The Reliquary of Ahazi, part 9
Log Info
- Title: The Reliquary of Ahazi Part 9
- Emitter: Whirlpool
- Characters: Dax, Paenitia, Aryia, Venom, Ravendar, Seyardu, Lyme
- Place: Farmlands of Alexandros
- Time: Wednesday, August 04, 2021, 9:03 PM
- Summary: The performance over, centre stage rises with a box which might be the Reliquary. This attracts some Sound Lizards, for some reason, one screaching then bursting through the wall, and two more distant and underground. The whole group surges to attack the visible one, and while many land blows it is Venom's Thunderbelcher that does the most damage and finally slays the beast, but not before it embarrassingly disables Dax, Paenitia and nearly kills Ravendar with its screams. Aryia and Seyardu juggle the Reliquary, as there is healing to be done, and then there is the call for a swift retreat. The other two Lizards are on the warpath, and there's no need to fight when the party can run.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dax 5'0" 110 Lb Human Female A 5' tall red haired human with piercings and tats. Paenitia 3'0" 34 Lb Halfling Female A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery. Aryia 4'8" 110 Lb Shadow Elf Female A heavily scarred mul with a curious look about her. Venom 5'6" 130 Lb Human Female A woman(?) about 5'6" in a ragged black veil and poncho. Ravendar 3'1" 40 Lb Halfling Male A red-haired Lucht Siuil man. Seyardu 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. Lyme 7'2" 435 Lb Orc Butch Black-skinned oruch of suitable stature. =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Went to a Show -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Davienne 5'1" 101 Lb Half-Elf Female A ranger with a cat. =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Whirlpool Otyugh I am stinky! =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
Previously
The adventurers seek the Reqliquary of Ahazi in a ruined monastery in a goat field. After descending, descending, and descending some more they come upon a stage, and a ghostly audience appears.
One that desires to be entertained.
The adventurers strive to do so commencing with Ravendar fiddling, followed up my gun, with occasional music as Venom and Aryia demonstrate amazing shooting and bullet deflecting abilities. This doesn't seem to satisfy the audience, however, so after a discussion on whether or not to try kicking Paenitia around stage, Seyardu is delegated to write a play about a damsel, dragon and knight that subverts expectations. This is done on the fly. Everyone takes their positions, and Aryia and Ravendar kill the performance while everyone else simply dies on stage. Except Lyme. Lyme is sublyme.
As the adventurers turned performers take the curtain call for their bows, there's a great groaning. The centre-stage descends...
A platform rises up from the stage. Upon it sits a single, small, ornate chest. Could that be the reliquary?
It could. Of course, the sudden shriek that just fills the auditorium isn't a good sign of getting out of here cleanly...
Now
The stage that rises gets a weary look from Dax. She's already lost some undergarments to this place, but there's so much more any of them could lose. Unlike some of the others, she's not curious, she backs up some looking around. "All this... witchcraft survive however long. An' a single chest rises up from the depths... some kind of shriekin' beast be afoot. Maybe the wail of the banshee, protectin' this chest..." She's breathing slow, and heavy, looking around for whatever made that sound.
"No! The performance is done. The time for heckling is over!" Paenitia shouts back at the screech, shrugging her shield into position and pulling out her warhammer. She gazes around the auditorium for the source, clanking closer to the Reliquary while looking for something she expects to come flying out of the shadows.
Screams are generally signs of things being amiss.
Venom, perhaps embarrassed yet by her less than stellar performance, nonetheless is quick to pan her gaz about to try and get a bearing. Her hands, meanwhile, busy themselves with her thunderbelcher, load-and-locking with a ratcheting click, but not yet bringing it up to her shoulder.
Ravendar winces as he hear the shriek and looks over towards the chest. "Anyone here good with locks or traps?" He asks, "Maybe they can work on that while the rest of us get ready to fight whatever is coming next." He says as he gets his fiddle ready.
Aryia sighs in relief as all of their effort pays off, she looks towards the rising chest, a sign of their dungeon delving finished.
Another sigh. Of course not. The shadow elf steps to the side, fists raised and bouncing on her feet. Ready for a rumble. She shakes her head at Ravendar's question.
Seyardu looks around wearily, between the box and the echoing noise. "We should not take this without a thorough investigation first." She says. "We may not have time for that this moment, though. Remember, miss Akorinil was the one who pointed us here, and it is still unsure what role they may have with it."
With a shake of her head, Dax just sort of looks to the others with wide eyes, backing up a bit. She takes in a deep breath just to exhale it, "Be careful of a treasure that lay long in its rest. I'll stay over 'ere." With that she takes more steps away from where the chest rose, and backing up till she's at the edge of the stage.
Oh hey.
The ground shakes.
The ground shakes hard, once, and then there's a rumble and another shriek.
Seems like there's something coming your way. Maybe it realized how sublime Lyme was and got jealous.
"Okay, make the formation, shields in front, ranged behind, Friend Dragon, behind those." Paenitia says, attempting to zero in on a source and taking a good defensive position, "close so we can surround and do the flank, not so close the area bombs and spells hit easy."
Aryia glances down to the chest, then to the others. They didn't come this far just to get something to mess them up. "I can take it," she gestures quickly, taking a step towards the ornate chest and behind the shield wall of a Lucht. "Or try and open it and take whatever is inside." <Handspeech>
Dax stays away from the others if they are staying close to the chest. She shakes her head slowly, looking around some more, trying to zero in on the sound. She grips her oruch claws but waits where she is, not grouping up with the lucht. Not currently, at least, "From the depths below, the kraken comes."
If we need to leave, we take the chest with us, and make for the exit. I do not believe the things stopping us from our exit will be active in reverse, most likely." Seyardu notes, though she shifts a bit on the spot.
"If you feel that best, I will step back, and help that way."
Well, then.
That's when it arrives. One of the reasons you're having trouble tracking where it is is that it was behind the walls. You know this, now, because said wall is cracking, crumbling, and falling to pieces right in front of you. A rather hunched, reptilian beast bursts through the gap, letting out a roar that echoes throughout the room, it's black eyes focused on all of you.
It ain't happy.
Dax says, "Thank goodness! Just a lizard."
It is about forty feet away, on the other side of the auditorium from you.
GAME: Venom rolls weapon3: (10)+8: 18 GAME: Venom rolls 1d12: (12): 12
The thunderbelcher comes up to her shoulder as the wall crumbles before the ruinous wrath of the raging reptilian, Venom lining up on the center of it's mass, but the shot is not an instantaenous one. She glances askew toward the little Knight calling for a tactical formation and the veiled one nods, edging back some for the defensive line to form.
A gloved finger curllllls against the trigger and suddenly there comes the loud, buzzy report of the particular contrivances of her weapon, hurling the morbid slug soundly into the scaled body, leaving a deep furrow from what could have been a graze, otherwise.
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8+2: (2)+12+2: 16
The reptilian creature that busts through the wall roars. Sure, it's big, sure it's angry looking, sure it has black evil eyes but Dax closes her eyes a moment and sighs out, "Oh... thank the gods, I was 'bout ta piss my pants. I can only deal wit' so much witchcraft in one day." With that, she does move forward, running, but her slash... surprisingly, just drags along the side of the beast unable to cut into it.
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1D20+10: (10)+1D20+10: 20 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (11)+10: 21 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (3)+10: 13
Well.
Dax's claws are lucky enough to be useful in deflecting the attacks, of course. It's bite and its large claws don't do any harm to Dax right now, but it lets out a roar that's just painfully loud in here.
Painfully loud.
GAME: Ravendar spends ONE use of BARDIC PERFORMANCE. <OOC> Ravendar says, "Move back 15 feet, start bard song +1 Attack roll/+1 Damage roll"
Ravendar sees the impressively large creature as it comes into the theater. "I wonder if that's what happened to everyone else." He says as he backs up a bit and he starts to play a rousing fight song to drown out the roars of the creature.
GAME: Aryia spends ONE point of KI POOL. GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (11)+13: 24
The billowing roaring and explosion of the Thunderbelcher ring loud in the acoustic room, Aryia's face scrunching together in pain. She ends up pulling her long ears over themselves and jogs over towards the chest, her kneeling down in front of it to look it over before she swiped it. This HAD to be the thing they came here for.
She whistles loudly and gestures with wide motions so all could see. "The lid is trapped but the chest is clear. Don't open! Going to take it and keep it safe!" <Handspeech>
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon5+1+2: (3)+8+1+2: 14
>>CLANG CLANG CLANG<<
"Hola!" The Red Knight shouts, banging on her shield and advancing towards the large lizard. She's loud, taking advantage of the acoustics as well, "I am Sister Paenitia Snapdragon del Haranna! Knight of the Pillar and Paladina of Tarien. Ignore me at your peril. We eat lizards like you for breakfast in Isobar!"
Her challenge issued, she steps forward as she takes a position opposite Dax. Her warhammer bounces off the scales, just like the claws did.
Breakfast... may be delayed.
GAME: Seyardu casts Prayer. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16 <OOC> Seyardu says, "+1 luck to attacks,damage,Saves, and skills!" <OOC> Seyardu says, "Oh, and -1 to the attacks and damage for the lizard"
"Keep it safe, Aryia. But watch out for yourself, first." Seyardu calls back as She runs forward, the defensive line shifting, strapping on her shield in the same movement. Her free hand was set on her breastplate, offering a brief prayer, bolstering those present, and perhaps, bringing misfortune on their foe.
GAME: Venom rolls weapon3+2: (20)+8+2: 30 (THREAT) GAME: Venom rolls weapon3+2: (19)+8+2: 29 (Confirmed) GAME: Venom rolls 4d12+8: (30)+8: 38
Venom turns some to regard Aryia as Seyardu calls back an acknowledgement of something said that she'd missed. Another cylinder of steel is slipped from her belt as her rifle breaks open for a bare instant, before locking shut again. She rolls her neck, producing a couple of soft pops, subsumed in the ratchets of the hammer, and she closes her finger on the trigger anew.
KZZZTHOOM!
This time, the shot enters the reptile in a much more telling spot, seasoning the area before and behind it with scales, meat, and what vital humors it calls its own.
Once more, etched steel spiraled about green crystal breaks open in preparation for a third load to slid into the quasi-artifice of it's arming chamber.
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8: (4)+12: 16 GAME: Dax rolls weapon8: (3)+12: 15 GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-5: (15)+12+-5: 22 GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-5: (11)+12+-5: 18 GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+9: (4)+9: 13 GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+9: (1)+9: 10 GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+7: (5)+7: 12
One bite, dodge, another bite, dodge, a claw attack that's way bigger than her claws, parried with her magical claws even as she manages to get out of the way of any other attacks. Dax is fast, and this thing is big, and she's not yet lunch or second breakfast. When Dax then pauses a moment, Paen comes up and attacks from the back. It's enough for her to get an opening. And opening she does, ripping reptilian flesh with one slash, then another, and a third. All digging in, and all drawing blood, but this thing is big and that means there's lots of blood. For her own effort, Dax roars back at the beast, though her's has no magical power and probably would cause the large reptilian beast to laugh... if it weren't so angry.
GAME: Ravendar rolls fort: (19)+3+1: 23 GAME: Paenitia rolls fortitude+1+1: (4)+7+1+1: 13 GAME: Dax rolls fort: (5)+8+1: 14 GAME: Aryia rolls fortitude+1: (1)+7+1: 9 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Ravendar casts Saving Finale. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14 (on Aryia) GAME: Aryia rolls fortitude+1: (13)+7+1: 21 GAME: Seyardu rolls fortitude: (10)+8+1: 19 GAME: Venom rolls fortitude+1: (14)+5+1: 20 GAME: Lyme rolls fort: (18)+5+1: 24
First, it roars in pain. Leaping back on its two feet, it's black, sightless eyes scan the room before its overly large ear holes seem to focus in on your presence. It then roars.
The roar echoes. It echoes deep into your bones in a way that seems to set off a chain reaction of cataclysmic levels of pain.
Dax and Paenitia both stagger, stunned by the sheer volume of it and the degree to which it hurts, but the rest manage to fight through for the moment, if just.
It *hurts*.
.. is that another roar out there in the darkness?
Two of them? Three?
Oh yes. Yes, it was.
Aryia went back to clamping her ears down as the gunshot rang out once more, her concentrating on the chest in front of her. Just as she lets go, the roar reaching a new height of pain. She almost falls to her knees, but the undercurrent of magic from Ravendar keeps her on her feet, even though she should be very well on the ground. Her face blanches from the hurt, though she gives a rigid nod towards Ravendar in thanks.
With a swift yoink, Aryia scoops up the chest and runs towards Seyardu, her skidding to a halt beside the silver scale. She may have her hands full, but nothing a swift boot couldn't fix.
<OOC> Lyme says, "Swing with the falchion/PA" GAME: Lyme rolls 1d20+9-1: (18)+9+-1: 26 (THREAT) GAME: Lyme rolls 1d20+9-1: (5)+9+-1: 13 GAME: Lyme rolls 2d4+6+3: (8)+6+3: 17
Lyme steps forwards, swinging the smiting stroke with his falchion. Something he knows how to do!
GAME: Ravendar spends ONE use of BARDIC PERFORMANCE. <OOC> Ravendar says, "Going with inspire courage +1/+1"
Ravendar is able to shrug off the roar as it rattles his bones, but he sees that not all are as lucky as he is. He starts to cast a spell quickly and he brings his performance to an end with a flourish. The magic allows Aryia to shrug off the effect of the roar as he starts up the inspiring performance once again.
Paenitia is stunned, frozen on the spot as if someone had screamed at her to get in the kitchen and make him a sandwich. Her warhammer slips from her grasp, 'thunking' on the ground. Add an order to do the dishes on top of that, when she's already bare-foot.
Her eyes are blank in confusion from the roar, there is a pregnant pause, she does not move.
GAME: Seyardu casts Bull's Strength. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
With the ringing in her ears subsiding some, she was able to focus on the people around her, and Aryia who had approached her with the chest. "I will take the chest off your hands, and bolster your strength with magic." She says and warns, placing a hand on Aryia's arm for a moment, the shield doffed and stowed so she could put her other on the breastplate.
"Celestial mother, bolster this one's strength, to see us through the challenges ahead." they chant, filling the mul with energy and strength. Though she looks around, squinting some.
"More come!" She shouts to those present.
GAME: Venom rolls weapon3: (19)+8: 27 GAME: Venom rolls 1d12+2: (12)+2: 14
The scrapheap's been useful of late, it seems...
The bellow of the lizard causes the gunslinger to suffer a full body clench, but she neither brains herself with, nor drops the Thunderbelcher in the doing.
Instead, she staggers a half step, shaking her head to clear it, and another round is slipped into battery. The reply from sites unseen prompt a cocking of her head briefly to the side, then she reshoulders the weapon.
KZZZTHOOOM!
While hardly as vital a shot as the previous, it nonetheless tears another tunnel through the creature's flesh.
<OOC> Lyme says, "Smiting! Attack/PA :)" GAME: Lyme rolls 1d20+9-1+1+1: (8)+9+-1+1+1: 18 GAME: Lyme rolls 2d4+6+3+1+1: (6)+6+3+1+1: 17
More? Lyme chooses to put a little more salt into his strike, and just sabres into the body of the lizard with a hard cut that leaves it reeling.
Dax is stunned... turns out she really needed those supportive undergarments. The lizard's scream could be felt in her bones, and jiggled the rest of her like jelly. It tingles! It's tremendously distracting, "Aaoooh! Me tits and bits!"
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 6d6: (17): 17 GAME: Paenitia rolls fortitude+1+1: (14)+7+1+1: 23 GAME: Aryia rolls fortitude+1: (10)+7+1: 18 GAME: Venom rolls fortitude+1: (12)+5+1: 18 GAME: Ravendar rolls fort+1: (3)+3+1: 7 <OOC> Ravendar says, "I have another use of saving finale." GAME: Ravendar rolls fort+1: (5)+3+1: 9 GAME: Lyme rolls fort: (3)+5: 8 GAME: Seyardu rolls fortitude: (19)+8: 27
The horrible lizard is on its last legs, really, and it backs up. Backs up a bit and then roars one more time, this one full of fury and pain and the ground *cracks* in a furrow as one can see ripples emanating form it. The sound washes over the lot of you with such an intense vibration that it feels like it's going to shake you apart.
GAME: Ravendar rolls constitution: (8)+2-2: 8 <OOC> Whirlpool says, "You're goodk, Rav, and stable!"
The bard is dying. His bleeding out stops on its own.
Aryia hesitates at the notion of receiving a spell, but now was not the time to be picky. Her nostrils flare as strength surges through her, the elf tensing her frame from it. With a sharp nod, and her ears starting to bleed from all the bone shaking roaring, she passes off the chest to Seyardu and blazes forward, leaping off the stage. Her arms flail a bit in the air to keep balance, but she lands with an echoing thud and blitzes up to them, ready to lay the smack down.
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon5+1+2+1+2: (16)+8+1+2+1+2: 30 GAME: Paenitia rolls damage5+1+5+1: aliased to 1d8+1+1+5+1: (1)+1+1+5+1: 9 <OOC> Whirlpool says, "Well remember, Stun makes you drop your held items." <OOC> Paenitia says, "move action to draw my sword then and all the same" <OOC> Paenitia says, "1 less point of damage because it's silvered, not ... oh wait I rolled a 1, so same damage"
The little Red Knight shakes herself, her momentary mimicry of a kitchen statue ending as the pain in her body subsides and the ringing in her ears lessons to a degree. It may be why she's so loud, or perhaps she's simply loud on occasions like these.
Zzziiing!
There's a silver flash as she draws her longsword. Stepping up, she thrusts! The gleaming blade stabbing at the lizard. A glancing poke, but she has challenged this foe, and the magic benefits from her companions expanding the wound she makes with the weapon. Teamwork, at work.
"All that sound and fury, signify nothing!" Paenitia shouts at the creature, then calls to the others, "We have the thing, make the fighting retreat. We only need kill what block the way out. This we can get around."
<OOC> Seyardu says, "Channel divinity! Targetting everyone except the lizard with selective channel, pretty sure I can reach everyone" GAME: Seyardu rolls 3d6: (15): 15
Seyardu takes the box in one arm, careful to keep it closed fully as she is shaken by the resonating roar of the creature. Though she stands firm, she sees the others doing less well, and Ravendar even falling from the sound. offering a prayer to her holy symbol, a burst of healing magic suffuses those present, taking most of the ringing out of their ears, and mending the worst of the damage elsewhere.
"If we retreat, we must keep the box safe, Paenitia." She shouts back to the Lucht. "If others give chase, or if we fight them here to break through, this one has a plan."
GAME: Venom rolls weapon3+2-4: (7)+8+2+-4: 13 GAME: Venom rolls 1d12+2: (9)+2: 11
The balmy sensation of divine healing is a notable comfort to he veiled woman.
Still, too deep into combat to relax just yet, Venom loads alonger steel projectile and fires at the great reptile as the two speakers debate the next course of action.
Considering that, in either case, the beasts reinforcements are going to be an imminent problem regardless, she trusts it's fate with her comrades from this point. Her hand reaches under the poncho and withdraws a small cloth pouch of a muted mustard hue as she sidles to improve her line of sight to the potential vector of renewed hostilities.
The beast staggers before dropping back, falling to the ground with a roar and a thud.
There's a moment of quiet before those other roars echo again and the ground seems to vibrate.
Yep, time to get out of here.
Ravendar groans as he picks himself and his fiddle up off the ground. "Did we get it." He says before he hears the other roars, "If we did I think it's time to get out of here." He says as he starts back towards where they came from.
With the beast on the ground, Seyardu breathes a sigh of relief, taking stock of the room, and lookng back to the plinth where the chest had been a moment, just in case there was anything missed.
"It is down, but there are more, and just one brought Ravendar down." She says, not rudely, but out of warning. "We may not be as lucky if there are others, and while I may be able to silence them, there is no guarantee. We should leave before we are cornered. Does anyone need any healing?"
Aryia, surprised that the lizard managed to fall, turns back and gives a thumbs up towards Venom. She runs by her, holding out a hand for a high five before stopping in front of Seyardu. The pugilist gestures for her to take the chest. "Let me have it, you might have to do magic stuff, and I can get it out of here really fast if I have to." She was wound tight, even more so at the sound of the distance lizards. <Handspeech>
Paenitia picks up her warhammer then hacks a piece of meat from the lizard. She will keep her promises, she and Ramirez will have it for breakfast. She waves her still bloodied blade, the silver flashing in an arc as she backs up, wrapping her prize and putting it in a pouch.
"Ole! It time to start running. Carry who cannot walk."
"Friend Dragon, we can heal above the stairs where they will have to burrow or squeeze to follow." The Red Knight advises, "I am the slowest, I will guard the back, we have to go now."
Venom turns her head back toward the roar in time to see it fall and cants her head. The thumbs up is returned, though the approach for the stride by five takes her a moment to properly read and she jsut barely gets her hand up in time. She slips another slug into the longarm, then signs, "Agreed." <handspeech>
Combatty
===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
>> 23 Venom 1 <<
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19 Dax 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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19 Sound Lizard Ha
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15 Ravendar 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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14 Aryia 5 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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14 Paenitia 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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14 Seyardu 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 3 =====================
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
23 Venom 1
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19 Lyme 1
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19 Dax 1
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>> 19 Sound Lizard Ha 1 <<
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15 Ravendar 1 DYING
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14 Aryia 5
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14 Paenitia 1
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14 Seyardu 1
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