Session Start: Sat Feb 07 18:05:23 2009 Session Ident: #castlevania [The party has spent the last several minutes recovering from the battle at The Well. Roland has rejoined the party and provided some much needed healing. The surviving Boccobites, Clergy and His Emminent Remains have already started back toward the central tower of the city where a second attack has occurred. Roland has just initiated a teleport for the party.] * Roland arrives from the teleport and immediately pulls out a small tankard, taps it, and it fills with a lovely mulled wine. Whew. * Roland sips at his wine and looks down on the battle. [The party materializes on the roof of a six floor tower about one tenth of a mile from the central tower. Looking down the street toward the tower, the party can seen an assembled horde of undead and mechanical creatures rushing toward the base of the tower.] * Nyyx looks down over the crowd and scans it for anything that stands out. I hope you have better ideas than I do, Lady Natalia. I'm afraid I'm not much for planning an attack. [Periodically, blasts of arcane fire and energy lance out from seemingly random points on the tower and strike below. It also appears that some attempts have been made to slow the horde's advance with conjured walls and environmental hazards, but the hundreds of rushing attackers ignore the attempts and climb over their own dead.] * Olivia brushes the front of her outfit and makes a little noise of annoyance, and then looks over at Roland. "She's got a pretty good eye... but it doesn't take much to see it's a chaotic swarm." * Roland continues spellcasting as he waits, imbuing more magic into Nyyx. Ugh. The infection certainly spreads quickly. If there was some kind of central figure controlling them that we could disable, I'd say we should target that, but I have no idea if such a thing exists or where it would be. Any way to use their numbers against them? Oh. There's a central authority to these things? I have no idea, but it'd be my guess. * Roland grins widely. Just leave it to me, Lady Natalia. * Olivia moves to the edge of the tower and crouches before saying, "It has made attacks of seeming intelligence. If there is no center... this will be quite long." * Roland utters a prayer to Boccob so utterly powerful that it makes every short hair in twenty feet stand on end. * Nyyx blinks. "You've turned out to be all sorts of useful, Roland." I wouldn't be surprised if Goggles or any of those other distinctive annoyances make repeat appearances before this is all over. * Olivia glances back to Nyyx, and half-smiles. "Habit of not staying dead, mmm?" Seems so. * Olivia looks back down. "Vexing." What ever happened to that chicken we picked up earlier? * Biff belches * Nyyx chuckles. "Good enough." The fear makes it taste better. [As Roland completes his spell, a bell chimes and a voice like clinking glass rings out on the rooftop: "The one you seek is already in the vault beneath the great Tower of Lifebreak but he may not lead the Cult much longer."] That was awfully clear and specific. ...What does that mean? * Olivia rubs the back of her neck and glances back to Roland. She half-smiles as she comments, "Well, I see why Boccob likes you. Still wanna know why I'm supposed to meet you, though." That means we gotta move, and fast. * Nyyx nods and starts down. They probably have a tunnel into the vault already. We need to find it. You're supposed to meet me because you're my destined one true love. * Nyyx is on the lookout for some sort of sewer entrance or other possible entry into the vault under the tower. * Olivia blinks, and then laughs lightly as she stands. "Now that's even more unlikely. Boccob isn't much of a romantic." * Roland snaps his fingers and an earth elemental rises from the street. He says a few words in Terran, ordering it to clear a hole into the sewers. [The party descends to street level. The streets at this point are deserted. Down closer to the tower, the horde is crowded around the tower, likely reinforcing and screening for the Cultists in the vault.] Think that might be it? Eh, lemme check. * Nyyx nods toward the elemental. "Though we might actually be able to bypass the guards." * Biff casts a farsight spell, and suddenly it's like he's RIGHT THERE IN THE ACTION You're right, it's not likely. Especially since that actually applies to Lady Natalia. [From Biff's enhanced perspective, he can see that the horde is clustered around this side of the central tower generally, likely to just draw fire and waste resources and concentrated at two points. One is about three hundred feet from the base of the tower and appears to be a breach in the street. The second is a breach in the wall of the tower itself.] * Nyyx glances over at Roland quizzically. "What?" * Olivia chuckles and then looks back to the combat, murmuring something to herself in a very weird tongue. A bad joke. Those are all I have, I'm afraid. Hmm, looks like theya ctually -do- have a breach in the tower, AND a breach in the street. [The earth elemental tears into the street with abandon, opening a crater in the worked stones.] If we go down here, we'll probably have less trouble cutting off the flow of reinforcements. * Nyyx nods. * Olivia stretches, then cracks her neck. "Well, I'm not getting any less dusty. Let's go with it, mmm?" * Nyyx is now known as Nyyxfeed [The elemental quickly finishes breaking through the street and opens a gap into the canals below.] [Afterward, the elemental stands patiently by the crater, awaiting further orders.] Everybody in the pool! * Roland snaps his fingers and the earth elemental dissolves into a water elemental, which he orders to clean up the path a bit, so it's not so damn dirty. * Roland hops down into the pit, along with Biff. * Olivia heads down the path, jumping where necessary. [The water elemental drops into the crater, shifting rock and clearing the walkway running down one side of the canal tunnel.] [The walkway is about a dozen feet below street level and runs directly toward the central tower.] [The pathway is clear until the party approaches the gap in the street that Biff noticed earlier. At that point, the passage is scattered with debris and mechanized spiders are climbing down the rubble and running down the passage toward the tower in a steady stream.] Well, Olivia, if you would care to clear the hole for a moment, I may be able to wall it off. Damned spiders. * Olivia nods, pulls out a wand of sonic, and says, "Get ready for the noise." She then gestures at the hole area, to blow the spiders clear/up/to bits/whatever! * Nyyxfeed is now known as Nyyx * Roland intervenes the very moment the gap is clear, sealing it over with a shiny new wall of stone. [The wand sends an explosion of sound down the hallway. With a bass thud, the rubble is shattered and the spiders are twisted and knocked prone.] [The spiders caught in the blast right themselves and continue down the passageway. Above, the scittering and scratching of hundreds of metallic feet can be heard.] * Olivia flourishes with her wand and then flips it in her hand. "Onward. We've got a head to sever." Let's just hope it's not a hydra. * Nyyx keeps moving toward the tower. [The party chases them down the passage. Their bootheels echo on the stone in the close quarters. After a few hundred feet, the party reaches the edge of the tower. The canal passage has been widened here to allow humanoids under the foundation of the tower wall. The spiders continue to scurry into the distance.] * Nyyx looks around and steps inside. [The breach in the wall of the tower must be at the street level if the storm of metal on stone clacking overhead is any indication. The tunnel continues for a few dozen feet more before a wide, circular breach appears in the roof of the passage. Greenish light from torches set in brackets on the walls of the main level give weak light around the breach.] [More spiders scuttle in through the breach in the ceiling and down the passage.] * Nyyx keeps moving down whatever passageway seeming to lead toward a vault under the tower. * Nyyx stops before they reach the hole in the ceiling and points at it. "Should we wall this up?" Unfortunately, I'm not able to. At least, not without a good ten minutes of wasted time. Even a seer can only be so prepared. Enough that we hurry. * Nyyx nods. "Understood." She keeps moving. * Olivia says, as they move forward, still idly flipping her wand, "Anyone mind if we close this path off a bit more permanently?" Not me. We can bust through it again later, yeah? quite easily * Nyyx nods. "Go ahead." Then there's no proble. * Olivia nods, flips the wand one more time, and then points it straight at one point in the ceiling that they've passed. Tick tick tick boo--kabong. [With another bass thud and a crash of stone, the passage falls in on itself, blocking movement and any light from the chamber above. The passage continues forward.] Okay, let's go. * Olivia chuckles and says, "Best random wands I've ever found after beating someone up." I'll say. * Nyyx smiles and keeps walking. [The party continues down the passage until it abruptly turns at a ninety degree angle to the right. At this point, a circular hole has been cut into the stone going forward. Beyond the gap, the party can see a large open chamber with a large cube made of black stone set on the floor in its center. The chamber itself is several hundred feet across and the cube is roughly one hundred feet on a side.] [The spiders continue to crawl down the canal passage into the darkness and reappear in the chamber at its bottom several hundred feet below.] * Nyyx heads for the chamber. Any idea what that cube is? [The top of the cube is about one hundred and fifty feet away and has been breached by extreme heat and impact judging from the crater in the center of the top face. * Olivia follows the spiders, the spiders, the spiders... she presses her lips together and comments, "The vault?" * Charlotte_A follows along. The spiders are entering through this breach. Occasionally, the weakened defenses of the cube electrocute one of the spiders but the effect is minimal.] * Olivia eyes those defenses, actually. What's in there, anyway? Or is the cube itself what they're after? [As the party watches from the hole in the canal wall, a figure in black robes bursts from the breach in the cube and lands roughly on the top face. Upon a moments reflection, it must be H.E.R. After drinking a potion, he dives back into the hole, scythe glowing wickedly.] * Olivia replies, "Must be whatever's in it. Looks like the reaper isn't doing so well." * Olivia grins a bit and says, "Let's get in there." * Nyyx studies the top of the cube. "He may need help." (*swap those, then!) ( Sure! ) Yous just leave the spiders to me, eh? I may not have much offense, but the stuff I got, it's top notch. Thanks, Biff. I got one shot left, I may as well use it to take some heat off our backs. * Nyyx flashes a grin at Biff and swoops down toward the opening in the top of the cube. ( Take that back. ) Who needs a lift? * Biff hops up on Nyyx's shoulder. * Olivia lifts herself off the ground and floats over slowly, saying, "Nope, still doing fine." I could use a little help getting up ther * Skip flies right along side her. * Nyyx glides over. "If you'll excuse me--" She scoops up the archer with little difficulty and carries her in her arms. "I hope this isn't overly uncomfortable." * Nyyx heads for the opening in the cube. [The party glides over to the cube with as much grace as possible given the circumstances. Landing on the cube, the party immediately feels strong static electricity and their hair begins to stand on end but not much else. H.E.R. is once again thrown from the breach in the top of the cube and lands a few paces from the party.] Eeeeeey.. You look like you're having a little trouble. Are you all right? What's down there? [H.E.R. looks over with an expression that could only be considered violent. Burns and brands over his torso smoke and sputter as he tries to speak.] H.E.R.: "... the bastards did it. The Golem is down there." What is "down there"? H.E.R.:"... the Damacine Golem. They got it running again. Some of it must have been in the vault." * Nyyx frowns. "We'd better destroy it quickly." [The cube begins to shake and shudder sporadically.] ...uhoh. How about now. H.E.R.:"I can't hurt the damn thing." Any idea what does? H.E.R.:"The Boccobite Contact upstairs might have a clue." * Olivia pulls out a second wand, glancing at Roland. "Someone want to ask?" I'm more a hands on Agent of Boccob. That'd be convenient. * Nyyx shifts Charlotte to her left arm and pulls out her sword with the right. I'd set you down, Charlotte, but I don't know if or when this thing is going to blow. * Nyyx gives her an apologetic half-smile. * Charlotte_A nods. And tries not to disrupt Nyyx's balance. @_@ [Rolands attempts to contact the Boccobite Contact directly brings no response save a scream of pain and a peal of thunder from the Contact.] Anything? Uh. Looks like we may need a new contact. * Roland winces. Damn * Nyyx curses quietly. * Olivia is silent a moment, bowing her head, then she says quietly, "Then let's hope I get inspired." [The cube shakes again and a crack appears in the top face starting at the breach and shooting outward.] I can keep you all alive long enough to try everything we can. H.E.R.:"Any ideas?" Gimme a moment, I'm checking the great library for anything anybody ever recorded. It's not easy to search six point three three godzillion books. [In the restricted records, Roland identifies something potentially helpful. When Kronnenburg Castle was raided by the Church of Pelor, they recovered two items: the Black Stone containing Steven's demiplane and the Red Stone.] [The Red Stone has never had its use determined but does function as a portable anti-magic field. Both items are in restricted storage under the guard of the Pelorian Contact in Stavograd.] Aa. Lady Natalia, were you aware that there was a red stone of some sort recovered from a certain castle in Kronnenburg? Yes, that rings a bell. It seems to be a portable antimagic field, though any other properties have yet to be determiend. But a large portable antimagic field may be quite useful against a golem, in any case. But how do we get an anti-magic stone here in a hurry? * Nyyx nods. "I think the Church has it, if I remember right. I'm not sure how to get it here quickly, though." Especially if it's anti-magic. * Roland looks at H.E.R. * Nyyx looks over at H.E.R. as well. H.E.R.:"Antimagic is just another kind of magic? Push through it?" H.E.R.:"I am not a caster. Try Boccob. I think that thing is going to breach the vault soon. We're out of time here." I can only teleport once. I need one more. Theo, O. Come with me. We're going to Stavograd. I'll hold down the fort. * Olivia looks to Biff before slipping one of her wands under her belt and saying, "D'love an explanation, tomcat. Hope you know what you're doing." Easy, toots. You're gonna fool the stone into thinking it can't affect a bag of holding. Or something like that. * Biff grabs ahold of Theo and Olivia and makes with the port to Stavograd. * Nyyx floats down to the ground, sets Charlotte on her feet, and prepares for the imminent breach. [H.E.R. joins the battle line with the party and prepares for the Golem to break through.] [The frequency of the shakes increases and top of the cube fractures further until a section near the breach collapses. Inside the cube, the party can see the top half of a humanoid seventy feet tall and composed of all types of metals known. The vault itself is scoured of materials, stone shelves and glass cases shattered and lying on the floor. The creature looks up at the party and smiles.] Golem: "I had hoped it would be you." So this is the Damacine Golem. * Charlotte_A draws her bow. "We've taken worse." [PAUSE.] Session Close: Sat Feb 07 21:45:32 2009