Eluvias stepped towards the next wight and without stopping continued his assault. His face impassive, he muttered a cantrip as he attacked. Eluvias does his thing and the second creature falls.
Longsword x2
Studded Leather x2
Fresh blood splatters the white tile of this operating laboratory, which is lit by mirrored lamps hung from chains suspended in the shadows of the distant ceiling. A sturdy wooden table near the center of the room holds the lightning-charred corpse of a bald human man with a broom-bottom beard. Smaller tables and bookcases nearby hold the gore-spattered spoils of a recent battle.
Of more immediate concern to the PCs are the room's living inhabitants, a human male with Azlanti features and his pet, a skinless dire tiger. The figure greets you warmly in Azlanti (despite his dubious surroundings). "I assume you were sent here by Rozimus, yes?"
Amadeen
Azlanti Man
Elvias
Impasha
Johund
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the second creature falls.
Impasha puts her sword away and goes to kneel beside the two fallen horrors. She places one hand over her holy symbol and lowers her head.
"Forgive us brothers. May you now rest in the embrace of the Light." she says quietly. She remains kneeling in private silent devotion for another several seconds, then rises and moves on to the next door with the others.
"I assume you were sent here by Rozimus, yes?"
Although Impasha does not speak Azlanti, the casual unconcern of the wizard is enough to make the paladin's eyes narrow with almost instant anger.
"Look at him! He's about to practice his dark art on yet another victim!" she hisses in an undertone to her companions. Unconsciously, her shield rises and her hand moves to the pommel of her blade...
Unable to speak Azlanti, Eluvias looked good Amadeen to see how she wanted to handle this.
Impasha can detect the presence of evil...
Amadeen glares at the man and replies in common:
"Not sent by Rozimus but you're done anyway! GET HIM!"
Cackling promptly ensues.
Though he isn't surprised the conversation turns to violence with the barbarians... their speed does surprise him.
Eluvias
Johund
Impasha-Action already declared.
Amadeen-Action already declared.
Monster
Not wasting limited magical reserves, Eluvias contented himself with walking forward and casually slashing his blade enemy’s throat. He wasn’t completely sure who this was, or why they had to fight. But likewise he didn’t care enough to ask such questions. If the others wanted someone dead, then he saw no reason not to oblige.
Not wasting limited magical reserves, Eluvias contented himself with walking forward and casually slashing his blade enemy’s throat. He wasn’t completely sure who this was, or why they had to fight. But likewise he didn’t care enough to ask such questions. If the others wanted someone dead, then he saw no reason not to oblige.
Impasha doesn't need to be told twice to attack this wicked wizard.
She points a finger at him as she strides into the room. "Your grotesque necromancy ends today, villain. Make your peace with this world, for I call down the judgment of Iomedae upon you!"
Amadeen glares at the man and replies in common:
"Not sent by Rozimus but you're done anyway! GET HIM!"
Cackling promptly ensues.
Johund moves forward and stabs the tiger.
The Azlanti man moves back and begins casting a spell defensively. "Children! You don't understand what could have been."
The skinless tiger ignores Johund in an attempt to defend it's master from Impasha.
Eluvias
Impasha
Amadeen
Johund
Monster-Wizard -81. Skinless Tiger -11
Eluvias seemed to be like a god of war. With black blade in hand, he was unstoppable! Nothing could stand before his martial and arcane skills. Nothing could...and he was a rabbit.
At Eluvias's transformation, Amadeen ceases cackling and yells:
"ELUVIAS! Get back into your form - NOW!"
As she advances, the witch queen's mouth is still open as if still yelling but no sound emerges for some second.
Eluvias seemed to be like a god of war. With black blade in hand, he was unstoppable! Nothing could stand before his martial and arcane skills. Nothing could...and he was a rabbit.
The incredibly fluffy rabbit bolts out the door at high speed.
Impasha gives a little cry of horror as Eluvias is transformed into a beast before her eyes. "Monster!" she cries out, and redoubles her attack on the wizard, even as she holds her shield to her flank to try and fend off the skinless tiger. The wizard falls before her onslaught.
Johund keeps working on the tiger.
Impasha's shield keeps the big cats jaws at bay but it's claws manage to get past her defences.
Eluvias
Impasha
Amadeen
Johund
Monster Skinless Tiger -32
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As the wizard falls before her, Impasha is raked across the back of her thigh by one enormous claw, then as she staggers from that blow a second one opens the flesh of her neck. Blood sprays out and pours down her torso. She thrusts out her shield to catch the gigantic jaws of the monstrous beast before the killing bite lands. Her rage over the wizard's villainy and her worry for her transformed companion would have to wait.
"Amadeen, stay with Eluvias, don't let him get lost in here!" she croaks raggedly.
The paladin now turns her attention to the tiger. She steps into a flanking position with Johund, and presses a mailed fist to her breastbone. "Inheritor, give me the strength to fight on for you!" she murmurs intently, and her gushing neck heals noticeably.
Then she attacks the undead tiger with renewed righteous fury, her teeth gritted tightly.
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As Eluvias begins to flee, Amadeen races after him and launches a piece of spiderweb, that expands into a blob of webbing...
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Bunnuvias settles down in his hiding spot.
As the wizard falls before her, Impasha is raked across the back of her thigh by one enormous claw, then as she staggers from that blow a second one opens the flesh of her neck. Blood sprays out and pours down her torso. She thrusts out her shield to catch the gigantic jaws of the monstrous beast before the killing bite lands. Her rage over the wizard's villainy and her worry for her transformed companion would have to wait.
"Amadeen, stay with Eluvias, don't let him get lost in here!" she croaks raggedly.
The paladin now turns her attention to the tiger. She steps into a flanking position with Johund, and presses a mailed fist to her breastbone. "Inheritor, give me the strength to fight on for you!" she murmurs intently, and her gushing neck heals noticeably.
Then she attacks the undead tiger with renewed righteous fury, her teeth gritted tightly.
Amadeen tries to put a hex on the tiger.
Johund lands each blow as he keeps striking the skinless tiger... but it just wont go down...
The skinless tiger continues its assault but it doesn't look like it could possibly take much more damage.
Eluvias
Impasha
Amadeen
Johund
Monster Skinless Tiger -93
Bunnuvias nimbly avoided the webs and scurried away under some rubble. The rabbit that was once an elf cowered inside, his animalistic brain having decided that cowering in cover was the best way to survive.
"Damn it! We take down this scragging dead tiger *then* find Eluvias!", Amadeen shouts as she tears at the tiger's very fortune.
Bunnuvias nimbly avoided the webs and scurried away under some rubble. The rabbit that was once an elf cowered inside, his animalistic brain having decided that cowering in cover was the best way to survive.
Impasha stands her ground crouched behind her shield and leaning into her blocks as the repeated blows rain down, then slashing down in powerful overhand arcs as the opportunities come. Once again she calls upon Iomedae to lend her healing.
The tiger dead the group can now go in search of Eluvias. They find him several minutes later cowering under a chair.
Potions of cure moderate wounds (2)
Potion of displacement
Potion of invisibility
Robe of bones
Masterwork dagger
Ring of Forcefangs
Rod of Ice
Goggles of night
6th—create undead, eyebite
5th—baleful polymorph, magic jar, teleport, waves of fatigue
4th—animate dead, enervation, fear, solid fog, wall of fire
3rd—blink, fireball, fly, ray of exhaustion, vampiric touch
2nd—blindness/deafness, false life, resist energy, see invisibility, scare, scorching ray
1st—alarm, burning hands, cause fear, detect undead, expeditious retreat, mage armor, magic missile
crystal for magic jar (worth 100 gp)
Onyx gems (worth 300 gp)
623 gp
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Once the vile undead tiger is put down, Impasha immediately stows her sword and shield on a nearby table, pulls off her helmet and gauntlets and begins looking for the rabbit that had once been Eluvias. She does her best to clank as little as possible, but its a pretty forlorn hope.
Once she spots him under a chair, she takes a few minutes to remove her leg plates and arm plates as well. She leaves the chest plate and spaulders alone as they are screwed into place. She kneels down near the chair slowly and calmly.
"Hey little guy. Don't be scared. It's just me. Bad wizard and tiger are gone. We're friends, remember?"
It breaks her heart to see the proud elf this way, and there's a slight catch to her quiet soothing voice, as she cautiously moves her hand out to touch him...
Amadeen enlists Johund in quickly seizing the spoils of conflict, paying some attention to the fallen necromancer's spellbook.
She then advances to catch up with Impasha.
"Do you have him? Good! I can't dispel any more until I've had a rest and a ritual. But then, I'll be stocked up and ready to get Eluvias back to himself."
"Altough he *is* adorable...no, definitely back to himself. One hundred percent! Let's get the heck out of here."
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"Perhaps we should make a camp here and recuperate?" suggests Impasha. "If this complex is locked in a moment of time, then there's no real rush. And whoever is behind the red or yellow door will likely not be coming down the blue hallway, risking the necromancer's traps and minions. This would be a relatively safe spot."
"It might be hard to keep him safe if we're attacked again by something out there. And it would also give you a chance to study the wizard's spell book -- it might help you undo the enchantment?"
The small rabbit that was once Eluvias cowered in Impasha’s arms, burying’s it’s head as best it could.
"Hmm. Good point, Impasha. Camping it is!"
Inside in this octagonal room is a basin filled with green grey viscous fluid.
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Impasha spends a few minutes busying herself with making a pen in one corner of the room, fencing off an area with some chairs turned onto their sides, draped with some tapestries from the wall. She pours out some water into a bowl, and cuts up a little bit of dried apple she has in her pack, the closest thing she has to food a rabbit might like.
"We'll fix this Eluvias. Don't be frightened." she says soothingly, scratching him lightly between the ears.
Once the rabbit is safely penned, she picks up her sword and shield again and comes to look into the room with the grey viscous pool.
"What is it? An ooze?" she asks Amadeen quietly.
Amadeen examines the basin and its contents - without touching.
The liquid does radiate a conjuration aura, after studying it for a while she thinks it might have some restorative benefits.
"Impasha, Johund, this stuff can do some good. Worth supping it if your wounds are aching. Try feeding some to Eluvias too, just in case."
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Impasha was getting ready to retrieve her sword and face some sort of monstrous ooze creature when Amadeen suggested eating the stuff. The paladin looks at Amadeen with surprise, then looks back at the grey goop. She grimaces.
"I'm fine." she says. "Just need a little rest."
Nevertheless, this surprising invitation makes Impasha a bit curious. She steps into the room and carefully touches the goo with one finger to gauge its consistency, etc.
The substance is thick and a little oily, it feels warm to the touch. It smells faintly of cinnamon and firewood.
"Hmmm. Maybe just slap a handful on your wounds then?"
As Amadeen examines the area she notices small groves by the basin, the liquid that drops down near it would drain into the basin once more.
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Impasha considers Amadeen's suggestion, then kneels beside the basin.
"If this turns me into an undead horror, dispatch me quickly." she says, with no trace of irony in her voice.
She gathers up and handful of the grey gunk and smears it along one of the nasty tiger gouges along the back of one of her thighs.
Although it has a surprisingly pleasant and relaxing sensation it doesn't really seem to heal the wound.
"Hmm. Try some on Eluvias!"
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Impasha smears the grey stuff off her legs and and then shakes it off her hand back into the basin.
"Maybe we should open the other door and check it first. We might find something there which makes it more clear what this basin is used for. A journal or an alchemy book or something of that nature." she suggests.
"It's a risk either way. Once rested, I can see if sheer magical might will be enough to strip that transmutation from Eluvias. But you know what? I'm game for trying a few more doors first. Let's say...this one!"
Amadeen points to the door leading east from their position.
This extravagant bedroom features a bed flanked by nightstands, two wardrobes against the walls near the center of the room, a couch and low table, and a large tiger-pelt rug.
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...and a large tiger-pelt rug.
*****
Impasha looks into the apparent living quarters of the necromancer and can't even muster up any suspicion of a good magical trap.
"Well, it looks like his imprisonment was at least moderately comfortable." she says, just to say something. She moves into the room and begins poking around the table, nightstands and wardrobes, looking for anything out of the ordinary or interesting.
"I bet he had 17 identical evil black robes in these wardrobes." she quips in a rare moment of sardonic humor.
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Now fast asleep in Impasha's arms, Eluvibunny made a hiccup-like sound, sometimes heard when bunny is dozing. To any who spoke rabbit, it meant that he was contented.
"Oh, probably! Let's see if anything here was magical."
Amadeen searches, seeking out said magic.
Amadeen does detect some magic...
...did that rug just twitch?
The spectral outline of a tiger fills it's hide as it rises up and strikes at Impasha. It's claw fills her with a wave of fatigue. Even before the blow hits Bunuvias' eyes are open natural instinct telling him to flee!
Amadeen
Johund
Impasha
Haunted Tiger Hide
Bunnivias immediately turned tail and fled, hopping to a corner and cowering beneath debris.
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As the ghostly tiger rises from the floor, Impasha instinctively raises her shield to protect herself, only find her shield arm mauled by a spectral claw through the shield. Her face goes momentarily pale and she grits her teeth with pain, a slight groan escaping her throat. Currents of purple-black energy arc between her and the undead monster, draining her vitality, but with a surge of will she yanks her hand away.
She now shifts her stance and lifts her sword like a talisman to hold the undead at bay.
"Back, abomination!" She cries out, then speaks again to the heavens. "Protector! Clothe me with your grace and grant me the fortitude to do your work!"
The outlines of a golden light flash out from her skin, coating her from head to toe in soft radiance. Her uncovered head shines a beacon, her eyes glowing like grey-blue candles, and her blonde hair moving softly as in a light breeze under a summer sun.
With a turn of her wrist, she levels her blade at the tiger.
"Face me and perish, monster!" she challenges, her voice echoing with unnatural power.