The inhabitants of the island do not advance but they do ready weapons.
"You-" One lizardfolk begins.
A voice from above calls down mockingly to you. "You come here and kill my descendants and speak of peace? What funny little things you are. You can not kill them all! Why should I not strike you down?."
The voice doesn't sound certain that you can't kill all of it's descendants but it doesn't seem too concerned about you potentially doing that.
”This is your chance to flee.” Eluvias called out to the assembled lizard folk. ”I killed your champion in one blow. Do any here believe that they will fare better?”
Amadeen looks around.
"I am getting *mighty* cross with this nonsense. We. Want. The. Boy. *Not* to kill lizardfolk. Does no one in this village listen to bloody reason!?"
The lizardfolk around you are clearly anxious, caught between fear of the ancestor and your significant combat prowess.
The voice is closer this time. "I can respect your conviction. I will offer you this. I will return the boy in exchange for one of you. You will get him alive and no more harmed than he is. You will stay to suffer for the transgressions of your people. Or you can refuse, can your pretty enchanted blades find me before my power reaches out to snuff out the boys life. You want the boy, but will you pay the cost?"
”Looks like its time to go in a killing spree.” Eluvias remaked, glancing at his queen for confirmation.
"Here's my return and final offer. Give us the boy - unharmed- before we find you and you'll get to live. Folks, start hunting now!"
Amadeen thinks then throws out glitterdust where her best guess of their foe's location."[/b]
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"That will-" As the voice seems to take up Impashas offer there is an explosion of glitter... and the outline of a sphere about two feet across becomes apparent floating in the air fifteen foot above the ground."[/b]
"Bring them to heel!" A voice comes from the glowing orb and it starts to fly towards one of the huts. As it does a bolt of electricity is shot towards Amadeen.
The lizardfolk hesitantly draw their weapons and shuffle forward, all needing to be seen to obey but wary of your weapons.
Eluvias
Amadeen
Impasha
Johund
Disco Ball of Doom and Friends
Eluvias pointed at the floating orb, muttered a word of power, and two rays of fire shot out at it. He assumed that the show of arcane might would keep the lizardfolk at bay.
At the sight of the ball, Amadeen grins.
"Got you, you cocky spheroid!"
She clicks her heels and begins to rise off the ground, still grinning.
Eluvias pointed at the floating orb, muttered a word of power, and two rays of fire shot out at it. He assumed that the show of arcane might would keep the lizardfolk at bay.... but as the rays connect the spell seems to do no harm!
At the sight of the ball, Amadeen grins.
"Got you, you cocky spheroid!"
She clicks her heels and begins to rise off the ground, still grinning.
"That's no ancestor! You've all been tricked!" shouts Impasha. She reaches into her pack and pulls out a potion, then drinks it quickly and almost immediately begins to float away from the ground.
Johund moves over and taps Impasha on the foot as he asks Hanspur to aid her. He then draws his daggers ready for the villagers.
The glittering orb crackles with electricity once more. "You're power is nothing to one such as I!" It moves into the hut and the electricity is discharged into someone unseen.
Johund and Eluvias are able to fend off most of the attacks of the villagers but their are so many a few hits manage to land.
Eluvias
Amadeen
Impasha
Johund
Disco Ball of Doom and Friends
”Now I’m getting annoyed.”
Eluvias stepped back, and did something quite unusual. He cast a spell that didn’t lead to immediate bodily harm. Rather glitterdust fell upon the mass of combatants, threatening to blind them all.
|
As the strange globe moves into the hut, Impasha seems to have a presentiment of tragedy. She holds out her hand toward the doorway of the hut and speaks in a low voice to the heavens.
"Me. Let it be me instead." she says solemnly.
Afterwards, Impasha vaults into the air and flies unerringly toward the door of the hut. Along the way she drops her shield and grasps her longsword two-handed to muscle up on her swing. Upon reaching the orb, she casts Smith Evil and attacks.
Amadeen begins to chuckle, then cackle, then makes a motion towards the spheroid...
”Now I’m getting annoyed.”
Eluvias stepped back, and did something quite unusual. He cast a spell that didn’t lead to immediate bodily harm. Rather glitterdust fell upon the mass of combatants, threatening to blind them all.
Amadeen begins to chuckle, then cackle, then makes a motion towards the spheroid...
As the strange globe moves into the hut, Impasha seems to have a presentiment of tragedy. She holds out her hand toward the doorway of the hut and speaks in a low voice to the heavens.
"Me. Let it be me instead." she says solemnly.
Afterwards, Impasha vaults into the air and flies unerringly toward the door of the hut. Along the way she drops her shield and grasps her longsword two-handed to muscle up on her swing. Upon reaching the orb, she casts Smith Evil and attacks.
Johund drives the pommel of his blade into the snout of a lizardfolk sending it into the dirt before headbutting another.
While some of the villagers flounder around blind more move in to protect their ancestor.
"Such hope to rescue the boy... your anguish is delightful." The glowing orb moves closer to the cowering figure of a boy and laughs as it discharges it's electricity once more. The boy convulses before going limp. "Will you heal him or seek revenge? What would your god want you to do!"[/ooc]
[b]Eluvias
Amadeen
Impasha
Johund
Disco Ball of Doom and Friends -21. Troop -13
”I am done being nice!” Eluvias exclaimed. His blade came to life, with fire, lightning and even ice dancing along it. He slashed into the mob, killing any within reach. Each blow promised a very painful end. It was his plan to show the foes that fighting him would lead to a worse end than disobeying their ancestor.
|
|
"Such hope to rescue the boy... your anguish is delightful." The glowing orb moves closer to the cowering figure of a boy and laughs as it discharges it's electricity once more. The boy convulses before going limp. "Will you heal him or seek revenge? What would your god want you to do!"
Impasha doesn't hesitate. She flies to interpose herself between the boy and the orb, holding her sword before her to try and draw away the electricity of any future attacks.
"Revenge is your burden, monster! And look at what you've wrought, 'Ancestor'! The chief dead, these villagers being wiped out -- your true gifts to your progeny are death and fear! You sicken me!"
She lowers herself and lays a hand upon the child, and channels life to the limp body.
Floating up in the air, Amadeen continues cackling loudly - then suddenly stops. Her hands move swiftly, drawing invisible patterns in the air. She opens her mouth wide as if screaming at the top of her lungs, but no sound emerges.
Then her face and voice returns to cackling, as if nothing - more - untoward had just occurred.
Cackle to extend duration of misfortune hex, and Ear-piercing Scream vs one target - the spheroid[/url]. Daze for 1 round and:
Fort Save DC 17 for no daze and half that damage. Spell resistance would work.
”I am done being nice!” Eluvias exclaimed. His blade came to life, with fire, lightning and even ice dancing along it. He slashed into the mob, killing any within reach. Each blow promised a very painful end. It was his plan to show the foes that fighting him would lead to a worse end than disobeying their ancestor.
Floating up in the air, Amadeen continues cackling loudly - then suddenly stops. Her hands move swiftly, drawing invisible patterns in the air. She opens her mouth wide as if screaming at the top of her lungs, but no sound emerges.
Then her face and voice returns to cackling, as if nothing - more - untoward had just occurred.
The orb laughs, unharmed by Amadeen's spell.
Johund moves up to flank with Impasha and drives his blad into
The glowing orbs laugh trails off and it attempts to flee. Johund however refuses to let it flee.
The remaining lizardfolk flee in terror from you.
Eluvias
Amadeen
Impasha
Johund
Disco Ball of Doom and Friends -45.
With the lizardfolk fleeing and with no way to engage the enemy, Eluvias saw to his wounds. He felt confident that the Paladin and the Queen could handle this.
|
|
As the Orb flees, Impasha moves to the center of where the battle took place, holds out her holy symbol full arm's length and whispers a prayer. Healing energy washes through the village center, healing friends and lizards alike...
This done, she turns back to check on the child, kneeling beside him and checking to make sure he was all right.
Still cackling in the air, Amadeen eyes up the fleeing sphereoid as it attempts to flee, and hurls a ball of shadowy power at it!
Impasha manages to cut the thing down sending it hard to the ground. The glowing orb explodes into chunks as Amadeen hurls shadow at it while cackling madly.
Impasha heals everyone else. The villagers are rather conflicted, they no longer attack but anyone who speaks draconic can tell that they are concerned that they'll now be cursed... still say they'll no longer have to hear the child suffering.
Impasha can tell the child will recover physically at least but he has been traumatised for an extended period. One lizardfolk, the one from the gate moves for "Will the boy live?"
|
|
"Yes, he'll live." answers Impasha grimly, moving her fingers gently through the child's hair. She seems very upset but is doing her best to keep control.
She stands and turns to the lizard man.
"Explain this. What was being done to this child? For what purpose did that 'Ancestor' of yours keep the boy here? The more we know, the better we'll be able to help him."
With the fighting over, Eluvias prestidigitated himself and his blade clean. The Queen and the Paladin wanted to save the boy and they did. He hoped that this made them happy. As for himself, he just hoped that there was a more practical reason for this trip. One that would hopefully expand their borders.
"The Ancestor's ways are not for mortals... but it hurt the boy... but now it has been-" The lizardman's brow furrows as it tries to seek the right word. "-ended. This should not be possible, it was not a common ghost, it's spirit was too mighty, it should not have ended. We could hear it hurting the child but it's will is what we have to bend to."
|
|
"The Ancestor's ways are not for mortals... but it hurt the boy... but now it has been-" The lizardman's brow furrows as it tries to seek the right word. "-ended. This should not be possible, it was not a common ghost, it's spirit was too mighty, it should not have ended. We could hear it hurting the child but it's will is what we have to bend to."
"I see." says Impasha curtly. She looks at the lizard man a trifle harshly for a moment, but then nods and turns away from him.
She steps over to Amadeen. "Amadeen, your search for the boy has been going on before I joined you, so you know more of the details. Does he have a family that's looking for him still?"
"I think we should get him back to Thorneholm right away. If you have further business in this part of the forest, I would be willing to take him back myself. I'd also like to be with him for his recovery. He's going to need help and support." Though her voice betrays due humility as she addresses the queen, it's clear from the intensity of her gaze that she feels very strongly about this.
”Before we go, a new chieftain should be established. What happened to this one child may happen to others if we leave immediately. And besides...these...villagers. They followed this faux-ancestor out of fear. Did you not prove your god superior? Now would be the best time to supplant the worship of evil for a more righteous one. No?” Eluvias said, choosing his words carefully.
|
|
Impasha considers this, looking doubtfully about the mud and daub village.
"I'm not sure they'd embrace the worship of Iomedae." she says. "But your greater point is true enough. I don't think these creatures are necessarily evil-- they might be encouraged to make better choices with better leaders."
She lets a few moments pass, then adds another thought.
"You were right to not let them take our weapons. That might have been a lot trickier if we'd all been disarmed."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When Impasha mentioned the incident where the lizardfolk had tried to disarm them, Eluvias visibly winced, and his hand reflexively tightened on the hilt of the sword. He managed to force out ”Yes. A good tactical decision.” It was quite possibly the worst lie anyone present had ever heard.
Eluvias nodded. He was more afraid of that conversation than he was battling the mysterious ancestor. He looked expectantly to Amadeen.
As the sphere shatters, Amadeen abruptly ceases cackling and begins to slowly descends to the ground, wondering what their foe actually was.
Once her boots touch earth once again, Amadeen looks around then replies to Impasha:
"The boy's name is Tig Tonnerson. His parents were worried and that was a while back. Tig has a habit of picking up pets from the riverbanks and went missing while out doing that. We'll bring him back to his folks straight after we leave here."
Amadeen turns to the lizardfolk.
"Your "ancestor" sounded like a cruel, sadistic maniac using its descendants for amusement or a cruel, sadistic maniac who lied to you about being your ancestor. Either way, it's gone and I *promise* you this: anything behaving like it within our reach will meet the same fate."
She pauses, then start questioning the surviving villagers.
"Now, I want to know a few things about the "ancestor". First, when it did start speaking to you? Second, what did it tell you that got you to snatch Tig?"
"Four summers past. It told us little but the boy had earned it's ire... life here is not easy, we do what we must to survive but... the torment it gave the boy was unnecessary many of us whispered. But it was the ancestor, it's will could not be opposed."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Impasha seems to be losing patience with this line of rationalization. "It could have been. And it should have been." she says in obvious irritation.
"Cowardice is not a virtue. You have to choose to do the right thing, even when it's hard, even if it might kill you. Otherwise why are we here? What have you gained that was worth torturing a little boy for weeks?"
She turns to face the other villagers.
"You all knew it was wrong. But you stood by and let it happen. All of you! And now you stand here sullen and shame-faced. When the Ancestor ruled here, did it bring you happiness? Were your lives fulfilling? What did you gain from your servitude to wickedness? A full belly? Another day of wretched fear and whispering?"
The paladin glares about her, steely blue eyes challenging any who would gainsay her.
Amadeen listens to Impasha as she thinks, quietly enjoying the paladin's rousing speech.
Only a small number of the Lizardfolk speak common but the one who is speaking is cowed by the wrathful tone and glare of Impasha. Regretful and shamed the locals can only consider the potential reprisals for their lack of action and reflecting on how they might have tried to do things differently.
Amadeen recalls the will o wisps from candlekeep though this one must be of some more potent variety than those as they could not project their electricity attack that far from their body. The suffering of the child as well as the distress it villagers all would have been nourishing to it.
Eluvias shrugged. Even if they didn’t set up a puppet chieftain, the tribe would be too afraid of them to cause trouble. That was almost as good. And if the Paladin wanted the child, who was he to argue? Traumatized children were, unfortunately, common enough. Perhaps with the right guidance she would inspire the boy to become a Paladin as well. Which would be good, as humans aged so quickly that it was always worthwhile for them to begin training their successors.
Amadeen breaks her silence with words in a similar tongue to the lizardfolk.
"The Ancestor was an overgrown will'o'the'wisp who fed on your suffering and that of the boy. Have a think about that."
She turns to Impasha.
"Agreed. I'm done with this place and the overgrown will'o'the'wisp. Let's get us and the boy out of here."
The lizardfolk do not impeded you as you leave as they grapple with what has happened here and what it has cost them.
Tig slumbers while carried by Impasha.
|
|
A few days after returning, Impasha shows up at Eluvias' tower in the middle of the afternoon carrying a wicker basket. She is wearing her green peasant dress and has her hair tucked into a white linen bonnet as she looks about for a bell-pull or a knocker. After knocking/ringing, she stands patiently and waits.
Eluvias had spent his time as he always did. Working. Researching. Failing. One of the unique conditions bestowed upon him by his sword was that he didn’t sleep. He theorized that it was a defense mechanism, to ensure that no harm would come to it. To him, day and night had long since blurred together, with sleep being a near foreign concept. The problem was that there was only so much he could do. He wasn’t an arch-mage with a nation’s resources behind him. He was as much a swordsman as he was a wizard, he was someone who dabbled in both without mastering either. And all he had was the resources of a backwater town that struggled to survive in a land hostile to its existence. He had read every book available to him three times over and experimented with every spell he knew. And the best answer he had come to was that his answer might lie somewhere in the body of a dragon or the power of it’s hoard. But even that wasn’t certain. The only certainty that he had come to was that he needed help, if he was going to live in any real sense of the word.
Hearing the knock he began to walk down the tower. He was dressed much as he would be when adventuring. His armor was already naught but several layers of cloth and an outer layer of silk intricately woven with gold brocade designs and covered with metal studs. Kept clean and mended by magic, there was no reason not to wear it. The only change for comfort was that he did not carry his crossbow or pack of supplies. His sword was, of course, at his side.
He opened the door and saw Impasha. He did not smile or frown, rather there was only a sign of recognition on his face. He couldn’t even bring himself to feel annoyed at the intrusion, nor could he feel joy at the company. Rather there was only the logical recognition that this was the present reality.
”Lady Impasha. I welcome you to my humble tower. For what do I owe this honor?”
|
|
Impasha holds up the basket. "I brought you a pie. You like blackberries I hope?"
"It's my own fault. I found a blackberry bush and thought I'd make a treat for the children, only to discover that the matron doesn't believe in giving them sweets. So now I'm stuck with a pie. And just eating it myself would feel... well, anyway..."
She hands him the basket.