Jorac misses but Libri fires another arrow into the clumsy beast!
With a few weary flaps of its wings, the manticore hovers above Mefindio and bites down at the tasty gnome!
Mef grimances as the pressure from the manticore's bite, but thanks the gods his armor holds it at bay.
Dropping his pistol, he grabs his hook hammer and swings at the beast!
Taran lobs the grenade, pretending he's throwing a rock at a giant.
He'll then climb back over the fence, pulling a hammer as he goes, although this time his hands are bloodied from the razors.
The party is having real trouble harming this mutated beast!
Libri misses and the manticore once again goes after Mef!
Taran swears. What sort of mad place is this scrapwall that it is inhabited by such murderous beings?. He calls upon his fervor once again to give him strength.
This time, his hammer strikes true!
Taran finally deals a massive blow to the manticore but Jorac's aim remains off today.
Libri misses!
The manticore hovers above and turns its attention to Taran!
"Ha! is that the best you've got!" Taran pronounces with a dribble of blood coming down his mouth. "I'm from Torch, and we're as hard as any of the starmetals there!"
Taran uses some of his fervor to call upon healing energies
Libri's and Taran's luck seems to have been used up!
Mef swings his hook hammer at the manticore, then wheels Trigger around, moving away from the beast, and begins to reach for his lance.
Mef scrapes the manticore's hide but Jorac misses!
After snapping at Mef, the manticore returns its attention to Taran!
Taran staggers, barely holding onto consciousness as he is struck hard twice. His fury grows, and the healing warmth of Torag keeps him on his feet a few seconds more. He swings his hammer through the weep of blood that stings through his eyes.
Libri distracts the manticore by casting a spell, allowing Taran to smash a few ribs!
Jorac's acid flies off into the distance again and the manticore continues to go for Taran, blood dripping on the dwarf from above!
Plop
Libri's electrical blast sends the manticore hurtling out of the air to land on the pile of scrap with a thud and crunch!
You do find a few valuable pieces among the scrap, though. There is a rusted iron coffer with 250 gp, a masterwork cold iron dagger, a +1 battleaxe, a silver armband with inset pearls worth a total of 700 gp, a ring of the ram with 17 charges, and an EMP pistol with 9 charges.
Chezwezl leans over Trigger's neck, breathing heavily. "That sucked greasy gears!"
Beyond the manticore lair, you can now approach where the ratfolk told you was the receiver array. Coming upon this area, you find several dead chokers-aberrations that look like a hunched-over wretch with long, pliable arms like tentacles capped with five wide, spiny claws. Their bodies have largely been scavenged by a large flock of vultures that wheel in the skies above. Many of the bodies bear crude tattoos or clutch fetishes made of junk that resemble the same robotic claw you have seen throughout Scrapwall; this must be the holy symbol of the mysterious Hellion.
|
"That was a close call once again. I'm sorry Taran, I should have empowered you with my magic as soon as the combat started. Unless you don't like to be a large dwarf? In any case, let's discover what she was guarding."
The wizard takes abundant notes upon the gruesome discovery, even attempting to sketch Hellion's unholy symbol in his notebook.
"What did the ratfolk tell us about this place, by the way?"
Taran slowly recovers, wiping blood from his lips before pulling out the healing magics. He greedily sucks healing energies from magical items, then turns the wand to healing his friends.
"Ugh, no need to apologize. I swear I'm going to become a greybeard before this is through. Easier to just move my business out of torch!"
You were told by the ratfolk that there was a receiver array nearby and that taking out the receiver array would hamper the Lords' power and communication. Unfortunately, as you might have expected, the array is guarded; thin tendrils trail from a misshapen sphere. A gray orb hangs beneath the creature like a bulging lidless eye....
The creatures leaps to the defense of the array by probing into your minds!
"Hey you, stay the hell out of there!". Taran focuses on images of sexy dwarven lasses to distract the intruder.
|
Libri gives the others a quick speech: "It's a rhu-chalik, a void wanderer, and it scouts for a nebulous collection of space conquerors known as the Dominion of the Black. Not only does it want to dominate the universe, it also wants to learn every secret of the universe by collecting memories. It's an abberation with immunity to cold and disease, and it has fast healing, all-around vision, and many spell-like abilities. Careful, because it can modify our memories too."
Libri looks to Taran and the others. "Quickly, any other information on this thing?"
"Charming. Sounds like a wonderful pet. Well, lets say "hello"."
The dwarf hefts his warhammer and cautiously approaches the beast. He utters a blessing of Torag, calling for protection.
|
|
Jorac's mind remains impervious to the creature's mind-warping. He ponders his thoughts for a moment, trying to recall anything about it.
"Correct, Libri! It's also probing our thoughts, instilling fear in the weaker minds he can read. It's also capable of copying the consciousness he's read, and its tentacles are poisonous - extremely painful!"
The wizard then starts to chant, casting enlarge person on Taran.
Taran gives himself a protective blessing and Jorac begins enlarging the dwarf.
Mef maneuvers Trigger into the room and fires a shot at the creature, then quickly reloads!
The blast from Mefindio leaves a gaping wound in the aberration!
Libri protects herself as the rhu-chalik ceases its efforts to probe your minds and instead flies towards Mefindio to lash its tentacles at the gnome!
Mef draws his hook hammer as he drops his pistol, and swings at the creature!
Trigger rears up and tries to stomp the creature!
Taran circles and swings, the embodiment of the holy wrath of Torag, his hammer briefly wreathed in fire.