Arasmes continues to hold steady with his bow, the warrior shifting to avoid the remaining bats.
The non-immolated bats continue their frenzied swarm, although their numbers have been greatly reduced. With Assad and Grall in place to feed on, they do so, the two serving to shield the more vulnerable members of the group behind them.
Assad continues to hold in place as well, the great beast doing his beast to ignore the swarm as his eyes searching the night for what he obviously sees as the greater threat.
Herne exchanges scimitar for a javelin from his back brace. The tribesman is clearly well out of his normal comfort zone, facing undead and swarms of creatures of the night. His face is rigid as he appears to fights back against the grip of rising fear, yet he does not appear ready to retreat.
???
Round 3
Initiative
Khalid 26 (readied action)
Centipede Swarm 22
Grall 18 (delaying)
Linah 17
Zeladiel 11a
Nuveril 11b
Arasmes 11c (readied action)
Bat swarms 11d
Lammasu 9
Herne 5
?
Notes
Effects
Ahead of the group, Khalid is caught between swarms of vermin.
Khalid beats a hasty retreat behind Grall and the remaining bat swarms just as the roiling carpet of centipedes rolls forward like a wave, engulfing the mighty gnoll and stopping just short of the lammasu.
The bleeding gnoll is stung dozens of times in those first few seconds. Alone the tiny stings might not be serious but together the barbarian can feel their combined venom working their way through his body, threatening to steal his agility.
Grall stays strong under the onslaught, the barbarian maintaining his composure and resisting the centipde's poison as well.
Uncertain, Linah delays, the priestess currently out of the swarm's effect with the others at the back. Their movements are difficult to predict though...
Zeladiel draws not an arrow but a wand. He mutters a brief incantation and waves the claw footed rod and a being of pure fire appears beside Grall amongst the swarm; a small fire elemental.
Zeladiel commands it in a hissing tongue.
Nuveril bleeds.
Zeladiel concentrates on activating his wand while Nuveril delays.
Arasmes continues to search the darkness for a more substantial target. Surely the vampires are out there somewhere....
Arasmes continues to search the night for a more substantial target.
1-2 stay put, 3 move
The remaining bat swarms contine their frenzy, flying above the centipedes on the ground.
Assad and Herne hold their positions, the lammasu holding his position behind Grall and roaring, more in anger than pain, as the bats claw and bite at his hide.
???
Round 4
Initiative
Khalid 26
Centipede Swarm 22
Grall 18
Linah 17
Zeladiel 11a (casting)
Nuveril 11b
Arasmes 11c (readied action)
Bat swarms 11d
Lammasu 9
Herne 5
?
Notes
- General light conditions are now dark although light spells provide normal light in 20' radius and dim light in a further 20'. Khalid, Zeladiel and Linah have these running providing Zeladiel and Grall with an effective 60' of vision.
- Vegetation hexes are difficult terrain and block vision beyond 5'.
- The first line of water hexes is difficult terrain (for you at least).
Effects
Shield of Faith (Khalid)
See Invisbility (Khalid)
Weapon of Awe (Khalid)
Protection from Evil (Grall, Nuveril)
Bulls strength (Grall)
Blur (Grall)
Enlarge Person (Grall)
Mage Armour (Zeladiel)
Gravity Bow (Zeladiel)
Bless (all)
Protection from Evil aura (20' from lammasu)
Minute per rounds buffs have about 2 minutes remaining, the bless and Grall's bulls strength have longer
Bleeding (all) 1hp damage in action
Map is HERE
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As the rift closed behind Rovagug, the master of destruction knew himself betrayed. But the god of disasters could afford little time for regret. Crushing pressure, liquid metal, fire, and stone surrounded him, pressing the Beast from all sides. Rovagug took out his rage upon the planar fabric, squeezing air from earth, turning fire to water, carving vast halls against the weight of rock.
In time, Rovagug created enough space to feel safe, and hungered. No souls to consume, Rovagug devoured hidden mountains and washed them down with magma and boiling iron. He dug through the earth, and spent a year gnawing new tunnels and caverns in the depths. And as his halls collapsed, Rovagug recaptured moments of destructive joy, but came no closer to vengeance. He needed more eyes, more feet, more claws.
The god had never considered offspring, but now the solution seemed obvious. He drew upon the essences of the stones and base beasts of the depths, and his children were born. To these unholy spawn he granted shells of adamantine, claws to tear the earth, and bodies that writhed and crawled. He sent six of them in all directions, and none returned. Then he sent another six, and another, knowing that their tunnels would surely, someday, reach a portal or a surface.
In time, he realized that he could not send too many, for each child left him exhausted. And so the spawn of Rovagug grew fewer, even as he impressed on each monstrosity the urgent need to find a passage out of his prison. Some of these children did find the world of light and, having inherited their parent’s savagery, set to slaying every living thing they found. Yet none of these monstrosities ever returned to the depths, being as wrathful as their father in their murderous abandon, and heedless of Rovagug’s search for freedom.
All contemporary accounts are clear that it was six adventurers that set out from Kelmarane to Katapesh bearing the legendary Scroll of Kakishon, fantastic creation of the Archmagi Nex.
Khalid Al Hazareen, Inquisitor of Sarenrae, Moldspeaker and mortal host of Vardishal the North Wind. At this stage, the only other Templars that Khalid had met were poor doomed Kardswann and the villainous Zayifid of the West Wind. But that of course was soon to change with meetings and confrontations with the other Winds fated to follow. And Zayifid still dogged the groups steps, apparently spreading mischief for them, his true motivations in recovering the Scroll then unknown.
Grall, gnoll champion and former slave. It was upon Grall of all the group that the consequences of slaying the Carrion King would most keenly fall. A confrontation with family was coming and actions that would change the fate of thousands of the regions gnolls.
Nuveril, halfling warrior and wielder of the mighty ancestral hammer of the pugawampis. Following a dim trail somehow linked to her mysterious amulet and the scroll with just a few tantalising hints from an old rogue’s journal, the halfing would face fateful choices concerning both her lost family and her own hard-forged identity.
Zeladiel Araxyll, elven evoker and student of Rayhan Xobhadi. Not yet the mighty battle mage he would become, Zeladiel’s concerns were with the bargain made by his lost father with Urd, Captain of the notorious Sunset Ship. His assumed obligation would soon fall due and the elf had little inkling of how to discharge it. Of course, Zeladiel and the group would soon encounter a Rough Seed in a place and manner they did not expect and the mage’s affection for his old master would be tested.
Linah Jamil Kaid, priestess of Sarenrae, healer and custodian of the Kelmarane Church. As always Linah’s concerns were for the safety her fellows. Keeping them, and herself, alive amidst the storms to come would test the priestess to her limits.
Arasmes Ik-Abhald, brave nobleman of Katapesh. Unfortunately, Arasmes was the second of the group to fall (the monk Sajan dying in battle at the House of the Beast), the warrior’s body is thought lost during the battle with the vampire spawn at the Well of Deep Paradise.
With the six travelled Haleen, the human woman which history records as Grall’s paramour. Later she would [text unreadable]. On the road they soon met the Kellish merchant Radi Hamdi and agreed to lend the man’s caravan the group’s considerable protection. [more unreadable text]
The battle for the Well is described in detail in Canon’s works on [more unreadable text]. In hard-fought battles the group defeated both the vampires and a former paladin, now a powerful spectre.
Linah’s powerful prayers having restored the Well, the group bid farewell to its lammasu defender and the Badawi tribesman Herne who returned home with the remains of his son (whom the group had dispatched as a minor spectre) and vanishes from our records. It is recorded that this was a difficult decision for Linah who [more unreadable text] but ultimately elected to continue with her companions. Zeladiel must surely have been keen to get to Katapesh with the last day of Rova rapidly approaching.
But before making it to Katapesh the group would face one of its greatest challenges …
- Sage Ajunta The Chronicles of Katapesh
With the death of another friend, Zeladiel demands a punishing pace, but seems to be punishing himself the worst. The first to rise each morning, he studies his magical tome but those that spy him see no pleasure as he voraciously scans the pages.
He paces feverishly without a word as camp is broken, constantly scanning the horizon and scowling at any who approach. He particularly avoids Linah. The others learn quickly to leave him be but he rarely leaves sight of the party.
His knuckles are white from clutching his bow. The silence that radiates from him is deafening.
With the death of another friend, Zeladiel demands a punishing pace, but seems to be punishing himself the worst. The first to rise each morning, he studies his magical tome but those that spy him see no pleasure as he voraciously scans the pages.
He paces feverishly without a word as camp is broken, constantly scanning the horizon and scowling at any who approach. He particularly avoids Linah. The others learn quickly to leave him be but he rarely leaves sight of the party.
His knuckles are white from clutching his bow. The silence that radiates from him is deafening.
It doesn't take long for Zeladiel to notice a familiar shadow. Like the faithful dog he is Grall keeps an eye on Zeladiel from a distance. He knows he may further frustrate the mage but he can't stop his nature.
Zeladiel is part of HIS pack...and he will do what he must to protect them, in spite of what the members of the pack may want.
It is hard to say if Nuveril broods more often after the battle for the Well than before. Arasmes she does not greatly miss, though she respects the warrior's death he found; she misses Sajan and his quiet strength more, and the ancestor-dogs at Kelmarane. What is certain is that she grows visibly more anxious and audibly more snappish with every day they near the city and the answers it may provide or, more likely, fail to.
She spends what time she is not stalking the perimeter of the caravan alone in Linah's company, in which she takes surreptitious comfort, though she is not skillful enough not to hurt the woman's feelings with her blunt tongue and bald opinions
It is evening on the 15th day of Rova, four days since you left the Well and one since you left the dry savanna behind, the terrain turning rocky and even drier. Another day or two and you will find the true desert that will take you all the way to the fertile valley that holds Katapesh, hard against the eastern sea. Five or six days travel in total to the south-east if the conditions hold. Sandstorms of course could double that.
To the good you've traveled far enough east that you are now on trader's trails, although this far out from Katapesh the way is less trail and more simply straight line from water source to water source.
The nearest of those is fairly well known, a deep pool sitting just before the desert that is a common land mark and camping spot. Water sources in the desert itself are rare but your planned route will take you to a well known oasis, the Oasis of the Lost Sphinx, almost in sight of Katapesh itself.
With Linah's magic able to refresh your waterskins, you have it far more comfortable than most but no traveler in this harsh land ignores water where it is available.
It has been days since Grall received a chilling message in his mind. This time you are just finishing your evening meal, the last meat Nuveril and Grall managed to scrounge up from the savanna when the gnoll hears another.
Again it comes to your ear as a raspy whisper:
Vengeance is coming ... Grall ...
Grall waits a moment before reacting. Everything within him wants to lash out... growl, bite. But he knows that is what his enemy wants, feeds on. He decides to try and counter Zayfid at his own game.
He clears his mind and tries to hear him.
even though he knows he will likely hear nothing. He then speaks back, quietly.
Yourrr threats grow weakerrr Zayfid. All you have is hate and vengeance. Do you know why you will lose? Because you have nothing but that hate and that vengeance.
When you arrre rready to die, come to me and I will end yourrr weakness and sufferrrings.
|
Placing a hand on the massive gnoll's shoulder, Khalid says, "Stay strong, my friend. Zayifid's ways have always been trickery and subterfuge...at least that is what Vardishal tells me...he does not want the direct confrontation you would seek, but eventually he will have no choice if he is so hellbent on acquiring the Scroll."
Grall can perceive nothing else but the raspy voice whispering in his ear.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
And indeed you can hear something feminine in the whisper.
I am coming for you nephew. And the Sons of Carrion come with me!
You can come...and I will do what has to be done to stop you.
Grall explains to the group the latest exchange. I know nothing about this magic they use, but we must be carrreful. Likely they will trrry something soon, beforrre we do something with the scrrroll.
Haleen places a small hand on Grall's back and gives him an encouraging smile.
The merchant on the other hand seems to be weighing up his chances.
He makes his case directly to Zeladiel who has seemed the most likely to take the caravan's protection into account.
Master Elf! Surely if we are to come under attack by gnolls we should try and avoid them, race to Katapesh as soon as we can!
Grall smiles a toothy grin back at his love...feeling like there is nothing he can't handle.
Then to his friend, Khalid, is therrre a way to block or hide frrrom theirrr vision's?
Grall brings the group aside to discuss the happening, deliberately excluding the displeased merchant who hops from foot to foot.
"Are we quite certain that the gnoll is not imagining things?" Nuveril asks pointedly. "Twice now it has heard voices, although at least this time it was considerate enough not to rouse us in the middle of the night to tell us about it."
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"There are too many of you carrying people around in your heads," Nuveril complains. "What did this voice say?"
Zeladiel stalks forth, his presence felt almost before he brings attention to himself.
"Voices? Whose? Exactly what was said and to whom?"
While obviously listening to the response, Zeladiel peers intently at the air above each person's head, quietly muttering arcane words.