This is acceptable if we are permitted to rest before the confrontation.
She pauses
What precisely can you tell us of your daughter powers and allies? As my Lady in Shadow states, information is ammunition. She asks some plausible tactical questions.
If she does not deem us threats, this arrogance can be used against her as well.
I can't speak for everyone, but I would accept your offer.
Kalanzar says it out loud and looks around at the others.
There was a part of Maddy that thought the kuo-toan's offer sounded too good to be true. They'd be prisoners but could keep their weapons and not be tied up? It sounded fishy but couldn't find a good reason to say no. The kuo-toans needed their help and they needed theirs. Their supplies were dwindling and they needed a safe place to rest.
They just needed to get through this new challenge and then hopefully they could rest with a full stomach.
Hue shivered.
His wounds seeped into his damp clothing and he looked a bit pale. Listening to the offer translated and trying to sort out the thoughts given to his head from his own, the weathered halfling really felt the most persuasive part of the argument was that there were nine of them surround the group.
Hue smiled an unconvincing smile, "We'd love to."
”’Love’ ain’t the word I’d use, but we mighta need ye just as much as we need yer help, so guess this be one o’ ‘em marriages o’ convenience,” Precious grunted, translating as needed between Common and Undercommon for others’ benefit. ”But rest would be welcome ‘fore we risk our lives an’ souls, an’ perhaps a hot meal if time permits?”
Ksenia sighs and materializes out of the darkness from behind the Kua, a couple of them jumping at her sudden appearance.
"Alright if we're taking the job, we're taking the job." Ksenia grumbles. She tosses a pair of algae cakes to the famished looking Maddy. "But the victory feast better not be more algae."
The archpriest spread his thin lips wide in a grin, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Excellent! The archpriestess will need at least a day to prepare for the sacrifices, so you will have until at least tomorrow. Her followers will feed you - it would be insulting to the Deep Father otherwise."
As they walk you back to the village (being careful to keep you surrounded), the archpriest says, "I know little about her new powers. Her magic is strong, and her visions have mostly been true. It is heresy, and we denounce her."
You pass the spot where Sarith was stationed, but do not see the drow.
Another 20 minutes of walking brings you to Sloobludop. The village is bounded by cavern walls on the south, and the Darklake on the north. The narrow village runs east-west, with outer "walls" of heavy netting with sharp bone hooks woven into them. In the middle of the wall is gate through which creatures can safely pass. Four kuo-toa brandishing strange, pincer-like staves, stand on guard here. They bow deeply to the archpriest, and you are allowed through without question.
Sloobludop is almost entirely dark, except for a few spots of dim light from phosphorescent fungus and coral, or from glowing cave-fish glands.
The buildings are a series of rickety towers, lashed together by rope and plank bridges set in haphazard patterns. It's as if the kuo-toa built with their three-dimensional aquatic sensibilities, constructing their "great city" as if it were underwater.
Kuo-toa teem through the streets and overhead upon the bridges. Some are talking loudly, wandering seemingly at random, followed by half a dozen or more fishmen who appear to be listening raptly to what's being said. You witness a few heated exchanges - it is clear that unrest is simmering.
Ploopploopeen takes you through the middle of the village, staying away from both cliff-face and the shore. He leads you to a nine-foot statue in what must be the middle of town. Its body is roughly carved from some kind of wood in the shape of a humanoid female, its head and forearms formed from the severed head and claws of a giant albino crayfish. These parts are lashed onto the body with strands of gut, and emit an overpowering stench of rotting shellfish. Shells, bright stones, mushrooms and rotting fish are piled at the statue's feet, and strung in garlands around its neck. Four stern kuo-toa slowly circle the statue, alert and on-guard, while a few others mill about, gazing up a the statue and bowing repeatedly while chanting.
The archpriest takes a moment to bow to the statue, and speak some quiet words in his language. As he's speaking, one of the worshippers stumbles forward, bends over, and vomits at the statue's feet.
Good to have one wild card on the outside. Alexandra thinks at Szariths absence
I have definitly seen more aesthetically please depictions of Umberlee She thinks beholding the statue
Half tempted to use some illusory magic and mix things up, but the head priest would notice She thinks at the perhaps voluntary display of bad eating habits.
What would I do if someone pukes at a statue of my Lady in Shadows? Hmmm, actually an interesting question. She teaches vengeance in her dark, and redemption in her brighter aspect, no time to dwadle on thoughts though, this may well be a little incident that puts things over the edge. She wonders internally, taking no outwardly visible action while preparing to strike out.
"Excellent! The archpriestess will need at least a day to prepare for the sacrifices, so you will have until at least tomorrow. Her followers will feed you - it would be insulting to the Deep Father otherwise."
Trusting in someone to translate, Maddy added, "Will they heal us too? Some of us have been hurt and aren't in the best condition." She looked pointedly at Hue as she spoke. He seemed to be trying to hide his injuries but she knew he wasn't fooling anyone.
Maddy isn't sure of what to make of Sloobludop as they traverse the village. As usual, she finds herself wishing for more light. The buildings looked unsafe and it was difficult not being able to understand anything overheard in the streets.
When they reach the statue, she's unsure of what they were expected to do. She stands quietly, hopefully being appropriately reverent of their goddess. One of the kuo-toans puking at the foot of the statue garners a soft gasp from Maddy. Her eyes immediately flick to the guards wondering what they would do. Surely this wasn't how they worshipped their goddess, was it?
Precious did his best to rein in his reflexive revulsion at the sight of a Kuo-Toa devotee… letting them go… at the altar. Different people, different costoms.
”A sign o’ devotion, I think, if ye’ll believe it,” he murmured in Common. ”Offerin’ one’s own water to the goddess o' the deep seas, kinda. The… personal touch adds to the value o’ the gift. Just nod in a pious manner an’ move on, nothin’ to stare at here.”
It was interesting to take another look at the town, from a slightly different perspective this time. Although soon-to-be-kinda-voluntary-captive wasn’t still what he’d consider an ideal position to take in a new culture. Still, this time he wasn’t alone at it, and there were others ready to jump in and assist… if and when they got to the bottom of the issue first. Were they to fail spectacularly, Precious didn’t doubt for a moment the archpriest would write them off as acceptable losses and pray for another way of solving the schism short of bloodshed.
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<in common and at a whisper to his friends> "I did some devotion like that once. I had jus' eaten some helvella, ya' might know them as 'elfin saddle' mushrooms. Problem was I didn't have no fire and didn' know any better then to cook them thoroughly ... I gave a lot of devotion that day I can tell you." Hue muttered nervously trying to think of other things then some crazed idea of a fake sacrifice caper. His eyes darted about looking for any sign of that other feller Sarith. After the memory of the sickness, the smell of the statue, and having watched the religion 'offering', something rose to the top of Huet's throat and then receded.
It would be somewhat hypocritical to complain, Lady Nocticula was rather fond of hearts as sacrifices. Alexandra thinks
After Ploopploopeen finishes his devotions, he leads you to a run-down hovel behind the statue. Four of the fishmen stand outside as guards as the archpriest brings you inside. True to his word, you aren't bound, nor are your items taken away.
He has a long, whispered conversation with one of the kuo-toa with a pincer-like staff, who then bustles off. "Come. I will heal your hurts. I have asked for Bloppblippodd to send food, adequate for her sacrifices. We will make the exchange tomorrow, after we wake."
Inside, the room is larger than it looked from outside. There is no light source, and it is almost completely dark. Those with darkvision can see that contains a strange assortment of ruined furniture. A wobbly-looking ladder leads up to a higher floor, though the archpriest doesn't go up.
Ploopploopeen takes large, ugly snail shell, and upends it to dump a handful of rune-etched bones into his hand. After shaking them, he dumps them on the floor, and then consults them, looking at them from all angles. Finally, he mumbles a few words, and the runes of a few of them begin to glow. Streaks of a dirty-looking light lash out at the injured, bright enough to make the archpriest shield his eyes and look away. A cold and clammy sensation overcomes you, making you shudder and raising goosebumps. It lasts for nearly a minute, then slowly fades away. Everybody's wounds are healed, though large, red, puckered scars are left behind. You all feel chilled to the bone.
Soon after, two fishmen arrive carrying a cauldron of some liquid that slops onto the ground where they deposit it. "Eat," Ploop suggests, though he offers no bowls or cutlery. It turns out to be a cold chowder of some sort, too salty, but thick and probably nourishing.
It felt like he was back in the hands of the drow being led around like that. Pulled from spot to spot he might as well been an oyster cart. He took a long last look at the strange statue at the centre of town and wondered about the marrying of the wood parts to the crayfish parts. There wasn't much time though as they were soon pulled away to their 'accommodations'.
"Well, this is a bit prettier than the no-accommodations I had last night. I mean I never slept in a barrel floating in an underground lake before, so that was interestin', but it leaves ya kinda bent. A step up for you all to. I don't think this floor is gonna try to eat you." He looked over the hovel in a not really appraising sort of way.
When Ploopploopleen rolled his bones on the ground the light lashed out and grabbed Hue about the thigh and shoulder. It was too bright. He couldn't see what was happening to everyone else but the chill went deep. After the cold minute of the healing he crumpled a little. "Whoa, I feel strange. All healed up but tussled and colder. Kinda like getting beat-up by a mountaineer's lantern. Is everyone else ok? Hmm, looks like it left a lastin' mark."
He looked about the room, checked out his new friends (particularly Stool), patted his spear like it needed a bit of recognition, and sat himself down.
Food came.
He waited for some privacy to eat. Though that one berry was still oddly filling it would be rude not to have a little. He pulled out the little stone divination bowl to scape the floor with, slurped up chunks of chowder and forced the salt down his throat. He looked to his left and passed the bowl as he whispered advice, "You gots ta' plug the centre hole with a finger from underneath. We otta try to get some sleep? But maybe with someone staying up to keep an eye. I'll take whatever watch." He waited for the bowl to come back to him.
That night he laid next to whomever didn't mind sharing a little body warmth and he tried to lull himself to sleep.
"bread dough ... clitopilus prunulus,
slimy lactarius ... lactarius blennius,
false blewit ... lepista irina,
dirty trich complex ... tricholoma atrosquamosum,
purplish entoloma ... entoloma porphyrophaeum,
sheathed cort ... cortinarius torvus,
dry scaly pholoiota ... pholiota squarrosa,
freckle-gilled gym ... gymnopilus penetrans,
common stump ... psathyrella piluliformis,
yellow-pored scaber-stalk ... leccinum ... leccinum croc..."
Alex watches with a fair bit of attention, before improvising some cutlery out of the furniture.
Yza, if you hear this, once I am out of the Abyss you, me, and my friends will be dining in the best restaurant you can find. Vegetables, meat, good wine, warm meat, eh, screw potatoes, oh yes, sweeets! Anyone having some special food requests? Alex says clearly looking to improve morale a bit.
Yza, if you hear this, once I am out of the Abyss you, me, and my friends will be dining in the best restaurant you can find. Vegetables, meat, good wine, warm meat, eh, screw potatoes, oh yes, sweeets! Anyone having some special food requests? Alex says clearly looking to improve morale a bit.
”Well, ye know a good ale be a meal unto itself,” Precious chuckled wistfully, leaning over the pot to sniff at the thick soup. ”Mind you, this stuff be a step up from the swill they been feedin’ me thus far – guess the quality o’ the sacrifice means somethin’ to this rogue priestess.” The ranger held out a hand over the cauldron and twirled with his fingers like a conductor directing an invisible orchestra. Under his ministrations a handful of the liquid in tiny twisting reverse vortices spun upwards, flowing against gravity to settle on his open palm. Precious stepped back, cupping the liquid in both hands, brought his hands to his lips to blow at the surprisingly clear liquid as if trying to cool hot soup. And cool it did – in mere moments the liquid spun and heaved, taking a simple hemispherical shape of a bowl… and between one beat of the heart and the next, froze solid.
Grunting in satisfaction, he dipped the ice bowl into the chowder, brought the bowl to his lips and slurped noisily.
”Yeah, this be the good stuff. An' I second the call fer guards,” he added, nodding at Huet. "The priestess mighta want her sacrifices in good condition, but who knows if some kin o' those we fought outside will hear who's gonna end up under the knife an' decides this be the last chance to exact some personal revenge."
Regurgitating in worship? The Underdark was a strange place indeed. But then again, the rituals they did on the surface also seemed weird to Maddy. Why couldn't you just talk to the deity like they were your friend?
She relaxed a little once they were in the building and away from prying eyes. Maybe she could get a better sleep tonight than she had.
She looked skeptically at the food when it was brought in. Her stomach desired what her eyes did not when it grumbled loudly.
Anyone having some special food requests?
Maddy choked down some of the extremely salty, cold food and said, "I don't care what it is as long as it's hot."
We otta try to get some sleep? But maybe with someone staying up to keep an eye. I'll take whatever watch
"Seems wise to still have watches. I can help with that too."
Kalanzar refuses both treatment and chowder. Instead, he will use his own magical powers to heal and eat one of the berries .
Watching while sleeping is true in this place or even any place in the Underdark. I'm joining in.
You set up watches, but the "night" passes quietly. At least, relatively so. It seems the kuo-toa keep all sorts of hours, and you can always hear activity in the streets. However, there is no trouble. The archpriest falls asleep, and snores lightly throughout the night.
In the morning, you are awake when the guards come for you. Ploop leads you out of his hovel, and escorted by 20 guards, you are led through the city to the shore of the DeepLake. Right upon the shoreline is the idol of the Deep Father.
At first glance, the idol appears to be a strange and unknown monster. As you get closer, you realize that it's a few dead animals, lashed together. A large manta ray lays upon a stretched hide, lashed between four ornate support poles. Two dead octopuses are draped across the top oft he ray, their tentacles pinned and artfully arrayed, their heads tied together and painted with red and blue pigments. The idol reeks of decay, and the broad stone alter below is stained and sticky with blood. On the ground beneath that is a depression with a large grate in the centre. You can hear the gentle lapping of Darklake coming up through the grate.
Six kuo-toa are at work at the alter, cleaning up and arranging the offerings. Several underpriests are at work sharpening knives. A bruised and bedraggled duergar lies in a heap nearby; clearly he is scheduled to be the next sacrifice. From a nearby hovel comes a kuo-toa who looks much the same as the others, but the mood at the idol immediately changes. This must be the archpriestess of the Deep Father.
Ploop steps forward across the span of the alter. "The time has come for us to acknowledge your divine vision and welcome it. I have brought these as offerings." He gestures towards all of you, standing within a circle of guards behind him. "Will you accept them?"
[b]"You are wise, father. I accept your offering in the name of he Deep Father. May their blood nourish and strengthen him!" A burbling cheer goes up from the surrounding fishmen, their fists raised in the air. There seemed to be many dozen, if not more than a hundred, kuo-toa in the area surrounding the alter. More were arriving every minute.
Alexandra seems unable to currently contact her patron, as such, she just prays to her boss.
Alright, we are going for ye olde reverse sacrifice switcheroo.
Alexandra grins fiercely as she offers a silent prayer.
Lady in shadows, those who would sacrifice those pledged to you are fair game, are they not? I dedicate the kills I shall claim and the carnage I wreak in this battle to you, and may the Qlippoths beneath bugger the deep fathers nonexistent lovelife!
She eyes the Duergar with some curiousity, does he seem ambulatory? Is he bound? Duergar are rational, and he could well be an additional asset.
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Hue, still a little used to traveling completely alone muttered to himself in his sleep, "... and nicely met, Mr Hue ... don't mind if I do, sir ... well, just so ... what a kindness ... well you're very much welcome ..." He woke to see everyone else still there - one, two, three and son on, yep, still there. Then, there was a stretching of legs and a short jaunt to the lake's edge to admire another sculptu ...
He bit his lip and looked the stinking monstrosity over. "Oh, ah, very lovely, a very hansom patron they got there. Whomever put this alter together is ta be commended. That's some fine, um ... knotwork." He looked away and at the shoes of the person next to him and whispered, "So no' being fed to some underground magma pit. Well that's good. A bit o luck there don'ya think? Do ya suppose it'll have tentacles like this here beastie? Ya know, I did say there were things near ... things of an 'aberrant' nature. Then again, they might jus' lead us to in front of the alter an' spear us dead. What do I know."
Hue looked about the ground between the water and the alter. 'Hm, does it come from the lake??? or does an arm reach out of the gully where ya can hear the lapping? His hand unconsciously tightens on the spear.
When Ploop's daughter came out and everyone hushed, Hue stilled himself and listened. He worried over the poor Duergar but was secretly glad that he didn't have to 'go first'.
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From the Abyss depths in silence
cast their spells explosive violence
Ladies nighttime strike perfected
flawless vision undetected
on and on they go
their wings are beating strong
death is in the air
somewhere down below
they are looking for the foe
strike from witches lair
leather wings of death
prepare to meet your fate
our Lady's regiment
your doom wont be delayed
Alexandra part hums part sings a war song.
May the fishies think is a panicked prayer.
Maddy was surprised that she felt rested the next morning. She no longer felt drained but she did feel uneasy. She still found it odd that they were being allowed to keep their belongings and weapons yet they also had to trust the archpriest to keep his word. Would he really make sure that they weren't actually sacrificed? Or was this some elaborate trap to get them to drop their guard?
Maddy had never been good at reasoning out the motives of others. It was her brother that was better at thinking of all the possible angles. She didn't really know why she was uneasy only that she was.
She went along with the others under guard but made sure she was alert and vigilant. The new idol was also disturbing but in a darker way than the one for the Sea Mother. The bloody altar sends a chill down her spine and her hand moves automatically to the hilt of her sword.
Just then the priestess emerges and once again a lot of words are spoken that Maddy doesn't understand. However, as the energy in the crowd begins to build Maddy knew that whatever was going to happen would happen soon.
::That’s Hemeth lyin’ in a heap there,:: Precious thought to the others furiously. ::A tough ol’ nail from what li’le I git to know ‘im. Smuggler o’ weapons among other things. Guess he git a mite too greedy tryin’ to take advantage o’ the situation here an’ got promoted sideways into food fer a hungry god. He ain’t lookin’ too good, an’ I’m not sure if we could trust ‘im further than we could toss ‘im… except he’s gonna want a piece o’ the someone’s who put the boot in. But does he want it more than he’d just want to git away to plan revenge on another day?::
Kuo-toa begin to parade around the altar in a wide circle. Part of their path sends them splashing and wading through the shallows of the Darklake. It is impossible to tell one faction of fish folk from the other, except that presumably Ploop's people aren't participating in the ritual. You see the archpriest and his whip (the one with the pincer-like staff) moving towards the altar. Bloppblippodd calls for the sacrifices to be brought forth, and each of you find yourself quickly "escorted" by one kuo-toa, as they jump to do her bidding. Ploop looks quickly at you and holds one finger up discreetly, clearly asking you to wait a moment longer.
You find yourself being prodded at spearpoint towards the slight depression with the grate. It is only a few feet from the shore, and it is clear that it connects to the waters of the Darklake.
The chanting grows louder, and the circling of the devout becomes frenetic. The priests scurry forward with their sharpened knives, moving first to the duergar. Bloppblippodd gestures towards the altar, whereupon her father suddenly attacks her, striking her with his scepter. Blopp screams in fury and lashes at him with a long knife. The kuo-toa loyal to Ploop surge forward to attack, and suddenly everything is chaos. The guards holding you stand in shock.
Alex manifests her pact weapon, and smacks the Kuo Tua about to sacrifice the Durgar with an Eldritch blast.
Alex confidently strides towards the Duergar, looking at the Kuo Tua next to him with a predatory smile as she wields he greatsword.
”Well, the negotiations be officially off the table an’ buried with the rest o’ the trash,” Precious muttered, shocked at the sudden burst of violence between father and daughter even if he had been expecting someone to strike the first blow soon. ”Sorry ‘bout this, by the way,” he went on, muttering a quick invocation that imbued his makeshift staff with a faint aura of magic… and then proceeded to smack the surprised guard escorting them to be sacrificed right between the eyes before it could react.
::Don’t like how they be herdin’ us towards the shore,:: Preciosu sent through the Stool-network. ::’ware in case a Deep Father’s representative be on its way to claim us personal-like an’ drag us to the depths.::
Hue dropped his hands low on the spear's shaft and swung it round in a wide arc. His eyes were half closed and he slipped a bit on wet rock so that the spear waved up and down as he spun so that the point went neatly over the Kuo guard's head.
Hue ducked past his guard to get just on their other side and looked at them with the 'evil eye'.
Before going to the 'sacrifice', Kalanzar will approach Maddy and say that he wants to pray for her. He will ask her to close her eyes and think about the starry sky. Imagine the moon, imagine the north star, imagine the darkness before dawn. Focus on it. He himself will begin to hum something in the language of the druids... And then he would say to Maddy, Open your eyes. And when she does, she will be able to distinguish absolutely everything in the dark, albeit in black and white. Be ready. Drow will put his hand on her shoulder, nod gravely and step aside, thoughtful and focused.
______
Kalanzar is silent and terrified. Everything is cursed here, he whispers while the scene begins to unfold around against the background of a terrible idol. It seems that "here" is the whole Underdark and not just this village.
Individual star tattoos begin to shine again on the body of a young drow, shining through even through a poncho. The line is reminiscent of the Archer constellation... What becomes obvious when Kalanzar sends two arrows at the priestess: first a thinner one, as if aiming, and the other as a powerful volley, loudly calling out to the Dark Goddesses of the moonlit night and the starry sky.
As Kalanzar spoke over her after asking her to close her eyes, Maddy felt both peace and anxiety. When she opened her eyes, she made a surprised sound. She could see things she never could before. "Is this what you guys see all the time? It's amazing. Thank you! This will help me protect the rest of you. This is the best gift I've received in a long time, Kalanzar. You have my word, I will be ready."
When chaos erupts, Maddy draws her greatsword. Even though she respected Shuushar's pacifist stance, the Underdark had taught her that you couldn't expect others to be fair or treat you nicely. And in her opinion, she'd take vomiting as worship over killing as worship any day of the week.
She swings her blade at the nearest guard to where she was standing, looking to carve a path to the priestess to help the archpriest against his daughter.
With the guards distracted and not physically holding them in the least, Ksenia thumbs her nose at the guard nominally tasked with her execution and springs forward towards the idol, leaping off of the stingray's wing to, where the priestess is under attack from her own father. "The fish rots from the head!" She yells and whips her short sword forward in a wicked stab towards her abdomen.
She follows Kalanzar's bolt in, slamming her blade deeply with all her weight.
Psych. There are too many. I'm rolling on my desk.
Precious and Hue react first, with almost uncanny quickness. Precious's magically-imbued staff slams his guard's head and immediately gives him two black eyes. The blow knocks awareness back into the fishman, who retaliates with a vicious swipe with his spear. The sharp spearhead pierces the antlered dwarf's cheek, and clinks against his teeth.
Hue misses his target, but manages to stay away from the bloody drain. The guard continues to stare, only slowly starting to understand what is happening.
Ksenia and Kalanzar ignore the kuo-toa standing slackly at their sides, going directly for the Deep Father's archpriestess. Their attacks combine with that from her father, and blood flows freely down her shabby robes.
Alex liberates the bedraggled duergar, who climbs painfully to his feet. The priest, furious at having his sacrifice saved, launches himself at the warlock with his long, sharp knife. He scores a long, shallow slice down Alex's arm, which is immediately accompanied by a wave of dizziness.
Maddy, grateful to be able to see further than she has since she fell into the underdark, unleashes her might on the guard standing next to her. She fells the hapless creature with a single blow, disembowelling him. Blood and offal join the morass of bodily fluids staining the ground. She feels a tug on her leg, and looks down to see Stool hanging on for dear life.
Precious and Kalanzar both take injuries from foes somewhere in the crowd. The dwarf is hit in the head with a sizable stone, while the drow feels a bite near his ankle, but when he looks down, there's nobody there.
The representatives of Deep Father and Sea Mother continue to square off against each other, each one landing blows against the other. Their guards fight furiously, religious fervour combining with genetic instability to create absolutely vicious combats. Some fight one-on-one, others gang up on smaller numbers, and near the water's edge seems to be a dogpile of at least a dozen kuo-toa.
Meanwhile, the fanatical spectators continue to chant and weave their circle around the idol. Some seem not to notice the battle, others are clearly enjoying it, while still others join in with gusto. Some fishmen wade deeper into the Deeplake to avoid spear-jabs from their fellows, while others walk ashore to fight for their god.
Whatever hits her Alexandra shruggs it off
And retailiates with a sizeable blow.
Midnight eternal curse thee, may thy ugly face disappear into nothingness, may thy mishappen limbs writher and may thy heart end thy own miseries!
She hexes Bloopy the more evil daughter priestess, afflicting her with disadvantadge to con checks because haha annoying casters is fun.
She Cursed weak Fortitude
She shouts quite calmly in undercommon, before focusing back on the priest she is fighting.
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::None a this feels right:: Hue thought out confused. He looked at the disciple he was engaged with, at his hesitation, and the halfing turned his spear about. He swung hard upward to try to catch the guard in the jaw.
He couldn't control the swing and missed the Kuo guard entirely. He tried to balance himself but it spun him half around. He fell backwards beaming his foe in the forehead with the butt of the spear.
He tried to get his bearings and, worried for his new friend, scanned the chaos for Stool.
It all looks very wrong. The sacrifice is being made right now anyway. All this carnage... This is a huge sacrifice. Nevertheless, with the eyes of a man who understands that he is making a mistake but is unable to resist instinct, Kalanzar unleashes a new stream of starry magic on the priestess.
”Ouch! Hey, cut that – buggerit,” Precious grunted as he was pelted with rocks from somewhere in the milling crowd, and while most of the stones flew wide he did catch one sizable piece of debris squarely with his head… thus resulting in little real damage.
The battle was getting chaotic faster than the ranger could have thought possible. He had expected a lot of feelings churning right under the surface, but clearly the town had been even more of a pot ready to boil than he had believed, considering how eagerly people were turning against their friends and neighbors now that the high priests of the two competing sects had drawn the first blood.
”Too many fishes here to sort friend from foe!” Precious shouted, dodging another missing thrown his way – was that half of fish? ”I’ll try to make a bit o’ space fer us!” The dwarf dropped on one knee and thrust his palms against the ground, repeating the quick incantation to summon vegetation to aid him. Now, where to target the spell, that was the problem… there were more Kuo-Toa than one could shake a stick at in any number of directions, and there was no easy way of telling a potential friend from assured foe from a townsfolk just minding their own business and enjoying a bit of spontaneous entertainment… so Precious simple chose one avenue of approach to the little open square containing the altar and caused roots and vines to burst from the ground to grasp and hold dozens of the tightly-packed amphibians and hold them at place.
Well Struck Sir Hue, a masterfull feint! Your proud-Boot up their arse!
Alexandra gushes with approval at Hues massive blow!
Seeing Stool clinging to her leg she projects a question at him, ::Do you prefer to stay down there or want to be up high?::
It appeared that the others were harrying the priestess just fine without her help so Maddy decided to deal with the Deep Father followers around her acting as guards. This way they couldn't attack the others from behind.
Maddy swings Stool up on her shoulders, where he clings for dear life. She chops at one, and he turns and returns the blow with a stab from his spear, drawing a shallow wound on her thigh.
Precious's spell catches nearly two dozen of the fishmen clustered together, and also manages to disrupt the circling "dance" of the ritual. Kuo toa cry out and fall over in the confusing morass of vines, and causing a traffic jam of those trying to move into their place.
It is now that the screaming really starts.
Kuo-toa in the shallows begin to scream and flail. Several are pulled under, while others strike at unseen foes beneath the surface. The water foams red with blood. Those closest to the water see a fin here, a barbed tail there, and you're certain it's the same "fish" that you fought yesterday.
The sudden feeding frenzy sets a wave of panic through the Kuo-toa. The young archpriestess cries out, As her ringing cry dies on the air, Kalazar's bolts slam into her chest. The final blow is too much, and the kuo-toan priestess falls in a bloody heap over her idol.
The priest fighting with Alex lunges forward again, but catches sight of Bloppblippodd falling in death. He cries out in agony, and falls to his knees, missing Alex completely on the way down.
Hue's opponent drops like a stone in the street, his brain well and truly scrambled by the blow to the head. Around him, kuo-toa are flailing to get out of the water, threatening to trample the small ranger.
Hue looked down at the fallen Kuo, "Oh, sorry. I meant to get ya' in the jaw. I ..."
He jerked his head up to a stampede of fish-people! As they barrelled down on him he cringed almost turtling his head into his shoulders. Both his eyes were shut tight. His knees were together and bent, and he held his spear close to the spearhead with the shaft end on the ground.
Kuo-toans bumped his left. Kuo-toans bumped his right. One walked clear over him without seeming to notice he was there.
He poked one eye open (the other still clenched tight) and looked to the waters.
Maddy grunts as one of the kuo-toan's spears pierces her flesh but getting Stool out of danger of being trampled was worth it.
It hadn't seemed possible that the chaos could get worse but in seconds, it did. The screaming from the water drew Maddy's attention but when she couldn't see any of their side affected, she kept her attention on any remaining guards serving the Deep Father.
When the priestess fell, Maddy wondered if the fighting would stop with her death but quickly determined that the chaos around her meant that the crowd wasn't acting rationally but instinctively.
Continuing to protect herself and Stool from attack, Maddy swung her sword.
Hej, thats like partying in that wizards discus club! Minus the antigravity! Alexandra, steeled by extreme partying in magical clubs, easily weaves through the chaos and strikes to end the priest she is fighting
Likely getting in a reasonable hit
Although I dont actually remember if the whole wizard discus club was a real thing, an elaborate illusion, the result of some weird mushrooms and my vivid imagination or all of the above.
”Rust and ruin,” Precious muttered as he saw the Kuo-Toa by the shore beginning to panic and push their way away from the water. It was difficult for someone of his short stature to see what was going on over the heads of the fishmen but it seemed the priestess’s prayer had been answered… by something.
”Someone wanna tell me what’s goin’ on?!” he shouted over the noise of the crowd, forgetting there was a more reliable and convenient method of discourse available in the excitement. ”Is it some beastie come eat us?”
Finding himself currently unopposed, the dwarf hurried over to the nearest ally he could see still facing a Kuo-Toa more interested in fighting than fleeing whatever was about to emerge from the lake. Precious shifted his grip on his staff to grip it by one end, swinging the length or wood like a bat at the knees of the closest enemy.
Move away from the water! If the High Priest wants to thank us, we will meet with him later... And now we run! But Kalanzar himself is doing something else. He does not leave the feeling of impending trouble, and who knows... Maybe you won't have to run away from trouble, but hide? Gracious Goddesses, hide us from the sight of enemies! After saying this and a few more words of prayer, with the scimitar bare, he begins to retreat from the water... And each of you notices, even if not immediately because of the chaos, that your steps no longer make a sound, and you yourself seem to be in a shadow darker than the blackness of the Underdark all the time...
The archpriest grimaced, seeing his daughter go down, then shook his head and stood up straight.
Hardly any of the kuo-toa paid him any heed. It was only then that he finally noticed the mad scramble of his people as they ran from the red churning waters of Darklake.
Alexandra, Precious, Maddy and Ksenia continued to fight on, ensuring the remaining guards and priests wouldn't be attempting to restrain them. Kalanzar counselled everybody to run, and Stool added his enthusiastic vote to the notion.
Then, another sound rises above the burbling cries of the kuo-toa. The dark surface of the water farther out bubbles and begins to foam. A thick, oily tentacle bursts forth, followed by another. A pair of demonic heads—each with a sloping, brutish forehead and elongated, toothy maw— break the surface. They gaze in all directions, with eyes glowing like hot embers. Both heads are attached to a single torso, an the monsters red eyes burn with bloodlust and madness. The creature rising from the Darklake must stand thirty feet tall or more, with water cascading down its back and shoulders.
The towering entity of scaly flesh and bristling fur defies belief. A fiendish and maddening mingling of reptile and ape, the beast’s tendril limbs and barbed tail writhe and coil as it shifts its immense weight. A stench, like rotting meat and smoldering brimstone, wafts from the beast’s steaming mouths. Upon reaching its full height, the great demon throws back both its heads and roars!
Haha! Nope, has to be an illusion! A really good one! I did the trick myself! Although I cant add sound and the added illusion of the water moving! The Warlock thinks as she seeks to assess the situation
Totally certain its an illusion! I will blast it, and then it will be clear its not real!
Eldritch blast on Demogorgon illusion
The Warlocks bolt hits the massive creature.
One of its heads turns at the warlock, assessing her.
Note to enterprising warlocks, dont get into staring contests with actual demon lords.
Not an illusion... we are f!&+ed, doomed, completey crushed, there is nothing I can do... Alexandras mind is all but crushed but
Ты не можешь получить ее принца, этот - мой!
::You cannot have her prince, this one is mine!::
She almost sees leather purplish wings shielding her from the gaze for a second. Enough to focus, enough to look away.
She turns away, she hears the Giant Demon say a word, either telepathically or openly.
She starts running for real.
This She hears her Patron again
Is now my most "ambitious" decision since I pissed of a Pit Fiend, also, RUN. Or you may end up finding out the hard way why I hate tentacles.
Alexandra shows as she does just that! Motioning to the Duergar to run along as well.
Kalanzar looks at the creature in shock and horror.The city is doomed. We're all doomed. No! No! Pull yourself together, come on! Right. Let's run. Drow starts running, so far, just in the opposite direction from the shore. We will choose a way of retreat later. Now we need not to be trampled by the crowd and not be immediately devoured by this monster.
”Eep,” the sound escaped Precious’s lips as he looked up, up and further up at the monstrosity towering out of the lake’s water. Survival instincts kicked in as the dwarf joined the others in fleeing, worrying not where he was heading as long as it was away from that horror.