Are the minions dead? I assume any extra attacks hit them and killed them or they continue acting confused. Also, do you mean the cavern rumbled or something?
With her enemies incapacitated, Sevia looked down at the holy symbol, more evidence of the meddling Outer God. As she felt the cavern shaking, she suddenly grew concerned. "Shadow." She called her companion back up, "Check back the way we came, find out what caused that and return immediately."[/b] Sevia said, pointing toward the tunnel, to which the shadow nodded and melded back into the floor, phasing towards that end of the complex.
Turning back to the body of the cleric, she quickly checked his body for any magical items or other valuables, before rounding on the pedestal and the mace on top. Taking it in hand, she stowed it away for later, hoping to determine what it might be.
The priest was holding onto two potions of cat's grace and some jewelry that looked to be worth 750 GP or so.
The mace, though? Much more interesting. As your fingers touched it, the grime covering it shot off as the weapon briefly illuminated itself, revealing a gold-plated smashing section fashioned into the shape of four raven heads. Memories flooded through you a moment later - this was something you'd had a hand in creating, though merely holding it made it clear that the weapon had been rededicated to Pharasma somehow... but it might be possible to change that if you could figure out the right way.
That was all the time you had to give your mace, though, as your Shadow came shooting back towards you as fast as it could move, flickering wildly as the entire cavern rumbled again. "Spawn of the Black Goat!" It whispered hoarsely - and for just a moment, your thoughts flicked back to the priest you'd slain, and the grubs that had been such a hassle.
Upon finding both potions, Sevia cast Infernal Healing, regretting her lack of instant healing as she pocketed both, and sheathed her blades. The mace though was far more intriguing, a pity she didn't know what it did, but it seemed likely to be powerful considering its history. It seemed it would have to wait though as she felt the cavern rock again as something seemed to be happening. Stowing it in her pack, her eyebrows crossed in worry as her shadow once again appeared with dire warnings. She considered the possibility of more spawning cankers and figured it would be best to prepare accordingly.
"How many?" Sevia asked as she cast Infernal Healing on her shadow as she started back towards the direction she came, and then Mirror Image on herself a second later. She drew her staff next and used its last charge to cast Shield as well, before returning it to her pack. As she did, she used some of her uses of lay on hands to bolster herself.
LoHx3:6d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1) = 20
3 rounds, is the wall of force fields still there?
"One... is bad enough." the Shadow said worriedly. As you arrived in the southern hall, there was a sound like glass being shattered - except in this case, it was barriers of force instead of glass. Across the chamber, and squeezing through a hole in the wall, was a huge, hoofed, tree-like abomination covered in tendrils and mouths. Even without getting close, you could see the air for thirty feet around the creature rippling, as if trying to pull away from something that should not have been present. Even your Shadowy companion pulled back slightly, apparently a bit reluctant to approach after the damage it had recently taken.
I dismiss Heightened Awareness as per the spell for a +4 to my Initiative
Sevia hesitated as she saw the beast emerge, shocked to see one of Shub-Niggurath's most powerful spawn here on the material plane. That pause almost cost her the moment to act with which the beast would be most vulnerable, but her magically heightened senses enabled her to strike first. Drawing on her divine power to aid her, she drew her blades and charged the beast, "Shadow, into the wall!" she ordered her cohort, not willing to risk him, at least not yet.
Swift action smite target, then full attack it
With her usual lighting fast strike, she charged her enemy as quickly as possible to exploit the moment it was still processing her as a threat. Both Shadow Stryker and her second blade slashed viciously at it.
As you charged the creature and got within 15 feet of it, one of the tentacles on its body shot outwards, sweeping across the ground and clearly looking to trip you up before you could get into melee range.
Trip + Surge:1d20 + 29 + 1d10 ⇒ (7) + 29 + (4) = 40No, I didn't forget about the mirror images - though you may want to add your buffs and certain basic details of said buffs, such as how many mirror images you currently have (I didn't see a roll for how many you created, by the way), to your info spoiler. Makes it much harder for either of us to forget what you have. XD
With one quick movement, the beast knocked you prone - and the tentacle darted back a moment later as the creature attempted to grapple you with it. The entire time, you could simply feel a malign presence as the creature focused its attention on you. It wasn't a thing you could speak to or reason with - though it was intelligent, its mind and views were simply too alien.
Grapple:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (8) + 29 = 37-4 from being prone, plus some from your spells...
The creature's tendril flicked through the air, and it let out an irritated sound as your wills clashed and, for a moment, several possibilities seemed to have swept out before you - but it only ended in one of your illusions being destroyed (Miss of less than 5, versus your CMD). Your knives dug into its skin a moment later, but rapidly - and repeatedly - failed to confirm critical blows. Its hide, put simply, just seemed tough.
Without hesitation, the creature began lashing out with its tentacles again.
Trip:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (10) + 29 = 39Destroys illusion. 1 image remaining. Trip:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (14) + 29 = 43Hit Chance:1d2 ⇒ 2Destroys last illusion. Trip:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (15) + 29 = 44Unless you have a way of raising your CMD, I believe you're prone now. Tentacle:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (9) + 28 = 37 Tentacle:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (13) + 28 = 41
On the bright side, neither of its attacks managed to hit you even after it managed to drag you into the dirt.
So all the attacks hit but didn't confirm? In the future could you list which attacks hit in ooc just to avoid confusion? Also, does it have Improved Trip that I don't know about? Otherwise it draws an opp
If Sevia had been a little less cautious, those first attacks could have been more severe - it might have been worth it with her images protecting her. But she managed to weave away from much of its reprisal attacks, though one unfortunately hit her leg and dropped her out from under it.
Recognizing herself at a severe disadvantage, she saw she needed to back off and prepare for a second attack. Tapping into her innate skill, she vanished from sight before activating her armor's Fly spell and moved away from the creature.
Standard to activate, I'm not sure if you can fly while prone? If so I'll fly out of its reach, if not I'll stand up and 5ft into the air. Assuming nothing doesn't happen...
Spoiler:
Sevia quickly backed away and spent a few moments to recharge her magical defenses. Casting Mirror Image again, followed by an extended Haste using her Rod of Extend. As well as burning a few more uses of Lay on Hands.
It does have Improved Trip, and that's why it didn't Provoke.
Also, flying while prone does not flip you upright - you still have to orient yourself by effectively 'standing', so in this case it'd be moving five feet up.
The creature let out a growl as you turned invisible - and another tentacle shot through the air, this time clearly looking to grab you. Dodging out of sight didn't seem to be affecting the beast - being entirely alien to this world in the first place, it was quite possible it didn't even 'see' as most mortals understood the term.
As Sevia vanished, she hoped up only for the creature to lash out at her. Fortunately even at a disadvantage it couldn't hit her, though that meant it could see her despite her powers, which was extremely concerning. That limited her tactical options, especially her ability to retreat. If she stayed here though, it was just going to trip her again.
Throwing caution to the wind, she turned and ran, trusting that even if the beast could strike her again she'd be able to avoid another attack like that.
Sevia moves 60ft back into the next room, drawing another AoO
Trip:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (7) + 29 = 36With your buffs up, I believe that's a miss.
Another of the creature's tendrils whipped through the air as you turned and moved back, but it wasn't quite able to catch you - yet even the abomination behind you was suddenly a secondary concern as dozens of tendrils struck the domes high above, and bizarre hoofed appendages followed to land on the glass. A mortal's mind would have gone mad seeing it - your own?
Will DC 25:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (12) + 20 = 32
It was not so weak.
Know (Dungeoneering):1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
And one look was all that was necessary for you to finally understand what was happening here. The creature behind you was a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, a kind of alien demigod, and its mother was physically manifesting in the lake above.
It was... hard to overstate how bad that could be if left unchecked. Stopping the creature would almost certainly stop the manifestation - and the sooner, the better.
Your look back was also sufficient to identify more of the Dark Young's properties. Of note:
>Its tentacles were clearly used for both offense and defense, and it might be able to deflect at least some attacks with them (except for very accurate ones, if it couldn't get an appendage in the way). Your attacks were fast enough that it could only do this once per round.
>It seemed more interested in grabbing you than hitting you, and its tendrils had a reach of 15 feet. Numerous sucking maws covered its body - if you were grappled (or worse, pinned), it would not be a pleasant experience.
>As a semi-divine being, its hide was tough, and it would take a truly epic weapon to get past its resistance to physical damage. You didn't have one of those on you. Fortunately, some of your attacks could bypass that defense anyway, but non-critical blows would barely be noticed unless you could get through that defense.
>Its body and mind were both strong, but it wasn't an agile creature, and would find it harder to physically dodge things than resist or mentally endure them. Touch attacks and anything requiring a reflex save would be the most likely to affect it (especially touch attacks), and you saw no sign of spell resistance. On the other hand, it was a juggernaut - any long-term effects might get thrown off, so it probably wouldn't be wise to count on those.
>Acid, Electricity, and Fire would not be helpful. Cold would be somewhat weakened.
>It wasn't healing from the wounds already inflicted on it. It was tough, but not unkillable, and dodging away from it for a little while would not undo the damage already done.
In case it wasn't already clear, this is the final boss of this part of your journey. You'll be able to relax for quite some time once it's gone. ^^ You can also use your Divine Source ability (as a free action) to call for Fhanys if you want to bring in some extra help - she can reach you in 2d4 rounds, and will follow any general directions you give.
Sevia had already guessed what it was, but now she knew for certain. Worse, it appeared to be attempting a ritual of summoning. That had to be stopped, and unfortunately that necessitated destroying it quickly, no time to really play things cautious. She called out to her shadow to come back to her, while drawing her Rod of Extend, spending a small time casting two spells to aid her offensive abilities, Divine Favor and Haste, both extended, before dropping her rod.
2 rounds
"Get around behind it, and when I charge forward phase up from below and attack." Sevia told it, the shadow slipping back into the ground. A risky plan, but she was counting on the beast hopefully being more interested with her than something it couldn't grab.
Then, it was time, and she raced forward to attack. At the same time, her Shadow phased out of the floor and struck the beast.
As she rushed forward, she drew on her divine power, enhancing her already phenomenal speed to phase to and fro on her attack, making her even more difficult to hit.
Swift action to activate Divine Dodge. It gets an AoO as I move into range.
AoO Trip:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (11) + 29 = 40Miss Chance, Low Is Good For You:1d100 ⇒ 12
The otherworldly creature let out an angry roar as the Shadow lashed out at it, and its body pulsed, regaining some of its physical strength (if not HP, and not all of the strength damage, either) as it concentrated. Neither of your own attacks had been confirmed criticals, though the first, second, and fourth had hit. Turning slightly to the side, the massive creature sent its tentacles whipping out towards your Shadow - and infusing them with all of its alien malice as it did so, clearly intent on ripping your companion to literal shreds.
Incorporeal creatures are immune to critical hits, so the total damage is 49 points...good thing too because 200 damage in one round is nasty stuff.
Sevia's eyes widened as the being turned on her companion, clearly trying to attack the weaker of the two. Luckily, even after a nasty series of blows it was able to keep itself together...but just barely, and had it been flesh and blood it probably would have died. Now though, they could retaliate, Sevia once again slicing away at the creature, even dipping into her ki to attack as much as possible.
AttackSS:1d20 + 33 ⇒ (5) + 33 = 38 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 19 ⇒ (5, 3, 1, 6, 6) + 19 = 40 AttackHasteSS:1d20 + 33 ⇒ (19) + 33 = 52 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 19 ⇒ (2, 3, 4, 3, 1) + 19 = 32 Confirm:1d20 + 33 ⇒ (16) + 33 = 49SA Dmg:5d6 + 19 ⇒ (1, 2, 5, 2, 1) + 19 = 30 AttackKiSS:1d20 + 33 ⇒ (8) + 33 = 41 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 19 ⇒ (4, 4, 6, 6, 4) + 19 = 43 AttackSS:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (2) + 28 = 30 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 19 ⇒ (6, 6, 6, 4, 5) + 19 = 46 AttackOH:1d20 + 29 ⇒ (8) + 29 = 37 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 15 ⇒ (2, 2, 1, 5, 4) + 15 = 29 AttackOH:1d20 + 24 ⇒ (11) + 24 = 35 vs AC SA Dmg:5d6 + 15 ⇒ (5, 6, 3, 4, 3) + 15 = 36
"I will handle the rest! Retreat and avoid battle!" Sevia shouted to her companion, with no desire to see him struck down any time soon. Before parting though, it gave the Dark Young one last rake of negative energy, and then phasing back into the floor.
*Whew* Good, I was worried for a moment there. I like the plot I wrote up for your Shadow, and it'd be a shame to lose it. XD
Another pulse of energy went through the Dark Young's body as your Shadow sunk into the floor - and above, you could see an increasing number of body parts as Shub-Niggurath continued to manifest. Meanwhile, your second and third attacks managed to connect with the creature's body - the first successfully dealing a critical blow - and you continued to tear into its unusually tough body.
With your Shadow gone, though, the creature moved five feet upward, straight into the air, even as it lashed out with its tentacles.
One of the creature's tendrils came dreadfully close to knocking you down again - only your divine powers, as you literally stopped existing for a moment and allowed the attack to pass straight through you, saved you from being knocked down. Very nice indeed...
Sevia uses one of Stryker's surges on her first attack from last round to make it a hit
Surge:38 + 1d6 ⇒ 38 + (4) = 42 vs AC 40 damage
Without her cohort to flank the best, dealing damage would be much tougher. Using the power of her headband, she hastened a feint underneath the creature and instead moved to the right and struck at its side. Then followed up with another series of attacks, though much weaker than the one's before.
Using Ki for an extra attack is a Swift Action - Mythic Surges are an immediate action, and thus count as a swift action during your own turn. If you've already made a swift action, well...
The good news was that the feint was successful - and the hit managed to land. The other strikes were... somewhat less effective. The second and fourth attacks also hit, but the first didn't confirm and the latter simply didn't dig deep enough to hurt the creature. This, then, appeared to be the level of resistance to damage it had. It stepped another five feet into the air - putting it ten feet around the ground now - and lashed out with another tendril in a clear attempt to grab you.
Grapple:1d20 + 26 ⇒ (3) + 26 = 29
You didn't need to blink out of reality for this one - dodging under it was apparently quite effective for ducking away from grabs.
Looking up at the creature Sevia scowled, as the beast moved out of her reach. That would mean pausing to activate her armor. That said, even if she could it was proving mightily resilient to any of her attacks. Looking over the beast, she tried to see if there were any magical defenses it might be employing.
Arcana:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28To identify any active spells
As she did, she spent a moment to activate the Fly spell on her armor and began ascending after the creature carefully.
While the creature didn't seem to have any unique spells cast upon it - either by itself or others - you were able to pinpoint two active effects. The first was some kind of at-will Air Walk - which explained how it was standing on air in the first place - and the other was functionally identical to a Freedom of Movement spell, but constant and innate to the creature.
Without hesitating, the creature swept out again, trying to grab you out of the air.
Grapple:1d20 + 26 + 1d10 ⇒ (11) + 26 + (8) = 45Miss Chance, Low is Good - 4/6 rounds on your Divine Dodge, I think:1d100 ⇒ 52
Once again, the creature's tendrils came frighteningly close to grabbing onto you, and it had actually managed to touch you before you were able to blink out of reality let its tendril fly by, reappearing in the space you'd occupied once it was free of obstructions. A massive mouth - large enough to consume a cow whole - opened in the creature's side a moment later, and it said something in an alien tongue. There was no sign of magical effects of any kind - whatever it was doing or saying, it wasn't spellcasting.
Sevia wasn't hurting this thing fast enough, and she didn't have any spells in her repertoire that would help in this situation. Hit and run tactics seemed like they would be her best bet. Once more she struck at the beast with several attacks.
After a series of ineffectual blows she tried to back off, trusting that her natural defenses would protect her from a reprisal attack as she made to duck back out of the cave room and hide.
Moving at least 30ft outside its tremorsense range, provoke an AoO
Your hasted attack was the only one accurate enough to land (Because of unfortunately low rolls, if nothing else. XD; Lots of that going around lately), and even that one didn't dig deep enough to confirm as a critical hit.
One of its tendrils snapped out as you tried to back away, aiming to trip you up and stop your movement.
Trip:1d20 + 25 ⇒ (11) + 25 = 36
It was just a biiiiit too inaccurate to hit, though, and the huge creature roared something else in its alien tongue as you backed off. It began retreating a moment later, heading back towards the room it had come from (on the far side of the cavern from where you'd originally entered, through one of those force barriers that served to keep water out).
Sevia noted its slow retreat, and knew that was the moment to strike. It was weak from their fight and trying to run away, and she wasn't going to have that. Again, she darted forward at the creature, this time flying up then down at it to gain a height advantage and tried to maul it with her blades. As an added precaution, she quickly cast Grace to ensure she wouldn't be stopped mid charge.
At least with her first strike, she was able to attack its vitals.
Swift action to cast grace, no AoO from movement until end of turn. Divine Dodge expires at the beginning of my next turn
Your first blow hit, though - perhaps unsurprisingly - it did not confirm. It was also the only attack of the set to actually hit, and the creature simply snarled as its tendrils whipped out at you in a rapid series of blows.
Only one of the tendrils came close to you - and failed to strike as your body burned through the last of the divine power you'd managed to infuse within it. The creature had definitely been hurt by this point in time, but just as clearly, it would take several more blows (at minimum) to finally bring it down.
Have you been counting bleed damage? It takes 4 damage every round for the past...9 rounds I think
Sevia deftly moved back and forth, easily dodging most of the beast's attacks...but she couldn't keep that up, especially as she felt her ethereal defenses finally fade. But she swiftly counter attacked, drawing on her Ki to make as many attacks as she could.
Yes, I have been counting the damage it's taken. ^^
Your first, second, and fifth attacks managed to land on the creature, scraping off a little bit of its body - but, just as clearly, without added force, it was going to take a long time to actually bring the creature down - time you probably didn't have, judging by the increasing volume of thumps coming from outside. Even as you pulled back, the creature pushed through the barrier into the eastern chamber, vanishing through the field of force.
By now Sevia had realized she wasn't going to be able to deal with this creature fast enough. She needed to flank this thing and get at its weakpoints. Initially she'd wanted to avoid calling on Fhanys given that she was probably leading her followers against whatever was attacking Ilmarsh, but this was now much more important.
'Fhanys, I need you.' Sevia called out to her priest using her divine power.
Free action - call Fhanys using Divine Source
Time:2d4 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4
Until she arrived though, she'd need to keep the beast occupied, stealthily approaching the barrier to the Eastern Chamber and pushing through.
Stealth:1d20 + 24 ⇒ (1) + 24 = 25
If I can make a round of attacks after I do, I will, or even one attack
The view within the strange metal dome beyond the barrier is mind-numbing. All manner of incomprehensible equipment has been set up around the chamber, including a pair of bloodstained metal operating tables surrounded by racks of instruments for vivisection sitting in the center of the chamber. The walls at the base of the dome are transparent, giving a clear view of the dark waters of the lake bottom, but forty feet above, the dome displays an image of a mysterious dark gray planet orbiting a burning orange star never seen in Golarion’s skies, which gives the entire chamber its lurid glow. The effect is somewhat spoiled by the hundreds of tendrils that you can see wrapping around the chamber - and one giant, half-incarnate eye that always seems to be in the middle of the mass no matter which direction you're looking in. Scattered throughout the room are the bodies of three Mi-Go, and a fourth joins them as the bulky creature finishes literally ripping it apart.
Meanwhile, through your divine connection to your cleric, you were able to feel a sense of affirmation - it wouldn't be too long until she arrived.
Perception:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29
The creature turned as you entered, though, and its jaws finished crunching down on one of the Mi-Go's heads.
Sevia winced as she entered the room, having not been particularly careful in her rush to catch back up to the beast. Now detected, she aborted her dash towards it, now certain it was no longer vulnerable. And to be honest, she needed some way to remove the advantage of its sight and reach. Flying upwards slightly, she decided to cast Obscuring Mist directly at the center of the creature, shrouding the room in a grey funk and blocking its view of her. Obviously the mist was a double edged sword but she could dispel it if it became too obtrusive, but it would serve for now. There was also the double benefit of clouding the grotesque walls of this place as well.
This time, at least, it seemed like you'd managed to lose the creature within the mist, and its own perception - while fantastic against ordinary foes - was not quite as useful against you... and it seemed like you had at least a few moments to execute whatever plan you had. (Or come up with a plan. Whatever you felt like doing, really. Your cleric wasn't here yet, but she was definitely on her way.)
Sevia would've liked nothing more than to saturate the obfuscated area with fireball after fireball; unfortunately the creature was immune and it would be a fruitless effort. She could directly attack it, in fact it would be prudent to weaken it before Fhanys arrived - but there was at least one last spell in her repertoire she could try.
As a move action, Sevia uses her Detect Evil to concentrate on the creature, then casts Confusion on its location DC 21 Will Save
She concentrated on the creature, instantly detecting its aura, and then cast Confusion on its location. A long shot, it was highly resistant, but it might succumb.
...That you did! I missed it. XD; Let's use yours.
Will:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18 Force of Will:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
The creature bellowed in rage, channeling power through its body as your mind-affecting spell covered its area. While your spell didn't work, it had cost the creature valuable reserves of energy to throw it off - and indeed, you'd probably come out quite far ahead on that particular exchange. Meanwhile, Fhanys was getting closer and closer, and a faint light (a good sign) could be seen from the other side of the force wall even as the creature looked around for you.
Sevia smiled at its rage, smugly beginning to weave another spell. She was disappointed the beast had managed to shake off her spell, but it hadn't been a waste. With luck she could force the same again, casting Confusion at it again, while pulling a Tanglefoot Bag from her beltpouch.
This time, the creature broke straight through your spell, roaring angrily - and Fhanys came tumbling through the barrier, landing hard on the ground and raising her hands. "GET AWAY FROM MY GODDESS!" she cried - and what looked rather like the biggest magic missile you'd ever seen erupted out of her hands and shot straight into the mist.
Touch Attack (Maximized Force Blast):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33 for Damage:30 + 7 = 37
Even as it left her hands, Fhanys winced slightly - it clearly put a lot of strain on her body to use certain powers she had, but just as obviously, she had no intention of giving up. Snarling, the creature whirled around within the mist and sent a targeted blast of fear her way.
Will DC 22 (Fhanys):1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
"Gyaaah... what... what IS that thing?" she called out, worried but sufficiently strong enough in willpower to resist the creature's unnatural effect.
Sevia was almost shocked how quickly Fhanys had been able to get there, smiling as the girl launched a rather impressive attack against the beast. She almost chuckled at how protective the girl sounded though. Turning back to the beast though, her face turned serious once more. "An abomination from the Dark Tapesty. One which we must destroy quickly! We must flank it together, I'll drop the mist once we're in position!" Sevia shouted, casting Mirror Image upon herself as she did.
Just to be clear, I'm assuming Fhanys knows where it is roughly and it isn't out of reach for her?
Images:1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Seven phantom illusions accompanying her, she rushed around behind the creature to put it between roughly where she and Fhanys were, using the mist as cover.
Fhanys moved smoothly with your commands, working to maneuver into position with you and flank the bulky creature. The illusions weren't hurting, either, even as the creature hunkered down slightly in an effort to reduce the power of your blows.
Sevia was more than ready to see this beast dead, now having it right where she wanted it. She smirked as it tried to coil in on itself defensively, "That isn't going to work!" She shouted, dismissing the mist surrounding them and giving her an element of surprise, with her cleric to back her up. It didn't even see her first blow coming, but the following ones were no less brutal as she dipped into her ki to make a flurry of attacks.
The criticals didn't confirm, but your first five hits dug into the creature's hide despite all the power it could put to bear, and Fhanys lashed out from the other side with what looked like some kind of force whip. Finally, the creature let out an enormous, groaning cry as it slumped to the ground.
As it did so, an enormous noise could be heard from outside the chamber, and for just a moment you saw the manifesting god in its full form - a roiling tangle of flesh and hair and colossal tentacles, interspersed
with mouths, fins, hooves, and other appendages, and thousands of dark, staring eyes that seem to open on vistas of unimaginable star-studded darkness and pierce your very soul. Then Shub-Niggurath dwindled, seeming almost pulled back to a single point in the water, and with another roar the liquid slammed back in to fill the gap the god had left.
Beside you, Fhanys was almost hyperventilating, her eyes dilated and sweat covering her skin. Her mouth moved up and down a few times, right before she held out one hand, conjured a globe of water, and splashed it over her face. "I-I... I think I'd prefer... to not see that again..." she said shakily, half-falling onto her backside as she stared up at the waters above the dome.
The Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath itself dropped nothing of value - such creatures generally don't carry things - but the room does have a number of items. In a pile off to the side, you're able to find a suit of Mistmail with the Shadow enchantment, a +1 wounding sickle, a Belt of Giant Strength +2, and a pouch with 155 PP and a diamond worth 500 GP. There's also a rolled up letter, reading as follows:
“Necrophagous secrets whisper Through chronicles of Raven’s tongue” These words, no doubt familiar to you, are your next task. Take the Seasage Effigy to G.L. in Illmarsh. He will exchange it for the legendary mace. When the item is in your possession, join your partner in Caliphas, and the Carrion Crown can finally be completed. For the glory of the Whisperer, A.A.
There's one more item of interest on the shelves - a queer green stone idol of some octopoid creature with seven tentacles, which emits a strong aura of divination. You don't immediately recognize it, but might be able to figure out its properties with a standard examination.
Oh, and you've reached Level 9, and may update your profile next time you rest for 8 hours (and get the choices approved, per usual XD).
As the creature finally fell, Sevia turned her eyes up towards the manifesting god above them, watching with trepidation. For a moment, it seemed as if they failed, as it drew to its full horror, before finally collapsing in on itself and vanishing. She sighed in relief, sheathing her swords and turning to her shaken cleric.
"The horrors of the Dark Tapestry are beyond measure...I am unsurprising you feel that way. Are you alright?" Sevia knelt down to Fhanys, casting an inspecting eye over the girl and reaching out to help her up. At that moment she remembered what had occurred earlier, and became concerned "What happened at Illmarsh? I heard your prayers but knew nothing specific. Do we need to return?" She queried, momentarily calling out to her Shadow in the meantime to return to her - casting Infernal Healing upon it and instructing it to search the room for her as Fhanys explained what happened.
Fhanys pressed one hand onto her chest, deliberately slowing her breathing. "I... I think I'll be fine. Might have nightmares for a few weeks, though." she swallowed, still shaking. Had Shub-Niggurath been manifested any longer, it was entirely possible that Fhanys' mind would have been broken outright. Mortals did not have the ability to see such things and come away unscathed. You, at least, were of a higher order of being and correspondingly far less vulnerable.
"There were these... these insect things up there, attacking. I think they were driven off, though. Your faithful aren't so weak as to lose to a bunch of bugs."
Of course. I expected as much." Sevia smiled reassuringly. "The things you fought are called Mi-Go, they're the true culprits of the woes of Illmarsh, servants of the Dark Tapestry. We may have stopped their greater threat, but the rest must be eliminated as well." She explained, indicated back towards the direction she had come. They didn't need to go just this second though, Sevia noting that she might need a minute to calm down. She busied herself in the meanwhile looking around the area with her shadow, collecting whatever of value she could find. The small treasures were worth selling, but the green idol and the note were far more important. Sevia sighed as she read it, realizing that there was something in Caliphas that was happening which bore her attention now - especially if this was connected to the Whispering Tyrant.
After stowing the weapons in her backpack, and casting Infernal Healing on her shadow again to restore its life force, she walked back to her cleric. "Ready?" She asked, figuring they'd take care of the last fishmen before the rest of the Mi-Go. The other monsters could be left there.
Sevia will then stealth with Fhanys to the fishmen
With Fhanys there to support you, taking care of the remaining Fishmen was an easy task - barely worth your attention, really, the kind of thing forgotten shortly after it was done. By this point, you'd regained enough of your power that the common creatures of the world were essentially no challenge - a milestone that was worth noting, and one of the greatest proofs of your progress in regaining your power.
Heading back up, or did you want to do anything else down here?
After clearing out the last remaining threats to Illmarsh, Sevia decided it was high time they return back to the surface and her followers. Instead of swimming though, she used a portion of her mythic power to teleport them using Dimension Door back to the surface. "Horace?! Are you there?" Sevia shouted out from the shore, looking around for the boat - as well as her familiar.
Assuming the boat is there...
After finding their way back onto Horace's boat, Sevia gave a brief explanation for what had occurred and asked they return to Illmarsh. "Your town should now be safe from the machinations of Dagon's minions and other unsavory powers. I must return to my people, for there is much which still must be done in this land." Sevia told him, looking back toward the coast.
Returning to the note, she studied it for any references that might be familiar. Eventually finding her way over to her cleric. "Fhanys, what do you make of this note?" Sevia asked, looking for a second opinion.
Fhanys carefully read over the note, pondering it as Horace (who looked very relieved to see you - and after a moment, you remembered that Shub-Niggurath had been manifesting right under his boat) set sail back towards the town.
"Sounds like some kind of ritual or prophecy to me - definitely part of something larger." she said, glancing towards the raven-headed mace you'd picked up. "...And probably on the literal side, too, if that's the raven they're talking about. What's the Seasage Effigy?" That particular name wasn't familiar to you - nor was the rest of the note. Whatever it was referring to - and being incomplete didn't help - was something you hadn't had the chance to learn about.
"I am...unsure, the name is unfamiliar. The mace however, is something from my past. For what nefarious purpose they intended to use it for I know not, but their plot has been thwarted now that I have it." Sevia smiled, touching the mace. Unfortunately, not her weapon of choice, but Fhanys might find use in it. "Regardless, it appears that the minions of the Whispering Tyrant are afoot...rooting them out shall be an important goal once we have established ourselves in Carrion Hill." She explained, tucking the note away. Someone in town might perhaps know what the initials GL stood for, or what the Seaside Effigy was. For now though, it wasn't a matter that could be settled immediately.
"Since we are still away from the shore, I will take this opportunity to rest some." Sevia said, stowing her gear. She took a moment to spend some of her healing power to restore her shadow, and one of her staff's charges, before finding some place she could have a moment of respite.
Sevia spends 1 mythic power to use Recuperation and rests for 1 hour
The boat had been docked for quite some time by the time you were finished recuperating - but when you finally got out, you could see that some kind of raid had clearly happened while you were gone, almost certainly starting not long after you'd left. By the looks of things, it hadn't gone very well for the Mi-Go. Calling your followers an 'army' was a bit of a stretch, but they'd gotten involved (and broken cover to do it), and had clearly been far more than the creatures had been expecting.
Sevia woke up feeling refreshed, and somewhat surprised they had returned so quickly. Looking out to the town, she nodded approvingly to the results of the raid, a few dead mi-go apparent from the shoreline. "Mister Croon, thank you once more for the use of your ship. I wish you the best of luck with your invention." She said, bowing to Horace before taking her leave. She saw fit to ask Fhanys to attend to the wounded and informed her she would be along after she'd spoken to the mayor.
It didn't take long for people to realize who you were looking for... and eventually, looking nervous, one of the townsfolk led you over to the mayor's house. His body was lying on the floor, skull cut open and brain removed. Fhanys gagged slightly as she saw the inside of his skull, turning away from the sight.
"Damned." Sevia sighed as she saw the body. Gruesome way to go...but, how? She'd spoken to him not but a few hours ago and set of right for the underwater cavern. Was his brain possibly in one of those jars? "Does anyone know when they got him? During the attack?" She asked one of the townsfolk, leaning down to the corpse to check his body.
Survival to determine cause of death? And look for tracks. Also, I'll renew that heroism spell if it expired
Understanding physical injuries is a Heal check. General knowledge of anatomy and all that.
"Y-yes. One of them just pinned him down and..." the villager made a brief cutting motion, shuddering. "He was one of the first to go when they swarmed us. If you outsiders hadn't come..." they swallowed nervously.
The cause of death... definitely the brain removal. There were bruises on the rest of the body and a few shallow cuts, but literally having the top of his head pulled off was the deciding factor.
The good news about the tracks was that they existed. The bad news was that there were a heck of a lot of them, presumably created during the fighting by people moving around in every direction. Perhaps more relevantly, the Mi-Go could fly - their tracks wouldn't be on the ground.
"I am sorry for your loss....losses. Too many have died." Sevia sighed, turning away from the mayor's body. It seemed though Greedle would be the last with the eradication of the slugspawn, fishmen, and mi-go. "Fortunately, no one else need die for the machinations of those who would prey on Illmarsh. I have seen to their...removal. As Mayor Greedle asked of me when I was sent to investigate the Tern Rocks. Should you desire, I can explain what happened, otherwise we will continue on towards Carrion Hill." Sevia told the villager. She doubted the villagers of Illmarsh would want them to intrude on their time to mourn the fallen. There wasn't much else they could help them with.
