1: 14 (Electricity)
Remembering something mentioned earlier, Schara changes tactics, and switches something in their armor, causing a dull hum to emanate from the coiled metal. The artificer takes aim, and a bolt of lightning jumps from the weapon to one of the servitors, causing a significant amount of damage to it's internal systems. "Sorry, you were right! Electricity works much better on these, I'm sorry."
GAME: Tlanexhuani activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Str GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls weapon3+2: (10)+9+2: 21 GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls damage3: aliased to 1d8+6: (6)+6: 12
Tlanexhuani now has a better idea of what is happening. Mostly that the others are in danger, but also the nature of the danger is... intriguing! Just not as intriguing when it is trying to murder people. What can forge can also dismantle, so he brings his hammer up, sparking his armor with his other claw. Then he advances, as War Rick directed, to swing his hammer at the one previously harassing.
GAME: Simony rolls weapon2+1: (13)+5+1: 19 GAME: Simony rolls 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5
Simony finds herself suddenly in the back line, as it gets pretty crowded in front of her. She casts an eye behind her, watching Miril and Tlan beating the servant back and forth, with the added electrical sounds as Schara lets off her attack.
Grunting, the little Temperence comes running out from behind Warrick, "GRRAAAAAAAAAH!" With a solid, metallic THUMP, her warhammer connects. There's a shower of sparks as the servant finally succumbs to the combined assault.
"Whew... what a pain these things are!"
<OOC> Fidget draws her dragonspitter, takes a step to get a better shot, and fires at 4. GAME: Fidget rolls weapon5+1-2-4: (3)+5+1+-2+-4: 3 <OOC> Fidget says, "We get another reroll this session?" <OOC> Telamon says, "You DO have a reroll, yes." <OOC> Fidget will try that again. GAME: Fidget rolls weapon5+1-2-4: (18)+5+1+-2+-4: 18 GAME: Fidget rolls damage5: aliased to 1d8+0: (1)+0: 1
Caught up close with one of the clockwork servants, and with another just over her shoulder, Fidget could draw on her magic to roast another one - but between them the team seemed to mostly have this in hand, so she squirms in place, looking for an opening to move or attack. When Simony downs one of them, her opportunity is here, and she hops over one slumped, ruined bot to take careful aim at the other, firing with both hands and a loud bang - to very little effect. The construct doesn't even seem to notice the small dent while it's fighting with the others.
GAME: Miril rolls 1d20+9: (13)+9: 22 GAME: Miril rolls 2d6+6: (10)+6: 16
Miril attempts to keep the clockwork servitor occupied. She manages, mostly; it takes a swing at her, whipping past her as she steps back, dropping her dagger at the same time. It gives her just a moment to switch her grip back to both hands.
"Angoron!" she calls, before striking; despite the slow swing she manages to feint, flicking it past the servitor before pulling it back and catching it on the backswing.
With a loud crash, the last construct hits the floor. They're strange things, with four arms, three legs, and a one-eyed head -- well, those that still HAVE heads.
A shivery sensation runs through you, and the runes along the walls pulse softly. A familiar face forms over your heads, as if peering down through the ceiling, though the way it appears suggests your foe isn't watching you. More musing, as she speaks...
"In my talons, I shape clay. Crafting life and unlife as I see fit. Around me is a burgeoning empire of stone and steel. From my throne, lines of power careen outwards, seeking beyond. My whims will become lightning bolts that will devastate all the lesser races. I am drunk with this vision. God: the title suits me well."
And then the vision fades.
-To be continued...-