Duke Amadeus leads the Lusty Fools through rugged alpine foothills covered with brush and scree, with mountain runoff forming little streams that crisscross the countryside and offer the heroes refreshment and a refill of their waterskins....
As dusk settles over the land, the party is led into the Tuscan wilderness, where the ancient ruins of the long lost Etruscan culture stand in silhouette against the reddening sky....
Nacht took in the overworld in a stride. There was much more above than where he was below. Wondrous places to hide and watch, to hunt animals. when they approached an area that seemed to have strange rocks Nacht spoke, " Weee should scooout? "
"That seems prudent in unknown territory."
The trek from the city of Turin to the Etruscan ruins is about 4 hours.... Perhaps 16 miles....
Nacht, Hisao and Paddy scout ahead while Iommi-Tyr and Alphonse entertain the Duke of Savoy with tales of their recent adventures.... Tyr's embellished narrative reigned in by Alphonse's commitment to honesty....
As Tyr's narrative reaches the point where Hisao deals the death-blow to Brinegullet on the English Channel, a very strange creature indeed steps out of the shadows of a cleft in the hillside off to the party's left, some 40 feet away....
Salu, bold ones! Long have been the years since I saw such beautiful men as thou be!
The voice of the creature is feminine, yet husky in a bestial way....
It's head, torso, and arms are that of a lovely maiden in her prime....
The lower half of its body is the shaggy legs and tail of a mountain ewe....
She holds an ancient, bronze sword and shield....
Buongiorno, signora. Had I known there would be polite company around these parts, I would have taken better care of my appearance this morning. I am Paddy, and my friends and I are on our way to do some business for the church. Perhaps you could render some assistance to us on this matter?
To whose church do you venture, gorgeous gentlemen? Many are the gods and goddesses.... Would you not agree?
Before the set out to scout Nacht assimilated into the scenery.
As he watched the female sheep-being, two blades were drawn in his hands, stalking her.
Ah, yes. We are a mission for the Catholic church. I myself am not the most pious of men, granted, but they we re in need of a few stalwart souls and lo and behold, here we are.
Have you heard the good word of Sun Wukong? May he never run out of good things to eat and be amused by? Hisao says going through the motions of flicking peanut shells. It's been a long time since he's met anyone who has even heard of the monkey king.
"And which of the gods, dear Lamia, do you serve? I am a Herald of Odin The ALL Father. I have read that many of your sisters and cousins revere Graz'zt, The Dark Prince."
"Many are those who bear the title of god, but we serve the one true Lord Above All."
Hisao, surreptitiously, flicks an invisible peanut shell at the paladin.
My goddess is known by many names.... Lilith...: Kali.... Tiamat.... She is the Mother of Birth and Destruction, Lust and Rebellion....
Come nearer, lovely man-creatures.... That I might feel how well made thou art, and delight in your scents....
The she-monster seems to be salivating....
Nacht approaches closer from behind a rise in some unknown feeling resonating inside of him as multifaceted eyes examine the supple skin of this sheep-being. How the flesh would split to the razor sharp edges of his blades. This being was clearly different, most if not beings they met shared similarities. And she was also so very alone.
A blade could slowly edge itself into her neck and she would be none the wiser until it was too late. But no.. now was not the time. The other beings would watch and would not approve.
Alphonse grows increasingly uncomfortable, but her goddess is so confusingly inconsistent he's not sure if she means harm or not.
He activates his evil sensing gaze and scans her thoroughly.
"Then we should exchange gifts My Dear, a bottle of my wisdom elixir for you -- to help see the truest desires and ambitions of those whom you meet -- and for me,.... what will you give me?"
Iommi-Tyr Magnusson hands over his Cognatogen to the Lamia.
Alphonse grows increasingly uncomfortable, but her goddess is so confusingly inconsistent he's not sure if she means harm or not.
He activates his evil sensing gaze and scans her thoroughly.
The cloyingly sweet scent of evil, like a blend of over-ripe roses and decaying flesh, assaults Alphonse's nostrils....
"Then we should exchange gifts My Dear, a bottle of my wisdom elixir for you -- to help see the truest desires and ambitions of those whom you meet -- and for me,.... what will you give me?"
Iommi-Tyr Magnusson hands over his Cognatogen to the Lamia.
Taking the elixer from Tyr, the feminine creature smiles sweetly and suggests a warm embrace before sharing her "gift"....
Initiative
Let me feel your strong arms around me, handsome Northman....
Beware, good sirs! This monster has preyed upon my people for years! Do not let her touch you, for her caress is poison to the will of men!
Paddy lunges at the lamia, his blade a blur as he slashes at his target.
Ye'll not be doing no such thing with us, lass.
"She reeks of evil!" Alphonse announces, a bit belatedly.
"Alas, my arms are not so strong for to hold you, Your Beauty -- I spend my time making these potable aphrodisiacs. Please drink, Mistress of the Mountains -- and I shall lay in your strong arms.
"You know, I dreamt of a creature like you when I was a child; it is my destiny that we should at last meet.
"Ignore my jealous friends; they'll never understand our love."
Iommi-Tyr Magnusson does not embrace the Lamia, but rather waits for her to accept my "gift."
.
.
Paddy lunges at the lamia, his blade a blur as he slashes at his target.
Ye'll not be doing no such thing with us, lass.
[dice=attack]1d20+9; 1d6+8+1; 1d6; 3d6
The swift Irishman catches the monster flat-footed and sticks Greene Thorne deep in her haunches!
AAAAAIIIIEEEE!!! Curse you, son of Adam!
"Alas, my arms are not so strong for to hold you, Your Beauty -- I spend my time making these potable aphrodisiacs. Please drink, Mistress of the Mountains -- and I shall lay in your strong arms.
"You know, I dreamt of a creature like you when I was a child; it is my destiny that we should at last meet.
"Ignore my jealous friends; they'll never understand our love."
Iommi-Tyr Magnusson does not embrace the Lamia, but rather waits for her to accept my "gift."
.
[dice=Initiative]1d20 +7
.
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 +15
[dice=Inspired Bluff]1d20 +14 +1d6
Hisao goes invisible as a swift action and charges the Lamia himself.
Nacht appears out of the ether a dance of murderous blades seeking to rend soft sheep-being flesh.
With the sense that in the split second before he can retrieve a Bomb and toss it at her there will not be anything left of the Lamia at which to throw said Bomb, Iommi-Tyr Magnusson sighs,....
"Alas, it was not meant to be, Ma Cherie. But really, why are you out here by your vulnerable lonesome in these high times when knights of justice and virtue roam freely the countryside, waylaying unsuspecting villains and brutes?"
[dice=Init]1d20+13
Hisao goes invisible as a swift action and charges the Lamia himself.
[dice=Holy Keen Corrosive Wazi]1d20+15;1d6+2+1d6+2d6+4d6
YYEEEOOOWWLLL!!!
The lamia staggers at some unseen blow!
Nacht appears out of the ether a dance of murderous blades seeking to rend soft sheep-being flesh.
[dice=Wounding Sabre]1d20+12; 1d8+12
[dice=Sharding Sabre]1d20+12; 1d8+12
[dice=Hearseeking Sabre]1d20+12; 1d8+12
[dice=Undead Bane Sabre]1d20+12; 1d8+12
[dice=Confirm Wounding Sabre]1d20+12; 1d8+12
With the sense that in the split second before he can retrieve a Bomb and toss it at her there will not be anything left of the Lamia at which to throw said Bomb, Iommi-Tyr Magnusson sighs,....
"Alas, it was not meant to be, Ma Cherie. But really, why are you out here by your vulnerable lonesome in these high times when knights of justice and virtue roam freely the countryside, waylaying unsuspecting villains and brutes?"
A fair question indeed! Were that my partner, that damned ogre-mage of the east, had been around to back me up right now, instead of visiting the antichrist in--AAAAGHHHH!!! *wheeeeeze*
The lamia matriarch drops dead under the Lusty Fools' brutal assault!
Oni, not here? Perhaps we can destroy his camp while he is away. Hisao says as he wipes the blood off of his still sizzling blade and searches the monster's corpse.
We should definitely check around for anything useful. They must have left somethong around. Perhaps we could set up a trap also?
Paddy looks around.
"It shouldn't be too difficult to track this Lamia's hoof prints back to her lair."
Blade sliced through flesh and Nacht was pleased, cutting the sheep-being down with relish. Her screams served his purposes and blood covered his weapons. She had met a painful and prolonged end. The insectoid creature had removed her arms and separated the sheep-being from the top half, examining the entrails. They were different, curious indeed.
Nachts yellow eyes had focused on the Smart-being for a time as it mentioned tracking. Nacht had gave a raspy chuckle and fadded into the either doing just that. He would tap his sabre to the ground every so often, for the rest to understand where he might be.
The heroes track the lamia back to her lair....
A strange stronghold indeed sits in an alpine vale.... It appears to be made from the bones and skulls of giants and mammoth beasts, bleached white by years of sun, this skeleton fortress consists of a single tower surrounded by motte and bailey. Vultures and crows squawk and croak from the bony ramparts....
The doors of the place are of strong wood, covered with the hides of hill giants, their boneless, eyeless faces forming a gruesome centerpiece on each door....
Atop the tower, a lone watchman stands, apparently a bugbear, and not yet aware of the party's stealthy approach. A long, hollowed horn or tusk of some gargantuan beast serves as the alarm horn, mounted atop the tower of bones....
[dice=stealrh]1d20+19
The tower stands 100 feet high, all skulls and bones of giant beasts mortared with a red, flesh-like clay.