Hungry takes his thinking pose.
You don't notice anything... but it does occur to you that if you were supposed to go to where the shadow falls at sunset, it could be that you're too close now, given that the sun is just now starting to get behind the peak and you've been fully in shadow for a minute or two now.
"Lets step back and to see where where the shadow falls at sunset. Else we'll need to try again tomorrow. " Ziphora tells her brothers.
Vote move hydra body back so we can see where the shadow is when the sun sets.
Beachhead agrees and votes accordingly.
You're right Zip, let's follow the shadow. I hope we can keep up, that mountain sure is fast.
Tomorbataar votes to run away from the mountain (and also to go towards the shadows edge.)
You lumber your way through the woods and the hills, chasing the moving shadow. After a little while the sun is all but gone from the sky, but just as it seems everything is in shadow you come across another large clearing--one with a large, triangular rock sitting at one end of it.
"Gah. I wish that giant wedge-shaped rock wasn't in the way. It's obscuring the view!"
"Yay! We found it!" Ziphora cheers."That's the Wedge stone guys!"
Vote move foward investigate the stone
Yes, the wedge stone shall point our way. Let's investigate it and then camp for the night, Tomorbataar says, peering forward.
Tomorbataar votes to move to the wedge stone and stop.
"Sounds the the best plan yet." Hungry eyes the clearing before chanting the incantation for his spell.
You trundle over near the stone, but don't find anything of interest immediately. Hungry looks around with detect magic, however, and detects a number of magical auras in the direction the wedge is 'pointing', about thirty to forty-five feet from it.
"There are some magical auras about 45 ft. out from the point of the rock. Let's get moving."
Letting the others do the work of uncovering the source of the magical aura(s), Beachhead hides among the neck jumble and keeps an eye out for anything attracted to their activities.
Yes, let us investigate.
Tomorbataar votes to move towards the source of the auras.
I do wonder if there should be some sort of guardian of this magic. Perhaps a powerful creature bound to it, or a magical trap, we must be careful. Tomorbataar keeps his eyes moving along are to which the stone points.
Hungry scrutinizes the auras for a while. One is moderate enchantment, and the rest--six in all--are moderate necromancy.
"Well hello! Looks like we solved two birds with one stone! There is a moderately strong enchantment aura, probably the ruling scepter, as well as about SIX moderately strong necromancy auras, undoubtedly the stache of Hungry One Artifacts!"
"So where are the recipies? Do we need to dig out the place?" Ziphora asks Hingry.
As you approach the area with the magical auras, a ghostly shape rises out of the ground... followed shortly by four skeletal beings clawing themselves out of the dirt. Hungry recognizes them as a Wraith and four Wights--Wights with rusted, pitted swords, in fact.
They do not look happy to see you.
"Digging looks to be the last thing we need to worry about at this moment. It looks to be a Wraith and four Wights. Best be careful."
With a moment of concentrating, mystic words and gestures a small red orb fires from Hungry into an explosion, consuming three wights and the wraith.
Beachhead maintains his stealth until the wraith comes in range. And then...
"NINJA!"
Tomorbataar examines the nearest wight carefully, taking stock of it, what parts of its flesh are particularly rotten, any broken or hurt bones, where exactly would be best to hit, moving to a combat stance instinctively. Suddenly, however, Tomorbataar turns away from it, moving his head as far away as possible. AHHHHHHHHHHH! he shrieks, get it away get it away get it away.
Tomorbataar votes to run away.
The undead seem surprised by Hungry's fireball--at the least, none of them moves to take cover as the flames wash over them, leaving the wights badly scorched, though the wraith's insubstantial form seems only slightly damaged. Tomorbataar's sudden fear frightens Mo, who also screams and runs behind the wedge-shaped rock.
The undead close in, the wights slashing with their swords at the closest heads, the wraith heading straight for Ziphora, only to be surprised by Beachhead's sudden appearance and switch targets to him after he gets a mouthful of its disappointingly thin essence. It at least seems a bit torn up by his teeth.
Ziphora and Hungry both feel their life force being drawn through the wraiths' swords as they strike home. Beachhead feels the wraith trying to suck his vitality out with its touch, but stubbornly holds onto it somehow.
"Get the wights, Hothead. I'll get the wriath!" Ziphora grows a blue watery horn and stabs the wriath with it,
Unused to her new water horn, Ziphora misses.
"I should have known something like this would happen," Hothead says resignedly and proceeds to breath a gout of flames onto the undead horror attacking him.
The wight got a faceful of fire, but didn't go down.
"It looks to be a Wraith and four Wights."
Beachhead looks at Ziphora and Hungry as he replies, "I guess they're bad news, then?"
The ninja-head concentrates for a moment, and then...
...a single shadow clone blurs into existence right next to Beachhead. The two heads move erratically, trying to disguise which head is which.
Hungry mouth starts to water, "I wonder what a wight tastes like?" And without a second thought, he bites it and doesn't let go.
By all the gods of the sky, you, Hungry, you let go of that wight right now! Tomorbataar's voice is shrill and nervous, he eyes the fighting with a mixture of fear and concern for his allies.
If you don't let go now, you'll catch the undeath...and...spread it...
"Tom, stop running and start hitting. Once they're dead they won't be bothering anyone anymore. If you get messed up, I can blow you off later." Ziphora yells at Tom, irritated at his nitpickiness.
The wight seems so shocked that Hungry would try to eat it that Hungry manages to get hold of it. It actually tastes pretty awful... but he can sense the delectable necromantic energies it contains. Of course, those same necromantic energies are trying to drain his life force, but isn't he a master of such things?
The other three wights continue attacking their targets.
Their blades bounce off tough hydra scales without causing any harm.
The wraith decides to switch targets, to see if Ziphora would be easier to drain the life from.
But she dodges aside.
Weaving back and forth with his paltry one shadow clone, Beachhead tries to fake out the wraith that's not paying attention to him, anymore.
Hothead seems dismayed that the wight survived the blast. "Tough guy, aren't you?" he grumbles and breathes fire once again, wanting to get a bit of space for himself to be able to cast spells without getting stabbed.
Ziphora stabs one of the wights with a watery horn.
You can't blow of my soul... Tomorbataar says, looking meekly on. As Hungry bites in Tomorbataar shivers, feeling his skin tingle all the way down the length of his neck. He draws himself up to some height and looks around.
Moe! How about a few rocks thrown at those things, maybe hurt them a bit? Then you can have special privileges.
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As Hungry's teeth dig into the wight's flesh, he catches the taste of something else, the necromantic energies. Curious beyond all else he feels his stomach gurgle. I guess it's a sign. UH AHY UURRYYY", Hungry shouts but the wight in his mouth makes whatever he said completely nonunderstandable.
This time Hothead's flames burn through something rather important to the wight--its spine. It collapses to the ground, unmoving. Her original target now destroyed, Ziphora impales a rather confused Wight 2 through with her horn of water. It gives her a look of baffled hatred for all living before falling to pieces.
Beachhead manages to strike the wraith, tearing at its insubstantial substance. It's starting to look tattered, but mostly angry at Beachhead.
Hungry's will completely overpowers the magics binding the wight together. Instinctively he tears the animating magics out of the undead creature and, well, not so much swallows as absorbs them. Somehow, in spite of your tongue not being involved at all, it tastes delicious... though hardly filling. In fact, if anything, you feel hungrier than before, even as you feel the absorbed power feeding your own.
Needless to say, without its animating energies, the wight collapses into inanimate bones. Some of which are still in Hungry's mouth.
Mo obeys Tomorbataar's command and tosses a rock at the remaining wight.
Surprisingly enough, while he hits, the rock just seems to bounce off of the tattered armor the wight wears.
Undead know no fear, and so the wight keeps right on attacking.
It manages to hit the real Beachhead, who feels his life force being drawn into the blade as it draws blood.
The wraith also turns its attention back to him.
But its deathly touch finds only shadow as it dispells his clone.
Beachhead hisses in pain and fear, and strikes at the Wraith again.
Beachhead then focuses is ki and vanishes with a whisper of "Ninjaaaa."
Hungry stares of into oblivion for a few moments licking his lips and savoring the taste of the necromantic energies before they fade. "More... Hungry snaps back to reality, I NEED MORE!" Hungry's eyes lock on the remaining wight. "Your end is nigh!"
Beachhead keeps nibbling at the wraith. Ziphora's blast of water strikes the wight squarely... right where its decayed armor is still intact. She makes it rather wet, but the force of her blast is largely deflected.
Hungry bends his will to the remaining wight, briefly wrestling with it for control, but it manages to slip out of his mental grip and remain, for now, free-willed... or perhaps beholden to another master.
Hothead stays where he is and keeps breathing fire, this time at the wraith. A hypothetical onlooker versed in the theoretical aspects of magic would be able to tell that he's switched into casting spells instead of using his innate magical abilities, but to the general public it all looks about the same.
Tomorbataar shivers as he watches Hungry pull the very fibre of the wight apart, and begins to hyperventilate. Oh my god oh my god oh my god, you did not just do that!! AHhhhhhhh! Tomorbataar strains with all his might towards nearby trees, trying to get hold of them and pull the body away from all the tasty undead still standing in front.
Hothead's flames burn the wraith, though they seem only partly effective against it. Mo hurls another rock at the wight.
Again, it bounces off without causing real damage.
The wight steps under where Beachhead now is to slash at Hungry. Apparently it doesn't appreciate his attempts at ruling its will.
Hungry's magical defenses just barely deflect the attack.
The wraith reaches for Ziphora's tasty life force.
It just manages to brush her nose before she dodges aside, chilling her slightly but not managing to drain her vitality.
Beachhead suddenly reappears the instant his jaws snap shut on the wraith.
His eyes blazing in fear and anger, he refocuses his ki to allow himself to snap his head back and strike again before the wraith can react.