Kyronai fires off his wand that cannot fail.
Varocles steps up and scores a hit though a glancing one on the remaining beast. It retaliates on the Poseidonite.
It has an even harder time getting through the dwarf's defenses.
Blue-47, Amphitryon-4
Aikaterine indicates to her team that she wants in.
"Shift to a flanking position if possible."
Varocles takes a 5' step to the east and attacks again...
With the group finally surrounding the foe, Amphitryon had the breathing space needed to use his spear effectively.
Cyrene, unhampered by the rest of the group, threads her arrows between them.
Kyronai steps forward, but does not change his tactic that's been working throughout the rest of the fight.
The party works together and though the bat takes one last bite on Amphitryon as he moves into position, it falls to Aika's spell and the the shadow warrior's weapon.
"Search the bodies. They may have something of use. If nothing else, I could use some bat teeth and batwing if you want to cut some real quick. I'm going to check on the next corner to make sure our presence went unnoticed and to see if this person is in the next room."
Quickly, she moves stealthily to the first corner allowing her to peer into the room, and then if the coast is clear, she will dart to the other side of the opening to view the other half of the room.
The winding passage ends in a large cavernous chamber. Running through the middle is an underground river rushing from east to west. A narrow bridge crosses the water; it looks slick with moisture and mold. On the far side of the chamber are immense formations of cloudy, green rock, and in front of them is a large black cauldron with a fire burning at its base. Light filters into this chamber from above through a twisting crevasse in the ceiling. Aika sees a hooded figure next to the cauldron facing away from her. She can only see this figure stirring whatever liquid is inside. "I see you there. I gave your friend a warning to back away and I'd forget you were here. I'm not stopping, not for you, not even for Gann. There is too much at stake. So last chance, you can leave or you all die here. I don't want to have to hurt you." Aika hears a muffled disguised voice before this person draws an empty vial and fills it with the liquid in the cauldron and raises it to their face to ready to drink it.
"Well darling, we have some matters of concern and some questions. But I don't want you to have to hurt me either. I can be amenable and even downright charitable," she half-jokes. "So...if I don't come into that room, and for the moment just remain here, can we talk just a little and you hold off on drinking whatever you have mixed there?"
She attempts to reveal the gender of the disguised villain by striking up a conversation while her party finishes with the bats. The more this person says the more she hopes to be able to discern about them.
Cyrene, who has been quietly following Aikaterine, pauses in the darkness, waiting for a cue one way or the other.
"Look. As a sign of good-will." Amphirtyon, standing next to Aikaterine, held up his spear and then turned around to place it behind him. He then held up his empty hand, showing that he was disarmed. Granted, the spear never actually hit the ground, for it vanished the moment it left his hand. A detail that he didn't see as being important enough to tell the figure. "There is no harm in talking. I've put my spear down, how about you lower that vial of yours?" He said.
Varocles will cast detect magic to search the fallen, as well as cutting off the body parts, as requested by the others.
Kyronai assists Varocles and then moves after the others. He is happy to let the others do the talking. He remembers when his words swayed Circe from her terrible war when all was not as it seemed with her situation, but he knows better than to assume events would repeat themselves in the same way.
Instead, he looks around at the figure, their cauldron, their actions, and anything else that might glean some information.
Varocles and Kyronai do well in skinning and scavenging parts from the doom bats though there does not seem to be anything magical about them.
You can't exactly tell what is in the cauldron but you see evidence of lots of different types of magic and alchemicals in there. Unless you see it in action, it would take days to study it and figure out what it all contains. You easily can assume that it is something beneficial to whoever drinks it, but there may be side effects involved.
You cannot determine the gender or many other details other than they have a surprising amount of muscle tone and their movements are very agile. You also notice some lacquered leather plates peeking out from underneath their clothing along with taped up fists.
"I'm not putting down the vial, there is too much riding on it. But you may ask a few questions. But make it quick, I have much work to do." The figure turns around, their face shrouded by the hood and some sort of mask or face covering. But you can tell that they are keeping an eye on all of you, a hint of paranoia setting in.
"I'm sure they have spells or potion effects already cast upon them to prepare for battle. If I can waste the duration of these, it might help us."
Her goal is to keep him talking for at least a minute to ten minutes.
"Of course. It won't take but a few moments." While speaking, she will analyze the components on the desk. Would igniting them harm the drinker?
"Did you work for the good doctor, or did he work for you?"
Varocles will pay attention to any responses...
Amphitryon likewise waited, listening to the responses. He wondered how long it would take until the inevitable bloodshed started.
Aika surmises that blowing up the contents in the cauldron could be very bad depending on exactly what is in there or it could change its molecular structure. It is hard to say without knowing what is in it.
"Neither. We were partners. I assume you killed him?"
She seems to be truthful.
Varocles nods to Aikaterine to confirm she speaks truly.
Realizing that he was nowhere near smart enough for this game, Amphitryon held his tongue, glad that Aikaterine was here to talk to the man. He waited for a signal to take action, lest he ruin her plan.
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"Well...no...and in a way I suppose. Let me explain," she answers.
With Aikaterine hugging the wall still, the other half of her body is still concealed from their foe. With that concealed arm, she tries to signal to her companions to give them an advantage. She signals when to attack.
"You see...," she continues without pause, "...his final words were, that he would have to go back to the drawing board." At this moment, Aikaterine begins her count down at three counting down to one.
"He said that he already perfected the..." by this time, Aikaterine's countdown has reached zero, and the group, hopefully, will get a surprise attack in unison on this mysterious person, also, hopefully causing them to spill their potion's vial.
It was all gibberish to Amphitryon. When Aikaterine said "He said that he already perfected the..." there was a pause, which everyone just standing there. The warrior looked at her in confusion, then at the man...and finally he sighed.
A dagger formed in his hand and he threw it at the man's hand. He had no idea what the vial was going to do. Was it a potion? Would it explode? Would it summon a horde of chickens? He didn't know. But whatever it was, he didn't want the man having the opportunity to use it.
Aikaterine is unable to convey her plan to the rest of the party but you hear a sigh as the person you are talking to figures it out. "I will leave one of you alive to tell Gann that I am truly sorry. But this is for the greater good." The figure throws back their hood to reveal the face of a half orc female before downing the vial. She clutches her stomach in pain afterwards as she grows to incredible size, her muscles bulge and her pupils dilate, turning dark red in the process.
And as if she is hesitating for some reason, the party is able to get the advantage.
"You're too gracious! Which one of us do we vote should remain alive, guys?" she laughingly states to her companions as she pops out and shoots a blast toward the half-orc and her alchemy supplies. The blast is an icicle-tinkling, shifting, ball of ice and snow with frozen winds surrounding it. It spews out of Aika's outstretched hand as her free hand produces somatic components and consumes some material ones. The chant, full of lively words unknown to most mortal's understanding.
As the blast moves outward and the half-orc reveals herself, Aikaterine tries to witness the physical effects of this potion and what spell-like effect it has created as well as any unique weaknesses that would normally not be in a half-orc woman.
Amphitryon frowned as the half-orc took the dagger and still drank the potion. Forming a javelin in his hands he took a step forward and threw it. "Get behind me." He said to his companions, fully expecting the enemy to not be stopped.
Varocles will cast hold person on her.
DC 16 Will Save.
He then moves forward.
Cyrene hasn't been casting spells for fear of disrupting the peacemaking, but then everyone gives up on the peace side and she's left wishing she had cast spells afterall...
Still, better late than never, she asks for Artemis' blessing and her bow flexes in response.
Kyronai sighs at the inevitable beginning of combat. He steps up behind his brother and tries to end the combat quickly by using his slumber hex.
Aika is able to catch the half orc off guard but she resists the icy spell.
In addition to increased size and strength, you can see her wounds already stitch themselves together from the ice of your spell. She is very clearly not a normal half orc anymore. But given the nature of the rather unstable concoction and her reaction to it, you believe that the effects will wear off shortly. What happens then is anyone's guess.
Depsite being caught off guard, Amphitryon's thrown spear glances off her shoulder and misses.
Varocles spell is able to take affect as she stops her movement. Cyrene makes herself ready and Kyronai readies a hex which does not happen as the target is held by Varocles' spell. Everyone can see her wounds stitch themselves back up a little bit.
The reprieve is brief as H breaks out of the spell moments later.
H-20
The half-elf frowned as his javelin glanced off of the half-orc. Forming a new one he took a step forward and threw it, hoping to cause some damage before the inevitable clash.
"She's enlarged herself...and...yes, regeneration, or a fast healing effect seen in certain vampires and other beasts. Interesting. I don't need to tell them, you can see my spell healing itself on her big flabby skin"
She is sure Amphitryon's throw will hit, but when it doesn't, it puts to worry the power of the one they are fighting. She will need to be stealthy.
Quickly, she pulls out her spellbook and opens it to the page containing her vanish spell. A moment later, and some chanting involved, and Aikaterine completely disappears from sight. Where she travels is anyone's guess.
Cyrene gets to shooting, it is what she does best afterall!
Kyronai steps up behind his brother again and readies the same hex.
Varocles will cast silence on the hilt of his dagger, and he moves in.
Amphitryon hits with his thrown weapon this time while Aika magically disappears. Cyrene lands one of her arrows as Kyronai readies his hex again. Varocles bravely steps forward ready, the area around him being silent. The emerald giantess steps forward causing Kyronai's readied action to go off.
She however quite easily resists and kicks up some dirt in Varocles' face.
She then follows up with a quick punch in the stomach to the now blinded Varocles.
She then follows it up with an elbow smash to the dwarf's head as he is doubled over from the gut punch.
H-24 Combat Expertise+3, Varocle-Blinded-22 Nonlethal-Sickened
Cyrene keeps shooting at her very large target.
With the silence spell in effect, Varocles cannot hear her cursing until he moves out of range. Once she is outside of the range of the zone, she will cast a spell, utilizing her magically bound ring. While it cannot be seen yet, it will be when she appears next to the giant half-orc.
Once her spell is cast, Aikaterine will sneak to the other side of the room, right past the raging combat that is taking place. She doesn't like how easily it looks like Varocles is getting hurt in there. One more spell and she'll be ready to reveal herself.
Forming a new weapon, Amphitryon moved to stand next to Varocles. With shield up and spear raised over it, he prepared to fight the oversized enemy.
Cursing at the ineffectiveness of his hex, Kyronai pulls out his trusty wand of magic missile and fires off two bolts at the half-orc.
Varocles will attack the space from which he was hit...
That's a miss, no matter how you slice it.
Cyrene fires off a pair of arrows but one just barely misses due to H's focus on defense while the second shot goes wide regardless. Aika continues her stealth and spellcasting. Amphitryon moves in and provokes an AOO.
Meanwhile Kyronai fires off his wand which goes as one would think while Varocles tries to blindly stab with less than stellar results.
H decides to stop focusing on defense and works on offense as she squares up against Amphitryon. She kicks up some sand into Amphitryon's face before she sweeps the leg and then drops an elbow onto the now prone shadow warrior.
H-29, Varocle-Blinded-Sickened-22 Nonlethal, Amphitryon-Blinded-Prone-10
Having worked out that getting in too close to this beast is a bad move Cyrene edges backwards and keeps shooting.
There is no choice for her. She has to use one of her more expensive scrolls. Chanting can be heard echoing off the walls of the cavern, but not to those within the zone of silence. Despite this, nothing is seen as she remains invisible.
HP: 43
Init: +8
Speed: 20ft
AC: 19+Mirror Image (5)
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CMB +2 CMD 15
Attack: +8bite/+8claw/+8claw/+8tail 10ft reach
Damage: 1d4/1d3/1d3/1d4 + Sneak Attack
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