Feeling around, Vilus does not find a keyhole, but he does feel two metal studs, possibly securing a handle on the other side. He pushes up gently, and he fees the trapdoor shift, though it does not quite lift. (It will take a strength check DC 15 to lift the door up)
Vilus climbs the ladder a little further up and positions his shoulder against the trap door, he heaves his only good leg straining and wobbling. Going a little red in the face and having not moved the trapdoor much at all he stops, "give me a hand here, I think I've loosened it for ya" he speaks amused into Joren's mind.
"Well... what do you mean by before? I think it started after Andra's office and they are consistently getting worse. At least, it sure feels that way." Ashley smoothes her firey hair with her fingers a bit as they look at the way in.
"No, I don't really have any idea, might be the 'heart of fire' thing? Makes sense, but as to what that is? I don't know and it scares me and this crack underground I keep seeing... I just don't know, but the urgency on it... it is surging through my entire body!"
"Perhaps..." Samir is quiet as he speaks, one arm clutching his satchel to his body. "Perhaps you have somehow managed to become connected to this pillar of fire, or what have you, on a spiritual level. Given your own connection to the element, if whatever it is that waits down there is also a being with such an innate, metaphysical tie to the primordial element, then I can find the logic in you having a reaction to it, well... waking up, perhaps?"
Joren looks at Ashley's face and nods, worried. "Yes, sorry, that is what I was meaning by before - Andra's office, or when we faced Andra in the cave with the underground lake afterwards. I... I think that when the magic was exploding in Andra's office, I witnessed, and was saved by... a god? Never being religious, me, but I think it was this mysterious Red Huntsman who some have referred to, the Ebb to the Blue Lady's Flow and Razmus' Apogee. It could be that these visions are granted to you by a deity, the same one or perhaps Marion's Blue Lady."
Still lost in thought, he ambles over to the trapdoor, stretches, then braces his legs, and with Vilus'help, puts his shoulder into it.
Pushing up against the trap door, Joren feels heavy resistance, like something has been placed on top of the door. With Vilus' hep, he shoves it hard enough to dislodge what was on top. The thud of the trap door swinging open is accompanied by the sound of a metal cauldron tipping on its side. Joren looks up to see the overturned cauldron spilling its contents down at him. (Joren and Vilus give me Dex saves DC 14)
“So you think this heart of fire ‘woke up’ when we destroyed the thing in Andra’s office?” Malachi asks Samir. As Joren speaks, he thinks back on his own vision from the office. “I saw the Blue Lady as well, and what I think was the Huntsman was banging on the door, drawn to the mark of Razmus I had at the time. He is an ally in this fight.” Malachi rubbed his forehead where the mark used to be before Samir broke the runic connection. “But I don’t remember anything about a heart of fire.” He looks apologetically at Ashley.
“Watch out!” He pulls Ashley and Samir back as he notices the shifting weight of something above the trap door.
Joren reacts quickly, placing a hand on the cauldron to slow its fall and give Vilus time to move, but the liquid splashes out and Vilus stumbles in his rush to evade. Acid splatters on his upraised arms, burning through his shirt and blistering the thick goliath skin underneath. (Vilus takes 15 acid damage).
Joren manages to tip the cauldron back upright and push it from the edge of the trapdoor, stopping the spill.
Vilus drops down flat in his back and holds his arms out trying not to touch them "AGHHHH SH*T! What the hell was in that!?" He looks around scrambling for anything but it becomes quickly apparent that he has no idea what to do in this situation, "should I take the shirt off? Leave it on? F*ck it burns!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ashley listens to her friends and feels worried, "You think we started this when we did whatever we did in Andra's office? I can see what you mean Samir, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I'm worried about what we might have woken up.. this crack can't be good."
As Mal pulls her out of the way, she thanks him profusely and looks up to see if she can see anything now that the trapdoor is open.
As the pain wears off a little and the bubbling skin stops spreading, Vilus rips his burn sleeves off and looks up toward Ashley, "The same as before I'm also seeing the visions that you guys get for some reason... I saw it too, the vision in your head, though it was too vague to really draw conclusions from. You're right it's worrying but we don't have a real plan and we can't really wait to see what happens. All we can do now is disrupt their arrival and investigate, just gotta hope that something points us in a productive direction." Vilus gets up off the floor and holds his painful arms, "c'mon lets get going."
"I suppose that could be, but it seems to me that it is more likely something more intrinsically connected to the cult's machinations..." Samir trails off for a moment, his eyes shifting downward in thought, only to be hauled bodily out of the way of both falling liquid and Vilus. Seeing the liquid that has splashed across his companion's clothing and skin, Samir immediately ducks a hand into his satchel and comes out with a canteen of water.
"Now just hold on for a moment, Vilus. Stand still!" The water he splashes over the bubbling acid is cold, but serves to wash much of it away. It is quickly followed by a swipe of some kind of thick, semi-transparent salve. The material is warm to the touch and immediately begins easing the pain, the raw look of Vilus' wound beginning to fade.
With Samir's quick reaction, Vilus looks down to see the acid has stopped eating into his arm. Despite the pain and the blisters, Vilus doesn't think the damage will be permanent. But now the way into the cultists' base is open. Though opening the door had caused quite a racket, the aftermath is eerily silent. No sounds of alarm or footsteps.
"agh, thanks Samir! That was, uhh painful to say the least... Right, C'mon." As the salve seeps into his arms, Vilus casts a wary look at Ashley awaiting a response before he makes his way through the trapdoor.
Ashley stares at Vilus as he tells her he had the same vision. Her face doesn't change from utter shock for a moment, then "You saw it too? And thought it was vague? Good, glad it wasn't just me!"
She then frowns up at him, "what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The way forward is dark. Far darker than the last time Vilus was down here. Many of the wall sconces are empty, their resident torch having been removed, while the few torches that remain burn low with neglect. It is also silent as the grave. Vilus very quickly gets the impression that there was a recent and large exodus of the many cultists who had operated here. He keeps an eye out for any further traps, but doesn't see any in the entrance. He starts to lead the group down the way, past several doors. He finds a kitchen, two dorm rooms, the room where he'd found the scripting book and the vault where his things had been kept previously.
Vilus points out each room, deciding not to mention the corridor that leads to the room where he was held and tortured. "Watch out for traps and look for clues as to where they might be, or important stuff, we need some direction" with that he takes himself off to the vault, knowing that it has likely been cleared out already he wants to simply make sure nothing useful has been left behind, taking his time to pick through.
Being familiar with tight sleeping quarters during his military campaigns, Joren looks around some of the dorm areas. But his wounds keep distracting him, much to his chagrin, as he has been trained to not let injuries affect him, but the strangeness of the circumstance is a little too much.
Feeling around, Vilus does not find a keyhole, but he does feel two metal studs, possibly securing a handle on the other side. He pushes up gently, and he fees the trapdoor shift, though it does not quite lift. (It will take a strength check DC 15 to lift the door up)
Vilus climbs the ladder a little further up and positions his shoulder against the trap door, he heaves his only good leg straining and wobbling. Going a little red in the face and having not moved the trapdoor much at all he stops, "give me a hand here, I think I've loosened it for ya" he speaks amused into Joren's mind.
"Well... what do you mean by before? I think it started after Andra's office and they are consistently getting worse. At least, it sure feels that way." Ashley smoothes her firey hair with her fingers a bit as they look at the way in.
"No, I don't really have any idea, might be the 'heart of fire' thing? Makes sense, but as to what that is? I don't know and it scares me and this crack underground I keep seeing... I just don't know, but the urgency on it... it is surging through my entire body!"
"Perhaps..." Samir is quiet as he speaks, one arm clutching his satchel to his body. "Perhaps you have somehow managed to become connected to this pillar of fire, or what have you, on a spiritual level. Given your own connection to the element, if whatever it is that waits down there is also a being with such an innate, metaphysical tie to the primordial element, then I can find the logic in you having a reaction to it, well... waking up, perhaps?"
Joren looks at Ashley's face and nods, worried. "Yes, sorry, that is what I was meaning by before - Andra's office, or when we faced Andra in the cave with the underground lake afterwards. I... I think that when the magic was exploding in Andra's office, I witnessed, and was saved by... a god? Never being religious, me, but I think it was this mysterious Red Huntsman who some have referred to, the Ebb to the Blue Lady's Flow and Razmus' Apogee. It could be that these visions are granted to you by a deity, the same one or perhaps Marion's Blue Lady."
Still lost in thought, he ambles over to the trapdoor, stretches, then braces his legs, and with Vilus' help, puts his shoulder into it.
Joren Athletics at advantage due to help: 23
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Pushing up against the trap door, Joren feels heavy resistance, like something has been placed on top of the door. With Vilus' hep, he shoves it hard enough to dislodge what was on top. The thud of the trap door swinging open is accompanied by the sound of a metal cauldron tipping on its side. Joren looks up to see the overturned cauldron spilling its contents down at him. (Joren and Vilus give me Dex saves DC 14)
Joren DEX Save: 17
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
“So you think this heart of fire ‘woke up’ when we destroyed the thing in Andra’s office?” Malachi asks Samir. As Joren speaks, he thinks back on his own vision from the office. “I saw the Blue Lady as well, and what I think was the Huntsman was banging on the door, drawn to the mark of Razmus I had at the time. He is an ally in this fight.” Malachi rubbed his forehead where the mark used to be before Samir broke the runic connection. “But I don’t remember anything about a heart of fire.” He looks apologetically at Ashley.
“Watch out!” He pulls Ashley and Samir back as he notices the shifting weight of something above the trap door.
Joren reacts quickly, placing a hand on the cauldron to slow its fall and give Vilus time to move, but the liquid splashes out and Vilus stumbles in his rush to evade. Acid splatters on his upraised arms, burning through his shirt and blistering the thick goliath skin underneath. (Vilus takes 15 acid damage).
Joren manages to tip the cauldron back upright and push it from the edge of the trapdoor, stopping the spill.
Vilus drops down flat in his back and holds his arms out trying not to touch them "AGHHHH SH*T! What the hell was in that!?" He looks around scrambling for anything but it becomes quickly apparent that he has no idea what to do in this situation, "should I take the shirt off? Leave it on? F*ck it burns!"
Ashley listens to her friends and feels worried, "You think we started this when we did whatever we did in Andra's office? I can see what you mean Samir, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I'm worried about what we might have woken up.. this crack can't be good."
As Mal pulls her out of the way, she thanks him profusely and looks up to see if she can see anything now that the trapdoor is open.
Perception 20
As the pain wears off a little and the bubbling skin stops spreading, Vilus rips his burn sleeves off and looks up toward Ashley, "The same as before I'm also seeing the visions that you guys get for some reason... I saw it too, the vision in your head, though it was too vague to really draw conclusions from. You're right it's worrying but we don't have a real plan and we can't really wait to see what happens. All we can do now is disrupt their arrival and investigate, just gotta hope that something points us in a productive direction." Vilus gets up off the floor and holds his painful arms, "c'mon lets get going."
"I suppose that could be, but it seems to me that it is more likely something more intrinsically connected to the cult's machinations..." Samir trails off for a moment, his eyes shifting downward in thought, only to be hauled bodily out of the way of both falling liquid and Vilus. Seeing the liquid that has splashed across his companion's clothing and skin, Samir immediately ducks a hand into his satchel and comes out with a canteen of water.
"Now just hold on for a moment, Vilus. Stand still!" The water he splashes over the bubbling acid is cold, but serves to wash much of it away. It is quickly followed by a swipe of some kind of thick, semi-transparent salve. The material is warm to the touch and immediately begins easing the pain, the raw look of Vilus' wound beginning to fade.
Casting Cure Wounds on Vilus for 9 points
With Samir's quick reaction, Vilus looks down to see the acid has stopped eating into his arm. Despite the pain and the blisters, Vilus doesn't think the damage will be permanent. But now the way into the cultists' base is open. Though opening the door had caused quite a racket, the aftermath is eerily silent. No sounds of alarm or footsteps.
"agh, thanks Samir! That was, uhh painful to say the least... Right, C'mon." As the salve seeps into his arms, Vilus casts a wary look at Ashley awaiting a response before he makes his way through the trapdoor.
Ashley stares at Vilus as he tells her he had the same vision. Her face doesn't change from utter shock for a moment, then "You saw it too? And thought it was vague? Good, glad it wasn't just me!"
She then frowns up at him, "what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Joren stays in the middle of the pack, soft-focusing his eyes and trying to take in the layout of the enemy hideout and consider likely ambush points.
He sends his echo up ahead with Vilus.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
The way forward is dark. Far darker than the last time Vilus was down here. Many of the wall sconces are empty, their resident torch having been removed, while the few torches that remain burn low with neglect. It is also silent as the grave. Vilus very quickly gets the impression that there was a recent and large exodus of the many cultists who had operated here. He keeps an eye out for any further traps, but doesn't see any in the entrance. He starts to lead the group down the way, past several doors. He finds a kitchen, two dorm rooms, the room where he'd found the scripting book and the vault where his things had been kept previously.
Vilus points out each room, deciding not to mention the corridor that leads to the room where he was held and tortured. "Watch out for traps and look for clues as to where they might be, or important stuff, we need some direction" with that he takes himself off to the vault, knowing that it has likely been cleared out already he wants to simply make sure nothing useful has been left behind, taking his time to pick through.
Being familiar with tight sleeping quarters during his military campaigns, Joren looks around some of the dorm areas. But his wounds keep distracting him, much to his chagrin, as he has been trained to not let injuries affect him, but the strangeness of the circumstance is a little too much.
Joren Perception: 10
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk