Homoventures Chapter 4, Part 16
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Summary
The party investigates the final elemental room on the Tomb of Orelius, and find a chamber inscribed with a prophecy/curse. Xan and Justen discuss the possible implications. When they rejoin the others, they are attacked by ghouls led by an undead general.
Session
- Session date: Oct 10 2014
- Diablotin date: Spring 2275
<DiablotinNarrator> So I believe we had stopped just as you guys had opened the door to this room at the bottom of the map, which contains a rug (magic) and some whistling windy holes in the ceiling/wall/whatever
<Xandhil> if we want to get a better idea what is around those holes, I can cast clairvoyancew
* NPC1 is now known as Sleyght
* Sleyght agrees that that could be a good idea, if you have the spells to spare
<DiablotinNarrator> I'd add, which I don't think I did before, that the ceiling in here is higher than the other rooms you've seen so far
<DiablotinNarrator> Like if most of the ceilings you've encountered so far were normal-high (like 12 feet, say?) this one is about twice that
<Xandhil> I do
* Xandhil does have the spell to spare
<Xandhil> I can put it up high? I can't move the sensor but I can see in all directions with it
<Sleyght> All right - it can't hurt, anyway.
* Sleyght says, perhaps optimistically ;)
<Xandhil> hopefullly not!
* Xandhil will cast it then, aiming for the center of the room and mayby 3 fett down from the ceiling?
<DiablotinNarrator> okay
<DiablotinNarrator> How about a Search check for you to look more closely, then?
* DiablotinNarrator almost said Perception -_-
<Xandhil> ;_;
<DiablotinNarrator> spot? is that better for you?
<DiablotinNarrator> I forget
<Xandhil> !roll 1d20+13
* @BalthCat rolls for Xandhil: [ 1d20+13 ] getting [ 4 ] which, after the modifier [ 13 ] totals [ 17 ].
<DiablotinNarrator> or are you just lamenting not having Perception
<DiablotinNarrator> The holes that you can see closer-up are about the size of a finger, and seem to go very deep into the stone - maybe all the way outside, to judge by the fresher air in here
* Xandhil will describe what he sees
<DiablotinNarrator> You don't notice anything else odd about them
<Xandhil> (nothing else to see? nothing on the ceiling or anything?
<DiablotinNarrator> Just more of the same sort of holes
<Sleyght> Maybe we can take a closer look at the rug, since it's obviously magical...
<Xandhil> I wonder if there is something under it?
<Xandhil> but yes...
* Sleyght looks around to see if anyone wants to volunteer to be the one to go in and poke it ;p
<Xandhil> I can
* Sleyght nods
<Sleyght> We'll be right here, in case anything goes wrong
<Justen> Be careful
* Xandhil warily ventures inside and approaches it
* Justen says, keeping close to the door
<Justen> (okay - we'll switch over to roll20 for this bit)
Nary R. (GM): Xan, when you step inside the room, the sound of the wind immediately starts getting louder, rising from a whistle/moan to a scream
Nary R. (GM): So you and Sleyght are stunned and deafened for 4 rounds
Nary R. (GM): okay
the wind inside the room is rising to a storm-like level
In addition to automatically extinguishing any unprotected flames, winds of this magnitude cause protected flames (such as those of lanterns) to dance wildly and have a 50% chance of extinguishing these lights. Ranged weapon attacks and Perception checks are at a –4 penalty.
the folks outside, apart from Sleyght and Justen, will step back in caution
Although you're stunned with the wind and sound, Xan, you can notice the carpet isn't moving other than a faint fluttering of its tassels, despite the wind
Justen is yelling... something you can't hear, and is going to try to drag you out
Nary R. (GM): once he sees that you're not moving out on your own
* Justen Olivier can manage to grab you and pull you out of the room
* Justen Olivier is holding you close, not caring who stares :p
* Justen Olivier: are you okay?
* Justen Olivier 's voice is the first thing you can hear when your ears start working again
* Xandhil Orecalo nods
* Xandhil Orecalo: Just a little overwhelming
* Xandhil Orecalo leans against him
* Justen Olivier: yeah
* Xandhil Orecalo: But the carpet's not affected
* Justen Olivier strokes your hair
* Justen Olivier: you think that's how to stop it?
or just because it's magic or something
* Xandhil Orecalo: I don't know
(are the winds still raging?)
* Justen Olivier: yes, they are still going
I can try to get in there and ... I don't know what - step on the rug?
* Justen Olivier offers
* Xandhil Orecalo nods
* Xandhil Orecalo: I could go back
* Justen Olivier: Maybe if we try together, in case one of us gets... blown away?
* Justen Olivier squeezes your hand tightly
* Xandhil Orecalo: sure
* Xandhil Orecalo smiles
* Xandhil Orecalo imagines the others are rollign their eyes
* Justen Olivier: (probably ;)
* Justen Olivier: okay - you two are going to try and both step into the room and onto the rug, then? is that the plan?
* Xandhil Orecalo: (yes)
* Xandhil Orecalo eyes Justen
* Xandhil Orecalo: We could try it the easy way >.>
* Justen Olivier: okay
* Justen Olivier will teleport you both onto the middle of the rug, then
Nary R. (GM): As your weight presses onto the rug, the ferocious wind dies down at once, going back to the faint whistling sound of earlier. At the same time, you are aware that the ground under your feet is not solid - but also that you're not falling, but rather rising into the air
* Xandhil Orecalo: Ahh, I knew it1
* Justen Olivier looks up at the ceiling, in case you guys are about to bash your heads on it
* Justen Olivier: get down now?
* Justen Olivier suggests, before you can be smushed against the ceiling
* Xandhil Orecalo: yeah maybe >.>
* Justen Olivier will teleport you both down, then
* Justen Olivier: (like to there)
Sleyght, still closest to the door, will shout that there's a hole underneath where the rug was
although once you get down, you can see that for yourselves
* Xandhil Orecalo: (and the winds don't come back?
* Justen Olivier: The rug drops back down once you're not standing on it anymore, but the winds don't return either
* Xandhil Orecalo will see if he can drag it aside, unless Sleyght protests too much >.>
* Xandhil Orecalo: (pr roll it up rather
Nary R. (GM): you can do that
* Xandhil Orecalo: (that probaby makes more sense and is less disruptive)
Nary R. (GM): The carved opening underneath the rug looks as though it goes down about another similar distance to how far up the ceiling goes (so ~20-25 feet, perhaps)
it's also almost the same size as the rug, so that presumably the rug was only sitting there by a few inches at each edge
* Xandhil Orecalo: (is there a way down?)
(can can we see anything down there?)
Nary R. (GM): It's a carved chamber, and there's no way down - no ladder or stairs or whatever. You think you can see some things at the bottom but at this distance it's a bit hard to tell what they are - some fairly small items, and one larger thing that looks like a metal bowl or stand or something
* Xandhil Orecalo: well...
I could climb down, with spiderclimb...
we could try a rope but there'snothign to tie it off to in here
* Justen Olivier: I could teleport down but then I'd be out for the day...
* Xandhil Orecalo eyes you
* Xandhil Orecalo: I could...
* Xandhil Orecalo looks back to see if anyone else has any input >.>
* Justen Olivier has a sense what you're going to say and looks a bit wary about it, but waits to see what the others say too
* Xandhil Orecalo just meant he could also teleport , but hey >.>
* Xandhil Orecalo: I can cast sppiderclimb on other poele too
* Justen Olivier: Anxikaril will suggest that if the rest of them hold the rope, one person could be lowered down, also
(aaand sec, checking a spell)
Nary R. (GM): Karala can cast Levitate :D
That is probably the easiest solution
* Xandhil Orecalo: cool
Nary R. (GM): it doesn't have a really long duration, so it would mean going down, looking quickly, and coming back up, or alternately going down, grabbing things, and coming back up
1 min/level
(which for her is 8 min)
* Xandhil Orecalo: well, then I guess now is the time to decide what to do about the sarcophagus out there...
Nary R. (GM): vis a vis the slots for things?
* Xandhil Orecalo: yeah
Nary R. (GM): Gyrus is in favour of putting in the items that seem to fit; Sleyght is a bit more cautious, but also curious. A. doesn't have a strong opinion on the matter, and Karala is in favour as well, although also sort of "Well it's not my job to say, but..."
* Justen Olivier is also a bit wary about it
* Xandhil Orecalo: Well, here's the thing
* Justen Olivier: What's liable to happen? Raising a king from the dead?
* Xandhil Orecalo: if it is going to make somethign dangerous happen
it is better to do it when there are only people who are ready to deal with it
That seems a little extreme
* Xandhil Orecalo: Like - that's clerical magic
They didn't have clerics, not really
* Justen Olivier nods
* Xandhil Orecalo looks to one of the other academics to back him up >.>
Nary R. (GM): Gyrus agrees with you.
"It seems likely the items relate to the djinn who were supposedly his servants"
(she says)
* Justen Olivier: So at worst we wind up with four pissed off djinn? >.>
* Xandhil Orecalo: its been thousands of years - I guess we'll see what their tempers are like :p
it might depend on where they've been >.>
* Justen Olivier nods
* Xandhil Orecalo eyes Justen, and squeezes his hand
Nary R. (GM): Sleyght nods also
* Xandhil Orecalo: I think as long as they don't come out swinging we can handle it
Nary R. (GM): "You're probably right - it's better to find out now, when we're prepared"
(says Sleyght... ugh would have been smarter to do this bit on IRC, but whatevs ;)\
With a general agreement, then, that you will put the items in their places, who wants to go down the hole? :D
* Xandhil Orecalo: :D :D :D
* Xandhil Orecalo will always volunteer :D
Nary R. (GM): hee
* Xandhil Orecalo: but really, I can spiderclimb it if someone else wants to levitate :3
Nary R. (GM): Gyrus wants to see too, so how about you spiderclimb and she can get levitated
Nary R. (GM): okay
You can make your way down the wall of the shaft
heh. shaft.
Gyrus will get levitated down, and bring a light with her
At the bottom of the hole, you find some items - the large metal item was a censer, and there's a fan made of black feathers, and a bottle of what looks like obsidian, or at least some kind of very dark glass.
There is also carving around the walls down here, in ancient Psyrene of course
* Xandhil Orecalo: (tiem for comprehend languages!)
Nary R. (GM): okay
* Xandhil Orecalo: (although maybe Gyrus can just read it >.>)
I can stay down here and copy this
* Xandhil Orecalo offers, since her spell has a shorter duration
Nary R. (GM): sure
she can take the other items up
* Xandhil Orecalo will dig a pencil and paper out of her bag and copy the text (but also, comprehend languages >..)
Nary R. (GM): "Herein Lies the Black Djinn, the Traitor Who Shall Not Be Named, the Breath of Corruption, May His Name Be Forgotten From All Worlds In Creation, Until Such Time As Ophion Puts Right The Stars And Justice May Be Done Upon Him"
* Xandhil Orecalo: OH SHIT
well
uh
* Xandhil Orecalo clibs back up pretty fast
Nary R. (GM): The others are meanwhile gathering up the other items
* Xandhil Orecalo looks cranky
* Justen Olivier: What's wrong?
* Xandhil Orecalo: stupid prophecies >:|
* Justen Olivier: uhh ... kay?
* Xandhil Orecalo will show him what it said
* Justen Olivier: ....fuck.
... it's not a prophecy exactly, maybe? :/
more a ... wishful thinking?
* Xandhil Orecalo: yeah well
it wished
it defined its terms
and now...
* Justen Olivier: yeah
now that can happen
* Justen Olivier says quietly
* Xandhil Orecalo: well
we were expecting to fight something
what do you want to do?
* Justen Olivier: family
we were expecting familyt, and what if that's what it means
* Justen Olivier is getting anxious
* Xandhil Orecalo takes his hands
* Xandhil Orecalo: Justen
its okay
We can leave, right now, if that's what you want
* Justen Olivier: what if doing this... whatever we're doing... brings *him
* here.
for some kind of like... genie trial? I don't even know.
* Xandhil Orecalo smiles
* Xandhil Orecalo: then you'd get to see what he was like?
* Justen Olivier: ...
* Xandhil Orecalo: now
* Justen Olivier: ...yeah...
you're right
I'm not the one whose name is cursed for all eternity or whatever. it wouldn't be about me.
* Xandhil Orecalo nods
* Justen Olivier: okay
* Xandhil Orecalo: okay?
* Justen Olivier nods
* Xandhil Orecalo will steal a kiss then
* Justen Olivier kisses back
* Xandhil Orecalo: and we can leave
any time
I just want you to know that, okay?
Its an option
* Justen Olivier: I know
* Xandhil Orecalo: even if we don't take it
* Justen Olivier: I still have one teleport left today.
* Justen Olivier ndos
* Xandhil Orecalo: I love you, okay?
* Justen Olivier: I love you too
it'll be all right
* Xandhil Orecalo: yes :)
* Justen Olivier says, partly to convince himself
Nary R. (GM): Meanwhile the others have gathered the other items - the stone box, the lamp, the bowl and the glass bottle
They're just in the process of finding which goes where, deliberating for a few moments
andhil Orecalo heads with Justen ito the main room to share the text then
* Xandhil Orecalo: so
Nary R. (GM): (before you get too far...)
Nary R. (GM) moves you just to the door there....
Nary R. (GM): There is a shifting of the earth beneath your feet, as something burrows underneath you
and it's gonna pop up there
Along with its friends...
* Xandhil Orecalo: oh void
(and then we fight some ghouls!)
