Damieka braces herself while readying a shot in order to bypass all her friends.
Fortitude Save =
Even from her distance from the creature Damieka is shocked by the sheer ugliness of the sound the creature throws at them and puts a hand on her head, dropping her arrow.
Zara
Davben
Nicea
Samara
Vargouille
Damieka
- Silva holds action.
- Zara fails her Fort save and is Paralyzed for 7 rounds.
- Davben moves into position and attacks, striking the Vargouille right in the wing.
- Nicea swings with her scythe but misses the Vargouille.
- Samara stabs at the Vargouille, Killing it mid air!
- Damieka also fails her Fort Save and is Paralyzed for 7 rounds.
|
Nicea relaxes as the Vargouille thumps to the ground with a wet splat. "Well done you two," she tells Davben and Samara, "What was that hideous thing? And what is wrong with Zara? She's not talking. Something has happened to her."
Nicea moves to Zara's side and shakes her shoulder gently, peering into her face. "Dav, can you tell what's wrong with her?"
Leaning against the cold wall; her mouth open in shock, eye's sightless gazing into despair. The dancers nervous system gone into shock from the horrific creatures howl.
|
Davben nods to Samara "Well done, we'd have been hard pressed if it had managed to fly out of our reach." Hearing Nicea's concern for Zara, he comes over to see if he can help, and looks to see if he can spot anything wrong.
"I don't see any obvious wounds." he states after the brief examination "Judging by her expression it appears that she was literally scared stiff." With a shake of his head "Sorry, I'm not really a healer, I can't say for sure what's wrong. Her muscles may have seized up, perhaps if we massage them they will relax and she'll be able to move again." The monk offers helpfully.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down a bit there, Ben," Silva calls out to the monk, before moving towards Damieka to check up on her, "It should wear off in a minute or so. This is what vargouilles do - scream in your face, scare you stiff, and then slobber all over you while you're helpless. Next thing you know, your head flies off your shoulders and you're one of them."
|
"I would suggest shaking her a little. That is what they do in plays. It is a thing that I have seen done on stage..." says Samara softly, looking down at her feet after being complimented on her bladework by Nicea and Davben. She cleans the rapier off and sheathes it. "I don't think it has anything," says Samara, disappointed, but still leaning down to check just in case.
|
|
Davben looks over towards Silva and blinks a bit "Although the rest of what he said made very little sense, Silva seems to be familiar with the condition. If he is correct she should come around soon." He looks towards the tall warrior as she takes off her gauntlet "I do not think violence is appropriate at this time Nicea."
He moves over to Silva and Damieka "Damieka was affected as well? I'm glad we stopped the creature before it slobbered on someone." He puts his hand on the paralyzed half-elf's cheek looking into her stiffened face, then leans over to pick up the arrow she dropped when she froze returning it to her quiver. "So they'll just come around on their own? No need for shaking or massaging?"
|
|
Nicea's shoulders sag in disappointment as she pulls her gauntlet back on. "How long is this gonna take? I mean, if it's hours, we should lug them back to town where it's safer. We need them both working right before we go into combat again."
She peeks down into the water to ensure that nothing is moving around in there.
"They'll come around on their own in not even a minute at most," Silva says, clearing the way for Davben. "Let's just wait a bit and catch a breather."
Zara shouts as the shock wears off.
Looking wildly around the room, she tries to locate the horrific creature. "Is everyone alright?" her voice smaller, vision downcast in embarrassment.
Shaking off the noise, she moves forward to the central well. Dipping the end of her scarf on there, she removes it and looks at the dripping corner.
She goes to take a handful of the water, then stops... A moments paranoia overcomes her, 'Nothing about this place is right, why should the water be?'
Instead she starts a chant and her body is dappled with water from the gods. The refreshing water drips from her body and she lets out a soft sigh. "That's better."
There does not appear to be anything obviously wrong with this water...
Damieka gasps as she comes to and shakes her head, "That was the most horrific scream! Is everyone alright?" She looks about to see what is going on then rests her head on Davben's shoulder.
Seeing that the others are probably shaking off similar effects Zara looks around the room, the door temptingly upon the far side. 'What's through there?' she wonders, regaining a firm hold upon the haft of the weapon. 'Could it be a trapped door, it looks important.'
"I'm alright Damieka, that was such a scream." she consoles the lady. "Are you shaken too, your hands feel like ice." the dancer says placing a hand gently upon Damieka's.
|
|
Davben smiles towards her when Damieka comes to, and to Zara when she comes over as well "Good, you're both alright I believe the rest of us were unaffected. To be clear though Zara I was not going to kiss you, only massage in hopes to get movement back into your muscles. Silva said it was unnecessary and that you would come to on your own shortly." which is a little surprising, one would have thought he'd be first in line "I'm glad to see he was correct. When you are both ready we should be able to continue."
Since Zara had dribbled the water over herself he asks about it "Anything odd about the water in the well?
"Sorry, I didn't mean you..." Zara replies looks away embarrassed at her outburst and uselessness against the creature. Her head whips around; "Not that I want to kiss you.... not that you are repulsive... Oh I mean..." she verbally digs herself deeper.
Then looks to Damieka; "You should massage her, she looks a bit stiff."
With all the flustered talk Zara momentarilly forgets about the well.
|
|
The bloodshed provided a brief respite from the awkward romantic entanglements that the others in her party find themselves in, so Samara is a little bit disappointed that her steel is no longer drawn. With murdering foes no longer a distraction, she decides changing the subject may be wise.
"Are any of you tired? I have heard that magic is a thing that can make a person very tired to use. That is a thing that I have heard. After our esteemed leader," she gestures towards Nicea, "Has been injured so badly a few times... Might rest be wise? I do not care either way. I am not even sore."
Damieka chuckles lowly as Zara and Davben talk, her muscles starting to work and her breath coming more freely. She waits until Samara speaks to even try more as her throat had become dry and now was fine.
"Glad you're fine, Zara." She ignores the embarrassment Zara was going through to make it easier for her to become unflustered, "I am doing well enough now I believe. We can continue as long as everyone else is ok. I didn't see whether you got hit Nicea. I thought I saw you attacked by you got out of the way. Is that so? My vision had gone hazy about then."
Looking away from the group to Samara personally she adds quietly. "Ever since we came back here, I have been pushing my limits and tired. I have no more powerful blessings, but we still have the healing wand... and who knows the limits of their body until we push them." the dancer adds seriously.
"Looks like we're all good to go," Silva says, grinning as Damieka and Zara come to. "We'd better get a move on. I wasn't kidding when I said that I'm starving... maybe we'll make it back in time for supper."
"Yeah, we've started so we might as well finish...hang on." Zara starts to ask her Goddess for guidance whether this is the correct course of action, for protection for those she cares about her, those of good heart, those pure of spirit.
This set of spiral stairs looks just like the stairs in the other room that lead down, only these go up. Much like the other staircase, this one is also collapsed and leads nowhere.
Zara looks into the pool, captivated by what she finds there. The mild ripples upon the surface. Suddenly she looks up at Samara's words, as if a conjuration has been broken. "Oh yeah, I don't know but that must be some ancient place... packed full of history and knowledge." she then shrugs and looks to back from whence the came.
"So we head back and take the lower place, maybe work out the mystery of the place?" she says softly, realising that it might be better than procrastination or further arguments and insults.
Damieka sighs at the two women and starts out after them, tapping Davben as she jogs by to P8, "Don't be in too much of a hurry you two!"
"Sorry, but the sooner we explore this place the better." Zara says softly; "Then we can find it's secrets and stop the goblins."
Damieka shrugs, "You forget the three armed wonder, Nicea. Besides, Zara is right that the sooner explored the better. Plus ... well, if we make sure we've checked it out we can feel better about leaving the town to do that hunting trip knowing there won't be some trouble from here."
Zara leans over to Damieka and whispers in her ear.
|
|
"Are you certain that freak was a goblin? It didn't look right at all. The ones in the marketplace were ordinary. But Dameika has a good point. If we make sure there's no threat here, we can feel more confident in leaving town to hunt the Little Green Horde."
Nicea holds up her lamp to see what is down the hallway, ignoring the cleric's incessant fondling of the ranseur's hefty shaft.
"Well, I would've asked Quasimodo myself, but you kinda pushed him down a pit," Silva gibes playfully as he follows the others, "But yeah, I wanna get out of here. The magic here is too... old. It's suffocating. And just a little more sinister than I am comfortable with."
"Good to hear you aren't up for all the whips and chains..." Realising what she has said Zara clamps a hand over her mouth and blushes furiously.
"Never again," Silva says, shaking his head.
Damieka turns her head and smiles at Zara giving her a half hug to the side she's on, "Yes please. Thank you my friend."
"That's exactly it, Samara. Nicea."
She laughs then winks at Silva, "That's probably a story you won't be telling over the dinner table."
Warm feelings bubble up at the hug and the delicate joking amongst the companions or at least she hopes it's joking... "Well, there appears not much else around here? I'll give you the blessings once more."
Again Zara beseeches her Goddess for aid, Then she quietly moves onwards, the shadows of Davben's lantern upon her.
"Yeah. Too bad I left my big-ass suit of armor back in Cheliax," Silva says sarcastically as he follows after Nicea.
"It's a very nice thing isn't it." Zara moves after Nicea and has a look around, calming the beating of her abundant chest. Apprehension has set in, death stalks these corridors and there is a weariness to her bones.
As Damieka goes ahead she stops and looks about with amusement, "Yes this thing does seem rather nice. I wonder how nice it is.
Perception
Zara turns around and gives Damieka a cheeky wink at her teasing tone, the friendly glint in her eye promises much and implies the strong bonds that have grown fast.
The tunnel widens here into what appears to have once been a small shrine, for to the northeast, steps lead up to a platform of gray stone . Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it.
This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.