Don't forget to do the same thing for your voice, by the way. As for the actual item, well, truly, anything will do. Although you'll excuse me having a bit of paranoia, now that I think of it. If you'll excuse me a moment?
Isen will fly upwards, and then quickly teleport (through 7 league stride, to a point he can see) to the exterior of the aegis*, pick a small stone there, and do the reverse to give it to Tria. It is in times like these that the knowledge of all his pater's dirty tricks is a boon and a blessing. Despite their differences, he's always got this little voice telling him "What would Axion do?", which urges him to try to counter this. As much as he wants to, he just can't erase his Pater's mark, even in himself.
He initially wanted to pick any item from the covenant, such as a stone from the courtyard, but this may have some uses, so he prefers an AC to a place outside ME.
Tria leads everyone who is coming with her to the cave house Viscaria's sanctum, just inside the cave, before the sanctum marker leading to Viscaria's sanctum she says, "We will leave from here." Everyone prepares themselves to breath underwater, and then joins hands. The next step in the regio seems to feel as if everyone is falling upwards, or a wall of water is rushing down on top of everyone. The water is extremely warm, almost heat. Deep into the cave, where Viscaria's sanctum would be on the lower level of the regio one can feel the heat and see a read glow coming.
A few moments later everyone is in a deep sea, and the water is comparably cold. And then suddenly, after the cold water, they are in a dry cave.
Theraphosa is an Ambush Predator: If it has successfully crept up on its prey, it automatically wins Initiative in the first round of combat and gains a +3 to its Attack Total for the first round only.
Light filters in from the cave opening, which is clearly wide open now and not sealed as Tria had indicated. The dislocation of air from the party appearing in the cave cause the cave to fall into silence, but the sounds of people talking and suddenly going quiet is apparent to everyone. ((Everyone is surprised this round, based on Tria's telling she didn't think anyone would enter the cave, and given the length of time between Tria sealing the cave and returning they didn't think she was returning.))
Initiative rolls and decisions on what you're PCs are doing are going forward. It's dark, but at least two figures can be seen as silhouettes against the dim light streaming into the cave. The hushed voices suggest that there are more but they are not visible.
Ok. From what you wrote, they are aware of tria, but Isen isn't aware of that. For all he know, these might just be unrelated mundanes.
Isen reacts quickly, mind racing through possibilities. Since his buffs are active, the best solution would be to turn invisible so as to get an additional edge, but (surprisingly), he doesn't master this spell. He could try to disable them by encasing them in ice, get the drop on them, but attacking first, posing questions later is bad form. He doesn't know these guys, they are not necessarily hostiles. And since he doesn't know how many people there are or where, this is stupid, too. They could wound thera or tria.
He'll begin by casting an Ice Wall (Shield of the Frost Giant) between him and the men. This'll give them a safe space, and can protect them all should the men react aggressively. 1d10=5 + 49 + Aura = 54+Aura vs lvl 30.
This is a wall up to 25 paces wide and 4 paces high, so he may need to use Finesse to adapt it to the cavern: 6+1d10=4 = 10.
He doesn't care if this blocks the cavern on the sides, so long as it leaves enough space up high, since both Thera and him can go above.
If somewhat attacked at a distance, he'll react by using Wizard's leap to a dark spot (so as to "lose" his attacker for at least a moment) as a fast-cast defense.
If the attack consists of someone running at him, he'll instead cast daggers of Ice before the man can reach him (This does not prevent his "start running action", but he may be grievously wounded by the time he reaches Isen):
Fast cast speed 2+6+1d10=8= 16
Roll 1d10=1, 1d10=1, 1d10=4 (O_o) = 16 + aura
34 vs lvl 15 for Wizard's Leap
53 vs lvl 10 for the daggers.
So I guess this works.
So, round 2 in resume:
Cast Ice wall
If attacked at a distance, fast cast defense of wizard's leap. If someone runs at him with a weapon, daggers of Ice.
Okay, well, her second instinct is to hide. Dex 3 + Stealth 4 + 1 specialty (hiding) + 3 camoflauge ability + die roll 3 = 14
Given that there are apparently more than just two figures, and that Isen has apparently protected us with an Ice Wall, on Round 2, Theraphosa will attempt to use Enchanting Music to paralyze all within hearing distance of her.
Ok...two problems with the effect of Entrancing music as requested, and the use of the ability
Need to do a separate music roll, which is checking for botch.
Secondly, with the effect, paralyze isn't appropriate. The idea is to influence through emotion. You can try and instill fear, which gives a couple of different options of fleeing in terror or frozen in fright. If fear is what you're going for, I'll choose what they do randomly on a die roll.
Also, this will go off before Isen's round 2 actions
Right, I'm still trying to figure out what the non-verbal options are. Paralyze was the effect I wanted, but I need to determine the emotional heartstring that I pull to achieve it. Fear doesn't sit right. This is cave-siren stuff, not "monster in the deep" stuff. Her specialty is "arousing curiosity," to the point where they keep exploring despite being dehydrated and hungry. Perhaps provoking some kind of intense apathy?
Waiting! They're waiting in the dark, listening for their cue, but she sings to the part of them that sits still in darkness, that waits patient like stone. Her song will keep them locked in that melancholic patient-in-the-dark mode, never realizing that the battle they've come for is arrived.
(Not sure if she caught enough to know what language they speak, but this intrigued me enough that I'll riff off a few lines of her song, whether this be for the sheer joy of it or for mechanical effect).
You've watched the shadows grow, melded into one
Waiting for your beloved to come back to you once more
And in the night the camp fires dwindle and run
Down the cracks of this great cavern floor
Are you the one that I've been waiting for?
Your slowly beating heart warms the skin that she once touched
Your unmoving eyes see her dancing hips, her inviting smile
But if you move at all, this mirage'll turn to dust
And those final words you'll have to reconcile
Are you the one the that I've been waiting for?
The sounds of the tavern house dwindle and fade
The world around you becomes just the light in her smile
And so you take her hand, walk up to this quiet room you've made
Lock the door behind you, lock out the world, knowing all the while
That you are not the one that she's been waiting for
(sung to Nick Cave's "Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For")
Perhaps curiosity? Like the busker that people who are in a hurry to do whatever hear, and they can't help but stop and listen for five or ten minutes because the music just draws them in? Or like the sirens' song that the sailors hear and they will literally wreck their ship to get closer.
My take on it is that while "paralysis" isn't possible with Enchanting Music, it is entirely possible to achieve a similar affect with EM by enrapturing/enthralling them. Is that making any sense, or should I go on to bed?
Entirely too much sense. That's her default strategy to keep people (speciality "curiosity" was meant exactly the line of thinking you describe). Still, I like the idea of her playing on the patient/waiting/forgotten why we're waiting thing in this instance. Especially with that die roll.
Once again, I bemoan the fact that you have to stick with the Ease Factor you chose before the roll. If she'd intended to roll a 47, then that would have been plenty of space for an Enchanting Music that keeps them sitting still while she finishes laying eggs in every last one of them, and then they'd still sit there until the babies hatched. On the other hand, a Penetration 32 effect is nothing to sneeze at. Thank goodness Isen has Parma 10.
Alright, Theraposa lays down a funky beat and almost everyone freezes. The ice wall goes up blocking easy egress.
From the other side of the ice wall one can hear what sounds like a woman's scream.
Anyone speak Italian? Everyone can plainly hear someone shouting what sounds like are orders based on the tone, but there is no response.
But a woman screaming? It could be a trap, yet he doesn't want to be the conniving and paranoid bastard his parens is.
Casting silently (-10) Eyes of the Cat (1d10=4+15-10+Aura), he moves towards the edge of the Ice Wall. Once there, he summons his Ice Sword.
The situation may change this, but he'll probably cast Treacherous floor of slippery ice* to have the men stumble.
Base 3, + 1 Touch, + 1 Diam, + 1 size
This spell creates a thin layer of ice on the ground before the caster, covering an area 10 paces wide and 20 paces long.
Dexterity stress rolls are required to remain upright whenever a character on the ice does something more challenging than walking. A roll of 6+ is needed for the average maneuver, with rolls of up to 15+ needed to (for example) make a right turn at full speed on a smooth surface.
That's two spells cast. Is Isen fast casting one? Can do the sword or the ice, unless fast casting and you make the appropriate rolls.
The cave begins to shake and popping sounds can be heard.
"Hermes teeth! It's Valerian! He's bringing the cave roof down upon us, everyone form up around me, we have to get out of here. Now!" Tria screams out. In response to Tria's order everyone can hear a sinister laugh.
Have two rounds to find and form up around Tria. Finding her is going to be difficult because her image and voice are shifted. Need an awareness roll and a dex roll. If someone wants to try for Valerian, it's going to push the difficulty of the awareness and dexterity rolls way up...
Nope, I was stating up his intent in sequential fashion, so you know what he intends to do, in case I wasn't available.
I realize it wasn't as clear as I thought. He wanted to:
Cast eyes of the cat, move towards the wall
Summon his Ice Sword while continuing to move towards the soldiers. If appropriate, he'd have fast-cast (or waited, and cast normally) his Treacherous floor of slippery ice spell.
But whatever
Okay...
Isen is all WTF? Valerian is here? How? And how can Tria know this is him??? Since, as far as he knew, there was no reason for their enemies to know they'd go to that particular cave, he assumed it was just a coincidence that made them stumble on mundanes, like smugglers. So he wasn't that aggressive or else.
But if Valerian is here... This changes everything. And he realizes that, as Valerian couldn't have known were they'd go, he must have tracked Tria through an AC and teleported there.
Valerian? Great
But as far as I understand you, he's in the cave he's bringing down? This makes no sense to me. Am I (again ) misunderstanding something?
Theoretically, Tria's Image and Voice aren't shifted yet, since, by the plan, she was supposed to carry the item to what these where linked with her until the moment she dropped it behind. But one could say she dropped it in the surprise.
Tria, it's no use! Flee to Mons Electi! Thera, get out of the cave, NOW!
(Since this isn't far from ME and Thera knows the cave, he guesses she can find her way home quickly and efficiently. He doesn't want her to risk dying here)
If this happens after Isen has reached the Ice Wall and cast Eyes of the Cat, he should see finely. If this happens before, he'll cast it while moving as I said above, spending one turn for it.
Between this and his second sight, he should have a good chance to see Valerian (the shadows can't protect him, and SS defeats invisibility and illusions, as it doesn't relies on species)
Second Sight 1d10=5+3 (4 for invisible)+Aura = 8 to 9 + aura.
If he doesn't see valerian, when he feels he must go out he'll use Wizard's Leap to get out of the cave (Since he's at the edge of the Ice Wall, he should see the entrance finely). He'll fast-cast it twice, to get out and a little far. He doesn't want to leave thera alone if he can help it.
So:
Round x: Move to the edge of the Ice Wall while casting Eyes of the Cat.
Round x+1: Scan for Valerian. Does this succeeds?
The round where he must get out of the cave, Wizard's Leap to the entrance, followed by another Wizard's Leap to a further place outside.
Let me some clarify some things that may have not been clear...
Characters are presently in Rome Tribunal. Moved from Mons Electi to this cave by Tria's ability to navigate to any cave through the magic realm. I asked if any characters spoke Italian, Tria recognized Valerian's voice, not because she speaks Italian, but because she has Gift of Tongues.
Finally, I try and handle combat situations so I get clear and definitive action from the players, and I don't let players make choices that their characters reasonably wouldn't (see Peregrine sending Fiona down the stairs in the lead after I asked for initiative). So when you rattle off a whole bunch of things and ask me to pick the best option it's actually a bit unfair to both of us. If I haven't made something clear, I want to make it clear, and I'll do that next.
If you have a way out other than Tria, you should take it. Otherwise, you need to get with Tria and follow her into the next level of the Regio and then she can move you guys back to Mons Electi.
And yes, he's in the cave that he's bringing down. He has something else in common with Apollodorus, besides being gay, anyway... Apollodorus knew his secret and even warned Alexei about it.
) misunderstanding something?