Life Bubble protects against inhaled poisons.
If Áine hadn't disappeared before, she is definitely nowhere to be seen now, though Faith can still feel her nearby as she touches him to cast Blessing of the Salamander on him (only lasts 7 rounds).
The noxious vapors move in the humid air of the deep cavern, revealing a 25-foot-tall serpentfolk whose head is skeletal, the flesh, tendons, and scales of the body slowly regenerating to cover the bone. A tail, just as long as the powerful body is tall, whips the air as a tongue slithers from between bare fangs to taste the air.
He hisses as scents the nearby prey, the sound echoing in your mind long after you can no longer hear it.
"That's a big snake," Zaine trenchantly observes.
Initiative Zaine
Initiative Tulip
"You best get back in that hole before I put you there," Zaine says.
Zaine ducks low in the saddle and digs his heels into Tulip's flanks. The t-rex takes off like a shot, rapidly closing the distance between gunfighter and god.
"I agree, it's very ssssssssssss" Faith's voice drops away as he turns into a tiny viper.
"I agree, it's very ssssssssssss" Faith's voice drops away as he turns into a tiny viper.
"That's probably not a good sign."
sssssssss
"Oh. That's not good." Áine silently comments to herself, as she watches the tiny Faith asp slither over the broken stone.
She gifts her allies a +1 to hit and damage Favored Enemy bonus (should have been +3, but I f@#k3d up when I did my last level) and marks the serpent god as her Quarry.
I've just realized that if Heroism was still active, Faith makes the save.
I forgot it applied to saves as well as attack rolls.
Faith's voice returns as he and Eroeme resume their normal size.
"sssssizable," Faith concludes.
He shakes his entire body, like a dog shaking off water.
Faith moves in to attack, Eroeme slicing through the air.
"Oh. That's not good." Áine silently comments to herself, as she watches the tiny Faith asp slither over the broken stone.
From her mid-position, Juliver stares slack-jawed at the enormous serpentfolk, her eyes focusing on the regenrating flesh. She looks at the truly titanic skull on the altar. "I do not think we stopped the ritual in time." She is more than a little panicked, "We need to get his head back off."
With the good-aligned priest removed from the battlefield, the recoving god moves a step forward, finding balance on the poison-infused stone. His tail whips around his body and bludgeons the impossibly hidden archer. Twice.
"You best get back in that hole before I put you there," Zaine says.
Sasha, being the level-headed and wise person that she is, sprints across the cavern floor towards the large dangerous god-creature, blades out. Just barely getting in front of little asp Faith.
Faith's voice returns as he and Eroeme resume their normal size.
"sssssizable," Faith concludes.
He shakes his entire body, like a dog shaking off water.
Faith moves in to attack, Eroeme slicing through the air. The sword almost seems to be trying to redirect itself towards the god's neck as the sword lands with a nasty blow.
"Faith not allowed to turn to itty bad snake again." Pakshee says with authority. Faith's tattoo from the cannibal flares white with her words. She looks around, trying to decide who to hex with luck next.
Zaine ducks low in the saddle and digs his heels into Tulip's flanks. The t-rex takes off like a shot, rapidly closing the distance between gunfighter and god.
Zaine's mods
Destructive Attacks: +8 damage
Heroism: +2 morale to attacks, saves, skill checks
Bardic: +3 attack, +3 damage
Favored Enemy: +1 attack, +1 damage
Total: +6 attack, +12 damage
Tulip's mods:
Destructive Attacks: +8 damage
Bull's Strength: +4 STR
Animal Growth: +8 STR, -2 DEX, +4 CON, -1 to hit, damage goes up by 1 die, +1 AC
Bardic: +3 attack, +3 damage
Favored Enemy: +1 attack, +1 damage
Challenge: +8 damage vs. god
Freedom of Movement: Move normally despite impediments
Total: +8 attack, +1d6+15 damage, +26 HP, +1 AC
Tulip's current baseline attack: bite +31 (4d6+54 plus grab)
Zaine takes careful aim and fires. The musket booms like thunder.
confirm crit
Tulip clamps her teeth on the god, getting a first taste of the divine.
grab
"Head off," Faith says. "Okay."
He and Eroeme hack away at the god.
Áine's appears, bloodied and bruised from the blows dealt by the gods tail, "Perceptive bastard, aren't you." she takes a step away and unleashes a stream of magically infused arrows just under the oversized serpentfolk's chin. "Let's see if you can take as good as you give." she muurmurs under her breath, "Okay Pakshee. One of two. Here's hoping."
Áine's appears, bloodied and bruised from the blows dealt by the gods tail, "Perceptive bastard, aren't you." she takes a step away and unleashes a stream of magically infused arrows just under the oversized serpentfolk's chin. "Let's see if you can take as good as you give." she muurmurs under her breath, "Okay Pakshee. One of two. Here's hoping."
Aine's arrows pepper the avatar with wounds which spray heated blood that sizzles the stone beneath with reeking smoke as it eats away at the world. Fortunately, the blood does not wash over Faith as Aine's first arrow takes out a third of the serpent's massive neck.
Almost all of the nasty wound that Faith dealt heals proving the near-deity's impressive vigor. Determined to end the pesky archer, the serpent lets loose with a series of massive attacks. [ooc](Aine takes as the god attempts to remove her quickly from the fight. He doesn't quite succeed but Aine is looking quite wan.
Zaine takes careful aim and fires. The musket booms like thunder. The shot doesn't target the creature's neck but pulverizes the deity's body, causing the big creature to stumble back a step.
Faith's first blow looks to be going wide, but the pressure of Zaine's shot shifts the monster's body just enough that Erome is able to finish the job that Aine's arrow started. Washing the priest in the god's acidic blood.
Faith is also twice exposed to the innate poison in the god's blood. Please make 2 DC 30 Fort saves or take Dexterity damage.
In a underclimartic moment, the serpent god's head is again sundered from its body. The skull immediately decays into a bare skul, but even without his head, the massive, punishing wounds on the monster's headless body start to heal.
The blood that pumps from the body blackens and pocks the stone, acidic fumes rising in a poisonous vapor.
"Head's off," Zaine says gratuitously. "What now?"
Pakshee approaches, but not that close, well clear of the noxious acidic poison fumes. She points at the headless body. "No head and not dead-dead or undead." She laughs a little, "Maybe been no-head from when warrior lady chop head off?"
"Getting rid of a god should be difficult," Faith says. "But not a puzzle." Faith holds up Eroeme. "Do you have any ideas?" he asks it. "I can channel energy and cast spells into it, but I'm not going to be able to overpower a god."
Faith moves to tap his forehead, realizes he's holding Eroeme, and taps his forehead with this other hand. "We need to outsmart it."
"Umm, Medic?" Áine says, unceremoniously dropping to one knee in a pool of her own blood, but keeping her attention on the headless body, ready to fire another salvo into it should it come towards her or the casters.
Faith moves to tap his forehead, realizes he's holding Eroeme, and taps his forehead with this other hand. "We need to outsmart it."
Zaine snorts. "You're barking up the wrong tree there, old man." He turns to Julilver. "The way you said 'cut its head off' implies you might know what to do next. Do you?"
The perception spoiler below is a freebie for you. Additionally, you feel a stiffness in your limbs.
Pakshee looks at Aine, looks at the blackened stone and the vast chasm to the depths of the twilight world below. "You come here, stop blood before snake stand up again."
Juliver, who had rushed to Aine in the aftermath of the god's fall, tries to help the archer onto the carpet. She turns to Zaine. "That was how Savith killed him." Juliver says, "Plus the body was regrowing up over the skull, so it seemed it be a good thing to stop." She looks at the body, "I mean, god, so it kinda makes sense that it can survive in a fashion without his head. Plus one of Ydersius's names is the Headless King, so being without his head has become part of his essence."
Juliver shakes herself, stopping the rush of conjecture, lore and information that is clearly running through her head. "Do I know what to do? No. Savith's party threw Ydersius's head into the lava before they took her to the surface to die from the god's poison. The body is regrowing, so I'd say keeping the skull as far away from the body as possible would be a good thing for all the not-serpentfolk people on Golarion?"
"We could take the head with us..." Sasha says, "Since the volcano down here is not active. Bury it in a harder place for the snakes to get to it?"
Áine gladly accepts a hand up from Juliver, a bit unsteady as she is helped atop the hovering carpet now that the adrenalin seems to be draining from her. She eyes her war-priest ally, seeming possibly more worried for him than herself. "Um, Faith? You don't look too well. Have you noticed your nose and fingers are turning grey? Is there something we can do?" she pauses, worrying her lower lip between her teeth, "Given maybe 8 hours or so, I might be able to do something..." her voice trails off, clearly thinking that something needs to be done before that time elapses.
"I'm no great thinker, but it seems like if throwing the damned thing down a volcano won't destroy it, nothing short of another god could do it. So if we're just trying to put it somewhere inaccessible..." Zaine shrugs. "We're running into the same problem as last time. A volcano didn't work. Bottom of the sea? Oh, a water breathing spell will take care of that, or any number of aquatic races who can do that naturally. Deep dark cave? Oh, that'll work. The drow would love to get their hands on a god skull. Only idea I have is putting it in a brick of metal, something like adamantine or mithral, but is there even enough of that in the entire world, and how are we getting our hands on that much?" Another shrug. "I just shoot things."
"Maybe we can visit the Boneyard?" Áine laughs a little weakly, "I mean, I'm not particularly strong in the religion department, but a skull is a bone and isn't Pharasma supposed to judge the dead? Maybe we can find out from her what we're supposed to do." she pauses, "Um. Any ideas on how to get in touch with her? Does anyone know a Pharasmian priest?"
Faith's forehead wrinkles as he thinks. "Destroy the head, or separate it from the body."
I don't suppose the body of Ydersius counts as an evil creature from another place for the purpose of being banished there by the shrunken monkey head?
Something Juliver says meets up with something Áine says. "Poisoned by the blood of the God." He taps his cheek idly. "Stiffening up. I will try Healing myself if it gets much worse. But it's the blood of a God." Faith gestures toward the head, then the body. "Dealing with Ydersius here needs to be our first priority."
"I like the idea of presenting the skull to Pharasma and asking very loudly for help."
The skull is not regenerating.
Something Juliver says meets up with something Áine says. "Poisoned by the blood of the God." He taps his cheek idly. "Stiffening up. I will try Healing myself if it gets much worse. But it's the blood of a God." Faith gestures toward the head, then the body. "Dealing with Ydersius here needs to be our first priority."
"I like the idea of presenting the skull to Pharasma and asking very loudly for help."
"Just the skull then or should we try to stuff the body in a portable hole or something to bring it along?" her eyes continue to warily watch the body as the bloody thing continues to heal before their eyes. Her own flick over briefly again to the war-priest, just for an instant. The worry still evident as the poison slowly courses through his veins. "And how do we get there? Any ideas?"
Zaine begins the work of tying the skull to Tulip , and hauling it away from the corpse as a preliminary measure.
"We could haul this thing back to the Pathfinders. They have clerics and wizards on staff who might be able to do something about it. Could take care of Faith's... whatever it is going on with him too."
Áine will assist in moving the skull away from the body and securing it for transport unless Zaine prefers to do it on his own.
"Sounds like a plan." Áine nods, then grimaces, tight lipped."I suppose concentrating on this is more important than checking on how our allies are doing?" the question seems to be meant rhetorically, but she catches herself. "Wait. Aren't the Pathfinder's pretty much all in the battle plan too? Guess we'd better check in on them then." Áine seems to noticeably perk up a bit.
"I have a thought for the body," Faith says. He rummages in his bag and pulls out a shrunken monkey head. He focuses on the head, , and touches Ydersius' regenerating body with it.
Faith's extremities turn noticeably grey in the moments as the group considers what to do with living and dead parts of the serpentfolk god. However, as the warpriest touches the fetish to the regenerating body color returns to Faith's hands and face. In that moment the god's body vanishes away and a resounding crack echos through the ancient stone temple cavern. The skull on Tulip's back splits in two but the interior briefly glows with trace work of runes.
"...I am still in favor of getting that skull out of here and trying to dispose of it," Faith says.
He looks at the monkey fetish and says, "Good work. You can sleep now."
"What...just happened?" Áine asks, impressed, but with an obvious lack of understanding, "it looks like you did something really good with the serpent god's body gone and the broken skull and all, but...is the poison gone? Are you going to be okay?"
Zaine laughs. "Imagine planning to reincarnate a god, moving heaven and earth to get it done... and a monkey head unravels the whole thing! Now, c'mon, let's go show the bad guys what we did to their god. That'll break the back of any army still facing our allies."
"It's possible that I only bought us time," Faith says. "The body is returned to whence it came."
Faith looks at his hands. "I don't know yet if I will be okay. Yet I am pleased." He grins the slightly-manic version of his usual I love to fight all the evil grin.
It doesn't take long to exit the temple, but navigating the maze of tunnels that connect the temple complex to the northern end of Ilmerea does take a little bit of time. You see no signs of any serpentfolk, but there is an ominous cracking from the giant skull Tulip carries occasionally, the odd runic marking spark intermittedly. In the city proper, there is still a cacophony of noise and the echoing sounds of fighting echoing across the cavernous space. Despite this, you still see not a serpentfolk.
After a relatively short time, you are hailed by Kassata and Aeryn. The pirate hordes had followed the spear from the military district. You see wounds, some particularly nasty amid the pirates and their numbers are reduced, but not as badly had been feared since they were entering into dead center of the serpentfolk controlled portion of the city. A cocky grin grows on the pirate's face as she sees the giant skull. She hands a gold coin to the half-elf, "She said you all definitely had a hand in all of the snakes falling over."
Aerys shrugs, "Too bad it didn't actually kill them all. The stronger ones were only stunned and then they were able to use magic to flee." A tired smile comes through the blood dried on her face from a nasty head wound, "Second best choice given it all."
Heading south, you find that the only remaining fighting is urdefhan keeping both vegepygmies and morlocks clear from 'their' area of the city. However, they suffered losses from the surge of serpenfolks and are unable to take advantage of the aftermath of the battle.
Although not everyone is able to immediately return to the surface, eventually everyone who wants to get there does. The city of Saventh-Yhi is a ruin of it's former glory. The wracking motion of the spears boring through the earth caused a number of earthquakes that destroyed buildings and collapsed structures.
"Whelp." Zaira comments, her left arm in a sling, "Good thing we surveyed the city before we had to go to war, because there isn't going to be much left intact." Despite the truth of statement, there is a weary satisfaction in the Pathfinder's voice.
That night there is both celebration and mourning as there are some, like Conner and Osond, who did not survive the battle. The loss of the sturdy headsman seems to have balanced the Radiant Muse's sanity, at least for now, as she actually speaks to a number of the warriors who battled in the city below.
The next morning, it is Glaur, now missing an eye, that asks, "What is your plan for the serpent's skull?"
Zaine distributes handshakes and a few hugs to the survivors. He celebrates, careful to check up on his friends.
The next morning, it is Glaur, now missing an eye, that asks, "What is your plan for the serpent's skull?"
Zaine glances at his companions. "Well, I floated the idea of handing it over to the Pathfinders. You have resources we don't and could either destroy or secure it."
"To destroy it if possible, and render it inaccessible otherwise," Faith says. "The skull of a God is a powerful artifact in its own right. What did you have in mind?"
Áine seems to be waiting for Glaur's response, but taps her chin with a thoughtful, curious expression, "There's some runic markings inside that glow from time to time. Can anyone make out any meaning from them?"
Glaur's interest in Zaine's comment is plain to see, given his straightforward nature. "The Pathfinder Society does have a great number of researchers and magic-users who would love the opportunity to study a literal piece of the divine."
Cutting off Glaur, Kline (who got through the battle with a few cuts and bruises but no lasting injuries) objects. "The Decemvirate is not the place to put this. They want all of the knowledge even if it is the lynchpin to our own destruction." He shakes his head, "It doesn't seem, from your story, that Ydersuis has been destroyed just that his headless body has been banished back to his... divine plane or maybe his sanctum. He is not gone, the serpentfolk are still a force that could rise up. Especially if more of the ancient sleepers are woken."
Zaira looks conflicted, "But isn't that an argument to understand them more?" She looks at the jagged crack that separates the god's skull into two, "Maybe we could have one part of it study and the other half could go elsewhere?"
To Aine, the female Pathfinder adds, "They bear a slight resemblance to abyssal, but are distinct. Despite the glow, they have no magical aura even when it sparks."
"Do you know how to destroy it?" Zaine asks Kline.
"Savith's allies threw it into an active volcano and that didn't dent it." Kline says honestly, "I'm sure there must be a means to destroy it. First step would be to delve into the literature and culture that was created around the god, find his opposing forces and deities and then..." he shrugs, "It's the goal of a lifetime of work."
"Now's as good a time to any to mention it, but I'm retiring to the Shiv," Zaine says. "I suppose I can sink half of the damn thing in my lagoon and discourage any investigation with a whiff of grapeshot."
"I can see the virtue in separating the pieces as well," Faith says. "Perhaps they need to be destroyed together -- but perhaps not. And while the research happens, it will be more difficult for the blasted thing to reform in one place if its skull is in multiple places."
Faith looks at Kline and Glaur. "It seems like you both agree that more research is necessary -- but you differ on the bureaucracy of the matter."
"I will continue to hunt the snakes...or a way to destroy the skull once and for all." Áine shrugs. "Hopefully, I'll have some help." she glances at Juliver with a half-smile playing around her lips, shrugs. "Either way, it'll probably take some research and..." now her gaze flicks to Pakshee and Faith, "probably a lot of traveling."
"Now's as good a time to any to mention it, but I'm retiring to the Shiv," Zaine says. "I suppose I can sink half of the damn thing in my lagoon and discourage any investigation with a whiff of grapeshot."
Based on the nods (well, except from the pirates, who seeing there are no gems or coin on the skull don't care what happens to the chunk of bone) it seems most people are happy with the dual location of the the god's skull.
Sasha's head tilts to the side, considering. To Zaine, "It won't create a magically infused coral reef that will mutate our fish will it?" Her forehead furrows, "It can't really be worse than the death energies that used to be there, really."
Kassata grins, "Will a pirate ship be welcome in your harbor, if the shores of the Shiv aren't the deathtrap they were?"
Faith looks at Kline and Glaur. "It seems like you both agree that more research is necessary -- but you differ on the bureaucracy of the matter."
Kline looks at Glaur and the rest of the active Pathfinders. "I've seen that Decemvirate cares more about the exploration of mysteries than the effect on the world." Kline shakes his head, "It'd hard for me, because finding those answers is what drew me to the Society in the first place, but," he shakes his head, "unearthing the first ancient serpent and freeing myself from its control with only the barest sliver of luck, unleashing a horde of those on the surface could only lead to catastrophe."
Glaur winces, looks at his people, the patchwork of injuries and the missing. His gaze settles on Zaira, "We could leave the location of the other half of the skull as a mystery, couldn't we?"
Zaira smiles, just a little, looking from the ancient skull to the adventurers who are heading in different directions, "It seems a safe enough place for it to be hidden until someone comes up with an idea of how to destroy the, well, literal skull of a god."
"I will continue to hunt the snakes...or a way to destroy the skull once and for all." Áine shrugs. "Hopefully, I'll have some help." she glances at Juliver with a half-smile playing around her lips, shrugs. "Either way, it'll probably take some research and..." now her gaze flicks to Pakshee and Faith, "probably a lot of traveling."
Juliver nods.
Pakshee just looks at Faith, clearly waiting hear where the warpriest is heading.
Sasha's head tilts to the side, considering. To Zaine, "It won't create a magically infused coral reef that will mutate our fish will it?" Her forehead furrows, "It can't really be worse than the death energies that used to be there, really."
"Only one way to find out, I suppose."
Kassata grins, "Will a pirate ship be welcome in your harbor, if the shores of the Shiv aren't the deathtrap they were?"
"Depends on the pirates," Zaine says with a grin.
"There will be traveling," Faith agrees. "My Goddess has given me a list of rightful-yet-evil monarchs who could be deposed."
Faith shakes his head and grins a bit ruefully. "It grows by the day."
The rise of the ancient serpentfolk empire has been prevented by the heroic actions of the heroes. Rather than the return of a powerful and evil god, the group has banished the headless god to his divine realm while his inert and broken skull remains on Golarion.
One sets forth to kill rightful-yet-evil rulers in order to destroy the Mantis Blade.
One sets forth to create the means to destroy the skull of the evil serpent god.
One goes back to the desert island with half of the skull to raise dinosaurs.
The Shiv castaways once bound together by chance are sundered, their actions legend and changing the fabric of the world forever.