Round 3 cont.
Amelia moves into melee with the creature trying to stab it, despite striking it quite hard with one of her attacks it stares back at her angrily with its teeth gritted down.
Meanwhile, Nethan takes on the other threat throwing a huge barrage of missiles that smash in the ball of light bypassing whatever defensives it might have had.
The ball of light pulses again an the aura continues to burn from the centaur.
The aura continues to seer those near the creature.
The ball of light fires out a set of attacks once more. However, something is spurring it to attack Alþórel. The group is unsure why.
The creature surrounded by foes and unable to stand without taking punishment fights desperately from the floor. It takes two lunges at Amelia.
Amelia suddenly finds herself quite winded from the blistering heat and now two spear stabs in the gut.
Alþórel: 23/32 hp, 17 AC (44 fire shield), -1 con
Amelia: 5/58 hp, 19 AC, -2 con
Dreyyn: 42/60 hp, 21 AC, -1 con
Elise: 74/102 hp, 18 AC
Nethan: 49/57 hp, 23 AC
Elise tosses herself over the downed creature and slashes with savage, if unfocused, fury!
Alþórel gestures and shouts, pointing slightly above the giant orb.
A second orb forms, this one completely formed of a single drop of crystal water. The orb hovers for a second, then drops. As it moves the water within spins into a froth of bubbles.
ROUND 4
Nethan casts mythic magic missile at the Will-O-Wisp like creature again but not as strong as the last, "NIL'GNOS ARCANISS!"
It still bypasses non-Mythic protection.
Elise charges forwards and slashes the ground at the creature hitting once then finding a critical point. It still fights however as it parries the next two blows from the floor.
Dreyyn leaps into action flanking with Elise after landing on the creature with sword pointed down. He tries to channel his mythic power into another strong blow but the creature sparks the flames on its body, distracting Dreyyn so the blow doesn't land.
Dreyyn lays into the creature with a savage spinning rain of slashes.
Nethan moves to his current position. Nethan's 4th round is complete.
Elise finishes off the centaur making sure that aura of licking flames is extinquished.
Alþórel taps into his mythic abilities and brings an aqueous orb down through the orb of fire bringing it to the floor.
IT is then belted with a barrage of missile fire, starknives and finally a leaping attack by Dreyyn to finish it off.
As it blasts from existence with light breaking away from it. The group can see what they recognize as a Golarion Dryad lying where the orb once was. It appears to be breathing but it has been battered and scarred from combat that just happened.
Alþórel: 23/32 hp, 17 AC (44 fire shield), -1 con
Amelia: 23/64 hp, 19 AC, -2 con
Dreyyn: 42/60 hp, 21 AC, -1 con
Elise: 56/102 hp, 18 AC
Nethan: 49/57 hp, 23 AC
Spook gathers his thoughts and says "Those creatures sure had a lot of power, I don't even know what they are. That creature on fire looked like a Seelie creature. So even more legends are true about those things, I wonder if the rumours passed around my house about the worlds outside do have some relevance here.
He stops abruptly, the rest of the group notice it too. They look to the south and see an Eldred clad in green. His or Her (the group can't tell) hair is tied up in a small knot on the top of their head. They're sporting several throwing weapons as well, it looks like they wanted you to notice them. Then as quickly as the group sees them, they jump off in the direction the group was headed. Leaving the group behind with the wounded Dryad.
"Specifically, no I don't know who that is. Generally, however, that was a High ranking house Cailleach-oidhche member. Perhaps they want to help us.. or lead us into a trap? I don't know." Spook replies.
Amelia ties up the dryad. It seems badly wounded but the ball of light must've been protecting it somehow. If indeed the dryad was inside of it, that still is a bit of mystery however.
Dreyyn will keep his distance from the creature, at least ten feet.
"Stop!" Alþórel's voice is unexpectedly commanding.
"This is Eþnui's work. Like a fool, when I found the Book and the Key in her vault I thought it coincidence, flotsam in the stream of history... I thought her destroyed in the cataclysm when the Starstone fell, but this 'Lantern King' we fought was no demigod, but a simacrulum spell of hers - a spell she never shared with anyone. She must have survived - or reincarnated." the ancient one shakes his head slowly "I thought we were fighting a shadow of the Tyrant, looking for revenge and power. This is worse. Far, far worse."
"This dryad may be innocent, but it is marked with her symbol in ways your eyes cannot see. I will do what I can to divine her mind, but then we will have to destroy her - the risk is too great."
Elise lets out a deep breath and looks down on the fallen centaur. While she didn't mind being elbow-deep in someones blood she usually knew *why*. This time, she wasn't so sure. I mean they sure were annoying and so but I didn't think Al would be the one to snap at that ... She tried to make sense of the situation but couldn't quite. Also - Why is there a fairy here? Hmph... She waited for Amelia to tie up the critter and heal herself so that she too could use the wand, but then she couldn't hold herself anylonger.
"Okay. Al? Explanation please? I don't know much about the Fey; but isn't this supposed to be a forest spirit..." The Eldred in the distance was of course a bit of a curiosity too, but she had already resigned herself to not really understanding those.
"Who? What? Why?" Elise replies as the explanation flies over her head.
"Are we sure that this is the Lantern King, weren't they yelling a different name at it? Perhaps another servant to the king like those invisible creatures?" Spook wonders. "If these are seelie.. or unseelie as the case may be." He pauses "Didn't we also meet another demigod-esque creature before?"
The dryad struggles awake, it's eyes go wide at the sight of people over her and she recoils trying to bring her hands up in front of her but of course she is bound. She pauses seeing that she has nowhere to go, then begins answering. "My name is Eilo, I serve the Laughing Lie. The little ones asked for help so I answered, letting Eþnui's blessing help me."
Amelia hazards a guess by the tone that Eilo is addressing them she would've attacked anyway, despite what she said being the truth. There is a deep hatred in her eyes that goes past the current situation.
"Perhaps - but me first, please. And, everyone, let us be ready, should this go terribly wrong. And look for more of the little ones trying to free her."
"What do you know of Eþnui, Eilo?"
Nethan thinks all of this ancient history happened when Al was just a lad, then laughs to himself. But obviously has had more years to be passionate about this ancient history, Nethan responds in Draconic,
"Alþórel I have 2 to 3 minutes remaining on my Touchsight and I can activate one last time for another 6 minutes. Then after that, I am spent and getting close to spending all of my magical ability for the day."
"Eþnui, the grand fire! She is helping the Lie, and will lay waste to Golarion after the King returns!" Her tongue seems to be quite loose at this point despite no intimidation. Eilo speaks as this outcome is an assured future.
From what Alþórel and Nethan found out about earlier, the Laughing Lie or the Lantern king has no permanent abode. He wanders freely through the fields and forests, bending reality and changing lives wherever he goes. He is known for interplanetary travel and like the unseelie is a trickster. Eþnui working with him worries Alþórel.
"Good luck with that, seeing how much she helped here!" Elise chuckled. The dryad was obviously willing to talk - and certain of her course - so poking her a bit couldn't hurt. Besides it wasn't that often she got the chance to properly taunt her foe!
Eilo scowls at Amelia "All who walk Golarion are our enemies, not just humans! I am from the first world like all my kin but we make our home in the Grungir. The people of the inner sea have taken the fertility of the land. You all have taken what the First world gave to you! You don't deserve the lives you lead!" Eilo spits in defiance, though her flailing is doing nothing to get her out.
Nethan nods to Elise,
Nethan looks towards the gate where the next Bloodstone resides, does it look still secure or is it out of view?
"The First World granted your land fertility, the connection between it and the fae that helped you begin giving your world life. Years past and you forget about them, you forget about us. You forget about that gift. A lot of your cities you build up, with no rhyme or reason, no adherence to the land or soil. Further, your races do nothing but hollow out mountains, corrupt lands, turn fields into marshlands, you squander such beauty that was once afforded to you. And like you say, most of you don't even remember! Your ancestors couldn't even care enough to teach their children the care the land needs. At least the Lie can return your plane back to once it was and we can start over! First though, we need to get rid of all those that would prevent that!" Eilo continues to ramble.
"See..." Elise sighed. "...I still don't hear any 'here's why you don't kill me' yet. And your grand plan to make our lands less corrupt is *bringing back the Tyrant*?"
The dryad wasn't very helpful in Elise mind and it didn't seem to be changing soon. There weren't many cities up north nor 'spoiled nature'; still threats of 'restarting' didn't sit well with her. "Should I just put it out of its misery?" With a sneer she looked down at the dryad. "Last chance. Why are you here - why are you lurking in this fake and empty world? There are no nature to be tended here; there are no 'mortals' to slay? Can't you see that this is how the world will end up should your 'Lie' actually succeed in his foolishness?"
Eilo shys back at the towering woman but continues to be defiant, almost fanatical. "The tyrant is a means to an end. He will only be needed to wipe the people out so the Lie can remake the plane and he will remake it beautifully! The Tyrant can go off with your bodies to some other plane for all I care."
The woman continues to glower at her and she finally stammers out. "This is but part of the Tyrant's machinations. We, not so much the centaurs, but others like me are here to stop people from getting the bloodstone before the Harlot can get it back. I don't know much else, I swear, only thing is we were recently told a servant of the Harlot is on their way here." She pauses as she says that last bit and looks at Nethan, before blinking a couple of times a thought crossing her mind before biting her lip and staring at the floor.
Elise nods in agreement with Ameila. "Yeah. If your 'Laughing Lie' is so weak he can't challenge us now; what makes you think he would have a chance against the Tyrant afterwards? You spent some time in this dead place - I hope you liked it - that will be what the world is like if the Tyrant wins..."
Alþórel knows that is the Harlot Queen, Arazni, who was killed by Tar-Baphon years ago. After her burial in lastwall, her body was stolen in 3890 AR at the behest of the ghost-king Geb in retaliation for a failed assault on his kingdom by the Knights of Ozem. She was swiftly brought to his nation, where he transformed her into a lich and named her his Harlot Queen. Over a period of years, Geb used his subtle, yet powerful influence the once-powerful goddess, until nothing remained of her former personality. He even turned her against her former allies, particularly, Iomedae, her successor as Aroden's herald.
However, with this in mind and what Eilo is saying it appears that Arazni, the Tyrant and the Laughing Lie are all in this together. Likely all for their own reasons.
Amelia can sense that Eilo is extremely loyal, as a priest devoted to their god. Whether or not she is being manipulated to that end is hard to tell but she truly believes all she is saying and in the end goal. The slight mocking from the group doesn't seem to phase her either.
Amelia also notices the reason that Eilo was staring at Nethan, it was almost like Eilo recognized him but figured it wasn't the case. Likely it was something magical on Nethan's person that triggered the recognition.
Eilo smirks "The Lie has no time for you... not now." Her eyes narrow.
"Convenient excuse." Elise notes with a snort. "Anything else we want to ask this ... woman?"
"The Laughing Lie, the Whispering Tyrant, the Harlot Queen, and now the Grand Fire. Truly names to conjure by. Power enough to lay waste to nations."
Al sighs "You have been used, Cousin. Eþnui has sought to destroy humanity ever since they forgot their connection to the land. But they are children. Like all children they are thoughtless and short sighted at times, but like all children they posses the potential to become something truly great when they become adults. She never saw that, and I see you did not either."
He sighs again "We cannot let you go, but I will not destroy you with cold iron, nor with magic." he draws White, his silver sword "If I kill you with this, you may be reborn in the world you have never seen. Seek the Brightness. I will make it quick."
The Dryad stares up defiantly at Alþórel, she doesn't seem content with the idea after all not many welcome death willingly. Though she is looking at him with acceptance and resolve. She's done her duty, as the cog in the greater plan that the group is unearthing.
Dreyyn doesn't stop the mage in bringing his blade down.