Ep 1218: Someone, or something, attempts to charm the uncharmable

On our last normal episode, our party had ran Mary the Warlock off as we refused to help her find her companion. It would not have gone well if we had found her companion, since he's a Vampire. Magnus kinda has a problem with evil undead after all. Elle's kinda getting a distaste for undead as well, and at this point kind of glad she's an Evocation wizard rather than a Necromancer.

We had also managed to repair the mechanical "submarine" that looks suspiciously like a lobster swallowed a van. Tsedek was convinced he could drive the contraption, so all 6 of us (the 5 party members and Elle's mechanical companion) climb in and close the door. Elle is looking decidedly uncomfortable at this situation, so Magnus decides to encourage her by stating "I live my entire life in a tin suit, this should be just fine." Not sure that helped.

After a little of playing with controls and sorting out how this worked, Tsedek navigates it out the "air lock" door. Leoven then takes one of the eyestalks to act as navigator. Itanis is helping. Leoven asks Elle if she wanted to take one of the weapons. Elle responds with "I *AM* the weapon". Itanis starts laughing.

So while Tsedek and Leoven pilot this contraption with Itanis' periodic assist to retrieve things, Elle starts muttering under her breath as she is prone to do when stressed and can't light things on fire. Turns out Magnus' belt of dwarven kind now allows him to understand her colorful usage of dwarven swears. We're only in a mechanical submarine-lobster under 30' of acidic ooze, not sure why no one else is stressed.

Tsedek and Leoven eventually successfully navigate this contraption to the building we're going to. There seems to be some debate between them, and we did wander off course a few times, but there at the end Magnus does another ping the item and corrects our course to make it to the destination.

As of right now there's no leaks in our mechanical lobster-submarine, but we've been in here a couple of hours at this point. After a few moments of figuring out how the door to the building worked, Tsedek figured it out and piloted the lobster can in the door and up a few stairs to find another one of the dimension shifting portal baubles. So he touches it, and a portal opens IN the lobster-submarine. Think stargate.

Magnus, of course, strides on through with Tsedek hot on his tail. Elle follows, then Itanis, and Leoven being our ranged fellow brings up the rear.

We're in the laboratory of Kwalish. The suit of armor is right there, with wires coming out of it to a row of jars holding still beating hearts. There's some steam mephits trapped some weird glass tubing. There's a window that is a view port window that looks into the cathedral that had the weird undead medusa. So we got to see the dead medusa sprawled out where we left her.

And there's a live mindflayer in a container of fluid. I think Magnus and Elle started growling at the same time. But, we restrained ourselves for now.

Tsedek, Itanis, and Leoven start searching this room, trying to figure out what is going on. We're starting to get an idea that the hearts are kind of jump-starting the suit of armor. Leoven realizes that the squiggly glass tubes holding the steam mephits are actually kenku intestines that the medusa turned to glass.

Magnus however is fascinated with the power armor. Now, keep in mind, this is the armor the good dragons sent us to find as kind of a way for us to prove we are worthy to partner with them in our quest to take out the dragon cult. But Magnus is very fascinated with the armor. So he asks Itanis to Identify it, which he does, and it's pretty cool armor. The jump-starting part enables some really interesting extra powers. Including a laser weapon!?

Magnus then says a prayer to Heironeous ... and steps into the armor. Which then form fits around him ... and keep in mind, Magnus is a "big boy" and is already in a full set of armor. Elle's keeping an eye on him because usually trouble (aka: fun) finds him but he just steps in and stands there frowning.

At this point the GM made Magnus do a Charisma saving throw ... which he made easily.

From Magnus' player: Whatever entity is attempting to charm Magnus in this armor doesn't know who it is messing with. A paladin, of the order of Light's Fury, dedicated to Justice, Valor, and War to the god Heironeous. Magnus has spent his entire life rooting out evil and delivering punishments. He has heard every lie, every slick tongue, every persuasive attempt or begging possible to sway him from his purpose and yet he has not wavered. Charm Magnus? Pah! Its a thousand years too early for this armor/entity to attempt to charm Magnus Thundermaul.

Also, this was the end of the game session today so we shall resume next week!