It's down. he says, indicating the next few target locations to Seamus.
Claude bites the large spider and crunches it up.
One of the remaining spiders attempts to bite Verdigris, but Verdigris shrieks and ducks out of the way, after biting it, then complaining it tastes awful.
The other attempts to web Claude, and Claude gets webbed.
Leonard stumbles forward past Vincent and gives another thrust at the last ettercap.
Leonard sighs, looking at his rum. I can't really be sure, but it's...I don't know.
I feel like my eyes have been opened and I get to look at my life now. As though dying has pushed me past some barrier and allowed me to look on, detached, at my past actions. He grabs his rum, squeezing it tight, then continues softly. I don't like what I see. He drinks.
And I'm not sure why, but if I go to sleep, I think, he pours another, I think something bad will happen. Maybe...maybe I'll wake up and I won't see what I see now? But I don't even want it, I don't. He looks like he's about to drink again, but decides against it. I'm sure whatever side effects come from skipping sleep won't matter.
Leonard looks to be about done, but then abruptly sets his rum down. Look, he begins, if you want to include me in your vigil, that's fine, that's...
I'll try not to bother you. He stands up, brow slightly furrowed and set, mouth tightly shut. He nods, done talking.
Leonard hits only empty air.
'Wow That long neck looks good on Claude, I wonder if Howard would let him wear a lace collar.' Continuing his song, Seamus admiring Claude's style for a moment. He then steps forward and draws two arrows, quickly firing over Vincent's shoulder in the general direction of the last Ettin.
Seamus's first arrow hits only empty air, while his second arrow results in a pained shriek .
Vincent and the vooniths can see that even though the arrow did some damage it is fully effective.
Shesha steps forward[ooc](5 ft step) and tries to bite and claw at the remaining ettercap.
Shesha manages to nick him with two claws.
Monty moves up, and the ettercap tries to bite it as it moves into a flanking position.
Monty manages to bite the ettercap's shin and drag him to the ground
Siriss moves up and bites the prone ettercap.
Verdigris, cornered by the spider, bites and claws at it, pretty much ripping it into shreds.
The remaining ettercap tries to bite and claw at Monty.
It does not manage to get through Monty's scales.
Vincent walks up and flicks his rapier at the next ettercap.
Vincent runs the last ettercap through. He also sees, through tangles of web, a human shaped cacoon that something red can be seen from underneath it.
Claude crushes the last spider and begins his spider and ettercap buffet. ” Nid yw'n mynd i'n bwyta ni, dde?” Verdigris asks Howard nervously, while pointing at Claude. The rest of the Vooniths give Claude a wide berth. Monty snatches up some ettercap and begins to nom on it.
He’s not going to eat us, right?
When Howard pokes the cacoon, he hears muffled sounds of a woman's voice, ”Mmph, Mmph, Mmph Mmmph!”
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Howard shakes his head at Verdigris' question.
"Na, ni fydd yn eich bwyta, oni bai eich bod chi'n ceisio ymosod arnom, ac yr wyf yn amau y byddech byth yn ceisio'i wneud, o gofio ein bod ni'n ffrindiau. Yn gyffredinol, mae'n wael i fwyta ffrindiau..."
He then pulls out a dagger, and slits the cocoon open, helping the prisoner inside, out.
"I take it that you are the young lady that the Viscount had promised to dance with? Well, I have some good news, and some bad news: The bad news is that the Viscount needs to get out of dancing with you. The good news is, he sent us to get your permission to break off the dance, an act which almost certainly saved your life, since I think you would have been spider food if we had not..."
When Howard cuts her out, he realizes she is a beautiful young lady. ”Yes I am Maudette. What?” Her eyes open wide in the darkness. ”The Viscount isn’t going to dance with me?” Her lips turn down as she begins to weep.”I was hoping this would be my big chance to dance with him, and go from rags to riches like the book I read about when I was little.”
”But I guess I should be happy to escape with my life..” She gives a few sobs, then walks off, her entire body having the posture of one of disappointment.
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"Well, at least allow me to escort you downstairs; I might be able to see up here, but I doubt that you can..."
Once she is safely on the stairs, Howard returns to the rest of the group, patient waiting for Claude to finish his meal.
"You know," he says thoughtfully, eyeing Claude, "this will be a very convenient way to arrange for body disposal... I haven't heard of too many creatures that are able to arrange for a Raise from the gastrointestinal tract..."
Howard then shrugs, and heads back downstairs, to let the Viscount know that the task is complete.
"Ok - just get me out of here so I can go home and cry my eyes out because my ViscountPrince Charming doesn't want me anymore." She starts sniffing.
Once she is downstairs, she quickly makes an exit from the ballroom, too embarrassed to be seen in high society, after the abrupt rejection by Viscount Brellin.
Viscount Brellin is pleased that the party has spared him from public embarassment and asks his valet to give them his signet ring as well as his belt of mighty constitution +2.
Then a hush falls over the ballroom as the musicians cease. The partygoers back away from the center of the dance as an immense, bloated purple spider with sevel elgs descends from the darkness above the ballroom on a thick string of webbing.
The Viscount stands, enraptured and sighs, ”My beloved!” as streamers of tarry drool drip from his mouth. Viscount Brellin slowly makes his way onto the dance floor to dance the Sunset Waltz with the creature to the polite applause of the revolted partygoers.
Vincent and Howard recognize the creature as a Leng spider. It has a poisonous bite, that causes hallucinations as well as weakening the target.
It also has fast healing 10 and the following spell like abilities:
Constant—arcane sight, freedom of movement, tongues
At will—dispel magic, fabricate
3/day—air walk, invisibility, major image
1/day—charm monster, insanity, mirage arcana, veil
"Urwm sydd ddim ond o'i le ... dawnsio gyda fersiwn enfawr o'r pethau hynny yr ydym yn eu lladd yn gynharach? Mae dau grefftwr yn rhyfedd yn unig."Siriss remarks in a whipser to Howard, looking uneasily at the Leng spider.
Urm that’s just wrong…dancing with a giant version of those things we killed earlier? Two leggers are just weird. Not to say that the spiders tried to eat other two leggers.
I don't think any of this matters, time doesn't pass here, after all. Or uh, maybe it does, this is confusing... Leonard moves towards the exit.
Sad that he didn't get to dance with anyone, Seamus toddles off after Howard.
The party wakes themselves up and finds themselves back on the Sellen Starling. An untidy pile of 3 humans, a half elf and four Vooniths. They take a rest for the night except for Howard and Leonard who has now joined his ranks of those who do not sleep.
The next day, Leonard and Vincent read through Monuments of the Forest, Tigers and Flies, and The Wise Harmony.
According to a naturalist’s papers, felines with blue and purple tails are called pards, and they can be found the Dreamlands’ Enchanted Wood.
One of Lowls’s diaries indicates his intent to seek the advice of zoogs, a race of intelligent rodent-like creatures native to the Enchanted Wood. Zoogs are carnivores and particularly enjoy feline flesh; Lowls assumed the zoogs would know where to find pards.
The following day, Leonard and Vincent continue their research.
Leonard and Vincent learn the learn the proper phrase that allows them to use the Dreamlands excursion occult ritual to reach the Enchanted Wood.
That very night, the party performs the ritual with Vincent leading.
Vincent drinks his alchemical allocation extract, then drinks his potion of heroism and spits it back out.
The party sits in a circle as Vincent begins to chant the incantation with Howard, Leonard and Seamus supporting him.
"We, The Seekers, are bound by a common purpose - the thirst for knowledge."
He then passes the miniature ivory and horn staircase to Howard, who feels eager of its 70 steps. The continuous flame lights seem to dim.
"We have gathered this very night in order to open the gate to the Dreamlands."
Howard passes the miniature ivory and horn staircase to Leonard,who feels eager of its 70 steps. The miniature ivory and horn staircase is now heavier.
"For beyond lies the knowledge we seek."
Leonard passes the ivory and horn staircase to Seamus, who feels eager of its 70 steps. Seamus realizes the staircase has now grown bigger.
"Let the portal open between this world and the Enchanted Woods."
Seamus passes the staircase back to Vincent,who feels each of its 70 steps.
Vincent takes a deep breath, then drops the stairs case in the center of the ring made by the party.
Vincent feels the staircase sap his life energy. The party sees the staircase sinks into the ship deck, expanding to the size of a normal staircase and leads downwards into darkness...
The party and their Vooniths together move towards the staircase, and fall fast asleep the moment they touch it.
They find themselves falling through cold darkness…then they see a speck of light in front of them. Moving towards it, the party finds themselves in arriving on wide, flat branch of an enormous oak tree, drained from their ordeal. Smaller branches end in sprays of wide, sturdy leaves and connect to the branches of other trees throughout this arboreal landscape.
Howard and Vincent spot some zoogs trying to hide and without any warning, a monstrosity has an equine snout, sharp fangs, and long forelimbs with clawed fingers appears above Monty, biting him and pounding at him with his hooves.
Vincent and Howard recognize the creature as a Tikabalang and it can pounce and has spines and 10ft reach.
As a standard action, a tikbalang can launch four spines from its mane, each dealing 1d6 points of damage plus its Strength bonus. This attack has a range of 120 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. A tikbalang can launch only 24 spines in any 24-hour period.
It has the following spell like avlbilities:
Constant—spider climb
At will—ventriloquism, invisibility
3/day—major image
1/day—fly, mirage arcana
1/week—maze
Monty gasps in shock and pain, once as the Tikabalang strikes him with its first hoof, then the second hoof caves in his skull and Monty's body lies lifeless on the oak branch. Shesha, Siriss and Verdigris look at Monty's body, giving long howls of grief.
Noooooooo!
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At the end of Day 5, Howard looks drained, but happy; the Hat that he has been working on writhes in his hands, almost like a living thing.
Smiling, he gestures to Claude, who assumes his human-sized form.
Howard then places the Hat on Claude's head, and watches as his form blurs.
"It is a poor second best, but at least it is a step in the right direction..."
Eventually, Claude's form settles upon that of a scaled humanoid, with razor-sharp claws, and a maw full of teeth.
However, despite shifting form, he retains the strange, crescent-shaped symbol on his forehead.
Howard moves forward, and clasps Claude's forearm warmly.
"Welcome back to the land of the opposable thumb, Brother."
In response, Claude bobs his head, and hisses...
...but with less than his usual anger.
Howard swallows hard.
"Seamus? Please step back, so I can do so, and then safely cast."
Howard 5' steps back, and casts Monstrous Physique II, causing Claude's form to swell.
Claude hisses in excitement, and tries to rip into the offending monster!
The tikabalang avoids the bite but is slammed by the claws, and smashed by Claude's tail, but is not grabbed. It looks badly injured.
Seeing Monty squished by the hooves of the beast, Seamus nods his head at Howard and as he steps back he asks, "Is that thing a Zoog or a Pard?" As he reaches for an arrow he begins to sing, attempting to inspire his friends.
Vincent rolls his eyes, studies the beast, charges his spear and stabs at it.
Vincent kills the creature with a spear to the heart.
"Dewch draw, Monty, peidiwch â marw arnom ni!Mae cymaint o bethau nad ydych wedi cael cyfle i enwi eto!"
The other 3 Vooniths try to resuscitate Monty but to no avail.
Come on, Monty, don't die on us!There are so many things you haven't had an opportunity to nom yet!
Verdigris looks at Monty's body, her eyes filled with distress "Roedd mor gyflym ... dim ond eiliad ... a bu'n mynd."
It was so fast...just a moment..and he was gone.
"Dylai fod yn ôl ar Golarion. Os yw hyn yn wir yn freuddwyd ... a allwch farw mewn breuddwydion?"Siriss says as he examines the body.
He should be back on Golarion. If this is really all a dream...can you die in dreams?
"Rwy'n credu bod Verdirgris yn iawn ar hyd. Nid yw'r breuddwydydd yn lle diogel." Shesha answers,.
I think Verdirgris was right all along. The dreamlands are not a safe place.
"Ydw, dywedais wrthych chi felly ond gwrandawodd neb ohonoch chi. Ac yn awr mae Monty wedi marw? Wyt ti'n hapus?" Verdirgris starts scolding the other two.
Yes, I told you so but none of you listened. And now Monty is dead? Are you happy?
"
Dylech fynd yn ôl ato yn Golarion i wirio a yw e'n iawn"She continues.
Lets just go back to him in Golarion to check if he's all right.
With that the Vooniths concentrate on waking themselves up..and disappear from the Dreamlands.
A dozen creatures that are a skittish amalgam of beast parts with luminous eyes, a rat’s tail, simian appendages, and tendrils extending from a mole-like nose, like those that Vincent, Howard and Seamus encountered at the asylum previously peek out from holes in the trunk of the tree.
"O, rydych chi wedi ein hachub ni o'r creadur budr! Diolch yn fawr iawn!" They cry out.
Oh, you've saved us from the foul creature! Thank you so much!
"You're welcome," Leonard replies, leaning casually on a nearby tree. "Would you happen to know where we can find any of the feline pard?"
"O'ch bod yn edrych am yr ŵyl. Ah! Pard yn flasus iawn. Rydym yn eu bwyta i gyd! Dim ond esgyrn a chynffon yn ein dail. Tails meddal, yn gwneud gobennydd da!" The zoogs reply.
Oh you look for pard. Ah! Pard very tasty. We ate them all! Only bones and tails in our dens. Tails soft, make good pillow!