From hidden depths in silence
Cast their spells explosive violence
Ladys nighttime strike perfected
flawless vision undetected
Svetlana becomes absolutely manic and is not hot pursuit, singing some warsong of not quite known provenance.
After a spilt second hesitation, Penelope rushes after Svetlana.
Odelai pulls the cockroach from her hair for a quick conversation. "We are looking for human children. If you see any, let me know. Be careful." She tosses the bug down the left-hand corridor. It flies some distance before landing near a corridor junction.
The witch follows the rest of the team. She unties the shrunken head, whispers to it, and then resets it on top of her head, resting in a bird's nest of her hair.
Zippe blends in with the detritus of the kobold lair.
Elowen breaks into a run, dashing after the kobolds and looking both ways as she comes to the corridor, her deep forest-attuned eyes piercing the darkness to spot them.
Everyone rushes after the kobolds. Yipping loudly and looking at each other and then at the people chasing them. Fear evident on their faces. They keep running and start to run north when they reach the fourway. But they scream in fear and turn back around before running towards western room.
Odelai comes up short on seeing the ghostly dwarf, ”Well, you don’t see that every day.”
NL DAM: 3
2nd Spells
> Web (1):
> CMW (1):
1st Spells
> Burning Hands (1):
> Mage Armor (1): x
> CLW (1):
SLAs
> Dancing Lights (1):
> Flare (1):
> Prestidigitation (1):
> Produce Flame (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = +4 AC/FF
Fatigued = A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity.
Elowen's eyes widen at the sight of the floating dwarf, noting the sizzling of the walls and floor around where it floats forward.
"No...you don't. Anyone else have any idea what that thing is?"
I do not, but it is no friend, blast it from range!
Svetlana empowers herself with divine favor, he horns retract for now, but she can quickly bring them back.
Slay the spawn of Jubilex! Rend and tear it! Claim the riches within! A voice demands
"It looks like a dwarven ghost." Penelope stops with the others, considers for a moment. But whatever type of ghost it is eludes her. "Good suggestion" the half elf agrees with Svetlana, pulling one of the special arrows she has collected and fires it at the oncoming dwarf.
"At least there's only one of them, not like those allips..." He steps forward and readies his magic axe.
"Huh. That's weird. It's just armor floating down the hall..." Jenkin says, still guarding with his axe. "And the light's kinda... shimmery around it."
Both arrows sail down the hall and clear hit something. And are now floating infront of the armor with a slight drift.
A white eyebrow raises at what happens to the arrows. "Well, that is... curious and alarming." Odelai immediately makes an arcane gesture and a ball of fire appears in her hand. She hurls it at the shimmery thing.
NL DAM: 3
2nd Spells
> Web (1):
> CMW (1):
1st Spells
> Burning Hands (1):
> Mage Armor (1): x
> CLW (1):
SLAs
> Dancing Lights (1):
> Flare (1):
> Prestidigitation (1):
> Produce Flame (1): x
Effects:
Mage Armor = +4 AC/FF
Fatigued = A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity.
Svetlana stands 5 feet in front of the rangedparty and prepares readied actions to strike it.
Pounce does the same
"What... that..." the archer looks rather perplexed, her mouth agape for a moment without any other words "That's not normal ghost behavior, right?"
Since her bow is useless, she quickly puts it up and draws her sword.
Floating slowly down the hall the armor with its axe dangling behind it. Never seeming to react to anything, slimply moving slowly down the hall. Its closer now. The feathers on the arrows are gone as they slowly drift. There are other things caught in its orbit. A few coins and bits of rock drift around the reactionless armor. There is a strong acidic smell that fill the area.
[ooc]that was a double move from the armor. it is apparently quite slow.
"I don't think it is a ghost. I have no idea what it is, but not a ghost." the paladin declares, promising herself she will study monsters of every kind once they get the kids back.
When she pulls her sword she gets ready, and waits, and waits, "I think we could outrun it if we were not in a hurry." she realizes the kobolds are getting away and frets. So she does something stupid and moves forward to attack the... Thing...
Jenkin sighs as the thing creeps forward, ever so slowly, making him pass up the opportunity to use what he, for some reason, feels would have been a really good readied attack and dashes after Penelope as she stops arrow-ing, coming to a halt alongsider her and hacking at the floating skeleton.
Neither weapon touches the armor and instead slices though a thick goo that fill the hallway around the glowing armor. Its like slicing though the gelatin that rises to the top of a good soup. Only the gashes slam shut with an unpleasant wet noise.
It does not react. Nor does it stop. Pushing against the two warrior Penelope keeps her footing and gets pushed back while holding her sword out in front of her and an uncomfortable feeling in her fingers. Jenkin is not so lucky. Running gave momentum and his axe went deeper into the goo. As it move this thing rolls right over him. Stinging acid make the lumberjack close his mouth.
Lets cut him out!
Svetlana unleashes a flurry of natural attacks!
Svetlana rushes forward slaming her head into the goo. Tearing her face back with a mouth full of acidic jelly before slashing with her claws. A move that would cure most creatures of their condition of life. But this thing simples refills the holes made with a wet noise.
Those of you in the back can see a gap near the ceiling. It's mass has been reduced.
CUKA BLYAD XUESOS! Svetalan snarls
Sir Pounce takes this as an invitation to pounce as well, but displays...
"Jenkin!" Penelope yells as her friend is being sucked in to whatever it is. Before she can grab him, Sir Pounce has him and is pulling. So she HACKS away at the translucent flesh.
Initially confused as to what exactly they were facing, Elowen watches in horror as Jenkin is sucked in by the massive gelatinous creature, the understanding of what happened to the owner of the floating armor coming clear.
With a uttered invitation, the shaman draws upon the burning heat of the sun, the warmth and light she'd absorbed constantly. Her eyes burn like hot coals as she stares deep into the translucent mass, sending beams of sizzling heat into it.
Jenkin manages to keep from gasping as the wall of good just... rolls over him and sucks him inside. A strange sense of numbness prickles the outer layer of his skin, which he manages to ignore, for the moment, but that just means the sense of burning that surrounds his entire body doesn't get mercifully diminished. It's eating me! he thinks, but does not say, since his mouth is sealed shut to try and prevent more of this... thing from eating him from the inside out. All he can do is try and escape this... walking stomach.
His left foot successfully manages to push down through the jelly and find a patch of floor to use as leverage. Pushing off against this fllat surface, he gives himself just enough traction to continue the forward momentum the monster gave him when it pulled him inside, and he surges straight through to the other side. It's like walking through honey, but his face finally pushes out of the other side and inhales a deep breath of air as the rest of his body follows.
Fire skitters across the massive goo and it continues be remain unfazed by anything done to it.
Odelai hurls another ball of flame at the jelly monster as she slowly backpedals.
NL DAM: 3
2nd Spells
> Web (1):
> CMW (1):
1st Spells
> Burning Hands (1):
> Mage Armor (1): x
> CLW (1):
SLAs
> Dancing Lights (1):
> Flare (1):
> Prestidigitation (1):
> Produce Flame (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = +4 AC/FF
Fatigued = A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity.
Wobbling back and forth, seeming unable to pick between moving over the lone Jenkin's or Svetlana and Penelope. Beginning to inch forward again the fire hits and sizzles. It's mass quivering and spitting acid and it begins to lessen. To shrink rapidly. The armor clatters to the ground loudly, the noise echoing down the halls. The noise of the coins and the rocks being drown out.
Elowen takes a few steps back, another stream of burning fire shooting from her eyes into the gelatinous creature.
Penelope's next swing cleaves nothing by air as the mass of something puddles into the floor. Surprise sparks in her eyes and out of her mouth as her sword slams into the wall.
"It's... dead?" she pants, not sure if she should be wary or elated. "Are you okay?" she asks Jenkin, who was almost dinner. She thinks he was almost dinner at least.
Odelai holds the ball of flame in her hand as an impromptu torch and looks over the axe. "That's a nice axe, magical."
"Shall we go after those kobolds that went down the side passage, or carry on? Also, I think Zippe may have spotted a child further back but then became hm... frustrated. He isn't the brightest so it is hard to know what spurred him. I could check, if you like."
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Jenkin looks at his arm and frowns. "My arm hair is gone! It... shaved me!" He pulls at his facial hair. "Feels shorter too. But other than that, I'm okay. I kind of feel... exfoliated." He bends down and scoops up the glowing axe. "Hey, this one's even bigger than Door-Knocker! It's called Glintaxe, you say? Guess that's appropriate." He juggles the axes in his hands, holding the battleaxe in his main and the handaxe in his offhand. "Feels pretty balanced."
Penelope sighs in relief that Jenkin is okay. "Did this thing serve the kobolds or did they just avoid it?" but then she shook her head, remembering why they are here. "They went this way..."
"Even if it didn't, having a slow-moving creature that eats every living thing it touches is a rather good defense." Elowen replies. "The armor could be useful for somebody."
This is Mithral full plate! Holy cripes, that stuff is very expensive! Still to heavy for me, but great for Jenkin!
save for rows of uncomfortable stone beds. There are open doors at the far side of the room. Which unfortunately leads to room of slaughtered kobolds
Penelope lowers her bow at the scene of the slaughter. Her face grim "What did this?" her worry is still for the kids, especially since there seems to be more down here than simply the kobolds.
"The real question is, did what did this take the children, or do the same to them somewhere else?" Elowen says with deep concern.
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"At least it's guaranteed clear, under all that goop..." Jenkin says, reflexively tapping his own scale and the shiny mithral. "It's been acid bathed, so... no stuff on it." With some effort and assistance he switches from his current scale mail to the plate armor. "This feels weird, like I'm trying to be a knight or something..." He quietly grumbles, but is clearly appreciating how many more vulnerable points this covers. As soon as he can, he follows along, then heads in front to double down on his new and improved job of mithral meat shielding. He proceeds through the barracks and back out into the stair landing of slaughter. "Wow, we're... pretty savage, when it comes down to it..." he whistles, now getting an even better look at the carnage the group wreaked on the unsuspecting kobolds. He keeps headed east, enjoying the fact that he has his own brand new form of light without having to put an axe away.
The tips of her ears turn bright red when she realizes she mistook the scene as new. An embarrassment then turns even more sour when Jenkin's words settle in her stomach.
'Remember' Lady Cirthana told her mind from a distant memory when she first started training 'To your enemies, YOU are the monster.'
Swallowing, she bows her head and whispers a small prayer for the dead to rest in peace, then rushes after their knight in slimy armor.
Back to your sceduled Kobold Slaughter? Only Svetlana hears a slightly mocking voice
Although you have a better reason then most adventurers who slaughter Kobolds, protecting your ...little ones... by lethal force is valid.
The voice continues
Does it please you to be feared? To terrify these Kobolds by the aspect of horn and claw and fang that I grant?
I do not know. The power is... intoxicating. I feel vibrant, powerful, threatening, a conqueror.
As if I am feasting on the fear in their eyes... Is this... what demons like you feel when they fight? In a way I could claim that I fight for others, to save the children, and this would be right, but it isnt the full truth... Fighting is fun. Svetlana thinks back
Dont be too focused on it, fighting is fun, yes, but consider other things. F%!~ing, Fun, Food. And create something of lasting beauty, to balance for the destruction your cause.
That is... wholesome advice? I am no longer sure you are a demonqueen
Dont be naive dearest, several of my... near peer competitors would be all over turning you into a little clawed destructive whirlwind. But thats boring.
Svetlana follows Jenkin
Odelai follows along while Zippe checks out another path.
Moving past the dead kobolds and the eviscerated kobolds tethered to the obsidian chunk.
At the center of this large stone chamber is a deep pit filled with molten slag and sizzling blood that casts a hellish red gleam on the walls. Three narrow chutes open in the ceiling directly above the pit. The air here is oppressively hot and thick with ash.