Hi all,
You discussed and agreed with Cataldo that exploring the “lower masters” chambers on the other side of the tower was a good next step before you retreated. You greeted Oh the Butler on the way and then opened the doorway to the chambers, which let loose stale air.
As you crossed the entry, an ominous feeling swept over you and your minds were transported into a different time, experiencing another being's vision. From your vantage point near water-level in the ocean, you saw a great tidal wave approach a distant, smoking coastline (Seshnela?), then as it obscured your view of the coast you sank below the waves yourselves, blackness swept over you, and you returned to your minds and bodies, unsettled.
The hall beyond was large, with four side chambers in either corner and then a large golden Law rune in the center of the hall. Maugis came in and inspected it, seeing active sorcery still there that could be invoked by channeling Malkioni energy in. The walls were decorated with fancy frescoes of wizardly conjuring heroics. Therein, you noted demonic entities including likely Chaos things being dealt with, even Vadeli recognizable by their Law-Chaos rune…
But your investigations were interrupted: a spectral hand reached through a wall near the chamber doorway to the left of the entrance, lashing Boamund with flesh-rotting power. Then inchoate wails echoed through the hall and blasts of necrotic power hurled through the very walls from each of the four side-chambers. Maugis was briefly crippled but then used the golden rune's energy and invoked a shield that protected him from much further harm. Meanwhile, Boamund suffered numerous attacks but the perpetrators had still not fully revealed themselves, hidden behind their chamber doors.
Cataldo opened the right-chamber's door with the Zzaburi gesture and Jacobus charged in, blessed halberd slashing at the robed wraith of an ancient Zzaburi that hovered inside its former quarters. While that fight progressed, Cataldo also opened the door for Boamund, Fraud and Ahappi to rush in and confront the wraith there. Fraud later turned to go stand by Maugis. Miguel kept out of trouble, outside the entryway, and this later turned out to be important.
Finally, Maugis incanted a great Banish spell and the wraiths were blasted into oblivion with a final furious hiss. Maugis ventured further down the hallway to check the two distant chambers, and also saw a doorway at the far end of the hall. But other matters distracted the rest of the party.
Miguel called out an alarm as he heard stealthy movement echoing from across the foyer, from the laboratory hall. Then an Uzelu; a sea troll; came creeping out of the shadows there, and seeing him it charged, followed by eight others and a fearsome leader that could only be seen in its reflection!
A frantic battle ensued, and with your band outnumbered and facing huge, deadly foes that could hurt you even if you parried their spear blows, it looked grim. The sea trolls were also different: warped by chaos features that gave them deadly powers like being obscured by darkness or shocking foes on touch. But you had advantages of your own, which soon became evident. You were smarter and faster than the Uzelu, so you could fight defensively and wear them down. You formed a defensive wall at the doorway, fronted by Boamund and Ahappi, so not all the trolls could attack you at once and overwhelm you by might and numbers. Fraud Shaven had stayed in the back for a while, throwing Darkstrike spells [GM note: it's debatable whether trolls would be effected by such blindness as they have Darksense (sonar), but I ruled they are blinded by magical darkness, especially this odd Arkati stuff]. He, too, soon joined the fray to help, and his spells had diminished some of the offense's fearsomeness by that time.
But the party was split up for the initial battle, with Maugis off exploring and Jacobus plus Cataldo rushing to stop two Uzelu from entering the ship through the foyer front doorway. However, that also split up the trolls, and soon the other two Thaumanauts could join the fight.
The war-leader of the sea trolls was a deadly opponent, hard to see and dealing harsh blows, but became blinded and eventually slain. Ahappi's blessed spear again proved its effectiveness against these chaos monstrosities, and the tide of the conflict seemed to be shifting in your favour, with the Uzelu starting to retreat after their leader fell.
Will your resolve hold and victory be yours, at a bloody price? And will that be enough to leave you able to depart safely– surely this is not the end of the Uzelu's interest in your presence here? See this Friday…
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