While daisy and MJ argue Koran steps forward and slams his hammer into the priestesses head until she is dead.
*GASP!* .... Daisy stares with wide eyes and open mouth at the priestess and the ruin of her skull.... Then she forces herself to look away....
MJ glances at the brutal but swift and efficient execution, and nods in approval.
I know its a bit messy. And it isn't the kindest way. But it's easier than hauling around a prisoner and taking responsibility for her probably impossible rehabilitation into a decent human being.... Probably get eaten by monsters eventually, anyway, so maybe this is the kind way....
The matter of the priestess' fate settled, The FOs continue their exploration of the second floor, finding no other enemies, but discovering two offices in which more prisoners are kept, naked and drugged. There are 50 altogether, decidedly older than the mostly 20-to-40-year-old captives previously rescued--these captives seem to be 50 to 80 years old.
Leave these codgers here for now? Or, shall I take them to the movies? Seniors get a discount....
MJ grins at the herd of drugged elderly people lying around on the floor....
Radsworth watches Korans brutal ending of the priestess. He will (assumed) speak with Levinson concerning magical auras and strip the priestess of any items.
He stands tall, then looks down at the gory corpse.
"Your information may have spared some people, and may have for-warned the Fierce Ones. Maybe that's enough to barter a ticket out of hell."
He steps to Daisy and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"The human condition was never meant to experiencing something like Cthulu. Some people couldn't handle the thought of endless torture, being consumed by gnashing teeth while alive, or being made into some sort of demonic plaything. They were the first to align themselves with Cthulu I reckon."
He sighs, then ponders her last words for a bit.
"In order for us to rebuild mankind, we cannot have those same people with us Daisy. Like calls to like. This won't be the last incursion humanity must defend. We cannot let the defectors live. On person was responsible for Cthulu. One priestess could be responsible for the next demon lord come to Earth. Hopefully, she has found piece. If not, then she is probably enjoying a good tentacled "chinning" from Cthulu right now."
Knowledge Dungeoneering and Arcana for "Tentacled Terror" and Piscodaemon.
Radsworth considers the title "Tentacled Terror" a moment--it could be any number of tentacled aberrations reported to haunt the subterranean places of the world....probably not an aboleth, as they require water, and he was beginning to feel fairly certain that the Slime-Shrouded Master whose faceless ones, sinspawn, and skum minions the party had fought at St Armand's Circle had been an aboleth.... Perhaps a roper.... Those were aberrations with tentacles that did not require water.... Perhaps it wasn't an aberration, after all.... Certain fiends had tentacles, such as Cthulhu himself.... Maybe the TT is some kind of outsider?
As for piscodaemon, Radsworth could break down the meaning of its name from the Latin pisco-, meaning fish, and daemon was clear enough.... The piscodaemon was an evil outsider from the lower planes.... Most were from the rivers and seas of Hades.... This particular "fish-daemon" was from R'lyeh, sired by Cthulhu himself, if the priestess' last words could be believed....
A successful Knowledge (planes) check will net more substantial info....
Yingzen decides to scout ahead while they others are talking
Radsworth's mind, amplified by Chesterfield, zeroes in on a stray passage in his memory from a 17th century German manuscript about demonology concerning a type of demon native to the Abyss known as qlippoths, of which it was written that there are a great variety of them, they are more primitive and alien in form and motives than the more well-known tanar'ri demons, and that one particularly horrible and powerful type of qlippoth known as chernobue are "tentacled terrors" in some ancient texts.... They were said to be resistant to magic, but not completely impervious to it....
As for the piscodaemon, if Radsworth's enhanced memory serves, it is not quite so potent (CR10) as a chernobue qlippoth (CR 12), giving the spellslinger pause to wonder why the chernobue would be subservient to the piscodaemon rather than the other way around.... Then again, it often has been true of human politics, that the more capable serve the less so....
Yingzen scouts ahead, creeping silently up the western stairs to the third level, and begins scouting it out....
He slips into the shadows of a work station.... Using his first Stealth result of 45, he is practically impossible for the The Spitter of Nightmares and his new pet barghest to detect as they emerge from a nearby office and proceed north up the hall, apparently discussing the number and strength of intruders below....
The Spitter of Nightmares is a hulking, 10-foot-tall, bipedal, frog-like fiend, with slimy green skin, milky, dead-white eyes, and a broad, fanged maw. It thumps up the hall, croaking horridly....
In Common: To arms, scum! Intruders lay siege to the tower! To arms!
The barghest loping along at the frog-daemon's heels suddenly stops, hackles rising as it catches a whiff of the familiar, and now dreaded, scent of Tengu from the shadows of the work station they just passed by....
*SNIFF!* Yipe!! Boss.... I smell one of 'em.... Right over there!
The hydrodaemon halts.
Eh? What's that? You smell one?
The daemon sniffs the air and peers with dead-white eyes at the shadows of the work station indicated by the barghest....
Perception vs DC 45 fails....
You cowardly cur! Did they so cow you that you fear shadows now? Come! Waste no more of my time, or I'll wear your cowardly hide as a bib whilst I feast on your flesh and pick my teeth with your bones!
The two outsiders continue north, the hydrodaemon bellowing out its call to arms, while the barghest looks back over its shoulder warily at the work station where Yingzen hides....
A moment later, 8 Morays spill out of offices on the west side of the hall and head north, following the hydrodaemon and barghest, Elven curve blades drawn....
Stealthily shadowing the growing force of enemies, Yingzen must make another Stealth check, please....
Unless he plans to return downstairs and inform his allies now....
yingzen decides to inform the others
Yingzen quickly returns downstairs to the office near the west stair, where the others are discussing whether to leave the elderly captives there for now or take them at once to the theater on Main Street, and reports what he saw upstairs--the hydrodaemon and barghest rounding up 8 Morays, and probably more enemies, for an imminent counter strike....
Hmmm.... Which reminds me, I'm pretty sore from our last couple rumbles.... Got anymore juice in that happy stick, Daisy?
MJ indicates wounds on his limbs and torso, mainly inflicted by vicious backlash from "BJ"....
Kailin taps MJ with his wand a few times.
Anyone else?
Yup, here ya go, hon....
Daisy starts to walk over to MJ, but sees Kailin beat her to him with his wand....
Okay, Kailin's got it.... I'll save mine for battle....
That's great, thanks, bud!
MJ salutes Kailin.
1st: Burning Hands x2, Ray of Enfeeblement x2
2nd: Scorching Ray x2, False Life x1
3rd: Fly, Spiked Pit
4th: Greater Invisibility (2 Slots)
As Yingzen makes his report, Radsworth's scowl gradually given way to a look of worry and concern. For right now, they were lucky. No Tentacled Terror.
Either we flee or we strike while he are hasted. I'll let someone else make that call. I'll support as best I can regardless.
Radsworth starts chanting, absorbing thick necromantic magics into his body.
If we decide to fight, they'll be coming down a narrow stairway where we can bottleneck them.... Two heavy hitters--Koran, and either Derrik or myself--can hold the stairs, and switch out with Yingzen when one of us gets tired or too wounded.... Should keep them from overwhelming us with numbers if a whole shitload of 'em come down....
The stairs are treated as 10 ft wide (in reality, they are about 8 ft wide, but I'll say that's wide enough for 2 Medium creatures to fight abreast without penalty for squeezing)....
There are other tactical possibilities that are hard to visualize without a battlemat in front of you, so I'll try to explain a few of them, in case The FOs choose to fight instead of flee....
Besides the stairwell, the enemies could be drawn to another choke point at an office doorway, or drawn to a choke point between a wall and a work station (which would allow them to attack on two fronts by going around, but would allow the party the same option), or The FOs could meet the enemy in an open area in the hall, if they want to fight in ranks of four....
Meanwhile, upstairs:
The Spitter of Nightmares passes by a large office room on the north side of the third floor where 6 more Morays hear and heed its croaking call to arms, bringing its force to 14 Morays and a barghest....
It comes to a large conference room, where 4 faceless stalkers and 4 sinspawn are feasting on the torn-asunder remains of a human victim....
To arms, slugs! Time for feasting later--plenty of fresh meat downstairs! Intruders are in The Silver Tower! croaks the hydrodaemon....
The aberrations rise from their gruesome meal and wipe blood and gore from their faces as they join the growing parade of enemies preparing to sally down the stairs and attack The FOs....
BTW, Radsworth's haste would be expired by the time this fight would begin, so a fresh haste might be in order.... If neither Radsworth, Kailin, nor Levinson has another haste prepared, Mahatma can cast 3 hastes per day as a 20th-level wizard....
I don't suppose I can convince you guys to retreat for now and come back tomorrow, when all of my powers will be restored.... Daisy ventures, a doubtful look on her face as she sees her martial companions running whetstones along their blades and stretching for an imminent battle....
My vote is to fight now.... If we give them too much time to prepare for us, we could really face impossible odds tomorrow, ya know?
Or, that furry goblin-headed wolf-thing might be fetching the whole Tower to come down on us now, when if we would've just waited and come back in a day or two, things might've settled down, and we could continue to hit them in small groups like we have so far.... I vote we come back in two days, rested and at full strength.
Both arguments are valid, and depend wholly upon the actions of our enemy. Based on my observations of this cult's general attitude and past behavior, I would estimate that Daisy's plan is the more sound at this point.... However, as Professor Radsworth's assistant, I shall defer to his judgement, of course, and forfeit a vote in the matter. May I suggest you do the same, Mister Mahatma?
You may suggest all you like, Mister Chesterfield.... I was going to defer to My Lady Levinson, anyway....
Radsworth looks at Derrik.
"I've never known him to retreat or withdraw, but that's my current counsel as well. I can prepare spells that would help our situation more specifically. I also suggest we come back. The only issue is whether or not waiting will spell the doom of those people. They are being saved for rital, so I imagine they are fine unless the ritual is within the week."
He frowns.
"I had intended to ask our captive about that, but Koran was too insistent that his hammer ask for a kiss. We discarded a useful tool too quickly."
Judging from that schedule for the Summer Solstice, I'd guess all these captives are being saved for the sacrifices planned for that day, which is, what? Two or three months away? Then again.... They might have lots of lesser sacrificial rites planned for between now and then....
And judging from Radsworth's little anecdote about Lido Key.... Do we really want to give these sick f~@!ers a chance to slaughter even a few of these people as revenge for the drubbing we've been giving them so far?
Might I humbly suggest to My Lady Levinson that she call my true form to your world, where I might show you my prowess in battle?
In here, my dear fellow!? Why, your rump alone would fill this entire hallway!
Why don't you shut your tea-and-scones hole, Mister Chesterfield, and let My Lady decide where my rump will fit, if you please?
Very well, Mister Mahatma, no need to get your trunk tied in a knot, I was merely observing what should be obvious to any reasonable person capable of comparing the relative area of your arse with the volume of this enclosed space.... I meant no insult, old chum....
We should retreat for today, Go back to the box and regroup, maybe even bring a few more of the tribesmen with us.
After opposing votes from Daisy and MJ are neutralized, we are at +2 votes to retreat to the Box for today, and return tomorrow or the next day at full power, and with upgraded gear....
I hate to say it MJ, But we're outmatched here. We should come back when we are at full power.
I've not added up the value of anyone else's current gear, but Daisy and MJ are due for a substantial upgrade of around 20,000 gp value to their gear....
Target amount is around 40,000 gp, so if your PC is woefully under-equipped, a quick return to the Box may be in order....
Of course, Derrik, Koran, Radsworth and Levinson now each have a priceless artifact, and would need to be around 20th level to "grow into" those items on a balanced wealth scale, but we won't count artifacts....
As an aside: the Navajo shamans, together with Professor Dirge, Dr Hoffmann, and Sister Maria, have been busily crafting ever more powerful weapons, armor, rings, scrolls, wands, and wondrous items back at Pandora's Box for The FOs (basically, whatever you "buy" with your ~20,000 gp upgrade)....
As another aside, to flesh out my campaign world a bit:
Vash Romanov and his now-Large-and-rideable roc companion Glaza, Krar the Boar, Sheriff and Mayor of Tombstone Dwayne Lee Hooker, Bear-Strong, Jewels, and the Elven Druid known as Nature Boy have begun to hunt down the were-squatches in the Pacific Northwest, piloted there by Hooty the Helicopter Pilot (Vash rides on Glaza's back)....
Kate and Dr Grimm are taking it easy, as they are quite certain now that Kate is pregnant with Grimm's baby....
looks at his fellow fos and nods
It does seem rest is needed.
So The FOs withdraw to the parking garage, and call out for Merlin....
An old, gray tomcat appears from under an abandoned Jeep, and transforms into Merlin.
Ready to return to the Box for some rest, are we? Very well, Fierce Ones, let us join hands, then....
Merlin teleports The Fierce Ones back to PB in the GC, where they are able to shower off the blood and grit of their battles, eat a warm meal, get some much-needed rest, and upgrade their gear (to a total value of 40,000 gp)....
Back at the Box, MJ has the shamans perform a cleansing ritual on his greatsword "BJ", purging the vicious quality from the magic blade....
Then the shamans perform a Blessingway Dance ritual to enchant the blade with holy power from the ancestors....
[+1 vicious greatsword becomes +1 holy greatsword]
He has Professor Dirge enhance his ring of protection from +1 to +2, and his amulet of natural armor from +1 to +2....
*SIGH!*.... Guess it's time to reexamine my agnosticism....