Tolenn advances into the room, to stand before the unarmed creature. She holds her attack however, waiting for the result of Gaius's gambit.
Gaius sends his weapon swinging at the large man-thing, shouting out a demand. The inquisitor's sword seems to just rebound off the oaf's skin as the man just stares at Gaius dumbly, a stupid grin on his face.
Tolenn, on the other hand, gets a bit more attention as her scimitar slices through a particularly thick layer of skin on the man's chest, spilling out subcutaneous tissue and blood. "Hey! You no stab Cabbagehead!"
Pyron gets behind the formidable eidolon, doing some witch thing that makes people suck in combat. The brute somehow manages to shake off Pyron's hex, only taking the penalty for a short time.
The brute swings wildly with his fist, managing to land a solid blow right in the paladin's face. He yells, "You go in pit now. Me feed you later! Uhh...maybe."
Summary:
Cabbagehead - 6 damage
Tolenn - 7 damage
Initiative:
Round 1: Tolenn, Gaius, Pyron, Cabbagehead, Wednesday, Raamanti, Zart
Round 2: Tolenn, Gaius, Pyron, Cabbagehead, Wednesday, Raamanti, Zart
Pyron starts to give the creature some crazy looks and then starts cackling like mad! (-2 to AC)
Advancing into the room Daud swings at the creature.
Raamanti steps forwards behind Gaius and swings his hammer past the man with all the fury he can muster.
Perhaps feeling sorry for the creature, perhaps distracted by Gaius' footwork, Raamanti's blow goes well wide of Cabbagehead.
Not knowing quite how else to help his companions at this point, Zart moves up behind Raamanti and casts guidance, hoping the eidolon's next blow will be more accurate.
Zart wracks his brain for any weaknesses this abomination might have.
Gaius sidesteps the ogre to allow Raamanti a clear shot at it He bashes the foul creature on its skull, and glares at it menacingly.
Wednesday rushes forward to attack the freak, eager look on his face. Perhaps switching weapons frequently is throwing his aim off, as he misses with the sword badly.
Raamanti, feeling a bit of sorrow for poor Cabbagehead, swings wide of the huge man, his weapon crashing into the floor with a thunderous bang.
To Zart's trained eye, this man seems to have quite a bit of ogre blood in him. So much so, in fact, that he probably would count as an ogre (giant) in regards to spells and such. Studying the thick folds of skin, he deduces a weapon would have to penetrate deeply to get to the important stuff beneath (a large natural armor bonus).
Tolenn begins to step around the freak, working to get a flank. She lashes out again with her scimitar. More focused on positioning, the paladin's blow slaps against the creature's skin, but does not penetrate.
Gaius steps to the side, the flat of his weapon ringing against Cabbagehead's thick skull. The large man growls, not looking the least bit intimidated.
Pyron continues to perform his witchery, trying to make the man easier to hit. The brute looks irritated at that, as well. "Quit looking at me like that, stupid head!"
Cabbagehead switches targets, deciding that Gaius talks too much and hits too hard. He swings wildly, but the wily man easily evades the blow.
And then the party does their best version of Hop on Pop, pounding the man into submission.
Raamanti gives the helpless creature another hit with his enormous lucerne hammer, going for the base of the skull rather than anything lethal, THAT SHOULD KEEP HIM SLEEPING FOR A GOOD LONG WHILE, MY MASTER.
Raamanti searches the rest of the room for anything of note, and then cautiously checks out the path branching off to the right of their present chamber.
Thank you, my friend, replies Zart silently, nodding to his eidolon in approval.
"I suspect that creature was more misguided than malign," Zart looks to the deformed, unconscious thing on the ground, before looking up to Daud, "However, I could see the mercy in ending such a wretched thing's existence. I don't suppose the authorities will treat it very well, and we can't very well leave it here. If Gaius wishes to redeem it, I believe he could make a decent go of it once we deal with Rolth."
Zart turns, the same sad expression that usually covers his face seems somehow even sadder than before, and he continues after his eidolon at a healthy distance.
"So now you want me to play executioner, simply because you think it would be merciful? Do it youself Shadowcaller." Daud with a scoff before following after Raamanti.
Zart looks genuinely confused, "I think we should let him live. I was saying that I wouldn't judge you for choosing otherwise. When our life is no longer in peril, we will need to have a talk I think. For now, though, let us just move along."
Daud shrugs. "You're neither a priest nor a paladin so your judgments of me mean nothing."
Pyron finishes cackling once the creature slumps over. He shakes his head at the two who argue, though he stays quiet on this topic not wanting any of the spotlight. He casts his orison on everyone giving everyone 1 additional hit point before they move into the next room.
Raamanti checks out the eastern passage, sliding down the narrow tunnel a couple hundred feet before deducing that it likely did not connect with the chambers of the current complex. After returning, the group turns north, going up a short flight of stairs and following another curvy, narrow tunnel for a short distance before coming to a door.
With his hammer at the ready (as ever), Raamanti listens at the door for what might lie beyond before flinging it open and striding into the room.
Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, the sturdy eidolon throws open the door. The nauseating mixture of decay and strange chemicals fills the air of this large room. Glinting saws, pliers, long stitching needles, and other surgical equipment are organized on shelves and benches along the walls. A sturdy wooden table in the center of the room supports a large humanoid shape—a thing stitched together from a patchwork of dozens of different bodies. The thing would stand nearly seven feet tall if it rose.
The head appears much too small for the body. It is topped by brown hair, and there is a distinctive scar upon the left cheek. Based on Thousand Bones' description, this is likely the head of one Gaekhen. Nothing else is noted in the room besides its exits to the northwest and southwest.
Moving into the room and examining the body Daud will gather the tools and, assuming the body doesn't rise and attack, attempt to remove the head without damaging it further.
"Well now," Zart mutters forlornly, "It looks as though we have most of the corpse of the Shoanti. Let's see... the legs from the room with that tentacle beast, the arm from the rotting golem in the boarded up room, now the head... oh, it seems we are missing an arm and a torso still. Do you think the Shoanti man will mind if it is a few pieces short? Perhaps he will, maybe we should find the rest... oh, and we need to find the necromancer, Rolth. Mustn't forget about that. War is important to avoid, yes, most important. But can do both justice and prevent war. So we should."
Zart seems to becoming more withdrawn and internalized. His manner of speech is as though he is talking to himself, or just himself and Raamanti, as he mulls things over in his head.
"WE HAD BEST BE MOVING ON THEN, MY MASTER," says Raamanti, once Daud has gathered the head. Raamanti regards the two western exits to the room. Since the southern exit looks to be leading back the way they came, Raamanti elects to go the northern one. SOMETHING TELLS ME THIS WILL LEAD US TO ROLTH AND THE REST OF THAT SHOANTI.
Raamanti waits to receive his usual magical enhancements before moving on, his shadowy and indistinct eyes and ears working hard to sense any danger ahead.
Wednesday makes a messy job of it, but eventually manages to re-sever the head, dumping it in with the rest of the Shoanti remains. Meanwhile, Raamanti leads the party to the northwest exit.
This chamber holds a large fourposter bed and a simple writing desk,
along with a full-length mirror propped up against one earthen wall. There is no sign of anyone in here, and certainly no arm and torso present.
"BEST TO KEEP MOVING, THEN," suggests Raamanti in a voice like very distant rolling thunder, "I GET THE FEELING WE ARE GETTING CLOSE."
Once again, Raamanti waits for his master and his master's companions to cast their wards (exactly as above) and strides purposefully down the next passageway, keeping his eye out for any traps, of course!
He gets the feeling we're getting close not just because the blurry numbering went from D11 to D12, but because the well appointed bed chamber is always at the end of the dungeon. Has anyone else noticed that? I can just see inside the designers' minds: "well, the BBEG has to be the last thing they encounter" (though why that's the case, I don't know- I'd love to do the end fight at the start just once) "and the BBEG needs to sleep, so since he's an evil genius, he gets duck down blankets and beautifully carved beds with lovely hangings on the walls." So predicable.
"Well now," Zart mutters forlornly, "It looks as though we have most of the corpse of the Shoanti. Let's see... the legs from the room with that tentacle beast, the arm from the rotting golem in the boarded up room, now the head... oh, it seems we are missing an arm and a torso still. Do you think the Shoanti man will mind if it is a few pieces short? Perhaps he will, maybe we should find the rest... oh, and we need to find the necromancer, Rolth. Mustn't forget about that. War is important to avoid, yes, most important. But can do both justice and prevent war. So we should."
Zart seems to becoming more withdrawn and internalized. His manner of speech is as though he is talking to himself, or just himself and Raamanti, as he mulls things over in his head.
The Shoanti did not seem like a man who would be willing to settle for anything less than the entire corpse. We need to find Rolth anyway, so we might as well keep searching for the rest of Gaekhen.
Gaius will ask Calistria for Guidance before continuing down the next passage.
Wednesday follows after the others, humming as he does so, bringing some of the surgicals tools in case they're needed.
Pyron will cast of course. Pyron will look through the desk in the master bedroom before he leaves the room.
This dry, well-kept chamber contains a narrow bed, a relatively empty shelf containing only a few books and some bones and skulls, and a long bench. A man’s torso, the chest bearing numerous tribal tattoos and with the right arm still attached, lies on this bench. The arm periodically thrashes and clutches at the air as if it were alive.
Raamanti sees a flash of movement within the chamber: a small form floats up out of view above the entryway.
Looks like we found the rest of the body, or at least more of it. Pyron looks through the books to see if there is anything interesting inside them. ((edit: plus two not plus three)) He will probably take the books as evidence
"DO NOT ENTER THE ROOM YET, FRIEND PYRON," warns Raamanti, putting out a hand, "FLYING THING ABOVE. BE READY"
Raamanti leaps into the room through the entryway where he saw the floating thing, and swings for it.
As Raamanti telepathically informs him of a floating creature, Zart decides he'll need a flying creature of his own. He begins a spell in the charcoal grey tongue of shadowmancy:
"καλέσει σκιά αετός"
Daud merely lets out a sigh and behins rubbing the ridge of his nose.
Tolenn advances in the shadow of the eilodon, noting where it was swinging that big hammer. She moves further into the room, so she had a better vantage point on their adversary.
As Raamanti enters the room, a line of fire suddenly shoots down from near the ceiling! The eidolon tries to avoid it, but the aim is true, if barely, and Raamanti is severely wounded.
In retaliation, Raamanti takes aim and looses a swing with him mighty hammer. Just as another loud 'crack' seems inevitable, the head of the hammer meets an invisible force just long enough for the creature to steer clear of the weapon.
Zart, meanwhile, starts to call in backup, starting to summon an eagle friend.
Tolenn moves into the room, and sees another little crazy man, who looks much like the others, except that this one wears robes and is flying in the air in the northwest corner of the room.
Moving into the room towards the body Daud will draw the closest thing he has for a ranged weapon, the cleaver, and lob it at the creature.
Wednesday lobs the cleaver at the flying little person, but he remains cool and calm as the cleaver bounces off an invisible shield around him.
Pyron will move to see the creature. Pyron gives him an evil eye for now. (-2 to AC for 1 or 5 rounds).
The more of Rolth's minions we encounter, the more I revile him, Gaius says, sword clattering to the ground.
He moves into the room approaching the flying foe, drawing his whip as he does so. He cracks the weapon, trying to wrap it around the creature's legs.
Pyron turns his evil eye upon the creature, making him easier to hit, as Gaius comes bounding in, drawing his whip and snapping it up. He effectively wraps it around the little guy's legs.
The man, realizing his spellcasting will be seriously hampered, instead pulls a patch off the robe he is wearing, tossing it behind Wednesday and Tolenn. When it lands, in its place a zombie appears, festering rot apparent as it moves to strike Daud! A bit disoriented by its sudden arrival, it misses, claws scrambling for purchase against Wednesday's armor.
Leaving the spellcaster to Gaius' and the other's capable hands, Tolenn strikes at the summoned zombie....
More than happy to let the others deal with the crazy flying man Daud will draw his terbutje and hack at the zombie alongside Tolenn.
Zart moves over to Raamanti, his poor wounded eidolon and chants shadowy words of soothing, healing magic.
"ανανεωθείτε πρωτογενή κλήτευση χαρακτηριστικό της κατηγορίας άνθρωπος"
Raamanti, with renewed vigor, strikes out at the foul necromancer. He takes careful aim, rather than going all out to damage the necromancer.