Start of #Sharn buffer: Mon May 03 17:30:11 2010 [17:39:13] * Darkheart (lol@fl-67-235-250-112.dhcp.embarqhsd.net) has joined #Sharn [17:39:17] * Darkheart is now known as Mauz [17:45:37] [50 Days A.T. out of Stormreach.] [17:45:37] [The party was ambushed by living embodiments of the volcanic environment as they tried to cross a boiling lake choked with cooling magma, but they made short work of them and were able to continue on to the other side.] [17:45:37] [Once there, they climbed out of the noxious steamcloud made from the lava flow pouring into the lake, trecking up to the foothills of the volcano.] [17:45:37] [Session Start] [17:46:38] * Mauz looks most agitated and fidgety. That last encounted did not sit well in his mind, and it shows. [17:47:37] Ugh [17:48:27] [Pardrengo leads the group onward, reminding everyone to carefully pick their footing and not accidentally step through a thin crust of cooled rock into a stream of magma.] [17:48:35] I did not need that. [17:48:40] [He doesn't seem to be all that slowed, though.] [17:49:57] [Temper trudges along, still carrying the fustrated and bored looking Shezna over his shoulder. She's sporting some minor burns from the last encounter.] [17:50:51] [Phanos is back in wolf-plant form, nimbly jumping from rock to rock.] [17:53:11] * Mauz continues to trudge along, occasionally rubbing his eyes. [17:53:17] [After a long while of treacherous hiking, Pardrengo stands up straight with his hands on his hips at the base of the volcano. Halfway up the mountainside looms the malevolent structure of Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz, but it is still a tiny speck in the distance.] [17:53:26] "A'right. Lets make camp 'ere." [17:53:42] *Pardrengo begins breaking camp, unfurling his bedroll. [17:54:49] * Marianysa sits down heavily. [17:54:55] Ugh. Sounds good. [17:54:57] * Mauz plops down onto his keister and exhales loudly before out-and-out flopping onto his back. [17:56:46] Well, we're... nearly there? [18:01:30] I can't wait to be back, though [18:01:56] * Marianysa avoids looking in the direction of the volcano as much as possible. "The sooner we're done here, the better." [18:03:09] *Phanos nods to Aurora. "I can't wait to be back in da towers wit my stash o' heebyherbs." [18:03:34] This is utter bullshit. [18:03:46] * Mauz sighs. "But it is bullshit I'll be willing to deal with if it works out." [18:03:50] [The group tries to get as much rest as they can before making the trecherous climb up the volcano.] [18:04:00] What's so special about the heebyherbs? [18:05:21] *Phanos gets an excited grin on his face. "Oh girlie, you ain't knowin till ya try, ya? It be openin ya mind to alla tha jimzies." [18:05:34] Don't all of the herbs do that? [18:07:19] *Phanos shakes his head. "Nah, I grow dif'ent kinds for dif'ent minds, ya?" [18:07:42] "Jes be missin my heebyherbs." [18:08:31] Right. [18:08:56] [The night passes without much interference, with Temper keeping watch.] [18:09:37] [In the mourning, 51 days of apparent time after having left Stormreach, the group makes its final approach to their destination... Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz.] [18:09:43] morning* [18:12:12] * Mauz managed to get *some* rest. There were occasional moments of waking with a start, and lots of muttering. Still, he's up, bleary-eyed and stubble-faced. [18:12:49] [With every disquieting rumble beneath their feet, with every belch of smoke from the apex of the mountain, the group fears the worst, expecting the mountain to erupt at any time.] [18:13:39] * Marianysa trudges along, bleary eyed. [18:13:44] [With every step and pull and climb, the air gets hotter and hotter, searing the sweat off their faces before it can drip into their eyes.] [18:15:05] * Mauz pauses. "You know. I had a dream like this last night." [18:15:17] [The looming nest of daggers looms ever closer as their journey nears its end. The structure is difficult to look at, with the joins and angles making little sense. As they climb, though, it becomes more and more detailed.] [18:15:19] Only the sweat screamed my name before it boiled away. [18:15:44] Geez [18:16:16] Ugh. This is huting my eyes [18:16:30] At least you can sleep here. [18:17:27] [The jagged surface of the structure isn't as flat black as previously thought, but seems to be spun through with stars and stellar clouds, like looking through a perfect window into the night sky.] [18:17:37] Who says I slept? [18:17:45] * Mauz grins wearily. [18:18:21] ...got me there. [18:18:47] [Near the bottom, where the vast blades of obsidian seem to pierce through the mountainside, there is a thin crust of white where the daggers seem to, almost invitingly, part and give passage deeper inside the nightmare structure.] [18:18:54] * Mauz shrugs. "Well bits and pieces. They were too loud tonight, and I was not drunk enough." [18:23:19] [With one final climb onto a large, flat ledge on which the obsidian structure sits, the air is neerly knocked out of everyone's lungs as the shock of arctic wind hits their faces.] [18:25:17] * Mauz was between breaths when the temperature change hit, and he immediately lets out a wheezing curse of some kind. [18:26:19] * Marianysa gasps for breath for a few seconds, but steadies herself and looks around. "It's...cold?" [18:26:41] Huh? [18:26:46] Why's it cold? [18:27:37] This place is a magical mess. [18:27:47] [Indeed, a howling wind is emannating from the frosted-over entrance. Between the edge of the level surface and the fifty-story high jagged tower of obsidian, however, is a macabre garden of frozen statues.] [18:27:56] * Mauz coughs a few times. [18:32:09] *Pardrengo grits his teeth to keep them from chittering. "S-s-o. Dat's it. 'Ave fun." [18:32:09] * Marianysa straightens up, seeming to relax slightly. "Strange place." [18:32:30] Uuugh [18:33:28] I suddenly miss the boiling water. [18:39:01] [As they approach, it becomes quite apparent that the statues, as well as a shin-deep scattering of shattered remains of statues, were once living creatures.] [18:39:43] [They all appear to have been flash-frozen, but not all from the same angle.] [18:40:29] * Mauz pauses in front of one... and swallows audibly. "Definitely miss the water now." [18:40:56] * Aurora shudders [18:43:24] * Marianysa frowns, starting to reach for her sword. "Yeah, this isn't good." [18:43:28] [The statues are a curious mix of people and creatures. Some of the older ones, with pieces broken off and decaying, are a pair of insectoid-like humanoids. Among the more recognizable are a troup of valenar elves, their curved swords raised mid-strike as if to charge.] [18:44:57] [There also appears to be a group of khorvarians. The one in the lead looks to be wearing a fresh expression of shock, his arm outstretched and letting dangle a charm of some sort at the end of a chain.] [18:48:16] [One of the sashes on the frozen valnar elves seems to be mostly intact for some reason, flapping in the howling wind emanating from the gab in Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz's outer wall.] [18:48:27] gap* [18:49:04] * Aurora looks at the charm with grim curiosity [18:49:35] * Mauz frowns. "Whatever did this? I can promise you it's still here." [18:50:24] Whatever he's holding there, it's magical. [18:52:09] [The charm, tilted toward the ledge in the strong wind, seems to be some kind of dark stone shaped into a disk and engraved with a watchful eye.] [18:52:22] If you wanna touch the frozen things, be my guest. [18:52:51] * Aurora looks at the charm. "Bolderi." [18:54:03] * Aurora doe sthat for the sash, rather [18:54:26] How long have they been here? [18:54:49] [Mauz catches sight of another human explorer, with a seemingly bulging money-pouch.] [18:55:17] Hard to say. [18:55:28] ... ngh. [18:55:48] * Mauz clenches his fist, as visions of high-price hookers dance in his head. Finally, he warily approaches. [18:56:13] It doens't spread, does it? [18:56:14] *Johen walks up and adjusts his spectacles. "Difficult to tell... however, these fellows are wearing more or less modern clothes... And they're Karrns and Cyrans. My guess would be that this is an expedition which predates the Last War, given the cooperation." [18:57:01] Hell if I know... stars above, that's a huge sack. No, should be using common sense here. [18:57:23] [Mauz finds the air next to the coin-laiden statue no colder than where he stood before.] [19:01:06] * Mauz frowns, trying to inspect the statue further. Finally, he pulls forth his focusing rod and gives the ice around the bag a tap. [19:02:13] [The ice cracks and the bag along with it, spilling cold coins into the rubble by Mauz's feet.] [19:03:45] Since they no longer have need for such material wealth... [19:04:38] [Mauz picks up a double-fistful of platinum coins.] [19:04:41] * Mauz goes about making sure not a coin is lost. [19:04:42] * Marianysa rolls her eyes. "Really not helping." [19:04:55] [1,700 GP Gained.] [19:05:10] I'll be helpful once I'm done. Seriously, this is enough to make for one hell of a party once we're done with this. [19:05:30] * Mauz rises, tucking it all away. "I'm talking the sort of thing people write songs about!" [19:06:07] * Marianysa moves closer to the frozen body holding the charm. [19:06:29] ... you know? A lot of people have these pouches [19:06:33] I'm curious about why [19:06:36] Do they know something we don't? [19:06:46] If they did, it didn't keep them alive. Still... [19:07:57] *Johen looks at Aurora. "I don't know. Maybe they've discovered that if you put things in containers, they're easier to carry?" [19:08:29] *Johen points at Aurora's hip, where she keeps her coin pouch. "Oh my! You have one too! There must be a connection." [19:08:33] * Aurora eyes Johen. [19:10:17] * Aurora looks over the Valenar [19:10:33] * Marianysa folds her arms. "Well, the better not've been frozen because they tried to take that money out of the place, or I'm going to be very upset, Mauz." [19:11:40] [The valenar elves are carrying pouches on their hips, and also a few ceremonial daggers which might be worth something to the right people.] [19:11:49] I'll apologize if that's the case. Maybe. [19:12:06] * Mauz seems to be considering more icetomb-robbing, rubbing his chin. [19:13:49] I guess we could collect these. Maybe get them back to the right people. [19:14:04] Probably can't return the bodies, though. [19:14:40] * Marianysa tentatively reaches out to take the charm, examining it more closely. [19:17:27] [The valenar are carrying on them several gems, worth a total of 2,500 gp, 700 gp in actual gold coins, and three ceremonial daggers with mithral-inlaid handles, worth 250 gp each.] [19:17:29] * Mauz is already going to work with collecting. Looks like he's justified it in his head already. He's even whistling. [19:17:49] [Mari inspects the charm and finds it a powerful tool for finding the vulnerabilities of whatever she aims it at.] [19:17:58] * Marianysa blinks. "Oh, wow. This is useful. ...didn't help much against whatever killed them, though." [19:19:03] *Temper nods, inspecting the former owner of the divination charm's shocked expression. "He doesn't seem to have liked the results." [19:20:47] What's it do? [19:22:43] **Correction** [The valenar are carrying on them several gems, worth a total of 3,500 gp, 750 gp in actual gold coins, and three ceremonial daggers with mithral-inlaid handles, worth 250 gp each.] [19:26:29] * Aurora inspects the sash [19:27:11] [The sash seems remarkably in good condition, despite violently flapping in the arctic gale for who-knows-how-long.] [19:27:45] [The gold thread in which Bolderi's holy symbol still shines brightly, as if brand new.] [19:28:47] * Aurora carefully lifts it up [19:29:59] * Mauz has finished his collecting... and pauses. "For those departed souls who I have blatantly stolen from... my sincerest apologies. I promise that when I have ascended on to damnation, I will receive my just reward." [19:30:02] [The fabric feels gently warm, as if it was bathing in sunshine.] [19:30:08] ... yeah, that's it. Can we keep moving? [19:32:35] *Temper nods. [19:32:54] *Pardrengo waves everyone onward. "I'll stay right here." [19:34:05] Smart man. If we don't come back, sorry. [19:34:56] *Par shrugs. "Part o' th' job." [19:36:23] *Temper moves over and sets Shezna down next to Par. "Will you watch her while we explore this place?" [19:36:37] If we do, though, we're getting trashed together. You and me. [19:36:52] * Mauz smiles (somewhat, he's still a sleep-deprived mess) and looks to the others. [19:37:17] *Par eyes Shezna. "Welp, sh'did try'n kill meh. But.. she ain' gonna cause no trouble tied up like tha'." [19:37:43] *Par grins at Mauz. "Drink're on you." [19:40:04] Of course! [19:40:20] Let's go. [19:40:29] *Temper nods. [19:40:34] Right [19:41:39] [Pardrengo and Shezna stay behind, while Temper, Phanos, and Johen accompany Mari, Aurora, and Mauz into the rime-covered gab in the night-obsidian wall-blades of Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz.] [19:41:46] gap* [19:45:14] [The corridor inside of the gap is more like a razor-walled canyon, with the smoke-choked sky still visible far above. Ahead, nestled into the crevices between planes of razor-sharp night sky, tower four pillars of ice, with vague figures inside them. Directly ahead is a large circular disc of what looks to be adamantium, etched with numerous ruins and symbols.] [19:46:44] [As the group approaches, the shattered bodies of flash-frozen explorers grows thicker and thicker, until they're wading knee-deep through broken chunks of creatures and people.] [19:46:47] So, somewhere in this entire place, Aun's here... [19:48:14] Maybe. [19:48:26] [Aurora's voice echos back and forth against the starlight obsidian walls, seemingly gaining volume with each repedition.] [19:48:42] [Mari's joins hers, growing into a cacophony of nonsense.] [19:49:11] This is... cold. Fucking cold. Better be worth all the loot. [19:49:32] * Mauz kicks a frozen hand aside. "See, I still wonder *what* froze them." [19:49:32] Stop talking, it's just going to get louder. [19:49:44] [There's a deep rumbling beneath the group's feet and suddenly the space before them erupts with flug body-parts as an emense creature rises from its apparent slumber.] [19:50:16] * Mauz grumps, and kicks another frozen limb.... only to have it hit him in the face as whatever-it-is rises in the path of the icy body part. [19:51:20] [At first it appears to be a waking dragon, roaring its fury, but upon a moments inspection, it is covered in ruins and shifting mithral and adamantine plates, its joins of liquid platinum adding a sinuous fluidity to it's movements.] "DHA'KRARZ FALLIX HARRACK!" [19:51:45] [Initiative] [19:53:55] [As everyone readies for combat, a stream of ghostly, draconic images begin pouring into the artifice-work dragon.] [19:53:56] ... well, shit. [19:59:57] * NovaSeaker changes topic to 'Init: Guardian, Guardian, Mari, Guardian, Aurora, Phanos, Guardian, Guardian, Temper, Guardian, Johen, Mauz' [20:01:07] *It gears back and a heavy churning, sound eminates from it's chest, then it lunges it's maw foward, unleashing a blast of sub-zero cold. [20:05:30] * Mauz lets out a sound of shock, and then raises a hand. The cold streams around a star-filled cloud of inky night that billows from his palm. As soon as the wave passes, he lowers his arm, inky black... something leaking from the cracks in his palm. [20:05:33] *No*. [20:07:06] *The guardian automaton, makes a decidedly un-mechanical snort at Mauz, and speaks a language he doesn't understand, but the voice is different from the one it first spoke with. [20:07:41] [Behind the party the iceblast has kicked up the detritus of body parts and frozen them into a wall, sealing off the exit.] [20:08:19] [The guardian's voice, switches to an inky, melodious one, and speaks more of it's unknown language in yet a different voice.] [20:08:32] [It then smacks Mauz down with a claw.] [20:09:25] Well shi-- [20:09:54] [Mari's Turn] [20:10:14] * Mauz ends up smashed flat to the ground, coughing painfully. [20:15:25] * Marianysa staggers back in shock. "Oh, hell." She draws her sword, but before moving to attack, she holds up the foe stone with her other hand. "Let's try this thing out." After a few seconds, her face falls. "Uh, guys? I don't think we can hurt this thing." [20:17:16] *Johen smiles. "Oh? You mean there's something you can't just defeat with brute force?" [20:18:06] * Marianysa turns to glare at Johen. "SAVE IT." [20:19:00] Fuck you, Johen, not now! [20:28:07] * Marianysa stares at the guardian. "I think this might be, uh, a dragon of Argonessen. We're in deep shit, but there might be a seal of some kind powering this thing." [20:29:17] [Before the creature arose, the group did see a huge admantine disc directly across from the entrance they walked through.] [20:29:38] [The disc was etched with numerous runes and symbols.] [20:37:14] [The guardian shouts again, it's voice changing to a deep basso drumming, like an avalanch. It stomps the ground with it's heavy adamantium leg.] [20:38:45] * Marianysa braces herself in front of the guardian, sword raised. "Someone get around that thing and see about that disc. I'll try to distract it." Her sword glows and a few small, translucent shields begin to float around her. [20:40:24] [Aurora's Turn] [20:40:57] *Phanos "I be moah concern'd wid da ghosty pillahs!" [20:42:59] The what? [20:43:40] "Da pillahs what be pourin da ghosty dragons inna toughy!" [20:47:19] * Aurora rushes over to the pillar for a better look, trying to use it for cover too [20:51:22] * Aurora first channels her power to heal everyones' wounds, then examines the pillar [20:55:46] The spirits within are... ow! [20:56:13] I don't think tehy know who we are. Maybe we can convince them [21:01:40] Well, anything's better than dying! [21:04:47] Anyone know draconic? [21:06:05] *Phanos studies the pillar intensely after pointing out it's weak spot and rushing past it. "Hey! Ey! Use da firey powah on deese ghosty pillahs!" [21:14:43] *Temper hears Aurora describe the souls controlling this thing as being unstable. "Do you know what you are?!" He shouts at the construct, raising his voice and inflecting anger in it for the first time anyone's heard it. "AN OBSOLETE MODEL!" [21:16:58] [The construct emmits a curious whimpering noise, before it suddenly roars in another voice.] "SHA'VAHK! YOU WORTHLESS TOY!" [21:17:17] [It slams a large claw into Temper, knocking him down.] [21:17:59] So... it does understand us. Hehheh... gyehehe [21:21:29] [Mauz's Turn] [21:24:55] [Johen moves to the side to get a clear view of one of the pillars and flips through his tome. He summons a warrior of flame that hacks a steaming gouge into the pillar. The elemental field around it is disrupted and steam billows from the guardian construct, as if some internal resivior of ice was flash-boiled away.] [21:25:14] [He also discretely summons an iron bodyguard.] [21:26:50] * Mauz rises, slowly, still cackling. "It's funny... it's honestly funny that you would dare cross us... cross me. We're destined for something terrible, you see. And to stand in our way is to invite the wrath of things your tiny, trapped minds cannot even begin to fathom!" [21:27:27] You will see in time, automaton. *You will see*. [21:28:06] "THIS FOOL BEGS TO DIE!" "shh'kevil zen'tak." "NO HE'S RIGHT!" "SHA'VAHK! KORAANAK!" [21:29:01] [The amalgam of souls inside the creature seem to argue amogst themselves on how to deal with Mauz. The disharmony seems to be weakening the magic controlling the guardian, as it begins to stutter in its movements.] [21:30:18] * Mauz starts to giggle... then cackle. It is not a stable, sane cackle, and the flickering starlight in his eyes doesn't help establish his sanity, either. "YES!" [21:35:18] [Mari's Turn] [21:36:39] [The guardian shifts voices again to a cool, collected one, and comments professionally on the fire warrior destroying the elemental pillar. The construct turns and makes an inhaling motion, as if it had lungs. Instead of breathing in air though, there's an almost imperceptible siphoning of elemental cold energy from the pillars.] [21:37:04] [You might not have noticed it among the prevailing chill and wind had Phanos not pointed out the pillars were power sources of sorts.] [21:37:53] [The guardian blasts Phanos and the Fire Warrior with two successive blasts of ice, drawing in rapidly the elenmental energy, trying to snuff the fire warrior's flame.] [21:45:37] * Marianysa looks worriedly at Mauz for a moment, but takes advantage of the distraction and bolts past the dragon. She staggers as the dragon lashes out at her, but grits her teeth and keeps going. As she closes in on the pillar, the blade of her sword bursts into flame and she hacks through one, and then leaps towards the next, driving the sword deeply into it. [21:49:53] [Steam erupts from the dragon as it's elemental reserves are flash-boiled away] [21:52:09] [The dragon hurls after Mari as it sees her sword erupt into flame. It leaves itself entirely open to Temper's crushing attack on its shin, confident in its invincibility. However Temper was aiming for the weakspot Phanos pointed out earlier, and the deep cracks in its adamantine plating shatter, making it stagger.] [21:57:27] * Marianysa spits out a bit of blood and quickly downs the contents of a small vial, straightening up a bit, though she still looks unsteady. [21:58:51] * Aurora edges to Phanos and casts a healing power upon him, before concentrating on her own wounds [22:04:52] [Phanos rushes over to the last pillar while taking his pint of lantern oil and his match sticks out. He smashes the oil canister on the pillar of ice and lights it aflame. The elemental energy can't cope with its antithesis and the pillar cracks.] [22:05:26] [The last vestiges of steam flash-boils out of the guardian construct as something heavy inside it sounds like it grinds to a halt and clunks dead.] [22:05:48] [It roars with six-thousand draconic voices and keeps fighting...] [22:05:52] [Session Pause.] [22:07:36] * Marianysa is now known as Yon [22:16:55] * Mauz is now known as Darkheart [22:17:00] * Aurora is now known as Demota [22:24:33] * Darkheart (lol@fl-67-235-250-112.dhcp.embarqhsd.net) Quit (Quit: Client Exited) [23:10:06] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) Quit (Quit: Client Exited) [06:15:54] * Disconnected [06:15:58] * Attempting to rejoin channel #Sharn [06:15:59] * Rejoined channel #Sharn [06:15:59] * Topic is 'Init: Guardian, Guardian, Mari, Guardian, Aurora, Phanos, Guardian, Guardian, Temper, Guardian, Johen, Mauz' [06:15:59] * Set by NovaSeaker!novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net on Wed Apr 28 20:00:28 [18:42:16] * Yon is now known as Megumi [18:58:40] * Megumi (dlarmour@wnpgmb1307w-ad02-35-50.dynamic.mts.net) has left #Sharn [21:58:07] * Disconnected [21:58:37] * Attempting to rejoin channel #Sharn [21:58:37] * Rejoined channel #Sharn [21:58:37] * eldridge.esper.net sets mode: +nt [21:58:37] * ChanServ changes topic to 'Init: Guardian, Guardian, Mari, Guardian, Aurora, Phanos, Guardian, Guardian, Temper, Guardian, Johen, Mauz' [21:58:38] * ChanServ sets mode: +nt-o Demota [13:58:48] * Disconnected [13:58:53] * Attempting to rejoin channel #Sharn [13:58:54] * Rejoined channel #Sharn [13:58:54] * Topic is 'Init: Guardian, Guardian, Mari, Guardian, Aurora, Phanos, Guardian, Guardian, Temper, Guardian, Johen, Mauz' [13:58:54] * Set by NovaSeaker on Wed Apr 28 20:00:28 [13:59:42] * Demota (demota@c-71-202-41-240.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) [17:07:58] * Demotafk is now known as Demota [17:19:16] * Demota is now known as Eilenia End of #Sharn buffer Mon May 03 17:30:11 2010