Burdock has some insight, but treads a bit too cautiously after the near encounter with the duergar.
Coming upon an intersection, that looks like a small quarry, Thorn recognizes the ore in question from a miner's verse.
Known as Magnetized Ore, it pulls anything metal to it, causing great effort to pull loose. Encountering hostile creatures while attached would have been a problem, but it can now be safely avoided.
After 2 more hours or so, and a few squeezes, the tunnel ends near a large clearing, fit for a small outpost, if one can believe the map to be accurate.
The three dwarven hired hands set out to the east, to explore the surroundings. You taking to the west a bit, you come upon a scene of long aged skeletons, broken weaponry and the surprisingly preserved remains of a wooden wagon.
The skeletons appear to be akin to surface dwarves, going by the few almost completely faded strands of preserved scalp hairs.
While some of the weaponry look of dwarven craft, some of them seem a variant. Likely to be their evil counterpart's making.
You hear the sound of the hired dwarves' voices coming near from the distance.
"Something's in here, it's fast too! Ready yourselves!"
Meanwhile you hear something above you, it is probably some 40 feet above.
Rats.
" Dead d-dwarves?... ominous "
Sivar examines the remains but then he interrupted by some sort of vision he is having and doesn't notice much
He certainly doesn't pipe up about how he's not able to focus on the now
"Hmm... interesting, dwarven-style, but there are some differences. Duergar-ish perhaps.", Burdock analyzing the gear.
"But these skeletons appear to be like 'normal' dwarves."
Grint sees or hears nothing else out of the ordinary besides the dead dwarves.
He looks around though, holding his bow ready.
"Anything out of the ordinary with how those dwarves died by any chance?"
You stand in a dimly lit open space upon blighted ground.
Yet to your view it is like a human's view in dim light.
Two dimly lit figures seem to be dueling. One clad in battle gear, one with less armor and arms that show signs of boils and disease.
Slightly behind them, you see a basket with a mumbling infant.....
Then you snap back to where you're at.
A glob of translucent substance drops onto the floor nearby, and it splashes into a vapor upon impact.
Sivar and Thorn find their eyes irritated, taking a -2 attack penalty for 1 round from the vapors.
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This is an Aatheriexa. This many eyed monster can hover in the air with ease and uses its many tentacles as main means of attack.
It is somewhat resistant to non magical attacks.
This is an Aatheriexa. This many eyed monster can hover in the air with ease and uses its many tentacles as main means of attack.
It secretes a venom on its tentacle attacks, weakening its prey.
The victim's strength and constitution has been said to be hurt by it.
It is immune to cold, disease & poison.
This is an Aatheriexa. This many eyed monster can hover in the air with ease and uses its many tentacles as main means of attack.
It is immune to cold, disease & poison.
It secretes a venom on its tentacle attacks, weakening its prey.
The victim's strength and constitution has been said to be hurt by it.
They can cast a limited number of spells per day, including mind affecting spells to set up people against one another.
The creature makes a southward descend, stopping 15 feet above Grint.
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Thorn
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Green & Red dwarf
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Elsa, Father Burdock & Sivar
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (grappled)
Thorn reacts quickly but not as much to prevent the grabbing of Grint.
" This creature is out of reach, I know nothing of it. "
He raises his hand blessing the party, a holy corona upon him.
With the creature grabbing Grint from above, Thorn calls upon divine blessing on the party.
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Two of the dwarves move closer, drawing customized crossbows as they do.
Green lands a hit.
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Elsa, Father Burdock & Sivar
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Blue dwarf
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Grint
Sivar casts enlarge person on himself
Sivar almost starts going into convulsions his visions are so intense then he suddenly snaps out of it and sees the beast
"Sorry visions... Gah.. "
Grint tries to break free from the grapple.
Sivar grows to double his size, ready to take on the creature on his next turn.
Elsa & Father Burdock
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Blue dwarf
Elsa backs away swiftly from the tentacled Horror
She begins summoning frost from the air in a massive swirl around her, her body begins weeping snow and ice as she Gathers Power
She unleashes a Blast of Frost and Snow at the creature attacking her Grint. The blast of Frost coats the creature, entangling it.
*1.5 = 15 total.
Elsa's blast is a sure hit...but the frost doesn't seem to have hurt it at all, although several eyes now look towards her.
Father Burdock
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (posted, doesn't break free yet)
"What in Torag's beard?", the dwarf calls out to the hideous creature assaulting them. Seeing Grint's predicament, he immediately casts a spell to try and free him from his bonds.
Burdock then calls for a visage of Torag's hammer to appear and smite the foe!
Father Burdock tries to free Grint with an immediate spell, but the many appendages have too much a hold of him.
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Blue moves forward.
"You dolts, come closer if you want to properly hit something.", he yells to his other two comrades.
Grint struggles to break free.
--------------------------------
Doing so, the creature moves 5ft lower.
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Thorn
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Green & Red dwarf
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Elsa, Father Burdock & Sivar
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (grappled)
Thorn slings the creature.
The creature maintains its hold of Grint.
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Thorn slings a stone at the creature, but it misses.
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Green & Red dwarf both close distance, now seeing what exactly is attacking.
"By my grandfather's braided beard, what in Torag's name be that thing?"
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Elsa, Father Burdock & Sivar
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (grappled)
Sivar steps back 5ft and whacks it
The creature maintains its hold of Grint.
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Thorn slings a stone at the creature, but it misses.
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Green & Red dwarf both close distance, now seeing what exactly is attacking.
"By my grandfather's braided beard, what in Torag's name be that thing?"
----------------
SIvar swings his fauchard at the creature, but the wriggling mass proves ample cover for its body.
Elsa, Father Burdock
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (grappled)
"We should surround the beast and attack it from as many sides as possible, Thorn we'll need your axe when it comes closer"
Sivar shouts words that influenced by his curse come out in the divine language, spoken in the universe before time was time.
The creature maintains its hold of Grint.
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Thorn slings a stone at the creature, but it misses.
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Green & Red dwarf both close distance, now seeing what exactly is attacking.
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Sivar swings his fauchard at the creature, but the wriggling mass proves ample cover for its body.
Father Burdock takes a pearl of power and calls once more for Torag's blessing on Grint's escape attempt.
Elsa
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Blue dwarf
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Grint (grappled)
Since the creature is basically immune to Elsa, why are we waiting on her?
In advance:
Blue will land a it.
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Grint
"Take my crossbow, lass! We need all the firepower we can to free Grint!"