"Ware!" Gabbi calls out as she readies her weapon. "This could more of the trap!" She eyes the pit warily and attempts to move past it and the log, searching for the source of the cry.
"See? That was incredibly useful. I am quite glad none of us fell down that pit." Says Ulrich as the group approaches. "That being said, I think it's time the elk rested. Getting it out of the pit would be very difficult."
"Sinew-hoof. Thank you for your service. I command you to die."
The zombie elk ceases its struggle, lying still, dead eyes staring towards the yellow-green fog obscuring the sky.
Gabby cautiously leads the way through the gap in the foliage. The soil here is oddly spongy, as if after a light rainfall, but the forest floor is dry. The trees that surround this clearing are sick and grayish.
The half-orc man you spotted earlier is pinned to the ground, trapped beneath a fallen tree. Standing over him is a hideous monstrosity that resembles a horrible amalgmation of different animals fused together. It has the body of a bear and the face and claws of a moutnain lion. A single, greasy tentacle grows out of its long tail.
When the monster notices you, it turns towards you with a snarl!
"Don't try to justify the existence of that which shouldn't exist by heralding its usefulness," Gabbi snaps back to the doctor.
~~~~
The dhampir's eyes widen at the sight of the monstrosity. "Speaking of things which shouldn't exist ..." she trails off as she steps close to the Lorewarden. "You might need a little help," she says as she begins to intone on invocation over the woman's flail.
Ulrich was about to argue, but the monstrosity is definitely more important to focus on. As he tries to figure out what it is, all he stammers out is "That... that is a thing."
Using his necromantic powers, Ulrich targets the Thing and tries to snap its visual nerves to render it blind.
Ellie's eyes widen in disbelief. "That is... hideous."
Raising her ensorcelled flail aloft, she charges the beast.
The beast resists Ulrich's spell, Ellie's flail smashes the creature, but even the adamantine doesn't fully pierce its tough hide. The wound quickly starts to heal as it mauls the fighter, clawing her belly. Its teeth tear out the side of her throat, sending her sprawling to the ground in a growing pool of blood!
"Gabbi! Get clear!" Allie shouts as she hurries up behind Ellie and draws a deep breath. As soon as her sister is clear she lets the energy flow outwards, bathing the Lore Warden in its healing embrace.
"Don't worry about me!" Gabbi shouts back. She focuses her energy on the thing in front of them, calling down a divine judgement on the beast. She cringes in pain as the flood of positive energy envelopes her, but she raises her crossbow and fires.
Elká is late to react and only gets to move forward after the beast has already felled Elie. Seeing that charging the thing is unwise, she advances more cautiously.
"We could drop it down the pit!" Yells Ulrich just before he starts casting a spell. As it completely, he shoves Kamosh off his shoulder and says "Get to Ellie!"
When Kamosh flaps over to Ellie and lands on her, she immediately disappears. He then turns around and flies back, having absolutely no interest in being anywhere near that thing.
Healed back into consciousness, if only barely, Ellie stands back up and attacks the beast once again.
"Stay close! Don't let it pounce on you!" the half-orc shouts, struggling in vain to get out from under the tree.
Gabby's bolt skips off the monster's thick hide. As Elka cautiously advances, Allie's healing rouses Ellie, then Kamosh renders her invsible. The invisibility doesn't last long, though, as the fighter appears again, smashing the monster once more with her flail.
Unfortunately, it seems Ellie didn't learn her lesson the first time. While her armor protects her from its teeth this time, its claw rips open her previous injury again, sending her sprawling back to the ground on the verge of death. The thing growls and takes a step forward before battering Elka with its tail tentacle!
"Damn it!" Alessandra swears as Ellie starts bouncing up and down like some sort of puppet. She circles again, trying to estimate the distances and lets her moonlight flow again.
Torn between flight and fright, Elká turns her brain off and jumps at the monstrosity. She tries to stay close to it, as suggested, but fears it won't do much good.
Ellie's wounds start to close, but there's still more blood pooling outside her bidy than there is inside.
Ulrich begins casting Enlarge Person on Elka. Hopefully she survives long enough!
Gabbi drops her crossbow and moves closer to pull Ellie back from the overwhelming beast. Once she's pulled her clear, she places her hands on the woman and offers up a prayer of healing to the Lady of Graves.
As the woman wakes and begins to rise, the dhampir places a hand on her chest, pressing her back down to the ground. "Now you just lay there a moment, Blondie. I didn't utilize that blessing just to have you get knocked on your cute ass again. Give me a moment to do it once more before you go leaping into the fray."
Ellie may or may not notice that some of the blood that she's lost has found its way to the inquisitor's lips.
"Ugh." Ellie stands up again, slightly shakily this time. She peers at the monster, remembering that she's not a mindless fighter but a trained warden of the Pathfinder Society.
"Oh! It's a yaoguai! They're violently insane and, well, there's no good news to report about them. But at least I know what it is now."
Elka scores a solid hit, eliciting a snarl from the yaoguai. Unfortunately, the hulking brute's wounds are healing almost as quickly as they are being dealt, and it manages to hit her despite her defensive tactics, savaging her with its teeth and claws. The changeling is barely standing!
Allie wells up with silver light again and it ripples through her friends although not as strongly as before.
Ulrich completes his spell, causing Elka to double in height. He immediately switches up to casting against the Yaoguai, though he doesn't really know anything about it. He tries to grab hold of its skeleton and rattle it viciously.
"Now let's try this again," Gabriella offers as she places her hands on the Lorewarden and calls down a prayer. Although the healing might have been more effective if her hands were somewhere else rather than the woman's bottom.
Knowing there's no way back now, Elká throws herself at the abomination with reckless abandon. She even fails to realize that Ulrich magically enlarged.
Ellie winces as the magic surges through her and her wounds heal slightly. There's an audible 'pop' as broken ribs snap back into place. "Ow. That thing really did a number on me, didn't it? Twice."
She hefts her flail and moves forward into combat, flanking the beast with Elka - who has herself turned into something beast-sized. Time to repay the favour.
The yaoguai resists Ulrich's spell, but the enlarged Elka tears into it with her claws. As it reels, Ellie darts back and and delivers a powerful blow to its midsection! With a final groan, the huge beast hits the ground with a mighty thud! You hit a few more times to ensure it doesn't heal its injuries again, and after a bit, you are certain it is dead.
"That was a close call! I am glad you survived," the half-orc says. Now that you have a moment, you can see he is actually rather handsome, his orcish features less pronounced than some half-orcs. He looks at the tree pinning him to the ground. "My name is Jando Parr. I could use some help getting out of here, please."
"You could, could you?" Gabriella says, looking him over with a suspicious eye. "You wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with that pit back there, would you?" She raises any eyebrow questioningly. Her tones leaves little doubt what she thinks. "You know the one I mean. The one with stakes at the bottom."
Ulrich's shoulders heave in exhaustion. Between pants he says to Ellie "I'm glad you're safe, Elka too. I think that was the hardest fight we have endured yet. Most of my spells are gone, but I can prepare two more with some time."
"I can help." Allie offers. "I think this is probably the last time though - I feel like I'm running dry..."
Jando nods. "Yeah, sorry about that whole pit trap thing. The area has been a very dangerous place since the explosion and the... whatever that is... appeared around the town." He gestures vaguely toward the dome of fog that is barely visible through the trees. "And then you lot show up out of nowhere. I couldn’t be sure whose side you were on. I’m starting to guess you aren’t with the Whispering Way; you aren’t raving fanatics or undead abominations. Right now, that’s good enough for me. Let me out, and I can show you a place that’s relatively safe. We can talk further."
"The Whispering Way?" Gabbi responds, her eyes widening a little. "Are they the ones behind ..." She waves her hands towards the remains of the village. "... this?"
While she questions, she steps out of the way so that the strong arms of the group can lift the log.
Allie recognises her cue and moves to help shift the log before Elka returns to normal size.
"1, 2, 3 and lift!" She calls, heaving with Ellie and Elka to shift the log.
"I knew some people back at the university that proclaimed interest in a Whispering Way. Their faith was of little interest to me, but they held meetings revolving around the arcane arts, and produced spells that were considered outside the university's traditional views."
"Can you walk, Mr. Parr? I can tend to your wounds once we reach safety."
You are able to heft the tree off the ground enough that Jando can wriggle free. He stands, brushing dirt off his leather armor, and gingerly touches a bruise beginning to form on his left cheek. "Yes, I'm okay for now. Follow me."
The half-orc leads you to the north side of the clearing where several trees grow close together. Near the base of one tree, the branches have been partially cut away to make a series of subtle handholds. The half-orc begins climbing, gesturing for you to follow. Several logs have been tied together to form a makeshift platform about 30 feet from the ground. The natural canopy of the trees protects the blind from above and it is hidden from below with several camouflaging branches. The entire platform is 20 feet long by 15 feet wide. A well-used bedroll lies in one corner. "Make yourselves comfortable."
When it becomes clear that you've only just arrived in the region, Jando explains what's happened in Roslar's Coffer. "A few days ago, when I was patrolling along the river to the southeast, I saw this massive flash of light coming from the town. I rushed over, only to find many of the buildings in ruins and everyone... dead. It seemed as though most of the bodies were turned to ash, but lots of them were terribly mangled somehow, their limbs twisted in all directions and their flesh turned to goo. It was horrible, but it got worse when some of the mangled corpses began to move on their own." He grimaces. "I hate the undead.
"The cloud sprang up about a day later while I was picking through the rubble, trying to find some explanation for what happened. It just appeared, rolling in like the worst bank of fog ever. I tried to make a break for it through the mist once, but I barely made it back out alive. I wouldn’t recommend it. It surrounds the entire town—I’ve been trapped here inside it ever since."
A look of disgust crosses his face. "My guess is the Whispering Way is behind all this. I’ve seen a few of them skulking through the streets, but I don’t know if they have a way through the fog or a secret hideaway in town."
"Could they have brought the fog?" Alessandra speculates. "If they came at the same time it's probable." She turns to the rest of the group. "Gabbi and I don't know the town very well, we'd only been here a few days before... where is a group of murderous, undead worshipping cultists most likely to be camped out?"
As you ponder the situation, there's a rustling in the undergrowth below the hunter's blind. A powerfully built tiger prowls towards the yaoguai's corpse, white fur slashed by black stripes. It sniffs at the body before tearing off choice bits of meat, chowing down on the bloody chunks.
Jando looks down at the great cat. "There's that weird tiger again. I first saw it a few days ago, but it slipped off into the woods. I don't know what the hell it's doing here. Certainly, tigers aren't native to Lastwall. It's lucky to have stayed alive with all the undead and monsters lurking around."
When it becomes clear that you've only just arrived in the region, Jando explains what's happened in Roslar's Coffer. "A few days ago, when I was patrolling along the river to the southeast, I saw this massive flash of light coming from the town. I rushed over, only to find many of the buildings in ruins and everyone... dead. It seemed as though most of the bodies were turned to ash, but lots of them were terribly mangled somehow, their limbs twisted in all directions and their flesh turned to goo. It was horrible, but it got worse when some of the mangled corpses began to move on their own." He grimaces. "I hate the undead.
"The cloud sprang up about a day later while I was picking through the rubble, trying to find some explanation for what happened. It just appeared, rolling in like the worst bank of fog ever. I tried to make a break for it through the mist once, but I barely made it back out alive. I wouldn’t recommend it. It surrounds the entire town—I’ve been trapped here inside it ever since."
A look of disgust crosses his face. "My guess is the Whispering Way is behind all this. I’ve seen a few of them skulking through thestreets, but I don’t know if they have a way through the fog or a secret hideaway in town."
Ellie's brow creases. "The Whispering Way? What would they want with such an out of the way place as this?"
Her expression turns grim. First orcs, then this - hasn't my hometown suffered enough already? She makes a quiet vow to herself that she will get payback.
"Could they have brought the fog?" Alessandra speculates. "If they came at the same time it's probable." She turns to the rest of the group. "Gabbi and I don't know the town very well, we'd only been here a few days before... where is a group of murderous, undead worshipping cultists most likely to be camped out?"
"I used to live here - a long time ago, but the town hasn't changed much. Let me have a think about where we should investigate."
It would seem that most of the largest structures in town have been leveled. However, Roslar's Tomb--the real tomb, not the echo of it you explored in the Boneyard--is still the centerpiece of the town's cemetery. It's just the sort of morbid place the Whispering Way might commandeer for themselves.
As you ponder the situation, there's a rustling in the undergrowth below the hunter's blind. A powerfully built tiger prowls towards the yaoguai's corpse, white fur slashed by black stripes. It sniffs at the body before tearing off choice bits of meat, chowing down on the bloody chunks.
Jando looks down at the great cat. "There's that weird tiger again. I first saw it a few days ago, but it slipped off into the woods. I don't know what the hell it's doing here. Certainly, tigers aren't native to Lastwall. It's lucky to have stayed alive with all the undead and monsters lurking around."
"A tiger?" Alessandra asks in shock, turning to look down from the edge of the platform. She sits there in amazement for a few minutes admiring its long sleek form and the power of its jaws.
"You're beautiful!" She whispers, almost to herself before swinging down from the platform. She steps over to the carcass, suppressing her revulsion to choose a particularly juicy haunch and ripping it off the corpse, before approaching the feasting animal - haunch held out like an offering.
"You must be hungry, here for days with no food." She murmurs. "You must need to eat a lot, a big boy like you! Here you go, I've got some more meat for you..." Something inside her reaches out to the animal, its stark white-silver fur reminding her of the light that kept Ellie alive today. Drawn by that feeling, and a sense that this creature somehow isn't a threat (to her at least), Allie squats down near the tiger and takes a large bite from the haunch she carries.
Even vampiric appreciation of blood has its limits and the yaogui's flesh is foul, but Alessandra swallows and offers the rest to the tiger. As its jaws descend on the meat Allie reaches in and tears away a handful of its previous chunk, ripping into it with her fangs much like the tiger.
"You share my kill and I share yours." She intones, reaching out with one bloody hand towards its nose. "We are pack now - you and I?" Her reach is slow, poised to retreat at any moment, despite all her good feelings this is an animal - a beast! If she's wrong... then eating nasty meat will be the least of her worries!
The tiger growls at Alessandra at first, baring its teeth. As it watches her eat the yaoguai's meat, though, it sits back on its haunches and regards her curiously. Its nostrils flare as she holds her hand out, sniffing the blood and the dhampir's scent. After a few moments, it closes its eyes and leans forward, butting its forehead against her hand.
As everyone talks, Ulrich sets himself to work tending a few wounds. He starts with Elka, being the most wounded.
"I feel a bit out of the loop, so to speak. Can you explain to me what the Whispering Way is? I was under the impression that they were spellcasters with a penchant for arcane secrets, mainly forbidden magic... Uhm, Alessandra? Where are you going?"
Jando nods to Ulrich. "You’ve heard of Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant? He’s a powerful lich who ruled Ustalav for centuries but was defeated by the Shining Crusade and then locked away in Gallowspire. Well, the Whispering Way is a cult that wants to free that undead bastard and turn everyone on Golarion into zombies and skeletons."
Ellie gives the Doctor a grateful nod of thanks as he patches up her various injuries - before giving Alessandra a look of alarm as she descends to the ground, towards the tiger. "Wait - what are you..." The cry trails off as she sees with amazement that the creature and the dhampir are forming some sort of bond.
"O-kay. That's, that's ... actually not the weirdest thing I've seen in the last few days."
She regathers her thoughts. "Uh, the most likely place for us to find a bunch of necromancers is the, uh, the tomb of Roslar. The real one, I mean. It's in the town cemetery. I suggest we rest here and tackle it tomorrow morning."
Jando frowns at Ellie. "I'd be wary of the cemetery. There's a weird glow coming from there. It even spoke to me... I think. On one of my supply runs through the town, I came close to the cemetery and heard a voice—in my head, I think—claiming to be the spirit of the land. Since then, I haven’t gone anywhere near it. It might be a Whispering Way trick, or it could be something else altogether. I’m just trying to stay alive here; I gave up on trying to solve the mysteries of this place the minute that toxic fog appeared."
Elká would join in on the conversation if only her brain could get over how stupid a name 'the Whispering Way' is for a group of would-be necromantic overlords. That, and the fact she has no clue what the Whispering Way is. "Whatever they did clearly isn't in line with the laws of nature and this world. Oh yeah, we're experts on that. So, if they're busy doing whatever it is they're doing some six feet underground, there's a chance they aren't aware of our presence. Yet. I say we use that to our advantage and serve them a righteous reckoning."
Allie lets out a deep breath as the tiger butts her and moves to scratch it behind the ears and get out of the way of its feeding. By the time it's finished the dhampir is sitting against its flank and both are making contented noises as she scratches and pats it all over.
"You stay here!" She eventually tells the tiger, "I'm going to go talk to my friends. I want you to meet my sister!"
Suiting actions to words she swarms back up onto the platform just in time to help out with the healing.
"I'd like to head back to the inn if we can," She offers "We can do that after the cemetary maybe? I just want to get our packs - everything we own in the world was stored in that room. Anyway, you have to come down and meet my new friend - he's so adorable!" With a small squeal she grabs her sisters hand and makes for the ground, intent on introducing Gabbi to her newfound companion.
"You're beautiful!" She whispers, almost to herself before swinging down from the platform.
"Alli, no!" Gabbi hisses at her sister, but the woman is already gone. She can do nothing else but watch in trepidation as Alessandra approaches the dangerous animal alone.
"You stay here!" She eventually tells the tiger, "I'm going to go talk to my friends. I want you to meet my sister!"
Suiting actions to words she swarms back up onto the platform just in time to help out with the healing.
Gabbi hits her sister on the shoulder in frustration. "I thought we said we weren't going to do stupid s~&* like that?" she growls, before pulling her in for a tight hug. "You scared me," she whispers. Eventually she pulls away enough to look down at the beautiful creature below them and then back at her sister.
~~~~
"The Whispering Way is probably the oldest organized group in the world," Gabbi says in a voice heavy with hatred. "They revere undeath and are reputed to have introduced many of the types of undead to the world - including vampires." She sneers. "They believe that undeath is the pinnacle of existence. And, yes, Tar-Baphon - the Whispering Tyrant - is probably their most powerful and well-known member, but there are others."
"Let's rest here and then visit this cemetery." She gives her sister a sly grin. "After we stop at the inn, of course."