Having already given her final orders to the elemental Ema was relieved to see the way clear for Victrix to come hauling Simon. With that she turned and began to run back towards the entrance to this whole place ready to summon again if she needed to to buy time.
Calamity and Ema race around the corner of the hallway as Victrix hauls Simon out of harm's way. But the destrachan stomps after them, unleashing a blast of sound meant to debilitate the aasimar and half-orc! The last ugothol rushes down the hall in the wake of the blast.
The elemental took a swipe at the stalker as it tore past it.
Victrix forces herself to keep running, only briefly glancing back at the pursuing destrachan.
She roars back at it before running with Simon still over her shoulder.
You quickly outpace the pursuing creatures, leaving them in your dust as you race up the stairs to the temple courtyard. You gather by Kip, Oorka, and the Andoren soldiers, ready in case the ugothol or destrachsn continue to give chase, but after a while it is clear that they are not going to follow you any further. You are safe! For now...
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"Well, THAT did not go according to plan.
That thing appeared to be guarding access to another portion of the temple, likely where any other captives are being kept.
We're going to have to find a way to destroy it or distract it, but I'm not sure how we can manage that.
After resting, maybe we can figure out a way to activate the clockwork entities and send them after it?"
Once the party is away from the temple, Victrix's rage abates and she collapses to the ground.
She's gasping for air, too exhausted and wounded to offer any input other than a pained wheeze.
Calamity is all atwitter, scared as hell and very very nervous. "Is, is it following us?" she chokes out, eyes wide and fearful.
"...I don't think so." Victrix finally catches enough of her breath to speak and sit up.
"Don't know about... sending clockwork stuff... after it. Might be worth a shot, but... it... it could easily come back... and try to kill us." She gasps, her entire body aching.
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"I am surprised that it didn't come right out and attack us. The aboleth must have it under control and wants it guarding that passage for some reason.
Maybe one of these magic items we didn't identify will give us some kind of edge as well. First, we need to get away from here and camp."
Standing up he walks over to where the unconscious soldiers were left.
"I don't feel right leaving the humans here, but we need to know if they are still dangerous."
Digging out a potion of CLW, he slowly feeds it to one of the soldiers.
Ema felt when her last elemental was banished and a tear slipped from her eye as she continued running. She knew it would simply reform on it's home plane tomorrow but she didn't like making the beings she summoned suffer like that. She resolved to make it up to the elementals somehow, maybe they'd stumble on a place with snow and she could bring them out to play for a while.
By the time they had gotten away and realized the creature wasn't following them anymore Ema was badly out of breath. She collapsed to the ground and leaned back against some of the rubble as she panted heavily and said, "Let's never have to do that again."
As the discussion turned to what to do now Ema nodded in agreement, "I don't like leaving them either, hopefully the control they were under wore off with their being beaten unconscious and all." She leaned back and wiped the sweat off her brow, "I'm just going to sit right here for a while."
The soldier opens his eyes as the healing takes effect. He glares at Simon angrily. "Your victory here is momentary. Onthooth will take you all. Resistance is futile!"
It would appear the domination is still in effect.
Ema heard what the soldier said and frowned, there was something familiar in that phrasing, something, "Ngh!" She held her head as she sat there while a spike of pain went through it and she knew it wasn't the first time she heard that same phrasing even if the name in it might have been different?
Ema rose to her feet and approached the man that had spoken, "We are the Ontooth. You're Mystical and Culture knowledge will be added to our own. Resistance is futile." her tone was mocking as she spoke the phrase and as she continued to speak, "Did you know I've heard that phrase before? Many, many times before, and yet it has never proven true."
Ema moved around to catch the soldier's eyes with her's and bent forward, trusting her friends to keep her safe from any sudden attacks, so her face was only a couple feet from his, "We've even proved the statement false in freeing two of those under his control." She smiled evilly, not so much at the man but at the one she was sure was watching through his eyes, and said in a sing song voice "We know where to find you Ontooth, and we're coming for you." She laughed wickedly as she stepped back and said, "It would be best to knock him out for now, and to keep him and the others restrained, until they can be freed from this Ontooth's influence."
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Hitting the soldier with the pommel of his sword, Simon renders him unconscious once again.
Hanging his head, he sighs heavily. "Restrain them? A score of soldiers? I don't think we have enough rope to even attempt such a thing. Nor do I think that rope would hold them for long once they rouse.
We need to rest in safety, which means we will need to put some distance between ourselves and this temple. We'll need to make some attempt to cover our tracks as we go, also."
Ema sighed, "You're right, I suppose, the problem is if we just leave them we will probably have to fight them again when we return and we can't kill them as it isn't their fault they are being controlled." She was thoughtful as she tried to consider a way to handle them all and said, "It's too bad we can't just trap them in one of the rooms we explored too bad going back to them right now is a very bad idea."
”...d’you think the wyrwoods might be able to help us with this?”
Kip snaps his fingers. "Hey, that's a good idea! Oorka and I can escort them back to Hullhold and have the wyrwoods watch them till the mental control expires. We'll be gone a few days but I think you all will be okay without us."
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Simon looks uncertainly at Kip. "I think requesting help from the wyrwoods is a good idea, but do you think the two of you can handle all of these soldiers?
When they start to recover, they are going to recover quickly. You'd soon be dealing with a squad of soldiers controlled by a malevolent supernatural entity.
As you said, the trip will take some time. How would you rest, knowing that the aboleth might try to kill you as you sleep?"
"Eh, there's only four of them, and three of us, including Gerald!" Kip laughs, tipping his hat where his pufferfish spirit animal flops about in a few inches of water. "I can call to the spirits to even the odds a bit. Send us an archon like the one Ema likes to summon to assist in the escort."
"Well, we could go with them." Victrix gets to her feet. "Bring 'em back to the wyrwoods, sort things out, find a spot to rest and get back in there."
Then Kip speaks up.
"...that could work too."
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"Ok, Kip, if you are sure." Leaning close, he continues in a softer voice, "Keep watch for our demonic friend. He might try to take advantage of us being split up."
Retrieving rope, he assists Victrix in binding the four soldiers' hands together and to each other.
Well then, let's go find a place to camp and set up a watch rotation.
Kip spends several minutes conjuring a hound archon from the Upper Planes. After negotiating with it and offering it payment, the grippli bids you farewell as he and Oorka depart with the prisoners.
You travel a safe distance from the temple and find a good place to rest. Fortunately, nothing disturbs you during the night. You awaken feeling refreshed and ready to face the coming challenges.
Victrix feels rather sore when she wakes up the next morning.
"Right. Simon, think you can prep a couple of those sound-protection potions or something?"
"...right. Guess I'll be taking on that destrachan the hard way, then."
Relieved that they had gotten the situation of the captives dealt with Ema considered what they might need to do to survive this. The biggest thing would be to be ready to counter an aboleth's mind control abilities. She knew she could manage but the others she wasn't sure of.
They made it through the night with no trouble and came to the next morning alright. When she first got up Ema began to prepare her magic for the day and sat with her spell books. She only made one little change to her list in case they needed to run again to help buy time and then when she was done cast her two normal spells before heading out. A layer of armor appeared around her before vanishing as she cast her first and the energies of unlife enwrapped her in it's protection as well to provide a buffer against harm.
With her preparations done Ema sat to eat breakfast with her friends and said, "Do you both have protection against the aboleth's mind control if we run into it? I have a spell that can protect me alright but I can't guarantee I'll have the ability to cast it more than once by the time we need it." She looked up at the sky thoughtfully and said, "Ideally we could get the clockwork soldiers ready to fight for us but I don’t think that's possible just now." Ema looked back to the others, "Anyone have any better ideas?"
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Simon studies his formula book for a while, but finds nothing that will be very helpful against the destrachan.
He settles for attempting to figure out if any of the found items can help and boosting his ability to dodge out of the way of the sound attack.
Getting out the items that have not yet been identified, Simon drinks an extract of Identify and studies them.
"This tool can change into any type of tool a craftsperson might need.
The blue robe can allow a spontaneous spellcaster to cast a spell that they don't know if they have a book or scroll.
The robe with the patches can create items when you tear the patches off.
The book is for Ema, it is a spellbook that allows for writing spells without needing the special inks. Too bad it doesn't have any silence spells in it...
The ring is helpful for doing research.
Unfortunately, nothing that will help us right now.
The aboleth doesn't worry me, but we need healing before we attempt to go back and try to get past that destrachan.
If the thing has gone back to its post, perhaps we can try to activate the constructs, but chances are, it will be waiting for us. Reconnaisance, preparation, and a quick attack are probably the best options.
Victrix, either you or I should wear the unfettered shirt to protect against the stun attack."
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"Hmmm... This robe does have some patches that we might be able to use to help. If we lure it into the southern hallway, we can throw up an iron door to block it in. We could also drop it into a pit.
Does anyone know if a destrachan can open doors? That would only work if it can't get through the library to get at us."
"I reckon you might need the unfettered shirt more. I can take the stunning attacks."
Ema considered what was said and nodded, "I think that is best then. I do have two spells I changed out today, one will create a pit lined with spikes to make enemies fall into and separate them in these halls, the other is the standard grease spell for if we have to run again." As Simon listed off the items Ema was intrigued then delighted about the spell books. She would have to start transcribing things soon it seemed.
Ema considered the pit idea more closely and said, "It's too bad we can't find a way to lure it into a trap. Force it into a pit created by my spell and then drop lots of rocks or rubble on top of it to crush it."
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Simon considers Ema's suggestion of placing traps ahead of time, but shakes his head. "I think that thing is too smart to stumble into a trap. Even if it wasn't, the aboleth certainly is.
It doesn't even have eyes, so it must use some type of echolocation or tremorsense. I doubt we could hide anything from it, and it could easily attack us from great range, so the trap would end up hurting us more than it. Short of collapsing the entire temple, anyways and that would kill any remaining settlers.
No, I think any plan we make is going to require the element of surprise. Your spike pit is a good suggestion, limiting its movement and allowing us to surround it. Maybe the cover will help protect us, too."
Victrix prepares to return to the dungeon, her anger starting to bubble to the surface.
THIS time, we won't be running scared.
You make your way back to the temple and retrace your steps down the eastern staircase. You move down the side hall to confront the destrachan, finding it guarding the same corridor. The faceless stalkers have replenished their numbers, and once more, four of the aberrations lurk here as well.
Despite expecting to fight, the enemies react swifter than you can. The destrachan unleashes a blast of stunning sonic energies before the ugothols rush forward to attack, though the two close enough to strike fail to pierce your armor.
Victrix is barely able to brace herself in time for the destrachan's stunning burst.
She lets her anger flow into her limbs, her vision developing a red haze at the corners and compelling her to hack through the ugothols...
Victrix chops into the nearest ugothol twice. Simon finishes it off with a slice of his sword before turning to the next one, wounding it as well.
Ema decided it was time to operation Pitfall into effect. She chanted, gestured, drew on her reservoir, and cause a spike lined pit to appear partly below the destrachaun and right next to one of the stalkers. The sloped edges caused the stalker to start sliding into it while the destrachaun already began to fall into it since the ground suddenly vanished beneath one of it's legs.
Calamity stares daggers at the destrachan, willing it to be unlucky enough to fall for Ema's trap.
While the destrachan resists the full effects of Calamity's evil eye, the hex is still enough to hamper its movements so that when Ema conjures her pit, the monster slips and plummets into its depths! One of the ugothols falls in as well.
The ugothol climbs aboard the destrachan as the beast digs its claws into the sides of the pit and starts clambering back up to the surface. The other faceless stalkers move to flank Simon, one scoring a good hit with its sword!
Victrix, still seeing red, swings at one of the ugothols flanking Simon.