Start of #Sharn buffer: Wed May 19 18:36:20 2010 [18:01:34] [51 Days A.T. out of Stormreach.] [18:02:17] [The party fights for their lives against a seemingly invincible foe, determined to face the impossible with their wits and determination.] [18:02:26] [Session Unpause] [18:14:54] [Mauz's Turn] 06[18:15:42] * Mauz still looks a little wild-eyed, especially when Phanos goes down, but he looks to the seal nonetheless. [18:17:21] [The construct roars in six-thousand draconic voices, all in outrage at Phanos destroying the last of the ice pillars. It lungs itself toward the nook in the obsidian razor-walls where Phanos and the pillar are tucked away in. With two quick snaps of its jaws, it rears its head back out from the crevice, its silver and adamantine teeth dripping in blood.] [18:18:20] *Phanos makes a wet coughing noise as he falls, his side torn open by the monstrous construct's jaws. "Da... DA SEAL! BREAK IT MONS!" [18:19:28] [The immortal dragon looks over its shoulder just in time to see Temper streak behind it, heeding Phanos's advice. The warforged brings both his battlefists down on the rune-carved adamantine disc, presuming it to be the seal. He leaves two large dents in it, somewhat warping the arcane sigils along its rim.] [18:20:14] [The guardian roars in another draconic voice and lungs at Temper, snapping a layer of plating and some fibrous wood from Temper's shoulder.] [18:21:01] *Johen appears to be studying the construct astutely, but remains quiet, behind his summoned bodyguard. 06[18:26:19] * Mauz mutters a few words, opens his palm, and sends for a point of searing white hate at the seal. It stops right in front of it and unloads with a thousand tiny little points of blinding light before dissipating. [18:26:35] ... is this my doom, or yours? The stars will tell soon enough. [18:27:32] [Mari's Turn] [18:28:44] [The construct snaps into Temper again, downing the warforged with ease. It then notices the star of painful radiance abruptly sear the Seal and he turns to see its source, Mauz. He lopes forward and snaps its terrible jaws at the warlock.] 06[18:29:22] * Mauz gurgles, but then cackles raggedly for some reason. 06[18:49:01] * Marianysa hurls a small vial overhand to Temper, then rushes across the room, stabbing her sword into the seal and coming to a stop. [18:52:08] [Like a bell tolling, Mari's sword strikes the seal at just the right angle, causing a massive crack to run through its center. The resonance vibrates and chips and flakes fall off the draconic guardian's impervious metal hide.] 06[18:54:20] * Aurora shouts at the dragon. "What are you even doing? How long have you been guarding this place? We fight in self defenes alone!" [18:54:47] [In retaliation, the dragon hisses something in several voices and slams its tail into the frozen ground, knocking most of the combantants off their feat and stoning them with frozen body parts.] [18:56:47] [The dragon's head whips around to Aurora. It seems to hesitate for a moment.] "N.. none may ent-" "SHAOVARAK DES'TILLAHK!" [It interrupts itself, and a segmented sheet of mithral and white gold slides over its head in sections. It stops talking.] 06[18:58:15] * Aurora drags herself up from the groupd [19:07:09] [Mauz's Turn] [19:07:57] [Temper continues to beat on the seal, denting its sigils and runes, while the dragon continues lashing out at the party.] [19:08:48] [Johen's brow begins to sweat as he huddles behind his iron bodyguard. His eyes squint to narrow slivers until he suddenly straightens and points, shouting] "THERE! BETWEEN ITS WINGS! BASE OF IT'S NECK!" 06[19:13:28] * Mauz vanishes in a swirl of shadow, reality spitting him out a few yards away from the guardian. He's already pointing at the thing, hand crackling with raw energy. The ensuing blast of chaotic lightning is wild and blinding, but thankfully contained. 06[19:13:59] * Mauz then... frowns. The ground around the thing is an utter blasted mess, and the guardian should be in the same state. "... damned thing! DIE!" [19:14:22] [Shards of metal and crystal fly as the elemental lighting sears the construct's armor to pieces.] [19:15:01] [Several of its joint mechanisms are laid bear and visibly broken, but yet it continues fighting beyond all sense, suttering and juttering, but still just as deadly.] [19:15:33] *Johen shakes his head. "The seal must be keeping it moving!" [19:19:10] [Johen visibly flinches to the side as the clearly broken construct lunges forward with just as much speed and power as before, clamping its jaws on Mauz's torso, worrying its teeth into him, and then slamming him into the frozen body parts on the ground.] 06[19:20:20] * Mauz almost looks like he's going to get up for a moment, and then slumps back to the ground. He may or may not have muttered "... finally." before losing consciousness. [19:20:41] [It then whips around and lunges and sees the warforged continuing to ignore it and hammering on the Seal. It barrels into him, pinning him to the floor with a broken claw and prying plates of armor off the warforged's back.] [19:20:56] [Mari's Turn] 06[19:24:01] * Marianysa grits her teeth and closes her eyes, desperately driving her sword into the seal one last time. [19:27:03] [Mari stabs her sword into the crack she caused before, and acid bursts from her blade, corroding the adamantine from the inside out until the entire seal becomes brittle.] [19:27:49] [With an unearthly howl, the rampaging invincible dragon at her back crumbles into dust as the remains of its bared internal workings suffers the same damage as the seal, becoming corroded and brittle, gnashing itself into dust.] 06[19:28:01] * Aurora runs over to Phanos and administers medical attention as soon as the dragon falls. [19:28:25] [A huge plume of spiritual energy shudders forth from the constructs remains, a torrent of draconic souls being released into the sky.] [19:29:15] *Phanos coughs and his eyes flutter open. He looks down at the bandage Aurora is applying to his side. He nodes gravely. "I be okay, girlie. Anyone else nah hurt, ya?" 01[19:30:00] Temper, but he's sturdy. I'll go work on him right now. 06[19:30:05] * Aurora heads over to him and gets to work 03[19:30:08] * ChanServ sets mode: +o NovaSeaker 06[19:30:21] * Marianysa opens her eyes to see the dragon fall. "We...we did it." She drops her sword and just flops down on her back. "You...you guys alive?" 06[19:30:44] * Aurora does not say that. She goes to help out Mauz before Phanos can say another word, nodding at him [19:30:59] *Johen dismisses his iron bodyguard and dusts himself off. He glances at Mauz. "He doesn't seem to well off." 06[19:32:40] * Aurora gets to work on Mauz 06[19:33:07] * Mauz takes a long, hard breath as he's brought back from the brink, looking up at Aurora. He looks... profoundly disappointed. [19:33:13] ... why did you bring me back? 01[19:34:09] Because if you REAL LY wanted it, there are a lot of easier ways than going adventuring like this. [19:34:17] [Combat Over] 06[19:35:30] * Mauz chuckles weakly, pausing to spit up a bit of clotted blood. "... you're too kind." He just rolls over and lies there, quiet. [19:36:39] [Temper lays flat on his face, several of his armor plates chewn and torn off.] 06[19:36:45] * Aurora goes to help Temper next [19:38:53] [Without any real anatomy to help her, Aurora suffices with replacing his torn-off plates and banadaging them into places. About halfway through this proccess, Temper sits up.] [19:39:13] [He looks down at her finishing the job.] "...why did you bring me back?" 01[19:39:48] Uh... because... [19:40:17] [He looks at her.] "I... I told you you couldn't trust me..." 01[19:40:40] I don't trust that statement. 06[19:41:03] * Aurora doesn't appear to be thinking about it too hard. [19:41:30] [He tilts his head.] "That does not make sense." 01[19:41:37] It doesn't need to. 06[19:42:14] * Mauz finally gets up with the loudest of groans, pausing to double over as something audibly pops. "... shit, that was a rib, wasn't it..." [19:45:06] [Eventually Phanos pads out of his crevice in wolf-form, seeming to favor his left forepaw.] 01[19:46:00] Ugh. What do we do now? [19:46:06] [As the party recoups, there's a growing and steady tinking noise that gets louder and louder, coming from the wall of ice and frozen body parts that blocks the way they came.] [19:46:11] Party. 06[19:47:05] * Mauz looks back, holding his side. [19:47:53] [Some of the frozen parts fall away, rolling to the bottom of the hill, and a spear of light from the other side of the wall beams it, quickly replaced by a cat-like eye.] "`ey! You fella's a'rit?" 06[19:48:21] * Marianysa finally pulls herself to her feet with a groan. "We're alive." 01[19:48:28] Barely... [19:48:56] I am not dead. Either something went wrong, or something went right. Not sure yet. [19:51:20] [Pardrengo chuckles.] "Heh. Guys gave me a bit ova scare. Heard all th' wild racket. Thought I was gonna be outta my sweet payment when we get back t' Stormreach." 01[19:53:59] Let's... rest a bit. [19:56:24] *Johen stands up from where he was sitting, notably on some frozen helm containing a frozen head, and clears his throat softly. "In my opinion resting here any longer would be unwise." 06[19:57:06] * Mauz spits. "I guess. Walking's going to be hell, though. I feel awful." 01[19:57:27] Fair enough... [19:58:07] I hate to admit it, but he's right. We don't know how much time we have. [19:58:32] "Please allow me to clarify. I think perhaps it would be best if we called this mission a failure and left." [19:58:58] *Johen adjusts his spectacles, quietly, waiting for the reaction. [20:00:08] Right, anyone who's opinion matters have anything to say? 01[20:00:10] We just GOT here. [20:00:34] Johen? You've been a great, if somewhat selfish and conniving, help. If this is too much for you, you can walk. Odds are you know the way out anyway. [20:01:09] "Well I am certainly not going to treck back to Stormreach alone, so I will follow the group decision. But I would like to add my perhaps unique perspective in this matter." 06[20:01:41] * Mauz smiles weakly. "I guess I'm just too stubborn to admit defeat when it comes to shit like this. Shame, really. I was starting to like the idea of not hearing them in my head anymore." [20:02:13] "You were searching for a lost friend. Do you honestly think she got past that nigh-invincible dragon and that adamantium seal, which was pristine before we arrived mind you, unscathed?" 01[20:02:36] We certainly didn't see her here. [20:02:46] "You haven't really looked." [20:02:57] *Johen glances at the mass of frozen body parts. 06[20:03:27] * Mauz frowns, deeply. "You have a point, bastard though you may be... but we've come this far." 01[20:03:35] We need to know for sure. [20:03:38] ... still. Shit, why couldn't be simpler. [20:04:29] "Personally, I'd love to discover more about this ruin. I could make quite a name for myself back at Morgrave depending on the amazing finds inside. But I thought it would be best to warn you... I doubt there is anything for any of you in here." [20:05:52] Yeah, you're probably right about that. But there's gotta be some reason Xev was headed here. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not sure letting him have what he's searching for if he ever gets un-lost is a good idea, especially since we've cleared out the guardian for him. 01[20:06:03] Yeah. [20:06:12] *Temper nods. 01[20:06:14] He's up to no good. Your interest, at least, is largely academic. 06[20:06:18] * Mauz grunts, softly. "I guess." Another siderub, another wince. "If we're going to, though, we do it quickly. No telling what else is here... and shit. You know?" [20:06:30] I wouldn't be surprised if he expected us to come and clear this thing out. [20:06:58] *Johen considers this for a moment and shrugs. "Good point. I just thought I should clarify why we are entering this ancient-beyond-reckoning ruin." [20:08:02] *Johen opens his tome, searching for a page and then closing it on his thumb to save it for quick access later. "Alright, chums. After you." He smiles. [20:08:20] ... gods, you scare me sometimes. 01[20:08:24] Right. [20:09:08] *Johen blinks at Mauz. "How so?" 06[20:11:00] * Mauz takes a moment to grind his teeth. "You remind me of the voices sometimes. Blunt, cold, direct. Only I can look at you, so I don't feel the sudden urge to drink myself stupid." [20:12:02] *Johen smiles. "Splendid." 06[20:14:40] * Mauz visible and audibly swallows. 06[20:15:05] * Marianysa mutters "He doesn't? He makes me want to take up drinking." 01[20:17:55] Well... whenever you're ready to go on [20:18:35] L-let's just go. [20:18:59] *Temper nods and then pries the ruined seal away from the star-light obsidian wall, revealing a large hallway that stretches into the darkness inside Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz. [20:19:56] [The party continues past the seal into a large hall, walls angled up into a point a dozen feet above their heads. Every surface is made of the same gleaming, night-scape obsidian as the outside, and the hallway seems to go on forever.] [20:19:57] [As they proceed, the sliver of light eeking through the broken seal behind them receeds further and further away, until finally it is lost among the vast starfield that surrounds them.] [20:19:57] [If not for the slow procession away from the entrance, a wave of vertigo would have overcome them as the starfield ceases to be a feature of the walls. THe sense of the hallway disappears and an overwhelming sensation of walking through the nightsky comes over them.] 06[20:21:20] * Mauz looks endlessly unnerved by the sudden change in scenery. 06[20:23:16] * Aurora blinks, and she walks onward, curious. [20:23:20] [As they continue along the same path, a feature of the nightscape comes closer with their steps, resolving into a perfect burning blue sphere hanging in the air before them, about the size of a large melon.] [20:23:59] [The small sphere of tightly balled blue fire seems to give off no heat, and floats at about chest-height.] 01[20:26:35] ... what is that? 06[20:26:54] * Mauz takes a deep breath and just looks at it for a moment. [20:29:59] Probably nothing, but I'm not touching it. Just to be safe. [20:32:02] *Temper moves foreward and places his palm against it. [20:33:28] "Zo'ok Thur'tustra Cavarat Leibel Shakaroz. Men'ixal ren 'tik?" [20:33:53] *Johen makes a thoughtful noise. "Strange." [20:33:56] ... beh. Okay, it's harmless. 06[20:34:03] * Mauz grinds his teeth a little more. [20:34:26] *Temper looks around, hearing the deeply resonate voice come from everywhere. [20:35:00] *Johen speaks something that sounds vaguely like it belongs to the same language. A moment later there's no response. [20:35:37] *He makes another thorughtful noise. "It spoke giant when the warforged touched it." [20:35:47] "It only seems to be responding to him." [20:36:21] Maybe you need to give it a go. I don't know that language, and I doubt he does. [20:36:31] *Temper nods. "I do not." [20:36:49] *Phanos steps forward. "Hey, lemme se da bally-fiyah." [20:37:14] *Temper steps away to give Phanos room, and he places his paw on it. 06[20:38:18] * Aurora moves out of the way. "Any ideas?" [20:38:26] "Has'hlenei Zorasthru Silindel Hashloras. Wendeilness ha'rammanah?" [20:38:45] *Phanos shakes his head. "What?" [20:38:51] "Has'hlenei Zorasthru Silindel Hashloras. Wendeilness ha'rammanah?" [20:39:15] *Johen looks blank. "I have no idea what language that is." 01[20:40:52] It's not Giant? [20:41:21] *Johen puts his arcane tome away and pulls out a more academic one. "Not in the slightest." [20:41:44] *He begins flipping through it, page by page. Its a pretty large book. [20:43:01] ... how long is this going to take? 06[20:43:22] * Mauz growls. "Move." He does to touch the damned thing to see if it give him a different response. [20:44:40] "Hello and welcome to the Archive of Unrelenting Scorn. Would you like a guide to aid you?" 06[20:45:19] * Aurora blinks. 01[20:45:22] Yes, please? [20:45:23] ... that would be nice, yes. Please. [20:46:26] ..uh, sure! [20:47:40] [Several nebulae pull away from the starscape and coalesce into a hulking form on the opposite side of the blue sphere. The creature appears hunched over with huge barrel-like arms that nearly hang to the floor. It's head is flat against is shoulders with a shark-like jaw of razor teeth stretching from one side of his face to the other. Above that, though, are a pair of spectacles.] 06[20:47:47] * Aurora blinks [20:47:58] [It adjusts them studiously with its massive fist.] "How may I serve you?" 06[20:49:17] * Mauz balks for a moment. "Have.. others been here recently?" [20:50:41] [The creature jubs its jaw as the nebaulae further congeal into long robes, covering its massive muscled body.] "None have entered the Archive for many millenia." [20:51:03] ... well, looks like she's not here. Want a tour anyway, folks? 06[20:51:55] * Marianysa nods. "We might be able to figure something out." [20:52:31] A guided tour, then! [20:53:09] [The huge academic monster peers at Mauz.] "If I may be so bold, you strike me as one interested in the whims of chaos and fate. Might I guide you to a study you might find interesting regarding these topics?" 01[20:54:08] What makes you say that? [20:54:55] [The creature does not appear to have heard Aurora.] [20:55:04] ... very well. 06[20:55:12] * Mauz looks horrified, if only for a moment. [20:55:15] [If the transition from hallway to starscape was too gradual to instill vertigo before, the instant and sudden lurching of the starscape into a tunnel of streaking light does the trick.] [20:57:03] [The party, the sphere, and the guide-creature all remain stationary as a universe apparently whips past them until in a flash they are deposited in... a very very high-class gambling hall. There are several different game tables, some card games, some bone-throwing games, among other more esoteric forms of gambling.] 01[20:57:12] ... 06[20:57:14] * Aurora facepalms 06[20:57:15] * Mauz proceeds to wobble... and almost pukes. Almost. [20:57:53] [All of the tables are empty, however, and all of the dealers are faceless.] 06[20:57:56] * Marianysa blinks. "Well, that was jarring." [20:58:50] This... isn't quite what I had in mind. I'm used to, y'know, whispers and inky starless nights and... shit like that. [20:59:11] [Then Mauz here's a slight whisper.] [20:59:15] [hears*] [21:00:58] [Among the card tables, every faceless husk of a dealer swiftly and expertly goes through the motions of dealing cards and playing against absent patrons. One of the card tables is set futher back from the others, however, and its dealer remains motionless.] [21:00:58] [The whispers in Mauz's mind insist he inspect it.] 06[21:02:21] * Mauz pauses... and the teeth-grinding resumes as he does to have a look. Are his fingers twitching? [21:05:28] [As mauz approaches, he sees that this dealer isn't so much as faceless as conceiled, a veil over her face... Oh yes, that too. This mysterious dealer is also the only female dealer in the room. With a decidedly feminine gesture of welcome, she indicates silently for Mauz to sit. In the center of the table is a short deck of cards.] 06[21:06:10] * Mauz sits down, taking a deep breath. "... haven't I lost it enough already for one week?" He's focused on the cards. "What's the game?" 06[21:06:36] * Aurora watches Mauz with curiosity and a bit of dread. She stays quiet, though. This seems important for him. [21:06:43] [Deftly, the dealer picks up the deck of cards and begins shuffling them.] [21:07:18] [Swiftly, she deals three cards from the deck, face down, and sets the rest of the deck down in front of her.] [21:08:28] [With a flourish, she reveals the first card.] 06[21:08:38] * Marianysa watches Mauz play curiously. [21:09:28] [The revealed face of the card shows a dark feild, curling inexorably toward a single bleak point. At the bottom of the card is a label, "The Void."] [21:09:58] [With equal flourish, she reveals the third card, leaving the middle one face down for now.] [21:10:40] [The face of the card shows a demon of fire's profile, snarling to the left. The label on the card says "Flames."] [21:11:00] [With a final flourish, the dealer reveals the middle card.... of The Jester.] 06[21:11:17] * Mauz pauses at The Void, and takes a deep, slow breath. Same for the third card. He almost touches the second, but it's flipped for him. "... heh." [21:11:44] [It incidates all three with both hands, then once Mauz has taken them all in, these shuffles them back into the deck.] [21:11:53] [Then she slowly slides it over to his side.] [21:12:11] [It calmly indicates him to take the deck.] 06[21:13:43] * Mauz takes it, slowly, before looking up at the 'woman'. [21:14:00] [She isn't there when he looks up.] [21:14:19] [In fact, the gambling hall has disappeared and everyone is standing back in the starfield.] 02[21:14:53] * Marianysa (dl@wnpgmb1308w-ad04-231-178.dynamic.mts.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) 03[21:15:45] * Marianysa (dl@wnpgmb1308w-ad04-231-178.dynamic.mts.net) has joined #Sharn [21:16:02] [The guide-monster appears at Mauz's shoulder.] "Ah. I'm sure you will be happy with your decision." [21:17:47] ... thrice damned. [21:17:52] [Session End.] 03[21:19:17] * Aurora is now known as Demota 03[21:19:22] * Mauz is now known as Darkheart 03[21:26:01] * Marianysa is now known as Yon [21:33:05] [1,000 XP each] [21:33:13] [Deck of Many Things obtained.] 02[21:41:58] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) 02[22:00:04] * Darkheart (lol@fl-67-235-250-112.dhcp.embarqhsd.net) Quit (Quit: Client Exited) 03[01:49:08] * Yon is now known as sleepyon 02[14:02:11] * sleepyon (dl@wnpgmb1308w-ad04-231-178.dynamic.mts.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) 03[16:10:19] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) has joined #Sharn 02[21:40:27] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) 03[09:53:15] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) has joined #Sharn 02[23:30:41] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-67-190-200-4.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) [18:30:38] * Now talking in #Sharn [18:30:38] * Topic is 'Init: Guardian, Guardian, Mari, Guardian, Aurora, Phanos, Guardian, Guardian, Temper, Guardian, Johen, Mauz' [18:30:38] * Set by NovaSeaker on Wed Apr 28 20:00:28 [18:31:04] * Marianysa (dl@wnpgmb1308w-ad04-231-178.dynamic.mts.net) has joined #Sharn [18:32:44] * Mauz (lol@fl-67-235-250-112.dhcp.embarqhsd.net) has joined #Sharn End of #Sharn buffer Wed May 19 18:36:20 2010