Game: Blades of Git'riban : Primal State

[Back by popular demand ...]

The githyanki rifle through the ledgers and papers. They keep a few things, like lists of suppliers and contacts for possible future retribution. The rest they pile in the middle of the office. in preparation to put to the torch. While seaching, Du'minh finds a concieled panel, behind which is an iron safe with a complex combination lock.

"No sense in allowing the ghaik to keep their profits. Stand back." Gy-Nath stares intently at the safe, and his eyes start to shine with an azure fire. The locking mechanism falls away into a fine dust and the door swings loosely open. Inside the safe is a large amount of silver, gold, and platinum coins, trade bars, and gemstones. "Ii'jyka'vaar, you have a pocket dimension, if you would do the honors ..."

As they are emptying the safe, Daraz, who was on lookout, warns them that trouble has arrived. A brace of Minders has at last made their way through the chaos of the cattle stampede to investigate the cause of the disturbance. Daraz quickly counts nine officers, six being warrior-types in chainmail with three spellslingers to back them up, all wearing navy blue tabards, robes, or armbands with a siver circle [I can't remember if the Minders' Guild has a symbol or what it is, so I just made this up. Correct me if you know better]. They are still dealing with errant cows and uncooperative workers who would rather flee than volunteer information at first, so the gith might be able to slip by them undetected if they move quickly, and if the Minders don't head directly to the office. In fact that is just what happens. As the peace officers are investigating the pair of headless corpses on the killing floor, the githyanki head down the stairs and into the basement and the drains.

Though the warriors are inured to such, Ya'shenn is a bit more cultured, and is not happy about slipping through a foot and a half of slick, congealing animal blood. By the time they reach the portal they seek, the party of githyanki are a frightful sight. The portal key is a gift intended for the guardian of the mudshow. Gy-Nath pulls out the bottle of fungus liquor he took from K'tch's studio and goes through first ...

[OK here's how it will go - First roll will be a scale from 1 to 10; 1=thick mud, 10=dingy water. The second roll will be how deep it is, in feet.]

The 'music' seems to come from everywhere at once. Ya'shenn, Ar'dru, and Gy-Nath are psionic beings a cut above the rest of their psionic race, and though the music is eerie and disturbing, they handle it well. Ii'jyka'vaar and Du'minh, however, are visibly disturbed. Both try to plug their ears in a vain attempt to stop the haunting sounds from reaching their brains, and both cosequently slip and fall in the water (which, being partially from the plane of ooze, has a most unpleasant taste). Even when they right themselves, they are unable to handle the sounds echoing through the chambers, but they do realize that while underwater, the sound was muffled. Both consider drowning themselves as a viable alternative to the music, for though the sounds cannot be said to be harsh or grating, the song instills a primal fear from the very pit of the githyankis' souls.

[Ii and Du'minh will be shaken for as long as the music plays, i.e. -2 on all attack rolls, damage rolls, and savings throws. If Weishan comes in with a savings throw soon, he can try to avoid the effect, otherwise for atmosphere's sake Daraz will be in the same state as Ii and Du.]

Ya'shenn masters her fear, though she still feels it. The music drowns out all other noise, so she takes a close visual survey of her surroundings. The water here is far from stagnant, she detects currents and cross-currents, even after the portal behind closes. The walls are slick with moisture, and there are several water lines. She counts herself and her companions lucky to be wading through a mere four feet of muddy water, for it is evident that this a only about half as deep as it could have been, which would have spelled real trouble for the armored githwarriors.

[Evil DM likes to show his hand sometimes; 3 more healing rounds for Ii, but Mudshow has had 3 rounds of prep.]

The music waxes and wanes in such a way as to makes it seem like the illithid bard is moving about as it plays, but also makes it impossible to tell whether it is getting closer or farther away.

The githyanki instictively fall into a defensive posture, as for the first time in their raid on Illithid House they not only are facing their foe on its own turf, but are seemingly facing a ready enemy, and they know not from which direction an attack might come. Ya'shenn closes her eyes and calms her mind, sending her perception outward to search about the flooded chambers for the source of the eerie sounds. Her vision skims the surface of the water, winding between the columns. Finally she spies a figure, some fifty yards ahead and to the left.

The illithid sits cross-legged, levitating a few inches above the water's surface and drifting slowly as if floating with a lazy current. It plays a strangely-shaped bone instrument with both hands as well as its tenticles, and a crystal orb is nescled in its lap. Reflected in the skull-sized orb is an image of the githyanki raiding party, including Ya'shenn herself complete with closed eyes and expression of utmost concentration. As she watches, the illithid slowly turns upside-down and ... smiles at her. Well, it does not really smile, but its expression changes in such a way as it conveys joy; an expression she has never seen an illithid make before and never thought they would have even been capable of.

The Music ends with a shrill note that pierces the githyanki minds to their very core. [The effect has ended, however: Du'minh (who failed 2 tries at a save) and Daraz (whose player didn't post in time) recieve a -2 on ALL will saves for the rest of the encounter]

Now levitating head-down, Mudshow (who is completely naked save having painted its body wih now-dried mud), "stands up", cupping the crystal ball and bone thrivin in its hands. It does a strange, upside-down piruette and recites a rhyme that, like the music, echoes through the chambers.

The children of thralls

Return as slayers

They come to call

To shiv The Player

Pretty mind, and lovely blade

Strenth of will, they have it made

So full of hate

Such empty souls

They come too late

Into my hole

The Razor has already fled

Two Skies will leave two races dead

The Third Circle will

Remain complete

I will be killed

Lest I retreat

With that the illithid drops its items and streaches itself out to dive into the water with barely a splash.

Mudshow, clinging to its platform, is struck by Ii's dagger and Du'minh's arrow.  Ar'dru hurls a grenade of wet-fire, but the illithid manages to knock it telekineticly aside.  The ceramic grenade shatters against the pillar, the alchemical mixture igniting as soon as it touches the water.  There is now a burning area around the base of Mudshow's pillar, and some flames on the stone column itself, illuminating the illithid and cutting it off from an easy dive back ito the water.

Mudshow completes its spell and raises both arms.  From over a dozen different platfoms and hidey-holes, instruments spring to life.  Even the strings of the instrument Ya'shenn just detroyed vibrate weakly.  Mudshow moves its arms like a conductor as the cacophony rises and takes shape into a symphony of sound.  Haunting, strangely beautiful, and utterly alien, the music shakes the githyankis' very bones.

[No penalties or anything, but it is now completely impossible to comunicate verbally.] 

Mudshow moves its arms like a conductor for a few moments until the orcestra of unmanned instruments is well underway, then picks up a large, four-barreled horn, and starts to play.  The sounds from the strange horn, though in tune with the rest of the music, almost sound like a kind of bellowing language, as Mudshow adds its own voice to the horn.

Mrool Shoom BarrOoo Drashoo Frol R'leh F'tagn G'yaaaa

Morkol Gr'nooo F'noor Blashon Shul'shon Dr'sooOoo S'yaaaa

MashkuUul Shaloo Rashoo C'tluu Shu'dem Bl'gruu Cha'shaaa

Murkool Blib'droo Barkoo Nyartul'thord'ik Yarkush Faer'shaaa

Yes, by charging.

Ar'dru sweeps his greatsword in a deadly arc, and bites deeply into the illithid's side.  Mudsho, however, provrs to be quicker than Ar'dru expects.  The illithid then leaps on Ar'dru's back, still singing.  Mudshow's voice seems to be coming from everywhere, dispite the fact that his tenticles are groping at the half-dragon's skull.  [Mudshow already has ventriliquism up.]

Fly with me ...

Oh come ... fly with me

And we'll ... sail away

Into that ... cloudy sea

I'll set you ... on the moon

Wrap you in ... starry mist

So that you'll ... never forget

This first ... night we kissed

[Well, they are acually in the air and Ii is in rib-deep water, so nobody (except Ar'dru) can make melee attacks against Mudshow right now.  Look to other abilities, ranged attacks, or improvised ranged attacks to help Ar'dru.  Think outside the box, just remember there is no verbal comunication allowed right now.  Also, I suggest staying in character, which should be interesting.  As a specific example, I think Ya'shenn would be too polite to just grab a dagger out of someone else's shieth, but Ii is a sociopath, so I could see her drawing somebody else's dagger without asking (and maybe even given 'em a little shove as well).

Of course, If Ar'dru, say swoops down toward the party, he'd bring Mudshow into melee range, but Az would have to state that Ar'dru is doing just that ... instead of trying to resist the grapple or making a claw attack.] 

[Hmmm... interesting.  I'm inclined to say yes to a sunder, and we'll call it a sever.  No AoO, but roll for damage normally, and Ar'dru will take said damage as in order to cut off the tenticle, he himself will get chopped.  Also, since tenticles are tough, a minimum of 8 damage has to be done in order to sever (which shouldn't be a problem, really.)

Oh, and just in case I wasn't clear, we're talking about 1 tenticle, which IS enough to prevent decerebration.]