"They usually only understand Aklo," Chaise mentions, observing the sinspawn up close. "I'd like to play with--I mean, study it but I doubt we'd have the time and it will most likely attack us it sees us next."
The wizard's next words are hesitant. "Better kill it, I suppose. It won't be docile for long and I doubt anyone would want to invest the energy to keep it that way."
Chaise inspects the circular pool afterwards and cautiously dips a hand in before making a noise of contemplation.
"We should move on."
Noro's elbow drives deep into the Sinspawn's gut, breaking ribs and damaging organs. It growls, angrily, but falls to the floor dead as Wyam follows up with another sturdy blow.
Chaise takes a moment to search the now-deceased Sinspawn for anything of use before moving on.
Chaise flings open the door to reveal a spiral staircase heading upwards. Or rather it DID head upwards, currently it is blocked by an enormous mass of stone, rock and dust.
Wyam replied ruefully, "Ethically, I don't approve of 'backstabbing' on a deal. As a matter of practice, however, this thing was too dangerous to be left alive; I think we'd've had to come after it in a few days' time for killing a townie or three anyways if we hadn't."
Upon seeing the blocked staircase, Wyam remembered something.
"Oh! Isn't there anther passage we still have to follow up on, that branched off from that statue?"
"Indeed." Spectrum says, ready to move on.
"Let's head there then."
Chaise backtracks, stepping over the downed sinspawn on his way.
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. A large door lies to the south.
"Black marble is not native to this region. The silica near Sandpoint and the surrounding desert would result in a white or amber limestone. This was brought here from elsewhere, or perhaps Transmuted. Interesting."
Spectrum identifies the filthy liquid as the cursed Waters of Lamashtu, sacred to that demon being. Drink it and, if you are lucky, you will throw up continuously for hours and feel horrible for days. If unlucky, your mental faculties will degrade until you end up a changed and twisted being. Spectrum guesses that this is what caused the foul goblin creature which attacked you previously. Spectrum also identifies magics for refilling the pool, two vials every six months or so.
"This is where the mutated goblin came from." he says angrily. "This altar creates waters cursed with the power of Lamashtu. It causes sickness, physical mutations and mental degeneration. It needs to be destroyed."
"Suggestions? We may have to leave it for later. Although, does anyone have an empty vial? A sample or two might be necessary for comparison with Lamashtu's taint."
|
Listening to Spectrum's description then Chaise's idea.
shpeaking of mental degeneration she remarks in response to Chaise's idea of getting a sample.
I can think of sheveral people that may have conshumed a bit of that junk already
Noro is ready to open the doors to move on, hoping she has the chance to beat the living snot out of another creature that deserves it.
Spectrum hands Chaise an alchemical sample vial made of sturdy glass.
Chaise nods in thanks to Spectrum before bending down and carefully filling the vial with cursed water. He puts it away in a separate compartment in his backpack. "Let's go."
The party forms ranks, and pushes open the doors in a single, swift movement.
This huge room looks like nothing more than an immense underground cathedral. Stone doors stand to either side of the main entrance, but beyond this, the walls are carved with strange, spiky runes. In the center of the room is a large pool, a ring of polished human skulls balanced on stone spikes arranged in a circle around the deeper midsection. At the far end of the room, a pair of stone stairways leads up to a pulpit on which sits a second pool, this one triangular and filled with churning, bubbling water that looks almost like translucent lava. Yet while wisps of what look like heat and steam rise from the strange orange liquid, the room itself is deathly cold.
Sitting in mid-air watching the bubbling depths lies a small demon, with grey-green skin and long, ragged and unkempt white hair. Next to her stands a strange creature, bipedal with chalk-white skin and jagged claws at the ends of its half-formed hands. Its face is skeletal and obscured. She turns, spots you, and lets loose a shriek of anger. "HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE UPON THE MOTHER'S SANCTUM, DEFILERS! SCUM! HERETICS! I AM ERYLIUM, DAUGHTER OF LAMASHTU AND I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
Chaise is taken aback by the unexpected shrieking.
"Erylium?" he mutters to himself, trying to remember if he's heard of that name before.
You've never heard that name before specifically. You identify her as a Quasit, a chaotic evil demon, though an unusual one. She seems to have no typical immunities or resistances to energies. Quasits usually have spell-like abilities, can fly and prefer to avoid direct combat. From her speech, you'd guess that she may be a cleric, and thus possess divine magics.
Wyam weighed his options, and acted.
"Noro, head up the other staircase to engage the cleric. I've got the demon!" he said.
"Iomedae, guide my blade!" he shouted, rushing up the stairs with sword in hand. .
Status hp 22, AC 20 (23 for the demon), Smite Evil (demon).
Noro and Wyam charge up the staircases, Spectrum deftly somersaults up over the fountain and jumps to cling like a spider at the balcony's edge.
Erylium lets loose a roar of rage and, with a stern gesture, orders the skeleton-skinned creature into the bubbling orange pool. It descends rapidly, disappearing from sight, and the pool begins to churn suddenly, growing brighter. The quasit pulls out a brown bag, and from it a hideous red piece of meat. Noro is close enough to recognize it as a human kidney. Tossing it into the pool, the waters turn a foul red, and tiny sparks begin to issue forth. Leaping up from the balcony the quasit- still shrieking insults at all three of you- flies up into the air, hovering.
"What the hell is it doing?" Chaise mutters, before moving forward to follow, snapping out what information he has to his allies. "The demon is a quasit though an unusual specimen. No typical immunities or resistances, but able to fly and a preference to avoid direct combat. Will have spell-like abilities, avoid those, and seems to be a cleric of Lamashtu therefore blessed with divine magic."
Knowledge: Arcana says that you have NO idea what the hell that pool is doing.
Spectrum uses the momentum of his jump to quickly haul himself up the balcony. With the little demon having flown above the pool, he turns and casts a spell to cloud the little monster's mind.
The quasit, still wearing, is unaffected by Spectrum's spell.
Frustrated that his intended target is out of sword-reach, Wyam joins Spectrum at the pool-thing and waits for the monster within to re-emerge.
Circling high above the fountain, the quasit pulls off a miniature silk tiara resting atop her head. Holding it in her left hand, she makes a sign with her right and a roiling wave of flesh gushes forward next to Spectrum and Wyam. Amid the fatty surge wriggle half-formed limbs and a dripping tumorous face. It is quite easy to identify the creature as a Lemure. It growls and lashes out against Spectrum.
Both claws connect and lash into the elf.
Meanwhile, the roiling, bubbling pool builds to a climax. Out of its depths bursts a horror creature, even more twisted than it was before; it walks on short, scaly legs, it has no arms, a short tail capped with a hideous bee's sting is attached to its tailbone. Most horrible is its face- or rather, faces. Two heads complete this terrifying beast, one on the right skeletal and white, the other a grotesque parody of Tsuto's, twisted with malice and corruption. It lets loose a wordless cry- pain? rage? horror?
Its first moments in the world are met with blows.
Noro connects, blasting a hard uppercut to the creature's stomach.
It retaliates, wading out of the glowing red and orange pool and biting at Noro hard.
It connects, and a horrible rage threatens to overwhelm Noro.
It rises, uncontrolled, and waves of bile and hatred make her stomach shudder and her gorge rise.
Chaise is in the middle of yelling advice when he notices Noro look queasy again, "--ture is an Eidolon and the quasit its summoner so--Noro, focus!" He snaps his fingers and points at the barbarian, a quick burst of magic helping her mind.
Chaise focuses on the quasit, hoping to end the fight by taking her out. He quickly grabs a few rose petals from his component pouch and concentrates.
Spectrum grimaced as the thing's claws ripped into him. It hurt, but he kept his focus and his mind raced through scenarios.
The flying creature was the threat he was most suited to handle, so he made a quick strike toward the devil in front of him and then hopped up onto the railing to get clear. He twisted and called on the power of his prism amulet to fire of a bolt of iridescent force out a the little creature above the pool.