Zveris sets off in a run as well, actually dropping to all fours to do so.
He turns to Merek.
"If she kills you first, put in a good word for me with your sky lady..."
A flaming greatsword, burning like the golden Rays of the sun, slams down a few hundred feet in front of the group, before what seems to be humanoid with large, white wings floats down and takes it, shining with a holy light, decending from above from seemingly nowhere.
It says nothing, staring at the creatures before it.
The witch, some of her clothing still on fire, and some melted, appears nearby, with a wicked, cruel smile on her face.
Moments (2 rounds) prior to the Angel and witch appearing, a scrying sensor appears near sarissa.
Zveris looks above Issa.
"She's watching us. Merek, we could use a plan..."
Zveris growls and summons his Gem claw, still galloping after Issa until she stops.
What is that!?
Castell tries to drop from sarrissa's grip, and tries to run on his own if she lets him.
What is that thing?!
Sarrissa skids to a halt releasing Castell in the process.
"We cannot fight this threat. We must retreat or split up.
A flaming greatsword, burning like the golden Rays of the sun, slams down a few hundred feet in front of the group, before what seems to be humanoid with large, white wings floats down and takes it, shining with a holy light, decending from above from seemingly nowhere.
It says nothing, staring at the creatures before it.
The witch, some of her clothing still on fire, and some melted, appears nearby, with a wicked, cruel smile on her face.
"God's be good," Edgar mutters. He slows from sprint to focus on forming handsigns. Shadow Clones appear around Edgar. He then goes back into a full sprint, running towards the angel, with the intent to run past it. Let's hope it's on our side.
Sarrissa skids to a halt releasing Castell in the process.
"We cannot fight this threat. We must retreat or split up.
I wasn't exactly looking to fight here. Not now.
Castell begins to move around the opposite side of Edgar as he tries to pass the "angel."
This must work, right?
Hail to the Mother divine, from her sun the light will shine.
The land is full of anger,
The seas are dark with wrath...
Fray stays high in the air, gazing down upon the glowing figure, the witch, and the rest of his group.
Well... s~#*.
Fray hangs a left to circle back around, should the rest need air support.
Merek doesn't know exactly what it is he sees, but it has to be an angel from Sarenrae.
It's a protector from the gods! Sarenrae has sent us a guardian! Quickly! Everyone get behind its protective shield! To the rear of formation!
Taking his words to action, Merek heads *towards* the new arrival.
the creature swings first at Castell, while the witch cackles like crazy.
the Angel remains slient as it's greatsword cuts Throguh the air.
"Oh s!~$!" Edgar attempts to tumble past this apparently hostile servant of the gods.
What in the name of...?, Merek thinks as he sees the Angel attack Castell. Why is he attacking us?
Meanwhile, Merek continues to run towards the Angel. [i]Think... Think... Why is it attacking us? The witch must be protected by one of the Gods. Or she's found a way to control one. [i]
As Merek runs, he pulls up on the haft of his polearm.
Coming up behind Castell, Merek grabs him and throws him out of the Angel's reach.
"Castell!!" she shrieks.
"Split up! Go around! Meet at the funeral!"
Before they get much closer to the witch and angel-thing, Zveris suddenly shifts in shape somewhat. He becomes sleeker, his feet bigger, everything elongated and he starts to run faster, suddenly switching direction to make a circle around them.
The Nations in their harness
Go up against ou-
ghi-
The sword digs into the side of Castell's neck, somehow missing an artery, and yet the wound is undeniably deep. Blood begins to mat his fur and stain his scarf, and the pain wracks his body.
What? Why? Not important now, We have to get out. Is Zveris talking about the lake? Right, I'll go there after I lose the witch.
As Merek grabs him, he stops a reflex to fight back, trusting his friend. As he is moved quickly and forcibly, yet gently, he then leaves, using the withdraw action if necessary.
He sprints, moving with a bizarre combination of new-found grace, and fear-driven scrambling.
Castell gets on all-fours if it makes him move faster.
I remember running from people before. This is different. I've never really thought they would kill me. And for what? Walking into a swamp? It's not even a nice swamp!
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Fray sees Castell take a great blow to the neck and feels a writhing in the pit of his stomach.
What is this feeling. It's dangerous down there, but I'm compelled to... help? Mayhaps this new form clouds my mind.
Fray thinks it over for a moment before drinking down his vial of mutagen. After a short pause, Fray distorts a bit almost in a painful cringe, as his avian-like hands grow claws and his teeth elongate and sharpen. His muscles bulge and a silvery sheen spreads over his body and feathers. After the transformation, Fray regains his balance and swoops down towards the fleeing group. He grabs Castell with his new found strength and attempts to take back to the skies.
the Angel seems to ignore all the movment nearby, and just takes a swing at marek.
The witch laughs some more, before saying-
"Paladin! Does the light forsake you?"
and then laughing some more, the Angel stioic and silent, barely moving.
the Angel seems to ignore all the movment nearby, and just takes a swing at marek.
1d20+17
[dice=damage]2d6+7+1d6
The witch laughs some more, before saying-
"Paladin! Does the light forsake you?"
and then laughing some more, the Angel stioic and silent, barely moving.
Augh! Merek yells as he gets hit. I need to find some new armor! He thinks to himself, Although it may not even matter wth this foe.
Merek speaks loudly back at the witch, The heavens will never forsake a Paladin, Witch! You must have him under your spell!
Recognizing that he is outclassed, Merek thinks about retreat. He looks around to ensure everyone else is already past the Angel and running for safety. Then he withdraws from combat and follows suit.
"We must leave this place while we still can!" Sarrissa shouts as she tries to move away from the witch and the new threat without moving farther into the wood.
Chris casts obscuring mist as he runs at a 90° angle to where the others were running.
"You know, for a mouse, your instincts to avoid birds is abysmally low." Fray smiles down with sharp teeth at Castell.
"Mission accomplished by the way... So what's the plan? Return to the tree house?"
First, mongoose. Castell waves his finger in a lighthearted manner. Second... Do my teeth look that bad now too?
He surveys the immediate area. He see's the others start to make their own retreats, Merek and Sarrissa running, Chris casting a spell...
...Which Castell recognizes as the tactically useful Obscuring Mist before following suit.
All in their own separate directions.
The others are leaving and the witch isn't following any of us. Neither is her puppet. I was right, she did already get whatever it is she wanted. We should go to the tree house as you suggest. After all we need to bring, eh, you to the burial site.
Merek falls in line with Sarrissa as they escape the swamps and head back to Z's house.
"Hold there mouse. I thought in exchange for me taking care of the bodies we had agreed Sarrissa would preserve my body and I'd procure a cart to transport it? Why is there a burial site involved now!?"
Fray's grip loosens a bit as the upsetting thought distracts him. Flying roughly 60ft in the air, he notices Castell slipping a bit and readjusts his grip.
the witch cackles as everyone flees, then turns back to the swamp.
"Come on then, we've got skeletons to... Animate."
she runs her hand down her face as she notices a billowing colemn of smoke coming from the swamp.
"Well. Now I've got to put that out."
she begins to cast control weather.
"Hold there mouse. I thought in exchange for me taking care of the bodies we had agreed Sarrissa would preserve my body and I'd procure a cart to transport it? Why is there a burial site involved now!?"
Fray's grip loosens a bit as the upsetting thought distracts him. Flying roughly 60ft in the air, he notices Castell slipping a bit and readjusts his grip.
Relax, I just mean the place we were going to bury the rest of us were we a bit more lucky, we just need to get you a wagon for your body, but we need to get it first. Castell thinks for a moment. We'll need to search the coast of the lake for the others afterwards.
Of course there was the matter I wanted to discuss earlier. His tone shifts to a grave, somber quality as clouds begin to move in.
Do you happen to know what I mean already?
"I haven't the foggiest. Care to elaborate?"
"I haven't the foggiest. Care to elaborate?"
Something you once enjoyed now disgusts you on a deep, sub-conscious level. Every fond memory you once held is now being tainted by this irrational hate. You don't even know if you'll be able to control it completely. I saw the look on your face when you said the word "human".
Castell looks up at his carrier with that last word, looking for a reaction.
Course, maybe I'm just projecting...
"Hmph... I know not of what you speak. I hold more contempt for others than normal." Fray looks down at Castell and the smile fades from his face.
Fray sighs. "To be honest, there is a strange illness that overcomes me when I think about... people in general. A byproduct of the transformation perhaps?"
I think you're right about that. Thinking about our... reptilian friends unsettles me, despite the fact that Merek was, no, is a good friend of several years now, I know little about Edgar but he's done nothing to wrong me, and Zveris... His voice trails off here.
I was trying, you know? I was trying to patch things up between us His voice starts to grow louder but he still thinks the church stole his man or some such non-sense. And now this happens. Castell stops to take a deep breath.
Hell, I don't even know what they think of me now. And I've got this ridiculous notion in my head that Zveris had something to do with what happened to us.
Do you have something you feel like you're going to lose too?
"Aye, my sanity if this keeps up. I know not of your relationships with the others, but do you hold the same animosity towards Sarrissa? It may sound crazy, but it's possible your instincts as a mongoose are to kill snakes and the like. Haha!" Fray lets out a hearty laugh at the ridiculous notion.
"Though I can assure you that you look no more appetizing to me than you did before the change, so you can rest easily on that point. ...Errr. Do you remember the location of the lake? I seem to have... lost track of my direction. "
Castell chuckles along with the joke. Heh, that sounds ludicris. Dear lords in Elysium he's right.
"Well, that was fun, we should do that again sometime." Edgar says to no one in particular.
"So, one of your fellow servants of the gods tried to murder us. That was interesting." He says in a light-hearted tone to the faithful of the group.
"This does give us a bit more insight as to just how powerful that hag is, know your enemy and all."
Yes. I... Do not understand what was going on back there. I do not know how she could have controlled an angel. It must mean that she is extremely powerful, and we will have to train very hard and travel the world to find the artifacts necessary to defeat her.
"I guess we start now eh? Head back to Teacher's, get what we need and head out from there?"
"So to the lizardfolk camp then?"
it isn't too long after people start fleeing that suddenly, with no warning, a vicious storm kicks up, raining heavily. Lighting loudly cracks in the clouds, as the rain pours down, rendering vision difficult. The wind starts to pick up slower, but will soon be up quite strong..
Fray flies to the ground and begins running, still holding Castell. As he runs, he removes a wand from his bag and pokes the Tavi with it. He then releases him.
Castell sticks with Fray, heading towards the treehouse as the rain begins to pour in.
What? Again? This must have been the witch, there's no way this is natural. Do you think you did enough damage to the bodies to make them useless for animating? I'm not especially well versed in necromancy.
"They'll not be raised as zombies. That we can be sure of. Acid takes it's time on bones though... Are you quite familiar with your skeletal structure?" Fray half smirks at his failed attempt at a joke.
"At least the shock of seeing your old bodies shambling at you is gone I suppose. Shall we tell the others, or let them rest easily thinking that the whole of their corpses are destroyed?"
" Are you quite familiar with your skeletal structure?" Fray half smirks at his failed attempt at a joke.
Somewhat, why do you ask? The "joke" going wayyy over Castell's head.
"At least the shock of seeing your old bodies shambling at you is gone I suppose. Shall we tell the others, or let them rest easily thinking that the whole of their corpses are destroyed?"
We might as well pretend we had some small victory here tonight. We might as well tell them. I'll give the news, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's lying.
Zveris is back a little later, as he went to the lake first as he had intended, but with everything that happened, he doesn't blame people for not getting what he meant.
He looks to Castell immediately after getting there, sounding obviously concerned.
"Are you alright? That thing got you good earlier..."
Heal to see status
Sarrissa enters the tree house in a very dour mood. She doesn't say a word, just plops down with her back against a well and her hands resting on her knees. She waits up to two hours for everyone before channeling positive energy to heal Merek and Castell's wounds at least.
If anyone still has damage she will spontaneously cast cure light wounds.
Shield cure light wounds charge 1
Shield cure light wounds charge 2
Once she has finished healing everyone up, she says "Tomorrow I leave to check out the lizardmen areas. Come with me or don't, but I will no longer follow foolish suicidal plans." She turns and heads back outside to stand watch for a few hours.
When everyone gets back to the tree house, Fray stays outside and feeds Horace. He talks to him a bit to calm his nerves. "You wouldn't believe the day I've had. These damned fools are trying to get themselves killed. I honestly don't know where they'd be without me... Face down, dead in that swamp, I'd wager."
Fray pets Horace before collecting himself and returning to the tree house.
Castell passes by Fray and enters the tree house, putting more energy into his appearance and words than he thought he had. Well, I think that went about as well as it could have, all things considered anyway. I'd say mission accomplished.
"Are you alright? That thing got you good earlier..."
Now, now, I was only almost decapitated. But yes, I'm quite alright... thank you.
Castell takes ten on bluff here. The bodies were successfully burned away, in case anyone's interested in some good news. He tries to shift attention towards a new subject. But, yes! Tomorrow we're off to see the camps.