Aging Touch (Su): Your touch ages living creatures and objects. As a melee touch attack, you can deal 1 point of Strength damage for every two oracle levels you possess to living creatures. Against objects or constructs, you can deal 1d6 points of damage per oracle level. If used against an object in another creature's possession, treat this attack as a sunder combat maneuver. You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day for every five oracle levels you possess.
Rose tears down the curtain and attacks!
It seems to be discomforted by the archons presence.
As the lantern archons shoot at it with their light beams, the formless spawn tries to bite them, popping one quickly but missing it's 2nd bite against the other. Perhaps it is just merely the party's imagination, but did the gaping maw of the creature slip into a slasher smile for a moment after biting into the lantern archons?
As Blossom uses the last of her strength to age the creature, to her horror, she finds it ageless.
Piotr's longsword strikes do not penetrate it's alien exterior, but Rose manages to land 2 claws on the creature, which partially heal.
The formless spawn continues to attack Blossom, and she collapses onto the ground, then her dream form dissapears.
The creature seems somewhat disappointed on seeing Blossom's dream self fade into nothingness.
You feel the tentacles crush the life out of you as everything goes black...
You awaken with a gasp on the Sellen Starling, to find thankfully you're still in one piece. And there are no bathtubs in the cabin
The aura of menace is gone but the lantern archons are unharmed, they seem to bob not menacingly but mockingly.
Tiff finishes her spell summoning and asks them, "One moment please." She holds up the gaudy amulet that hangs from her now fury neck and calls back power she spent earlier.
After the light show Tiff entered the fray.
1st:
2nd:
3rd:
4th: Beast Shape II,
Violet whimpers as Blossom is taken out of the dream. “No… not her!”
She looks about to see who needs her healing most…
Rose gasps in horror as Violet fades from the dream.
”Damn this thing!”
Tiff consoles Violet, "It's only a dream. She might suffer menal scarring but nothing a thorough psychiatric treatment can't fix."
With a growl, Garrosh draws his bastard sword, wading into the creature and striking as hard as he can - "Vengeance is ours" - the prayer to Ragathiel is more of a snarl, his rage fueled by the sight of Blossom being crushed.
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Piotr can't seem to find a decent weak spot.
Blossom wakes up alive and well back in the cabin and cursed, ”By the Green Mother’s blighted bush!” She raised her tiny fist in the air and shakes it at he heavens.
"I don't know what I can do against this thing..." Winter says doubtfully. "But I can try..."
Garrosh's broadsword glows with grey light, and as he strikes the creature, there is a flash of black, deflecting the spell.
The formless spawn seems greatly disconcerted by two of the new archons.
The formless spawn attacks Rose, viewing her as the biggest threat, after she lands two claws and a hip slam on it. It flails at her, befuddled.
As the lantern archons fire their light volleys again, it lashes out at them with its gapping maw, popping four out of the five archons, two of them before they even get their volley of beams out, while damaging the fifth. Two beams do strike the formless spawn but do not seem to hit anything vital.
After seeing no more lashing out coming from the creature, Winter takes a chance and pops another instrument of Agony on Garrosh's broadsword.
Rose keeps lashing out. “Oh, die already!”
The remaining archon summons its will and tries to bolster Rose but can't keep a hold of the spell.
Tiff lets loose with her claws, teeth.
Not damaging it at all Tiff admits her hubris, "Maybe you're right Winter. Another tactical retreat?"
“Awww, not again! What kind of dreamland is this? Why can’t we dream up a piano, have it fall on the… bathtub… and catch fire?”
Violet calms herself. Regains her composure…
“Sorry. Just upset about Blossom. Shall we wake then?”
Gritting his teeth in face of the odds piling against them, Garrosh swings again and again.
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Piotr keeps attacking until a retreat is called, while Ann moves around and around the creature in hopes to keep wasting its attacks on her. Piotr will also attempt to protect Tiff as much as possible with his shield.
Rose lands two claws and her hip onto the creature as Garrosh cuts deeply into it with his sword. However whatever enchantment Winter did to his sword still doesn't take.
Piotr manages a small nick on the formless spawn, which leaves it rather worried.
It then turns on Rose, it's chief tormentor in a frenzy of tentacles and bite, and it looks disappointed as Rose vanishes into thin air.
You find yourself slammed by multiple tentacles, and see the huge gaping maw aiming for your throat. You feel a sharp pain as the fangs puncture your throat and briefly choking as you drown in your own blood. Then nothing...
You awaken on the Sellen Starling with a gasp and find that you're still in one piece.
Winter makes Garrosh's sword glow grey again. "If this bounces again, I don't know what to do since it's chomping us up faster then I can heal!"
"RETREAT!" Piotr yells.
And withdraws with Ann running it as a attempt to make it easier for the others to get away.
"Thank you Winter... Now GO!" - Garrosh shouts at his companions, with a look at Piotr - "All of you - get out of here!"
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Garrosh's second sword strikes home but it only serves to weaken the creature.
As Piotr runs off, the creature tries to bite him with it's gaping maw, but Piotr manages to block the maw with his shield.
Rose awakens near Blossom. “It appears your descent into madness is not a journey you will embark on alone.”
She stares at the flower-girl with a serious expression, hoping against hope that conversing will help her keep her wits…
Violet tries in vain to wake herself.
Failing that, she steps five feet and crouches behind an empty tub, hoping that in all the commotion the creature will not discover her…
Tiff comments, "Your insistence on being the rearguard is illogical, Bob will handle that." The lantern archon bobs cheerily as if to say it agrees.
Tiff disappears for reality leaving Garrosh to face the thing.
Rose awakens near Blossom. “It appears your descent into madness is not a journey you will embark on alone.”
She stares at the flower-girl with a serious expression, hoping against hope that conversing will help her keep her wits…
”Th-thank you,” the leshy said holding back a sob and then urgently asked, ”Where is Violet?”
"I tell you what, I'll run around the corner where I can see you, but it can't see me. You run for it out of the creatures sight. I'll use liberating command on you if you get grappled and we can all make it back on the ship." Winter tells Garrosh, as she steps to the side of the wall.
The formless spawn starts attacking Garrosh.
Winter channels to heal Garrosh.
Piotr cannot run until Winter runs with him, so he waits beside her as she waits for Garrosh.
"Ok then" - Garrosh growls with a reluctant nod, and tries to retreat away from the creature.
As Garrosh tries to dodge past, the formless spawn gives him a farewell present, and bites into him, hard, grabbing him fast. Winter yells,"Break Free!", and with a heroic effort, Garrosh wiggles out of the creature's maw and runs off into the corridor beyond...
Tiff tut-tuts as everyone wakes, "Quite a vexing foe. It is an ambush predator though, we should be able to simply walk past that chamber. I would offer to make everyone invisible but it does not have eyes so I doubt that would help much. Shall we try again tonight?"
1st: Enlarge Person,
2nd: Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Mirror Image, Glitterdust, Blood Transcription;
3rd: Monstrous Physique I, Dispel Magic, Spiked Pit, Haste;
4th: Beast Shape II, Summon Monster IV, empty slot
”Th-thank you,” the leshy said holding back a sob and then urgently asked, ”Where is Violet?”Rose awakens near Blossom. “It appears your descent into madness is not a journey you will embark on alone.”
She stares at the flower-girl with a serious expression, hoping against hope that conversing will help her keep her wits…
Rose places a hand over the tiny sleeping fairy and gently caresses her calf.
“Out of harm’s way, I can only hope… whatever madness may overtake me from being awaken this way, I prefer it is me who suffers, not her…”
Rose starts to tear up.
“Violet is everything to me.”
As the others start to wake, Rose is anxious… Violet begins to stir shortly after Tiff sits up.
Tiff tut-tuts as everyone wakes, "Quite a vexing foe. It is an ambush predator though, we should be able to simply walk past that chamber. I would offer to make everyone invisible but it does not have eyes so I doubt that would help much. Shall we try again tonight?"
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Violet grumbles, “We should bypass that thing… definitely!”
You don't sleep well the entire night, your usual nightmares being replaced by the gaunt shopkeep floating over your bed and sucking your life energy out of you.
Ann flops on a bed, "I really dislike that thing." she grumbles. The Malice in her voice clearly marks her on the side of attacking it again, but Piotr is a resolute wall of "Seeking trouble, again, sounds like a bad idea." so the votes of the siblings cancel each other out.
Violet can feel something is wrong. It’s not Rose’s usual nightmare.
She wonders what is happening to Rose.
Rose does not toss and turn… but when she wakes, she is dripping with cold sweat.
After her prayer, she is clearly fatigued.
“I dreamed of… that shopkeeper.”
Garrosh figures that the animate dream must have cursed her as it touched her in the Dreamlands, hence best way to cure it would be to use remove curse, dispel evil or dream spell, otherwise hope that Rose would be able to shake off the curse.
Violet says of Rose, “I am not confident she can shake off this curse. Do any among us know such magic?”
Piotr shakes his head sadly. He's not much of a spell caster, given he truly understands why he has magic in the first place.
Ann frowns from her place on the bed, on her back looking up at the ceiling "So there are not infinite retries?" her tone suggests she is talking about more than the dreamlands. Turning over to her belly, she looks out at her companions, lingering on her brother and Winter "[b]I change my vote, let's skip the evil pudding and see what else is in that place that might help us.[/[b]"
”There are others more powerful in their faith which may be able to help with the curse” - Garrosh ponders - ”Such ability is not yet in my grasp however… Winter?” - he adds to the cleric.
”As for that monstrosity, it has proved stronger than we are. More than once. We should let it be for now… But not forever…” - he growls.
Blossom shrugged in uncertainty, ”I think my magics might be able to remove a curse like that.” She pouted a bit, ”But I’d have to wait another day for the spirits to grant me access to such power.”
“Then maybe we should wait another day,” Violet says with a shudder. “If her mind can even hold out that long.”
Rose replies to Blossom, “Thank you. We shall see what blessings the spirits bring.” She adds grimly, “Would it be futile for me to refrain from sleeping?”
Her voice is heavy with fatigue—especially for one planning an all-nighter at the crack of dawn.