Feeling the raw emotion she is pushing onto these werewolves B'yelka feels herself welling ever larger-and she shoves that power onto the remaining wolf.
Bab=8
Dex=4
PBS=1
Longbow=1
Rapid shot=-2
Deadly aim=-3
Bracers of Falcon's Aim=+1
+10/+10/+6
Damage
Str=2
DA=6
PBS=1
Total of 9
and
Stepping back to get a clearer shot, Anton launches a volley of silver arrows at the werewolf before Drosil.
HP=68/68
Lay on Hands [x][][][][][][]
Level 1 Spells - Divine Favour [] Protection From Evil []
Level 2 Spells - Eagle's Splendour [] Litany of Righteousness []
Anton kills the wolf, the other wolf doesn't return.
Dantrian's posture returns to its typical stiffness slowly, once he and the others seem reasonably sure the other wolf isn't returning. He glances to Duristan as he approaches B'yelka and Anton, "Can we take that as evidence we are nearing the stairs?" Turning to the pair then, he asks with uncharacteristic earnestness, "Are you both ok? You were not bitten, were you?"
Wincing with pain, B'yelka looks under the armor on her shoulder. She breathes a sigh of relief, "Just a nasty bruise, the armor mostly did it's job. But those things hit like a ship's cannon!"
She takes the wand from Anton and gives herself a dose.
"See, almost perfect."
Howls echo through the woods. Many howls.
"Yes, we are near. Let's move!" Duristan says. He turns back to the trail, and waits impatiently for the others to follow.
Barely a hair out of place. Anton says with a smile. Is everyone else alright?
I hope we are getting close. What can we expect there Duristan?
"I don't really know. I just know where it is. I've only seen it once before from a distance. Some sort of tower. When we get there, I will split off from the group and take the opposite side from the rest of you."
What did the fool man just say?" B'yelka looks at Duristan for a moment before she replies. Her tone is all honey and cream, but... "Are you daft man? You have seen how quickly these things come, and you know better than we that they never come alone. Do you think you could really challenge, much less survive an attack by three, four or even more of these infected wolves?" She faces him and puts her hand on his shoulder, "Stay with us if you want to live. Go alone into the woods if you seek a permanent solace."
As the party nears the tower and the stairs within, Dantrian quaffs a series of additional elixirs and potions. As he finishes, he accepts Drosil's offer of use of his dagger. "I had hoped the magics woven into the mace might have been strong enough to overcome the resilience of the lycanthrope's curse, but it seems the enchantments are not so strong as I had hoped. Thank you, Drosil."
Turning to Duristan as he stows the mace, the alchemist arches an eyebrow. "You do not suffer the curse of lycanthropy yourself, do you, Duristan? Or perhaps you know something about the Stairs or this tower which you have not revealed? I struggle to see any other possible reasons for you to strike out upon your own, so surrounded as we presently are."
HP: 67/67 +13 temp
AC: 19 (11 T / 19 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +10/+9/+6
Spontaneous Healing used: 0/35hp
Enhanced Potions used: 1/3
Mutate used: 0/2
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared Mutagen: Strength (darkvision, scent) [ ]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [ ], shield [ ], open [ ] [ ] [ ]
Prepared 2nd Level Extracts (3+1): ablative barrier [X], alchemical allocation [X], barkskin [X], false life [X]
Prepared 3rd Level Extracts (1+1): displacement [ ], thorn body [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
false life (8 hrs)
ablative barrier (8 hrs): 0/40 hp converted
barkskin (80 minutes): +4 natural armor
heroism (80 minutes): +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks
Drosil nods at the others. "Right. Duristan, there is nothing to be gained from attempting to flank these creatures, especially when they could attack from ambush at any time." He shakes his head. "I will not force you to stay with us, but I'd just as soon not risk you contracting this disease, either."
"No, Duristan, we need to stay together here. You of all people should know how a pack of wolves hunts. It waits for a stray member to move just a bit too far away from the herd and then they cull it. If you go off by yourself out here, you'll be signing your own death warrant. Stay with us and help us make sense of it all."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Anton just shakes his head at the man's foolishness as he makes his way to the corpse of the werewolf and searches it for anything useful
Duristan just shakes his head and says, "I can handle myself. It'll be better if we come at them from two directions."
"Then that is that. I am done with you. Hurry now, go to your death." She sneers and adds, "Who shall we notify of your death?"
She's right Duristan. I know we've had our cross words but surely you must see rhe folly in this. Please, we all have a better chance of survival against these wolves if we stick together.
"Who says I want to live?" he scoffs. "All I care about now is making them pay."
If that's true then all the more reason to stick together. We can achieve much more as a group than alone. But I won't argue any more, you will do as you will
Janos sighs. "Then go, Duristan. May your death be swift. The wolves will tear you apart." He nods to him and then turns away.
"Ok, the sane people can continue on and figure out what is going on here."
-Posted with Wayfinder
While Ashan does offer an approving nod to Janos' handling of the situation, the words he offers to the air alone offer more uncertainty. "Telanadas..." With that, the masked elf nods to the others and prepares to move on.
__________
The group continues towards the temple, and a few minutes later Duristan says, "It's just up ahead. I will come around from the south. I'll see you inside." Without a further word, the arrogant nobleman stalks off silently into the woods, circling towards the south.
The way ahead is clear, there is a lightening of the darkness. As the group continues on the temple suddenly comes into view. One hundred feet from the temple, the forest line breaks, forming a small overgrown clearing around the ruins.
The temple is essentially two buildings in one—a wedge-shaped, flat-roofed, trapezoidal edifice attached to an immense tower of stacked flat stones rising to a dizzying height. Also constructed from large stones, the wedge shaped building stands about 25 feet tall, though it contains only a single story. A series of arches in the north wall permits access to the interior of the building’s ground floor, while a pair of ascending ramps carved into stairs climbs to meet the spiraling stair that wraps around the tower.
Along the south wall of the temple, the first ramp climbs from the forest floor in a straight path until it reaches the roof of the low building at its western end, 25 feet above the ground. Along its north wall, the opposing ramp doubles back, climbing another 25 feet to connect with the tower and join the staircase spiraling around it.
The tower forms a tapering column of solid rock that rises nearly 150 feet above the forest floor, capped with an open-air observatory at the top. At one time, the tower’s apex stood above the trees, but over the passing years the trees have surpassed its height, hiding the temple from view. There are four werewolves on the roof of the first story building holding longbows, and taking cover behind decorative stone columns. These are not the over sized Vollensag, but rather normal human sized lycanthropes. Their fur is silver colored.
They don't look the same as the others, they must be a different tribe. Whatever we do we have to cross this distance and get in there. Is everyone ready?
Anton says, more anxious than ever now the temple is actually in sight
"We should move quickly. Once we leave the trees, we'll be exposed and if the wolves come for us, it will be then."
Janos cocks his head to one side, listening to some unknown sound. He nods, speaking off to no one. "Yes, that could be helpful. I didn't know plants knew so much about moving fast." He chuckles. "I suppose so."
His attention refocuses on the group. "Just a moment. I'm being told, someone can help." Janos kneels down and seemingly begins whispering to the ground. Over the next few seconds, you don't notice anything change. When the Ranger rises, he trots around the group in a circle. The half-elf covers the ground surprisingly quickly, and if you study his feet, you swear you can almost see the leaves, grass, and ground itself shifting to propel the Ranger forward.
"Ok, I'm ready. Let's move to the temple. Whatever is going on will be centered there."
Is there a chance not all of them are aggressive? I can cover your advance from here but I don't want to fire the first shot if I can avoid it. the paladin replies.
After Duristan slinks off and the tower proper comes into view, Dantrian falls to one knee suddenly as a wave of pain and fear wash over his face.
"Nggggh." He gasps for breath as the change begins to distort his body. His eyes shoot a pleading a look to each of his allies before he doubles over again, silver fur exploding from his body.
When the alchemist looks up again, there are no longer any recognizable signs of Dantrian in the hulking form before the group. Huge shoulders, bristling fur and gleaming fangs have replaced the alchemist's normally forgettable face.
A slow pant of pain from the creature slowly turns into a low, rumbling laugh as Dantrian's allies prepare themselves for the worst. The laughter quickly fades as the figure looks to the people surrounding it, its eyes shining yellow and its maw turned up in a gleeful smile.
"Ahhhh! But it feels so good to be free at last! Ha ha!" The wolf takes an invigorating breath then and offers an earnest smile to the others. "Do you have any idea how long I've been trapped in there?" He glances down at his hands as he flexes them, as if regarding the claws for the first time.
Shaking his head with another laugh, the wolf then fixes his eyes on Anton, a wide smile slowly spreading across his face. Before the Desnan can loose his arrow, the wolf dashes forward and throws himself at the man, but Anton feels no claw rend his flesh nor any fang pierce his skin. The creature that once was Dantrian was, oddly enough, hugging him. The wolf then pushes Anton back out of the embrace, holding the man at the shoulders, and offers in its harsh, gravelly voice, "Ah, it's good to meet you at last, Anton!"
The wolf then bounds to Drosil and Janos, doing the same. "I've been eager to finally meet you too!" Then B'yelka, though for the lady the wolf takes her hand and offers a gentrified bow as his shining eyes hold hers. And while he doesn't embrace Ashan with an eager hug, he does take the masked man's shoulder in one massive hand as he grips his opposite arm just below the elbow - an ancient elven greeting normally shared between good friends.
"I was thinking that mewling snot wasn't ever going to leave. Glad that he finally did! Ha ha!"
HP: 67/67 + 13 temp
AC: 25 (11 T / 25 FF)
CMD: 22
F/R/W: +10/+9/+6
Spontaneous Healing used: 0/35hp
Enhanced Potions used: 1/3
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [ ], shield [X], open [ ] [ ] [ ]
Prepared 2nd Level Extracts (3+1): ablative barrier [X], alchemical allocation [X], barkskin [X], false life [X]
Prepared 3rd Level Extracts (1+1): displacement [ ], thorn body [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
false life (8 hrs)
ablative barrier (8 hrs): 0/40 hp converted
barkskin (80 minutes): +4 natural armor
heroism (80 minutes): +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks
shield (8 minutes): +4 shield bonus
Ashan stiffens, awkwardly, at the embraced gesture. There's a noise that comes from behind the mask, somewhere between a chortle and a cough. "Yes–[i]well. That's—" Ashan disengages himself gracefully from the greeting, looking an awkward as a cat that was just licked by a dog. "The tower ahead appears to be fortified. Sentries posted, watching. They've seen us but not called out an alert, which indicates that perhaps we are not the ones they are defending against."
Looking back over his shoulder to whatever—whoever it is that Dantrian has become, Ashan opines, "Perhaps we should have our newly revealed companion attempt to parley?"
Taken aback by this turn in Dantrian, B'yelka brings her hand to her neck and even goes so far as to blush. "Did you say trapped? Are you not Mister Almaeus?"
"Dantrian? Oh no, I'm not Dantrian, sweet B'yelka. He's still in here, we've just traded places it seems." He smiles and laughs again and there's something chilling and sharp in the sound.
Turning to Ashan, he grins, the expression that of a predator staring down helpless prey. "Parley? I could try, I suppose. Perhaps they'll mistake me for one of their pack? Perhaps I am one of their pack? Heh heh heh. Who can know? If they're a threat though, easier just to rip out their throats and eat their feeble hearts." At this last, his gaze turns from the group to the rooftop sentries, his voice lowering into a menacing growl.
"Yes, why don't we try the former and assume the latter remains on the table?" Ashan looks briefly at Janos, then to the others. "We should be prepared for the worst."
___________________
When Dantrian turns, Anton rounds on him with bow raised and arrow drawn. For months the alchemist has been warning him that this day would come and that when it did, Anton would have to put an end to it.
He feels the tension in the string and though he has told the story half a dozen times of how he broke his elbow as a child and could no longer straighten his arm fully, therefore absorbing any fatigue in a drawn string, the bow quivers uncontrollably in his hands.
He tries to fire. Wills himself to do it. But he can't.
Before he knows what is happening he is in a warm embrace, the smell of fur strong in his nostrils and a harsh, guttural voice in his ears.
For a few moments he is too taken aback to speak, only dumbly listen as the others address the creature-that-was-Dantrian.
You...<ahem>.. the paladin swallows dryly. You speak of Dantrian like he is a different person. If that's the case, who are you?
The creature turns away from hungrily staring at the waiting sentries back to Anton, his yellow eyes alight. "Who am I? Haaaaah, that's a question Dantrian himself has avoided for quite some time now." The hulking figure taps a long claw against the tip of his snout in consideration. "Hmmmm. What was that word Dantrian used to describe me again?" He taps his claw for a few moments, then pulls it away, bouncing his index finger twice in the air as he recalls. "Ah yes, that's right." A wicked, guileful grin spreads across his face again as he offers with a gravelly, almost-purr, "Call me 'Feral'. Ha haaaaa, yes, I think I like that. 'Feral'. I'm sure Dantrian will appreciate the irony." Feral's eyes light along with another grin as he considers his name, "Then again, knowing the stuffy stiff as well as I do, he probably won't. Heh. All the better then."
Anton's eyes narrow and he looks not at this creature, but through it, to it's core.
You said you thought he'd never leave. And you knew my name. Were you always aware what was going on? And is he aware now?
Feral's lips curl in another wicked grin as he recognizes the focus in Anton's eyes and he playfully chides, "Careful, Anton, you might not like what Desna's eyes reveal." He holds his hands down to his side, freely allowing the scrutiny as he answers the archer's questions. "Always aware? No. There are flashes from years ago, brief and fleeting shortly after Dantrian began administering Petros' elixir. I wasn't constantly aware though until your run in with Ferramin in the bowels of Harrowstone. Since then, I've seen and heard it all." He nods somberly and adds, "And yes, Dantrian's aware now. He's nothing if not stubborn and willfull and he's already mustering the will and strength to push back to the fore, but it's better for him if I help you with these whelps at the stair."
As Feral awaits Anton's judgement, his gaze bounces from the Desnan to the others. "You've nothing to fear from me if that's your concern. Well, unless you threaten to harm Dantrian, of course. Hurt him and I'll feed you your own bowels. But otherwise, I think you'll find our aims align."
The paladin's gaze doesn't break and now it is he who takes a step closer, so close that he can smell the thing's breath hot on his face.
I'd never hurt Dantrian. Can I trust you to do the same? Now that you have had a taste of freedom, will you relinquish it again? Not without a fight I'd warrant and I don't think that's a fight you want to pick, creature. For so long he told me about his curse and the creature within and I tried to convince him that even a curse can be a blessing in disguise. he gives a short snort of laughter. What a fool I was. I can see into the hearts of men and know what dwells there. I see now yours is black as pitch. When this is over; the man returns, the monster recedes.
Desna's pale face, how did you live so long with this evil inside you, my friend?
Janos swears as Dantrian turns into a great beast, "Dantrian, I don't think this is quite-" The Ranger cuts off as he sees the werewolf move. That's not Dantrian.
The magic longsword comes clean of the sheathe, but before his can brace himself for the attack, the wolf is on him....Hugging him? The Ranger is stunned and nearly drops his sword as the werewolf makes its introduction.
Janos gives a nearly wolf-like growl as he hears the beast speak of Dantrain, a man who, despite their differences, he has come to know as a friend. Heat rises in his voice, and the half-elf has a tight grip on his sword now. "How in the world do our aims align, 'Feral'?! You are everything our friend has feared. He spent his life's work trying to prevent your emergence." He voice grows grimly quiet. "And he prepared us for this possibility. In all his cold logic, Dantrian was passionate about one thing. That you never live to threaten anyone."
Janos turns his head in shock at Anton's response. "Dantrian warned us about this! We can't trust him. He'll join with the wolves and revel in their power! Dantrian knew the secrets of the Temple and he can add that knowledge to the packs! Even become Packlord himself." He look back at the wolf. "He would not want that."
"To be fair, this new Dantrian has not threatened anyone, except the guards of the Stair. And, Feral has been... gracious. Exuberant, even."
I know, Janos! Anton hisses. He would shout if it did not give away their position.
Don't you think I know he wouldn't want this, didn't he tell us enough? Gods, man, he asked me to kill him to prevent it ever happening in the first place!
But there could be dozens of those things in there. Do you know anything about them, because I sure as Hell don't. But what I do know is that this is the closest we have been to the Way since this whole damned thing began and Dantrian would want us to put emotion aside and think logically. The five of us can't do it and this ... thing is one of them. It can think like them, fight like them.
He is deeply ashamed of what he says next;
We... we need it.
"You want to see the Way thwarted and Petros avenged, do you not? I want the same!" A hot fury suffuses Feral's words as he speaks of the group's quarry. "There are two people to whom I owe my very existence, Janos: Dantrian and Petros. And those scheming cowards took Petros! Before I could even meet him!" He snarls, punching one meaty fist into the palm of his other hand. "I would see their entrails withered in the sun and their hearts crushed into pulp! They should pay for what they did to Petros and for what they've tried to do to Dantrian and to the rest of you!"
Realizing everyone's hands drifted defensively to hilts and handles as his temper grew, Feral takes a steadying breath, his voice returning to it's earlier, almost playful tone. "Dantrian feared he would loose a mindless horror that would devour his friends and innocents alike. He does view you as friends, by the way, though he'd never use the word to describe it. I am not mindless though! No, most of all I mean to keep Dantrian safe, to protect him; even from himself if need be." He gestures to the sentries on the distant roof as an immediate illustration. "I'd like to keep you all safe as well, if for nothing else than for being faithful friends to Dantrian. Whether or not he appreciates what you all have come to mean to him, I do." His eyes flash again in the light, his hands once more at his side in a non-threatening display.
"In helping me, you help Dantrian. In helping Dantrian, you help me. Draw what arbitrary lines you like, but there are none dividing he and I any longer."
B'yelka pulls Anton to her and whispers, "Whatever else it is, it is still Dantrian. Mr Almaeus said this would happen. We may not need this but we do need your stodgy partner in crime-less and my mentor."