Episode 1

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Aug 4, 2017 2:29 pm
With Kray's help, Thorn shoves with all his might, Rutcranna's warning ringing in his ears.

We'll probably all die anyway. But we still struggle to delay the inevitable.

As the door begins to close, his spots Jilleen, hears her screaming for Maeriks as the monster drags her away from any hope she had. Guilt pounds at the entry into his mind, reminding him she was assigned to him.

Thorn struggles to shut this door as well.
[ +- ] Thorn Character Sheet

Rolls

Athletics, Shut the Door with advantage from Kray - (1d20+7, 1d20+7)

1d20+7 : (15) + 7 = 22

1d20+7 : (6) + 7 = 13

DMJ

Aug 6, 2017 10:32 am
Rey Mysterio

Rolls

Don't look

Don't cheat

DMJ

Aug 7, 2017 9:57 am
Kray fakes out his direct opponent and surges forward trying to leap ahead of the Glaaieou who is lunging towards the door following Maeriks.

Just before he leaves the hallway, Kray catches a disturbing glimpse of movement at the edge of the darkness.

DMJ sent a note to Ezeriah

DMJ

Aug 7, 2017 10:09 am
Thorn begins motion to close the door even before he sees Kray through. When Kray does dive into visibility, Thorn pushes with all of the strength in his entire body.

The heavy door groans forward, picking up speed. Anticipating a last bit of resistance to get the door to seal firmly into place in its frame of the wall and the other door, Thorn drives strongly with his legs and presses out hard with both arms at the end of the door's arcing motion.

A shocking stop in motion though. CRUNCH!
The door slams against resistance and gives a small bounce.

A full length of an arm extends out into the room, from outside in the hallway. The Glaakieou who was chasing Maeriks reached through right after Kray slide in. Now its arm is in the room, caught in the swing of the closing door, blocking the door from completely closing!

DMJ

Aug 7, 2017 10:16 am
"The door!", Rhone cries out, looking away from Bryn. Bryn sees her eyes wide in surprise.

Bryn looks back to see the door stalled out, not fully closed, an arm of one of the madmen blocking it.

Kray is through and shifts around, pressing the door forward with Thorn.

Ivor and Doirind are there at the entryway, Ivor having just chopped the spine barb from the other Glaakieou's back.

Maeriks is also on the deck getting up near the door, gathering himself from his strain to carry the fallen Boann through door at the very last moment.

Over to the left, Bryn sees Hinka yelling out towards him. The Tochoan is lifting the end of the long and heavy plank bolt that seals the door. There is no way the little man can lift this heavy beam.
Aug 7, 2017 10:29 am
Thorn strains with Kray against the door. He turns his head and sees the gladiator and the giant nearby.

"Ivor, Maeriks, one of you chop this fucker's arm off!"

Rolls

Continued pushing with advantage from Kray, in case it's relevant, DMJ - (1d20+7, 1d20+7)

1d20+7 : (6) + 7 = 13

1d20+7 : (5) + 7 = 12

Aug 7, 2017 10:32 am
The words are barely out of Thorn's mouth before Ivor starts chopping at the arm as hard as he can, trying to sever it.
OOC:
Action Surge: If that cuts the arm off and the door can now be shut, Ivor shuts it in their faces and holds it If the arm's still there, I'm chopping that shit a second time.
Last edited August 7, 2017 10:37 am

Rolls

Axe attack, CTC advantage, damage - (1d20+8, 1d20+8, 1d6+5)

1d20+8 : (15) + 8 = 23

1d20+8 : (8) + 8 = 16

1d6+5 : (2) + 5 = 7

2nd axe attack (if necessary), damage - (1d20+8, 1d6+5)

1d20+8 : (5) + 8 = 13

1d6+5 : (2) + 5 = 7

Aug 7, 2017 9:01 pm
Dropping Boann, Maeriks lurches to his feet toward Hinka. With little more than a subvocalized "mmm", Maeriks grabs the bar and shoves it into place, helping to press the door closed as best as he can in the process. The sound of the screaming Jilleen filling his chest with a deep hollow. He touches Thorn, leaning shoulder to shoulder as they work together to close the door and bar it shut. He glances at Thorn, the two exchange a look - The girl is theirs, this is all we can do now.
OOC:
Casting guidance on Thorn.
[ +- ] Guidance
[ +- ] Maeriks Mac Hannoc
Last edited August 7, 2017 9:13 pm
Aug 7, 2017 9:03 pm
All of his weight against the door, Kray elaborates on the importance of closing it, almost cracking wise as Ivor begins to hack away at the arm. "Remember that giant gator we heard about, Titan? Just saw it, incoming right now with a host of friends." Still bracing with his shoulder against the door, Kray starts pulling on the maniac's arm wedged in the opening, keeping it steady for Ivor while simultaneously attempting to break the bone once enough damage has been done.
[ +- ] Kray Mercon Character Sheet
Last edited August 7, 2017 9:10 pm

DMJ

Aug 8, 2017 12:07 am
Tossing away the recently hacked Glaaki pawn spine barb, Ivor quickly shifts his butchery to the other Glaakieou's pinned arm. Pressing forward with his left hand to lodge the arm forward, Ivor chops savagely into the upper arm right at the door. THOCK. He chops clean through the bone. With another quick chop he tears through the rest of the muscle and sinew. The arm pulls away from the body and Ivor casts it aside as he pulls outward. A line of sprayed blood follows and splatters along the other door and the floor.
OOC:
No need to use Action Surge. One Action of chopping is sufficient.
The force of Thorn and Kray's press on the door pushes the dismembered Glaakieou out of the opening and back into the hallway. Maeriks heaves the huge beam up and over. Doirind helps him push and guide it into the great brackets that are placed on the inside of the door itself and also on the outside threshholds along the stone wall. The giant bolt beam finally rumbles and locks into place firmly with a loud clunk.

A loud crash on the outside of the door. Then another. Then some smaller knocks and bumps, chops and bangs. Another booming thud.
But the door holds.
Aug 8, 2017 2:16 am
Bryn rushes over to aid Hinka in barring the door with the heavy beam.

"Is this going to hold?"
Last edited August 8, 2017 2:16 am

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 4:13 pm
Rutcranna, sitting on the floor legs crossed in front of the bronze brazier, says in a clear voice, "Back away from the door."

With the door secure, everyone does. Rutcranna closes her eyes tilts her head forward. Her lips move as if she is speaking, but she is apparently whispering. Suddenly there is a loud shudder in the door, like a pulse that emits from it, even with a small rush of air that blows away from it, stirring up some dust from the floor and the air.

A set of large crashing sounds and thuds come from outside the door. All of the thuds and knocks and banging against the door stops, and is replaced by a large clamor and bumping of a different sort. These are sounds that suggest that whatever is outside just got knocked to the floor. Then, complete silence.

Rutcranna looks up, scanning the people present, and then looking back to the door. "The door will hold for a time. We have to make it long enough."

She stands up from the floor, grabs and torch from her bag, and lights it from the burning oil brazier. Nimble as a cat, she moves over to a great and apparently ancient brass cauldron which sits atop a huge old stone block. When she puts the torch over the side of the giant bowl, a larger flame begins to grow from a source of fuel yet to be seen from everyone else.

Soon the fire rises up, casting a broad radiant orange glow through the room. Soon 3 other cauldrons are seen, sitting on similar stone blocks further out in the room. Though no known fire has lit these cauldrons, flames begin to rise from them - first in the two that are closest to the first lit cauldron, then in the one across the room. Within seconds, 4 great cauldrons are burning in the room. Now everything is bathed in the light of the large fires.

....

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 5:58 pm
Basic Size & Layout:
The room is a circular shape.
Large and spacious, 80' diameter.
Walls on the side are 20' high, then convert to a dome ceiling that goes from one end to the other. The central peak of the ceiling probably 50' in the air in the center of the circle.

Directions:
What we will call SOUTH: The tall double door, recently shut.
What we will call NORTH: A cube-shaped hallway (20' wide by 20' tall, same height as flat part of the wall). Unknown at this point what is ahead.

Other Notable Features:

4 huge brass cauldrons (5' diameter, 1.5' deep),
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/fc3afsv9v6f7myl/throne.room.cauldron.jpg
Sitting atop large stone blocks (2.5' high, slightly wider than cauldrons). The blocks have carvings of figures on them.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/qnrm7gvuqwnp63y/throne.room.cauldron%20blocks.jpg
Positioned inward from the wall, towards the middle of the room, about 20' from the outer wall.
Together form a square symmetry, points at NW, NE, SE, and SW.
This means that they are each about 40' away each from one another diagonally. One from another along the length of the "square" they are around 30' away from each other.
Fire burns within all cauldrons, although only the SE cauldron was lit initially by Rutcranna. There is something strange about the fire. The tongues of the flames do not look exactly normal. It is almost as if the fire shifts and moves in slow motion or with barely noticeable halts and stutters. It is a subtle strangeness though.

The high climb hole in the wall entrance, through which Rhone, Hinka, Thorn, and Ivor climbed, is at a top section of the wall, just under the transition from straight wall to arcing dome. Offset "eastward" from the south door about 10'.
When the light of the fires rises out, Hinka quickly scampers up the wall and hangs a small tarp to cover the small through-way so that light does not project outward into the hallway and possibly reveal the passage to enemies outside.

Circular Runic Carving Bands in the floor, that are concentric in design, starting just inside the cauldrons.
All bands are about 16" wide, sunken indented lines as outside boarders with large deliberately designed carvings in between, angular, swooping, and geometrical symbols of unknown meaning.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/pm7y2l7newtfgcu/Throne%20floor%20runes%202.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/yospz75i1xvopmm/Throne%20floor%20runes.JPG
Max diameter of 40' is an outer band. This is the one that goes just inside the cauldrons.
Another band is inset at 32' diameter.
The next band is inward further at 24' diameter.
The last innermost circle is 18' diameter. Just inside of it is a raised circular platform, probably less than 12" of a step up. It is a central circle, a raised floor.

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 6:46 pm
In the exact middle of the central raised circle platform...

An elaborate, imposing, majestic yet dreadful
Dark Throne.

Its lines are sharp and angular. It has a wide base (approx 5') stance and tall height (11'+).
Its composition is yet to be identified. It does not have a shimmer or shine of metal, instead has a dull flat gloomy look. Yet it does not have any sign of rot of wood. It also does not appear to be stone.

The throne is facing NORTH, towards the hallway, so its back is to the great double door.

There are rays of the material that radiate outward at the high top of the chair back, forming a sort of arc of rays and angles outward almost like a crown or the rays of a sun at the top. There are 8 rays. Inset on the tips of each are huge crystal rocks, oblong and angular in shape. They face forward and can only be seen from the northern ends of the room. The crystals are a silvery color. Light reflects brilliantly from each, as if each were highly polished and freshly chiseled. They sparkle in the fire light.

The seating area of the chair has little in the way of padding, but the carvings of the material within seem ergonomic and smooth at the points where one would sit.

The inner back of the chair has runic carvings all across the backboard area, which would be the panel just below the high arching rays and just above the head of anyone who would be sitting in the throne. There seems to be carvings of stars and strange circles, all encircling what seems to be an oval shaped eye.

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/nuapmkpcwzqdgji/Throne.inner.symbol.jpg

The tall outer back of the chair, the part that faces the south door, is covered in an elaborate carving a symbol surrounded by runes and geometric features, both circular and angular.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/jwhryi5ek7tt0is/Throne.outer.symbol.png

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 7:09 pm
Muirne, who has been crying, begins to get louder and louder. She is looking down at the bloody corpse of the Glaakieou, and then at Boann who lies covered in blood nearby.

When she sees the Dark Throne emerge in the firelight, her eyes widen in fear and she falters. She looks back at the bodies and starts hyperventilating almost.
She starts shaking her head and says, "We shouldn't have come here. We shouldn't have left."
She then turns a horrified stare at Maeriks and continues, louder, "Why did you do this?! We shouldn't have left! Why did you take us away?!"
She is growing frantic, hysterical.

Rutcranna turns from the cauldron and glares at the girl from across the room. Her eyes furious. "Shut that girl up!" she says in a sharp voice, angry but not overly loud.

She points sharply up to the high secret entrance above and to the side of the great doors. Her eyes wide with anger and concern, obviously because of the risk that louder sounds might carry through and reveal the hidden access.

"They're dead! Isibeal is dead. They took Jilleen. They're going to come in here and take us! They'll kill us!" Muirne blurts out loudly at Maeriks as she backs away.

Aisling is starting to cry now and look around in horror.

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 7:40 pm
Rhone runs over and kneels down beside Boann. The little girl opens her med bag, assesses the patient, and starts a her combat trauma management procedures.

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 7:46 pm
OOC:
Playerz,
I'm going to pause there, see what you think.
This is still moments after the door closes. Room lights up. Everyone starts easing out of fight-for-your-life mode and into assessment mode.

Boann being treated.
Everyone soaking in the details of the room. The Throne is the centerpiece.
The weaker girls starting to freak out.

What happens next? What do we need to talk about?
I'm good with doing it in a mix of play-by-play, or in general summaries by topic. Depends on your choice and what the topic might be, and what discussion it warrants between PCs NPCs as necessary.

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 7:51 pm
OOC:

Skill/Ability Checks Needed:
Someone send me these checks, select one person among you for each (doesn't have to be same person):

Investigation completed by Inspector Thorn
History (Bryn gets Advantage on this one if he is selected to represent) completed by Bryn.
Intelligence completed by Thorn
Insight Completed by Maeriks

No other Advantage options other than the one mentioned on History above.

Update: All Skill Checks are in and have been reported to the Skill rep by Note.

DMJ

Aug 9, 2017 7:59 pm
OOC:
Required Check, Each PC:

Something new here, and surely a bit odd.

Each person:
Take average of INT, WIS, CHA. Drop fractions.
We will call this the PC's Mentality Score.
It will serve as a crude rating of his total mental attributes.

Send a Saving Throw roll applying the Mentality Score Modifier.
No one will apply Proficiency to this Save.
Aug 9, 2017 8:11 pm
Stashing the Lotus Locust spear into his basket, Maeriks turns to the whimpering Muirne and grabs her, hand covering mouth. A moment later when Aisling begins to cry, Maeriks pulls Murine's head down, putting her into a headlock where he can continue to cover her mouth and drag her with him to Aisling. He grabs Aisling and does the same to her.

"Do that later."

With girls held close, he looks around at the room, trying to grasp what RT intends to do and what this place is.

Rolls

Insight - (1d20+6)

(17) + 6 = 23

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