The Reliquary of Ahazi, part 6

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Log Info

  • Title: The Reliquary of Ahazi Part 6
  • Emitter: Whirlpool
  • Characters: Dax, Paenitia, Aryia, Davienne, Venom, Ravendar, Seyardu, Lyme
  • Place: Farmlands of Alexandros
  • Time: Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 8:21 PM
  • Summary: After delving deep underground, playing a magical drum not once, but twice, and emulating a ritual shown in the Murals of Ahazi, the adventurers are rewarded with a boiling hot watery hand to the face. Battle ensues! Paenitia leaps back, using her Lucern Hammer and landing at least one decent blow. Venom fires shot after shot, some quite effective. Dax and Aryia go into direct melee with the boiling water elemental, doing damage but receiving scaldings in return. Lyme and Davienne strike with their swords. Good, solid, precise strikes that find no weak spots in the watery opponent. Ravendar keeps up everyone's moral with jaunty renditions on his fiddle. Seyardu's spiritual weapon and her warhammer are very effective, and she finally finishes it off. Everyone is drenched in a hot water explosion.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Dax          5'0"     110 Lb     Human             Female    A 5' tall red haired human with piercings and tats.
Paenitia     3'0"     34 Lb      Halfling          Female    A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery.
Aryia        4'8"     110 Lb     Shadow Elf        Female    A heavily scarred mul with a curious look about her.
Davienne     5'1"     101 Lb     Half-Elf          Female    A ranger with a cat.
Venom        5'6"     130 Lb     Human             Female    A woman(?) about 5'6" in a ragged black veil and poncho.
Ravendar     3'1"     40 Lb      Halfling          Male      A red-haired Lucht Siuil man.             
Seyardu      5'6"     150 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint.
Lyme         7'2"     435 Lb     Orc               Butch     Black-skinned oruch of suitable stature.
=-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Whirlpool                        Otyugh                      I am stinky!
=-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Previously

The adventurers have found a much larger room underground with a mural. The song was played, the mural lit up, and a dark stairway down appeared. They venture deeper, with Venom checking for traps. Another room, with notes on the walls and markings on the floor. Ravendar attempts a repeat performance, but it's lackluster. Paenitia declares, how hard can drumming be and takes it up. For her, not hard, and she beats out the rhythm nigh perfectly.

Something is missing.

Despite warnings from Venom and Seyardu, the Lucht Knight dances, and despite her heavy armour, does a decent job of it. Still, things aren't working. She invites the others to join in, all dance, and this duplication of the ceremony seems sufficient, a cauldron appears, a fire lights. The mural suggests things need to be added. Again the party is split, some suggesting caution, others countering that they don't have any better ideas and adding ingredients is making something happen.

It's not a great meal, based on what they're throwing in, and Paenitia peeps over the edge of the cauldron to see what it needs.

As Paenitia leans over, the growling intensifies.

That's when a hand storms up out of the water, sending a spray of scalding water in all direction, and grabs hold of them. It hangs on and starts trying to pull them into the boiling mass.

Moreover, the hand is MADE of the boiling mass of liquid. It's still boiling. Being grabbed by it can't feel good.

Given the murals, this does not appear to be part of the original sequence of events.

Now

<OOC> Dax says, "Sorry. Cross all that off. I will grab Pae and pull her free."
GAME: Dax rolls cmb: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)

Rushing forward, when the hand comes jolting out of the cauldron, Dax is reaching up making a pushing like motion to knock Pae in, its like it is all in slow motion, "Tha' looks like a good idea..." Then... then... "Oh no, witch's brew!" She changes direction and attempts to make for a grab for Pae, and just flails in the air as she stumbles, trips, and swipes nothing but air.

<OOC> Paenitia says, "I'd like to struggle free?"
GAME: Paenitia rolls cmb: (12)+5: 17

A scalding hot hand grabs the Dark Lucht's face.

Paenitia screams! "It moves!"

Fortunately her face is completely covered by a Smiling Man's mask. Underneath it, she may not be smiling, but she is at least not horribly scalded. Shoving hard against the edge of the cauldron, the Red Knight stumbles back as her hat and mask are pulled off. She immediately grabs the brim, backpedalling further, holding it like a shield, close, to keep her face hidden.

"I never see that before." It will add to her list of subterranean terrors.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (3)+10: 13

The hand pours over the top of the cauldron and then another joins it. One reaches for the nearby presence of Dax but she is able to avoid it, if narrowly. It's watery grasp rippling with bubbles as it boils.

More of it comes climbing out of the water, then, a head and torso. It is humanoid-ish. Made of boiling water. it does have an eyes and 'face'. They are made of bubbles.

<OOC> Venom says, "going to move around to get a clearer sight line, drawing the dragonspitter,"
<OOC> Venom says, "and i'll try plugging it. within 20', ideally"
GAME: Venom rolls weapon1-4+1: (9)+8+-4+1: 14
GAME: Venom rolls 1d8+1: (5)+1: 6

Let the madness begin!

As boiling water opts to come out and deprive Paenitia of her privacy, the veiled woman sidles in a loose arc around to another side of the cauldron so her companions are less likely to catch blowthrough, her macabre Dragonspitter hissing free of the holster at her thigh.

Venom's thumb pulls back the ratcheting hammer as she lines up on the hydraulic harasser and, with the squeeze(never yank) of the trigger, she sends forth a tapered cylinder of ill tempered crucible steel in a sharp, buzzing report.

The fingers of her other hand dance deftly along the belt revealed in the excited rippling of her poncho, bringing another such projectile into the break-open breach of the weapon with almost frightening celerity.

GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Aryia rolls damage0: aliased to 1d8+2: (6)+2: 8

Deep cavern eyes grow wide as something tries to crawl out of the cauldron and try and grab the Lucht Knight. Aryia's face morphs into a scowl as she leaves Venom's side, going the opposite way from her like bandits with a plan.

She hops up to the cauldron's side and cocks a plated fist back. There's a moment of thought. Hot water plus metal equal burns. She opens her fingers and slaps the water hard with the palm of her hand, spraying simmering liquid along the ceiling and ground.

GAME: Davienne rolls arcana: (15)+arcana: 15
GAME: Davienne rolls weapon9: (5)+6: 11

Davienne stumbles back in surprise at the hand. The longsword at her hip is pulled out and she takes a clumsy swipe at the creature. Doing little more than being a minor distraction. "Please tell me someone has ice magic?"

GAME: Seyardu casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+6: (14)+6: 20
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d8+1: (2)+1: 3

As the hand reached out of the water, The sith-makar who had been tending to the stewpot jumped back. While not the one directly attacked, the act of reaching for the lucht and pulling itself out of the pot sent boiling droplets in her direction, sizzling for a second against their scales. Her instinct was to reach for her weapon, but a creature of living water gave the sith-makar pause. Instead she puts her hand on the collar of their breastplate, raising their shield in the same motion to cover the action.

The sith-makar chants something in another language. The dust in the air seems to hang in a spot, as a large blade coalesces into existence. Flat, but thicker than a normal sword, with the edge serrated with large serrated segments. It swings at the creature, passing through the boiling water with ease, and returns to a more neutral position, while Seyardu braces herself behind the shield.

GAME: Ravendar rolls knowledge/the planes: (8)+7: 15
GAME: Ravendar spends ONE use of BARDIC PERFORMANCE.
<OOC> Ravendar says, "Just +1/+1 att/dam
<OOC> Ravendar says, "And +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects"

Ravendar watches as the watery hand rises up out of the cauldron to first grab Paenitia and after she gives it the slip. It goes to grab at Dax as another hand comes out of the cauldron and then a body and head and what looks to be a face made out of bubbles. He remembers hearing stories about something like this. "I think it's a Water Elemental, it's probably been infused with whatever magic is in this place. It's probably been absorbing it for a while."

With a flourish of the bow, Ravendar brings the fiddle up into the correct position. He starts to play a rousing tune on his fiddle as he taps his foot to keep the beat. The music fills the air to hearty and bolster the courage of his allies.

GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (19)+12+-1: 30 (THREAT) (attack 1)
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (16)+12+-1: 27
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (4)+12+-1: 15 (Attack 2)
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (9)+12+-1-5: 15
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-6: (11)+12+-6: 17
GAME: Dax rolls 2d6+16: (9)+16: 25
GAME: Dax rolls reflex: (19)+7: 26

Everyone else is attacking this thing as it comes out of the cauldron, Dax lets out a, "Stand back, this 'ere be a witch fer sure! A water witch!!!" She opens her eyes wide, as the idea of attacking a water witch creeps into her mind, and she flails. The first one definitely connects, but then she starts swinging wildly, "By Rada please fergive me, an' don't let my boat find its way to the depths..." Muttering out as she wildly flails.

<OOC> Paenitia says, "I'd like to hit it with my Lucern Hammer, which has reach being a polearm,"
<OOC> Paenitia says, "so I can attack from a distance or from behind someone, I believe."
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon9: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Paenitia rolls damage9: aliased to 1d12+1: (10)+1: 11

"Not the face!" Paenitia shouts, fanning her hat to cool the mask, then slipping it back on.

Her Lucern Hammer drops easily into her hands. Stepping to the side as Dax slashes at the water elemental, she brings it down in a wide overhead swing. The pole arm smashes into the creature, splattering hot water all about. A solid blow, nigh perfectly placed, right between the bubbles.

"This the very disagreeable soup. I am not part of the recipe. She is not either."

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (17)+10: 27
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (7)+10: 17
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6+5: (7)+5: 12
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d6: (1): 1

A great hand smashes Dax across the froint, staggering her briefly as it lashes its other out at Paenitia. It steps formally out of the cauldron, now, which wobbles and threatens to topple, sending generous sparks in all direction from the heating elements beneath it.

GAME: Venom rolls weapon1-4+2: (17)+8+-4+2: 23
GAME: Venom rolls 1d8+2: (1)+2: 3
<OOC> Venom says, "and i can reload freely with the firearms mastery feat chain"

With another Morbid slug in place, Venom flicks her wrist and the hand cannon locks back into proper shape, already moving to align on the bubbling bastard.

Ere any ratchet, her thumb freezes against the hammer as her allies have cordoned it off too tightly to be a certain thing, to quite striking effect in all honesty.

She shifts her alignment once more and, in attempt to capitalize on some of the lower statures of her teammates, she dips nearly to one knee to aim at a high angle before firing again, but her concession results in a mere skimming shit.

Her hand vanishes under her poncho as the weapon opens, and swings shut again as she slips a new round in place.

GAME: Aryia spends ONE use of STUNNING FIST.
GAME: Aryia spends ONE point of KI POOL.
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (8)+8: 16
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0+1: (1)+8+1: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (7)+8: 15

The creature began to pull itself out of the water, and Aryia began to back pedal, trying to avoid sparks and searing water. How does one keep themselves safe if the whole body would hurt you? Again more strikes went out, open palms. But each step back made her go wide. The last one almost connecting as she tries to focus in, but the falling debris from the ceiling next to her due to Venom's shot made her flinch, and her hits skirt over them like a skipping stone over a lake.

GAME: Davienne rolls weapon9+1: (10)+6+1: 17

Swinging her blade, Davienne misses. She's not much use in this situation.

GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19 (Spiritual Weapon)
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d8+1: (7)+1: 8 (Force Damage)
GAME: Seyardu rolls weapon6: (16)+5: 21 (Warhammer)
GAME: Seyardu rolls damage6: aliased to 1d8+2: (3)+2+1: 6

While Aryia was backpedaling away from the creature, Seyardu stepped in and stood her ground, covering as much as possible with her shield against the roiling and boiling water of the creature. She reaches for her belt to unlatch the warhammer off of it, bringing it out and swinging with the same motion, covering the blow with the shield in case she smashed any of the liquid of the elemental out with the blow. It was the goal, but getting scalded in the process was ideally avoided. At the same time, the strange looking blade brought itself down again, reorienting itself easily into a readied stance.

GAME: Lyme rolls 1d20+8+1: (17)+8+1: 26
GAME: Lyme rolls 1d8+5+1: (4)+5+1: 10
GAME: Lyme rolls ref: (6)+2: 8
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d6: (6): 6

Lyme wades in, swinging his morning star. He sends a solid strike smashing through the limb -- splashy!

GAME: Ravendar spends ONE use of BARDIC PERFORMANCE.

Ravendar continues to play the inspiring music on his fiddle. He keeps an eye out for anyone that looks like they might be hurting as he stays close to everyone else. His foot continues to tap so he can keep the beat as he plays on.

GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (9)+12+-1: 20
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-1: (7)+12+-1: 18
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-6: (14)+12+-6: 20
GAME: Dax rolls weapon8-6: (13)+12+-6: 19
GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+8: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+8: (2)+8: 10
GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+6: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Dax rolls 1d6+6: (1)+6: 7
GAME: Dax rolls reflex: (14)+7: 21
GAME: Dax rolls reflex: (13)+7: 20
GAME: Dax rolls reflex: (17)+7: 24
GAME: Dax rolls reflex: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d6: (3): 3

It is boiling water, and it is attacking Dax. And every time Dax attacks, she's getting hurt here and there. Burning! It hurts. "The bloody thing is hot, tha' fer sure!" She screams out as she grips her claws tighter, grits her jaw, "Ya ain't gettin' away from meh, ta go tell all yer witchy friends 'bout me!" Growls Dax as she steps right up into the boiling bubbling creature, and starts slashing her oruch weapons right through the monster getting her hands very red from all the heat. Steam comes off her arms and hands, and her blades as she pulls them back grimacing.

GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon9: (2)+7: 9

Encouraged by her earlier success, the Red Knight pulls her pole-arm hammer back for another blow, and fails miserably. Her swing goes wild, "I get you next time, unrepentant stew."

To her companions she calls, "do we have the idea of what else work?"

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (7)+10: 17
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (8)+10: 18

Two more strikes. This time, Lyme feels a boiling fist slash through the air near his face, as does Dax. The two of them are able to get out of the way at the last moment. Its battered form is starting to swell, the bubbles building up inside it vibrating more violently.

<OOC> Venom says, "i'll move to take another peek into the stewpot if i can get close enough. if not i'll just plug him again"
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "It's got water on the bottom still, and you can see some magical embers glowing amongst them!"
GAME: Venom rolls weapon1-4+1+1: (10)+8+-4+1+1: 16
GAME: Venom rolls 1d8+1+1: (8)+1+1: 10

The sauna is making things extra sweaty for the veiled woman. Her... singular fashion choice is already making for a warm time in exertion, but the steamy contributions of the Bruising Bubbles is certainly going to solve any problems she has with water.

Venom makes another shift in position, advised by Paenitia's stew remark, and chances another look inside the cauldron. She brings a hand up, signing "Hot spell coals." in a quick flicker of gestures even as her Dragonspitter once again makes it's sharp, buzzing report, causing much better cavitation within the boiling baddie this time around. <handspeech>

Once again the spitter breaks open, and the shrouded one brings a fourth round into play.

GAME: Aryia spends ONE point of KI POOL.
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0+1: (8)+8+1: 17
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0+1: (12)+8+1: 21
GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0+1: (10)+8+1: 19
GAME: Aryia rolls damage0+1: aliased to 1d8+2+1: (1)+2+1: 4
GAME: Aryia rolls damage0+1: aliased to 1d8+2+1: (3)+2+1: 6
GAME: Aryia rolls reflex: (13)+9: 22
GAME: Aryia rolls reflex: (11)+9: 20

The mul'neissa of the party ducks low so that Venom could get a clear shot. And once she heard it ring out, two open handed palm strikes went towards the main body of the creature. One skipped across the water, but one landed hard. And a wide kick yanked more of the boiling water out. Aryia shakes herself off, getting rid of the water before it could actually start to sear her.

She gives a thumbs up towards the veiled woman, acknowledging the message. "Maybe can use to open up the thing." <Handspeech>

GAME: Davienne rolls weapon9+1: (20)+6+1: 27 (THREAT)
GAME: Davienne rolls 2d8+2: (8)+2: 10

Davienne is looking frustrated as the thing just is too fluid for her to really get any kind of hit on it. But then she comes in and manages to slash the longsword across the bubbling elemental. "Oh! I hit it!" She sounds surprised as she dances back, not dropping her guard.

"Oh! Try electricity!" Davi adds as the idea suddenly hits her like a smack upside the head.

<OOC> Seyardu says, "Spiritual weapon!"
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11 (Spiritual Weapon)
GAME: Seyardu rolls weapon6+1: (20)+5+1: 26 (THREAT) (Warhammer)
GAME: Seyardu rolls damage6+1: aliased to 1d8+2+1: (5)+2+1: 8

Seyardu had been acting with wariness as much as possible, but as the initial adrenaline subsided just a touch, she noticed how most of the droplets that reached her skin did very little but roll off the scales like most anything else. Venom was confident enough to fire the weapon in close quarters while everyone around the creature continued to slash and batter it. The bullet pierced through the other side with a spray of water, leaving a wide hole that was taking longer than before to disappear. An opening to be exploited, that she would take advantage of.

Raising her warhammer, she brought it down on the area. And continuing down, the water elemental that was fit to burst resisting with every inch as it tried to keep pulled together despite being nearly ripped in two now. Almost halfway through the elemental burst, and the force of the swing sent the hammer ringing against the side of the stewpot as the watery stew-elemental could no longer hold together, exploding in a shower of scalding water. Seyardu wasn't graceful at the best of times, and as close as she was, it was basically impossible to dodge the boiling water. Drenched, it did a lot more. Seyardu staggered to regain her balance, but she gave the group a smile. "That was not that bad, thankfully. Does anyone need any assistance?" She asks.

GAME: Lyme rolls ref: (3)+2: 5
GAME: Aryia rolls reflex: (13)+9: 22
GAME: Seyardu rolls reflex: (12)+1: 13
GAME: Davienne rolls reflex: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Venom rolls reflex: (5)+10: 15 (With Evasion)
GAME: Ravendar rolls reflex: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Ravendar rolls reflex: (4)+7: 11 (Halfling Luck for Lyme)
GAME: Paenitia rolls reflex: (11)+5: 16
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 3d6: (14): 14

Davienne lets out a yelp as the elemental explode. Splattering her from head to toe with boiling liquid and leaving red hot patches and blisters quickly rising. It made her take a couple steps back, blade up defensively, as her other hand gingerly touched the reddened skin of her face. "Sssss..." She hisses in pain, looking around as she slowly moves to sheathe her sword. "Everyone mostly ok?"

GAME: Ravendar casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14
GAME: Ravendar rolls 1d8+2: (7)+2: 9

Ravendar does his best to dodge out of the way of the scalding wave for water, but he twists to protect something more valuable to him than his own life, his instrument. He takes the bunt of it and it's the worst pain that he's felt in his life. He takes a couple steps as he feels his hot wet clothes clinging to his skin. "No...but I will be soon, I hope." He starts to slowly play again, a soothing song to heal his wounds.

The deathblow on their enemy has an effect Venom hadn't quite considered, and she ends up getting a face full of hot for her trouble as she hastily tries to get out of the splash zone. The oilcloth stops some of the soak through, but not so the transfer of heat, nor does it keep the water from suffusing her veil.

Her hair.

She staggers away, turning from the party as she lets the dragonspitter clatter to the ground and hastily removes her veils, exposing an underlying patchwork of leather and buckles that allows her hair to spill from the back of her head, sight and the use of her nostrils but naught else.

With continuing haste, her gloved hands rise to wring the lingering heat out of her hair, exposing the bottom of an odd pack, and the holster for a much longer weapon.

It troubles her reasoning mind to no small measure that hot water hurt so much more than something so clearly pedestrian as being set on fire.

At some point, there comes a gesture of what was almost a thumbs-up, then settles into a wavering so-so.

Just as Aryia saw the hammer swing down, the pugilist tilts her head to the side. Doesn't steam explode outwards when... Without waiting, she dives off behind the cauldron to the other side away from the charged elemental, her scuffing her elbows and knees along the stone ground.

She looks up to see Venom scrambling with her veil and hair, Aryia making a small noise of worry and jogging over towards her. She holds out a waterskin towards her, something to cool it off while she does her best to not look at the partially unveiled Venom.

Paenitia is caught in a wave of hot water, that completely washes over her. Her shield deflects it. Unfortunately, her shield is on her back, and the deflection is down her back.

"Ai! Eeeei! Hot hot hot!" The Dark Lucht jumps and dances around, feet slipping on flagstones. She is used to the heat, but as they say, used to a dry heat.

A wet one is much, much worse. She ends up doing another dance, one where she attempts to shake out all the water. It's not quite like a bee, dancing directions to a flower, but she does clank up a storm.

Ghoulish cp line.png

OOC & Combatty

<OOC> Seyardu says, "Poor Venom and Pae, scalding water is pretty awful when you don't want to be seen"

 ===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
 ---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
     18   Dax              1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     17   Paenitia         1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     14   Venom            1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     11   Aryia            5  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     9    Davienne         1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     9    Seyardu          1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
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     4    Ravendar         1  Flat-footed (0 rnds active)                  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ==============================================================================

Our Dice
http://lotprpg.weebly.com/uploads/9/4/3/7/94378547/2016-12-17-rpg-party_orig.jpg

ambiance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ