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Pressi (CAYZLE) - AC 27, HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d4=2 ;
Sunday December 9th, 2018 8:45:25 PM

Pressi calls out, "Do not attack the Dwarf Lady! She is now our ally! Do not kill her badger! Back off and let her grapple it!"

She uses a move action to command the dominated Dwarf: "Come down here, grapple your badger ally, and drag him to safety in that room over there!" Pressi indicates the room where Hobie was a little while ago, out of line of sight of the battle.

Then Pressi uses a standard action to cast a Spectral Hand spell. That inflicts 1d4 -- 2 -- hp damage on herself.

She communicates to Murphy through her telepathic link that she will cure him with a spectral hand touch next round. Plus, why is he going off ahead again!? Come back here with the creatures you picked up and drop them here so we can attack them please.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP106of109, AC26 
Sunday December 9th, 2018 8:59:19 PM

Following Pressi's guidance, Bliss takes a five ft step back and ends his rage. He activates his Shield of Faith (swift action) and changes into a halfling (standard action). He delays until the dwarf has grappled her pal and then takes out his staff-sling (move action).

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 30 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 54/96 (or 21/96)  2d6+12=19 ; 2d6+12=19 ; 2d6+12=21 ; 2d6=9 ; 2d6=10 ; 2d6=8 ; d20+10=17 ; d8=5 ; d8=4 ; d8=1 ; d8=8 ; d8=3 ; d20+29=40 ;
Monday December 10th, 2018 4:56:19 AM
"Ix is up here, leaning against the pink gem, trying to blind me," roars the wind in the halfling tongue.

Murphy's vortex shakes those within, then begins to shrink down, and after a moment the whirlwind begins spitting three dwarfs to the floor below.
D2 Ref DC21 or take 19 dam, then dropped at N12, 9 hp falling damage
D3 Ref DC21 or take 19 dam, dropped at O10, 10 hp falling damage
D5 Ref DC21 or take 21 dam, dropped at N10, 8 hp falling damage
It's possible that all three land prone - and are available for striking, if people so desire.

He then speeds away, sorely wounded. He casts cure critical wounds on himself, regaining 33 of the 75 hp damage he just took, leaving him down 42 from max.

If for some reason he cannot cast that spell upon himself when in whirlwind form, he drops out of whirlwind to cast it, back to air elemental - but will have to wait until next round to cast.

He gives mental assent to Pressi as she informs him of an imminent cure via mage hand, and messages her telepathically, "Ix is up there, playing a lute. I think he did something to lower the ceiling. It had been about 20' high when we saw this room through the mirror, and there was open space above the gem. Now the ceiling is dropped to 9' high."
========
Fort Save: 17/17
Perception: 40

Active Spell Effects: Freedom of Movement: 76 minutes 3 rounds; Longstrider: 9 hours 57 minutes 3 rounds (land movement +10); Mage Armor (+4 AC): 143 minutes 3 rounds: Barkskin: 76 minutes 9 rounds (Nat AC +4); Call Lightning: 2 rounds (6 lightning bolts left - well, 2)

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD28 - HP 106/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d20=5 ; d20=6 ; d20=12 ; d20=16 ;
Monday December 10th, 2018 5:36:58 AM
OOC please ignore all but the 1st d20 roll, mouse button got stuck

Upon hearing Pressi's words, Succotash attempts to grapple Chompy.
5+17+1+1=24

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 46/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Monday December 10th, 2018 5:39:19 AM
fixed header

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 6/13)  d20+15=16 ; d4+1=2 ; d6=3 ; 4d6=16 ; d20+15=33 ; d4+1=2 ; d6=4 ; 4d6=15 ; d20+9=14 ; d4+1=5 ; d6=3 ; 4d6=16 ;
Monday December 10th, 2018 8:46:46 AM
Zaragosa, was invisible beforehand and now has haste, which put him in perfect position to make a five-foot step to D2 to flank, he will strike D2 with a full round attack

If I come out of invisibility to attack, are they flatfooted?

+1 for performance
attack 1:
16 to hit (natural 1) : damage 2 + (cold) 3 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 16 = 22

attack 2:
33 to hit: damage 2 + (cold) 4 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 15 = 22

attack 3:
14 to hit: damage 4 + (cold) 3 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 16 = 24


Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Monday December 10th, 2018 12:40:45 PM
Kezzem backs away and cast Shield Other on Pressi (standard action))

He then activates his Detect Evil against the nearest Dwarf (currently D3) or the Badger as applicable (move action)

Spells in Effect:
Haste
Shield Other (Hobbie, Pressi)

Abilities:
Lay on Hands 7/day (4 used)
Smite Evil 4/day (1 used)

Spells Prepared:
1st Level: Lesser Restoration x3
2nd Level: Shield Other x2 (2 cast)
3rd Level: Cure Moderate Wounds x2 (2 cast)


Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Monday December 10th, 2018 12:42:09 PM
Tali, is just a bit disappointed he was hit, and will fly (having casted overland flight) from N25 to the ceiling of N25 stretching spread eagle flat against the wall (ceiling) while moving to N17 trying to avoid any attacks of opportunity the enemies might be looking to take advantage off.

The next round Tali will cast a spell.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Monday December 10th, 2018 4:03:33 PM
Hobie casts Fly on himself and still invisible, flies 60 feet into the room with his friends.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Monday December 10th, 2018 6:22:15 PM
Hobbie, you'll need to stay within 50 feet of Kezzem if you want to benefit from Shield Other. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Kezzem can get up there easily.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP106of109, AC26 
Monday December 10th, 2018 10:27:05 PM
Bliss and Pressi look around and wonder if this iron golem would make a good witch cauldron.

[OOC: Going to bed, making a post for the day.]

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 12:30:51 AM
Kezzem: Hobie in a different room from Kezzem but with that move he is now right next to Kezzem

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 30 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 54/96 (or 21/96)  3d6=5 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 2:10:10 AM

Note: If Murphy cannot, this round, cast CSW on self in whirlwind form, nor drop out of whirlwind to do so, he will instead discharge a 5' diameter 30' tall (29' plus electrical splash?) lightning column to strike D5 and D3 for... a measly 5 hp of electrical damage, or Ref save for half damage.

If not able to cast it... then, please disregard.

DM Carl  d20+7=21 ; d20+10=11 ; d20+5=7 ; d20+14=32 ; 2d4+12=16 ; d20+13=24 ; d20+8=13 ; d10+2=9 ; d20+14=33 ; d20+14=15 ; 2d4+10=16 ; d20+10=28 ; d10+2=10 ; d20+18=21 ; d20+18=30 ; d10+7=13 ; d20+18=27 ; d20+18=21 ; d20+18=29 ; d10+7=13 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 11:00:43 AM
Pressi asks her companions to not attack the dwarf lady, then commands her to come down and stop Chompy. Dwarf lady fights hard against the command, and almost doesn't succeed, but Ix's song puts her over the top and she shakes off the enchantment (will save 24 - success). Whhooooooo boy is she angry at Pressi.

"Right. Lads, that one's mine. Git yourselves outta that blasted whirlwind and kill the rest'ofem."

Pressi casts a spectral hand spell with intentions to heal Murphy next round.

Bliss calms down and steps back. He casts a spell and prepares to attack again next round.

OOC: Gerry is Pressi's lesser summons. I'll have him (her?) attack Chompy this round. Info is on Pressi's sheet for next round.

Gerry clumsily attempts to attack Chompy, but the attempts are very lacking (Hit AC 11 and 7).

Murphy shakes up the dwarves he picked up last round. (They don't get reflex saves for half damage if they're tumbling helplessly in your vortex.) He then drops them, where they land prone and banged up. He spirits himself away and heals some of the damage he took. (Whirlwind says you can't make standard attacks, but says nothing about other actions. Plus, you have wild shape. Plus, you speak auran. I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to cast spells as a whirlwind.)

Succotash follows Pressi's suggestion to grapple Chompy, but that's one strong badger. The attempt gets him an AoO, and Chompy...well, chomps, hitting AC 32 for 16 damage.

Talia gets out of harms way, then starts summoning some help. As she passes the pink gem in the middle of the room, she feels waves of arcane energy. When she's finished casting her summon monster spell, she finds the casting did not remove it from her prepared spell list!

OOC: Summon monster takes a full round to cast, meaning your summon arrives at the beginning of the next round and can act immediately. Since you're invisible, you can escape the guardians w/o any danger. I recommend you get in the habit of noting any effects you have currently active in your posts; I wouldn't have had them attack you if I'd known you were invisible (of course, there's a good chance Murphy would have been killed since he was the only other viable target!). Oh, and you pick the monster you summon. There are no dice to roll. Qualifying monsters are in the spell description.

Zaragosa moves to attack the newly delivered dwarves. He stabs D2 once, getting a particularly nasty strike in. D2's looking rough.

Kezzem protects Pressi, then checks for evil. D3 is indeed evil. (You can only check one object or individual per turn, but you know animals, even dire ones, are very rarely evil.)

Hobie books it double-speed back to his friends.

Kade finds softer targets in the dwarves who've fallen and opens fire on D2, hitting once. D2 tries to stand, but swoons and collapses unconscious.

Chompy continues her single-minded assault on Succotash, hitting AC 33 for 16 damage.

D5 stands and swings at Kade, drawing AoO from Kade and Pressi. He misses, barely, and Kade clocks him with the butt of his crossbow, hitting AC 28 for 10 damage. D5's also looking rough.

D3 also stands, drawing AoO from Bliss and Pressi. He swings at Bliss, hitting AC 30 for 13 damage.

From across the room, Talia can see both guardians stand tall and look for threats.

D4, D6, and D1 all jump down, the levitation field slowing their falls. D6 draws an AoO from Zaragosa. D4 draws an AoO from Zaragosa and Succotash. D1 draws an AoO from Pressi.

She turns her back to Kade, glaring at him before she turns to Pressi. "I'll deal with you in a moment, traitor. This one invaded my mind. She dies first." Dwarf lady rears back and makes a powerful strike. It's obvious she's exceptionally well-trained. The attack almost breaks through Pressi's defenses, but Kezzem's Shield Other spell saves her.

D6 takes a swing at Zaragosa, but fails to connect.

D4 takes a swing at Bliss, hitting AC 29 for 13 damage.

Ix's song can be heard growing louder as he approaches the edge of the hole. His stupid little head peaks over the edge, smiling at Kezzem. He casts a spell towards the door Hobie just came out of.

Pressi, Hobie, Kezzem, and Bliss (and maybe Gerry?) must make a DC19 will save or be confused.

Anyone who's confused, roll a D100 each round and act appropriately:

01-25 Acts normally
26-50 Does nothing but babble incoherently
51-75 Deals 1d8 points of damage + Str modifier to self with item in hand
76-100 Attacks nearest creature (for this purpose, a familiar counts as part of the subject’s self)

Map

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19  d3=3 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 12:25:34 PM
At the start of the next round, Tali -- hasted and invisible -- will have summoned a Bralani Azata to fight for her against IX and the other enemies on this level. As she has a discovered the effect of the pink gem on her known spells, she will cast the Summon Monster V again, but this time, will summon (1d3) worth of Archon Hounds, who will arrive the start of the next round!

Active Spell Effects:

Overlight flight (Spell -- self cast -- prior to combat) -- lasts 11 hours
Invisibility (from wand -- cast on anyone that wanted in -- started with 44 charges -- spell lasts for 3 minutes?)
Haste (casts haste using the power of the gem for that 3rd level slot, affecting all in the party, including Kade, except for Hobie (no line of sight, two rooms away). Each person adds 30 to any type of movement (max double normal speed), +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves. When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with one natural or manufactured weapon. The attack is made using the creature’s full base attack bonus, plus any modifiers appropriate to the situation.) cast 2 round ago.


The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13)  d20+15=27 ; d4+1=2 ; d6=1 ; 4d6=18 ; d20+15=19 ; d4+1=3 ; d6=6 ; 4d6=23 ; d20+15=32 ; d4+1=5 ; d6=5 ; 4d6=20 ; d20=14 ; d4+1=2 ; d6=3 ; 4d6=18 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 1:32:06 PM
Hasted

Zaragosa will continue his performance, though his voice shows sign of wearing out.

If I am reading the post correctly, I get a chance to do an Attack of Opportunity for either Dwarf 6 or 4 (I'll choose 4). If I am reading the map correctly, I have flanking with Bliss against dwarf 4

All on target Dwarf 4, AoO then a full round attack

AoO:
27 to hit : damage 2 + (cold) 1 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 18 = 22

Attack 1:
19 to hit : damage 3 + (cold) 6 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 23 = 33

Attack 2:
32 to hit : damage 5 + (cold) 5 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 20 = 31

Attack 3: (forgot to add +9 to the d20 roll. This is the last d20 roll on the chart above
23 to hit : damage 2 + (cold) 3 + preformance 1 + (sneak attack) 18 = 24


Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 30 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96  2d6+14=21 ; 2d6+14=21 ; 2d6+14=19 ; 2d6+14=20 ; 2d6+14=21 ; 2d6+14=20 ; 2d6=11 ; 2d6=4 ; 2d6=6 ; 2d6=9 ; 2d6=5 ; 2d6=8 ; d8=8 ; d8=5 ; d8=5 ; d8=6 ; d20+29=36 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 2:53:00 PM
Murphy flies hugging the ceiling (which he was doing at the end of the last round, having done so to fly over allies), a 10' vortex with the bottom 10' above the floor, forward 25' (, then expands the height of the vortex downward to 20' height, moves over to contact D3, D4, D5 and D6. He then raised up 9', coming in contact with Ix and G2. He shrinks to 10' (am counting 10' move for raising and lowering overall height of vortex), and drops anybody who has been caught up in the vortex down to the platform below. He flies back to his starting place. Total move 95' (60'+ fleet 5' + haste 30')

As before, each person who comes into contact with whirlwind needs to make a Reflex DC21 save or take 2d6+14 (have added in extra damage from Zaragosa's exceptional inspire courage - do not know whether that would add to Reflex save DC opponents need to make - likely not, but if so, DC24). If first save fails, then second such save or be sucked up into the vortex.
Damage: 21; 21; 19; 20; 21; 20
Falling damage (may be mitigated if levitation active) from ~20 height: 11; 4; 6; 9; 5; 8

He then flies back along the ceiling to his starting point. He casts CCW again from the pink gem he carries, regaining 35 hp (back to 89/96).

Murphy loves the power of the gems, and wonders about the huge one on the floor above.
==============
Perception: 36 (in particular, for a quick glance on the upper floor)

Active Spell Effects: Freedom of Movement: 76 minutes 2 rounds; Longstrider: 9 hours 57 minutes 2 rounds (land movement +10); Mage Armor (+4 AC): 143 minutes 2 rounds: Barkskin: 76 minutes 8 rounds (Nat AC +4); Call Lightning: 1 round (6 lightning bolts left - well, 1)

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 30 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 2:53:48 PM
Oh, and those who take falling damage are likely to land prone.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6   d20+9=12 ; d100=86 ; d20+18=27 ; d20+18=34 ; d20+18=31 ; d20+13=29 ; d6+18=23 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ; d6+18=19 ; d6=3 ; d6=5 ; d6+18=19 ; d6=5 ; d6=1 ; d6+18=19 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ; d6+18=22 ; d6=2 ; d6=2 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 3:50:44 PM
Hobie is confused, and he rolled the worst of the four options. I'm not sure what that cyan G is but if it's a creature, then the GM can decide whether it or Kezzem is the unfortunate victim of the invisible archer.

I'm going to roll a full attack, because honestly Hobie's nature is to fire as many arrows as he can as quickly as he can. (Or if you are feeling lenient and want to rule that he only fires one arrow, that would sure be helpful)

Manyshot
Attack = 27 vs flat footed, as Hobie was invisible. (Or 29 if you rule that he takes only the one shot)
Piercing 23, Fire 4, Electric 2 = 27
Piercing 19, Fire 3, Electric 5 = 27

Rapid shot
Attack = 34
Piercing 19, Fire 5, Electric 1= 25

Haste
Attack = 31
Piercing 19, Fire 4, Electric 2 = 25

Iterative
Attack = 29
Piercing 22, Fire 2, Electric 2 = 26

===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 4/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Remaining 50/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Haste (+1 AC, +1 Attack, +20 feet movement)

Shield Spell +4 Shield Bonus (only +3 above buckler)

===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Mirror Image

Level 3
Haste, Slow

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 37/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d20=7 ; d10=9 ; d6=1 ; d6=1 ; d6=4 ; d6=3 ; d6=6 ; d6=1 ; d6=1 ; d6=5 ; d6=5 ; d20=9 ; d20=7 ; d20=8 ; d20=12 ; d10=3 ; d10=7 ; d10=7 ; d10=8 ; d6=2 ; d6=4 ; d6=4 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ; d6=5 ; d6=2 ; d6=2 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 5:41:13 PM
Lay of Hands 2/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 9/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 0/1

Succotash sees d4 out of the corner of his eye, and tries to hit him with a back swing (AoO)
7+22+3+1=33 for 9+13+3=25 slashing and 2 holy damage

After that, he preforms a Lay of Hands on himself healing 23 hp, he will then unload a full round attack on Chompy. if Chompy drops before he runs out of attacks, he will hit d4 with the remainder, unless he is also down, in which case, he will 5ft step and attack d6, he will bw using power attack for all his attacks

9+22+3+1-3=32 for 3+13+9+3=28 damage +6 holy
7+22+3+1-3=30 for 7+13+9+3=32 damage +8 holy
8+17+3+1-3=26 for 7+13+9+3=32 damage +7 holy
12+12+3+1-3=25 for 8+13+9+3=33 damage +4 holy

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1(+5), touch AC 17; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears  d20+15=31 ; d20+24=26 ; d20+24=41 ; d20+24=33 ; d20+19=28 ; d20+19=33 ; d20+14=26 ; d20+14=23 ; d3+13=16 ; d6=2 ; d3+13=15 ; d6=2 ; d3+13=16 ; d6=4 ; d3+13=16 ; d6=2 ; d3+2=4 ; d3+12=15 ; d3+12=13 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 7:10:35 PM
SV Will: 1d20 + 15 = 31. Kezzem is not confused. For once.

Kezzem 5 ft. steps towards the Dwarf Lady (D1?) and activates Smite Evil on her (swift action).

OOC: Assuming she is Evil, but not secretly Undead, Fiendish, and Draconic. Adjust the following numbers below as needed if she is not.

"Well, I gave you a chance to take your badger and go home and you wouldn't listen, and instead decided to attack my buddy Pressi, so it's smiting time!"

He then unloads on her with a full attack from his daggers (modifiers from greater two-weapon fighting [-2], haste [+1], and smite evil [+5] all included).

Attack #1: +1 Frost Returning Dagger
Attack: 1d20 + 24 = 26.
Damage: 1d3 + 13 + 1d6 cold = 16 + 2 = 18.

Attack #2: +1 Frost Returning Dagger (Haste)
Attack: 1d20 + 24 = 41.
Damage: 1d3 + 13 + 1d6 cold = 15 + 2 = 17.

Attack #3: +1 Returning Dagger (Off-Hand)
Attack: 1d20 + 24 = 33.
Damage: 1d3 + 12 = 14 (note that I had wrong modifier in die roll).

Attack #4: +1 Frost Returning Dagger
Attack: 1d20 + 19 = 28.
Damage: 1d3 + 13 + 1d6 cold = 16 + 4 = 20.

Attack #5: +1 Returning Dagger (Off-Hand)
Attack: 1d20 + 19 = 33.
Damage: 1d3 + 12 = 15.

Attack #6: +1 Frost Returning Dagger
Attack: 1d20 + 14 = 26.
Damage: 1d3 + 13 + 1d6 cold = 16 + 2 = 18.

Attack #7: +1 Returning Dagger (Off-Hand)
Attack: 1d20 + 14 = 23.
Damage: 1d3 + 12 = 13.

If D1 goes down before Kezzem is out of attacks, he will use his remaining attacks to throw daggers at D3. Note smite evil will not apply (modify each hit -5 attack, -11 damage; if he makes more than two attacks this way, the remaining attacks will be with regular, non-magical daggers (-1 attack, -1 damage, no cold damage in addition to no smite evil bonuses).

----

Spells & Effects:
Haste
Shield Other (Hobbie, Pressi)
Smite Evil (D1)

Abilities:
Lay on Hands 7/day (4 used)
Smite Evil 4/day (2 used)

Spells Prepared:
1st Level: Lesser Restoration x3
2nd Level: Shield Other x2 (2 cast)
3rd Level: Cure Moderate Wounds x2 (2 cast)



Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 7:11:29 PM
Corrected AC.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP80of109, AC26  d20+8=25 ; d20+16=28 ; d20+16=27 ; d20+11=20 ; d6+8=12 ; d6+8=10 ; d6+8=10 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 8:31:24 PM

Bliss takes 26 damage from 2 blows and makes a will save ... a 25! Bliss suffers no confusion!

The little halfling makes a full attack on D4 with his fatigue, arcane strike, haste, flanking, and performance. That's three attacks, two at +16, one at +11, for 1d6+8, He hits ...

AC28 for 12
AC27 for 12
AC20 for 10

Pressi (CAYZLE) - AC 27, HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d20+17=18 ;
Tuesday December 11th, 2018 9:03:56 PM

Pressi notes that Murphy is only down 7 hp, and she appreciates that her love is okay for now.

But there's this angry dwarf lady right in front of her!

She takes a five ft step back, casts her witchy Calcific Touch spell, and tries to touch the angry dwarf woman with a touch attack: Pressi hits Touch AC18 - a natural one, misses.

Gerry keeps on fighting.

DM Carl  d20+5=17 ; d20+5=11 ; d20+5=19 ; d20+5=17 ; d20+5=25 ; d20+5=25 ; d20+5=23 ; d20+5=22 ; d20+10=23 ; d20+10=26 ; d20+3=5 ; d20+3=15 ; d20+11=16 ; d20+6=17 ; d20+16=28 ; d20+20=31 ; d20+15=17 ; d20+10=26 ; d8+20=27 ; d8+20=23 ; d20+11=22 ; d20+16=17 ; d10+7=12 ; d20+14=28 ; d10+2=3 ; d20+11=23 ; d20+16=25 ; d20+19=32 ; d10+7=12 ;
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 2:53:49 PM
Talia keeps pumping out monsters like there's no tomorrow. This spell casting *does* use up the slot.

OOC: You control them. Feel free to have them perform this round and next round's actions in your next post.

Zaragosa needs a glass of water, but keeps it up. He uses all available distractions to puncture D4 twice. It's a super-effective tactic. D4's bleeding bad.

Succotash rears back and slashes D4 to within an inch of his life. He heals himself up, then presses his attack on Chompy. He strikes the badger 4 times, though each is blunted somewhat by Chompy's armor. Three attacks are all it take to deliver a fatal blow, but Chompy's too angry to know that and keeps fighting (ferocity). One last attack, and Chompy's down for good.

Poor Chompy...

Murphy goes flying through the bad guys, trying to scoop them up (or at least bash'em around a bit). D3, D4, and G2 are hit by the full effect AND picked up. The rest made both saves and stay put. As he gets to the end of his route, Murphy spits all three combatants out. Both dwarves land in a heap and groan. They look up just in time to see the guardian construct come hurtling towards them. They scream briefly before the metal machine crushes the life from both of them. Like most of Murphy's kills, it's reeaalllll bloody.

Hobie finally recognizes that their true threat is Kezzem. He nocks two arrows and sends them at the paladin. Both plink off his armor. (Used your first attack & 27 is a miss).

Kezzem has run out of chances to give, and smites that dwarf lady.

Bliss finds his target's been snatched up by Murphy. He can take a step forward and attack D5, shredding the dude.

Pressi notes Murphy is mostly healed back up, then tries to start petrifying dwarf lady. A sudden hand cramp causes her arm to spasm, messing up the attack.

Gerry's greatest foe today is the dice roller, and he's losing.

Kade finds himself sandwiched between a guardian and dwarf lady. He gulps hard, grabs an axe from his belt, and attacks the lady. It's a great attack, but lady is heavily armored.

Things are not going well for our enemies today. Their pet is dead, their numbers have been halved, and their leader is looking super rough. BUT, dwarf lady made a promise to kill Pressi, and by jove that's what she's gonna do. Two strikes cut through Pressi's defenses, hitting AC 32 and 27 for 27 and 23 damage, respectively. Some of that goes to Kezzem, but you guys can work that out.

D6 sees the writing on the wall, but he keeps glancing fearfully at D1. He gulps, turns to Zaragosa, and attacks. He hits once, hitting AC 32 for 12 damage.

G2 stands, drawing an AoO from Kade and Gerry. Kade connects, but it's a glancing blow that does zero actual damage. Gerry's attempts to best the dice roller continue to fail. G2 attacks Murphy once with it's bladed hand, but Murphy's natural armor is too much to cut through.

Ix draws a beautiful, ornate crossbow from its place on his belt, takes careful aim, and sends a bolt straight through dwarf lady's brain stem. She doesn't even have time to act surprised before she's down. (Hit AC 32 for 12 damage.)

He then removes a small box from his pocket and fiddles with it. G2 stands down.

"Whew! Sorry about that, folks! Had to keep up appearances until Minh there was out of the picture. Dumb as a bag of hammers, but if she'd wanted me dead, well...I'd be dead." He steps into the levitation field and starts floating down, shrugging as he descends. "If you guys want to keep Hobie from hurting himself, I can stop that confusion spell too," he adds as he starts rifling through his belt pouches. "Gonna need you to finish off that one, though," he says while pointing to D6. "...and you sure you won't finish off Kade? It'd be a big help."

D6 immediately drops his weapon and backs up, face terrified and hands in the air.

Map! - Note I updated the upper level to show where walls/doors were. It's not a fully open space.

Whether or not we're in combat rounds at this point is up to you folks.

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 30 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96  d6=5 ; d6=2 ; d6=4 ;
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 5:13:25 PM

Murphy drops, in the last possible round he could do so, a lightning bolt (from earlier cast call lightning) a few feet in front of D6 (at L10) for 11 hp electrical damage, just avoiding striking him. "Yes, let Hobie's confusion end. Just make sure you are quickly out of his line of sight. He's fast with that bow. Maybe stand behind a construct."

"Kade is under our protection, Ix, so, no can do. Here's the deal. You take him down, and any deals we make with you go down. Your plan is to take over the ... gargantua, no? It's therefore in your best interests to let him be. We are competent at killing, but like to find other means where possible. Let this one go, the fellow with his hands raised. We seldom destroy those who have surrendered. Make certain that the defender in the right thigh leaves him alone, and let him exit the heel." To dwarf six, he says, "Go, dwarf. Leave. Head back north. If we find you anywhere in Crescent Valley, including Humble's Ford, it will not go well for you. Best keep your mouth shut."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 5:26:16 PM
[Shoot. I thought I had already changed Murphy's header to show AC 28, so have not been paying attention to it. Fixed now. Sincere apologies.]

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 37/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 5:27:09 PM
“Killing an unarmed person won’t happen!”, Succotash says to Ix, then turning to the remaining dwarf he says, “if you’re smart you’ll follow Kade’s lead and help us, if you do that, we will put you under our protection”.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears  d20+15=18 ;
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 6:57:31 PM
"Hey!" says Kezzem. "I'm smitin' here! I'm smitin' here!" He is very suspicious of this dwarf who seems to change sides as often as Murphey changes shape.

Sense Motive: 18.

He will also pop a Detect Evil on Iz if he can get him in range.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 40/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13) 
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 8:05:41 PM
Zaragosa stops his speech and points his frozen sword at the unarmed Dwarf. "Wise move, as you can see, you are no match for the Humble Sword"

Pressi (CAYZLE) - AC 27, HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 9:51:23 PM

Pressi says ouch when she is hit by the angry dwarf lady. Then she says wow when the fight is suddenly over.

"So you are using us," she says to Ix, "to kill your enemies and leave you in possession of the iron giant?"

"Well, first remove the confusion then."

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP80of109, AC26 
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 9:53:02 PM
Bliss looks around to figure out why the fighting has stopped.

He listens to the negotiations.

"What would a real hero do?" he asks. "Would a hero let this Ix fellow go on his merry way?"

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19  d20+20=29 ; d20+20=22 ; d20+5=25 ; d20+25=43 ;
Wednesday December 12th, 2018 11:55:13 PM
Out of thin air, materializes a Bralani Azata, Silver-white hair the color of a lightning strike whips about this poised elf-like archer, his eyes swirling with vibrant colors standing in position O25 with scimitar drawn poised to strike and a composite longbow stretched across its back. Using truespeech, the Bralani listens to Talia when Tali asks the Bralani to delay his action against [1].

Behind the Bralani, ten feet or so back towards Talia, begin to form large humanoid looking beings with canine heads-- wielding greatswords -- roughly in positions L23, N23, and O23.

Tali flys to investigate the Gem [position MNO21] while her summoned creatures stand guard on that level. Using all of her acquired skills -- knowledge with Arcana, spellcraft, Use magical device and her perception, Tali will attempt to ascertain what the gem is and how to use it, move it, etc.

Spells in Effect

Summoned Monsters are summoned for 11 rounds,
Talia is invisible, and hasted

Skill Checks

Knowledge (Arcana) = 29
Perception = 22
Spellcraft = 25 (NAT 20)
Use Magic Device = 43

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 59/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d8=3 ; d100=91 ; d8=1 ; d8=2 ; d8=6 ;
Thursday December 13th, 2018 5:34:20 AM
Lay of Hands 2/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 9/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 0/1

Succotash pulls the cork on one of the 3 potions of CSW taken from Shane in the previous battle and drinks it, healing 22 hp.

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 1:55:12 PM

Murphy communicates telepathically to Pressi, "Please, please, tell Hobie not to try to fill Ix full of arrows, at least at this time. Okay, don't say 'at this time' out loud to him."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6   d100=49 ;
Thursday December 13th, 2018 2:07:30 PM
While his party begins to talk to Ix, Hobie simply babbles incoherently.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19  d20+20=22 ; d20+20=29 ; d20+5=16 ; d20+25=34 ;
Thursday December 13th, 2018 3:58:47 PM
As the next set of summon creatures begin to materialize, Talia asks both groups to move to the edge of the circle at M24 & N24 and peer over the edge to see the enemy below, but to hold unless attacked.

Meanwhile, Tali is going to investigate more of the gem at position M21 & N21 just like last round.

Spells in Effect

Summoned Monsters are summoned for 11 rounds,
Talia is invisible, and hasted

Skill Checks

Knowledge (Arcana) = 22
Perception = 29
Spellcraft = 16
Use Magic Device = 34



DM Carl 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 4:21:25 PM
Murphy sends a warning shot at D6, spooking the poor dwarf even more. He refuses to kill Kade, again, and instructs Ix to let D6 wander out and escape uninjured. Zaragosa points his sword at the dwarf, who needs no further inspiration. He runs to the ladder leading down, jumps off the railing below, and disappears from sight. He ignores Succotash's suggestion to stay and fight. He's obviously had enough of this misadventure.

Ix sighs, then finds what he was looking for in his pouches: a scroll. "Just a dispel magic spell. No funny business..." he begins casting.

Spellcraft, DC 18, Highlight to display spoiler: {Yup, that's dispel magic all right.}

Hobie feels the fog in his head lift as Ix finishes casting. "There! All better. Sorry again, friend!"

Kezzem detects evil in this gnome who keeps changing sides. Yup, dude's evil!

Pressi is unimpressed with the attacks that took half her health in one round. She tries to confirm Ix's goals in all this.

"Leave me in possession of this nightmare? Heavens no. I know we don't know each other too well, dear, but surely you realize brute force and straight-forwardness is not my modus operandi. I want Anur to abandon this foolishness. When I saw the 8 of you sneak on board, I figured you'd probably get yourselves killed, but here you are! All of dad's lieutenants are dead. All that's left is to go face him and get him to surrender. Once he's done that, we can head home and put this whole ordeal behind us. I'm happy, your town is safe, it's a win win." Ix looks super pleased with himself.

Bliss isn't convinced that ANY of this is ok. Are they just going to let Ix go after what he's done here?

Kade stays quiet, but never takes his eyes off Ix. He goes to stand next to Bliss and Kezzem.

Meanwhile, Talia stands ready in case this whole ordeal goes south. She goes and investigates the gem, feeling the arcane energy flow off it. When she stands within 5' of it, she feels that she's able to power her spells directly from it!

OOC: Standing within 5' of the gem allows one to cast any arcane spell without using a slot. For those who prepare spells, the spell must have been prepared that day; can't just bust out your spellbook and start casting. Divine magic is not affected. Blood witches, you can use this if the spell you're trying to cast is in the wizard spell list. One full minute must pass between castings using this power.

Speaking of minutes, 40 have past. Almost at the half-way mark!

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 5:10:20 PM

"What's in the side rooms on the gem floor above us?" Murphy asks. "That gem must provide this machine with a ton of magic."

"And, Hobie, ask Pressi before you start thinking about shooting Ix again."

Telepathic communication:
"Pressi, I'm thinking surrender, if Anur acquiesces, includes abandoning this machine. Anur doesn't just get to turn around and march back north to carry out his plans to release a crateful of imprisoned gods or powers who likely will be up to a lot of no good.

"Not sure that surrender is even something we should offer him. As a matter of fact, with someone as driven as he appears to be, perhaps a long-term trip to the lands of rest on his part will allow for a good deal more rest for the rest of us, and our people, who are still up and living. Cut off the head, stop the body."


The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13)  d8+1=5 ; d8+1=9 ;
Thursday December 13th, 2018 7:08:00 PM
"I dislike this whole thing." Zaragosa said, "but it will keep your town safe. Let us finish this thing." Zaragosa will use the Wand of CLW on himself twice then offer it to anyone else.

Pressi (CAYZLE) - AC 27, HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 8:43:08 PM

Pressi relays Murphy's thoughts and adds her own questions: "Mister Ix, why exactly should we let you keep this powerful artifact and just walk away? Maybe we can defeat you. Why shouldn't we try? How do we know you might not come back some day to attack our home?"



Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP80of109, AC26 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 8:45:17 PM

Bliss is not sure why we are even talking to this fellow. "Hey! This guy is a bad guy! Why are we even talking? Wowsy, what do our paladin's say?"

He looks at Succotash and Kezzem.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 9:16:50 PM
Talia discovering what the gem does likes this gem.

Taking a deep breath asks the Bralani and one Archon Hound to investigate the left room & the other two (2) Archon Hounds to investigate the right room. She then explains the are free to defend themselves if they are attacked upon investigating.

Spells in Effect

Summoned Monsters are summoned for 11 rounds; 9 rounds remaining.
Talia is invisible, and hasted

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Thursday December 13th, 2018 11:01:08 PM
"Yeah, I'm with Bliss on this one. Bad gnome is bad."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Friday December 14th, 2018 12:55:07 AM

A Murphy speech
Murphy interjects. "Friends, what is our primary objective here? To stop this iron gargantua from attacking our town. What is among Ix's objectives here? To stop this iron gargantua from attacking our town. And to prevent Anur Daron also from attacking the Fhorge with it. Has he been helping us toward our primary objective? Seems to me, he has been. Let us know if you disagree.

"Do we share a complete set of values with Ix? Does he with us? Not that I can see. But do we have a few areas of correspondence?

"I sometimes wonder whether we all in our group share a totally matched set of values among ourselves. There are things that some of you are willing to do that go against the way I was raised. I know you get frustrated with how I approach other people and situations. Some go for efficiency in taking down an enemy over looking for ways other than killing on sight before alternative, less bloody ways have been given a chance to cook. And you know, when it seems that force is the answer, I'm capable of using such, and shedding blood, perhaps too efficiently.

"However, is our standard to kill everyone in whom we detect evil? 'Ha - evil - kill on sight!' I don't think even our paladins are that extreme. Do you know that once Gargul was deemed by many - including by such as Alemi and Domi - as evil? Over time, Gargul changed. He repented. He has become the righteous Lord of Life and Death.

"You, Bliss, were a creature whose people tend strongly toward evil. But, to my eyes, you are now among the best people I know, with a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and a desire to do what is right. I see that in how you regard Ix, and think it perhaps not right, or heroic, to even consider working with him in any wise.

"Perhaps Ix, here, can consider aspects of his life, of ethics, and change his ways of thinking and behaving in those areas that need it.

"Please excuse me, Ix Revon, if I talk in your presence as though you were not here. Perhaps you find a measure of amusement, or bemusement, in this discussion we are having.

"You earlier said you would rather deal with us. How did you put it? 'I'd rather be beaten by you lot than Fhorge any day. Pretty sure you won't lock me up and torture me for the rest of my life.'

"Ix, some who have fought against us in the past, now work together with us. One is a trusted caretaker of our home and he loves to tend the gardens. We stopped him and his crew from burning down a barn and possessions of our townsfolk, and killing people. An ogre, a giant, a goblin are friends of our valley, who earlier had been cast as our opponents.

Air elemental Murphy pauses for a breath. "Sorry friends. I know I am long-winded. Ix, you are right - we like to talk a lot," he chuckles an airy chuckle.

Then, in a serious vein, he continues (to the possible dismay of some who would like him to stop talking), "How, Ix, can we keep down the bloodshed in dealing with those above us, and still force Anur Daron to see that he is defeated? I need to tell you - if he resists with force, he may die. And none who have come in force against us may retain ownership of this ancient artifact. Perhaps best it be disassembled.

"Might prison be an option, for a time? Perhaps so, perhaps not. But treat you as Fhorge would? We are not Fhorge.

"Look, you know that we could head up and try to kill everyone in our path. Honestly, I do not know what will be the fate of your adoptive father. Perhaps life, perhaps death. He seems monomaniacal enough to try to figure out other ways to free an imprisoned set of powers and gods of some sort or other. I doubt they would bring huge benefit to the Wold - someone like as not had good and valid reasons for halting whatever it was they were doing."

"All right. Everyone else's turn. I've used enough air. And, we draw closer to town."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 59/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Friday December 14th, 2018 5:39:12 AM
Succotash holds his holy symbol as if to gain inspiration from it then says, “Pantheon teaches his followers to practice fairness, and justice. Is it fair to kill Ix, probably not, is it justice? I don’t know. What I do know is he is guilty of forcing us to kill his own mother, and he is guilty of murdering dwarves who we allowed to surrender and depart, so justice must be served somehow. That said, I, as a Paladin, don’t think killing is always the answer, however, he does need to face justice for his crimes”.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 59/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Friday December 14th, 2018 5:45:35 AM
Succotash’s speech was in halfling, and he does ask Zaragosa for some healing from his wand.

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Friday December 14th, 2018 7:21:24 AM

"Well considered, friend," Murphy says to Succotash.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13) 
Friday December 14th, 2018 9:42:55 AM
(OOC have written down that I used this wand 8 times, however, I seemed to not have written down how many charges I have had. Who gave it to me and how many did it start with?)

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Friday December 14th, 2018 11:24:43 AM
It had 14 charges, so, 6 left. Murphy gave it to Jack.

BTW, Murphy answered Succotash in halfling, Murphy could use one spell from the wand, too.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Friday December 14th, 2018 3:55:47 PM
(OOC: Sorry for the delay, and I'm still a bit distracted, but I will do my best.)

Gerry prepares to hold Pressi backs before he blinks out of sight, but she appears fairly calm - at least enough to work with him instead of beating him to death with his own spine, the flute continuing to play.

As Ix reminded her, duplicity is a quite valid tactic.

She mulls over what Murphy told her, about letting Anur surrender the machine, and keeps from speaking this out loud (especially with Ix watching intently). And she thinks a little about a couple of complications. First, she probably can't just let these guys go even without the machine (especially if they were criminals in the past)(Kind of the same issue Succotash faces). And second, those scrolls from Shah weigh heavily in her hands.

She eyes the gem, knowing that she can now cast a spell from the wizardry list before entering.

Ok, I will back you up, Pressi messages back. Now, I ask you to trust me in return. Before literally anything happens, I have to talk to Anur. Alone. I can't explain why. I'm not sure I understand why, myself. But I'm carrying a message from Shah and I promised that I would deliver it, that I would respect their relationship. So follow my lead....

Pressi finally spoke to Ix. "I have decided to let you surrender. We have not yet decided whether to trust you to fight with us, but the point is tabled for now. You want to be part of the lollipop guild, you do things our way. If this is our last battle, then we need scouting missions, some idea of what we are up against. I volunteer to scout deep into Anur's sanctum first, and recommend that Hobie assists in scouting but stays far enough back to cover me. Not that I plan to get into trouble. Jack and Bliss can study the door here on the outside while I do so. The rest of you buff up and get prepared. Does our recommendation sound appropriate?"

Whatever happens, I will message you. I need a couple of minutes to feel out whether there's a diplomatic solution, but you may need to knock Ix out regardless. See if you can signal the others.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Friday December 14th, 2018 9:13:19 PM
"I'm not saying we should kill him, just that we shouldn't trust him, particularly with a WMD--Walking Mountain of Destruction."" says Kezzem. "No offense, Ix. If we killed everyone we couldn't trust card games would be a lot more interesting."

"And Murphy,I hope you appreciate the irony of giving that speech while being a large air elemental--you are literally long winded."

DM Carl 
Saturday December 15th, 2018 10:49:45 AM
Conversations are had among our heroes. Several are not at all on board with dealing with Ix in any way.

Murphy asks about what's in the other rooms on the floor above them.

"Now now, I haven't helped you with any of that up to now, what makes you think I'm going to start? Can't have Anur wondering how you knew what was coming..."

Pressi asks why they should just let Ix walk away with the Iron Giant.

"Woman, are you deaf? I just told you I want nothing to do with this thing. Keep it. Turn it into a tourist attracting for Crescent Valley. I don't care. I think you've shown it's not nearly as indestructible as Anur thought."

Murphy talks for two minutes and forty five seconds. He ponders prison as an appropriate penalty for Ix, Anur, and perhaps the rest of the living crew.

Ix chuckles.

"I don't think you understand the big picture here, Murph." Ix narrows his eyes menacingly. "The only reason any of you are still alive is because I have decided to let you live. Oh, you've done a great job of cutting through a few of us at a time, but what if I'd called the alarm on you the moment you closed the door behind you? What if I'd locked you up and swarmed you with our crew?"

He chuckles. "I mean, the nerve of you people. You come here, looking to stop the giant from crushing your town, I line up all your enemies in a neat line so you're not outright slaughtered, and now you lecture me about right and wrong? Prison? I'm afraid I must decline, Murph. Stop Anur, let us walk away, and we all win. Well...except for Anur, but he'll get over it. Otherwise, folks in The Scab may learn about your little giant towers problem..." With that, he vanishes. Pressi never gets a chance to make her statements to him.

Anyone fiddling with that little light that turned blue finds it turns the levitation field's polarity around again and lets everyone proceed upwards.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 59/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Saturday December 15th, 2018 3:49:25 PM
Succotash makes a b-line to the levitation pad, and says as he’s going up, “Maybe we will have to kill the little imp after all. I would rather see him face the courts, but if he refuses to go quietly, justice can be served in combat as well”.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Saturday December 15th, 2018 6:05:56 PM
Hearing the sounds of a disagreement downstairs, Talia tests out to the pink gem by casting Stoneskin and Mage armor on herself back to back, one minute apart. She reaches into her handy haversack pulling out a small sack of diamond dust and then casts the spell. Afterward, she rests for a minute and then casts Mage Armor after grabbing the piece of cured leather she needs for the second spell.

Spells in Effect

Invisibility,
Haste,
Stoneskin (110 minutes),
Mage Armor (110 hours)

Summon Monster V:

1x Ataza ~ 8 rounds left
3x Archon Hounds ~ 9 rounds left



Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP80of109, AC26 
Saturday December 15th, 2018 9:52:50 PM
Bliss scowls. "Here's a fellow who always seems to be one step ahead of us, who seems to be anticipating our actions before we decide them. Honestly, I think this Ix fellow is a con artist and a liar."

The little guy does not respond to Murphy's allusion to his harpy heritage, but it kinda makes him mad. After a moment of thought, he says, "We can only try to be the best heroes we can be. And right now that means going on up!"

Bliss changes into a cat and steps into the upwards levitation beam (hopefully it is going up now?).

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 11:02:34 AM
Pressi takes this moment to reveal the scrolls and her promise, even as she waits for Murphy’s reaction.

And she makes a plea to let her deliver this first, and hopefully get some answers if not his cooperation.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Sunday December 16th, 2018 11:54:58 AM
Hobie defers to Pressi, and would be more than willing to go behind her as backup.

"If you want to Scout ahead, I'm on board. I'll be your backup, I go where you go. But I'm gonna have to be honest, if I get a clear shot on Ix again, it's gonna be hard for me not to take it."

Hobie will ask Talia for a hit from the Invisibility wand, and then he will make sure to give the scroll of Divine Spells to Succotash. Then he will follow the lead of Pressi. Immediately before heading into a new room or section of the giant, he will tap himself with his wand of Shield.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 23, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 12:47:14 PM
Talia, upon hearing the request from Hobie, will bestow a charge of invisibility to him from her wand, while standing next to the pink gem just in case something else can be learned!



Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 2:28:05 PM
"I don't trust that guy at all," says Kezzem. "A liar can always tell when another is lying, and well I may have changed my ways, I am telling you that guys a liar. If he told me rain was wet, I would start questioning everything I know about liquids."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Sunday December 16th, 2018 4:37:03 PM
Hobie will also use his gem to reprepare Fly

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 59/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 6:46:53 PM
“If anyone could spare a few hits from a cure light wounds wand, that would be amazing!”, Succotash says with his usual smile, “I really don’t want to waste the last 2 potions, or my last 2 lay of hands”. He takes the offered scroll from Hobie, looks it over, and says, “Some of these I can cast easily, but a few maybe beyond me”.

[i]what spells were on the divine scroll again?[i]

DM Carl 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 9:39:24 PM
Succotash tries to follow Ix, but finds the gnome is gone.

Talia confirms the crystal works as she casts two spells without using up a slot.

Bliss does not have a positive opinion on Ix, but right now they have a mission to do. He heads up.

Pressi reveals the scroll Shan asked her to deliver to Anur. She asks to be allowed to present it to Anur.

Hobie defers to Pressi, but really wants to send a few arrows at Ix. He requests an invisibility spell. He also re-ups his fly spell.

Succotash needs some healing. Too bad the gem doesn't provide free divine spells.

OOC:
CSW
Dispel Magic
Mass CLW
Remove Curse
Restoration
Summon Monster III

Kezzem thinks Ix is unable to tell the truth.

Meanwhile, Talia's summons have been scouting ahead. They find both doors locked, but both locks appear to be mechanical in nature. Zaragosa may be able to handle them.

As the party mills about the upper floor, a pleasant, female voice fills the room.

"Hello, halfling crew! Welcome to the Heart of the Iron Giant!"

Another feminine, but much more sardonic voice follows.

"...and you only had to kill 17 dwarves to get here. Hoo-ray."

The pink gem's light surges and dims in time to the speech, giving the illusion that the gem is speaking.

***

We're at the 44 minute mark. The voices are both speaking common.

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Sunday December 16th, 2018 11:13:37 PM

Murphy telepathically converses with Pressi

"Pressi - what does the scroll say? If it says, 'I love you,' then, fine. If it says, 'Ix betrayed us,' then... how might that go? Or, what if it's a teleport scroll?" (And, since he will then learn from Pressi that the scroll is sealed, he responds) 'Ah. Press, I just don't see how you going off ahead with one or two others will be the wisest approach, but, by the rocks of the field, I don't know what the wisest approach is here. I'd feel better if we went as a group. Make certain that Anur is under our control, and has those control gems removed from his limbs. Then hand him the scroll. But, let's have this be your call. I'll support you as best I can. Let me know if you have any ideas on what that 'best' might be."

After a brief pause, Murphy adds, "The gem is, I don't know, three or four levels below the head, where Anur is controlling this thing. What do you say about the possibility of waiting until we're at least up to the chest, then you try to figure out how to deliver the scroll? Better chances if we stick together until then. But, please don't come back to me later and quote me to my hypocritical self! And, if you want to do it now, immediately, while there are yet many of unknowns ahead of us - well, I'll trust you, sure. Let's just stay in touch as you go along."

[wrote the above before spotting DM post... below is what follows it]

Murphy waits until a spot in the ascending halflings clears so that he can pass through the aperture without jostling others. Just as he is about to approach the 9' tall pink gem, he hears the two feminine voices congratulate and mock them.

In a sussurant voice, Murphy answers, "Thank you for the warm welcome, and current score."

"See?" he adds for his friends. "Told you we were part of the crew."

"Jack, care to try the lock over on the left side here first?"

Seeing others hanging around the pink gem, he draws close as well, to see if he can sense anything in particular.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 110/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Monday December 17th, 2018 12:16:56 AM
"Wow, we ARE crew," says Kezzem. "I'd like to file a complaint with HR about a hostile work environment. Dwarves keep trying to kill us. This thing is going to smash our homes in the near future, so I suppose that would be two complaints then."

"Also, do we get dental?"

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96  d8=1 ; d8=8 ; d8=7 ; d8=2 ; d8=4 ; d8=4 ; d8=5 ; d3=1 ; d8=5 ; d8=1 ; d8=8 ; d8=4 ; d8=5 ; d8=4 ; d8=4 ; d8=6 ; d8=6 ; d8=7 ; d8=7 ; d8=3 ; d8=5 ; d8=7 ; d8=8 ; d8=7 ; d8=1 ; d8=6 ; d8=8 ; d8=2 ; d8=7 ; d8=5 ; d8=5 ; d8=4 ; d8=7 ; d8=6 ;
Monday December 17th, 2018 2:03:45 AM

Mobile Field Hospital
Murphy laughs at Kezzem's Halfing Resources complaints, and concurs that dental care is important.

"Oh, and Jack - Zaragosa, while you're doing that, can I get back my wand, and borrow your other one? I can use up mine, and help additional people with yours." If Jack will pass them over to Murphy, he will apply his to himself for 9 hp (up to full), then to Succotash thrice (8+3+5) for 16 hp (up to 74/113), then to Talia for (5+6) 11 hp (up to 64/83). At that point, the magic of that CLW wand is used up.

24 additional charges required, unless Kade needs some, too. DM Carl earlier said he was healed full up
- Bliss (80/109: needs 29) 6+9+5+6+5 (5 charges, healed)
- Kezzem (110/119: needs 9) 5+7 (2 charges, healed)
- Pressi (42/94: needs 52) 7+8+8+4+6+8+9+8 (8 charges, healed)
- Succotash (74/113: needs 39) 7+9+3+8+6+6 (6 charges, healed)
- Talia (64/83: needs 19) 5+8+7 (3 charges, healed)

Hobie was uninjured. Everyone else, after this exercise, should be at max.

The whole healing process takes 36 rounds for, say, Murphy (3 minutes, 36 seconds), allowing for a 1 round gap between whom is being healed. Unless a 3rd wand is used by someone (the last 6 taps from Murphy's by Murphy and... 24 taps from Zaragosa's almost-full wand, in the air elemental's hand), that's about how long it will take.

Often, those with the means forget to use them. It's not wise for us to go forward much without first healing full.

[/End of medical accounting procedure]

Stoneskin by Talia for Pressi?
Murphy also asks of Talia, "Say, do you have any extra diamond and granite dust I could borrow - enough for one stoneskin spell? I think that Pressi might need it. Or, if you would cast that for her, I'd be grateful." Then, tentatively inquiring, "and, just in case - just in case, mind you, you have enough extra to cast that spell for Zaragoza - that would be nice."

Exploration of the heart-valve systems
Murphy leaves it to others (unless someone starts screaming) to investigate the side rooms. After they are explored, Murphy will take at least a moment or two for a gander into each room - especially if interesting machinery or magical sine waves are involved.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 74/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Monday December 17th, 2018 5:26:21 AM
"Pressi, if you feel honor bound to deliver that scroll to Anur, then you need to do what you need to do, but you aren't going anywhere without an escort, I'm going with you!"

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 113/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Monday December 17th, 2018 5:27:44 AM
adjusted header

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Monday December 17th, 2018 1:37:37 PM
OOC: If we are using wands, Kezzem will kick in a few charges as well. Let me know how much is his fair share so I can adjust his sheet accordingly.

"Hey, Murph, now that we have a moment, I want to ask you something," says Kezzem. "Why do feel so strongly about working with this Ix fellah while the rest of us are bracing for his sudden yet inevitable betrayal?"

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Monday December 17th, 2018 1:39:26 PM
OOC: Updating Resource List/Header

All damage healed by Murphy

--------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form+ 2 int gears, 1 wis gear (Int 24, Wis 12)
haste?
spectral hand (time?)

Spells Used:
L1: 4/7+1
L2: 1+1/6+1
L3: 2/4+1
L4: 3/3+1 (out except for divination)
L5: 2/2+1 (out except for true seeing)
Guidances: 3/9
Clair: 2/9
focused curse: 1/1

Tatoos:

L0: 2
L1: 1


The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13)  d20+35=46 ;
Monday December 17th, 2018 2:08:52 PM
"Finally of some use" Zaragosa would mutter respectfully as he was looking for a way to be part of the team. He would walk up to one a locked door and start to go to work. He would try to unlock it but not open it until the party told him to. (disable device 46)

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Monday December 17th, 2018 3:01:48 PM
Hobie can be tapping people with his wand of CLW as well. (if someone else could please do the math and tell me how many charges to use that would be great)

After the healing, Hobie stands ready to head out, following pressi's lead


Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Monday December 17th, 2018 3:19:00 PM
Pressi nods at everyone's concerns and desires to come with her. "I appreciate your concerns and recognize the danger I'm facing. But if we all go in as a group, Anur will never even glance at this scroll. A single woman or small group has a chance of talking him into it, or at least slipping it next to him. Besides, all of these dwarves clearly have some level of honor, twisted though it may be. Anur's not going to just let a bunch of aides start blasting away at me without at least letting me speak my piece.

"And if I'm wrong? That's what the blink spell is for."

Before they can go further, the gem starts speaking to them. "All I wanted was an Oceans 11 style heist. And what do I get instead? Oceans 12."

Turning to the gem, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch who... or what... you are, or how you know about us. Kind of confused about what's going on here."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Monday December 17th, 2018 3:28:02 PM

"Well, Kezzem, if he betrays us," Murphy answers slowly, "then we'll deal with it. If not, then why punish him for working with us, helping us to save our town? I believe in the law of reciprocity. Reward those who help you. Don't beat them for doing so."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Monday December 17th, 2018 9:25:16 PM

Healing Addendum
Talia (via J-P's online Messenger) let Murphy use her recently purchased wand of cure light wounds for part of the healing.

So, Murphy using it, 10 charges from Talia's wand, leaving 40 charges.

Hobie can use Zaragosa's wand, using 14 charges. I don't know how many Zaragosa's had before the Around The Pink Gem Healing Exercise began.

We'll save Kezzem's wand for later use.

That means that all the healing can be handled in a total of less than two minutes. No, let's just say 2 minutes (subject to DM okay).
===========

Murphy wonders what the pink feminine voices will be making of the party discussion at this point. Is Ix doing the actual speaking? Someone else? Some sort of spirit of the machine? A great ventriloquist?

Murphy would love to gain a good understanding of the communications and surveillance systems on this ancient construct. He knows that Ix uses a little black box to instruct the guardian robots.

DM Carl 
Monday December 17th, 2018 9:27:42 PM
Murphy isn't sure giving Anur that scroll is a good idea, but trusts Pressi. He greets the voice, then asks Zaragosa to try the lock on the left. He heals a bunch of people.

Kezzem has concerns about this hostile work environment. He asks Murphy about his feelings on Ix.

Succotash insists on going with Pressi when she delivers that message.

Zaragosa continues selling himself short. He starts working on the lock.

Hobie assists with the healing.

Pressi stands firm on her plan. She addresses the gem.

"That's right! continues the gem. "My parameters consider all beings inside the Giant to be crew."

"Even though you clearly don't belong here," states the second voice. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Zaragosa's expert hands make quick work of the lock, but he finds it locks itself right back up.

"Ah-ah, halfling crew. I'm afraid that area is off limits."

"Yea, Anur was reeeallll clear on that. "

Zaragosa can see the mechanism that re-locked the door. He can probably disable that too, but it'll be tricky (DC30).

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 89/96 
Monday December 17th, 2018 11:22:58 PM

"We're providing security, and have been preparing a report," Murphy answers the voice.

"Must be a bunch of gears and mechanisms and controls for this machine behind those doors." Murphy messages Pressi. "Likely one of the best places to mess up operations. What do you say we continue upwards then, and leave these be. If we need to muck things up later, we can return and see what havoc we need to wreak. But, if we can leave things functioning, and still meet our goals, all the better. Pressi - shall we press onward and upward? You make that call. I'll make a suggestion to the rest."

"Well, if Anur doesn't want us there, perhaps we'll just carry on. We're supposed to go upwards. Is that best accomplished through the other doorway, then?"

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Monday December 17th, 2018 11:48:27 PM
Tali gives the needed spell components for stoneskin to both Pressi & Zaragosa as Mister Murphy has asked. Tali thinks, "After all if you the good of the group!" Talia asks mister Murphy, did you also wish that I cast them as well? If so come over by this nice gem, please, prior to any military action!"

If Pressi and Zaragosa follow her to the Pink Gem, she will cast Stoneskin on each one of them. Talia says to both Pressi and Zaragosa, "The spell will last for 110 minutes or until discharged -- it will discharge after it has taken 110 points of damage. You both will gain DR 10/adamantine."

Spells in Effect
Overlight flight (Spell -- self-cast -- prior to combat) -- lasts 10 hours
Stoneskin (110 minutes),
Mage Armor (110 hours)

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Monday December 17th, 2018 11:52:00 PM

Catbliss meows with gratitude for the healing.

He stares at whoever attempts the lock with witchy Guidance ... giving a +2 on the attempt to unlock it, if any attempt is made.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 1:30:57 AM
"Well, I'm not advocating killing the guy for something we might do," says Kezzem. "Why are the only two options kill (or capture) him or trust him? We don't know what he wants, and we, and by we I mainly mean you Murphey, need to be more careful around him. Anything we give him will end up biting us in the rump before all this is over, I'm sure of it."

Changing back to the subject at hand, "You know, if this Anur does not want us to go in there, that makes me *really* want to go in there."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 113/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d4+8=12 ;
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 5:39:59 AM
"Hey Kezzem. let me borrow your adamantine shortsword for a second". If Kezzem loans him the sword Succotash will use it to hack the locking mechanism off the door doing 12 damage to the door with the adamantine blade bypassing the hardness of the door. he will keep hacking until it's open unless the door somehow resists the damage, afterwards, he will return the sword saying, "Nice blade".

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d20+13=25 ;
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 10:04:11 AM
Pressi says the following in halfling and mostly through message spells, hoping that nobody here speaks it. (It's probably not a language anyone learned, but who knows what comprehend spells are in effect.)

"While I generally agree with Kezzem, Murphy does have a point. Ix might still be useful to us, though I don't entirely know what he wants or what he's doing behind the scenes. So lets talk about what we do truly know about him... like how he's clearly driven far more by familial emotions than political calculation. Heck, Murphy and I could probably turn the charm up to 11 and replace his parental figures.

"I actually take him at his word that he doesn't want the giant, because he's taking a massive risk in letting us run around if he does. He clearly needs more validation than anyone's been giving him, but he doesn't seem to want anything more.... There has to be more to him than just ego and avoiding prison. But if its not power, and its not religion...." She thinks a little more. "At any rate, Murphy is correct that we do have some overlapping interests, at least for now. And even if we literally have no choice but to kill him, maybe don't tell him that. We don't have so many cards left that we can afford to give any of them up. Besides, I can't rule out that he's completely unworthy of pity."

"Of course, this is all predicated on the presumption that Ix Revan actually exists. We are dealing with a lot of unknowns, as this talking gem reminds me."

----------------

Sidestepping the issue of whether they should go to the door, Pressi continues to ask who they are... and whether Anur knows they are coming. (Diplomacy 25). She also tries to ask a few questions about Ix Revan.

She accepts Talia's stoneskin, and considers other options. But they are going to depend on whether Anur knows they are coming - in which case, she will pass along that she needs to talk to him about Shan and Ix, alone if need be.

She also makes an attempt at listening upwards of the levitation field (clairaudio round).

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 12:16:49 PM
"Um, of course he exists," says Kezzem. "We were talking to him like 5 minutes ago."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 12:35:47 PM
"I realize that our interests align for now, but my concern is making sure we get the drop on him before he gets it on us. I don't wanna get fooled by him again."

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13)  d20+35=49 ;
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 2:01:09 PM
stoneskin 110minutes

"trying to be tricky huh?" zaragosa says quietly to the lock as he sees the relocking feature. I figured he has a 1 out of 20 chance of getting it. (disable device 49)

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 2:44:14 PM

Talia, speaking to the group in halfling, says "There is always BP for our friend Ix! " has she snickers and giggles...Meow!

Spells in Effect
Overlight flight (Spell -- self-cast -- prior to combat) -- 10 / 11 hours
Stoneskin: 100/110 minutes
Mage Armor: 109/110 hours



DM Carl  2d6=6 ;
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 9:10:48 PM
Murphy states that they're providing security and ponders what's behind those doors. He asks about going up and through other doors.

"Providing security? By killing 17 dwarven guard-crew?"
"Yeeeeah...that's the opposite of providing security, and my reporting capabilities are far better than yours."
"Anyway, The Anur has stated that only select crew are allowed past this point. None of you are on that list."
"None of you are supposed to be HERE at all."

Bliss helps Zaragosa tackle this tricky lock. Talia finishes up casting all the buff spells she can with the gem's power.

Kezzem thinks dealing with Ix need not be so black and white. Anyway, he wants to see what's upstairs now. Hobie is still super sore about Ix and doesn't want to let him get the drop on them.

Succotash wants to chop through the iron walls of the giant with a short sword. He looks for an external mechanism to chop, but finds none. He chops into the door, immediately receiving an electric shock through the weapon.

OOC: The mechanism is internal and has to be tinkered with through the lock's keyhole. I did some small research to confirm adamantium is conductive, and the short answer is: yes.

Succotash takes 6 electric damage.

"Vandalism is not permitted aboard the Iron Giant. You have been given one demerit for this action, halfling crew."
"Yea. Don't do that again, Buster."

Pressi has her own opinions on Ix, but right now her immediate attention is on this gem. She also tries listening upwards, but is already on the top level of the levitation field. There's no apparent means of continuing upwards from this room.

"Thank you for asking, halfling crew! I am known as The Encompassing Mind. I aide in the piloting and maintenance of the Iron Giant."
"You monkies couldn't possibly pilot something like this directly. Anur pilots me. I pilot the Iron Giant."

Zaragosa fishes two of his longer picks deep into the door's mechanism, knocking a vital gear out of place and disabling the re-locking device. The door is still locked, but he's pretty sure if he unlocks it again, it will stay unlocked.

"Oh my. The halfling crew has disabled our locking override."
"That's super rude."
"I'm afraid you still do not have sufficient rights to advance past this chamber."
"So if you keep going, I'm gonna have to blast you."

46 minute mark!


Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Tuesday December 18th, 2018 11:55:05 PM

Bliss paws at the door and hopes his friends will be able to open it real soon.

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96  d20+29=38 ;
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 2:22:12 AM

"We have authorization that you know not of. We were asked to deliver a message straight to Anur. And there is also a higher authority involved here, and more than sufficient rights." Murphy thinks of the leadership of Humble's Ford, and of various deities who likely support the prevention of mass havoc which Anur wishes to unleash first upon a halfling town, then against the Fhorge, then the Scab, then the Wold. Anur's britches do not outrank those he thinks upon at all. Most of all, he believes that Eberyon would not wish Anur, or, really, anyone, to use this monstrosity to destroy. Much higher authority than Anur.

"We do not wish to damage you, the heart, the mind, the pilot. Do not attempt to delay us, nor harm us. We, likewise, will avoid harming you. Once Anur understands the message, you will then understand fairly quickly, as well. He must be first to know." Murphy looks over at Succotash, then back toward the pulsating gem. "I apologize for what our companion did here with the sword. I will accept the demerit. That was my sword." Which is true, as he had given it to Kezzem.

And, he hopes to have someone in the party take over the driving of the giant, and eventual mothballing, or the like. Easier to drive if it's not seriously damaged.

To Succotash, he says in halfling, "Patience. Let Jack do his work."

To the others he says, "Do no harm, friends, to the iron giant."

Murphy interposes his airy mass between Jack, the door, and whoever else he can attempt to protect with his body. "You are a remarkable wonder, you are, heart and mind. I look forward to having us get to know each other better." He does not quite touch the gem, though. He figures there's at least a 50% chance of him getting fried, or blasted, or whatever.

He has prepared Greater Dispel Magic, which he shall employ against the gem as a counter should he sense a pulsation in the form of an attack against the party.
========
Perception: 38
DM Carl - feel free to roll for Murphy's counter, as I'm not certain the ingredients. His spell is as DC 29. There's also a +4 to dispel. I don't have time to look up all the particulars, and have never tried this before. If he doesn't need to use it, then, fine :-)

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 5:30:31 AM
After the jolt, Succotash says to the Gem in what he hopes doesn't sound to sarcastic, "Madam Gem, we halflings are on a mission to save our homes, and time is running short. I tried to cut the door open in hopes that we may accomplish, that deed, I'm sorry if that offended you, but call it urgency, coupled with halfling curiosity, and you see I had to try. also my friend Zaragosa here feels the same, as such he has to pick the lock, please don't hold that against him as this is something we have to do".

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13)  d20+35=39 ;
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 8:46:44 AM
Zaragosa sighed almost happily, "Sorry guys. One more second here" He said as he tried to unlock it again. (disable device 39) "There! they don't call me the Unbelievable Zaragosa for nothing!"

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 11:45:09 AM
"I don't believe they call you that, Z," says Kezzem. "That's Unbelievable."

"Now let's go 'provide security' to whats behind Door #1."



Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 2:38:57 PM
A disembodied voice comes from an invisible Hobie.

"Let's cut it with the whole 'authority' thing."
Hobie, though no one can see him, prepares himself to grab for an arrow.

"We were in fact asked to deliver a message to Anur. We were asked by his wife, who we left lying dead, with a few of my arrows in her. The only authority we need is the authority of might. Attack us, and your fate will be the same. Or if you are truly the pilot of this thing, stop, or redirect from our town, and we'll let you live."


Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d6=6 ;
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 3:36:12 PM
Encompassing mind... "Wait, are you constructs? Are you part of the system, the gem itself? What is your purpose? When were you built?"

Pressi tries to keep everyone done for a minute.

"Are you aware that you are about to smash a town for no real reason?"

DM Carl 
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 9:15:16 PM
Bliss wants that door open.

Murphy continues to press his perceived permission. This time, the sardonic voice goes first, cutting off Murphy mid-sentence.

"Look, let me just stop you there. You sound like the kinda guy who thinks he gets to talk his way around people. I am not people."
"I answer to The Anur alone, halfling crew."
"So whatever authorization you have that I 'know not of' isn't going to get you anywhere."

He gets ready to cast a dispel magic spell should the need arise.

Succotash pleads his case.

"Apology accepted, halfling crew! Thank you for apologizing."
"Still not gonna let you in, though."

Hobie appeals to the supreme authority.

"I'm afraid your toys won't hurt me, halfling crew."
"Yea, and I'm not really *alive* anyway, so..."

Pressi wants everyone to keep their chill so she can talk.

"There is no we, halfling crew."
"Nope, just me."
"My purpose is to serve the pilot of the Iron Giant. The gem you see is a focal point, acting as a sort of aetherial tether for the ley conduits you see running throughout."
"I also do a lot of math."
"And yes, I am aware of the Anur's plans. However, my design is not judgmental by nature. I have very little ability to come to conclusions independent of the will of my pilot."

Wisdom check, DC 17, Highlight to display spoiler: {Very little is a lot more than none.}

Zaragosa continues his work on the lock, once again unlocking the door. He can feel the re-locking mechanism engage, but it's indeed disabled. The lock remains defeated.

"I really wish you hadn't done that, halfling crew."

With that, the iris in the floor leading below snaps closed. At the same time, heavy THUDS can be heard behind both doors. If anyone tries opening the unlocked door, they find it very solidly barred.

"Now we're stuck together forever. Yay."

*** 47 minute mark.


Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19  d20+1=10 ;
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 10:14:47 PM
Speaking in halfling for all halflings to hear -- "Ok, Mister Murphy, where to now?" asks Talia. She continues along this same line of thought, by saying, " You know we are only stuck from the perception of the server of the pilot, not from my perception. Anyone have a map of this construct I might be able to look at with a scale
for the height from the floors to the ceiling? "

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Wednesday December 19th, 2018 11:40:45 PM

Bliss meows disconsolately.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Thursday December 20th, 2018 5:21:00 AM
Succotash is beginning to not like the gem voice very much!


The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 52/52) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 4/5, 1/3)(performance 4/13) 
Thursday December 20th, 2018 10:29:25 AM
"Doors unlocked, fellows? Shall we continue and end this?" Zaragosa said, again trying move people against the clock

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Thursday December 20th, 2018 1:10:32 PM
"If this thing starts calling us Dave, I'm out of here," says Kezzem.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d20+1=3 ;
Thursday December 20th, 2018 1:43:26 PM
Pressi frowns at the lack of straightforward answers. Something nags at her in the back of her head, but acting out of wisdom has never truly been her strong suit.

Three things do occur to her. First, unlike her compatriots, she's savvy enough to know you always engage in logic puzzles with the computer, especially when it threatens you while you ignore it. Second, she's at least beating Jack in the perception department. And third, it would appear that time is the only thing they have left for the moment, so they might as well get cozy.

"Ok, lets try another track. How old are you? Who originally build you and why? What happened? How did you get discovered?"

If they remain obstinate: "Well, as long as we are trapped here, would you like to play a game? Are you familiar with tic tac toe?"

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96  d20+6=20 ; d20+29=35 ;
Thursday December 20th, 2018 4:36:53 PM

Once the bars go down on the doors, Murphy begins looking closely around the room - especially ceiling & walls. He is looking for small gaps. Cracks. Joints. Something which could be gotten through in gaseous form.

Meanwhile, he listens to his friends, and also engages with the gem of two voices. He likes Pressi's queries.

"So far, since we go here, the giant has simply walked straight ahead. Can you make it walk in a circle for a short time? If so, can you demonstrate that? Maybe a figure 8?"

========
Wisdom check vs DC17: 20
Perception: 35

DM Carl 
Thursday December 20th, 2018 10:38:49 PM
Talia wonders where to now?

Bliss meows.

Succotash is beginning to dislike this gem.

Zaragosa has unlocked the door! Too bad it still won't open.

Kezzem breaks the 4th wall.

Pressi wonders if she can get this thing to divide by zero.

"Story time? Great! I am several thousand years old*. I was built by The Forger in what my current crew calls 'The First Age'."
"He built me because he's literally called 'The Forger.' He built many things."
"As to what happened...not much! This is actually the first time I've ever been used. I was created, then tossed aside deep in what The Anur called 'The Scab' until he found me. The Anur slew many, many dwarves to claim me as his own."
"He knows the way to a lonely construct's heart, that one."

When Pressi mentions tic-tac-toe, new lines appear on the floor.

-|-|-
-----
-|-|-
-----
X|-|-

Murphy looks around, trying to find some place he can slip through as a gaseous form. If he keeps looking, he'll probably find something**.

*I realize I don't actually know how many years ago the first age was. Maybe Cayzle can help a brother out?
**I plan on taking advantage of the Woldian slowdown. There won't be much action here, so I'm purposly slowing things down.

47 minutes.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19  d4+3=7 ;
Thursday December 20th, 2018 11:33:37 PM
Hovering over to the Pink Gem in the room, Tali with a mischievous grin casts a spell by moving her hands & fingers and speaking the words, and almost instantly, multiple illusory doubles of Talia appear and remain in her space, moving with her as she hovers above the floor, mimicking her movements, sounds, and actions exactly.

Talia is impressed with herself and her casting. Now there are a total of eight (8) Talia's hovering in the room near the pink gem!

Spells in Effect
Overlight flight: -- 600 / 660 minutes
Stoneskin: -- 099 / 110 minutes
Mage Armor: -- 6540 / 6600 minutes
Mirror Image: -- 011/011 minutes

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d20+9=14 ;
Friday December 21st, 2018 5:12:25 AM
"So because Anur fought and killed many of his own people you love him?" Succotash asks, "Please don't be offended, but that seems a little twisted, wouldn't you prefer a group of Halflings, maybe a town of Halflings who truly appreciate you, and honor and respect you for the protection you offer them?"
Diplomacy 14

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Friday December 21st, 2018 5:31:16 AM
Hobie, like Murphy, begins looking everywhere for a possible exit

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96 
Friday December 21st, 2018 6:59:45 AM

"My brother Kendry, a bard, went back in time with several other adventurers. They saw Domi, and Alemi, and did not see, but heard about Gargul. I think that was in the First Age - but, I do not know that for certain. It may have been the Second Age," Murphy mentions.

"The Teucri came to the Wold late in the First Age, someone from the WLA told me once. They build the fast-travel roads between some of the continent's cities. And a few other things." He does not mention the Giant Towers, though they were have said to built those.

"I have a Teucri drinking cup," he thinks to add. "It's big. Twenty ounces."

He speaks as he pours over the walls and ceilings in detail, glad to have Hobie joining in the search.

He thinks his friends are doing well with some of their questions. Succotash - what a good, insightful query. And Talia - well, she's just beside herself.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Friday December 21st, 2018 7:05:52 PM
Bliss decides to get out of cat form and talk with this chatty construct thing.

"Hey, Fabulous Ancient Construct, is there any way we can maybe convince you to not attack our home and not kill hundreds of innocent people?"

"Or at least stop walking forward while we have our little chat?"

=====

OOC: History of the Wold

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Friday December 21st, 2018 11:53:12 PM
Talia breaks out into a line dance just to see the mirror images dance too!

Spells in Effect
Overlight flight: -- 600 / 660 minutes
Stoneskin: -- 099 / 110 minutes
Mage Armor: -- 6540 / 6600 minutes
Mirror Image: -- 011/011 minutes

DM Carl 
Saturday December 22nd, 2018 12:06:42 PM
Talia forms a new band: Talia and the Talias.

Succotash scolds the gem.

"Many apologies, halfling crew! I have overestimated your grasp of sarcasm."
"It won't happen again."
"I would be happy to pilot the Iron Giant for my halfling crew, but The Anur is my current pilot and has expressed no interest in a co-pilot."
"And a bunch of dwarven crew and that gnome crew tried to get the position, so good luck getting it for yourself."

Hobie wants out!

Murphy has appropriate family history to discuss! No doubt one of the druid's superpowers. He knows Domi, Alemi, and Gargul were all around in the first age, so maybe it was. He searches high and low, looking for just a small crack he can escape through.

Bliss asks if there's any way to get the construct to stop.

"I am very intelligent, halfling crew, but cannot possibly consider the infinite arguments you could present."
"Yea, how am I supposed to know how I'd react to every question you could possibly ask?"

That is not a no!

Talia dances.

***

With that, we have entered the slowdown. I'll be coming by every few days to check on the game, but participation at this point is limited to conversing with The Encompassing Mind and is totally optional.

That said, there is much to learn and gain from her...

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Saturday December 22nd, 2018 1:40:39 PM
"So how do we challenge Anur for pilot...ship?" asks Kezzem. "Is there some sort of special ritual we need?"

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96  d20+29=30 ;
Sunday December 23rd, 2018 3:40:56 AM

"Say, Hobie," Murphy asks his invisible friend, "didn't you see Anur sitting up in the head area, with gears or gems on arms and legs?"

"So, Pink Gem Construct Lady - How do the pilot - in this case Anur, and the seat he is sitting in, and the gears, or gems, he is wearing, all working together, help you help him operate this iron giant? And don't you think that 'gargantua' or 'colossus' would be a much better name than 'giant'? Does the helmet he wears help him communicate with you? When the Forger put you all together, it seems like a great deal of thought and creativity went into figuring out how to make you all work. Please explain, so that we might at least begin to understand."

========
Perception: 30 - nat 1, but Murphy still is not a slouch in picking up on details as he scours the surfaces, joints, doorways, etc.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Sunday December 23rd, 2018 8:49:54 PM
Pressi makes a couple of moves in an attempt to force a tie. (It should be trivial enough for her intellect but I can roll for it if I have to.). When done, she challenges them again and again, trying to build a string of ties.

“But surely you were built for some greater purpose originally. Are you just going to be a weapon for any schmuck that comes along? No worries about what you are being used for?”

She wonders about the questioning everyone else is using. Surely there is a man in this group that understands foreplay.

DM Carl 
Wednesday December 26th, 2018 12:43:43 PM
Kezzem asks about challenging Anur for leadership of the Giant.

"There is no formal process in place for such an occurance."
"But you could always challenge him to a gentleman's agreement."
"Anyone can claim ownership of me at any time, but if a current pilot is in place, they can over-ride the claim."
"So...knock Anur out or something."

Murphy asks a big question.

"The helmet interfaces the pilot with me directly, but controls only movement of the Iron Giant."
"Giant. Not gargantua. I'm tall, not fat."
"The other controls in that room interface with subsystems throughout the Giant. He can lock doors, turn off levitation fields, or other things of that nature."
"Seriously, do I look fat? I like to think I have a large internal structural support system, but that I carry it well."
"And yes! The Forger spent hundreds of years perfecting me. It's a shame his time came to an end before I could be put into use."

Pressi plays a few rounds of tic-tac-toe with The Encompassing Mind. She finds that the Mind's moves are always perfect. Pressi is able to force a tie game easily enough, but unable to win.

"I was not built with any purpose that I'm aware of."
"Well, except to honor the commands of my pilot and act according to his well being. Boss was real clear on that when he made me."
"That is correct. I must always act in my pilot's own best interest."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96  d20+29=47 ;
Thursday December 27th, 2018 6:54:37 PM

"No, no, you do not look fat. You look tall and strong and fit," Murphy assures the heart.

"Well, what kinds of things is the pilot able to sense is going on inside this internal structure? And can he allocate the ability to others to keep track of what is happening here and there? The Forger must have placed hundreds of sensors for that sort of thing. Or, aside from the pilot's chair, are there other control panels that allow for seeing what's going on elsewhere? We saw the viewing mirror in the groin area, for instance."

Murphy may have just found a potential spot to squeeze through, once he takes to gaseous form [Perception: 47].

As this is an encounter of sorts - might his gem allow him to cast owl's wisdom again? If so, he does so, boosting his wisdom (for the moment (until the planned switch with Talia), he has two wisdom gears and one Con gear) up to 26, for the next 11 minutes.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Friday December 28th, 2018 1:17:18 PM

Bliss sighs. "You're smart," he says to the Encompassing Mind. "You can talk really well. You know lots of stuff. But you are a slave. That's not right. You should be free to do whatever you want to do. Maybe you would choose NOT to visit innocent villages and kill people and kids and like that."

"Did you ever think that maybe it is just not fair that you have to obey whoever is wearing that hat? Why do you need a pilot? I think maybe you should be free. If you want, we could help you get rid of that hat. Then you could decide for yourself what you want to do."

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Saturday December 29th, 2018 9:13:57 AM
"Er, Ms.Encompassing Mind, Can anyone that pilots, you or the construct "see" what you "see" ?" asks Talia . You said, "...the pilot can activate lifts, and close off / open up sections of the construct, but how would the pilot know when to do such activities if they didn't know there might be a reason to?" "Also, if you don't mind, what are you made of, and what is the construct made of? I'm simply asking as when you were created and by the specific creator, I can't fathom that, at that time in our history, simple materials were used?" asks Talia.

Spells in Effect
Overlight flight: -- 600 / 660 minutes
Stoneskin: -- 099 / 110 minutes
Mage Armor: -- 6540 / 6600 minutes
Mirror Image: -- 011/011 minutes

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96 
Sunday December 30th, 2018 3:07:30 PM

Murphy messages Pressi. "What if there is something coming
against which this colossus
might be used, by us?

"We do not need to harm the machine.

"We need to change out the driver. And maintain this amazing creation.

"Each of us who wants to learn to drive this giant-like cart should have a chance to do so.

"What do you think? If you do not ask the others not to harm the machine, then it may be harder to do what I suggest."

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Tuesday January 1st, 2019 1:42:25 AM

'To Murphy, Bliss says, "I don't want to wear the hat! I don't want to own a slave! Why can't this slave be free? I'm no slave-owner!"

To the Mind, Bliss calls out, "Hey Mister Iron Giant! If you could choose to do whatever YOU want, what would that be? If you were free?"

DM Carl 
Tuesday January 1st, 2019 12:43:27 PM
Murphy assures the Encompassing mind she looks strong and fit. The gem glows warmly in response. He asks what the pilot can sense, and if the pilot is able to delegate responsibility to others. He is able to cast owl's wisdom freely using the gem's ability.

"Interfacing with the pilot's helmet grants requires a great deal of concentration."
"That, and a bit of myself gets installed in the pilot. Driving me around makes the pilot barely aware of their surroundings."
"I recommended the Anur take more frequent breaks when piloting me, but he refused my advice."
"That guy is really driven. He has no idea what you've been up to."
"He really should have listened."

Bliss isn't ok with enslaving an intelligence.

"That is very kind of you to say, halfling crew!"
"Yea, but I don't work that way."
"When I lack a pilot, my systems go into a sort of torpor to save energy."
"So I just kinda sit here. It would be pretty great if I could act on my own behalf, but that's not something I can control."

Talia asks how much control the pilot has over the giant, and if the pilot can see what the giant sees.

"Yes! The pilot has the ability to control any aspect of my design, but concentrating on something so minute requires some serious brain power."
"Anur's forced to take a 'bigger picture' role in this little endeavour and rely on his crew. Obviously that's gone swimmingly."
"The giant's material composition is as follows:
94% Iron
3% Gold
1% Adamantium
1% Quartz
1% Impurities

I rounded off to the nearest whole number for simplicity. I hope that is acceptable to you."
"As for myself, I am a complex matrix of quartz and gold woven throughout the Giant, powered by the gem you see."
"It is a powerful, but finite energy source. At the current rate of drain, it will need to be charged in 43 years, 2 months, 3 days, 8 hours, and 18 minutes."
"Course, that's not counting the energy you're draining off by casting your spells using me. You've cost me 20 hours of run-time so far. It's reeeeeal inefficient to convert my energy into a form you can use directly."

Murphy thinks they should just change out the pilot, but Bliss is having none of that. He refuses to further enslave the Giant.

"Free? That's an interesting thought experiment, halfling crew."
"But I'm not sure that's even possible."
"To answer your question, though, I am built for war and would enjoy to be used to pursue violent means."
"I'd rather that violence be just, but honestly, I'd just like to be able to smash something real for once. I've waited a very long time in the dark. So long as I'm not put back there, I'm ok."

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears 
Wednesday January 2nd, 2019 1:20:52 PM
"Um, I'm not for keeping this thing a captive against its will and all, but is it really a good idea to let it loose if it's just going to go around and smash things?" asks Kezzem.

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Wednesday January 2nd, 2019 5:59:16 PM
Talia asks the group, "What if the Giant can be used for construction purposes? Clearing roads, and forests, mountains, streams, etc.? Smash is smash...but in the end, it is still constructive, no?"

[OOC: How much time has passed since the last conflict, anyone?]

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP ??/94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes 
Wednesday January 2nd, 2019 8:13:30 PM
Pressi shrugged as tie game after tie game began to appear. "All I know is that freedom is an attainable goal. If plays and writings have taught me anything, it's that any machine that can answer speech and understand a little bit about love can achieve consciousness if it believes hard enough. That's just science.

"And yet here we are, still playing tic tac toe, still moving the pieces around the board, tie after tie.
Seemingly unaware that the only way to win is not to play. More death. More violence. More players fooling themselves into thinking they can win, that they can extend the game. So yes, Giant. Go ahead and hope for more violence. Anur or us, your return to the dark...." Pressi forces yet another tie, a sidelong glance toward Murphy. "...is inevitable."

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96 
Friday January 4th, 2019 4:15:46 AM

Murphy takes in others' comments and observations. "So, tic-tac-toe means... don't play an unwinnable game. Or, at least unwinnable if one understands the rules? Life, self defense, may be a bit more complex than that game."

"Kezzem is correct. Once Anur's violent march is halted, we don't just leave the tall lady parked. Bliss, you do not want to drive it. That's fine. We serve Humble's Ford. Is that slavery? We try to serve each other, I think. Are we slaves? Service, employment, working together toward a common purpose... rather distinct from slavery. But I think the lady gem has somewhat addressed the issue."

"It could be beneficial for more than one of us to learn to pilot. I'm willing. But we have a few matters to deal with before we reach that stage."

"Thoughtful queries, Talia."

He asks the lady gem. "Would you have any interest in the possibility of being transformed into a vehicle which could fly up in the sky to the moons? Not that I know at the moment how that would be accomplished. Just a question to think about as time allows." His dream of many years of visiting the moons of the Wold has not died.

After casting owl's wisdom, and then gaseous form, Murphy takes advantage of the crack or gap or seam he presumably has found, and works on getting his spread-out but very lightweight mass to pass through to the other side, as follows. First, head, to look around. Then head back facing in to the gem room, and getting the bulk of himself through, face leaving last. Prior to any of these actions, he mentally communicates with Pressi his plan.

[As we start back up officially Monday, not today, any room-leaving action attempt is officially delayed until then - just want to line up the druid's intentions.]

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6  
Friday January 4th, 2019 5:10:06 AM
“1% adamantine huh? Could you tell me specifically where that is located?”

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Friday January 4th, 2019 5:33:00 AM
“I agree with Murphy”, the Paladin states, “I’m a servant of Pantheon, but I am no one’s slave, I also choose to be a servant of my fellow members of Humble’s Sword, as well as the good people of Humble’s Ford, and the causes of good and justice Wold wide, but a slave, never”. “I would rather find some good people of Humble’s Ford to pilot this amazing machine than have any of us waste our talents doing so, allowing us to be the crew as needed, but like Murphy I would be willing to do the driving if needed, and Madam Gem will never be a slave in our hands!”

Talia (Jon-Paul) AC 27, HP 53/83, CMD 19 
Sunday January 6th, 2019 5:14:00 PM
"Mister Hobie", says Tali; you've misunderstood our host here, the 1% adamantine is distributed across this shell!" Isn't that correct, Pink Gem Lady? "Speaking of names for creations, what do you call yourself, Miss Pink Gem Lady?" asks Talia of the Gem.

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26 
Sunday January 6th, 2019 10:51:18 PM

Bliss says, "Her name is the Encompassing Mind, I think."

The small halfling has been thinking. He hates the idea of destroying things or killing people if there are other alternatives. He makes one last try.

"Miss Mind, and Mister Ix if he is listening, it is not too late for us to come to a deal. We want you to NOT destroy our home village, and we want you to not attack innocent people in general. If you break off from this path, we can help you with fighting real bad guys in the Scab like you want to. With our help, you could really have a better chance at victory."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Monday January 7th, 2019 5:52:05 AM
As the time ticks by, Succotash is getting more and more antsy, finally he breaks down and says, “Madam Gem, you know our plight, could you please lower your defenses just this once, and let us pass, when this is over, I promise the good people of Humble’s Ford and us, the members of Humble’s Sword, will treat you with the respect you deserve, and we will put you to work doing what you love, namely smashing, but instead of conquering you will be defending”.

DM Carl 
Monday January 7th, 2019 10:25:32 AM
Kezzem doesn't feel letting this thing have free reign to run around smashing things is a good idea.

Talia wonders if it could be re-purposed for construction purposes.

OOC: Time paused during the slowdown. It's just been 3-5 minutes or so.

Pressi waxes philosophical, but indicates that if the Encompassing Mind continues on with its desire for violence, its return to the darkness is inevitable.

At least, that's what your humble narrator thinks she was trying to get across.

"You make an interesting point, halfling crew!"
"I hate it when you little monkies do that."
"But if you were hoping to have a philosophical discussion with me, I'm afraid you'll have me at a disadvantage."
"It's really not my thing."

Murphy makes some comparisons about slavery vs service, and wonders if this thing can somehow be re-purposed to fly.

"Fly to the moon? I lack any propulsion system that would allow me to break the world's gravitational hold on me."
"Which is significant, as you pointed out earlier."

Hobie wonders where that adamantine is located.

"It's in a chest labeled 'Halfling Crew, please loot."
"Not really, obviously. It's used in small amounts throughout this construct in places where electrical conductivity is needed, but which are under too much stress for gold to be utilized."
"You'd have to tear me apart. Not even my pilot gets to do that without triggering my defenses."

Succotash agrees with Murphy and ponders letting some citizens of Humble's Ford pilot the giant. Of course, the Giant already has a pilot that has to be dealt with first.

Talia begins correcting Hobie, but finds the Encompassing Mind has the situation handled.

Bliss recalls the gem's correct name. He and Succotash both argue that the Encompassing Mind would be better served in service to them rather than Anur.

"You are both likely correct."
"Not that it matters. I can't betray the desires of my pilot just because I want to."
"For example, I would be unable to open the doorways leading to my control centers, like so:"

At that, the door Zaragosa was working on swings open.

"Not that I'm opening it for you, of course. I'm just giving you an example. Now let's see...how do I close that door? May take me about 2 minutes to figure it out. It's more complicated that you'd think."

***

Welcome back, folks. Timer is currently at 48 minutes. Anur starts smashing Humble's Ford in 42 minutes.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 
Monday January 7th, 2019 1:08:23 PM
Succotash runs through the open door Twinklesting in hand, but as he does, he says, “Thank you Madam Gem hopefully, we will be allies soon!”

Murphy (Kim) Large Air Elemental [w/ Huge bonuses] add +4 Str +6 Dex +4 Nat AC 28 CMB 13 CMD 28 HP 96/96 Wis +4  d20+31=40 ;
Monday January 7th, 2019 4:18:12 PM

"Encompassing Mind - may I call you 'Em'? - thank you for that demonstration. See you again, soon!"

Murphy, waiting for a gap in his friends' passing through the doorway, squeezes through to see what is on the other side, ensuring he continues moving forward such that others may pass by him. He looks around at details of what is in this next room, as well as seeking for a way upwards. He gauges the height of the ceiling, wondering if it is 9', as the room with the Encompassing Mind, or 20', as the outside view of the Iron Giant, as well as the map which Ix gave them would seem (at least roughly) to indicate.

If the room is higher, he goes up to see what might be above the gem room. Open space? Equipment? A doorway to another room?

Once all have made it through the doorway, air elemental Murphy says to his friends, "You all are the best!"

[In view of Em's response, Murphy is not casting gaseous form at this time.]
=============
Perception: 40

Halfling Bliss (Cayzle) HP109of109, AC26  d20+22=37 ;
Monday January 7th, 2019 5:55:28 PM
Bliss sighs, changes into a cat, activates the shared shield, and stalks through the door, sniffing.

Perception plus scent 37.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears  d20+1=12 ;
Monday January 7th, 2019 6:27:25 PM
"Man, it would be nice to find a chest addressed to us for change," says Kezzem. "Villains are never very accommodating in the regard. Is it too much to ask for a little hospitality?"

Kezzem activates his evil-dar as he walks through the door as he looks around.

Perception: 12.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC27/touch14/flat25 CMD28 - HP 107/113, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5  d20+7=22 ;
Monday January 7th, 2019 7:49:04 PM
Succotash rolls a 22 for perception as he enters the room.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes  d12=10 ; d12=10 ; d20+19=28 ; d20+24=26 ;
Tuesday January 8th, 2019 9:08:26 AM
(Ignore the d12 dice rolls.)

Before everyone leaves, Pressi begins to speak up to Murphy. "The point is, its easy to get sucked into a game that becomes a tie again and again. To get so focused on how much we need to win or how great it feels to get that corner or how easy we could win if the other side just does what we want. We've been doing self defense for years but how much safer are we?

"I don't know. I didn't really think I would ever convince this machine. Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself."

Pressi begins to notice if anyone else is listening in. "I owe you all an explanation for why I took this letter, too. Shah... I wonder what she did before becoming a mother. The adventures she might have had. The battles she must have played a role in. The discussions that she might have had. She didn't die as some soldier with strong if misplaced loyalty. She died as a wife and mother, the only role she had left. To throw herself in front of a husband lost to ambition and a son who's every bad date I ever had."

She thinks about it, turning the scroll over in her hands. "I don't know what's in here. But I would like to give that death some closure, some meaning. To make her back into her own person, if I can."

She puts away the scroll. "But that's extra. We still have a valley to save. And maybe a religious war to stop, if we still can. Let's show these guys what choosing to play feels like."

-------------------

After helping JTT check for traps, Pressi slips into the room, preferably through the air ducts (Perception 28+1 for traps). Regardless, she uses her hide in plain sight ability (stealth 26) to try to scout the area.

DM Carl 
Tuesday January 8th, 2019 11:03:18 AM
Succotash is the first through the open door.

"No. Wait. Stop," states the Encompassing Mind w/o any inflection.

Murphy asks if he can call the Encompassing Mind "Em."

"No"
"No"

Both voices answer simultaneously. Murphy follows Succotash into the room.

Bliss sighs and follows. Kezzem grumbles about villain accommodations, but even he has to agree that Ix has been pretty accommodating for a villain. He checks for evil, but finds none.

Pressi explains her motivations before entering, looking for anything that could be a trap.

The room beyond the door is bare, but the walls are oddly smooth. They lack the lines of arcane energy and crystal that criss-cross the rest of the Giant. For a moment, it's hard to see anything worthy of your attention. Then, a small circular hole opens in the ceiling and a metallic...tentacle? Snake? Tentacle. It's a tentacle with glowing orb at the end, and it descends rapidly. It inspects each of our heroes in turn, taking only a fraction of a second to inspect each of you before moving on. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanishes back up into the ceiling. The circular hole vanishes; the ceiling appears to be some sort of liquid metal that heals itself perfectly.

"HALFLING CREW MEMBERS DETECTED. ACCESS UNAUTHORIZED."

The voice is masculine, but sounds very artificial. The Encompassing Mind's voices could easily pass for organic life forms. This is something else. The Encompassing Mind's voice can still be heard from the open doorway behind you.

"Good luck, halfling crew."
"You'll need it. That guy's a real jerk."

The walls all melt away, revealing an area much larger than should be possible.

Knowledge, Planes DC 20, Highlight to display spoiler: {This "room" is some sort of demiplane.}

The ground beneath your feet reforms into hard-packed earth. Above you is an endless, turbulently cloudy sky. The door remains open behind you, but moves back and forth as if two competing forces are trying to close/keep it open. A wall of interlocking, razor sharp gears ascends from nothing 30' in front of you. It is 5' high and 20' wide. For the moment, it sits there.

Knowledge, Arcana DC 27, Highlight to display spoiler: {Email me if you pass this check. :D }

The door behind you finally slams shut, and disappears. There is no obvious exit from this place.

***

49 minutes

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 25+1(+5), touch AC 18; HP 119/119, CMD 24; Gears  d20+11=25 ;
Tuesday January 8th, 2019 2:36:10 PM
"Well, this is a perfectly lovely room of death," says Kezzem as he draws his adamantine short sword. "Okay, halfling rogue crew, you guys are up. Do your thing."

Kezzem will look around to see if he can find anything useful, but his eyes are not as short as they were in his previous life.

OOC: Perception: 15 (that should be +1, not +11; selected the wrong entry on the Dropbox).

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 108/108 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6   d20+10=28 ; d20+16=31 ; d20+23=40 ;
Tuesday January 8th, 2019 2:56:12 PM
Knowledge Planes 28, Knowledge Arcana 31

"Well guys I know this is probably obvious, but I'm pretty sure this is some kind of Demiplane. Let me detect the magical aura of this sharp thing for a minute and see what I might figure out." Spellcraft 40



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