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Kara is torn between the clear orders of the dashing warrior, and the safety of her friends. Seeing how badly the warpriest is doing at being unobtrusive, she decides to stay where she is and watch carefully.
(Sigh) Look at him, riding tall in the saddle like a hero of old. He really does have beautiful eyes, doesn't he?
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Kara drags her eyes away from Sir Ilivan's jawline long enough to notice her friends trudging headlong into danger.
I'm going to back them up. You boys can help, or not.
She moves into slightly closer position, trying to remain unobserved, and keeping her Wayfinder (and its Detect Evil ability) active, scanning to the North and East.
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Floria tries to bark out a warning but they rush into battle.
"Oh for Heaven's Sake, that much negative energy will overwhel-"
but they've raced off and she doesn't want to raise her voice to be heard. She draws her reach metamagic rod and stands watching the enemy, poised to begin a mental assault, but hesitating in case the others see sense before they attack.
"Don't be alarmed if I should look slightly different during battle Sir Ilivan. It will pass, the cost of one of my ancestor's dubious dalliances I expect."
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As soon as Huni and Sankip stand up, with nothing at all to conceal themselves behind, the commoners on the dry section of the field notice them!
Sir Ilivan curses, as his orders are disobeyed.
"Fools!" He growls, a bit of emotion working its way into his tone, and not in a good way. "I should have known." He doesn't even wait to see what happens, instead heading back the way you came in.
That option does not seem to be available to those that broke cover. As Huni and Sankip work their way along the narrow decrepit earthen walkways, activity breaks out across the fields as well. Two of them, one older woman, and a young man, both holding threshing tools, start hesitantly towards the walkway, weapons held in white knuckled grips.
Three of the others, including the one Floria claimed was a vermlek demon, remain behind doing nothing for a moment, before two of them grab the two prone commoners on the ground, lifting them unceremoniously to their feet and starting to push them forward in front of them. The third merely moves towards the rest. As that is happening, two small creatures suddenly appear, near the walkways, strange bloated things little more than teeth and claws on a misshapen form!
One of them lurches towards the end of the walkway, its entire body heaving, until it suddenly spews out a massive cloud of greenish foul gas! The gas wafts across the flooded fields until it envelops both the Sangkip and Huni, the foul vapors instantly causing them to retch, the fumes so thick that they can barely see what's right in front of them.
- Round 2 ------
Everyone but Kara is up!
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Floria sighs and lets the familiar darkness overtake her. She has a fleeting thought just as it does that she's forgotten to warn Alrik about her heritage, but it's quickly forgotten as she laughs wickedly in her new form.
Channeling the power of the rod, the air around her head thrums and shimmers as she sends a mind thrust toward the Vermlek, using her new training to try to pierce its spell resistance.
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Did Sir Ilivan just...leave us here?
Kara manages to ignore Sir Ilivan's apparent cowardice long enough to put away her Wayfinder and call forth an extradimensional pit under the nearest two demons.
Let's see how well you can swim, demons.
Alessio works his way back and out onto the unstable earthen walkways, trying to catch up to Huni and Sangkip. Unfortunately, as he reaches the first break, the cloying green cloud forms and blocks his way further forward. Instead, he pulls out a defensive extract of his own making, in preparation for what's to come.
Floria has no such restraints, as her dark have suddenly takes over, her face becoming a cruel visage of her normal self, and her skin seeming to stiffen as if it were suddenly covered in rigid scales. Using the rod in her hand as a focus, she reaches out with her mind towards the one she identified as a vermlek. She is easily able to make contact, though its foul thoughts of evil and chaos almost cause her to recoil... but instead the dark corner of her mind in control at the moment, seems to relish those same thoughts, as she pushes past what resistances it has to connect directly to the mind those thoughts came from. With a sense of cruel joy, she lashes out, sending the full force of her mind to assault that of the demon.
Across the flooded fields, you see that same demon stagger slightly, one hand going to its belly... which, given what you know about vermlek's, might be where its head is right now. You see the body it inhabits snarl slightly, and Floria feels her attempts suddenly pushed away, her connection severed.
Beside her, Alrik quickly activates a wand to help him move a little faster, then makes for the earthen walkways with the others.
- Round 2 ------
Huni and Sangkip still to go!
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His lungs full of the foul gas, Sangkip manages to escape it along the walkway to the north, but only barely, as he makes the final leap over the breach there, coughing and hacking.
Huni fares much better, as he manages not to take in too great a lungful, before moving purposefully forward towards the people on the dry area to the east. The woman with the threshing flail takes a fearful tentative swing at him, sobbing as she does so. It is immediately clear she has no idea how to use, what is ostensibly a farming tool, as a weapon. The little dretch however knows how to use its claws, and gleefully swipes at him... though its eagerness does not compensate for the warpriest's protections, the dark nails only scrapping along his armor ineffectively.
With a feral howl, it leaps at him to try again, biting with its blackened teeth, and tearing at his armor with its claws. But despite all its efforts, it doesn't manage to even scratch the man.
The second dretch starts to slowly inch around the far side, as it too tears into Huni. After fending off the first, Huni can't quite manage to fend off the second as well, as it first sinks its teeth deeply into him shield arm before slipping one of its claws under his mail shirt, and tears at his abdomen
The two commoners seem far less enthusiastic about joining the fray, but the woman and the man to her right, both take tentative steps forward, and swing their threshing flails as well... both of which are easily turned aside by his armor.
Two of the other peasants start pushing the apparently injured ones forward, almost as if using them for shields. The last one, waves one hand around for a moment, and suddenly a dark miasma forms around the vermlek that Floria identified, and Huni. The vermlek seems to relish the energy as it flows around it, even stopping the bleeding caused by Floria's mental attack. Huni though, feels the exact opposite, as his wounds open even worse, the flesh starting to turn black around the edges.
As they do so, Kara utters a few arcane phrases, and a pit suddenly opens up under one of the dretches and the man nearby. The dretch scrabbles to the side as the earth opens up, its hard nails able to find some grip to pull itself clear. The man beside it though, is not so lucky. He gives a startled yelp, before disappearing down the hole, falling twenty feet before hitting the bottom with a thud.
- Round 3 ------
Everyone but Kara is up!
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Floria stamps her feet in petulant fury at the vermlek healing its bleed damage. The other Floria would call out a warning to Huni to get out of there, but such concerns are little things at the back of her mind, and she's more interested in making something bleed that can't just heal itself.
Her eyes settle on the dretch that isn't bleeding and she flicks her wrist at it, conjuring three force bolts toward it. She then steps forward to get a better look at the enemy, and draws her scroll of placebo effect into her free hand.
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Unsure of the water situation, Alrik assesses his options and takes off around the edge towards the nearest path to the fight. Nearing the edge, he leaps but the slippery nature of the path causes him to trip into the water.
Righting himself, Alrik clambers forward before attempting to climb up on to the path again. Dashing forwards, he attempts another jump to get yet closer to the action.
"Yeeeehaaaaa!"
Alrik exclaims with glee as he successfully clears his second jump. he continues his waddling run and leaps once more but fails spectacularly and ends up in the drink.
Although she knows it was one of the others, Floria wasn't paying quite enough attention to spot the telltale signs of any spells being cast. (Though she's pretty sure it wasn't the one that fell in the pit).
Alrik, his steps hastened by his spell, hurries the opposite way of the others, past Kara, and out onto the walkways there. Unfortunately, his stout form and armor are not conducive to leaping across exposed waterways, and he ends up slogging through the first two breaks, water up past his knees. He reaches the last break, and tries to leap across that as well, at an angle trying to bypass the conjured pit. Though aided this time by a longer run-up, it doesn't help... as the weakened earth on the edge crumbles under his heavy step, and he is already off balance as he goes airborn, only to land on his back in the murky water with a loud splash! By the time he gets his head back the right way around, he realizes the water is almost up to his shoulders, only his suddenly soggy noggin poking above the surface.
On the other side of the field, Sangkip is having some trouble moving as well, though his is caused by the nausea from the inhaled fumes... still he manages to make some headway, and he can feel the last of the poisons leaving his system as his stomach finally starts to calm down. Unfortunately, along the middle walkway, Alessio finally is forced to take in a breath... a breath heavy with the vile gas... and like Sangkip, he feels his belly heaving... and like Alrik he finds his head swimming... so much so that he can only stagger a few more steps once he's out of the water, finding himself still in the fumes.
Huni, in the middle of all the enemies, and under siege waiting for his comrades to catch up, manages to resist the brunt of the negative energy, and steps away from Kara's pit, to firmer ground. Calling on his god, he imbues his fists with some sacred power, and lashes out at the nearby dretch.
His blow is deadly accurate, but even with his powerful strike, he barely scratches the surface, and he remembers that only cold iron or blessed weapons are likely to cut through its demonicly tough hide easily.
Still the small scratch he did make, starts to bleed... a foul blackened fluid... and doesn't appear to be stopping!
Back where you started, Floria's demonic heritage continues to be on full display, as she turns her attention to the dretches, angered that the vermlek managed to heal itself.
She concentrates, and sends a barrage of force missiles arcing across the submerged fields... they each strike the nearest dretch, one after the other, sending rippled through its blubbery hide, and leaving painful-looking holes where they strike!
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Of course, Huni still finds himself all alone in the midst of the enemy!
The lady by the pit quickly steps away from it, her footing clearly not steady on the sloped edge. She takes a half-hearted swipe at the warpriest with her threshing flail, but again, it seems more for appearances than any thought of actually hitting him. One of the other commoners, and the vermlek, both herd two other commoners forward, and push them into the fray with Huni as well. One, an older woman armed with a scyth, takes a swipe at his legs, and she comes frightfully close, only his thick boots protecting him from losing a foot. The other one, also with a farming scythe, takes a fearful swing as well, but he clearly has never used the tool before, and comes closer to cutting himself then Huni.
The nearby dretch though, sensing an advantage, leaps away from the pit, its thick claws scrabbling in the dirt, as it moves around to flank, before tearing into the warpriest with sharp claws and fetid teeth! Its attack is more ferocious than Huni was ready for, with all the other attackers, and each of its blows strike flesh and tear at with wild abandon!
He is grateful to survive the onslaught... but that relief proves short lived, as again, a dark miasma of negative energy forms around him... as well as Alrik in the water, and the vermlek. The last of the vermlek's wounds disappear, but Alrik finds his own skin break out in small lacerations that he can't explain by falling in the water. Huni takes the worst of it, dearly wounded already, those same blows seem to tear even further, the skin around the edges turning necrotic almost instantly.
This time, you note it was the vermlek itself healing the last of its wounds, and damaging the Pathfinders.
The other dretch gives a garbled cry, then races west, away from the pit and along the western walkway, disappearing into the cloud and out of sight... droplets of blood trailing it.
- Round 3 ------
- Round 4 ------
Everyone is up!
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Kara moves closer, attempting to jump over the gaps.
After barely making the first jump, she hurries to aid her friends. With her attention focused on the figures surrounding the pit, she fails to notice a loose rock and finds herself face down in the water.
Dragging her muddy self to the far shore, she hastily casts a spell at the greem vermlek.
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With Kara's attack on the Vermlek, Floria decides to add her own and try to push past its healing with her help. Just as before she assaults it's mind once again.
Finally she tries to exert control over herself so she can bring more than just hatred to the battle
Her regular features re-emerge and she looks around the battlefield with concern
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As Sangkip races along the northern walkways, finally free of the gas's nauseating effects, Alessio makes his way through the noxious fog along the western walkway. Trying to keep the gasses out of his lungs, and his stomach contents inside his stomach, he staggers down the walkway, hoping to reach the edge of the cloud. Unfortunately, he is completely unaware of the dretch that raced in looking for him. Both of them nearly collide, though the demon was ready for it at least, and tries to slash at his throat as he appears. Luckily, the alchemist has been through enough battles during his soldiering days that his response to danger is still well honed. His head still spinning from the poison, he still manages to throw himself to the side quickly enough to avoid the blow. The demon does not seem content to give up its advantage though, as it leaps on him, blackened teeth gnashing and yellowed claws slashing. But, even in his sickened state, and with little room to maneuver, Alessio's instincts and armor, both alchemical and mundane, manage to keep the demon at bay!
Kara tries to make her way across the decaying walkway, but it seems like every step she takes hits eroding dirt, that collapses beneath her feet. She spends more time crawling through mud and water, than over dry land. Eventually she just gives up, and still standing in murky water past her knees, calls on her arcane might to send more force missiles flying towards the known vermlek! Both strike it squarely, sending it staggering backwards for a moment.
Huni, still under assault from all sides, only barely manages to keep on his feet... the blood loss, and bursts of negative energy almost overcomming him as he staggers back from the mass of foes! Still, stay on his feet he does, though given all the blood, you're not sure how. He draws on the blessing of Irori, to bolster his flagging defenses, before brandishing the silver disk around his neck, and calling on her healing powers.
Instantly, a wave of bright energy pulses out from where he stands, his back to the flooded fields. Some of his many wounds stop bleeding, though not nearly enough to be noticeable. The wave also catches the nearby dretch, healing the tiny wound it had received only moments before, as well Alrik, right on the edge of it. Even with just his head above the water, it proves enough to completely remove all signs of the negative energy that just struck him.
But, more importantly, the burst hits the vermlek and the five remaining peasants. Almost immediately, the vermlek and two of the peasants start writhing in pain, the positive energy clearly tearing away at their flesh, enough that you can see the mass of roiling worms hiding beneath them all! As you suspected, you face not one such demon, but three!
Again two of the peasants, both with their threshing flails, take pitiful swings at Huni, while the other continues to wave her scythe at Alrik, though all to no avail. The dretch though, leaps back at the warpriest with demonic glee. The warpriest is able to jam his shield in its mouth to fend off the teeth, and his armor deflects one of the claws, but the other cuts through once again, opening up more wounds on a body already ravaged by them.
Not far off, buoyed by Huni's heal, Alrik manages to slog the last bit of distance, and tries to pull himself up the steep muddy slope. Unfortunately, the nearby vermlek was waiting for just that moment, as it leaps towards him while he is vulnerable, hacking at him with its scythe. Despite his armor, the blow cuts right past, scoring a long gash along the dwarf's back . But the paladin is used to pain, as he finishes scrabbling up the muddy rise, and steps right into the thick of things, hoping to relieve some of the pressure off of Huni. The vermlek tries to stop him with another sweep of its scythe, but Alrik easily steps aside. The nearby older woman makes a half-hearted swipe as well, though seems more terrified, than looking for a fight.
As the first vermlek you identified thrashes in pain from Huni's channel, on the far side of the field, Floria focuses her mind once more, all her attention on the demon. She easily pushes past its defenses, and starts to tear at its mind with her own. Though the assault is psychic, it might as well have been with knives, as the wormlike demon inside the dead body starts to thrash about even more, bits of greenish ichor starting to flow from rents in the flesh of its skin suit.... until finally, with an shrill anguished sound, it collapses to the ground, its fleshy borrowed skin suddenly looking more like a blanket.
One of the newly revealed vermleks gives a gutteral cry, pointing towards the young psychic across the water, and both it, and the other one, take a step back and start summoning dark energies once more!
Kara and Floria are both suddenly surrounded by those same energies, as their skin starts to die and tear wherever it touches!
At the same time, similar energies start to form around Alrik, Huni, and the vermlek that just collapsed after Floria's mental assault. The two Pathfinders are once again, wracked with pain as already existing wounds suddenly tear wider and the flesh around them dies. It proves all too much for Huni, the mass of wounds finally too rampant for even his faith to keep him standing. He collapses to the ground, his sword falling in the mud and all his veins and arteries showing black against his skin, as if the negative energy were flowing through them.
But even worse, the demon that had fallen suddenly starts to move again, the energy seemingly enough to stave off its demise. It lets out a angry shriek as it comes around, and suddenly, the human skin that covers it bursts apart in a gory display of torn flesh and sinew. Where it once lay, you see a vile worm-like creature, almost eight feet long, with a flat multi-jawed head, and a writhing body with four lashing tails, each tipped with strange purple filaments. It immediately starts wriggling towards the pile of peasant corpses nearby.
- Round 4 ------
- Round 5 ------
Party is up!
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Kara cries out softly as the negative energy tears at her body, but she grits her teeth, moves closer, and calls forth a ray of...well, it can only be described as "disappointment" at Pink.
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Steeling herself against the negative energy, Floria keeps up the pressure on the now bodyless Vermlek, reasoning that if she can drop that one permanently she will at least give her allies a better chance.
She uses the power of her metamagic rod for the last time today, and focuses her anger toward green, again using her phrenic expertise to try to overcome its spell resistance.
She then takes a step toward the path Kara took, because she's going to have to get closer to do any more mind-thrusting
As Huni slowly wilts to the ground, no longer able to stay on his feet, Kara clambers out of the latest water trap, her clothes now covered in cloying mud. She quickly moves closer to the fray, until her path forward is blocked by another break in the walkway, and her own, earlier conjured, pit. She quickly starts an arcane chant, and this time forgoes missiles for a more potent ray of force. She sends it lancing towards the nearest vermlek. Her aim is not great, but luckily, the worm-like creatures are not particularly agile inside their skin suits, and her ray manages to catch it as it tries to dodge away. It's hard to tell how much damage it did to the creature beneath the skin, however.
Alessio, seeing no other way past the dretch, leaps unsteadily into the water, and instantly sinks into the silty bottom almost up to his knees. The water comes higher though, his shoulders barely breaching the surface. The Dretch tries to latch its putrid claws onto him and to keep him from getting by, but Alessio's alchemical shield easily brushes them aside.
In his nauseated state, he can't slog far though, barely making any headway through the deep water, his foot almost buried in mud.
Floria watches the demon she thought she'd taken from the fight, get healed back into it again, with only slight frustration, as she continues to the onslaught on its mind, its change of form not enough to hide it from her own. The demon starts to burrow into one of the corpses on the pile, blood and flesh flowing out behind it almost as if liquefied by the process. Before it can get more than half way in though, Floria lashes out with her own thoughts once again. She almost trips up trying to get past its resistances this time, but her phrenic training keeps her mind steady, and again the vile creature finds its alien mind under attack, the psychic energy pounding it physically into the ground, until it stops moving once more... only a slight twitch of its four tails, partially exposed in the dead body, indicating any sign of life at all.
- Round 5 ------
Sangkip, and Alrik to go (and technically a roll to stablize from Huni)