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The walls around Torcet's mind doesn't crumble as the rest of the party attempts to reach into his soul. He burst out in angry. "My mind has never felt better!" The hollow opening in the middle of his stone lute turns into a mouth with sharp edge teeth as the imagery starts to grow monstrous limbs, somewhat akin of a giant spider with no eyes. It starts waving it's limbs trying to grab the group. Torcet laughs in insanity. HAH! hah! HAH!
"You can fight this Torcet!" Looking at the twisted imaginings of his friend, Daka tries desparately to think of any way to help him Saranrea, give me strength Charging through flying rocks, and dodging the limbs of the spider lute, Daka crashes into Torcet in an attempt to separate him from the pedestal he so desires.
The part of the shifting mass of stone that housed Reyo's "desires" melds into the shape created by Torcet's mind. The creature is huge and its lute-like "head" rises higher than the trees. This helps Daka to dodge its monstrous swipe and smash into Torcet. Both fly off the stone floor that had formed under the detective's feet and tumble down to the ground on the other side. The stone creature roars (although you have no idea how it produces sounds) and starts to crumble slowly.
Torcet starts to untangle himself from the priest and scrambles to get back onto the rocks. "No, I must have the answers, let me go!"
"Torcet, listen to us!" Daka starts grasping after the investigator, and with Shirak's aid tries to hold him back from the rocks.
Reyo slips a sling from her pocket and nestles a bullet into the leather pouch. Whipping it around her head she lets loose a stone aimed for the stone creature.
You stony git! Leave him be!
Daka and Shirak manage to hold Torcet for the time being, the latter now struggling against them with grunts and mumbles. Reyo's rock hits the flailing crrature and a spray of rocks flies off of its shape. The rocks disintegrate in thin air, and it's probably a good thing, as the creature screams in what looks like pain.
The bad thing is that now it finds Reyo a threat and launches a hail of stones at her!
Daka keeps struggling with Torcet, but the man proves too difficult to keep hold of "No! Torcet... Look!" Daka yells after the running, flailing Torcet "The stones are attacking Reyo! You are attacking Reyo! Let it go, Torcet. Whatever that is, it's not real! You will learn nothing!" He keeps chasing Torcet, attempting to tug at his clothes and pull him away from the stones.
Reyo crings as they try to pull him away from the stones.
Taking in a deep breath, she resigns herself and drops her rapier to the ground.
Keep fighting Torcet. Perhaps if I come to the rocks, they will relinquish their hold on you! she says. Looking to Daka, she taps her finger to the side of her nose lightly and winks before heading towards the stones with open arms.
Here I am, you mangy stone pile! Come get me! she yells into the air, hoping that whatever controls this thing can hear her.
Reyoris reaches the stone creature a couple of moments before Torcet does. The giant spider-like lute swings at her, but its "feet" are too long to be effective at such a close distance. Then Torcet reaches the stones and lets out a primal scream as he points at the elf. Most of the stone mass just flies away in Reyo's direction, pummeling the ground and trees around and behind her.
As the rocks destroy half the clearing the rest just falls apart and Torcet slumps unconscious to the ground in the middle of it.
The wind rushes out of Reyo's chest as the rocks pummel her. She drops to one knee, clutching her side.
Oh gods, that feels horrid! she wheezes, painfully.
Daka watches the final moments of the scuffle in silent horror. When it's all over, he first rushes over to Torcet to make sure he's still alive, then he lays a healing hand on Reyoris and a plume of energy engulfs his companions "Let's not try that again." he says with a halfhearted smile "Sleeping is not the answer!"
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"Well....that was interesting. Thanks Daka." remarks the druid.
Looking around the clearing, and upon the body of Torcet, he adds "I think I'm going to try and relax a moment while you decide where to go from here...and Torcet recovers."
After a while of sitting, Shirak finally stands again. "The unnatural feeling of this place just doesn't seem to do the trick for me. I'm sorry but I can't find any way to connect with what's right here."
In a couple of minutes Torcet comes around and, for all the good that does to your present situation, looks a bit more rested than the rest of you. The gloom of the forest starts to weigh down on you, even though any strains from the last event disappear fast enough.
As you (probably) ponder what to do next the scream of the trees comes around again in waves, that flow in one direction.
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Looking around, Shirak mumbles "I've got to get out of this place..."
Pulling Leyafold close, he asks "Torcet, you feeling better? I don't suppose any of you have been shown the way out of here?"
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Reyo rubs her head. You couldn't be more right Daka. Gods I hate this damnable place. I have no idea how to get out. All I know is when I got over there, I saw relics I've hunted for decades. I wanted them and nothing but hatred for Torcet was in my heart when it changed to his desires. I don't like that, at all. Given my choice, I'd see the mouth of the fingerwaggler that enchanted this place skewered on my blade, the light slipping from his eyes! But first, we must get out of here intact. she says, voice snarling savagely.
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Torcet looks around somewhat dazed as he takes a couple minutes to come to his senses. "Shi..rak?" He rubs his eyes, and his parts of his sore body. "I feel terrible, I guess sleeping in here does not work then from the looks of it. How long was I asleep?" He looks at the rubble, uncertain as to what occurred. "I had some sort of terrible dream... I think."
He jolts suddenly hearing the scream from beyond the woods, and picks himself of the ground. "Shall we investigate? No use sleeping anymore I reckon."
As the scream passes over you, you see Daka sway on the spot.
"I, I don't feel so well... The sounds..." The priest closes his eyes and grips his holy symbol hard, his knuckles white on the charred wood.
Daka shakes his head, but continues to look like he's about to fall over.
"I'm... getting a vision of sorts. It's a camp. And a blue gull is sitting perched on a tent. It's where the screams are coming from. It's... calling us." He shivers. "We're not yet 'converted'. He needs people that are still halfway in the real world."
Daka opens his eyes for a moment, and they are filled with anguish.
"He's been here so long, he's not sure what is real anymore."
If you don't mind in a few hours Shirak finishes his meditation with a somewhat relieved expression. Daka is still standing still, staring in the direction of the supposed camp.
Reyo has her rapier in hand, and her eyes roaming, eager to be shot of this place.
Yes, let's follow. Gods know we need to be free of here.
"I am not sure I can find it. It's... fuzzy. I don't want to... let go." Daka looks sideways at Shirak, his features in a grimace of hard concentration. "I am afraid that I'll lose it if I move." A slight tremble can be seen running the length of the priest's body now and again.
At this moment another round of screams washes over you and Daka shuts his eyes tight, a grunt escaping his lips. He looks to be in a struggle with himself, as he makes to step forward and stumbles down on his knees. The hand holding the symbol of Sarenrae is now trembling hard.
"It's... heavy!" He gasps, trying to keep hold of the token of his deity.
As Shirak reaches for Daka's hand and tries to close his fingers better on the winged ankh the priest drops down to all fours, dragging him along. The charred symbol falls between the dead leaves covering the forest floor and is lost from sight. At that moment Daka takes in a deep rasping breath, his whole body arching.
"Finally..." He sighs, but it is not his voice that you hear! It has become higher and smoother, more like a himan's. He looks around, the final shivers disappearing. "Not perfect, but it will have to do. Or should I say, you will have to do." He looks at you as if seeing you for the first time.
Taking the cue from his companion, the leafy companions quickly shakes loose an acorn, drawing back to strike, if the undine does.
Reyo cocks her head to one side, mind whirring at what just happened.
Daka, what isn't perfect?
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Torcet looks increasingly worried at the conversation at hand. My goodness, has he gone mad? Did he snap? Knowing the impossible could happen here, in the place of the dead(?), he follows Shirak's lead and draws his short sword.
"Stop! Get a hold of yourself Daka! Don't make us put you down!" Torcet screams at the man in attempt to scare him straight.
"I am not your friend, Daka, as you call him. I just took over his body as he was leaving it vacant anyway. I think his goddess found him a way out. A way," a smirk appears on the half-orc's face, "that was not for you to take obviously, as you are still irretrievably lost in this foul place, just as I am." He raises his hands high towards the sky along with his voice and shouts the last words, making the trees of the forest echo his voice back. He then looks back at you, with a half-apologetic smile.
"I have been silent for too long. Forgive my outburst. Also, now that I have you to help me, we might not be as lost as we were a moment before. Let me introduce myself. I was once called Galdor."
Daka/Galdor smiles at Shirak's suggestion with a hint of sadness.
"I don't think you would want to be entered into your deity's pantheon. Or would you? A potential eternity in a god's demesne. Unless the god, and you with it, are completely forgotten." He shakes his head. "I wouldn't do it for all the power in the world." A pained expression flashes on his face but a moment later he is all business again.
"Enough talk. It's time to leave this godless place the propper way. By destroying it!"
"He was just a free vessel to fill. Also, I am not the worst thing that could have filled the void." Galdor/Daka makes a pause to let the words sink in. "Now, let's not dawdle here any longer. You made quite a ruckus already. Lost souls will be converging to fight for the potential focus location, and I see you've managed to destroy that. You show promise!" He grins and tries to walk away when Reyo jumps in front of him.
"Not so fast, bandit. I think I've heard of you before. You were a scoundrel, a good for nothing plunderer that fed on other people's honest work. Deny it!" Her rapier flashes and points at his throat.
Reyo's rapier doesn't waver an inch as she cocks her head at the man.
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Looking to his companions and the Daka/Galdor, Shirak takes a step back. "Reyo, I sympathize with your concern for Daka, but for one to raise, another must fall. Though nothing else here seems to work as it should, that is balance..."
"Sir? Perhaps you could put my friend at ease here? Destroying this place would truly be a goodness."
Galdor smirks as the elf threatens him with her sword. "Yes, I was once a leader of the Blue Gulls. I suspect they are long gone, as I've spent here way too much time, as far as I can tell. They weren't the most tight knit of groups, as it went. But I can tell you this," his stare hardens again. "I am way beyond petty swindles, I was far beyond them even before I came here. I came to retrieve the magic of this place, and instead I got a taste of what it really was. It's probably impossible for me to get out, as I don't have a body of my own. But if there's the tiniest chance for that then I will take it and impose swift justice upon the brambled traitor that led me into this."
He glances at Torcet's slightly wavering sword. "And put that away, sir. I wouldn't trust you to cut down a tree with a grip like that. Use your stronger qualities, if you have any."
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Smiling at the man's reaction, Shirak advises "Surprising as it may be, he is quite skill in putting the pointy end into his foe."
Looking to his companions, the undine hopes they will hold off on their attack. "So...What was it you had in mind for destroying this vile place?" he inquires.
'Just don't kill him before he tells us how to get out of here!'
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Torcet feels conflicted between Shirak's and Reyo's approaches. He slightly lowers his sword, but does not let his guard down. In turn, as the man inside Daka speaks, thoughts and questions start running through Torcet's mind.
"You say you were once part of the Blue Gulls? We met them recently but they mention nothing of you in their history. Especially of the magic artefact! And who may this traitor be?"