The small phantom 5ft steps and shows it’s tongue to the howler.
”Dumb little bad thing attacking me!! Do it again!!!“
Intimidate: The creature flies into a rage. On its next turn, the target must attempt to make a melee attack against you, make a ranged attack against you, target you with a spell, or include you in the area of a spell. The effect ends if the creature is prevented from attacking you or attempting to do so would harm it (for example, if you are on the other side of a chasm or a wall of fire). If it cannot attack you on its turn, you may make the check again as an immediate action to extend the effect for 1 round (but cannot extend it thereafter). The effect ends as soon as the creature attacks you. Once you have targeted a creature with this ability, you cannot target it again for 1 day.
Once again, the little phantom attempts to antagonize the Red Howler but it just doesn't seem like the howler understands the phantom's goading and threats.
The following stipulation is in effect here:
You cannot make this check against a creature that does not understand you or has an Intelligence score of 3 or lower.
More effective is Djahan, who comes charging up and cuts a chunk out of Red's hide with his sword! But as he strikes the howler he's jabbed by one of the sharp quills protruding from along the creature's back! This causes his follow-up bite attack to miss the mark.
The quill breaks off in your flesh, leaving you reeling with pain!
Outside, Aurora does what she can to harry the two newcomers as she channels a wave of negative energy over them...
...not only injuring them but leaving them both ill and shaken!
Data hustles for the shelter of the stable roof and tries firing again at Red, this time with much better success. His arrows sinks into Red's hide, eliciting a pained cry in response!
Onye also moves up to engage Red and slices an even larger chunk out of the beast, leaving it decidedly bloodied but still standing.
Demm opts to focus on the more immediate threats to himself, conjuring a pair of missiles that slam into Orange and bowl it over! Felix moves to intercept Blue, attempting to strike the creature with his longspear, but the howler manages to dodge the incoming strikes.
The howlers continue to bay and howl as they retaliate against their would-be prey; Red snaps at Djahan with sharp teeth and piercing quills, Blue ignores Felix to close in on Demm with dripping fangs, and Orange clambers to its feet and closes in on Demm as well...
Djahan manages to dodge Red's sharp teeth but gets jabbed with another quill...
The quill breaks off in your flesh, leaving you reeling with pain!
...and Blue savages Demm's arm!
______________
Djahan
Phantom
Onye
Data
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Red Howler
Blue Howler
Orange Howler
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Felix
Demm
Aurora
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: Rain (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks) & Severe Wind (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks)
Felix, Demm, Aurora are UP at the bottom of Round 2 and Djahan & Phantom, Onye, Data are UP at the top of Round 3!
The small phantom moves and concentrates to show its uncanny aura to the other demon!!
”Fear my little body!!! Ohhhhoooo again!!!“
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"I don't think these beasts understand you, Djahan-in-Spirit" Aurora remarks as the howlers close on her. "But they fear the power of the Divine Princess well enough!"
Aurora attempts to cajole her mount to fight, but the animal refuses to countenance it.
"Gah, I'd be better off killing this thing and putting a saddle on its skeleton!"
She backs the horse away, out of the howlers' reach, and offers up a short prayer.
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"OW!" The wizard looks at his arm, and then at the demon rather incredulously. "You am attacked Demm tad-draguni! Demm tad-draguni am not bled in months! Why am you think you could do that? Look at all the other meat here. All am bigger than Demm tad-draguni. Why you not try to eat them first? That am only making sense. Them, then Demm tad-draguni, then meatless robot archer man. What am wrong with you?"
Demm takes a measured step back. He smiles wickedly as he launches an attack against both nearby demons. A bright bolt crashes into each brute!
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As the (blue) monster lumbers past him towards Demm, the fighter is able to slip in one more jab at it.
Surprised that the creature ignored his immediate threat for a different target, he is nonetheless quick to resume his attack on the beast that seems to think Demm's arm is a chew-toy.
Onye growls back at Red and focuses, bringing his weapon down on the howler and putting an end to horrible beast!
Djahan manages to avoid getting one of Red's quills stuck in his flesh but isn't quite as lucky the second time; the quill digs into his skin, the pain leaving him sickened!
Djahan's phantom flits outside and tries to demoralize Blue, but it doesn't seem that the phantom is being scary enough.
Aurora wisely backs her horse away before conjuring a bit of guidance for herself and drawing out her crossbow. She also calls upon the powers of her goddess to further bolster herself, her mount, Felix, and Demm.
With Red down, Data is forced to whip around and fire out into the storm at Blue. But even with the elements working against him he manages to strike the howler in the flank with his arrow!
Incensed at the howlers' audacity to attack him, Demm takes a step back, adopts a defensive position and conjures more toppling missiles for each of his attackers! While Orange manages to keep its footing, Blue is sent crashing to the ground!
Felix continues trying to defend his companions; though he just misses Blue when it darts past him to bite Demm, he fares better once the beast is sent to the ground by the kobold. With his first strike he drives the point of his weapon deep into the howler's side, releasing a gush of thick, almost black blood! You're all certain that one or two more good blows ought to put it down for good.
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Djahan
Phantom
Onye
Data
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Blue Howler
Orange Howler
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Felix
Demm
Aurora
Active Conditions: Divine Vessel - Aurora, Demm (+2 bonus on the next attack roll, skill check, or ability check made before the end of your next turn).
Environmental Conditions: Rain (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks) & Severe Wind (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks)
Djahan is UP at the top of Round 3!
Though sick with the pain of the quill embedded in his flesh Djahan does his best to keep his mind on the battle, hustling back out into the rain to help his companions.
Unable to do much else Blue staggers to its feet, provoking the ire of everyone within reach...
...and tries once again to strike out at Demm!
But this time, Blue can't catch hold of its target! Orange also remains focused on the little kobold...
...and delivers another painful bite!
______________
Djahan
Phantom
Onye
Data
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Blue Howler
Orange Howler
==============
Felix
Demm
Aurora
Active Conditions: Divine Vessel - Aurora, Demm (+2 bonus on the next attack roll, skill check, or ability check made before the end of your next turn).
Environmental Conditions: Rain (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks) & Severe Wind (-4 to Perception & Ranged Attacks)
Felix, Demm, Aurora are UP at the bottom of Round 3 and Djahan, Phantom, Onye, Data are UP at the top of Round 4!
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WHAT AM GOING ON!! Why am you all only attacking Demm tad-draguni?!?! This am so dumb! Look, him am have stick bigger than Demm tad-draguni! Am so do him. You am supposed to bite at them. And why am robot all the way over there?" Demm jumps up an down like a toddler having a tantrum "Why am you all so FRUSTRATING!!! You all am bad at your job!" It is clear that the last two sentences are intended for everyone, not just the howlers.
Perhaps finally realizing that Demm is in danger, the group rallies to hack, slash, stab, and arrow the last two howlers to death.
As the last howler, Orange, finally falls, blessed silence falls over the immediate area once more. Well, except for the roaring wind and pouring rain, but at least now it's not being accompanied by a litany of howling and baying.
Glad to be alive, you assess your injuries.
Djahan
Onye
Data
Felix
Demm
Aurora
Only Demm and Djahan seem to be noticeably injured; Djahan has the additional misfortune of having a howler quill embedded in his skin. It looks like it might be possible to pull it out, though it will take some skill to do so without causing additional injury.
And with the howlers taken care of, it should be much easier and safer to finish your investigation of the stables. Djahan's phantom did notice a silver pommel cover that had been knocked into the dirt, but there wasn't any time to investigate before the lurking howlers revealed themselves. There's also the stables' exterior stairs that seem to lead up to a second level.
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Demm grumbles as he removes a wand from a sheath on his wrist. He taps himself, then crosses his arms as he waits for the magic to take full effect. After about a minute, he repeats the process. He slides the wand back into place. Next, the mage reaches into his pouch and retrieves a small pearl. He clutches it, focusing on the arcane energy stored within.
While some of you keep watch outside and gather yourselves, Felix moves to check the stables' second level. As he begins to make his way up the stairs he finds that they're unusually slippery on account of the storm...
Onye offers up his wand of healing if any should need it before proceeding into the first level of the stables. Thanks to Djahan's phantom he knows where to look for the pommel cover that was spotted earlier and finds it, still lying in the dirt where it was dropped.
As you study the insignia, you recall that it is that of the Desimires, a noble Chelish family.
Though the stable’s eight box stalls lie mostly empty, you spot several horse tracks less than a week old. Someone else has been here - and quite recently, at that!
Meanwhile, Felix manages to keep his footing as he carefully picks his way up the exterior stairs. At the top he finds three humble rooms, likely once used as servant's quarters. Oddly enough, these rooms are littered with a number of mundane trinkets and various articles of clothing but not much else.
As you gingerly nose around you find a number of different diaries, all of which have been written by different people - twelve, in all. These diaries all have similar last entries, from various times over the last few months, describing their incredible “good fortune” at stumbling upon the isolated manor during cruel weather, and their intent to wait the storm out within its walls. The most recent entry, only 2 days old, belongs to Benn Anders and reads as follows:
This damned storm ain't relenting. My wife Marta caught something fierce and through her rasping coughs begs me to let the family rest in Ostergarde. I've told her over and over that only evil lives there, we'd be better off to die in this storm.
I can't delay any longer. My wife hallucinates and poor Tilly shakes violently. Young Tarcey holds strong, but I'm afraid we're going to die in this weather if we don't get warm, and fast. Damn it! I've made up my mind - I'm taking my family to the stable by the manor, to get out of the weather. Surely we'll be safe if we just avoid the manor itself.
Benn Anders
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"Well, that can't be good..."
Once more carefully picking his way down the treacherous stairs he returns to his companions bearing the grim tidings of the journals (full text in Felix's spoiler).
"If they only meant to take shelter out here and not inside the Manor I doubt they would have stood a chance against those creatures we just put down."
The small phantom now just claps its hands.
"Well, you really want to endanger children?!" the phantom says with a funny tone.
Its incorporeal form starts to move to the mansion and enters the walls to look inside. It moves through the room and then returns back to report what it was able to see in its 18 second sweep.
Though a bit disturbed by what you've found in the stables, with no other signs of what might've become of any of the missing travelers there's little else to do but press on into the manor itself. The 2-inch-thick iron front door is decorated with a sneering devil's visage. A brass ring protruding from the devil's pierced nose serves as a knocker.
As you all move up to the door, Djahan's phantom flits through them to take a look at what lies ahead. Beyond the doors the phantom can see two circular receiving chambers, one to the left and one to the right, which surely once offered visitors a place to rest before the master of Ostergarde received them.
Further ahead, a stone fountain showcases Ostergarde's entrance hall. Water streams from the mouths of several sculpted stone imps skirting the fountain's edge. At the fountain's center, an immense four-armed devil bellows in a silent scream while two erinyes concubines kneel at his feet. The phantom also notes that other rooms and passages connect to this main hall.
Eternally on guard, Demm takes a few moments to scan the door and immediate area around it for any signs of magic; thankfully he doesn't detect any.
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Aurora stables her mount. "Don't get eaten" she tells the horse. "Unless it's by me."
Dropping onto the wet ground, Aurora allows herself the pleasant sensation of the water against her scales before sighing and putting her legs on. She stamps her unfamiliar feet in a puddle like a child at play and giggles. "Toes are so weird."
"Let's go. These things don't last all day you know."
After taking care to stable Aurora's mount, Onye pushes on the heavy iron doors which swing open with a creak and a clatter. Though on your guard, it's still a relief (to most of you) to get in out of the weather and hopefully warm up and dry off. Gazing around, you see much the same as Djahan's phantom reported, including a second-floor walkway that winds above your heads; likely accessed by the stairs you see disappearing around the corner up ahead.
Before you can get much farther however, a grinding sound is heard as the two erinyes statues suddenly stand and turn to face you!
"Intruders..."
"Trespassers..."
"You will perish."
You recognize these stony-looking creatures are actually monstrous humanoids known as gargoyles, known for their ability to hide themselves in plain sight by masquerading as statues.
The two statues flap their wings and ascend into the air to hover menacingly, flexing wicked-looking claws...
______________
Data
Felix
Aurora
Demm
Onye
Phantom
==============
Red & Blue
==============
Djahan
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: None
Data, Felix, Aurora, Demm, Onye and Djahan’s Fractured Mind are UP!