Despite the blade sticking in his shoulder, Straehan scrambles forward and attempts to catch both skeletons in a fan of flame without drawing the attention the skeleton on the stairs. He fails. The skeleton on the stairs attempts to rake him with its claws as the spell goes off... the claws miss, the spell does not. Flames wreathe both skeletons.
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
EFFECT: SAVE: Reflex Save for 1/2 - DC: 16
SAVES
Skeleton <-Fail
Skeleton #2 <-Fail
AOO
Hit DAM
Ushari:
Seeing that her friends are doing a fair job at damaging the skeletons, Ushari takes one of the flasks of holy water and aims a pot shot at their leader while she can.
Findelgwing:
When her own turn comes around again, Fin will try to finish off the skeleton before her.
Ushari lobs the vial over her compatriots and bulls-eyes The Decayed. His flesh sears and stinks horribly under the holy dousing but he only laughs, "Its been a long time since I felt pain! Refreshing. Why don't you come forward, Little One? My Master has a special message just for you."
The Decayed crosses his ruined legs, casually tapping a dripping hand on the armrest. He ruminates on the skills the heroes display. "My Master wishes that you hear your options. He recommends that you leave this world. I'm sure your forest voodoo woman can spirit you away."
"If you do, you will find death somewhere else. My Master is coming soon to be reborn. His birth will spell the death of this world - his 'mother'. Childbirth is a dangerous process and not all mothers live, no? You need not be here to witness her death. If you stay, he will dine upon your souls. If you resist Him, it will be less pleasant."
Suddenly there are two Shamans standing among you - mirror images. She moves through her people and skirts around the skeleton by Fin. It lashes out with its sword but misses both the Shaman and her twin. She moves across the room, near the dripping abomination.
The Decayed looks at her curiously, "Hmmm... Should I admire your bravery, laugh at your stupidity, or just kill you?"
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
Hit DAM
AoO HIT Image <51:
Jayse continues his flurry of attacks on the skeletons, sending a vicious roundhouse kick at the same target, then spinning it into a sweeping fisted back-hand at another.
He sees the shaman step towards the Herald, "I told you not to get anyone killed!" he shouts as he tries to follow her.
Jayse stands on the toes of one foot and does a high snap kick behind him, almost performing a vertical splits perfectly counter-balanced with a forward punch. Two skeletons explode - annihilated. Jayse drops out of the pose and tumbles closer to The Decayed.
The Shaman responds to Jayse in the goblin tongue before Straehan can translate what Jayse said. "It threatens the tribe. Must know its secrets!"
Despite the distraction posed by the goblins, the remaining skeleton buries its blade in Fin's chest as its body explodes from the force of her blow.
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
Hit DAM Crit?
Hit DAM NO
The goblins move in to protect their Shaman and give her an escape route. Her bodyguard purposefully provokes an attack from The Decayed to reveal its strength. The Decayed attempts to cuff the insolent goblin but misses.
Straehan pulls the blade from his shoulder, moves around the stairwell. He throws a ball of fire at the dripping mass of evil causing it little damage.
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
GOBLINS
Hit
Hit
DECAYED
Hit
RANGE: 120' Ranged Touch Attack
DURATION: 2 minutes or 2 rnds
TO HIT:
EFFECT:
Save: None
Ushari wonders at the portent of the Decayed One's words, but does not hesitate. Isolde, I pray these potions of yours are as potent against this one as they are for us.
She pulls out the potion which has been partially emptied making sure the stopper is loose, and lobs it at the Decayed One. Wih her other hand, she pulls out another potion and holds it out for Fin to grab.
Ushari lobs another potion but The Decayed is not easily struck a second time. It bats the bottle away, watching it impact harmlessly against the wall.
With a foul squelching sound, The Decayed rises from the throne it wasn't truly sitting in so much as leaning against buoyed on a cushion of its own sloughed off remains. It slaps negligently at the impertinent shaman - missing her. Its focus almost entirely on the heroes.
For her part, the Shaman reaches out to touch the corrupted flesh but pulls back, afraid what the flesh might do to her. She curses her cowardice and growls orders to her people. "Distract it so I can touch it. We need to know its weakness!"
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
DECAYED
Hit DAM
SHAMAN
Fin takes a swig of the healing draught then hands it back to Ushari. She waits until after the others have acted (but before The Decayed can act) and moves up to put herself in a better position to attack next round .
Jayse steps up to tue creature, swinging with his quarterstaff to avoid having to touch the foul-looking thing 's skin. "So, Herald, what is the real reason your boss would have us leave this world?"
The Decayed considers Jayse's words. "My Master brooks no hindrances to His return. I expect you must be a potential obstacle since you are no actual threat to Him as you are. Hmmm... This explains how you awakened me." He chuckles, "I am still somewhat expecting real heroes to show up."
"Nevertheless, His words are true. Leave this world and do not seek to bar His entry and He will not seek for you across the realms of space and time to which you may flee. He will leave you in peace. But hinder Him, in any way, and no corner of the multiverse will be haven for you. Ask the girl ... she knows how far the Master can see."
Jayse's staff blow makes contact with the corrupted flesh of The Decayed, where it sticks slightly and has to be yanked free, slinging bits of gore. Despite the solid contact that Jayse feels through the staff, which bends under the impact, the blow does very little damage.
The goblins poke and prod at the abomination, trying to assist their Shaman but The Decayed ignores their best efforts.
Straehan throws his remaining ball of fire which broils The Decayed's arm.
BATTLE MAP: Herald's Chamber
ORDER:
GOBLINS
Hit
Hit
STRAEHAN
TO HIT: EFFECT:
Ushari’s face pales on hearing the words of the Decayed One, as she realizes just what IT was. His MASTER!!
She gulps back her fear, and pulls out another of Isolde’s potions. Since the potion is still full, it should do some damage, assuming she can hit it…
With an unforeseen burst of speed , Fin lashes out with Whoosh trying to carve off a portion of the Laughing One's attention.
.
.
.
Seeing his end nearing, The Decayed takes a last few moments to gloat. "It's a shame about For.." but his words are cut-off by Ushari's vial shattering against his jaw, the syrupy goo cooking through the flesh like fast-acting acid devouring the remnants of his skull and dripping onto the remains of his rib-cage.
The Decayed has little time to ponder if the potion will finish him as Fin's blade shrieks down from above, like a butcher's blow, splitting the corrupted ribcage, pelvis, and anything that once could have been identified as organs. The chair splits under the force of the blow and the explosive departure of the foul spirit that once animated The Decayed. The remnants of the body lose all cohesion, forming a vile black goo that pours off the seat and emits a low roar that turns into a deafening howl which sweeps down the cavern's corridor, up the staircase, and through the very rock of the mountainside.
Everyone blocks their ears to stifle the howl and jump back away from the sloshing pool that was The Decayed. The howl ends abruptly leaving your ears ringing...
Deep in the darkness, in the world beyond worlds, the howl reaches. The Dweller in Darkness knows his least minion has perished and a challenge has been issued from heroes. He reaches out with his vast intellect and awakens the sleeper, another lesser servant of his will, another Shaudran who fell into his vast darkness.
Ushari blinks back tears from her eyes, as the howl fades into silence. She stares at her companions, and then realizes a possible reason for the lack of goblin resistance…
”He said something about Forestal! We need to get back there, I have a feeling they are under attack!”
Straehan jumps unconsciously at her assessment. He pulls his notepad, where he was tabulating the goblin bed-count/head-count. He has an animated discussion with the shaman who looks very concerned.
Straehan pales a bit, "I hope you are wrong. Even with the numbers we killed on the beach and in the forest... and assuming Isolde's trees did the rest... minus the diggers and guards that Rashgari's people killed. All told... there are some thirty to forty goblins still out there."
"Yiiick!"
Fin steps away from the others and with a flick of her wrist sends the black goo flying from her blade and across the floor and wall. She then takes her waterskin out to rinse away any remaining residue before sheathing it.
Satisfied by a job well done, she claps Ushari in the back and gives her a thumbs-up.
Fin notices by her body language, she is anything but happy about this victory. Ushari looks at Straehan, and blinks a tear out of her eyes. "I...I...know he is not lying to us. I can see that as clearly as I see you in front of me."
She thinks for a second, and says, "We are over a day away from Forestal, so it is too far for us now. Our only chance of warning them in time is Isolde." She takes the box out which she had provided them to communicate with her. "Should we use this to warn her?"
She turns to Rashgari, and asks "You do not have any way of contacting the members of your tribe?"
On a questioning look in Fin's eyes, she quickly translates what she heard from the Decayed One into Elvish for Fin's benefit.
Rashgari shakes her head and answers through Straehan's translation. "We use runners to talk. The rest of my tribe is far in the mountains - women and children mostly. Few guards. They cannot help. These others, that he corrupted, they have not listened to me for days. I don't think a runner will stop them. But if you go to save your watertown villagers, we will go with you. You helped us. We will help you. We may not fight unliving ones good but we know how to fight our own people."
Fin shakes her head and rolls her eyes. Grumbling something indecipherable in Aquan, she walks over and leans up against the wall by where you entered, a sour look on her face.
Jayse's mind spins, looking for options, "The box may be a good idea, but it will put us more debt to the witch. Though it may be necessary in order to save the town. I'm not sure what she'll be able to do about the town, anyway."
On hearing the shamans words, Ushari looks at Jayse, her eyes flashing,”We have to warn Isolde about this, she could warn Forestal and they can evacuate the town before the goblins reach the town! We can’t let them get slaughtered! It does not matter what price we have to pay, I will pay it myself if need be!” She then looks at the others, "If we leave right now, we will still be several hours behind the goblins! We need to get moving now!"
Ushari contacts Isolde and alerts her to the size of the possible threat heading towards Forestal, as well as their own route. Isolde promises to send warning and what aid she can - though her powers outside of her glade are somewhat limited. She wishes the heroes good fortune and good hunting.
The decision made, your motley collection of allies races from the cave hoping to arrive in time to save Forestal from the ravages of a small army of charm-ensorcelled and undead-inspired goblins. You can only hope that Isolde can give the town enough warning to mount an adequate defense until you arrive...
As you sprint from the cave, you stop dead in your tracks. A figure looms before you. It stands some 16' tall. It appears as a swirling grey misty silhouette, vaguely human in form and vaguely feminine. It looks most like a tall woman wearing a wind-blown cloak. The failing evening light plays off its surface, sometimes shining through it. In the mist that forms her 'hood', you catch fleeting glimpses of a pretty though inhumanly angular face with a sardonic smile and ice blue eyes. The eyes glow conveying well-springs of timeless knowledge and with no hint of humanity. The only inadequate sensation that you can attribute to its gaze is that it looks upon you with an appraising glance that is predatory, amused, and begrudgingly respectful. With a subtle gesture of elongated fingers (or perhaps they are feathers) four crackling bolts of black and purple lightning strike Fin, Jayse, Ushari, and Straehan.
Like a lightning rod, Fin's sword attracts the bolt which immediately begins to glow as if made of light. Then the bolt continues into Fin. The bolt aimed for Jayse arcs toward the stone sitting on his brow before plunging into his skull. Ushari thinks she has dodged the bolt only to feel an intense heat at her hip. Inside her beltpouch, the musicbox glows and then the black lightning cleaves through her pelvis, up her spine like a conduit, and into her brain. The bolt aimed at Straehan forks into nearly a dozen smaller jagged lines of electricity. Each one catches a single finger and the current locks his hands into a death grip before proceeding throughout his body.
You have an instant to realise that the goblins are motionless, as if trapped in amber, then all you know is an instant of indescribable pain followed by a painless blackness...
You awaken, an instant later, utterly changed. The goblins seem unaware why they've stopped and no recollection that anything has happened. Time being of the essence, you race off to save Forestal and ponder what the hell just happened. The goblins lead you by the fastest route to the road, after checking and confirming that indeed a large force of evil gobbos have headed south through the forest, making no attempt to cover their tracks. They are moving fast. You only hope that you are moving faster and going harder...
FIN: Your sword is now magical with a +1 bonus. Its edge gleams purple at times and it has a misty appearance. It cannot be sundered, damaged or destroyed - save by a deity. Also, it is now permanently Ghost-Touched.
JAYSE: Your stone is now magical - similar but different than an ioun stone. It is +1. Its faces reflect purple at times. It cannot be sundered, damaged or destroyed - save by a deity. When floating around your head, or on your brow, all your unarmed attacks gain the +1/+1 bonus and your physical attacks are considered magical. Alternatively, you can catch the stone and insert it into the pommel of your mind-blade, in which case the blade gets the bonus which STACK with your mindblade bonuses. Like an ioun stone, someone else can try to snag your stone while it is orbiting, although it is a bit more difficult. I'll cover that at another time.
USHARI: Your music-box is still magical. :) The mystical patterns now flow across it and there is a glint of purple to them. It can be damaged and temporarily disabled (you'll understand why soon enough) but it cannot be destroyed - save by a deity. Since you have ignored DM hints to examine the box, you are just going to have to figure out some of the purposes of it on your own! :p That'll teach you not to listen to the DM. However some knowledge of the box is imparted to you when you become conscious and I will tell you ONE function. The box is an intelligent construct. When you press the top button, the legs pop out. If you drop it on the ground, it will skitter behind your current opponent (move 15') and become a 'flanking' buddy for you, attack your opponent, and generally amuse the DM. It is also Ghost-Touched so it can effectively attack incorporeal creatures. Because it is a tiny creature and likely to be overlooked - it must make a successful attack before an opponent will consider it a threat and give you the flanking bonus. I'll go over more of its features with you later. I've gotta find my notes on it and write them up for you.
DESTINY ITEMS (in general): These items are one-of-a-kind items and will continue to gain strength and abilities as you progress in levels. Since they are crafted specifically for your characters... they may not react well to being 'leant' to others, even teammates. How 'discerning' they are depends on their intelligence.
Locked as he is in the moment of void and pain, he barely registers when it is over, and the questioning barks of the goblin tongue bring him out of his stupor. Jayse shakes his head to clear the aftermath of the strange episode, a million questions joining the ones that have already taken residence in his mind over the past week.
He assumes the Calm, using the mental form Hai'si to take quick stock of his body's damage and pain… only to find that the moment - and eternity - in that blackness seems to have repaired the few wounds he'd taken over the past few days. More alarming is the fact that he realizes that he is so much more now than he was when he awoke in the water of the shipwreck, and a surprising and comforting reservoir of power seems to rest at his fingertips. He resists the urge to call upon that power now.
I can't explain it, but I know it's true.
All this happens in the span of a few heartbeats, but then the gravity of the situation returns. Forestal. The goblins! He takes one last look around to make sure Fin, ushari, and Straehan are fine. Seeing that they are, a plan begins to form in his mind.
"We need to figure out what THAT was later, but for now, we need to move for Forestal. Straehan, Ushari, translate for me, please. I can move faster than anyone here, unless some of the goblins carry surprising amounts of speed in their short legs. I can carry myself and either Straehan or one of the goblins with me to Forestal. I might even be able to beat them there if I can push myself hard enough. If I can do that, I can get the town prepared for the attack… hopefully. If I take Straehan, I leave you all without a way of communicating with our goblin friends here. If I take one of the goblins, I can't communicate with it. Though, maybe we can convince Rashgari here to come with me. I will promise her safety personally in return for her supporting what I say and promising to work towards some kind of agreement with Forestal. I'm not sure which is a smarter idea, so I'd love to hear what you all have to say about that."
He scans the group of goblin warriors around the crew, "Secondly, we need a way for us and the townspeople to distinguish friendly goblins from aggressive goblins. I'm thinking we tear my coat into headbands and armbands for our friends here as well as ourselves. It'll look like a uniform to the Forestal people, and might lend credence to the fact that they're on our side. Though if I head out for the run to Forestal, I might have to leave that task to you all."
While waiting to hear everyone's response, Jayse unconsciously removes his strange stone from his forehead and delicately places it just above the palm of his right hand - where it hovers of its own power.
Ushari wakes from the reverie, and for the first time in many days, feels no longer alone. She reaches down to touch her music box, with the realization it was ALIVE, and waiting to serve her. She did not know much about it yet, but she resolved to examine it further, once the Forestal crisis was over, one way or another.
She also feels...something else...inside her, seeming to radiate from her body, as she feels a divine power on her lips. She now knows she can use this power to heal her companions if needed. Plus many divine prayers are now accessible to her. Again she feels more complete than she ever has before, as far as she can recall.
In ressponse to Jayse's advice, she offers, "I think we should try to overtake the goblins from the rear. With them concentrating on their attack, they will not be expecting an attack on their rear. We could even draw them away from Forestal itself if we plan this right. Of course, I assume Isolde was successful in warning Forestal of the attack."
Ushari's hand is drawn to her beltpouch, seeking the music box. She pulls it out and watches the swirling text and sigils that glide across its surface. Under her mental command, though she is not sure how she is doing it, the sigils slow their movement and morph to form new images. After a few seconds, they coalesce and form the symbols of her deity.
2 Common Sharks
2 Hobgoblins
21 Goblins
3 Skeletons
1 Undead BBEG Light
Findelgwing winces as the bolt strikes the sword on her back and then her. All through her being she feels as if electricity is coursing thru her veins even as swirling winds toss her silvery hair about.
Expecting this is some new foe that menaces them, Fin reaches for Whoosh's hilt and can feel strands of electricity crackling along it. Yet when she pulls the weapon free, she realizes that the arcs are coming from her fingertips, not her father's blade!
When she casts her gaze about, she finds that the apparition has already vanished and that her companions have all had a similarly odd experience while the goblins seem none the wiser.
Light gusts of wind trace across her fingers and the length of the sword yet no one else seems to be affected by them. Reaching out with her left hand, a gust of wind catches some light rubble on the floor bearing it up and causing it to hover and move about while she concentrates.
Sensing an odd resonance within Whoosh, she changes her focus and friction in the air between her and the object creates an arc of electricity as it tumbles back to the ground.
"Huh..."
At Jayse's words, the tall girl furrows her brow trying to piece together what few 'words' the others use in an attempt to understand him. Gathering that he wants to run on ahead, she points to Straehan, gives a thumbs-up and says, "Run!"
Straehan blinks after the world returns to normal. He shakes out his still stinging and cramped hands. There was profound consciousness during that moment of unconsciousness. For a brief moment the universe was open to him, a vast tangible orb of knowledge. Everything was there and he had only to reach out for it... No need for long hours of study, no need for books or libraries, no paucity of resources dictated by mortal limitations, no mortal bias to the data... It was the proverbial fountain of knowledge and this might be his one and only chance to dip into it fully. Whole fields of knowledge he'd barely heard of were laid before him... and all of it was fascinating and valuable. Any bit of this could contain the key to understanding who we are and how we got here... or possibly all of it is necessary.
Straehan plunges into the ocean of data sampling mouthfuls of every subject of possible use. Only a couple subjects does he ignore, realising they can be studied from mundane sources and who really cares about the vagaries of heraldry? Straehan's mind expands as he takes in more and more information. New fields of interest appear. He could swim these seas forever, but he realises the window is closing. Trapped between heartbeats, he has only moments left.
He makes a completely selfish choice, just a tidbit really, a brief swallow of whimsical data to fulfill a promise he made. He almost laughs when true consciousness returns.
Gathering that he wants to run on ahead, she points to Straehan, gives a thumbs-up and says, "Run!"
Straehan mirrors her thumbs up and then says in flawless Aquan, "No more monkey-screechings, Fin, my girl. Now we can talk directly." He taps his skull, "I learned this just a second ago."
He turns to them all, saying in the assorted languages. "Unless I miss my guess, Rashgari has a spell on her that enables her to understand any language we speak. So if Jayse and I race ahead, you can still communicate with Rashgari and her people... they just won't be able to answer back easily."
Fin gives a shout of jubilation and claps her hands. As she does so, motes of twinkling lights form in the air around her. She recoils a bit, and waves her hand trying to brush them out of the way before she realizes that she can actually control them and send them where she wills. With a laugh, she shrugs her shoulders, palms raise and kneels to give her little brother a hug.
Straehan laughs.
Fin beams a big smile at Straehan's words, her sea-green eyes alight with enthusiasm. She gives him one final squeeze, lifts the gnome up onto Jayse's back, and gives Jayse a thumbs up. As the monk takes off ahead of them, she helps the goblins fashion their make-shift headbands.
Once everyone is done, Findelgwing waves for Ushari and their unlikely allies to follow as they begin the long run back to Forestal.
Ushari smiles at Fin, and not wanting to ruin the mood with words, simply gives the elf girl two thumbs up, before stretching out for the long run back to Forestal.
Those bastards won't know what hit them...
Ushari notices that while the goblins are game to fight, several of them are pretty beat up...
Jayse takes off like a bolt, racing through the forest towards the path. He dodges around trees, leaps felled trunks, and skirts ankle-turning roots. Straehan marvels at his speed and agility in the dense thicket of the forest.
He leans in to speak in the monk's ear, "So, is this what is meant by 'having a monkey on your back'? I gotta tell ya, from the 'monkey' point of view - this is great fun! Maybe we should fit you for a saddle and get me a little parasol so I can ride in real style."
Ushari feels the divine power flowing in her veins. A little voice tells her, Now would be a good time to test it out.
She waves the goblinsover around her, and takes her music box out, mentally commanding the divine symbols to display. She then holds it aloft and then divine energy washs over all the goblins.
When Ushari starts preparing to heal the goblins, one of them stop her until he carries out a badly wounded goblin from inside the cave.
Her first blast of healing energy, restores two goblins to full health but the other two are not so blessed. Ushari fires off another healing burst , restoring all of the goblins to fighting form.