Pizazz's Myth Drannor

Mirica was following the two a bit absentmindedly, thinking of a way to somehow speed up the process. "Do you think the request to the eyes "where are all the clues to the ritual that opens the door?" will work? If so, I am even willing to leave the Etherial to ask that question".  Finally noticing Toc's pantomime she paused to look around and then curiously (and probably recklessly too) dared to float into the room. To the miniature tower even, if nothing bad happens upon entering.

Mirica muses...mentally out loud to the ethereal bunch, regarding the question.  When she looks up from her musing, Mirica finds Nuzej has already 'recklessly' floated into the room to get a closer look at the tower. Quick behind him, she floats forward.  Nothing untoward seems to occur as the ethereal people enter the room. Mirica also notices the flicker specks of magic on the tiny tower. It's almost as if the tower extends a bit into the ethereal.

For those not in etheral....
"Wooo".... Simaal's eyes sparkle with delight on seeing the tiny tower.... "That would be so amazing.... I'll keep the story short, but basically there was this princess in a tower in some long forgotten land, protected by a dragon. Many sought the princess which as far as I can tell was a few hundred years old, since you know, math, but in any case many have fought and died to the dragon. Nonetheless this band of heroes sought to put an end to her long curse in the tower, so they fought and mostly died until one, a powerful warrior who was not known for brilliance finally slew the dragon. Bloodied and battered, and barely alive he crawled to the tower surrounded by the dragon's treasure.

He knocked for far too long even though the princess saw everything and apparently was mesmerized she forgot to go down the very tall tower. Also being a princess she certainly could not hurry down the stairs, it would be unbecoming of course.

So finally she makes it down to the front, the powerful warrior trying to bandage himself with his one good arm, his other still stuck in his towering ivory shield. "cpme ti rescje ywe" he says through a broken jaw to the lovely princess. The princess seemed to not understand for some time and kept guessing... an hour later she says "oh rescue, that's most wonderful kind sir" she says to the somewhat not fully bandaged warrior who at least has bandaged his jaw in place in the meantime. "Wait here, oh... look the bridge has burned away. oh bother" She seems to think "oh there's another way though, let me get my servants to bring down my belongings and we can go." Minutes pass as she yells inside the doorway of the tower. Oh bother, I forgot they died... SIGH DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF!" The warrior looks on with his one good eye, even though it was bloodshot, at least it was still in his skull, unlike his other eye.

"OGH, I CAN TOTALLY NOT DEAL WITH THIS RIGHT NOW, I HAD SUCH A TERRIBLE DAY!" she says... and seems to think... and then she taps the tower and it starts to shrink, smaller and smaller until it lays on the ground merely three apples tall which she puts in her pocket.

She rolls her eyes "Can you at least walk? she asks the warrior as he finishes up the last of his blood soaked bandages. Since he doesn't respond quite quick enough she asks again "CAN YOU WALK?" He rolls his one good eye and stands up using his spear as a cane.

Sometime later she takes him through a small passage that goes on for what felt like miles, though it certainly wasn't until it comes out through some brush and into the mountain side, leading to a valley and safety. "HAHA YES I KNEW i REMEMBERED THE WAY!" she yells happily. He gives her a long look and while he was not the smartest warrior he understood enough and had the strength to finish her. He took the tower from her corpse, looked at it and smashed it under his metal boots."

Simaal seems to think for a bit... "Well it's probably not thaaaat tower... but maybe it's like it. Also I'm thinking it would be nice for guardian to be here instead. We'll fight them in the hallway as opposed to in the room though... we can just grab the tower and odds are they will come? Do you agree?" If he agrees, Simaal will reach out with his hand dramatically and pull... (It's just an invisible mage hand). "Also if it starts shrinking we'll need to run for it, maybe doors will lead outside, or another plane, who knows...."

Of course, Nuzej was there. The right wording of the question took all her concentration and she missed the quiet wizard's approach. But one way or another, they were there while the tower was both there and here. Or was it Mirica's imagination?

While Simaal explained something to Toc, she looked at the strange statue from top to bottom (even sniffing carefully) and tried to look into the doors or windows. Then, just to be sure the tower was material in the Etherial plane, Mirica picked the crossbow bolt and touched the top of the tower with it.

Nuzej tries to understand what spells or magical effect might be operating here. Arcana: 30

"My brother and I have agreed that one Leonin on each side of this ethereal veil is the way forward. I will join Toc and Simaal shortly. Please tell me whatever messages or questions you'd like me to relay to them."

Thyrius will listen to the messages he is to relay.

A minute later, when it comes time go back to the Material Plane, Thyrius will find a suitable shadow within the room and attempt to position himself in such a way that once he regains his physicality, he is already hidden.

-> Thyrius' stealth check: 21

M: 3 N: 6 1 is a hit. 

Mirica pulls out a crossbow bolt, and tries to poke the statue, but the crossbow bolt tip goes through the tiny tower as if it weren't there. 

Nuzej looks about at the whole scene, his mind ticking through magical theory knowledge efficiently.  Well, the floating hands are certainly similiar to those created by Bigby's Hand spell. Though, that spell requires a caster to focus and direct it. That these appear to be permanently here...would indicate that they are either gifted with limited sentience or somehow programmed to follow specific orders. Either way, it's a fascinating way to extend potential magical effects. Unfortunately, the tiny tower can be simply too many potential things, it's impossible for him to guess it's purpose. An identify spell would do the trick though. However that would require him to touch it, and unless a living creature can touch it on the ethereal, where an inanimate object can not, as demonstrated by Mirica's poking experiment....

Toc patiently waits for Simaal to finish his long winded story. He frowns slightly, "A terrible story, and one whose message I must admit, I do not immediately understand. Except for a broadly negative message about not helping others. I must admit, I find little of value, unless one is partial to darkly ironic humor."  He watches as Simaal reaches out mentally.  Toc says, "Oh, Mirica and Nuzej are right there, careful...oh...lucky...you missed them.  Or maybe it doesn't matter." 

For Mirica and Nuzej who are examining the statue, suddenly a hazy normal sized hand appears and grasps the statue and yanks it towards the stairway. It narrows misses being dragged through the ethereal forms of Nuzej and Mirica and floats over towards Simaal.  

The big magical hands react quickly. They all lunge outwards attempting to grasp the statue.   (Simaal, make six Dex saves vs DC 17.) 

"Ah well the story did have two meanings actual....whooaaaa that waked... them... up...." uhm.... yeah.... DC 17... rightio....
22 20 5 11 11 6
With an excellent chance of failing to evade and also not wanting to get pummeled, the tower changes direction to the side so it's no longer coming to us at the stair case.... Simaal's shield and javelin are at the ready.

"Less of a request, more like the idea. Could you tell Toc that question?" She repeated the question about showing all locations at once. Then watched with a curiosity Simaal's experiment.

The first hand to the statue snatches at it, but Simaal's mystic hand sweeps out of the way. But not so lucky with the 2nd hand which grabs the statue. It pulls, and Simaal's hand evaporates as it's easily overpowered.  The large magical hand gently returns the statue to the pedestal.  Another hand near to the stairs folds into a fist, except for its index finger sticking up, and "faces" Toc and Simaal, and waggles its finger at them in a "nuh unh" motion.  Then the hands float back to their original positions against the wall. 

Simaal gives a slight bow... and kinda talks out of the side of his mouth towards Toc "Damn, they knew it was us, that was impressive... I could potentially figure out what it is, but it would take an hour. Which is considerably slower than the alternative but without all of us here.... Could we at least get the guardian to assist us in this venture?"

Mirica, Xemnez, Nuzej, and Russel are left in the groups dwindling ethereal presence, while Thyrius slips into a hidden spot back within the real world. He's found that one of the doorways that lead to a sudden drop off is the best and really only spot to hide in the room.  As his form slowly passes through the barrier between worlds, he arrives in silence. None of the floating magical hands seem to notice him.  However Simaal seems ultra alert and his head tilts and then he glances directly across the room, from the stairs he's standing down within, and makes eye contact with the Leonin brother. 

Thyrius can hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, until Toc's guardian reaches Simaal and Toc and takes up a position down 3 stairs from being officially within the room, though his upper body extends well into the rooms space. Toc mentally speaks to Thyrius, "I'm going to walk over and try to identify the statue. If the hands attack me, I'm going to fall back onto the stairs behind Simaal and the guardian. Let's see what happens!" 

With a bit of a grin, and eyes looking around with some concern at the unmoving hands, he moves up to the last stair before stepping into the room. Then he takes a step up and into the room proper. The hands all fly towards him with no hesitation. 

Roll Initiative!  :-)  

Toc : 8

Russel: 25

B1,2: 13, B3,4: 13, B5,6: 4

Toc taps his staff on the ground, and a spectral hand appears wrapped around the statue.  It then streaks across the fifteen feet to Toc, landing in his grasp with a smooth hand off. As soon as it touches Toc's hand, a shimmering doorway appears near the middle of the room floating just above the floor. The doorway is 8 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 5 feet away from the pedestal. The middle of it is a foggy grey and reveals nothing of what's on the other side.  

For Mirica, Xemnez, Nuzej, and Russel, in ethereal, the gateway appears, but....it seems to span domains, since it appears very much real looking on the ethereal plane as well. 

Toc turns and leaps down the stairway, past Simaal and the guardian. 

(If you go before 11, you may take an action.)

"Understood", Thyrius replies mentally.

-> Thyrius' initiative roll: 23 

At 12 Simaal prepares his javelin over his shield and braces himself for the onslaught. As soon as one is within melee range he lashes out with his javelin trying to poke its thumb out.
Attack: 14 Damage: 4 + 2....

-> Xemnez's Initiative: 18.

"Hmn... Thats concerning" Xemnez comments as he lowered stance and readied his axe in anticipation of some new guard stepping out from the multidimensional gateway. Though if nothing immediately comes out, then he would take it upon himself... to try and step through.

Mirica Initiative: 15

What do they even need that statue for? Mirica was about to ask (after all, they here could too write messages) when persistent "experiments" led to an inevitable attack. She wanted to join those on the floor but hesitated as Toc created some kind of dimensional door. Was it an invitation? Would they all end up outside once stepped through? The golden brother obviously had the same idea.

"Xemnez, don't! We don't know who made that door and what is on the other side. Let's wait outside. We can just leave through the wall." She moved outside the tower looking at the strange door through the window and keeping an eye on the exit, from where others were supposed to come.

With Toc already out of the room and Simaal holding his impetus, Thyrius finds it prudent to observe whether or not the enchanted disembodied hands will give chase. He is hoping they are bound to the room and only the room.

For now, he prepares a casting of four shards of forceful energy, which are all aimed at whichever target earns Simaal's attention. In the unlikely event this target falls before all four blasts are discharged, the remainders would curve into the path of the second closest enemy to Simaal.

Although not moving just yet, Thyrius also activates his enchanted footwrappings.

-> Bonus action: ActivateEnchanted footwrappings.

-> Action: Ready Eldritch Blast (I assume at least the first blast is at advantage, since Thyrius is hidden.)

• Attack: 14 Damage: 7
• Attack: 21 Damage: 9
• Attack: 25 Damage: 5
• Attack: 12 Damage: 1

Nuzej initiative: 23

(Nuzej, let me know what you'd like to do for your action, but since you're in ethereal, you can't intercede immediately, so I'll continue....)

Mirica hovers out one side of the tower away from the battle. Thyrius pulls crackling dark energy into his paws....waiting from hiding to unleash it. 

The hands move to attack....  Thryius lets loose his blasts of magic. The first three blasts strike one of the hands, the third blast shooting a hole right through the palm...but the hand of magical energy remains intact. 

The first hand, damaged by the blasts, is also the first to reach Simaal, and is stabbed by Simaal's javelin. The hand gets pricked, but doesn't stop coming.  

Russel watches, placidly, from ethereal, and shifts outside so he's next to Mirica. 

Simaal, the hand attempts to grab you.  Make an acrobatics or athletics check vs DC 25 or the hand grabs you. 

Likewise, two hands attempt to grab the automaton....DC 23 and DC 26.  The guardian attempts to pull away from them. 10 and 13. 

The two hands grab an arm of the automaton...and pull.  The thing tries to stop them, but the hands are as strong as a giant and drag the shield guardian up the stairs...to the nearest hole leading outside, flying outside themselves...being slowed by the struggling robot but too strong for it to resist.  Each hand squeezes down on the guardians arms as the pull it, and the sound of crinkling metal can be heard.  26 and  31 damage.  They drag the thing all the way out the hole in the tower wall, and let go. The robot drops.  46. 

Simaal and Toc are likewise accosted by the remaining hands that move very swiftly down the stairs to try and grab them...but the stairway is too narrow for more than 2 hands to get at them... One more hand can attempt to grab Simaal if the first hasn't already...otherwise it grabs at Toc: DC 27.