So Shaedo you wan us to hold off until all of the prisoners have been evacuated? that is going to be a hard one she instantly replied
Schnorzel sits on the great snake, looking on in confusion I.. What? and is mostly complacent as the rest of the gob smash group moves into position. Though she looks on at Nuglet's pains
The one you refer to was your wife after you granted her the blessing of immortally Coccam. She is no longer and as such is not bound by any bargains of our people due to no longer being Midori."
The tentacled goblin slides off the snake before continuing her words
"Just like you, High priest Handsome Jakk.
Having traveled to the lands of Golarion and seen the reactions of these people to the concept of I-g-o-b.
I have realized that the reason none have ever seen power like yours in the Midori is that you never were one to begin with."
Gritting her teeth as anger rolls up her throat the little creature continues her diatribe.
"So in the name of my people, for the sins you have committed on the words of the Ao I find you wanting.
I am going to ensure you suffer for warping my people like you have Jakk.
Then I am going to ensure you feel every iota of what your foolish quest to the other side cost me personally. "
Sweat on her brow at the action the goblin looks directly at the priests form anger written on her every feature as she calls desperately to her new found powers.
Hopefully this will work.
The goblins eyes scrunch slightly as she thinks of earth, blue fire and the incinerated corpse a room away.
Incinerator, consumer of Gohl'eeh-ath, as I once called you come again. I ask you this, so you might consume the rest of the rot you have destroyed. For my people Come and devour the outsider known as Jakk Tornclaw!
Shaedo, likewise, replies immediately over the psychic link to her bardic ally. Beylinda! I don't think we have to evacuate them- just break their link to him somehow! I don't know what's happening for sure. But he was already killed- twice, and yet, he isn't dead, and the people chained up- they died the very same moment we struck at him!
Then, Schnorzel
Whoah, she sounds really angry with Jakk. Rigtheously ticked off! Shaedo thinks to herself as she hears Schnorzel's angry keening over the raging storm. Sounds like there was a pretty nasty trick played on the Midori- not the fun kind of trick at all!
Then, a single thought dominates her mind for a fraction of a second, Uh-oh!
Bey, Schnorzel! If we strike at him, we shall likely do nothing to him- only hurt innocent people- who would be our friends! Please hold your fury- hurt him- keep him busy- but please don't kill him just yet! 'Cause now, we'd probably do nothing to him, and instead hurt someone else! You kill him now, then you're doing what he wants!
Shaedo is wracking her foxy brain to figure out if her theory of the dreadful circumstances is true- and how it possibly could be working. Is Jakk linked up with his sacrifices, and if so, how??
*Meh.. It dun't stop ye playin' wiff tha' feller. Go put some feathers up his nose or somat!*
*Sneakin', sneakin', sneakin'...*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ceru might totally be wrong on this, but she feels like separating the bodies from the ritual before physically freeing them might be a good idea.
Therefore, she focuses on the runes on their head first. Reaching into her backpack, she retrieves her ink and ink pen she carries to write down recipes. She knows at one point she mixed in some turmeric into the ink, to be sure it's extra indelible, and makes it smell interesting.
Then she casts read magic to better understand the runes she is looking at.
Finally, starting with the one nearest her on her left, she carefully starts to write upon the rune painted on their head, to change it into a different rune---in other words, not just simply to erase it (for that also might be jarring, like pouring too much pepper in to mask the taste of bad food) but to shift the energy flowing through the people to make it gently nullify the flow of energy (in the way that mixing saeleratus* and vinegar somewhat negates the acidity of vinegar and the basicness of saeleratus but also if you do it juuuuust right results in a reaction that helps make cakes moist when you don't have eggs to cook with.)
.
Well, as all of this is happening, Psi-dish begins to collect himself and think.
to try to better understand this ritual and some method of separating the captives from it.
Sunny continues to sneak towards the nearest prisoner and thence attempts to free them.
There are several elements to the ritual that help empower it:
1) the disease
2) the captives
3) the goblins below
4) the Mesa itself
5) the pool of blood
6) the high priest
7) the mana well you are currently in (apparently held in check exclusively by the green mist below)
There is also more than one effect being created by the ritual:
1) consumption of life forces
2) transformation of something or somethings
3) extraplanar transposition and alteration
4) necromancy "run wild" as it were - a forced transformation of things at the base of the tower, and then a build up and eruption that would devastate an area too large to contemplate
5) an eldritch eruption from the mana well so potent that it will spread a form of broken, diseased magic, warping the fabric of the arcane around everyone
Lvl 1: Color Spray, Ray of Sickening, Obscuring Mist, (abj.) Protection from Evil
Lvl 2: Sorching Ray x2, Protection from Arrows (abj.)
Resistance: Fire 5
Protective Ward x7
The uneasiness finally settled in Dijiron's stomach as the magic's effect subsided. I will certainly not be trying that again. But what to do? He is most likely protected as Nuglet was so my necromantic ray will probably not work. I am out of range for it anyway. I suppose Vitreous is our best hope at beating this monstrosity so it would help to protect him.
Dijiron casts protection from evil on Vitreous. Get closer if you can Vitreous. My spells only work form so far. I only need you to move in about 10 ft.
Vitreous, loses control of the Mustaches! as he approaches Dijiron. Giving up on that tactic now, after he gains protection he will attack a pillar a prisoner is connected to, attempting to avoid hurting the prisoner while breaking it.
Hey, Sunny -- could you please free the ones I finish re-drawing the runes on first? I want to be sure they're disconnected from the magic before they're pulled away.
Other Considerations: There are dozens of captives - Ceru's and Layla's Perceptions makes it clear that it's over thirty, perhaps over forty - spread around, chained, and with runes etched into the columns and painted on their heads.
Ceru, you are now at a set of columns thrumming with the sounds of water running on the inside - you realize that these columns are likely where the water and green mist is flowing into the channels below -, with runes carved on them - one each - and chained creatures. You see a ratfolk, a humanoid frog, a dwarf-like woman, a svirfneblin, and a kitsune all bound in chains. They have been painted with runes on their forehead that match the ones on the column they're attached to. It's hard to tell if any are breathing.
Sunny continues to try and figure out how to get the restraints off...
*I be tryin'..*
----
- Jakk Tornclaw 37
- Sunny 23
- Shaedo 21
- Jakk Tornclaw 17
- Dijiron 16
- Layla 12
- Ooze 12
- Stone 11
- Vitreous 11
- Ceru 9
- Psi-dish 8
- Beylinda 7
- Schnorzel 4
Jakk laughs as his eye mostly begins to - slowly - regenerate. Speaking in midori-goblin (though you can all understand it), he looks at Schnorzel, and turns from mirth to fury, "Never one to begin with?!" he yells, then screams, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH, *****!"
With a flick of his wrist, Jakk Tornclaw suddenly grabs a chain attached to his belt and with remarkable alacrity and skill swings the two curved scythe-like blades on the end toward Beylinda - and, though one flies wide, the other hits!
A flare of energy creating a pattern - almost like a tattoo - briefly across his body, and Ceru and Schnorzel fill sudden pain inside of them!
Sunny fails to break the lock, as a gnashy tooth-filled orb appears adjacent to herself and Ceru!
Shaedo drinks a potion and scrambles near to the prisoners.
With a second flare of magical runes, Jakk utters a short hoarse, whispering-shout and magic surges... with no apparent effect!
He quickly swings his horrendously foolish weapon twice at Beylinda once again, however, though he expertly dodges the scythe-like blades, both attacks swing wide past her armor.
Layla slams into Jakk with her horsechopper, ripping a large part of what should be his spine open and slicing through his harmor relatively well, though Jakk - screaming once - freezes, unmoving... but still breathing and pumping blood from his wound.
Ooze, with a cry of "EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAATTT~!" lets a fine shot at Jakk which barely clanks off of the spike armor the diseased goblin wears.
Stone fires his crossbow again and smacks Jakk right in the chest. The frozen goblin doesn't even move.
Vitreous successfully smashes through a column... or three! Water and green mist pour from the ceiling where columns once connected, somewhat draining into holes below, but also spilling across the mesa and the four former prisoners. The creatures once bound to the column collapse in the shower of rock, and only Vitreous' quick reflexes manage to prevent a froggy creature from falling off the edge!
Ceru cleanly and successfully shifts the rune from Consumption to Improvement or Healthy or Pure Breath - it's a bit mixed. Regardless, there is an immediate reaction from the creature she 'fixes': it quickly becomes apparent that she severed something in the ritual, as the exhausted and starved-looking - yet still-alive - woman slumps even more, suddenly somehow even relaxed in her chains - apparently, despite her previous state of unconsciousness, her muscles were still straining.
Psi-dish begins to contemplate and comprehend the scope of this ritual...
Beylinda defends against the priest's machinations as best she can, but when he collapses, she looks around, briefly, ready for the next threat...
Schnorzel begins chanting and summoning something else... something more... something other... calling for the fire-spirit from before...
Suddenly seven tiny orb-like creatures that are mostly maws filled with row after row of mismatched razor-sharp teeth appear across the battlefield!
The two flanking Beylinda attack, but their gnashing little teeth simply bounce off of the armor provided by the W.D.G.F.F.! Layal feels a brief wave of vertigo, but (barely!) manages to fight it off - it came from the next to her, and she takes the opportunity to swing at it! One can't really say her blow "connects" so much as "passes through the flesh as if it were tissue paper" - the little maw stands no chance, though the blade itself suddenly begins pitting and rusting from the thing's blood!
A fourth attacks Shaedo, though the thing's pathetic attempts do little but slam the air. Similarly, the one next to Sunny and Ceru seems determined on devouring the air in front of them. Schnorzel's manages to connect, though not enough to ruin her concentration! The last manages to scrape its teeth off of Vitreous' scales, but penetrates nothing and deals no damage.
Sunny blinks at the creature that pops into existence beside herself,
" 'Ello beasty..." Not bothering to do anything other than swing her fists quite rapidly at said creature.
He appears to have some inherent magical ability that he can use with remarkable alacrity. They seem like conjuration effects. I suspect he summoned those Cacodaemons. They're the weakest kind of Daemon so I must wonder if his heart is truly in this fight. The damage to your weapon, Beylinda, is not normal however. Seems closer to a Demon than a Daemon. They must be altered in some way.
Now that Vitreous was closer, Dijiron decided to fire his Scorching Ray at Jakk.
The number of things appearing in her mind at once was disorienting to the tentacled goblin. Fortunately she was not in a state to complain as she concentrated on the spell, herself and Jakk.
both the fanged maw attached like a limpet to her and the green fog pooling around her ankles were ignored so she could finish her goal.
"I have no desire to kill Handsome Jakk quickly. I want to hear him scream. Deal with the sacrifices and I will do my best to ensure the Coccam suffers." The goblin both says and with a quirked brow 'Thinks' in the direction of her current allies.
"I would highly suggest backing away from Jakk now, the creature I am summoning could be a carrier for Jakk's plauge. I can assure you it is not something you want."
With a quick motion Schnorzel retrieves one of the rupees in her backpack, the gems surface marred slightly from the blood on her palm. following a whisper of a feeling that it was proper to give a spirit of destruction something to burn on arriving.
She waits for a few breaths for her message to be heard doing her best to stretch the ritual hopefully it does not take offense at the delay.
Ceru looses her adventurer's sash and drops it near Sunny. "Acid in there if that helps... but I've got to help these people..."
Driven by her success with the first person, she continues on the other four.
EDIT
EDIT 2
A bit hurst by the weapon Beylinda quickly turns around to face the new threat
Maybe if we removed Jakk from the center of the ritual he would finally die from being out of range ? she says wielding her weapon Continuing with her battle dance
Layla mentals the group,
"If killin' Jakk quickly could end the ritual, then there's no good reason to wait!
Even if he doesn't fully 'die,' I'm pretty sure slicin' him ta bits will keep him from stoppin' us from dismantlin' this whole thing.
'Sides, his two floaty shields stopped movin'... maybe each one took a kill for him, or somethin'...
We got thousands'a lives at stake here, people.
Bey, let's dice him while we've got the chance.
Jus' don't summon somethin' right on toppa me, Schnorz!"
Layla attempts a coup-de-grace with her broken horsechopper to behead the paralyzed Jakk.
EDIT: DC 34 Fort Save or he dies again...
Psi-dish switches to a language he thinks everybody can hear; Common.
Yes, snake creature! Continue to bash your head against the stones! It is working phenominally!
Psi says with no sense of sarcasm in it's voice.
I believe I understand the ritual. All captives being held are a part of the diseased ones power. However, every thing else present from the pool of life juice to this very mesa is also integral to the ritual.
This area is being placed in grave danger. Everything at the base of the tower is being forcibly transformed by some extraplanar effect. If this goes on, the necromantic energy being created will build up and erupt. This will spread diseased magic across an inconcievably large area.
I would like to avoid that if possible.
We can in fact stop it, but I believe we must take the pieces of the ritual apart to do so.
*deep breath*
Edit:
Psi attempts to wade into melee with his enemy.
Meanwhile, I roll these things to try to think of a way to separate Jakk from the ritual.
** spoiler omitted **
.
.
.
As previously mentioned, there are several working parts to the ritual.
1) the disease - you have no innate method of curing disease.
2) the captives - they are chained and are marked; currently Ceru is attempting to mark them differently; the columns are marked for each captive bound to them. This could be a thing?
3) the goblins below - their meditation and trance is somehow integral to the entire process, though it's unclear how, exactly; you suspect that necromancy is being used to shunt their psyches into another world, similar to a phenomenally potent effect called astral projection, giving them new bodies in that other world, leaving those here completely unaffected by anything that happens over there... but leaving their minds only in one location. They are very far below, and thus unlikely to be easily reached and, even more dangerous, is the necromantic lightning eating away at their green mist (currently acting like a barrier, even as it taints them somehow).
4) the Mesa itself - it seems unlikely that you have any power to directly affect the Mesa itself, though you could break more columns like the snake is doing, one supposes. The green mist seems dangerous to you, though the snake (and those on it) seem to be ignoring it and suffering no ill effects.
5) the pool of blood - this is so large it would be impossible to truly affect the blood meaningfully, but if you weren't so far away, it's possible that you could break a hole into it, or something, possibly draining the blood or interrupting the smooth flow of energy.
6) the high priest - currently he seems to have been killed several times and has taken a tremendous beating; he is not invulnerable, though he still seems to be alive, if paralyzed by whatever that creature over there (Layla) did to it. While it hasn't stopped the ritual, as a whole, it's certainly had some impact on it, and it has to eventually: considering he's one focal point of the ritual.
7) the mana well you are currently in (apparently held in check exclusively by the green mist below) - no one has the power to alter this, that you know of.
Based off of this information, numbers, and the like, you'd guess that number 2 and number 7 are the easiest to handle in your current situation, though number 5 could be a thing if you found some way of moving 100 ft. down and 120 ft. over that way (or at least more than 80 ft., as that way you wouldn't fall into the pit surrounding the mesa with the necromantic lightning and goblins).
Hearing that column smashing seems to be a good thing, Vitreous heads for the next group of columns and begins to attack them!
"Take this you foul column thingy!"shouts Vitreous, forgetting in his excitement to speak in snake!
Ooze looks around at the chaos that is happening atop the mesa. All thoughts of plans or "teamwork" are right out.
That blasted pus goblin was still alive, Ooze dropped from snakeback and hurried toward the paralyzed Jakk. When he reached him, he tries to jump onto the immobile creatures back and strangle it to death with his reinforced pocket scarf.
As his feet flap across the ground he says and broadcasts, "die.die.Die.Die.DIe.DIe.DIE.DIE.DIE!DIE!DIE!!DIE!!!!!!"
Not understanding the otherworldly tongue of Psi-Dish except insofar as Schnorzel translates, Shaedo is content to blurt her more limited understanding. Ever the fox, she doesn't quite see the full picture, but knows a few things- though in this case she doesn't quite know how...
Insight... from the dream! The darkness between the stars- the darkness in the room, earlier... we fell into it! I recognize this place somehow!
I-I think I'm right! This whole place is connected to a plane of death and consumption! Abadon! Everyone- this is a plane that feeds on death and ruin!- by killing Jakk- he is feeding on the souls- I think that is helping the ritual- we're a part of it! We can only beat him by taking it apart! She shakes her head with the craziness of it all, Oh yeah, and our bodies might be unconscious over in Golarion just like the gobs over there. We may be able to save them too, if we wake them up- and Yooow! There goes three pillars! Nice Vitreous!
Encouraged by the dismantling of the evil all around, Shaedo turns to the nearby kitsune and begins to work on freeing the fellow fox. Then... "Ayiii! What is that!" Shaedo easily evades the clumsy attack of the globular mouth suddenly appearing near her.
Shaedo circles around the pillar once to which the nearest prisoner is chained, trying to use stealth so the creature loses track of her. She then continues to try and free the fellow kitsune, while keeping an eye on the thing attacking her.
----
Jakk Tornclaw 37
Sunny 23
Shaedo 21
Jakk Tornclaw 17
Dijiron 16
Layla 12
Ooze 12
Stone 11
Vitreous 11
Ceru 9
Psi-dish 8
Beylinda 7
Schnorzel 4
Jakk simply stands there, unmoving. His cacodaemons, on the other hand, launch themselves at their nearest targets! Sharp teeth slam into Shaedo's leg, painfully! Another manages to rend a bit from Vitreous! One successfully attaches itself to Sunny's swinging fist! The last two continue to gnaw on Beylinda's armor in a seemingly futile gesture!
Sunny furiously beats the air near the little ball of teeth and hatred near her.
Shaedo evades the snapping jaws of the monstrous creature, ducking in between the columns, and quietly, carefully working on the lock, which opens with a click sound.
Jakk continues to stare, unmoving. His orbs of teeth, however attack again! This time one of them manages to score a painful gash along Beylinda's arm with its shark-like teeth, though the other missed badly. Shaedo's looks for her, quickly, before flying over toward Jakk! Sunny's manages to completely miss the tall elf, while Vitreous' manages to score a nasty looking cut along the snake's flank, though thankfully it's not as deep as it could be!
Dijiron, recovering from his stupor, casts a powerful ray of fiery energy, that slams into the unmoving goblin - hard.
Layla takes her blade and, with a prepared and mighty swing, brings the arc around, to, and through the neck of the creature. He continues to stand there, even as blood pours from the nearly untraceable line in his neck, with a few bits of cackling yellow lightning sparking around the edges.
... which makes it all the more startling when Ooze leaps atop the goblin and begins strangling him, and causing his head to topple off, entirely, with a brief line of necromantic lightning between it and the neck it used to be resting on! ... and yet the strangulation still seems to be affecting the headless (yet still-attempting-to-breathe) body! The neck - both near the head and near the body - flicker with the same necromantic lightning, though none specifically leaps at anything...
And it's really bizarre when the two chained shields just start floating around Ooze...
Stone, denied a Jakk target by an Ooze directly in front of him aims and attacks the toothy orb nearest Beylinda! The hit is a success, and, though it doesn't kill the miserable little creature, it certainly wounds it!
Vitreous uses the opportunity to, once again, surge forward into a group of columns! Unfortunately, he knocks three of the kobolds that were chained off the edge of the cliff!
... wait, no he doesn't... they're over there in a pile. Weird. But lucky! (Also the svirfneblin he freed is fine, too.)
Ceru quickly - ignoring the flashing teeth and fangs that miss her anyway - and "fixes" another rune, causing a second creature - this time a ratfolk - to silence and slump, again more at rest, despite previously being unconscious.
Psi-dish rushes toward Jakk and
* presumably a charge attack, though I can't really say for sure
Beylinda cleanly destroys one of the two balls of teeth. Her Enoreth blade entirely ignores the spitting hisses of the acidic blood.
Schnorzel finally finishes summoning a creature, as she fishes out a black gem. After she pulls it out, the gem... burns in her hand! Only by pure luck does her body manage to resist the transformative power activated within the hitam rupee - as she drops it back into the sack in reflex, they are suddenly consumed in a tremendous burst of burning magic and Schnorzel feels the power suddenly withdrawn from herself - a power she was only just now becoming aware of.
A massive creature, made of fire and flesh - the self-same previously dead giant, far larger than the one on the table, but burning with a soul of pure flames roars into existence... slightly off the side of the Mesa, which is fortunate, as it would have knocked everyone and everything off simply by being there. The truly enormous thing roared - a deafening sound - and clung to the side of the Mesa...
""
The very caverns around shake with the sound of his voice.
Lvl 1: Color Spray, Ray of Sickening, Obscuring Mist, (abj.)
Lvl 2: Sorching Ray, Protection from Arrows (abj.)
Resistance: Fire 5
Protective Ward x7
Condition: Shaken
A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked.
"Aaaaagghhh-ayiiiii!" Ow, ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow owow ow owowowowowowowiii!
Shaedo cries out, first vocally, then mentally as she dodges and stealths away, adrenaline thankfully allowing her escape and duck and weave, and rescue a hostage. Shaedo gently removes her kindred kitsune from the pillar, and then downs a potion of cure light, being sure to stay between the rescued fox and the nasty bitey thingy- which hopefully is not able to see her!
What is this globular mouth, bitey thingy? Any weaknesses? Does it have a mind I can affect?
Wha-what is that THING!! She cries out mentally, shielding her rescued kitsune from the presence of the massive fiery conjuration. Schnorzeeeel... what did you do?
To try to figure out what's happening with slicing up Jakk and the magic ritual...
(possibly aiding another)
+2 Favored Enemy?
+2 Favored Enemy?
To try to figure out why the shields are now circling Ooze...
(possibly aiding another)
+2 Favored Enemy?
+2 Favored Enemy?
To get a better sense of the Burninator and how to handle it...
(possibly aiding another)
-2 Shaken?
-2 Shaken?
EDIT:
Skills:
...cuz we're disabling a ritual...
...cuz we're slicing up a body that's regenerating...
+2 favored enemy?
...cuz we're here now and I wanna know stuff...
+2 favored enemy?
...cuz I might notice something...
...cuz I'm slicing one to pieces...
+2 favored enemy?
...cuz I wanna do that...
Layla is very glad Schnorzel didn't summon that thing right on top of her.
Shaedo is tensely, quietly waiting to see what happens next, shielding her fellow fox with her own body.
She hopes that Schnorzel knows what she's doing in summoning this angry spirit, but then she remembers, for all her power, we found her hiding, wasting away in a stone box... Was it something- like this- maybe smaller- that got her there? She begins to giggle hysterically for the craziness of it all.
Dijiron is magical expert- maybe he'll know what to do? Or Layla, our leader- she always has a plan- or maybe Sunny can just brightly smile at it- or Bey will have a dance- or... She frantically hopes someone will be able to do something. Or... I have my foxy wit. I know just enough about this place- I bet I could convince it that it was pulled here by the darkness... which is part true... and that the only way... She trembles, my sisters always said I was the crazy one...
Shaedo continues her quiet soliloquy, though she is ready to spring into action. She has a trick that may work, but she hopes someone truly knows what to do.
Seeing a possible opportunity, Psi-dish has an idea. He charges towards Jakk and attempts to pick up and hurl his severed head off of the mesa!
-2 for shaken.
to throw the head.
0 modifier rolls away! First those shifty looking shields then the terrifying behemoth.
We must remove the priest from the mesa!