Experience Points:

As usual, please update your character sheets, and add any XP bonuses, if applicable.  If you level up, please let me know and make the adjustments accordingly.

With the new pink gem in hand from the "FEAR" test, you retreat to the semicircular room (marked as "7" on the map):



The door on the eastern wall in the niche is still closed, and you tightly close the two stone doors on the northwest and southwest walls.

Between the healing spells, herbalism, and healing proficiencies of the group, as well as a good night's sleep ahead of you, you all manage to return to your full hit point status and strength.

You can also cast any other available spells before resting.

Everything is the same about the room except that now the word "FEAR" inscripted on the wall has a glowing luster as though lit up, in addition to the previously lustrous CONFUSION and DARKNESS.

PLEASE SEE BOLDED SECTION BELOW FOR UPDATE ON THE SHELVES.  REMEMBER THAT YOU DECIDED TO HOLD OFF PUTTING THE GEMS IN THEIR SLOTS UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL THE GEMS.

OOC: I need list of final spells to put into Rod Of Absorption.

(My next post will be the overnight resting, so I am considering it still within an hour or so of coming back to the semicircular room--before resting.)


Here is a description of the room again for you again:

This semicircular room has three entry/exit points:  the door you entered, a door on the south side of the west wall leading west (which is slightly ajar), and a door inset into a small niche in the eastern wall (see map).

On the wall behind you (the west wall), there are intricate carvings, which read:

 "THE TEST OF THE FAITHFUL. Only those who prove true may transcend and descend.  Only those who prove true are worthy.  The seventh test revealed below."

 A tapestry is hung on either side of these engravings.  Though they must be old and are filled with dust, they are in impeccable shape, obviously preserved through magic.

 The left tapestry portrays the back of a black-cloaked man standing atop a mountain, his hands held high.  At the bottom of the mountain, hordes of followers bow in obeisance.

 The right tapestry portrays a silvery dragon with piercing blue eyes, its tail winding around a black-cloaked figure.  In each of its foreclaws, it also holds a black-cloaked figure, and yet another is crushed between its teeth.  The dragon peers out from a cave in a mountain, and at the top of the mountain, you see the small figure of the cloaked man, hands still raised.

 Below the wording and in between the two tapestries, there is another "shelf" that is closed to viewing.  You imagine it will open if the right conditions are met.

On the curved section of wall in front of you, words are elaborately carved into the wall with gold insets.  There are three words on the left, and three words on the right.  Each word is repeated multiple times in several languages.  In order from left to right, the words are:

 1) DARKNESS
 2) CONFUSION
 3) MADNESS
 4) MIGHT
 5) FEAR
 6) EVIL


 The words DARKNESS and CONFUSION and FEAR have a glowing luster to them that the others do not, as if they are magically lit up.

 Under each of the multi-lingual words, you see a square area where there is obviously some sort of shelf or casing built into the stone wall.  Indeed, under the first two glowing words, the "shelf" has rotated down 90 degrees, revealing two things:  each has a small indentation the same size as the gems you have recovered; each also has an item just above that indentation.
Under the first two words, the small indentation for the gems has receded into the wall and the shelves that appeared and gave you the weapons are visible.  Under the word FEAR, the shelf has rotated down 90 degrees revealing a small indentation the size of the pink gem, and an item.

This item is a black and brown composite bow with the word "Oathbow" inscribed in Elven along its edge.  (Meant for Shapfren.)


Oathbow

Of elven make, this white +2 composite longbow (+2 Str bonus) whispers "Swift defeat to my enemies" in Elven when nocked and pulled. Once per day, if the firer swears aloud to slay her target (a free action), the bow’s whisper becomes the low shout "Swift death to those who have wronged me." Against such a sworn enemy, the bow has a +5 enhancement bonus, and arrows launched from it deal an additional 2d6 points of damage (and ×4 on a critical hit instead of the normal ×3). However, the bow is treated as only a masterwork weapon against all foes other than the sworn enemy, and the wielder takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls with any weapon other than the oathbow. These bonuses and penalties last for seven days or until the sworn enemy is slain or destroyed by the wielder of the oathbow, whichever comes first.

The oathbow may only have one sworn enemy at a time. Once the wielder swears to slay a target, he cannot make a new oath until he has slain that target or seven days have passed. Even if the wielder slays the sworn enemy on the same day that he makes the oath, he cannot activate the oathbow’s special power again until 24 hours have passed from the time he made the oath.


This message was last edited by the GM at 17:34, Thu 07 May 2015.

Shae casts the spells and prepares to rest, letting Shapfren get the interesting bow while she clings to her ancestral spear.  She gets her bedroll ready and makes sure the doors are tightly closed and cannot be opened, and that no beetles can fit through.  "What a memorable day," she comments as she lays down to pray for spells and rest.

Ooc: Shae is not sure what spells she can give for the rod of absorption since she has cleric related spells and has access to them all.  She also just leveled up!

Leo moves about the party applying herbs where he is able.  "Unfortunately I don't have anything that I think will help with this Black Curse beyond what has already been done, except possibly ease some pain."  Moving about he continues, "We would have to move outside and allow for time to look around and find something...and that's no guarantee.

"We could chop off the afflicted area, not a great option but it would stop it from spreading any further.  With some luck we could find a healer that could restore the missing parts."

Lukas was feeling under powered in the group, wondering if he still had much use to the party.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:33, Fri 08 May 2015.

Tahldar settles down to rest once he has given Kahan spells for his rod from the available amount he has left.  Which isn't much.

The mage then casts a dancing light spell to give them a soft light to see by.  One which he knows will dissipate in about twenty minutes.  Enough time to settle in and then blink out, allowing them to sleep.

Kahan casts a couple of his own spells into the rod before looking over at Shae and asking, "I have a few blocks of Incense of Meditation left. Would you benefit from their effects as well or not? If so I will likely burn them as we will need all the power we can get."

Didit just goes straight to the bow, she holds it in her hands and feels it. She looks around in case someone wants it, but she has made up her mind about keeping it. When seeing Shae and thaldar contribute with spells for the rod, she goes closer and speaks "When I said I didn't have any spells left I wasn't truly accurate, but I doubt an invisibility spell or an illusion will fool the tests"

"If Tahldar had not already given me an Invisibility spell I would gladly take yours. What illusion are you talking about? I might not end up needing these spells for the tests but I will likely use them at some point. The more spells I can have access to, the less I will need to rely on you spellcasters for less than useful spells so you can focus your efforts on more meaningful spells," Kahan replies as he looks over the book that came with the rod. "I am really glad that cleric 'gave' me this rod. It is rather useful and I dare say I put it to better use than the last cleric that had it, eh Borimer?" he laughs.

"An improved Phantasmal force, it cam make mobile illusions. Would a knock also be good for you?"

"Knock is the one that opens locked doors, correct? No, I think that may be a bit too much of a utility spell, something I probably won't ever use. The Phantasmal Force, however, could be helpful," Kahan responds, going over how to cast the spell into the rod so it absorbs it correctly.

The warrior chuckles, "You do, and he doesn't need it now anyway, not after where we sent him..."

You settle down for the night--assuming it is night.  It is hard to tell in this dark and ancient ruin inside the mountain.

In the middle of the night, a sound awakens you.  As you rise, you realize it is the clickety-clacking of the multitude of beetles outside the door.  What strikes you as odd is that the sounds are coming from the northwest door, not the southwest one that leads to the area you encountered them previously.  At some point during the last test, they must have moved to the northern half of the testing area.

After a minute or two, the sound of the beetles diminishes as they leave the area.  You are glad you kept the stone doors closed overnight, or you may have a rude awakening.

Nothing else occurs overnight, and you wake up feeling refreshed and good as new.

OOC: As mentioned earlier, between spells, skills and rest, everyone gets back to their normal hit points by the time your rest is over.

Also, I am not exactly clear what is being used as a light source.  Torches won't last forever, and we use a modified version of the "light" spell in this game.  There is literally no outside light at all where you are, so light sources are critical.  Even infravision/nightvision does not work well (if at all) in absolute darkness.

unless it's been lost borimer has always had a lantern.  he has no reserve oil, only whatever currently remains inside

OOC:  Tahldar has a couple of vials of oil left that Borimer can have.  Unless someone has a continual light they can cast.

Lukas has no light source to offer

How does he use a lantern and a sword if he has only one hand?  :)

hadn't actually thought about it since the hand went missing, maybe the suggestion of a gnome can be our answer? :)

speaking of the missing hand, wasn't there an adventure where borimer had to give back an npc's severed hand to another npc?  that would have been foreshadowing of him losing his own hand.  not that this is to keep you from worrying about how borimer is carrying the lantern, its entirely for nostalgia and/or literary reference.

Didn't Magic weapons glow in he dark?

Wasn't there something from the caves we had been using for light? Like a glowing rock or some such?

Kahan: I think you are thinking of the light from after your battle with Esylia (the medusa) who is the sister of Syrissa (the good medusa). That was in the Harkhanon Ruins and can be found here:
link to a message in this game

--see messages 30-32.


Kahan opens the small jewelry box, which is covered in a black leather.  It snaps open as if on springs.  Its insides have mirrors on the bottom and underside of the lid.

 Nested inside in a clasp is a white jewel that is growing brightly.  It is glowing so bright that it appears Esylia was using this as her light source.  (OOC: Think of it as a flashlight.)  The light-jewel acts the same as a bullseye lantern, directing a beam of light in one direction for up to 60 feet in a conical shape.  If taken out of the case, it acts the same as a regular lantern but is more difficult to hold onto without blocking light, as it is perfectly smooth and very small.


I had forgotten about this as well.  But we also had an issue with the anti-magic ray from the golden dragon statuette knocking out the magic of many items. I honestly don't recall what was and wasn't affected.  We should get a master inventory prepared because you guys have been adventuring for so long...

Borimer: I believe you are thinking of the time you guys accidentally gave the Hand and Eye of Vecna to help the injured translator who had been maimed so he couldn't see or write for translation.  The stories actually get mixed up in my head because I've run several groups through similar adventures.

Some do, some don't, depending on the description.  If magic items all glowed, there would be no need for the "Detect Magic" spell.

So assuming you have the light gem (which is not flammable but can be opened and closed), just decide who uses it.  You can also have a gnome hold a lantern if you want a quick source of fire.

Then...I still need to know what you are doing next.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 20):

Would it be possible to make the light-jewel into a necklace of sorts with a strap or something? If so Kahan will wear it. Also before going to bed Kahan will put on the Brooch he took from Grung. We don't know exactly what it does but what better way to find out than wearing it?

OOC:
The box that holds it is about the size of a human foot.  It could be strapped about the waist on a belt.  If you take the glowing jewel out, I'm not sure what ingredients you have to strap it to anything (chains, jewelmaker equipment) since it would need to be fastened like jewelry or have a good chance of falling out and getting lost (or being covered up if put in a pouch).

The box has a clasp-like handle on top, and it opens by two mirrored doors that open horizontally (not vertical like a chest or normal jewelry box).  The two doors can be locked open (to spread the light like a lantern with the mirrors) or locked closed (to keep out all light).

To answer from the Comment Thread:
You found two more entrances to the south to tests, but you don't know which is which yet.  You also have not explored the door to the east of the semicircle room where you are at.  There is also an open door leading to a corridor leading south beyond the other two tests.


You are in the semicircular room marked "7"

"So which way to go? go right or take the longest path?"

"Let's go with the closest one, here on the right." Tahldar replies.

Leo nods in agreement.  "Might as well make sure it's safe enough behind this one."

You will also need to decide if the gnomes follow you into the test or stay outside.

Shae says, "Let's leave the gnomes out of the test.  If the beetles are trapped on the north side, then we just make sure the doors to that semicircle room are closed.  Then the gnomes should be safe.  One thing's for certain, these tests are dangerous.  Maybe there's a spell to help protect them while we're gone?" she suggests.

"I can cast a warding spell that will cause an exploding glyph to go off when something gets too close to it, but that won't help against a large group of beetles," Kahan responds, remembering about that odd brooch that Grung had been carrying and deciding that right now might be a good time to try it on to see what it does.

See message 4 at: link to a message in this game


1) Berillian Brooch -- held by Kahan.  (The Berillian Brooch, when worn, gives a +3 to all saving throws and skill checks involving wisdom, intelligence, or charisma.  It may have other magical properties that will be discovered over time.)

"Maybe an illusion to hide the door from the other side too?"

"What about making a magic wall of some sort or changing out these walls with rock to mud or something?  Or maybe we could tell them to wait in the semicircular room with the doors closed until we get back.  That might be the simplest solution." Shae remembers how they were all safe in that room overnight.

"Or how about no spells and have them stay where we were overnight as it seemed pretty safe there.  We should be conserving as much of our strength as possible.  We still are going to have a dragon to deal with sooner or later."

"Always a good ending when it comes to dragons..."  Borimer tends to his armor and weapons for the time being, having no better ideas for how to keep their gnomish wards safe.

Shae looks at Tahldar with a wry expression.  "I wish I had suggested that.  Oh, wait, I did suggest it about ten seconds ago."  She laughs.

You put the gnomes in the semicircular room and close the doors to keep them safe.  (If you want any additional warding spells or anything, let me know.)

Then you remember that in the previous test, you found out what the test was by placing the cube under the doorway and seeing what word lights up.

Borimer and the group are able to successfully open both of the stone dragon doors by pushing the orb and rolling the door up.



You place the golden cube under the door to the west, and the word "MADNESS" lights up on one side of the cube.  You place the cube under the eastern door, and the word "MIGHT" lights up on the cube.

(I think I forgot to say this, but the words on the cube disappear into its intricate carvings again every time you leave the specific "test," but then reappear and stay permanent when the gem from each test is place in its slot in the semicircular room.)

The doors begin to close almost immediately after opening them.  In the brief glimpse you had, you saw that each of these two rooms is a dark, unadorned square room with a 10 foot square pit leading down to darkness.  One ancient iron wrought ladder leads down on each side of each pit.


This message was last edited by the GM at 16:36, Thu 21 May 2015.

OOC: were in room 8 right?  and the description given is for the other two rooms right?

We have madness, might and  ????  remaining?

Oops, room 8 is supposed to be blacked out because you haven't gotten there yet.  You are in the hallway between the two rooms with the black pits.

You have completed the tests for DARKNESS, FEAR, and CONFUSION.  You have left the tests for MADNESS, MIGHT, and EVIL.

"Madness, Might and Evil, Why not go with Madness next? It sounds like the worst of these two, and maybe we should face it fresh than at the end"

"Evil could also be worse depending on how evil they mean." the priest responds, adjusting his necklace to make it comfortable.

"I'm worrying most about madness.  They all have to be done, so let's be on to might and go from there.  I'm betting Borimer is going to have his hands full with that one." Tahldar replies.  With a smirk he adds "Or should I say hand?"

"All jesting aside though, we really need to find a restorative spell and get that arm back."

"Not sure if you remember fear and confusion, those two were harsh, and madness comes too close to them for my liking. I suggest we go with that one first"

Borimer chuckles and points a stump at the wizard, "Let's hope it's mighty enough."  In the back of his mind the warrior struggles against the feeling that his hand was gone to faceless gods forever.  He nods at Shapfren's suggestion, "Dead is dead, I'm good either way we decide."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:08, Fri 22 May 2015.

Leo listens to the group discussion about the next course of action and chips in, "I imagine we risk death no matter which one we choose, so we could just simply try the closest one", he says in the direction of the closest one to the west.  "Besides that, the longer we stand here, the greater chance of us attracting those little buggers."

Shae says, "Me too.  Let's just go with madness next.  Just keep your wits about you," she adds with a grin.

You put the gnomes in the semicircular room, close the doors so they can remain there safely with their lantern, and you return to the MADNESS test.

Upon entering, the door closes behind you.  Only your light amulet and the glowing cube emit any light.

You look down the pit with the four sets of ladders going down.  The ladders go down into darkness, not into a natural darkness, but into another of those darkness spells that seem to be common in this ancient temple to obscure what lies below.  So each of the 4 ladders goes down about 20 feet and disappears into a cloud of utter blackness.

Lukas heads to the madness room and peers down into the pit.  "Wonder if it has a bottom.  Should we bother to tie a rope to ourselves for when we go down?"

Shae will look around the entrance room, including the ceiling, and she will drop a small item like a coin or rock down the pit to test it out.

"I don't like this.  This is going to turn sour any second." Tahldar says as the others look around.

"That seems to be how these things work," Kahan responds, waiting to see how far down the drop is before descending the ladder.

"Someone could go down there and investigate, with a casting of fly and a rope tied for safety"

"Well, someone has to go down first.  If a volunteer will help, I will go.  After all, I am the smallest!", he says with a nervous giggle.  "A rope and a fly spell would certainly be welcome."

"We should be saving our spells if we can.  In any event a rope should work just fine.  Does anyone have rope?"

Borimer gives Tahldar the fifty foot coil of rope attached to his pack.

Tahldar looks aghast at the rope and the prospect of manual labor.  "Even though our friend Leogold is on the light side, I'll leave holding the rope in your capable hand Borimer.  I suspect there's more strength in your pinky than my entire arm." he says as he flexes a thin and quite spindly bicep.

Didit shrugged. "Ok, no fly spell, but then we should use another rope, and then we all should help with it. Every pair of hands can be the difference between life and death"

Borimer lashes one end of the rope around his handless arm and gives the other to Leogold, and then nods.  "We're good to go my friend."

Leo takes the end of the rope and ties it around his waists.  "I guess there is no way to know if one is better than the other", he says eying the ladders.  "If for some reason I can't talk, I will yank the rope repeatedly if I need to be pulled back up." He just picks the closest one and starts to head slowly down, checking each rung before putting his full weight on it.

Lukas walked around to another ladder "Let's see what madness comes"
He tied one end of his rope around the top rung and then dropped the rope down into the blackness.
Then got a firm grip on the rope he proceeded to climb down.

Shae tosses small pieces of rubble down the hole.  They disappear into the magical darkness, and you don't hear anything below.  It is then you remember the magical silence spells in addition to the darkness spells that were cast.

Lukas and Leo descend the ladders with ropes attached.  As they get to the darkness, all sight and sound of them disappear.  You are left feeling only their weight on the rope as they continue to descend.

PM

PM

Leo climbs back up the ladder and once securely topside he begins to relate what he found.

"The darkness and silent area only seems to cover about 15 feet of the descent.  After that it cleared and we could see and hear again.  Immediately we saw another dragon statue, this time with a purple gem.  I left it for now.  There was also a stone doorway but there was no apparent way to open it, other than removing the gem I imagine. Also, the floor appears to have mirror-like qualities from a type of reflective metal I am not familiar with.  Other than that, I didn't notice anything remarkable."  Pausing for a second, he adds "Oh, and the ladder does appear to be safe.  At least both of us made it down without mishap."

Shae says, "Well, that's good.  Let's all climb down together and then take the gem from there."

With resignation, Tahldar takes his position to climb down the ladder.  Knowing full well there's a fierce storm ahead that he is about to enter.

Borimer will go down the ladder first when the group is prepared to descend.  He looks forward to using two feet, one hand, and a stump.

Kahan follows after when a spot is available. If anyone needs help down he will help them first, being one of the stronger party members.

Didit will go last, but before proceeding she asks "Are you sure the floor is safe?"

"Eh, we were standing on it.  All I really know is that it was a noticeably reflective metal - like a mirror", he says in reply.  Shrugging he continues, "Does it make me comfortable that things will work out?  Not really.  None of these things has exactly been...fun.  This is madness after all", he winks as he gets in line to go back down.

Everyone reaches the bottom of the pit safely.  The darkness and silence spell only lasted for about 15 feet before opening up. into normal darkness, but this one is lit up by your light gem.

You are inside the pit leading down, with walls on all sides.  There is an ancient stone door on one wall of the pit.  There is also, right in the middle of the pit floor, another of those dragon pedestals.  This one has a purple gem in the maw of the dragon.

The stone door appears that it will not open until the gem is removed from the dragon's maw on the pedestal.  There are not any marks, rubble, or anything else on the floor or walls.  The floor is made of very reflective metal, like a mirror.

You find on the reflecting floor the pebble that Shae had dropped down here, but nothing else.

"Perhaps there is some way to cover up the floor before we grab the gem?  I have a feeling this reflective floor is going to come to life in a way not good for us once the gem is taken."

"I wish I had a spell to do the job, but alas I do not."

"Oh, we'll be alright.  We always are, aren't we?" Shae says with a twinkle in her eye.  She reaches out and takes the gem.  "Jump if anything happens!" she says just before.

"Saw that comin", he winces as he tries to ready himself for what happens next.

When Shae removes the gem, the metal reflective floor and surrounding metal ladders that touch it become electrified.  At the same time, the stone door rolls open to the side...

Borimer suffers 12 points of electrical damage as he leaps to the far room.
Kahan suffers 8 hp damage as he follows.
Leo Suffers 6 damage.
Lukas suffers 8 damage.
Shae suffers 14 damage.
Shapfren suffers 12 damage.
Tahldar suffers 10 damage.

Borimer, Kahan, Leo, and Tahldar manage to escape the room.  Lukas, Shae and Shapfren are stuck inside, paralyzed with their arms and bodies twitching.  Borimer and Kahan stand at the door and pull them through.

Lukas suffers 5 points additional damage.  Shae suffers 3 points additional damage, and Shapfren suffers 4 points additional damage.

Shapfren is the last through, and the door begins closing.  She barely is pulled through just before it shuts on her twitching leg.

The door closes behind you.  At first, you are blinded but what appears to be an infinite array of lights all around.  Then as your eyes begin to adjust, you realize that what you are seeing is the reflection of your light gem being reflected off thousands of metal mirrors.  You also see your own reflections.  The door that just closed behind you is also covered in a metallic reflective surface.

Reaching forward and around to "feel" where you are at, this is essentially a passage of 3 foot wide mirrors set at angles to each other to create thousands of images and make it nearly impossible to tell where the corridor leads.  Where you stand, it appears to be about 6 feet wide, and pushing forward, you feel that it veers slightly to the left about 10 feet in front of you.  The floor is also covered in the same metallic reflective surface, and so is the ceiling 12 feet above you.  The floor and ceiling metallic "tiles" are also at angles instead of one solid sheet, so they also reflect various images.  This also makes the floor very uneven, constantly going up or down in 3x6 foot tiles.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:17, Fri 29 May 2015.

Borimer helps pull the others out of the room and tries to shake off the electrical currents still pulsing through his chest and arms.  "That could've been worse..."  He takes stock of their new environment and growls, "Could be better..."

Kahan reaches into his backpack and pulls out a vial of ink. "I will mark the walls where we have been with ink so that we do not get even more confused in this place. Also I suggest we at least partially cover that gem so we don't all go blind from its light." Kahan states, dipping his finger in the ink and making an arrow pointing forward on the wall. If they start moving forward he will continue to mark the wall as they go, running his hand along the wall and occasionally marking the direction they are traveling.

Tahldar rubs his feet to ease the pain.  "Lets try to be as quiet as possible.  Our ears are going to be more valuable than our eyes with all these mirrors around."

"Perhaps we should have jumped like the woman said", Leo joked darkly as he checks on his sore feet.  "I agree, quiet is good."

Shapfren stood up after feeling the pain. "This much light hurts. Maybe there's some way to filter it?"

"Didn't see that one coming"  Lukas is still smarting from being fried on the spot.  He shook his hands trying got get more feeling back into them.  As the feeling returned he squatted down and placed his hand on the metallic mirrored surface.

You dim the light somewhat and Kahan starts marking mirrors.  The mirrors, however, form a long and winding path, and you soon find that some lead in different directions to dead ends.  If he marks every mirror, he will run out of ink before long.

The first dead end is easy to spot, but after 30 or 40 feet of maneuvering through the mirrors, the path curves to the left or goes to the right.

You see thousands of reflected images of yourselves in the mirrors, which is dizzying and mesmerizing, but so far, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Does anyone have any other materials that would mark the mirrors? I have chalk but I doubt that would work." the priest asks nobody in particular. He waits for whoever is in the lead to choose the direction, not particularly caring which way they went.

Borimer nods and punches a nearby mirror with a gauntleted fist...

if tbere aren't gauntlets with his splint mail than borimer covers his hand with cloth first

The mirrors are made of a metallic, silver-like material.  They cannot be broken, even with Borimer's great strength.

One problem you find with marking the mirrors is that the "markings" then reflect off the other mirrors, making it very difficult to determine without touching the mirror which one contains the marking.

"All I have is chalk as well." Tahldar says in response to Kahan's query.  "Shall we go left or right?" he adds in assumption that they will be continuing on.

"While these mirrored walls are probably solid, might as well tap around to see for sure", Leo says as he starts to tap various nearby mirrors with his tools trying to evaluate how thick they are based on the sounds.

"One of us should remain in here holding a rope while the others try to go through the labyrinth"

The large warrior looks at the small mirror-tunnels of madness and then takes his rope and secures it to his arms and hand.  "I got this end..."

OOC: Given the length of the tunnels, you can probably secure yourselves together, but I don't think you have enough rope to go the entire length of the mirror maze.

Shae turns left. "Let's just keep going left and then backtrack by trying different right turns."  She does not believe a rope will do much good in the hall of mirrors because it will just be reflected and as confusing as everything else.  She goes forward without a rope.

Lukas when back to his time honored testing.  Using his sword he tried scratching the surface of the mirrored surface.

"Let find out how far this opening goes" He sat down and got out his rope and tied it to the end of his grapple arrow.  He stepped on the opposite end and fired it down the hallway with his bow.

Lukas fires the arrow to the left.  It goes 12 feet before striking a metal mirror.  The problem you find is that the mirrors make it nearly impossible to tell where the corridor turns without getting right up next to the mirror.

Scratching the mirror doesn't really do much.  You scratch it, only to find the scratch reflected a thousand times in the other mirrors.

After the 12 feet to your left, the corridor T's off to the left or right. In the reflections, you see a mirror that, unlike the others, is not connected directly to the next mirror, but instead has a white wooden border around it.  It appears to be somewhere off to the right side, though you will have to actually get to it to know for sure.

Shae will go to the right to try to find the different mirror.  If she finds it, she will look into it and touch it.

Borimer follows her to the right, carefully avoiding as many of her reflections as possible until his head hurts.  "We can always use the rope to tie us all together, avoid getting separated."

Shae heads to the right with the rest of the party in tow and finally locates the white outlined mirror.  When she touches it, her hand goes right through!  It is some sort of illusion.  Stepping through, she is still in the mirror maze, and the mirrors fork off like a Y in front of her, to the left and to the right.

On the left side, somewhere in all those mirrors, she sees a mirror with a black outline around it.

"I suppose I would eventually have tapped the right one!", he jokes as he follows Shae through the mirror maze.

Shae keeps going, trying to find and touch the black mirror now.  "I suppose tapping works too," she says with a laugh.

Tahldar keeps pace with the others and waits for whichever direction they decide to go.

After some looking around and feeling your way through, you finally reach the black-outlined mirror.  Shae touches it...and disappears!

Borimer immediately unsheathes the Godkiller and then touches the black-outlined mirror with his arm-stump.

Borimer also disappears in a flash.

Tahldar reaches an unsteady hand to the black mirror and pauses momentarily.  Cursing the unknown he nonetheless touches the mirror with a painful wince.

PM

Tahldar touches the black framed mirror and also disappears!

PM

At the moment, Tahldar, Borimer, and Shae have touched the black-framed metallic mirror and disappeared.  This leaves Kahan, Leo, Lukas, and Shapfren standing in the hall of mirrors staring at their own reflections.

Kahan will shrug and touch it as well.

PM
This message was last edited by the player at 00:52, Sat 13 June 2015.

Leo looks around to see if there is anything else to do or notice, and seeing tons of reflections he comments "Test of the faithful huh.  Maybe this is the part where I go mad."  He shakes his head and reluctantly touches the mirror.

Lukas could only shrug, "Well at least there wasn't any screams" He adjusted his goggles and stepped into the black mirror.

"Whatever, let's face it while it's fresh" Didit sighed and touched the mirror

Each person who touches the white framed finds himself at a random location in the hall of mirrors.  None of the party members are anywhere around him.  But the confusing mirrors are everywhere, leading to the left and right.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:52, Tue 16 June 2015.

PM

PM

PM

PM

PM

PM

PM
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Thu 18 June 2015.

PM

PM -

PM

PM

PM

PM

(Edited to make sure post goes to all parties present.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:49, Thu 18 June 2015.

OOC: I'm thinking we probably don't have to do this by PM.  I had no reason to do so other than that the party was separated.  So let's just have the parties post in different colors (unless you prefer PMs).  This way, we don't have to take additional time to update people later.

Borimer, Lukas, Leo and Shae can post in blue.

Kahan, Shapfren, and Tahldar can post in green.

Remember you are only in proximity to the people of the same color, so avoid cross talking to the others.

"I suggest we try looking for the sound first. If that doesn't pan out then we try the door. Maybe we'll find the others that way?" Kahan responds.

OOC:  Assuming that Shapfren's song does not bring anyone else to us, Tahldar will lead the way to the buzzing sound he heard earlier.

"It is at that", Leo says with a hint of frustration.  "So far touching the mirrors hasn't exactly been lethal." He stops considering for a moment, "Although the others who are not with us either didn't hear the buzzing, chose not to follow it, have already touched this mirror, or perhaps something lethal has happened to them", he says with a little apprehension.

"Ok, but we all go together"

Kahan, Shapfren, and Tahldar follow the buzzing sound.  They weave through the confusing mirrors until they see reflections of their companions.  As it turns out, their companions are at the source of the buzzing.  The buzzing is coming from the mirror in front of them, as it shakes and shimmers.  The door is framed in a ruby red frame to set it apart from the other mirrors that all touch.

The party is all back together now.

Seeing no one do anything, Shae goes ahead and touches the red frame mirror.

Lukas could only scratch his head as Shea touched the morror, "Oh well I was going to offer a suggestion that we all hold hands that way we would all be pulled to the same location."

Tahldar looks at Lukas and says "Excellent suggestion.  We can still do that and see what happens."

"Yes, I agree.  If nothing else all of our fates will be the same", Leo nods approvingly.

You all hold hands, and Shae touches the fast vibrating mirror with the ruby red frame.  An electric shock goes through each of you...

Borimer takes 6 damage.
Kahan takes 9 damage.
Leo takes 7 damage.
Lukas takes 12 damage.
Shae takes 9 damage.
Shap takes 4 damage.
Tahldar takes 8 damage.

The painful energy surges quickly through you, causes intense pain, and then Shae is jerked back from the mirror.  Your bodies continue to shake (dazed) for 1-4 rounds, in which you have no control over your muscles.

You also notice in this brief powerless interval that the explosion of energy sent a wave of energy and high pitched ring down the hall of mirrors.

It apparently has also wakened something.  You hear a high pitched squeal in the distance.  It is not human, and it sounds angry.

The turns in the mirror tunnels does not allow you to see what nature of beast this is, but it lets out another squeal, and this one sounds just a little closer as it echoes throughout the mirror maze.

Coming out of the daze, Leo proclaims "Well, I was right about one thing - our fates were the same."  Standing up he draws his blade and alerts himself for the danger that is surely coming.

Lukas teeth are still hurting as the stink of the electric shock is slow to subside.  Lukas started shaking out his arms and legs to try and get some feeling back into them.  He rubbed his fingers as well to get some feeling back in them.

Shae laughs through the pain.  "The one time we all go in together, we all get hurt together.  I guess misery loves company." She prepares her ancestral spear to attack what might be coming but looks down the other direction to see if prudence might suggest leaving the area.

You see nothing in the direction of the sound.  Mostly all you can see in this hall of mirrors is your own reflection a thousand times over.

But Shae looks in the opposite direction of the sound, turning a corner, and sees the reflection in the distance of what appears to be a person slumped to the floor.

Kahan begins moving backwards, away from the sound. "If we are to fight whatever this thing may be, we should look for a more defensible position. I also have to wonder if there isn't more than one creature..." he muses aloud, drawing his weapon and shield, moving to the slumped over man to see if he was still alive.

"Or a low ceiling, if it's big it will have a harder time getting at us"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:23, Wed 24 June 2015.

Borimer stands up and rubs his shoulders before hearing the incoming trouble.  He positions himself to confront the threat as soon as it arrives.

Shae will also follow Kahan toward the slumped figure.  "I suggest we avoid it as we collect intelligence here.  We're all in narrow quarters."

"This battle might be very difficult if those not up close may not be able to tell which image is the right one to target with ranged attacks.  Perhaps we should try for the beige door?"

Shae laughs and says, "That's very true.  This is also a narrow corridor, so probably only a couple people could engage in melee.  I wonder what would happen if you sent a lightning bolt in the direction of the sound?"

She moves away from the sound, following Kahan.

"Someone will get shocked"

You move away from the disconcerting sound and toward the slumped figure.  What you find is a corpse of a drow.  You cannot tell how long the drow has been dead because its body is slathered in a slimy substance that appears to have preserved its body.

The drow is slim and short, only 5 feet tall and under 100 pounds.  At its side is a short sword and dagger, both sheathed.  He carries a backpack and is clad in a leather armor, all of which is drenched in the slimy substance.  He appears to have died from some sort of claw slash across the chest.

In his left hand is a large jar containing the slimy substance.  It appears he slathered himself with it before death.

In his right hand he clutches a scroll.  Prying it out, you see that it reads, "If I am dead, revive me and I am at your service. A raise dead spell is sufficient. My body is preserved. Help me please."  It appears to be written in his own blood.

"What do you all think? I can raise this man, but it is the most powerful spell I can currently cast. Also we have no idea if this man is trustworthy or not, aside from the fact that he might be related to the other drow who helped us earlier," Kahan asks everyone.

Shae say, "I can also cast raise dead, and I'm happy to do so.  No matter what this guy's temperament is, if he's bad, Borimer can handle him. Besides, he'll be on the verge of death when I raise him."

OOC: When she casts raise dead on him, the guy will only have 1 hit point according to the spell description.

"On our homeland the Drow are to be despised for their evilness and trickery, but here who knows?  They may not be that way at all.  I saw revive him.  He may provide us with valuable knowledge of this place, so I don't see why we shouldn't."

Leo nods in agreement with the other comments and adds, "That, and he just might know something about this particular challenge that could help.  Even if it turns out he is against us, it's in his best interest to escape as well."

"I guess just using a reincarnation is out of the question then. Not that I mistrust Drow, I mena in this world they all may be pretty nice and noble people,  but I still find them scary."

Shae will go ahead and cast raise dead on the drow.

Borimer positions himself behind the drow elf with one hand resting on the Godslayer's ivory hilt.

Shae casts the spell and the drow begins to stir, drowsy and weak, still covered in the slimy stuff.  His eyes are half closed, and he moans softly.

Instinctively Shapfren moves behind Borimer. She doesn't make a move to draw any weapon, but remains alert, and shaking.

Tahldar kneels down and addresses the drow, "My name is Tahldar.  We have raised you, but unless you want to die again I suggest standing as we have awoken some sort of creature that will be here soon."

OOC:  I noticed the language list does not include Elvish.  Heath, can you add it?  And other than myself, who can speak Elvish?

Actually, Elvish is listed.  You just weren't on the list.  You, Shapfren and Shae speak Elvish. If anyone else does, let me know so I can add you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:43, Fri 26 June 2015.

"Wh.. Who? Tahldar? What is this place?"
Vuzyl stands with difficulty wincing with every movement. Pocketing the jar that was in his hand absent mindedly he makes ready to depart.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:14, Fri 26 June 2015.

OOC: For purposes of avoiding confusion, let me introduce our newest player, playing Vuz.  (Is that what he likes to be called?)

Vuz is a drow rogue.  The 'death' he experienced caused him extreme memory losses like amnesia.  He remembers very little, though you can test his memory if you like.  He does not know how long he has been here--or even if he died in the last century.

I will be giving Vuz information ("memory recall") as he experiences familiar things and flashbacks, so he will be able to help guide you some, but not a lot.  His memory will recover a little at a time as he is exposed to familiar things.

Given the unknown length of his death, you probably already made an important connection in your minds.  Since all of you crossed over the time-space arch from Tienna to Allevia, and since Etag many years back reversed the Gate, the timeline that Vuz remembers may not be the timeline any of you know, and it probably will not match up with the timeline of the people you meet once you get out of here.

I remind you at this point of the posts from Etag found here:  link to a message in this game (up to message 32)

OOC: I'm sure he would answer to Vuz but Vuzyl sounds more like a name

Vuzyl it is then.

"In due time, we will explain everything. As it were, the elf speaks the truth. We must move lest we all be slain, more than likely." Kahan responds, helping the man to his feet and casting a healing spell on him. The man is a younger human with longer blond hair and fair complexion, his plait mail armor branded with a large hammer as the holy symbol. He carries an ornate mace in one hand and a large shield with the same insignia on it as his armor.

OOC: Welcome, new fodder player!

Shae is a half elf druid.  She is a mountain druid with special skills in shapechanging.  She is beautiful and charismatic (18 charisma), as well as wise and dexterous, though her curiosity and impatience seem to override her wisdom at times.

She carries an ornate bone-handled dagger and a magical ancestral spear.

"My name is Shae Shadowglen.  I'm a shapechanger, but not a were-anything, so don't worry.  I never turn down a new friend, especially in times like these.  But I think we need to keep moving before that thing behind us catches up.  We've had two drow friends in the last week or so, if I'm recalling correctly.  One more can't hurt."

Shae casts cure serious wounds on the drow.

Kahan casts cure light wounds and Shae casts cure serious wounds on Vuzyl.

OOC: Remember the house rules related to healing:
Healing Spells:
 The Cure Light Wounds will heal 25% of recipient's original hit points (minimum 4, rounded down), the Cure Serious will heal 50% of Original (minimum 9, rounded down), and the Cure Critical heals 75% (minimum 18, rounded UP). The Heal spell stays the same, including all the disease and blindness healing, because it is basically a heal 100%.

EDIT:
Those with the healing proficiency can also do healing checks per the rule on post #18 here:
link to a message in this game
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:16, Mon 29 June 2015.

With the healing resolved, Tahldar says to no one in particular "I suggest we head to the beige door and try our luck there."

You can go backward (toward the ruby door and the sound of the creature), to the left, or to the right.  (Vuzyl was at a T in the mirrors.)

The problem with the mirrors and all the twists and turns is that you can't tell where the beige framed door is at.

"How about left?" Shae suggests, wanting to get clear of this place sooner rather than later.

"Welcome...back?", Leo says to Vuzyl with a wink.  "Introductions can happen a little later, as you can see we are in a bit of a situation ... as I imagine you know since you have been here much longer than we." Leo shrugs glancing at Shae.  "Left sounds good to me."

"Anywhere's better than here, left sounds good to me, too."

Thank you for raising me and healing me up, I owe you a debt. Since I have no idea what is happening I am content to follow where you lead.

Vuzyl is in worn leather armour with a sword and dagger at his hip. His face is almost obscured by a deep hood but his eyes are bright and always moving.

Kahan mentions that he thinks the wall behind them is moving so it might be more prudent to go that direction. "If the walls are spinning we can put more distance between ourselves and our pursuer if we go that way and end up somewhere he can't track us." he explains.

The party moves off to the left.  They hear at one point an inhuman cackling sound behind them.  Whatever is back there is getting closer.

You reach a crossroads.  You may go to the right.  If you continue forward, you see a blue-framed mirror in the distance reflected in all the mirrors.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:36, Tue 30 June 2015.

Shae says, "Let's keep heading toward the colored mirrors.  Maybe the path behind us will close up." She will head toward the blue mirror.

"I agree.  Let's try this blue door before whatever is behind us catches up." Tahldar says as he shuffles forward.

The party moves toward the blue framed mirror.  It is like the others but is framed in blue.

But this time, when you look directly into the mirror itself, the face of the mirror appears to become foggy and change.  You find yourself looking into the inside of a cave that leads up.  There is a faint light where the rocky stairs turn a corner in the distance.

The cackle behind you turns into an insectoid sounding chitter that is unnerving.  It also seems to be gradually catching up to you, and sounds closer, though it is hard to tell with the echoes caused by all these mirrors.

"Weeeellllll, of these two options, I think I like my chances in the mirror", Leo says as he tries to step through the mirror.

Borimer positions himself between the incoming sound and his companions.  If or when they are through the mirror he will follow.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:49, Wed 01 July 2015.

Kahan agrees and follows his companions, letting others with less armor go first.

Confused by the idea of stepping through a mirror Vuzyl follows the actions of the others standing ready to defend the retreat until it is his turn to go.
Cleric go though, I will stand with Borimer if there is any trouble
As he draws his sword there is a faint sound so quiet most people are not even sure it is real. Although only lasting a second it encapsulates that moment when the old day has ended but the new one has not yet been born.
Ssapffyn my Midnight Song how did I not remember you old friend

The mirror is quite solid....but, the moment it is touched, it shimmers momentarily, and you feel the floor go our from underneath you.

Too late, you realize you have been duped into a trap.  The mirrors at your feet are a pit trap, and you find yourselves falling into darkness...

The fall is momentary, as you fall only about 20 feet, landing in soft sand that doesn't harm you physically.  But you do fall about waist deep, and you can feel the sand slowly shifting beneath you.  It takes only a moment to realize you have been caught in quicksand.

20 feet above you is nothing but a solid rock ceiling--the bottom of the mirror maze.  The area of the quicksand is about 50 feet square, but it is positioned in a circle, with the center of the circle of quicksand slightly lower (about 25 feet from the ceiling) than the side where you are at).  The flow of the quick sand is dragging you both down and slowly toward the center--like an hourglass.

There are two potential exits.  To your left, a passageway leads to darkness.  To your right, you see the gradual incline of the natural stairs you saw in the mirror, leading toward some sort of light in the distance.  There does not appear to be anything to latch onto.

"Gaah!" Tahldar yelps in surprise as the group plummets into the sand.  Quickly he begins to cast a spell...

OOC: I wish to cast a fly spell, but range is touch so if a strong member of the party is nearby I will cast it on them.  If not he will cast it on himself.

He wishes to make his way to the stairs with the light.  He will give aid either through his flight spell by carrying people and/or use of rope to allow others to drag themselves out of the sand.  (This would serve better if cast on another which he will do if he can)

I think fighting what ever that was up there would have been preferable! If we get out of this and end up back in that infernal mirror prison and of course there is time maybe I should check for traps before we touch any more fancy frames. 
As his hands are full and he has nothing that will be of any help Vuzyl waits to see if anyone else has anything that would get them out of here.

Kahan reaches for rope out of his backpack and throws it to whoever gets the fly spell cast on them. If they already have rope he will also tie a grappling hook onto it and throw it to the nearest ledge where a hook could stick. "Remember, don't struggle. Remain calm and we will sink slower." he reminds everyone.

Leo trys to calmly roll if possible hoping his stocky frame will allow him to get to the edge.  "I guess it was my turn to get everyone in trouble this time", he says slightly exasperated.

OOC: You were all standing next to each other when you fell, so you are within touch distance.

Tahldar begins casting, reaching toward Borimer...

The rest of you try to limit your movement because you feel that every time you strain against the sand, it just makes your sinking go faster.

Kahan is pulling out the rope to toss over to Borimer.

Tahldar finishes the spell, and Borimer finds that he can fly.  Kahan also tosses a rope to him, which the one-handed warrior grabs.


Here is the spell description for the fly spell:
The subject can fly at a speed of 60 feet (or 40 feet if it wears medium or heavy armor, or if it carries a medium or heavy load). It can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed, and its maneuverability is good. Using a fly spell requires only as much concentration as walking, so the subject can attack or cast spells normally. The subject of a fly spell can charge but not run, and it cannot carry aloft more weight than its maximum load, plus any armor it wears.

Should the spell duration expire while the subject is still aloft, the magic fails slowly. The subject floats downward 60 feet per round for 1d6 rounds. If it reaches the ground in that amount of time, it lands safely. If not, it falls the rest of the distance, taking 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of fall. Since dispelling a spell effectively ends it, the subject also descends in this way if the fly spell is dispelled, but not if it is negated by an antimagic field.

The exact duration of the spell is always unknown to the spellcaster, as the variable addition is determined secretly by the DM.

Borimer flies out of the quicksand and onto the stairs.  He secures his own rope around his arm and then tosses it to the others in the quicksand, ready to pull them out.

borimer is strong enough to pull all of them out at the same time I think, if not he will pull out as many as possible and then toss the rope to the any left in the quicksand

"Ah, that's interesting", Leo says as he struggles a bit in the quicksand.  "Apparently there is some rope or vine or something that appears to be securely attached to both ends of the room.  It's a ways under the sand.  I felt it with my foot", he continues as he waits for the rope to come within his grasping range.

"I thought bugs were surrounding me, but maybe that's what I felt while down there too.  Brushing against my back and stomach."

"Or perhaps they don't call this madness for nothing", Leo quips shaking his head.

"I think there's something moving around in the sand.  Could be a rope too, but whatever touched me seems to be moving." Tahldar says as he reaches for the rope to bring him to safety.

it may be a rope or something else, but a little paranoia never hurt anyone.
Vuzyl shifts his grip on his dagger to stab down into the sand if anything attacks.

If Kahan gets out of the sand first (since I have no idea where anything is or how this will work), he will help pull the others out with his own rope.

Shae transforms into an eagle and flies toward the open doorway to let the others have a clear path at the stairs.  She will swoop down to help anyone who is sinking if she can reasonably fly with them or assist them.

Lukas will take his time after hitting the sand,  he recalled that sudden movement only made things worse for some reason.

If one of the other is able to provide a rope he will grab onto it and pull himself out.


If Not

He will get out his rope and bow and grappling arrow, and fire it up the stairs to catch it on something.

OOC: Sorry for the delays. I've been out of town more than in town over the last two weeks.

Borimer begins flying to the side with the stairs.  He has to swing-wrap the rope around his hand since he only has one at the moment.

Shae turns into an eagle and goes to the opposite side of the room with the door.  While doing so, she swoops down and is able to grab Leo and take him with her, dragging him atop the sand to the door.

As Shae and Leo reach the far doorway, the plank under Leo's feet goes down an inch.  You hear the expulsion of air and see that a sickly green mist or smoke is coming down the hall toward you...

Borimer is flinging the rope from side to side to get people to grab hold of it...

Lukas, Vuz, and Tahldar grab it.  Kahan is unable to because something wraps around his leg and begins dragging him under the sand and away from the rope...  (He is about 10 feet from the others.)

Shap also begins to panic and call out in pain. 

Tahldar also cries out in alarm.

Borimer feels the rope become very tight as Tahldar is being pulled in the opposite direction by something under the sand.

"Gaaah!" Tahldar shouts in surprise as something wraps around his leg.  His thin arms tremble as they fight to keep hold of the rope and not be pulled down.

With frustration he reaches down to touch the tentacle holding him.

OOC: Tahldar will cast shocking grasp on the tentacle holding him.  Damage is 1d8+9.  If he can he will try to get out of the sand via the rope if his spell releases the tentacles grip.

If Vuzyl is close enough to grab Tahldar as the rope drags him clear he will attempt pull him along hoping to drag him free of whatever is below the sand.

If he is not going to be dragged past anyone he will attempt he will climb along the rope to solid ground where he can assist Borimer to pull against the monster in the sand.

Kahan will take his shield off of his harness and use it as sort of a flotation device, sticking it onto the sand horizontally and attempting to use it to pull himself up with. The surface area should be large enough that it won't sink into the sand whole supporting some of his weight.

When Borimer feels the pressure of something pulling the rope he pulls back with all of his strength.  If necessary, he'll pull everything out of the sand...

unless something pulls him in :)

"Uh oh! best not to go that way!", Leo exclaims loud enough for everyone to hear.  "That green gas probably won't benefit us in this case.  I don't think it's coming from a hobbit's pipe!"  Looking at Shae he adds, "Thanks for the ride and I am very glad you are here.  Could I ask for passage to the stairs please?  At the moment that seems like the better option."

Shae will grab Leo and go to Borimer's side, where she will turn back into her half-elven self and begin grabbing the rope to help pull the others out of the sand.

ROUND 2
Shae grabs Leo and goes to the other side with him.

Tahldar reaches into the sand and casts a spell.

Vul grabs Tahldar to prevent him from being grabbed.

Tahldar's spell emits a shocking, electric jolt.  The thing holding his leg disengages.

Borimer continues pulling them, finding it easier to get them closer now.

Kahan sets down his shield horizontally and tries climbing on it like a sled.  It is a slow process but seems to be working.

Now it is Lukas' turn to cry out as something wraps around his leg.  (Lukas is also connected to the rope.)  Suddenly, the rope gets harder to pull once more, and Borimer is struggling.  Lukas still has the bow and grappling arrow in his free hand.  (He can wrap the rope being pulled by Borimer around one arm if he wants both hands free.)

Shap is still out in the middle.  She cries out in pain as something continues to gnaw at her.  (3 hp dmg.)  She is also sinking.  (4 rounds until under the sand.)

Now at the far side by Borimer, Shae sets Leo down.  She begins changing back to half-elf form.

The green smoky mist has now reached the entrance at the far side of the room and begins to seep into this large round room with the quicksand.

OOC: Sorry for the delays.  That's how crazy life has been.

Leo grabs his rope and throws it out to Shap.  "I probably won't be able to pull her in, but maybe I can keep her in the same place until we get the others and then maybe we can pull her."  Noticing the gas getting to the room, he adds, "If we only had a way to keep that gas over there.  Maybe if we all blow really hard", he jokes.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Tue 21 July 2015.

Tahldar is thankful for Vuz's help as he grabs hold of the rope and does his best to climb towards Borimer and hopefully safety.

Vuzyl also pulls him self along the rope and will help Leo try and pull Shap out as soon as he reaches solid ground

In reply to Leogold Silvershaper (msg # 207):

FYI Shap is a female elf.

Borimer digs in his heels and strains against whatever lurks below, attempting to turn and walk up the stairs if he can't pull anymore with his arms.

"Try to lay flat! The more surface you cover the slower you'll sink down," Kahan states, continuing to pull himself out if possible.

Shae will help Leo pull on the rope with Shapfren.  "I hope you have that other rope, Borimer."

Didit kept sinking in the sand, the pain was just so much and panic set in...

Shae says, "Someone help us with Didit when you get up here!  I can't change into a bird again today and she needs help."  Shae pulls with all her might on the rope.

"Aye, lets not lose her!", Leo says as he glances at Shae appreciatively for the help while pulling as much as he can.

You pull harder.  Whatever is down there suddenly lets go.  Borimer falls back.

Shae and Leo pull Didit to the 'shore' where the sand ends, and Kahan gets to the edge of the sand and the rock.

But the release was not a surrender.  Tentacles fly from the sand, and a large, crustacean head rises, sand falling all around.  Attached like barnacles or remora to the crustacean head are a hundred swarming beetles, giving the head an eerie appearance.  The beetles are not like the ones in the corridors above; these are black, the size of a fist, and have sharp pincer mouths.

About 20 beetles leap off the sand octopus to land around you.  The sand octopus continues to rise.  Its head alone is larger than a horse.  Its mouth faces upward and is filled with skewed, sharp teeth.  The mouth and head rotate down.  Its eyes are glazed over white as though with cataracts, but it senses you.

Eight long tentacles are coming in your direction...

Kahan continues climbing out of the sand and looks behind him in awe for a brief moment. If everyone is out of the sand and accounted for then he will begin ushering everyone down (up?) the stairs behind them. "I feel it is a terribly bad idea to try to combat this beast! We need to figure out a way to block them from chasing us."

Borimer turns and Chianta has flown into his grasp almost of its own accord.  "Follow the priest!"  He slashes twice at the beast with two graceful arcs to cover their strategic withdrawal...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Thu 23 July 2015.

Leo helps Shapfren as best as he can to get out of the sand.  "Ok, lets go!", he says as he follows the prompting to head to the stairs.

I'm reposting the crude map, with one addition.  The blocked out area at the bottom is where everyone has just gotten to, and it is where the sand ends and the hard rock begins.  It is about 5 feet wide.

The greenish vapor is coming from the northern doorway.  The center area is now filled with the sandsquid monster.  Beetles are leaping from it onto the 5 foot wide hardened area where you are at.

doorway
   __| |__
  /       \
 /         \
/           \
\           /
 \_________/
  \_______/
     __
     __
     __
   natural stairs

Taking a step back, Tahldar casts a web spell into the room with the sand octopus in hopes of at least slowing it down.

OOC:  Cast web and try to entangle the sand octopus and as many of the beetles as possible.

Vuzyl hurries along the stairs rushing to pass everyone and take point

Let me take the lead, if this place has some new way of trying to kill us waiting at the end of the stairs let it try and chew on me and Ssapffyn!

His hand rests on the pommel on the short sword as he says the name.

Shae will also begin casting, making sure her spell is behind the web and doesn't touch it.  She casts wall of fire at the entrance to the steps as soon as everyone is behind her.  "This should hold them back," she says, and then she follows them up the steps.

The web spell goes out as everyone scrambles away from the sand pit.  Then Shae's wall of fire goes up, and the scent of grilled beetles reaches your ears.  You manage to shake off and crush the few remaining beetles on this side of the wall of fire.

You then proceed up the stairs just as the green mist is enveloping the room, and creature below.  As you reach the top, you are shaken by an explosion!  The wall of fire ignited the green gas, causing a huge explosion.  The giant creature was stuck in the web and sinks, alive but greatly shaken.

Your own eyes are slightly blinded by the light, and you feel the heat strike you from below.  Luckily, you were far enough away from the explosion, but the smell of sulfur reaches your ears.

The natural stairway eventually tapers off into a dimly lit room.  There in the center is another of those dragon altars.  In its maw rests a glowing violet gem.  You remember that you hold the purple gem from the other room and that in previous rooms you switched out the gems.

This room is octagonal in shape.  Its walls are covered in the metallic mirrors, as are its floor and ceiling.  Besides the tunnel you just came through (which we will deem "east"), there is another set of stairs leading up to the northwest and a passageway to the south that then curves sharply to the right.

Borimer turns to Vuzyldiin and smiles, "Do your stuff..."  When the dark elf is done checking for tricks and traps near the entrance Borimer will enter the chamber.

not sure if vuzyl has to enter the room or if he can check and then borimer enters
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Fri 31 July 2015.

OOC: Since I rushed to the front I would have got there first anyway

Vuzyl starts to check the room and pedestal for traps

While working he asks in a slightly put upon manner.
Ok now nothing seems to be trying to kill us, what is this place, who are you all and what in the name of what ever goddess you worship are we doing here?

No traps are discovered, but like the other altars with gems in the dragon's maw, it appears to have a weighted mechanism at the upward pointing tongue of the dragon to ensure it has a proper gem in place.

"Do we have anything that weighs the same as that gem?"

"I think we need to put the appropriate gem down to get the violet one.  Kahan, what gems do we have at the moment?"

OOC:  Didn't we get some advice from the statue about gems? (In exchange for coins)  It's been a while so I don't remember exactly.

"Our world died and we came here to escape it.  And I harbor no gods, friend elf."

OOC: The typical test goes like this:  At some point, you get one gem.  You replace that gem for another gem.  You take the second gem to the Test Room (the semicircle room), and that opens a magic item and one more completed part of the test.

Currently, you grabbed a purple gem when you entered the mirror maze.  You can replace it for this glowing violet one to complete step two of this test.

I'm sorry friend, I ment no offence. But you try waking up to find you were dead and the thing that probably killed you is trying to do it again and the only escape is a sandpit where the squid from your worst nightmare  happend to live... it's jarring to say the least

Vuzyl reaches out to clasp Borimer's wrist to ferment friendship, seeing his stump he says

I remember seeing limbs restored when I was with the Cliarther, when we are done here maybe I can introduce you?

Clasping the wrist above where the missing hand should be he smiles for the first time in weeks, years, decades.... longer?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Fri 31 July 2015.

"No offense taken, and I'd be pleased to meet your healer."  Borimer nods and completes the hand/stump-shake.  "Who's carrying that other stone we need?"

Shae says, "I have the gem. I'll do the honors."  She places the gem and takes the new one.

"Vuzyl, be ready for anything. These tests tend to get... A little out of control once we get the second gem," Kahan states, watching the surrounding area to see what happens.

Drawing his sword and dagger Vuzyl starts to fade into the shadows.

Leo readies his weapon waiting to see what happens next.  "I guess flying outta here isn't an option this time", he says a little darkly.

Borimer's hand finds its way to the ivory hilt of the Godslayer, his teeth clenched and then relaxed...

Shae swaps the gem.

You hear a distant rumbling...

Then a rumbling in the wall to your left (west).  The wall begins to  move.

The western side of the wall tilts down, creating a ramp-like platform leading up into the darkness beyond.

Shae now has the violet gem that glows slightly.

"We can take the gem back to get another item that might help us, or we can go up."  Borimer prepares to lead the way up the ramp if the party decides to continue, or back to the Test room if that is the chosen course of action.

"Going back to get another item would be wise, if we can.  Depends on where this way goes I suppose."

OOC: Of course, taking the gem back would result in the ramp closing the newly opened door...

I could Scout up the ramp see if there is anything to see? Then assuming your not all running up to pull me out of the fire we can steer a more informed course?

and aside to him self he mumbles

And maybe someone could then inform me?

OOC: I had assumed they meant the one we just got back to the main room to get the next item but I am not sure how? we have a choice of the room with the sand or up the ramp as far as I can see

I think Tahldar is referring to the fact that when the glowing gems are put in the appropriate slots, they have been revealing magic items.  Vuz wouldn't know that, of course, since he just joined the group.

"We need to leave the gem to continue. There's only one way out, and its up," Kahan responds, heading up the ramp with his mace drawn.

Leo sighs.  "It's just one bit of fun after another!", Leo exclaims as he reluctantly, albeit slowly, heads toward the ramp after Kahan dagger drawn.

You begin going up the ramp.  As soon as the person with the gem reaches the top, the ramp begins to raise back into the wall again.  The last few jump up and the ramp is gone.

You are now back in the hall of mirrors.  Behind you, there is no mirror, just a stone wall where the ramp used to be.

The mirrors (which are made of metal, I'll remind you) are everywhere.  They lead down a contorted passage to your left or right, turning about 10 feet.  You see your reflections manifested a hundredfold, and it appears that one mirror on your right which is set at an angle, reflects a distant mirror that has an orange frame around it.  There are no framed mirrors showing to your left.

Disappointed to see yet more mirrors, Tahldar contemplates which way to go.  "Let's go right.  There's an orange jump mirror down there that might get us out of here.  Or it could be another trap, but there's only one way to find out."

Shae nods. "I really don't see any other viable choice either, though if we go left, it might eventually lead to something better than a color framed mirror."  She will follow to the right or left.

I agree that heading for something is better than heading into the unknown but what do you mean 'Jump'? The only framed mirror I have seen so far dropped us into the sand that is still filling my boots.

Leaning against the wall that used to be a ramp he pulls off one of his boots and tips some errant grains onto the floor.

Also you have not really explained what you are doing here, swapping gems about in a place that is trying to kill you does not seem like an relaxing way to recover after escaping the destruction of your world so what's the story. How does that happen anyway, what could be powerful enough to kill a world?

"Can we wait until we aren't in mortal danger to give the history lesson? I understand the confusion and I will gladly explain everything once we get out of here but this should come first. We need the gems to pass a test which will get us through this dungeon and will help us find the cure to a deadly airborne toxin that can kill us all in a matter of days," Kahan answers, heading towards the orange-framed mirror.

"We are in a hall of mirrors, some of which are colored.  Those seem to be either traps or transporters to different parts of the maze." Tahldar says to his drow companion.

"As my curt companion has already explained, the gems we need for some sort of test.  Since we have the one need from this test all that's left is to leave.  I was hoping we'd be shuttled straight out as the others have done, but this one is going to make us work for our escape it would seem." he adds as he waits for the group to move on.

Borimer heads to the orange framed mirror, avoiding the reflections that confuse him as best as he can.  So he follows brave Kahan.

Airborne toxin? This just gets better...

Following the others his eyes fixed on Borimers shoulders to avoid the mirrors.

Let's just get out of this goddess forsaken place.

You move toward the orange framed mirror on the right.  The mirrors turn and curve.

You get to a cross section where you can go straight or turn right toward the orange framed mirror.

From straight ahead, you hear a chittering and cackle, just like the one you heard before falling into the sand pit.  Because of the mirrors turning, though, you see nothing but your own reflection straight ahead.  The insectoid chitter picks up speed.  It seems to be coming toward you.

"Getting chewed up by possible insects or heading to yet another mirror.  This is great fun", Leo exclaims as he draws his weapon and inches in the direction of the mirror ready to follow wherever the group ends up heading.

"Borimer, let's hold this thing off! The rest of you, hold hands like before and grab us before you go," Kahan commands, readying his shield and heading down the hallway headfirst into whatever that thing is.

Borimer's already on the move to join Kahan in standing against the first threat.  The obsidian-like Godslayer slips into his grasp almost of its own accord, ready for blood...

You move toward the orange framed mirror, with Kahan and Borimer to fight off the thing in the distance if it closes in on you.

You arrive at the strange mirror.  It is at a dead end.

The orange framed mirror is not a normal metal mirror like the rest.  When you look into it, you see your own reflections...but from above.  You see the tops of your heads and the mirrored floor beneath you, as if the mirror were actually directly above you.

The insectoid noises are indeed following, but they have not caught up yet.

Tahldar reaches out to the orange mirror and touches it.

OOC: Sorry for the delays.  Life has been Crazy with a capital Cray and a capital Z.

Tahldar touches the metal orange framed mirror.  He immediately is teleported to the overhead mirror about 15 feet above you and falls crashing to the ground on top of the rest of you.

Borimer somewhat stops his fall by catching him, but Tahldar still hurts his foot.  (2 hp dmg--half speed until healed.)

Lukas is also hit by the falling Tahldar and is sent sprawling to the ground.  (3 hp damage)

You hear the clicking, insectoid noises behind you getting closer.  Now when you look back, you see a green mist also starting to fill up the mirrors from the direction of the sounds.

OOC: No problem, Real Life comes first

I guess this is my second last stand in this place!

Drawing his Sword and Dagger Vuzyl readies himself to repeat the battle that likely killed him before.

OOC: I am assuming it is too late to make a brake for the last junction in the maze?

Borimer puts Tahldar down and turns to face the incoming threat of insects, "I can't fight cursed green clouds...one of those useful magic spells would be kinda nice right about now..."

Leo draws his dagger and tenses for what happens next.  "I wonder, is it possible to go through the mirror the other way?"

"I cannot cast a spell until I know what the gas is. Tahldar, can you make a flame to ignite it again? That would buy us some more time and hopefully not kill us all..." Kahan asks, attempting to move through the group to the other end of the marching order.

Tahldar picks himself off the granite floor of the maze and rubs his damaged foot.

"Shapfren, cast a fireball!  I only know lightning and it would be very unwise to cast it with so many mirrors around.  I'd likely zap us all if I did." he says hurriedly in response to Kahan's request.

Shae says, "I can do a wall of flame if we need it but that will also block us in at the dead end here."  She pulls out her ancestral spear and begins casting.

Shae will cast Bless for the group:  +1 to saving throws against fear, +1 to attack dice rolls, raises morale of group.

Then does anyone have a torch we can kindle and throw down the tunnel? Or maybe some paper we can fan it with?

Vuzyl's humour seemed forced and there was no joy in it.

OOC: Right now, you are using the magical light crystal with the box.  I don't think anyone has anything lit.  You'd have to check inventories to see, but I would be surprised if no one has anything to light a torch with.

I need to know, am I conscious?

Yes

"Good idea"Despite being not in the right mindset, Didit immediately grabbed the mandoline and began performing the right piece for the desired effect.

Cast fireball.

Shapfren casts fireball.  It doesn't go too far because the mirrors twist and turn throughout the maze.  But it goes far enough.  At first, you feel the heat from her fireball reach but not hurt you.  Then, there is a larger explosion as the green sulfurous smoke ignites.  Borimer's eyebrows are burnt off, and Shap has to cover her head.  The intense heat burns but does not damage anyone.

And they you stand and wait, the light from your magic crystal reflecting off the mirrors.

The clicking and insectoid noises stopped.  But now they start up again.  You see reflected in the mirrors what appears to be piles of dust, but looking closer, you see that they are piles of burnt insects.  What approaches seems to be a cloud of flying insects, a cloud so thick it is nearly solid.  It changes forms and coalesces, becoming more solid and then less solid.

It approaches, moving in what appears to be intelligence.  This is no normal swarm of insects.  Something seems to be in their center, something solid with two legs, but its form is obscured by the swarm of insects around it.  That is...

...that is, until an arm--a humanoid arm--comes out of the swarm and points in the mirrors toward you.  The arm is wrinkled and burnt and nearly skeletal.  Some powerful undead thing seems to be approaching you.  It does not talk, but it makes those strange insectoid clicking sounds.

It is about 30 feet from you (apparently), as it rounds the last corner of the mirrors.  The floor here is about 6 feet wide with a ceiling 12 feet above you (all covered in those metal mirrors).  You have very little fighting room.

Borimer charges forward with eyebrows scorched and smoking, the ancient artifact Chianta in his grasp straining to lash out at the undead Thing that confronts them.  He slashes at it twice...
This message was last edited by the player at 21:24, Wed 19 Aug 2015.

Tahldar looks at the swirling creature before them pensively.  He's not sure what to make of it and feels out of his element.  With such an amorphous shape he finds his repertoire of spells somewhat lacking.  And that is not even considering that it's likely undead too.

With a sigh he chooses a decidedly weak spell, but one that he hopes will work at least and leave his other more powerful spells in reserve.

OOC: Tahldar will cast the 0 level spell Disrupt Undead.  It does 1d6 of damage.

Vuzyl rushes forward keeping as far from Borimer as the tunnel allows (he will move to the other side of the swarm if it does not mean pushing through the main mass), slashing with Ssapffyn  at the centre of the mass.

Didit moved back readying an arrow on the recently found bow. She aimed towards the center of mass of the creature. The bugs were scary, but anybody could guess this guy was the one controlling them.

Kahan retrieves his holy talisman and attempts to turn the undead creature.

With the stronger fighters already in the fray, Leo draws his dagger and looks for an opening to attack if possible.

Shae says, "Kahan, can you turn undead on this guy?"

She then begins casting.

Shae casts repel insects.
Spell description:
When this spell is cast, the priest creates an invisible barrier to all sorts of insects, and normal insects do not approach within 10 feet of the caster while the spell is in effect. Giant insects with Hit Dice less than 1/3 of the caster's experience level are also repelled (for example, 2 Hit Dice for 7th- to 9th-level casters, 3 Hit Dice at 10th through 12th level, etc.). Insects with more Hit Dice can enter the protected area if the insect is especially aggressive and, in addition, rolls a successful saving throw vs. spell. Those that do sustain 1d6 points of damage from passing through the magical barrier. Note that the spell does not in any way affect arachnids, myriapods, and similar creatures--it affects only true insects.

Lukas readied some arrows for mista clicky

You attack the bug enveloped undead creature en masse.

Kahan tries turning the creature, but it is not susceptible to his attempt.

Shae begins casting.  Tahldar begins casting.  Vuz begins moving behind the creature.

Shap and Lukas begin readying arrows.

Leo and Borimer attack.  They both score a hit, angering the creature and bellows in what cannot be described as anything other than a deafening clicking and high pitched scratchy squeak (like a fingernail down a blackboard).

Tahldar casts, further hurting the creature.  Shap and Lukas fire.  Both hit the creature with arrows, Lukas hitting twice while Shap hits only once.

Shae casts repel insects, and it has a profound effect.  The insects go flying, leaving you staring at an emaciated undead THING with bulging eyes, stringy hair, two long hands, and a bulging belly from which insects continually pour, as if through some magical portal.

It rushes Shae with clawed hands reaching...  Shae is hit and scratched by one of the claws.  (5 hp dmg.)  Shae feels a strange infection immediately eating away at her arm where it struck.  A rotting smell and dark putrefaction rises from her arm.  (Gangrene is now spreading up her arm and cannot be healed through normal healing.)

Your party has been spared by Shae's quick thinking from being attacked by the insects, but more of them pour from the creature.

(FYI, no critical hits on undead--Borimer.)

Vuz attacks from the rear, his short sword finding its mark.  (7 dmg.)

The creature is surrounded by you but is enraged.

Kahan, can you do anything for her arm, I believe this thing killed me the same way we can not leave it unchecked.

Vuzyl Draws his Dagger and attacks, slashing with Ssapffyn while stabbing down with the dagger.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:56, Fri 28 Aug 2015.

Shae looks in horror at her blackefied arm rotting at this monster's touch.  She casts another spell, attempting to turn two of the insects into giant insects that turn back against their master.

Shae casts Giant Insect and orders the two 3HD giant insects that should result from this to attack the undead monster

Borimer slashes three more times at the foul Thing assaulting them...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Fri 28 Aug 2015.

Kahan begins casting.

[

Tahldar recoils in horror at the sight of the creature.

He begins to cast another spell.

OOC:  Cast Disrupt Undead again for 1d6.

Leo tries to slash at the thing again hoping to take another chunk out of it.

Didit whispered the activation word, vowing to not surrender after this abomination and shot.

You go after the strange undead bug emitting monster.

Borimer slashes, hitting the thing twice.

Its insects immediately fly to surround Borimer, engulfing his face and biting him.  (-4 hp; slow poison in face causing -1 hp per round until healed, blind fighting, and pain causing another -2 to the to hit scores.)

Shae casts a spell, and three of the insects grow to giant size, turning on the undead creature to attack it.

Kahan casts a spell, reaching out and touching Shae's arm.  The growth the disease and gangrene slows.  You are not sure if it will heal or not, but it stops expanding from her arm.

The thing slashes out with its claws at Kahan but one claw just gets his armor and the other misses.

Leo attacks but misses.  Vuz also strikes but misses, dropping one of his daggers in the process.  (1 is a critical miss.)

Tahldar casts another spell.  (3 hp damage.)

Lukas fires two arrows.  The second arrow finds its mark, embedding itself in the creature's skull.  (Critical hit.)  After all the damage taken by your group, including the initial fireball, the insect swarm spell, the damage from weapons and spells, and now the arrow, the creatures squeals in a deafening scream so loud your hands immediately cover your ears.  The bellow continues, a click and squeal and screech...and then you lose your hearing.  The creature then collapses to the floor, its body quickly being consumed by the insects that came out of it.  The blob is a mass of insects and bones.  It is regaining its strength but is currently incapacitated.

Your ears ring and then your hearing comes back.  You notice now that the mirror next to you shows that it leads into a dark corridor of rock.  To leave, you can go that way or follow the maze of mirrors back to the last intersection.

OOC: Sorry again for delays.  I've been extremely busy and am on vacation now.  Next post will probably be Tuesday unless I get some time.

Borimer stumbles and scratches at all of the bites, blinded, poisoned and angry.  "Is it dead...?"  He still holds the Dogslayer ready to move against whatever his blind fighting skills give him opportunity to attack.

"It's down but will be up again soon." Tahldar replies to Borimer.

Grasping his remaining arm he adds "But a way out of this maze has opened up.  Follow my lead and lets get out here."

OOC: Talhdar will lead Borimer out the stone corrider.

"Yes, I think that would be wise", Leo adds as he follows the others out.

"The sooner we get away from this thing the better" Shapfren walked following Thaldar's lead and seeking to help guide Borimer. "How do you feel Shae? will you resist?"


Didit will also help guide Borimer.

Vuzyl picks up his dropped dagger and moves to follow the others.

How is the arm Shae? As soon as we are safe we should look into fixing it up, worst case I still have some Kashmandu Clerical Ointment, Dead Man's Glue, it may work to stabalise it until we can find someone who can fix it. Maybe the Cliarthur can help you as well if we can find them.

"I'm glad we won't have to go to Kashmandu to get more ointment. It really doesn't seem like a good place to go," the priest replies, looking at Shap's arm as they headed out.