if you want you can like...push Taka into the right side
if you really need players there
Last time, the party split up, and fought some weird puzzle bosses.
Nah, it'll be fine.
Oh no, the pets have shrunk!
Clockwork was back in fashion for about 5 rounds, but now its not again.
The doors ahead have clicked open, revealing...
More doors!
"You've got this, I'm sure."
The right side move into the corridor ahead.
what do my bird eyes see?
Taka astutely spots a key hanging on a hook on the left wall there, as well as an odd tube on the right wall.
Peering through, he can see Lux on the other side of the tube.
Takaanu peaks down the tube
Takaanu places a shuriken in the tube
Just straight-up turns into a mountain.
But he also spots a break in the tube.
The tower has seen some damage here, apparently.
do you have a Fly prepared?
It's a domain spell.
It's always prepared.
The tube is not people-sized, just so you know.
Does anyone know dungeoneering?
"Oh, a key!"
"And a tube?"
you can't actually see me
I'm invisible
Schmantics.
Manu Palila peers through the hole and sees people on the other side.
| Knowledge (Dungeoneering) |
| Check |
| 19 |
"Not for that small, no."
Lux isn't quite sure what this tube was, but he knows the machinery powering it no longer functions.
Takaanu checks the door
If he had to guess, it would have helped solve this puzzle.
The door is locked.
I was wondering when you would check that.
Yes, there is one.
Takaanu attempts to pick the lock
You could've at least tried it!
nah, Taka has no time for that
It's not the right key, and that didn't work.
Man, please don't say we have to swap keys.
Takaanu pulls out his adamantine kama
"Adamantine good on metal"
Takaanu strikes the lock
Also is this, like, a padlock?
I mean if you crit your strength roll I'll consider letting that work.
I imagine it's a deadbolt or something.
I'm not a locksmith so I am not sure.
"We'll have to swap keys, somehow."
Gosh, how do you do so much damage with a +1 str mod.
Can we actually hear each other?
We're pretty far away, we'd have to shout through the tube, I guess.
You can yell at each other.
also Weapon Finesse
if this tube were shorter I could throw the key through
Weapon finesse doesn't add dex to damage, but sure.
I get the idea.
I mean it lets me actually hit things
Tembo shakes his head.
"Let's see..."
Manu Palila starts rummaging through his bag.
Takaanu pulls out the robot sword
I have this breezeblown dandelions that I forgot to write down their usage.
Boy, that was bad grammar.
"Do we have any items that could help, Lux? Check your bag."
Not quite good enough, I guess.
Lux rummages through the Backpack.
I can't, like, cast feather fall on the key and hover it through.
"Too long for bowshot"
"Too long for throw"
Uh.
It's definitely not too long for a bowshot.
Oh, wait.
She has a shortbow, doesn't she.
Their range increment is only like 60 ft, I think.
"Not if it can skid on the bottom!"
"Nothing in here. Just a bunch of junk we'll never use."
"Everyone really has to stop throwing their trash in here."
Streak, exactly how narrow is this tube?
You can fit your arm through it.
hmmmm
summon nature's ally?
Would you say it's about a foot in diameter?
Or thinner?
send like...some kind of vermin
something with a climb speed
I can wild shape into dimunitive sized creatures.
grab the key first
so it shrinks with you
Can I just turn into, like, a bird and carry the key across?
Perhaps a swallow?
That would work, I'm sure.
if you shapeshift, doesn't everything you are holding merge into you?
Yeah, so I can just unshift on the other side and hand them the key.
You can't just change, then pick up the key?
it'd be easier if he didn't have to carry the key
over a pit
That would work too.
But yeah, that ^
Well, whatever you think is best.
I have 4 uses of wild shape a day, anyway.
if you are diminutive I can throw you like a shuriken
And I have beast shape 3 as a 5th level domain spell too.
So 5 uses, really.
Manu Palila grabs the key and turns into a little swallow.
"Oh...now you bird"
Manu Palila chirps.
I wish I had a token for this but I don't.
"...No idea what you said"
A swallow but with Manu's hair.
(also i probably have a strength score of 2, i'm not sure i could carry a key anyway)
Semantics!
Off you go.
You flutter through, past the gap.
don't forget to bring the other key back with you
"Oh!!"
Manu Palila spits out a feather.
Streak I have to ask
did you intend this solution?
"Right, so, here's your key, I think."
There were...many solutions.
"Hey, I see the other door."
Click.
Lux unlocks the other one.
"No need for the return trip, then."
"A broken puzzle, that's no good."
"Bad sign. No maintenance"
Takaanu peaks over the top
This next corridor just leads up.
You see a small introduction room.
No, just your basic first room of a floor.
There is a pillar in the middle, though with some writing in Common.
"Take the purple and orange orbs. Use them to find your way."
You see a purple orb, faintly glowing with an aura.
"I... think these puzzles aren't doing so great."
"Why puzzles on higher floors broken?"
"Lower floors fine"
Indeed, in the place you'd expect to find the orange orb, there is none.
"Perhaps the proximity to the large angry energy crystal has something to do with it?"
"I'm sure acute exposure to this energy is fine."
Manu Palila casts Detect Magic on the purple orb.
Oh daaaamn. That's magical!
It's designed to interact with magical energies of a similar design.
Takaanu taps it with his kama
I was just gonna ask for the school of magic.
It's lightly transmutation.
Hm.
"Well, this can't go wrong."
Manu Palila grabs the orb.
It's warm.
Feels fine, though.
Takaanu looks for any remains of the orange orb
"Well, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this weird orb..."
Manu Palila picks it up and just kinda holds it out in front of him for the time being.
You notice a crack in the side of this little pedestal here.
By the way, the door ahead is open.
"Onward with this weird orb, then."
"My, am I getting tired of multicolor floors."
It's quite drafty in here, mostly due to the missing Entire Right Wall.
"Perhaps the one with the magic orb should go first?"
Manu Palila says this as he shoves it into Lux's hands.
"Kinda comforting, really."
But uh, yes, this floor is messed up.
I can see that, yes.
So, does Lux see anything weird?
Feel anything strange?
He tries using the orb in various ways, but the panels seem unaffected.
Manu Palila lightly puts his foot on this blue tile to the right.
"This has to be some kind of weird maze puzzle, surely."
"At one time, certainly."
"I think it's completely broken, though."
"Hm..."
Lux hits the orb off the panel a few times.
Takaanu tries the door, not expecting much
"Whatever this mage excels in, regular maintenance sure isn't it."
there's meant to be stairs over there
:b
"Oh"
"See them"
"Door first"
"Time for doomsday diary"
"Made of the most finely crafted mahogany and marble..."
"'Twould be a shame, could someone not see this glorious sight before mine eyes."
This next room is quite bare.
You note scrape marks on the bottom, stuff was moved out of here quite recently.
And you find on the floor, a loose piece of paper.
Takaanu picks up the paper
Much to your shock, it's a diary entry.
"I...don't understand. Something terrible has occurred. I...No, we, were doing some tests on the crystal. Since Gylan was with me, I stuck to the safe tests. He seemed interested for once, I just wanted to impress him, keep him in my company. I remember casting...something. And the crystal reacted for some reason. The tower began to shake violently. A force started to drag me towards the crystal. Gylan as well... I was about to dispel the effects, when a piece of debris must have knocked me out. I awoke...and he was gone. It's all my fault. I...have to get him out of there. I will get him out of there. I-I can still fix this. I just have to remember...what were we doing before it happened? I'll pump every spell I have into this thing, if that's what it takes. - Aron"
It's been scribbled quite hastily, looks like.
"What is it with that spell?"
"Twisted"
"became hold person?"
"...Take Person?"
"Spells not strong suit"
"Well, we're not far from the crystal."
The wind is picking up, now.
"We can look for ourselves."
You ascend the stairs, then.
"...Manu first"
"Manu sees hands"
I'm going to drink a Mage Armor potion
"Oh...big"
Manu Palila squints.
"Is... is that him up there?"
As you ascend, you feel the wind coming on strong now. Ahead, your eyes take a second to adjust to the sight.
The crystal, again, but much bigger now.
"That crystal looks to be in terrible shape."
And yes, you see a man, up on a platform.
oh gosh. i think im getting called away.
this is. great timing.
one sec
que the others showing up
right now
I never knew a crystal could look engorged.
It's so bloated and nasty.
I had such a hard time finding a sprite for this
this is why we don't play with strange interdimensional crystals
Manu just starts slinging spells at it.
and yeah i think ill have to go now. sorry guys
but we are still on track to finish in two sessions
no but make your leveling plans anyway
im letting you get to 10 real soon
we gonna go planar diver
diving
right, see you next time then
unless we want to TTS
Do you want to mess with Gloomhaven, noven?
.png)
