Riven reached into the magical bag he held, the lion having vanished during the long rest and pulling out another fuzzy object and tossing it down on the ground next to him.
"This may be useful for testing the way ahead."
(!)
Riven throws down the fuzzy ball and the lion reappears.
As the group prepares to depart, the room is suddenly illuminated by what resembles pale moonlight.
"I beg your pardon, but have you by chance seen my sons? I fear they've been kidnapped." a voice asks.
You look north, and at the entrance of the room is the source of the voice — a tall man in a robe. In place of a head he has a three-quarters moon. He is studying the giant stone head, and not looking at the party. The illumination is coming from his head.
He is accompanied by an armored creature that resembles a weasel, and a disturbing creature that is a combination of a severed hand with an eye set in the palm, grafted upon the body of a snake. The two creatures are looking directly at the party.
"They are Anoll and Anolis Zooth. And I am Torgos Zooth. I should very much like to get them back." the moon-headed man continues.
Moq keeps walking away.
"Greetings Torgos Zooth. No entities that have given those names have been encountered at this time. What makes you suspect kidnapping?"
Riven scratches the lion with his right hand behind its neck as he studies the men, not sensing immediate hostility but ready for action as needed.
"Lion I shall give you the designation, Alpha."
As they depart, Thratch calls back to the newcomers. I have not seen them! What do they look like and where will you be? I'll keep a lookout for them.
Riven looks after Moq as he heads off in the face of new potential information sources that do not seem immediately hostile.
"Going off without the majority of the group is unadvised."
You get the feeling Moq may be holding back some information, but it may be only because he doesn't fully feel he can trust you yet either. You feel he was telling the truth about his circumstances.
Torgos Zooth turns his back to the party and calls his two companions to join him.
"Come Overdose. Come Mr. Grasp. These individuals clearly do not know anything of my sons. But keep an eye on them."
He walks through the doorway and disappears into the darkness. You note that he never actually looked over at any of you.
Moq follows not far behind, but loses sight of them quickly.
Without warning, a barbed net falls upon Ashlyn, then Vehemence, Tenchi, Aterro, Thratch and Riven.
Moq looks up and can just barely see about 6 reptilian feminine figures crawling the stone walls just below the ceiling, about 20' up, holding "s"-shaped knives.
Combat Order: Moq, Chameleon Women, Tenchi, Aterro, Vehemence, Riven, Ashlyn, Thratch
Immediately as the net drops, Moq moves having never dropped his guard after getting the uneasy feeling these women were nearby. He slaps his chest and roars, and the sound echoes like rolling thunder down the hallways of the maze. The winds picks up, blowing loose dust and small stones around him and sparks of electricity crackle around his body.
He draws his sword allowing is magic to steel his guard as he cuts the netting to fee Tenchi.
piercing or slashing damage
He then points at the nearest Chameleon Woman and a crackling bolt of lightning arcs from his arm to her.
Moq shoves the damaged Chameleon Woman to the ground with his shield.
,
And follows up with his sword.
,
piercing damage
And the crackling energy around him lashes out at the nearest living woman.
Riven's head snaps upward as the heavy net falls upon him, metal barbs clattering and clicking against his metal body. They pulled his body, weighing him down as he scanned the chameleon women crawling on the ceiling above. As he struggled to get enough wiggle room to act he called to the lion.
"Alpha, destroy the net!"as he pointed to the net restraining Ashlyn.
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As the net fell, Tenchi had begun to move, but that only served to entangle him further.
Focusing his ki, Tenchi draws his blade and it glows with the same clear green light. He then swings his blade to cut Thratch free.
Tenchi will flex and attempt to break through the hole that Moq has made.
Thratch drops to the floor after he's freed by Tenchi, and he mouths a Thank you to him as he falls.
Once on the ground, he draws a dagger and...
...moves to cut the net to free his companion.
...launches the dagger at anyone who looks like they set up the trap.
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Just before the nets fall, Aterro, heading some preternatural warning, draws his sword and spins about, looking for an enemy. He looks up just as the net falls and raises his sword to meet it!
The ensnaring trap parts before his razor-shape blade!
The WarClercic stares balefully at the orbiting woman. His feet leave the floor and he rises to their level. "Know the mutant. Kill the Mutant," he solemnly breathes before rushing into their ranks, his sword flying about and weaving a deadly web of STEEL!
Brother Aterro uses the momentum of the first strike to spin into a backhanded slash. "While the enemies of Torm still draw breath there can be no peace."
(Revised) Combat Order: Moq, Chameleon Women, Tenchi, Aterro, Vehemence, Riven, Ashlyn, Lion, Thratch
Moq gets really angry, shreds the net on Tenchi and frees him, then sends a blast of lightning at the nearest Chameleon Woman,
She's grazed by the lightning for minor damage as she dodges the brunt of the blast, sliding down the wall.
The other Chameleon Women stay strangely silent as Tenchi frees Thratch by shredding the net. Thratch in turn frees Riven. Aterro frees himself, the lion frees Ashlyn.
Moq shoves the Chameleon Woman with his shield.
She stays on her feet but is stabbed by Moq. His storm of fury lashes at the next Chameleon Woman .
She also dodges the brunt of the blast.
From the southern part of the room, you hear a furious chanting from one of the Chameleon Women . Green blood pours from her eyes, ears, nose, nostrils and mouth as dark energies gather around her hands and she cries out in the agony of her spell.
A sphere of darkness envelops Ashlyn, Aterro, Riven, Tenchi and Thratch. It's unlike any other darkness they've experienced. It hurts. A lot.
Moq keeps up the fight.
,
,
and if prone.
One of the Chameleon Women chants and screams and bleeds profusely as her sister did, and points at Moq, casting a spell.
Blood spurts from Moq's eyes, ears, mouth and nose, and he's temporarily blinded by the blood.
The remaining Chameleon Women cast a net on the lion then drop down and flank Vehemence, pointing their machetes at him.
"Perhaps you may wish to surrender, creature. Your friends won't be much help to you now." one of them calls out.
"This one's different," the first caster says heavily, "but still warm-blooded. We can't have it. Give me a moment to collect myself, I'll cook something nice up for him. Got plenty of my blood left."
"And do something about that beast!"
Combat Order: Tenchi, Aterro, Vehemence, Riven, Ashlyn, Lion, Thratch
Tenchi will move through the darkness to stand between Thratch and one of the lizard folks "Your trick would fell a lesser warrior, but I am Samurai. My Ki is more powerful than your darkness. Kusinagi First Blade Technique: STRIKE WITH NO STRIKE!"
At that, Tenchi's blade gleams and swings in the direction of his enemies.
Thratch will try to find his way out of the darkness, and as soon as he does, he'll say, This way! Come one, we need to run.
"How cute."
The furnace king flares his mouth of fangs at the lesser serpents and waves his hand.
His form then melts into nothing.
What a troublesome encounter...
Vehemence was tired. His body was rested, but that which lay behind his black eyes was aging.
In this moment he was not self aware enough to know what was taking place in him, but he could feel an unusual anger welling up inside.
Not one of regality's hauteur or demonic outburst, but a droning groan of simple distaste.
The descension was all but kind, but such a sentence was wholly fitting for the lord of cruelty.
Round 2 Riven
Darkness surrounded Riven attacking him from all sides with its corrosive energy. Pain he had not felt for centuries started flickering through his body and another feeling grew as it did, the dust of time falling away. Anger.
Though obscured by darkness his eyes flared as he spoke, "Alpha, attack the chameleon women. Initiating countermeasures."
The corrosive energy lessened as his body adapted and repaired itself from the damage. In the pitch blackness he affixed the ceremic eye monocle to his own eye and activated it() before he surged forward from the darkness toward the caster who had dropped the corrosive magic.
Ashlyn is disappointment when everyone just beds down. No conversation, no music, no fun. Still, the halfling seemed game, weather through compulsion or not, she wanted some joy in her life. She will move to the halfling, taking his hands in hers and joins him in dance. She is able to effortlessly move through various styles of dance, quick, slow, soft, or exciting. Every form having an erotic overtone to it, a display intended to excite her audience as much as the halfling himself. When the magic wears off Thratch, and he breathlessly collapses, she will lean in offering him a soft kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you for dancing with me." Glistening with a soft layer of sweat herself, she excuses herself to as private an area as she can find and dries herself off, before eventually finding a place to lay down. She uses her pack as a pillow. The ground is cold and hard, but with no blanket, or tent, and only a bedroll to speak of; she had to make do.
The next morning, she wakes late, with little time to prepare. No offer of breakfast or even water before they set off, she is in a foul mood. She is hungry, thirsty, and frustrated by their insistence to push forward so quickly. She wanted out of here as much as any of the others, but they would drive themselves mad if they kept up this relentless pace. She quickly conjures her protective aura.
So focused on herself, she never even noticed the net until it was upon her. She was glad the lion was quick to cut her free, but then the darkness surrounded her. Pain erupted through her every pour and she wailed out in her suffering. She quickly moved away from where the creatures were and fled the darkness, her hands digging for a healing potion, uncorking it and pouring it down her throat.
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Combat Order: Tenchi, Aterro, Vehemence, Riven, Ashlyn, Lion, Thratch
Tenchi strikes with no strike at Chameleon Woman #4.
Tenchi strikes her with no strike dead!
Aterro and does some brutal things . He strikes with a strike at Chameleon Woman #3 and then strikes with a strike at her again, and she also falls.
Vehemence seizes the opportunity to walk over with the intent of freeing Alpha the lion, though with slightly less flair than usual as his head is heavy with other concerns.
Riven commands Alpha to attack, which he's eager to do as soon as he's freed. Riven also tries the monocle and discovers it does nothing for darkness, except make it slightly greener. He rushes from the darkness but misses Chameleon Woman #6 with his sword.
Ashlyn stumbles wounded from the darkness and quickly downs a healing potion.
Alpha waits patiently.
Thratch runs blindly out of the darkness, and manages not to get into worse trouble, yet.
Moq shoves #2.
She's knocked prone as she fails to dodge him.
Moq gets off an attack on her with his shortsword and manages a sneak attack as well, killing her.
He then summons lightning at #1.
She manages to avoid the full damage.
The two spellcasters (#5 & #6) both chant the same spell, bleeding again, but not quite as profusely.
They both turn into living shadows.
They seemingly vanish up the walls and through a small one-inch crack.
The lone Chameleon Woman remains, wounded and outnumbered. She dashes out the door, yelling behind her,
"It doesn't matter. The Protocols of Antipathy have begun. You'll all be dead soon!"
She then disappears around a corner.
The sphere of darkness slowly fades away.
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The WarCleric returns to the ground and severs each neck of the attackers, making sure none are can recover, or are playing possum. Once that is done he searches their corpses, ever watchful for useful material.
"Ahha! You see? Even in the very heart of the foe's home, we can overcome even the most skuldugerous of their wiles! Surely so long as we remain on the True Path of Righteousness, such low creatures as these can not overcome us!
Now that the foe is fled, who would require healing?"
Umm.. everyone? Thratch suggests, hesitantly.
Calming himself, Moq turns to Aterro with blood leaking from his eyes, I could use some healing if you offer it.
He also searches the bodies with Aterro, but warns, We must leave this place quickly after we find whatever might be useful. They will be back.
Tenchi will flick his blade to clean the blood grooves and then resheath it.
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Aterro mumbles back, "Quickly? How quickly? I have a spell that will heal us all, but it takes ten minutes to cast. And why would they return? They could not overwhelm us with their full strength and surprise, why would they return weakened, when we will be on our guard?"
If there are no further objections, Aterro begins casting Prayer of Healing.
Riven moves to cut Alpha the lion free from the net and then moves back to the party. He keeps his attention focused upward in case more chameleon women return.
"The Protocols of Antipathy are unknown to me. It is unfortunate we were unable to gather more information about them before the enemies escaped. As per the prior suggestion, after the repairs are completed we can head south to follow a route toward the wedding. That may allow us to gather more supplies and rest without being attacked."
Moq sits cross-legged and speaks impatiently, South, I thought we were headed north? No one objected to visiting Chronia. I don't have a preference, I've not visited the wedding though I have not heard great things... Let's just get moving as soon as the ritual is finished.
"Lack of an affirmative is not an affirmative. I was waiting on input to my suggestion before the women attacked. You had begun to move north on your own but that does not determine the consent of the group."
Let's go north. I want to see the women who the chanterelle serves and decide for myself whether they deserve to be free.
"Let us meet the maidens, gather more knowledge, and be wary of the snares along the way. And I believe most of us have come to understand the importance of solidarity and formation... However, moving forward, we may indeed have want of an intentional scout... How does that prospect sound to you, friend?"
Vehemence shifts his eyes to Thratch slowly as the inflection of his last sentence rises.
If the currency of the plane is tricks, then we must cleave to that standard... How foul. I'll have to set that aright when the snakes' head is in my palm...
The furnace king begins to consider the prospect of wielding his summoned sword at all times.
It was a place of untimely bouts of strangling matches, and he didn't care to be jumped so again.
He calls it to his side and rests the blade against his shoulder, hilt cusped in his left hand.
"Alpha can accompany Thratch as he scouts to buy time for Thratch to fall back if necessary. However with the closeness of rooms and doorways we can just look into the next room as it is scouted. Due to 3 in favor and 1 abstaining then we will go to meet with Chronia."
As the healing prayer finished he prepared to depart for the north.
Sure, I can scout ahead if you like.
"Let it be. Just... Be careful."
While revealing some endearment in his words, Vehemence seems calm for the first time in a long while, if ever. He follows whoever takes the lead, while invoking his charm of vitae in silence. His conscious is still unaware of the decrepit and calculating passivity wriggling through his heart.
Well, let's give it a shot.
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Ashlyn offers a soft hug in thanks for the healing before the set off, then she'll follow after the others.
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Aterro accepts the hug and returns it with gusto that, even if it is not passion, can be said to at least be in the same city. His broad hands exude warmth of his own as he embraced the lithe Sorceress.
That done, he gives the halfling a moment to secure what knowledge he could through stealth, then marches on, his steel boots tramping with security.
Moq takes the front with his lantern of revealing lit as he moves through the maze back to the center.