Chronolark - Part 3

Log Info

• Title: Chronolark - Part 3
  
• GM: Whirlpool
• Characters: Thoth, Reithak, Aznara, Tlanexhuani
  
• Location: The Badlands
  
• Summary: Adventurers are asked to go to Genrivia, in order to uncover magical artifacts that might help find temporal anomalies.

Carefully navigating from rope to rope, each of you are able to get over the sinkhole and to the relative security of more stable ground by the mushrooms. Soon, you're able to bypass the sink hole altogether and proceed along your path.

THe mushroom forest is definitely new according to the map, and you're eventually able to get to the other side of it.

You find yourself on a main throughway alongside what was clearly once a market place, given the half-ruined shop fronts and crumbling stone edifices. The language of Genrivia is largely inscrutable to most, but there's signs with various indications on them dcarved from stone, pictures chipped into it of smiling people and more.

A thriving, once lively place, to be sure. It's not hard to imagine it, but it is no doubt a bit despairing to see it and know that, one day, even a city like Alexandria could encounter such a fate.

Following the map, you carefully pick your way along the side of the street, stepping over rubble and ruined cobblestones, seeing pieces of long shattered mosaics here and there, brief snippets of a flourishing art scene.

...and then you find a kobold. Dead. Another one. Another one. Another one.

Ripped to pieces.

Reithak takes point with the group again, and thankfully, there is no further sinking into the srrange, swampy mushroom forest.

Exiting into the city again, Reithak stops to stretch and shake off the remaining muck before heading into the streets. "Anyone a nit on the squeamish side, might want to look away. Think there's something real dangerous around these parts." Reithak warns solemnly.

Aznara looks like she's more on the alert than squeamish after seeing the bodies. "Likely", she says in response to Reithak's words. "Stay on your guard, everyone", she adds, keeping her one hand resting on her whip where's it's coiled on her hip in its hanger.

"This one is not familiar with the idea of 'Squeamish'." Thoth answers Reithak as it continues forward, taking note of the strange mushroom forest behind them - and the paved places before them. The ruined ruins of ruinous ruin. Its oculars blink for a moment, more out of learned habit than necessity. Considering the dead Kobolds, taking note of them having been ripped to pieces. "This one believes this must have been done by something with incredible physical strength." It proposes to the group.

GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (4)+13: 17

GAME: Thoth rolls Perception+3+2: (20)+6+3+2: 31

GAME: Aznara rolls perception: (12)+11: 23

This is a market plaza, yes. At the center of plazas like this, there are often decorative statues, fountains, *something* to mark the center.

In this case, there appears to be a statue.

It appearws to be on patrol.

Actively.

Directly in your way, even. This anceint statue, of a man holding a staff, is walking a slow circuit around the dais it clearly once occupied. It's marble features have been weathered by age, but the handsome visage of a figure of some import is still recognizable. Some import, one says, because he was clearly remarkable enough to cast in stoine.

Thoth is concerned, as it spots even more dead kobolds all around the area. "This one perhaps recommend... we avoid the wandering statue. This one would not wish to be disassembled like these Kobolds." It proposes. "Though they were caught unaware." It does add. "It still means that it had enough power to destroy this quantity of Kobolds without suffering too much damage."

"Well, I don't know. Means you find violence unpleasant which, well, I suppose it's the wrong line of work for that?" Reithak shrugs. "I guess we have a likely cause. I bet it'll try the same thing if we get too close, so, let's keep our distance, yeah?"

The statue stops dead in its track. It's head lifts, slowly, and the tip of the staff begins to glow. It's looking in the opposite direction from you, at least.

GAME: Thoth rolls Stealth: (18)+9: 27

Thoth, starting to slip towards one of the nearby buildings, motions. It doesn't normally take up any kind of leadership position, but it at least wishes to aid its allies in surviving. "This one spotted movement across the plaza. Let us move while it is distracted." It suggests, and motions for an alternative route that avoids being spotted. Sending Ra up into the air to scout it out and keep out of sight of the roaming statue.

"Well, think it might be magical. Let's not stick around to see what it might be capable of." Reithak agrees. "Good chance, right? Let's get moving while we've got a chance."

GAME: Reithak rolls stealth: (5)+10: 15

The statue raises its staff.

It blazes with a blue nimbus of arcane power that crackles with its fair share of instability.

... and then a blast of magic from a shattered building slams into it, chipping stoine. It is followed by tiny crossbow bolts, bows and arrows, and exploding stones.

... two dozen kobolds surge into the plaza from all directions.

Three of them are riding giant spiders, which are loping towards the statue, carrying yet more kobolds on their segmented backs which leap from spider back to the statue.

IT's a full scale assault.

Ra chirps and hoots, as Thoth tries to maneuver around the main thoroughfare. The magical familiar explaining what is going on as it sits on a building. "Ra declares, kobolds are assaulting the statue. This one suggests we get around. Though... if we are seeking an artifact, perhaps this is the artifact we wish to capture?" It then adds. "This one is... uncertain. It wishes to protect this ancient artifice, but it does not wish to be killed by it either." A connundrum.

"I don't really want to leave them to die to that thing, but they'll just kill us too, if we interfere." Reithak sighs . "It could be, or it could be something to defend against people taking what we need. They didn't say what we were looking for exactly, did they?"

Thoth considers what Reithak remarks on for a moment, then nods its head. "Okay. Then, we continue, yes?" It inquires. "Though we do not know whence this Wizard we seek was located. Doth this place have name-signs?" Ra taking a long look for any buildings that might stand out as more magical than others. Thoth sending a Detect Magic spell through its familiar as it takes off and begins to fly across.

"

GAME: Thoth rolls Stealth: (8)+9: 17

GAME: Reithak rolls stealth: (12)+10: 22

GAME: Aznara rolls stealth: (14)+10: 24

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls Stealth: (2)+-1: 1

Tlanexhuani blinks at the scene that unfolds in the plaza before them. "Ssa," he agrees that walking scale-slaying statues are bad. A full on battlefield is worse. He steps back to some cover of the building. Specifically the doorway.

Unfortunately, the ancient door in it is less sturdy than the way. One tail-bump and the rusty slivers of hinges sheer. The door drops to the ground with a *thump*.

Then it falls inward with a groan, before slamming flat into the interior with *SLAM*, followed by the metallic clatter of pots and pans that were once organized in what might have been a kitchen.

It's probably a good thing the kobolds are emeshed in battle! There's a lot of loud pops and more, what's one more crash?

... enough to make some of them look your way. Some of them see the lot of you, frozen in place with that crash, and gesturing and pointing begins.

Yep. You've been made, or at least Tlanex has.

But they've got more important things to do *right now*.

"Run." Thoth simply declares. Believing the Kobolds will hopefully not chase if their targets are too fast. The map at the forefront of its mind, Thoth just... fucking books it.

GAME: Thoth refreshes spells.

GAME: Thoth casts Expeditious Retreat. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16

Reithak freezes, and shakes there head. "Alright, no need to be quiet now, let's get the hell out of here while we can!" The inquisitor squawks. "Move it Tlan, sooner we're gone, sooner they're forced to focus on fighting each other!" They half shout, ready to turn tail feathers and sprint out of there.

Moving not quietly is something Tlanexhuani can do, as he has proven. He doesn't utter an acknowledgement this time and just follows Thoth's lead. In a very literal sense.