Malylev eyed the door flap, wondering if there was a squad of guards waiting outside to storm in.
Malylev hears some muffled murmuring, but nothing clearly concerning.
To Vladimir, “Would you like to bear witness? Meet the soul of Stisshak? We could go to the Spirit hut now... I am certain he will come if I summon.” His glare and imposing demeanor intensify, though his smirk remains.
Nico snorts derisively, and spits back in draconic. "And how many children will you need to bravely torture to summon this spirit? Does Stisshak demand human children? Or did you run out of your own?"
Mal murmurs to the closest of the others, trying to make it just seem like he's shifting his weight from foot to foot. "There are definitely some more outside."
Thinking that a fight with Vesket is a foregone conclusion, and that dealing with whatever the "spirit" is, Vladimir agrees.
"Yes, lets see this mighty frightener of children."
Hopefully this can be dealt with without having to fight the whole damned village... he thinks to himself.
The smirked corner of the lizard king's mouth turns downward. He breathes in deep, and exhales with a slow low rumble.
He inhales dramatically again, then swings his troll-sized arm - pointing to the reptile hide door flap.
In common... "Go."
Vladimir exits the room, ready to draw his blade if need be.
Marisol accompanies her husband, still occasionally pushing her damp hair out of her face. She's pretty sure at this point that a confrontation with some kind of evil spirit is inevitable.
Keeping a wary eye on Vesket, Nico follows after.
Garborn follows suit, wondering idly if it will be possible to ally with the tribe once the toxic influence over it is gone, or if it will have to be driven off.
Mal follows the others out of the room, trying to think of a way to call his big friend if it came to a fight.
As you exit, the lizardfolk shuffle about to surround you. Vesket follows you out, and gives his guard a gesture. They relax a bit, then follow you to the northwestern-most hut. Vesket - again flanked by his red caimans - pulls the reptile skin door flap aside, and you hear a whimper within.
After a hiss, the whimpering stops. A lizardfolk in robes and bone jewelry stands just inside the doorway holding a staff topped with a reptilian skull. Within seconds, a green glow appears within the hollow of the skull.
The lizardfolk warriors immediately kneel in reverence.
Vesket speaks... "Mighty Stisshak... your presence honors us."
The green glow exits the hollow of the skull, and becomes itself a similarly shaped skull - still glowing a hazy green, and hovering.
A voice comes from the apparition as it floats a few feet in your direction. "Whooooo?"
Vesket and the lizard shaman turn and look at your group expectantly....
Nico looks around and asks, in draconic, "'Who?' Uh...Does your glowing skull not know its own name? Or has it forgotten yours?"
Garborn can't help but snicker into his beard at Nico's question.
Possibly not the best reaction, but humor is humor.
Not completely sure of what he is witnessing, Vladimir waits for the answer to Nico's question.
Murmuring to the group, Mal said "It's a corpselight, all right."
Very quietly, Nico asks Malylev, "Weaknesses? Abilities?"
Feed on Fear (Su)
Any time a will-o’-wisp is within 15 feet of a dying creature or creature subject to a fear effect, it gains fast healing 5.
Immunity to Magic (Ex)
Will-o’-wisps are immune to all spells and spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance, except magic missile and maze.
Natural Invisibility (Ex)
Will-o’-wisps have the ability to extinguish their natural glow as a move action, effectively becoming invisible, as per the spell.
Plus.. you know their attacks are electric based, and they are hard to hit due to their quickness
Mal cleared his throat and murmured back to Nico. "They're hard to hurt with magic, except for a couple of certain wizard spells, they're hard to hit because they're so quick, they're naturally invisible unless they want to show themselves, they feed on dying people, and their attacks are like being hit with a tiny lightning bolt."
Nico says to Vladimir, a little louder but still in a hushed tone, in Elvish, "They are being scammed by a Will-o'-Wisp."
Vladimir nods to Nico's comment.
"Vesket, you and your people are being fooled." Vladimir says.
Gesturing toward the "spirit", he adds, "This is not an ancestor spirit, simply a will-o'-the-wisp, using you and your tribe for its own benefit."
"If it's an ancestor spirit, shouldn't it be able to relate the history and the will of your ancestors? Is it the will of your ancestors to hunt and terrify the children of other people around you? You have a prosperous tribe - I find it hard to believe that your ancestors would condone such behavior," adds Marisol.
"Of course, I cannot claim to speak on their behalf. Only you know your ancestors well enough to decide."
"Innnnsolence.... punish..." responds Stisshak
Some of the lizardfolk look back and forth from your group to Stisshak - those with weapons let them droop. You hear murmuring from within other huts with their pelt doors slightly parted. One even begins to address Vesket...
"King Vesket is it--"
"You dare call me a fool!?" Vesket roars, and advances - bullying with his bulk.
"Spill their blooood..."
Vesket orders his soldiers with a snarling sneer "Run them through..."
Hmm, Garborn think kill will o wisp best, but king trouble while alive.
Solution, make king less dangerous.
Garborn quickly begins casting a spell, one a bit longer than normal, that could have a great effect.
Nico pulls a miniature shovel from his spell component pouch and gestures with his hand. A large, extradimensional pit 30' deep opens up directly beneath Vesket.
"Sokan, I need you!" Mal yells as he backs away from the angry lizardfolk chief. He murmurs the words to a spell, calling up a thick white fog to hide them from the eyes of the lizardfolk.
Marisol quickly casts blur on Vlad, then draws her own blade.
His blade in his hand in a flash, Vladimir challenges the lizardfolk chieftain. "Your reign ends now, for the good of your people!"
(vs. flat foot AC) -
(precise strike deed, challenge)
(vs. flat foot AC) -
(challenge)
As the fog billows out from Malylev and spreads, you see Vesket leap from where he stood. He lands hard next to Vladimir - his movement adding force to Vladimir's strike... the wound is deep.
Skokan leaps over the long mound connecting Vesket's hut to the small one behind it. As he does, the nearer caiman turns to snag him with it open maw.
Stisshak, the will o'wisp drifts to float above the pit... the greenish light glows in the growing fog. "Yesss... fight... spill blood...."
The shaman scrambles away - to the far side of the pit, and makes sweeping gestures with his staff.
The lizardfolk warriors tentatively advance into the mist.
Vesket bellows a rageful howl, and thrusts his massive trident at Vladimir.
Marisol spends the entire combat being useless.
Angry and frustrated, Nico says, "To hell with these people." He grabs a pinch of sulfur and guano, utters a spell, and a ball of fire erupts behind the advancing lizardfolk.
Vladimir winces as the trident pierces his flesh, but does his best to keep up the attack on the massive lizardfolk chieftain.
(fighting defensively, AC 22)
(precise strike deed, challenge)
"Get behind the big one, Skokan!" The grass lion bounds away from the caiman's maw to try to flank Vesket with Vladimir.
Mal winces at the pain of Vladimir's wound, felt through the lifelink he had established days before. He doesn't bother healing himself yet, though, instead dropping to one knee to call up a thorny vine out of the ground right at Vesket's feet. "Don't forget that for everyone we kill, that will o' wisp will get stronger!"
While the spell doesn't have it's full effect on the mighty lizard king, it does steal some of his strength, as Garborns own muscles bulge a little more.
Normally, he'd like to cast some more spells, but with a Crocodile biting at him, first thing comes first.
Putting two fingers to his lips, he whistles loudly, calling for Dark star and White Fang.
He then hefts his club and swings at the reptile biting at him.
[ooc]Have we used up all the good rolls or what?[/oco]
As Garborn swings, the caiman reflexively dodges, and slides into the pit.
Vesket looks like he's been hit by a wave of exhaustion and loses his footing for a moment, but stays steady.
Nico's explosion of fire incinerates half the lizardfolk warriors... and the other three are very badly burned.
Vesket steps further from the pit, and thrusts viciously at Vladimir again.
His remaining caiman continues after Skokan.
The charred warriors drop their weapons and flee.
The shaman moves to Vesket and reaches out to him.
Stisshak the will o'wisp hover toward the group, and zaps Garborn.
Vladimir steps toward Vesket and strikes at him again, but fails to come anywhere close to the chieftain.
(fight defensively)
Nico pulls out a shaving of licorice root, and casts a second spell.
Though he's confident of the cover from the cloud, he steps around Malylev so as not to be too close to Vesket as that is clearly not his fight.
Skokan leaps at Vesket's back, teeth and claws all out.
Already kneeling on the ground, Mal uses his newfound speed to whip up a crude lizard-king fetish out of mud and sticks. He murmurs some words and points the doll at Vesket, shaking the effigy roughly.