Kricker incants another spell hoping to draw the Shade further into this plane. Ghostbane Dirge (DC15).
The glowing sword swings again at the shade. (round 2 of 4)
Jeji and Whiskifiss continue to stand agog in the mist, their minds filled with the final moments of the ancient pilot and his suicide mission. Kricker calls upon his War God to draw forth the haunt's ectoplasm making it more vulnerable to the weapons of this world. The shining divine blade continues to hack away at the ghost. Drahlneep holds forth his spear instead and with Perrik's blessing charges the dead thing in the mist. ; Perrik's divine assistance guides the spear and it hits the coalescing form further injuring it! The babbling is punctuated by moans as the shadowy hand reaches out to grab at the berserk kobold. Drahlneep shakes off the touch of insanity however.
Kricker summons another divine sword to try to end the shade before it causes more trouble. Spiritual Weapon
And the swords both swing at the shade.
The shade dodges one spellblade only to suffer a slash from another summoned forth by Kricker's prayer. As Perrik surveys the damage wrought against the mad spirit, Drahlneep lunges forward again!
;
The enhanced spear drives deep into the fraying ectoplasm and the shadowy form dissolves into the fog. The mad babbling sputters and fades into silence freeing Jeji and Whiskifiss from the bondage of the mad visions. Moments later, the fog disperses and the place feels less ominous and merely empty and old.
Perrik cackles gleefully. "We have killed the angry spirit! Let's see what TEK it was guarding!" The oracle opens with a detect magic cantrip, to see if there's anything arcane present while the rest of the party searches for other things.
As expected, there is nothing magical in the place. The ancients here used only TEK. But as spotted earlier, there is a laser pistol and some sort of shirt made of tiny highly reflective red discs. Both artifacts are in excellent condition and inside a built-in pocket in the shirt is a claw length crystal fitted with a metal cap that holds prongs to plug into something.
Perrik has no idea what this advanced TEK might be.
Jeji was still lost in visions of another time and place when Perrik's words returned her to reality. She couldn't shake the feeling that what she had witnessed was important and so was very distracted as they started examining the Tek.
"Perhaps we should return to Dinvaya. Maybe she can tell us what they do."
Also lets do a more thorough search of this whole space now that it is cleared out. I remember that we left here in a hurry last time.
"Yes, let's. There may be more to find."
Now that the curse appears to have been lifted from the ancient ruin, the kobolds explore more carefully. Nothing remains in the front room besides chairs and strange instruments attached to the walls of the room. Back in the place with the glass coffins, a rather gruesome inspection finds a total of 4 gray key cards in the pockets of the strange armor worn by the dead humans. Other than that only broken things and rubble fill the remainder of the place. It appears the kobolds have properly looted everything of use.
Neither Whiskifiss nor Kricker can make anything further of the shiny shirt or the crystal so it is hoped that the Hermit might know more. Stepping back out of the scrap pile, the kobolds see that the mists have disappeared, but strangely the sensation of something watching remains as they walk through the canyon to the climb back up the wall of junk to the hidden passage to the far end of Scrapwall.
The oracle murmurs, "I think one of those flying BOTs is watching us. We need to get under cover."
The best cover is likely to head back into the tunnel through the wall so the Cyberfangs scurry back up the heaps of wreckage and duck back into the southern passage. After retreating a short way in the watch the entrance, but no buzz of observerBOT wings is heard and nothing appears to be following. With that, Whiskifiss takes the lead again followed by Kricker, Jeji, Perrik, and Drahlneep guarding the rear. The passage would be tight for humans, but the kobolds have plenty of room to pass through the conglomerate of wires, broken panels, twisted metal and other scrapped equipment. Oddly, the feeling of being watched doesn't go away as the group continues forward to the midpoint of the passage.
Suddenly, Drahlneep gives a wail, "No!" and he attempts to push past everyone to rush forward!
Perrik:
Kricker: ;
Drahlneep:
foe:
"What? What is it? What do you see?"
What did you see Drahlneep?
Kricker casts Aid on himself as a precautionary measure.
Kricker barely has time to get his prayer off before Drahlneep shoves past the others with a frantic shriek! Just as he's about to dash past Whiskifiss and off into the darkness, the ratfolk grabs him by the collar and tries to wrestle him back to his senses. "Tk-tk! What is Wrong?"
"There is magic here that scared him!" Perrik bolsters the party with his customary bless spell.
Drahlneep seems to regain his composure under the influence of Perrik's bolstering spell.
Gulping hard, Jeji pushed ahead of the others carefully.
"Let me go first. I will try to draw it out...whatever it is."
Jeji cautiously moves past Perrik back up the tunnel a short ways to confront whatever spooked Drahlneep. The Thing suddenly appears before her floating near the low ceiling of the tunnel. It is the size of a kobold and has a smooth dark gray body almost like a tailless cave lamprey. There is no mouth to be seen however, but only a great, bulging lidless eye in the center of its underside. A half-dozen thin, whip-like tendrils trail behind it. Jeji feels it in her mind attempting to unlock her darkest fears!
If Kricker can see the thing now, he readies his harpoon gun and takes a shot!
still his god appears to disapprove of anything but up close and personal...
Exhausting her supply of bravery, Jeji immediately turned tail and ran.
Kricker fires the grappling gun right past the creature and Drahlneep reverses course to charge back past the others with his spear, ; wounding it. It spills strange translucent fluid, but the flow quickly ebbs as it slowly begins to heal immediately. Jeji heads the opposite direction with a squeak. Once again, Whiskifiss tries to halt a frightened companion. , but Jeji ducks his grab.
"Watch out! It feeds on our minds and our fear, and it can heal very fast! A wound from it will hurt a lot!"
Perrik steps up behind Drahlneep and charges the barbarian's spear with divine power.
The creature flails at Drahlneep with a quartet of whip-like tendrils. Three hit the kobold leaving a rash over his scales. Drahlneep's adrenaline rush inures him to the pain and he fights on.
Kricker draws his sword and charges the creature.
Kricker squeezes beside Drahlneep to swing his great sword at the terrible tendriled space horror. He snicks off the tip of a tentacle. . Drahlneep misses on his followup.
Whiskifiss hisses up the tunnel at the retreating Jeji, Tk-tk! Come back, kobold. It is not good to run off by yourself!"
Perrik intones a line of leaden syllables, his normally high-pitched voice carrying with it undertones like a metallic roar.
Perrik attempts to turn the tide of fear on the creature. Who knows what would frighten this strange being from the blackest depths of space, but apparently more than leaden tones will be required. Nonetheless, the thing moves back slightly while it nearly regenerates the snipped tentacle and whips again at Drahlneep's ego- Drahlneep breaks again stepping back and ready to run after Jeji who has disappeared down the tunnel ahead!
Die dammit!
The rubbery hide rrsists Kricker's blow. Whiskifiss seems torn between staying and following Jeji. As Drahlneep shoves past, the ratfolk tries to grab him again. Again, Whiskifiss collars the frightened kobold. "Stay here and fight! Tk-tk. It's not as bad as the ghosts, right?" Whiskifiss seems nervous nonetheless.
Perrik sidesteps and tries to pin the creature down with his spear to make it easier for Kricker to hit it.
Jeji continues retreating forward with her darkest fears in pursuit. The monocular creature continues healing as it floats a little further back and focuses its attacks on the deliciously wounded mind nearby. ; Drahlneep suddenly starts babbling madly and attacks Whiskifiss! ;
Kricker tries to use Perrik's help to hit the thing.
Perrik manages to nudge the thing down by feinting high and Kricker cuts it with his blade. Behind then Whiskifiss squeaks in surprise as Drahlneep stabs him. The ratfolk lets go and just tries to ward off his attacker. "He is mad! Stop it, Drahlneep!" Farther down the tunnel, Jeji is drawn back to the moment by the sounds of conflict behind her.
EDIT: Perrik manages to nudge the thing down by feinting high and Kricker cuts it deeply with his blade.
Seeing his fellow's success, Perrik energizes Kricker's blade.
Jeji shakes her overpowering fear and begins hurrying back down the tunnel toward the sounds of combat. Dripping ichor the sleek space monster disappears from view.
Kricker ties to use the drops of ichor appearing on the ground to track the location of the creature.
If he thinks he has a hex he swings expansively into it.
The clever kobold eyes the dripping ichor on the ground to target the creature, but misses his unseen foe. Drahlneep blinks at Whiskifiss apparently brought back to the present by his allies outraged shouting. "What is happening?" he asks in his confusion. Whiskifiss shakes his head and answers in a tone of reproach, "The alien made you crazy and you stabbed me." The ratfolk takes one of his healing potions.
"Kricker, get back! Jeji, use your bombs on it!" The oracle retreats to Drahlneep and casts a cure on him.