D&D II Act Two Scene I - The Tower

Fourier

The halfling adjusts his backpack on his shoulders a bit and takes a deep breath.

"This is why I left the Shire...for adventure...wish me luck guys"

Gholz runs up the stairs as fast as his legs can carry him.

At the third step from the top he halts, his flesh is stripped from his musculature and atomised, then the muscles shrivel brown and rot off his skeletal frame.

The skeleton, weighed down by his internal organs, falls backward down the stairs, the digestive organs spilling onto the ground.

"GHOLZ!!!" the other halflings shout and begin weeping at his corpse.

Karinth places a hand on Mags's shoulder.

"Better them than you Bard"

Banjo

"wait, weren't they supposed to be the experts at disarming traps?"

Retula tuts disgustedly.

" If we wanted someone to just step on the trap to see what it does we have other resources. I wonder if it's still active?

oh Ciiiiiiitraaaaaaaa!" She calls back down the stairs.

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

"Better them than you Bard"

"My thoughts too."

Mags waits for the dragon to walk up the stairs.

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"wait, weren't they supposed to be the experts at disarming traps?"

Retula tuts disgustedly.

" If we wanted someone to just step on the trap to see what it does we have other resources. I wonder if it's still active?

oh Ciiiiiiitraaaaaaaa!" She calls back down the stairs.

"We are, why didn't he check?"

The other halflings sob.

Citra looks up the stairs.

"No problem...hold on"

She walks up the stairs and just before the third step the same process happens to her, the skeleton collapsing back down, the organs themselves atomised in her case.

Banjo

"Right-o. Stroupy, you next and then I can go home.

H, check in with she who must be obeyed. Is the dragon dead or just moved to another state or location?"

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"Right-o. Stroupy, you next and then I can go home.

H, check in with she who must be obeyed. Is the dragon dead or just moved to another state or location?"

"Wait, I'm not going up that damn set of stairs"

Hetyaro doesn't seem to be responding. Ser Boros looks around.

"Where is your bird Retula?"

Banjo

"she's not my bird. I'm her person. Look, she can't die so either she's been taken - in which case she knows to kill herself and she'll be returned to me - or she's lost, in which case she knows to kill herself and she'll be returned to me. It's a solid system. But if you see anyone with a five foot feathery lump under their shirt let me know."

Retula gathers Citras bones. Outlander force of habit. Are they dragons or humanoid?

"Stroupy, you don't have to walk up those stairs, but bear in mind that the dragon did it without saying goodbye, so she knew something we didn't. Are you saying she had a better handle on magic than you?"

sKeith

Sarric checks for other exits, some other way to ascend, without using the stairs.

Evade

Iuric tosses a javelin onto the step where the halfling died and thinks back to the annual Gnome tossing contest in the provincial capitol and if halflings would cover the same distance.

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

Sarric checks for other exits, some other way to ascend, without using the stairs.

Checking about the place, he finds no other exit.

Fourier

Evade wrote: »

Iuric tosses a javelin onto the step where the halfling died and thinks back to the annual Gnome tossing contest in the provincial capitol and if halflings would cover the same distance.

The javelin disintegrates upon embedding itself in the step. It takes a little longer than the Halfling did and the javelin can be seen to wobble, as if pulling apart its constituents were more effort.

Necro

OOC: Cliff notes anyone since my absence?

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Retula gathers Citras bones. Outlander force of habit. Are they dragons or humanoid?

"Stroupy, you don't have to walk up those stairs, but bear in mind that the dragon did it without saying goodbye, so she knew something we didn't. Are you saying she had a better handle on magic than you?"

The bones begin very slowly shifting back to draconid form and growing in size as they transform. However they halt and shift back. This repeats constantly. Retula can tell her shape shifting spell was quite powerful to persist even now. That or it wasn't really a spell, but a native ability, or perhaps both forms were her true ones.

Stroupy laughs.

"I was a head Vizier, well used to politics. You think a little reverse psychology is going to work on me. You have a little walk up the stairs"

sKeith

"Karinth, can you make one of your portals with a destination at the top of the stairs, like that time we were dealing with the undead in the kitchens of the prison? Or if anybody else has the ability to dispell magic, we could try that either"

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

OOC: Cliff notes anyone since my absence?

OOC: Took a few potions from door in lab. Now trying to go upstairs. Stairs seem to have disintegrated Citra and halfling.

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

"Karinth, can you make one of your portals with a destination at the top of the stairs, like that time we were dealing with the undead in the kitchens of the prison? Or if anybody else has the ability to dispell magic, we could try that either"

"Yes, though it will require some blood. I had...fed shall we say, prior to BlackMoor.

It can be fatal, I suggest one of the Halflings" he whispers.

sKeith

Sarric whispers, "what about sora or that new guy, strappy. i think losing another halfling so soon would dishearten our thief."

Necro

Vrakrash rises from his seat on the floor and kneels by the bones of his mother.

'What foul magic have you unleashed on us Rettie?'

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

The bones begin very slowly shifting back to draconid form and growing in size as they transform. However they halt and shift back. This repeats constantly. Retula can tell her shape shifting spell was quite powerful to persist even now. That or it wasn't really a spell, but a native ability, or perhaps both forms were her true ones.

Stroupy laughs.

"I was a head Vizier, well used to politics. You think a little reverse psychology is going to work on me. You have a little walk up the stairs"

"It wasn't reverse psychology, I genuinely thought you might be able to figure it out. But clearly I'm judging you by the high opinion you pretend to have of yourself. And clearly she really did just kill herself. So...Never mind.

Hey Vrakrash. So.... Your mother just disintegrated herself on the stairs. Here, have a bone. Not the femurs - I want to try and make jumping stilts out of them by harnessing their size variance. And I need the skull for paperwork. But the ribs are fair game.

Mags - what tipped you off? Is it magicky? Don't want to waste a spell on it... Especially not when the alternative is Karinth slitting the nudist's throat for free."

Evade

"I don't suppose you can fly?" Iuric asks Grodinz

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"It wasn't reverse psychology, I genuinely thought you might be able to figure it out. But clearly I'm judging you by the high opinion you pretend to have of yourself. And clearly she really did just kill herself. So...Never mind.

"My magic is almost entirely defense, very little detection. I think I'd survive, but I can't tell what it is"

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

Sarric whispers, "what about sora or that new guy, strappy. i think losing another halfling so soon would dishearten our thief."

"Ah yes, we need the thief...Stroupy I think might prove a challenge. Sora, heh, no problem at all. Ser Boros has been saying we should kill her, as she is technically undead. Apparently lifelike undead have proven to be a problem in Mystara"

Banjo

Unashamedly eavesdropping, Retula recommends Karinth try licking his fill off the wall of the room under the hatch.
**Patinkin, what's the verdict on the wall-blood? Karinth wants a review. Don't eat it all!**

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Unashamedly eavesdropping, Retula recommends Karinth try licking his fill off the wall of the room under the hatch.
**Patinkin, what's the verdict on the wall-blood? Karinth wants a review. Don't eat it all!**

Karinth pulls his lips back in disgust "Could be pretty old or corrupted, I wouldn't touch the stuff"

**I'm not licking that! Wait....apparently I am** Patinkin replies licking the wall.

**Human...centuries old**

Banjo

Retula gags and stops sharing senses with the manticore.
"Yeah, good choice. Blood doesn't age well... Ok maybe if you store it right, but smearing the walls is not the way.

Right... So are we going to stare at this step all day or... H? H?

Ok, hold that thought."

She retraces her steps to see if that snake is eating her sentinel. Before entering the bloodied room she'll try to conjure a bonfire in the room away from anything too flammable and dismiss it if it appears.

Fourier

The bonfire stutters and starts be seems to be affected by lacking material to burn. Something is preventing its magical existence.

Banjo

Retula looks at her hand.
"Oooooh crap."
She calls her familiar over.
"P, you feel ok? Go poke your head back into the potion room, see if that snake is eating Hetyaro. Probably isn't. Don't get yourself killed, I may not be able to bring you back. Return to me immediately - I'll be upstairs staring at the Stair of Doom."

And upstairs she goes.
"Karinth, you're already dead, shouldn't you be able to pass through?"

sKeith

"Hey, goldie junior, can your travel genie travel us up the tower until it comes to some obstacle it can't pass. Do you think its speed would give this trap time to activate?"

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

And upstairs she goes.
"Karinth, you're already dead, shouldn't you be able to pass through?"

"Okay...it's time to come clean..."

He sighs.

"Sarric, Ser Boros...everybody...I'm not technically a vampire...completely...I'm something else...so I am quite alive"

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Retula looks at her hand.
"Oooooh crap."
She calls her familiar over.
"P, you feel ok? Go poke your head back into the potion room, see if that snake is eating Hetyaro. Probably isn't. Don't get yourself killed, I may not be able to bring you back. Return to me immediately - I'll be upstairs staring at the Stair of Doom."

**Snake isn't eating him Retula**

He runs back.

Necro

sKeith wrote: »

"Hey, goldie junior, can your travel genie travel us up the tower until it comes to some obstacle it can't pass. Do you think its speed would give this trap time to activate?"

Vrakrash kneels by the bones of his mother, weeping and grinding his.. teeth? Fangs? Dragon teeth?

'The genie... maybe... would he bring back Mother?'

Banjo

"pretty sure the rules are no killing, no resurrection, no love potions. There are always some provisos, a few quid pro quos.... "

Evade

Necrominus wrote: »

Vrakrash kneels by the bones of his mother, weeping and grinding his.. teeth? Fangs? Dragon teeth?

'The genie... maybe... would he bring back Mother?'

Iuric kneels next to Vrakrash "If this genie cannot resurrect her perhaps there's another more indirect way" Iuric pulls out the scroll of time travel "I'm told this can allow you to travel back in time but it needs quite a lot of Bard blood to activate it" Iuric realises what that sounds like "No, not that. Could your genie summon the required blood?"

Necro

Evade wrote: »

Iuric kneels next to Vrakrash "If this genie cannot resurrect her perhaps there's another more indirect way" Iuric pulls out the scroll of time travel "I'm told this can allow you to travel back in time but it needs quite a lot of Bard blood to activate it" Iuric realises what that sounds like "No, not that. Could your genie summon the required blood?"

Vrakrash looks to Iuric.

'Perhaps... but there is always a cost. The genie would likely exsanguinate poor Mags over there.'

sKeith

Sarric looks up and estimates the distance to the ceiling.

"Ser borus, karinth and I once made a trebuche and tore a hole in a ceiling before. I wonder if we can make a new entrance to upstairs."

Evade

Necrominus wrote: »

Vrakrash looks to Iuric.

'Perhaps... but there is always a cost. The genie would likely exsanguinate poor Mags over there.'

"And if our bardic friend was immortal at the time you asked?" Iuric holds up the azure potion.

Necro

Evade wrote: »

"And if our bardic friend was immortal at the time you asked?" Iuric holds up the azure potion.

Vrakrash nods.

'It might work. I would sooner just travel back to the moment prior to us entering this death trap, saving Mother seems incredibly selfish.'

sKeith

Evade wrote: »

"And if our bardic friend was immortal at the time you asked?" Iuric holds up the azure potion.

"If he is immortal, why get a genie involved, they can be trouble, he can drain the blood himself and give it to you, or if he is squimish, he can ask one of us to drain the blood."

Evade

Necrominus wrote: »

Vrakrash nods.

'It might work. I would sooner just travel back to the moment prior to us entering this death trap, saving Mother seems incredibly selfish.'

"But that may summon Retula's master"

sKeith wrote: »

"If he is immortal, why get a genie involved, they can be trouble, he can drain the blood himself and give it to you, or if he is squimish, he can ask one of us to drain the blood."

"I'm told he would be invulnerable to damage in the immortal state. It would be impossible to drain the blood."

OOC: EDIT: Mistress > master. Not sire if Iuric knows about the Raven Queen.

Banjo

"you guys are twisted."

Retula approaches the step, quaterstaff held out to avoid terrible miscounting mishaps.
"Tink, whaddythink? I can try to dispel it but I'm going toe to toe with the most powerful magic user that ever lived, and I'm having a little trouble with the basics right now."

If P has no other ideas, cast Dispel Magic at the step

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"you guys are twisted."

Retula approaches the step, quaterstaff held out to avoid terrible miscounting mishaps.
"Tink, whaddythink? I can try to dispel it but I'm going toe to toe with the most powerful magic user that ever lived, and I'm having a little trouble with the basics right now."

If P has no other ideas, cast Dispel Magic at the step

**I'm out of ideas I'm afraid**

OOC: Spellcasting check

Banjo

10

Fourier

The counterspell washes over the step, but cannot quite overcome it.

In response the room seals itself and the spell begins to extend down the steps toward Retula...

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

The counterspell washes over the step, but cannot quite overcome it.

In response the room seals itself and the spell begins to extend down the steps toward Retula...

Desperately she tries again while backing up
Ooc : 20

Fourier

The spell flickers on the steps, the purple magic welling up like flames. Then, in a brief flash, it is gone.

The rooms doors reopen.

Necro

Vrakrash looks down at his mother's bones to see if the spell's removal has returned her to her normal state.

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Vrakrash looks down at his mother's bones to see if the spell's removal has returned her to her normal state.

The bones are just as the were and Citra just as dead.

sKeith

Sarric follows after Retula.

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

Sarric follows after Retula.

OOC: Retula hasn't gone up the stairs yet, but I'll assume you do?

sKeith

Fourier wrote: »

OOC: Retula hasn't gone up the stairs yet, but I'll assume you do?

ooc:, nope, just assume i follow retula, as per post