View source for Antikythera Lyceum Part 4

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== Log Info ==
*Title: Antikythera Lyceum Part 4
*Emitter: Subduction
*Characters: Skielstregar, Vaera, Ravenstongue
*Place: Rune
*Time: November 16th, 2021
*Summary: After the fight with the maddened wizards, the party regroups. Rifling the wizards' pockets and getting some small keys, Skielstregar topples the statue in the main hall and the party heads up the stairs. They're ambushed, and more fighting breaks out. From strange tecnacled folk charging at them, to wizards still enthralled, they do their best to keep the ones that aren't too far gone alive. They advance through the college, avoiding more spells and succumbing to some, before saving who they could and take stock of the room. Finding some more information in journals, and armed with knowledge, they confront the headmaster... only to find a husk of him and even more questions...
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<pre>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=        Players    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ravenstongue       5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.                             
Skielstregar       7'2"     330 Lb     Sith-Makar        Male      A tarnished bronze scale with fangs and empty eyes.                        
Vaera              7'0"     262 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A tall, dark red Makari with a wooden leg.                         
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=                  As the DM           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Subduction                    Eating Continental Shelfs                                                  
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-</pre>

== ==

:: ''Previously''

Having dealt with the mad mages, taken a few bruises, and tied them up, the party snoops around to figure out what exactly had been happening at this college. With directions to speak with the headmaster, a detour is taken by trying to bash some doors open, only succeeding in getting one. One that goes to a ladder that heads down. Vaera peeks under the door, and finds a fully stocked alchemy lab. So many questions...

... that might be answered by the headmaster.

:: ''Now''


GAME: Skielstregar rolls perception: (8)+7: 15
GAME: Vaera rolls perception: (12)+9: 21

Skiel huffs, looking between all the avenues. "Thisss one thinksss we should try and get the door open through easssier methods before we open it later. It isssn't going anywhere. Going to ssssee what the Shamanssss had on them..." he rumbles, plodding back to the side room. He rifles through their persons, uncaring of protests, but doesn't steal anything. Except, well, he removes their daggers and puts them away from them. No random mage hands cutting out of this. "Nothing," he reports.


"Yes, though whatever is upstairs likely heard us, we should avoid making too much further noise." Vaera nods, stepping back from the door and joining the search. She nods when the daggers are taken away, and a bit more looking finds her a few small keys, and purses which she leaves if not filled with spell components. "These will be returned when we leave most likely." She states, pocketing the keys. "Likely not for the door, but perhaps useful elsewhere." 

For good measure, she takes the spell books and sets them aside across the room.


Ravenstongue takes a good look around for anything of magical interest--notes, interesting books, things of that nature. Pothy sits on her shoulder, also looking around, but... "Snacks," he simply states. 

"Pothy, no, not now. Busy doing adventurer stuff, remember?" Ravenstongue reminds him. "And I really don't think these people had anything you'd want to eat."


GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (19)+4: 23
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will+5: (8)+5+5: 18

Ravenstongue finds a particularly intriguing book, her eyes widening as she reads the content on the open page. "Hey, I found something!" she calls over to Skielstregar and Vaera. "Something really important! Come see!"


Curious at being called over, Skiel meanders over to the much shorter woman. "... yesss?" he politely hums, looking over her shoulder.


Once she was sure the wizards were no longer a threat to themselves, she looks over to the source of the voice and makes her way there. "You found something important? That is good, what is it?" She asks curiously.


Closer examination of the book shows it to be a hefty compendium of the strange and alien creatures known collectively as Aberrations- though no true kinship has ever been determined between some of the groups constituant species. In particular, this book focuses on those that can be found in the deep oceans and subterranian lakes of Ea.


"This page, right here!" Ravenstongue holds the book up, open on a page depicting the worm-eel things they'd been snatching off the wizards. "Those things are Wizard's Shackles. If they get onto someone, they take over their minds and make them do weird stuff like building that statue, or chanting odd things. They understand the Aklo language, the Void creature language."


Skielstregar scratches his scaled head. "... huh. Interesssting..." he murmurs, looking at the pages. "But why would thisss plassse care about oceans creatu-"

Explanation. His eyes widen some. "... the foolsss had knowledge right here? And ssstill they subject themselves?" He huffs in annoyance. "We ssshould be expedite."

Ooh. Kinda want to go see what's in that lab if we can."


"They know more than those who wrote the book, clearly." Vaera chuffs. "We are dealing with void aligned creatures though, this is, dangerous.And I will not leave that out of any reports. The keys are to personal effects, not the laboratory. But if we find them, perhaps there are journals or other tomes to shed insight."


"If the keys don't go to the laboratory, I think we should head upstairs and see what's up there besides, well, the headmaster," Ravenstongue says as she puts the book away into her bag. "I'm ready to go when you are."


GAME: Skielstregar rolls damage13+3: aliased to 1d10+4+3: (3)+4+3: 10
GAME: Skielstregar rolls reflex: (8)+3: 11
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (4): 4

Skielstregar hefts his halberd and steps over to the statue. "Right. Letsss deal with thisss before we head up." The weapon raises, and he buries it into the table and page a couple of times. The pile grows unstable, and it crumbles in on itself. Skiel is a bit too slow, and his tail gets buried in some of the rubble before he can clear himself of it. The patterns were gone now, but the effect was neutralized. "... well, that works," he chuffs, rubbing his lower back.


GAME: Skielstregar rolls perception: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (17)+4: 21
GAME: Vaera rolls perception +2: (13)+9+2: 24
GAME: Subduction rolls 1: (2)+1: 3
GAME: Subduction rolls 1: (18)+1: 19
GAME: Subduction rolls 7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)


Ravenstongue is in full-on scholarly mode now that she's learned things about the wizard's shackles. She ends up leading the group up the stairs, seeming intent on getting a good look of everything first. Probably understandable, considering she, herself, is a spellcaster.


Ignoring the smarting of pain on his lower back, the towering makari man takes the front and holds his weapon close, eyes squinted as he looks up the stairs. With a small huff, he advances up. It was his duty to be the first and last line, regardless of how the fatigue started to set in.


"Are you alright Skielstregar?" Vaera asks when the dust settles, and she sees him rubbing their back. "If you need a break just let this one know, otherwise we can continue onward. I would not like to be ambushed by the headmaster, so we should check upstairs first." 

After waiting a moment she ascends the stairs, pausing at the landing to take a look around.


"This one will manage," Skiel rumbles to Vaera.


The upper floor is composed of a balcony which rings the main room, with doors leading off to either side. Makeshift barricades have been constructed, out of desks and bedframes and trunks and bookshelves that block off the landing in places. Some of the doors lay ajar, while others are closed.

Upon ascending to the first landing of the staircase- Vaera and Raven hear it first- the sound of robes rustling, and quiet murmuring. Skiel is slightly slower to catch on- he notes the one to the east and a noise coming from the room to the west, but doesn't pick up on a third voice coming from due south- line of sight there blocked by the upper landing's railing regardless.

	
There is a faint rustling coming from the room to the east, and the muffled sound of bare feet against carpet.

 GAME: Vaera rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (6)+5: 11
 <OOC> Vaera says, "so, going to hold action to shoot it if it moves I think"

Vaera ascends the steps a bit more, and the sound of splintering wood makes her look up and over. "At least three cretures nearby, something in the east room." She states in a low growl, before running to the door and shoving it open. Something makes her pause, and her thunderbelcher raise. "Aberration in here. I do not know if it's hostile yet."


The room Vaera opens up seems to be a dorm- Beds lined up in rows, each with a footlocker. It's decently lit, with greyish light filtering in from outside, augmented by feeble candles.

There is a creature, huddled in the corner. It's roughly shaped like a man, wearing tattered oversized robes. It's limbs and body are shrunken, atrophied, but it has a large cranium. It has pale blue-grey skin and pitch black orbs for eyes. A multitude of tenticles adorn it's head and face, writheing grotesquely.


 <OOC> Skielstregar says, "I'm going to hold action, brace for charge"	

Skielstregar blinks as he hears sounds, and he whips his head around. He looks over his shoulder, then lightly gasps. "Ravensss, get into cover...!" he quietly hisses at her, bounding up the steps to join his kin. Though, such steps slow as he walks into the room properly. He nods in agreement with Vaera, him taking a stance and holding out his polearm to the creature. "If you are ssstill sssomewhat sssane in there... ssstand down..." he warns, bracing the weapon in a rigid stance.


 Ravenstongue uses Total Defense.
 
"Eeep," Ravenstongue quietly squeaks, snapping back into reality that this is /not/ the place to be a fascinated scholar. She follows right behind Vaera and Skielstregar, hoping that the enemies didn't go after her.


<OOC> Subduction says, "1 = Raven, 2 = Skiel, 3 = Vaera"
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d3: (1): 1
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5

As the group move for the doorway, the mage on the landing raises his hands and speaks- that alien tongue that simply hearing causes ones skin to crawl and an ache behind the eyes. He holds out his palm, and a point of light flashes from it, darting across the intervening distance and unneringly striking Raven in the small of the back.

In the shadows further south, another mage bides his time.


 GAME: Skielstregar rolls weapon13: (7)+7: 14 (Braced readied attack)
 GAME: Skielstregar rolls damage13+damage13: aliased to 1d10+4+1d10+4: (2)+4+(8)+4: 18
 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9-2: (13)+9+-2: 20
 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d12+4+1: (2)+4+1: 7

The creature huddled in the corner shies away from the opening door for a moment, its inky orbs staring at the adventurers. Then suddenly it is bounding across the room towards them- arms outstretched. The tenticles around its lower face part, revealing a circular maw full of rings of teeth. It bounds heedless towards the nearest target, slathering- and finds itself shot dring its advance and then skewered fully on the halberd.

An eruption of foul-smelling, milky white ichor sprays from its back where the weapon emerges, and it falls limp.


Vaera growls when the creatyre lunges for them, and a loud crack and accompanying blue light erupt from the thunderbwlcher as a projectile lodges into the creature's chest, yet it continues charging, only to find itself impaled on Skielstregar's weapon. She nods to the makari, before gesturing Ravenstongue into the room.


Skielstregar snarls as the creature rushes at them. He winces from the gunshot so close, but, trained as he was, he stoops low and skewers the spear end of the halberd into and through. His nose flaring from the horrid stench. A taloned foot rears back and boots the creature off. "Should've lissstened..." he hisses at the body.


 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5

Ravenstongue yelps as a magic missile goes into her side from a mage from the room she was previously in. Pothy hisses into her ear, mimicking a gruff man's voice, "Get 'em, get 'em, get 'em!" 

So naturally, Ravenstongue chooses violence, grinding her teeth together as she sends two bolts of her own magic missile spell into the first mage. She huffs as she sees him drop to the floor, and she walks over the corpse of the aberration as she goes into the cleared room.


Seeing two of his allies- at least, that creature was probably an ally- fall, the remaining mage moves swiftly away from the adventurers, taking refuge in the as yet unexplored room to the west of the upper floor.

Meanwhile, the worm creature that had been wrapped around the other wizard's throat uncoils itself now that its host is dieing on the landing, and begins slithering along the hardwood towards the group.


 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9 -2: (20)+9+-2: 27
 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9 -2: (17)+9+-2: 24 (Crit confirmed, goodbye worm)
 GAME: Vaera rolls 4d12 +16 +4: (37)+16+4: 57

Vaera sees the wizard go down, and the worm crawling away from the body. She dashes to the mext doorway, pulling a new round from her belt and loading her thunderbelcher in the process. She readies the weapon, and in a moment the worm was coiling for movement, they fire, the projectile tearing through multiple segments all at once, leaving a mess of torn skin and fluids where it just was.


Skielstregar looks back as he sees Ravenstongue land a clean, clean hit on the wizard that got her. He nods in approval. Just as he rounds the corner, his brows raise in surprise, but he flinches as the gunshot completely obliterates the worm. "Good shot, Vaera," he rumbles, patting her on the shoulder as he advances, hand going into his bag to get a healer's kit. <Draconic>


Ravenstongue sticks close to Vaera, lingering close to the wall so it was even harder for any unseen enemies to snipe at her from the other room. "We should keep going--they're not like they were downstairs, they're much meaner. Also, /wow/, you made a mess," Ravenstongue says quite quickly, in an admiring tone.

With the worm down and Skielstregar running down the hall with the healers tools taken out, she dicks behind the larger makari. "I will assist if you are attempting to save them." She states.


 GAME: Skielstregar rolls perception: (12)+7: 19
 GAME: Subduction rolls 1+10: (14)+1+10: 25
 GAME: Skielstregar rolls reflex: (18)+3: 21
 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d4: (2): 2

Skielstregar looks conflicted. On one hand, he did want to save the wizard. But on the other hand, Ravenstongue was right. They were a lot more aggressive. And time was precious. The survival of the party superseded that of one misguided fool. He growls. "No Vaera, we mussst act quick. If the fool diesss, the fool diesss. We mussst walk out of thisss alive."

A taloned foot comes up, and he boots the door open. Flames meet him. "Ack!" he gasps, ducking under it as it only singes a few of his scales. He huffs, a gout of frozen air spilling from him as he advances on the wizard. "... try that again..." he growls.


 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (3)+1: 4
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (2)+1: 3
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+3: (11)+3: 14

Thread. The. Needle. 

Ravenstongue murmurs this phrase to herself as she sends forward magic missiles to the worm on the wizard. She's dealing with Skielstregar and Vaera in her sight, making it even harder to target the wizard's shackle, but she concentrates... And she gets it. The thing is hurt, but not dead. Ravenstongue lets out a little sigh in relief that she actually made it happen, and Pothy crows a little victory war cry, clearly impressed with Ravenstongue's growing skill in spellcasting.


 GAME: Vaera rolls heal: (2)+6: 8

Skielstregar moves into the room, and is promptly hit by a blast of fire, but he looks little worse for wear. Vaera moves to bandage the wizard, but struggles to find any obvious wounds to set from the magic missile.


GAME: Subduction rolls 3: (13)+3: 16 (Wizard realizes Sleep scroll won't work on Sith-makar)
GAME: Skielstregar rolls will: (9)+2: 11 (Failed against Daze)

The wizard takes a step back away from the advancing Sith-Makar. He holds out his hands and points of light appear on his fingertips. They flash out towards the Sith, bursting in the air before his eyes and clouding his vision with hazy after images.


Skielstregar makes a gasping noise, clutching at his head with a hand as he staggers about on the spot.


 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+3: (18)+3: 21
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (2)+1: 3
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5

"Stop what you're doing to him!" Ravenstongue calls out to the wizard, grimacing again to see Skielstregar so affected by whatever the wizard did to him. She conjures the missiles and they speed out into the wizard's shackle, finally rendering the miniature aberration inert. 

"Woohoo, nice shootin', missy!" Pothy crows in delight, mimicking the voice of a man who sounds, for all intents and purposes, to have known more cattle than people.


GAME: Vaera rolls heal: (11)+6: 17

Vaera looks over when Skielstregar is caught by another spell. Seeing the worm falling limp, she stares at the wizard. "The only reason you are still fighting is because I am attempting to stop your colleague from choking to death." She states, having managed to move the wizard to a recovering position after finding where the contusions were. She stands up proper, and strides over to the wizard, likely looming over them. "Stand down now, or I will make you do so."


 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d100: (58): 58
 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d8: (5): 5

When the worm flops off the Wizard's neck, he staggers back, eyes wild and darting around. He grits his teeth, letting out a hoarse cry of confused terror. He drops his quarterstaff, and his hands come up to his face- which he begins to rake with his nails, tearing deep gashes in the skin, flecks of blood and spittle flying from his lips as he hyperventilates.


 GAME: Skielstregar rolls melee-1: (19)+6+-1: 24
 GAME: Skielstregar rolls damage0+2: aliased to 1d3+3+2: (3)+3+2: 8

Skielstregar shakes his head as whatever stunning effect got him. He scowls, just catching the tail end of Vaera's warning. "Jussst get it dealt with..." he grumbles. With no fanfare, he steps up, cocks a fist back, and decks the wizard across the jaw, letting them crumple to the ground.

 
 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Intelligence: (6)+2: 8
 GAME: Skielstregar rolls intelligence: (3)+0: 3
 GAME: Vaera rolls intelligence: (8)+1: 9
 <OOC> Subduction says, "Alright, no hint then XD"

 
And quiet falls on the place as the wizard goes down- no more attacks seem forthcoming for the time being, with both of the wizards unconscious. The creature they skewered can be heard weakly gurgling where they left it, death not far off for it, but aside from that only the noise of their own breathing and a patter of rain on the roof of the building.


Once it seems all is clear, Ravenstongue pulls the book on aquatic aberrations out and carefully rifles through the pages, her eyes quickly scanning to see if anything in the book documented an extreme reaction to the removal of the wizard's shackle like what just occurred.

Ravenstongue sighs. "That poor soul... He was driven insane by the wizard. Probably wasn't much left in his mind once the wizard's shackle was dead." She shivers a little as she puts the book away.


The group have an easy enough time searching the dorm rooms now- Some of the beds are made up, some have no bedding or sheets, likely weren't occupied at the time that whatever happened here happened. The lockers contain all sorts of personal effects, unsent letters home, casual clothing, loose change, books, a few chess sets or harrow decks. One or two contain journals, though they seem to be of a personal nature. The entries start off fairly normal, but more recent entries become eratic- long periods between them, and they are quickly scribbled notes.

Of note, several of those remaining mention some of the researches not accounted for being sent 'into town' in the months prior to losing contact with the outside world.

"Sent into town? ...Do you think that's why it all looked kind of empty? Did something happen out there?" Ravenstongue frowns as she looks over the journal entries. Even Pothy seems curious about them, looking over Ravenstongue's shoulder at them--no, wait, he was looking at a brief mention of food on the page.

Skiel rumbles, looking at one of the recent entries. "... Thisss one fearsss you may have correct insssight, Ravenssstongue. Maybe even sssent to that large building. Now we're armed with knowledge. Let usss confront the headmassster."


Vaera passes around the keys she had, and uses them to open up some of the lockers. She takes the letters, and puts them in her coat. "There may be more to this in town, which is concerning. But if there are those less afflicted, there may be insight there as to what happened." She suggests, before nodding to the others. 

"Yes, it is time that this headmaster is dealt with, so this does not go any further."


And so the group head down to the last unexplored room on this floor- the headmaster's private study. The gilded oak doors are unlocked, and pushed open with some resistance- there were random items pilled up against it, a coat stand, a footstool. Seems the headmaster tried, ineffectually, to barricade himself inside. Perhaps those on the landing were his doing as well.

The room itself is dark, an unlit oil lamp by the doorway is readily ignited casting a warm glow on the room. It's full of books, a wardrobe, a writing desk covered in papers and open tomes.

And a chair, a plush thing, upholstered in green crushed velvet and studded with brass. And sitting in it, the headmaster. Or what remains of him. His skin and flesh are translucent, so that the bones and organs beneath are readily visible in the flickering light. Gelatinous- but dried, and stretched tight over his form. Covering his brow are numerous sunken, eyeless sockets.

He has a keychain hanging from his belt, and his own journal lays open in his lap, a spilled inkpot and dropped quill on the ground next to him.


== Combatty ==

<pre> ===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 6 =====================
 ---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
     25   Vaera            1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     25   Mage 2           1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  >> 24   Skielstregar     1   <<
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     10   Ravenstongue     1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 |     Name      |  CHP (T) |  HP  |
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 | Ravenstongue..|   13     |  18  |
 | Skielstregar..|   17     |  29  |
 | Vaera.........|   24     |  37  |
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ </pre>

Floor 2 map: https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=mroubbzyn4m

Floor 1 map: https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=mrv4j1l9pbh

[[Category:Logs]]