Dylan nods, he is ready to conduct violence.
He detects magic if anything pings.
In contrast with his companions, Judah's eyes narrowed a bit when he saw the child. Using someone in need of help to bait an ambush was a classic con.
"Might be abnother trap." he said quetly.
|
Nothing registers as magical and the child darts into the seemingly abandoned building. As it happens, Judah's caution is well-founded. Getting any closer would have caused the heroes to venture into quicksand! I should also note that clouds have covered the sun, making it darker than it otherwise would be in this area. The road passes right by the building.
I killed my first sentient being when I was 11. Deskari Cultist. Dont take children lightly because they are children, they may just grow claws and fangs like I spontaneously figured out I can.
Dylan cautions nodding to Judah for his appropriate caution.
Little bastard... keep your eyes peeled my friends, some rabid little shits have claimed this village.
Lorant nods grimly as they see the apparently malicious child.
"Wasn't the crime the Beast is accused of here the murder of children?" he wonders aloud. "These may not exactly be children we're dealing with here...not anymore, at least."
Do we know they are children? Or just predators pretending to be children? Or Children that went totally wild and could be redeemed? The merc seems unusually soft.
Judah scanned for paths around the quicksand. "If I were planning out traps here, I'd put something well hidden and nasty on the ways around this muck. Nothing like a false sense of security to make people slip up."
Covering your back while you search Dylan closes his eyes, as he opens them they are cat like, his teeth also turned into incisors as he draws his bardiche.
Do we know they are children? Or just predators pretending to be children? Or Children that went totally wild and could be redeemed? The merc seems unusually soft.
Lorant shakes his head.
"That's right, you weren't at Harrowstone. No, I was thinking more along the lines of ghosts."
The merc touches his amulet
I shouldnt be completely useless against Ghost, the amulet endows my attacks with a degree of magical power, but ghosts are quite threatening to me.
Shit... again?, he says with real feeling and genuine loathing.
S!*&... again?, he says with real feeling and genuine loathing.
"Afraid so, Mathus," Lorant says. "If this may be too much for you, we can set up a camp a safe distance from the village for you. I feel we may have pushed you too hard in Harrowstone, and I apologize for that."
I've grown a bit since then... I'll gut it out.
|
|
The road runs right by the building into which the child disappeared. You see no signs of a boneyard of any sort, but there is another road into the village proper. It also passes close to another abandoned building. In the distance, further down the road, you can spot the remains of what appears to be a chapel.
Any path that is a clear path into the village is unlikely to be trapped path, the Doktor reasons.
Providing overwatch Dylan says, Bardiche out, as he shifts into his were form, his eyes switching to cat irisis and his fangs growing.
He spots where people are searching, and moves to cover their backs.
Lorant casts his eyes about.
"We should tie up the horses someplace safe...we could have lost one if they'd walked into one of those traps and been lamed by it."
He looks around their surroundings to see if there is such a place in this increasingly literal ghost town.
A palpable chill ran down Judah's spine as he thought of his still-nameless horse being caught in one of the nasty bear traps. His fingers tightned on the lead.
"Should we double back and leave them on the road into town, before the traps started?"
"Good idea, Judah."
Lorant clicks his tongue and nudges Margravine to turn back, locating a nice tree they can hitch the horses to.
Move with purpose... move with purpose, he says to himself, while sticking to the path, darting too and fro.
Dylans cat eyes lit up with more magic, as he pierces the dark.
Be on he watch for threats. He snarls grinning.
"Alright, back to the investigation," Lorant says as they return, keeping an eye out for the darkness.
Judah put way too much food and water out for his horse. Then he put some slack in the saddle straps to make it more comfortable and made sure to tie the reins loosely. There was a chance they woudn't come back from this investigtion, and the idea of their horses being left to die outside a ghost town knotted his stomach.
While they walked back towards the desolate town, he drank one of the healing potions he'd bought in town, wincing at the amount of money he was
sending down his throat, and reached otu with his mind to call his otherworldly protector.
You there?
E͕̪̟͇̟t̮͈e̯͙̼̠̣͜r̰͎͖̟n͎̟̺͚͙̙͔͘a̘l͝l̶y̛̘̲̤̯̲̱ the thing whispered in his mind.
By the time they reached thier previous position, the ground had begun to bulge and crack with the telltail signs of Judah's guardian moving below the ground.
|
|
As the sun sinks below the horizon, darkness fully engulfs the deserted village. Shadows seem to move in the corners of your vision and the buildings stand out as black monoliths in the eerie setting. You follow the path to the first house. Here the path splits, proceeding south and west. But as you near the structure, a small shadowy figure moves towards you with apparent curiosity.
Lorant peers out into the darkness, following the movement he's spotted carefully.
Its a g..g..g....ghost!
Save vs trait fear.
But despite his stutter he holds his nerve! Maybe recent events have helped his fears and he readies an anti undead bomb to throw.
Dylan moves in front of Mathus, positioning himself between the Ghost and the Alchemist, touching his amulet of mighty fangs as he does so. He does not yet Bloodrage
Judah whips his head around frantically, far too quick to actually see anything clearly, and instictively throws himself to the ground behind the nearest large object, which in this case, is Dylan.
"Let's see if we can approach it first...it may just be seeking help in passing to the Boneyard...but be ready in case we've got another Father Charlatan or Splatter Man on our hands."
Lorant cautiously begins moving towards the spirit.
A shade of some type? If so only my claws and bite can hurt it.
Dylan Bloodrages, his muscles bulging, moves into the path of the child and readies an attack.
Mistake ghost
Dylan bloodrages and unleashes a full attack, dropping his bardiche and striking with fangs and claws, made magic by his amulet. He strikes with his full force.
The Doktor steps back, glances behind him to make sure it's not an ambush, then anxious to dispatch it as quickly as possible throws his Alkest vial at the spirit.
for , splash damage =6...
Alkahest Bomb 2d8/2d4 (7/day, DC 15) (Su) 2d8 acid damage to constructs and undead, 2d4 force damage to all other creatures.
Those caught in the splash damage can attempt a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier.
"Hold a moment!" Lorant says before muttering a few words as his hand is enveloped in flickering golden light. He touches Dylan on the shoulder, and the glow spreads to suffuse the warrior's form.
"It will protect you. May Iomedae guide your hand."
"Wait, what? Ghost? Where!?"
Fumbling a bit to figure out what was going on, Judah raised his arms to protect himself. Faint glowing symbols crawled across his skin, then faded.
"Straight ahead, looks like one of the children," Lorant explains.
Lets Dance apparition!
Dylan 5 foot steps towards the ghost and lets loose! His magically empowered bite (amulet of mighty fists +1) finding purchase on it, although his claws most likely miss.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Judah had been jerkily reaching for one of the full haunt siphons he carried on his bandoleer, but when the doctor's bomb passed right through the spectre he second guessed himself.
Instead of wasting ammo, he busied himself throwing rocks at the spectre, trying to distract it so his allies had a better shot at taking it down.
Can you kill a ghost? he asked his subteranian companion.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ev̮͍͍̫̺̗͚e̫͓ͅn͉͔̜̻͈͘ ͇̪d̠̳͓̦̝͚͞ͅe͇̻a̞̞̖͜t̛̤̯̘̺̻h̫̦̗̱ ̙̮̝̥͍̗͎m͔̩̫͎a͇y ̳̳d͇̤i̻e̠̙̗̼̼ͅ the creature whispered in Judah's mind. I̹̘͜f͞ ̬͕̭y̭͈̩̖̳o̙̻̘̹̭̮̻͜u̙̯̫̰͙͓ ͇̹̬̙͙̣͉s̻̥̣̼̦ha̺̭̮͈̼̠̜p͏̹̮͎̯͔̻e̢ m̺̙͙̗̞̯̟ę̫̫̖͖̝͖ ̻̠͈͍̼t̻͈̟̠o͙̰̱͈̱̥͟ ̩̺̬̝ͅt̞̠̗͝h͈͖a̢̼̠͇̝͙t̯͚ ͈̦̹̻̭p̘̕u̻̗̜͉͍̱r͙̺͢p͕͎͎̝ǫ͔͓͔̣̱̰̰s̴͖̻̝e̗̬̳̥.͍̭