Naridre senses hostile beings circling all about. They seem to be holding off, staying at least three meters off from the clearing.
Perception
Merle perception
Seph perception
Justin peers around, anxiously twitching whenever he hears the puppets making noise. He is determined not to allow any of 'The Kindling' to deface their hard work.
It almost seems like they are circling. Like they can't approach the circle
"They're on all sides. Watch for an approach from anywhere. But for now...it's like they're avoiding the circle. Still, they're there. I can try to throw around debris and that might flush them out, if you think that would be helpful. There's plenty to throw in here."
"My blades tire of tasting just air Elan, go ahead, throw debris and as they flee I will end their nipping at our heels for good".
"Elan? Is that what I am? I think I will have many questions for you later..."
Naridre's eyes glowed bright green as she manifested Telekinetic Force, abruptly hurling multiple objects around the room and hopefully creating chaos for the puppet creatures.
Nari's eyes glow and racks of clothing and props explode out in a circle. Screeches meet their ears as the circling dolls are caught off guard. Several can be seen knocked prone
The circle meanwhile is completed, Seph and Justin's intricate chalk lines surrounding the bright red markings of the original circle and its glittering centerpiece
Hamar again moves with blinding speed to attack the prone puppets.
Scimitar +1 Keen, Planar – 15-20x2
Attack #1 - - Damage (30)
Confirm Critical -
Attack #3 - – Damage
Scimitar Keen Invigorating – 15-20x2
Attack #2 Offhand - - Damage (36)
Confirm Critical -
Attack #4 Offhand - – Damage
Hamar's scimitars whirl in a glittering arc. Doll parts scatter as more of the creepy living puppets disintegrate
"Nice work Nari, Hamar." Justin calls, keeping an eye out for others trying to sneak up from the other side. Even though he got the same impression as Nari had, that the strange animated dolls could not approach the circle for some reason.
Well, it was about time something went right.
"Maybe they were supposed to be the perfect defense? Untiring animated defenders of an object that they couldn't approach. Making them perfect for guarding, with no worries about them getting out of control and wrecking it instead?" Justin muses aloud.
Seeing Ekuur stand from his meditation, Justin lights the candles with a wave of his hand. A dim glow slowly creeps from the candles, following the lines of chalk in the circle.
"Go ahead Ekuur!" Justin says, pointing at the runic 'keystone' of the chalk circle.
The Athasian cleric keeps his chanting up, pointing at the circle. A red glow flashes and a hum seems to vibrate the still air of the dark chamber the circle is closed and energized
Hamar continues his assault on the little vicious creatures, the less, the better.
Skirmish +1 to AC, 20% concealment against ranged attacks as I have moved 10'.
Scimitar +1 Keen, Planar – 15-20x2
Attack #1 - - Damage
Confirm Critical -
Attack #3 - – Damage
Scimitar Keen Invigorating – 15-20x2
Attack #2 Offhand - - Damage
Attack #4 Offhand - – Damage
Confirm Critical -
Justin's head bobs slightly. With powerful magics being contained within an arm's reach before him, he finds the percussive rhythm of Hamar's assaults upon 'The Kindling' strangely relaxing.
The wizard chants briefly, causing a soft glow to shimmer around him before fading into barely visible sparkles of light.
"Right then. Let's do this before I come to my senses." Justin says jovially.
One hand holding his precious medallion before him like a shield, Justin takes a breath, and steps across the glowing runes of the Fire-Enpowered Circle of Containment,...
Merle draws a wand ready to blast anything that pos it's head up
Ekuur finishes casting the magic circle. As he does so, a flash of red flame emanates from his obsidian symbol and infuses the scribed circle; seemingly lighting it on fire but not consuming the chalk lines. The room in the vicinity seems to warm up, almost as if nearby a wood stove or small campfire. "It is done," he says simply.
Justin uses his key to walk through the newly-inscribed circle. He takes a deep breath and scrapes the contained circle with his boot. There is a flash and a howling as magical energy pours out, then rebounds back into the circle. In a moment, whatever energy was released disapates
Justin grins and casts Mage hand, scooping the large diamond from its iron throne. There is a sudden *pop* sound that comes from above, shaking the ancient floorboards.
Justin looks at the large gem. Clear and tinged bluish, it glimmers in the hand-shaped force Justin summoned like a small star. It is fully as large as a quail's egg, and beautifully faceted
Justin continues to grin as he carefully takes the beautiful gem from his magical hand, then dismisses the small hand of force with a wave. He turns, holds out his pendant, and exits the circle. The mage holds up the gemstone for the others to see.
"Well, THAT worked out better than I had hoped. Gotta love it when a plan comes together!"
Justin's face turns serious.
"Now, let's get out of here."
Justin pauses only long enough to cast a charm on the gemstone, Then hands it to Ekuur once he is certain it is safe.
"Here. Figure you can use this to restore whatever life energy that d@#$% undead took from Karrin."
"I can, but we need two things - a way to crush it to dust, and a safe place to rest so I may pray for the ability to restore Karrin's life energy."
Hamar turns to Justin, "Go, I will covet your backs, just in case".
Hamar shifts to the defensive creating a perimeter with his whirling scimitars so the rest of the group can head up the ladder.
Justin heads for the ladder without looking back.
"Don't have to tell ME twice,..."
Once up at the top of the ladder, in the ancient theater turned church, Justin responds to Ekuur.
"I'm pretty sure that between us all, we can figure out plenty of ways to pulverize a gemstone. As long as it doesn't have to be pretty, just crushed." he smirks.
"As far as safe goes? Well, we've closed the portal," He nods towards where they entered from. "And we bypassed their clever little security summoning system. I figure it will be a little while before 'they' realize anything is wrong. And unless my library readings were very much mistaken, time is of the essence when restoring stolen life-energies, correct? I don't think we're going to get much safer in the short run. I say we set up camp here, and bunker down until you get your prayers and Karrin both sorted back out."
"Then,... Well THEN we figure out where we are, and find the shortest path back to the nearest portal to anywhere but here!" He adds vehemently.
"Now,... About crushing that gem,..." He murmurs.
Justin looks about, his gaze lingering on Karrin's and Rhainnon's armored footwear,...
"Gems are like glass," Karrin says before she can stop herself, "They're usually pretty strong from some angles, diamonds especially, but you hit them from a different angle and they'll break apart easy enough. Not sure about crushing them, diamond dust is usually a byproduct of cutting and shaping diamonds into beautiful and resilient forms."
Justin blinks at Karrin, opens his mouth, then closes it with a snap.
He recalls Karrin frequently mentioning spending time in the library growing up, and nods.
"That sounds right. Diamond is supposedly the strongest natural rock there is, but it is essentially just a very shiny rock. I'm certain that we can find a way to crush it enough to get some dust. We just need to be careful to not shatter it and send any useful parts scattering across the room."
Justin clears a small area with his boot, sending ancient dust up in puffs.
"First, we need an area to work in,..." He mutters, making waving motions with his hand.
The floor in front of him is magically cleared of dust and debris, revealing the clean, if ancient, floor beneath. He motions for Ekuur to place the gem in the center.
"I think I can keep the pieces and any dust in this area, if one of you armored individuals could lend a hand? Or more accurately, a boot?" He grins.
Ekuur places the diamond into the cleared center and backs away. "Perhaps we should place a cloth of some kind underneath, to catch all of the resulting dust?"
"Good idea. I should be able to keep any from escaping by keeping my cleaning charm active, but that would certainly make picking it up easier!"
Justin produces a large scrap of leather, (spare component for his ever-present Armor spell) and places it under the gem. He makes a stirring motion with his finger, and a barely visible movement of dust around the edge of the small circle can be seen.
"OK Karrin, Rhainnon, would one of you armored ladies care to do the honors?" Justin grins, still stirring the air with a finger.
The diamond is safely powderized, and the dust is delivered to Ekuur. Hamar seems to have chased away the haunted puppets
Ekuur takes the powder, and tucks it safely away. "We must find a place of relative safety to rest, and then I will perform the ritual immediately after I perform my service to the Sacred Flame."
"Here seems as good a place as any in this Godsforsaken place. I shall take the first watch".
"We usually pair off," Karrin says, leaning on her axe, "Some of us are better at the looking then others you see. You seem like you got sharp eyes, so I'd prefer to slide you into the middle watch with me. That's the one I used to share with Isaac, our old leader. "
Hamar shrugs, "As you wish, please wake me when it is my time".
He sheathes his sword, strips his armor and hits the floor practically in a dead sleep in moments...
The group settles in to the cleared center of the circle. Piles of musty costumes make ersatz sleeping nests. No fire is lit, with the chance of Ill fortune befalling with all the wood and cloth about, but the room is warm enough.
The rest of the group slumbers fitfully as the first watch stares about. The occasional giggle in the distance lets the group know a puppet or two still linger, but they seem to have lost their taste for conflict
:)
Justin, adrenaline still in his system from the recent bout with undead-summoning magics, is in no condition to sleep, and takes the first watch. He sits on the floor, back to his watch partner, flipping through his traveling spellbook between furtive glances at every (supposedly puppet-made) sound.
Nari once again manifests Detect Hostile Intent in order to make it more difficult for an enemy to sneak up on her.
"Justin?" she asked softly. "How do you think those dolls are made? Are they souls trapped inside a puppet somehow? Do you think they were bad souls and this is some sort of punishment maybe?"
"Hmmm,..."
Justin doesn't answer immediately, and Nari can hear him still occasionally flipping another page in his spellbook. Finally he huffs a little.
"Well I'm not 100% certain Nari." Justin says thoughtfully, for some reason he always seems to be more careful about choosing his words when speaking to Nari.
"I'm specialized in elemental magics. I am well-versed in the theories, and could construct one with a little assistance, but constructs in general aren't my specialty." He whispers back.
"They obviously seem to be constructs of some kind. And I have heard of some practitioners who can trap souls into dolls. But whether these are those, or just general run-of-the-mill miniature wood golems I'm not certain."
Justin shifts nervously at another skittering sound in the darkness.
"Although considering their advanced tactics, and their annoying giggling, I'm leaning towards soul-dolls." He amends nervously.
"Well, I won't be able to tell without closer examination, but even if it is a trapped soul, I doubt this was a punishment. Not of the Powers making at any rate." Justin continues, trying to sound more positive for Nari, while still whispering.
"Remember that not all Planes inhabitants look at the passing of souls the same way. I would certainly cringe at the thought of putting my soul into a puppet. But perhaps these folks looked at it as an honor? Or it's a continuation of ancient tribal traditions that allowed people to benefit from the wisdom of their ancestors long after they had passed? Heck, perhaps these were just old show folks who didn't want to give up the troupe life just because they were dying! I can imagine a hundred scenarios where volunteering for such a process might be justifiable. <Still gives ME the creeps though>."
"Presuming these dolls are inhabited by formerly-living persons, Judging by their actions, I'd imagine that being trapped in such a state for possibly hundreds of years after all of the living were killed by undead has unhinged them somewhat. Even with proper mental preparation, the humanoid psyche just isn't developed to 'live' for hundreds of years in such a form. I mean, look what happens to most liches and such. Most go insane after a few hundred years at most. And they're continuing in their own bodies!"
Justin stops, and takes a deep breath, finally realizing that he is 'rambling', again, and that his monologue may not be having the calming effect on Nari that he had hoped. He softly clears his throat.
"Well, we may never be able to figure out their original purpose, benign or otherwise, not without their cooperation. Which is unlikely." He whispers.
"But, if this WERE a punishment, it seems particularly diabolical. I mean, being trapped and forced to work in a performing troupe for eternity, THAT seems like cruel and unusual punishment, don't you think?" Nari can almost feel Justin's grin from behind her.
;)
Justin, formerly highly vigilant, finds that his rambling has caused him to pay less attention to his surroundings than is probably wise in their current predicament. :/
"I don't think living for hundreds of years is really cause for going crazy," she said, sounding a little amused. "But I think I understand your point. It's possible that the process that put them into the dolls in the first place unhinged their minds. Transferring psyches is a delicate business."
"I don't think living for hundreds of years is really cause for going crazy," she said, sounding a little amused.
Justin snorts. "I've met a few elves, and other long-lived races, that would probably agree with you. Even accounting for those who go crazy of boredom." He concedes in mutual amusement.
"But I think I understand your point. It's possible that the process that put them into the dolls in the first place unhinged their minds. Transferring psyches is a delicate business."
Justin coughs slightly in embarrassment.
"Yes, well,... I bow to your expertise in such matters Nari. The magics I've read about would agree with you. All of the known spells and enchantment procedures for transposing a consciousness are only possible by those who are masters of the Art." Justin replies carefully, unsure why he suddenly feels nervous. After all, Nari had been just fine since they had all waved good-bye to her 'high-strung' alter ego. (To put it politely).
Hadn't she?,...
Yes, of course. Just,... being temporarily trapped on a world populated entirely by Undead was making him more paranoid than usual.
Annnnnnd Justin mentally makes another tic mark under the heading of 'Things I Didn't Think Were Possible To Do Today'.
And another under 'Open Mouth, Insert Foot'.
1d20+10
"I don't think living for hundreds of years is really cause for going crazy," she said, sounding a little amused. "But I think I understand your point. It's possible that the process that put them into the dolls in the first place unhinged their minds. Transferring psyches is a delicate business."
Nari:
*bump*
"Ack!" Justin cries bravely in surprise, trying to turn around to see what in blazes Nari is doing and not get tangled in his coat at the same time.
"Sigils and Symbols Nari! Uncalled-for Nocturnal Pyrotechnics are supposed to be MY thing!" Justin cusses, finally managing to turn around.
"Why in Conjuration are you shooting off fireworks in the middle of the night? At,... The,... Ceiling,...?!?" Justin finally notices that Nari is staring straight up, her arm still extended from her electrical discharge.
Justin sighs, and purses his lips, still looking at Nari.
"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"