Mirhet frowns in consideration, then shakes her head. "Not tonight, I think. With Sanduro's help I may be fully mobile again in the morning, and I might accompany you without being a burden."
“Of course! Anything I can do to assist.”
Groggily, Silvia sits up and faces the little cat. "I'm sorry, Moggie. The day was harder than expected, but I'll try again tomorrow." She rubs a hand on her face, massaging the scratches.
Mirhet's gaze softens. "I am in awe of your strength, and very proud of you. I am glad that you found these others, and you haven't had to face...all of this...alone."
The cat shakes her head. "You need to be moving faster. Things are...something is coming, momentous and fell. Our common enemy is stirring and time not our ally. Heed me, paladin."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Garret continues to sleep peacefully, unaware of any conversation going on into the depths of the night...
Ketra answers Mirhet with a bashful shrug "Nothing to be at awe of. I owe getting out of... well... everything, thanks to the help of these folks." She regards the others sleeping for a moment before saying "Now you get to sleep too, and I'll take it from here. We've still got a lot to do in the morning."
Sanduro checks Mirhet’s leg and examines her for any sign that the poison is lingering in her system. If there is nothing that won’t be healed fully (or as near as he can tell) with one more night of ordinary rest, he will bid her good night and collapse into his bedroll until it’s his turn to take the watch.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
“Say, Jando, have you heard the one about the three paladins who walk into a bar? So there’s one for Abadar, one for Sarenrae, and one for Erastil, and they all walk into this skeevy dive in Magnimar, and the bartender says, “Hey, you lot can’t come in here!” So the Abadarite frowns and sticks out his chin and asks…”
Zsofia disappears as Sanduro falls asleep.
Jando frowns at spot the phantom had been a moment before. "Damn, I hadn't heard that one, now that's going to bug me."
+ + + +
As Ketra and Mirhet turn to consider the others, Silvia twitches and gasps in her sleep, a hand coming to her cheek though she doesn't awaken. Mirhet nods slowly and bids her former charge a quiet watch.
The morning dawns without further incident, the sun's light pushing through the dome of fog. Mirhet tests her leg again, and nods when its performance seems satisfactory.
"Where to now?" Jando asks, counting the arrows in his quiver and slinging the baldric over his shoulder.
Garret wakes up slowly, stretching. He looks around and starts getting ready for the day. At Jando's question, he says, "I suspect we need to get to where the arcane death bomb was detonated...see what we can learn, or if there are any more souls to be put to rest."
Ketra stretches, then runs through her morning routines. As she does, she suggests "Right Garret, we still need to investigate the fort. Along the way, we can check in on Jonnar Windrider's home. Mirhet, ready to travel? The rest of you?"
She whirls her blades back into their sheaths, then moves to don her breastplate and jacket.
Sanduro finishes praying for his spells and manifests Zsofia in her ectoplasmic form before bundling up his bedroll into his pack and handing it to the phantom.
2nd--aggressive thundercloud[ACG] (DC 15), barkskin, crypt burning sands, heat metal (DC 15)
1st--cure light wounds, entangle (DC 14), feather step[APG] (DC 14), longstrider
0 (at will)--detect magic, guidance, read magic, stabilize
With the extend metamagic rod, he casts extended longstrider on himself and extended greater magic fang on Zsofia (duration 12 hours each).
“Oh, yes, the fort. Where the explosion happened. I … yes, of course, that should be our next stop.” The young duskwalker is pleased that his voice hardly shakes at all. He nervously checks his bowstring and counts his arrows.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
“… and that’s when the bartender says to the Abadarite, ‘We’ve already established what you are, we’re just haggling over the price!’”
Zsofia’s guffaws die out quickly when she realizes that nobody else is laughing, Jando is no longer standing next to her, and the sun is up.
She snatches Sanduro’s pack from his hands and shrugs her arms through the straps. “Oh, fine!”
"Something I need to check on first," Silvia says, adjusting the fit of her bandolier. "There's an elm, struck by lightning. There's something in it that will help us, and we need to find it sooner than later."
”Okay, interesting, but certainly no weirder that the rest of this journey has been. Lead the way,” says Garret, shrugging and preparing to head out.
Ketra raises an eyebrow "You didn't mention this elm before. Did you remember something last night Silvia?"
“Inside a damaged tree? With all the destruction, how … right, sure, let’s check it out!”
Sanduro looks dubious but eager for anything that might delay their return to the source of the explosion.
At the mention of the tree Jando frowns. "A half-burned elm? I know it, I've passed it by a few times while scouting around. What makes you think there's something there to help us...?" Still, he moves off and beckons you all to follow. It's not a long walk west from the blind to a small rise crowned by an elm, standing an easy six or eight feet taller than its fellows--and blackened down one side, one large branch fallen. A quick scan for magic reveals a cluster of auras nestled inside a charred bole.
Reaching inside, you find a cloth bundle; two potions, two vials of holy water, a heavy silver aspergillum, and a braided blood-red cord strung with small spheres of black glass.
+1 battle aspergillum
Necklace of Fireballs II
[2] potions of Cure Moderate Wounds
[2] vials of holy water
Cloak of Fiery Vanishing
As the treasures are revealed, Jando's expression is baffled while Mirhet's is wary. "How did you know?" she asks simply.
"Huh. It feels like this isn't just a stash someone from town would have left here. I mean, that cloak's magical, and there's that necklace too." Ketra turns to Silvia as well, but with a smile. "Then again, Garret's family had quite the treasures themselves. Maybe everyone in town had some crazy pasts where they'd earned their fortunes before retiring to Roslar's Coffer."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
The provenance of the elm's cache is as welcome as it is mysterious, but Roslar's Coffer still holds unfinished business for the party--the wreckage of Cofferkeep. The blasted ruin where the four of you were transported to Gravelands--and apparent ground zero for the blast that murdered your home town. You imagine you can almost feel that oppressive pulsing of magic again as you draw closer.
The fort looks like it's seen a thousand years pass; the stones are weathered to chalky frailty and every scrap of wood crumbled to dust. Not a roof or wall not made entirely of stone still stands, and instead of the riot of warped plantlife the ruin is ringed by a perfect circle of grey, lifeless dirt.
Jando whispers a curse, eyes wide and tone appalled. "So...this was the center of it? Gods above and below..."
"Somehow, I'm not surprised. The flash we saw at the beginning of all this was some incredible energy." She puts her hands on her hips and looks up at the fort. "The only thing I'm worried about is any of the energy lingering. Garret, Sanduro, what do you two think? Anything you can sense in there?"
Just out of caution, she picks up a small pebble from nearby and tosses it into the ring of grey dirt. If that doesn't do anything too unpleasant, she tosses a second small stone at the remaining chalky walls. "If we're going to explore, I'd rather not have an avalanche of dust burying us once we go inside."
Nodding, Garret invokes a spell of Magic Detection and focuses on the auras before him.
As Garret attunes himself to the eldtrich and the arcane, he sees that within the circle of dead earth are faint and fading threads of necromancy, conjuration, and evocation--signs of a great magic that was worked here. This isn't unusual on its own, but the implications are alarming...because according to Jando it's been two weeks since the explosion. Even the most powerful of spells are said to linger for only a few days, which suggests that either the effect worked here was on a level approaching that of true gods--or other spells have been cast here more recently. Perhaps both.
Ketra's test pebble lands in the grey dirt to no discernable effect, either visually or in Garret's magical sight. A slightly larger stone lobbed at the outer wall of the keep does knock a hand-sized chunk of chalky masonry loose--trying to climb the towers is all but guaranteed to cause a collapse.
"I was hoping to save it for Jonnar, but if needed I can consult what few spirits remain in the area. They can warn us of danger, sometimes," Mirhet offers softly, hands resting on the handles of her hatchet and long knife.
Ketra squints as she eyes the fort for any weird effects their interaction might have produced. "Seems... sort of safe. I wouldn't want to climb anything in there, but we could try to go into the courtyard at least. Where were we when the explosion happened? In one of the towers, was it?"
Ketra nods to Mirhet "I'd be happy for any warnings the spirits have to share. As far as dangerous places go, this one has to be up there."
Sanduro joins Garret in casting detect magic, then nervously scans Cofferkeep and the area around it.
Zsofia looks around, too, keeping her eyes peeled for anything shiny.
Though you don't see anything dangerous, as you slowly approach a faint whiff of smoke and charred, rotted meat becomes noticeable--and it doesn't take long to find the source. Piles of debris are shoved aside as ragged, mostly naked figures surge to their feet around you, and the keep's doorframe bursts outward in a shower of dust and rubble as a hulking figure slams through.
The smaller figures are still recognizable--the Sergeant Arminos, Brenner, and other former guards you'd found lying dead in this very courtyard--though their bodies are gaunt and grey, their faces twisted into toothy masks of rage. Ghouls.
Even worse is the second figure, a ten-foot tall fusion of half a dozen corpses, the torn flesh charred and smoking and visible embers glowing within the wounds, as though its very bones had burned. Despite it's hunched stoop it towers over you, reaching out with long clawlike fingers. It tries to say something, but the words are unintelligible as smoke belches forth from its mouths.
This unliving horror appears to be a cinder ghoul--a type of undead usually created in explosions or fiery cataclysms. Though barely sentient, they are aggressive and murderous and bear a deep hatred and fear of fire even as they wield it as a weapon. This one appears even larger and more vicious than usual for their kind.
-ROUND ONE-
Mirhet
Jando
Garret
BIG undead
Ghouls
Silvia
Sanduro
Zsofia
Ketra
”More of our friends’ bodies defiled as undead!” rages Garret as he reaches out and calls forth a bright burst of holy radiance to envelop the huge undead creature and the nearby blue ghoul. He then steps towards the middle of the party, hoping for added protection.
plus blindness for (DC 19 reflex to be dazzled instead)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ketra scrunches her eyes closed for a moment before opening them "They weren't even allowed their rest..."
You know the cinder ghoul is a CE undead with the Fire subtype; you also get two questions!
Garret's burst of holy light burns both of the undead standing before him; though both are burned by its radiant touch, neither appears to be blinded. Jando grins fiercely, quickly nocking a pair of arrows and placing two perfect killshots into what's left of Brenner and Sgt. Arminos--both crumple to the dirt with an arrow through their skulls.
With a cry Mirhet rushes forward towards the cinder ghoul, blades held low and ready. Shockingly quick for a creature of its size and amalgamated appearance, the cinder ghoul lashes out and rakes its claws along the Shoanti's shoulder. Her hatchet chops into its leg but she clearly gets the worst of the trade. Worse still, the cinder ghoul sidesteps to pin trap Mirhet against the ruined wall of Cofferkeep, slashing her again before turning its attention on Sanduro--Shoanti and Varisian alike suffer a nasty cut from its smoking, red-hot claws! While Mirhet's wounds are dire, Sanduro finds his clothing aflame!
The remaining ghoul, face scarred and unrecognizable, surges forward to bite Ketra, but her armor resists its rotting teeth...for now...
-ROUND ONE-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-16hp; Dazzled 1/4)
Ghoul Blue
Ghoul Green
Ghoul Red
Silvia
Sanduro (-9hp; Burn 1d6)
Zsofia
Ketra
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Trusting Ketra to watch her back, Silvia slowly advances on the cinder ghoul, her eyes blazing with a fury of her own. She methodically fires shot after shot after shot into the atrocious thing's body.
Moving to get a clear line of effect on the cinder ghoul, Garret exclaims, "Let the holy light of the sun send this unhallowed one back to the grave!" A clear and pure beam of sunlight shoots out from Garret's palm at the cinder ghoul.
Defenses: In addition to the usual undead traits, cinder ghouls have DR10/??, channel resistance +2, and immunity to both fire and precision damage.
Weaknesses: cinder ghouls are vulnerable to cold, and their DR is overcome by magic
With the towering cinder ghoul under assault by most of the party, Ketra focuses on fending off the one lesser ghoul that survived the party's alpha strike. She draws her mithril knife and stabs at the red ghoul, muttering "I hope you find your family, after this, in the Boneyard."
The crack of Silvia's rifle fire catches the massive ghouls squarely in the torso on her first shot--but it's ready for her on the next two, dodging with a jerky, uncanny alacrity that's shocking for a creature of its size. Garret's beam of sunfire fares little better, lancing square through the space the cinder ghoul had been but a heartbeat before.
Ketra's knife finds its mark and cuts deep--but this ghoul, suffused with negative energy here at the heart of the blast zone, is made of sterner stuff.
-ROUND ONE-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-45hp; Dazzled 1/4)
Ghoul Blue
Ghoul Green
Ghoul Red
Silvia
Sanduro (-14hp; Burn 1d6?)
Zsofia
Ketra
-ROUND TWO-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-45hp; Dazzled 1/4)
Ghoul Blue
Ghoul Green
Ghoul Red
Silvia
Sanduro (-9hp; Burn 1d6)
Zsofia
Ketra
Falling back, Sanduro invokes the power of wind and storm and pulls a lightning bolt down from the sky to smite the cinder ghoul; sparks and smoking blood erupt from the impact point. At the same time Zsofia lunges towards it, though her haymakers fail to find their mark. Jando draws his sword and strafes left, dodging past the ghoul dueling with Ketra before driving a yard of steel through its torso, kicking it off the blade before turning to glare at the massive ghoul. "Alright, the distractions are dealt with," he growls to Ketra.
For her part, Mirhet's face is grey with pain but set in a determined grimace as she slips deeper in to the courtyard to pin the cinder ghoul between Zsofia and herself--but again her flurry of blows fails to land a telling blow against the preternatural speed and resilience of the massive ghoul. For its part, a surge of jealous fury compels the cinder ghoul to round upon Zsofia, smoking claws raking viciously at ectoplasmic flesh.
-ROUND TWO-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-57hp; Dazzled 2/4)
Silvia
Sanduro (-18hp; Burn 1d6)
Zsofia (-26hp; Burn 1d6; 1 negative level)
Ketra
-ROUND THREE-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-57hp; Dazzled 3/4)
Silvia
Sanduro (-18hp; Burn 1d6?)
Zsofia (-26hp; Burn 1d6; 1 negative level)
Ketra
Between each shot, Silvia relays what she remembers about these monstrosities.
"Fire's useless!"
"Mundane weapons, nearly so!"
"Cold hurts them, though!"
Garret shifts a bit to line up his shot better and tries again, sending coherent sunlight at the undead creature.
Ketra whirls toward the cinder ghoul, tumbling into its reach as she draws the magical dagger the group lifted off the group in the graveyard. She lunges flashily, hoping to pull a little of the attention off Mirhet and Zsofia.
The cinder ghoul keeps its attention locked on Silvia, wary of the holy gunfire. Again and again it jerks aside just in time to dodge a gleaming golden shot--but its focus leaves it vulnerable! Ketra lunges forward, rolling under a nasty swipe of its claws and seeing a knife-thrust of her own turned aside. Garret's beam of sunfire finds its mark this time, scoring deeply into the massive undead and leaving it reeling.
-ROUND TWO-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-57hp; Dazzled 2/4)
Silvia
Sanduro (-18hp; Burn 1d6)
Zsofia (-26hp; Burn 1d6; 1 negative level)
Ketra
-ROUND THREE-
Mirhet (-36hp)
Jando
Garret
Cinder Ghoul (-73hp; Dazzled 3/4)
Silvia
Sanduro (-18hp; Burn 1d6?)
Zsofia (-26hp; Burn 1d6; 1 negative level)
Ketra
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sanduro shouts, drawing down another bolt of lightning from the sky which even the supernatural quickness of the cinder ghoul cannot fully avoid . Zsofia matches this with a pair of bone-crushing haymakers that shatter its leg and drop it to one knee. As the smoking undead draws back one massive claw for a swipe, Mirhet darts in and lodges her hatchet deep in the monster's skull--and the ember-light dims in its eyes and within its wounds as it topples forward onto its face.
Ketra starts to run to Mirhet's side, but stops herself - the last time she'd done so, almost a year ago on a trip with the Shoanti, she'd gotten an earful from Mirhet later about respecting her elders. Still, she can't help but say "That was as bad as that skeletal creature in the graveyard, and there might be more of them. I hope that wand still has some magic in it to heal the three of you?"
While the wounds are addressed, she circles the courtyard, keeping eyes roving and ears open for any further threats that might be approaching to take advantage of the opening.
Sanduro first tries laying hands on Mirhet, then starts the healing with two charges from the wand on each of Mirhet, Zsofia, and himself.
Healing (Mirhet, -36/?)
Healing (Zsofia, 16/(37-5=32))
Healing (Sanduro, 14/34)
Sanduro casts cure moderate wounds on Mirhet, and spends two more charges from the wand on each of Mirhet and himself.
Healing (Mirhet, -23/?)
Healing (Sanduro)
Once the healing is done , Sanduro tucks away the wand and straightens up. Sparks of electricity crackle from his hands.* “We had better get this over with. I hope we don’t encounter anything like these abominations once we’re inside, but I expect we will.”
While Sanduro is healing, Garret casts Detect Magic and continues to look around for magical auras.
"I thank you again, Sanduro," Mirhet lets out a breath as the worst of her wounds close, and waves off any additional healing. "I will survive."
The search, such as it is, doesn't take long--the upper floors of Cofferkeep have collapse, and the remaining sections on the ground floor are seem as though they could collapse at any moment. A quick search of the wreckage of Captain Rosalind Sunstone's office doesn't turn up anything useful...including a body. While you recognize several of the guards who had been ghouls--and some of the charred composites making up the cinder ghoul are difficult to identify with confidence--you don't find any sign of the captain or Octavius, gear included. Mirhet and Jando exchange a look at this revelation, but neither speaks.
While sifting through the ruins, you uncover an intact gauntlet caked in dust. Once brushed off, its revealed to be a spiked gauntlet of black metal somehow unharmed by the blast.
Ketra sighs at the state of the fort "I don't know what I expected from this place, after we saw how the buildings were falling apart. But maybe at least some kind of clue. Some explanation?" She stumbles across the gauntlet as she searches "Well... there's this at least. Adamantine, I think!"
She looks back at the remains of the fused corpses "Do you think this happened thanks to the explosion? There's that necromancer involved too. I wonder if maybe he's behind at least this horror?"
”Who knows what bizarre abominations were created by the explosion” begins Garret, ”But given the primacy of the necromatic component to its power, these corpse amalgamations seem likely one of the results.”
Sighing, he adds, ”I sense very little more to do in this specific location, though that gauntlet does radiate magic if you would like me to identify its properties for you. Where to next?”
"At least it's dead," Silvia says, checking her rifle. "I doubt this was made on purpose."
"Maybe not." Ketra shrugs at Silvia's doubt, before answering Garret "You're welcome to give it a try. If its not cursed, I might be able to make use of it." She passes the gauntlet over to Garret before continuing. "Let's look in on Jonnar Windrider's place next." Ketra nods to Mirhet.