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Phet, still under the influence of the bluerot, taps the lid with a finger. The point under her finger dematerializes, swiftly followed by the rest of the lid.

She looks inside at the chest, which is filled to the brim. Within lie:

A pair of forearm bracers, appearing to be made out of orichalcum. They are inlaid with silver in a pattern that suggests a network of cracks or fault lines.

An oak staff only slightly shorter than a man. At the top is mounted a glass sphere that glows softly with white light.

A large crossbow made of some unknown red wood. A pair of tusks jut downwards from the front, acting as a bipod. A crank near the trigger loads the weapon.

A set of mithril armour. A sizable dent directly over the heart pulses with faint red light, as do a system of shallow grooves cut into the armour that resemble veins.

A small charm of black iron on a steel chain, shaped like an octahedron. The surface is engraved with unknown runes.

Three identical golden medallions. On one side are etched a flame and a mountain, on the other a wave and a gust of wind.

A silver chain, like that of a necklace. It is coated in frost, and icicles hang from the links.

A bronze amulet in the shape of a tiny dagger, hanging from a bronze chain.

A shield of gray leather over gray wood. Hundreds of small pebbles are embedded into the outer surface.

A single broadhead arrow. Its head is obsidian, its shaft black wood and its fletching dark violet.

Five healing potions.

Six sets of normal orichalcum plate armour, complete with shields and swords.

A pile of gold coins, enough to buy several horses, a band of mercenaries for a month, or a small property of land in a minor city.

Several ingots of iron, steel, silver, mithril, and orichalcum.

Aldric equips the bracers

Phet removes her Helm and replaces it with one of the other Orichalcum helmets. She then drops her Sword of Instakill and picks up the Octahedron and the iced chain.

Jake takes the crossbow to replace his old one, an orichalcum sword to replace his steel one, a gold medallion and two big handfuls of gold coins. (Is mithril better than orichalcum? Or the other way around. If so, Jake takes one of the orichalcum armour sets.)

Halt sets about scavenging from the fallen, collecting poison from the darkwalkers and poison drykl. He skins the Shadow Drykl and collects its talons: The hide can be made into a jet-black cloak of hard scales, and the talons are sharper than they have any right to be.

Quote from: DarkHalt sets about scavenging from the fallen, collecting poison from the darkwalkers and poison drykl. He skins the Shadow Drykl and collects its talons: The hide can be made into a jet-black cloak of hard scales, and the talons are sharper than they have any right to be.

Error: no fallen are in the area. Beginning cabal scan...

(Lol, this one just a joke)

(Orichalcum > Mithril > Steel)

---

Aldric dons the bracers. They tingle with old magic. (+1 AC, minor telekinesis)

Phet replaces her Helm of Focus with a plain orichalcum helm. (-1 AC)
Phet drops her sword and picks up the iron charm (+5 will, special effect when touched to a corpse) and the iced chain, which she holds in her hand. (+2 will, ice magic)

Jake takes the red crossbow. It's heavy, but he can tell that the bolts will strike hard. Very hard. (+3 attack)
He replaces his steel one with an orichalcum one. (+3 attack)
He takes a gold medallion(+4 will).
And orichalcum armour. (16 AC)

Halt decided to make an intimidating set of the Shadow Drykl armour, a light kind of one, but he's going to reinforce it somehow.

But how?

He checks his inventory, and he takes the Whisper, before possibly thinking of applying poison too (to negate that -2 attack further)

He also might take either golden talisman as major (taking off his talismans first.) (Dang it, Phet...) And Amulet of Diamach.

Phet touches the Amulet to one of the nearby corpses. Probably a Darkwalker, to test with a humanoid first.

Halt: 17

Halt takes out a knife and sets to work on the hide of the Shadow Drykl.

A long while later, he steps back to admire a tight-fitting set of scale armour, black as night. A scaled hood covers and protects the wearers head, hide boots muffle footsteps, and fingerless gloves allow for dextrous hand movements.
He puts the armour on. (15 AC, better sneaking)

He also dons a golden talisman (+4 will) and the Amulet of Diamach (necrotic effect on magic).

Phet touches the point of the iron charm to a dead darkwalker.

Starting from the point of contact, the darkwalker slowly evaporates, turning into dark smoke. The iron charm seems to absorb the smoke, the strange glyphs sucking it in.

Phet now feels some sort of presence within the Broken Soul, along with a power waiting to be exerted like a long-atrophied muscle.

Phet tries to focus in on the amulet, attempting to release whatever power it just absorbed. Maybe the not killing things route might not be for her.

Phet focuses on the Soul, and the power within slowly expands, its presence escaping the confines of the iron charm.

For a split second, sheer and utter darkness. Then light. Painful, harsh light that its pinprick eyes were never meant to see. Phet steps backwards, eight legs moving instinctively beneath her. She looks down.

Her torso is black chitin, her lower body replaced by a spider-like abdomen and spindly legs. Her arms are just as stick-like, clutching a poisoned spear.

The iron charm still hangs around her neck, but her other belongings have disappeared. A power and presence dwell still within the charm, but they feel...different. Familiar.

First of all, Steve is dead. It's Jake.

Also, I did mention that Jake would take an orichalcum armour set if it was better than mythril, which I would like to do.

Adium takes off his talisman of discipline. According to his research, wearing two talismans would result of a magical explosion he wanted nothing to do with.

After taking off his talisman and putting it into the Bag, he takes the oak staff and the pebble shield.

((Statuses have been replaced with full character sheets, as both players and I have been confused on current inventories.))

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Statuses

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Lunete[C-L]: Chest superficially injured

AC: 19
Attack Modifier: +6
Will Modifier: 0
Agility Modifier: -5

Ornate Orichalcum Sword: +4 (Weapon)
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility. (Armour)
Clamshell Shield: +3 AC, -3 agility (Shield)
Automatum's Eye: +2 attack, glancing attacks do more damage. (Major talisman)

---

Aldric[D-G]: Arm severely injured(-2 attack)

{Insane}

AC: 17
Attack Modifier: +7 with spear
Will Modifier: +3
Agility Modifier: +8

Hand of Navank: +7 attack, +7 agility, low gravity. (Weapon)
Swordmaster Armour: +15 AC, +1 agility, +1 to attack rolls with swords. Automatically dodge grazing blows. (Armour)
Helm of Focus: +1 AC, +3 will, magic is more precise. (Major talisman)
Nalr's Bracers: +1 AC, limited telekinesis. (Minor talisman)

---

Phet[D-S]: Head superficially injured

AC: 18
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: +8
Agility Modifier: -2

Chain of Winter: +2 willpower, ice magic (Weapon). Can be worn around the neck to imbue magic with ice, in which case it becomes a minor talisman.
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility. (Armour)
Mithril Shield: +2 AC (Shield)
Broken Soul: +5 willpower, able to transform into a creature by touching its corpse. (Major talisman)
Ring of Willpower: +1 willpower. (Minor talisman)

---

Halt/Darkhood[Ch-G]: Chest injured(-1 AC), arm injured(-1 attack), jaw scratched

AC: 15
Attack Modifier: +2 with bow
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: 0

Snakescale Bow: +2 attack (Weapon)
Shadow Drykl Armour: +15 AC, better sneaking while in darkness. (Armour)
Golden Medallion: +4 will (Major Talisman)
Lesser Amulet of Diamach: Imbues magic with necrotic energy. (Minor Talisman)
Whisper: -2 attack when fired. The shooter is concealed in shadows for the remainder of the turn. Enemies struck are immobilized. Returns to its shooter's quiver. (Projectile)

---

Adium[D-L]: Chest severely injured(-2 AC)

AC: 18 physical / 21 magical
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: -2

Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility (Armour)
Warding Staff: +1 will, +3 AC when defending against magical or energy attacks. After blocking such an attack, imbues next magic with that attack's energy. (Staff)
Shield of Stone: +2 AC, +3 will, grants Shaping of stone and rocks. (Major talisman)
Amulet of the Flame: Imbues magic with fire. (Minor talisman)

---

Jake[Ch-L]: Healthy

AC: 16
Attack Modifier: +3 with sword, +3 with crossbow
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: -2

Orichalcum Sword: +3 attack (Weapon)
Halvrathr: +3 attack, shots are extremely forceful (Weapon)
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility (Armour)
Golden Medallion: +4 will (Major talisman)

---

Damian[C-P]: Leg injured(-1 agility)

{Hearing impaired}

AC: 10
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: 0
Agility Modifier: 0

Bow: 0 attack (Weapon)

---

Cita: Healthy [AC: 15] [+5 attack] {Hearing impaired}
Ugress: Healthy [AC: 15] [+5 attack]

---

Aldric fills up a couple empty bottles with drykl blood for later consumption. Should the Thunder Drykl's heart be intact, he portions it in half and shares it with Cita.

"It tastes a lot better fresh, but I guess this'll have to do."

Halt drinks enough potion to heal up the injuries except... well, scratched jaw.

He then scouts downstairs.

Phet scutters around the room, picking up the other remaining Darkwalker and the two other Lesser Drykls that weren't made unusable by a literal madman, and places them in the bag of holding, along with the new health potions, for later use. She then begins a descent down the ladder.

Lunete follows the rest of the group down the ladder.

Aldric cuts out the thunder drykl's heart and shares it with Cita. He bottles some of the blood now flowing from the wound.

Halt drinks just enough healing fluid to remedy his chest and arm injuries, ignoring the scratch to his jaw.

Aldric, Adium, and Damian follow suite, healing off their major injuries. In total, two vials of healing liquid are consumed.

Damian steps into a set of orichalcum greaves and pulls a chestplate over his head. He buckles on the vambraces and dons the helmet. He then takes the remaining golden medallion and the small bronze amulet, not bothering with another weapon.

Phet manhandles the drykls and darkwalker corpses into the bag, along with the unused potions and armour.

Halt sets a foot on the ladder to test its weight. It feels solid enough, and he begins his descent.

---

The ladder is longer than it had appeared from above, much longer. Halt descends first one story, then two, then three. During this time, there is nothing to see but the stone wall in front of his face and the boundless Void behind.
He reaches the top of the inverted tower.

The stone wall supporting the ladder falls away. From the bottom of the tower, two huge stone arches, upside-down, are set at right angles and cross in the center.
From the join of the arches hangs a bell, right-way up despite everything else in the tower being inverted.

The structure is massive, wide enough to hold a small mansion within its bronze confines. Curiously, the ladder descends straight into a circular manhole in the top of the bell.

Halt keeps climbing.

---

Halt descends into the bell. Setting down on a small bronze ledge protruding from the interior wall, he takes stock of the situation. The clapper, hanging down the center of the space, is huge and solid bronze. The interior wall of the bell is riddled with ledges and grooves, some wider or deeper than the others. This series of imperfections allows movement around the insides of the bell, though quite difficult in some places. The bell near the bottom, but its rim cannot be seen: Thick, inky blackness renders vision impossible some fifty feet below Halt.

He feels it.

A profound sense of dread washes over him like a wave of cold water, and beads of sweat break out along his skin. He should not have come here. He should not have come within miles of this place, forsaken by the gods themselves.

Something stirs in the darkness, old and powerful. He can see it now, down in the shadow cast by the bronze walls. Something moves in the darkness. Something much larger than he, clad in liquid night. He blinks, and the motion is gone.

But the fear remains. The terrible presence remains, the weight of its ire hanging on his shoulders like invisible chains. There is no victory here, says the fear. Only doom. Cold and painful death, alone in the darkness where no light can reach.


It walks in the darkness with him. He cannot see it. He cannot hear it. But he senses its presence in the cold, in the darkness, in the silence. His body still tells him to run, to hide, to cast himself into the void. Anything to escape from this shadow. With difficulty, he stills himself.

He stops moving. He stops blinking. He closes his eyes.

In the perfect silence between heartbeats, he senses it.

Behind him.

Halt leaps out of the way, catching a bronze ledge to stop his fall as something sweeps past him. A chill grips his bones as he hauls himself up and regains his feet.

One by one, the rest of the party descend into the bell, each feeling the primal terror hit them like waves in a cold, storming sea.

A shape moves in the darkness below, large, unseen, and terrible.

------

Guardian: ???


Vitality: 50/50

AC: 21

Special Capabilities:
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Statuses

---

Lunete[C-L]: Chest superficially injured

AC: 19
Attack Modifier: +6
Will Modifier: 0
Agility Modifier: -5

Ornate Orichalcum Sword: +4 (Weapon)
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility. (Armour)
Clamshell Shield: +3 AC, -3 agility (Shield)
Automatum's Eye: +2 attack, glancing attacks do more damage. (Major talisman)

---

Aldric[D-G]: Healthy

{Insane}

AC: 17
Attack Modifier: +7 with spear
Will Modifier: +3
Agility Modifier: +8

Hand of Navank: +7 attack, +7 agility, low gravity. (Weapon)
Swordmaster Armour: +15 AC, +1 agility, +1 to attack rolls with swords. Automatically dodge grazing blows. (Armour)
Helm of Focus: +1 AC, +3 will, magic is more precise. (Major talisman)
Nalr's Bracers: +1 AC, limited telekinesis. (Minor talisman)

---

Phet[D-S]: Head superficially injured

AC: 18
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: +8
Agility Modifier: -2

Chain of Winter: +2 willpower, ice magic (Weapon). Can be worn around the neck to imbue magic with ice, in which case it becomes a minor talisman.
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility. (Armour)
Mithril Shield: +2 AC (Shield)
Broken Soul: +5 willpower, able to transform into a creature by touching its corpse. (Major talisman)
Ring of Willpower: +1 willpower. (Minor talisman)

---

Halt/Darkhood[Ch-G]: Jaw scratched

AC: 15
Attack Modifier: +2 with bow
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: 0

Snakescale Bow: +2 attack (Weapon)
Shadow Drykl Armour: +15 AC, better sneaking while in darkness. (Armour)
Golden Medallion: +4 will (Major Talisman)
Lesser Amulet of Diamach: Imbues magic with necrotic energy. (Minor Talisman)
Whisper: -2 attack when fired. The shooter is concealed in shadows for the remainder of the turn. Enemies struck are immobilized. Returns to its shooter's quiver. (Projectile)

---

Adium[D-L]: Healthy

AC: 18 physical / 21 magical
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: -2

Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility (Armour)
Warding Staff: +1 will, +3 AC when defending against magical or energy attacks. After blocking such an attack, imbues next magic with that attack's energy. (Staff)
Shield of Stone: +2 AC, +3 will, grants Shaping of stone and rocks. (Major talisman)
Amulet of the Flame: Imbues magic with fire. (Minor talisman)

---

Jake[Ch-L]: Healthy

AC: 16
Attack Modifier: +3 with sword, +3 with crossbow
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: -2

Orichalcum Sword: +3 attack (Weapon)
Halvrathr: +3 attack, shots are extremely forceful (Weapon)
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility (Armour)
Golden Medallion: +4 will (Major talisman)

---

Damian[C-P]: Healthy

AC: 16
Attack Modifier: 0
Will Modifier: +4
Agility Modifier: -2

Bow: 0 attack (Weapon)
Orichalcum Plate: +16 AC, -2 agility (Armour)
Golden Medallion: +4 will (Major talisman)
Brazen Amulet: Imbues magic with bronze (Minor talisman)

---

Aldric drinks another dragonbone potion.
After doing so, he begins jumping around the bell, moving from ledge to ledge and doing backflips with each leap.

"Something's not right. I can feel it."

Phet reverts back into her original form, and returns to the bag to touch the amulet to the next Darkwalker and to drink a bottle of the Bluerot potion. When that's done, she Rends the ridges on the walls of the bell around and under the Guardian smooth, attempting to also ice them over with the Chain.

Halt decided to use his Whisper before using Dragonbone, or if not, Bluerot, mixed with accelerating the projectile with his magic.

Adium pulls back some of his armour and rips some of the cloth off his clothes underneath. He then ties the cloth to the end of his staff.

He then pours some of the water from his water bottle and leeches it, hoping it ignites along with the cloth underneath.