Darius ducks the sweep of the tree branch then stands, bucks up and traces a shield emblem on the air while holding his holy symbol. The air around him shimmers slightly now, granting him some protection.
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (parchment with a holy text written on it)
EFFECT
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
DESCRIPTION
This spell creates a shimmering, magical field around the target that averts and deflects attacks. The spell grants the subject a +2 deflection bonus to AC, with an additional +1 to the bonus for every six levels you have (maximum +5 deflection bonus at 18th level).
"Well this is something new. Where's a Druid when you need one?"
Stam Groins a bit at the vines squeeze him.
"What...what is going on?" Stam looks up at the Large tree holding him in place.
HP 41/51
1st - 4/5
2nd 5/5
3rd 4/4
AR 10/10
Wand of Spider Climb 30/50
Scroll of Identify x 2
Scroll of Bulls Strength
Silver Arrows 8/10
Arrows 10/10
Blunt Arrows 10/10
Silver Blunt Arrows 10/10
Smoke Pellet x 2
Smoke Stick x 2
wand of burning disarm 13/50
wand of charm person 19/50
wand of grease 5/50
Staff of the Swarm 7/10
When the thing grabs his companions Grergof gives up trying to avoid the fight.
Foul Creature of Darkness! You attack the innocent for no reason! Face the burning flame of rightousness!
Then he draws his Adamantium Flail and smashes it into the tree.
While Stam notices his error and Darius prepares for battle, Grergof opens the fight with a mighty swing at the tree that sends the splinters flying.
The tree pulls Stam and Spugnoir closer to a large mouth that opens in the trunk and tightens the grip on them. The third vine leaves Darius alone and attacks Grergof instead. But to no avail.
AC 16/12/14 (20/14/16 with mutagen)
Saves F8/R8/W4(6 fear) (+6 vs. Poison)
Weapon in hand:Mace+1
Special effects: Mutagen
Bombs:13/13
Cough cough. Feeling a little sleepy
Grergof Smashes away at the thing.
Get your vines off them you Damn Dirty Tree!
Grergof reduces the tree creature with two more swings of his flail to firewood. It will need some more cutting and chopping and piling to make it into a nice stack besides the house, but the main work is done.
As the tree dies it's magic fades away, and with it the wolves hanging in it's branches. You only find some human skeletons where the tree stood before it moved. The house is empty save of some vermin.
As it is still day you decide to move on and reach the ruins of a town in the evening. Hiding in the shadows you come upon an old farmstead, about 400 feet from the village itself. The ruins of a small farmhouse and two outbuildings stand there, their roofs long collapsed, exposing splintered frames of gray timber. Beyond, a sodden, unsown field stretches to the edge of the shattered town of Feldgrau. The barren earth is scarred with muddy trenches and covered with a perpetual wash of low, swirling fog. Dead trees, like pale and wiry skeletons, grasp at the gray skies, casting their long, ghostly shadows over the crumbling ruins.
Though the farmstead is uninhabited, the central farmhouse contains a makeshift shrine. On the crude altar lies the very bloody remains of a female in dark robes that were recently sacrificed here. She is wearing a necklace, a small silver gagged skull on a leater cord.
Besides the lack of a roof and the smell of death, this building would do for the night.
Darius inspects the shine and amulet but does not touch the woman save to see if she has a pulse.
"From the looks of it, this shrine is dedicated to Jezelda, demon lord of werewolves. This woman must be a member of the Whispering Way." he says solemnly.
Spugnoir wakes up from the tree-hugging and heals himself
Hmmm.. I see some tracks here, there are wolf and human tracks heading to the town of Feldgrau, to the same building.
Spugnoir looks at the altar. How about we not sleep in the same house as the evil altar?
"We also can't leave this poor misguided woman here like this. I think burying her or making a pyre for her would be appropriate."
Darius removes the body and puts her on the floor away from the alter and out of sight of anyone that would enter the building and takes a blanket and covers her.
"We can bury her when we've done what we need to do at Feldgrau."
"Building a fire right now would attract the wrong kind of attention, we can bury her as you said once we are done here. What about the Shrine Darius? Grergof?" Stam stays away from the Shrine a bit, detecting for any magical auras in the house.
Perhaps Darius can concentrate it
Grergof scans the area for evil.
The area is not Desecrated. We should burn the body when we have a chance but other then smashing the Altar I don't know that we need to do more.
When the body is removed, Grergof pushes over the altar and scatters the stones destroying any usefulness for future sacrifices.
There is no evil to detect.
"No magic in this cabin, lets rest for the night and prepare for tomorrow." Stam says as he pulls out his spell book.
Grergof pushes over the altar after dragging the body over to Darius.
We can do a more long term fix after taking care of the threat.
I'll secure the area.[ Spugnoir pulls out his Stone of Alarm and sets it at the main door. He also traps a window with a tanglefoot bag and another with a thunderstone
He also uses Swift Alchemy to whip up some more tangelefoot bags for traps
As you don't need all of the night to sleep you keep an eye on Feldgrau. You don't see too much, but the light of the almost full moon allows for a little observing. Climbing on the wall of the house you can see over the buildings and get a glimpse of the town square where some people seem to dig.
Now and then you hear the noises of battle as somewhere between the houses rival groups clash. From the howls you can tell, that one group is wolfs.
After a nights rest with no unwanted visitors a new day dawns.
Darius goes through his usual morning Obedience and loosens up his old muscles and prepares to go.
"Everyone ready? I think if we head North and approach from the east, the rubble should provide us some cover."
"That sounds good to me, I have prepare some spells to tie up a large amount of enemies of we find them and my silvered arrows are ready." Stam puts his spell book away
HP 51/51
AR 10/10
(5/5) 1st- Magic Missile, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist, Thunder Stomp, Enlarge Person
(5/5) 2nd- Telekinetic Volley, Glitter Dust, Summon Monster II
(5/5) 3rd - Haste, Stinking Cloud
(3/3) 4th - Black Tentacles
Wand of Spider Climb 30/50
Scroll of Identify x 2
Scroll of Bulls Strength
Silver Arrows 8/10
Arrows 10/10
Blunt Arrows 10/10
Silver Blunt Arrows 10/10
Smoke Pellet x 2
Smoke Stick x 2
wand of burning disarm 13/50
wand of charm person 19/50
wand of grease 5/50
Staff of the Swarm 7/10
Let us try the square
Grergof puts on his wolf token, draws his flail and is ready to head into town.
Do we go invisible or openly?
"If you want me to hide us I will need to study a bit again."
Spugnoir whips up two Invisibility Infusions for the noisy ones
With the low sun rising in the east you can easily hide in the long shadows and approach the town square from the north. Hiding in the rubble you see what's going on there. In the shadow of a crumbing tower lies a barren swath of muddy red earth that likely once served as the town square. A large trench has been excavated in the center of the square, and a confusing jumble of half-unearthed bones jut from its churned earth. About a dozen skeletons walk around on the center of the place.
Darius loads up his crossbow with a silver bolt, adds the invisibilty potion to his belt and heads off with the group.
"Thanks Spugs!"
Darius hiding behind some rubble whispers "Hold, look over there, cloaked figures."
"The controllers?" Stam gets down with Darius
"It would appear so. The skeletons won't be a problem. You all focus on the ones in robes."
And so the group argues from about 100 feet away.
Grergof nods, puts away his flail and draws his bow. Then he knocks an arrow and waits for the rest of the group to be ready.
Ready action shoot one of the dark figures:
Spugnoir whispers. We could sneak up on the cloaked figures.
Grergof motions to his full plate then raises his bow again and sights the robed figures again.
Invisible potion Spugnoir whispers
Darius casts the spell from earlier over himself and then downs the invisibility potion and as his body fades he says "Cover me, I'm going to take care of the skeletons."
Once he is invisible he moves quietly as he can towards the group where he can get the most skeletons in range of his holy channeling.
Stam falls into a spell, his eyes closing then sprining open bright blue. A small earth elemental springs into existence.
"Hello my friend, I need a favour, can you keep the two men down there busy? My friend there." Stam Points to Darius "Will take care of the skeletons and we will assist you."
Small Earth Elemental
CR 1
XP 400
N Small outsider (earth, elemental, extraplanar)
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (–1 Dex, +7 natural, +1 size)
hp 13 (2d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref –1, Will +3
Immune elemental traits
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., earth glide
Melee slam +6 (1d6+4)
Special Attacks earth mastery
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 13
Feats Improved Bull RushB, Power Attack
Skills Appraise +1, Climb +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +1, Knowledge (planes) +1, Perception +4, Stealth +7
Languages Terran
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Earth Glide (Ex)
A burrowing earth elemental can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. If protected against fire damage, it can even glide through lava. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other sign of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing earth elemental flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
Earth Mastery (Ex)
An earth elemental gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the elemental takes a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. These modifiers apply to bull rush and overrun maneuvers, whether the elemental is initiating or resisting these kinds of attacks. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)
[ooc]Once Darius moves down the Earth Elemental will jump out attacking one of the culsts."[/b]
Stam will move down as well, Wand of Charm person in hand.
Darius still invisible draws his sword. He stands and tries to catch as many of the skeletons as he can and positive energy erupts from him.
"By Iomedae's light of justice be gone you bony servants of darkness!"
As Darius appears like an angel of wrath, all the skeletons break apart and drop to the ground. Now clearly visible to all stand to women with dark long hair, wearing dark dresses that reveal their arms and shoulders on which they have tatoos covering them in a pile of skulls. They are wielding large bloody scythes.
Darius caught them by surprise.
YAR!!!!!! Spugnoir stands up and charges!
As a hundred feet are a long way this charge doesn't lead to an actual attack yet.
"Iomedae says hello." Darius says and attacks with a horizontal double handed slice of his keen longsword towards the head of the closest of the women.
Gergorf steps out and launches an arrow at one of the women.
Then he begins the long slow walk to the combat.
[ooc]Move 20 so 80' away and shoot at the woman not engaged with Darius.[/dice]
The earth elemental comes out behind and slams at the cultist, but misses. Darius cuts deep with his sword. And Grergof plants an arrow in one of them. But all in all, that is not enough.
One of the curates casts a spell at Darius.
Spugnoir keeps going and drinks a Targeted Bomb Admixture