Ktinos, having long since lost any sense of rationality in his rage, snarls and whirls on the tree-thing that had dared run into him, tearing at it with claws and teeth... though the Sphinx's influence on him gave him just enough cunning to feint one way before attacking from the other.
Lady Zal: Fires another mind-blazing bolt at HER. You feel her mind start to back away from yours. In your experience, this means that your opponent is about to flee!
Ethana: The close-call of the tree-thing rushing below her truly throws off her aim and only one of her strikes manages to penetrate the thick bark of the tree.
Gosor: Lies unconscious in the middle of the desecrated 'garden'.
Bleed is running freely from the Minotaurs eyes, ears and previously closed wounds. The crimson droplets seem to be sucked in by the ground as if the desecrated ground was never watered before...
TreeThing#1 Having deposited Gosor within the 'garden', it turns towards Ktinos and strikes back.
Ktinos: Claws at the undead tree that bumped into him, ripping huge chunks of bark and rotten matter away. It prevails, but will not stand another such onslaught for sure!
Astrapios up
TreeThing#2 -
TreeThing#3 -
SHE: -
Maggot Swarms:
#1 30/148
#3 76/148
#2 117/148 took 70 (Ktinos) >> 47/148
#Swarms: 60/60
"She's the main target, I keep her busy!"
Astrapios unleashes a second Hail Mary of fireballs at HER.
Crackling bolts of lightning sneak and arc around the towering frame of Ktinos, racing towards HER disgusting and burn the bloated, unholy flesh and chitinous armor wherever it hits.
With a resounding shreek, no one of you will forget any time soon, SHE falls from the webbed wall, HER many legs curling into a ball below HER bloated form.
*THUNK*
With a heavy impact, SHE lies motionless on the ground.
A moment of utter silence follows.
...
Then, the remaining undead ghorans fall apart like wax-figures caught in the sun. Their decomposition is accompanied by a last, relieved wail.
The maggots continue to wiggle and wobble around, but now rather aimlessly and they are put down easily by the psychic powers of Lady Zal.
You notice that the foul glow of the crystal has started to fizzle.
The strength of the glow is varying greatly between each crystal.
The northwest one is nearly out.
The north-east and south-west are weak but have started to pulsate slowly.
The south-east one is considerably stronger now and also pulsates - even quicker than the other two.
You feel the profanity and pure evil emitted by the crystals to somehow go out of control.
Where it felt like it had a purpose before and thus reason it now feels like it is about ready to swallow and devour everything - without reason or goal.
Ethana floats to the floor and allows herself to become visible again.
"I'm glad that's over. Actually..." she glances at the crystal, "Anyone else seeing that?"
While you can't fathom what might be the side-effects, letting such powerful and evil magic go out of control would certainly be very bad indeed.
So breaking them might be the choice of lesser evil.
"Okay, here goes nothing." Ethana says, "Diaphora, give me strength." She takes a deep breath, and smashes the crystal with her spear, simultaneously brandishing her shield and erecting an invisible dome of force around herself and the crystal.
The crystal breaks easily ...
... and unleashes a powerful blast of negative energy that immediately fills the force barrier.
From the outside, onlookers may make out screaming voices forming momentarily inside the purple-black energy nebulae.
You may also notice that the shield is buckles and is barely able to contain the energy wave, which seems to try and escape the bound towards the south-east.
From the inside ... it is excruciating pain and the feeling of ones life drifting away - down a very steep slope into the maw of an awaiting behemoth with unending hunger.
Will-Save DC25, evil, fear-based effect, look inside if you fail the check.
Suffer two temporary negative levels.
As the wave clears, Ethana's knees buckle and she falls to the ground, her own legs unable to support herself as she collapses, dark wisps of steam trailing from her.
Ktinos snarls, but lets go of the rage... but not his increased size, at least for the moment. Instead he reaches down and grabs Gosor and the seed they'd come for and starts heading out of the chamber as far as he can fit.
Comes down to the ground, Green psionic power flames licking over her body which then stiff out. Her eyes are still however blazing.
As she looks at the dead body of the spider witch then at the crystal.
She dose not look away and it brakes.
Her eyes blaze again and she locks her mind down so as not to be effected by shattering..
Once its over she looks around the chamber seeing what other things the spider witch had done.
"I think you all, I could not have taken on this evil alone. She wanted to controls the minds of others which will not do."
Lady Zal stands well back, and looks around, seeing a bolder in the cave she hold up her hand, green flame licks the hand and the bolder.
The bolder flies across the room and smashes into the Crystal
From the scattering crystal, another wave of energy erupts, this time though, no force shield stops it from taking form.
The swirling energy takes on the form of a hovering eye, its visual cord ending in a mass of slashing tentacle-limbs.
It twitches around erratically then fixates on the unmoving body of HER.
A moment passes, then the energy-thing lungs forward, directly towards HER, all the while trailing and loosing unsubstantial matter thus shrinking and getting more and more translucent as it proceeds across the room...
Ethana half-rouses from her collapsed position as the energy swirls once again. She reaches for her magic, hand closing over her holy symbol necklace, and feebly tries to end whatever magic is being worked in the room, but finds her own grip on her self so weak that she can't even get the spell to move past the ends of her fingers.
Not knowing what this thing is, Astrapios moves to intercept.
Ktinos continues his course of getting Gosor and the seed out of the room.
The things, while certainly a magic creation, is of a kind Ethana never encountered before and her counter-spell frizzles.
Astrapios, charging through the room like a madman, hauls himself into the way of the energy-thing, trying to intercept its course...
... and the things traverses straight through him.
Wrong!
This feels utterly wrong.
For a moment, you feel your innards wringgle, stiffen and rumble, then there is a voice in your mind.
The voice speaks with a horrible grinding, wet voice that makes you think of chitinous maggots wringgling over decaying wood.
'''You are not HER.
I want nothing of you... Right now.
SHE has a debt to pay.
And I am hungry.
I ... Must ... DevourDecayDestroyRenewDispose!
Get.
Out.
Of
My.
Way!'''
Once it passed Astrapios, not without loosing quite a lot of its substance, it vanishes into HER body.
One second passes in silence.
Then, you hear HER moan.
Then scream in terror.
And she begins to rot away.
Processes that should take months, passing within a few horrible heartbeats.
Then.
Nothing remains of HER.
Looking around, you notice that the remaining two crystals to emit light no more.
Whatever foul magic inhabited this place... It is gone.
Ethana slowly staggers to her feet, "Please tell me one of you is still in a shape to fight, because if we're ambushed on our return, I won't be of much help." She supports herself with her spear, and slings her nearly-ruined shield onto her back, and starts limping out of the chamber behind Ktinos.
"we can do this."
Ktinos focuses for a few moments. His wounds and burns start to heal.
He smiles toothily at the others. "I can still fight."
Looks around
"I want to know what that was and where its gone.But for now lets look around this den of evil"
The cave is utterly dark now that the crystals have stopped emitting their unholy light.
Producing light or relying on innate abilities to see in the dark, the group meets up in the middle of the eerily silent cave.
Battered, bruised and shaken ... but their goal accomplished.
The ever vigilant investigatorix starts searching the evil place.
Surrounding the shattered crystals, she uncovers the tell-tale signs of summoning and pact magic.
Expensive cold-iron and silver tools, chains, icons as well as a battered spellbook bound in black leather that actually wriggles under the touch.
In a dark sideboard towards the end of the cave, a sizeable selection of potions, elexiers and other alchemical products of yet unknown power are found. All are stamped with the sigil 'J.A.'
Other than that, the only things left of potential interest, are the foul grops within the despoiled garden.
There are crops of the following:
- Deathrot Mushrooms: Known to grow on ill-burried corpses. Released spores are highly poisenous. Victims succumbing to it, often raise as spore-zombies
- Black Vine: Spell component of many a dark spell and ritual - associated with the necromancy school.
- Fecer-Snake-Root: quickly multiplying weed, burrowing underground. Crops growing alongside this weed, turn out poisonous and induce a deadly fever.
Ktinos eyes their finds warily. "I would ask our plans for sharing the spoils, but I am not certain what here we should not destroy. Who of you are knowledgable in such things?"
Ethana looks over the foul garden, "None of it is worth sparing. Burn it all." she tells the cat, doing her best to utilize what magic she did have to lessen the load on her legs, flying just an inch off the ground for a few paces, then landing, then flying again, catching herself each time on her spear.
Ktinos growls in agreement. He shrinks down to his normal size, though as he does so his head grows more dragon-like. He inhales deeply, then exhales a blast of fire over the poisonous garden.
He looks over the destruction, waiting to catch his breath. After several seconds he burns the crops a second time, then seems satisfied with his work. Turning he sees Ethana struggling, walks over to her, and silently offers a shoulder to lean on.
Lasy Zal seems to be for the 1st time angry as she looks around, Some thing deep and strong has effected her. She makes notes of the signs of summoning and pact magic, then takes the potions and the battered spellbook bound in black leather, Evil Icons and some of the crystal, placing them in her lesser bag of holding. Then when done she address the others.
"The tools have value but no intrinsic evil. Have them if you wish."
She then looks down and back up.
"The Books and icons need to be destroyed by safe hands back at a good temple."
Then she takes a shard of Crystal.
"I believe that this Crystal was not grown here but planted, which means this thing got it from somewhere pre primed to hold bound evil."
There is a new tone in her voice, was that concern.
"That worry's me. In isolation we can take her acts and being that of someone fallen into evil. I know to well can that can happen."
And there seems to be pain in her voice, but then she refocuses.
"The lour of power, easy and fast"
She shakes her head, as if shaking off memory's.
"I do what I do to make amends and I hope one day redemption. So you may think me paranoid, But if she had outside aid, we have a conspiracy. Other acting with her. And this may be only the 1st move in a much bigger game."
She looks at each of you,
"What I ask you now you need not do, but we need to report back. But after, would you aid me into looking into this more?"
She asks.
While making there way home, Astrapios consideres her bidding.
"If there is such a conspiracy, we need to crush it, no matter the cost. Now we need to hurry!"
Ktinos cocks his head to one side. "If you will have me, I will come. I have no home to return to nor a destination to seek, so if there is some good here I can do, I will do it."
Ethana nods in thanks at Ktinos' help, "Give me a day to rest up. I'm tapped for today. Whatever the conspiracy is, it can wait until tomorrow. I need to visit a temple tonight." she insists.
Summoning themselves, our heroes begin to fall back, leaving the evil hideout of Arachnia behind them. Ktinos finds himself with the task to carry the lifeless body of Gosor, while Astrapios supports Ethana who seems weaker than any of you ever saw her before, even though a decent amount of her wounds were healed by the paladin.
The travel back is still nerve wrecking, as you feel observed and followed for the better part of the way back to the forest path. The night rest is uncomfortable and the watches long with only the four of you remaining. Still, the night passes by and you find yourself awaking with a decent amount of your strength restored. Ethana still looks pale and ... ill.
You continue your journey and reach the gates of Aelyosos as the last traces of the sun sink into the ocean the day after your fought with HER, a total of three days after you set out.
Hurrying to the temple of Kelksiomedes, you are awaited eagerly and are granted entrance by the temple guards without a single word wasted. A young priestess leads you through the vast temple complex and into the temple gardens. Prayer-songs, magical incantations and the low, bone-vibrating humming of Ghorans lead you to the place where a cadre of high-priests, Ghorans and Kelksiomedes himself are labouring to keep your good friend from withering away.
The hero-god turns as you close in, his eyes, usually emitting a warm and powerful golden glow, are sunken and he looks tired but this shadow is lifting as he perceives who has come to this sacred place.
"Ahhh, you are back my most trusted children.
Did you ..."
At which point he stops, closes his eyes and moans.
"Oh my. You suffered greatly and have lost a beloved ally in your heroic endeavour.
But I can feel Gosors spirit is still with you.
I will see to restore him later.
First things first: you did succeed, I can see it in your auras.
Come, come now, we have to hurry.
Quercus time all but run out.
Show me the seed, so I can ensure it was not corrupted."
Ethana gives a respectful bow to the hero-god, "Thank you, aristo." We seek to help protect the city, and all those within it. She weakly coughs, "Is your high priestess in the temple currently? I... could use some healing." she asks.
With a nod from the hero-god, Ethana makes her way off to the inner courts in search of her.
Going as well to the good temple Lady Zal hands over the books, icons and alchemistical stuff they had found.
She is happy they have agreed.
"There is no need to want for a home Kitnos. I am a 'Lady' because because of something I did a long time ago. The title is not just a word, with it came land and a good sized town house. There is room there. We needs to see the priestess and report what has happened."
"We've been gone for quite a while. Do you mind wrapping this up without me? I have obligations to attend."
With this, the mostly uninjured masked man retreats and disappeares.
When he reaches his manor, the bottowed horses in tow, his loyal aid Grammateos already awaits him and tends to the horses while Astrapios changes.
"Grammateos, I need to Adress the council first thing in the morning. Report what the heroes have found out. Please send spread the message. Thank you and good night."
The next morning, councilman Aramyros gave a report to the city council about the recent events, making sure to leave out the details that he obviously knew, but shouldn't.
Ktinos warily presents the seed to the hero-god. The Beasts within him screamed for the blood of their enemy. He hoped Kelksiomedes could not sense their rage... or that if he did, that he understood the price Ktinos paid to keep them in check.
He gives Lady Zal a slight nod, but does not answer for now--he appreciates the offer, but now does not seem the time to discuss it, not until after the hero-god has done his work.
Kelksiomedes nods with compassion at Ethanas question.
"Of course my dear.
She is in the great hall of sacrifice.
Go see her if you like to - or remain for the ceremony of reseeding. It may refresh your spirit not unlike to the healing magic you seek.
Whatever path you choose, be ensured that your wounds will be healed and your spirit calmed before you leave my temple."
With that, he turns to Ktinos and takes the seed from him.
As the hero-god touches your hand for but a fleeting moment, the chorus of angry, bloodlusty voices that stain your mind go calm.
So calm.
It is, as if you are alone for the very first time since ... forever.
Then, the moment is gone and all four scream and shout over each other, demandingy vengeance on everyone and everything in sight.
With the seed in hand, Kelksiomedes closes his eyes and folds his hands around the fleshy, fist-sized mass that holds Quercus' essence.
As he re-opens his eyes, another couple of Shadows are lifted from his ascended face.
"A splendid job indeed my friends.
You were in time to prevent any lasting corruption.
It may be that this next life if his will be a bit more dark and occasionally morose than his previous ones, but he will be fine otherwise."
To your astonishment, he offers back the seed to Ktinos.
"It is you who saved his life as well as his spirit.
Why don't you plant the seed yourself?
Just bury it in the holy ground of my garden, right here, and our friend will be free to regrow soon."
Ktinos is so caught off-guard by Kelksiomedes's touch that he almost misses his invitation. Shaking himself slightly, he half-nods, half-bows and takes the seed back.
Quietly he goes to the place indicated, looks about for an appropriate place, and kneels to the ground. With one large paw-hand he digs a hole, then gently places the seed in with the other.
Ethana stays to watch the growing rites, leaning on her spear at the edge of the courtyard.
As soon as Ktinos has covered the seed entirely with the moist earth of Kelksiomedes' garden, the singing and praying from the half-conceiled pavilion ends.
Several priests and priestesses leave the pavilion, each and everyone of them seems both tired and glad. They join you, forming a circle around the buried seed.
A short silence drops over the assembled group, then a long and satisfied moan can be heard from within the overgrown pavillion, followed by a powerful wave of primal energy. Nothing can be felt, but you can feel and actually smell it.
You feel refreshed as if you just woke from a long and dreamless slumber and find your bruises and small cuts all but vanished and any larger injuries are well underway to heal naturally.
And the smell ... it smells like a mixture of a forest after rain, freshly mowed grass and a herb garden. Surprised, you find any trace of hunger or thirst all but gone.
As the feeling has passed, a tiny green stem appears out of the ground where the seed was buried. Fascinated, you witness it growing fast. Within half a minute, the stem has already reached two hands-width of length and sprouted two dozen leafs.
"All is well, my friends.
Quercus is born anew and will rise tomorrow at noon."
The voice of the hero-god is solemn and full of satisfaction.
"Now, I am sure you all got important things to see to - not the least of which is to see for your loved ones and get your wargear in order.
Nevertheless, we need to talk about what transpired in that evil place. And soon, for memory is a fleeting deer.
If you agree, I would like to congregate tomorrow, so Quercus can be with us if he wishes to.
I feel that he has to be part of this, or his mind will never rest easy again."
Ktinos is rather surprised by all that happens with the seed. He knew little to nothing of Quercus's kind, so had no expectations for how they worked.
He nods warily to the hero-god. In some ways he would rather get the speaking done with all at once, right now, for in his heart he still could not believe Kelksiomedes could be anything but an enemy to him, who bore the souls of the great beasts slain by his kind.
He turns to Lady Zal. "I would be grateful for the place to rest. It is... rare to find an inn... suited to me," he states, not quite wanting to bring up the why, though he thought it obvious.
As the ceremony concludes, Ethana finds herself physically refreshed, but still in dire need of quiet time in meditation and prayer. She bids farewell to her compatriots, and as she passes Ktinos, pats his shoulder, "Like I said, welcome to the Pharossi. You'll fit right in."
With that, she makes her way back to her apartment, a small, two-room affair on the roof of a building in Kamsiodos. It didn't have stairs leading to it, but that was fine by Ethana's standards. It wasn't much, but it was all she needed. Her helmet flew from her head, morphing into an owl, perched on a stand near her bed's headboard. Finding herself reinvigorated from the ceremony as well, Ethana pulled out her spellbook, and tells her familiar, "Remind me to learn a few fire spells. And a few area-effect harmful spells." The owl nods, and Ethana returns her attention to her ruined shield, hanging on its peg on the wall. She spends a few minutes flipping through the pages of her book, until she settles on the right spell, summons her magic, and bends the woven strands of quintessence in the shield, watching as the shield un-melts, straightening as her magic runs throughout the metal and undoes the damage done to it by the corrupted trees.
Once her shield is fixed, and she's done her daily maintenance for her gear, Ethana makes herself dinner- primarily a large salad, and meditates on the roof until nightfall, watching the city below slowly die down in business as the sun sinks into the horizon and the stars come out. Then, she returns to her bed, ready for an early morning.
He turns to Lady Zal. "I would be grateful for the place to rest. It is... rare to find an inn... suited to me," he states, not quite wanting to bring up the why, though he thought it obvious.
Soon they are done and Lady Zal comes back to the others.
"I would like you all to come to my town house in 3 days. Come early and ready for travel. Also here takes these."
She writes each of you a credit note for 12,000gp
"If you take this to the Banking guild they will make true on this. Please use it to get what you need for a long trip"
[ooc]You can ask her things at this point but she will ask you to wait until you meet again. So you have three days to do things and get gear you need. All magic items are open to you. with no single item costing more then 8k.
When done she takes Ktinos with her as she goes.
After a couch ride, you find yourself outside a mid sized 3 story town house. They are greeted by a butler. Who takes any gear you have and places it in your room. when you are show your room you find it has its own garden of some size. Its clear this space is much larger than the house. So there is some kind of magic expanding the internal space of the building. Where as it was evening outside, its always sunny in the garden.
Ktinos is very surprised by Lady Zal's home. He was used to rough inns--or more commonly, their stables--not houses so rich they are enchanted. While grateful for the offer, he feels uncomfortable in such oppulance, worried he'll accidentally knock something over with his tail or break a chair not intended for his weight or something. So he is glad to see this strange garden within, more familiar with plants and outdoor spaces as he is.
Cautiously he steps into it and looks about, finds an area he can sit down in, and does so. After a little while the fatigue of a hard day hits him, and he lays down on his side in the midst of the garden and is soon asleep in spite of the false daylight.
The next morning, Ethana rises with the sun, as she always did, and spends an hour training and preparing spells, enchanting her spear and herself for combat. Then, she looks at the note Lady Zal had given them, and heads to the Floodmarket, stopping by to redeem it for value first. Then, assuming there's nothing on fire, heads to the Pharossi base of operations to see if there's anything urgent that she needs to take care of.
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With the first light of the next day, consciousness comes and takes root in the newly grown body.
Young-yet-century-old eyes open and Quercus Thousandborn takes the first breath of his newest incarnation.
I am in the garden of Kelksiomedes.
I can feel our tree breathing nearby.
I should thank him for the honor to regrow in his temple-garden.
Flexing his arms and legs for the very first time, Quercus steps out of the nutritious ground.
Looking around, he notices the many different tracks criss-crossing the garden surrounding him.
Some deep, some shallow. Some from booted feet, some from bare-footed priests.
Recollection dawns in his mind.
A deja-vu from the very last moments of his previous life.
There is Lady Zal talking with the hero-god himself and some advisors.
Then the Lady again, talking with Miss Minara and ... a large feline person that is new to him.
Talk about a new task in the never-ending journey to protect Iblydos from the darkness that tries to swallow everything.
An intense feeling of relief and dept washes up in him towards the Lady, the Spear-Fightress and even the unknown feline.
While memory of what exactly transpired is cloaked in shadows, Quercus is sure that these three did him a great favor during his last cycle.
Whatever the cause may be, Quercus would not be found wanting.
But first things first. Time to thank the hero-god and visit the golden tree and refresh my oath.
***
Cold rage.
Clenched fist made of ironwood.
Leaf-color a flashing red.
Oh in the name of Kelksiomedes:
What happened to my garden?
And where are you my beloved Leshys?
<<< Three days thereafter >>>
The tall frame of the Thousandborn comes early to the estate of Lady Zal-Azra Qlin-Zra.
He does not wear any armor (or any clothing in the traditional sense for that matter) and no visibly weaponry, unless you would count the ironwood walking cane as one.
To the discerning eye, several (most likely magical) trinkets can be seen on his body.
They do not look as if worn but rather as if a tree has grown around said artifacts, incorporating them into the plants body.
The ghoran will make for the main entrance and knock if he is not already awaited by servants .
Lady Z was looking at the shards from the evil witches cave. They where laid out around her, clustered into piles related to where they had been in the cave.
She was not in the cave no, having had them moved to her town houses curt yard.
Standing there she looked on as her servants bought out tables, and started to place meat dishes, wine classes and other items needed to serve brunch.
Lady Z, Secretary came up to her, an old elf he bowed once and then said in an crips voice. Showing just a smig of pomp.
"The innovations where sent at 1st light my Lady, and the carriages have no left to pick up those that will come. I hope the meal being set up is to your satisfaction."
This was more of a statement than a question, Zal had known Kimily from when he had 1st come to the city as a gifted scribe. Hiring him was one of the better dictions of her life.
"Good Kim. Well let's see who will answer the call to find the evil that made these."
Kim rised and eye brow.
"Made, they look natural to me my lady."
In responce she held up a single shard of crystal, on it where runes,.
"The evil artist who made them was vain, they signed their work, Thing is whose signature is this, I am needed here, So"
"Arr you will be sending other to find its owner"
"That is my hope"
Lady Z said placing the shard back on a pile.
Quercus has politely declined to ride in the carriage sent to his estate, opting to just walking behind the carriage to the destination.
Many Ghorans and Quercus for sure are not to keen about sitting, preferring to standing in most cases.
He instead opted to just walk behind the carriage on its way back to Lady Zals residence.
During the walk, he pulls out the letter he received earlier, inviting him over...