"Up? Naw, I want to dig down..."
"Up! Up! Zokon, do you know what that is?"
"Hmm...?" Illthir moaned and yawned. She agreed with Scarlet; sleeping was nice. But not getting stabbed in the night was also nice - so reluctantly the half-elf got to her feet and reached for her axe.
And since she didn't want to get stabbed alone she exhaled a small gust of wind, gently rousing and raising her allies to their feet. ":Arise!:"
Scarlet's up. She always wears her chain shirt and her swords are at the side.
Zokon covers Durgan but reminds him "I cannot see in the dark if you want my help you'll need to provide light if you find something."
In response to Durgan "I don't know what it is.. "
Zokon has a silver and cold iron arrow ready
"Wake up all, Durgen has found a thing.. and we don't know what it is."
Zokon stays ready in case whatever it is approaches
Zokon covers Durgan but reminds him "I cannot see in the dark if you want my help you'll need to provide light if you find something."
In response to Durgan "I don't know what it is.. "
Zokon has a silver and cold iron arrow ready
When he is able to act again, he will cast Barkskin on himself; not sure if we are in rounds.
"I'm well protected if you wish me to approach to speak with it," Durgan says quietly. "Or we can douse the fire and hope it passes us by."
Scarlet walks up alongside Durgan. "Oy, let's talk to... whatever it is. I'll keep my swords ready."
She emerges and moves up to the stranger. "Hey, you need help?"
Durgan will also approach, with no weapon in hand (and his buckler stowed).
"Would you share our campfire and have some food?"
Serena stands ready, despite her unarmored condition, waiting for trouble.
Scarlet walks up alongside Durgan. "Oy, let's talk to... whatever it is. I'll keep my swords ready."
She emerges and moves up to the stranger. "Hey, you need help?"
The rider is near the grove edge now, and as Scarlet and Durgan approach it their disquiet increases. A cold sweat suddenly breaks out sheening them both. Scarlet notes a tremor in her hands, and Durgan finds it difficult to force the air from his lungs. There is something wrong about it....
Being both "dwarves", both characters can at this range plainly see that the "rider" does not in fact have legs (nor skin for that matter just red and purple muscles slick with swamp water) and it is actually attached by its torso to the horse thing's back which also has not covered in skin. It is all one horrible thing.
Scarlet can attempt a knowledge (nature) check DC 19.
"Well, d-do ya..." Scarlet buckles under the pressure. "Damn, it's just like my nightmare... damn it!" Scarlet turns and starts running as quickly as she can.
"...in the name of all the gods..."
Durgan also turns and runs. He's making for his horse, to mount up and ride out of here as fast as possible.
Damnit! No time to armor up! Serena grabs her shield and hefts her scimitar, waiting for whatever is menacing them to step into the light (or within range of her LLV).
Current AC: 13/10/13
The pair crash through camp as white as sheets, as if a host from one of the 9 Layers of Hell was after them.
"Uhh..." Illthir couldn't imagine any scenario where this behaviour from her companions were indication of a good thing. Plenty of stuff the other way around though! The half elf takes a short step towards the running pair and cries out, hoping there's a reasonable explanation after all. Maybe they simply forgot their oven or something? "What's happening?"
"Run! We have to run! Mount up! It's coming!"
Zokon sees his companion running, especially Scarlet and he acts..
He uses studied target on the thing and then fires a Silver/Cold Iron Arrow at it
"Quick, follow me!" No time to explain, no time to think. It was going to drown her. Fill her lungs with water tie her her to a rock and wipe her right out from her brother's memory.
Just, keep, running.
He won't goto pb as that needs to move
The thing draws near. You can hear the equine hooves crunching through the woods toward the camp and a low burbling braying noise, like a horse with water in its lungs. You can see the shadow of it move with unnatural grace as it approaches. You can see as well as the cold steel longsword glinting in the moonlight within the rider's dripping outstretched hand.
A cold sweat breaks out on Zokon's forehead. Everyone draws a deep breath and holds it. The campsite seems so exposed to everyone, and yet claustrophobic at the same time. The fire seems so loud. It becomes difficult to breath.
"W-what is it? Zokon did you see?" Angus stammers.
Angus pulls his waraxe free from its strap.
"Scar-lets-karab? Du-ar-ghan?" the fey woman says in the middle of collecting her things to leave as suggested by Numalar.
Zokon turns and runs grabbing a brand from the fire as a light source on the way so he can see...
Nope! Nopenopenope! Illthir winces and looks around for the best path of escape.
Though a cold chill runs down her spine, Serena holds her ground. With trembling hands, she lifts her scimitar to a ready position and settles her shield on her arm. She strains her eyes, trying to see the foe. What in the hells is this thing? What could frighten seasoned adventurers like school children?
"What is that... creature?" Calls out Numalar nervously.
Erevenywg closes the gap between herself and Numalar, whispering the gnome's name and looking small and frightened even at over six feet tall.
Angus clutches his axe in sweaty hands.
And Illthir relocates in the opposite direction. A tactical withdrawal if you will!
Alia rushes to try and catch up to her bodyguard.
The thing breaks upon the camp a horrible composite of humanoid and horse. The humanoid part ends where a rider's waist might be and instead fuses into the back of the equine beast which it would ordinarily be riding. More horrible still is the thing's fleshlessness. Swamp-damp, red, rippling muscles draped in uprooted plants, surmounted by a pair of grinning skulls both human and horse stand out against the musculature. The horse head brays and the human head roars in challenge. It flourishes a naked steel sword in one human hand.
Round 1! (Theme ♬)
The Bold May Act!
_________________
__ The Thing ready
__ Serena
__ Bloody Angus
__ Numalar
__ Erevenywg
She don't know what it is, she don't care what it is. At least she didn't leave Alia behind... but that elf better hurry up!
Serena takes the measure of her foe. not yet willing to commit to a fight.
"Ulcu-!" The thing growls holding one of Zokon's arrows. Its breath comes out like a mist on a winter's night.
Serena briefly glances at the others to see if any of them understood the thing.
|
"That's the Sylvan Tongue. It called us 'Despoilers.' I don't know..."
"Whui ceri-cin ped-hi?" Numalar calls out. "Mín are ú-ulcu! Mín gar-done ú-nad!"
He turns around and whispers to Erevenywg,
"Mín ceri-er nad? I on-ha angrui?"
The thing draws menacingly closer. Its breath smells of rank swamp water.
Alia knows that Scarlet is the faster runner. The woman was quick. So instead, Alia attempted to use the terrain as cover, break line of sight for the creature...and hoping that it had a difficult time following her without visually aquiring it's target - she had little hope for that bur ir made her feel a bit more relaxed.
"Ni tír- tye." the skinless rider says to Numalar. With relish it drops arrow it was holding with two fleshless fingers like a dead fish down upon the ground. Then its horse head gives a shrieking bray, and the composite thing turns and bounds out toward the moors leaving a thick clammy mist in its wake.
After a couple of minutes the fear passes, but not its memory.