Uzziah slowly advances, wary for ambush.
Heiek can see that the door would open regularly enough and hears movement on the other side.
Heiek waves the others forward and hooks his thumb at the door. He over-exaggerates readying his weapon to make sure everyone knows to be ready for a fight.
Uzziah nods in response to Heiek, ready to do battle.
When everyone is ready, he tries to gently crack the door to peer beyond it.
This flooded cave is roughly square, and its features have been smoothed by the passage of seawater in and out with the ebb and flow of the tide. A large swath of the southern wall is marred by deep carvings depicting a crude, twisted sigil. A pile of humanoid bones heaped four feet high litter the floor in front of the glyph. Atop this mound rests a stone trough. Two more gill men like those before stand in the room listening to a gillman woman wearing a mithral chain shirt.
Valto
Valera
Heiek
Iraska
Uzziah
Gillmen
”Good job.” Valera whispered. ”We tried talking. So let’s do this.” She stood up and started blasting.
Heiek downs his alter self extract and assumes his (strikingly handsome) locathah form.
Heiek steps forward and tries to chop a gillman in half.
Uzziah focuses on the woman before him, rushing forth to strike her down!
-> 2/day <-
Once per day, a cavalier can challenge a foe to combat. As a swift action, the cavalier chooses one target within sight to challenge. The cavalier’s melee attacks deal extra damage whenever the attacks are made against the target of his challenge. This extra damage is equal to the cavalier’s level. The cavalier can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every three levels beyond 1st, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.
Challenging a foe requires much of the cavalier’s concentration. The cavalier takes a –2 penalty to his Armor Class, except against attacks made by the target of his challenge.
The challenge remains in effect until the target is dead or unconscious or until the combat ends. Each cavalier’s challenge also includes another effect which is listed in the section describing the cavalier’s order.
Whenever a cavalier of the order of the waves issues a challenge, he receives a +1 morale bonus on his saving throws as long as he is underwater. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 class levels the cavalier has. -> +2 <-
***********************************************************************
Valto casts a spell on one of the gillmen.
”Good job.” Valera whispered. ”We tried talking. So let’s do this.” She stood up and started blasting.
Heiek downs his alter self extract and assumes his (strikingly handsome) locathah form. He makes out the woman saying something in Aquan about surviving only by his favour.
Iraska casts bulls strength on himself.
Uzziah focuses on the woman before him, rushing forth to strike her down!
Valto moves forward and casts another spell.
”Good job.” Valera whispered. ”We tried talking. So let’s do this.” She stood up and started blasting.
Heiek steps forward and tries to chop a teal gillman in half.
Iraska moves in and finishes off the injured gillman.
Uzziah badly injures the woman.
The woman steps back and holding up a symbol heals herself.
The surviving male launches himself at Uzziah to defend the woman.
(1d6+2/19–20)
Valto
Valera
Heiek
Iraska
Uzziah
Gillmen Woman -27
Heiek feels conflicted ambushing the gillmen like this, but he remembers how ruthless the ones outside were. He moves on and attacks the woman.
For a moment Valera didn’t know who to shoot. After a long period of being indecisive she quickly blasted the woman, as she was casting something and that meant danger. Sadly, her aim was far off.
Uzziah continues to advance, furiously stabbing with his trident!
Valto casts another spell but his ray goes wide.
For a moment Valera didn’t know who to shoot. After a long period of being indecisive she quickly blasted the woman, as she was casting something and that meant danger. Sadly, her aim was far off.
Heiek feels conflicted ambushing the gillmen like this, but he remembers how ruthless the ones outside were. He moves on and attacks the woman... who finally falls under the attack.
Uzziah continues to advance, furiously stabbing with his trident! The last enemy gillman collapses.
Potions of cure moderate wounds (4)
Mwk leather lamellar armor x2
Mwk trident x2
Short sword x2
Potion of bear’s endurance
Potion of bull’s strength
Mithral chainmail
+1 rapier
Spell component pouch
Wooden holy symbol of Zura
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”We did it! We’re HORRIBLE diplomats, but at least we’re getting rich by killing things.” Valera said, ignoring the horrific scene of frozen, pierced, slashed and bloody corpses.
Uzziah looks about at the remains of the gillmen and feels a pang of sorrow, then anger that his hand was forced by circumstance.
He picks up the mithral chainmail.
"After nearly dying outside this cave, I think superior armour is in order. Do any recognise that symbol, by the way?"
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"Um, yeah. Demon Lord, er... Lady. Legend says she was the first vampire. She's also worshiped by, um..."
Heiek has trouble meeting Uzziah's eyes.
"... cannibals.
"But! If these guys worshiped her, then it's unlikely any sort of diplomacy would have worked. I mean, we're not terrible at diplomacy. We're on talking terms with that naga, after all."
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Uzziah looks about him as he changes into the mithral chainmail.
"A vampiric demon worshipped by cannibals? Gods preserve us."
The cavalier looks like he is stoically attempting not to vomit with disgust.
"If there is any magic here that influenced these gillmen to that worship, we will smash it to pieces."
Uzziah looks about for any such thing.
Uzziah can't spot anything that might be able to do that but it might be more due to his own inexperience than anything.
After moving along a well troden path through a marsh for another quarter of a mile from the cave you see the settlemenent jutting off the north coast of Ancorato as a jumble of massive whale bones, stretching up like columns from the rocky shore. Tattered remnants of tarps, tangled nets, and the collapsed domes of underwater structures are all that remains of what may have been a community of seadwelling creatures.
The small settlement contains fewer than a dozen structures, all built with frames of whale bone. The structures, similar to yurts, originally had canvas, hide, or some manner of woven material stretched across their bone frames. The site would seem to be well chosen for a settlement geographically speaking at least.
As you move through the ruins you see a giant grasshoppers head peering at you from behind some a structure though it is gone when you go to investigate.
You catch sight of it's shadow, the head is perched atop a gaunt thin body with wings which is not insectoid
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Valera hummed a happy tune as she walked through the wreckage of the settlement, idly wondering what it must have looked like before it fell, and if there was anything worth taking.
"Stay sharp. Who knows what might hide here?", says Uzziah as he advances.
Abiel snorts.
You all hear a maddening droning sound that numbs the mind of all intelligent creatures. The noise comes from behind a ruined hut thirty feet away.
Buzzing wings hold this gaunt creature just above the ground. A grasshopper serves as the creature’s head. The wings seem to be the source of the droning noise as the wings beat. The figure appears blurred and wavering.
Iraska
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster
Acts normally
Looking thoroughly confused, Valera walked towards the source of the noise. Her eyes went wide when she saw it, and she immediately started blasting.
Unaffected by whatever the creature is doing, when Heiek sees Valera blasting, he rushes up and starts hacking.
Uzziah sprints towards the source of the buzzing, determined to end its source!
Iraska starts howling something imperceptible and headbutts his quarterstaff.
Looking thoroughly confused, Valera walked towards the source of the noise. Her eyes went wide when she saw it, and she immediately started blasting.
Uzziah sprints towards the source of the buzzing, determined to end its source! Uzziah's blow lands but he finds it resists most of the damage.
Unaffected by whatever the creature is doing, when Heiek sees Valera blasting, he rushes up and starts hacking.
Valto clutches his ears babbling.
The creature attempts to cast some form of spell but it has no discernable effect... the disorienting sound of it's wings continues however.
Iraska
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster -18
"Agh! Get it off of me!"
Heiek tries to use his polearm's axe head to chop off whatever he thinks is on his chest.
Uzziah suddenly goes slack-jawed, popping bubbles from his mouth and murmuring erratically.
Still confused out of her mind, Valera kept attacking. Another blast of pure cold slammed into the creature.
Iraska momentarily regaining his composure heals some of his self inflicted wounds.
Still confused out of her mind, Valera kept attacking. Another blast of pure cold almost slammed into the creature... the shot somehow misses it's mark on her obfuscate target.
Uzziah suddenly goes slack-jawed, popping bubbles from his mouth and murmuring erratically
Valto comes back to his senses and hurls a dark grey bolt of energy at the creature.
Heiek tries to use his polearm's axe head to chop off whatever he thinks is on his chest.
The disorienting droning continues before staring intently at Valera.
Iraska -5
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster -18. -6 Strength
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"THIS IS WHAT THE COLOR BLUE SMELLS LIKE!" Heiek screams as he swings his polearm.
The confusion lifted, and with it came the realization that her powers were next to useless. Fear gripped Valera’s heart at the realization. With a yelp she threw a bolt of cold at the beast, though it was so I’m a irate that if she closed her eyes it wouldn’t have impacted her aim.
Uzziah barely responds to the wild blow bouncing off his mail and continues to blindly murmer what may be fragments of ancient languages. Or total nonsense.
Iraska mumbles for a bit as he tries to work out what he should be doing...
The confusion lifted, and with it came the realization that her powers were next to useless. Fear gripped Valera’s heart at the realization. With a yelp she threw a bolt of cold at the beast, though it was so I’m a irate that if she closed her eyes it wouldn’t have impacted her aim.
Uzziah barely responds to the wild blow bouncing off his mail and continues to blindly murmer what may be fragments of ancient languages. Or total nonsense.
Valto moves forward and tries to stab vaguely in Iraska's direction.
"THIS IS WHAT THE COLOR BLUE SMELLS LIKE!" Heiek screams as he swings his polearm.
The droning sound continues as it slashes at Uzziah. "You will replace those you have slain! You will serve..."
Iraska -5
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster -18. -6 Strength
Finally snapping out of whatever is going on with his brain and the creature's wings, Heiek takes a wild, desperate swing, hoping to land a solid blow before he gets confused again.
Still affected by the creature’s confusion, all Valera could do was babble incoherently about how her powers had deserted her.
Uzziah stops murmuring and bashes his buckler into his own face.
Iraska head buts his staff once more.
Still affected by the creature’s confusion, all Valera could do was babble incoherently about how her powers had deserted her.
Uzziah stops murmuring and bashes his buckler into his own face.
Finally snapping out of whatever is going on with his brain and the creature's wings, Heiek takes a wild, desperate swing, hoping to land a solid blow before he gets confused again.
Valto fires off a bolt from his crossbow while he has his wits about him.
Uzziah swings back in his confused state.
Still weakened the creature continues to assault Uzziah... while the dronning of it's wings persists.
Iraska -18
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster -18. -6 Strength
Valera sat down and buried her face in her hands, her babbling now completely incoherent.
"BlueblueblueblueBLuEblueblueBLUEblueblue..."
Iraska regains his senses and swings his quaterstaff, lightly injuring the creature.
Valera sat down and buried her face in her hands, her babbling now completely incoherent.
"BlueblueblueblueBLuEblueblueBLUEblueblue..."
Valto stabs at someone... it's not easy to tell who...
Confused Uzziah tries to strike back.
The figure takes to the air...
Iraska -18
Valera
Uzziah
Valto
Heiek
Monster -19. -6 Strength
Momentarily free from the confusion, Valera pointed a shaking finger at their tormentor and fired a blast of cold at it.
After a strong start, Heiek continues to succumb to the creature's confusion effect.
The creature is struck once more but breaks line of sight using the threes. As the confusion fades you are all left feeling vulnerable and uneasy... one thing is for certain you have not seen the last of that being.
Any search of the town shows up little save perhaps some bones that have been gnawed upon and cracked open for marrow... all too humanoid bones.
Uzziah shakes his head.
"We...we barely survived that. I suggest that we withdraw and work out how to kill that thing from afar."
Shaken, Heiek carefully searches the settlement.
”Withdraw? More like run. My powers did shyt against it! If we stay here we’re dead. Let’s get a move on.” Valera said, ready to run...but not it alone.
Heiek shakes his head.
"It's running. This may be the only chance we get to check this settlement out."