Idrian moves behind Feldspar, once the others move into the room, and unleashes an arrow at the bugbear.
Composite Longbow +1 str +3: deadly aim, pb shot, fav enemy, precise shot, bard song
to hit damage
Mikka begins a lilting chant in the language f the druids, the air near the bugbear beginning to swirl and darken, coalescing slowly, thatick building in the air, raising the hair on everyone's necks.
Feldspar growls at the bugbear, lifts his hammer and charges forward. "For Torag!" He roars.
Round 1Having fired its bow, the bugbears snarls of anger changed to a look of apprehension as teh room filled with enemies. It hadn't realised quite how many foes it faced from the confines of the hallway, but as they spread out, it quickly realised it was outmatched here.
None the less, he stood his ground and defended himself as best he could. Neither arrow found its mark, instead sinking into the wooden table in front of the bugbear. Tania began to chant encouragment to her friends, even as Jo'No brought forth his summoned flame. The creature easily avoided the flaming sphere, but kept its place behind the cover of the table, perhaps foolishly thinking the spell would stay avoidable.
Feldspar charged then, thumping into the wooden barrier with great force but failing to land a blow on the big goblinoid. Ulike its smaller kin, this goblin seemed quite competent in combat, almost as good as the king upstairs in fact.
The goblin women rushed the dwarf from behind the protective bars of their cells. They jabbed at him with knives and sharpened stakes, most of them bouncing harmlessly from the bars. One of them landed a very lucky blow though, pricking the Paladins skin and drawing a small bead of blood.
Round 2
The bugbear swung its great flail in a wide arc, bringing it to bear on feldspar with a mighty grunt. The plucky dwarf brought his shield up at the last moment though, catching the blow and preventing any damage. He could feel the force behind the wepon though, and was very glad he hadn't been struck. Now it was his turn to retaliate though.
Perception check for those in the room (DC 16)
Perception
Idrian grunts in frustration at missing his mark and fires again.
Composite Longbow +1 str +3: deadly aim, pb shot, fav enemy, precise shot, bard song
to hit damage
Idrian grunts in frustration at missing his mark and fires again.
The air around the bugbear reeked of ozone as Mikka's elemental materialized, lightning crackling along it's arms as it leapt towards the creature, striking at him.
While the elemental engaged the enemy, Mikka once again reached for the wand conjuring mystical fire to hurl it at the bugbear.
Tania conjures forth the arcane forces surrounding her, condensing them in her spear, then drops the point, lifting it with her hips as she thrusts forward. "Hardi Friends! Let's put this eunuch behind bars!"
Round 2
Round 1
Status:
HP = 17/22
AC = 17
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Arrows = 39/40 (+1)
Speed = 40'
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 3, +4 melee touch, +4 ranged touch):
1 (4/day) Bless Water (DC 13), Divine Favor, Protection from Evil, Cure Light Wounds (DC 13)
0 (at will) Acid Splash, Create Water, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Light, Detect Magic
Teamwork Feat: 2/2
Agile Feet: 5/5 Ignore difficult terrain.
Judgement: 0/1
Status Effects = Inspire Courage
Durik once again takes aim at the bugbear.
"Those goblin wenches are trying to stab me!" Feldspar shouts, stepping to the side to get out of their reach.
"Now it's my turn, bugbear," Feldspar growls, raising his warhammer overhead and bringing it down at the creature.
Perception
Jo'no glares at the caged goblins and barks out in their language. "Females! Stop that and you will live though this!"
The Shoanti will then point his wand in their direction.
Bratasmus went down in a flurry of magic and melee. His body jerked from side to side as each blow landed, but it was the fiery inferno of Jo'nos flaming sphere that finally did for the big bugbear. He crumpled to the ground trying to scream, but his lungs filled with flame and seared shut.
Seeing their body guard destroyed in mere seconds, and watching as the wizard who had destroyed him point their way, the goblin women fell back in fear. They wailed and gnashed their teeth in consternation, but would prove no further threat if left alone.
The room was empty apart from those goblinoids.
"Wow! Guess he was just passing by..." Tania then lets the chain cool off a bit. "I could use a nice piece of armor like that. Anyone..?"
Later: "I could use the rest, but I'm willing if we wish to push and head down."
"Where would we rest in this place? We should push on while they are still reeling from the assault."
"Hrmm, although I do find that I am running out of spells, I really didn't have many anyway. I suspect the further we go, the less I will be able to help, but as long as there are charges left in this wand I will do my best to be of assistance. I am ready to continue on."
After making sure that the 'ladies' are locked in the cells and that all is ready, Idrian suggests opening the door to the north by Jono.
Armor's all yours, Tania.
"It would be best if we finished this quickly then rested."
"Please turn around while I change..."
Feldspar nods in agreement with Idrian and moves forward, warhammer and shield at the ready. He waits until Tania has had time to replace her armor and then opens the door.
With everyone ready again, and the goblin women locked within their cells, Feldspar carefully pushed open the door at the end of the prison room. As he did so, the room was filled with sound of baying hounds. The noise had a strange chill to it, running up the nerves like a chill in the morning, pricking every sense and leaving the hairs of the body standing on end.
Beyond the first door, a short flight of stairs led down to another door. This one was heavy and bound with iron. The metal had corroded through time and its close exposure to a sea envinronment, yet still seemed strong. Carved across the door was a strange star like symbol, the end point of each projection tipped with a different rune. The symbol itched at Feldspars eyes, causing them to water slightly and he knew instinctively that it symbolised something evil.
Behind him in the room, a slight popping noise saw the end of the summoned ligtning elemental and fire spell. They had both served their purpose but the short duration of such things made them unreliable for long exploration.
Mikka unslings her scythe, glancing at the door.
"It may be better to deal with this creature now, rather than be surprised should any remaining goblins come behind us and open the door."
(+ appropiate knowledge modifier)
"I agree Mikka, let's keep our back clean. It seems this place was filled with dangers and evil foreboding for our dear town. I am glad we are here!"
Knowledge: Arcana +6 INT (2) 1
Knowledge: Nature +6 INT (2) 1
Knowledge: Religion +8 INT (2) 3
Knowledge: The Planes +7 INT (2) 2
"There is wisdom in Mikka's plan, I agree."
Tania and Jo'no
The summer days were growing shorter, hearalding the change in season that would bring the squalls of rain and skudding grey couds of Autumn and winter. Tania and Jo'no were making the most of the lingering warmth, running along the shell crusted beach near junkers way, heading for the rocks and the pile of Flotsam that invariably foormed at the point on the hightide afer a big storm. Last night there had been a storm, a huge one that had caused a few of the buildings in town to lose their roofs. People were busy helping folk to repair their homes, in case another storm came in tonight, and so the beach was ll but deserted. The two teenagers had snuck off, abandoning their timber lugging duties for a chance to explore what washed up on shore.
Tania reached within, dabbling with something she had found beginning to bloom within her. AS she touched upon the reserves of power she had recently found, her pace began to quicken. She moved ahead of Jo'no, slowly drawing away from the young bookworm and reveling in the speed she could reah now. She was almost sure it was not as fast as she was capableof, but so far she was too timid to tap the full power of whatever it was growing inside her.
Jo'no grinned as he watched his friend run onwards. He had no chance of keeping up with ever exuberant Tania Teg. Even now his lungs burned with the effort of keeping pace with her. He slowed a little, dropping back to a pace that allowed him to think more, and to watch her run a little easier. He grinned a bit in embarrassment at the thought, but it didn't stop him looking. His mid drifted back to last nghts tales at the White Deer. The last of the Shoanti traders had spent the night there, before heading back into the wilds and their traditional hunting grounds. Jo'nos adoptive mother had been sure to take him along and hear the tales of his people, and for once they had awakened something within him. He had begunt o dream of travelling the lands, and learning what he could of these people he had never truly known, but whos blood he shared.
When his reverie had finished, he noticed Tania had reached the rocks and she crouched behind a large bloulder, peering over the side cautiously. As Jo''no got closer, she urged him to approach closer but keep his npise down.
The two of them pressed in close and peered over the rocks, looking down into a sheltered section of sand where a large pile of flotsama nd jetsom now lay. The tide had turned outwards about half an hour ago, leaving its bounty stranded upon the shells and sand. Standing there amongst it was the new girl Nualia. She was dresssed in one of her white dresses, almost the only colour she seemed to own it woud seem. The dress had been sprayed with water, obviously from when teh tide was higher and the waves had crashed against the rocks. The white material had become sheer where the water had kissed it, showing the skin beneath in patches, and leaving Jo'no at least a little breathless at teh site. She had rolled the hem of the dress up high as she explored the flotsam, revealing long legs and more than a decent girls should of her thighs. Behind her, "Redcap" stood staring in absolute rapture and lust. His eyes wandered over her body in a way that made both the younger teens squirm in discomfort. He was bared at the chest, having removed his own shirt at some stage, and the huge muscles of his upper body rippled as he moved. He was not graceful, more a brute in force than anything else. He moved up to the girl, his hand about to reach out and touch her when she squealed in delight and bent to retrieve something from the flotsam.
As she stood, she turned and opened a devastating smile on the older boy. His hand dropped, and he seemed to almost lose the will to move as he stood there looking at the visoin before him. She held a kind of statue in her hands, made of some dark timber or stone. It was hard to make out exactly what it was from where the two of them crouched, but it appeared to be two nake women entwined in an embrace of seductive bliss. Both of them felt a stirring in their loins, even from this distance, and the effect it had on "Redcap" was palpable.
He groaned as he looked down at the statue pressing against Nualias stomach as she clutched it to her. The girl seemed oblivious to the effect the thing was having, and she turned it carefully in her hands, tracing the lines of the figures with one languid figure.
"It's beautiful Red, isn't it. Look at the craftsmanship of this piece. I've never seen timber like this have you."
She looked up into his eyes then and her expression changed to one of confusion at the older boys expression. He stood very close to her now, breathing heavily and shaking slightly. With a suddenness that shocked all three of them, he reached his hands out and grasped her roughly by the shoulders, dragging her mouth to his and kissing her roughly. He pressed in close and his hands dropped roghly across her body, tearing at the white dress with his caloused fingers.
Nualaia squirmed and writhed, trying to break his grip and she yelled in fear. "What are you doing Red? Let me go!"
That broke the spell that seemed to be holding Tania and Jo'no in place. The two of them dropped down from the rocks and ran around the beach head to confront the two older teens. Nualia still struggled, but Redcap was getting more determined. He all but growled in a bestial fashion as his hands gripped the dress and tore it from her body, leaving her almost naked before him. Tania screamed and rushed the man, picking up a heavy piece of driftwood as she did so. The big lad turned his ehad at her, his eyes clouded with lust and anger and he tossed Nualia roughly to the ground and brought his fists up to strike the oncoming teenager. "You'll get your taste when I finish with this teasing b!!@&!" he snarled.
Jo'no spoke the words he had been studying recently, releasing the power of the magic he could use and directing it at the big lad. A dazing fugue closed around his primitive mind, stunninh him momentariyl and preventing him from defending himself properly.
With a primal scream, Tania swung the wood with all her might. The white timber cracked as it struck the boy, and he fell heavily to the ground, screaming and clutching at the bleeding gash in his head. Without pausing, Tania threw the remaining timber away and grabbed Nulaia from the ground. The older girl was cluthing the ruined remnants of her dress to her body, and looking in wide eyed shock at the boy who had just tried to rape her. Dragging her bodily, the two other teenagers ran back to the beach and headed as fast as they could up to town. Behind them, Redcap continued to scream, shouting for help that was never coming.
They took a circitous route to Tania's house. Her father was out helping with the rebuild and most folk were in the lower town as well. Nualia stood clutching her ruined dress as Tania went through her chest of clothes. She held up a dress and eyed it critically before passing it the the girl who smiled shyly at them. Jo'no was standing out the front of the house, keeping an eye out for trouble as well as giving the girls some privacy, but he could hear everything that was said.
Nualia's eyes filled with tears as she picked up the dress. "He seemed so gallant and handsome. He had been showing me the town and the beatuiful places in town. Why whould he do that?" Her innocence seemed to have died in that cove, and now her mind had begun to grasp what the other two teenagers had always known about human nature. Some people were not much better than animals.
"Please, turn around while I get changed.."
Tania had turned, but had snuck one curious glance over her shoulder as she did so. Nualia was just lowering teh dress over her shoulders as she did so, her back to the younger girl. Scars criss crossed her back, faint lines of red lying against the alabaster skin of teh beautiful young woman. Someone it seemed had beaten this woman regularly.
On the bed, the statue of the two women intertwined and kissing lasciviously lay almost forgotten.
****
Redcap's body had been found the next day. It seemed a giant crab had come upon the beach while he was beachcombing. People suspected the boy had slipped on the rocks and hurt himself, otherwise he would've been able to excape the thing. As it was, the beachcombers who found his body had to fight it off, but by then, the boy had been half eaten.
None of them spoke of what had happened.
"Ware that symbol, friends," Feldspar says quietly. "It is of most dire evil." For the moment, he has little thought for anything but the symbol itself, and a desire to see it destroyed.
Hearing Feldspar's words, Jo'no snaps out of a day dream. "You know what this symbol is Felspar? Could you share what you know?"
Durik and Jo'no both recognise some of the symbols around the points of the symbol. They are ancient markings to represent the seven sins of humans- wrath, gluttony, lust, greed, sloth, pride and envy
Feldspar nodded at their combined words, and pointed out the way Wrath was placed at the upper most point of this star. The prominnence of the symbol and its strong aura of evil led the Paladin to believe it was a holy symbol of some type and this door most likely led to a temple of some description. He felt there was more, but his mind couldn't quite bring it to the fore. Certainly he believed he'd seen this symbol in one of the holy texts back in Sandpoint. The fact that Wrath was the prominent rune also led to conclusions that this place was somehow linked to the catacombs beneath sandpoint that held the magic well.
Whatever the rune meant, this door posed no threat beyond barring whatever creature made the noise beyond. Reaching out a cautious hand, Feldspar opened the barrier, allowing it to swing on rusted hinges.
The moment the door was opened the cacophony of holwing and baying ceased.
Stone fonts containing frothy dark water sit to the north and south of
the eastern entrance to the room, and twin banks of stone pillars run
the length of the long chamber. At the western end, shallow stairs rise
to a platform about two feet off the ground. The walls surrounding this
platform were lit by hanging braziers that emitted glowing red smoke, giving the place an unnerving crimson lighting that threw the bas-relief carvings of countless monsters feasting on fleeing humans into lurid display.
A black marble altar stone, its surface heaped with ashes and bone
fragments, squatted before a ten-foot-tall statue. The sculpture depicts
a very pregnant but otherwise shapely naked woman who wields a kukri
in each taloned hand and had a long reptilian tail, bird-like taloned feet, and the snarling head of a three-eyed jackal with a forked tongue. Its left kukri flickers with fiery orange light while the right one glows with a cold blue radiance.
The vaulted ceiling above rose beyond the light of both brasiers and the glow from Feldspars weapon, and seemed tobe shrouded in red smoke from the fires below.
Durik and Feldspar both recognise this as Lamashtu, the mother of beasts. The runes on the door they entered do not belong to her, yet she is easily seen as a figure of Wrath to those who worship her. The fact that the braziers still burned and the weapons flickered with magical glows led both holy men to believe this temple was still actively consecrated to the goddess.
There was no immediate sign of whatever had been making the noise when the doors where closed.
"That symbol represents the seven sins, Wrath being the most prominent on it. I do not like this place, something still lives here."
Durik fingers his bow uneasily and readies to fire at any threat.
Mikka stared at the statue taking in its full detail in silence. The gravid body, belly full of unborn life, breasts heavy, the sheer feminine fullness of it an unholy corruption of her goddess' image.
She could feel the utter wrongness of it in her core, as if her own femininity reviled against the twisted perversion of womanhood towering above her.
From her very center she could feel it build, a quivering rage like a mighty earthquake, not the bloodthirsty red wrath of Lamashtu but the white fury of Gozreh,the mother, the protector. She felt the outrage of nature at the vile entity that would birth monsters into the world to corrupt and destroy the beauty of nature.
The young druidess shook with anger, the compete wrongness of the place they had entered filling every fiber of her being with revulsion.
Whatever they found here, it would die.
Idrian steps into the doorway and takes a closer look at the room.
Perception +2 v Humanoid (goblinoid)
Tania remains shaken by the reminiscence brought forth by such a casual phrase. Wonder what happened to her? She is slow to take in the malevolence of the place.
Her eyes wander up and down the depiction of morphed evil, grossed yet fascinated by the pregnant monster.
She turns towards the "ladies" in the cells:
After listening to the answer, she grips Goblinmash with both hands and steels herself to move in.
"We'll need to burn this place down..."
While everyone else held back, Idrian moved his way cautiously into the room, the rangers keen eyesite combined with his natural ability to see further in darkness than most races allowed him to spot the shadowy froms high in the ceilings vaulted chamber. The smoke and shadows had obscured them until he had entered, but now that he was inside, the ambush was clear to see.
He raised his bow, ready to act, even as the things dropped from the heights.
Idrian will cast Shield and prepare for them to come into the light.
Round 1
HP = 17/22
AC = 17
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Arrows = 39/40 (+1)
Speed = 40'
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 3, +4 melee touch, +4 ranged touch):
1 (4/day) Bless Water (DC 13), Divine Favor, Protection from Evil, Cure Light Wounds (DC 13)
0 (at will) Acid Splash, Create Water, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Light, Detect Magic
Teamwork Feat: 2/2
Agile Feet: 5/5 Ignore difficult terrain.
Judgement: 0/1
Status Effects = None
"May Desna guide my bow."
Weaving the arcane field surrounding all into the steel of her blade, Tania steps in the room, moving quickly up to the stairs, ready to strike down any foe.
Jo'no dashes into the room, hopping down to the aiseway and continues movin forward. He chants forth a quick spell and illuminates an entire pillar. Jo'no then calls upon his inner reserves of power and teleports up to the landing above.
Mikka remains in the doorway, eyes tracking any sign of movement preparing to unleash nature's fury on whatever lay in wait.
The party moved, readying themselves for what was to come. Dropping out of the shadowy darkness, trailing red smoke and with slavering tongues, came three demonic looking hounds. Their ribs showed on their flanks and their eyes gleamed red with an inner fire born from the pits of the abyss. Their legs pumped as if running on solid ground, yet they met only air, allowing them to travel through the air with ease.
Konowledge Arcana or Religion
DC 14
DC19
As the animals close in, all three raise their heads and howl in anticipation of the meal to come
The animals drop into target their selected foes. Jo'no finds himself the taget of one. The pillar behind him glows with a silery blue light from his spell, throwing the creatures features into stark contrast to the rest of the room. The creature tears into the man, sharp teeth ripping into flesh and almost crushing bones.
The second beast drops in on Tania, its teeth snapping hard at the bard
The final hound targets Idrian, moving fast but not as skillfull as its companions.
Edit - Feldspar to act this round.
Knowledge: Arcana +6 INT (2) 1
Knowledge: Religion +8 INT (2) 3
"Yeth hounds," Feldspar grumbles and spits as he lifts his warhammer. "Stay close to me or their presence may fill your souls with terror!"
He moves forward to just behind Idrian and brings his warhammer to bear on the first.
Knowledge: arcana
Will Sv
Will Sv
Will Sv
Feldspar shouted encouragment even as he stepped into the room. His mighty warhammer flared brightly in the presence of such evil creatures, but it did not avail him in landing a blow. The weapon swung wide, missing its target cleanly.
His bolstering presence however aided those around him somewhat, allowing them to better fight off the effects of teh hounds and their fear causing abilities.
He watched as Tania lashed out in sheer panic as the Yeth hound dropped down upon her. The wepon struck true, cusing the creature great pain. Even so, her eyes rolled in fear and she looked about ready to bolt.
Her anger fills her, clouding out the terror, as one hound's bay seeks to invade her mind she feels Feldspar's presence, a sturdy wall against her back giving her no reason to fear.
Grasping her wand, Mikka's free hand erupts with flame as she hurls the fire streaking at the hound attacking Jono
"We need to take these things down fast, so let's concentrate our attacks."
Idrian brings his sword down on one of the hounds in an overhand chop.
Greatsword: enhanced (+1)
to hit damage
Round 2
HP = 17/22
AC = 17
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Arrows = 39/40 (+1)
Speed = 40'
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 3, +4 melee touch, +4 ranged touch):
1 (4/day) Bless Water (DC 13), Divine Favor, Protection from Evil, Cure Light Wounds (DC 13)
0 (at will) Acid Splash, Create Water, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Light, Detect Magic
Teamwork Feat: 2/2
Agile Feet: 5/5 Ignore difficult terrain.
Judgement: 0/1
Status Effects = None
Taking careful aim between his allies, Durik attempts to injure the Yeth hound Idrian has attacked.