Ushari skewers the Behemoth through the back and blasts it with holy energy... but it isn't enough to stop the unholy juggernaut. Though the creature appears substantially weaker as bits and pieces fall off it.
4-ARM
ORDER:
12|62
61|68
45|45
3|53
23|52
Jofram, Shaggar, Straehan...
Haste - 6 of 6 RND - +1 Attack on FULL ATTACK ACTION ; +1 ATT Rolls ; +1 Reflex Saves ; +1 Dodge AC ; +30' Move
Everyone...
Inspire Courage - +2 ATT/DAM ; +2 Saves v Charm/Fear
Jofram braces himself in front of the charging Behemoth. The massive undead doesn't even slow down. The wall of undead flesh slams into the Ranger and knocks him flat. Lying on his back, Jofram has a tremendous view of the Behemoth crashing its full body weight into the cage, followed by a massive axe blow. The cage flexes, nearly collapses, but then bounces back shooting broken bones. The cage holds.
HULK SMASH! (Cage) (20/x3)
HIT
DAM
Jofram slashes deeply into the knee joint of the Behemoth as he hits the ground - weakening the creature substantially. It sags against the cage, its leg nearly giving out. However, the necromantic energy that animated the beast keeps it together.
Ushari stabs at the creature as it crashes into the cage but her blow is turned by a thick tangle of vines draping the Behemoth's back.
Knowing every second counts, Jayse rushes across the field, trying to avoid the invisible wall as well as the pit traps, slamming his heel into the towering undead.
Jayse flies across the room, following in Shaggar's footsteps even as he hears an in-rushing pop of air to his right. It seems the invisible wall has been dispelled, leaving a sudden vacuum in its place. The monk leaps - fist leading the way - and slams into and through the axe-wielding abomination. So weak was its state that Jayse blasts through its body which rains down in vile, horrific chunks. Its axes clank down noisily on the floor.
Shaggar roars his victory and then stalks over to Dinwat's limp body. He pulls the corpse up by the neck and brushes the goggles off the eyes with casual roughness. He admires the face for a moment before turning Dinwat around and locking his teeth on the skull. With a swift predator's jerk, his fangs tear open the top of the skull. True to his word, Shaggar dines with relish on the Necromancer's brain.
12|62
61|68
45|45
3|53
23|52
Ushari sighs heavily. This combat had taken a lot out of her mentally if nothing else. But no rest now, the children still needed to be rescued.
She waves Straehan and Jayse over and touches each of them once, calling on her goddess' power to heal their wounds.
Once done, she bathes the area in her healing power:
Finally once the cage has been broken in, she moves over to the children and lays a hand on each of their brows.
Our heroes muscle through the nearly destroyed cage and carry the children to freedom.
Ushari attempts to counteract the foul air of despair in the dark temple with copious amounts of positive magic. In addition to healing her compatriots, she calms the children and a little girl's eye flutter open as she regains consciousness. Her look of fear quickly transforms to relief as she hugs the cleric tightly and cries.
59|62
68|68
45|45
45|53
47|52
A search of the onyx podium reveals a few more volumes of Dinwat's research regarding the Shaudran and some grisly necromantic materials. Jofram drops the books in his bag of holding for storage and perusal before kicking over the unholy altar.
Using magical sight, the casters see several items on the Necromancer's corpse that radiate eldritch energy. Straehan and Ushari strip the magical items from the body and put them in a small pile:
- Black Goggles
- Dagger
- Cloak
- 2 Potion bottles containing a neon blue liquid
- 2 Potion bottles containing a pink liquid
- Ring
- Scroll
Straehan takes a long look at the scroll and proclaims it to be trap-free... but given his accuracy of late, he unconsciously winces as he opens the stiff leather sleeve for it. He breathes a sigh of relief when it doesn't explode or banish him to the 637th layer of the Abyss. Satisfied that the pile is 'benign', the two casters set about examining the objects in depth.
There is much muttering, an exclamation or two, and some whistling over the items. In the end, Straehan begins greedily pocketing the items while the gnome proclaims loudly, "Nothing of interest here... just mundane stuff. I'll just hold on to it." The gnome's words contain more than a hint of rapscallion motivations.
Goggles DC18
Dagger DC25
Cloak DC24
Potion #1 (2) DC20
Potion #2 (2) DC17
Ring DC24
Scroll DC26
After checking out the magic items with Straehan, Ushari walks over to the children, comforting them as best she can. She also gives the three dead children her deitys blessing and will also gather up the remains for burial back in Bartlby's Crossing.
The gnome watches the small woman walk away. Hmm, clearly her mood won't be easily lightened.
Jayse dry-washes his hands, all business, "Sure, Strae... that sounds good. I mean, I've already killed one mage today with my bare hands..."
"Threats? That's it... no Mage Armor for you, ingrate! It isn't like any of these trinkets would interest you." He waves the goggles on his fingers. "These, for instance, are Goggles of Night. They'll let you see in the dark like a Dwarf. You wouldn't be interested in these unless - I dunno - you went ass over tea-kettle falling down into a deep dark pit where you couldn't see a stinking thing."
Straehan laughs and describes their finds...
- Goggles of Night
- +3 Cunning, Keen Adamantium Dagger
- Cloak of Resistance +3
- Potion of Nondetection (2)
- Potion of Undetectable Alignment (2)
- Ring of Protection, +3
- Scroll: Contingency (2); Teleport (2)
Hidden in the overturned podium, you find about 9,000 GP.
Jayse shakes his head at the memory of those few desperate moments... that ended so painfully. His only answer is to snatch the goggles from the gnome's fingers. "Now, they're not going to do anything else freaky like turn my eyeballs into undead eyeballs, are they?"
He spends a few more seconds looking around the room for anything else unusual or useful . Then he turns back to the group, "We should really get out of here. I don't want to run into anything else if we can help it... especially not with these kids in tow."
Regretfully he goes and and wraps the body of the necromancer in his coat before throwing it over his shoulder, "I'm guessing it might do some good for the families who lost children to see evidence of the killer's... um.. justice." A side glance goes to Shaggar at that last.
"Shaggar. You fought well. I plan to help you finish finding and destroying that remaining skeleton if you still wish, but we have to take these children back to their parents. Coming with us might be really dangerous."
Jayse shakes his head at the memory of those few desperate moments... that ended so painfully. His only answer is to snatch the goggles from the gnome's fingers. "Now, they're not going to do anything else freaky like turn my eyeballs into undead eyeballs, are they?"
Straehan chuckles, "Your eyes will be fine... although they might be more attractive if they were all cataracted and necrotic."
Sighing dramatically, Jayse shakes his head in response, "Not the first to make that observation, Strae..."
Jayse also finds a moment to step over to the team, away from the children, "We should cover up and bring the other children with us as well. I don't like having to carry them, but their parents should get the choice of what to do with their bodies."
Shaggar nods. "You go to town-dwellers. I will hunt down small-bones sweeper and find my tribe. Have new work from Mist Mistress. Revenge is gotten."
Jayse extends a hand in respect, "Happy hunting, Shaggar. I hope we don't find ourselves on opposite sides of a hunt again."
Straehan glances over at the husks of the dead children. "I don't envy their parents looking on that sight but I suspect they'll want to know."
Jayse extends a hand in respect, "Happy hunting, Shaggar. I hope we don't find ourselves on opposite sides of a hunt again."
Shaggar cocks his head to one side as if he heard a curious sound. He takes Jayse's hand and pats the monk on the shoulder with a claw. "I am Mist Woman's now. We on same side." He waves vaguely in the direction of Bartleby's Cross. "My new tribe, I build. We leave town alone. Mist Woman says."
Having wrapped up the bodies and gotten the children organized and on their feet, you quickly head out of the underground base. As you pass the tunnel under construction, you don't hear the skelly-miner. When you check, you find a pile of collapsed bones.
Continuing on, you are slowed by the corridor filled with mud. You manage to wade through eventually and Straehan has spells that make quick work of the clean-up on the other side.
As you pass the prison cells, you see the skeleton that you left strapped to the cage is also just a pile of bones now.
You blink at the bright sunlight as you push aside the entrance stone and take your first breath of fresh air. It is an hour past noon and the day is pleasantly warm and sunny.
As the group finds its way out into the comforting sunlight, Jayse can't help but thnk about his exchange with Shaggar. I hope you're right, Shaggar. Life takes funny turns, though...
Usahri spends most of her time with the three remaining children, making sure their morale is still good. Knowing this was an extremely difficult event for them, she does take the time to tell a little bit of the Grey Lady (without whom the group would have failed).
Maybe these children will be receptive to hearing more of her when they grow older...
She does take time to thank Shaggar before he leaves the group. "Thank you Shaggar for helping us. I do not think we would have succeeded without you." She then gives him a bow of respect.
Shaggar nods. "Good hunting, YellowHairSpellSayer. Your magics very strong!" It seems a compliment.
Shaggar accompanies the group until the river is crossed and the forest reached. He raises a paw in salute and turns North.
Ushari walks over to the remains of Skitter, and gently picks him up brushing the dirt and blood off of his crushed body. She sighs softly " I wish you would not take such a pounding, but you certainly are a brave little fellow.". She kisses his broken form, before she stores him away in her pouch for repairing later.
Skitter twitches and makes a muted squeak.
"Hush there and take it easy. You did wonderful there, and I am proud of you." She whispers softly to the construct HERO.
Jayse pats Jofram on the back with warm affection, "So did you, big guy... I'm super-proud of you, too."
Straehan's glance slips between Ushari and her hero as well as Jayse and his hero. The look on his face says I'm hooked up with mad people.
"Is this going to devolve into some tasteless group hug?"
Straehan's glance slips between Ushari and her hero as well as Jayse and his hero. The look on his face says I'm hooked up with mad people.
"Is this going to devolve into some tasteless group hug?"
Jofram can't help but grin at the echoing of his own thoughts.
Jayse grins, but the gravity of the situation can't be held at bay. The lifeless bodies of Dinwat and the children...
I'll be glad when this is all over, he thinks.
Seeing the light mood pass, Straehan sighs and grabs one of the wrapped and dessicated child-husks. It is light enough that even he can carry it.
"Let's get going. There are parents who will be relieved to have their children home safe. Ushari, maybe you should look after the kids..." He leaves off the unstated end of the sentence, ...in case the Dweller comes back.
Ushari catches the unspoken message and represses a shudder.
That one needs to be dealt with...somehow.
She waves the children close to her, and trying to distract them from the recent traumatic events she asks them, "Soo...can you tell me your names? What are your favorite foods? What do you like to do for fun?..."
The kids, a girl and two boys, offer their names - Beatryce, Javey, and Snapper. They are pretty shocky but answer Ushari's questions as best they can. As you set as straight a course through the woods as possible, they periodically get haunted looks, as if they expect someone to jump out from around a tree and snatch them. At those times, they unknowingly move closer to the cleric.
As the hours pass, you all take turns engaging the children with questions and attempting to keep their recent experiences far from their minds. Ushari is clearly the most comforting physical presence while Jofram's tales keep them entertained and thinking of far away places and daring adventures. Jayse resorts to travelling acrobatically - perfecting his art while distracting the kids with handsprings, tumbles, rolls, and launching off of trees. Straehan capers, skips, and generally behaves silly while practicing a new spell that's been singing in his blood. When he has it fine-tuned, he begins to hover and then fly around the group with exaggerated scrawny-armed wing movements. It upsets Vaelos, who screeches at the violation of the natural order of things - birds fly, gnomes don't.
But the children find the flapping gnome funny and when he offers them flights above the dark tree-line, they are eager to try. Straehan gives them all smooth but soaring rides with Vaelos flying circles around them. He makes sure they get high enough to see the roofs and smoking stacks of Bartleby's Cross - a taste of home. With Snapper, an adventuresome boy, he flies the highest, soaring up and around until the magic is nearly spent and they float leisurely back to the ground. The smile never leaves Strae's face, but there is a crease of a frown on the gnome's forehead when he lands for the last time.
Dusk is falling and your group is still a couple of hours from town. If you continue walking, you'll arrive in town about an hour after nightfall.
Usahri knows the Dweller is still lurking out there, and the group is still vulnerable while they were outside the town limits. She pulls the others aside asking softly, "Are we pressing on now?"
As the group gets together, Jayse can't help but notice Straehan's face, "So what's up? You don't look happy."
Straehan hems a bit. "I'm not unhappy, just... hm... reflective. Doing that flyover changed my perspective, literally. The half-light was right, you see, and up high it all just seemed a bit surreal but familiar... like a painting you've seen briefly in a different setting. It finally struck me as Snapper pushed me to fly higher - we've seen this landscape before; all of us except Jofram. Do you remember that strange black portal on the circular stair in the Herald's room? In the goblin cave? We stuck our heads through and saw a chunk of the Shadow Plane from the air - there was a river, a town, a forest, and a tower. That's where we are. Or rather, we're in the Prime Material reflection of that."
He shakes off the obvious follow-up, "I'm not saying it's meaningful or ominous; I don't know if anyone truly understands how the Planes interface. But it's interesting."
"Are we pressing on now?"
"I think these kids would feel safer at home. Spending a night in a spooky woods after the week they've had won't be pleasant. I'm for pushing on."
Danger Level: