Oh, sorry Urzok. Did some of that burn you? He is, at the moment, oblivious to the "kill steal."
When they've both fallen, he flatly waves his hand from left to right, at about stomach level, in front of himself to dismiss the flaming sphere.
Well done, team!
Hey eyes both of the bodies for several moments before explaining. They were exposed to extraplanar energies, somehow linked to another realm. The fog was emanation through them and outward from whatever place that is.
Boodiddly breathes heavily, too distracted by the mix of fatigue and adrenaline rushing through his system to notice much of his surroundings.
Shakur is a bit taken aback as he examines the bodies. "Most of the oneirogens’ internal organs have been ripped away, taken by something I sure hope isn't still around."
Well. That one took a bit out of us. Let's get a quick look around while I heal up.
"That's not gonna close up any time soon. Anybody else?"
Shakur advocates for sitting around for another hour or so for some more healing.
---Assuming we wait---
"Burn me? What? No you- BAH!" Urzok spits and waves Jevar off. "Never mind, different people, different rules."
He begins to unceremoniously search the place for anything useful, tossing junk here and there. Beginning with the corpses, he quickly makes his way around the room. "What next? Think we can take more on, or should we grab some yellow chalk and head back to camp?"
________
Jevar walks over to Shakur, waiting his turn to accept treatment. When he finishes he nods in thanks.
I really hope we can get a nights rest before the next melee. We've... seen alot today.
Jevar points out of the nearby window.
Hey, look at that. The yellow smoke has thinned a bit. More of the scenery is visible to us. And...
He follows the trail up the building.
The smoke is clearly pouring out of that second-floor window above the encampment...
"Then...uhh, now that everybody is fixed up, let's get moving!"
The amnesiacs find nothing else in the tower heights and thus make their way back to the camp of the Apostles in Orpiment.
”Chosen of Zandalus!” Dr. Elbourne declares as the amnesiacs enter his “hospital.” ”I see your holy crusade was a success! Come, tell me all that you have done in the name of our lord and savior!”
Like before, the doctor practically pushes the amnesiacs up the nearby staircase to the wall of rubble near the top.
Safely out of earshot, Elbourne drops his facade and looks to the group with sincere curiosity.
”So? Did you find Zandalus’s oneirogen? What secrets did the little freak tell you? Do you know how to get rid of the mist?”
Urzok grins darkly while tapping Red Destiny. "Hell yeah we did. Repeated application of steel and fire is currently the best cure for this shared nightmare of ours," he explains. "Two of them were up there and now they're mist free!"
"To put it a bit better than my friend here, there were two. They didn't want to talk. At all." Shakur's face sours a bit as he twirls his dagger before remembering a few details. "They were lighter than they should have been, and didn't have internal organs, so I'm going to assume they were undead and there wasn't much we could do about it. However, the smoke outside seems to have thinned as well. Any insights, doctor?"
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Urzok grins darkly while tapping Red Destiny. "Hell yeah we did. Repeated application of steel and fire is currently the best cure for this shared nightmare of ours," he explains. "Two of them were up there and now they're mist free!"
Dr. Elbourne stares at Urzok in disbelief with his mouth agape. His lips begin to move as if about to say something, but no words come out. He blinks a few times and his eye begins to twitch. He puts up a hand to interrupt Shakur as the half-elf begins to speak.
A single word escapes the red-faced doctor’s lips as he grabs onto the half-orc’s shoulders. Elbourne stops himself as he realizes the volume of his voice and brings his voice to a whisper that still manages to communicate the intensity of his words.
”You were supposed to interrogate him! Not f*cking kill him! What the f*ck do you think ‘wring some of Zandalus’s secrets out of him’ means, you orcish oaf?! You just killed our one gods-damned lead to getting out of this hellhole because you—”
"To put it a bit better than my friend here, there were two. They didn't want to talk. At all." Shakur's face sours a bit as he twirls his dagger before remembering a few details. "They were lighter than they should have been, and didn't have internal organs, so I'm going to assume they were undead and there wasn't much we could do about it. However, the smoke outside seems to have thinned as well. Any insights, doctor?"
Dr. Elbourne, whose face had grown a deep shade of crimson, snaps his head to look at Shakur with his rage-filled eyes. The man just stares silently at the Pharasmin for several seconds after he finishes speaking and the amnesiacs can practically see the metaphorical gears turning in his head as Elbourne processes what Shakur said. Elbournes face turns from crimson to pink as he spits out a single ”What…?” He slowly glances to the side and seems to notice for the first time that his relatively thin frame is grabbing hold of that of a massive, well-built half-orc. With a squeak he quickly lets go of Urzok and takes several steps away from the half-orc in fear.
Elbourne wipes the sweat off his brow and slowly slumps down on the steps of the staircase.
”I-I’m sorry…run that by me again…?”
"Gladly." Shakur's reaction seems oddly chipper for the situation. "They attacked on sight. Had some weird fog thing coming out of their mouth -- I think we may have seen that somewhere else but -- and when I went to knock one of 'em down, they seemed lighter than they should be." Shakur grows sour as he remembers his inability to knock over something that weighed half as much as it should have. He scoffs before remembering his situation. He continues, "I deemed that was because something removed their internal organs -- something that was no longer there -- and given that they were still up and walking, I honestly didn't even try to stabilize any of 'em for questioning. Thought it was probably beyond hope. Undead don't really come back, trust me I'd know."
”And they were…spewing fog…? And what was that about the fog thinning?”
Jevar steps in to add, and it seemed to me that their bodies had some sort of inter-planar connection. The fog was coming from... somewhere else.
Yes, after the fight it seemed that the fog outside had lessened to the point where we could see better. We all noticed it immediately. We were able to trace a stream of the fog pouring out of a window... back at the west of the building.
He stops just short of mentioning the encampment.
We were able to trace a stream of the fog pouring out of a window... back at the west of the building.
It's pouring out of a winder above this very encampment... it must be very nearby...
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All of you noticed? Immediate? HA! the raven squawks at her master.
Elbourne looks up in confusion. ”Did that bird just talk? You know what, not even close to the weirdest thing right now.”
”Honestly, only about a quarter of what you’re saying makes any sense to me, but with how this week has been going, that quarter is a lot. You lot were the one that experienced this…fog spewing thing, so what do you think? I don’t know anything about this otherworldly hullabaloo—I barely know anything about medicine—so I’m deterring to you for what to do next.”
"Any of your, uhh, roommates here known to spew fog? There a forbidden staircase or something? We need to take care of the stupid fog if we've any chance of getting the f*&( out of here." Shakur's brow begins twitching; he's getting a bit desperate. And antsy.
Urzok chuckles as the impending conflict ebbs. That would have been one hell of a rumble. Us against all those cultists? At the least it would have been a great way to go.
"I say we rest up and go find the next set of smokestacks to knock down. We gonna lose the blessing of Zandaddy if we leave and come back out the door you found us in?" he asks, gesturing in the direction of the deranged cultists.
"Well, we can't just leave those doors open for people to wander through," Boodiddly responds. "They could find something dangerous and get hurt!"
Especially if they find the other survivors in the chapel. And it wouldn't just be the cultists getting hurt...
"Oh! Do you think this mouth-fog stuff is similar to the director's condition?" the gnome asks suddenly. "I mean, her smoke was rainbow-colored, but it made Urzok fall asleep and I certainly felt a bit drowsy from the yellow fog back in the tower." His eyes widen as he remembers Shakur's description of the cultists' innards. "Oh no! Do... do you think she still has her intestines and whatnot?"
There a forbidden staircase or something?
Elbourne slowly looks up as realization spreads across his face. ”Zandalus…Zandalus and his bodyguards and the rest of his oneirogens are on the second floor. This stairwell collapsed, but the other one still goes up there. If the oneirogens are the source of the fog, then…we have to get rid of the oneirogens.”
Jevar rubs his face with his hands, starting to look weary.
Yes, that's probably it. But I agree with Urzok, we need to recover... it's been a long day. Do you have a corner here we can camp out in without bringing too much curiosity from your yellow-chalkers?
Jevar rubs his face with his hands, starting to look weary.
Yes, that's probably it. But I agree with Urzok, we need to recover... it's been a long day. Do you have a corner here we can camp out in without bringing too much curiosity from your yellow-chalkers?
Elbourne makes a slight sweeping motion with his wrist. ”Right here, actually. I’ve basically taken this stairwell as my own and no one comes in here other than me—I think the apostles are just hesitant to act against their only healer. If you’re planning on going up there, then you’ll need all the strength you can muster—Zandalus’s inner circle is not something to be trifled with.”
Dr. Elbourne reaches inside of his coat and pulls out a twig, which he promptly puts in Shakur’s hand and closes the Pharasmin’s fingers around it.
”A wand of heal. I hope you’re right about this. I would take a long, hard time preparing for the worst—I don’t know what power Zandalus has, but to raise a cult practically overnight? It has to be great. Make sure you’re prepared.”
Jevar rests and spends a bit of time in the lesser-used pages of his spellbook...
After an hour or so you notice the talking raven is no longer present.
You notice a familiar beak poking out of Jevar's pack...
After he puts away his spellbook, he accepts Urzok's shield, looking over the parts and then grabs into his repair supplies to see how to best restore the integrity of his teammate's shield. He mutters, halfway to himself, as he does.
Hmm... some glues mixed with light metal pastes should best help bond this back together.... should be good in no time.
After that he consumes one of his two lesser antiplagues, and offers the other to Urzok.
Urzok, I think we need these as part of our full recovery. Do you have any or could you use this one?
"I'll take it. If I've got another hidden away somewhere, it's yours to use when you need it," Urzok says before downing the offered antiplague.
He spends his time keeping watch and helping Jevar fixing the shield. Otherwise, he enjoys the respite in silence, clearly happy for the break from never ending chaos.
The amnesiacs spend the next several hours taking inventory of what they have and preparing for the day ahead. They sleep in the stairwell adjacent to Dr. Elbourne’s hospital tent, though the night is far from restful.
The amnesiacs awaken early and prepare for their expedition to the second floor. Upon finishing their daily preparations, Jevar and Urzok fight against their internal struggles.
But unbeknownst to them, they manage to completely fight off the diseases.
Prepared, the amnesiacs make their way through Elbourne’s hospital. The doctor turns to look at the men and mouths two words:
Good luck.
The amnesiacs continue onward, making their way to the other staircase. Some of the people who have woken up at this hour catch a glimpse of the amnesiacs climbing the stairs, but no one stops them.
As they climb the steps to Briarstone’s second floor, the amnesiacs clearly hear a familiar alien groaning echoing from above them: the sound of the oneirogens. Unlike the two in the tower, this sounds almost rehearsed—the sound is still unintelligible, but the music sounds almost deliberate and haunting. Wisps of saffron smog grow denser and denser as the men climb the steps, never seeming to fully obstruct their vision, but clearly there.
The wide flight of stairs rises to a chamber that has almost entirely collapsed upon itself. Shattered pieces of wall and ceiling timbers, knotted like broken fingers, slump precariously. Despite the chamber’s near ruin, a number of tables, chairs, and bedrolls lie about the room. A hall choked with fog lies through a gap in the wall to the north.
”Do you have any crowns?”
“Go fish.”
A trio of humans sit at the table—Apostles in Orpiment playing cards. One of them glances up and does a double-take as he sees the amnesiacs at the top of the stairs. He slams down his hand of cards and stands up, drawing a shortsword from his hip! The other two, whose backs are to the staircase, look up in confusion, look behind them, and follow suit as they spot the amnesiacs—rising from the table and drawing shortswords.
”Only Zandalus’s chosen are allowed up here!”
“By the ordinance of Zandalus, leave now!”
Jevar wakes with a start, sweating.
I don't know about the rest of you, but my dreams have not been well when we sleep in this place. Is this... worth talking about or would finding any common meaning between us be folly...?
----------------------
In the doorway, Jevar immediately blurts out a ridiculous retort. How are you so sure Zandalus didn't send us?! He rubs his forehead as if checking to see if some yellow chalk has rubbed off.
The apostles look at Jevar with surprise and turn to one another in a huddle of a brief whispered conversation. After a handful of seconds the apostles return their gazes to the amnesiacs—their faces far more stern.
”Lord Zandalus hasn’t left in three days—he never had the chance to send for you!”
Round 1
================
Urzok
Jevar
Red
Green
Blue
Boodiddly
Shakur
Event
================
"Nonono, you don't understand!" Boodiddly squeaks as the men glare. "Lord Zandalus sent for us in a dream! It was yellow fog everywhere, and then his voice echoed everywhere in my head! He said, 'Come. Your presence is required. Ascend the tower. The faithful will not stop you.' And then I woke up and knew I had to come - and my companions as well, since they all received the same message in their sleep!"
Jevar shrugs and performs the incantation to summon his familiar sphere of fire.
I think I'll just... stay back here if that's okay with you.
Worth a shot, never know with these idiots. Armed with his shield again, Urzok snaps it into place between him and his foes. Circling around the trio, he lashes out with Red Destiny!
________
Jevar manifests a ball of fire right on top of one of the apostles, and Urzok moves forward and lunges with Red Destiny, piercing straight through the cultist’s chest and sending him tumbling to the ground!
Blue Strides forward within reach of both Urzok and Shakur and stabs with his shortsword at the half-orc!
Red then moves over to flank Urzok and swings twice with his sword!
Upon being hit, Urzok Shield Blocks!
Round 1
================
Urzok (-2)
Jevar
Red
Blue
Boodiddly
Shakur
Event
================
"Well, we tried to tell you," Boodiddly yelps as one of the guards falls. "We can't say no to Lord Zandalus, nonono we can't." He whistles a series of warbling notes that try to drown out the odd humming in the air before chucking a rock at the closer guard.
crit success.
"We've gotta talk about that, by the way!" Shakur says aside to Boodiddly.
"Listen we don't want to kill...That hasn't worked anywhere else in this godsforsaken place, why am I trying that now!?"
Shakur quickly flicks his dagger at the nearest apostle's shoulder.
Shakur then raises his shield. "Of course. Just dandy! ABSOLUTELY " Shakur shouts, his face growing more and more visibly agitated.
Just at that moment, Shakur feels something slimy smack against his forehead. He looks down to find a pair of…teeth? An entire set of dentures lies at the feet of the Pharasmin.
”Will you idiots keep it down! Some of us are trying to sleep!”
“Aggra! We need some help here!”
“Ugly?!”
The bed in the southeastern corner begins rustling as something moves from under the covers. Turning over from looking the other way is an extremely elderly lady with a chalk mark of a flame on her forehead and an apparent lack of teeth.
”Who’re you calling ugly—?!”
The old woman sees her fellow apostles fighting a group of people she doesn’t recognize and a crazed fanaticism sparks in her eyes.
”Drive out the heretics!”
Round 2
================
Urzok (-2)
Jevar
Red
Blue (-14)
Aggra “Bag Lady” Loomis {Prone}
Boodiddly
Shakur
================
Jevar manifests a ball of fire right on top of one of the apostles,
Jevar cocks an eyebrow and makes a confused, slightly amused face at the old woman.
Reinforcements...?
He concentrates on his ball of fire and directs it towards Aggra.
His right arm then shoots forward as he sends a bolt of flame at the cultist in front of him.
Jevar manifests a ball of fire right on top of one of the apostles,
”What the—?!”
Despite her clear age, the old woman rolls off her bed onto the ground, only getting slightly burned by the literal ball of fire over her bed.
Round 2
================
Urzok (-2)
Jevar
Red
Blue (-14)
Aggra “Bag Lady” Loomis (-4) {Prone}
Boodiddly
Shakur
================
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now, no need to stab back! This'll all be over... well, right now for you, actually!" Urzok taunts as he tries to skewer a cultist against the wall.
"No way that old hag is that fast, be careful! She's either not one or has some cooky Zandalus s!#~ going on!" he warns.
________
Urzok stabs into Red and sends the cultist tumbling to the ground!
The chalk mark on Blue’s forehead begins glowing as he glares at Urzok with a newfound fanaticism!
”Zandalus give me strength!”
The cultist swings wildly at Urzok with little regard for how open to attacks he is leaving himself!
The apostle gets one good strike at the half-orc, which is met with a flick of his shield to deflect the blow!
Aggra Loomis, on the ground below the ball of flame, glares over at the only person she’s seen casting magic: Jevar! The old lady licks her lips as she springs to her feet and rushes forward! She stands several inches shorter than the wizard, but strikes with a surprising ferocity!
The old lady grabs Jevar’s shirt and slams the human into the adjacent wall! She then pulls out a grain bag that she had on her person and...
...shoves the grain bag over Jevar’s head and pulls hard at the mouth of the bag, blocking off Jevar’s airway! All the while the Bag Lady giggles with psychotic delight!
Round 2/3
================
Urzok (-8)
Jevar (-4) {grabbed; blinded; Suffocating: 5 "rounds" left}
Blue (-14)
Aggra “Bag Lady” Loomis (-4)
Boodiddly
Shakur
================
Boodiddly yelps, but quickly turns the outburst into another stanza of his wordless song as he throws another rock at the remaining guard.
"Zandalus says you shouldn't have stopped us!"
"What the gnome said!"
Shakur then strides a bit further forward, hoping Urzok stays in front of him.
What are you doing? You horrible hag.... *mmph mpsh*
Boodiddly chucks a rock at the cultist and it pierces straight through his chest, sending him to the ground!
Shakur likewise throws rubble at the old lady, while Aggra starts twisting the human in her clutches!
But doesn’t overpower him quickly enough before she is hit.
Round 3
================
Urzok (-8)
Jevar (-4) {grabbed; blinded; Suffocating: 4 “rounds” left}
Aggra “Bag Lady” Loomis (-17)
Boodiddly
Shakur
================