Ch 3: Part 7: In Armageddon's Shadow: Session 52

[15:20] <Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:20] <Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 3: The Armageddon Echo~~~
[15:20] <Kilarra> -Session 52-
[15:21] <Kilarra> The untimely death of Tognik at the hands of a drow assassin lead the party to make haste in assaulting the observatory where they were told the drow have established their base of operations within the Armageddon Echo. After an encounter with a pair of Babaus, they stormed in the front doors...
[15:22] <Kilarra> Inside the gilded doors sprawls a grand entry hall with a richly woven carpet running from the doors to a large silver orrery—a model of the sun and the planets—quietly spinning in time.
[15:24] <Kilarra> Inside the room is a squad of drow, looking ready and itching for a fight, having been alerted by the shrieks and cursing of the loud and bnoxious babau. Four soldiers and a Captain stand ready to 'greet' the party.
[15:25] * Aluthyra would take a longer look at the wondrous orrery, but seeing the drow, she sighs, raising her bow.
[15:30] <Aluthyra> Three blunt arrows are fired towards the captain, while two more are fired at two of the soldiers, Aluthyra volleying them quickly.
[15:37] <Kilarra> Aluthyra's blunt arrows many not puncture like normal ones, but her strength and ki imbue them with more than enough force to rival any mace or bludgeon.
[15:41] * Kilarra knows that trying to cast spells on the drow was not terribly effective, and she also knew that Aluthyra was running low on ammunition, so she moves to Kjell, intending to imbue him with some divine aid
[15:43] <Kilarra> Kjell feels inspired.
[15:49] <Kilarra> The Drow Captain staggers a bit from the arrow, a bruise showing up on her face. She points a hand at Aluthyra and mutters incomprehensibly.
[15:52] <Kilarra> Aluthyra feels her body sieze up rigidly.
[15:55] <Kilarra> Each of the four Drow Soldiers decides to repay Aluthyra for their Captain now that she's immobilized, firing off their crossbows, then dropping them to draw their rapiers.
[15:57] <Kilarra> The drow look shocked as their bolts impact the immobile Aluthyra, only to bounce off her bark-hard skin.
[16:00] <Kilarra> Kjell hand glows as he casts a spell to hasten himself and his two companions, then rushes the Drow Captain, Tyrant's Bane looking eager to repay the drow for their fallen comrade.
[16:03] <Kilarra> Aluthyra wills her body through the drow's magic and becomes limber once again
[16:04] * Aluthyra grunts as she manages to shake off the drow's spell. She smirks, making sure the drow notices, and fires another barrage of arrows; two at the captain, and one at each soldier.
[16:11] <Kilarra> Aluthyra's gloating smirk reaches the Captain just before her arrows do, the force of the blunt projectiles smashing into her temple and dropping her like a sack of bricks. One of the Soldiers, previously wounded, gets an arrow to the neck with a dull 'snap'.
[16:15] * Kilarra decides to buff herself up now so they could quickly move on as soon as these first drow were dealt with. She casts her shield of Faith
[16:18] <Kilarra> The three remaining drow Soldiers all turn their attention to Kjell, who ran into their midst when charging the Captain, who was now dead. They each step into flanking positions and attempts to skewer him
[16:18] <Kilarra> Kjell's armour and shield spell are more than enough to stop all three attempted attacks
[16:20] <Kilarra> Kjell smirks as the drow so conveniently positioned themselves closer to him, then goes all out on the uninjured one while launching two magic missiles at each of the other two, figuring Aluthyra would then be able to finish them off handily if he didn't already
[16:22] <Kilarra> Kjell's blade slices and dices the unharmed drow, who goes from unharmed to dead very quickly, while the other two are bloodied by his missiles.
[16:30] * Aluthyra fires a single arrow at each of the remaining drow.
[16:32] <Kilarra> The drow are badly bloodied, but not dead
[16:35] * Kilarra sees that one of the drow is on the verge of death, and decides to ship out her crossbow and finish the job. Or try to anyways. She uses one of the megic bolts for a better shot.
[16:36] <Kilarra> Kilarra's bolt imbeds itself in the neck of the drow, felling him.
[16:36] * Kilarra smirks.
[16:37] <Kilarra> The drow does not seem pleased with its odds, but is willing to attack Kjell once more anyways
[16:40] <Kilarra> Kjell takes a glancing blow
[16:40] <Kilarra> Thankfully, the extra fortitude of KIlarra's divine aid makes it virtually ignoreable.
[16:42] <Kilarra> Kjell swiftly moves his blade to finish the drow off.
[16:42] <Kilarra> The drow is finished off handily
[16:44] <Kilarra> Kjell looks around to get a feel for the building while walking back up to remain close to his companions. The last thing they needed was to get separated.
[16:46] * Aluthyra checks the bodies for anything of note as she moves forward.
[16:46] <Kilarra> The drow gear is all mostly mundane, although the Captain does have another enchanted whip, and the soldiers have some more of those nice crossbow bolts
[16:48] * Kilarra plucks up the whip and slips it in with the other one. "Never hurts to have spares," she notes, then gathers up the crossbow bolts. Those things did a decent job, at least when she actually deemed fit to use her crossbow
[16:49] * Aluthyra nods, then searches around for usable arrows.
[16:52] * Kilarra also tosses Kjell another wand of Magic Missile, takes four potions of Cure Moderate WOunds into her stores, as well as three scrolls of Cure Moderate and another Scroll of Web.
[16:54] * Aluthyra looks about the room, trying to find where they should go next.
[16:57] <Kilarra> A quick check of the entrance hall reveals four possible places to go. Two tall, round rooms to either side correlating to the pillars seen from the outside, and a door on either side of the back of the entrance hall, leading either left or right.
[16:58] <Kilarra> Kjell sticks close to Aluthyra as she checks the room.
[16:58] * Kilarra does as well, she was not gonna lose either of them or be left alone.
[16:59] * Aluthyra frowns. "I suppose we should check them all." She waits, making sure the other two are near, then enters the left door at the back of the entrance hall.
[17:01] <Kilarra> The far wall of this small chamber is covered by a massive chart showing thousands of stars. Over two dozen small pins have been driven into the map, plotting a course through the heavens. On the floor in front of the chart is a pile of discarded papers.
[17:04] <Kilarra> The room is presently unoccupied
[17:06] * Aluthyra looks around for any traps, along with keeping watch for any drow.
[17:06] <Kilarra> Kjell keeps a grip on his sword. He glances at the charts. "Probably keeping track of the Starstone's course through the heavens towards Golarion."
[17:07] <Kilarra> Aluthyra does not find any traps, but what she does find is a hidden door at the back of the room. It opens silently on hinges when pressed.
[17:07] <Kilarra> A large table sits in the center of this cramped chamber. Atop the table is a large, illuminated book, written in the script of the elves.
[17:10] * Kilarra sticks close to Aluthyra, but seems a bit disappointed that the hidden room has nothing other than a book inside. "Kjell, you speak ELven right? I don't have any linguistic spells prepared today."
[17:10] * Aluthyra frowns. "Did you take Tognik's wand, Kjell?"
[17:11] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and picks up a few of the papers before joining them at the book. "Presumably more research. I did not, as it happens, but I know how to speak Elven on my own."
[17:15] <Kilarra> Kjell sets the papers on the stand with the book. "Perhaps this should wait until we have dealt with the last of the drow remnants. Once they are removed, the elves will have plenty of time to study this place."
[17:17] * Aluthyra nods, turning back. "Then let us continue to the doo across the hall."
[17:19] <Kilarra> Kjell refreshes the expeditious retreat wand on each of them so they can get around more quickly.
[17:23] <Kilarra> Kjell pushes open the door opposite the one they had used to reach the star chart and study rooms.
[17:25] * Aluthyra readies her bow...
[17:25] <Kilarra> This long chamber contains two tables, where a group of scholars are hard at work, studying a host of charts and making complex calculations. Watching over them is a pair of Babaus, who immediately draw their spears when you open the door.
[17:28] * Aluthyra fires a trio of arrows at each demon.
[17:31] <Kilarra> Only one hits each of them, and the lack of cold iron or clustering shots makes it difficult to hurt them.
[17:33] <Kilarra> The Babau's don't seem as intimidate by ALuthyra as they might normally be had she hit them harder, and instead gang up on Kjell, flanking him
[17:35] <Kilarra> Both spears glance off his armour and shield spell.
[17:36] <Kilarra> Kjell smirks and returns the favour, slashing at one three times with Tyrant's Bane, then sending a quartet of magic missiles at the other. He knew that the demon's magical protection would weaken his blows, but Tyrant's Bane had the advantage of natural protective magic of its own that would prevent their acid form damaging it like the cold iron sword had.
[17:40] <Kilarra> Kjell's magic sword is undamaged, but the Babau is barely hurt either. The one that takes magic missiles to the face shrieks.
[17:42] * Kilarra takes a leaf from Tognik's book of tricks and attempts to confuse the pair of demons.
[17:44] <Kilarra> Although one of the Babau's shrugs the effect off, the other begins to babble incoherently
[17:50] * Aluthyra fires another round of six arrows, all at the one not confused.
[17:52] <Kilarra> Aluthyra's pinpoint accuracy and clustering shots are enough to bypass the magical protection of the Babau and bring it down with four more precise hits.
[17:54] <Kilarra> The confused Babau flails its spear in Kjell's direction
[17:54] <Kilarra> which simply glances off his armour
[17:56] <Kilarra> Kjell places both hands on his sword, hoping to cut a little deeper this time
[17:58] <Kilarra> Kjell does indeed manage to cut deeper this time, but the Babau's resilience is keeping it from serious harm.
[17:59] * Kilarra decides to try her default tactics and reaches to grab the Babau, largely in an attempt to keep Aluthyra from using up all of her arrows at least until they've dealt with the dragon she has convined herself is somewhere in this last stronghold.
[18:03] <Kilarra> The Babau is sizzled by the infusion of negative energy, though it still seems capable of resisting. On the plus side, Kilarra grabs and releases quickly enough to avoid burning her hand again
[18:07] * Aluthyra fires another rain of six arrows.
[18:08] <Kilarra> Aluthyra's excessive volley reduces the Babau to a bloody, groteque pulp.
[18:10] * Kilarra slips in next to Aluthyra, "How are you doing for arrows?" She asks, concerned.
[18:10] * Aluthyra frowns, presenting her quiver. Only 19 arrows are present, after she collects them up. "That is all I have left."
[18:11] * Kilarra sighs, "Maybe we should double back, check those pillar rooms. Might be some stuff stashed."
[18:11] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "I would agree. It may be counter productive to our intended haste, but that will do us no good if you cannot defend yourself.
[18:12] <Kilarra> "
[18:13] <Kilarra> The scholars in the room are echo elves. A good half of them were whisked away when bumped or jostled during the fight, and the others barely seemed to notice.
[18:14] * Kilarra is slightly creeped out by that, but shrugs it off
[18:15] * Aluthyra nods. "Very well." She gestures to the door. "Let us move quickly, for our allies' sake."
[18:16] <Kilarra> Kjell notes, "Indeed. Not to mention our own. We've surely raised enough of a ruckus for anyone else here to know of our presence, and we would do well to clear them out before reinforcements can arrive." He keeps his sword at the ready.
[18:16] * Aluthyra follows out the room.
[18:17] <Kilarra> Kjell heads to the nearest corner tower first and opens the door.
[18:17] <Kilarra> A circular bench sits at the center of this dark, domed chamber. The walls are a painted pastoral mural of forest beauty. Above, the dark dome flickers with glowing points of light that faithfully recreate the panorama of the night sky on a cloudless, moonless night.
[18:19] <Kilarra> In this chamber, the positions of the starlights on the ceiling depict the constellations as they would appear at the height of summer.
[18:19] <Kilarra> *Spring
[18:19] * Aluthyra smiles, the view quite beautiful. She can only give it a few moments, unfortunately, as she begins to search the room.
[18:20] <Kilarra> This chamber appears to have been converted into a makeshift barracks, with bedrolls and foodstuffs stored in sacks.
[18:22] * Kilarra is disappointed by the apparent continued lack of resupply. She waits to see if Aluthyra comes up with anything.
[18:22] * Aluthyra groans. She double checks the room and sacks for anything of use.
[18:23] <Kilarra> Nada
[18:24] * Aluthyra sighs. "Nothing..." She looks to the panorama. "Though the view is nice."
[18:25] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "Agreed. It would certainly be enjoyable to study this place in more detail once we have dealt with the drow and brought Tognik back. He would certainly love the opportunity."
[18:26] <Kilarra> Kjell then leads the other two over to the other chamber. This one is much the same, bedrolls and foodstuffs, except that it depicts a summer sky and the forest paintings show the lushest of forest greenery.
[18:27] * Aluthyra , once again, searches the room.
[18:31] <Kilarra> Sadly, there is nothing to find aside form the living essentials.
[18:32] <Kilarra> Kjell sighs, "It seems then that you will have to be a bit more conservative with your barrages Aluthyra."
[18:32] * Aluthyra nods. "It seems so." She sighs. "Well, if that is it, we best get moving."
[18:33] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and leads the group back to the study where they fought the Babau's. The echo scholars have reappeared at this point. He stops at the door and recasts his shield spell, then qualfs a potion of Bull's Strength and casts his own Bear's Endurance.
[18:35] * Kilarra figures now is as good a time as any to prepare herself for the possibility of encountering that dragon. She casts Protection from acid on herself as Kjell imparts his own buffs.
[18:35] <Kilarra> The party's haste has worn off by now
[18:36] * Aluthyra refreshes her potion and barkskin.
[18:36] <Kilarra> -End Session-
[18:37] <Kilarra> Rewards: 1 EL 10, 1 EL 8, 3600 Experience Each