Session Start: Sat Jan 12 16:47:38 2008 Session Ident: #castlevania * Logging for #castlevania started [The intrepid party stands before the Western Gate of Stavograd with the Seven Temples militia.] Now would be a great time for an inspiring speech. Does anybody have one handy? Not I. Not me. Too bad. Lead the way, Lady Natalia. Right. * Nyyx calls out to the crowd. "All right, we're heading for the tower in the center of town. Meet us there if you fall behind!" * Nyyx starts moving toward the tower. * Skip tries his best to keep up with his comrades. He looks over his shoulder as he moves, "I hope I don't get trampled!" [The makeshift militia marches through the looming gates into the silent city beyond.] * Nyyx blinks and points. "Isn't that Alexander du Pre?" Who? The man we're looking for...one of the anomalies we mentioned to your Contact. * Nyyx keeps du Pre in her line of sight as she continues to move. I see. Weird Which one is he again? He, like the rest of us, cannot be scryed. We'll have to keep an eye on him and probably take him into custody later. * Nyyx continues to make for the tower. "We'll have to worry about him after we take care of this soul-eating tree, though." Maybe one of us should follow him during the fight. Good idea, Skip. Are you up for that? Of course. Just point me in his direction and I'll stay close behind. If I find that he's up to something, I'll let you know. [The militia proceeds somberly through the ruined city to the pit at its center. The dust has settled by now and has left a thin dirty film on every exposed surface. The chasm, a rough circle approximately 400' across, descends into shadow below.] * Nyyx points out du Pre in the crowd. "There he is. Do you see him?" * Roland turns to look. * Skip moves throughout the crowd to a point about 20' from Alexander. * Skip finds Nyyx up front and gives an affirming nod. [Roland sees a man of middle years with dark hair and wearing white robes.] * Nyyx nods. "I'll leave him to you, Skip." She approaches the opening into the ground and studies the pit for the best way down. * Roland starts a boccopedia entry for Alexander du Pre. [The pit sides are roughly vertical and punctuated by segments of building and jagged stone.] This is probably where the rope will come in handy. * Roland shouts backward, "Bring up the rope!" * Charlotte looks down the pit. [Various individuals start hauling rope forward and piling it near the cliff.] * Nyyx begins securing rope for climbing down. [One of the druids steps away from the group and looses a jagged cry skyward.] * Nyyx is constructing a rough rope ladder as best as she is able. [After several minutes, four giant eagles fly over the city and land around the druid. The eagles look fairly beaten up, but steady.] * Nyyx finishes the rope ladder with some help and hangs it over the side of the pit. "Are we ready?" Lead Druid: "Alright. I'll ferry down as many as I can, but we'll need something to light our way? Do we have any clue what's down there?" * Nyyx shakes her head. "Not yet. We can go down first and take a look, if you like." * Nyyx scrounges around in her pack and takes out an everburning torch. "You can borrow my torch, if you need it. I'll need it back afterwards, though." Lead Druid: "Thank you. " * Skip closes in on Alexander, making sure they will be on the same eagle. * Nyyx nods. "You're welcome. I'll be heading down, then." * Nyyx descends the rope ladder. * Charlotte follows Nyx I'll bring a light for us, Lady Natalia. Thank you, Roland. * Roland opens his pack and says into it, "Navi, light to full power, hover of my left shoulder." * Roland doesn't bat an eye, clearly accustomed to the clearly magical bullseye lantern that floats out of his pack and hovers over his left shoulder, shining proudly ahead. * Nyyx raises her eyebrows. "Convenient." What good is magic if it can't make your life easier? * Roland climbs down the rope ladder. [The party proceeds down the rope ladder into the darkness. Skip and du Pre prepare to follow along with several other pairs on the eagles.] [After about 100', the ladder is far less steady and the pit has become cloaked in shadows. The party's surroundings are still visible to human sight, but muted and dark.] * Nyyx glances around alertly. * Nyyx tries to make out how far the bottom is from where they are now. [The pit continues to continue down into the depths. Pieces of old buildings and the tower dot the walls.] * Nyyx continues climbing. [The party continues to descend on the rope ladder.] * Nyyx checks again for relative location and anything suspicious. [Nyyx finds nothing suspicious for a few dozen more feet. She can see the floor of the pit about another fifty feet down. It is a pile of rubble.] The bottom of the pit is about fifty feet down. We're almost there. Good. Now I don't have to look down. * Nyyx keeps going. Roland, can you see through that mask of yours? What mask? The one you're always wearing. You lost me, Lady Natalia. Oh. Well, nevermind, then. * Nyyx continues to looks bemused, but she just keeps climbing. * Charlotte keeps climging * Nyyx drops to the bottom once she gets close enough to the rubble and takes a look around at the mess. [The party is soon deposited on the floor of the pit. Light from the moon above is only a memory this far down.] * Roland hops off the latter and turns, letting Navi play around the floor of the pit. [Tonnes of jagged and broken stone litter the floor of the pit. The pit itself is roughly 200' across. Looking around, those with the ability to see in darkness can spot several passages leading out from the large chamber.] [Nyyx can see large rounded outcropings along the pit walls.] * Nyyx shifts to darkvision when necessary. "There's a number of passages here. Any preference as to which one we take a look at first?" I'm afraid not, Lady Natalia. All right then. I pick the leftmost passage, then. Charlotte, if you please, would you take a look ahead for us? Or...would it be too dark for you? I can do it. [Nyyx approaches the nearest outcropping. It is composed of loose dirt. There is something sticking out of it. Cloth maybe?] * Charlotte moves on ahead, checking her headband. She suddenly seems a lot better in the pure black [Charlotte can see that the nearest passage twists away from the chamber and thins down to just 20' feet across. More outcroppings line the walls.] * Skip fidgets and paces at the edge of the pit. Tired of waiting, he turns to the druid in charge of the giant birds. "We've waited long enough. I think it's time to send the first group in. How many can go in one trip?" Lead Druid: "We'll send two per eagle for eight total. Ready?" All right. We'll need a good mix of soldiers and magic users on each trip. Four of each would be good. * Nyyx , meanwhile, examines whatever it is that's sticking out of the outcropping. * Skip turns to the milita members around him. "Have your torches in hand and be ready for anything. We defeated the son; now it is time to meet the father and end this town's suffering." Skip points to three of the nearest casters, three soldiers, and Alexander du Pre. "You lot. You're with me in the first wave." * Charlotte advances cautiously, reporting to the group whenever uesful. Lead Druid: "Alright, get ready!" [Volunteers scramble forward and mount up. After a signal from the Druid, the Eagles lift into the air.] * Skip holds on for dear life. [Nyyx pulls on the cloth sticking out of the outcropping and comes away with a dessicated arm.] * Nyyx looks at it and turns it over in her hands. [The eagles wheel about the pit once and dive into the black. Rapidly, they shift into a controlled fall and alight on the rubble at the bottom of the pit.] [Charlotte creeps forward, passing by more and more outcroppings....] * Nyyx finds nothing interesting about the arm, sets it down, and goes to examine the next outcropping. * Skip activates the power of his headband before springing off his eagle mount. Once on solid ground, he draws out the silvered handaxe and assembles the other seven warriors. [With some digging, Nyyx finds more remains inthe next outcropping.] [Once the warriors are clear, the eagles take flight, sending up dust and making a racket.] Curious. The pit is lined with buried corpses. * Nyyx glances up from time to time toward the passage Charlotte has gone to scout. [The warriors start deploying torches, sunrods and sundry magic items to fight back the glow. They are standing in the middle of the ruins of the Tower of Stavograd.] Roland, any idea why there are so many bodies here? Their condition seems to indicate that they weren't people who died in the recent collapse, at least not under natural circumstances. Glad you made it, Skip. Charlotte's off scouting that leftmost passage. * Skip gets Roland's attention and asks, "What's the situation?" It's not uncommon for catacombs to be found under a city, and for people to be buried in them. Sometimes there's not even foul play involved. Charlotte is investigating the passages in an attempt to discern which one is the correct one. * Skip nods and turns to the group assembled behind him, "Does anyone know if there were catacombs under the city?" Nerullian: "Not this deep, I'd expect. And the bodies should be laid horizontally, not set into the walls. Completely against this region's burial rites." An ancient burial ground, then? it wouldn't be the first time someone built a city on top of an ancient burial ground and got punished for it. Nerullian: "True enough." [Charlotte moves through the first several bends in the path and eventually comes to a grisly scene: one of the mounds has a live occupant. Weak and sickly, but breathing.] * Nyyx nods thoughtfully. "Hm." She takes a short jog around the pit and takes a brief look down each passage. * Charlotte blinks. And picks up the guy carefully and starts making her way back. Very carefully. Got to get this guy to the others. [The dirt sucks into the wall as the person is removed, leaving a slight pit.] [As Nyyx cirles the rooms, she spots several passages like the first and sees more of the mounds on the walls. Eventually, she comes to one larger than the rest.] * Nyyx approaches the larger mound and investigates that one, too. [After some digging, Nyyx unearths the chest and head of His Emminent Remains.] [Charlotte returns to the main chamber, passenger in tow.] * Nyyx blinks and continues to digs the rest of him out. Hey, we've got a live one. Barely... * Charlotte looks at the figure. "We've got your back. Things are going to be alright, got it?" * Skip turns to the druids and other assembled militia members, "All right, we need to set up operations down here. If there's trouble, this is most likely our only exit. Some of us will need to keep it secure while others push on into the tunnels." Found him in one of the mounds. * Skip moves up to examine the "live one" Charlotte is holding. * Skip questions the strange new figure, "What were you doing down here in a hole?" [The figure, gaunt and stricken, is trying not to die of shock and is not up to speaking.] He needs help. * Skip takes a moment to turn back the Druids and other warriors, "Start securing the area. Set up any magical barriers you can and form up into small search parties." * Roland gives the new guy a quick physical. [Nyyx pulls the rest of the dirt from around His Emminent remains, but he appears to be adhered to the rock wall by his spine. He starts to stir.] * Nyyx lets go. "You're conscious. What happened?" Charlotte, take him over to the landing area and have one of the Druids look him over. And tell them to let us know if he starts speaking. Right. * Charlotte starts movin him His Emminent Remains: "Got trapped in the tower. Swallowed by the beast. Called for help. Why are you here?" We're here to fight the beast. You say you were swallowed, though. Does this mean we're in its bowels? [The eagles come down with a second wave as more descend on the ropes. Over half of the militia is down there now.] * Nyyx continues to dig him out as much as she can. * Skip moves into a new passage. "Roland, Theo, try to get things organized out here. We may need to set up a temporary aid station; who knows how many survived the collapse." He starts moving down the tunnel to scout. [Nyyx eventually hits a dead end as the bones of his spine are fused with the rock. He seems far weaker than normal, which is strange for an outsider.] What happened to you? Your spine seems to be fused to the rock. His Emminent Remains: "Fell. It's down here. It has the siphon. It's going to use us all up." How can we defeat it? His Emminent Remains: "I haven't met the thing that can survive being decapitated. Always a favorite. Almost ready...." Ready for...? [The warriors and Charlotte and Skip continue to investigate the tunnels and pull out survivors.] [The party hears a howl and some screams from one of the passages. It echoes strangly in the chamber.] * Nyyx draws her sword. * Skip runs back to the main chamber. [Some warriors come running out of one of the tunnels. An overeager mage has to quickly redirect a scorching ray into the wall to avoid hitting them as they fly past. Figures can be seen in the passage opening.] * Charlotte moves. * Nyyx runs toward Skip and her other companions and speaks quickly. "I found His Eminent Remains. He's fused to the rock; says the beast siphoned him. He recommended decapitating it to kill it." Well, that's probably a good start. Whatever it is, it sounds like it's on its way. [The figures come charging forward toward the crowd. They are humaniod, but very thin and frail-looking. Their lips are drawn back revealing rotten teeth.] * Nyyx stands firm. They're already dead. Pelorans to the front! [The lead creature drops to its knees as the rest pull up short. There are maybe a dozen starring at you. After a long moment, the creatures eyes roll up in its head and it stands back up.] * Charlotte draws her bow [The lead figure speaks from its gut and forms the words with a brutal chopping motion of its jaws.] "(unintelligible)" [Theodore and Roland hear in Draconic: "You should not have come here, children, but I'll accept your sacrifice all the same." ] What did it say? "You should not have come here, children, but I'll accept your sacrifice all the same." * Roland replies, also in draconic, Anything else? [The ground rumbles.] "I have already died, child. Can you really not see that?" * Skip runs through the group of warriors and Druids looking for du Pre. Figure: "Of course. And you will have to kill your own to do it." [The figure's eyes go blank.] Pelorans, let 'em have it! [The figures charge as the Pelorians and followers of Heironeous step forward, holy symbols aloft. White light bathes the figures and sends them screaching through the air where they disintegrate.] * Nyyx rolls her shoulders back and looks toward the passage from which the figures came. "Shall we?" After you, milady. * Roland bows. Why, thank you. * Nyyx heads into the passageway with no hesitation. [Howls can be heard throughout the tunnels now. The echoes make it impossible to determine their number or direction.] * Nyyx continues and pays little heed to the howls, though she looks around alertly for signs of trouble. [Nyyx wanders down the narrow passage and around a corner. ] * Skip continues running throughout the militia, yelling words of encouragement. Coming up to the aid station, he finds one of the druids, "We should get these people out of here now. Can you signal the Eagles to pick them up?" [After several turns, Nyyx spots several 'live' mounds.] * Nyyx digs the live ones out. Druid: "Of course." [Druid casts a spell.] [The first live one Nyyx digs out falls to the ground, struggling to breathe. The second grabs at her wrists and face as she starts to dig!] * Nyyx twists away (if she can). [Nyyx twists away!] * Nyyx calls back to the druids and militia. "We'll need your help digging through these mounds. There're some survivors mixed in with with the undead, but we can't deal with them now." * Nyyx presses on. [Nyyx travels several dozen feet further down the passage. More and more of the mounds are active as she goes.] * Nyyx ignores them for now and keeps going, dodging grasping limbs if she has to. [After about a minute, Nyyx hits a dead end. More of the monsters break loose and block her path back to the chamber. At about the same time, more of the creatures reach the central chamber from the various passages.] * Roland raises the holy Eye of Boccob high and prepares to unleash the fury. * Nyyx curses and prepares to chop her way back to the central chamber. * Charlotte raises her bow and takes aim * Skip gathers the warrios in a ring inside the casters, ready to give the order to charge at a moment's notice. [END OF SESSION] Session Close: Sat Jan 12 22:15:53 2008