"Icky nasty! I hate bugs!" Fidget sputters. She scoots up to Valeria's position and whispers, "On your left!" She pinches the archer's hip, snickering through a short chant. "Teehee! Here ya go!"
Tiknesr squeezes in as well. When he sees the fly, Tiknesr whispers to the scorpion on his shoulder, ”Alright, let me try that new trick you were just explaining.”
He then cocks his head so far to the left that it’s almost upside down, sticks out his tongue, and lets loose a rousing raspberry, ”PPBBBBTHPFFTHPPPT!!!”, willing a malaise of misfortune to blanket the massive insect.
_______________
"Heehee!" Fidget giggles at Tik. She sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry at the fly, too.
Ruarc drops his shield and whips his sling from around his waist. He loads a bullet into it from a pouch on his utility belt. "Enemy sighted, ranged weapons!" he calls out. He steps forward to give the others more room to maneuver.
Valeria slips in and moves up to the corner of the building. After placing her back against the stone, she knocks an arrow.
"Icky nasty! I hate bugs!" Fidget sputters. She scoots up to Valeria's position and whispers, "On your left!" She pinches the archer's hip, snickering through a short chant. "Teehee! Here ya go!"
Valeria raises her bow and looses the arrow at the fly. The shaft hits the buzzing insect center mass, and buries itself several inches deep.
Tiknesr squeezes in as well. When he sees the fly, Tiknesr whispers to the scorpion on his shoulder, ”Alright, let me try that new trick you were just explaining.”
He then cocks his head so far to the left that it’s almost upside down, sticks out his tongue, and lets loose a rousing raspberry, ”PPBBBBTHPFFTHPPPT!!!”, willing a malaise of misfortune to blanket the massive insect. The cloudy curse settles over the fly, rendering it very unlucky.
"Heehee!" Fidget giggles at Tik. She sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry at the fly, too.
Nat stows his blade and draws a bow; sighting, he fires a shot at the insect. His arrow also hits the fly, adding to the damage wrought on its carapace.
The fly swoops down, dive-bombing Valeria. It jams its sharpish proboscis into her shoulder and bites down with its chewing mandibles, drawing blood. After biting her it alights on the side of the stalagmite beside it.
================================
___________________________________________
Fail.
"Aaaagghhh!" Valeria cries out as the fly bites down into her flesh.
She grasps a new arrow from her quiver and draws back her bowstring, but the pain of the bite causes her to let her grip slip. She grunts in pain as the arrow ricochets off the cavern wall.
Valeria grasps her injured shoulder and steps away from the vile creature that bit her.
_________
"Teee hehehehehehe" Tiknesr cackles gleefully as his malaise clings to the fly, though he frowns as it bites the already unbalanced seeming human. He holds his crossbow as steady as he's able -- taking care not to injure an ally -- and is somewhat surprised to see it actually dig into the oversized insect's abdomen.
________________
"YOWZA!" Fidget shrieks when the bug lands right next to her and takes a chunk out of poor Valeria. She reacts instantly and takes a swipe at the nasty creature. Her diminutive blade takes a healthy slice out of the fly.
"Aaaagghhh!" Valeria cries out as the fly bites down into her flesh.
She grasps a new arrow from her quiver and draws back her bowstring, but the pain of the bite causes her to let her grip slip. She grunts in pain as the arrow ricochets off the cavern wall.
Valeria grasps her injured shoulder and steps away from the vile creature that bit her.
"Bart!" Nat nocks an arrow and fires at the fly; his companion moves up and tries to sink its teeth into the insect's battered chitin. They both miss the fly.
"Teee hehehehehehe" Tiknesr cackles gleefully as his malaise clings to the fly, though he frowns as it bites the already unbalanced seeming human. He holds his crossbow as steady as he's able -- taking care not to injure an ally -- and is somewhat surprised to see it actually dig into the oversized insect's abdomen when he fires.
"YOWZA!" Fidget shrieks when the bug lands right next to her and takes a chunk out of poor Valeria. She reacts instantly and takes a swipe at the nasty creature. Her diminutive blade takes a healthy slice out of the fly, but its still alive.
Ruarc steps into the place vacated by Valeria, and swings Justice at the fly. The long, black blade slices cleanly through the fly horizontally in one stroke, neatly bisecting it.
__________________________________________
Valeria clutches at her bleeding shoulder, trying in vain to not show that she is in pain.
Half of us, me included, are still at out wits end. Last thing we need is everybody to panic on account of me being bit by a fly, even if it was the size of a dog!
She holds pressure until the cut stops bleeding, then tries to clean the area as best she can.
Fidget kicks the fly in disgust, then inspects Valeria's shoulder. She furrows her brow, her long eyebrows giving her the appearance of a fennel fox. "I guess it's fine for now. If you get any more scratches later on, I can do something about that."
Valeria nods. "Thanks. Hopefully it doesn't come to that," she says sheepishly.
Curious what this ruin before them is (and if there's anything of Torag's cult left within it), Tiknesr slinks quietly around the border of the room, looking slowly at each side of the structure, and inspecting the walls as well.
Looking around, Tiknesr says "Any of you reckon yourself good at listening at doors? Or for that matter, searching for traps?"
Grinning a grin that shows off the white rat's large yellow teeth, he adds, "When a nose matters, I'm your man...but I'm afraid these ears aren't as good at they look. And when it comes to trapfinding...well, I'm just another pretty face. Heh heh hee, ho ho HA HA HA!"
The rat-man chuckles merrily at his own joke.
Seeing everyone else standing around doing nothing, Ruarc steps forward. "It's a temple of Torag, not Baphomet." and opens the door.
A stone bench lines the southern wall of this chamber. At the
far side of the room, a basin of water sits atop a stone pedestal. A stone door engraved with an image of a hammer stands to the north.
Anevia hobbles up behind Ruarc, complaining that her leg is bothering her more than usual and that she needs to rest on the bench for a bit.
Horgus Gwerm mutters, "She's slowing us down. Perhaps we need to split up." Implying that perhaps it's best to leave her behind and abandon her to her fate.
Anevia explodes, saying "I'm not surprised that a man afraid to acknowledge his own faith wouldn't be moved by a forgotten temple like this! To be ashamed of one's faith is as bad as worshiping demons!"
Horgus is a bit taken aback by her outburst, but then contemptuously remarks, "How ironic, being chided by someone who has been known to consort with thieves."
Anevia falls into black, silent anger at this, her eyes narrowing. She nearly falls onto the bench and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at Horgus.
Valeria moves over to Aravashniel and helps him inside as well, leading him to a place on the bench beside Anevia. Hearing the argument trying to erupt, she tries her best to put a stop to it before it spirals out of control.
"Guys, guys, please let's not fight with each other," she says, gripping her hurt shoulder once she makes sure Aravashniel is settled. "We have enough trouble to deal with down here that we don't need to be turning on one another when we need all the help we can get. You two have clearly had problems in the past, but for now we all need you to put those feelings aside and help us all in the here and now."
Pass
Pass
It takes a moment, but both Horgus and Aneiva begrudgingly shrug and nod sullenly. They don't apologize to each other, but they appear to be handling their emotions in the face of their current reality.
Ruarc moves to the interior door, resting his ear against it. Hearing nothing, he opens the door. Broken stone benches line this narrow room. The air is cold and stale , and thick layers of dust cover the floor, benches, and a large altar at the far end of the room. A stocky hooded figure is sitting in the row of benches closest to the altar, with its back turned to the group. There is an equally thick layer of dust covering it as everything else in the temple.
sniff! sniff!
Tik whispers, "Pssst! Do you smell that grave dust? I sincerely hope that that dead body over there isn't the sort that gets up and starts walking about."
He keeps his eyes locked on the hooded figure, ready to cloak it in misfortune if it so much as moves an inch.
***Outside the door***
Fidget feels deep pity for Anevia and decides to try to end her suffering while she rests on the bench. She performs more healing magic on the human's leg.
"If that's not enough, then I'm a silver dragon!" She stops herself and feels a bit concerned that the others might believe her. "But not really though!" she continues, showing her scale-less cheek as evidence.
***After Ruarc opens the door***
"Pssst! Do you smell that grave dust?"
"Grave dust? You don't say!"
A moment later...
"What's grave dust?"
"What's grave dust? Why, it's like cheery dust, only much much graver." the ratling giggles.
"Nathaniel, Bartimaeus, come with me to check the body?"
"B...body? Someone died in there?" Valeria nervously moves forward into the antechamber, trying to get a view into the room.
As Nathaniel pokes the figure, it springs to its feet and whirls to reveal the withered flesh of a walking dwarven corpse, whose mouth hangs open in a silent scream. Rotting vestments flutter as it raises its claws and hisses at the intruders to its sanctum.
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Initiative
Party 17.8
Huecuva 16
Most huecuvas remember little of their former lives except for the blasphemies that led them to their cursed fates. They often find themselves drawn to the ruins of old temples, where they rage against or seek hopeless absolution from the deities who so afflicted them. Huecuvas sometimes work in concert with other undead creatures that share the same area.
Undead Traits
You get one tidbit per 5 points you beat 12.
*DR 5/magic or silver
*Aura of Faithlessness (Su): The huecuva and all undead creatures within 30 feet receive a +2 profane bonus on Will saves made to resist channeled energy and positive energy effects.
*Disease (Ex):Filth fever: Injury; save Fort DC 12; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Str* damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Ruarc steps forward. "Die fiend!" he growls as he swings Justice at the undead abomination. He strikes true, cutting a huge gash across the front of the Huecuva, but its hardened undead flesh resists the blow, and it remains standing.
"Oh, I just knew this would be one of those walking corpses. Ugh!"
As with the fly before, Tik wills a cloud of misfortune upon the undead dwarf before him, chanting "Eye of owlbear, tongue of ducky / Dwarven corpse, you're now unlucky!" and punctuating his point with another loud raspberry.
_______________
Nathaniel misses, but then Bartimeus steps up and swipes the Huecuva's head off with a single swipe of his massive paw.
This shrine was always humble, and little treasure can be found within save for that on the huecuva's body. A pouch on its belt contains two potions of cure light wounds, and on one withered hand it wears a knotted gold ring. The priest's masterwork warhammer lies dusty on the ground, long forgotten.
"Tongue of ducky, lucky lucky, mucky shmucky!" Fidget sings to herself, following a made-up tune. She falls silent, then kind of stares a few feet to Bart's left, but not really.
Fidget snaps out of her thoughtless reveree. "What's that?" she replies to Nat. She spies the ring. "That's pretty, where'd you get it?" she asks.
The rat man nods. "I'd like to know more about where we are -- and how we get out of here. Let's continue as before, with Halea'a and I just a bit in front to scout."
Valeria nods, agreeing with the rat man without acknowledging the fact that it was speaking. She mutters, mostly to herself, "Yeah, let's get out of here...this place gives me the creeps."
As she walks out of the temple, she keeps a wary eye on the sky and reflexively rubs at the pain in her shoulder.
Fidget follows Bart, tagging along at his left hip. She stares up at him curiously, her enormous eyes blinking. "Where did you come from? How are you friends with Nat?"
|
The lion-headed man turns a glance down at the little jogging gnome below him, golden eyes blinking slowly in turn. "I am a denizen of the Other Place, the Outer Planes. Nathaniel's father Thaddeus summoned me long ago and formed a contract with me, and a bond. In his memory, and to settle my debts with him, I follow his son."
Adopting his familiar stern expression after such an unusually long speech, Bartimaeus moves onwards with Nat, moving in sync with his partner.
The passageway leading south from Torag's abandoned temple continues for about 3,000 feet (at a speed of 15 feet (Aneiva), this takes about 40 minutes to navigate) before ending after a gradual rise in elevation of 30 feet from the level of the temple. Stone figures are carved into the walls of this high-ceilinged cavern. Each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness. Tikneser smells an old faint animal musk, but he can't identify it off hand. He sees and hears nothing, and feels nothing untoward from Halea.
"I am a denizen of the Other Place, the Outer Planes. Nathaniel's father Thaddeus summoned me long ago and formed a contract with me, and a bond. In his memory, and to settle my debts with him, I follow his son."
"That's pretty great! I just wondered where big lions come from," Fidget responds as Bart moves away from her. She stares at his back, looking a bit crestfallen. I must be too boring!
Tiknesr reports quietly to those behind him. "I smell some animal scent up here, possibly old, but we'd be best to stay alert."
Then he'll continue in, continuing to keep quietly to the shadows, his scorpion familiar perched on his shoulder.
While quiet, there's nothing for Tik to really hide behind. He makes it to the center of the chamber before two creatures fall silently from the cavern roof above him. They open like a hideous octopi, their thin, hook-lined tentacles connected by a fleshy web.
The two monstrous creatures lash out at Tiknesr from above his head, still floating eerily, silently in the air. Their tentacles batter him about, before one grabs his head and draws it into the fleshy web of its body. The darkmantle squeezes down wrapping its tentacles tightly around the ratfolk's throat and crushing his head in its fleshy sac.
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Hit
Hit
Grabbed
Success
Initiative
Party 13.8
Darkmantles 12.5
Hearing the commotion of Tikneser's feet struggling against the cavern floor, Ruarc hustles to the front of the column, pushing past the others.