Ahreni jumps on the water monster covered in spark red spines and bites into its flesh, ripping it free from the creatures body and inflicting serious damage on the sea creature. The creature retaliates as it thrashes about, reaching out and slashes her across her chest and then grabbing her tightly with the claw and pulling it into its body. It tries to slash her again, but it can't seem to do so while holding onto the shifter.
The second creature swims up and slashes Ahreni twice, but only manages to cut her once with its claws. The third sea monsters swims around to the tightly held woman and slashes her once again.
Relisha cowers back from the spiny creatures but reaches out with her soul to Ahreni and Olaff.
Thanara moves to get a clear line on the sea monsters and sends an arc of lightning at the nearest one!
Shalelu takes aim at the creatures as she notes to the others "These are reefclawss, vicious predators. They are smarter than most animals, but rely mainly on their strength and instincts to survive."
With the one down she takes aim at the next loosing two arrows in quick succession.
Thanara blasts the one grappling Ahreni, freeing up the shifter when she electrifies the one holding her. As the creature dies, its body suddenly violently begins to spasm and thrash about. It's red spines repeatedly slash and cut Ahreni, her blood staining the waters at her legs heavily.
Olaff surges forward and tries to bury his longsword into the creature that Shalelu just injured, but he loses his footing in the soft sand near the water and sinks too far forward in his swing.
Relisha's lifelink comes through and a feeling of relief floods the shifter's body as the healing takes away some of the pain.
Ahreni thrashes about in the water, desperately trying to stay free and injure the reefclaw at the same time. The outcome is pure chaos and she doesn't come close to striking anything but Olaff in her wild ocean dance, missing twice.
The two remaining reefclaw monsters both slash at her twice, both of the creatures managing to slash her. The second reefclaw holds on after it's attack, once more pressing its spiky spines into her skin and grappling her.
Relisha feels the burning as the slashes appear on her skin.
Seeing that Ahreni is going to need more healing than the link provides, she moves in enough to touch the shifter with a healing prayer.
Seeing the damage killing one of these can do...Thanara starts pulling her blasts back a bit. She utilizes just a small portion of the storm within her and sends a smaller arc of electricity at the next one...
Surrounded by thrashing reefclaws, Ahreni is only slightly less frenzied, and certainly no less dangerous.
Having seen what the beast can do when killed, Olaff sidesteps to a flanking position before trying to kick the blasted creature!
_________________________________
Attack (nonlethal)
Shalelu looses two more arrows, but with everyone crowding around the creatures it makes it difficult for her to aim. She tries a narrow opening both times that just end up hitting the water rather then her target.
Both of Shalelu's arrow miss the reefclaws due to too tight of a window.
Olaff recognizes the trouble with killing these things and takes special care to hit it so hard with his boot that it knocks it out instead. The creature lets go of Ahreni and drops to the surface of the water, floating there unconscious.
The last remaining reefclaw slashes Ahreni twice more, ripping and shredding more flesh from her body. After the attack, it squeezes itself around her body and neck tightly and begins to constrict the shifter. It's shark spines puncture more of skin as blood flows freely from her body.
Thanara continues with her smaller bolts of lightning, hoping to soften them up for Olaff to knock them out rather than kill them, as that seemed to stop them from going nuts and ripping things up around them...
Relisha tenses as the anticipated pain begins coursing through her body.
Relisha attempts to pass along more divine healing to the shifter.
Seeing that kicking the creatures indeed did the trick, Olaff continues to do so.
_________________________________
Attack (nonlethal)
Weakened by the inexorable hold of the reefclaw, Ahreni thrashes again, but her blows are becoming weaker and weaker.
Seeing Ahreni in bad shape and the one reefclaw still alive Shalelu tries to put an end to it before it can attack the wolf-girl again.
All of the party converges on the reefclaw trying to put more holes in Ahreni's body than Relisha can heal. When Shalelu's second shot lands, Olaff's boot stomps on the sea creature's head and it falls limply into the water which frees Ahreni. Grabbing a hold of the woman, Olaff pulls her from the waver and brings her back up the shore towards Relisha.
While Olaff and Shalelu secure the beach and ensure there are no more reefclaws nearby, Relisha tends to Ahreni. Thanara looks around the beach and sees something unusual. In the grasses about 20' east of her on the beach there seems to be a soft green light coming from within that is moving back and forth, trying to stay hidden.
Thanara slows her breathing when she sees none of her friends are going to die at this moment. As she turns around to compose herself, she sees something strange in the grass. Without saying anything, she slowly approaches it, tilting her head curiously at the beautiful green light...
From within the grass a small voice speaks up in a melodic and rather high-pitched. "Stop! Do not approach further! Who are you and what do you want?"
Thanara raises her hands placatingly as she stops in her tracks. "We don't want to hurt anyone! We...we came here to try and find something to help a friend. She's become afflicted and possessed or something and we think something here in this town or castle can help her. That is all. If you don't want to hurt us, then we can be friends..." she says as she squats down in the sand to be closer to the level of this thing in the grass.
There's a pause before the little voice speaks up again. The urgency is gone and the tone is much softer as she opens up a bit.
"The last few mortals that passed by here had only the intentions of plundering the castle's ruins for gold and glory. And now they're gone--probably dead, actually."
"I want to know why you're really here. Going in there to plunder will simply end the same as it always has."
The voice sounds somewhat guilty as it speaks.
”We don’t even really know what we are looking for...we just need to help our friend. Please,” Thanara pleads in desperation, tears forming in her eyes, ”If you know anything of this place and can help us...please...she’s my best friend...I can’t lose her...”
This tiny woman has a lithe form with delicate butterfly wings. She is surrounded by sparkling lights and gentle rainbow arcs. It flies up into the air and announces. "...I could perhaps be of help!"
Flying at eye level with Thanara's face is a very tiny, green haired woman with bright green butterfly wings. Her emerald green breastplate is polished to a mirror shine, and her ears sweep away from her head before tapering to sharp, elf-like points. A pair of miniature starknives are at her side, and though you have to squint to see it, there's a tiny holy symbol of Desna around her neck.
"Heh heh heh--sorry about that whole 'Tough introduction' rigamarole. It's kinda what mortals expect of my kind nowadays. Anyway--I'm Spivey! Now, what's this about your friend I can, Oh!?"
Spivey zips off to Ahreni's side and says "Those reefclaws are nasty creatures, aren't they? I can see you've been poisoned. If I may?" she asks as she lands on Ahreni's forearm. Touching her hand to her body, she washes away all of the poison and wounds from the shifter's body.
"There! Feel better?"
Thanara's jaw drops and her face and eyes take on a child-like wonder at the appearance of this amazing looking little creature! She starts to follow it, but stops as panic settles in on her face!
"No no no no! Not again!" she says as arcs of electricity and negative energy begin to dance along her body. She looks up to the sky and sees the clouds darkening and circling directly above her as lightning flashes from deep within them!
She staggers back further from the group and calls out "Stay back! Stay back please!" as a bolt of lightning crashes to the ground near her! As she moves into the grasses, they begin to wilt and decompose!
She clenches her teeth as her eyes flare to life with their own lightning! Thanara doubles over in pain, trying to contain it, but again begins floating up into the air about three feet off the ground. Her back arches back and she lets out a cry of pain as from her hands waves of lightning wash out into the sand and sea. The energy causes the reefclaws still in the water to convulse and thrash about as their bodies begin to smoke and their shells crack and char!
she wails as her body continues to writhe in the air and lightning and death magic crash and swirls about her! After about a minute of this, she slowly lowers to the ground in a quivering, sobbing heap amidst the burned and decayed grasses around her that stretches about thirty feet in all directions...
Spivey looks nervously between Thanara and the rest of the group, now cowering behind Ahreni's head. "Is that? Is that normal? She scares me. I thought she was nice."
"Norrmal?" Olaff asks as he sheathes his sword and hangs his shield on his back before approaching Thanara to envelop her in his arms. "Prrobably not, but she is vhat she is... And she is nice, little fae."
”Did...did I kill anyone?” Thanara asks weakly as she buries her face into the crook of his neck. He can feel her tears dampen the skin of his neck and shoulder.
Ahreni is just about to say thank you when Thanara begins convulsing. Still weak from the poison she can't get to the sorceress in time and is forced to watch as the lightning takes it course.
"She has magic." She says to the little spirit. "This happens sometimes." A long pause. "Thank you for helping me."
Apart from that she seems remarkably unperturbed by Thanara's display.
”Fey! I am not fey! the non-fey creature says, hands on her hips. ”I am an, azata which fey only can dream of. Still, I can understand the confusion given our simplifies. No offense taken, uneducated, big, hairy weird speaking human.
"Men..." Ahreni says, winking at the fey azata.
"Did...did I kill anyone?" Thanara asks weakly as she buries her face into the crook of his neck. He can feel her tears dampen the skin of his neck and shoulder.
"Ye cooked those veirrd shrrimps I guess... but I vas thinkin' about eating them anyvay so ye helped." Olaff says as he holds her tightly.
Olaff then eyes Spivey with suspicion. "Rright... and vhat is an azata? A good orr a bad type o' fey?" Olaff asks jokingly.
Thanara weakly shoves him back and chides ”This isn’t funny, Olaff. I’m cursed and it’s going to get someone killed someday...”
Refusing any further help, she stands up on shaky legs. She stumbles back to the ground once, before waving Olaff and everyone else away and stands again, her thighs and calves trembling as she uses them in her spent state.
She slowly staggers back to the group, and looks to the little flying girl and says apologetically ”So-sorry if I scared you. Sometimes...I just can’t control it. So? Can you help us?”
The azata smiles at Ahreni's wink, deciding she likes her. She flies over to the shifters left shoulder and takes a seat on it, looking at the Ulfen, frowning.
To him she says "It appears you don't speak the common tongue, hairy human. I have the ability to speak true of all languages, perhaps I need to speak to you in that fashion so that you understand me more clearly."
To Thanara, Spivey beams with bride and motions to Ahreni "I have helped you while you were experiencing your difficult moment, Dark Lightning. Your friend has been healed, praise Desna."
Thanara frowns at the monicker the little one just bestowed upon her. ”Thanks.”
She then looks over at the castle and asks ”What can you tell us about this place? And something about some vaults and a ten armed monster and a chicken?”
Spivey says to Thanara "There's great evil in there, I do not dare enter that stronghold. I can't say what manner of monsters are in there other than the corbies. I do my best to keep this cemetery tended despite the evil. The corbies mostly ignore me there. If I could, I would tend the whole town. Since my mistress has died, there isn't as much for me to do here and I have nowhere else to go." She shakes her head sadly.
”Do you know what happened here?” Thanara asks nervously. ”Who was your mistress?”
Relisha looks a little put out when the small woman heals Ahreni. Jealousy, maybe?
"You tend the cemetery?" she asks finally. "Is it safe there?"
She shakes her head, "No. This is long before I've come to this place. All I can say is it is pretty old. And beat up. And stuffed with weirdo crow people that like to eat anything that isn't them, but not a chicken? In fact, they're the ones who conquered the hobgoblins I ended up tangling with before being forced to run away." Spivey dangles her legs on Ahreni's shoulder. "But they're not the only ones who live there--they follow some strange red-skinned... thing that also lives here. Again, not a chicken though. I have no idea what he really is, but there's no way he's really human. Or chicken. Just looking at it was enough to make my skin crawl."
When she asks about her mistress, she shrugs "There's not much to tell, really... I was called to the mortal plane by my mistress some ten years ago. Things were all fine and dandy until we took a trip to the Mierani Forest--we ran afoul of some sort of man-eating plant. We slew the thing after a pitched battle... or rather, I slew it after it ate her."
"I'm not much of a storyteller, I'm afraid. I'm a messenger and priestess first."
When Relisha speaks about the cemetery, the azata nods. "See, I've kinda been stuck here ever since she died. So, when I found this castle, I thought 'you know what? That place looks like it once had a chapel of Desna in its halls--I should fix that." Spivey shrugs. "Well, I ended up attracting the wrong sort of attention, and I took to living in this cemetery. These days, I keep it free of undead and anyone dumb enough to try disturbing the graves."
Thanara weakly shoves him back and chides ”This isn’t funny, Olaff. I’m cursed and it’s going to get someone killed someday...”
Olaff shrugs and gives her some space. "Maybe ye arre and maybe ye vill, but therre arre two 'maybes' in therre... vith orr vithout jokes."
In Olaff's mind, there were things under his control and things out of his control. He refused to let himself worry of things out of his control, for in truth there was nothing he could do.
Accepting the challenge, Olaff continues to play with the fey. "So yer kind can speak true in all languages but can't hearr trrue in all languages, butterfly tiny woman? Forr I am speaking in Taldane... perrhaps therre is too much fairry powderr in yer earrs?"
Spivey pushes off Ahreni's ear and zips over to Olaff's ear. "I can speak and understand languages, but I believe you cannot."
She grabs his left ear with both hands and sticks her head into it to take a look. "AH HA!" she exclaims loudly, her mouth pressed tightly in his ear. "I believe I've found the problem. Your ears are full of wax and hair, do you bathe? I can use my knife to clean this out for you, if you would like."
She pulls out her twin star knives, preparing to do some cutting.
Relisha covers her mouth with her hand to hide the grin that forces its way there after seeing the large northerner banter words with the tiny woman.
As Spivey screams in his hear, Olaff quickly grabs the tiny azata by her left leg and raises her upside down in front of him. "Hey! Now I'm offended! Can't ye joke? Ye verre on Ahrreni's shoulderr and ye ask ME if I bath?" He answers with fake anger.
With his left hand, he uses his pinky to clean his ear and indeed finding some amount of wax, he flickers it into the grass before releasing the azata. He then looks around, worried.
"Ve joked enough, I think... I do not like to stay in the open vhile the enemies in the castle might see us. I suggest ve go to the grraveyarrd so ve can think o' a plan to brreak into the castle... vith or vithout dangerrs in therre, ve still have to enterr forr Ameiko."
Spivey thrashes about when Olaff picks her up by her leg. "PUT.ME.DOWN!" she says gruffly until he lets go of her. Once he does, she flies back to hide her head again, peeking out only enough to watch. "That was uncalled for!", crossing her arms on her chest and harumphing.
Ahreni walks over to place the diminutive azata back on her shoulder. "Stay with me Little One." She suggests, "Olaff-Noisemaker. Much noise, but say little. Help us? We have caravan, much wandering under stars - good to Desna!"
Although not particularly religious Ahreni has travelled in the caravans long enough to absorb some of the usual pieties. Particularly the varisian veneration of Desna. This little spit-fire is rapidly proving to be a kindred spirit.
At the mention of Ameiko, Relisha grows serious again.
"Yes, we need to find whatever treasure she was trying to tell us about," she says. "Spivey? Do you know of a vault within the castle? She was trying to tell us something about a ... a single treasure ... behind two locks ... in the third vault." Relisha frowns as she attempts to remember the exact words the woman used.
Spivey looks to Relisha and shakes her head no "Sadly, I do not. I have never ventured far into those walls, the inhabitants scare me so."
To Ahreni she asks "You have a caravan? To where are you traveling? Desna would look favorably upon me in joining a caravan, I imagine. I need time to prepare things here with the cemetery. Will you come find me when you finish your cleansing of the castle before you leave?"
Ahreni nods with a smile. "Yes, little-star-friend. I will come again."
From a pocket under her jerkin she fishes out a small brown cake-like object and offers it to the azata.
"Enjoy."
Spivey takes the offered treat and holds it with both hands as it spins in the circle with glee. "No one has given me anything in so long!. She tells you to wait a minute and zips off towards the cemetery. She returns a moment later carrying three full flasks of holy water. "Here, take these. I don't know if they will help you or not, but they can't hurt. Maybe Desna bless your travels!
Spivey tells you to come find her in the cemetery when you are done with the castle. Saying your goodbyes, you set off towards the west and climb the hill towards the castle.
Brinewall Castle is a large and intimidating structure. Although only two stories tall (with the exception of one three-story tower), the squat castle looks all the larger for its position atop the bluff west of the village, looming over the surrounding region with a commanding presence. The castle is built of gray stone, though close inspection reveals numerous different types of stone were used in its construction. The curtain wall that surrounds the castle is about fifteen feet high, not counting the more than half a dozen guard towers that break up the wall in several places. As you approach, you see no sign of inhabitants on the walls; the road atop the ridge runs right up to a gatehouse facing south.
Ahreni tells you all to stay put and sneaks up to the gte. She doesn't see any signs of any enemies and none seemed to see her either. She reports the front gate is closed and locked.
"What about this key?" Relisha questions, holding up the rusted key they found in the lighthouse.