The landscape remains unchanged and in some ways the strange formations get thicker as the party marches for the next hour. The sky has grown really dark, and the winds are picking up. Before the end of the next hour the wind has become so severe it becomes difficult to hear and visibility drops significantly. Torches are of no use as the wind blows them out, but a lantern fortunately provides some light.
At the end of that hour the path is blocked by a steep scree of gravel and shifting rocks. No other paths are apparent so Signifier Karva calls for a halt to examine the slope. The stones are slick with rain and a howling wind rips through the mountain pass, drowning out all other noise. At the bottom of the scree is a morass of mud and wet earth, while at the top is a flat rock shelf.
that attempting to climb the scree will likely trigger a rockslide.
Soon the signifier shouts over the wind. "We will make camp for the night. There are no defensible sites here. The flat top will be easier to defend." The hellknights are glad to soon be out of the storm and hoist their packs for the next stage of the march.
Rulla shivers at being stuck underground for too long. "I'd much rather be out here even in the rain," she says. She has been here eight years, ever since taking the rank. Though she grew up in a small town in northern Cheliax. Sometimes she misses her brothers and sisters, but her parents make frequent visits to the Citadel Enfarec. “I was told the Society is interested in the ruins, called the Temple of the Sky. The order sent signifers to catalogue them many years ago, but strange guardians that hurled bolts of lightning drove them away. None have ventured there since. The temple is near Gozreh’s Fork. After we deal with the orcs, The Signifier says you are free to seek out the temple, if you wish.”
Fatima cautiously looks at the unmasked knights, but no horns, spade-tip tails, hooved feet or the like hint at any ancestry other than human. One hellknight seems to be exceptionally well muscled with bulging biceps and remarkable deltoids visible even through the armor. The knight stands nearly six feet in height, but this does not mark the woman as cross-blooded. The strangest thing about her, of course, is how readily she responds to Fenrik's flirtations.
Careful not to give any appearance of neglecting her duties she can be heard chuckling as the two talk. Noting when Karva is busy elsewhere she whispers. "I hav second vatch tonight, come cross swords with Manius during third vatch, ya?"
"Thirty years, Sir next fall," Aspexia answers the Commander. "One of the advantages to being a diviner Sir. One can avoid the small mishaps that befall most soldiers."
Karva looks at Ruprecht, then at the mountainside."A rockslide will follow? That is the only way through. We shall have to risk it."
An invisible ratand materializes on Tavaraius's shoulder and crawls into the neckline of his cloak.*
|
Ru quickly heads back to the rest of the Pathfinders. "Someone needs to talk him out of this madness immediately. If he loses half his team, our mission will fail.". While waiting on the others to try diplomacy, Ru pulls his Fly extract, just in case they could not be talked out of climbing the scree and he needed a quick escape.
|
Tavarius will speak respectfully.
"While your knights can all handle the wind and rocks and climb at once. I have less assurance that the softer ones..."
Tavarius lowers his voice "and half breeds..." glancing at Fatima before continuing.
"can handle such an arduous journey. Please let the Pathfinders find a better way. If you had a catapult to destroy a fort you would no doubt launch it. You have Pathfinders to find a path. Let them do it."
A stick, half the size of his arm, smacks into Ruprecht as he tries to draw his extract. Much smaller sticks, leaves, and lots of rain are similarly driven across the landscape by the weather. Given the ferocity of the winds, flying seems like a bad idea right now.
Karva looks hard at Tavarius, seeing perhaps a wisdom she hadn't seen before. "Alright she concedes. "You can find us a path for the morning. Perhaps the storm will have passed by then." She calls for a halt, shouting over the storm. As the party begins to make camp a bright flash of lightning illuminates the area.
“Hellknights! Form ranks!” Karva calls through the storm. “Pathfinders, stay behind the line and reinforce us. I’m counting on you to deal with anything that breaks through the front line!” Another flash of light reveals hideous animals twisted with fungal growths, extra appendages, and strange mutations skittering forward through the thunderous rainstorm. A menagerie of mountain beasts gathers round—goats, hawks, mountain lions, and giant rats, each covered with a sickly infestation. Crashes of lightning reveal that behind these smaller beasts, larger horrors approach through the rainy haze.
The Hellknights battle with creatures as the hoard smashes into their ranks. The begin hacking and slashing, but the sheer numbers make it hard to see any gains they make against the fungoid creatures. Arcane energy flashes from one infested hawk, and then another from a three-legged goat. The ground around the creatures softens and water gushes out. The hellknights and pathfinders find themselves sinking in knee-deep mud.
With another bright flash the head of a dragon is revealed circling around at the top of the hill. Fungus sprouts from its horns and a second set of eyes reflect the lightning. A lion's massive body moves with it. It is clear the Hellknights haven't seen it, but even if they had they are much too involved with the hoard surrounding them.
Three giant beasts rush forward standing at the top of the hill. Each has three heads, the dragon and lion seen previously as well as a goat's head. With a maddening cry the dragon head breaths a gout of acid, catching, Fatima and Tavarius. The other two surround the pathfinders and repeat the tactic.
Mud Reflex from everyone.
,
,
,
Acidic breath weapon
Round 1
Infected C (23): Circle and breath acid
Ruprecht (12): <-- Here Now
everyone else? <-- Here Now
Round 1
Infected C (23): Circle and breath acid
Alistina (21): <-- Here Now
Ruprecht (12): bombs the first chimera
everyone else?
Fenrik (9): <-- Here Now
|
If Alistina can 5 foot back in the mud she will, if not she will provoke the attack of opp. and step back out of the chimeras reach and cast blessing of fervor. Starting with nearby pathfinders
Increase its speed by 30 feet.
Stand up as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
Gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
Cast a single spell of 2nd level or lower as if it were an enlarged, extended, silent, or still spell.
These effects are not cumulative with similar effects, such as those provided by haste or a speed weapon, nor do they actually grant an extra action, so you can't use it to cast a second spell or otherwise take an extra action in the round. Blessing of fervor does not stack with haste.
Forge father steel us against these abominations. Grant us your hammers might.
Fatima enhances herself through arcane power while Ruprecht throws a small vial which the wind picks up and swirls out of its trajectory. Fortunately it still hits the large lion-shaped creature and acid burns some of the fungus away.
Tavarias tries to cast a spell but the mud has him too far off balance and he can't quite get to the small pouch at his belt. He is able to lift the symbol of his faith however and dark energy drains from the chimeras.
Alistina's spell caresses the party with the Forge Father's favor and Fenrik's Aldori dueling sword bites into the second creature.
R2
Fatima (31): <-- Here Now
Infected C (23):
Alistina (21):
Ruprecht (12):
Fenrik (9):
Fatima (31): Casts shield & empowers her sword.
Infected C (23): Circle and breath acid
Alistina (21): casts blessings of fervor <-- Here Now
Ruprecht (12): bombs the first chimera
Fenrik (9): cuts chimera
VC, XX V IIII 2
BC, V II 1 dazed
Alfred 1/Mud 0 (undelay)
The Hellknight-on-loan moves beside Fenrik and attempts to finish the job. Though his damage is massive it is not enough to bring down the enemy.
,
VC: XXX XXX III
The earth suddenly softened, threatening the Pathfinders with sinking up to their knees in mud. Almost as suddenly it resolidifies. Tavarius was caught but the others managed to stay atop of the thickening mud.
The beast makes no movement toward the magus and the multi-hued Tiefling's bely her location. Her blade slices into the creature not once, but twice.
Tavarius's clever commands allow Fatima, Fenrik, and Ruprecht to direct their concentration to where it works best.
The second chimera attacks Fenrik with a giant lion's maw, a dragon's beak and the horns of a ram. Then it lashes out at the dwarf with two claws. The first does the same toward Alfred.
R2
Fatima (31): magus attack
Tavarius (23): inspires others (retcon?)
INFECTED C (23): V attacks Fenrik, R attacks Alfred
Alistina (21): Casts holy smite. ,
Ruprecht (12): <-- Here Now
Fenrik (9): <-- Here Now
Alfred (9):<-- Here Now
Fatima casts a spell, dealing damage to both the evil creatures in its area.
,
,
,
,
,
VC
,
,
,
,
,
RC: XXX I, 1 0
VC: XXX XXX XX V, 2 1
BC: XXX V II, 1 0
EDIT: Alfred 59/85 hp
|
|
Fenrik slays a chimera!
The Hellknights seem to make similar progress though the onslaught is relentess.
The falchion of Alfred cuts the heart of the chimera out of its chest, quarters it, adds some mushrooms & parsley and serves it on a plate of chimera wing.
R2
Fatima (31): magus attack
Tavarius (23): inspires others (retcon?)
INFECTED C (23): V attacks Fenrik, R attacks Alfred
Alistina (21): Casts holy smite.
Ruprecht (12): bombs a chimera (red)
Fenrik (9): Kills a chimera (violet)
Alfred (9): ,
,
RC: XXX X V I, 1 0
VC: XXX XXX XXX XX V+, 2 1
BC: XXX XXX XXX XX+, [s]1 0[/s}
Killing the infested chimeras terrifies the smaller cythnigots. When the last chimera dies, the remainder of the horde either scatters or falls to the Hellknights’ blades.
The presence of so many qlippoths is a sign that the corruption of this region runs deep," the signifier states. "Make camp to rest. We must prepare for the battles ahead."
A quick search of the campsite reveals a small shrine to Gozreh at the top of the slope here. The eruption of cythnigots from the mountainside disturbed the unstable ground, revealing a hidden cache beneath the shrine. The cache contains a collection of ancient jugs filled with 25 pale moonstones. Two other stones are also in the collection and radiate magic if anyone cares to check them.
The following morning, the march resumes with even greater urgency. The party is now entering Severed Hand territory, so Signifer Karva orders the Hellknights to be especially vigilant. For the most part, the remainder of the second day’s journey is uneventful. Near dusk, the group reaches Gozreh’s Fork, where Signifer Karva hopes to learn more about the region.
Gozreh’s Fork is a rocky plateau that affords a commanding view of the surrounding terrain. It acquired its name from its trident-like shape. The top of this flat peak shows signs of magic and combat. The smell of rotting flesh is thick in the air and roughly a dozen corpses litter the area. In the center of the plateau, a circle of runes is scratched into the earth, and staked to the ground nearby are the corpses of two humanoid creatures with great black wings. Patches of wriggling worms and centipedes swarm over the rocky ground.
Signifer Karva pauses the expedition and orders, "Hellknights, begin investigating. Pathfinders, I strongly suggest you assist in the investigation as your strengths dictate."
|
|
Tavarius, having paid attention to his allies interests and expertise on their long journey quickly assigns people to the tasks he feels are best for them.
Tavarius will then flick his wrists and change his priestly robes into black rubber coveralls, an outfit much more suited to delving into the muck.
He will then investigate the circle of runes to see what planar energies might be left behind or if something was summoned or called here.
|
|
Allistina uses 3 of her channels as needed to heal herself and the hellknights. She asks her comrades if there are any sort of spells they think might prove useful and adjusts her morning prayers a bit.
At the plateau she inspects the wing humanoids tries to determine what they are and how exactly they died. She also tries to figure out if their is any significance to the manner of their death.
Ruprecth determines that one stone is a actually an air elemental gem and Alistina concludes the clear spindle stone is an ioun stone. The Hellknights treat healing wounds like gathering firewood or pitching tents and greatfully help with all the healing the party needed. More and more the pathfinders are being accepted as part of the party.
About the fungus Alistana recalls: The cythnigot is a foul fungal parasite that grows and thrives within the corpses of small animals. The fungus transforms the host corpse in hideous ways, adding legs or rearranging features—a rat might gain an extra pair of legs and an insectoid visage, while a cat could lose all its legs and fur and gain a snake-like body. The only thing that all cythnigots have in common is a long stalk of fungal material that extends up from the creature's body, ending in a surprisingly strong set of fanged jaws. A cythnigot without a host body appears as little more than a foul-smelling puffball the size of a human's fist.
Fenrik searches around the place and discovers that roughly 30 humanoids fought here over a week ago and that several huge beasts with three-toed footprints accompanied them.
Examing the winged bodies reveals these as dead strix that the orcs captured after the battle ended. Their bodies are branded with religious runes and a successful Alistina knows they were ritualistically sacrificed. The runes are cut sloppily but she is still able to determine this.
Hellknight Boudra, Tavarious and Fatima head to the circle of runes carved into the dirt at the center of the plateau. Inside the circle are the remains of dozens of sacrificed goats, birds, and other mountain animals. The dhampir discovers several planar bindings were cast here while the teifling determines the circles were designed to bind creatures from the deepest layers of the Abyss—where qlippoths reside. The dead animals in the center of the circle were likely used as host corpses for summoned cythnigots.
Fenrik without any locks to disable instead tries to disemble something on the tracks. Rulla, the Hellknight's point guard helps out. Strange serpentine tracks that seem to belong to a giant snake or a beast with tentacles. Large groups of worms seem to gather near these tracks.