Park calls Birdie back to his shoulder. "Something that she saw scared her. Let's take our time and stay alert."
"Great. Well... I got the trail again, so... let's go," Mila says grimly, nocking an arrow to her string in preparation for the danger ahead.
The tracks take you ever deeper into the corn and fungus-filled maze, the walls seemingly encircling and closing in on you. Even though there's plenty of room for all of you to make your way through the path, the claustrophobic walls of corn seeming to push farther into your personal space and the sodden ground making the trip through the maze into a truly stressful voyage.
A few harrowing silent minutes pass as you attempt to make your way through the difficult journey (minus Park and Rajuna who have no particular issue, assuming you did wait and make those two elixirs). As you get closer to the middle of the maze the sounds of chanting emanating from the very center. You hurry your pace, reaching the center relatively quickly.
A thirty-foot diameter glade sits at the center of the field of looming vegetation. The ground is stripped down to bare earth and soil is heaped in a ring around the glade’s perimeter. Two large piles of wood stand at the eastern and western sides of the glade, while an enormous, twisted mass of roots topped by thick slabs of timber sits at the glade’s center.
Restrained on top of that mass of roots in the center is Kendra Lorrimor, but luckily it seems as if she is still alive as you can see her moving if only slightly. Standing behind her is Mayor Andretti. He has changed into some rather tattered and bloody robes, and appears to have gathered a large swarm of flies around his form.
A group of cultists in similar garb to the ones you fought in the farmhouse stands in a circle around the glade inside the corn walls, seemingly enraptured and definitely high on something (most likely flayleaf, if you had to guess) and don't seem to even notice you're here let alone pose a threat.
The mayor turns away from whatever rite he was speaking from the unholy book in his hands and looks up at you, a wide smile spread across his face and fresh blood dripping down his hands. "Ah, our esteemed guests join us at last. We were about to start the feast, care to join us?" he says waving a hand towards Kendra's unconscious form, the smile somehow seeming to break even wider in a cruel smirk.
Init
Round 1
24- ?
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- Father Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Had Raj ever considered having Kendra for dinner? Absolutely… but in a far more pleasant, less 'cannibally' context. Putting that aside, destroying a cult of cannibals had been on his ‘bucket list’ since that botched job in Vauntil. If you live long enough, it seems, you come full circle.
So… Run in, rescue the girl, and polish off the cannibal cleric before… let’s call it a baker’s dozen of scythe-wielding, drug-crazed, acolytes manage to carve me into chunks. Simple.
Raj adopts a sinuous, weaving stance even as he presses forward into the very heart of the cult’s horrid feeding ground. He was quite sure that a real hero would have something clever and inspired to say. But he was coming up blank… so he settles for actions speaking loudest. He snaps off a flat punch so hard he hopes it knocks the cleric’s smirk into the next county.
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
As Rajuna launches himself into battle the cultists pay him absolutely no mind, whispering their drunken prayers to their goddess of undeath.
He reaches Father Kreigler easily enough, but then finds himself oddly unable to follow through with the attack against him. Some strange protection bubble stops his fist before it connects and throws it to the side, ruining that action.
The cleric’s smirk does not go into the next county, nor does it even leave his face. ”Urgathoa protects those who worship. I see you have made your decision.” he says, almost regretfully. Almost.
Zhandar narrows her eyes at the situation and casts a spell, causing the soggy cornfield to sprout vines and tendrils bent on restraining and tripping up the cultists.
"That is a sanctuary spell," she hisses to the others. "Divine magic protects him against our attacks until he initiates aggression, though it is possible to overcome it through sheer force of will. We each only get one chance to do so, though."
The priest is entangled, as are the rest of the cultists , but that doesn't really seem to phase him.
He laughs maniacally before beginning to cast a spell. Unlike others you've seen, this one doesn't seem to take effect immediately, but the commotion of the spells being flung around and the chanting and yelling are beginning to disturb Kendra to be more awake and you see her rolling a bit.
At the same time as he begins casting his spell, however, a strange shadow shape wanders through the corn field towards the melee of combatants throwing down. It seemingly ignores your group completely as it passes right by you and strikes at one of the cultists, its wispy incorporeal arms slicing through the man as he screams and falls to the ground, dead.
Init
Round 2
24- ?
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- Father Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Zhandar frowns deeper. "He is summoning something, probably a demon," she mutters.
"Oh is he?" Mila says in response to Zhandar's observation. "Let's see if I can do somethin' about that, then."
The bow is raised, an arrow nocked, then loosed. Then another. Then another.
Though she is able to muster her will to get past the demented mayor's magical protections, his mundane ones seem to be styming her-- or perhaps she's just wary of hitting either Kendra or Raj. However, one arrow worms its way home!
The brief appearance of the shadowy form nearly distracts the archer. She stares wide-eyed at it after loosing the last of her triplet of arrows. "The heck's that?"
Mila identifies the ‘shadowy figure’ as that of a ghost, but in a weird twist it doesn’t really seem to be a singular figure. Instead, there are multiple, extremely angry faces in the things incorporeal form. The spirits seem hellbent on getting their revenge on the cultists, indicating that perhaps some energy from each of the cult’s victims has pooled together to form this singular ghost.
"Some-- kinda ghost! Or... like.... ghost mob? I think-- I think it's folk the cultists killed--- comin' back at them!"
Zhandar hesitates, unsure. From what she remembers about Urgathoa, it seems out of character that ghostly spirits would do anything but feed upon the living, but she recognizes that this is not one of the areas of her expertise.
Seeing the weeds grabbing Park stays where he is. He calls out, "Birdie, Courage" to get Birdie to use his Bardic Inspire Courage. He pulls a chackram and targets the cult leader....
Mila, a little bit to the right....
Father Kriegler sighs, feeling the magic drain from his touch as the arrows hit him. "Shame you had to do that."
As you're dealing with the father in the center of the maze, however, a strange cackling sound echoes over the battle and (appearing from invisibility) pops out the creature that is the upper part/internal organs of the tiefling weaver: the penanggalen.
She weaves her disgusting hanging intestines around in what looks to be some sort of spellcasting incantations, and a large cloud of stinking green gas floats up out of the ground as if it were simply the morning mist.
Init
Round 3
24- Penanggalen
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- Father Kriegler (damage inflicted: 29)
11- Park
3- Mila
The combination of friendly and unfriendly fire overwhelms the thief. While trying not to retch, all he manages to do is free himself from the constricting vines.
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
Nauseated -- unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Fingers turns green, but Zhandar can see through the cloud and manages to keep her head well enough to recognize where the spell came from. She moves quickly, and once she reaches a point where the penanggalen is within range, she throws a vaporous potion of shocking grasp at it.
Zhandar's lightning spell hits the floating entrail vampire, and it shrieks angrily under the brunt of it.
Father Kriegler, seeing that the combat is fully underway, casts aside his sanctuary and directly attacks for the first time, holding his unholy symbol up to the sky and calls out to his god of undeath.
"Urgathoa, grant me the power to slay these nonbelievers, and bring them into the cult after death!"
Several of the cultists scream out and fall to the ground as the unholy wave of energy sweeps through even them, but the Father does not seem to care or even notice. On top of that, the strange ghost flies towards the next one in line and shoves its hands through the chest of the next one, causing her to cry out and also fall flat into the field.
Init Round 3
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- Father Kriegler (damage inflicted: 29)
11- Park
3- Mila
Mila's staghead pendant flares with a glow as the unholy energy washes over her, helping bolster her. She grits her teeth in pain but resists the worst of the life-sapping forces..
The ghost is a threat - so is the entrail monster-- and so is the mayor. Where to send arrows, when everything seems an enemy? Mila decides to stick with what she's been doing, and whispers prayers to Erastil as she nocks and releases, over and over. Birdie's song provides a rhythm for her strikes.
Park advances toward the center to try and reach Father Kriegler.
Unfortunately, Mila's first two arrows miss the father, seeing as how he can react to them now. Park's words of encouragement guides the third one unerringly towards her target, striking him in the shoulder as he cries out in pain.
Park, on the other hand, pushes through the veritable obstacle course in front of him and connects with his chest. The large slash shoots out a spray of blood and the father finally falls to the ground, his body ruined by the damage it has taken.
The penanggalen flies a slight bit back (five feet back) and swings its entrails in a disgusting show of gore in order to cast another spell. A wave of blood flies from its entrails, shooting across the field and covering everything in the spray in the revolting scent of copper.
Init Round 3
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- Father Kriegler (dead)
11- Park
3- Mila
Rajuna manages to stiffen his soul against the unholy attack and isn’t bowled over by the wave of blood. But the sickness it causes, compounded by his previous nausea, makes him incapable of escaping the damn plants that constantly catch at him.
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
Nauseated -- unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Sickened – The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Zhandar is pushed back 5 feet by the torrent of gore.
She attempts to identify the spell that the penanggalen cast.
Now that the evil father is dead, Zhandar concentrates on her entangle spell and dismisses it. Then she attempts to move closer to the penanggalen, picking her way carefully across the flood of blood.
Unfortunately, she slips and falls prone.
The little monkey known as Fingers is knocked back off of Zhandar's shoulder by the bloody spell, and propelled another 5 feet past.
Fingers is not sickened by the spell, but (I think?) is still nauseated by the stinking cloud that he cannot see through. He runs fearfully across the damp ground, trying to find a way out of the noxious gas.
As the party tries to deal with the various (surprisingly successful) spells being flung around in the glade, Father Kriegler's body twitches and swells as if something is growing inside of it. Once again, it appears that everything in this town is swallowed in layer after layer of surprises. After a few seconds, his corpse explodes in a shower of gore as a fly-like monstrosity expels itself out of his remains.
Its many eyes glance around the area, observing everything going on around it before it makes some horrible buzzing sound and shakes its freshly born limbs and joins the fray.
Init Round 4
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Mila takes a deep breath of relief that the mayor has fallen. That turns out to be a mistake.
Gagging, all she can do is try to get out of the miasma ... as the fly monstrosity erupts. Unfortunately the cloud of fumes extends behind her as well-- Mila stumbles through the foul haze towards clean air... only to realize she's now right next to the vengeful specter.
Park sees the creature rip out of the Mayor's body but before he can attack a blast of disgusting gore rains down, twisting his guts and making it almost impossible to breath. He staggers a step forward out of it but can do nothing more than retch....
only to realize she's now right next to the vengeful specter.
Thankfully for Mila the specter doesn't seem to be interested in the group of heroes, come to save the day, and instead focuses its vengeful nature on the next cultist in line. It leaves the poor man a shell of his former self before moving forward to the next target.
The penanggalen sees an opportunity to join the fray now that the party is split up with all of the AoE spells flying around, and flies forward to hover above the corn row and lash out at Park from above.
Unfortunately it overshoots her target and misses.
Init Round 5
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The bug thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Zhandar shakes her head and pulls herself to her feet, still dripping with disgusting blood. She hurls another flask at the flying undead creature, this time a vaporous potion of cure moderate wounds. She follows up with a ray of positive energy.
Fingers runs the rest of the way out of the stinking cloud and climbs through the cornstalks toward the closest friendly person he can smell, which turns out to be Mila.
Free from the grasping plants, Raj is happy to emerge from the greasy green cloud and breathe non-fetid air. He’s unable to fight… but perhaps the giant mosquito doesn’t know that. So, he draws the butterfly sword from his hip sheathe and makes a show that he’s about carve the monster up.
”Ever tasted a bane weapon, you oversized gnat?”
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
Nauseated -- unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Sickened – The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
The strange mosquito thing sees Rajuna presenting himself as a target and a threat, and evidently believes him.
Even with his nauseated state, however, the thing's stinger does not pierce his armor, though it certainly tries its best.
Init Round 5
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The bug thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Mila looks around helplessly, in between her attempts to retch. If she could just... just focus... over the turmoil in her gut...
Park vomits in the general direction of the bug thing and waves the dagger in his hand.
Park and Mila stumble around, finally getting themselves out of the cloud. Whether or not they're healthy is a different matter, but that'll have to wait, as the penanggalen takes another swing at Park.
The penanggalen gets two good hits in, dealing some decent damage and also wrapping the tail of entrails around Park.
Init Round 6
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 17)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The bug thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Raj wracks his brain for any information he may have gleaned from Doc Lorrimor about giant-bug-things. In between that and the odd dry heave, the thief brandishes his sword and taunts the mosquito, trying to keep its focus on him. ”The human version of you was actually dangerous. Can’t you hit me?”
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
Nauseated – 1 of 3 rnds – unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Sickened – The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Combat Expertise -- +2 AC, -2 to HIT
Narrowly avoiding getting poisoned again, Zhandar moves through the cloud to fresher air on the other side. Then she tries again to hit the undead abomination with a ray followed by one of her vaporous potions.
Zhandar's flask and ray of energy strike the penanggalen particularly hard, and it screeches in anger as the electricity courses over its head and through its entrails.
Rajuna identifies the bug thing as a blightspawn, a 'gift of birth' given to particularly devout followers of certain deities dealing with the realms of undeath or disease.
The blightspawn seems to somewhat understand Rajuna, and fervently renews its attack against him. In its apparent anger, however, it misses yet again.
The penanggalen, seeing how much more of a danger Zhandar is to it than any of the others, releases Park and turns to attack the alchemist, flying over the hedge to appear on the other side.
Its bite misses, but her still bloody entrails wrap around Zhandar, grappling her.
Init Round 6
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 44)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The bug thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Init Round 7
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 44)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- The bug thing that came out of Kriegler
11- Park
3- Mila
Raj was running out of tricks to keep the creature focused on him. He holds his sword aloft and launches into a snooty, condescending oratory he’d seen more than one paladin use, ”Foul Blightspawn! The trivial god that spawned you is no match for mine! Surrender and submit yourself to my justice!”
He has no expectation the creature will actually do his bidding… but that wasn’t his goal. He just wants to infuriate the monster into attacking him.
Stunning Fist (4): xx
Ki Pool (4): xxx
Shuriken (16): xxx
MW Shuriken (12):
Scabbard of Vigor (1):
Wand of Mage Armor (50): xx
Effects:
AoOs (6/rnd) – Constant
*Uncanny Dodge – Constant
Mage Armor – 4 hours
Tears to Wine – 40 mins
Feather Step – 40 mins – ignore effects of difficult terrain, can take 5’ step
Nauseated – 2 of 3 rnds – unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Sickened – The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Combat Expertise -- +2 AC, -2 to HIT
Park staggers as the penanggalen releases him. He is badly hurt and still feeling the disabling choking and nausea. Still across from Rajuna he waves his dagger as if to attack the creature. "We will destroy you and all evil here!"
Still heaving, Mila struggles to grab a bottle from her gear.
Zhandar struggles as the entrails grasp at her, hindering her movement. However, she can still draw one of her potions from her bandolier, and now that the creature is grappling her it is close enough to the ground that she feels confident she can catch it within the vapors. She tosses a vaporous potion of shocking grasp at the ground just beneath it.
The ranged attack provokes a retaliation from the penanggalen, which lashes out with its bite towards Zhandar.
Her electrified bottle does hit, however, leaving a shocked vampiric head floating next to her. It doesn't fall quite yet, unfortunately.
The blightspawn, unable to hit the Rajuna and not falling for his gambit any longer, turns to strike at Park instead.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have any more luck hitting the bard.
Init Round 8
24- Penanggalen (damage inflicted: 61)
20- Rajuna
15- Zhandar
12- blightspawn
11- Park
3- Mila
Park still spits and chokes but can finally focus enough to swing his weapon.... He calls out, hoping his familiar can hear him, "Birdie? Sing Courage!"
Mila is still struggling with nausea. The bottle in her hand just... sits there. If her gut would just quiet down....