"Oh, can I take the lead in pretending to be a captive? I can snarl nasty things at Nabi as she drags me forward!"
"And nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan..." The raven says, shaking his head.
Nabi isn't the kind of girl to point fingers.
But she is pointing the finger at the speaking bird, for his defeatism, not wanting anyone to repeat it
Quote the raven nevermore.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Rulean thinks about it some more, looks at his armor and weapon, then grabs the biggest and baggiest cloak there. “On second thought, the cloaks look good.”
I am sure everything will go swimmingly.
"Hey, if we live through it maybe we can turn it into an act for the circus!" Leaf-On-Wind offers hopefully.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Oh, woe is me! I have been taken captive by these ruffians in cloaks!"
Song begins to get into the concept of having been taken prisoner.
You gather appropriately sized robes from the wash room and move your gear around to create your hooded disguises for Nabi, Clover, and Ephraim. Rulean decides hiding his tail under a generously cut robe might be a better disguise than trying to look like a prisoner. You arrange yourselves in an escort formation with your charming acrobat at the fore and pull the doors open.
This magnificent gallery glows with light from magical spheres set into eight twisting pillars that stretch from the floor to the ceiling twenty feet above. That ceiling depicts a cloudy, storm-tossed sky with remarkable realism. The floor is covered with mosaic tiles that portray the depths of the ocean, complete with coral reefs, seaweed beds, and schools of fish. Corridors lead away from the gallery to the north and south, and the hall ends in a massive bronze double door sculpted in a fantastic diorama of animals of all kinds: fish swimming in the sea, beasts walking the earth, and birds soaring in the sky.
You have no time to appreciate the beauty. A robed figure faces away from you as a grotesque, giant purple worm rises from a summoning circle. You recognize this as a vermlek like the ones in the Goldenlaw cemetery. The figure turns as the door opens. A sharp-featured woman sees you and immediately barks a command.
"You all! Come with me! We are going to deal with the ghouls once and for all!" She apparently, for this immediate moment, has not yet noticed the tengu behind the others in their robed disguises.
Uhhh…
Ephie racks his brain for what he knows about Ghouls while letting Nabi take the lead on the talking part. [ooc]Religin +6[/dice]
Leaf-On-Wind starts to open his beak to say something. He would have raised a hand to kind of give a hint of a pause for him to catch up with everything, but that'd ruin the disguise.
Instead he glances over to his sister with one eye nearly popping out of his skull and the other at the seemingly unobservant cultist who is 'recruiting/using the party' to go fight ghouls(?).
...what? I... what just happened there?
Ephie thinks upon what he's read about undead in the past.
Status
Clover (43/45 hp - 23 min)
Ephie (32/32 hp - 13 min)
Rulean (24/38 hp - 43 min)
Snowy (24/32 hp - 3 min)
Rulean eyes the Vermlek, but decides to stay silent for the moment and let someone else take the lead here.
This whole place seems to be overrun with nastiness. Ghouls and demons?!?
You heard our superior, folks, let's rid the place of these foul creatures..Do we know how many they are? Do you have specific orders for us?
Though she doesn't quite trust herself to speak, Clover nods to emphasize Nabi's words and rattles her weapon for good measure.
I hope this works, even a little...
Ephie wipes his sweaty palms on the robe.
Mr. Splinters, hiding inside his backpack, pretends to hold his breath for fun even though he doesn't really breathe.
"We killed the one and then boarded up the crypts before any more could find their way out," the priestess says. "We've heard noises on the other side, so there are certainly more. With the power we've gain from Nemmia's teacher, we will make short work of them no matter how many there are. Go back, pry off the boards, and we'll go down together. I've promised this vermlek all the corpses it can eat in exchange for its assistance."
The grotesque worm licks its beak with a spiny tongue and undulates its mouth tentacles. "عید کرنا میری خوشی ہے۔"
Ephie silently adds Learn more languages to his to-do list. He waits for his more deceptive or charismatic friends to take the lead.
Mr., Splinters pokes his head out from Ephie's bag.
SO WHAT WAS THE GENIUS PLAN HERE? WHERE IS THE BLOODSHED? ARE YOU GOING TO SPLATTER THESE FOOLS ALL OVER THE FLOOR OR WHAT?
He giggles as he ducks back under.
The woman holds a symbol of Gozreh defaced by demonic runes in one hand and chants a corrupted version of the druidic language. With a final gesture, her skin transforms into a natural wooden texture and color. Unable to determine what magic she was invoking until she had finished, some of you startle and shift. "Come! Let us g--Wait! Who are you?"
She adjusts her grip on the trident and swiftly strides closer with imperious intent. "What!?"
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Yoril (barkskin)
Ephie
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind (hidden)
Vermlek
Nabi
Clover
>Snowy
Rulean
Song-on-Air
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Ephie incants arcane words and gestures at Rulean's pick, which begins to glow.
We are the CIRCUS, madame.
The cold iron pick thrums with power, enchanted by Ephie. Leaf-on-Wind draws his bow, focuses, and then unleashes a pair of arrows at the demon. His first shot strikes one of the columns. The second grazes the demon, drawing first blood.
"You!" the priestess shouts back at the demon. "Deal with these interlopers. Consider it a snack before the main course."
The demon's tentacles undulate and then it slithers around the columns. There it snaps its tentacle-ringed beak at Rulean, the spiny tentacles tearing at the iruxi's disguise but otherwise leaving him unharmed.
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Yoril (barkskin)
Ephie
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind
Vermlek (-1 hp)
Nabi
Clover (43/45)
>Snowy (24/32) (cover)
Rulean (24/48)
Song-on-Air (hidden)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
“Excellent! You came to me!” Rulean proclaims as he hefts his cold iron pick.
Fatal d10
crit, die increase, extra die for fatal
He then raises his shield.
"Yeah, that's a nice change of pace," Clover agrees as she eyes the woman, marking her as prey. She then shuffles around the pillar and sidles in behind the woman, pinning her between herself and Nabi as she jabs with her longspear.
Nabi uses the opportunity to thrust her sword between the woman's ribs
Us? A snack? Consider me offended. I'm more than you can chew. Besides, I have a thing for pale redheads, with long curly hair, and plenty of freckles on their curves.
The dark skinned woman let the words hanging in the air, leaving your imagination doing its work.
Rulean slams his pick into the vermlek. The demon's skin hisses where the cold iron touches it. Clover moves around behind the priestess, cutting off her retreat, and stabs her in the back. The spear blade catches a bit on the wooden enchantment . Nabi hacks at the woman, landing a solid blow with her first swing. The corrupted priestess does not stand still long enough to be tagged by the second strike.
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Yoril (-12 hp; barkskin)
Ephie
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind
Vermlek (-17 hp)
Song-on-Air (hidden)
Clover (43/45)
>Snowy (24/32) (cover)
Nabi
Rulean (24/48)
Song-of-Air sings to inspire her colleagues!
♫ Hello we're the Circus
I hope you liked our surprise
As we dropped our cultist guise
That's right! We're the Circus
And we're hear to say
We're not recruiting any worms today ♫
◇Lingering Performance
◈ Inspire Courage
◈◈ She moves to help Rulean with the worm and draws her sword.
The priestess steps out of the flanked position and begins chanting in the corrupted druidic. With a violent gesture, she conjures a sphere of sickly red flame at Nabi's feet. "Nemmia's lover taught us how to protect nature with power!" she shrieks.
Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.
Yoril (-14 hp; barkskin)
Ephie
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind
Vermlek (-18 hp)
Song-on-Air (hidden)
Clover (43/45)
>Snowy (24/32) (cover)
Nabi (Basic Reflex DC 20 vs. 13 fire damage)
Rulean (24/48)
Nabi nearly dances around the incendiary magic globe, avoiding to get seriously burned
Some people takes their "Liar liar, pants on fire" line too seriously. And, dear, making "power" rhyme with "lover", really? What a lack of imagination. You have no business in show business.
Ephie moves into spot where he can provide a flank for Nabi and then wings his axe at the evil druidess.
He then raises his Arcane Shield.
"Keep the thing's attention!" Leaf-On-Wind offers as he zips into the room and finds a good spot to shoot at the worm demon.
The priestess hisses in pain as the whirling axe cuts into her shoulder. Her wooden skin does not provide any protection from the axe blade.
Leaf-on-Wind sprints into position and lands his first arrow quite solidly. The second arrow glances off of the demon's purple hide.
The demon snaps at each of its assailants. When it fails to catch any meat, it hisses and then retreats away from the cold iron weapon.
Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.
Yoril (-24 hp; barkskin)
Ephie (shield)
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind
Vermlek (-27 hp)
Song-on-Air
Clover (43/45)
>Snowy (24/32) (cover)
Nabi (29/35)
Rulean (24/48)
"Nemmia's lover? Well, don't we have some news for them," Clover huffs as she glances back at the doorway. "Snowy, get 'er!"
She then circles around to one side (ignoring the vermlek for the moment) to flank with Nabi, taking another stab at the priestess with her longspear.
______________
The signal given, Snowy comes charging in and attempts to bite the priestess' kneecaps off!
______________
"Nature doesn't need 'POWER' to... 'protect itself'. Seriously, you BOUGHT that? I thought druids and clerics were supposed to be 'WISE'!" Leaf-On-Wind is disgusted at the simplistic concept being accepted so.... blindly.
"Ha, ha! Fleeing, are you?"
◈ Blade in hand, Song follows the worm. "Eggy, come help me flank the worm! Let's not let it get away!'
Song slashes at the disgusting demon, twice.
◈
◈
Rulean raises his shield and chases after the vermlek. “Stay still, worm! I have just the thing for you!” He happily flanks with Song.
He then swings at the vermlek.
Fatal d10
crit, die increase, extra die for fatal
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The priestess' armor protects her from Clover's thrust. However, the fierce badger rushes into the hall and bites down hard and savagely on the priestess' knee, eliciting a cry of pain.
Song-of-Air chases after the worm demon and drives her sword deep into its Abyssal flesh, withdraws and cuts again.
"పూజారి! నాకు మాంసం సూట్ ఇవ్వండి లేదా నేను నిన్ను ఉపయోగిస్తాను!" the vermlek shrieks. Then Rulean slams the point of the cold iron pick into its beak. Smoke rolls out of the worms mouth as it gurgles and spasms. Then the demon falls dead at the iruxi's feet and begins to disintegrate.
As the demon falls, a moment of doubt flutters across the summoner's face, but then her eyes flash with red flames and she bites her lip so hard that it bleeds.
Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.
Yoril (-35 hp; barkskin)
Ephie (shield)
>Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind
Song-of-Air
Clover (43/45)
>Snowy (24/32) (cover)
Nabi (29/35)
Rulean (24/48)
+
+
It was a pleasure chatting with you really..
says Nabi with the sincerest unsincere tone you ever heard
But I'm afraid we have to cut off this conversation.
Fortunately for Nabi, the threat of Clover and her spear is enough to distract the priestess from her incoming sword strikes. The first one cuts deeply, but the second one is fatal. This is also fortunate for Nabi, who did not move away from the flaming sphere, as the sphere of fire puffs out of existence when the priestess falls.
Before you have time to fully register your victory, you catch movement from the great bronze doors at the end of this hall. However, it is not another assault. The carven beasts, birds, and fishes begin to move upon the diorama. They all turn their heads to look at you and speak in unison with an unearthly choir of voices.
"Corruption has shut this door, but that cannot keep us out. Cleanse these halls of the corrupted that infest it, and we will open this door for you. Or, if you are one of the chosen of the Wind and Waves, then you may enter."
The bronze animals then return their original positions on the door.
Leather Armor
Gray Robe
Trident
Wooden holy symbol to Gozreh defaced with demonic runes.
Ephie is amazed at the door, and moves to inspect it and see how it works.
So… the undead below?
Ephie investigates the door and finds no hinge nor gear nor crease to allow the bronze figures on the diorama to move. The heads feel fused solidly onto the door and would be impossible to have moved naturally. When he tests for magical auras, he finds none.
One might suspect that the effect was of divine origin.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Holy moly! Did we just get, uh, an omen or sign or something?" Clover gawps, staring at the now-still diorama. "Whatever it was, it sounds like we're on the right track with clearing these guys out of here! The ghouls in the basement definitely need to go too," she agrees.
Noting that Ephie seems interested in the diorama and that Rulean in particular suffered some injuries during the battle, she adds, "Maybe let's patch ourselves up before we go down there though, if we got the time."
“Lot of healing to do first.” Rulean says. “Given what we learned, someone should stand watch on that door while I work on patching us up.”
Rulean starts by trying to treat Snowy’s injuries.
Then he moves on to Nabi.
Clover is next.
Finally he tries to treat himself.
When ready Ephie begins head own down to deal with these ghouls.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Once everyone is sufficiently patched up and recovered, Clover nods as Ephie heads for the door.
"Right, let's keep moving before anything else happens."
Before they go, she does take the time to inspect the priestess' wooden holy symbol for a moment...before snapping the blasphemous item in two.
Song nods, humming a tune. She casts inspire courage as they go down the stairs.
You watch and wait before the door to the crypt. Every once in a while you think you hear the sound of disturbed gravel or breathing, but nothing ever emerges at the base of the stairs. Once wounds have been tended to Ephraim descends stairs.
The stone steps from the secure chamber lead down into darkness. While torch sconces are mounted on the walls, the torches all burnt out long ago. The hall turns to the east where the half-orc can see another archway. There he finds a second set of stairs that lead to a hall with several horizontal niches built into the walls. Each niche is large enough for a human body and are vertically arranged in groups of three: one niche at knee level, one at waist level, and another at eye level. The ones that Ephraim can see are skeletal remains and dusty tokens of past life.
Beyond the bend in the hall, the light from the hermitage's torches is not enough to illuminate the tunnels, and you will need to provide your own light.
Status
Ephie
>Mr. Splinters
Rulean (35/48)
Clover
>Snowy
Song-of-Air (casting inspire courage)
Leaf-on-Wind
Nabi (34/35)
Rulean casts Light on his shield so that all can see.
As Rulean lights their way, Clover thinks back to what the priestess had said earlier.
"It sounded like ghouls in the basement wasn't part of their plan and even if they were in the basement before these people turned to demon-worship or whatever, I don't see why they'd just let a problem like that sit and fester without doing anything about it," she muses softly. "So where'd they come from and why?"
"Sometimes bodies buried without cleaning them up after dying from disease get... restless. That's why bonfires are popular funerals. Leastaways, that's what I remember hearing at one point?" the acrobat offers thoughtfully.