Rozalia screams as the rocky tentacle wraps around her waist and lifts her off the ground. "Caraid! Keep running!" she cries as she struggles in vain to get free.
"Get back and get the others out of here!" Piotr yells at Garrosh. "Get YOURSELF out of here!" the voice inside his head screams at him, but he ignores her.
Garrosh's thoughts rush back to memories of his father - that plus the weight of the amulet around his neck give him a measure of comfort, and self assurance regarding the path to take, even after the vicious bite - "No" - he replies to Piotr - "We stand together!" - he insists, and swings yet again.
Caraid pauses for a moment, dithering helplessly until the voice both in and out of his head unite in telling him to Run!
He does so, as fast as he can, tears blinding him as he runs.
The creature sidesteps, almost lazily, out of Piotr's sword strike, and Garrosh, his energy ebbing, attempts to clobber at the creature but it passes through the humanoid wolf's insubstantial form.
The creature chuckles, a dark humourless sound, then lunges in to finish the job, but Garrosh, drawing on reserves he didn't know he had, manages to pull himself to the side.
The tentacles begin to hold Rozalia fast, perhaps for some unimaginable fate that awaited her.
Caraid, smaller and lighter on his feet manages to dodge the tentacles, leaving his mother screaming behind. He finds himself in a cold barren tundra, shivering with cold. Red snow falls from the sky, seeming like falling rose petals except for the coppery smell of blood coming from the snow flakes, obscuring the path ahead.
Piotr continues his assault, knowing every second he and Garrosh gives the others the better shot they have.
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Rozalia sobs with relief as she sees Caraid escape. Then she screams in agony as the tentacles squeeze her tightly, crushing her bones in their inexorable grasp. If this is to be her end, it will be an end of her choosing.
Her hand fumbles around in her pocket, grasping the glowing bead. She closes her eyes, seeing the smiling face of her long departed husband. "I'm coming, my love," she chokes out.
Then she hurls the bead at her feet with all the force she can muster.
Pitor tries to strike at the wolfman, but his sword passes through its insubstantial form without effect.
As Rozalia throws the bead of fireballs at her feet, there is a thunderous detonation drowning out her screams of pain as she feels searing agony throughout her entire body then mercifully, blessed oblivion.
Then in the darkness, Rozalia sees her husband, a glowing gold presence reaching out for her. ”Rozalia, I’m so sorry to have left you…I never should have gone to Carrion Hill.” Her husband says wistfully, as he reaches out to touch her cheek, a warm presence on her face. ”But I was always too absorbed with my work for my own good…”
You experience a momentary vision of your mother, Rozalia, in the grasp of the tentacles. She pulls the glowing bead from her pocket, closes her eyes, and chokes out, ”I’m coming, my love.” Then she throws the glowing bead at her feet, causing a thunderous explosion. When the blast clears, all that remains of the tentacle grasping your mother and your mother, are ashes. A gentle wind sweeps up the ashes, throwing them into the air, forming the word, ”Wake”
Each of you hear the thunderous detonation, which nearly rocks you off your feet. Next to you, the humanoid wolf gives a snarl of thwarted rage. In the distance, of the direction of the rock spires, the wind sweeps up gray ashes, forming the word, ”Wake”
"Wake" Caraid whispers as he stumbles onwards, "Wake. Wake up! Wake up! I need to wake up!"
As soon as Caraid realizes the scene isn't what it seems to be, he focuses on willing it not to be there, finding himself falling into a yawning dark Abyss...
The wolfman raises his nuzzle, as if scenting something no one else can as he bares his teeth in an angry grimace.
Garrosh nods at Piotr in understanding, weaving in and around the shield, trying to make the best of the provided advantage - "We're not done yet!" - he growls at the man beast, wading in again.
As Garrosh moves to strike the wolfman, the wolfman briefly turns insubstantial and the morningstar passes through without effect.
Tears stream down her face. "Our boy is so big now. You'd be so proud of him. There's still time for him to do such great things. But my time has passed. All the pain and heartbreak are, at last, at an end. It's time for us to spend eternity together..."
Andrezi wraps his arms around Rozalia’s back, falling into a heartfelt embrace with her. ”It’s not your time yet, Rozalia.” He says gently. ”Pharasma granted me this one chance…to see you again…” He says, his voice full of sorrow. ”I lied to you, Rozalia. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.” The words come out in a rush. ”I told you that I was going to the ancient Kellid ruins near Carrion Hill, but in truth, I was taking on a hire by an adventuring party to decipher on how to bind an ancient horror attacking Carrion Hill back to where it came from. The sum they offered…was too much for me to resist. I thought it would be one last simple job, then we would have enough money to retire in comfort and we could watch Caraid grow up, together…” His voice trails off wistfully.
Then he pulls himself away from her, ”Golarion needs you and our son. More than you will know. You have a long road ahead of you. Be strong. And tell Caraid, my greatest regret is not being there…” His form begins to dematerialize into golden motes of light that float past to some unimaginable distance, leaving Rozalia alone in the darkness once more.
"Don't leave me again..."
Tears run down the priest's face as Garrosh assaults the man-beast with conviction and heart. What is life worth when no sacrifice is big enough to bestow it with grace and dignity? The ringing in his ears is like the universe tearing apart his worldviews and he cries, knowing deep down in his heart and soul that no matter what he does, there is no way he can save - or could've saved - Rozalia and her son.
And so the only question worth asking remains: what is his life worth? Nothing.
Wildly he flails at the beast with his scimitar, wanting nothing more than to fill the sky with fire and scorch this world so that life may begin anew.
What now...?
Piotr smiles fiercely at Garrosh's words. Hope for survival gone, but hope for the others is still there, despite the massive explosion. Now with Auryl joining them, he thinks they'll last a little longer.
The wolfman observes the tears rolling down Auryl's cheeks, and a small, tight smile forms upon his muzzle. As Auryl raises his scimitar and slashes downwards, the wolfman nonchalantly shrugs as he turns insubstantial, and Auryl's scimitar passes through without effect.
The wolfman lunges at Garrosh again, too quickly for Pitor to get his shield fast enough to deflect the blow. Pitor sees the world in slow motion, as the creature sinks its fangs into Garrosh's heart.
Garrosh feels the creature barrel into him, and then he feels a sharp pain in his chest as the creature sinks his fangs into him and he collapses onto the ground. As the creature pulls its fangs out, the arterial blood sprays in the air, splattering the party and forming the word, "Save". Then his body, like Kilarra's begins to dematerialize, as if being absorbed into the ground.
You struggle to draw breath, but find that your lungs do not expand. The pain is replaced by a growing numbness spreading from your chest. Your vision goes red, then black. You do not even feel your feet buckle under you as fall to the ground into darkness.
You lie in darkness for a while before you see a light in front of you, and hear the sound of faint hoofbeats. The light becomes bigger and bigger and the sound of hoofbeats louder until you can see its shape - that of a graceful stag-like creature covered with draconic scales, its hooves giving off sparks the colour of flame as it gallops through the darkness.
'Garrosh Saurfang' Garrosh hears a deep male voice address him in his head, as the stag-like creature focuses its gaze on him. 'I have looked into your heart and found you worthy. Are you willing avenge evil wrought upon the innocent in Ragathiel's name?'
The wolfman turns insubstantial as Piotr lashes at him with his longsword.
"Damned nightmares!" - Garrosh growls, straining to stand up and looking around for his weapon.
The half-orc takes another look at the creature in front of him - "Do you mock me? What do you mean 'avenge evil in Ragathiel's name'?!" - again his hand going instinctively for the symbol at his neck - "Who are you? Is this a dream?!"
Garrosh doesn't find any weapons or armor on him in the darkness this time, but he does find the symbol at his neck.
'Mock you? Why would I? Your father, Grond, was one of us and I see he gave it to you,' The mindvoice is somewhat incredulous. The creature nuzzles the symbol with his mouth. 'I am one of His Servant and you may call me Qi Lin. This is a place between worlds.' The graceful stag-like creature explains.
'My father...' - again he stares at the medallion and at the creature before him - 'Qi Lin? So I am neither dreaming nor dead? You... Ragathiel is offering me another chance?' - Garrosh inquires, a hint of a smile creeping up on his face in spite of the terrible events he has just been through - 'And what of the others? Can you get me back to them immediately?! They are in dire straits!'
The wolf-beast's inhumane actions cause an insipid poison called hate to creep into Auryl's heart. How can anyone take joy in causing such pain and grief? The priest does not understand and closes his eyes, not wanting to see any more of the hate which he can't swallow down. He won't partake in hate.
Altogether too many emotions clash and collide within Auryl's heart and mind, and anything he does now is beyond reason.
Auryl feels his scimitar slice through empty air. There is no resistance that the blade encounters.
The wolfman gives a bloodcurdling howl as it suddenly arches itself backwards in an impossible angle with its claws spread wide, as its muscles and bones warp and twist, peeling off and reforming into gauzy grey strips, shaping itself into the all too familiar figure in gray rags with strips of something fleshier than fabric worming and constricting across a body that's almost human like, but too lean and far too flexible. It shows the party a mouth full of needle pointed, blood-stained teeth.
"You may chew me up, but you'll never be able to keep me down!" Tears fly down Auryl's cheeks as he raises his scimitar and lunges forward, his blade cutting a crescent moon.
Piotr pauses, heart pounding, friends(he thinks dead or dying) and what does he have... "Me?" the scared voice of his sister answers, making him smile. "I don't know why, Ann, but I think I'll see you soon."
He joins Auryl in the charge, ready to push his shield in front of the other man, and stab his sword in the guts of the rag man.
’You’re in between the world of the living and the dead. Someone waits for you to live again’ Qi Lin answers cryptically. ’Ragathiel offers you a chance to bring down he who did this to you, and set things right, Qi Lin affirms, while touching the amulet with one of his horns, which glows the colour of flame. ’You will be with the others soon enough’ Qi Lin promises, then the darkness shatters into a million pieces, as Garrosh finds himself lying on something hard, his back stiff and achy as if he has been lying on that spot for a while. There are no signs of the grievous wounds he had taken earlier, and he finds that he’s clad in a brown patient’s robe, but has nothing else on him except his amulet, which is warm and glowing faintly red-gold.
As his vision swims into focus, he finds himself lying in a grimy cell, with bars in front of it, and smells the copper tang of blood in the air. Next to him lies the boy he tried to save in the dream. In the cell opposite to their left is the tiefling and the boy’s mother, while in the cell directly opposite is the red haired man who threw flames at the nightmare creature as well as the human who tried to protect others with his shield.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually, stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades.
You find yourself aware of the smell of the coppery tang of blood and a hard surface underneath your back, like you’ve been sleeping on the road for too long. You do not feel any signs of the terrible wounds you took earlier. As you pry your gummy eyes open, you find yourself staring at a stone ceiling. You are dressed in brown patient’s robe, but other then that you have nothing on you. Looking downwards, you see bars in front of you and realize you are lying in a grimy cell, with the child’s mother lying next to you. The cell opposite and to your left holds the half orc and the child you tried to protect.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually, stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades.
You call out into the darkness, but nothing happens. Then you see a pinprick of grey light and move towards it, but it turns out to be a stone ceiling. Your back aches, as if you have been lying on the ground for too long, but your skin is strangely unmarked, with no signs of the burns that you should have received, nor the bruises from the tentacle. However your cheeks are wet with tears, like you have been crying. You are attired in a brown patient’s robe, but there is nothing else on you. Looking downwards, you see bars in front of you and realize you are lying in a grimy cell, with the child’s tiefling lying next to you. The cell opposite and to your left holds the half orc and your son, Caraid.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually, stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades.
You fall through darkness landing with a loud thump that jars your eyes open. You find yourself at bars of a grimy dungeon cell. You’re lying on your side and that side aches, as if you have been lying in that position for too long. You are dressed in a brown patient’s robe, but there is nothing else on you. Sharing the cell with you is the half orc that tried to protect you, while in the cell opposite to their left lies the tiefling and your mother, Rozalia, who has tear stains on her cheek, while in the cell directly opposite is the red haired man who threw flames at the nightmare creature as well as the human who tried to protect others with his shield.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually, stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades.
Auryl's tears obscure his vision and his cresent moon strike goes wide.
Piotr tries to run his longsword into the creature's guts, but it turns insubstantial and the longsword passes through without effect. The creature laughs at the futility of their efforts, then sends its gauzy grey ribbons at Piotr.
Pitor feels the first ribbon pierce a lung, as he struggles to breathe. As he reels back from the pain, the second ribbon slices his throat open. Blood spurts out from his jugular, forming the word, "up", and as his body falls to the ground, and sinks into it.
You find yourself falling through darkness before landing upon something hard, a sensation so hard that it sends stars through your vision for a moment. When those stars clear, you find yourself lying on your back, staring at a stone ceiling. Your back is aching as if you have been lying on your back for too long, but other then that there is no sign of the throat or chest wound that felled you. You are dressed in a brown patient’s robe, but there is nothing else on you. Beside you is the red haired human who threw flames at the nightmare creature, but he seems to be caught in some kind of nightmare at the moment with tears flowing down his cheeks.
You focus your gaze downwards to see bars and realize that you are in a grimy dungeon cell. In the cell opposite you is the half orc and the child you tried to protect.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually, stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades.
Instinct takes over and one of the knives rises on ropes of ether and rams itself towards the blood-smeared 'doctor'.
Caraid's knife bounces off the doctor's skin as the doctor turns and stares at him menacingly. "Awake aren't you?," The doctor utters, her voice silky smooth but filled with threat. Then a sadistic grin appears on her face. "It's time for some experiments," as she fingers her bloody knife, then moves towards the door and takes our a set of keys with her other hand.
Garrosh, Pitor and Kilarra realize that the surgurical bench holds scalpels, scissors, and other surgical instruments that could be used as make shift weaponry.
She looks from the tiefling to her son in the opposite cell. "Caraid!" she whispers intently as she sees the hard look in her son's eyes, and then the knife begins to rise.
She whirls on the 'doctor' with wide eyes, attempting to hex them!
The creature shrugs off the worst of Rozalia's evil eye.
Rozalia realizes that from the strange way the creature is moving that it is a doppelganger. They can mimic any humanoid form and are immune to charm and sleep.
Doppelgangers are strange beings that can take on the shapes of those they encounter. In its natural form, the creature looks more or less humanoid, but slender and frail, with gangly limbs and half-formed facial features. Its flesh is pale and hairless, and its eyes are vacant and white.
"Child, are you well...?" - Garrosh had turned around to check on the boy, after witnessing the horrific spectacle outside. But his words died in his lips as the knife flew through the air at the 'doctor'...
"Stand back" - he motions protectively at Caraid, then turns to the door and the approaching one - "Think twice about getting in this cell" - he growls - "You won't be getting back out" - his fists flexing slowly.
You briefly have a vision of putting the amulet in your hand and pressing a hidden catch at the back of it, slipping the miniature bastard sword out into your other hand.
The cells are bare except for some small wooden splinters that look like they fell off the workable. They look flimsy enough that they could be used, but only once.
The priest continues to flail wildly, hoping for the end to come in a form that ain't a burning rope around his neck.
Auryl's scimitar strike passes through the creature without effect.
The creature chuckles, then lashes out with its gray ribbons.
Auryl feels a sharp pain in his chest as he looks down to find two ribbons sticking out of it and blood beginning to form around the wounds. Then the creature pulls out the ribbons as Auryl finds himself falling to the ground, his feet no longer capable of holding him up as the creature's diabolical laughter follows him down into darkness...
You lie in darkness for a while and feel the sensation of something hard underneath your back and the copper smell of blood in the air.
"Stand back" you hear someone shout near you. "Think twice about getting in this cell" you hear an angry growl, "You won't be getting back out" .
"That's not a human, it's a doppelganger!" You hear a female voice shout.
You force your eyelids open as you find yourself peering at a stone ceiling, while clad in a brown patient's robe. A cursory examination does not yield anything of value or use on you. You focus your gaze off the ceiling and see prison bars.
Beside you is the man who tried to shield you from the nightmare creature, while in the cell opposite you is the half orc and the child you tried to protect. A doctor clad in bloodstained coat holding a bloody knife in one hand, a ring of keys in another, stands in front of the cell door with the half orc and the child,looking poised to open the door.
Beyond the bars a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines lies lashed by heavy ropes on to a splintery worktable.
You hear the red headed man in your cell give a pained gasp, then his eyes snap open.
You hear a pained gasp coming from cell opposite yours.
You hear a pained gasp from your left wall.
Auryl's mind is all over the place. Part of it is still stuck in what just happened while the other party is trying to move on and make sense of the here and now. And the here and now isn't making a whole lot of sense. "What's going on?", he asks with a feeble voice, moving his arms and hands to see how much freedom he has.
Kilarra jumps to her hooves and clamors over to the cell door. "You so much as try to hurt that kid and I'll destroy you!"
"Ann?" is the first thing Piotr says when he wakes, and feels an equal part relief and dread when she answers, softly and sadly "Yes, I'm still here, and still don't know why."
Then he notices the doctor moving toward the boy, his mother yelling, Kilarra threating. He rises to a crotch and looks around.
"Try the lock" Ann suggests.
"I don't know a thing about locks." he whispers back.
"But I do, just follow my directions." his hand twitches and picks up one of the wooden splinters of their own accord. Then he moves as quick as can be to the cell door and tries to pick it.
To Auryl's question "There is something that looks like a person, a dopel-something-another going after the boy." he whispers back as he works. "I'm trying to get this lock open, so be ready."
The doctor stares at Kilarra, clearly shaken but puts on a brave front. ”Fine, then I’ll start on you first!” She snaps as she moves up towards Kilarra’s cell door and unlocks it.
Piotr’s hand reaches out for one of the wooden splinters on the floor of his cell and teases the lock open, but the ‘doctor’ has her attention on Kilarra and doesn’t notice.
The struggling man on the table gives the party a wink, then jerks against his restraints, giving the doctor a good kick, before passing out with the effort. The sudden impact knocks her to the ground, the keys out of her hand , landing near Garrosh’s cell.
Auryl finds that he can move his hands without any issues. In fact he doesn't seem to be restrained in any fashion.
Piotr will ease the jail door open and then rush toward the tray, to grab a weapon.
Garrosh's eyes go wide as he sees the keys falling toward his cell, reaching for them immediately.