Sophie takes a moment to turn her sack into a makeshift breathing mask.
Feeling her limbs weaken slightly, Vivian moves along the edges of the vat and the planks to place herself in melee range of the dark creeper. Her sword slash connects solidly with the enemy and cuts through his outer coat, revealing that he's covered in rags.
Still ignoring the pungent fumes, Tara fires her crossbow at the yellow-masked mongrelman, but misses.
Bert prepares to swing his hammer, but finds himself sickened by the smell of the vats.
Amaria has no such difficulties this time and she fires two arrows. The first hits the yellow-masked mongrelman and the creature falls to ground 15 feet below. She then directs her second arrows at the dark creeper which just barely misses.
Looking both annoyed and frightened, the mongrelmen continue their work nevertheless, except for the gray-masked one who cowers on the other side of the room.
The dark creeper tumbles away from Vivian despite the potential hazards of doing so and sets himself in front of a plank to the north. "No trespassing! Violators will be executed!" He quips with a weaselly laugh.
Initiative (Rounds 7-8)
Tara [3 Dmg; Fort Save need vs nausea] <= Up
Vivian [9 Dmg; 1 Strength Damage; 2 Fort Saves needed vs nausea and poison] <= Up
Amaria [1 Dmg; Fort Save need vs nausea] <= Up
Bert [16 Dmg; Bull's Strength Active; Fort Save need vs nausea]
5 Mongrelmen
Dark Creeper
Sophie [9 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
Stefan [3 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
Sophie climbs down and make her way along the cellar floor towards the dark creeper.
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Vivian does feel so good suddently, and retches
Still pressing his handkerchief to his nose and mouth, Stefan directs his spectral hand to attack the dark creeper.
Sophie climbs down the ladder next to her to reach the cellar floor of the vats.
The poison in Vivian's veins grows more potent, as she finds herself retching from the chemical fumes.
Dr. Von Herzog's spectral hand attempts to touch the dark creeper once again, but the pale ragman avoids it.
Reloading her crossbow, Tara keeps a weary eye on the creature attacking Vivian. Taking aim at the creeper, Tara shouts out "Pick on someone your own size!"
Tara takes aim at the dark creeper, but has to adjust her aim with a mongrelman in the way and the shot misses.
Amaria holds her breath and moves into a better position to fire an arrow that hits the dark creeper.
Bert also holds his breath and moves around the vats to get closer to the creeper. With a mongrelman in his way, he targets the creature with his hammer and strikes him in the lower torso.
This naturally angers the mongrelman in the purple mask who moves closer while drawing his club. Unable to reach Bert yet without leaving himself open to an attack, the purple masked mongrelman instead turns his ire on Vivian as he makes a clumsy swing at her that misses.
The other mongrelmen just begin to cower now, as it appears they aren't going to get any work done at the moment.
The dark creeper adjusts his position five feet to the west as he draws another throwing axe and tosses it at Bert this time. His aim is off, however, and he merely lops it into the nearby acid pit. He reacts by spitting out a barrage of curses.
Initiative (Rounds 8-9)
Tara [3 Dmg; Fort Save need vs nausea] <= Up
Vivian [9 Dmg; 3 Strength Damage; 2 Fort Saves needed vs nausea and poison] <= Up
Amaria [1 Dmg; Holding Breath] <= Up
Bert [16 Dmg; Bull's Strength Active; Holding Breath]
5 Mongrelmen
Dark Creeper
Sophie [9 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
Stefan [3 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
After squeezing past two vats, Sophie makes it to the closest ladder to the dark creeper and climbs up a short distance.
Although Vivian continues to feel nauseous, her body finally fights off the poison that was sapping her strength.
"Doctor Von Herzog I am going to provide some aide to Ms. Deberth. Would you be so kind as to watch over my belongings?" Without waiting for a reply, Tara drops her bag onto the ledge with a resounding thump. Taking a tentative step on the side of the vat, she begins to carefully make her way along the precarious route.
Vivian tries to strike, but the nausea get the better of her
Tara drops her bag next to Dr. Von Herzog and begins to make her way carefully around the chemical vats.
Stefan directs his spectral hand to attack the dark creeper again.
Doctor Von Herzog's spectral hand makes another failed attempt to chill touch the dark creeper before disappearing into the air.
Still holding her breath, Amaria fires two arrows at the dark creeper. Her balance is a little off from shooting from the lip of a chemical vat, and both arrows miss.
Bert makes his way clockwise around the acid vat to swing his hammer at the pale, rag-clad enemy. He lands a solid hit on the creeper, which causes him to let out another litany of curses.
While the majority of the mongrel assume defensive positions, the purple-masked one next to Vivian attacks the red-head again with his club. He misses once again.
With fear flashing in his eyes, the dark creeper withdraws from the center of the room and moves around the vats to the east wall. He then proceeds to climb up the wall like a spider to pull himself up to the second floor ledge.
Initiative (Rounds 9-10)
Tara [3 Dmg; Fort Save need vs nausea] <= Up
Vivian [9 Dmg; 3 Strength Damage; Fort Saves needed vs nausea] <= Up
Amaria [1 Dmg; Holding Breath] <= Up
Bert [16 Dmg; Bull's Strength Active; Holding Breath]
5 Mongrelmen
Dark Creeper
Sophie [9 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
Stefan [3 Dmg; Face covered] <= Up
Sophie growls in frustration. A longbow appears in her hands and she maneuvers to where she can see the creeper.
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Come on, silly girl, you have faced worse smell working for Pharasma's temple! Steel yourself!
Amaria, shoot the creeper, he mustn't escape!
Vivian will wait until Amaria uses her bow before following the fugitive
When Amaria has fired her arrow, Vivian tries to climb on the platform, jumping and pulling herself up, using all her grace and dexterity... So much grace and dexterity that her following attack is clumsy
When it appears that Dr. Von Herzog's disembodied hand is just about to disappear, it pulses with spectral energy and looks good as new (as good as a spectral hand can appear, anyway).
Sophie summons a longbow and moves herself between two chemical vats to get a line of sight on the dark creeper.
Vivian waits for Amaria to fire an arrow before making her next move.
Darting between barrels, Tara works her way to the vat that Vivian is currently standing on. "You can run as far as you want, but you're still under investigation for grave robbing! I'll have you know that I received high marks in my persistence of justice for those who disrupt the dead!" Tara shouts up at the dark creeper, keeping an eye on where he is headed.
Tara announces the reason for the group's presence as she moves around the vats to stop next to the irate purple-masked mongrelman.
Stefan casts a spell. The spectral hand glows with icy blue light, and it attempts to touch the dark creeper.
Stefan casts another spell into his spectral hand and attempts to touch the dark creeper with it again, but it comes in clumsy and the creeper easily sidesteps it.
Still holding her breath, Amaria fires an arrow at the dark creeper that lands in the center of his chest. He reflexively grabs at it before falling unconscious on the walkway. Amaria then switches her target to the mongrelman in the purple mask and he too collapses, falling on the cellar floor near Sophie.
Vivian then makes her way up the ladder to the second floor walkway.
With a confused look, Bert asks, "Should we attack the rest of the mongrelmen?" Talking, however, forces him to take a breath, but he successfully resists the nausea.
For their part, the remaining 4 mongrelmen just cower in place, not appearing to be immediate threats.
You stay there. Where are your masters, and who are they?
Vivian tries to intimidate the nearest mongrelman, hoping their skill at battle will favor them
With the fall of the dark creeper, Stefan recalls his spectral hand, still glowing with an icy blue radiance. It hovers about six inches above his head.
"I would answer her questions, were I in your position."
"I think we need to move on quickly. The other owner is still here. Who knows what evidence he is destroying right now!" Clutching her dagger Tara glances over at her pack weighing the pros and cons of leaving it behind.
While Sophie makes her way up to the top of vats, Stefan and Vivian converge on one of the remaining mongrelmen. Between bouts of nausea, Vivian (with the help of Stefan's spectral hand) then attempts to intimidate one of the workers into revealing some information.
"Our masters are V-v-Vorkstag and Grine. You k-k-killed Grine. Vorkstag is probably sleeping in his r-r-room upstairs." The cowed mongrelman stammers out, sounding a lot like a certain defense lawyer.
Stefan then makes his way over to Grime to check his status, and will try to keep him alive if possible.
Unfortunately by the time Dr. Von Herzog gets to Grine's body, the dark creeper is already dead.
"Grimes is indeed dead. I would recommend that we make haste to press onward."
Let's go upstairs with all our eyes and ears open!
Vivian seeks the nearest stairs, but stay cautious, just in case ..
Let's get up this ladder, and check the second floor.
Vivian points out to the ladder leading to the catwalk, and climbs it
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Making her way back to her knapsack, Tara picks it up before catching up with the group. Following Amaria up the ladder, Tara spares a glance at the dark creeper. "Why would a fey try to masquerade around as a gnome? This doesn't make much sense."
The group next moves up the ladder to investigate the second floor. As the last person climbs up and moves into place, the northern door on the catwalk opens and a ghastly figure emerges. With dark pink flesh wrapped around its emaciated body, it appears to be a human with its skin pulled off. A stylish coat is wrapped around much of its body, with an alchemist kit around its waist and a heavy mace in one of its hands. Other features are difficult to make out, since the creature also appears magically blurry.
"What, who? Did you kill Grine? No matter, I can find a replacement."
Initiative (Round 1)
Tara [3 Damage]<= Up
Sophie [9 Damage] <= Up
Stefan [3 Damage]<= Up
Skinless Creature
Amaria [1 Damage]
Bert [16 Damage]
Vivian [9 Damage]
Immediately after the skinless creature makes his declaration about finding a replacement for Grine, the dark creeper's body vanishes in a bright light, leaving nothing but the objects he had on his body.
Vivian recognizes this disgusting creature as a fey known as a skin stealer. Usually only found in the First World, they can remove skins from dead creatures and use them as disguises.
Stefan directs his spectral hand (still carrying the charge of a frigid touch spell) to attack the skinless creature.
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Sophie raises her summoned longbow and releases an arrow at the disturbing figure.
for
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Tara gags at the sight of skinned human, but is able to keep it together. "Pharasma, guide our blades that we may bring justice upon this defiler!" she shouts out, holding her wooden holy symbol aloft, as a wave of divine energy emits from the cleric.
Sophie also knows that Skin Stealers can make sneak attacks and use the claws on their hands as weapons.
Stefan's disembodied hand touches the blurry skin stealer and harms it with a frigid, staggering touch.
Likewise, Sophie's arrow finds it mark despite the distortion of the skin stealer's body.
Tara calls upon the power of Pharasma to strengthen the group while weakening your strange fey adversary.
The Skin Stealer then backs up 5 feet out of the range of Bert's reach weapon and tosses a fire bomb at Sophie. The fire projectile hits the oracle and soaks those around her with fiery splash.
Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Tara [3 Damage + 5 or 2 Damage] <= Up
Sophie [19 Damage] <= Up
Stefan [3 Damage] <= Up
Skin Stealer
Amaria [1 Damage] <= Up
Bert [16 Damage + 5 or 2 Damage] <= Up
Vivian [9 Damage + 5 or 2 Damage] <= Up
Group Effects
Prayer: +1 to att, dam, saves, skill checks. Enemy takes -1 to those.
Sophie screams as the flames engulf her, then she raises her bow and fires another arrow at the skin stealer.
for
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In an unbelievable acrobatic move, nearly dancing around the flames, the redhead manages to avoid getting caught in the fire entirely.
Ain't I fiery enough for your taste, sugah?
Spitting out some bile, she attacks
Let's draw some blood, yours for a change.
Vivian's voice is stern, nothing like the happy go lucky girl she is most of the time.Then the mercurial-mooded monster hunter goes back to her usual talkative self, in a brilliant flash of strategical thinking and memory
hey folks, remember that dagger the circus people gave us? Do anyone still got it? It might be useful here and now!
The next morning, you are awoken by the scent of breakfast and the sounds of the wagons being prepared to move. After giving you all some time to wake up, Kaleb approaches the group with the gift of a dagger, "As promised, here is the reward for assisting us. This knife performs extraordinarily well against werewolves and other shapechangers. Also, if I may be so bold, would you mind traveling with us for the duration of our trip to Lepidstadt? Obviously there are dangers on the road that we had not anticipated, and you seem like honorable and capable ladies and gentlemen. Although we are only about a days ride away from the city, some of our troupe would feel a bit more secure if you could escort us."
The dagger has +1 humanoid (shapechanger) bane enchantment.