The Sundered Way

[thinkslogically]

If there's no clear way up yet (beyond maybe that rising platform of corpses), Nem will just wait then, perhaps pondering what this place is while they wait.

What is this place: 1D20+2 = [8]+2 = 10

[Lurks_In_Shadows]

dexterity: 1D20+4 = [4]+4 = 8

int: 1D20+1 = [17]+1 = 18

[NotStickFigures]

healing for Holger.: 1D8+6 = [6]+6 = 12

Sorry for absence of a few days.


Yes, Coljin will heal Holger when asked.

While the rest were fighting the snake beam gems, he would have gotten his shield readied and stood outside of the beam's range.
He will watch to see if anyone gets badly injured.

[spiderwrangler]

((No worries! Holger's got a decent buffer of health to work with then.))

Randy is so focused on getting to the altar that he doesn't make much of an effort to avoid the beam, taking the hit on his hip.

Running the last few steps up to the dais, he pulls on the right lever, but it doesn't really budge. He got the other lever to go, but that took an awful lot of effort, a lot more than it took any of the skeletons.

Tess ponders why this place even exists, and while it seems sort of like a tomb, what with the shelves that seem to have housed skeletons, in all of the stories she's read, there should have been some sort of stone coffin at the top of the altar with some sort of super skeleton or the like that was going to pop out of it... but instead there is just that stone.

Coljin readies himself at the outside the active range of the statues, as determined by where Randy had been fired on when he tried advancing with the shield.

((Holger has a turn before the statues fire again.))

► Show Spoiler

Zephyr fumbles a toss and wedges it
Holger gets fed up and moves up to sprint to the statue
Zephyr skips one off the gem (16)
ZAP -------------------------- Holger is at the edge of LSS range
Zephyr misses (8)
Holger sprints forward to crouch by the statue
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (7)
Holger tries to pull it out with mage hand
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger tries to pull it out by hand in between zaps
Randy chargers up the right side
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger ...
Randy runs up and tries to pull the lever
Tess ponders the reason for this place

[M0rtimer]

Ulmwin just hangs back, wondering if he should start shooting the gem too, or hope that the others can solve the problem up there...

[thinkslogically]

Nem is disappointed at the lack of dramatic choral music and a wall of magic words telling her she's special.

[Lurks_In_Shadows]

Randy yelps as the ray gets him. He decides to try something a little different. Instead of grabbing the handle directly, he takes out an unlit torch and, griping it like a handle bar to each side, uses it to try to push the lever into position without directly touching the lever.

[spiderwrangler]

((You'll most likely be needing another DEX save before that depending on Holger, perhaps, but after that are you gently pushing, or are you gonna try to heave it? STR check again if the latter.))

[Lurks_In_Shadows]

dexterity: 1D20+4 = [4]+4 = 8 ((RNG seems to be mad at Randy tonight. ))

He'll start gentle and increase pressure as necessary.

strength: 1D20 = [1] = 1 (( Wow. A natural 1. Did he just have a stroke? ))

[Theis2]

Hmm, not sure how tall the statues are, but would it be possible to jump on to of it and lean against the wall to get "behind" the gem? Seems to me the snakes mouth would cover it from that angle.
Just in case I'll include an acrobatics check for Holger to get up there.

Holger acrobatics: 1D20+5 = [18]+5 = 23

[spiderwrangler]

Holger kicks off the coils of the statue, spinning about to plant his shoulder blades in the corner and brace his feet against the back of the statue's head. It's a precarious position, and he's ill positioned to do much of anything, but for the time being, seems to be out of the line of fire.

Both statues fire, but the left one seems to stay contained within the mouth, while Randy gets popped by the right one.

Statue beam damage: fire, necrotic, radiant: 1D4 = [3] = 3
1D4 = [4] = 4
1D4 = [1] = 1

Zephyr's next toss wedges behind the gem again.

Randy pulls out a torch, and holding it crossways, tries gently pushing it against the lever... until his left and slips and the torch swings back and cracks him across the chest. ((Levers are a couple feet high, picturing you'd be crouching as you do this to get the angle.))

((By my reckoning, you've got 3 HP to your name, but still have your movement for this turn.))

((Holger, you trying anything, or staying put?))

► Show Spoiler

Zephyr fumbles a toss and wedges it
Holger gets fed up and moves up to sprint to the statue
Zephyr skips one off the gem (16)
ZAP -------------------------- Holger is at the edge of LSS range
Zephyr misses (8)
Holger sprints forward to crouch by the statue
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (7)
Holger tries to pull it out with mage hand
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger tries to pull it out by hand in between zaps
Randy charges up the right side
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger jumps on the snake
Randy runs up and tries to pull the lever
Tess ponders the reason for this place
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr jams her javelin in the right statue (6)
Holger ...
Randy valiantly tries to use a torch to push the lever.

[NotStickFigures]

Seeing that Randy is getting fried, Coljin will head in to the firing zone. He will Dash to the one that fired last round and will block it with his shield like Zephyr did earlier. "The Skeletons moved em easily, is there a small button or lever to push while you try moving it?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

Maji watches Zephyr making a fool of herself with intrest before quickly getting bored. He goes over to Tess and pats her forehead with his massive paw, looking like he's grinning slightly. Seeing they are going to take a while, Maji lays down.

[thinkslogically]

Nem leans on Maji for a moment and gives him a half-hearted smile.

"I miss Ily" she says with a sigh and sits down next to Maji.

"So what's the bet? Will Holger manage to defeat the statue before Randy is murdered by it? Or do you think Zephyr will beat them all to it and finally break the gem with her javelin? My money's on Holger, but only because apparently Zephyr can't throw straight and Randy looks like he's about to pass out.

...Oh never mind, maybe Coljin can save them!"

[Lurks_In_Shadows]

"Yeah. My hand slipped when I got zapped. If you can keep it from shooting me again, I'll try again." Randy is wincing a bit from his burns. Randy is currently ducked down behind the pedestal from the one that shot at him.

[thinkslogically]

Nemeia pulls out a bag of popcorn.

[M0rtimer]

"Wait, are we placing bets? My personal bet right now is that things continue like this, we're probably gonna have to end up trying to save them..."

[thinkslogically]

"Or Holger will save the day by turning into a potplant again. That was super useful last time it happened."

[Arch Lich Burns]

Maji gives a slight frown before trying to reassure her with a pat on the shoulder when she mentions Illy. Maji thinks about the 'bet' for a moment before motioning to Holger.

Maji sniffs the popcorn, wondering where she got it from.

[M0rtimer]

"Well, maybe if he explodes again he also ends up taking out the gem with him..."

(I'm not sure if Ulmwin was present for that, but eh. )

[thinkslogically]

((He's probably been told all about it. It was one of the weirdest things that's happened to us so far ))

[spiderwrangler]

After whiffing on the torch, Randy scoots behind the gem pedestal, benefitting from what little protection it gives him... at least from the right statue.

Holger, with a reprieve from getting shot, catches his breath on top of the statue.

Coljin sprints for the statue on the right (they both fired, but I read that as you were heading to the right one, that Zephyr is throwing at? If I have that wrong, let me know.), shield held up, but isn't quite able to make it to it before both statues fire again.

He lucks out, however, as the energies play across the javelin Zephyr threw before she recalls it quickly.

The left statue tries to fire at Holger again, but the beam is blocked by the back of its own throat.

Holger:1;Randy:2: 1D2 = [1] = 1

Zephyr throws again, and once again, misses her mark.

During all of this Tess, Maji, and Ulmwin are taking in the antics of their companions.

► Show Spoiler

Zephyr fumbles a toss and wedges it
Holger gets fed up and moves up to sprint to the statue
Zephyr skips one off the gem (16)
ZAP -------------------------- Holger is at the edge of LSS range
Zephyr misses (8)
Holger sprints forward to crouch by the statue
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (7)
Holger tries to pull it out with mage hand
ZAP --------------------------
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger tries to pull it out by hand in between zaps
Randy charges up the right side
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr misses (11)
Holger jumps on the snake
Randy runs up and tries to pull the lever
Tess ponders the reason for this place
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr jams her javelin in the right statue (6)
Holger chills on top of the statue
Randy valiantly tries to use a torch to push the lever, then hides
ZAP --------------------------
-------------------------- ZAP
Zephyr throws and misses (14)

[Theis2]

Standing on top of the statue gives Holger a great comfort and sense of safety, compared to being right next to it. He decides to use this to calmly look at the statue and try to see if this angle will reveal anything about the magic of the statue. Is there a sign of connection to something else or perhaps a magical off switch behind the ear could be nice.

Holger investigation: 1D20+2 = [18]+2 = 20

[spiderwrangler]

There is no signs of any conduits or the like, nor any off switch. Based on what you have observed, the left one activated when Tess attempted to pull the ruby free, and it's thus far resisted all of your efforts to remove it. You can't be certain whether the ruby needs to be in the snake's mouth to be active, but for there to be an anti-tamper system in place where it triggers, it must be magical, rather than mechanical.

► Show Spoiler

The skeleton did something to the central gem on the altar, which activated the right hand statue, which tracks for them being a defensive system, it would make sense for them to be able to be activated by something other than just tampering. There might be something that can be done there to turn them both off... or it could turn them both to a higher setting.

While she's making an inelegant go of it, Zephyr's attempts to destroy the gems should prevent them from being able to fire, though what energies might be released when the gem finally fractures is unclear.

[BadgeAddict]

(Which is why she is standing well clear and throwing at a disadvantage. The rest of you might be rolling your eyes, but doing something is better than standing around with your thumbs up your arses.)