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[Respite] - Factions
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#801Rock or not, their center of gravity was pretty high, and they were standing on human-sized feet, with a tenth of human dexterity. Gideon slammed with his full weight against one of the statues to topple it to the ground.
"Guys, take down the other one! On the ground, they will be only half the challenge!" While a challenge was good from time to time, they had more than enough of them in their lives anyway. Any edge was welcome. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#802Balin struck at the second statue, thrusting with staff the way he had found he could crush small stones against rock in his training years. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#803Seeing the half-ogre's cleverness shine through, Fafnir bull-rushed the second statue hoping to knock it down also. He heaved with his shoulder into the stone animations gut. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#804Gideon slammed into the first statue with a great impact, and the stone figure toppled back, prone.
Fafnir, paused to duck Balin's strike against the stony being which succeeded in knocking a chip loose. Charging against the relatively small statue he knocked it back into the archway.
Jhoric stood back, waiting for an opportunity to fire, but both Gideon's and Fafnirs large frames blocked his view. Perhaps he should still try...
No action assumed unless otherwise posted
Jhoric may still act before the golems.
Init order is
Gideon
Balin
Fafnir
Jhoric
Statues
Anyone else still playing :P
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#805Jhoric edged along the right wall trying to get a better view without being a target. As he strafed, he thought he caught a glimpse of the enemy and fired, hoping not to hit any friends. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#806Fafnir didn't succeed in knocking the statue down, but back into the doorway was enough. He stepped back out of the line of fire and unsheathed his scimitar. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#807Jhoric managed to get a shot off, his dark energies flying downrange. The statue thrown back by Fafnir proved the best target, catching the blast full on its chest.
Strangely the energy seemed to crackle and flow over the figure, and it seemed to stall in mid-motion.
On the ground, the prone statue lashed out with a stone hammer at Gideon's legs, but the awkward angle caused the blow to just graze the half-ogre. The hammer struck the floor and sent up a shower of splintered stone.
Round The next.
Statue A is prone, but fighting. Statue B is further back in a doorway. Fafnir is blocking any further actions by the rest of the party should he melee, giving 50% cover. Gideon is essentially in the same square as the prone statue, also serving as lesser cover.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#808Fafnir saw the effect the eldritch energy had on the statue and decided, the others had much more effective weapons to combat the creatures. He retreated from combat but still held his sword at the ready. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#809Balin stood away from the statues and began to cast a missile of magical force energy, that should injure these golems. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#810Jhoric was rather surprised when the statue he shot seemed to halt for a moment. It would probably be a good idea to do that again, he thought to himself. Gideon had one on the ground and under control, and Fafnir and Balin had backed off of the other. He sent another blast of energy into the golem, hoping for the same effect. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#811Toboran stepped up to stand beside Jhoric. He held his spear at the ready, even though he realized it probably wouldn't help much against the statues. It usually did not work to stab rocks. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#812The massive Gideon swung down at the stony figure and the impact of his blade caused sparks to shoot up and newly minted gravel to fly.
Balin's quick incantation followed with a bolt of mystic energy that lanced out and struck the prone statue. Jhoric's dark energies again reached out to the second statue and again it stood, an aura of black flame encompassed it. It again stood transfixed, seemingly a true statue again.
The prone statue again lashed out from the ground, but Gideon easily dodged the crushing force it unleashed.
Fafnir may still act. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#813Fafnir once again stepped into the mel?e, this time he hacked at the flaming statue. Saying " Perhaps this is our chance to kill it. Jhoric your energy is working!" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#814"Dammit, Rocky! You put a chip in my blade!" Gideon bellowed, and tossed the sword aside, grabbing the huge hammer by his side instead. He swung his iron-shod boot towards the stone guardian's motionless carved face, kicking it enthusiastically.
"Shall I hammer you into something fancier? Aliana the Nymph by Mercanchelo, perchance?"
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#815Balin began to cast his spell again, firing at the less damaged of the two statues. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#816Missing the stony guardians would have taken effort and Fafnir's enchanted blade bit into one. The ancient spell that animated it sundered and the statue collapsed, breaking into a number of pieces.
Gideon barely avoided another savage kick by his foe and slammed down hard with his hammer. Shards of stone flew, but the statue remained animate, and apparently intent on smashing Gideon in turn.
A sorcerous bolt leapt from Balin to the prone statue, passing between the half-ogre's legs, perilously close to other anatomy. The statue took the strike and was labourously trying to right itself.
Fafnir cannot strike the remaining statue unless he wishes to fire into melee. Jhoric has the same option. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#817"Watch it! My privates will be needed in the future, by some lovable lady for her and my enjoyment!"
Evading the trashing statue, he tried to find an angle where it could not reach him well, and bash it when the opportunity presented itself.
"You will become pavement, I tell ye!" he grunted as he mauled the stone guardian. "No pretty statue, no sir!" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#818Jhoric ignored Gideon's claim that he would need his private parts in the future and fired a bolt of black energy at the statue, "Watch out, big guy. Incoming blasts." Jhoric said with a sly smile. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#819Fafnir did not see any good coming from trying to chuck his sword in between Gideons legs. Instead he moved around the melée and tried to get into a position where he could assist if needed.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#820Balin thought it best to save his remaining spells for when they might find another hostile creature down here. So he readied his staff and watched the melee for when he might be needed. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#821"Ah, hells take me for a coward!" Toboran jumped in and stabbed as straight as he could towards the great, remaining statue. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#822As Gideon reached for his hammer to smash the statue into gravel, once again Jhoric's baleful energy lashed out and enshrouded the statue. And like the other this one was held and disrupted by the blast. Caught halfway up, the statue fell back with a crash.
Moments later Gideon's hammer fell full on the statue's face, as sure as if he were driving a pile. The head slammed back against the stone floor and sundered, scattering shards of stone about. The magic in the statue fled, going wherever such forces went, and the statue was still.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#823A quick look in the room revealed little more then shattered stone, dry broken bones, and an odd crossbow.
Behind the rubble, an open hallway extends as far as torchlight reaches. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#824"This crossbow is likely a potent weapon. The energy it unleashed was not unlike my own. I do not require such a thing, but it could be a great boon to someone less gifted. Anyone a good shot with such a contraption?" Jhoric stated after picking up the odd crossbow. He checked it over to see if it required ammunition to fire and let his mind wander into the weapon to see what type of magic it possessed.
((OOC: Detect Magic Invocation of the odd crossbow, would like to know a school of magic if applicable and it doesn't blow up on me.)) -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#825"I have no need of dangerous magic, friend Jhoric. Only my blade and spear will be my weapons. These fell creatures have been slain and we must move on. Someone, come and bring a torch. We will move on, fell magic animated the statues. Magic even darker than night it takes to keep the dead walking. It is an unnatural darkness that cloaks these halls. We must make haste and depart. Jhoric waste not too much time on your mysterious crossbow. I will wait only until you are finished examining, not a moment more." With that Fafnir moved away from the battle scene and stood gazing into the dark beyond the torchlight. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#826"Let's grab it and proceed! A lot of exploring is ahead! I volunteer to go first, too."
He slung the crossbow over his back, readied his shield and hammer, and stomped down the corridor. The ore had to be here, for as all knew, dwarves were born from ore veins. Any unattended and sufficiently bountiful ore vein would spawn a dwarf sooner or later, it was inevitable; the wise Anhambro wrote so.
"Jhoric, you carry a torch; Fafnir, you'll come right after me and help me in melee, Balin, you stay safe and advise us with insights. Toboran, keep watch over the rear!"
Ah, just like in his good old sergeant days. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#827Jhoric looked stumped for a moment. He was not used to being ordered around in such a fashion. It wasn't too bad, just new. Trying to act as told, he searched his pack for a torch but came up empty-handed. Dungeon crawling was also new to him.
"I think the light of these odd torch-like implements will guide us well enough." Jhoric said, taking one of the multiple glowing devices from a wall sconce. "Let us proceed."
(( EDIT: Changed last paragraph to reflect Valadaar's lighting correction in the OOC thread. )) -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#828After organizing themselves, the party ventured deeper down the tunnel.
Cautious and watching for traps they proceeded, finding a number of guard-posts similar to that defended by the statues, but completely empty. Occasionally they came across another blasted, leather skeleton, but nothing of interest or value.
The hallway began to widen and the cealing to rise, and they soon came to stop in front of another round door, this one far more massive then the first.
Dwarf-like runes circled the rim of the massive door, nearly 10' in diameter. There did not seem to be any handles provided for moving it however.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#829"These stonedwellers had knack for building difficult to maneuver rooms eh? This doorway is impassable by force. Jhoric, Balin can you use your magic to budge the stone? Perhaps there is some sort of charm that activates it. Meanwhile I will stay out of the way. " Fafnir then sheathes his sword, stands a few feet away to avoid any nasty suprises and watches the hallway we came through intent on catching any following critters." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#830"My magical capabilities do not include moving large amounts of enchanted stone, and are unfortunately not specifically attuned to opening doors of any kind." Jhoric spoke while pressing on various parts of the door and making minor attempts at pushing and shoving different parts.
"I would say it requires the skills of a dwarf-blooded being to move beyond this point. Let me see if the runes are magical or mundane, they may be some sort of lock or prerequisite." He started to trace his finger along the runes he could reach, feeling them out for magic and meaning. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#831"We could always try knocking, I've heard that such mundane activities work, betimes." Toboran stepped up beside Fafnir, his spear at the ready. It wouldn't do to get ambushed while trying to open a simple door. Even a very large, round, simple door. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#832
While Jhoric examined the door itself for some clue or mechanism to it's operation, Fafnir noticed that one of the stones a few feet away from the door looked a little out of place.
Balin found the text difficult to follow, but gist was clear - "speak the password". Other words may have been clues or other instructions, but they were words unknown to him. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#833"Curious" Fafnir walked over to the odd stone and began attempting to shift it, roll it, or pick it up. " This stone shouldn't be here" He also tried every manner to reach under it and see if there was a lever or switch beneath it. "Perhaps, my companions there is a simple solution. It may be hidden out of sight, but nevertheless it will open our huge doorway. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#834"Well I wish that I knew the language of the inhabitants, the inscription mentions speaking the password but I cannot tell what the rest says. Jhoric, are they magical?" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#835Jhoric indeed did note some form of enchantment, but seemed almost a reflection of the powers he extended. It seemed oddly familiar, but unstable - the act of reading it seemed to weaken it.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#836"Simple solutions? If you want simple, choose me!" Gideon laughed, and approached the door. "Round you are; let's roll this rock!" He grabbed it by its reliefs and carvings and proceeded to push it to one side, then the other. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#837Leaving his place, Toboran helped as much as he could to push the stone aside. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#838Try as they might, Toboran and Gideon could get a handle good enough to apply the force the multi-ton stone door would require to shift. It did not budge in the slightest.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#839Jhoric backed away from the door as the others worked on pushing it. He wondered if, since the magic seemed to weaken when read, he could read it until it dispersed. It was worth an attempt, but first...
"You're doing no good, my muscular friends. I need to perform a test to determine my next course of action. You might want to stand aside."
Jhoric stood about ten paces from the door and reached out his hand, gathering a mass of dark energy in the palm of his hand. As soon as he was sure everyone was out of the way, he hurled his signature black bolt at the door and prepared to study the effects... Or jump out of the way of a redirected blast. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#840The blast lashed out and struck the doorway, and the energy played over its surface like water on a hot stove -dancing yet drawn to the stone. All of the gylphs briefly lit up with a bright purple-white light and then faded, leaving blackened outlines and the smell of sulfur in the air.