Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The dragon turned, and just as Amber had hoped it went straight for the patch of fog. It ignored the illusory raptors, and anything else on the island was smart enough to flee the dragon in any case.

After a few seconds of fruitless searching, the dragon roared, even louder than before, and started breathing spears of flame into the fog. Fortunately for the mermaid, then, she was already halfway down the slope, her ice elemental close behind her.

The sphere had proved hot enough to be uncomfortable, but not so hot that she would have to drag it the rest of the way to the sea with her Psionic powers. In fact, it was getting cooler by the second. The little red gem was bouncing wildly in the faltering column of hot air, at times fractions of an inch from the bottom of the sphere.

Spoiler

47/51 HP, 62 PP, 17/67 SP; Low Energy, 35 Perception (lesser Strength), Greater Illusion; roar (-6 to all non-damage rolls until end of encounter)

Ice elemental: 12/56 HP

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber kept running, the uncomfortably warm sphere just another struggle to overcome in the name of her people. Unfortunately, judging by how close the gem was getting to the edge of the sphere, she was about to have to overcome some more significant struggles for her people in the very near future. Deciding that time was really of the essence here, she cancelled her buff to perception and recast her body buff to bolster her rather lack-luster speed. Looking ahead, she tried to pick the fastest route to the ocean, viewing that as safety. At least in the ocean she wouldn't be stumbling around like some new-born.

Spoiler

Deactivates lesser strength (perception)
casts lesser strength (speed): mind/6=7*2=14 to speed= 21 speed (29 in water)

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

As the mermaid dropped one buff for another, she heard a cry behind her. A brief glance would be enough to show the dragon cresting the caldera. It spotted her almost immediately. The dragon hesitated for a moment, continuing to circle the huge magma pool at the top of the rise while its head faced Amber. Then it turned, and started dropping altitude and gaining speed.

At which point Amber felt the tiny plink of the gem hitting the globe she held. Followed immediately by the pulse of magic, shooting off towards the heart of the volcano.

Several seconds passed in which nothing happened. Then the earth shook, and a roar louder than the dragon's filled the world. Another glance over her shoulder would show bright red lava shooting high up over the pool, and simultaneously pouring over the entire rim of the caldera. It was far more fluid than she might have guessed, and was moving quickly. Dark smoke started pouring from the hill as well.

It seemed unlikely that remaining on land would be a wise move in the near future. The sea was in sight, except when Amber came up on some of the larger boulders, but it was going to be close.

Spoiler

47/51 HP, 62 PP, 15/67 SP;21 Speed (lesser Strength), Greater Illusion; roar (-6 to all non-damage rolls until end of encounter)

Ice elemental: 12/56 HP

Dragon: aiming for Amber.
Magma: not specifically aiming for Amber, probably.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Suddenly realizes telekinesis might have worked to keep gem from touching sphere...*facepalms intensely*

Aaaand there's the very delayed realization that could have helped immensely for this hideout haha

And now the very island itself was exploding. Amber figured that was just about right. In any case, now she really needed to get off the island. It was finally time to release the greater illusion spell, she was going to need more mental room to work with in the next minute or so.

When Amber reached the rock formation she turned back to check the progress of the dragon and magma and compared that to her distance from the ocean to see how much time she had left. Depending on how close the dragon was there were several things she would do.

If the dragon was right on top of her, she would cast an invisibility spell and immediately attempt to cast roiling mists to conceal her escape.

If the dragon was a little further off she would take cover in the rocks, go invisible and wait a beat for it to get closer before casting her roiling mists. Then she would continue fleeing for her life.

Spoiler

If dragon is close:
Quicken: 4 EP, 10 penalty to casting total 16 penalty, BC favored elements: 16
Cast invisibility (lv 3 light 4 EP 20 to cast), becomes invisible, +20 to stealth, 1 EP upkeep
Cast roiling mists (lv 2 water 2 EP), creatures inside 200 sq foot area take -20 perception
GTFO

If dragon is far, don't use quicken, invisibility cast this turn, turn 2 will be roiling mists and gtfo

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Sure, that could have worked. What I had been thinking was a fire spell, though.

Casting: auto-success
Perception: 1d20+35 = 12+35 = 47 vs 36 = 16+20 = 16+1d20 -> Amber wins.
Random attack: 1d20 = 2 -> Miss

Amber's lead on the dragon was reasonable enough for her purposes. She stepped behind a boulder, set a veil over herself, hiding from sight, then waited a moment for the dragon to reach her before continuing.

She glanced over her shoulder. The magma pouring from the volcano had reached the bottom of the slope, instantly destroying her elemental on contact. At its current pace she would never make it to the ocean in time. However, without the slope to speed it up... there was still time.

Amber raised her hands a second time, though this time even she couldn't see them, and pulled a dense fog from the sea towards her. The dragon let out a bellow of frustration that it had missed her on its first pass, and turned. The mermaid slipped into the fog, and would have to hope that it couldn't see her, for she certainly couldn't see it. She kept running.

A lance of flame showed through the fog, brighter even then the magma that was even then reaching the back edge of the bank. But it was halfway across the patch from Amber, and even as she saw the fire strike earth, she felt her foot hit the water. Another half dozen long steps and the mermaid was able to dive into the water, form shifting back to the form she found most natural.

The glass orb cracked, and started filling with seawater, but the trap had already been triggered. With no source of heat and both triggers fired, there didn't seem to be any more active magic on the sphere.

Of course, it still wouldn't do to dwaddle. The magma was well under a minute from hitting the edge of the water, and the dragon might well be able to hit her even under a few feet of water. There was, however, a whole open sea spreading out in front of Amber.

Spoiler

47/51 HP, 62 PP, 9/67 SP; Quite Low Energy, 21 Speed (lesser Strength), Greater Illusion, invisibility; roar (-6 to all non-damage rolls until end of encounter)

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Ahhh... I had figured a lv 2 fire spell wouldn't be enough to do the trick. Oh well, time to execute the escape

Amber's time in the mists was the most harrowing experience she could remember. She couldn't see the dragon, and though she was reasonably protected from sight, she still had to trust the being of immense power wouldn't spot her or vaporize her with a lucky blast, magma rushing towards her all the while. It came then as an incredible relief when her feet touched the water, and then not long after when she was able to dive in and assume her true form as a mermaid.

It seemed the orb was quite fragile, cracked as it was, but now was not the time to go breaking it open, now was the time to escape. Amber decided that her best course of action was to get as far as she could and as deep as she could in as short a time as possible. Maintaining only her speed and invisibility, she looked to put as much distance and depth between herself, the dragon, and the lava-island as she could in as short a time as possible.

Spoiler

Course of Action: Dive! Dive! Dive!
Swim as far out and down as she can, maintain invisibility for 1 EP, drop greater illusion

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

First, shopkeeping:

Gain 4 XP for getting the Red Gem
Gain 2 additional XP for the encounters along the way.
This gives Amber a total of 16XP to spend, which she can do now if you like.

She also has a book recovered from the Violet island.

Several minutes of swimming later, Amber found herself drifting with the waves a short distance above the ocean bottom. There hadn't been sign of the dragon for several minutes, and she was far enough from the volcano not to be terribly worried about it.

With its runes no longer active, the water-filled orb would be easy enough to finish opening, and the Red gem would look and feel nearly identical to the Violet she already had.

But that was still only two out of eight, three if she counted the one the old wizard still wore around his neck. Five more remained that she didn't even know the location of, and nothing on the volcanic island had obviously pointed towards anywhere else. And of course now the entire surface would be covered with magma, save perhaps a few of the larger boulders.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Sighing tiredly as it seemed the danger was past, Amber broke open the glass orb, relieved that the gem seemed to be of the same type as the violet gem already in her possession. She pulled out the pouch she was keeping the stones in and fished out the clear stone with which she could communicate with Professor Saban.

She cast a light cantrip on it and relayed her daily report. "I have the red gem. Unfortunately there were some complications involving an active volcano and now the island has been covered with magma. Have you found anything new on your end? What of the investigation into Abes Abel?

OOC:

Spoiler

Does Amber have any cantrips that would let her read that book she got underwater?

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

There was a low muttering from the gem for a moment, then Amber heard the old mage respond. "A volcano? He always was a bit showy to my mind. Of course, he had reason. Probably the most powerful mortal mage in the world. Um... he wasn't still alive when the volcano went off, was he? Or throwing young women into it? No, reason, I just..."

He paused for a moment, but not quite long enough to respond. "Well, you probably would have said. ANYWAY. Abes? No, learned very little about him. Almost certainly Hayte would know, they always did spend a lot of time together."

"In which case I assume you'd probably want to know where to find Illys Hayte. Couldn't tell you, heard he died. Always was a rich bastard, though, and liked taunting people. I'd look for an island of fabulous wealth that nobody has looted for not-entirely-clear reasons, if that's the path you wanted to take. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Spoiler

Reading underwater? Not that I can think of. I've sort of hammerspaced it for water and magma related perils, but you will have to surface if you want to try to read it. Mostly fluff, though, so feel free to find a convenient rock or similar and I promise not to ambush you for this purpose.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"Island of wealth, understood. Is there anything else you care to tell me about this Hayate before I begin my search?"

Her conversation concluded, Amber decided she needed to relax for a bit and regain her energy. She decided to find a good warm sea-side rock, perhaps from some sub-surface mountain that couldn't quite make it to island status, where she could relax for awhile and look through the supposedly rare book and extremely valuable book she had picked up from the violet island. It definitely couldn't hurt to broaden her horizons in the arcane, and it might help her when it came time to sell the book.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

I wouldn't usually do this, but it's been a lot longer for you since this conversation than it has for Amber.

"Illys's knowledge was rather specialized, but utterly critical to our work. He designed the basic structure of the prison as a summoning circle of unbelievable strength. He was an unparalleled summoner, and later in life started dabbling in the creation and manipulation of magical creatures on a more... permanent... basis."

He went silent for a moment. "Ow! Of course I was going to tell her!" There was the sound of the old man clearing his throat. "I have also... remembered... that Numer Crusa was hanging out in the North. Academy area. Dead Gods know why. Maybe someone up there remembers him. Now, I really must return to my research..."

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, so Amber headed in towards shore, where she eventually found a rock clear enough of the waves to properly examine the book.

It seemed to be a study of the elements. Extraordinarily dense, and for the first few pages Amber found herself completely unable to follow. Then she found the section on Arcane magic. It was still the most difficult, technical work she'd ever read, but she could feel the glimmer of understanding, unraveling the layered assumptions and unusual terminology. She quickly skimmed through more of the book. The works on Light and Water were also perhaps within her reach, though she wouldn't know for sure for any of them until she had a few hours she was willing to dedicate to the task. And it wasn't entirely certain if it'd be worth her time.

Spoiler

You can learn one free elemental-specialization Feat for which you qualify. For the other two the book will just be fluff (i.e. you have to earn them in the normal way).

Alternatively, if you choose *not* to take your free feat, you can sell the book. Some people might pay more than others.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Natalie's apparent intervention on her behalf brought a smile to her face, do also in part to her apparently hitting the blasted professor. "Much obliged, professor."

Free to rest, Aura swam close to shore and found a good spot to read. She spent a good deal of time flipping through the book, but ultimately she just didn't feel like putting the time in to fully appreciate such a dense read and spent a good deal of the time doing more relaxing than reading. After she felt sufficiently recovered, she put the book away and decided to figure out how to go about the task before her. There was one wizard who had set up an island of incredible wealth guarded by numerous monstrous and apparently permanent summons. The other lead she had was a wizard who had apparently lived up north by the human mages academy, another of her targets who apparently might have information on locating Abes.

After a moment's recollection, she remembered the another tale she had heard in the bar where she had also first learned of King Elric's fate. Some sailor had told tale of just such an island. He of course had no proof whatsoever, and claimed to not remember where it was, but it was prudent that she find him before he left port as he was her best source of information. Once she had questioned him though, it might behoove her to pay a visit to the Croalian Mages Academy before trying to find this island of riches and peril. The volcanic island had nearly been too much for her, and the creatures there, with the exclusion of the dragon, sounded trivial indeed when compared to those that a master of summoning might seed across his domain. She would either need a great deal of power, or a fair amount of help if she was going to survive a trip to such an island. She might find such worthy help on her travels up north, but additionally she was quite sure she could also find someone from the Academy eager to buy the book she had found, preferably someone who would give her something of great value for the book.

Once she had collected herself, Amber dismounted the rock and swam to shore, once again shifting from her mermaid form to a human form while still out of sight and donning the simple human attire she had purchased the last time she had been in town to try and find the man telling tales of the island of monsters.

Spoiler

Going for the sell

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The town was much as she had left it. There were three ships now, but two were certainly the same ones she had seen there before. They seemed to have been emptied of cargo, and lumber piled up on the shore suggested that they would soon be undergoing some serious repairs.

The third ship could only loosely be said to be at the town at all. More like "in the bay". Or more specifically, tipped on its side, only the masts above water. A few rowboats were tied up alongside it, and Amber had to go ashore further from the town than before to avoid being seen by the men diving into the wreckage.

It was evening by the time she reached the tavern. It was a little more crowded than before, but after a moment she saw what she was looking for. Two men she recognized, one extremely elderly, the other a little past middle-aged. The old man had directed her to Victor Saben's island. The other had told a story about an island covered in gold.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

At first Amber was annoyed by having to take a longer route back to the port, however it dawned on her that the later it was, the more the sailor she was after might have had to drink, very ideal for making him more liable to talk. Of course there was a line, and at some point he might be too drunk to be reliable. To her relief, she found the sailor in the same bar as before. Quickly coming up with a plan, she went outside to try to find some dark, isolated corner behind the bar, somewhere where she wouldn't be interrupted, and found focused on creating a zone of truth for later use if she ended up luring the sailor outside.

If that went off without a problem, she would return inside, buy the two cheapest beers on tap, and approach the man from monster island once he was alone. Sitting across from him she'd push him a beer lead off with a deciding she might have better luck approaching the issue from a different angle rather than treasure she lead in with, "So I hear you're the one to talk to about finding an island full of monsters that need killing."

Spoiler

Zone of truth: 1 minute to cast 20EP, lasts 4 hours

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

2 beers at 1d each. Zone of truth successfully prepared.

Her target had two drinking partners this evening, and all three seemed to be already on their way. One was the one who had reluctantly directed her to the first wizard's island. The other, a younger man, perhaps a sailor, was unknown. But nevertheless he responded to Amber's introduction by setting his face in his hands and proclaiming "Oh empty night..."

The one who she recalled talking about the treasure glared at him. "Shut up, you." Then he turned to Amber, and looked her up and down. "Don't know what you're talking about. Don't know nothing about no island full of monsters. But if that there's for me, I do seem to be running low..." He gestured at his glass. Then seemed to notice that it was full, and drained it in a few seconds.

He smacked his lips, and when Amber didn't immediately run away, continued. "And what I do know about is an Island on which lie unspeakable riches." The younger man groaned and plugged up his ears theatrically. "The only problem is that it is full of monsters! Interested?"

The proposed storyteller of the evening was staring eagerly at the beer. His slightly-older companion, to this point silent, was regarding Amber differently. Thoughtfully, even through the haze of drink. Finally, he spoke up. "There's more to this Lass than meets the eye, I think." His friends ignored him.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Looking at the expectant sailor with a raised eyebrow, Amber pushed the beer across the table to him. Ignoring the comment from the man she had spoken to a few nights ago, Sara spoke to the younger one. "Well, let's hear what you have to say." The mermaid leaned back and made ready to listen to the sailor's tale. She knew that he at least claimed to not remember where the island was, but hopefully he was lying and she would be able to coax its location out of him.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The man seemed to relish the opportunity to tell his story almost as much as the free beer. He took a swig, then started speaking enthusiastically. "There was a terrible storm! Waves above the masts of the ship, lightning our only light, and eldritch things illuminated in the deeps with every flash!"

"Oh, aye, you didn't mention any eldritch 'things' last time you told this story. Heard what the men on that boat said, and decided to just add em' to your own story as well."

The other man didn't acknowledge the interruption. "We fought for our very lives on the mighty sea, and when the storm finally broke every man of us fell asleep where they were, exhausted."

"When we awoke, the sea was glass, with narry so much as a fart of wind. But we could see the island, a few miles off. Well, once enough of us were awake, we... I ordered the men to lower a rowboat, to go investigate."

"Didn't look like much from a distance. A few old stone walls, a little forest. We found a stream, and followed it inland. That's when we started noticing things."

His voice lowered to a whisper. "The first thing we noticed was bones. Human bones. Scattered about, broken in pieces. A skull split in two. I... the men were about ready to head back, but I made em' go on."

The voice gradually increased while maintaining the quality of a whisper. "And it tweren't hard, not once we saw the first gold platter. Three feet across, and pure gold! It would take two men to carry it!" He cleared his throat. "We left it, figuring we'd pick it up on our way back, rather than carry it the whole time. And as we went on... more riches, but even more bones. Then we came to a tall stone structure... passages curving off out of sight. And in front of it, the biggest pile of gold yet. Well, we weren't waiting another minute. There was more than we could carry together, more than could get back to the ship in half a dozen trips, with our little boat!"

But. The first man picked up a gold-and-jeweled goblet, things changed. A roar like you wouldn't believe from the structure. We all grabbed what we could carry, and started running. The first man fell not half a dozen steps from the pile. A lion, I thought. But then I saw the head, with horns. And the tail, with teeth. Then more. A... thing... all covered in tentacles. I heard Marissa's screams all the way back to the shore. Things made of fire, and ice, things that will haunt my nightmares until the day I die."

"The screams... not all of them pain, not at first. Three of us made it to the shore. One went for the boat, a hundred yards up the beach. He didn't make it half way. Me and the c- the other man, that is - we just dove into the water. It was slow going, us with all that gold in our pockets. And I could see what was coming for us. Hear what they were doing to the rest of the men and women who came ashore. I pulled off my coat, my britches, dropped everything and swam for my life. The... the other man didn't. He went under. Started to drown. But even in the water there were... things. At least he died quick."

The man let out a shudder. "I was the only one made it back to the ship. Some of the others had seen the last of it from the rails, so they believed me. The island is cursed. No amount of gold is worth that..."

He took another deep drink of his beer, and looked expectantly at Amber.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"Eldritch things?" Amber quirked an eyebrow skeptically, hoping the man would elaborate, but she let him continue. Though the other man made her curious to hear about this 'other' boat, potentially the one sinking in the harbor.

She listened to the sailor's tale with rapt attention, parts of it matching what the demented Dr. Saban had told her. Remembering the tricks and traps of islands past she wondered if the trap, or at least one of the traps of Hayte's island was that the monstrous and apparently permanent summons would somehow be unleashed the moment someone picked up any sort of treasure. Saban did mention the man had liked taunting people with his wealth, and a horde of monsters would certainly enforce a look-but-don't-touch standard. Her face clouded as the next logical progression of that train of thought meant that as soon as she located and grabbed the gem all kinds of monsters would be all over her. Of course, she still listened to what the sailor was telling her, planning how to steal the gem from this island could wait until she had more information.

"That sounds like quite the harrowing experience. You are truly a lucky soul to have survived. Tell me, do you recall much of the 'eldritch things'? And what of the coordinates of the island?" Amber was fairly certain both trains of inquiry would be dead ends, but she still had to ask just to make sure. "And what of the crew who stayed on the boat? What became of them? Surely some of them would speak to the truth of your words." Perhaps other sailors who had seen the island could offer a different perspective, or at least remember where the island was.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The younger man jumped in to answer Amber's question. "He just said 'eldritch' because he thinks it sounds fancy, and he heard the people from the new boat using it. Hasn't got a clue what it means." He stopped for a moment, considering. "Not sure they do either, 'cept maybe the captain."

"What!? Eldritch is like... um... oblong? Well, what does it mean then, if you're so smart!" The night's storyteller sounded outraged.

"Didn't say I knew, but at least I'm smart enough not to use words what I don't know what means."

The man shook his head, dismissing the entire line of thought. "ANYWAY. The main thing I remember about the creatures was that no two were alike. Elementals, mixes of different animals, things that just aren't natural. All with teeth, claws, magic, or all three! One spat a glob of something green that ate a hole clean through a man! Some would drive a man mad just looking at them!"

Eventually he got around to Amber's other questions. "Well, yes. There were a few people left on the ship, and they'd back me up, for all the good that'd do me. Hell, I could draw you a map and you could go see for yourself, if it really matters. Just don't say I didn't warn you." He seemed to squint at Amber. "Erm, maybe I should warn you again. They... didn't always just kill people straight off. Especially the women. You follow? I didn't actually see, but I heard."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber just rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples in exasperation at the man's confession to not even knowing what eldritch meant. Despite that, the rest of what he was saying seemed to match with what Dr. Saban had told her. Especially the wide manner of unnatural creatures housed on the island, given Hayte's apparent work with altering summons and making them permanent.


The admission that there were others who could verify his tale and that he would draw her a map to the island prompted a somewhat surprised eyebrow quirk. That was certainly more than she had hoped for, though his warning prompted a heavy sigh as she considered what awaited her should she be unable to handle the island's challenges. The personal consequences of failure would be dire indeed, to say nothing of the fate of her species.

"Believe me, I follow. Now about that map...Would you be willing to draw it up now?"