Kaldren completely protects his allies from the aura of soul-bleeding by force of will. He then unleashes a deluge of life that burns the swirling spirit mass. He steps up to it and bravely swishes his flail through the spirit vortex. It leaves a trail of sizzling spirit smoke, though it wasn't as effective as he hoped.
Félicité stands tall, and instils resolve and conviction within her allies. She plans out a shot to strike right where its face should be, and puts her arrow exactly where she intends, but finds her shot quite ineffective.
Swirling with rage toward living things, the roiling mass of spirits reaches out hand-shaped tendrils to the most vibrant life in the room, everyone who has opposed it in word or deed- you!
◆◆ Flailing Touch
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
As the hands pass through you, you feel the icy touch of death as the life force is sapped from your body.
After the attacks, one of the tendrils points at Kaldren, and he feels something grasping at his mind.
◆ Resentful Possession
Active Effects:
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 10, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
Chaos on the Dancefloor: The wooden tiled area is difficult terrain from the crowds of panicked party guests
Soul Bleed Aura: Everyone takes 5d6 negative damage at the start of their turn and must make a DC 42 fortitude save against every turn or become doomed 1. You can stop rolling once you've failed as it doesn't stack
Zealous Conviction: Everyone except Félicité has a +2 status bonus to will saves against mental effects
...
➤Gregoth
Bellaluna
Turrey
Kaldren
Félicité
Gray Death
...
◆◆Cast Disrupt Undead (Baisc Fortitude DC: 37)
◆
◆
The darkness presses down on Gregoth. The will of the dead pull at his soul in a thousand different directions until it feels fit to burst. And burst it does - with a flash of radiant fire that spreads from his chest to cover him head-to-foot. The ghosts of Vigil scream with white-hot rage, and Gregoth does not realize he is screaming with them until he gasps for breath.
Slowly he pushes through the crowd, pale flames racing up and down the sword held above his head. “Not again…” he whispers, and the blade falls.
"Fear and precision damage will not affect it at all, and only force, positive or ghost touch will have full effect."
"I will distract it but I cannot do much damage."
↺ Foresight
Gregoth wreathes himself in spirits and attacks the Gray Death. His sword cleaves through the ghostly forms, and cuts them down as if they were flesh and blood! Ripples of shock pass through the spirits as it swirls.
Kaldren feels a sliver of supernatural resentment taking up hold in his mind, and he resolves to show these others by destroying the abomination. Unfortunately his spell has no effect, but his flail strike is a different story! Whatever force is holding it together seems disrupted for a second as the constituent spirits start swimming chaotically, leaving it vulnerable.
Félicité lands another well placed shot that seems to have little effect
Active Effects:
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 10, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
Chaos on the Dancefloor: The wooden tiled area is difficult terrain from the crowds of panicked party guests
Soul Bleed Aura: Everyone takes 5d6 negative damage at the start of their turn and must make a DC 42 fortitude save against every turn or become doomed 1. You can stop rolling once you've failed as it doesn't stack
Zealous Conviction: Everyone except Félicité has a +2 status bonus to will saves against mental effects
...
Gregoth
Kaldren
➤Bellaluna
Turrey
Félicité
Gray Death
...
Success --> Crit Success
Bellaluna gasps as she feels her own life force slowly being drained away. Her bravado and braggadocio severely failing her as she realizes the power this beast holds. Her mind can only think of one thing:
Get away!
So she does. She pushes her way through the crowd of panicking people and off the dance floor. The elf feels her life starting to come back, but she nevertheless feels terrified. She turns heel and points her crossbows at the massive spirit. She does not have a quip or clever line, she simply screams as she shoots at the monster!
Turrey's eyes widen as he feels the intensity of the swirling spirit's power. It's only with the power of his own enchantment–plus Kaldren's stalwart aid–that he manages to resist their chill touch. Even so, he shudders as a sense of foreboding doom casts a shadow over his normally sunny disposition.
At this rate, how soon until all these people are dead? Indeed, all this city, or more??
With discipline, Turrey focuses on the Eternal Rose, and sings out a single note in dissonance with the spirits' buzzing, hoping to disrupt them.
He then follows that up with an arrow, and begins to sing of golden angels, shielding and comforting those who can hear him.
Félicité will use Battle Medicine on Turrey ◆, and then turns around and can't find Bellaluna, so she casts Guidance on Kaldren ◆ and Gregoth ◆.
DANG IT! Also, not sure when I got a second Hero Point, but I won’t complain.
Bellaluna backs away, escaping the throng of panicking guests by getting nearer to a wall. She fires a pair of shots and manages to do some damage with one, the other sails through too far wide to be of use. The Gray Death crackles with energy where the bolt hits.
Turrey focuses his magical energy on blasting the very spirits that the Gray Death is made up of.
A deafening screech echoes through the ballroom when the blast hits, and the spirits making up the Gray Death look enraged. Félicité quickly restores some vitality to Turrey before the next onslaught as Turrey fires an arrow into the storm, which seems to have no effect. His valiant song is more potent though, it rings out throughout the hall, causing even some of the guests to find themselves again, even if only for a second.
The flaming spirits gather themselves up again into a tight swirling core.
Long arms once again form out of spirits, reaching out to target the heroes, sparing only Félicité. They stretch an absurdly long way, reaching out even to Bellaluna across the room.
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
↺ Foresight
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
The hands pass through their targets, and the same cold feeling of death washes through those affected. Kaldren in particular feels the icy grasp, and he listens to Turrey's incessant warbling with growing annoyance.
The strange ghostly flames go out on the spirits, and you can see all around you that the party guests are faring much worse than you. They have pallid looks and sunken faces of people on death's door. Some of the more frail looking have already collapsed, and even the gardeners by the door seem to be affected. They begin opening the doors to flee.
Active Effects:
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 10, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
Chaos on the Dancefloor: The wooden tiled area is difficult terrain from the crowds of panicked party guests
Soul Bleed Aura: Everyone takes 5d6 negative damage at the start of their turn
Zealous Conviction: Everyone except Félicité has a +2 status bonus to will saves against mental effects
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 5)
...
➤Gregoth
Kaldren
Bellaluna
Turrey
Félicité
Gray Death
...
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Gregoth swings the sword in his hand at the howling spirits, brilliant flames wrapping themselves around the blade. The darkness presses back, and he falters for a moment.
You could let go…
Gregoth does not know what drives the air from his chest - the cold touch of hundreds of dead souls, or the thought pushing itself to the front of his mind. It’s certainly not the first time it’s done so, but it seems louder in the deathly chill he now feels across his skin. He can’t catch his breath to answer it. His mind starts to go black, to go white, to burn itself up once again until nothing is left but the broken shell of a man all alone.
But he is not alone. He can feel Turrey’s power at his back like the steady heat of the ovens. Hear the sound of Bellaluna’s crossbow strings snapping the same way his knife used to chops the herb for the breads. See Kaldren standing beside him without looking or acknowledging him, just like Mikel when he was embarrassed to be seen working with his father. Hear Félicité‘s voice - and for a moment, pretend it was Sarah.
“No…”
“No.”
As Bellaluna is hit by the negative power of this creature, she instinctively clutches her chest, Releasing one of her crossbows!
What…is this thing?!
The elf scrambles through her personal effects for the elixir of life given to her by Keznin. She finally finds it and pulls the cork off the bottle with her teeth as she downs the potent elixir!
That’s…better…at least.
Bellaluna tosses Keznin’s bottle aside, causing the glass to shatter on the floor. She picks up her fallen crossbow and makes her way back onto the dance floor. Her plan to get distance from this thing clearly didn’t work, so she’d rather stay close to the people who can keep her alive.
Félicité slides through the crowd, giving Kaldren a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
◆
Then, turning, she pushes her way through the crowd towards Bellaluna (◆ ), making a final lunge to offer a wet towel for her wounds.
◆
She looks around frantically, and notices Kaldren is still hurt. She chants a divine word of power, and his wounds start closing.
◆
Kaldren gestures once again with his flail and unleashes another blast of positive energy.
◆◆Cast Eradicate Undead, Basic Fortitude save (DC: 36)
◆
◆
With the grace of Shelyn–and bolstered by his own song–Turrey manages to shake off the worst of the chill blow. Still, he notices blood dripping from his ear.
Turrey glances around, wondering how much longer anyone here can last against this thing. Then he sings out another disruptive blast, before backing up as he continues his protective melody.
Gregoth plunges his shining blade into the spirit vortex when it gathers itself, and then again when it has begun spinning again despite the wind.
Each time the clouds of spirits scream as the blade flashes and it cuts them as if they were real. Some of the spirits fade away into nothingness as the blade carves through them, and the whole cloud is visibly diminished.
Félicité moves quickly through the crowd, and though she can do nothing for the poor aristocrats having their souls withered in their bodies, she quickly patches up her allies, and boosts Kaldren with some magic. Kaldren doesn't look too pleased with that, but he's focused on the Undead abomination before him.
Feeling his life draining away from him, he unleashes a massive burst of life energy at the Gray Death.
Every spirit in the Gray Death starts to glow brighter and brighter until you all want to shield your eyes. They thrash and writhe in the air, skeletal faces pictures of fury and rage. As they fade away though they each seem to change subtly, relaxing and becoming at peace. Finally the room is empty of threats, the Gardeners having just gotten the doors open and fled into the night. Most of the party-goers are following them, but a few remain to catch their breath and thank their saviours.
Before any of you have a chance to respond though, the great black clock gives a single deep chime, though it's far too early for the next hour. The face of the clock creaks and explodes outward. Behind it, a titanic, pinkish worm uncoils and spills onto the blood-soaked floor with a squelch.
As it raises its head, a psychic pressure- like a mental knot of paranoia and tension- washes across the room. In a deep, telepathic voice, it bellows:
Silent Lenore instantly explodes as if crushed, shattering into wooden splinters and metal shards, and an unmistakable look of surprise appears on the colossal worm's "face".
"I've heard of a rare type of Cave Worm called a Gray Worm, and this appears to be one of those. Cousin to the more colorful Purple, Azure and Crimsom Worms, these fabled monstrosities bore through the depths of the world eating everything they find. The Gray worm has long been thought mythical, but is said to be more intelligent than other worms, even capable of speech. They are virtually impervious to physical damage as their hides are so tough."
Turrey shakes his head, uncertainly. "I'm not sure. Cave Worms can be almost this big, but they are still animals, and I don't think any of them can broadcast eye-bleeding telepathic messages like this.
"At any rate, I suppose we're going to have to deal with it...but maybe it can be approached peacefully. I'm not sure that we have much chance of success, but I want to try as it just."
The diminutive bard plays a few notes on the ancient violin to get its attention, and then calls out.
Bellaluna feels her own dread wash away as the massive amalgamation of spirits is destroyed. She breathes a sigh of relief.
Then the worm comes and the guillotine explodes.
The elf continues to clutch onto her crossbows, but rather than fear or terror at this new massive beast, she's just...confused. Flabbergasted. Completely stunned in disbelief at what she's looking at.
I was not ready for today...
Gregoth stares in exhaustion at the splinters of Silent Lenore. Slowly his gaze rises to the worm behind the rubble. Slowly his sword arm rises in anticipation of violence. Slowly it lowers as Turrey speaks.
The great worm extends itself vertically as Turrey speaks, paying him no attention. The ceiling is 50 feet above but the worm is still partially coiled when its mouth and eyes reach the small hole in the ceiling, where it seems to examine the other side of the opening where Félicité manipulated the energy mirrors.
A flash of apparent surprise and annoyance on its "face" is quickly replaced with resolve. It is surrounded by magical manifestations briefly before it disappears.
Alone in the ballroom save for the corpses of the frailest partygoers, you are all surprised when the Nosoi Charm that Nellibet gave to Kaldren starts to chirp.
"I found two entrances to the crypts an hour ago. I took the southern entrance and encountered a powerful psychic pressure but pressed on. CHEEP CHEEP. I was accosted by a new type of Sahkil, a compressed mass of limbs that passed through a wall. I took a sample, but the people of Litran will need me now so I am leaving. CHEEP"
Nellibet's peculiar message continues with directions to the entrance to the catacombs beneath the monastary, along with advice to try the northern passage, and to rest before investigating.
"That looked like a dimension door, which would be a very surprising thing for a Cave Worm to do. I question my identification."
Félicité blinks her eyes slowly, her eyelids heavy with sleep.
Gregoth collects his thoughts before answering. "The shop is still our best place - only friendly place really - and if the Gardeners want to rough up the shopkeeper, us being there might keep 'em away."
Turrey sighs. "I wish I felt more victorious now. The destruction of that accursed guillotine is a blessing...and I feel that those souls trapped in it have now gotten the release they deserved.
"...but Sakhils in the crypts, and a spellcasting giant telepathic worm..." The bard shudders.
"I'm of two minds. It's late and I could use a rest...if we think that we have the time to do so. If we're going to, I agree with Gregoth; the shop is a logical place. And Félicité is right, we should set watch as well."
As you leave the Monastery and work your way back to "Soul Mother's Herbs", you find there is little sign of the the disturbance on Litran's streets.
Indeed, almost all of the party guests who left running for their lives are nowhere to be seen, presumably having successfully gone to ground or found transportation away. The lively street scenes that have greeted you on past nights are gone too, with only a handful of the most hopeless inebriates still abound. Likely all the citizens know that something horrible happened at the Masque, but they surely don't know how close they all came to disaster, or that a travelling band of heroes saved their lives.
When you turn the corner into the street with Soul Mother's Herbs on, you are greeted with another shock- the door has been smashed in. As you enter, crunching glass beneath your feet, you find signs of a scuffle with many of Keznin's carefully arranged herbs and subtle Pharasmin spirals now strewn across the floor, and Keznin is nowhere to be found.
As you're investigating an old woman appears in the doorway, looking furtive.
"Excuse me-" she offers a stiff curtsy in between nervous glances to the street. "I wouldn't normally cross them you know, the gardeners, but Keznin is a kind soul. We'd have lost my youngest to the blight if not for his herbs, and he wouldn't accept a penny the stubborn fool"
She starts to tear up, but remembers why she's here and stops.
"They came for him just after 7. I heard a crash and saw four of them, hulking brutes they were, carrying his unconscious body out of the shop. I saw you all with him before, I'm sorry for your loss."
"This tragedy is being replayed all over Galt; tonight, a great evil sweeps across the nation. We have prevented the worst case scenario, but at a cost of our personal health.
We will need to rest before continuing. Keznin will not be forgotten."
"Agreed. Whatever Nellibet found and whatever that worm thing is is going to require us at our best."
You decide to heed Nellibet's advice and recover your strength. Félicité tends to everyone's wounds, including those more spiritual in nature. You rise in the late morning the following day, refreshed and ready to put a stop to whatever evil plots the terrifying worm may be trying to enact.
You retrace your steps. Litran's streets are still quiet, but the locals are tentatively resuming their daily business. There is an air of trepidation as it seems everyone is waiting for some Gray Gardeners to appear, but you see none as your travel the streets, even when you approach the Monastery. The Monastery is exactly as you left it, the doors to the main entrance hang open, and no Gardeners bar your path to the crypts below.
"I know Nellibet said the northern route might be safer, but, we didn't come here to be safe," quips Félicité.
You descend down into a small landing with a single empty chair, as if a guard should be placed here. A wooden shield on the wall bears a bloodstained mask and some blocky writing.
Peering closer you can make out the words "Your Mask Is Your Shield", painted above the bloody mask, and below it "Exposure Means Elimination". Behind the mask, nailed to the shield, you find the flayed and preserved face of a female elf, which you recognise as that of Zintaya Calbieste, the Gardener who had a change of heart and was nearly assassinated before you intervened. Apparently someone else finished the job.
You can also feel the psychic pressure Nellibet spoke of, like the start of a bad headache. You all notice that your thoughts feel sluggish and difficult.
Heading east through a pair of double doors, you find a wide room with eight crypt doors, four to the north and four to the south, each made of rusted metal with bare gaps where a plaque or plate was removed more recently. Two more doors lead further east. The room is illuminated with everburning torches ensconced every few feet near the twelve foot high ceilings. Maps cover a large table in the middle of the room, and nearby a desk holds several writing instruments and old rags.
When you move into the room Félicité and Turrey both notice that one of the rags on the table is actually alive, and just pretending to be a rag. It looks like one of the Chakanaj Sahkils that you fought in the old mill, the type that one of the enforcers wore as a mask.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value
Félicité
Turrey
Chakanaj
Gregoth
Bellaluna
Kaldren
---
Félicité recognizes the creature first, and immediately looks for a way to disable it.
◆
◇
She draws her bow and immediately fires an arrow.
◆
plus plus
Then, she shields herself ◆.
Félicité's arrow takes the strange crawling mask-like sahkil through its meatiest part, spraying dark blood over the desk.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value
Didactic Strike: The Chakanaj is flat-footed to everyone's first attack before Félicité's next turn, and it will do 2d6 additional precision damage.
Félicité
Turrey
Chakanaj
Gregoth
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Turry begins a Song of Defense, hoping to shield his companions' minds from whatever this psychic onslaught is. As he does, we gives a flourish on his violin to help Shelyn's blessings to last. He then weaves in a Song of Haste into his playing as well.
"Previously I had recalled that Chakanaj's could detect lies and protect their wearer's from damage. I forgot to mention that later in that fight I also learned that they can react to attack anyone who attacks their bonded host, and that they can cause fear and assault minds from a distance, as well as pierce the veil of illusions."
---
Turrey begins weaving magic around the group, and just as finishes his spells, the Chakanaj vanishes.
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Didactic Strike: The Chakanaj is flat-footed to everyone's first attack before Félicité's next turn, and it will do 2d6 additional precision damage. You can't see it though
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 5)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
...
➤Gregoth
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Félicité
Turrey
Chakanaj
...
Bellaluna raises an eyebrow as the sahkil disappears.
Kaldrren moves forward into the room flail held high. Calling out a quick prayer to Pharasma for protection and prepares to strike.
◆Stride (haste)
◆Sacred Defence: Failure (No Effect)
◆
Bellaluna fails to find any sign of the disapearing Chakanaj with either her uncanny senses or her regular ones. When she considers the way that it disappeared she realises why. It moved as if through an invisible doorway, which is exactly how she's heard Sahkils move to the ethereal plane. It could still be in the room observing you, but you'd have no way to perceive it. Force effects can effect the ethereal plane though, as well as some abjuration effects.
Turrey frowns. "It must have stepped into the ethereal plane. I doubt we'll be lucky enough to find it's gone for good...but we might as well press on."
Gregoth shakes his head at the talk of other planes and keeps a firm grip on the sword in his hand.
The party relaxes (as much as one can when magically quickened) as the threat disappears, presumably sent running by Félicité's excellent shot.
Suddenly though a ghostly form phases through the door to your right. It looks like nothing so much as a mass of body parts squished together into a roughly cuboid shape. Numerous fists extend out of it striking at everything it passes, though there are no legs as it seems to float straight toward Kaldren.
Its long arms reach out to strike at him!
◆ Fly
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
Despite appearing ghostly, the fists of this strange creature seem real enough when they punch Kaldren to devastating effect. Worse still, Kaldren starts to feel like he's being buried alive, and that walls of the grave are pressing on him from all sides.
The DC is 44, failure means you feel yourself confined on all sides, making you immobilized and flat-footed until you Escape
At almost the same time, the Chakanaj skips into the material plane, flapping about near the ceiling above the maps table. It conjures some magic targeted at Kaldren.
The DC is 36, Success makes you frightened 1, failure Frightened 2, and critical failure frightened 3 and fleeing for 1 round
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 5)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
...
➤Gregoth
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Félicité
Turrey
Body Part Ghost
Chakanaj
...
Bellaluna just stares in awe at the strange ghost-thing. ”Y’know. I think I know what to expect from these sahkils. But I don’t.”
Regardless, she moves forward. She then looks at the sheer tangle of bodies and fires both of her crossbows!
Bellaluna then reloads one of her crossbows.
The sight of the ghostly mass of limbs scrapes against Gregoth’s already-raw thoughts. With an anguished cry, he rushes forward. White flames race up the blade in his hand, trailing behind the metal to form a glowing veil.
Félicité Strides ◆ forward and lays a hand on Kaldren.
◆
◆
◆
plus plus
- Failure
- Critical Failure
Kaldren struggles against the invisble confines.
◆
◆Stride (Fleeing)
◆Stride (Fleeing)
◆Stride (Fleeing)
Unnaturally afraid he turns his back on the undead creature and flees the room.
Gregoth wades into battle, and his sword cuts through the incorporeal monster as easily as if it were made of flesh. Oddly it doesn't seem to be affected by the positive energy infusing his blade as other ghosts have been.
Bellaluna tries her crossbows against it, and although they pass right through they clearly take some of whatever spirit-matter it is comprised of with them. Better yet, the hole they leave seems to burn and cause agony to the ghostly thing.
Kaldren looks panicked, first because he can't move, but then he looks utterly terrified of the Chakanaj. He bursts free from his invisible bonds and flees the room with supernatural speed.
Félicité quickly tends to most of Kaldren's wounds in an instant, then turns her attention to the flying Chakanaj, sinking an arrow almost exactly where she hit last time and opening the wound further.
Turrey bursts into action, ◆ moving into a better position, ◆ raising a magical shield, then ◆◆ shooting a pair of arrows toward the flying Chakanaj
He gets one great shot but the other goes wide.
With a new target, the strangely pugilistic ghost-thing begins pummeling Gregoth
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
Although Gregoth avoids the first strike, another pair of hands protruding from the thing at odd angles smash into him as he's trying to avoid the first attack.
After each hit, Gregoth feels himself being assaulted by feelings of being buried alive!
The DC is 44, failure on either means you feel yourself confined on all sides, making you immobilized and flat-footed until you Escape
While that's happening, three more Chakanajs phase into the room near the first, flapping around above the table. They each start casting spells.
Only Turrey is affected by the magical fear, finding himself frightened
The Chakanajs find that Félicité and Turrey have strong minds, with only
Turrey taking a little damage from the attacks
Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Didactic Strike: The Black Chakanaj is flat-footed to everyone's (except Turrey) first attack before Félicité's next turn, and it will do 2d6 additional precision damage.
Inspire Defence: Everyone has +1 status bonus to AC and saves, and resistance 4 to physical damage (until Turrey's turn on round 5)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only
...
➤Gregoth
Bellaluna
Kaldren
Félicité
Turrey
Body Part Ghost
Black Chakanaj
Yellow Chakanaj
Blue Chakanaj
White Chakanaj
...
”Oookay! That’s a lot of those mask-things!”
Figuring that Gregoth has a handle on the ghost-thing, Bellaluna shifts her attention toward the Chakanajs.
She then reloads one of her crossbows then begins to spin that crossbow about the trigger guard.
Bellaluna then grabs the crossbow and fires at the Black chakanaj!