Being so consumed formerly by torrents of isolation, guilt and agony, and presently by that same lot with the frothing forthcoming of nakedness and violation, Vehemence can only focus on the spell and the damned before him.
As the anointed warrior comes with compassion to cleanse, the furnace king so blinded only sees another hurtful hand sent from the darkness to despoil him.
"STAND DOWN, DEMON! I WILL END YO-"
The biting emnity of his words is as keenly felt as the fury of his blackened eyes steam into the cleric. However, as the healing light embraces his wound, Vehemences' pupils dissolve into infinitesimal dots, and the urgency of the agony of his soul succumbs to Torm's quenching.
And thus, the loud one became speechless.
From what you can tell, two of the rooks are missing.
You go to look at the scroll when the snake-like creature pops up, licks the wall and slithers over to you.
"Make them stop, please? I only want more rooks to eat. They want to make me cut me open and give back the tasty rooks I ate! Make them stop! So noisy in my head!"
He points with a small arm to his stomach and then his head.
"Are you stone? Are you tasty?" he asks, looking like he's about to put his mouth on you.
Aterro heals up Vehemence and Tenchi with great honor. Vehemence casts Hellish Rebuke at the RatLeopard in retaliation for the bite.
The creature dodges most of the flames, but still gets a bit scorched.
Combat Order: Tenchi, Thratch, RatLeopard, Aterro, Vehemence
Combat Order: Tenchi, Thratch, Ashlyn, RatLeopard, Aterro, Vehemence
"Am called Gibba Gognata, Son of the Medusa!" it exclaims.
Tenchi will again swing his katana into the creature, hoping to finish it.
Thratch fires another arrow, the sobs starting to wind down.
Ashlyn's focuses in on the torrent of weave around her, her body quivering at the raw power. Her hand's now free, she begins to channel a spell, the ease at which she can form her spells shocking even her. As she starts to shape the weave to her will, she finds herself able to shape a spell with one hand. Curious, she attempts to draw another with her free hand, eyes sparkling with wonder as it works. Once the two spells are shaped, her eyes narrow, focusing on the beast before her. Flames and frost encircle each hand, as she fires two bolts one after another.
"Leave? Why would you want to leave? So many good stones to eat here. And these not-stone things."
He looks over at the chess pieces again.
"Get out of my head! Stop trying to make me cut myself open just because I ate your friends! They weren't tasty anyway!"
Combat Order: Tenchi, Thratch, Ashlyn, RatLeopard, Aterro, Vehemence
Tenchi, overcome with some residual emotion, swings his sword at the creature and misses.
Thratch, likewise, fires an arrow and misses. But he's feeling much better now.
Ashlyn, still under the influence of her magic surge, throws two spells at the RatLeopard, missing with her fire bolt but freezing the creature with her ray of frost.
The RatLeopard, freaked out, by Ashlyn, decides to avoid her and goes at Tenchi again and bites him, acid gas oozing out all over.
"Thank you, Aterro."
He stammers as he tries to regain his focus. Hands still quaking, knees still weak, the famished soul raises his sword for striking.
This time, it's purpose is not vindication, but for protecting those who protected him from further harm. His wet eyes then fixate on the prey.
Further harm...
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"There is only Torm, and he is our shield and protector," the WarCleric rumbles out automatically in response to Vehemence's thanks, before again giving the protean beast a wide berth as he approaches Kusinagi.
"For those who seek perfection there can be no rest this side of the grave," Aterro intones, transferring a healing yellow light from himself to the warrior.
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If the creature begins to eat Wan will pocket the sword and scroll and watch.
Aterro heals, Vehemence misses, and we move on to another round.
Combat Order: Tenchi, Thratch, Ashlyn, RatLeopard, Aterro, Vehemence
Thratch fires an arrow at the RatLeopard and misses.
Gibba falls for your persuasion and grabs a pawn from the chess set. He tries to eat it but is felled by unseen forces as he throws the piece away involuntarily and begins writing on the ground and shouting. It's almost as though he's being controlled by the chess pieces…
"Gaaah!!! Nooooo!!! I'm soooorry I tried to eat you!!!"
You go to grab the sword and the scroll, and you notice that the sword is as blunt and dull as Gibba itself, and looks to be worthless.
A glance at the scroll indicates it's some kind of magic spell, but it's much higher level than you can cast and you can't decipher it without further study.
Tenchi will again attack the creature in an attempt to bring it down.
As you cast your spell, Gibba keeps writing and sputtering on the ground.
When the spell takes hold, you see the chess pieces glow, even from within Gibba's stomach. You sense that their magic is Infernal in origin.
The scroll glows in your pocket, and you are able to sense the spell inscribed is of the Transmutation school .
Ashlyn's mind is focused, on the creatures before her, as she directing the weave to strike out at the beast, while using her hands to shape two other spells and launch them at the beast.
Wild magic round 9/10. Must shout to speak round 7/10. Flumphs round 6/10. Spells reduced cast time 2/10.
Combat Order: Tenchi, Thratch, Ashlyn, RatLeopard, Aterro, Vehemence
Tenchi attacks the RatLeopard with his sword and misses.
Thratch fires an arrow at the RatLeopard and misses.
Ashlyn's wild magic explodes into a barrage of lightning, doing significant damage to the creature.
The RatLeopard howls and dives back into its tunnel in the ground.
As it frantically burrows to escape, a crack runs through the stone towards Thratch and the floor beneath him collapses.
Thratch slips into the hole about six feet down.
The tunnel dug by the RatLeopard fills with dirt behind it as it escapes.
You also hear a groaning against the wall. It's coming from Vetchling, who appears to still be alive after being flung by the Curator.
You are unharmed from the fall, but when you land about 5 feet down, you notice something partially unearthed by the floor collapsing. A humanoid arm protrudes from the dirt and appears to be made of metal, wood and possibly stone.
You try to pull at the arm, and it moves slightly, but it's too heavy for you to extract alone. It's likely still attached to a body.
You hear Thratch yell up, "Hey! I think I found something!"
He pulls out his rope of climbing and activates it. Then he ties one end around the base of the arm and orders the other end to travel up and out if the hole to where the rest of the group is.
He calls up to the group, Hey guys! Pull on the rope! Try and get this out of the dirt!
Meanwhile, he tries to dig out some of the body to help loosen it.
Thratch's rope of climbing pokes up out of the hole and moves toward you.
You hear Thratch call up, "Hey guys! Pull on the rope! Try and get this out of the dirt!"
As the threat disappears, Vehemence settles down, muttering to himself as if he'd just sustained a hangover.
"That's the last time I'll gaze upon a wretch wizards' painting... Hold on, small one..."
He clambers over to where Thratch sunk, pulling on the helpful rope with all which he could muster.
As he does so, he considers the warrior priest in his thoughts. His respect for the holy man before this instance was more of a formality for the sake of his build and appearance; Aterro's jovial wit overshadowed the truth of the quality of fearless spirit within Vehemence's subjective estimation of him.
Within that abyss of dread Aterro saw a glimpse of Vehemence's soul naked and without pretense- and in spite of the furnace king's adverse reaction Aterro helped him.
The moment was so small and fleeting, but inside that exchange Aterro became a man who possessed a wellspring of Vehemence's esteem.
The furnace king's pupils were transparent; honest and acute.
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Aterro gazes longingly at the fleeing ratleopard. Of course just as his head clears would the thing flee. Ah, well, to withdraw in disgust is not apathy. He was sure they'd see it again, so his bloodlust could wait to be slaked.
He marched dutifully over to the wailing Vetchling, saying, "Cease thy mewling. Better crippled in body than corrupt in mind." Again the light, and again wounds were healed with all the zeal that could be summoned.
That done, the WarCleric heeds the halfling's call, and Aterro lends his own strength, magically augmented to that of a small ogre, to the pull of Vehemence.
The torrent of wild magic finally begins to calm from the destruction of the painting, "Praise be to you Mysyra, for your forgiveness of the destruction of your idol."
Turning her attention outward again, she is quick to tell,
Vehemence and Aterro pull on the rope, and the humanoid arm breaks free from the rubble, attached to a rather large humanoid figure. Stone and dirt crumble into a dusty cloud as they pull the figure up to the stone floor.
It looks to be some kind of construct made with a fusion of silvery metal, stone, and wood. The body appears worn with the passage of time, including 3 large jagged scratches across the chest but the arcane runes and patterns of blue metal seem undamaged across its chassis. Each arm ends with three equal sized digits one of which grasps a mummified goblin hand and the other is locked onto a shield. Attached to its left hip is a chipped and battered longsword.
Tenchi will move to follow Ashlyn.
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As the Sorceress burts in screaming some alarm about Wan, Aterro spares her a sidelong glance. As Kusinagi moves to follow her, Aterro turns his attention back to the golem that the halfling seems to have netted. He has had his fill of Ashlyn's barbed nettling of his heartstrings, and has little desire to place himself under her guidance in a rescue attempt.
Turning his attention to the metallic monstrosity, he lets a whistle of appreciation. "By Torm's mailed fist I've never seen the like! Truly this thing must have been a wonder to behold on the battlefield!
But soft! Why doth one arm grasp a goblin appendage? What last, final, glorious battle did end this thing? Think of the secrets we could learn from this thing could it but talk!
Vehemence, have you a look at this. Is aught of it touched by magic?"
Aterro unsheathes the longsword to gaze at it, then tries to unhook the shield. Then he tries to pry open the hand to examine the goblin remains, his face a play of open curiosity.
After it speaks, Vehemence quips to Aterro:
"Apparently so. However, if wrought of mortal hands or competent ones I can't discern."
He judges the contraption before him as another nuisance between himself and his quest to assimilate the Medusa's might.
"How long have you been here, sentinel? Whom do you serve?"
"My internal chronometer has been damaged and I can not answer your first question. Your second question is...unknown. I am Riven. I have fragmented memories that may be repaired with time but for now I do not serve. I am however functional enough to continue performing my duties."
He slowly stands to his feet clutching the mummified goblin hand tightly as centuries worth of rock dust fall away. He looks back and forth between them and speaks with a questioning metallic tone, "Whom do you serve?"
Excitedly, he says, Woah! It talks!
Getting ahold of himself, Thratch offers words of welcome. Name's Thratch. Nice to meetchya. I'm the one who found you.
As he talks, he gathers up his rope and de-animates it.
With a surprised grin Vehemence addresses the metal one.
"I serve myself, as I believe the rest of us here do as well.
We were lead into this realm by means of sorcery, and for now we seek to sustain ourselves. We're also prone to assisting strangers with assets... If you understand.
I am Vehemence, the Furnace King of Üaelnosque. And what are you; friend or foe?"
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"I seek answers to my own purpose. I have fought many battles. I can serve the function of a soldier and scout. I can not identify you as either friend or foe as there is no established relationship. To do so would be assuming much."
"You have reactivated me. I will assist you in your goals unless they conflict with...my...needs. Goals: Sustain your existences. Find Wan and Lys."
Riven takes stock of the room and the closed door to the north as well as the other exit as when as the dead and wounded Oku. "I have not yet learned the designation of all creatures present. Who are these others and where were Wan and Lys last located?"
After observing the magical glow from the chess pieces and scroll, a small gust blows through the room and extinguishes the torches.
Vetchling, slightly less injured and a bit dazed, gets up and walks over to Aterro.
"Thank you, my friend, for saving me."
He looks down at what used to be his companion, Dark Mullien, and looks up at the ceiling chirping for several minutes. Then he stops and notices Riven.
"What is that thing? "
"I must find the others!"
He darts out the southern exit to the shadow stones.
When Vetchling runs into the shadow stones room, you see him open a small door in the middle of the wall and slip through.
Wan can't make heads or tails of the scroll, but seeing the pieces he gets a grim feeling they are connected - and that the ones in Gibba's stomach might have to come out at some point.
Wan tries to move a chess piece in a move that at least is legal without any thought to strategy. If nothing happens he heads back into the other room.
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As Vetchling rouses himself, Aterro addresses him, "Pause, friend, the possessions of your friend now belong to you and we best not leave anything of value just lying ar--oh the devil are you off to??" he says as the flighty bird-man takes off for the door.
Aterro sighs then turns to the robot. "Pleased to meet you, Riven. I am WarCleric Aterro Dominatus, and I serve Torm, the Loyal Fury and Emperor of Mankind. It seems that you, like us, were waylaid into this labyrinth and have as little idea to get out as we do, and that sounds like an ally to me!"
Always pragmatic, he leaves off further introduction and bends knee over Dark Mullien. "The fallen shall be forever remembered, as the emperor's finest," he mumbles, closing the man-bird's eyes. Then he polices the body, with an eye to seeing if the man had any rations.
You find a day's worth of rations and a wineskin with fresh water on Dark Mullein's body.
Riven looks to the doorway to the shadow room after Vetchling takes off running. "Do we follow the runner? His designation was never provided. Does he seek to find Wan and Lys?"
Looking back his eyes scan Aterro as he searches the body for supplies. "I do not know the one you serve. I...have memory of an empire though. I do not know its name however it served three sisters."
Something else is noticed and he focuses his attention on the undesignated female(Ashlyn) left in the room nearby and he moves to her as she cries into her gloved hands. "I do not know your designation, but you seem to be leaking. Do you require assistance?"
Tenchi patiently waits to begin the search for Wan'di.