Val briefly contemplates trying to flank with Tessa before deciding that it might not be worth the effort if the fear gets to the captain. Instead, she continues firing arrows at the dream-monster.
Tessa can't take it anymore. "Too much!" she says, turning and fleeing in a panicked state. She takes one step though and shakes it off, "Niiiiice try!" she growls before poking Wayfinder at it twice.
With Valeria's arrows and Tessa's blade, the remaining animate dream disperses into tatters of imaginings.
Combat Ends
You eventually manage to gather the others back and wake Captain Harmony before continuing your exploration. Finding nothing else of value in the mess hall building, you continue around the perimeter of the fort and enter the chapel.
Only a handful of pews still stand in this simple building. The others have fallen long ago and lie scattered and broken on the floor. A large circle encompassing a winged eye forged of gold hangs from the twenty-foot-high ceiling.
Searching through the chapel, Valeria notices a hidden compartment in the floor near where the alter would have been at one time. Within the secret space is a chest with valuables in it. The chest contains three potion vials , an intact spyglass, a bottle of fine wine , 264 gp, 399 sp, and 517 cp.
The remaining building is a forge and storage building with nothing of value within.
With the inner buildings cleared, you turn your attention to the cyclopean tower.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Val mutters as she eyes the tower warily.
"If you want to make me invisible, Cap'n, I could go scout it out? Although, I can't see invisible and ethereal things anymore, so if there's more spiders or ghosts I might miss them..."
Once the sleeping-thing is down, Tessa sets about waking everyone up. She gives Harmony a kiss and says "Wake up, sleepyhead. Val and I defeated the bad guy while you got your beauty rest."
Turning to Valeria, she says "Val. Take a quick look around and report back. Play it safe though."
"Hey," Harmony says giving a Tessa a frankly adorable sleepy look before her slow mind catches up with what just happened.
"I'm short on spells now." Harmony replies to Val. "I can speed everyone up and keep the performance going but I've got maybe one more invisibility in me, so are we sure that's the best way we can use it?"
”I can try it without,” Val offers, ”but it’ll be a bit more dangerous... I’ll probably have to move slower.” With a tug on her cap, she transforms into her cloaked goblin forms and she draws an elixir from one of the loops on her belt. Downing it, she heads into the tower to scout.
Polli looks worn down to nothing when she finally recovers her wits, spending a good amount of time buried in the arms of her love to remind herself of reality. "that was horrible, I need to research magic to keep that from ever happening again."
The ladies gather around the entrance to the large tower and Marisan opens the large and heavy door just enough for Valeria in her goblin form to slip inside to look around.
Climbing one of the two staircases, she passes one of the tall doors. At this high up, she's reasonably confident that it leads out onto the fort's parapet. She continues up the staircase which rises up through the roof and on to the top of the tower. There's an enclosed area there to shelter guards from the elements, but it's empty.
Heading back down, she quickly checks the stairs leading below ground to see that they lead into the basement area filled with broken pieces of quartz that Bikendi lead you to previously.
She doesn't find any threats. She does, however, have the distinct feeling of being watched.
~~~~~
After about five or six minutes pass, Goblin-Val slips back out through the crack in the door.
Val slips out of the tower and grows to her four-armed form. With a frown she reports, ”it feels like there’s something in there but I couldn’t find it... I checked every room and saw nothing... maybe there’s a chance that it was Bikendi watching me, or that I was just a little on edge after the living dreams and their fear magic, but I think there’s probably something in there that’s invisible or ethereal.”
Polli feels horrible that her suffering got put before Dony's, she pulls it together and holds the raven-haired woman, becasue she has no ideas on how to help. Faith is beyond her. "maybe once we're done with this terrible island we can take off for a bit, go to someplace with no one other than
Gozreh's great sky and crashing waves, maybe he'd even bless us with a raging storm for us to scream our pleasure into." she runs her hand down the back of Dony's head soothing as best she can cause her bedside manner is utter shit, but she is trying.
"Right then." Harmony says. "Val leads the way. I'll go second with my spell up so I can see any invisible creatures. If something comes up I'll hit it with Glitterdust so the rest of you can see it. Polli, we need you to do Haste. Dony - whatever blessings you have left. Tessa, Marisan... you know what to do."
She waits for everyone to acknowledge their roles.
"Right. Let's go."
"Stab it. I'm all over it, Vi." Tessa says with a saulte.
Readying all her weapons and moving towards the door, Val asks, ”You want me to sneak in and be ready to ambush it, or be the bait to draw it out?”
"Be as sneaky as you can, but based on what you said I'm not sure it'll make a difference." Harmony replies. "Never hurts to try though."
Polli agrees with a silent nod. Since all she really wants to do is hold away her love's worries in a soft bed, it probably best not to be verbal at the moment.
Since Harmony is the only one that will be able to see what is trying to kill them, she casts a quick protection from evil on her, and then holds haste until the time comes.
Val nods and slips silently into the tower ahead of Harmony and the others.
With several buffs on Harmony and Valeria, the group cautiously enters the large tower.
Carved staircases rise from either side of the double doors entering this tower. Both lead to landings halfway up the walls holding tall doors, then disappear into the tower’s upper levels. To the southwest, another flight of stairs leads below ground.
The main chamber is empty.
"Are you going to fight us or not?" Harmony calls. "If not, then come down so we can talk."
She points to the spider and makes a full arm gesture to show where she wants the creature to come to. The fact that she just pointed out its position is a convenient by-product.
"Perhaps I prefer to stay up here," the ethereal spider replies, moving in the opposite direction that Harmony indicates. "You've already killed my daughters, so why should I believe that you have any interest in talking over fighting?"
"Because we own this place now and they attacked us." Harmony replies. "We'd like you to leave, that doesn't have to end in violence."
With a gesture she send dancing lights to hover just beneath the spider.
"I'd like to leave as well. However, I have been tasked by my Mistress to return something that's been stolen from her. If you know where it's at, then this can be all quite simple."
"What item?" Harmony asks, having a bad feeling about where this is going.
"Her heartstone. That vile human, Bikendi, stole it for some twisted purpose. He has escaped and is most likely not coming back. You snatched his toadie who was our last lead to where the man hid it. I'm assuming that he told you where it's at."
Harmony ensures that the lights follow the spider.
"Now that's a problem. Bikendi is haunting this castle and wants the heartstone so he can leave. But he doesn't have it." Harmony explains. "So we have to deal with at least one of you and he offered us considerable treasure. Can you sweeten the deal?"
"Certainly I can sweeten the deal," the spider replies. "Return the stone to me and I'll ensure that my Mistress herself doesn't pay you a visit to rip the bones from your living flesh." She smiles. "Is that sweet enough for you?"
"No." Harmony replies, outlining the spider in GLITTERDUST!
Combat Begins!
Round 1
Tessa checks out the area to see if there is something she can climb to get there, but decides against it. Instead, she readies herself should it come near.
Knowing nothing other than where the creature is currently at, Tessa tenses herself to strike should it appear. And appear it does. Harmony shouts out a warning as the beast drops down at the base of the stairs. Appearing for a moment, she stabs her fangs into Polli and grabs her with two chitinous appendages. The swashbuckler manages to stab it before the red-haired spider vanishes back into the ether, pulling the slyph with it.
Ethereal or not, Harmony still manages to cover the beast in glittering magical dust.
"Perhaps we shall try negotiating again?" the beast snaps in a voice that drips venom. "But this time, you should consider what I could do to your companion. She would make for a nice tasty snack once she's marinated for a while."
---
"Rancid bloated cow!" Polli snaps as she uselessly tries to get away.
And since that is vastly unlikely, and because she is not one to sit and wait while being dangled like a ripe rabbit before dinner, Polli does her very best to explode in a raging fireball.
Marisan curses and makes ready should the creature appear nearby.
I don't want to give away my position for a single shot if I might be able to get a bunch of shots off while its unaware of me later, but if its like the other spiders that chance may not come... sh!t, better take whatever I can get...
Val knocks an arrow and prepares to fire at the spider when it rematerializes.
"Who Polli? I don't think you're going to like her very much. She probably has a bitter aftertaste. You should come for me instead, I'm sugar and spice and everything nice!"
Tessa readies and attack.
"A fat... ripe strawberry... dripping with sugar" Polli winced through the pain burning from her bite through her veins.
Unable to do much until the spider and Polli return to their plane Donomsail helps her friends the only way she knows how. "Gozreh, Ah, vra nie om self te gaan nie Ah vra vir ma's, 'n 'ja, dit is ook Polli. Seën hulle almal sodat hulle beter kan veg en nie Polli terugkry nie, sodat Ah kin haar kan help."
Doni blankets her companions in divine energy, speeding their efforts. Marisan readies an attack in preparation for the spider to reappear, as does Valeria. Polli attempts to envelope her captor in flames, but loses the spell in the process of being rudely manhandled.
Round 2
Tessa dances from one foot to the other, waiting for her foe to show herself.
The Sirens watch as the glittering ethereal form of the phase spider climbs the wall and moves out to the middle of the ceiling. "Perhaps you care not for your companion," the invisible creature speaks as she does so. She shifts back to the material plane to roughly dangle Polli by two feet over the hard, flagstone floor forty feet below. "But her head will make for nice art when it splatters its contents over the ground. Now cease your ineffective efforts and heed my demand."
Polli can fly...
Val smirks at the foolishness of the spider's gambit, then unleashes a flurry of arrows at the unsuspecting villain.
"Let her go!" Harmony commands, magic in her voice. "Sirens, we don't let her take one of our own!"
With the magic of Harmony's words, Polli kicks her legs back at the horrid "F*@$ing" asshat of a "UGLY" spider.
Harmony's magic envelopes Polli and Valeria's arrows all sink deep into the huge spider who shrieks in pain as gouts of foul green fluid rain down on the Sirens. Polli kicks free and hovers in the air as if to demonstrate that she has no intention of producing brain-colored art.
The phase-spider shoots the slyph one last dagger-filled gaze before slipping back into the ethereal plane to vanish through the ceiling.
Combat Ends!
Anticipating another attack from the phase spider, you all wait with bated-breath for minutes before accepting that she's not immediately coming back.
"You've defeated her," Bikendi says from behind you. Turning, you see the ghost hovering at the top of the stairs that descend to the basement. "Good. You've almost cleansed the fort. Now just bring back the dreamstone from those brutes and let me finish my ritual. You'll get your reward and everything will be as it should be."
Polli floats down ignoring the ghost and the bloated sack of an ugo. Down to stand next to Doni "I'm not doing so well." she shows her bleeding swollen shoulder "Could you help me?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Donomsail looks at the horrid wound on Polli's pretty shoulder and gives an "eep" of startling fright. "O' course Ah got ya. Donna worry 'bout a thing." Firm but tender are her fingers as she probes the wound, just like she learned from Polli. Another thing she learned from Polli (or not actually) was the total lack of bedside manner so while Donomsail was very careful not to cause more pain, she said nothing to acknowledge or alleviate the pain that was already there. Finally she was ready to cast her spells. "Hold still now, Ah be castin' a spell 'n' Ah wanna be takin' no chances of it goin' afoul." Closing her eyes in concentration Donomsail places one hand directly on the wound while her other hand rests on Polli's hip. "Gozreh Ah vra niks meer self nie Ah vra ook vir vriend of vriendin. Herstel asseblief die skade wat die spinnekop aangerig het. Julle kan kwaad wees vir my as 'n mens 'n 'wil hê. Julle kan my in elk geval straf, as julle dit goedvind, laat my Polli ly, want ek. 'Nog 'n bietjie om te vra o' Julle, familie Julle neem die energie wat bespaar word ta. Hulp iemand om dit nie te help om Polli se wonde te genees nie"
When she feels the absolutely wonderful feeling of Gozreh's healing energy pass through her and into Polli, Donomsail breaks into a happy grin and then she starts to cry.
The relief (a multilayered relief) is evident on Polli's face and she strokes Donomsail's cheek and kisses her in thanks.
"Nice work everyone." Tessa says, turning to Polli and patting her on the shoulder with a grin "Nice distraction technique, Polli. Very brave."
Val frowns at the creature's escape.
that may come back to haunt us...
She moves to rejoin the others as Dony heals Polli. Relief transforms her frown to a soft smile, although the silk scarf hiding the bottom half of her face obscures both. "If the cyclopses took the stone, and it wasn't in the tower, then there's a very good chance that it's in their little village..." she offers, "so, if we want to be able to have people get to work on fixing up the fort, we may need to head there next, although, we'll definitely need to rest up and do some planning first."
Suddenly turning to the ghost she asks, "Bikendi, you've been here for a while, what is the large creature that swims in this bay?"
"I know not," the ghost replies. "It arrived after ..." His voice fades out at the very end while his mouth continues to move. It seems that he has very little ability to communicate with you directly and it's very draining.