Looking for loot... (Troll Grave Chasm)

[DM Bob]

You rest. Laahk picks up a lot more life as it gets later... and darker out. It was a good time to rest, the last few days have been quite eventful and stress filled. The party keeps it's back to the white monolithic ruin, generator, mythical engine... whatever you wanted to call it as you recover your wits and breath. Hurk appears to rot into a full corpse as the night falls. Screams of bats can be heard; roars of apex predators; chirps of pests and vermin; rustles and bumps in the muddied thickets. But nothing dares breach the boundaries of your camp.

When day finally breaks, you investigate the area you saw the glint of metal from before. That metal is no longer to be found. Life detection in this area nets you some activity that skirts the edge of the power's range. Closer to the cliff base.

[Niachi]

Laakh greets the day with some yoga and a light breakfast. He will stop the intervals of Life Detection and gets out Kripnar's skull for some advice.

"Old soul, your kind know where to find magical goodies. Where would you look for a powerful wizard's cache in these surroundings? Help me find this and I will aid your people if I can."

All Round Vision: Rolled 17 (power score for added infravision) centered 50 feet up from his position. He maintains this and adds Clairvoyance:


Rolled 20.

So just with All Round Infravision, he allows Kripnar to guide his eyes with the joz’hal's innate talent for finding magic items.

-9 PSPs from a full tank.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Kem looks at Laakh doing that strange looking poses - What are you doing? You look very flexible! You could be a really good at dancing with blades - speaks in a low pitch, but amused by Laakh's displays

[DM Bob]

Just a note. Since there were two actions decided,

1. To look for the coin in the bamboo down on the floor of the chasm, and...

2. to search for the hidden wagon above (which was not seen by Mak in the air the day prior),

Unless you split up I figured to take them one at a time. I've been questioned as to why it (the wagon) isn't easy to find by air, or at the least the tracks. There are in-game reasons as well as mechanics in 2E specifically involving tracking. The opponent you defeated was not only a high level defiler, but ex-templar for a SM. The amount of time he spent here is unknown exactly, as well as the capabilities of his ally or allies in the Buried City. His intelligence and wisdom were definitely high enough, his paranoia as strong or stronger than your own party's and had support similar to that you gained along the way. That isn't even mentioning the two undead heads that were constantly giving him advice or criticizing his actions. There are definitely other questions you could ask Dote in death if he fails a save vs. speak with dead again.

[Attilius]

Zombie HurKette puts her hands on her hips while looking out at the evening cliff walls in the distance while waiting on Mak's comments. Her right ear falls off.
"Worse case scenario, I fly around the edge with one or two of you while using my magik sense to see arcane vibrations..." she shrugs as her shoulder makes a loud crackling sound. "THAT IS if the corpse doesn't give us more detailed information." she says as she looks down at her ear on the ground.

[ascieszl]

"Agreed. We need to make this quick, i still need to play with the Orrey before we leave."

"Actually, let me just do that now..."

<Start OoC>
(Ok, so vague plan:
1) use Telekinesis WT to pull 1 rod, put it on the ground.
2) use Read Magic to check spell 1 casting lasts Kleys 12 rounds - I'll use a 2nd if necessary. if its lvl 1-3, keep; if lvl 5-9 put back; if lvl 4, make a decision.
3a) use TK to pull a 2nd rod - if the Orrery freaks out, put 2nd rod back and grab rod #1 with bare hands.
3b) if the Orrery doesn't freak out, repeat process as step 1 - until i get ~6 rods of lvls that i can cast, and maybe 1-2 of lvl 4.
- If i have to grab a Rod, I'll only do the 1st before getting a Cure spell cast in me to discern the effects.
- If i run out of PSPs for TK, I'll use the "The Hefty Psurlon’s Medallion of Hovering". If that runs out or won't work, I'll ask the party for ideas.)

(6x d100's, per request: 30, 100, 70, 4, 97,35. 6x more, just incase Bob somehow only generates lvl 5+ spells, so as to not hold things up: 52, 92, 47, 22, 59, 46)

<End OoC>

(Phew!)

[DM Bob]

The first rod is removed. This time it radiates heat, warmth even where you stand. You believe the First Circle spell summons a beast to use as a mount, the type dependent upon the magical vim of the wizard.

The second rod is even hotter. Your eyes tear up as you read a spell beyond anything you've ever been able to comprehend before... a ritual to connect a magical tether to one's very soul and then transport it to the realm of dreams, imagination and nightmares independent of the caster's body. Perhaps where the dream spiders hail from? The spell is of the 9th Circle.

The building begins to rumble and shake once more. The orrery sways.

[ascieszl]

Nov 17, 2021 4:34:24 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

The first rod is removed. This time it radiates heat, warmth even where you stand. You believe the First Circle spell summons a beast to use as a mount, the type dependent upon the magical vim of the wizard.

The second rod is even hotter. Your eyes tear up as you read a spell beyond anything you've ever been able to comprehend before... a ritual to connect a magical tether to one's very soul and then transport it to the realm of dreams, imagination and nightmares independent of the caster's body. Perhaps where the dream spiders hail from? The spell is of the 9th Circle.

The building begins to rumble and shake once more. The orrery sways.

(1st - Observation check:  d20 = 4 vs. 19 - success, to memorizxe the exact position of each rod and it's contents, such that i can find each Rod mentioned later and put the ones i 'keep' back where i found them later. Then, per my above instructions, Kleys puts the 2nd one back. 

He then pulls a different Rod out.  If the Orrery freaks out again, he'll grab the 1st rod with his bare hands.)

[DM Bob]

You manage to put it back. (I rolled.)

The building stops rumbling, but the orrery still sways like a pendulum.

The third rod also radiates heat. Not quite as much as the 9th Circle one, but still evident.

The spell inscribed appears to be that of the Seventh Circle - and allows a chance to command those that defy the Grey. The undead.

Then the same happens. The building starts to vibrate, rumble. The orrery begins to move more evidently with a slow clockwise spin as well.

Do you replace this rod or run before trying to put it back? I will need an attack roll to replace this due to the movement. A hit of AC 4 this time.

[Deleted]

Mak walks over to Kleys and places his hand on his shoulder. "Wait for it... Watch the rotation... Wait... Reaaaaaady... Now!"

((Mak casts Moment, Lv.2 ToM on Kleys to help him reseat the rod into the orrery.))

"Now, any thoughts on how we can steady the orrery so the whole place doesn't fall on our heads?"

[ascieszl]

"Hey, thanks buddy."

(Rolled 11, hits AC 2 - success)

"I assume learning to ACTUALLY use this thing correctly... But that's probably not what you meant. I don't suppose you want to Divine an answer, do you Mak?"

[DM Bob]

The building stops moving.

If you decide to take the rod that is not in the orrery? I'll need a proper save vs spells if it's physically touched.

[ascieszl]

(Not for a Mount spell. He'll pull a different one. Same process.)

[remie]

Kri-kcht was not interested in the orrery from the beginning, but his curiosity winns it. He looks for a loose stone or hole in the wall and peeks in.

[DM Bob]

This time you wait for it to slow before removing another. Kri-kcht peeks his head in to see what transpires.

This time the building does not shake - but the spell is only of the 1st Circle and causes illusionary sound or noise if cast.

Replacing that (as messaged), another is chosen.

A dweomer of insanity, of the 9th Circle. One that pulls illusionary nightmares from the the minds of those enthralled, forcing them into battles within their own head. If they fail? Death.

But the building shakes now. The rod literally glows. If you try to replace it? We'll need another attack roll to properly do so. Same target #.