Delendir looses arrows at the blinded ogres, taking two down and severely injuring a third. Sunday's magical sword whips through two ogres quickly, sending both of them down to the ground. Vivi springs and attacks one of the ogres and lands his kick, but it barely seems to affect the creature. Ghina swoops in and claws and bites at an ogre until he falls. Like dominoes, the ogres quickly fall one after the other.
Krysta realized what was about to happen when Vivi called out to them and closed her eyes in the nick of time. She heard the ogres scream in pain and rage as they were blinded by the nymph's beauty and then let out a triumphant roar as she began to mercilessly put the brutes down. With the fighting over she made her way over to Viv and drew herself up haughtily, "You have good taste in beings to fear human," she gave him a toothy grin, "I approve."
Krysta looked to the nymph then and the firelight seemed to reflect through her body making it glow and the mithral armor she wore shine as she said, "You look familiar, have we met before?" She considered a moment longer and then said, "You remind me of the ghost that sent us here."
Vivi collapses to his knees as the last ogre falls, setting the nymph down as gently as the exausted monk can.
"Told you... you would get out..."
Smiling weakly, Vivi barely notices the dragon as it approaches until it addresses him. He considers its address numbly.
"Would not have put it past my captors to have a dragon in the wings, waiting to intervene if it looked like I might survive somehow. Glad I was mistaken... fighting one of your kind even at full strength with my weapons would be challenging at best. Thank you for saving my life."
Laughing weakly, he attempts to stand up and bow but stumbles back to the ground midway into it.
"Apologies.... not... been kind... last months..."
It is clear that the young man is malnourished and beaten. The blow he took to the chest at the start of the fight also seems to have broken a few ribs as he seems to be having trouble breathing.
"Delendir... not ungrateful... but what brings you to this cave of horrors? I imagine it is not just to save my cursed hide."
Delendir keeps shooting arrows in a frenetic rage bolstered by Valonia's inspiring song until none of the ogres stand. Only then he does recovers his senses and notices all the massive bodies laying down around him, and his injured friends close to him.
The half-elf approaches the Tien wanderer and checks him up "Vivi! Wat een vondst mijn oude vriend! Gaat alles goed? Wat was je aan het doen op dit flauwe feest?"
"Vivi! What a find my old friend! Are you ok? What were you doing in this ogre party?"
And pointing to the nymph "A phwy yw eich ffrind bach chi?"
"And whom is this your little friend?"
Finally he turns to the group to present the man "This is Vivi. A good man traveler that happened to be in Sandpoint during last Desna's festival. He helped us to deflect the goblin attack on our small but loved town, risking his life as if he was one of us. We did found Nualia was behind the attacks in the end Vivi..."
"That's been dealt with," Sunday quickly cuts the ranger off when he brings up Nualia.
Closing her eyes in time to prevent the blindness, Yavenee watches with satisfaction as the group decimates the monsters with ease.
Quickly moving over to the man that rescued the nymph, she takes in his many injuries, stepping up to him and resting a hand on his chest.
As the healing takes effect she does the same for the nymph.
The nymph shakes her head at Krysta. Switching to common she responds "I think not. I would certainly remember a beautiful creature such as yourself. Thank you all for coming to our aid."
She pauses and asks curiously "Who sent you here?"
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"The spirit of Myriana," Sunday solemnly states, "we're searching what became of her lover, Lamatar."
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Vivi nods gratefully to the woman who healed him, though he keeps her hand from touching his chest by leaning a shoulder into it instead. Rising, he points to the vicious mark in the shape of the sidhedron on his chest. The wound looks like a brand, but it is still glowing as if the branding iron had left a piece of itself behind, a cherry red that shimmers the way that only heated metal can.
"Thank you. I do not know if... this... is contiguous. No, wrong word... continuous? Contagious, yes that is it... contagious."
Showing the mark to Delendir and the others, he continues. "In answer to question, simply put... got caught. Cult of madmen... based in Magnimar. Leader sent me here for... knowledge withdrawing..." The words are visibly becoming harder to speak.
"Need to swap to another language... please translate for me, Delendir. They were trying to get information from me about you and the others. I resisted the best I could, and when I couldn't I shouted out information in a mix of languages to confuse them. Turns out they can't speak Tian or Minkain. That said, I had to mentally block myself from speaking in Talden for more than a few words at a time to make it work... side effects seem to be that I am still having trouble with it."
Trying to swap back to Taldan, the bearded branded monk's face visibly contorts.
"I didn't give them much though, even if they understood what I was saying. Physical descriptions, favorite food types, that kind of nonsense."
Seeing the looks of confusion on his friend's face, he realizes that he likely wasn't speaking Taldan. Concentrating, he forces the words one at a time.
"See... what... I... mean?"
Sunday arches a brow as Vivi keeps switching languages. ”Just... use the fancy talk you and Delendir know.”
"Here, take this good man" Delendir takes from his backpack a couple of the cure moderate wounds potions the group took from Rannick's ogres and hands them to Vivi for healing.
The half-elf frowns at the sight of the seven points star "They are just so vile... they included you in their rituals..." he acknowledges with a nod when he talks about the Magnimar leader "Is she here?! We fought her a couple of weeks ago. The coward but sneaky one escaped us at the Shadow Clock's top"
Even the tough ranger is heart-taken at Vivi's story. He willingly translate the elven words for the others "Vivi was sent here for information extraction. They wanted to know details about us. He shielded his mind as much as he could, and when he was broken, he only said words in other languages they could not understood. That is why he is now having trouble talking Taldan"
Delendir pads Vivi's back with camaraderie "You made well Vivi San! I can only imagine the horrors you have gone through. Do you remember if they got any information of use?"
Vivi gratefully takes one of the potions and imbibes it thirstily. The liquid yields a slow glow within the man as it works its magic.
Though it is clear Vivi is still not quite fully recovered from his extended stay at the Hook Mountain Hotel, he is also clearly a lot better off than when you found him.
"Thank you, I needed that. Still would love to have a night's sleep in a bed of any caliber and a passable meal, but I should be ok to travel."
The man stretches his arms and legs, rubbing feeling into wrists and ankles suspended in shackles for weeks on end.
"As I was trying to say, even if they did manage to understand the cacaphany of languages that I spoke in, the only things I gave them were relatively minor. What you looked like, favorite meals, that kind of thing. I hope that they weren't able to use that against you. Especially Talwin... they knew his name and were most insistant on questions about him. Not sure why. Where is he and the good Lady Jessica? I am surprised that they let you and gloomy go off on adventure of this danger in the company of... strangers..."
He smiles as he says this last bit, indicating Krysta, Yavenee, and Valonia.
Krysta preened at whatever Vivi said and replied in the same language.
Looking at both of them she said, "I'm Krysta and if you've seen that serpentine b*&&* I want to know where she is. She hurt my horde, I will rend her into snake chunks and feed her to the ogres!"
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”We’re going to kill all the ogres, find something else to feed her to.”
Vivi laughs at the exchange.
"Peeerhaps... feeed... oonee... to'tha.... other?"
Vivi coughs, the strain of speaking even that sentence visible.
Sunday turns to Krysta. ”That could work.”
The nymph smiles at the dragon, weariness evident on her face. "Thank you." she offers.
Turning to Vivi she nods.
"They hunt those that imprisoned me here. I have a score to settle with them for more reasons than just my... quality of care. So I will remain. I do have two questions for you though, and a request. I will start with the request: please stay with us at least as far as the exit. I would hate for all of this ruckus to have attracted attention and you to get caught again. I think I can convince them to escort you that far."
The monk's smile is equal parts concern and sympathy. He continues in the fey tongue without effort.
"First of the two questions I have are did you happen to see where these brutes left my pack? I know it was around here somewhere but I didn't see exactly what became of it. And second, I would like to make you a scroll signifying our trust and friendship. It would probably not be much compared to some of the calligraphy I have seen made by fairies, but I feel compelled to do so. How can I get it to you once I have finished it?"
The young man almost blushes a bit as he finishes speaking.
"Ze wilden weten over Tal?" Delendir negates with his head.
"They wanted to know about Tal?"
"We had problems back in Magnimar too, he had to go ask help to his parents. After that nothing ever was the same again. He had to go with Kiley to check with Magnimar's justice... and... we never ever knew anything more about him. We rescued Kiley at the Shadow Clock but we never knew again about Tal" Delendir's face darkens "But our Jessica is waiting for a child on him. She is healthy, but after all she passed, with the child, Tal's disappearance and her parents death... she needed a rest... but" he points then to Krysta "This amethyst dragon, Krysta, came to protect her and decided to continue the adventures with us to revenge for what this cult has done to her Horde. If not by her we would probably be death by now. And she was a paramount aid to sneak into the caves without the ogres rising the alarm"
A sudden idea comes to Delendir's head "If your information lead them to Tal, perhaps he is still here kidnapped like you?!"
Then turning to the nymph he nods "Yn sicr, gallwn hebrwng eich ffrind bach i allanfa'r ogof. Ydych chi'n iawn nymff bach?"
"Why did the ogres captured you? We met with another nymph a couple of days ago. Her name is Myriana. Do you know her by any chance? We are looking for her human lover. Lamatar Byden, commander of Fort Rannick"
Delendir helps Vivi search for his pack in this section of the caves, as well of anything else the ogres might have of real value for the party.
Vivi raises an eyebrow at the mention of Kiley.
"The Goddess of War returned from her journey? Is she back at Sandpoint now with Jessica?"
The man's face frowns at the uncertainty of the fate of Talwin. Kami keep watch over him, whereever he is. I hope that anything I said did not hurt him somehow.
"No, he was never here to my knowledge, and I saw most of my fellow... guests... at least once. Most no longer live, sadly, but I would have remembered seeing him. If the cult took him he did not end up here... which is worrying, as most of the others I observed getting taken by the cultists in Riddleport did not survive much more than a night."
The monk spits at the memory, shaking his head.
"So now I understand how you have a dragon to aid you... but who are these others?"
Yavenee follows much of the conversation, not that it helped it make all that much sense other than the Cici had been tortured and Delendir was filling him in on Jessica and how the east of them had come to be here. Everything else was about people she didn't know and had never met. And if there were still any ogres here, wasn't really relevant at the moment. She could only imagine how confusing it was to the others who didn't speak as many languages.
She repeats her words in common for the benefit of the others.
”I highly doubt this was the last of them.” Sunday muses while looking around.
"Kiley..." Delendir's expression somber again "She stayed behind to aid Jessica. Her brain was broken after the cult's torture on her... She was so young and naive... she was not prepared to shield her mind as you have done Vivi... I don't know if she will ever recover, but she sure needs some rest and calm life for a time"
He then turns to the others, pointing first to the witch "Excuse my modals, of course! Well, aside from Krysta... The shoanti woman here is Yavenee. Despite her small size, she is a great enchantress of the Screaming Hawk tribe. She is an old friend of mine. Yavanee has endured all this trip with us since we requested her help to distinguish friend from foe among the shapeshifters and then joined us to assault the Sawmill of the Seven" turning then to the conflicted man the half-elf points "You already know Daud from your days at Sandpoint. And..." then moving to Valonia and Rajah "She is Valonia and her tiger Rajah. To say truth we are just recent acquaintances. Elisai, a northern warrior we have been working with recently decided to leave and hunt down a devil that escaped us. She sent her friend Valonia to help us on her place. She will have to fill the details because we only know her from a couple of days ago" Delendir ends up with a shrug just before turning to the monk "Vivi was one of the heroes that helped us reject the goblin attack back at Sandpoint. Vivi is a charming man, with a kind heart, he stayed behind to comfort Ameiko after her father Lonjiku died" and Delendir winks an eye and smiles at that point.
The ranger will try to make an extra effort to find Vivi's belongings, but if not possible in here, he will walk north "There ahead, we heard the cackle of haags. Do you know anything about that Vivi?"
Vivi nods to both Sunday & Yavenee's comments. "No. More foes here. Don't know much... about... th' 'ags." Vivi's face contorts as he speaks, his mind and tongue seemingly at war with each other.
"They participated in some of the torture sessions from time to time, but apart from that I don't know much else about them."
His face twitches again and he continues as if nothing happened.
"They are not... friendly. Nice to... meet you... by th' 'ay."
Valonia frowns a little at Vivi, observing the man not looking fully healthy.
"You still don't seem fully recovered, even after the healing you received. I could try and heal you of any harmful conditions, if I knew what was bothering you" she offers
"No. Not fully... 'covered." Vivi coughs the words out.
Motioning to Delendir or Yavenee to translate, he swaps back to elven.
"Let her know most of my injuries come from having been tortured and malnourished for the last several months. Say what you will about these ogres but they are not the best cooks, even when they aren't trying to poison you."
Vivi laughs at his own joke, the sound stronger than it was before but still with a lingering rasp... one that transitions quickly to a short coughing fit.
"... please stay with us at least as far as the exit. I would hate for all of this ruckus to have attracted attention and you to get caught again. I think I can convince them to escort you that far."
"First of the two questions I have are did you happen to see where these brutes left my pack? I know it was around here somewhere but I didn't see exactly what became of it. And second, I would like to make you a scroll signifying our trust and friendship. It would probably not be much compared to some of the calligraphy I have seen made by fairies, but I feel compelled to do so. How can I get it to you once I have finished it?"
The nymph agrees to stick with you until the exit, the least she can do seeing as she credits you with saving her life and all. "But I must return home to my princess quickly, she likely needs my help after the attacks!"
She explains she resides in the Shimmerglens which your companions will note that they have recently visited.
She unfortunately hasn't seen you pack, but your belongings are bound to be in this place somewhere.
"There ahead, we heard the cackle of haags. Do you know anything about that Vivi?"
The nymph speaks up in answer to Delendir's question. "There are three hags that reside in there. Briselda, Grelthaga and Larastine and they are known as the Sisters of the Hook. Lore holds that these three annis hags were once related to Princess Myriana before envy and jealousy polluted them and they engaged in monstrous acts and vile rites in hopes of improving their beauty to outshine their sister."
Delendir chuckles at Vivi's joke "Yeah, these ogres does not seem to know about refined Tien meals." then facing Valonia "Vivi says his afflictions are due to the lack of proper nourishing and the mind distress of the continuous torture he has endured. I guess most of all what he needs is rest to cure his fatigue and sickness"
Delendir translates any Sylvan words spoken to Common. He notes the citation of what kind of haags they are facing.
"Well, let's have us moving, if we are fast we might return before they can discover all this slaughter" and so Delendir guides the nymph and any other willing member to the entrance of the ogres' cave "Here we are. We were at the Shimmerglens just a day ago. I don't think you will be happy to find out what remains of your Lady and how the swamp has transformed... she is a ghost now. We came here to find her lover in an attempt to placate her fury and perhaps break her curse"
And then turning to Vivi before the nymph leaves "Are you leaving with the nymph friend?"
The nymph staggers at Delendir's words, unsure she is hearing the words in Common correct. She continues in Sylvan, disregarding Delendir's words as a misunderstanding.
Vivi's heart breaks a little at the revelation of Delendir and Niosa's reaction to it. Gods and kami, preserve her. He takes her hand.
"Delendir is nothing if not honest. If he says that she perished then it is likely to be so. I am deeply sorry to hear of your further loss."
Releasing the young nymph's hand, he bows deeply to her. After a moment he raises his head to address her further, but keeps his torso bowed.
"Perhaps it would be safer to stay with us for the time being. For one, it sounds like we both now have further unfinished business with the leader of this band. And for two... perhaps best to return with this... ranger Lamatar fellow... rather than on your own."
Sunday winces at the Nymph's reaction. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but from her body language and the way she was saying it he knew what was coming.
Delendir is not known for being touchy "Mae'n ddrwg gen i nymff. Dim ond si y clywsom y byddwn yn cefnogi'ch amheuaeth. Ond yn yr achos hwn roeddem yno. Buom yn siarad â Myriana. Nid yw'r gors yn lle bywyd mwyach, ond yn amgylchedd dirdynnol. Mae Myriana wedi marw ac wedi melltithio."
"I am sorry nymph. It were just a rumor we heard I would support your doubt. But in this case we were there. We talked with Myriana. The swamp is no more a place of life, but a twisted environ. Myriana is dead and cursed."
"And the only way to help her is now to find Lamatar, Rannick's Fort Commander" the half-elf nods reinforcing Vivi's words.
"You two should quickly decide if you are leaving or coming with us, before the haags notice the slaughter we caused" and turning to Yavanee "Do you know anything about those annis haags?"
Even Krysta, as inhuman as she was, could catch the sense of loss and disbelief as Delendir explained to her the loss of her home and she felt empathy for the gorgeous creature. The young dragon, knowing that a different form was called for. She tapped the ring on her claw and spoke a word and her body blurred and shifted leaving her in her alternate shape. Now a lovely youn half-elven woman with long amethyst hair and amethyst colored eyes approached the nymph.
When she reached the shocked fey Krysta reached out her arms in offer of a hug as she said the only thing she could think of to offer comfort, "If you would like I'll make you part of my horde. I won't expect anything from you, and I won't sequester you some place, I won't control you, but I will protect you." It wasn't, perhaps, the most reassuring offer thing she could have said but it was obvious she was trying to comfort the nymph in the best way she could.
Despite the dire situation, Yavenee smiles at Krysta's words to the nymph.
The nymph shakes her head slowly in denial. "No. No. No. It's not possible. There must be some mistake..." Putting her hands to her face as she lets her back slide down the wall, tears begin to pour out from the fey's eyes. As she sobs she pulls herself into the fetal position on the ground and slowly begins to rock back and forth, distraught. She mumbles things in Sylvan between the sobs, but she doesn't truly assemble complete sentences.
Sunday watches silently with deadened eyes as the nymph falls apart. "I'm sorry, but can you forego my coat for a bit?" he asks Yavenee.
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While most dragons might take being ignored roughly Krysta wasn't most dragons. She decided that she would drop the subject, for now, and tapped the ring and spoke again. Her form blurred from half-elf back to dragon and she moved over to where the nymph had slid down and curled up against the wall.
The dragon crouched next to the nymph and slid her crystalline snout up to nudge the distraught woman's hands with her snout. Rather than worry about getting any reaction Krysta began to curl herself around the nymph and began to vibrate her body softly to create music to try and comfort the nymph as best she could.
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Vivi bows lower at the nymph's distress. "This band of monsters has much to answer for... as if they didn't already..."
Leaving the dryad in the care of the large dragon, Vivi turns to Delendir.
"Of course I am coming with you. Even if you weren't my friend I would owe you for the timely rescue. And I owe the serpentine scaly leader of this band a visit to the reincarnation wheel, all debts and expenditures paid. Just give me a minute to get ready. I might be tired, hungry, and in need of a good bath, but there is no reason to look that way."
Vivi smiles as he gestures to the wreckage of his once nice western clothes, little more than rags now, as he takes the pack from Delendir.
"If she wasn't going to kill me already for having left with no warning, Ameiko-chan most certainly will now. She loved this outfit."
Shuddering at the thought, the monk goes to a less visible section of the entrance. Stripping down to his loincloth, he reaches into his handy haversack. Immediately the enchanted monk's robes he had made shortly before his capture pops to the top of the pack and into his hands. "Say what you will about gnomes, they certainly have some ingenious inventions sometimes." Vivi chuckles to himself as he dresses in the deceptively simple brown garments, the style a mix of eastern and western monastic garb. Next he retrieves and equips the wrist braces, feeling the magical armor activate as he fastens the second one into place. Popping the wyvern's tooth necklace over his neck, he follows it up with the mithril shield shaped ring and the ring with an emerald in it.
Satisfied with his looks and defensive wards, the young monk retrieves his sling and bullets, attaching them to his belt. At long last, the monk retrieves his double chained kama from the pack, unwrapping the bits of cloth he had previously used to keep them from accidentally cutting anything inside. Storing the wreckage of his western garb and the cloth blade guards back into the pack, he shoulders it with little effort and returns to the group, kama in hands.
"Ready."
Delendir smiles when Vivi decides to follow the party on the attack against the Kreegs "That is fantastic. Your fists will make a difference for us Vivi!"
The ranger helps Vivi to wear the equipment they have found in the ogres' cave "Nice stuff. I can see your approach to Ameiko has resulted in profitable business for you. We have also found some richness in our walk through crumbling ruins of ancient Varisia" the half-elf adjusts his belt with a large ruby in the middle and shows his cloak with golden edgings. Then pointing at the kama "Nice edge. I see you are still fond of your Tien weaponry"
Delendir is not as much empathic as Krysta with the nymph "Give her some time to recover. We can take her with us if we survive the assault. Little nymph, can you hide behind those giant bones while we attempt to finish our task here?"
"I think it is the time to go against the haags. Don't trust what you might see there, I don't know about annis ones, but they are deceitful casters" the half-elf explains while readying himself to continue the fight.
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Niosa gives up on trying to hide her sense of loss and lets the sadness take her. Her body shakes from the sobs as she accepts the fact that her worst nightmares have come true.
Soon after Krysta's vibrations, warmth and protection envelope after, the sobbing subsides as the nymph finds some semblance of safety and serenity for the evils that have become reality. She lay in the protection of the dragon for several minutes, body still heaving but tears long since run dry.
After some time she eventually lifts her head and moves to escape from Krysta, if she is allowed. She places both hands on either side of Krysta's face and leans forward to kiss her. Her touch is soft as silk and through her condition and health are less than ideal, the elegance of beauty in this creature is not lost of Krysta. She whipsers "Thank you, friend. I accept."
As she moves out from Krysta's protection, she nods to Delendir and moves behind whatever area he indicates that she hide in. She crawls back up into a ball and holds herself as she gently rocks back and forth silently.
Fort is their high save, though all three are quite high. They have extra defense against weapons that don't deal bludgeoning damage and have protection against spells. Their main physical attacks coming from their two claws which they often rend with, given opportunity.
Also known as black hags or iron hags, annis hags are the largest and most physically intimidating of their foul brood. Known for their iron-hard, wart-covered skin that varies from shades of deep blue to black and their claws like rusty blades, annis hags forgo much of the cunning and deceptiveness of their kind to revel in the more visceral evils of torture and slaughter. The typical annis hag stands just over 8 feet tall and weighs upward of 300 pounds.
Dwelling in dark caves, tangled hollows, and cursed ruins deep within frozen swamps or icy moors, annis hags stalk forth by night to sow fear and hunt the unwary. Although possessed of cunning minds, annis prove more decadent than most other hags, frequently indulging in their taste for living flesh and the music of pleading screams. Unlike green hags, they use their ability to assume humanoid form via alter self not to infiltrate societies but to lure victims into a false sense of security before attacking—often posing as travelers in need of aid or pilgrims seeking to share a camp.
Annis hags find the flesh of children, young animals, and the pure of heart particularly pleasing, both for the tenderness of such meals and for the sorrow such murders spread. After gorging themselves, these hags delight in stripping the skin from their victims, often garbing themselves in the grisly trophies. They are also known to retain and even preserve identifiable portions of their victims (such as heads) for later use in spreading misery. An annis who eats the children of a local farmer might keep the heads (or at least the faces) handy to return to the victims’ parents, for example—often in the guise of an anonymous gift. The most insidious of annis hags present these gifts in ways that implicate friends or family in the victim’s death.
Vivi visibly winces at the mention of Ameiko. "Not... exactly. Will... explain... after dealt with... worries... here."
Shaking his head, he gives the kama a test swing, spinning it briefly on the chain before choking up and catching the handle with uncanny speed.
"Careful with... edge... on these. Not just... sharp, but majestic." Vivi smiles, then frowns as he realizes that last word was not quite right. "Majesty... no, no... magic... yes, MAGICAL!" The monk beams as he finally gets the correct word.
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Yavenee nods, slipping out of Sunday's coat and handing it to him, knowing what he meant to do.
Delendir nods at Vivi understanding the man's feelings and not willing to press the matter on what happened with Ameiko at the moment.
Knowledgeable of the feys Delendir advises his companions "Beware annis haags are more physically intimidating than other haags, while they are still as much resistant to magic" the half-elf readies two arrows while the group prepares for the assault on the haags lair "Still, we have the advantage of the surprise. Valonia, if you an Yavenee can reinforce Daud and Vivi to stand in front of the haags... we can perhaps finish one before they can react. If we do, they will not be able to coven against us"
Vivi listens attentively to Delendir as he speaks.
"So my kama might be less effective than my fists huh. I had hoped not to touch them physically again, but then I don't mind as much if I get end their cruelty."
Storing the chain in specially designed pouch, he attaches the kamas to his belt so that he can retrieve them again when needed. Cracking his knuckles, the monk does a few stretches while his companions get a plan of attack ready.
Krysta noticed when the nymph calmed down and let her free when she began slip out of the circle of her embrace. She felt the nymph's hands grasp her snout and felt a wash of pleasure through her at the kiss as the beautiful creature accepted her offer. As the nymph began to pull away Krysta reached out one clawed foot and gently grasped the nymph's hand to stop for a moment and asked, "What is your name?" Her question asked Krysta let go of the hand she had grasped, her talons leaving nary a dimple in the fey's skin, and allowed her to depart.
As the discussion turned to how to take down the hags Krysta listened intently. She liked the plan, it should work, and she said, "If you tell me which one I will get below them and come up behind as usual. That should help us take one down swiftly. Of course I could also go for a different one, try to keep them busy and divide their focus that way."
Delendir nods both to Vivi and Krysta "Yes, that can be useful Krysta. If you are able to appear between them at the same time Vivi and Daud start the attack, we can probably strike true and begin with an advantage"
The half-elf advances through the corridors slowly, up to reaching the tunnel where they heard the haags laughing. He examines the area while the plan finishes shaping, and waiting for whatever Valonia and Yavanee want to pull off.
Taking her hand but still staring solemnly at the ground, the nymph responds in a croaked whisper "Niosa."
Delendir slowly advances into the cavern to the west, doing his best to keep as quiet as possible. He finds the foul-smelling cave is cluttered with an appalling amount of body parts, dead animals, spoiled food, and filth, but most hideous is what bubbles and cooks in a huge cauldron over a sputtering fire in a nook to the north.
As he peeks his head around the corner to observe what lay ahead, the hags suddenly stop laughing and silence fills the cavern ahead.
As Delendir feels discovered he makes a sign for the others to quickly join him. Observing the bubbling cauldron ahead he shouts a bit when he talks to make sure all others can hear him ""
The half-elf tries to find a way to distract them to give some time for the party to jump in "You must be the infamous Briselda, Grelthaga and Larastine. The forests tell legends of your beauty"
Yavenee describes Vivi's condition and complaints in detail to Valonia, giving her a chance to heal the man further.