Atia looks at her lover with a raised eyebrow and snorts. "Dress you up in a pretty gown and send you in? I would love to see that." Atia giggles quietly, opening her spellbook and flipping to a page with esoteric drawings all over and some notes written in the margins. She points to it as if any of them are able to understand what it represents and grins. "If we get them grouped up, I have a spell that, if it succeeds, can stun, blind, and even knock out some of them. Makes them real easy to hit for you up close and personal types."
"Well, you might skip the damsel part. But the rest sounds like a solid plan."
Chuckling under his breath at Atia's comment, "Okay, okay, maybe just skip the damsel part as Lanni suggests. Helps me avoid having to wear the pretty gown." He smiles.
"Okay, well get ready then, darlin'. Hide where you can and I'm going to bring them right past you. That way, you can hit them from behind with your spell. And the rest of you, well, might as well do the very same." He shrugs. "While they are after me, you can all hit them from behind. It'll be perfect!" With his sword in hand, he looks in the direction of the sickly tree, and says, "Well, wish me luck. Here goes nothing."
Heading over to the ghouls and trying to be as stealthy as possible, the big guy just isn't built for it and his feet manage to find every loose stick on the ground. All everyone can hear is *snap*, *crackle*, and *pop* with every single step. Completely unconcerned with the noise he's making as he sees the ghouls look his way, Joran smiles, resting his sword upon his shoulder. "Hello, ladies, come here often?! I gotta say, you didn't have to get all dressed up for little ol' me. I don't judge."
As soon as they begin moving his way and get about fifteen feet from him, Joran withdraws quickly, following the plan. I can't wait to tell this story to my buddy Korg. Joran 'Shark Bait' Bravestone is running from a bunch of women. Hey, most folks may think that's pretty intelligent; especially when it comes to those who want to eat your brains.
"Maybe... but you don't have to go all the way for the damsel part," Des replied with a roll in her eyes. "I can join you just in case. If it's undead, I can actually do some real damage with my spells. Besides, I think I can pull off being the lure better." Her lips curled up in a smile.
Somehow, the oracle did an even worse job in trying to be stealthy. Moving away from where Joran was moving only got her to step into even louder leaves and twigs. At that point, she just raised her hands up and brought herself out into the open.
"Hello ladies. I think we took a wrong turn on our way to the island. You don't suppose you know where someone could get a good bathe. Then again, you could use a good wash yourself."
Des made a face at Joran's comment... then again it may come in handy in this case. "Come now. You don't know if these ladies are interested in a man, even if they haven't had a touch in a long time. Of course if you're interested on the other side of that fence I'd currently taken."
Whatever response they got from that, she would high tail it out of there, but not without finding out what kind of undead these creatures are.
Upon seeing the horrendous sight, the swashbuckler quickly swore in the tongue of devils before looking back at Seadreamer. The dwarf mentioned heading back and Mateo nodded, signalling he'd stay here for now. Quietly, he'd move out of sight of the dilapidated tent's entrance and await the cunning and brilliant plan of his fellow pirates.
When he saw Joran and Destinie make their way out, he inwardly sighed. It was the classic "lost tourist" ambush routine. Readying his buckler and rapier, he prepared for the coming conflict.
Block 1: Atia, Dreamer, Terry, Cass, Lanni, Mateo
Block 2: Ghouls
Block 3: Joran, Des
You all watch as Joran and Des walk up ahead about 60 feet, and taunt the undead inside. Each of the decaying women freeze their motions momentarily, heads jerking unnaturally to face the two intruders.
"We HaVe CoMpAnY, SiStErS...." one of those on the cushions hissed.
"It'S bEeN tOo LoNg..." gurgled the one sampling the buffet, popping a rotten eye into her mouth as though savoring it.
"BuT aRe ThEy PaYiNg CuStOmErS?" asked the one rifling though the clothing.
Terrifyingly long tongues, multiple feet long, lolled out of their mouths. Des recognized them as ghouls immediately, far more dangerous than mere zombies. As one, they raced towards the bait. Those on the cushions took a moment to rise but the two already standing were upon Joran and Des in a flash, moving faster than expected. One reached for Joran and leaned in as if to kiss him before he had a chance to run...
Her horrid face closed with his, biting him on the face viciously. One of her cheeks had rotted through fully, and one eye was milky while the other was a gaping, empty socket. Joran got an eyeful AND a nosefull as her elongated, crooked teeth clamped down on him.
Joran looks to Des and almost gets out 'Run' but only manages, "Rrr...," before he's unable to move at all. Freaking ouch! Well this plan sucked! I didn't think they could move that fast and that far so quickly! Shows what I know. Gods I hate this island.
:⁂:
"Yeah, I know that's not good. Can you do anything?"
:⁂:
Lanni huffs in exasperation. "Then let's move."
Terry closes some of the distance between those hanging back and the fight.
Atia darts forward when she sees Joran and Destinie running back and then stops, flipping open to a bookmarked page in her spellbook and pulling out the little candle and pouch. She goes through familiar motions: lightning the candle with a spark on her finger, then pulling extra-planar smoke from the tiny pouch with pinched fingers. The smoke quickly coalesces into an Eagle and appears right behind Joran .
"Attack the one to your right, friend!" She shouts at it, pointing.
The eagle dives at the creature directed and slashes it with its talons, but eagle dives right past the ghoul. Atia growls with frustration at the bird. "Come on, aim! You can do better than that!"
The ghoul the eagle attacked swipes at it as it flees, but it misses the bird.
Cass bolts alongside Terry stopping just short of where he did.
By the makers blessed beard Seadreamer curses as he runs after the others to get closer to the fight.
During the run, he pulls out both his battleaxe, and his maulaxe.
It was at that moment that she received a vision just as her eyes went white as the ghouls began to swarm. The two severely underestimated just how quickly and dangerous the undead were, and getting out of their reach became much more imperative. Hoping that Joran can survive the incoming fight, Des went back to the original plan, moving back to where the others were placed at. All while giving a warning to those who could understand.
"Ghouls!?!" Terry translates.
Just as he feels himself start to go rigid, Joran grimaces and grunts to fight it off before ending with a furious roar that finds himself still free to move. Taking a deep breath, "Okay, ladies, follow me." Joran then withdraws back toward the others.
If, during the process of withdrawing, you move out of a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal.
You may not withdraw using a form of movement for which you don’t have a listed speed. Note that despite the name of this action, you don’t actually have to leave combat entirely.
If Terry repeated the word in the intended language, Des nodded.
Atia grimaces, nodding at the information. "Ghouls. Great. Good to know. Thank you, Destinie," Atia replies in common, her face set in a grim line. "At least the way is more or less cleared for me to use my color spray spell."
Mateo watches as his friends engage in combat, the ghoul tearing into Joran for a moment before the massive man pushes it away and resists the terrible afflictions it causes. The rest seem to be preparing for something, falling back rather than running in.
Hidden behind the mess of discarded clothing, Mateo waits for the moment for the ghouls to advance more and for whatever card his fellows were about to play out.
[dice=secret roll]1d20+9
Atia snaps her fingers, suddenly recalling an important tidbit of information: "Лаънат." She curses in Infernal, snapping her fingers. "Spell won't work on undead. Better hit them with all you've got, everyone."
The ghoul who swiped at the eagle chases the bird hungrily. She sinks her claws in this time, drawing blood.
A second ghoul rushes in and bites the poor eagle's head clean off, the two of them fighting over it momentarily and screeching like two petulant teenage girls.
Two of the 'ladies' did indeed follow Joran, right on his heels. Each clawed at him as he ran. One managed to slash three parallel scratches along his back and he felt the insidious sting of the ghoul's paralysis trying to hinder him again...
The remaining two rush closer, too far to attack yet, but looming before Cass and Lanni...
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The fight begins to happen close to him, the undead beast slaughtering the eagle in moments as the other two moved after the beefy barbarian. Mateo skirts around the side and moves against the one ghoul chewing on the body. With a rapier in hand and grim smile, he enjoys the look of surprise on its face as he moves in to strike.
The swashbuckler focuses on the woman, striking at her twice. The first attack catches her in the ribs. He twists the blade, lancing it through the core of her being. Pulling her closer and off-balance, he seizes the initiative and strikes again. The tip of his rapier erupts from the top of her skull as the blade pierces underneath her strange, terrible jawline.
"Rest well, lovely." Mateo mutters, pulling the blade out and whipping off decaying brain matter and blackened blood onto the ground. His eye focuses on the other ghoul who finishes crunching the bird's head in her mouth. "Come, filthy harlot. Let me send you off."
Adjusting his position, Terry attempts to assist one of these dead things in being dead.
Well, now he's pissed. Tired of getting clawed and bitten, Joran lets his fury take over and he takes aim for the one next to Lanni. "I got you, little buddy! Don't you worry!"
"There's one! C'MON! HERRRRRRE'S JORAN!" he yells, wide-eyed and maniacal looking.
"Ghouls!? What do ghouls -" :⁂: "Oh."
"Guys, don't you lock up on us now."
Lanni strikes half-heartedly at the ghoul still next to him, and shifts back a bit.
The possessed Des tilted her head, wondering why Atia hadn't released her spell on the ghouls yet. And then it hit her. Of course mind-affecting spells won't work against the undead. It looks like they will have to scrap it out. She hunched up and gave a small prayer to give her allies an edge.
She then positioned herself to be close enough for her next action of choice.
"Alright, guess we're going for it," Atia says to herself, eyebrows going up at Joran's cleave and wild shouting and Mateo's artful death-dealing. She stays put and holds up a hand, summoning a Magic Missile into existence and launching it at the ghoul beside Cass.
Quickly assessing the fight, seadreamer moves into the fray.
Coming in on your left Sharkbait
He then brings his battleaxe around in a hard swing at the one threatening Cassandra
Bab, str, bless
base, [champion??]
Joran and Mateo make quick work of two of the ghouls. Joran's greatsword opens one of them up, spilling ichor that used to be innards at his feet, the end of the swing separating her head from her shoulders. Mateo's ghoul-kebab distracts the other nearby wench from her eagle tartare.
Atia and Dream team up to stop the one charging Cass from getting a chance to attack her, and Lanni gets a small nit on the one south of Joran before backing away carefully.
The three remaining ghouls to not mourn their fallen kin. The poultry lover rushes at Mateo, teeth made to appear longer as her gums have receded chomping audibly as she tries to bite him, but find only air.
The two near Joran both attacked with abandon, near enough to lash out with a flurry of attacks, not bothering to assume more tactical positions. Claws dig into him, leaving bloody gashes, one ghoul digging her long nails deep into his abdomen. "I bEt YoU tAsTe DeLiCiOuS..." she smeared his blood across her rotten mouth.
Mateo dodges the attack, his bucklet catching her in the face and pushing her away. He ripostes, striking hard and nearly striking through her temple if it was not for the last-minute dodge she had.
"Is that it love? So eager! With a mouth like that though, you'll need to pay me!" Mateo shouts with a grin. He hoped to move quickly towards Joran's aid, as the mighty man is torn into by claws and bites.
The ghoul runs forward and Mateo sighs at the obvious attack, he twists and trips the beastly ghoul. When she turns around to strike, the rapier finds her eye socket and pierces deeply. He spins his wrist, whisking whatever brain matter may still remain inside of the beast before pulling the blade out. The undead falls to the ground, stirring no more.
Mateo moves towards the remaining ghouls, stabbing and striking at them while providing an opportunity for both Seadreamer and Terry to flank them and attack.
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Seadreamer shifts forward to interpose himself a lot more between Cass, Atia, and Destinie.
He then calls to the Ghoul in front of him.
Hey Fugly, did your momma feed you with a slingshot
He then brings both axes to bear on the ghoul he just taunted.
BAB, STR, Bless, 2 Weapon
As the battle raged on and the putrid bodies began to drop on the ground, she was feeling a bit better about their chances of surviving. But the retaliation to Joran looked equally brutal. Yet she had just the spell for this case. Channeling her energy, her hands glared as she moved opposite the ghoul slicing into Joran.
And the oracle would attempt to take hold of the ghoul from behind.
Des managed to hug the undead woman's torso and uttered a prayer. Positive energy that would give soothing warmed to the living now burned through the ghoul's body instead.
Lanni watches everyone else hammering these ghouls. "Good work, everyone. Keep it up."
Atia moves up near Lanni and calmly summons another Magic Missile in her hand, lobbing the projectile at the ghoul, hoping to finish off the decaying damsel standing between Joran and Destinie.
Atia flexes her fingers after the missile hits and glances down at the gnome, nodding to him. "Quite the boon you granted us."
As the claws slash him to shreds, Joran looks down at the one that slashes his gut, and a clear image flickers within his mind.
Placing his hand upon his stomach in a futile attempt to halt the massive amount of blood flow, and hoping his entrails stay INSIDE...
Shaking himself free of his reverie, he starts to feel himself go rigid again and he tries hard to fight it. He realizes though, that he's going to lose this time. Just as his legs start to lock, he hears a still small voice... in his head? You heard him. No locking up. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, "What?" Joran then feels his legs relax and the paralysis failing. Grinning wickedly, this time he narrows his eyes in anger at the ghoul that sliced him across his abdomen. Raising his sword high, he brings it down STRONG toward her skull.
Cleaving the undead abomination COMPLETELY in half, the two halves fall opposite each other and land with a quiet thud. "GODS I HATE THOSE THINGS!" With his fury subsiding, Joran looks down at the minor flesh wound on his stomach and places a hand there. "Better get this fixed. I could bleed out. Don't want to bleed out. Got to get to the box." He looks up and looks around as if searching for something.
Terry moves up to the Ghoul between himself and Mateo, and attempts to skewer it, though without Mateo's flair, of course.
And Terry fails to score meaningful contact.
Atia flexes her fingers after the missile hits and glances down at the gnome, nodding to him. "Quite the boon you granted us."
"Thanks. I have to pull my weight somehow, and it certainly isn't going to be with this knife. Though with most of these things mostly dead - again - I'll see what I can do too."
:⁂:
"Good. Nicely done."
Lanni moves up to one side or the other of Joran to reach either of the ghouls that might still be moving and takes a swing at it.
Spirit Type: Marshal
Seance Boon: You gain a +2 bonus on all non-spell damage rolls.
Spirit Bonus: +1 to Charisma checks, Charisma skill checks, and spirit surge rolls (allowing the bonus to count twice).
Influence: ②
Penalty: none
Taboo: you must embrace any opportunity to spread the legend of yourself and your allies, even when a low profile would be helpful.
Taboo Surge:
Lesser Power: Marshal's Order: You can use spirit surge on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, concentration checks, and skill checks for yourself or allies who participated in the seance. Limit 1 per turn still. Requires line of effect, line of sight, and range 30 feet.
Atia's missile finishes of the one Des and Dreamer had already whittled down, Mateo and Joran ending two more of the fiends. In a bloody flurry that didn't even last half a minute, you end the long reign of the ghoulish harlots that somehow came to be on this island.
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Cleaving the undead abomination COMPLETELY in half, the two halves fall opposite each other and land with a quiet thud. "GODS I HATE THOSE THINGS!" With his fury subsiding, Joran looks down at the minor flesh wound on his stomach and places a hand there. "Better get this fixed. I could bleed out. Don't want to bleed out. Got to get to the box." He looks up and looks around as if searching for something.
Atia watches the last ghoul fall and then looks over to Joran for a moment, watching his movements with her eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion. After just a moment, she inhales sharply, realizing what the barbarian is talking about with a start.
She moves quickly to stand in front of him and puts one hand on his arm and the other on his stomach. "Joran," She says softly, calmingly, trying to meet his eyes and hold his gaze. "Joran. Hey. You don't need the box. You're not bleeding out. You're safe." She squeezes his arm slightly, digging her fingernails in just a tad to bring him back to reality.
Despite the axe strike at the center snd the positive energy that followed, the ghoul remained standing and broke free from her grasp with a howl of anger. But Des was quick to put the abomination in a full Nneson to put the head of the ghoul right into the direction of the coming missile, splattering half it's head off.
Sometimes, being a psychic has its benefits.
The oracle released her hold and wiped the grime off her back before kneeling down on the redeceased body.
Yet that would be the end of her time as Des, eyes returned to normal... and she just realized that her face and the front of her clothes were now covered in guts. Her face slowly realized in horror what her possessed self put her through.
"Ew. Ew! EW!" She shook her hands in a vain attempt to remove what was left off her hands. But the stains on her lothes remained.
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Atia watches the last ghoul fall and then looks over to Joran for a moment, watching his movements with her eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion. After just a moment, she inhales sharply, realizing what the barbarian is talking about with a start.
She moves quickly to stand in front of him and puts one hand on his arm and the other on his stomach. "Joran," She says softly, calmingly, trying to meet his eyes and hold his gaze. "Joran. Hey. You don't need the box. You're not bleeding out. You're safe." She squeezes his arm slightly, digging her fingernails in just a tad to bring him back to reality.
Joran's focus turns to Atia who's halted his progress. He looks down at her hand over his stomach before hearing his name, sounding as if it's being called from far away. Scanning the area in search of who it might be, "Naomi?" he mutters before hearing his name once again. With a perplexed look, he cuts his attention back to Atia, meeting her gaze directly. "I'm not bleeding out. I'm safe." He mindlessly responds.
When the pain from her nails registers, Joran rattles his head, seemingly returning from somewhere. Looking as if he just now noticed her, "Atia?" the barbarian's eyes go wide and Joran quickly turns and shields her from the ghouls. "I got you covered, darlin'. Don't worry." Looking around, he notices none still standing. Turning back to her and looking puzzled, "I guess we got 'em all, huh? That's good. I'm not sure why I wouldn't know that. Weird." He strokes his chin in thought, finding it all odd.
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Stunned by the chaos that erupted from the pit Cass takes a moment to regain her composure before approaching Joran and offering "Looks like the hits he took might have been worse than we thought, can you hear me buddy? how are you feeling?" as she draws out her deck and tosses out a
You recognize this to be the Empty Thone a card representing the spirits of those who have passed on
revealing a man bent down giving honor to a gravesite
which lands on Joran's chest atop where the deepest scratches lay. as it falls she calls out "ଅତୀତର ଆତ୍ମାମାନେ ତୁମକୁ ଶକ୍ତି ଦିଅନ୍ତୁ | and a white mist exits the Ghoul laying next to him and move in to knit his flesh closed
A hand would touch Joran's shoulder and the wounds on his both would close up further. Des gazed at the man to see if there was anything else wrong with him.
"It doesn't look like you'll get the disease, but you could use a bit of rest. That... was pretty scary."
Joran's focus turns to Atia who's halted his progress. He looks down at her hand over his stomach before hearing his name, sounding as if it's being called from far away. Scanning the area in search of who it might be, "Naomi?" he mutters before hearing his name once again. With a perplexed look, he cuts his attention back to Atia, meeting her gaze directly. "I'm not bleeding out. I'm safe." He mindlessly responds.
When the pain from her nails registers, Joran rattles his head, seemingly returning from somewhere. Looking as if he just now noticed her, "Atia?" the barbarian's eyes go wide and Joran quickly turns and shields her from the ghouls. "I got you covered, darlin'. Don't worry." Looking around, he notices none still standing. Turning back to her and looking puzzled, "I guess we got 'em all, huh? That's good. I'm not sure why I wouldn't know that. Weird." He strokes his chin in thought, finding it all odd.
Atia flinches slightly at the mention of Naomi and doesn't follow up on the comment, not wanting to upset Joran further. "Mm, I think you blacked out while you fought. One of the ghouls clawed at your stomach." She frowns, gently spreading her fingers over his stomach where the scars lay.
She steps back a moment to let Cass and Des heal the man, her hand still over his scars, and looks over at them both to explain. "He's back now. He's okay. Long story and not mine to tell." She smiles gratefully at them both.
Once they finish, Atia moves back in front of Joran and wraps her arms around the barbarian, hugging him close and laying her head against his chest. "You're safe. I'm here. The others are, too. Love you." She says the last quietly so only he can hear.
Seadreamer reaches down a rips a rag from one of the undead harlots and wipes his axe clean.
He then heads over reaches up and slaps Sharkbait on the back.
Well done man.
he fishes out a waterskin and offers it after taking a swig to rinse out his mouth.
he then goes to quickly see what the harlots had on hand.
+2 vs stonework, +1 vs loot
After speaking with Joran, Atia approaches Destinie with a sympathetic look on her face. "I still have the spell prepared that can clean you off...I'm sure you don't want to be covered in ghoul gore all day. Nice move with that attack, by the way." She smiles softly at the oracle and holds her hands up, channeling a soft silver glow into her palms to use prestidigitation.
If Destinie agrees, the cleaning doesn't take long, and Atia moves back over to Joran, ready to continue looking for Tilly and Sandara. She flips open her book to the map and makes a small note approximately where they are now about it being a ghoul nest.