Chpt. 1: To the Palace

[FreebirdFootbagging]

Seeing that the impending danger of the insect swarm has focused it's intention on her, she quickly takes Bjorns course of action to mind, and splashes into the nearest pool to her, assuming other threats don't obstruct her ability to do so.

[tkrexx]

Honnilee, Thief

Honnilee backs off, not wanting to nail one of her comrades with an errant shot. Hearing the warning about approaching danger from the south passage, she seeks a shadow to hide in, hopefully with conjoining shadows leading to the south entrance.

[tkrexx]

Flint, Illusionist

Flint taks another whack at the liquid monster as it tries to snuff Shen.

Illusionist's To Hit with staff (THACO: 20) [1d20] = 16 S/M Damage [1d6] = 2 L Damage [1d6] = 3

[Grognardsw]

Clasped tight and drowning inside the water weird, Andover feels a stunning force strike the creature below him. The force vibrates up the serpentine trunk and shakes the ranger. Suddenly the water looses much of its form, plummeting him straight down into the pool. The ranger struggles to the edge and is climbing out.

Flint the illusionist courageously strikes the lower part of the water weird with his staff (2 HP damage).

The weakened weird lashes out at Shen, hits, and scoops the monk into its watery body. Alarmed, Shen again discharges his powerful ring: “Huán diàn gōng yang!”, he thinks clearly but gurgles with difficulty. A powerful funnel of shimmering energy with a ram head issues forth from the ring, shattering the weird into thousands of droplets (14 HP damage). The monk falls into the pool.

***

Meanwhile in the Obliviax battle, Idwellin brings his spear to bear against the moss but is blocked by an invisible barrier before the creature. Bjorn the cleric attacks with his new mace, but is blocked by the same invisible shield.

Poltux the fighter, with his thrown axe fallen in front of the Obliviax’s shield, charges the moss with his javelin. The half-orc slams past the shield, his javelin blade slicing through all the miniature moss creatures then scraping the floor patch for good measure (6 HP damage). The moss is unmoving.

Seeing an insect swarm about to engulf her, a still-glowing-around-the-edges Raquinel runs to jump in a pool. Facing a split second decision, she sees the a pool to her right which is the one Bjorn jumped in (E), one to her left that is clear liquid (L), and one behind that is emanating foggy white mists (I). Raquinel jumps in the foggy pool (determined in PM). The swarm veers off before hitting the pool liquid. In the pool Raquinel feels a rush of pain in her right arm and head; something is happening.

Ianin regains consciousness and takes in the wild scenes of combat, trying to figure out what’s going on.

Preparing for an attack from the voices coming from the south corridor, Honnilee the hobbit hides in the shadows of the far west wall.

“This way! Kill them all!” the voices in the south corridor are getting closer, then fade.

Actions!

- Water weird fight initiative: monster [1d6] = 1, party [1d6] = 3 Party wins!
- Initiative: Obliviax [1d6] = 1, PCs [1d6] = 2 Party wins!
- Given the ring works by willpower, I’ll permit its use inside the weird.
- Shen ring 3 charges attack [3d6] = 14 Six charges have been used thus far. Please note in character sheet. Thanks.
- Bjorn mace attack [1d20] = 2, damage [1d6+1] = 1+1 = 2 Miss. Didn’t hear from Bjorn on action so defaulted to attack.
- Poltux javelin charge at +2 [1d20+5] = 6+5 = 11, [1d6+5] = 1+5 = 6 With the +2 for charge, hits! Obliviax dead. I did Poltux action cause I didn't see action from NJ.
- Honnilee hide-in-shadows roll [1d100] = 22 Made it. TK feel free to do rolls yourself with any actions.
- Raquinel’s pool effects to be revealed next post…
- As you could probably surmise, spells the Obliviax cast included color spray, fairie fire, shield, magic missile, summon insects, and one other…

[NJWilliam]

Ianin

Ianin turns toward the corridor the noises were coming from and thinking what could cause them to fade, looks at the dead moss monster and says, "the voices faded when it died, perhaps they were conjured?"

[Zhym]

Andover moves to the side of the west entry and prepares to attack what comes through. He mimes spoon-to-mouth motion to the others and points to his head to remind them they can get their memories back by eating the remains.

Spellslasher vs. magic-using or enchanted (THAC0: 18): [1d20+5] = 17+5 = 22; S/M Damage: [1d8+8] = 1+8 = 9; L Damage: [1d12+8] = 4+8 = 12

Take 1 off damage if the opponent isn't enchanted or magic using. I rolled this thinking there was more than one Obliviax. If there is more than one Obliviax, Andover attacks it instead.

[NJWilliam]

Poltux, half orc fighter

Poltux retrieves the magic axe and readies it to hurl against whatever - if anything - is about to enter the room next.

[FreebirdFootbagging]

Raquinel

Holding her breath, she is initially shocked by the sudden pain and must remind her self not to gasp. Loathing the impending results of her choice she scolds herself, thinking, Why must I thrust myself into situations like this?. She holds her breath a while longer, hoping to let the Fairie Fire wear off just a little bit more, and she then climbs out of the pool. She scans the large room for the swarm of insects, using what she finds to determine her next course of action.

[Grognardsw]

Andover gets clear of the pool. Shen is helped by the others to get clear. The voices heard in the south corridor have gone quiet. Indeed, the hall of pools is very quiet right now until you all hear the splash of Raquinel coming out of a pool. Then her scream of sheer horror.

***

The faerie fire wears off as Raquinel stays right under the surface of the water, wincing in pain and taking occasional mouthfuls of air. Something is wrong with her eyesight perspective. It’s off in a weird directional way. The light around her dissipates and she cautiously emerges from the pool. It’s more difficult than usual – her balance is off greatly.

Raquinel sees the battles are over. Bjorn is nearby. He looks at her and his eyes widen in shock. Ianin is also nearby – his mouth drops when he sees Raquinel. The mistress of magic realizes why her sight perspective is off, why her balance is tilted…

Raquinel’s head is where her right arm should be, and her right arm is now connected to her neck!

The pool, the chaos, by all the gods what has happened? Amazingly Raquinel is still breathing, can still see, smell, hear. She can move the right arm. By what magic can such a thing be?
Raquinel screams in sheer horror, then feints.

Actions?

[tkrexx]

Whispering Flint, Illusionist

Flint notes the hand gestures Andover offers as the Ranger seeks cover to meet those coming from the south. Did he mean what I think he meant? Eat that raspy stuff? He thinks to himself. He also will seek cover, tho not close to any of the exits, and as far from a pool as he can.

The mention of eating the moss to return memories was actually made before Flint lost his!

[tkrexx]

Honnilee, Thief

Quickly, quietly, the Thief angles her way to the opposite side of the south corridor entrance as Andover, draws her blade and waits in a shadow.

Hide in Shadows: [1d100] = 1

She could have hidden in bright light.

[Grognardsw]

Whispering Flint, Illusionist

Flint notes the hand gestures Andover offers as the Ranger seeks cover to meet those coming from the south. Did he mean what I think he meant? Eat that raspy stuff? He thinks to himself. He also will seek cover, tho not close to any of the exits, and as far from a pool as he can.

The mention of eating the moss to return memories was actually made before Flint lost his!

Flint make an Int. check please.

[tkrexx]

INT roll: [1d20] = 9

[Grognardsw]

Perhaps it's Whispering Flint's illusionist training, or the fact that the shouts from the south corridor were heard for much longer than it would take for said attackers to appear. But Flint believes the voices may have been false; they contain a certain unidentifiable quality he has heard before in one of his own spells...

Can you guess

[greyarea]

Shen, monk

Shen thanks the others for helping him out of the pool. When he sees Raquinel he cannot believe his eyes.

[Eulalios]

Idwillen's first impulse is to put his spear through the unnatural freak before him. His second thought: "maybe, if you jump in a few more times, you'll get right again?"

[greyarea]

Shen, monk

Shen, still dumbfounded, looks at Raquinel in stunned silence until he hears Idwillen's advice. He turns his head, mouth still agape, to regard the druid to see if he's gone mad. His eyes return to what Raquinel has become and says, I suppose it couldn't hurt more...

[Grognardsw]

The anticipated attack from the south corridor does not come, confirming suspicions it may have been false. Raquinel recovers from her fainting spell. The adventurers gather around her and the dead Obliviax. Andover is suggesting those whose memories were stolen dine on the blackish-green moss.

[Zhym]

Andover wonders aloud, "Do you suppose the sex change would reverse if you went back in? I wouldn't mind being temporarily female. Y'know, just to see what it's like, and feel how the equipment works..." His voice trails off.

"What?"

[Eulalios]

Idwillen looks to see can he identify the moss chunk that resembled him. If so, he'll try a nibble to find out what happens. "I am...concerned... by the idea that we might consume each other's memories," he says. "I am not wise regarding the boundaries between memory, identity, and soul."