"It feels... strange... here. Is this your place Zove"?
INT Save
"Wait... This is wrong. I'll be trapped here forever".
"Don't we want a plan of attack before we leave the relative safety of Zove's palace? Or is the plan to attack?" Ibrox paraphrases Tony Stark.
"The deer is cold..." comments Trevor in a morose tone, rubbing his arms and watching his breath condense.
"You mean me?" asks Trevor, not clear whether Zove is speaking to him, his mind focused on catching some heat from the burning sheets.
If he gets to don the cloak, he does so trying not to smile and comments: "Warm and nice! Niiiice!"
The air grows colder and colder as you search for a way out of the maze. Teeth start to chatter and bodies shiver uncontrollably despite any efforts to generate warmth or bundle up in blankets and cloaks. For a few short moments, Zove and Vrindel believe they found the exit, but it only ended up being another circular corridor.
After what feels like hours of wandering in circles and constantly arriving back at the main intersection where you camped, several of you finally find your individual ways out of the maze. Only Trevor is left behind as each of his companions simply step out of the maze whenever his gaze is turned in another direction. As the young knight swallows his growing panic he continues to search for the way out.
Upon stepping back into the tent, Vrindel, Zove, Ibrox, Aterro and the two villagers, find things to be very different. First, there is a dim gray light filtering through the canvas from outside, so it is day. But the weather has clearly turned and the sky must be overcast. Second, a layer of black frost and ice covers the entire area inside the tent and the cold is much, much colder than it was in the maze. The desk and other items in the tent, even the bedding, are brittle and easily snap with only a little pressure. It is the kind of cold that immediately reaches into your core, and seeks to extinguish any warmth or flame of life that might exist.
"No plan then." the cheerful gnome says to himself. He readies to be one of the last ones to charge out of the tent to face slithering danger.
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"Three hammers out of ten. Would not be entrapped again," Aterro mutters ruefully as he exists the para-world trap into the tent of abyssal cold. "Though cold is the enemy of fire, I would not stay here even to seek refuge from Loki himself.
Let us not linger here."
He hefts WarGuard and exits the tent.
The two letters from the small lockbox were both sealed with wax seals that have already been broken. The first appears to be something of an official document since it is clearly marked with the heraldry of Hristina, Duchess of Krakovar and current Grand Marshall of the Ghost Knights. Surrounded by the usual flowery language and platitudes, is the simple phrase, "this letter grants the kingdoms servant, Doctor Vinder Gandelossen, free and safe passage through Krakova and all lands under the wise and everlasting rule of King Lucan." It is signed by the Grand Marshall herself.
The second letter, is written in Darakhul, or Undercommon. You are able to make out a few words and phrases, but none of them really make immediate sense. "spread the word of peace....seek the joys of lost knowledge....the emperor's guidance and grace...." Based on your experience with diplomats and the deep intrigues of the fey courts, you guess that the letter in encoded in some fashion.
You seek the familiar presence of Snicker's essence and being, but it isn't immediately noticeable. Concentrating further, you finally sense the familiar's spark, but it is much further away than expected. Beyond the normal distance that allows you to communicate easily. You do sense strong feelings of agitation, worry, and most prominently, fear coming from the little spirit.
Aterro steps out of the tent and finds the world much different from when he last stepped foot in the open courtyard. Everything is covered with the same corrupted black frost that covered the ground and earth back where the reavers were sacrificed. A dark gray mist and snow of blackened 'snowflakes' shroud the entire hilltop and ruined keep. The corrupt cloud, blocks most of the sun's light, turning the usual bright and warm spring sun into little more than a filtered white orb offering no more light or heat than a full moon. The air is shockingly cold and the grasses and brambles that were growing along the ground and walls are all completely withered, blackened and dead.
It is at this moment that the clerics eyes fall on the two large rubbery, black orbs of slithering tentacles resting in the courtyard. One near the entrance of the keep only a couple of dozen feet away. The other, further away near the archway that marks the path back down the hill. A third one rests on the ruins of the far western wall, partially hidden by the ruins of the keep.
Three of the tentacles on the closest one, begin to slowly unwind and start twitching back and forth in the air as if they sensed a new source of life within this small realm of utter death and nothingness.
Trevor's teeth clatter restlessly in his mouth as he tries to wrap himself as tightly as possible in the cloak Zove gave him, but nothing seems to bring warmth to his bones as he tries to find the way out: "Where are the others? They were right there. they escaped and forgot me? That's no good. I bet the old man will return soon. He won't be happy... I better find my way out of here. Last time it was so easy... Now, what did I do last time? I- Wait... No. Maybe here..." and he keeps searching.
The apprehensive gnome waits for Trevor to arrive and Vrindel to head outside the tent. He is not in a hurry to deliver his soul to his deal maker.
Vrindel joins Zove and Aterro outside.
"Well this isn't what I wanted to see first thing in the morning. I'd say let's just run away, but that leaves innocents in the path of these things. You don't think pouring salt on them would help do you".
The big trollkin pulls his robes tighter, and scratches his head as he thinks. "They don't seem to be so fast, so maybe if we stay on the move, don't let them pincher us, and bombard them with spell and missile attacks we can take them out. One at a time I say".
Zove and Vrindel step out of the tent to join Aterro. They quickly spot the tentacled void horrors now lurking in the ruins of the old keep. The addition of two new life sources also seems to trigger something within the closest creature. The previously twitching appendages, suddenly turn in the direction of the tent. Like the creatures fought back in the vale of the sacrificed reavers, three more tentacles uncoil and act as legs that propel in toward the tent while the other appendages swish and slither through the air ready to strike when they get close.
Inside the tent, Ibrox stands with the two villagers who simply hop up and down, rubbing their limbs to keep from freezing. Just as the little gnome hears something moving outside, a doorway opens once again in the wall of the tent and out steps Trevor.
"It's about time, Trevor. What took you so long? Come on. Everyone's outside." and Ibrox heads outside to face the terror.
Vrindel takes a bowlers stance, and sends a rolling sphere of flame at the nearest creature. (DC-13 DEX Save for 1/2 damage) Fire Damage.
Then moves back 15'
"Let's try to lure this one away from the others, so we only have to deal with one at a time".
Trevor follows Ibrox's voice and steps outside. That's when his blood freezes, noticing the tentacled dark shape over and beyond the Gnome's shoulder: "Don't move!" he says as he hurls a javelin at it, just a hair above Ibrox.
Zove's tiny fire spirit dances across the courtyard. The swirling mass of tentacles pauses for just a moment as one waving limb flicks in the direction of the small flame. But it quickly dismisses the rapidly moving flame as it puffs out across the courtyard. Instead the closing creature places its attention on the newly formed mass of flame suddenly rolling toward it. Having been distracted by the first source of heat it isn't able to move in time to avoid the searing effects of the second. Hissing steam and smoke billow in the air along with the putrid smell of the void-things burning flesh.
"Looks like the further one couldn't sense Zove's fire. But, all of them sense Vrindel's. Tallyho." Ibrox offers.
The cleric steps up and with a quick prayer to Thor calls down a cascade flaming holy energy upon the void creature. The creature, being highly sensitive the radiant brilliance manages to duck away from the cleric's strike at the last second, suffering only a few minor blisters.
However, the voidspawn's dodge away from Aterro's blast sends it right into Trevor's streaking javelin and its own light-infused strike. The javelin pierces the creature's rubbery hide and erupts into a ball of radiant light that simply vaporizes entire chunks of flesh and fluid. Two twitching tentacles drop to the ground withered and roasted as if they'd sat over the fire for hours.
Tentacles lash and cast about wildly as the thing tries to recover from the sudden burst of searing light. It takes a few moments, but the wounded creature rights itself and moves forward with even more determination to end these foul beings of heat and light.
It jerks forward and quickly two long tentacles lash out. The first strikes the young paladin and his holy javelins. A freezing, burning cold bursts across Trevor's chest as the tentacle batters his upper body.
The voidspawn's second tentacle catches Zove still watching the effects of her flaming distraction. The blow lands hard across her neck and head. Instantly she feels flesh freeze and the sudden painful crack of a broken nose and maybe worse. Frozen crystals of blood drop to the ground around her, then turns into a flowing river from her nose and mouth after the void-cold tentacle retreats for another strike.
Ack, the gnome sees the trollkin out of tentacle range, how did I wind up this close? he asks himself.
"Ibrox. Ibrox!" the jovial gnome goes to battle the alien creatures of the void with a stern voice and a pointed finger.
Trevor steps back 20 feet, reeling from the pain, but not before throwing another javelin at the thing.
Vrindel moves the ball of flaming fury into the creature again, and moves back 15'.
Flame Damage (DC13 DEX for 1/2)
"Careful... It's got long... Arms?
Aterro sends another stream of holy power raining down on the voidspawn. This time the creature is unable to dodge out of the way as Ibrox's curse causes a pair on tentacles to tangle leaving it vulnerable to Thor's light. Trevor's javelin pierces the rubbery flesh but quickly drops to the ground with a clatter as the radiant rays to turn the wounded horror into little more than a boiling mass of goo sizzling the frozen earth. Vrindel's burning sphere insures the creature's destruction, burning away even more of the gooey remains.
Zove's fae spell has little noticable effect on the void creature near the archway. But the radiant energy blasts and continuing burning heat of Vrindel's orb have have drawn its notice and that of its companion on the wall. They both now balance on trios of tentacles and begin to scurry in the direction of their former companion.
The gnome is relieved he survived a moment of melee with that void creature. Let's not test that again.
"Ibrox. Ibrox!" the jovial gnome repeats to battle the next alien creatures of the void with a stern voice and a pointed finger. And then, he joins Zove and Vrindel in the back row.
Trevor moves forward to stand between Vrindel and Aterro, just ten feet behing the mighty cleric then waits for the closest creature to get within throwing range before unleashing his javelin.
The second creature appears to be much more alert and nimble than the first. It easily dodges Aterro's holy strike as two long tentacles push to the left and away from the cascading radiance. Another tentacle swings out and bats away Zove's fiery dagger, extinguishing the magic bolt before it can cause any damage.
Continuing it's charge toward the party, the creature springs up and over Vrindel's ball of fire, avoiding a good portion of the sphere's damage. However, the leap places the creature in the path of Trevor's javelin which pierces the void creature's thick hide. Ibrox tries to follow up the young knight's success with a blast of his own, but the eldritch bolt flies wide expending its energy harmlessly against the far wall.
Both creatures charge across the courtyard, tentacles arching out ready to strike as soon as they come into range of one of the warm, life-filled bodies that pollute their new home.
The gnome stands firm. "Ibrox. Ibrox!" the jovial gnome repeats to battle the charging creatures of the void with a stern voice and a pointed finger.
Vrindel moves his rolling ball of natural fire towards the Void Spawn closest to them.
Rolling ball of Fire damage. (DC13 DEX for half)
"Let's keep spread out so he can't attack more than one of us at a time".
Vrindel moves to put some space between himself and the others.
"Can't let them pull off a tactical advantage on us. They're bigger and stronger... so we have to outsmart them".
Trevor sends another javeling flying at the horrific creature charging at them.
"It's getting closer!"
Once the javelin goes on flying, Trevor follows Vrindel's advice and moves back 20 feet.
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"Sage advice, Vrindel," Aterro intones, standing as a statue.
"I no longer wonder at my part in the play."
Aterro strides forward confidently, placing himself willingly as the closest creature to the advancing hoard.
"Carry we, who die in battle...." he intones as his form gains a protective yellow glow.
Aterro steps up and intercepts the charging void thing from the beyond. As he does so, Trevor's javelin punches through the creatures thick hide, but the rubbery out surface limits the weapons damage. The young paladin then retreats closer to Zove and Vrindel. Zove's fire bolt bursts from her hand but simply fizzles out a few feet from the tip of her finger. The trollkin continues to punish the creatures with his ball of fire, and this time the voidspawn doesn't avoid a direct hit. The foul smell of burning flesh fills the air along with a puff of black smoke. Ibrox curses the closest creature and then launches a blast of eldritch energy that strikes the rubbery hide causing it to ripple and like a rock hitting a pond.
Still up and charging the creature swarms Aterro. Tentacles lash out from seemingly every direction, but the big cleric proves nimble and cunning in his ability to avoid blows and cause them to glance harmlessly off of his heavy armor. The second creature draws nearer to the first and the quick moving cleric, ready to join the fray at any moment.
"Aterro! You're as stubborn as you are lucky. May the Thunder god smile on you Brother, but I'm running low on javelins!"
"Great..." he comments as he slips and his javelins flies off the mark. Committed, he grabs his last javelin.
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Aterro has little enough time, and he acknowledges Trevor comments with but the barest of nods before again turning his full attention to dodging and weaving, swinging his hammer wildly to weave a shield of STEEL in front of him.
"...over land and sea. Across the rainbow bridge, TO VALHALLA..."
Vrindel keeps nudging the injured beast with his ball of Fiery damage.
Flame Damage (DC 13 DEX for 1/2)
He then moves so that he is further away from the uninjured one.