The doll looks at Ruth and seems to be really thinking hard. "Dolls see why children hide. Children... different... ask the plants." The doll seems to really struggle to get this out, as if thinking or remembering is a battle for it.
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"Ask the plants? I remember the sheriff saying that the children maybe mutated or something." Florin looks confused as she can't remember anything in her studies about Robori. She knew that she wasn't the sharpest in class but surely something might have being mentioned?
"I also can't think about anything on this Robori."
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"Ask the plants? Sounds like she's off 'er rocker, if yeh ask me. What plants would know more'n she does?"
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"It seems that she wants us to investigate the temple." Ruth shakes her head. ... none of this town makes sense ... I wonder what this God they worship is all about ... "I say we go to the temple." Ruth turns to the doll."Stay here Nira and stay hidden. I will come back for you once we figure this all out." Ruth grabs Amenira's notes and spellbook and heads toward the door. ... I hope we can find out how to reverse the spell Amenira put on herself ...
Going outside, you can see that it's after noon now. You head in the direction of the Temple. The temple is the largest building in Mercy. Wooden pews line the east and west side of the building, with a garden on the south. An enormous, twisted tree takes up the north side of the building. A pleasant walkway snakes around the tree up to the temple opening, which has no door. Animals made of twisted twigs adorn the branches, and vanilla orchids flourish in the shade.
As you approach you smell the pungent aroma of bay oil, which seems to be coming from the twisted tree. A woman in orange robes is tending the garden on the south of the building, humming tunelessly to herself.
The woman smiles pleasantly, wiping dirt from her hands onto her robe. "This is a temple to Robori. Welcome to his house."
Etune walks to the large twisted tree and begins chatting with it, but it doesn't seem to respond. It does, however, reek of dried hay (sorry, not bay as I posted before). Etune realizes (using that 20 for a Knowledge Nature roll instead!) that it's coming from some sort of oil that has been spread on the ground at the tree's base, seeping into the roots. Brushing aside some of the dirt, she can see that a sort of blight has started in the roots, though it doesn't yet reach the trunk or branches. Clearly whatever oil they spread on the ground here is causing it.
"Of course. Robori is the god of trees. He grows over there," pointing toward the twisted that Etune seems to be.. talking to. "He protects us from the Wastes with his circle of life." She smiles in a vague sort of way.
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After hearing the lady speak of the large like its a God Ruth walk over to see what Etune has found. "So any luck talking with this tree? The lady over there said that this tree is Robori God of Trees." ruth once again chants a quick phase and her hand begins to glow blue. As she inspects the tree she waves her hand over it.
"He protects us. From the Wastes." The woman Zuri smiles, as if she's explained everything that you might possibly need to know. She notices Etune's eyebrows. "Yes, we anoint our lord with oils every evening. It helps him to grow stronger."
"Daily. What do you mean he's growing weaker?" You get the impression she doesn't know the effect that the oil is having on the tree's roots. Perhaps being a god they don't dig up its roots to see how they're doing?
"I brew them." the woman says, in her characteristically brief manner.
"No." The woman is beginning to look very concerned by the fact that Etune is digging up God. "I think you ought to go."
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"We're tryin' ta help, yeh know. Aren'cha concerned about yer tree-- er, god-- not lookin' too great?"
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"It looked fine before your friend started digging at His roots! What do you think you're doing?!?" The priestess is getting very upset!
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"I can't lie, it's against the rules. He's sick! He needs a lot of care and soon or He'll die. Help me help Him!"
Etune's half-convinced that it's 'just' a tree and folks have made causal interpretations that are patently bogus, but doesn't see much other choice.
"Don't let Him die to this oil stuff, it's choking Him!"
"What?" The high priestess immediately moves over to Etune and listens to her explanation carefully. When she's finished, the priestess gasps. "I thought I was helping Him! I had no idea! Truly you are the blessed of Robori!" She murmurs a prayer over you. “Wood of the tree speaks a whisper to thee. The sun rises soon. To you, a boon. Such is the will of Robori.”
As you leave the Temple you can tell that it's close to evening. You pause for a moment outside a small cottage. Three sets of orange robes hang from the clothesline outside of this simple cottage. Two of them are sized for adults, while the other one is sized for a child. The orange flag on this house’s message box is raised. Orange curtains cover all of the windows. However one of the curtains has been pulled back, perhaps to let air or light in, and you catch glimpse of a young girl, maybe 10-12 years old. She spies you and gives a gasp, sinking out of sight as an adult quickly pulls the curtains closed.
You noticed something in the short time you saw the girl, however. She was covered in odd, plant-like growths over her skin. And she smelled like rotten vegetables.
You try to catch another glimpse, but to no avail. Heading back toward the guest house, you arrive just as the three bells ring. There's food in the box for you to eat. You manage to start eating when you hear a scream outside!
Screeches fill the air, accompanied by the sound of thousands of wings crashing through leaves and branches, and the occasional “thud” of something hitting the ground from a great height. The people of Mercy are out in the square, slinging rocks into the trees to frighten away the mass of bats attacking the town.
Round 1:
22 Etune
14 Bats!
10 Goldur
9 Rith
4 Florin
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Etune reaches down and picks up a rock as she seeks cover from whatever might be dropped. She resists the urge to pull out the alchemist's fire and use it, given the trees in the area that might catch on fire if she used it.
And then she gives the projectile a toss towards the clump of bats, hoping for the best -- she's not going to risk exploding using magic (yet). Besides, this seems to be a community effort, even though the guests were supposed to stay inside after curfew...
The rock sails true, but the swarm seems to take no damage from it. However a clever townsperson has thrown a crock of hot soup at the swarm, damaging it!
The swarm wheels and turns toward you, seeking a safe spot! It swarms over Goldur and Florin, dealing damage and eliciting a Fort save (DC 11) vs distraction!
Ruth's flames spread out and seem to roast a few bats, but the swarm seems whole. Florin staggers away, trying to avoid retching.
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Goldur draws his axe and hoists his shield, hoping that such might provide some kind of hindrance to the bats. "Bah! Blasted rat-wings!"
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Goldur swings at the swarm, but it just breaks around his axe and reforms, without any noticeable change.
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That swarm has gotten entirely too close to Etune and she books it out of there.
Given how ineffective the rock was, she regretfully starts digging in her bag for the alchemist's fire. She really doesn't want to use it, but there's no choice, it seems.
"Goldur, I can't hit them with you standing there, can you get free?"
Pulling Alchemist fire from bag.
Etune moves out of the immediate danger, while pulling out an alchemist's fire.
The swarm seems to lengthen and narrow so that it engulfs Goldur and Ruth both, dealing damage plus 1 bleed and eliciting a DC 12 Fort save versus distraction!
In the background the villagers are trying to get several children into shelter. All of them appear to be covered with plant-like growths!
Diminutive. It's a bat swarm.
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A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. The area occupied by a large swarm is completely shapeable, though the swarm usually remains in contiguous squares.
Swarm Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or less causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm's statistics block has "swarm" in the Melee entry, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a swarm deals is based on its Hit Dice, as shown below.
Swarm HD Swarm Base Damage
1–5 1d6
6–10 2d6
11–15 3d6
16–20 4d6
21 or more 5d6
A swarm's attacks are nonmagical, unless the swarm's description states otherwise. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a swarm attack's damage to 0, being incorporeal, or other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a swarm. Some swarms also have acid, blood drain, poison, or other special attacks in addition to normal damage.
Swarms do not threaten creatures, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.
Swarms possess the distraction universal monster rule. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.
The spray of colors hits a few bats but has no effect on the swarm as a whole.
Round 3! Etune is up!
The swarm bursts into a bright flame as many of the bats burn! A couple of villagers carrying another crock of hot soup fling it upon the remainder of the swarm, dispersing it and sending bats flapping in all directions.
In the midst of the action, one of the 'tarps' covering a cart suddenly flaps into the air, its form changing into a horrid sight: a ray-like creature that opens a toothy maw and leers with glaring red eyes. Behind it whips a menacing tail of segmented bone. It takes to the air, heading south out of town. As it leaves, you can see what spooked it: a small child sized figure with a tilted head that lurches its way into the square, pointing at the fleeing ray-thing and saying in a high pitched voice: "Murder! Murder!"
The Sheriff steps toward you, looking from you to the villagers who are scooping up their children and racing back to their homes. He sighs deeply and shakes his head slowly. “Let me get everyone calmed down and settled at home. I’ll come by the guesthouse in half an hour and talk to you in private.”
"I was trying to organize the villagers... Just go inside, please."