Theophilus wags a finger at the Anti-ant-thony.
The snarl this time is more familiar - "Is that all you've got?" - as Dervak continues attacking the Hound.
The bloodrager looks around menacingly and the distorted voice rasps out "ʬӇѻ’Ꙅ ₦ⱻχꚐ?", looking at Mara and Theophilus - and then with a mighty "NO!" Dervak regains control - and is Fatigued for 8 rounds.
The snarl this time is more familiar - "Is that all you've got?" - as Dervak continues attacking the Hound.
[dice=Falchion]1d20+13
[dice=Damage]2d4+16[dice=Iterative]1d20+8
[dice=Fortune]1d20+8
[dice=Damage]2d4+16[dice=Bite]1d20+7
[dice=Damage]1d4+5** spoiler omitted **
Theophilus pats Dervak on the shoulder.
Rowan emerges from the spore cloud and runs up to the spear lady, and punches her.
As Rowan was just about to move out of her hex range, Mara ended the status effect on him and applied her Healing Hex.
Rowan punches the thorn coiffed druid leaving a ragged gash in her flesh but it's like punching a giant rose bush. Several thorns stick in his hand and arm.
A few of the bats in the swarm start to fall over dead from breathing in the poisonous vapours.
The druid flicks her wrist at Rowan and a bolt of lightning strikes him directly on the top of his head, adding burned hair to the already noxious mix of odors. She tries to touch Rowan with a flaming fist but he falls forward as if stumbling but gracefully recovers back into a fighting stance.
The bats try to swarm the unnatural hound but they can’t seem to hurt it in the slightest.
Dervak’s first swipe at the creature is too slow as it dodges. The maneuver leaves it exposed and unguarded and Dervak takes the opportunity to finish it. It soon dissolves into a puddle of blue pus and smoke. He soon regains composure no longer possesed by the Dark Whisper's rage.
"Are we winning?", Mara asked anxiously. Sensing that Dervak was injured, she ended the status effect on him and healed him with her Healing Hex. She continued to chant.
Ellery nods as Rowan runs to the lightning lady but sadly does not see an effective way to flank her. Regardless Ellery advances on the threat and attempts puncture her already pointy skin.
"I think we are winning, Mara. Bat swarm coming."
Oh jeez i read call lightning three times and missed that it was a standard action to call a bolt. So produce flame never happened. If you got hit by it you get those hps back, if you got those already healed you're over healed into temp hp. And swarm is not being concentrated on so that should go away right... now.
As soon as Dervak mentions the bats bearing down on the party they disappear with a pop.
Ellery misses Daridela striking her wooden armor.
Theophilus dismisses his Web, as a familiar friend pops in directly behind Melansin(?).
It's Killa Croc y'all!
plus trip
Melisenn looks like she was about to cast something but then spares a moment to straighten her dress. When Killa Croc makes his appearance. Without even looking Melisenn starts to dodge as Croc's attacks smashes through her magical shield and just bushes up against her armor. Realizing the danger she's in Melisenn withdraws from the fiend... up into the domed ceiling, laughing all the way.
Rowan pauses for a moment to measure what is left in his tank, then flurries.
Rowan is no longer poisoned.
The woman stands completely still allowing Rowan to pummel her. Again leaving his limbs bloody from the tangle of thorns.
Upon seeing that Rowan is still standing and looking around at the state of her enemies she drops her weapon holds up her arms. She yells, ”I yield! I swear it on the name of the Inmost Blot, Xhamen-Dor. As a sign of good faith…” A bolt of electricity strikes the flying cult leader.
Dervak watches as the druid turns on the cultist.
"Huh. Okay."
Dervak moves up, and draws and throws a javelin.
Dervak’s javelin lands despite the magical protections Melisenn has used.
Rowan remembers reading an entry in a book recently about the Great Old One Xhamen-Dor, also known as the Innmost Blot. Great Old Ones are otherworldly entities of immense and unimaginable power. They are completely alien to humanity and indeed humanoid life. Xhamen-Dor specifically is a sentient fungoid infestation that has infected and transformed countless worlds. When worshipped it is regarded as a deity of decay, parasites, and transformation.
Mara continued to chant and took out her Sarenrite wand. "Anyone need some healing?", she asked.
Theo sends Killa Croc to babysit the druid.
Ellery glares at the druid for a moment, obviously not happy, but nods as the walking furniture set comes over to babysit the druid. He then sheaths his rapier and drawing his bow and looses an arrow at her.
Rowan passes the killer croc on his way to Mara.
”I could use a bit.”
Rowan looks very tired and beat up from the last fight.
Killa Croc grins at Ellery.
Before Rowan has a chance to move...
Ellery's arrow sinks into Melisenn but doesn't slow her down as she descends back down to the floor.
When Melisenn lands she presents a gold Yellow Sign and a wave of negative energy fills the room damaging everyone. Rowan tips over unconscious and Daridela withers up and dies.
Mara winced as the wave of negative energy washed over her. She tried to heal Theo with her wand, while keeping up her chant.
Theophilus frowns.
The White Rabbit seems torn between feeling badly for Theophilus; and nodding in approval at DM.
Dervak slashes at Melisenn as she descends.
He tries to resist the spore cloud.
Then he tears into Melisenn. Using Fortune on the primary.
Dervak slices the cultist twice but it's not until he bites her that she looses enough blood and collapses.
With their leader defeated any remaining defenders of Iris Hill's cult to the Unnameable flee.
Theophilus slumps to the floor. He takes out the Wand of Cure Light.
Next?
Dervak wipes the blood off his falchion. He wipes a hand across his mouth as Melisenn's blood drips from his tusks.
"Hate having to do that... makes me feel like an animal. But we won, didn't we?"
Ellery puts his bow away and nods in response to Dervak's question.
He then makes some hand signs.
From Daridela (Xhamen-Dor druid): Scroll of Lesser Restoration, Masterwork Wooden Armor, Masterwork Spear, 169 platinum, 4 gold, 6x potion of cure light wounds, 3x potion of barkskin, 2x potions of hide from animals, 4x belladonna, 6x bloodroot, 10x flayleaf, 1x malyass rood paste.
Melisenn (Big Bad of this book): Scroll of Cure Serious Wounds, Scroll of Dismissal, 2x Scrolls of Restoration, Masterwork Chain Shirt, Masterwork Rapier, Gold Holy Symbol (100gp), 400gp of Powdered Diamond.
Finally you find the Pnakotic Manuscripts:
An ancient Aklo text that contains information about portals and conjuration magic. The book is relatively large, weighing 10 pounds and containing over 500 pages of parchment. The book also encompasses knowledge about flying polyps, yithians, and many other creatures associated with the gods of the Elder Mythos. In addition, the book functions as a spellbook and contains the following arcane spells: gate, greater teleport, greater planar binding, interplanetary teleport, lesser planar binding, planar binding, plane shift, teleport, teleport object, and teleportation circle.
It took Mara a few moments to realize that the group had won. "I'm glad it's over; that was awful!"
She made her way over to Rowan and tapped him with her healing wand. "I still can't see a thing; I sure hope I can cure this tomorrow. Being blind in a fight is terrible!"
She also healed Ellery, using the last of her healing for the day (other than the wand).
Picking through the rest of Iris Hill are the following rooms of note.
Greeting Hall
On the ground floor in the manor house is a long hall, clad with fine wood paneling, it looks like an oversized curio cabinet, with hundreds of items and art objects on display on small tables, in vitrines, and on benches. Dozens of paintings and tapestries of various sizes hang from the walls and muffle the echoes that would normally be present in this marble-floored chamber. A double door leads outside. Notable examples of the art:
Bathhouse
This one-story wooden building is outfitted with an outhouse and an external awning to shelter firewood. A wooden bathtub and a fireplace are inside the service building. A small shelf holds bars of soap, towels, brushes and pieces of pumice stone. Among the toiletries are three gray bars of Soul Soap.
Carriage House
The smell of freshly turned earth fills the carriage house. Behind the a large black carriage that nearly fills this space, near a wall hung with tools and various pieces of tack, is a hole nearly 5 feet wide.
A portrait in a free standing picture frame on a small tea table with a single chair features Lowls as a child (“Haserton at age 5, 4681 ar,” is written on the back of the frame) posing near a kitten at the foot of a luminous window, seemingly terrified. After examining the painting Rowan suspects that the painter intentionally created a frightening situation for the child and then expended great efforts to seize his wide-eyed expression.
"That's interesting. The Count is scared of cats? Might be something we can use against him."
Carriage House
The smell of freshly turned earth fills the carriage house. Behind the a large black carriage that nearly fills this space, near a wall hung with tools and various pieces of tack, is a hole nearly 5 feet wide.
"Let's block this hole for now and examine it in the morning, when Mara can see again."
Dervak also handles the Soul Soap and wonders if it would be useful somehow in the Release Nightmare ritual.
"Dust of Appearance? That's good. Who wants to carry this?"
Mara replied to Dervak, "Yes, Nemira mentioned that too. But deliberately scaring a small child for the purposes of a portrait? That's just so cruel!"
She accompanied the others as they searched the estate, mostly for reasons of safety.
"Well, the dust is useless to me now, but once I get my sight back I wouldn't mind having it."
Theophilus wonders the halls and buildings with the others.
Perhaps, I shall run for mayor. I like this compound.
When the party arrives back at the Sleepless Building Cesadia regards you with a worried expression, ”What happened?”
"Melisenn is dead," says Dervak, "along with many of her cult and some monsters that they had. Horrid creatures. Dead now. Melisenn hit Mara with a spell to make her blind but Mara says she can fix it in the morning. We found the body of Accuser Omari. They had a machine they were using to ask her questions even though she was dead. I guess we could use that machine to ask Omari if there is anything else she found so we can continue her work. Or maybe we ask the proper respectful way with prayers like Mara can do."