In the heat of battle Garrett doesn't pause to think of consequences of his actions. He had never killed a man before and only once in his life had he scored a chance hit on his father which actually drew blood. His mind defaulted to instinct and all he cared about was self preservation and protecting those around him. He needed to get to Elarya and would continue to cut down anything that obstructed his path.
Scanning the room, he moves his vision from one enemy to the next. The seemed less real now, as if the color was going out of them. Half a second later, he could actually see through them. Looking back to Elarya, he further noticed that she was in, fact, NOT gravely wounded. Although she was red from her own battle lust, she was not bleeding.
This must be sorcery then...some kind of mind trick.
There is no answer from beyond the trap door, only another hard impact. The sound is loud and jarring, and she can hear more of the wood splinter. Perhaps one more blow and it will be loosed.
The wind continues to increase in intensity, and Dante begins to circle around the outer edge of the room, holding his dagger unsteadily in front of him.
The confusion below began to settle and both Elarya and Garrett, minds seem to come out of a haze. What had happened? Confusing to be sure, but they seemed to have come to their senses and realized the conflict for a ruse. Although there was no evidence of much of what had just happened, two things quickly became apparent: The weapon rack was indeed still smashed nearby at the foot of the ladder. Seocondly, there was a loud noise at the top of the ladder, as something heavy slammed into the wood of the trap door above. Looking up, they could see a man sized serpent baneded in stripes of red, black and blue with deep midnight colored wings. It was weaved in the top of the ladder, and it seemed ready to strike the door again.
Amara is a little disturbed by the fact Jerem does not wish to wait for help,
At least Samel will know where we have gone.
She ensures she has everything and nods to Jerem indicating she is ready. "Try to make as little noise as possible when we reach the forest; I would not like to attract the attention of the other snakes if at all possible." When Jerem isn't looking she steals a glance at Rook, glad he is there.
Jerem smiles at Amara, but there is little emotion in it. His face is serious, and his eyes intense.
He puts his hand on her arm and graps her firmly."There is nothing to fear. The One protects me. And if you walk with me, The One will protect you as well."
He releases his grip, and sweeps his other hand ahead of him, pointing out towards the forest.
"Lead on, and We will see to this problem."
Amara fights the urge to rub her arm where Jerem had grabbed her.
I hate being manhandled! He is so boring! Going on and on about his One.
She suppresses her teenage desire to roll her eyes and instead gives him a somewhat tight smile,
"Well, we can use all the help we can get."
She leads him into the forest, making their way to the abandoned nest.
Rook pops up into the air, his eyes flashing green as he stares pointedly at Amara .
"Friend Amara, if you keep a slow pace, I will see if there are others who may be able to help."
Soaring over the town he scans for anyone he recognizes .
Sansa hears the splintering wood and her mind begins scrambling to find a solution.
She looks about the room, searching for anything heavy enough to drag and cover the trapdoor and give them more time before the intruder actually broke into the Tower.
Hearing Dante pace and noticing him wave the dagger unsteadily before him, she gives him a stern look and commands in low voice, "Help me find something to barricade the door! And, stop waving that dagger about like that, lest you impale yourself."
Elarya howls in fury. She sees the size of the snake, but she doesn't care about that. All she wants is to kill it.
It's only fair, it's apparently trying to do the same to Sansa and Dante.
She scrambles to her feet, dropping the dagger, and rushes over to the ladder before climbing it.
"Friend Amara, if you keep a slow pace, I will see if there are others who may be able to help."
Keeping Rook's message in mind Amara makes their way carefully and slowly to the nest.
Rook pops up into the air, his eyes flashing green as he stares pointedly at Amara .
"Friend Amara, if you keep a slow pace, I will see if there are others who may be able to help."
Soaring over the town he scans for anyone he recognizes .
[dice=Perception]1d20 +9
Sansa hears the splintering wood and her mind begins scrambling to find a solution.
She looks about the room, searching for anything heavy enough to drag and cover the trapdoor and give them more time before the intruder actually broke into the Tower.
[dice=Perception]1d20+7
Hearing Dante pace and noticing him wave the dagger unsteadily before him, she gives him a stern look and commands in low voice, "Help me find something to barricade the door! And, stop waving that dagger about like that, lest you impale yourself."
Dante freezes for a moment. He lowers the dagger slowly, and scans the area as well. Then he shrugs. "I don't think there is anything!" he says in a panicked voice. "What do we do now?!"
Elarya quickly begins to climb the ladder towards the great snake. Feeling the vibrations as she moves, It pauses it barrage on the trap door above for only a second to turn and face her. Its wings raise and flare out like a cobra's hood, their full extension blocked by the size of the tower, flecks of goldish saliva dripping from its open maw. It returns then to the door above, and with another slam, the trapdoor finally gives way, and pieces of it fall past the barbarian to the floor below where Garrett stands.
At the sound of smashing wood, Sansa steps back and instinctively looks for Dante to ensure he has not been hit by flying debris from the demolished trapdoor.
"It's coming in, Dante! Be on the ready!", she calls out over the sound of the ruined door.
Sansa removes the light mace from her belt and holds it before her. Deep down she is grateful for the protection spell Dante placed on her . She could still feel the spell shimmer above her skin like a coat of armour. She places herself between the trapdoor and Dante.
To the unknown (yet unseen) intruder, she shouts with much bravado, "Stay back! Or I shall beat your skull in!"
The creature rises several feet into the room; a multicolored serpent about as big around as a man's thigh. Not quite through the opening, Sansa can see dark feathered wings pulled tightly against it's back. It hisses deep and low, and droplets of golden venom shoot out of its mouth. It continues to slither into the room until it is fully in, and coils near the smashed remains of the trap door. As it moves, Dante takes a hurried swipe with his dagger, but his tentative attack catches only air. The creature must be 10-11 feet long. It seems to waver for a second, locking its unnatural gaze on Dante, and then it settles on Sansa.
Seeing Erec and Havak Rook divebombs down to the cemetary. The wind whistles past his face. As he nears the ground his wings fan out into a slowing stall. Words spit from his beak in fervor.
"Amara begins to track down the nest of winged serpents. She travels alone with Jerem into the dark of the woods. If we hurry, we may still catch them."
"Havak supposed the moon silver can wait until tomorrow" he says as he changes direction. He glances back to see if Erec is following.
Sansa doesn't hesitate, even at the size of it. As the serpent creature attempts to pull itself through the ruined trapdoor, she runs forward and attempts to strike/hit it on the head,
but its slithering, upward pulling action makes her aim go awry and she misses her target, much to her annoyance.
Angrily, she confronts Dante, "The bad stone, did it bring this thing? It was engraved with a serpent and now we have one attacking us!"
"Knulle en purke."
Though Garrett likely doesn't know what the words mean, he can tell that it's not polite. Elarya continues her climb and at the top of the ladder tries to launch herself into a roll to avoid the snakes bite.
As Elarya comes over the ladder with ease, she rolls in an attempt to bypass the serpent and get to a better position. The area is littered with scraps of wood and the splintered door catches her tunic, tearing it and slowing her slightly. That's all the opportunity the creature needed, and it strikes out viciously with it's fangs sinking them deep into her arm, before darting back to it's coiled position.
"I don't know...It could be!"
Dante stuffs his dagger into his belt and grabs his head violently, clutching great tufts of hair and behind his mask yells the words "BHHHHNNNNNSHRRRRRAAAAAA" and the air in front of him shivers slightly in a cone out at the serpent.
Blood splatters the floor of the upper room as she comes up from the roll. Elarya's face is a mask of rage and her eyes blaze with the fury of a winter storm as she launches herself at the serpent.
Sansa watches the serpent hovering before Elarya and noticing the obvious wounds on her from the earlier strike, Sansa runs over to the older girl and touches her shoulder, speaking the ancient words and feeling the power swell and the blue light moving from her fingertips into Elarya.
Rook turns an eye toward Erec, trying to measure his reluctance.
"Friend Erec, will you join us? Your insight has often been useful."
Dante yells, seeming to finally come to his senses, previously shocked by the blood of the melee. He had never been timid around "icky" things, bugs, mud, etc., but this was real. There was pain here, and it was not his own. When Sansa took the initiative to heal Elarya he cursed himself silently for not having more foresight. His last spell was barely effective at all, so he swiped out with his dagger once again; it scrapes across the beast's scaly hide, but doesn't seem to hurt it.
also, lets use the official healing rules, thanks for the clarification Elarya
Rook turns an eye toward Erec, trying to measure his reluctance.
"Friend Erec, will you join us? Your insight has often been useful."
Erec winces slightly at the thought of facing one of the creatures. He remembers his previous inability to act, though and seems to find new resolve in proving himself useful. Whether helping Havak in his search, or helping the town face this strange threat, he would redeem himself.
"y-Yes, Rook. I will come along. I know I can help. Lead the way!"
and with that, he hurries off towards the forest, following closely behind Havak.
"Friend Amara, if you keep a slow pace, I will see if there are others who may be able to help."Keeping Rook's message in mind Amara makes their way carefully and slowly to the nest.
It only takes 10 minutes or so to find the area she was led to not long ago by Samel. The wind has picked up a bit since then, making it slightly harder to see the signs, but Amara's knowledge and skill in tracking and her memory served her well. Soon enough, she came to the spot where Samel had pointed the nest out to her.
With Jerem only steps behind, when she stopped, he drew close to her.Pointing to the area in the ground he says;"Is that it my dear? Is that the place where these beasts emerged from? Have no fear. The One will send them to their makers and bring peace back to Solace."
Rook flaps over to the forest, keeping pace with the odd pair. His piercing eyes dialate in the forest shade. Not seeing Amara , he lands softly on the leafy forest floor. His talons dig into the ground nervously.
"Havak, can you see which way they went?"
Elarya dives forward into the creature's coils and attempts to throttle the serpent, trying to get her hands around it. It snaps reflexively at her though and sinks its fangs into her side, interrupting the attack. Garrett attempts to leap into the room while the Serpent is distracted. Its proves to be ready though, seeing a new threat and strikes quickly at him. Garrett immediately brings his weapon up defensively and knocks away the attack.
Pain ripped through her nerves as fangs sank deep into her side. Soon blood was soaking into her clothes and staining them deep crimson. She was still on her feet, but just barely.
"Jeg frykter ingenting."
With Jerem only steps behind, when she stopped, he drew close to her. Pointing to the area in the ground he says;"Is that it my dear? Is that the place where these beasts emerged from? Have no fear. The One will send them to their makers and bring peace back to Solace."
"That is the place." She confirms.
"I will stand aside and let you work."She positions herself among the trees about 10 paces away and scans the area for any signs of the creatures that hatched here. She also keeps an eye on Jerem, curious as to what he will do.
Hopefully this will be more interesting than his conversation.
She has positioned herself so that she is off to his left side.
Round 1
Something did not feel right, here. Sansa had watched as Elarya and Garrett attempted to fell the serpent creature. Even Dante had tried with his limited spells and simple dagger. Nothing seemed to work. The wounds would be extensive and her healing powers were limited. In addition, physically she was the frailest of the lot and one bite of those dripping fangs and she knew she would be the one dying.
Her mind rushed through the possibilities and her thoughts kept returning to Corvina's bad stone with the serpent engraving. This cannot be a coincidence. It cannot be.
What manner of creature are you? Natural? No. Magical? Perhaps. I have not seen the likes of you in Solace before this day. A blade cannot penetrate your skin.
Sansa takes a 5 foot step back, attempting to put a little distance between herself and the creature, even though both Elarya and Garrett were shielding the path to her.
She concentrates, trying to recollect any knowledge on magic and the other planes that would explain what was happening here with this unusual creature. Sansa had witnessed many strange happenings during her young life, from creatures she could and could not see. She was determined to figure out what this one was.
It was not often that books came through Solace, but when they did, Celeste did here best to get her hands on them, if only temporarily. She would keep them at her house, and sometimes Dante would look through them, but more often, he would be distracted by some strange task and wander off with his mask. Erec would come by often, speaking meekly to the kind elf and always politely checking if she had anything new to read. Sometimes, there would be something that interested even Sansa.
There were stories, written long ago that said before there were dragons, before they became great, they were small. They hunted like other animals, and were petty like men. They were jealous of men's limbs, for they had none, so they learned magic. They craved it. All kinds. The more something exhuded magic, the more they wanted it. It was perhaps why the species was forced to evolve into the dragons of today.
It may occur to Sansa that if that is indeed what this creature is, it may be after the "bad stone". She was right perhaps, it was no coincidence. Now whether it was a good idea to let the creature have it, that was another matter entirely.
The old stories, yes, your wits are slow today, you should have recollected them earlier!
To Dante in main (though the other two are privy to her discovery), she fervently murmurs, hoping he and the others will hear her,
"It is a dragon. It has magic, the potent kind. I believe it is after the bad stone. It is calling or drawing it. Who has it? Dante? Do we hand it over or do we protect it? Speak, brother!"
Sansa's eyes dart from her allies over to the man-sized serpent, hoping it cannot understand the Common tongue or is too occupied with thoughts of the defenders standing closest to it.
As Garrett speaks directly to the dragon, Sansa remembers something. She carefully slides her hand down to her pocket and feels a lump in the material, the size of the bad stone.
Inwardly she sighs. In the heat of the moment, she had forgotten she had the stone in her possession. Sansa gives it a pat before taking her hand away and not drawing attention to herself. Least now if the dragon did understand her words, it would think Dante had the stone and she would have the advantage.
She stares at the creature, waiting to see if it comprehends and answers the courteous Garrett.
The serpent draws back momentarily, "You have it then, sssoftskin, itsss purpossse isss to me mine!" and It hisses again, this time widening its mouth even further and ruffling its wings.
"Wait, what?" Dante says, and stumbles back against the wall. Of course, why didn't I see it? He points at the creature with is dagger and makes a throaty sound that seems to rumble out at the beast and vibrate the strange mask over his face. "baaaaaaaad!", and the serpent seems a bit more sluggish.
Jerem approaches the area with light steps, his hands folded calmly behind him. He comes to the little burrow where Amara retrieved the shell fragments and peers in, making a little "hmmm" sound and steps back a few paces. "Yes, this should be no problem indeed."
Looking to the sky, he begins speaking in a low tone, almost whipering and clutching his amulet and running soft circle around it with his thumb. At first, the language is unrecognizable to Amara, but after a few minutes of this, he puts both hands in the air.
Moments later, Erec, Rook and Havak arrive with the goblin at the lead, following a trail he found minutes ago. Just a bit behind are several other townsfolk, some holding farming tools, others with fishing spears.
Jerem then speaks in common.
"Oh great One, you protect those who call out to you, and I call out to you now! Bring security back to the people of Solace, your humble servent pleads with you. Send these foul creatures away from the homes and lives of the good folk here." He throws his arms into the sky and looks straight up. The wind had been steadliy and slowly increasing in its intensity before, but it picks up drasticly now, whipping his hair and rustling the leaves of the trees and the grass in the forest. A group of birds leave a nearby perch and fly off.
Then, strangely, a wave of soft comforting warmth washes over the area, the townfolk stunned by what they see. There also seems to be more light, as if the sun had somehow forced its way through the canopy above and beamed directly down on the serpent burrow.
"Yes great One, thank you." Jerem says loudly, and with a shudder of the earth, the hole in the ground closes itself and deep bluegreen vines with white flowers sprout up in its place.
Taking advantage of the opening, Elarya again attempts to tackle the snake again.
Taking advantage of the opening, Elarya again attempts to tackle the snake again.
Elarya flails out again, trying to get the serpent's neck in her grasp, but her rage makes her shaky and the creature twitches away. With it's mouth still wide, it shoots out a cone of blackish liquid in the barbarian's face, then darts around and snaps at Garrett. The bite goes into his thigh and as it pulls away, the blood wells from the wound.