Week 22
Misty once again disappears into a plot hole.
Sorrel claims a short sword from the armoury. The sound of furniture can be heard in a nearby room and a potential new party member comes out of the room. Introductions are made, Zer0 causing some concern (big and tall, yo), but Sorrel and Iliqua less so.
Sorrel gives them a quick medicine check, passing them with no obvious problems. She then asks if the new person has any drugs…
New person names themselves Dudley Giantpunch, a terrified dwarf, well out of their depth, needing help (uh oh).
More scurrying and digging can be heard nearby, the party decides to leave the area and continue on near where the collapsed ceiling was.
A room labelled Exotic Animal Studies is found, Zer0 swipes his gold card, and opens the door, then heads in. Several cages are inside, most filled with small critters. A large horse with six legs resides in the center, occasional lightning flashes happen from its hooves.
Jaxzon heads in to try and pet the horse, finding a force field blocking the attempt. Sorrel heads in and checks out a snake, noting it looking afraid or worried. Jaxzon tries to befriend the horse, failing to make any headway.
The party chooses to go for the Elemental Studies room, also finding the the door locked. Another swipe of the gold card gains them access. A podium sits in the center with a candle on it. Each corner and and two walls have glass tanks containing different coloured liquid - red, purple, blue, gray, gold, and black.
Zer0 and Jaxzon head in first, the rest of the party follows after nothing bad happens. The door closes and disappears… of course.
Four of the tanks are identified as containing elemental chaos - purple = air, gray = earth, blue = water, red = fire, gold = radiant, black = necrotic.
Jaxzon blows on the candle, making it briefly go out, returning quickly and draining the air tank and summoning an air elemental. Combat ensues!
Initiative order - elemental, Sorrel, Jaxzon, Iliqua, Dudley and Zer0.
1 - The elemental rushes toward a group that includes Zer0, Dudley and Iliqua and invokes its whirlwind effect, tossing Iliqua and Dudley away and damaging them a lot and knocking Iliqua out, with Zer0 taking less and keeping his feet.
Sorrel moves to Iliqua, and feeds a healing potion to him, then bringing out her Spiritual Weapon, hitting the elemental and doing max damage.
Jaxzon moves into the elemental, and invokes his dodge for all effect.
Iliqua stands up, moves away from the elemental and casts firebolt, hitting but doing little damage.
Dudley casts enlarge on himself, pushing up against one of the tanks. Using a racial ability (Giants Might) to grow even further, cracking the necrotic tank, and draining it - summoning a black blob, that sobs quietly (a Sorrow!).
Zer0 attacks the elemental, doing some damage.
The Sorrow flicks a tendril at Iliqua, hitting and embedding it inside him. Iliqua starts to feel like the party are no longer friendly.
2 - Elemental attacks Dudley and Sorrel, hitting the former and doing max damage, but missing the latter.
Sorrel swings at the elemental with her mace, making contact and doing some damage (half damage for non-magical). Her spiritual weapon hits critically.
Jaxzon repeats his dodge effect.
Iliqua notes that his enemy count has increased, but needs them to stay so he’s not alone. He casts Ice Knife and flings it at Jaxzon. It misses but the AoE effect hits the elemental and the candle, briefly extinguishing it and summoning a water elemental. He then moves closer to Zer0.
Dudley punches the air elemental, doing a lot of damage but not killing it. A second attack almost brings it to death.
Zer0 swings at the air elemental twice (using up action surge), missing both times and looks sad.
Water elemental whelms, damaging the Sorrow but not killing it.
Sorrowborn tries to escape the water elemental, but fails and takes more damage.
3 - Air elemental recharges its AoE effect and uses it immediately - Zer0 and Jaxzon save but still take some damage.
Sorrel tries to eat the candle, burning her and summoning a fire elemental. In the same place as the water elemental. Both explode taking themselves and the Sorrowborn out, and damaging Sorrel a fair bit. She uses a healing potion on herself to regain some of that.
Jaxzon swings at the air elemental, missing critically but Dudley uses a special effect to redirect the miss to hit the target.
Iliqua casts Green Flame Blade and swings at the air elemental, almost killing it - the green flame effect hits the candle but has no effect. A quick skim of his book (Weave of the Winds of Magic) looking for a solution, figuring out that force is the answer.
Dudley hits the air elemental, but does minimal damage and fails to kill it. A punch connects and finally kills it.
Sorrel uses her spiritual weapon on the candle, turning the flame blue and opening the doors, and ending combat.
Jaxzon lays on hands to heal Iliqua. Dudley offers a healing potion to Sorrel who takes it and recovers some health.
The party leave and see another door at the end, a sign that says Stasis. Sorrel gets summoned to talk to her goddess, who advises that the party rest in the room, gaining a long rest, without losing time.
Iliqua identifies the wand as a spell casting focus, and the hourglass in the room, getting almost overwhelmed by the raw power of time, but figuring out that it’s a part of a broken clock.
Jaxzon prays and the party takes a much needed long rest.
Sorrel turns off the hourglass, opens it up, and prays to her goddess who takes the internals of it away.
The door is opened, showing a corridor that Iliqua says leads eventually to the target. Zer0 and Jaxzon head off and find a door and another keycard swipe opens it and lets them through.
A spellsword trainer, with more arms than is necessary is in the room, picking out Iliqua and Dudley as former students. Jaxzon asks why we should enter the room - the trainer mentions that he’s “hungry” (oh no).
Iliqua offers to take on the trainer alone, he is offered up to three burdens, which are denied. The trainer gains some buffs as a result, rushes forward to Dudley and decapitates him in one swoop, setting up a boss battle…