A new hill

[Ebiris]

"Acid crying walls, we're on the right track. Of course no telling how big the tomb is when we find it so don't assume we're close yet," Alicia says as the trio hustle ever deeper into Pandemonium's forgotten reaches.

[Anastasia]

Simple nods as you fly along and...

> roll 1d100
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 87 > [d100=87]

The howls grow louder and louder as you come to another bend. Here is an open cavern, large enough for all of you and the creature there and little else, with but a single passage going down. A creature sits here, a creature with six arms. A man, body clad in bolted in metal armor reminiscent of an orthon. Yet his flesh is a healthy color, no sign of an orthon's features. It looks up as you come around, patient and unmoving, merely looking at you.

[Ebiris]

Any magic on him I can see with arcane sight?

[18:10] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+39 CL if needed
[18:10] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 43 > [d20=4]

[Anastasia]

Yes. Superior Resistance and Gyatha's Insight.

The latter boosts his knowledge checks.

[Ebiris]

"So do you live here or are you guarding something?" Alicia asks, pausing just briefly upon seeing someone, her features shrouded under the illusory hood she's wearing.

[Anastasia]

Queen readies her sword while Sulia is still but tense. "Yes, do tell us what you're doing here."

"I am Gyatha." The creature introduces himself, "Welcome to my home. Join me and I will tell you how the end comes. I will tell you of the Last Day and how you may yet earn her mercy."

[Ebiris]

"We care not for your nihilistic musings," Alicia cuts him off right after that.

It's a shame she's being so rude because he's been nothing but polite!

Still they're running against the clock here so Alicia twists space so that a single step will let them go past Gyatha to the end of his screaming and weeping cavern so they can descend without having to navigate around him.

[Anastasia]

Queen turns to glare at him as you hurry along, yet the figure makes no move to pursue. He does say, however, "Running will not change the inevitable fate. Her mercy is available to everyone, even you."

[Ebiris]

Alicia doesn't dignify that kind of mercy with any further response.

[Anastasia]

It's been a week off, so let's freshen up with a new Perception check.

[Ebiris]

[15:39] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+81
[15:39] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 93 > [d20=12]

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia HP: 724/724
Active spells: Many moments of prescience (CL 35), extended mind blank (CL 36), extended nondetection (CL 36), greater heroism (CL 35), extended ray deflection (CL 36), epic mage armour (CL 35), sensual blessing (CL 35), foresight (CL 35), keen edge (CL 35 on sword), dance of the unicorn (CL 36)
Defences: AC 71, CMD 93, spell resistance 50, energy immunity (fire and cold), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 51)
Stat buffs/penalties: +4 morale skills/attack/saves, +10 armour AC, +25 competence perception, +2 insight AC/ref
Perceptions: Arcane sight, 3 mile tremorsense/blindsight/scent perception +81
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/16/16/15/8/9/15/9/8/4/8/7/5/7/5
Duskblade spell slots: 6/23/23/21/11/7/14

[Anastasia]

Deeper in. Deeper into the moans and cries, into the withered places. The stone itself is charred, burnt. Down twisting-tight tunnels of blackened rock. Down past the tears and the sorrows, down down and down. To another open chamber.

Here they are pinned to the walls of this vast cavern - great, troll like creatures, burnt and destroyed. Dozens of them, left in effigy. A single path winds deeper yet, deeper into this madhouse.

[Ebiris]

"Sulia, can you tell how recently these died?" Alicia asks, that sort of diagnosis being more her skillset. It'll tell them how far behind they are from what she still presumes to be Bel and Gathgorian's trail.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+67
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 72 > [d20=5]

"A day ago," Sulia says at last.

[Ebiris]

"Tch," Alicia makes a dissatisfied noise. "I don't know what sort of pace they'll set ahead of us but we may have missed our opportunity. Unless the guardian proved too much for them... come on, lets keep going and hurry," she pinches space to that path ahead to speed them up, every little bit of speed hopefully counting for something.