Bob looks quizzically at the sorcerer, then turns to Ray. [color=blue]"She knows I don't speak gobbledygook, right?"[/color]
Ray rolls his eyes at the raven and turns back to Amanteia. "No, he doesn't. Though I don't think he's an actual raven, either, at least not entirely. He comes from--well, from here." He waves around at the misty terrain of the Boneyard. "Pharasma sent him. I think She was trying to warn me about what was going to happen to Roslar's Coffer, but..." He trails off, staring into the mist, as if he's completely lost the train of thought.
A mild look of surprise comes over Amanteia's normally impassive face. "Truly? How long before the- it happened did he come to you?"
Ray's cheeks flush. "I, uh. I'm not entirely sure. I... lost some time when Bob showed up. Maybe a couple years ago? I've only been in Roslar's Coffer a little over a year. It was sometime before that."
He stares at his hands. How long was he in his fugue state? Six months? Eight? A year? He can't remember. And why? Why did Pharasma try to warn him, if he wasn't going to be able to stop it from happening anyway? What was the point??
He sighs and stands up. "We should probably get back there. We've got a stamp to collect."
Argus yawns and looks up from his writing. "Mm. Yes. W-we should probably m... move. Give me a m-m-minute though."
He starts scribbling more quickly in his small chapbook. If anyone comes too close, he surreptitiously tilts the book up to keep anyone from seeing what's in it. After a moment, he sets aside his ink and quill and blows on the pages to dry them. He frowns at them, then sighs and puts the chapbook and writing utensils away. Terrible. Shelyn would be embarrassed by such shoddy work.
He knows he's being hard on himself, but old habits die hard. He gathers his things and waits for the others to be ready.
|
There is no sun here, and the only moon is one Dellan does not feel comfortable facing. But no matter where he is, one thing he can always sense is the direction of the Spire. Its energy is... magnetic. So he faces the Spire and whispers his prayers to Pharasma, in Varisian as always. He's always been more comfortable speaking in his native tongue, despite having significantly more practice speaking his second language of Taldane. It's in the blood, he supposes.
After his ablutions have finished, he packs up his things and nods. "Ready."
Amanteia pulls out the metamagic rod and incorporates it into her casting. Then she holds it out to Dellan and Ray. "I have no other use for this today."
Ray taps himself with the rod as he focuses his thoughts and sends a wave of psychic magic over his eyes. Everything becomes eerily sharp, nearly shimmering with clarity.
He keeps the rod handy in case he needs to cast shield on himself, as well. He then steps into the room that held the necrophidius and takes a look around with his heightened senses.
Argus follows Raybin into the room, keeping the glaive ready for danger.
This room is empty except for the broken furniture and the ladder leading up.
"Lemme go first, I got the magic eyes on," Ray says, and starts up the ladder.
Argus frowns. "Alright. B-be careful, R... Raybin."
Argus follows shortly after.
You climb the ladder without incident. Except for a long weapon rack against the south wall, this room is bare.
Ray moves forward alongside Argus, scanning the corridor as they move, sweeping both his mundane and magical senses across the area but paying special attention to the weapon rack.
Nothing glows magical but one of the weapons seems particularly well-made; upon closer inspection, you discover that it is an adamantine warhammer. Otherwise, the rack contains a mundane longsword, short sword, and longspear.
Argus nods appreciatively at the weapon. "Don't s..suppose any of you w... w... wield a w... a w... this?" Assuming no one does, he stows it with the rest of the gear. "M-may come in handy s-some day."
Ray continues to lead the way up the next ladder, eyes peeled for danger.
As Ray steps toward the ladder, too late he feels the telltale tug of a tripwire at his ankles. The remaining weapons launch themselves off the weapon rack and toward the party. Everyone is hit; Bob falls to the ground unconscious and Somnius blinks out of existence.
Ray immediately drops down to pick up the unconscious raven, who groggily opens his eyes with the wave of healing energy. Ray sighs in relief.
At Dellan's look, he says defensively, "What?? I can't see everything!"
Bob feebly lifts his head out of Raybin's hands. [color=blue]"ow."[/color]
He flaps weakly and hops back up onto Ray's shoulder. [color=blue]"Lame, dude."[/color]
Ray scowls and slouches toward the ladder.
Just as Ray reaches the top of the ladder, a horrific creature with a crocodile skull for a head appears and clamps down on his arm . The jaws squeeze his arm like a vice .
This is an esobok psychopomp. You found a dead one in the stable on the ground floor. It has DR 2/adamantine and the pounce special ability.
If the esobok begins a turn grappling a target, it can wrench that target's soul from its body. While it has the soul in its jaws, the target is paralyzed, but the esobok cannot use its bite attack. Once per round, the afflicted target receives another save to take its soul back. If the esobok lets go of the soul, it returns to the body and the paralysis ends.
Suddenly Ray feels a tugging from deep inside his body, as if the creature is attempting to remove his very essence from him.
Ray resists whatever the creature is trying to do, but it causes him great pain to do so .
Creature (0 damage, grappled)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (12/15 hp)
Argus (20/21 hp)
Raybin (7/14 hp, grappled)
Bold may act.
Ray screams in pain. "Esobok! Get it off me or it'll pull out my soul!"
Argus curses under his breath and scrambles up the ladder, double-moving to get behind the creature. Instead of going for his glaive, he starts digging in the gear pack for the adamantine warhammer they just found.
Amanteia climbs the ladder and scoots by the fracas.
Ray feels the tugging sensation again.
The others see an ethereal form that looks vaguely like Ray tear out of Ray's body, which falls to the ground, rigid and unmoving. The esobok holds Ray's soul in its jaws, then turns its attention to the others.
Creature (0 damage, holding Ray's soul)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (12/15 hp)
Argus (20/21 hp)
Raybin (7/14 hp, paralyzed)
Bold may act.
Argus curses quietly, still digging around in the packs for the warhammer. Finally, he pulls it out triumphantly and waves it menacingly at the esobok. "Release my friend, beast!"
|
|
Dellan stares uncertainly from the esobok to Ray, and back to the esobok. His mace loosens in his hand as his stomach turns. He can't possibly attack a servent of the Lady of Graves... can he?
Still feeling ill, he reaches out and touches Argus with a whispered prayer.
In his agitated state, Dellan can't concentrate and the divine energy spills uselessly out of his fingertips.
Amanteia fires a magic missile! Level 3 can't come soon enough!
The esobok clearly hasn't held many souls in its jaws, because it takes two extremely awkward swipes at Dellan with its claws, one of which seems to twinge its spine a bit.
Creature (4 damage, holding Ray's soul)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (12/15 hp)
Argus (20/21 hp)
Raybin (14/14 hp, paralyzed)
Bold may act.
Ray screams internally as his soul hangs out in the filthy fanged mouth of an esobok.
"Let him go, beast!" Argus growls, and swings the hammer two-handed at the esobok.
|
|
Dellan moves back from the esobok to stand behind Argus and try his spell again, this time without having to focus so hard on not getting hit; as it turns out, that's incredibly distracting.
He touches the paladin again and whispers another prayer, and this time the energy trickles down over Argus without issue, hardening into an invisible barrier of force.
Amanteia fires a useless acid splash at the thing.
The esobok catches Dellan with a claw as he moves, tearing a bloody gash in his side . Argus rings the esobok's bell with the hammer, and is repaid for his trouble with a claw across the thigh .
Amanteia's acid barely misses Argus's head.
Creature (10 damage, holding Ray's soul)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (12/15 hp)
Argus (20/21 hp, +2 AC)
Raybin (14/14 hp, paralyzed)
Bold may act.
Ray continues screaming internally while his body drools onto the floor.
Argus bellows and brings the hammer down on the esobok again.
Amanteia feels so stupid.
Argus again brains the esobok but it is still going strong. It claws at Argus twice, managing to open another cut on his arm
Creature (16 damage, holding Ray's soul)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (15/15 hp)
Argus (18/21 hp, +2 AC)
Raybin (14/14 hp, paralyzed)
Bold may act.
Finally, with a shriek and gritted teeth, Ray reaches out with the tendrils of his mind and rips his soul back from the esobok. He draws his longsword and brandishes it at the creature. "You are so dead, a@%#$+@."
Argus, emboldened by his comrade's aid and Ray's recovery, swings out once more with the warhammer, hoping to finally end the threat of this creature once and for all.
Amanteia grumbles in frustration, pulls out her crossbow, and loads it.
Ray is free from the esobok for a scant handful of seconds, as it grabs him with its powerful jaws again. At the same time, a claw rakes him across the face. .
Esobok (16 damage, grappled)
Dellan (15/16 hp)
Amanteia (15/15 hp)
Argus (18/21 hp, +2 AC)
Raybin (4/14 hp, grappled)
Bold may act.