Marigold hustles forward behind Juraan and calls upon another of Sarenrae's blessings to protect her and her friends!
____________
Ryan moves into position to see JJ as he invariably seeks out the nearest of the creatures "Abadar guide thy hands scion of Surabar!"
Inspiring Word +2 to practically everything except damage/5 rounds
Marigold calls a prayer upon the cauldronites, while Ryan gives extra inspiration to JJ.
Juraan performs something heroic.
As you get sight of the beasts what you see is a horrid mass of barbed tentacles, glaring eyes, and gnashing teeth. The strange mass twists upon itself and reshapes into a new form and as it approaches it reshapes into a different one. The totally unstable shape gets over JJ while a companion exactly like that beast arrives from the north.
But JJ does not seem surprised and properly dodges to one side and the other avoiding both attacks.
Two more of the unstable figures penetrate the opaque layer of the Tiny Hut from the south and find Kaurophon.
The half-fiend is taken by surprise, and despite he uses his staff to deflect one of the chaos beasts the other one slashes at his left arm causing a small scratch.
"I am in trouble here" slowly grumbles Kaurophon while he casts a spell and five images of himself appear around him.
JJ answers back with a flurry of staff attacks that hit multiple times in different places of the everchanging chaos beast, leaving one of them considerably bleeding.
Satisfied, JJ steps back entering into the warmth comfort of the Tiny Hut.
Ryan remains where he is in the middle of the hut, but hearing Kaurophon's grumble turns his attention that way, swinging his hammer at the closest creature menacing the fiend he calls out "spiritali"
cast Spiritual Weapon
"ಜೆಜೆ ಬಲ! ಈ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳು ಮ್ಯಾಜಿಕ್ನಿಂದ ಭುಗಿಲೆದ್ದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ದೇಹವನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಪರ್ಶದಿಂದ ಬಾಗುತ್ತದೆ," Marigold calls out in warning as she moves forward and tries to strike one of the beasts menacing Kaurophon with a ray of light...
"JJ's right! These things can shrug off magic and warp your very body with their touch!"
____________
AC = 27
HP = 94/94
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Prayer
It occurs to Kikinnin that this entire land of Occipitus is nothing but a cry for constant retribution on the part of Abadar. Demons, beasts, blisters, and disease. He pictures his Axe growing red-hot, as if forge-fired, until it melted in the face of constant hate and corruption. There are surely deeper wells of evil one could drown in, if one's own goodness fell victim for its weaker condition.
The black beard hears Kaurophon Fiendblood call out his concern, but he doesn't move as one might for ally's sake. He does, however, react to the beasts in proximity to Marigold, so steps in front of the Smoking Eye, and takes a swing at the creature directly in front of him.
Being alerted of the danger, Juraan casts a spell: « დაჩქარება » . .
He then moves 'south' to get a clear bow shot at some of the chaos beasts.
Juraan fires his bow at one of the Chaos Beasts (red) that he has a clear view of:
Maxim moves forward, attempting to circle round to engage the creatures that JJ had confronted , drawing his magic pistol as he goes ;
The dwur levels his double barrelled gun at the nearest Chaos Beast , imbuing it with a degree of arcane power and pulls the trigger;
:
Juraan hastens the group with one of his spells, empowering his companions and looks for a better attacking position.
Ryan's force crossbow materializes and pierces the chaos beast natural magical resistance, causing damage.
Marigold follows in, conjuring a ray of searing light that truly strikes at the same chaos beast!
Kikinnin comes to help Marigold, and regretfully for him Kaurophon, and lashes at the beast with his axe opening a rift of reality on the chaotic shapechanging creature.
Juraan's Long Thorn and his extra precise shots score with two arrows at the red one. It is difficult to say if the creature does is conscious of the damage as it is taken by a chaotic fury.
On the other side, Maxim comes in the help of JJ. His gun bangs and the chaotic creature's skin jumps out in one section, although it keeps changing and transforming randomly.
It turns against the gunslinger and leaps on him while its tentacles become a lashing horn.
The dwarf is hit on his left arm opening a long wound!
The claws of the other western beast become a tangle of tentacles while they slash at JJ sure it is fighting behind the strange opaque layer of the tiny hut.
JJ only dodges two of the surprising slashes as they come through the hut's walls, but he survives to the terrible curse of the beasts.
The other two unstable beasts try to surround Kikinnin, the one terribly damaged attacking at Kaurophon.
Two of Kaurophon's images go away as the beast hit on them, but its first attack goes through the illusion and impacts the half-fiend who growls in pain.
The other one doing so on the dwarf.
After an initial success, Kikinnin moves himself so the beast just founds the dwarven shield and his armor!
Kaurophon steps back and points to his attacker with all his right hand fingers. Different 5 missiles spring out, all hitting at the beast that falls to the ground.
Despite fallen, the creature continues mutating "One down" states Kaurophon.
On the other side of the combat, JJ fights through the tiny hut against his current enemy.
Hasted by Juraan's magic, JJ is a fury, all his attacks with the quarterstaff hitting one after the other, leaving the new beast almost dead!
With Red swiftly taken care, Marigold ducks around some of the nearby columns and comes to JJ's aid, firing another ray of light - this time at Blue!
____________
With one of the beasts dead, Juraan stays where his is at fires at another (green):
AC = 27
HP = 87/94
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Prayer, Haste
Kikinnin looks down on his forearm, unhappy with the creature's touch, unsure of what lies deeper in its strike, should he fail to resist it.
He trains his accelerated blade on Green, hoping to end the immediate threat, though he worries that in slaying four beasts, they're only making the noise necessary to bring dozens more down on their heads...
"Foul beasts!! JJ, can you see any more out there??"
:
Maxim reels from the fell touch of chaos
As the creature manages to touch Maxim, the dwarf's becomes a spongy shapeless mass of flesh with blond hair all around its surface. The flesh protrudes out of the mithral chain and holds grasp of the gun with difficulty.
In her attempt to avoid damaging JJ, Marigold's light ray fails and impacts one of the columns.
Juraan follows in with more arrows, and two of the hastened ones find the chaos beast flesh, biting deeply at it.
Fighting with a terrifying style, Kikinnin cuts one of the shifting tentacles, then chops with his axe the entire beast on a third swing, splitting the creature in two and leaving it dead on the ground!
Kikinnin pulls his axe from the dead beast at his feet, and trembles a little, one of his worst fears coming to light- having to slay a companion for the corruption of Occipitus...
As Maxim transforms into a blob of chaotic mass, he gurgles in frustration and confused anger.
:
The Maximorph's "brow" ripples for an instant and he regains his true dwur form, spitting pained words through gritted teeth;
"H-Hell's T-Teeth I feel all sort's o' wrong..."
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Ryan send the weapon to attack the creature battling against Maxim, just as Maxim seems to loose form and slump to the ground. Movement continues so Ryan calls out to Maxim's location.
"Maxim Snaphånce, on of the rock son of Malachite, pull yourself together, you're made of sterner stuff."
inspiring Word +2 morale bonus to everything but damage, last 5 rounds
Maxim performs an exercise of will and succeeds to stabilize himself into his natural form.
Ryan inspires Maxim to greater heroics while he switches targets with his spiritual weapon, but the force crossbow fails to pierce the magical resistance against this chaos beast.
The two remaining beasts press on their prey not knowing of the destiny of their companions.
Again, one of the tentacles manages to strike at JJ's right arm opening a deep gash.
Fortunately the young man resist to become a spongy-like JJ.
While the other shifts and changes attacking Maxim.
This time the dwarf, retaining his form, is able to avoid two of the attacks!
"The blond dwarf is in trouble" speaks Kaurophon, who raises his hand towards the western side of the battle and conjures a fireball that explodes taking both of the chaos beasts on that side.
The yellow chaos beast seems barely affected but the blue one is totally burnt in the flames and falls to the ground among scolds of fire.
JJ gets out of the tiny hut and around the columns to jump over the chaos beast attacking Maxim.
Propelled by Juraan's haste, JJ obliterates and destroys also the last chaos beast freeing Maxim from its preasure!
Once the beasts are felled, Marigold hurries to Maxim's side as the dwarf fights to maintain his true form and shape. "F-fight it Maxim! You c-can do it!" she urges, even trying to will a little of her own special luck into helping her friend.
Lucky Halfling - Once per day, when one of your allies within 30 feet makes a saving throw, you may roll the same saving throw as if you were the one subject to the effect requiring it. You may use this ability after your ally has rolled, but before the GM declares if the roll was a success or failure. Your ally may choose to use your saving throw in place of his own.
"The blond dwarf is in trouble."
"F-fight it, Maxim! You c-can do it!"
Kikinnin only waits a moment, making sure the second beast stays down, before bolting across the ground of the camp to lay eyes more directly on his fellow Malachite.
"What did him in? What did the beasts maul him with? Was it magic? Some kind of rabidness? He... he changed into that... thing..." Kikinnin wrings his hands, hesitant.
"Is it over, Maxim? You still feel something ill? You're back to looking like yourself." Kikinnin flashes a grim gaze at Kaurophon. "You'd better be heading us towards that safer place, half-blood. If you need us to find the First Part of this Test, you need to do a better job guiding us past these unnecessary encounters."
Kaurophon arches an eye "We are walking through the Abyss. I suppose you did not expect this to be a school promenade through Cauldron's crop fields" but he approaches and examines Maxim from behind Marigold's and Kikinnin's back "The beasts used a curse to transform him. It is the same curse that affects the chaos beasts. They cannot control their form and ultimately forget whom they are. Whatever cure you can administrate it should be able to cure or remove a curse"
Maxim stands, teeth gritted as he nods at Marigold's support and Ryan's clemency;
"Much abridged Lil' Miss... Right... Let's beat this darned curse eh!"
"So far, so good..."
He forces a nervous chuckle, then lurches forward as his body ripples in agonising change once more;
The dwur sways, hands shaking as he spits out globs of phlegm that morph and shift where they land...
His brow a sheen Maxim tearily eyes his companions with a nod and a hard smile;
"God's be darned I feel like ah'm churned like buttermilk... But it's gone I reckon... Ah'm me again..."
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Maxim cowls and shakes, losing his shape for a while but strongly fighting thanks to his dwarven nature and Ryan's inspiration.
In the end it seems he is finally stable and succeeded to fight the curse while resting in his original form. Some damage to his perception of the world remains though.
"Heh...you d-dwarves hang on like a h-hair in a b-biscuit," Marigold chuckles, looking relieved. "D-do you need a m-minute to rest?"
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Pulling everyone away to the side, Ryan channels Abadar's grace to heal any wounds they may have taken.
Glad to see Maxim apparently stable once more Ryan takes a moment to check him out more closely,
"Maxim, you still seem a bit wide-eyed, bear with me a bit."
reaching into his pouch at his belt Ryan withdraws a small package of glittering dust, and dusting it over Maxim, says a quiet prayer.
"Abadar grant thy healing to this son of Malachite, and restore him to his former self."
Cast - Restoration
"Glad to see you're back to your normal cherry self, Maxim."
As soon as Ryan completes his spell with the diamond dust, Maxim starts feeling much better.
With the situation once more under control, the party comes back into the Tiny Hut and resumes their much needed rest.
The clang of steel on steel and the rage of battle-spells awaken you from your slumber. But were you really sleeping? You pick yourself up off the ground and peer through pain-glazed eyes at your surroundings. You appear to be in some large room and the walls are made of chalk…a soft earthen substance that appears to be similar to bone. Walls curve upwards and eventually become the ceiling some feet above you. From the center of the room is a small opening, which you recognize as the eye socket of the skull you’re in.
The Skull of Occipitus, 507th layer of the Abyss.
From that center opening—in midair—gushes a blinding red light that rushes outward and upward, eventually spreading to fill the sky with the fiery clouds above. The origin of the gushing light isn’t immediately obvious—it’s as if the plasma is being vented from a rip in the fabric of the plane itself.
Memory blasts back to you like a crashing tidal wave. Battle. Betrayal. Your allies and friends! You look around you again and find your allies battling for their lives. Kikinnin battles some undead-monstrosity in gilded, golden plate mail. JJ lies on the ground near you, babbling incoherently to himself. Maxim is aiming at the undead with his gun, blood sliding from his front. You can see Ryan near you as well, slowly picking himself up off of the ground, a smoking hole in his side, from the same blast of magical lightning that threw you to the floor.
As you pick yourself up off of the ground, the words of the proctor echo in your mind. “…sacrifice an ally to the plasma, and Occipitus is yours.” You can’t possibly do that. Not now, not after all you and your friends have been through.
You stare in frustration at the fiery column billowing up in front of you. There has to be another way!, you scream to yourself.
And then you see the eyes. Beautiful, silver glowing eyes stare at you from behind the column of flame. You recognize this glare as something you’ve seen before, but in a different form. These eyes also promise a wealth of knowledge and power, but it seems to be constrained. Perhaps not constrained, but patient. Understanding.
Forgiving.
As you stare into these holy eyes you know that this being—if it is really a being—knows your true sins and regrets. Your falsehoods and betrayals. Your true desires and hopes. Your destiny. Words reverberate in your mind.
A voice springs in your head, a voice you do recognize as your own from your previous dreams Sacrifice is not always evil, Marigold. Many of us have had to sacrifice what we hold most dear.
As the words echo in your mind, you stare back at the column of flame. The eyes are gone, and the din of battle returns.
And suddenly, as if you had the knowledge all along, you stand up and face the column of demonic flame. All fear is gone, replaced only with determination.
You know what you have to do.
Based on your first couple of days in Occipitus, you could be forgiven for feeling unwelcome. It is hard to sleep under the claret blisters that pool and congeal in the alien sky, burning with an arterial glow.
But somehow, you are given a reprieve. You are undisturbed, even if the absence of attention creates a building tension. Kaurophon is eager to resume the journey once everyone has rested “We have already passed the flat lands, the food basket of Occipitus. Our goal today is to find our way through the ossaic forest. There is more hide here but it does not mean the place is more forgiving”
Your stay in Occipitus should account for days now, but with no sun to rise or set it’s hard to gauge. Large calcified stakes thrust forth from the ground at every imaginable angle, their twists and curves creating the illusion of a macabre forest. Its floor crunches beneath you as your feet break chalky bone-like fragments.
You travel no more than an hour when JJ calls you to stop and points some of the rib-like columns ahead. Observing the spot you notice a line of centaurs that emerges from behind the columns in front of you. Vile spikes protrude from their backs. You quickly count eight of them, although more might be still hidden in the forest. They speak in a threatening tone "તમે કોણ છો અને અમારા જંગલમાં તમે શું કરો છો? આ પીપલ્સ ઓફ ધ લાન્સ માટે શિકારની જમીન છે."
"Who you are and what are you doing in our forest? This is hunting lands for The People of the Lance."
The centaurs look angry at your presence. It seems they consider this their territory.
Marigold rises from rest the next morning looking weary and pensive. If and when asked about the source of said pensiveness, she sighs and shakes her head. "J-just weird dreams again," she mutters. "St-still trying to m-make sense of this one. M-maybe I should start a dream j-journal?"
________________
When the group encounters the strange and not-so-strangely-hostile centaurs, Marigold glances nervously at her friends.
"Th-they s-say that these are the hunting g-grounds for the P-People of the Lance," she whispers. "And they're n-not happy that we're in their t-territory. They want t-to know wh-who we are and what our b-business is here!"
"And they're...n-not normal centaurs, obviously. They're f-fiendish..." Marigold adds with a quiet sigh, already certain that this news wouldn't sit well with Kikinnin.
"Much abridged Lil' Miss... Right... Let's beat this darned curse eh!... So far, so good..."
Kikinnin keeps his distance, letting Maxim find his center mass, and his own will to overcome what's been done to him. He feels his own hand begin to warm a little under his glove, as he thinks on Abadar's healing grace. He understands in this moment that his healing touch has the power to fix whatever ails Maxim. The trouble comes from Maxim's muddy mass of blond hair. He can't bring himself immediately to reach out and touch him while his form looks so... well, so...
When both Maxim and Ryan have brought the blond beard whole again, Kikinnin breathes a little easier, though a touch of embarrassment flushes his cheeks, for his hesitation.
...
"Th-they s-say that these are the hunting g-grounds for the P-People of the Lance. And they're n-not happy that we're in their t-territory. They want t-to know wh-who we are and what our b-business is here! And they're...n-not normal centaurs, obviously. They're f-fiendish..."
"You should probably inform them we're not hunting here, and where we're headed. If they still attack us, their deaths are on them, then."
"I for one won't hold my breath for them being reasonable."
Marigold translates Kikinnin's words to the centaurs in a softer manner. They do not seem impressed but they do not get angry either. The fiendish centaurs look at the dwarf like gauging his level of menace. After some seconds the one that seems the leader steps to the side and shows you the way forward "જો તમે માત્ર પસાર કરી રહ્યા છો, તો આવું કરો. સાવચેત રહો, જો તમે એક દિવસ કરતાં વધુ સમય પસાર કરો છો અથવા અમારા લોકો અથવા શિકારને હેરાન કરો છો, તો ક્રૂર મૃત્યુ માટે તૈયાર રહો"
"If you are merely passing, do so. Be aware, if you spend here more than a day or harass our people or prey, prepare yourselves for a cruel death"
"Well done, miss Marigold. Whatever you told them seems to have done the job. Let's not overstay our 'welcome' here."
Kikinnin ushers his companions forward and past the herd of horses, making sure to keep watch over his, as the horseman keeps watch over his.
The black beard brings up the rear, occasionally looking back over his shoulder to watch for sudden changes in the herd's dynamic.
The group moves past the fiendish centaurs while they observe attentively. The tension is high but eventually you move away and lost them from view.
You slog your way through the desolate mass of tangled ossifications, following a long chain of vertebrae-like protuberances.
The traveling takes longer now. Kaurophon must frequently stop to get oriented – the forest blocks your sightlines, making navigation difficult.
The party does not clear the forest this day and eventually Kaurophon indicates it’s time to set up camp.
While you are all preparing the camp for the day's rest, JJ raises his head "Some more creatures are approaching" the young man quickly reaches for Alakast.
Some seconds later Marigold, Ryan and Kikinnin also hear something approaching from the north of the camp.
Once he is assured that his fingers will not drip like melted wax, nor beard meld with chest and belly Maxim slowly returns to his old self as the journey through the nightmarish vista continues.
He is quiet as a diplomatic resolution is reached with the fiendish centaurs and shows visible signs of relief when Kaurophon decrees they set up camp.
At JJ's warning the gun-mage rises, grabbing pistol belt and ammo;
"What in tarnation is comin' fir us now!? Can't a dwur grab some decent shut-eye round these parts!"
"W-we're not s-safe as long as we're here..." Marigold shudders as she begins casting protective magics over herself and her friends.
______________
"All too true Miss Marigold, all too true. Abadar granted your grace upon these here for the trials we'll soon face."
Cast Prayer
Ryan joins in with before reaching down and readying shield and mace. Glad to be in his armor this time.
Kikinnin gets his legs underneath himself, in time to receive the blanketing magics of Marigold and Ryan, before he himself lowers his head, and whispers a hushed request to Abadar, this time for Strength, much like he's received from his friends before.
"Now, I'm presuming these creatures approaching will be less likely to parlay, eh, JJ?"
Kikinnin words of parlaying are muffed by a monstrous roar when the tremors become clear and the bone columns start shacking.
From the labyrinth of bones emerges a pack of bests, the amalgam of fur and feathers, bizarre half-bears, half-owls monstrosities raising their huge, ursine claws in anger for the prey scent they have cached a while ago.
The owlbear attacks its prey with its deadly claws, latching onto an opponent. They then bite and claw until the victim falls dead and is devoured. Owlbears attack any prey on sight, and consider anything larger than a mouse prey. They are magical beasts.
There are fiendish traits to them. That means a small resistance to fire and cold, and the ability to smite the good.
Their brutal appearance takes everyone unready, and they get over the party in an instant!
The first two jump over Kaurophon and JJ.
But they seem prepared enough and dodge the aggressive creatures.
Another one jumps over Marigold.
The feathered beast catches the halfling with one claw holding her in the air!
Another one squeezes around a couple of columns and also attacks Marigold.
But his forced position and the halfling's breastplate deflect the claws.
"Time to fight again. Be aware of those beasts, they are known as owlbears but those ones have been tainted by the evilness plaguing this layer or existence" Kaurophon steps back and casts a spell, a shield of magic protecting him from his assailant.
AC = 29, PfE
HP = 94/94
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Protection from Evil(Marigold), Prayer(Ryan), Bull's Strength(Yo Mismo)
Kikinnin steps in front of Maxim, only after Maxim's had his way with the front line of strange bear-bird creatures. "Marigold, you should..." His words are cut short when he finds the little miss firmly snagged by the big beak. "Sorry. Hold on..."
Marigold's Round 1
Oh bother...
On finding herself suddenly swept up by one of the beast's claws, Marigold tries to focus and casts a bit of magic to help her escape...
______________
Ryan spotting a whole pack of creatures descending on the companions tries to stem the tide a bit without hindering his own companions.
or
Unable to reach the one grasping Marigold up, Kikinnin comes over the first one on sight and cuts hard on his leg.
Marigold reacts casting a spell that allows her to easily squeeze out of the powerful claws of the owlbear and sneak out.
Ryan has no problem calling a powerful blast of divine energy over the battle area, sure Marigold will be not damaged.
The divine power obliterates the owlbears. The one attacked by Kikinnin is destroyed while the others go totally blinded.
:
As Ryan radiates divine power, Maxim feels a nick of pain as his neutrality causes him minor suffrage at the hands of the priests prayer.
He curses under his beard as he shifts forward , before levelling Smaug at the only owl bear that remains unaffected ; imbuing it with a degree of arcane power and pulls the trigger ;
:
:
:
:
The gun-mage then moves backward, toward his allies , ending up shoulder to shoulder with Juraan.
"Safer back here... Taskerhill can't fry me!"
" No worries Maxim, a bit of divine burn would just clean off a few errant whiskers in your case, then again I could save that bit of grace next time and we can deal with all of them individually. " Ryan says conversationally as the Dwarf grouse.
Maxim rolls avoiding Ryan's area of divine energy and shots directly at the owlbear bursting its beak!
JJ grips strongly Alakast and destroys the pink fiendish owlbear with a flurry of staff hits.
The owlbear companion sees and attacks on JJ as he finishes the first one.
But thanks to Marigold's magical protections, the beast is unable to scratch him.
The magical defenses thou are not enough to avoid another of the owlbears to bite at the halfling.
The owlbear in the back maneuvers through the columns, which notably slow him, but nonetheless he reaches Marigold's area.
The last one does the same and fails to reach Kikinnin with his claws.
"Tsk, this is a well moment for some area magic" Kaurophon spits the words while he moves his hands, and without the need for guano a small pea of shifting fires flies from his hand until the back of the owlbears and explodes taking three of them on its flames!
The fire takes the existence from two more of the owlbears, and only one survives to the flames, but in an ill state.
AC = 29, PfE
HP = 94/94
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Prayer, PfE, Bull's Strength
Kikinnin watches as Marigold takes another strong bite from the birdbear, with a bit of respect, as the small woman finds no reason to retreat with a creature looming o'er her. "Well done, miss Marigold. You're a testament to your people."
The black beard concentrates on the less wounded one , hoping to finish the fight.
If Green falls with the first swing, Kikinnin 5' steps and throws his Axe a second time at staggered Yellow.
Marigold's Round 2
Marigold quickly takes a step back from the attacking creature, adopting a defensive position as she attempts to conjure another ray of Sarenrae's light...