"Anyone have any idea what the devil this thing is?" He shrugs, steps so the pillar isn't in the way, and tosses a bomb.
Burning through these things quickly today...
Ulysses, caught off-guard, scrambles to make and throw a bomb, but this time his haste makes his craftsmanship sloppy. The bomb partially ignites in his hand, singeing his flesh and sending a surge of panic through him as old wounds flare up, throwing off his aim.
The bomb lands near enough that it still catches the... whatever the hells that is, in the splash zone. It recoils as if in pain, but makes no sound whatsoever.
It then hucks the urn at Ulysses' head. The gnome just manages to get an arm up before being clobbered in the face with a heavy clay urn, but it still shatters and slashes his hands, neck and face badly.
Then the humanoid lump sinks back into the wall and... vanishes??
[color=green]
Ulysses (21/32 hp)
?? (8 dmg)
Melech (45/49 hp)
[/color]
Melech begins running around the fountain toward where the wall... thing... just was.
Now where did that little bastard go...?
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (8 dmg)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
[/color]
Ulysses pulls out his crossbow as he moves out of the line of fire, then loads it.
Filibus moves along the other side of the fountain from Ulysses, crossbow ready to take a shot as soon as the creature appears again.
And appear it does; the floor directly in front of Ulysses rises up about three feet, once again in that vaguely humanoid shape, and a mound of floor in an approximation of a fist rears up to strike the alchemist.
Filibus takes his readied shot and, despite the slight cover Ulysses is granting, manages to blast the creature hard with a magic bolt.
The blow throws off the creature's attack, which sails wide.
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (17 dmg)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
[/color]
"Sigrun! Do you know what this is?!"
Melech grins when the thing shows itself, runs up beside Ulysses, and takes a swing.
"Holy crap! This place has an ankhat?? These things are crazy rare. It's like a caretaker for the building. It can move through walls and floors, sort of like an earth elemental with does with rock and dirt. So, good new is, I think it's almost dead. Bad news is, it can just re-manifest later. We need to find its keystone to stop it for good!"
After a pause, she adds, "These things aren't normally this aggressive. They're basically janitors! Velriana and her cronies musta found the keystone and taken control of it. If we can find it, maybe we can use it against her! For now, just keep smacking the thing."
With that, she draws both her axes and belts out another song. This time it's low and heavy, with a lot of minor notes; it sounds more like a dirge than a battle hymn, but you get the sense it's a dirge for her enemies more than her allies.
The battle is clearly well in hand. Everyone is inspired. The ankhat is badly wounded and flanked. This battle is absolutely done for.
But just then....
A howling wind comes blasting in through the entryway from the desert ruins outside, carrying with it a massive wave of sand and debris, as the entire room fills with a raging sandstorm. Despite multiple light sources, everyone's visibility is obscured by the blowing sands.
This is clearly from a spell or spell-like ability and not natural.
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (33 dmg)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
[/color]
Ulysses squints, trying to keep the sand out of his eyes. He steps back, out of range of the ankhat, and fires.
Filibus cries out from nearby, barely heard over the wailing din of the sandstorm, "I can't see a damned thing! Where is everyone??"
His form wanders off somewhere to the north and vanishes in the storm.
Meanwhile, the ankhat steps up to Ulysses and swings with two "fists" but one simply glances off the gnome's hardened skin and the other whiffs through the sandy air where it thought Ulysses was. It shakes its fists with silent rage and frustration.
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (38 dmg)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
[/color]
"What is this storm?! It can't be natural!"
Melech studies the beast, then swings hard with his falchion.
Having no idea what is going on, she elects to keep singing; even if that last attack finished off the ankhat, it feels like this fight is not over.
Melech hacks the ankhat's makeshift body in twain with a powerful blow, and it fades with nary a whisper of sound back into the floor.
As the party gazes through the sandstorm, trying to understand what the hell is going on--and where the hell the historian went--a figure emerges in the distance, from up north where the giant statue can just be seen in the storm. Melech sees it first; he can't make out any details other than it is tall and thin, and more or less humanoid in shape.
Then, out of nowhere, a small shape bursts through the whipping sands: a ghostly, disembodied hand reaches out and strokes Melech's cheek. He feels a horrid, burst of weakness through his limbs...
Melech's limbs droop to his sides as all the strength seems to leave them. He has been cursed!
A strange, rasping voice enters Melech's head. Ma'rk volgor patanth, kine.
Weaken and wither, mortal.
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (57 dmg, heckin dead)
Melech (45/49 hp, -6 Str)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
?? (0 dmg)
[/color]
Ulysses can see the figure outlined in the sand across the room. He steps forward, not wanting to get any closer to this thing than he has to, after seeing what it did to Melech. He knows he will have to be lucky to hit with a bomb, but at least some of the splash should get it in the worst case...
Melech feels the weakness creep over his limbs and seize him, and his mind flashes to a pale-skinned, dark-haired girl, ivory skin splotched with sunburns under the unfamiliar Osirian sun. He remembers the warmth of her smile despite the pain and aches of their slavish labor. He remembers the heat of her body on cold nights. And he remembers the utter powerlessness of his own feeble limbs when Viqir tore her from his grasp and dragged her into the darkness of his tower for gods-knew-what.
His lips mouth a name, almost subconsciously: Cassiopeia.
Never again. Never will he feel that weak again. With a bellow, he steels his will and forces the powerful magic of the curse out of his mind, shaking off the effects, and strength floods back into his arms and legs.
Ulysses steps up and chucks a bomb at the creature, but he misjudges exactly where it's at because of the whipping sands and debris. But he gets in in the general vicinity, and tongues of flame lick over the figure, who... doesn't move. Doesn't flinch. Whatever it is, it seems to have not felt the effects of the bomb at all.
Filibus has not yet returned out of the sandy void. Where is he...?
The figure begins striding forward. At about 15 feet away, its form starts to become clear. Draped in rags and hunched over on goatlike legs, the creature possesses no face, but instead one enormous eye taking up where its face aught to be, ringed with fangs.
This is a type of div known as an aghash. The aghash embody the Evil Eye, and are masters of curses. Just looking into its giant eye-face is enough to curse an individual, if it's close enough to see it.
Aghash are often followed by vicious sandstorms, hiding their presence as they bring ill omens and horrid curses upon innocent travelers--or anyone else who is unfortunate enough to be nearby.
It's unsurprising the creature is here, all things considered; div delight in despoiling things created by mortals, especially holy sites like temples.
Like most div, aghash have a plethora of immunities and resistances. Aghash are immune to fire and poison, and are highly resistant to acid and electricity . They also have an innate resistance to spells.
You have actually heard that certain abjurative magics can ward off the vile gaze of an aghash div. Anyone protected by a protection from evil spell is immune to its gaze attack.
It gazes long at each of you, then moves its taloned finger in a slow arc until it points to Ulysses. Suddenly a spectral hand bursts forth from the sand to try and touch the alchemist, but it misjudges where he was standing and its fingers sweep harmlessly through sand.
A voice reverberates almost painfully through the gnome's head: Shargah-Katun v'regrot melior, trupid. Aldak draegoth.
[color=green]
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Filibus (5 dmg)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
?? (0 dmg)
[/color]
Melech looks in horror at the thing emerging from the sand. He has no idea what it is, but it certainly doesn't look natural. All he knows is that they need to kill it quickly.
On a hunch, he draws a vial of holy water and sprinkles it on his falchion, then steps up to the thing and attacks.
As Melech moves toward the creature, its great eye turns on him, and he feels a horrid sensation like cold air down his spine, sending his mind screaming in a dozen different directions; his sense of self begins to crack like an egg, but he shakes his head and steels his thoughts at the last second.
It reels in pain from the attack. The holy water does in fact seem to have hurt it.
It doesn't seem like all the damage from the blade went through. It appears to have DR.
Sigrun moves the long way around, still maintaining her song. Blasted desert monsters. What the Hells is this thing??
With nothing else for it, she swings out with her battleaxe.
As Sigrun approaches into its vicinity, the creature whips around and turns its massive gaze on her. Sigrun stops in her tracks, drops both her axes, and stares vacantly forward.
The creature swipes at Melech, but the slayer's armor easily catches the blow. A whispering hiss crawls through his mind as the creature twists--and vanishes.
The creature cast dimension door as a spell-like ability. It is a short-range teleportation spell, so it's likely the creature is still nearby.
The sands shift in intensity, and visibility reduces further. Melech can still only see 25 feet away, but now Sigrun (if she ever stops staring and drooling) can only see 15 feet away, and poor Ulysses can barely see a foot in front of his face--he can see only 5 feet away.
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp, stunned)
Shargah-Katun (?? dmg)
[/color]
Ulysses holds up a hand to shield his eyes and tries to recall what he saw before the sand got too thick. He yells over the din. "It's an aghash! Don't look directly at it! It dimension doored so it's still in here somewhere! Melech, Sigrun can't move!"
Knowing he is in a bad spot, Ulysses drinks his invisibility extract and moves slowly toward where he last saw Sigrun.
What is going on? Why didn't this thing attack Velriana? Did... did Velriana bring this thing here? If so, we should run now and cut our losses because we have no hope of standing up to her.
He sees Sigrun drop her weapons and adopt the telltale posture of someone paralyzed (and, more immediately, vulnerable to a killing blow). He pulls another holy water from his bandolier, sprinkles it on his weapon, and moves forward next to Sigrun, in a protective stance.
From the sands emerges the spectral hand once again. But it doesn't reach out to touch Melech again, rather reaching out toward the stunned Sigrun--an easy target that it grasps with little effort.
Thankfully she seems to steel herself against whatever magics the hand tried to inflict upon her.
The creature is still not within sight range.
Spectral hand has a very limited range (25ft +5ft/2 levels). Unless this thing is a super-caster, it's very nearby. There is that giant Nethys statue blocking line-of-sight just N/NE of you...
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Melech (45/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
Shargah-Katun (?? dmg)
[/color]
Sigrun shakes off the stun and snatches her battleaxe off the ground.
She points to the statue of Nethys just north-by-northeast of them. "That thing is a spectral hand spell! The caster has to be very close. Check behind the statue of Nethys!"
With that, she begins singing again, the song carrying weirdly in the whipping din of the sandstorm, giving it an ethereal quality that is both haunting and oddly comforting.
Ulysses continues to walk forward slowly, hands outstretched. After just a few steps, he mercifully finds Sigrun and Melech; even better, the bard seems to have recovered from her paralysis. He whispers, "I am right behind you,", then pulls a tanglefoot bag from his belt. If he happens to see this thing, maybe he can keep it in one place and make it harder for it to cast spells.
Melech raises his sword to attack the hand, but then remembers their extreme shortage of holy water and stays his hand. Need to save it for the true threat.
He walks forward and around the back of the statue, keeping his eyes down at the ground while watching for movement in his peripheral, and knowing the holy water will evaporate if he doesn't find his target soon.
He notices the abomination out of the corner of his eye as he rounds the statue and curses to himself, knowing he will lose this holy water. "I found it! It's here!" He takes the final fateful step up to this thing, feeling incredibly vulnerable.
Melech moves forward through the whipping sands and he sees the robes of the creature. He tries to keep his gaze averted, but inadvertently glances up to the face of his opponent, and its horrid eye meets his.
The winds seem to strike Melech in the face and force sand into his nose and mouth, making him cough and gag.
Melech fights through the fit to reach the creature in melee. It allows the slayer's approach almost with a sense of amusement, and immediately unleashes its claws at him.
One of the claws swings through the sand where it thought he would be, but the other lands home, goring a long, nasty wound along Melech's arm that bleeds profusely.
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp, inspired)
Melech (36/49 hp, inspired, sickened 1 rd)
Sigrun (33/34 hp, inspired)
Shargah-Katun (?? dmg)
[/color]
Melech can barely contain his fear. He has faced things that would terrify most people, but those were undead, and he understands undead. This thing is not of this world. It is wrong and it seems unkillable.
And yet they must kill it. He roars a challenge and swings his falchion at the thing on the edge of his vision.
Ulysses follows the sound of Melech's voice, moving slowly so he doesn't trip.
Still singing, Sigrun picks up her other axe and moves to flank with Melech, averting her eyes as best she can.
Sigrun manages to avert her gaze successfully, and sidles up to the div without meeting its eye.
The creature utters a hissing cackle in everyone's heads, like sand blasting the flesh off a corpse, and goes to swipe at Melech again.
A great gust of sand blasts Shargah-Katun, throwing it off-balance and assaulting whatever strange hidden orifice passes for its ears. It holds the sides of its eye-head in agony before twisting in place and vanishing from sight again.
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp, inspired)
Melech (36/49 hp, inspired, sickened 1 rd)
Sigrun (33/34 hp, inspired)
Shargah-Katun (?? Dmg, deafened)
[/color]
Ulysses has no idea that numbnuts just teleported away again, so he continues on his slow trek toward Melech's voice. Suddenly he sees Melech right in front of him, so he steps beside the big man, expecting to see the aghash right in front of him.
But he's not there. Ulysses sighs audibly, then speaks to Melech. "I'm right next to you. Where is he now?" Melech indicates he has no idea.
This f@#+in' guy.
Ulysses isn't really sure what to do so he turns and heads back the way he came .
Melech moves back around the statue (bumping into Ulysses along the way) and prepares to attack again.
The spectral hand reappears in front of Sigrun again but the sands throw it off and it can't properly judge where she is.
The sands shift again. Ulysses still can't see past his nose , Sigrun's vision shrinks , but Melech can see a bit farther now . As the sands die down around him, he suddenly sees Shargah-Katun!
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Melech (36/49 hp)
Sigrun (33/34 hp)
Shargah-Katun (?? Dmg, deafened)
[/color]
Unable to keep an eye on their quarry, Sigrun gives up on the song in frustration. Its power is wasted if they can only see their opponent half the time. She readies her battleaxe to strike anything that comes in range.
Melech lets out a low growl and charges.
He calls out once he reaches the thing. "He is over here!"
Ulysses follows the sound of Melech's voice again. He ends up right behind Melech.
That thing must be right HERE.
Sigrun hurries forward, toward Melech's voice, and sees the creature. She rushes in and swings at the div with her battleaxe.
Things go badly for the party very quickly. First, Sigrun fails to avert her gaze fully, and the sands rise up and storm around her, tearing into her flesh . Her axe finds purchase, but barely seems to penetrate its defenses at all.
Then the div turns to Melech and whispers in his mind, Pedret m'kvox krogrik Shargah-Katun.
It unleashes a flurry of attacks that tear deep into Melech's flesh, leaving rent armor and a gored chest and arms.
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Melech (20/49 hp)
Sigrun (30/34 hp)
Shargah-Katun (?? Dmg, deafened)
[/color]
Is this idiot speaking about himself in the third person? Ulysses thinks that's stupid!
He walks past Melech and, at last, his quarry appears before him. He prepares his biggest smile for when he blinks into view, then tosses the tanglefoot bag at point blank range.
Melech clenches his jaw against the pain, thinking they may finally have this thing nailed down.
No more blinky magic, eh? You're in my realm now.
Ulysses feels his head swim for a moment, as if cohesive thought was absolutely physically impossible, but he manages to shake off the feeling before it can take hold. He tosses the tanglefoot bag, but the fluttering strips of cloth the div is using as clothing throw off his aim and the bag sails right through the strips to land behind the div.
Melech goes to swing at the div, but his eye once again inadvertently meets its gaze. His brain feels like it's been struck by a mallet; everything goes limp. He drops his falchion and stares vapidly ahead.
The creature cackles in their heads, sensing Melech's vulnerability, it lashes out with its claws again, yet somehow Melech magically sways in his stupor in just the perfect timing to avoid both claw attacks. It hisses in rage.
[color=green]
Filibus (5 dmg, missing?)
Ankhat (57 dmg, dead)
Ulysses (23/32 hp)
Melech (20/49 hp)
Sigrun (30/34 hp)
Shargah-Katun (33 Dmg, deafened)
[/color]
Sigrun tries to avert her gaze and then hack away at this thing.
She doesn't quite avert her gaze, but she manages to shake off whatever bad mojo the div just threw at her.
Ulysses takes a step to the south to give Melech a flanking opportunity. As he does so, he realizes he has cold bombs now! He can't step out of range because he won't be able to see the creature, so he takes a chance that his mutagen will protect him from any attacks as he prepares the bomb.
Melech is beyond frustrated at this thing. Falchion to the face.
The combined assaults of Ulysses' frost bomb and Melech's razor-sharp falchion finally overwhelm the div. Its voice shrieks as the wounds rip into it, and the sandstorm rises to a crescendo of violent, ripping winds that make you all cover your faces and try to duck down against the worst of it, all while the inhuman voice screams its death wail into your brains.
Finally, the grotesque body of the aghash known as Shargah-Katun collapses to the ground, and the death wail fades away. Already, its body begins rippling and slowly dissolving in to a clear, transluscent goop amongst a pile of filthy ragged strips of cloth.
The howling, sand-filled winds die with their div master, leaving a near-deafening silence and several small sand dunes in the temple.
COMBAT OVER!
Sigrun plops down into one of the nearby sand dunes and watches the creature melt. "Ow."
Ulysses is breathing heavily, but still smiling his signature smile. "My, that was an interesting creature." He flicks his wrist and the wand appears in his hand. Approaching Melech, he says, "Tell me when."
Melech holds up his hand . Ulysses nods and taps himself.
He holds up the wand and looks at Sigrun. "You good?"
Sigrun waves him off. "Save the charges."
Most of her wounds close up, and she sighs in relief. "I should have done that after the skeletons. I just got so excited to get in here and see this place! Look at how--erm. Look at how pristine it was, before a corrupted genie shat sand everywhere!"
She stands up and sheathes her axes in their frogs, then dusts herself off. "I suppose we should--FILIBUS!"
She hurries off to the north to look for signs of the historian.