Sapphire:Sessions:20170520
On level 6, the group finds an 8" high platform on a marble floor. Symbols on the platform indicate Movement/Teleportation. Shawna strikes the platform with her sword; there is an explosion of light and the platform turns silvery.
Three stone golems, 6' tall, appear in the room. Shawna shouts "Defend us!" but one golem responds, "You are not the maker." Chalker grasps Tiny Hammer and utters the activation word, "Big." Ahn-Lee: "Got the left!" Branamin begins shapechanging back to humanoid form.
Chalker strikes at G1's ankle, hits the floor instead; there is a bright flash and now a 2' wide hole in the floor. Ahn-Lee springs ahead, leaps on G2's shoulder, presses his hands against the wall and with his feet and all the spring in his legs shoves G2, which falls forward; as he lands, Ahn-Lee spins to face G2's back. G2 clumsily attempts to break its fall, losing the fingers from its left hand and damaging the right. G1 swings a fist at Chalker, who dodges. G3 strides toward Shawna, who casts a spell that blinds it.
Chalker, putting the hole between himself and G1, readies Tiny Hammer. Ahn-Lee leaps, cartwheels, grabs G2's foot, and yanks; there is a sharp sound of rock cracking. G2 tries and fails to roll over on Ahn-Lee. G1 sidesteps the hole and swings at Chalker, who dodges. G3 flails blindly. A light from the platform is swirling toward Branamin; Shawna leaps between Branamin and the light, and her foot pushes the light away; she feels something try to move through her. Sgt Angie grabs Branamin (who is in the middle of shapechanging) and pulls him away from the platform.
Ahn-Lee barrel-rolls, twisting G2's leg off at the knee; G2 falls inert. Angie pulls Branamin toward the wall. A glowing ball forms and moves toward Branamin; Shawna parries it -- it feels solid, as though she had struck another sword, and a jolt of energy runs through her body and down the stairs. Chalker strikes G1, knocking a chunk out of the golem's flank. G1 punches at Chalker, who dodges.
Two different forms of light collide and a silver-white explosion fills the room. The hairs on Ahn-Lee's neck rise as though a wind were passing over his body. Chalker senses something trying to teleport him away, but something else is anchoring him. Angie and Branamin are momentarily hidden in a swirling column of light; when it vanishes, Branamin has disappeared and Angie shouts "No!" Shawna immediately casts Trace Teleport, locating Branamin in a research area, conscious but in a fugue. G3 turns and flails toward Angie. Chalker dodges G1's fist and readies Tiny Hammer.
Ahn-Lee drops the golem's leg and leaps upon G3's shoulders, pushing off and landing behind G3. Chalker strikes G1, which topples over, inert. G3 steps on the broken leg and loses its balance, landing hard on its butt. Shawna teleports to Branamin; she grabs him, but he feels like a handful of glitter.
With his foot Ahn-Lee shoves G3 in the chest; G3 falls onto its back. Chalker readies Tiny Hammer for an overhand smash. Shawna holds Branamin with her left hand, her sword in her right, but detects no threats.
Stepping aside, Ahn-Lee gestures to Chalker, "All yours!" Chalker smashes G3 twice. Ahn-Lee quips, "D'you need me to finish him off?" G3 lies inert.
Distraught, Angie repeatedly mumbles, "He tried to save us both... he did something that saved me..." Chalker, surveying the room: "I don't think this was a good trade." He scribbles in his journey book, We're on the 6th level; where are you? Ahn-Lee delightedly discovers that part of the broken floor is made of gold and collects at least a half-pound.
Branamin's body slowly reconstitutes, but Shawna senses that his mind is out of phase, in a spiritual/astral plane. Restoring him will require a lengthy ritual. Shawna prays to Santash and Delsa; the spirit of Cray Stonemover appears and says, "My lady grants your wish. I am to protect him." The spirit steps into Branamin's body.
Shawna writes, Stay put, we're coming to you. Ahn-Lee: Can you make any more of this gold? Shawna takes Stonemover to the nearest armory so he can equip himself, and she also picks up equipment for Angie.
The group traverses a very long (180') corridor. Angie says that the doors lead to the mages' quarters; Stormweaver's suite is at the end of the hall. Each suite includes a shower, toilet, and four-poster bed, and a secret exit into a common tunnel. A few of the beds have rumpled bedclothes with very old bloodstains. Stonemover identifies the magic circles on the floor as teleporters which can also summon force domes and wards. Ahn-Lee finds indications in Lorestra's room that it had been occupied within the past few hours. Angie identifies rooms belonging to mages she calls Daniel, Patrick, and Zee, all deceased. Chalker comes upon the still-breathing body of Lassum; Shawna argues that they should leave the body alive for Stonemover's use after Branamin has been restored. Lassum's body is bound and gagged. Similarly, the body of Ixel is restrained. Shawna makes a point of placing something heavy on each teleport pad they come upon.
In Stormweaver's suite, Chalker eye is drawn to a figurine of a dancing woman. The features are incredibly lifelike. The base has a plate for an inscription, but it is blank. Shawna announces, "Stormweaver imprisoned a woman's spirit in this figure." Ahn-Lee, strongly attracted to the statuette, picks it up and says, "Hello, where does he keep the gold?" Inside his mind comes the bitter reply, The gold he has had demons forge? In the cold stony recesses of his heart. The woman identifies herself as Relinda, "one of the best mages in the realm," who was once Stormweaver's betrothed until she discovered his true nature. He drained people's life essence to power his stones. Chalker observes in her aura more good than evil and a streak of kindness, though she is proud, vain, and arrogant. He promises, "We'll give him redemption with Dar."
Shawna quietly asks Stonemover to remove Branamin's ring and hand it to Chalker, who puts it away in a pouch.
Chalker peers through the closed bedroom door. Seated on the huge bed is a man with his head cocked to one side, as though listening. Laying on the bed near him are a belt dagger and a dozen steel ball bearings. Angie and Shawna hear six people moving about elsewhere in the suite. Chalker closes the door behind the group and Stonemover seals it shut. As Chalker opens the bedroom door, Stormweaver steps into a teleport circle and utters unintelligible words. Chalker tries his metal TK on the ball bearings but Stormweaver already controls them; he tries to control the knife but can't get through a force field.
Ahn-Lee aims his crossbow as Chalker hooks onto the bolt. Chalker grasps one ball bearing, then kicks open the door. Ahn-Lee immediately fires; the bolt is on target but slows as it nears Stormweaver, who vanishes. Shawna casts Trace Teleport; Stormweaver is on the level below them and 15 yards away. Ahn-Lee hears the six people running away. Chalker pockets the ball bearings that Stormweaver left behind. He opens the escape tunnel which is unlit and slopes downward.
Chalker: "Stonemover, make us a hole." Stonemover says it will be difficult; he tries and fizzles. After his second try, also unsuccessful, he passes out. Shawna revives him, and Chalker calls him "old."
The group descends to the 7th level. Chalker draws one of his swords and taps the floor -- dink, dink -- testing for traps. He detects three golems hidden in the walls. Ahn-Lee spots a slight imperfection at the base of the door, which will scrape the floor if the door is opened; Chalker finds a hair-trigger trap. Shawna asks Stonemover to remove enough of the floor that the door won't scrape.
[Spencer: "Dink-Dink doesn't open doors; doors get out of Dink-Dink's way!"]
Chalker looks into a room with metallic pedestals, atop which are statues of a lion and a wolf. The room also contains weapon racks, clothing, armor, and ceremonial washbasins. Stonemover senses Stormweaver beyond the doors. Chalker opens the doors and flicks one of the ball bearings at the lion statue, then as he runs across the room, both statues animate. Ahn-Lee shoots the wolf, then slashes it in the vitals; Shawna slays the lion.
Something blocks Chalker's penetrating vision; he cannot see into the next room. He manipulates the lock on the left-hand double door and it slides into the wall, then he repeats the action with the right.
There are five circles on the floor. Stormweaver stands in the large center circle. Two women, one in red robes and the other in blue, stand in two of the other circles. Also in the room are twelve armed and armored soldiers.
Ahn-Lee fires a poisoned bolt and kills a soldier, then steps into the room. Red Mage (RM) throws a lightning bolt which pops out of one of the empty circles and hits Ahn-Lee. Chalker rushes past a female soldier, slashing wildly. Shouting "For Justice!" Shawna charges Stormweaver, swinging; he parries her sword with a wand, and flame flows around her. Angie and Stonemover each swing and miss. Chalker dodges a swing.
Shawna tries to knock Stormweaver out of the circle; he dodges. Chalker draws Magekiller in his offhand and runs up to Blue Mage (BM); he takes a point of damage from stepping into her circle. Chalker swings Dink-Dink and hits BM. Ahn-Lee acrobatically dodges. Stonemover dodges and parries. Shawna aggressively parries and cuts a soldier's arm. Chalker dodges. RM throws Lightning at Shawna. Ahn-Lee grapples with a soldier. BM teleports to a circle across the room. Stormweaver teleports to another circle.
Ahn-Lee prevents the soldier from breaking his grapple. Stonemover is struck but unhurt. Angie parries. Shawna parries and dodges. Chalker dodges twice. Ahn-Lee leaves the soldier unconscious and charges at BM, taking damage and knocking her out of her circle. Shawna spins around and hits RM with a Sunbolt. Chalker steps into a circle, hooks Magekiller and directs the dagger at Stormweaver (who is only two yards away); Stormweaver gestures and casts some spell. BM takes a half-step back and casts some spell. Stonemover runs up behind a guard, slamming into him and striking with his sword. Angie attacks a soldier who had earlier thrown away his sword; he fast-draws a knife and throws it away, too. RM casts some spell.
Ahn-Lee fast-draws two throwing knives and hurls them at BM, striking with both. Stonemover touches Ahn-Lee's neck and heals him. Stormweaver slows Magekiller. RM casts another spell. Chalker pushes Magekiller which hits an invisible barrier; there's a bang and a flash of light, and Magekiller drops to the floor. A soldier punches Angie and breaks his own hand; she laughs at him. Shawna parries, slicing her opponent. BM steps back and raises an unconscious guard in front of her like a shield. Shawna steps into a circle and hits RM with a Sunbolt.
[The session ended in mid-combat.]