The dark lady stifled a yawn. She was becoming rather bored of this place. There was no sign of the Rockbeasts and the one monster that might have been one had escaped her grasp. She should have put more into that spell. Or just flat out have blasted the door down to hit whatever was within. That was a noteworthy mistake. Elizabeth was not someone who made them twice. The party was going to try to make plans for how to proceed. Plans? Merkaba had other far more important tasks than this trivial monster hunt. The Rockbeasts were in no way a problem for her or her goals.

She refused to continue this charade with these weaklings if they really needed to be commanded then she would do so.

"Roland. You just barely meet a margin of our needs for as a vanguard here. You take a door and take one partner. The Paladin. Idiot name will come with me through the other and use his earth magic to defend me. However it is you work with that geomancy of yours. If the Paladin wishes to grant you a blessing let him. I do not need his light to interfere with my mana. If you spot the target or a problem you share it with us rather then journeying forward to far. That should be obvious...."

Regardless if they agreed or not she made her way to a door (random willing to roll), and would do whatever she had to get into it and deal with what came her way. It just was not worth doing this slow and steady anymore. The group that found the Rockbeasts could just just call for the other team seeing as the doors were so close. She would use her scythe to tap the walls and floors to check for weak areas that could crumble. If a spot crumbled ahead of her it would be better then behind her.

OOC: Explaining her piece and heading for a door. Taking precaution for falling debris and weak flooring.

 

Roland yawned loudly as he was awoken by a rather loud bird. Second shift watch was always the most aggravating since it required one to get up, stay awake somehow for a few hours then go back to sleep. If it were up to him he'd have chosen first or thirds since the two couldn't be trusted to do their own rounds. Pushing himself from the damp ground he surveyed the room. It seemed he was the second to last one up, as the newbie, and witch were already milling about the area doing their own routines. With a stretch, Roland eyed their two options forward. Well, it was two of four really if they considered the previous two barricaded doors as options. Roland tapped his chin as he tried to lay out a map of the fort mentally. As near as he could figure, the previous two barricaded doors led to a room east of here, which only one of the doors below leads too. It was almost as if someone had used a map generator that randomly decided whether or not doors were blocked or not.

Suddenly he spoke up, "I don't think it matters which door we go through, but if we go through the door leading east now, we won't have to potentially backtrack later."

As Roland spoke up, Merkaba launched into her spiel. "I'm not so sure splitting up is a good idea. I'm convinced of your magical skills, but there's a possibility we may run into something either immune to magic, or physical damage...."

Roland trailed off as he watched Merkaba begin to tap the barricade with her Scythe. Instead of continuing his point he flashed the girl a toothy grin, "Right, ok, do what you please." Turning Roland nodded at Aaron and jerked his head back towards the door before rolling his eyes as if to say, "She's not going to take down the barricade anytime soon like that." Making sure his point was made he quickly shot Aaron and Silent Mountain an in-game text message that read, "Lets just clear the other door rather than argue, She'll need our help to move the debris from ours once she sees a path forward I'm sure she will stop with this nonsense."

Turning Roland faced the other door, and began to check it's corner stones giving them a good shove and pull. After checking to make sure it wouldn't collapse on him, Roland then began to disassemble whatever was blocking the door piece by piece.

 

For lack of a better plan, the group complies with Merkabas demands, and will spend the next few minutes breaking down the barricades that bar both doors to the south. For what it's worth, there are no signs of imminent danger waiting on the other side as the group works at the mundane task at hand. While Merkaba waits for Silent Mountain to handle the manual labor alone with a sour expression on her face, Roland and Aaron clear their door first, and tentatively push it open and enter.

The room seems to be what's left of the keeps dining hall, complete with dry rotted benches and tables littering the center of the room, long since flung form their original configuration into a haphazard heap. There is only one other exit to the room besides the one through which they entered, though the door has clearly been torn off it's hinges, and the space beyond is ominously darker than the rest of the keep.

Meanwhile, Merkaba and silent mountain finally manage to clear their doorway of obstruction, and push it open. They have entered a narrow service passage that had apparently been converted into a sort of armory, though anything worth using has long since been looted or or destroyed, save for a a few pieces that may possibly be re forged
(Players with heavy armor or weapons crafting skill(s) will be rewarded 7 materials which they can divide as they see fit at the end of the adventure.)

Much the same as Aaron and Rolands group, the find themselves with nowhere to go but east after following the narrow tunnel south and east again, though the way is blocked by a door barred from the other side. Using force to bash this door down is an option, as is backtracking and rejoining the other half of the party.

Hidden: Player Status

Aaron Marone

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Roland Rutledge

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Merkaba

100% HP

MAX HP

90% EN

MAX EN

Silent Mountain

100% HP

MAX HP

90% EN

MAX EN

@Aaron Marone @Roland Rutledge @Silent Mountain @Merkaba
((Aaron inboxed me and said he'd be AFK most of the day, so ONWARD!!!))

 

Aaron frowned as he and Roland made their way into a decrepit looking dining hall. "I'm torn," he said to his companion. "On the one hand, splitting the party is never a good idea. On the other hand, we're kinda the only two who were doing anything anyway..." he sighed and shook his head. "We should press on. Since that door is open already, anyway."

He looked around the room a bit, wandering if he might find anything useful. "Rotten tables, rotten chairs, rotten food..." he shrugged and turned his attention back toward the dark room.

He paused for a minute. He didn't like how much darker the next room was. "Reminds me of Merkaba's heart," he muttered. He opened up his spell menu and created an orb of light. He tossed it forward, trying to get a glimpse of what was in the next room. Then, he readied his weapons, and so long a trap wasn't readily visible from the light, he would slowly and cautiously make his way into the next room, unless Roland strongly objected.

 

Silent found no reason to argue against the task assigned to him. In the grand scheme of things, he was like the Intern of the party. Clearing some debris to get through a door was a task very doable for him, and it almost didn't even bother him that the party had split up.

In the room beyond, Silent gazed upon an old armory, mostly looted and destroyed. However, as he approached some of the old, rusted pieces that remain, a notification appeared on his screen alerting him to the Materials added to his inventory. It would come in quite handy if he kept it to himself, decreasing the price of building himself a chest piece. Of course, he was in a party, and the common courtesy of the Party dynamic was sharing the loot.

He found himself at a mental impasse, wanting to share the findings but unsure how without breaking the Silent oath he'd taken. In the end, he pushed the dilemma to the back of his mind, telling himself to worry about it after he survived the dungeon.

At the barred door, Silent stood tall and awaited Merkaba's suggestion, holding out his hammer and hinting that perhaps breaking down the door would be possible, but he showed concern for the stability of the building they were inside.

 

Slowly but surely the combined strength of Roland and Aaron cleared the debris from the door allowing access to the room. Much to Roland's surprise, however, the room didn't have barricaded exits leading north, rather, it was seemingly a hallway that crept forward into the darkness. It was Aaron who spoke up first, regarding the decision to split up. It had not worked the way Roland had hoped it would, as even when their passage way was cleared long before Merkaba's she had continued to work on her own. It just hoped his miscalculation wasn't fatal.

"To be honest, I'm less worried about our chances than the others, the girl is quite adept at magic. I have no doubt she could weave many nasty conjurations, but I don't think she can do so while being attacked, and I don't think the boy showed any promise of being reliable in any shape during a fight." Roland shrugged, "I hope I'm wrong though, whatever is at the heart of all this will likely take more than just the two of us to kill." As far as their own chances go, Roland's skill with Aaron's magic would make them a very difficult target to kill. That was of course unless they ran into a unique set of circumstance that negated their skills, Roland hoped their luck would last out.

Roland Followed Aaron closely as he shot a ball of light that traveled the length of the room, he too would eye the area as the ball illuminated it, keeping his eyes peeled for enemies or traps that lay ahead. If nothing was seen, Roland would follow about five feet behind Aaron with both swords unsheathed, ready to fight if need be.

 

Finally it took long enough but the group was beginning to cover much more ground now. This place was far more barren of monsters than she had expected. What, was there one Rockbeast in the entire building? Merkaba would see some things useful for materials but the hammer man she was with would be better suited for them. Merkaba was only interested in things that would useful for a ritual. Making their way further along. The dark witch would keep the fool close to ensure she could use his defensive magic and properly position herself if a monster appeared... unfortunately that was not happening. Another door that was barricaded was her only reward. Her 'companion' lifted his weapon in gesture. Yes, breaking the door down may be good, if she could count on someone this weak to anything right. The other group must have found a continuing path as well to not have came to seek her out, nor did they likely find a Rockbeast.

"I would say go ahead... somehow I wonder if you are capable of doing it without causing a scenario where we become trapped behind debris. There is a better way. Move back."

The witch took several steps back of her own. Then she began to chant a severe rotting spell on just the door. The idea was to cause it to melt away into dust from a distance to keep her safe from any consequences of it coming down.

(OOC: Merkaba tries to rot and decay the door to dust from a adequate distance.)

 

Aaron and Roland stood and waited in anticipation as Roland cast his spell, both to illuminate the path ahead, and get the upper hand on any potential dangers. The lightning ball traveled slowly across the room, but was quickly forgotten when their objective was discovered; a trio of rock beasts partially buried in a nest of assorted trash and refuse. As this realization dawned, A door to their north that had gone unnoticed at first began to turn black and crumble.

Silent and Merkaba spent a moment surveying the small and clearly derelict armory before pressing on. They were abruptly stopped again by another doorway barring their passage, but after a brief "discussion" they elected to push onward. Merkaba used a corruption spell on the doorway which crumbled after a bit of effort. They were greeted to the sight of another square-ish room. The two heard a commotion to the south, and realized that Aaron and Roland had entered the room moments before, and Roland was in the process of casting some sort of spell

The rock beasts resembled a hybrid between a tortoise and an alligator. Their shells were thick, dotted with bony spikes, and the color of dark clay. There was a third, slightly smaller, older looking, and bearing a shell that had faded drastically in color. The three monsters burst from their refuse heap nest and two strode forth, forming a defensive vanguard ahead of the third whom seemed older and wore a shell lighter in color than the first two.

Rock Beast A

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Rock Beast B

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Rock Beast Elder

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

((Anyone with the Hunter mastery can inbox me and I'll fill you in on specific details relevant to Rock beasts. Due to their heavy armor, any melee attackers must roll a dc20+1 for each rank of their highest rated melee skill. A score of 13 or higher will be successful.))

Hidden: Player Status

Aaron Marone

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Roland Rutledge

100% HP

MAX HP

95% EN

MAX EN

Merkaba

100% HP

MAX HP

85% EN

MAX EN

Silent Mountain

100% HP

MAX HP

90% EN

MAX EN

@Aaron Marone @Roland Rutledge @Silent Mountain @Merkaba
((Aaron inboxed me and said he'd be AFK most of the day, so ONWARD!!!))

 

((OOC: Sorry for the confusion, it was Aaron casting the spell not Roland))


Roland grimaced once Aaron's light spell illuminated the room revealing the creatures before them. "Why did we have to split up...." Roland moaned as they stirred to life. Or at least he had thought they were, to his surprise the rumbling sound was a door falling to pieces to the north of them revealing reinforcements. Roland flashed them a great full smile, it seemed the plan had worked after all. Looking towards Silent Mountain Roland called out, “Try to support us the best you can with that Earth Magic, some armor for me or Aaron would be fantastic!”


That said Roland knew they had little time, if his and Aaron’s entrance hadn’t awoken them, then Merkabas and Silent Mountain’s did. While the small bright orb continued to brighten the area Roland tried identify any weaknesses the beasts had if at all. Roland was discouraged by what he saw. It seemed the rockbeasts were some kind of mutant offspring of an alligator covered in a spiked shell of a tortoise. Roland highly doubted his blades could do much damage to the beast’s shell as is. He just hoped that one of their magic users had a way of cutting through it. As he scanned the creatures he noticed that one was notably larger than the others. “That’s likely the elder…” Roland thought silently as he pulled out his two blades.


He had an option of waiting here, seeing what the mages wanted to do before acting. He after all didn’t really know what they were capable of, or how they could harm the beasts. Roland would wait a moment to see if they wanted him to move to a specific location, if not he’d run forward to the elder trying to gain its attention, as he wheeled his two blades against it, sending them bouncing off its thick shell.

Roll: (OOC) Rockbeast Extermination

 

Aaron gripped his sword and shield tightly, seeing the creatures they had set out to kill before him. As if fate had guided them, Merkaba and Mountain arrived into the room just mere moments later. Good. It was time to finish this.

"Focus on the two regular beasts first! Then combine all our efforts on the old guy! Roland, you and me on the right beast, Merkaba, take the left beast! Mountain, support us with your magic as best as you can!" With that, Aaron charged ahead, chanting as he did. His sword lit up with glorious light, his illumancy spell to increase his damage taking effect. Since these beasts weren't undead or demons, it wouldn't help as much, but it would still be something.

He slashed his sword out, striking flesh of his targeted beast. He grinned. First blood was his. He gripped his shield tightly, preparing for the inevitable counterattack.

Roll:http://spherical.link/terrarp/threads/ooc-rockbeast-extermination.1390/#post-7553

 

Finally.

The door crumpled to dust and the dark witch would enter the room to see that her plan had been a success. Although maybe it did not really matter. The other two would be on the other side of this large room. Merkaba would not get in the way of the Quiet Wall or whatever his ridiculous name was. She would keep her scythe in hand if self defense was needed but realyl it would not be the case. The Rockbeasts and... a elder variant of the creature all were in one place. Merkaba was going to finally get to test and exercise her dark magic here. The Paladin shouted some nonsense or other. Target the minions? Her mana began to tingle as she radiated with a purple aura. Her power was going to reap and her targets were her choice not some light god worshiping wretches!

It just so happened that the right most one was closest to her and the hammer wielder. So she could not completely ignore it. She considered her mana use here... She would have to make things easier for these people if she wanted to focus on the challenge she wanted. Chanting and keeping her scythe horizontally in front of her held with both hands. She kept herself right by the door she came through and increased speed of chanting with each word!

"Qui tenebras consumit omnia. Et devorat inimicos putrescere labe et
saeclu! Sint doloribus suis coronam foedam corporum; Malfic spirate secundi!"

A black fog emerged from nowhere around the rockbeasts centered on their elder. It would do it's part to try and decay, rot, and dissolve the flesh of the beasts sticking a dark curse onto their bodies, before fading away.

(OOC: Casts a medium strength Malefic Breath spell as a AOE on the Rockbeasts and Rockbeast Elder. Effect: A curse that drops their defense through armor/flesh degeneration and saps away a light amount of health while the debuff is in effect.)

 

The adventurers were here to do a job, and the rock beasts didn't take kindly to their intrusion, no never mind to the groups intent to kill them. The battle was joined quickly and the silence of the derelict structure was abruptly shattered. Spooked by Aarons spell casting, the two younger beasts charged in his direction immediately, but part-way there, one split from the pair to intercept Roland, who was somewhat unprepared for the sudden attack. The two exchanged blows for several moments, but Roland was unable to penetrate the creatures formidable defense.

Aaron had much better luck in his endeavors though, managing to catch the four legged monster he'd found himself squared off with at the base of it's neck in a spot that was fairly soft and vulnerable. Through sheer luck the blow seemed to hit a major organ or artery in the things neck, and it began to bleed profusely. The creature retaliated with a vicious swipe that knocked lose his shield and bit into the mans flesh.

Merkaba, meanwhile hung in the back and focused her energies on spell casting. The cloud of dark smoke had the desired effect, though it took quite a bit more energy than she had originally anticipated to have the desired effect on account of the considerable durability of the rock beasts collective natural armor.

Last to act was the light shelled elder in the back. Instead of attacking any one individual, the creature let out a low, almost mournful wail that began to grow increasingly louder until the structure it'self began to shake. nobody knew what the thing was attempting at first. It may dawn on some of them that he understood that he and his younger companions were outmatched and was attempting to bring down the entire building, choosing to take it's chances in trying to dig itself out of the rubble afterwards than facing the group head on.

(( Beginning next turn, for 2 total turns, the dc20 will only require a 9 to be successful.Aaron needs to spend his next turns minor action retrieving his shield if he'd liek to continue using it))

Rock Beast A

75% HP

MAX HP

95% EN

MAX EN

Malefic Breath Reduced defense for 2/2 rounds
Bleeding Lose 5% HP until treated.

Rock Beast B

95% HP

MAX HP

95% EN

MAX EN

Malefic Breath Reduced defense 2/2 rounds

Rock Beast Elder

95% HP

MAX HP

95% EN

MAX EN

Malefic Breath Reduced defense2/2 rounds

Hidden: Player Status

Aaron Marone

95% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Roland Rutledge

100% HP

MAX HP

95% EN

MAX EN

Merkaba

100% HP

MAX HP

75% EN

MAX EN

@Aaron Marone @Roland Rutledge @Merkaba

((@Silent Mountain has been removed from the group and any rewards are forfeit. The remainder of the quest will be adjusted accordingly.))

 

Roland grimaced as his blades bounced off the creature's backside, "Hard bastard!" He screamed as the monster tried to retaliate. Roland side stepped an attempted headbutt as he rolled away from the beast. Roland spared a glance at the others, Aaron seemed to be favoring better results than he was, and Merkaba was busy chanting some curse. No signs of the newer player, perhaps he had decided the fight was too much and took off. Either way, it was probably for the best, "Its a shame he couldn't throw a buff our way before leaving though.."

Roland's thoughts were cut off by the sudden wail that threatened to penetrate his eardrums, "Good God!" Roland exclaimed, "That thing sure has a pair of lungs." A quick glance at his health bar indicated to Roland that he wasn't receiving sonic damage which was odd. The scream continued on for a few heartbeats while Roland contemplated the scene before him. The other rock beasts seemed just as startled by the sound as the players, and it didn't seem to buff anyone. Could it be some sort of charged attack?

Roland's answer came as the tower began to vibrate underneath his feet, causing a small shower of pebbles to fall from the ceiling. Could the thing be smart enough to know sound vibrations can bring down the building? It seemed unlikely but regardless it's what it was going to happen if the beast kept it up. "That thing is going to bring down the building!" Roland yelled out over the low hum, "We have to stop it!"

Not waiting for a reply, Roland ran to the RockBeast Elder, screaming at it as he tried to draw the monster's attention. "Shut up!" Again Roland tried to spin and slam his two blades into the beast, but despite Merkaba's curse his blades failed to find purchase, merely bouncing off its hide doing no noticeable damage.

(OOC) Rockbeast Extermination

 

The curse had taken it's toll on the monsters' bodies as she had hoped. It was a unfortunate uncertainty if the resilient creatures would be able to regenerate their flesh to undo the decay. Merkaba also doubted the others ability to deal with the beasts with any degree of swiftness... in fact the hammer wielder actually vanished! The cowardly useless fool was probably terrified and had to return to the prime! Sigh... unbelievable, actually no it was not. This was the usual kind of things that the witch experienced from parties she was a part of. Gathering her own selection of followers for these tasks was becoming a greater need than ever. Unless she just wanted to solo her way to her goals. Maybe that was for the best.

The elder let out the loudest moan she had heard in some time.... it was shaking the building apart! Clever for a monster with rocks for a brain. She saw Roland make a beeline for it and try to deter it from it's plans. Was that even going to help though? Silly fool, that beast could continue moaning even with a blade in it's flesh. That meant that the Paladin would be fighting two Rockbeasts alone as well. Merkaba would stay at a distance but shift her position a little to align with the elder. She was aiming to use it's large body to shield her from the notice of the two lesser monsters. Or at least to make any rushes from them towards her need a detour.

Her magic had rotted the flesh and now it was time to reap... Merkaba chanted her words while once again thrusting her scythe horizontally in front of her. She would have to continue using AOE due to her inability to trust the paladin's ability to finish off anything. White knights were not particularly known for their killing efficiency. This spell would be significantly more powerful than her last and may take a great deal of mana but it would be a great boon to this battle. The elder would fear her power and it's minions would beg for mercy with their little primitive grunts!

"Pungendo tenebris carnis indignus figunt et agnum desperationis supplicio aeternum... quiescet Tempestatem Longinus! Incoming fools!"

It was the spell she used earlier and her most frequently seen attack at this point. This time it was at her maximum possible tier for it's casting at her level! Let the Storm of Longinus rain down! She did shout a last minute warning so hopefully her idiot 'allies' would not get hit.... or maybe it did not matter at this point.

(OOC: Moves slightly to align with the Elder and casts Longinus Storm to rain down 5-10 dark energy spears around the AOE of the elder and the minions.)

 

Aaron cursed as his shield was knocked from his hand. It wasn't far though, he would be able to get to it and get back to fighting. With that in mind, he booked it to where his shield had landed and picked it up. Even as he did so, he noticed the elder was wailing, making some abominable noise. He grimaced. That complicated things. It meant they needed to focus their efforts on the elder and kill it. Roland had the right idea, and it seemed Merkaba did as well, whatever her spell was doing.

Keeping on eye on Merkaba's spears, Aaron made his way to the elder, his sword raised high. He wanted to give a battle cry and to shout, but he didn't want to add to the noise of the battle and risk anymore damage to the caverns. Vaguely he was aware of the fact that Silent Mountain had disappeared. He wondered if the man's VR headset might have disconnected, or something. He didn't want to assume cowardice.

He struck at the elder, confident his blow would do damage. He noticed Roland's attack had had no effect, for the second time. "Just keep going, don't give up. Try aiming for the legs, they look fleshier there! It won't be as much damage, but it should certainly be something, right?" He asked.

Roll: http://spherical.link/terrarp/threads/ooc-rockbeast-extermination.1390/#post-8356