So the mist is real but the snake... what is going on??
At her wit's end, Nyakala tries again to flee the fort and move towards her allies.
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:: Lamashan 16 - Late Afternoon - Forest ::
12 dmg, 4 BoA, Formless Body 5 rounds, 2 round until spores, 6 con damage (spores 6 rounds remain)
Nyakala has a moment of clarity as she tries to sprint back to the others, but only manages to move about 10 feet. Looking around for a moment, she sees a giant bell shaped flower hanging from spikey stalks slapping at her with vines out stretch. There is no snake to be seen and Nyakala realizes she is in her formless body, gaseous but not immune to being hurt.
The vines strike Nyakala, stinging slightly as they pass through her. Nyakala feels... something begin to lodge in her and stay behind and casts burst of adrenaline, running on instinct still.
Carthas and Annelise move forward and see the creature attacking Nyakala, and that it chases her as she tries to flee. Annelise does not see any magic at play.
Catching up, the creature attacks Nyakala again. With no energy left, she can not resist the spores left behind by the creatures attack. Her evergy levels drop dangerously low.
.
Elyas, Charles, and Lyndis have become more concern with the scouting group and see a sharp, short lived flash of light, as though a spell is going off near Fort Ristin.
Nyakala barely has time to react to react to her series of revelations before her body begins to recondense and she feels whatever the creature left within her continuing to sap her strength. With a reflexive mental effort she tries to keep herself partially dispersed to slow the infection's progress.
Assuming she remains on her feet, Nyakala keeps running at whatever speed she can manage towards Carthas and Annelise.
Annelise gives a crooked smile that isn't very amused. "This I can deal with." She concentrates and a small fire elemental erupts from the air, striking at the plant that is attacking Nyakala. She takes care to stay out of its reach, moving back towrwards the others.
"I'd say we've lsot the element of surprise. But we have the element of fire, so it's all good."
AC 16 [T 13 FF 14]
Wound Points: 32; Wound Threshold 14
Vigor Points: 15
Attack: Slam +6 (d4+2) plus Burn (d4 damage for d4 rounds,Reflex save DC 13)
Speed 50 ft; Initiative +5; Perception +4, Darkvision 60 ft
"Getting out of this alive is more important than the element of surprise," Carthas says as he moves forward another 30 feet before pulling out a vial, shaking it up, and hurling it at the plant.
:: Lamashan 16 - Late Afternoon - Forest ::
Nyakala's burst of adrenaline clears her system, as she flees as fast as she can the creature strikes at her again. Nyakala feels the vines slam into her back as she runs, the spores taking hold again.
Annelise summons a fire elemental, who's attacks barely miss, while Carthas bomb strikes home.
The creature reels and carefully backs away from the battle towards the wall.
.
Back in the woods, Lyndis, Charles, and Elyas see more flashes of light and a steady blaze appear. Along with a small explosion.
Nyakala uses the last of her psychic strength on a final surge of adrenaline to fight off the spores in the wound at her back.
She keeps running until she passes Annelise and Carthas, at which point she begins to slow until she stumbles to her knees. After a moment Nyakala tips forward, barely managing to catch herself with outstretched arms and ending up on all fours. With no energy left to move she stays there, the fuzzy darkness that makes up the edges of her body roiling in time with her gasping breaths.
The fire elemental follows the plant, continuing to attack it while the rest of the group plans what to do.
Annelise looks at Nyakala with concern, pulling out a scroll from her belt. "This should help some. I think we should pull back."
"Agreed. Let's get back to the others. Nyakala, I have some healing solutions if you require more."
Elyas sees the flashes of light and hears the small bomb go off. he rushes forward, trying to take in the scene as quickly as possible.
Charles, sword flashing, follows hot on Elyas heals. He mumbles as he moves about people getting two far away when they cannot handle a blade.
Nyakala tenses when she feels Annelise touch her to deliver the spell, the darkness around her seeming to condense into twisting thorns, but she relaxes as the feels the infernal magic slowly restoring her vigor.
After a moment her breathing begins to stabilize and Nyakala climbs shakily to her feet. "Thank you," she says quietly. "And yes, let's get out of here."
:: Lamashan 16 - Late Afternoon - Forest ::
Finally getting to see the creature inaction before it falls back, Carthas believe the creature to be a Basidirond of some sort. Basidirond are unintelligent plant creatures that try to trap their food in a halucinogenic cloud of spores while their diseased spores drain their strength. Most normal types of basidirond are not damaged but slowed down by exposure to very cold temperatures.
With the fire elemental holding the Basidirond at bay, the rest of the group is free to fall back deeper into the forest.
Elyas and Charles sprint forward to see Nyakala kneeling on the ground severely injured.
Once she is fully out of sight of the fort, Nyakala leans against a tree and closes her eyes. She shrugs off her cloak and pushes her fingers through the tears in the chainmail at her back, probing the gashes left by the vines.
As her fingers touch the wounds she grimaces but continues, searching for tactile evidence of any spores that were left behind. A tear leaks from the screwed-shut corner of her good eye, and a bit of darker fluid drips from the other to run down the fungal scars on her cheek, but her fingers only probe more aggressively.
Then her hand drops. Nyakala takes a deep breath and the edges of her body grow slightly fuzzy as she begins to blur herself, but a vivid memory of her attempt at discorporation in front of the gate abruptly stops the process. She remains fully corporeal, leaning on the tree as her shoulders shudder occasionally.
As they meet up with the others, Carthas says, "The gate to the fort is guarded by a Basidirond - a type of mindless plant creature that tries to trap its prey in hallucinogenic spores, while simultaneously infecting them with diseased spores to drain their strength. Though they are not harmed by very cold temperatures, they become lethargic in them. The creature attacked Nyakala." Kneeling, Carthas offers Nyakala a vial and says, "Here. This will help your physical wounds heal. If you can muster up the strength, can you tell us if you saw anything of the inside of the fort before the basidirond grabbed you?"
Elyas examines Nyakala's wounds, and if she is still badly injured will cast another CLW on her.
Nyakala looks up as Carthas begins speaking, trying to force her face into a more composed expression. When he explains the nature of her assailant she grimaces again and clenches her fists. So all of that was just... Gods, why did I think I should come back here? If a mindless plant could do that, the Blight–
Nyakala seizes on Carthas' offer of the elixir to distract herself and grabs the vial, downing it quickly enough that a few drops splash her face. She hands the bottle back and answers, "Nothing. Didn't even hear anything more. Stupid of me to try."
She allows Elias to examine her wounds, though obviously finds the process very uncomfortable, and gives a single sharp nod in thanks when he casts his healing spell.
Once Nyakala is patched up Elyas looks to the others.
OK, so we didn't learn much about the fort. at least we know about these plant things now. what do you all think? attacking a fort seems quite risky for our small band,especially if they have cultivated these plants to use as defenses.
"The walls of the fort are adorned with dead hobgoblins, so they aren't friends of the hobs, but that doesn't mean they're our friends, either. We should mark it on our map, and pass by otherwise - at least for now. We may want to see if we can explore it later."
Annelise nods agreement with Carthas. "That makes sense, as long as whatever is in there stays there and doesnt start causing trouble for our people."
"You all can do what you want, but I am not going anywhere near that place again until we know a hell of a lot more about what we're dealing with there," Nyakala bites out with a shudder. "And I'm not even sure we should put it between us and Caveholm. If we're going to keep exploring let's turn east or west."
Charles scratches his head.
"Well, if what is here killed the hobgoblins that's good but this forest is not big on putting good things in it. Could be an ally or could be just as bad and a threat at our back. Hard to just leave it..."
He looks around and shrugs, no chance he is going to make the final call.
I'm with you, Charles. I hate not knowing who these people are, especially if they are fighting Hobs. surely we can unite around a common enemy, even temporarily. even getting to the point of a truce not to kill each other while there are hobgoblins to fight would be worth the risk of speaking to them
:: Lamashan 16 - Late Afternoon - Forest ::
The group drifts back into the forest away from the fort, finding a decent spot to camp for the night before settling down to keep watch and rest a bit.
.
:: Lamashan 17 - Morning - Forest ::
The next day dawns brisk and clear. The group heads west into the forest, looking for something that could help them as winter approaches.
.
:: Lamashan 19 - Mid Afternoon - Forest ::
After a few days travel through brisk autumn days, the group runs into the scent of smoke and follows in for a while. Around mid afternoon you find yourselves standing just outside the edge of a large burnt circle in the forest about 250 feet in diameter. In the center is a great burnt oak tree with nothing but ashes around it. On the far side of the burnt clearing you can see a bit of a ridgeline.
Carthas studies the devastation from just inside the treeline, trying to determine how long ago the fire happened.
Still haggard and unsteady from the spores’ effects, Nyakala looks out at the destruction with grim resignation. She disperses a small cloud of darkness from her hand which spreads over the burned landscape searching for residual magic.
"Suppose we better check out that tree," Nyakala mutters. She begins trudging towards the oak, keeping a lookout for anything out of the ordinary.
Annelise follows closely behind, determined not to let Nyakala get into danger again.
"The fire is recent, but not overly so. Still, to burn in such a perfect circle...I don't think this was any kind of fluke. This was done intentionally."
Carthas trudges forward, as well, keeping an eye on the ridgeline in case hobgoblin archers appeared there.
:: Lamashan 19 - Mid Afternoon - Forest ::
Approaching the tree, you can see three bodies twisted in agony around some of the remaining branches high up in the tree, their flesh melted into the burn ash of the trees exterior. Around the base of the tree you can see a dozen shattered flasks.
As Carthas looks over at the ridge line, he notices arrows embedded the crest at an odd angle. Noticing the bodies in the tree he realizes they must have been keeping an opposing force pinned down at the ridge line before some of them rushed out to hurl flasks of alchemist fire at the tree.
Having walked across the burnt field to get near the tree, Annelise realizes that the fire didn't burn out on its own. Given the pattern and look of the ash and how some areas are unevenly burnt, the fire was likely put out by something like the quench spell.
"This was a battle. The bodies in the tree, when they were alive, were fighting someone or something that was up on the ridgeline. We may need to further examine the bodies, but I suspect these will be more Chernasardo Rangers, and the hobgoblins were responsible for the fire."
Elyas examines the tree.
Can we get them down from there? I'd hate to leave them up there like that... but if we're going to climb up to get them we need to be sure that this tree will bear our weight. The fire likely weakened it
"If you really want to get the corpses I'll float you up there," Nyakala tells Elyas, motioning for him to stand next to the tree. Assuming he does, she raises a hand and wraps his legs and torso in a dark cloud which raises him up to the bodies as her own form blurs.
"I don't mind pulling them down if you think it needs to be done. Messy but if they were fighting Ironfang it is only right to do."
I don't like the idea of leaving them here in a tree. it doesn't feel right. they deserve a burial of their remains after what they went through.
Elyas will accept the offer of levitation and will quickly examine the bodies up close before loosening them from their perch
Once Elyas has gotten a body free, Nyakala lowers him to the ground so he can deposit it there, then lifts him back up and repeats the process until all the bodies are retrieved.
:: Lamashan 19 - Mid Afternoon - Forest ::
As Elyas touches back down with the first body, the trees erupt at the western edge of the burn area. Standing around 15 feet tall a great humanoid beast with a bow in hand roars out across the field, [bigger]"Back for their bodies, eh! Cowardly beasts! I will make you replant this whole area after burning it down!"
The giant steps out into the burn zone a bit and half draws his bow, "Surrender or die!
Carthas's eyes bulge at the giant creature, along with its giant bow - and it assumes they were the ones responsible for this. Fear evident in his voice, Carthas calls out, "We are not the ones who burned this area down! We were taking the bodies out of the tree to bury them! We don't know what happened!"
Nyakala calls up a barely visible lattice of dark haze to protect herself as she waits to see how the large humanoid reacts to Carthas' explanation. She also tries to determine exactly what kind of giant it might and whether that type is common to the area.
"Looks like a wood giant," Nyakala says quietly. "Skilled in combat, wields primal magic, probably sees himself as protector of the forest."
"Whoa their friend. Lets be calm now ok. We are against those that did this and it seems you are too. Calm large friend, calm."
Elyas knows that speaking up will likely hurt more than help, so he just puts his hands up in a non-threatening way and stops touching the bodies while the discussion is going on
Annelise is momentarily stunned by the appearance of the creature. her first instinct is to fight, but it seems that it is only attacking them because it thinks they did this. She is not very good with people, so she stands back and letst the more talkative ones of her party try to calm things down.
If things don't calm down - well, that's a skill set she does have.
:: Lamashan 19 - Mid Afternoon - Forest ::
The giant seems to hesitate for a moment, then lowers his bow. Walking towards the group.
"If you didn't do this, do you know who did? I came upon it before the inferno covered the whole forest and put it out, but the damned arsonists were gone already." The wood giant continues to walk forward until he is about 20 feet from you. [b]"I am sorry to scare you so, my name is Herge."
Carthas exhales in relief as the giant chooses not to attack them. "Well met, Herge. My name is Carthas Brambleroad. We do not know who lit the inferno, but we suspect that it was the hobgoblin armies of the Ironfang Legion, who have conquered the nearby towns of Nirmathas. We are with a group of refugees from Phaendar."
Hello Herge, my name is Elyas, servant of Iomedae. we saw that several people were caught in this fire you put out and I was trying to bring them down to give them a proper burial and to try to learn who did such an act. we do not want to see more damage come to this land, we seek to survive here until the hobgoblin invaders can be chased out.
Nyakala relaxes very slightly at the giant's decision not to attack, but keeps her magical defenses up.
As he approaches, she asks coldly, "For no particular reason, have you seen any evidence of a large group of fey in the area recently?"