Behold H'Catha (Part 4)

Cointhief · February 28

Its hard to keep track of all the bald-eyebrow raising and kerfuffling during Yahs' exposition, each exquisite detail chewed and chawed like a perfectionist chess player. For a moment, it seems Celsior's argument might take over...but in the end, and perhaps to everyone's surprise, the plasmoid's rationality wins the day.

~The arbiters have spoken.~

~A guardian has been chosen.~

~With minor dissent.~

~A two-thirds majority.~

~Greelob selected.~

~I accept your concession!~ Greelob's stalks radiate proudly like the rays of a victorious dawn.

The crowd of tiny beholders erupt with a final exchange of wealth. The losers contemplate second mortgages on their slime palaces, the winners laugh maniacally with their new shiny tiny sacs of diamonds, ornate cutlery (one particular spoon seems to be shorn of pure ruby), and exotic incense.

~Thank you for your input, mysterious wanderers!~

~Logic both sound and valid.~

Shortly after the exchange, Orlob and the other smaller grapefruits unceremoniously depart, rising upwards out of the large hole in the ceiling. Greelob settles in just above the meteor, his eye stalks beaming in every direction...a tireless sentinel.

One thing seems certain: space beholders are not at all like their legendary counterparts on Toril.

DM-Tareth · February 29

Watching the departure of the others, Yahs focuses her eyes back onto Greelob with more than a little curiosity. Once the others are good and gone, she steps closer to the slightly battered guardian and waves her hand to get the creature's attention.

"Excuse me." She says. "And again congratulations on a job well won. But now that you've taken over guarding this stone, I couldn't help but wonder. Who might you be guarding it for and why? I mean it just seems like a bit of odd metal filled with smelly, old, rotting crystals. Shouldn't someone of your skill and prowess be guarding, well, I don't know, something a bit more important? Say a hoard of gold and platinum, a stash of wizards creations, the governor's daughter, the Tyrant's Terminator Brewery?" She looks around the dank cavern and Noog's filthy smelly corpse and shakes her head sadly. A tsk-tsk of pity hissing through poorly formed lips. "Really to see such guarding talent go to waste watching a box of rocks and a cyclops corpse. It's a shame really. I mean I haven't seen anyone score that high on the scale since, I guess, since Zap Lonnigan donned a red shirt and took over guardianship of Empress Beckett's royal bedchamber."

A quick shrug and she turns for the exit. "Too bad you couldn't find someone to take your place for a while. Maybe give you a chance to go out celebrate your victory. Ah well...maybe next century. Best we be moving on." She casually starts to slow walk toward the exit of the cavern.

Edited February 29 by DM-Tareth (see edit history)

Cointhief · February 29

Greelob's purple blood slowly drips all over the meteorite as it hovers in place...rather near death from your perspective. Regardless, it still seems quite alert. The more Yahs speaks, the more the beholder scoffs.

~You are truly a silly, silly alien. Water is wet. Birds are animated machines. Treasure must be protected. Simple facts! Perhaps as 4-dimensional space is to spatial reasoning, this basic principle of loot guardianship is too intricate a thought for your weird, gelatinous frontal lobe. I hereby declare I will use this treasure to sponsor a scholarship in your name, arbiter, so that future wanderers will not make the same mistake. If we do not invest in education, the future of H'Catha seems rather uncertain.~

A few more ticks of an autognome heart and the guardian adds ~...Bit of odd metal?! Behold!~

*ZZZP* *ZZ-blam* *ZZZ-pow-crack* *WHOOSH*

A rapid fire of lasers assault the meteorite's shell, leaving not a single scorch mark...instead a scintillated rainbow pattern as the energy resonates and absorbs at various frequencies, making wave arrangements of constructive and deconstructive interference.

~Elven adamantine...mined from the corpses of dead gods in the Astral Sea! An impressive mixture of adamant, silver, electrum, and mithral...worth 5 times its weight in gold!~

It lowers down, pointing to a particular zig-zag filigree on the edge. ~Note well, alien, the craftsmanship here...and here. Generations of master craftsman have evolved this procedure, this is not the random whittling of Noog as he net fishes for stink-eels off the Peruvian Bay. Know the difference!~ he commands, in conclusion.

BobtheWizard · February 29

"Lou" Louis Dufray (Goblin Ranger 4) sheet

AC: 16 | HP: 40/40 | Initiative: +4 | Passive Perception: 17 | Features

Opal AC: 16 | HP: 25/25 | PP: 14 | Features

Lou decides to butter up the creature a little more, despite knowing that he is just a goblin and no one ever really cares what he thinks.

"Well, Greelob, it appears we definitely chose correctly in deciding you should guard this invaluable treasure. I am curious, though, what is H'Catha planning to do with this treasure. It seems a waste to just have someone of your talent guard it indefinitely. Do you have plans for it? Is someone coming to take it somewhere else?"

Mechanics

Main Hand: bow
Off Hand: none

Lou's Action: none
Move: none

Manipulate: none

Bonus Action: none

Opal's Action: none
Move: to Lou

Manipulate: none

Bonus Action: none

Reaction: none

Gnarley's Knack: You have Advantage on the next roll you make regarding ship repairs or ship weaponry.

JubalBreakbottle · February 29

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

Celsior waits on the answers to Lou's flattery and questions before he asks his own, "Greelob, question for you. The treasure that you are protecting is the Elven adamantine, right? If there's a contaminate inside that devalues the treasure, would you accept an offer from us to clean it out for you? We would want to maximize the value of the metal, right?"

Mechanics

Active spells:

Action:

DM-Tareth · March 1

Yahs slides over next to the floating orb and extends her own ocular stalks out to inspect the object considered by so many to be so important. Adding a whistle of appreciation and some appropriate ohs and ahs as Greelob points out the various and obvious example of supreme craftsmanship and material.

"Hrrmm...I do see what you mean." She says with a quick approving nod. "Truly a work of art and likely of high value." She pulls out her trusty mop and points as the oozing remains of Noog. "Best we start to tidy up a bit. I mean you wouldn't want cyclops blood to spoil the resale value or the stench to drive away possible buyers. Am I right. A good guardian is a much about presentation and tidiness as about fending off potential trespassers." As if proving her point she dabs the damp end of her mop along a rather big splotch of blood currently covering some of the fine elven craftsmanship.

She starts to mop at the adamantine, then pauses and rubs a pod beneath her chin-pod as she glances back at the bleeding Greelob several times. "You know, that looks like a rather nasty wound." She finally says, her voice laced with concern. "Does it hurt much? I hope it won't make you less effective at keeping this treasure safe. Perhaps you should have someone take a look at it? Do you have a local healer? I've a bit of healing skill, although not with folk of your...eh...circular anatomy, but I'd be happy to take a look if you like."

Inspiration Persuasion

Edited March 2 by DM-Tareth (see edit history)

KingGoblin · March 2

Lazuli Lazali Lulura, AKA Squishy

Saves: Str -1 | Dex +3 | Con +1 | Int +2 | Wis +6 | Cha +0

Resistances: Acid and Poison

Lazuli sneaks in to an area behind the beholder-kin, as though it didn’t have eyes facing in all directions. Any effort to be sneaky is further thwarted by the fact that she is pumping out her own Mission: Impossible theme music as she sneaks.

Cointhief · March 2

At Lou and Opal's buttering up, the maw bears its teeth ~Silence, beastmaster! Your eensy beensy stature is very suspicious, despite the wondrous dancing talent of your fire companion.~

Greelob rotated to the Prince next, with a toothy grin a mile wide still elated from guarding the treasure. ~Very well, extract the smelly crystals so that I might better enjoy the adamantine shells. I prefer my treasure unsoiled!~

*ZZZZP*

A ray fires into one of Noog's cabinets, exploding the lot and spilling out a few household cleaning supplies. One of which is an obvious knock-off brand of Mr. Bubbles called 'Tyrant Scrubbles' with nearly the exact same packaging...instead of the reliable golden haired, buff-to-the-max neat freak, a beholder with a blonde wig telekinetically juggles sponges with the same trademark merry look. Noog must've been penny pinching.

Rotating an eye towards Yahs ~I think not, amorphous maid-doctor. The overuse of space cucumbers in medicine is considered a hot-topic out here.~

Greelob seems to be forcing himself not to vaporize the plasmoid for even suggesting it. However, just at that moment, like a wilting succulent, one of his smaller stalks shears completely off from the wound...plopping onto the ground and wriggling with its own animus.

~...on second thought, show me what you got. The guardian must be preserved!~

Lazuli rather noisily scouts some of the other (horizontal) exits from Noog's cavern. The tunnels stretch further into the planet's great Spindle, the density and viscosity of the living slime increasing as she goes. At times, little eyelids flicker open on the walls noting the spore-mother. Sounds of beholder strife come from all around, constant battles and argumentations appearing to be the nature of this planet.

Curiously, she turns a corner and finds some sort of agricultural plot resting within an open aired cavern. The vegetation resembles some kind of edible root like carrots or radishes, and stretches on for nearly an acre.

JubalBreakbottle · March 2

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

Celsior smiles and smartly salutes, “Yessir Greelob.”
He goes over to the “coffin” and tries to push it open. Not being very strong, he signals to the others for enough muscle to open it completely, in order to clean the inside.

Mechanics

Active spells:

Action:

Edited March 2 by JubalBreakbottle (see edit history)

Cointhief · March 2

The 'coffin lid' or 'top half of the pecan shell', or however you'd like to interpret the odd meteor called 'Fëa' is only a fraction of the total weight of the thing. Although Celsior is not the strongest Prince in the kingdom, at his maximum effort the top clicks off and falls to the powdery cavern floor with a thud.

With it completely removed, the dead crystals completely exposed, the smell of rot and decay is nearly unbearable.

~Foul!~

Another chocolate cake starts to make its way up Greelob's magical cornucopia of a throat, but he chortles it back down quickly.

A stinking cloud has been unleashed, assaulting not only your wide open nostrils, but the pores on your skin with its alien death stench. Celsior, Lou and Opal need Con saves against a DC 13 or vomit and retch (consuming your Action). Lazuli and Yahs can make the save with advantage because of plasmoid resistance to poison.

Each half is about 250 lbs, so Celsior can manage with his Push/Drag/Lift of 280.

Edited March 2 by Cointhief (see edit history)

JubalBreakbottle · March 2

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

Celsior starts to cough and gag covered head to shoulders in dead space dust.

Then, he vomits his lunch and starts dry heaving.

Mechanics

Active spells:

Action:

Edited March 2 by JubalBreakbottle (see edit history)

KingGoblin · March 2

Lazuli Lazali Lulura, AKA Squishy

Saves: Str -1 | Dex +3 | Con +1 | Int +2 | Wis +6 | Cha +0

Resistances: Acid and Poison

Lazuli sneaks back in the room in time to be gassed. The poison has no effect on her, other than to tickle slightly. “It smells? Foul? Is this what foul smells feel like? Kind of pleasant, in an itchy tingly way.”

Edited March 2 by KingGoblin (see edit history)

DM-Tareth · March 2

Squishing her way to the floating orbs side she ogles the guardian's wounds for a few seconds. She pushes the fallen eye stalk with the tip of her toe and nods her head-pod. Adjusting the grip on her mop she circles around to Greelobs side and with a pencil marks a large X just above where his eye-stalk recently decided it would take a break from its living relationship with the other stalks.

"Okay, now this might sting a little." She says handing over a spare pencil. "You might want to bite down on this."

Before the creature can decide she unleashes a flurry of rapid strikes the final blow infused with necrotic energy.

Staff Attack

Staff Damage

Unarmed Strike

Unarmed Damage

Unarmed Strike

Unarmed Damage plus Harm

CON Save

Edited March 2 by DM-Tareth (see edit history)

Cointhief · March 2

~Mmmpfh, mm mmff mm?~ Greelob for some reason think-says unnecessarily. But his last thought-words wouldn't be known, for a mega-slap from the plasmoid infused with some exotic shadow essence caught the beholder completely off-guard.

ooc: Lets say the cloud effect happens on same round as Celsior opens (on his init count). So, Yahs and Lou need con save, but can't be nauseated this round since Celsior opens at the end of the round.

Greelob: -18-2-13

Round 1:
Greelob (Surprised)
Lazuli, ~~Yahs~~, Lou (need con save roll), Celsior (nauseated) <--UP

Edited March 3 by Cointhief (see edit history)

JubalBreakbottle · March 3

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

Celsior continues dry heaving completely nauseated.

In his report to the academy, his action to open the "coffin" might be considered as a self-sacrificing distraction, so that his crew can attack and overwhelming powerful opponent. Go team!

Mechanics

Active spells:

Action:

Text_1	Text_2	Text_3	Bold_1	Accent_1	Mood_1
Warm_1	Warm_2	Warm_3	Bold_2	Accent_2	Mood_2
Cool_1	Cool_2	Cool_3	Bold_3	Accent_3	Mood_3
Bright_1	Bright_2	Bright_3	Bold_4	Accent_4	Mood_4

Behold H'Catha (Part 4)

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