Cursing, Valda turned her gun on the wood chipper...thing. "Next time, grenades. We bring damned grenades."
Wood chipper is a construct, can't be stunned. BUT...a decent amount of damaged, over and above DR.
Maria might not be as overly articulate as Isagoras, but she too uses Summon Monster II, in her case for a small lightning elemental which she sics on the chipper-shredder.
The lightning elemental (which looks kind of like an angel made of electricity...) uses it's slam attack on the chipper-shredder!
(Note: Extra +3 to hit if the chipper-shredder is made of metal is NOT included)
Maria's elemental also takes it to the possessed construct, dealing it additional damage. Unfortunately, it's a hearty demonic machine, and keeps on ticking.
The sheriff/ghoul stands (AOO from eagle and Dave) and slashes at Dave.
..but Dave's way to dexterous to be hit by such a clumsy attack.
The shredder reaches out and grabs Stacey, pulling her toward its maw...
Top of round (after the AOOs).
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The Eagle simply gets more frustrated, letting out a honey-badger-class cry of annoyance that things it's trying to shred keep trying to run away from it. It wishes this battle were taking place way up high so it could just drop the thing over a f&#&ing cliff and have done.
It wishes this battle were taking place way up high so it could just drop the thing over a f@#*ing cliff and have done.
Dave takes an acrobatics check to avoid the ghoul, and try and stop Stacy from being pulled into the abyss... Er, somehow.
He will... Temporarily enter standby mode as his mun tries to figure out how this is done.
Joey's pupils seem to dilate as he sees the machine pulling Stacey towards it. With his blood starting to run cold, he rushes towards Dave and Stacey's position, and focuses all his might into his shot towards the shredder's 'mouth,' with hopes that it'll at least stall for time or disengage the cable ensnaring the podcaster.
Give me a CMB.
Joey's shot hits solidly and does some minor damage. The thing is beginning to show some effects from your attacks, but you get the impression it still has quite a bit of fight in it.
It's still round 3, essentially only Joey has completed an action.
Dave has moved and I'm waiting on a CMB check to try and wrest Stacey free.
Isagoras, Maria and Valda still have actions before the remaining ghoul and the shredder.
With Dave's help, Stacey manages to struggle free just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, that does leave both of you in attack range for the machine this round.
With Dave's help, Stacey manages to struggle free just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, that does leave both of you in attack range for the machine this round.
Maria's lightning elemental makes another attack vs. the chipper-shredder.
Then Maria herself tosses a card at the chipper-shredder.
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The three eagles converge on their only target, the newly risen sheriff goals. The former lawman is drowned in a scene of flying feathers and raking talons.
The Eagle by the possess machine continues it's assault, it's rage only growing as its blows have minimal effect. Still it rages on, the metalic demon's defiance only making its rampage stronger.
Isagoras lets loose a glob of acid at the machine, adding his fire to that of his comrades.
The lone eagle doesn't seem very effective against the shredder, though one of its talons did some damage. The acid dart has its normal effect.
The machine takes some damage from the elemental. I'm going to count Deadly Dealer as magic for overcoming DR; the card nicks a piece of the shredder.
Valda still has an action in round 3, but I'm going to move ahead with the bad guys.
Stacey:
Dave:
Free attempted Grab (vs. CMD):
Stacey:
Dave:
The ghoul moves to attack Joey, but takes an AOO from the eagle as it passes.
Joey:
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Still Valda's round 3 action. I'll move on to round 4 this evening.
Her more powerful spells mostly depleted, Valda kept firing on the shredder, enchanting the shot with a lesser spell.
Bad enough that you're grappled now; I'll let it go. Fortunately, you, unlike Stacey, have a weapon in your hand. You can make your attack this round (at the normal -2 for grappled) or attempt to escape.
A rising sense of urgency of urgency courses through Joey's blood as he sees both of his friends ensnared by the device. Panic rises further as he's hit by the former-living officer.
Joey locks his gaze on the officer and fires a quick round towards him, silently apologizing for not being able to have saved him.
Dave's eyes flash red, as he grips his sword. 'Focus!'
Round 3: Valda's attack deals cold damage to the shredder.
Joey succeeds in avoiding the paralysis.
Nevertheless, a hit. Joey wounds the ghoul.
Dave's eyes flash red, as he grips his sword. 'Focus!'
Dave's second attack chips away at the structure of the shredder.
Isagoras, Valda and Maria still have an attack in round 4 before the bad guys. The shredder is heavily damaged, the ghoul is lightly injured.
Maria's elemental once again attacks (last round)
Maria throws a card at the shredder again.
Two shots left before she needed to reload. Valda swore and fired again anyway. The damned thing was going down.
Isagoras' action.
Meanwhile, the shredder pulls Dave in toward the maw and attempts to begin grinding:
CMB:
Dave manages to plan his feet against the outside of the machine and avoid being pulled in.
The ghoul attacks Joey yet again:
Claw:
Claw:
Bite:
Need a Fort Save from Joey for any hit, plus an extra Fort save if the bite hit.
Isagoras' action, then top of round.
Feeling the onslaught of the ghoul, Joey's body began to feel tingly - almost numb. The sensation was completely new to him - the last thing he remembered was being bitten. Oddly, it felt just like drifitng into a cold, cryptic sleep. As his unconscious body fell to the ground, darkness enveloped him in a painless caress. It seemed to beckon him - lulling him from the land of the living and into a world undiscovered.
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Before the ghoul can hit Joey, the Eagle takes a swipe at it!
Then,
Eagle one moves a short distance and unleashes a flurry of blows upon the police-ghoul. Eagle 2 comes up on the flank and has time enough for a small nip.
Eagles three and four slide around to the sides of the shredder and attack him like pre-pubescent gene-enhanced martial-arts trained amphibians.
Isagoras notes Joey hit the ground and throws another acid glob at the ghoul to make sure it stays down.
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"Joey! S&!!–"
He kicks away from the shredder, slicing at it again with his sword.
The eagles rip the ghoul to shreds just as Joey collapses. Stacey runs over to the fallen hero, and he looks up weakly at her. The blog journalist breathes a sigh of relief.
"That was a close one! Don't worry, we'll get you help..." As she sits there, Joey's newfound feline friend continuously stands watch over him.
Between the eagles and Dave's final thrust, a loud PANG sounds from the shredder, and parts begin flying everywhere. As the possessed machine falls apart, a dark form can be barely seen making its way into the ether and departing the material plain.
You've defeated the villain, and Joey, wounded though he is, will live.
Your only goal remaining is to find Marilyn and her child Ella.
Epilogue: In a tiny recess beneath the stairs to the hayloft lies a (normal) corpse, a woman wearing jeans and a woman’s blouse; curled up next to the body shivering is a young girl with brown hair. A cell phone lies nearby, coated in a thin film of dust.
Valda knelt down and looked at the phone for a moment. She had no idea how this had worked, but magic was a messed up thing, even when you knew some of the rules. Looking up, she said to the shivering girl, "Hey there...are you Ella?"
Coughing a bit as he lies on the ground, Joey smirks weakly and mutters, "Just.. make sure you don't record me like this.. It wouldn't be good for business.. And Dave would never let me live it down." With his familiar nestled against his side, he could sense something from the animal. It's relieved I'm okay? This cat really has bonded with me, huh? He thought to himself before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Truth was, he too was relieved they had manage to make it out of this one.
The Investigator groaned a bit - half in pain and half frustrated by his close-call with death - before saying, "...I'm going to need to replace this shirt.. Let me know if you find Marilyn.. I'm going to rest for a little bit."
"Hey there...are you Ella?"
The girl doesn't speak, but instead runs to Valda's arms and gives her a big hug, and won't let go. She's obviously both terrified and traumatized. She's also half-starved, and dehydrated. It would be best to get her medical attention as fast as possible.
Assuming no one has any more reason to stay in Black Rock, you return to your vehicles, Ella in tow, and get back to the city. A quick trip to John Denver Memorial Hospital and Joey is fixed up pretty well on some bandaids and pain meds. Most of his wounds, though releasing a lot of blood, were superficial, and he should heal up quite quickly.
Ella you can leave with the hospital if you choose; it's a "safe place" for dropping off missing children, and they'll help coordinate her return to family with law enforcement, no strings attached to you guys.
Stacey thanks you all for your help (especially Dave, who literally saved her ass from being shredded; much to Joey's chagrin.) She promises not to use any identifying information in her podcast covering the events at Black Rock.
Dave stretches once they start to leave the hospital, letting out a breath of relief. Well, he at least hopes it comes across as such. "That was a close one man. We had gone this close-" He holds up his pointer and thumb, which don't even appear to be parted in the slightest. "This close, to having you turn into one of them as well. You're gonna end up in the wrong wing of a hospital if stuff like that keeps happening."
Joey rubs his chest and neck lightly, feeling the bandages cover his stitches as he says, "What'd you expect me to do - you and Stacey were in trouble.. Hell, we'd all probably end up in a special kind of 'hospital' if we actually told people the truth of what we've encountered.. The nurse would have probably thinks you're my abusive spouse and forced me to lie to them. We should've just left them alone with Isagoras for about five minutes - the problem would've resolved itself!"
Walking towards his car, he stands at the passenger side door waiting for the others and Dave - who still has his keys - before kneeling to pet his new pet a few times as he thinks for a moment. Something had been sitting on his mind for awhile now, and he had to get it off his chest. Slowly rising and looking to the others, he asked in a grim voice, "What disturbs me more than anything else though? Marilyn was DOA afterall... No going back through time to save her, no arriving just in time to get her out of there... Do you," the Investigator pauses as he tries to collect his thoughts on the matter, visibly grimacing to the others before finishing. "You think her spirit was actually able to call out to us? While he had always believed that humans possess a 'soul' of some sorts, this was the first time he had ever been given the opportunity to witness a paranormal event outside of cultic mobs or macabre texts; it definitely through Joey off his game. While he felt that he should be joyous that this could only prove that good energies did exist to balance the bad - that a mother loved her daughter so much to save her even if she couldn't save herself - but he was left feeling disheartened and somber. It just wasn't fair for innocent people to be put through such awful situations.
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Dave takes hold of the keys, and if he wasn't gonna let him drive before, he's certainly not doing so while Joey recovers from a severe case of almost dead. While unlocking the driver's side, he speaks up. "I guess it was possible. You've seen those shows right, where people go on and talk about the weird spooky s$#* they went through? Maybe it's not actually as b#@+*&$! as one would think. I suppose there's crazier stuff out there– I mean, come on, possessed wood chipper, and it was creating an army of ghouls for... ...Hm, we never found out that detail did we. Oh, and if Stacy turns into on of those things, it's her fault for running into the fight. I had it covered."
"I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on.. They all didn't seem like the type to brag about their plans nor to keep it all documented.. I don't like it one bit though. Shadow-y demons possessing machines and creating zombies.. Fire worshipers trying to summon fire-y demons.. If it wasn't for all of us, I think Stacey and the rest of New Mexico would have a lot more to worry about." With narrowed eyes, Joey tries to imagine what might be happening if they hadn't stopped the recent onslaught of paranormal villains. Could there be others out there fighting off such monsters too? Surely Arzata couldn't be the centre for it all, but it was definitely seeing a lot of action lately. "I sincerely wish that haunted houses are the only things that others in the world have to worry about.. I'm thankful to have you all by my side for all this. It's a job that goes largely unrecognized, but we're doing a lot of good for everyone right now.. Even if Dave has it covered." With a laugh, he works a well-deserved cigarette out of its pack and ignites it, savouring their moment of peace and the pain-killers effect.
Thinking about how Stacey might be affected from the scene, not to mention the attack, Joey nods a bit with a smile and says, "I'll definitely keep a close eye on her... You know.. To make sure she doesn't try to recreate the problem, or something."
"My tío told me about a lot of strange things, most of it unbelievable, except that the Santería he taught me is real. Never thought I'd encounter demonio necrófago myself... They were just ghost stories about using brujería for evil until today."
"Whatever happened, it saved that little girl." Valda smiled slightly. "That's worth a little haunting a mobile phone." And it was. The woman was dead, but her daughter was alive. Valda knew if it was her kid, she would consider that a win. It was just a shame they couldn't save them both, but she was pretty sure the woman had been dead before they'd even heard about the place.
"But yeah, keep an eye on Stacy. Whatever those things were, I don't want to find out exactly how much fun they'd have in a city rather than a little village." Considering, she added, "And I'm not sure I'd want to date her then. Those things were kinda gross."
"Dude, clearly she has the hots for me. But I'm a bro," He puts a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Don't worry man. I know you wanna tap that. I won't get in you way. Well, unless she starts going after your flesh in a bad way. "
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Isagoras puffs his pipe (as is his way) and, having listened intently, speaks. "I spoke truth when I fortold of events both unforseen and unexplainable. This is O but a story of a picture of a shadow of the vanguard of the forces that may be in alignment against all that is in righteousness and order in this current period in history.
Indeed, SOME would say that the true mystery is as yet unsolved, as Joseph and David have alluded to in formentioning: WHAT was the origin? You are correct, Maria, Demonio necrofago is NOT a self-promulgating species. SOMEONE hath invited them unto us and hath infested that area with malice aforethought. Thusly...to what end?
A sentient mechinicum, while itself formidable, is NOT a purpose to an end. SOMEONE of some puissance hath devised a plot and only purest chance or a power as yet unseen hath delivered us unto it.
And soft! What of the girl? We not only know that we do not know, but we do NOT know that we do not KNOW!
Inquiry of thineself: How live she?
In all of that, how doeth one of innocence, bereft of skill, find themselves at the fruit of Death's labor, whilst all about them dance the parent's murderers? For how long did she cling to life as others succumb, the testament that did bear witness to the mound of putrescence to which we bore witness?"
Isagoras puffs his pipe for a time.
"Many questions. Many...questions.
The Order shall have knowledge of this.
I must needs make report and inquiry."
Aggressively taking a drag from his cigarette, Joey huffs out the smoke with a hiss as he nervously clamours, "Ahhhhhh, who said anything about the tapping and the dating!! Y-You're all such gutter-minded fiends! Thinking of our dear colleague in such lewd ways.." His voice trails as he finds himself practically having forced such thoughts into his own mind. With a quick shake of his head, he snaps back to reality and adds, "Isagoras is right though. We have no idea how long that girl was there and how she manage to elude capture or becoming devoured.. You don't suppose that they needed her for something, do you? Were they planning on using the two for something before her mother passed? If so... then what?"
He seems lost in thought for a short amount of time as he tries to piece everything together that they did find out about the town during their exploration there. A sensation of frustration begins growing within him though as he realizes more and more that they had nor have any current means of figuring out what the hell was going on in that town.
Glancing between his peers, Joey finally speaks in a low, serious tone, "... The only thing that we know for certain right now.. is that there is a big ol' bottle of tequila in my office just begging to help us relax. I say we order delivery, have some shots, and celebrate another glorious victory properly. Who's with me?"
Early summer in Arzata, NM, just a couple months after the adventure at Black Rock. In the early AM, before the sun has even fully crested the horizon, the temperature in the parking lot outside Howard Phillip's Diner is already an uncomfortably warm 92 degrees. It's going to be a hot one, Isagoras realized as he waited for his contact from The Order.
He wondered what all this was about. Normal events would allow for a remote transmission of any new missions placed upon him by The Order. Yet now he was meeting with another, a contact from Maine.
Finally, another car approached. The Diner was on the south side of the Lake, and was not oft visited except by locals, and rarely at this hour. This, hopefully was his contact.
The car was a small hybrid of some sort. A few seconds after it pulled up, a woman with thick black hair, somewhere in her late 30s or early 40s, got out of the car. She looked more like a mid-level businesswoman than a member of the order, but she approached Isagoras immediately, and gave the standard greeting, words in an ancient language rumored to be of celestial origin, used now only by The Order.
"Shall we head inside? We have something urgent to discuss."
A snap in the night and Dave was instantly awake. He knew all the sounds that were normal in his residence at night, and that was not one.
Arming himself, he moved cautiously about the house, needing no light because he knew every inch by heart.
Which is why he was startled to hear the voice directly behind him.
"Make no hostile movement. I bring a message from...a friend of a friend."
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Isagoras mirrors the greetings, uttering that proper phrases of High-Celestial almost by rote--such things were taught to him since he was a boy, and though it was deemed too low a priority to allow him resources enough to become fluent in it, since such communication is of little use in the world at large, he still feels a sense of comfort every time he uses it, like a warm blanket that's been tried and tested and always beats back the cold.
"Of course, of course," he answers, heading inside. He picks a seat in a discreet corner and orders ice water and coffee for two. "I regret that we've never had the pleasure, ma'am. By what are you called?" Thought the Order never gives precedence to social norms, Isagoras has found it's always nice to be polite.
After introductions, he sets to business, outlining the data and observations he has encountered so far, waiting for the further guidance to come.
"My name Melody, my last name is not important." Melody listens to Isagoras' report, and when he's finished, nods. "The council was wise to put you in place when they did. It seems you've done a lot of good here, and I hope you have the opportunity to do more."
"As I'm sure you're aware, the Order has a long and unbelievably ancient history. Since the earliest times, we've been assisted by a sister organization of assassins, though they are only called upon in the rarest of occasions. Most of the time, they're free to do their own thing."
"The founder of that family had a weapon of terrible power, a long knife from ancient times. After her death, it was placed at the bottom of a hole in the ancient world, guarded by the most terrible horrors from beyond time. Since your team of companions has proven effective recently, we'd like you to enlist their aid in retrieving this blade, for it will soon be needed."