008: Round 2! Heaven or Hell! Fight!

[Merc]

[20:00] <Kotono> -------
[20:02] <Kotono> Ah, rest and recovery. The party heals, sells and buys goods. Soon enough everyone has recovered and is enjoying some wine in Luther's study. Naturally, it's then that a letter appears on the table before them, out of thin air.
[20:04] <Luther> ooc: Is the letter different than the one we got at the end of last session and didn't open?
[20:04] <Luther> OOC: Or the same one?
[20:05] <Rhayser> OOC: Holy shit we never opened the letter!
[20:06] <Kotono> OOC: Different one. Feel free to open that one, too, if you like.
[20:06] <Luther> ooc: We never opened it because session ended before we could!
[20:07] <Luther> "Another invite? I'd thought that last letter was the invite...should we open that one instead?"
[20:08] <Rhayser> "Like a party invite?"
[20:08] <Rhayser> "I like parties!"
[20:09] <Kevamros> "I can only imagine a party invite from a place like this would include insane people in top hats serving tea with rabbits and magic potions."
[20:09] <Rhayser> "Bunnies!"
[20:10] <Luther> "It probably involves mushroom people dancing in bikinis while shaking maracas, actually."
[20:11] <Luther> "I read that in the book we found. Don't ask."
[20:11] <Rhayser> "That's...weird." Rhayser looks confused.
[20:11] * Luther goes get the original letter and opens that one first.
[20:12] <Kotono> The letter reads as follows, "Congratulations! You have style, so expect another invitation soon!"
[20:12] <Luther> "Huh. So that one is another invitation. Glad to see he thinks we have style though. It's nice to know he at least has taste."
[20:13] <Kevamros> "'Style'? Bah. All I've done is keep you fools alive."
[20:13] * Rhayser nods. "Living is stylish."
[20:14] <Luther> "I don't think you did a very good job with...what was his name again? I forget."
[20:14] <Luther> "The guy in the gold pit."
[20:14] <Rhayser> "Which guy?"
[20:15] * Luther snaps his fingers. "Andersmith! That was his name, wasn't it?"
[20:15] * Rhayser shrugs.
[20:16] <Kevamros> "Well... To be fair, there's not really a whole lot I can do about a pit of molten gold. I'm not a god. I just represent one."
[20:18] <Luther> "Well, I'd like to think I did my fair share of keeping people alive too, and I'm sure Rhayser feels the same way about killing that dragon, so suck it up, Kevamros. Now, since I don't imagine we have much option given the last time we 'received' an invitation, is everyone at least ready?" Luther asks, as he reaches for his haversack, making sure it's handy. His weapon and armor are also quickly equipped.
[20:19] * Kevamros checks himself over for equipment and then protectively covers his groin with his hands.
[20:19] <Kevamros> "Ready."
[20:20] <Rhayser> "Let's go kill the monsters!"
[20:22] * Luther opens the letter and clearing his throat, reads it for the others!
[20:22] <Kotono> Thus the party prepares, the invitation awaiting its grand opening.
[20:25] * Kevamros rips open the invitation~!
[20:26] <Luther> ooc: ...didn't I already do that?
[20:26] <Luther> ooc:  Luther opens the letter and clearing his throat, reads it for the others!
[20:27] <Kotono> OOC: Oh, just missed it.
[20:27] <Rhayser> OOC: I CAN HELP
[20:29] <Kotono> The invitation is opened. It explodes into a shower of light, dazzling the party. When they can see again, the stand in the center of a big, classical temple. White stone pillars support the outside, the entire area of the temple perhaps 200ft wide and 100ft long, a rectangle. There are no walls, only pillars half blocking the view of beautiful green fields outside. On the other side of the
[20:29] <Kotono> temple is a stairway going up. It's quiet here, no sign of immediate danger.
[20:30] * Kevamros eyes the area for anything that could be useful. After all, the moss helped. Might be something else.
[20:30] <Rhayser> "Oh hey nice place!: Rhayser wanders away from the group, checking the place out.
[20:30] <Luther> "Well, this is at least a better start than last time. I approve."
[20:31] * Luther looks around trying to check that there aren't any obvious hidden enemies, and barring that, observing what might be good spots to hide at
[20:31] <Luther> roll d20+1 spot, now powered by Wis+1!
[20:31] <Serith> Luther roll for Serith < 16 > [d20=15]
[20:31] <Kevamros> roll 1d20+14 Spot
[20:31] <Serith> Kevamros roll for Serith < 32 > [d20=18]
[20:32] <Luther> ooc: nobody likes a show-off.
[20:32] <Kotono> Kevramros looks around. Hm? A ltitle behind the party is a trap door. He stumbles on it while futilely looking for a good place to hide.
[20:33] <Rhayser> roll 1d20+11 search for stuff!
[20:33] <Serith> Rhayser roll for Serith < 18 > [d20=7]
[20:33] <Kevamros> "Hey, found a trap door."
[20:33] * Kevamros inspects it for traps!
[20:33] * Luther observes Kevamros as he inspects the trap door.
[20:34] <Kotono> OOC: Search checks for those checking the trap door. Spot check, Luther, for checking out KEv.
[20:35] <Kevamros> roll 1d20+10 Search
[20:35] <Serith> Kevamros roll for Serith < 26 > [d20=16]
[20:35] <Kotono>  The trap door does not seem to be trapped.
[20:36] * Kevamros opens the trap door!
[20:37] <Kotono> The trap door is opened. It reveals a stairway going down. My, the air from it is quite warm.
[20:38] <Kevamros> "So. Down or through the temple?"
[20:39] <Luther> "Temple will probably be prettier, but the fact that the trap door was somewhat hidden makes me vote for that. It surely has more interesting rewards to it."
[20:39] <Kevamros> "Who leads the way, then?
[20:39] * Luther gestures towards Rhayser.
[20:40] * Rhayser whips his head around. "Did someone say chicken?"
[20:40] <Luther> "He's the most likely to survive an arrow to the face. I can cover the back, I think, unless you'd rather have the two of us in front of us so you have more range for shooting arrows and spells?"
[20:41] <Rhayser> "Are we moving?"
[20:41] <Luther> "Yes, you start going down."
[20:41] <Kevamros> "I think I should be where I can heal you both."
[20:42] <Rhayser> "Okay!" Rhayser heads out!
[20:42] <Luther> "Alright, I'll cover the rear then. Let's keep up with him, he wanders into too much danger when you let him out of your sight."
[20:42] <Kotono> Rhayser and friends head on downstairs. It's dark here - only a faint red glow provides enough light to see. As the party goes down the steps, the trap door closes behind the party with a solid THUMP.
[20:43] <Rhayser> "That sounded ominous!" Rhayser supplies helpfully.
[20:43] <Kevamros> "Check it, Luther. Is it locked?"
[20:44] * Luther checks it.
[20:44] <Kotono> It seems locked. It doesn't open to being pushed.
[20:45] <Luther> "I can't open it."
[20:46] <Kevamros> "Joy of joys. Let's continue on, then."
[20:46] * Rhayser marches along!
[20:49] <Kotono> The party heads on down. Hot, hot, hot! It's getting hotter, and yo usee why. The stairway opens up. 30ft down is a small island of black volcanic rock, standing in the middle of a vast ocean of lava. The heat and scent of brimstone is strong.
[20:49] <Kevamros> "I blame you for this."
[20:49] <Rhayser> "WHAT'D I DO?"
[20:50] <Kevamros> "Everything. Just... Just everything."
[20:50] <Rhayser> "This is not my fault! I did not build this place!"
[20:52] <Luther> "Is there way forward?"
[20:53] * Rhayser looks about.
[20:55] <Kotono> The island looks barren of any - oh, hello. Rhayer can see something. A rather large, flat boat rises up, made of black stone. It's perhaps 40ft long and 10ft wide. It sits by the edge of the island, floating in the lava sea.
[20:55] * Rhayser points, walking forward. "Boat!"
[20:55] <Kevamros> "Of course. Nothing can go wrong with going into a lake of lava on a boat."
[20:55] <Kotono> Gah! Stepping down, Rhayer can tell it's hot as hell down there. Hot, hot, hot, hot! Going on might be painful.
[20:56] <Rhayser> "Also, hot."
[20:56] <Luther> "I don't even want to imagine going on that boat and getting capsized. Rhayser is the strongest, should we head back up and have him slam the doors open?"
[20:58] <Kevamros> "... Well, we're here and with the way things have been going, I think it'll only get worse if we don't play along. Last time we were running from a river of gold. I don't want to try and out-run an ocean of lava."
[20:58] <Luther> "Fair point, though unless someone has protection from lava, I don't see this going well at all."
[20:58] <Kotono> roll 2d6 fire damage since Rhayer's just standing around in the hot zone
[20:58] <Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 2 > [d6=1,1]
[20:59] <Kevamros> "Well, let's get going at the least.
[20:59] <Rhayser> "Hey. Hey guys." Rhayser waves.
[20:59] <Luther> "Yes, Rhayser?"
[21:00] <Rhayser> "Do we have anything that can protect us from fire?"
[21:00] * Kevamros glances at Rhayser and the lava with a sour look, but starts heading down towards the boat.
[21:00] <Kotono> roll 2d6 fire damage since Rhayer's still in the hot zone.
[21:00] <Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 9 > [d6=4,5]
[21:00] <Kevamros> "I do not."
[21:00] <Luther> "I do not. I would hope that Kevamros can keep up the healing if we're honestly considering this."
[21:00] <Rhayser> "Okay." Rhayser gets in the boat.
[21:00] <Kotono> Kevamros heads on down. HOT! HOT! Going on may be painful indeed, because it's hot.
[21:01] <Kotono> Rhayser reaches the boat. As soon as he steps on, blessed relief. The boat's cool! Well, hot but not hot enough to burn you to a crips. Yay.
[21:01] <Kotono> *Crisp
[21:02] <Luther> ooc: how big is the boat?
[21:02] <Rhayser> "The boat is not as hot!"
[21:02] <Kotono> OOC: 40ft long and 10ft wide, as noted before.
[21:03] * Luther casts detect magic and observes the boat at Rhayser's word!
[21:03] <Kotono> OOC: Spellcraft, Luther.
[21:03] <Luther> roll d20+16 spellcraft
[21:03] <Serith> Luther roll for Serith < 33 > [d20=17]
[21:03] <Kotono> The boat's enchanted to resist the head of the lava. Handy little thing, it'll make riding on it possible, at least without burning to a char.
[21:04] * Luther quickly gets on a center region of the boat!
[21:06] * Kevamros enters the boat as well and takes a seat!
[21:06] <Kotono> roll 2d6 fire to both of you two
[21:06] <Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 10 > [d6=5,5]
[21:07] <Kotono> Hot! It burns like hell, but the two make it to the boat. Once all three are on, it begins to glide forward into the sea of lava. All around is a boiling sea of bright orange lava, making everything glow in the same color.
[21:07] * Kevamros decides to use the power of his god to heal the other two instead of the wand, saving that for himself. OOC: Burning a turn to heal the two and then using the wand on self.
[21:07] * Luther continues to observe while detect magic is still activated, figuring it might give them some early warning if something attacks.
[21:08] <Kevamros> roll 4d6 +50%
[21:08] <Serith> Kevamros roll for Serith < 19 > [d6=4,6,5,4]
[21:08] <Kevamros> OOC: Well, tops them off.
[21:08] <Kevamros> roll 1d8 Wanding 1
[21:08] <Serith> Kevamros roll for Serith < 8 > [d8=8]
[21:08] <Kevamros> roll 1d8 Wanding 2
[21:08] <Serith> Kevamros roll for Serith < 4 > [d8=4]
[21:08] <Kevamros> OOC: Tops me off.
[21:10] <Kotono> The party heals from being fried alive. The boat's pace is slow and steady, and soon you see a far shore. The lava here is dimmer, hunks of stone floating atop the surface. The shore is black stone, a massive gate stretching out here, made of solid, blackened iron. A sign hangs above the gate, one you can't quite read from here as the boat stops at the far shore.
[21:13] * Rhayser awaits the passing of time.
[21:14] <Kevamros> OOC: we're on shore, right? We can get out without dying?
[21:14] <Rhayser> OOC: Boat is moving
[21:15] * Luther waits until the boat reaches the far shore, and tries to read the sign as they get closer and closer.
[21:18] <Kotono> OOC: It reached the far shore.
[21:18] * Kevamros hops out of the boat and approaches the gate to try and read the sign.
[21:19] * Luther waits to see that Kevamros doesn't fall through the shore and die a fiery death, before going onto shore as well (or if Kev does die a fiery death, he'll remain on the boat)
[21:19] * Rhayser exits boat.
[21:20] <Kotono> It's not so hot here, cool enough not to immediately burn. The sign reads, "The path for those who prefer Hell to Heaven."
[21:20] <Luther> "That's depressing."
[21:20] <Kevamros> "Well... Enticing."
[21:21] <Rhayser> "But I don't wanna go to Hell!"
[21:21] <Kevamros> "I think I get a little closer every time you speak."
[21:22] * Luther snorts.
[21:22] <Luther> "Well, let's move on, and see what hell has to offer."
[21:22] * Luther starts moving forward, and attempts to push the gate open.
[21:23] * Rhayser helps with a big frowny face on.