The Eye of Anubis: Book Eight

[yalenusveler]

"Delightful, Mental recursion.." Andre mutters at Charles' statement, before setting about to trying to time some of the gas ventings that were occuring. It was likley just the thing breathing, but Andre had no doubt that the breath of a Demon was far from the most healthy of substances to be inhaling, even in a psychic plane. Maybe especially there.

OOC:Search result of 31 for a +2 to Khalil's roll

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"If both the demon and our good selves are infinitely reproduced," Lia says in a bleak tone of voice, "then it will not take the dreamspawn too long to find us, Lorelei's blessing or no. Let's try and hurry as fast as we can." Again, she holds her hand up in the air as if to check for a wind current ... and slashes it in a distinct direction. "The power grows strongest in that heading," she states confidently.

(OOC: Knowledge (Arcana) check: 32.)

[The Whistler]

Thankfully, the line of sight by which Otto was squinting at the figures on the other mountain (Come onnn...wave back!) also happened to intersect what looked suspiciously like a gas vent.

"Watch! 30 degrees to your left-hand side--there."

Sure, I'll chip in on the Search aid another: a 20 does it.

[DocBeard]

Tomas pulls what appears to be a magnifying glass out of his hat, squinting so as to search EXTRA HARD.

This would be more effective if it was an actual magnifying glass, and not a piece of stained glass someone at school attached to a stick as a practical joke.

(OOC Tried aid another, rolled a 6, plus two is eight. Dag, yo.)

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Er, right, better watch out for the scenery," Charles mutters. "Not quite the thing to be steamed or marinated or whatever before we pop down the demon's gullet, isn't that right? I say, perhaps a bit to the right now?"

Search 18 to Aid Another for Khalil.

[NeoTiamat]

??? ???????? ?? ??????, ????????? ?????, ?????
???? ??th, ???, ?:?? PM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Successes: 9
Failures: 1

You watched the other mountainous demon, or perhaps the same one, for a few minutes. It was a perfect copy of Mt. Ronoph, near as you could tell, albeit it at a slight angle, and if you looked very carefully, you could make out the minute stick figure shapes on the daemon-mount's shoulder.

Suddenly, with the deceptively leisurely pace of an avalanche, the other Ronoph moved. One of the arms that was longer than a Port-a-Lucine boulevard moved, raising a three-clawed hand (or paw?) the size of a city square to slap itself on the shoulder.

When it removed the vast paw, there was nothing left of the other group but a fine, crimson smudge on Ronoph's shoulder.

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It took another hour or two to navigate all of the lethal pits of acidic drool or soft exhalations of toxic gas and actually get into Ronoph's mouth. Aside from a single vent of gas that merely proved extraordinarily foul-smelling instead of lethal, you managed to avoid all threats to life, soul, and sanity.

Now, to be fair, most people of sanity try to avoid being in a demon's mouth. Still, it wasn't so bad. Warm, and very damp[, which was to be expected, but not particularly unpleasant aside from the acrid odor in the air.

A bit later, you reached the esophagus after a fifteen minute hike across the demonic tongue, only to be treated to a view of a long, long drop and a pool of acid at the bottom. In fact, it seemed a dead end, but for one thing.

A ledge about a thousand feet below, with a semi-circular arch of worked stone leading somewhere deeper into Ronoph, emitting a golden-red glow as it did so.

The ledge and arch were right about where you thought the heart would be.


Kuzan succeeds on a Heal Check
Andre, aided by Lia, succeeds on a Knowledge: Arcana Check
Khalil, aided by Charles, Otto, and Tomas, succeeds on a Survival Check

Khalil succeeds on a Survival Check
Kuzan succeeds on a Climb Check
Otto succeeds on a Use Rope Check
Charles trades in a Feather Fall for a success.

Kuzan succeeds on a Climb Check
Khalil, aided by Charles, Andre, Tomas and Otto fails on a Search Check
Lia succeeds on a Knowledge: Arcana Check

[DocBeard]

Tomas continues to use his not-a-magnifying glass, perhaps being stubborn about it, or perhaps just disappointed that he did not get to see how handsome his possible evil twin would be. He runs his fingers delicately along the 'arch', hrming to himself.

"Is it me, or does this...ah...gastrointestional chamber look a great deal like 6th century Mordentish construction, just after the architectural revolution that was sparked by the settling of the empty cities in Richmieluant?" Tomas licks his lips, "See, here, and here? I know it seems outlandish, but perhaps, being a creature of dreams, it constructs itself based on the lines and circles that dance in the heads of the city-builders?"

Or, well, there's a far more sinister point of origin for those cities after all...but that would be another adventure, wouldn't it?

(Got a 22 on my Craft: Stoneworking roll.)

[lostboy]

? I know it seems outlandish, but perhaps, being a creature of dreams, it constructs itself based on the lines and circles that dance in the heads of the city-builders?"

"Or it makes the kind of thing we expect perhaps?" Khalil mutters

The desert guide takes a wary look over the precipice at the loong drop, "Im guessing between us we dont have enough rope for that?" he asks with a vague look of hope at the others.

[OOC: Khalil has about 150ft of rope, anyone else have significant amounts or can we all hold hands and concentrate on making one?]

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I'm ready to try it," Lia announces, looking down at the ledge. "There's no way I could fly that far, even with spells helping me along my way."

[yalenusveler]

"That...is well and truly revolting" Was Andre's comment as he saw the pit of diabolic acid surrounding the being's heart. "I mean, there are certain academics who would probably be beginning a lovely monograph right now. Myself? I think I'm about to be mildly ill.." And with that, Andre went about looking for some sort of cillia, or fleshy fold that would make their descent easier.

OOC:22 on a search. Need 2 more people for a success. Anyone willing to help out?

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles digs his own two hundred feet of rope from his pack and then shakes his head. "It's a powerful lot of string, M'sieur al-Atim, but I still think we're a few hundred feet short. I suppose we could try flying, or maybe falling...if I were to jump, and use the feather fall spell at the right time, that would work. Unless my trajectory was such that it carried me into the acid, because my ability to manipulate my path is very limited. Better save it for an emergency."

Having thus talked himself to a conclusion, Charles sets about helping Andre to find a way down. "I say, Professor, doesn't that cleft on our left go quite a ways down? It looks manageable, with the ropes anyway."

Search result is a 29 to Aid Another. Look, Andre, I am being Very Helpful!

[Kaitou Kage]

"Give me the rope," Kuzan told Khalil, "And I'll see if I can find a way down for everyone."

Once the ropes were complete, the priest climbed over the edge and began rappeling down the face.

Made my Climb with flying colors in the shape of 29.

[The Whistler]

Otto peers over the edge as Kuzan descends--good thing, too, since that particular segment of the crevasse partway down looks as if it's set to crumble at any second.

"Achtung--be watching, sir! To your right! Yes--better."

Aiding on that Search with a 24. That should do it!

[NeoTiamat]

??? ???????? ?? ??????, ????????? ?????, ?????
???? ??th, ???, ?:?? PM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Successes: 12
Failures: 1

Victory!

It took a great deal of monkey-ish climbing, a truly stunning amount of rope, and some quick eyes on Andre's part to avoid a sudden venting of chlorine gas, but eventually, you reached the ledge. You didn't really have time to dawdle there, seeing as another belch of toxic vapor was coming your way, so you hurried on towards the glow, and the heart. And were treated to...

A copy of the Monastery of Stilled Nightmares.

Well, to be fair, it wasn't a very perfect copy. Five pillars of smoke came from the courtyard, reaching endlessly towards the uncaring sky, the heavens themselves a burnt ochre color (Sky? Weren't you inside?) While the very walls of the Monastery had tumbled down, cracked as if by some great earthquake. Clouds of sickly yellow vapor floated aimlessly through the Monastery, propelled by a frigid, foul-smelling wind.

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When you finally reached it, the Courtyard of the Monastery itself was an... odd sight. The prayer hall was fractured, shattered by a cataclysmic force, or perhaps built destroyed in this strange nether-realm. Everything was overgrown with heavy, choking vines, while rivers of acid made a dark cross on the land.

In passing, you noticed something rather odd. The tiling on the floor was different, the triangles and squares and circles of the normal prayer hall replaced with an endless array of perfectly interlocking tan octagons.

And where the fountain was... there was Ronoph. His heart, or perhaps himself, by now it was hard to tell, a ghastly assortment of chitin and tumors and too many limbs, too many eyes. The demon resembled nothing so much as the deranged spawn of a scorpion and a plague zombie, a cancerous nightmare spun from an arachnophobe's horrors.

And though you were never quite sure, you thought the still form moved when you weren't looking.

< I was... polite. > A soft, sibilant voice echoed through the Monastery. It came from nowhere, and everywhere, and you could not understand the words. Except you knew what it meant. < I apologized for my mistake. I gave you fair warning. I even let you go free from my demesnes, with my best wishes! >

< And so you sneak into my abode with a Severer of Threads?!?! >

< They will tell tales of your fate when I am finished. >

[OOC: Unless you can somehow talk the irate Dreamlord out of turning you into cat litter, you have TWO rounds worth of spell-prep before all Nightmare-Lands breaks loose.]

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan hung near the rear of the group after Ronoph appeared and frowned. He remembered vaguely what they were capable of before and decided it was best to prepare.

Words of prayer flowed from his lips as he girded himself in the divine power bestowed on him from above.

Simple post.

Casting Spell Resistance on myself to gain SR 22.

Then casting Recitation on the party. All party members gain a +2 luck bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saving throws. If you convert now, your bonus goes up to +3!

Moving up to AF18