The group returns from the stretch of hills past Norian's shop, a good stretch of daytime having passed during their trip. They were able to meet with Tel Beys and the woman had donned her chainmail and spear to meet them. In the time they had been gone Tymos had also armed himself and distributed him men to the defense at the mill.
"So now what?" Tel Beys asked the group, "You plan to go meet them as you did this gargoyle?" Tymos doesn't so much as flinch.
"Yes," Alden replies, nodding. "Here are the Stones. We wanted to make sure they were secured before we did anything else. You were right to arm yourselves and be ready. The village in the new shard was fortified. It may mean they are merely practical and cautious, like ourselves, but it might also be a base of operations for a prepared invasion force. We will approach them in good faith, and see if they are interested in joining with us in a cooperative co-existence."
"Or, just like we have a dragon and I believe you guys had goblins to deal with. Our fortified village folk may have a threat lurking in their shard which keeps them vigilant. We may have found an ally but introduced an enemy as well." Kevan says considering the situation.
"Agreed. The sooner we find out the better. Shall we?" Alden shoulders his pack and begins making his way into the new shard.
Jaxom shrugs at the 'gargoyle' comment. not pertinent for the moment.
"Yes. The sooner we get going the sooner we find out what we are dealing with."
As the group sets out the sun was past it's highest point in the sky. The afternoon was theirs's as they made their way into Talschornvox's forest. They had only a few hours to travel before the sun would start to set. Thankfully, Alden had learned some reliable paths through the woods in his trips there. A few hours was enough to see them across to the north making the time they were.
However as they reached the northern edge and looked out at the new shard they were quickly reminded that this shard was as big as their own. The village was visible in the distance, but a few hills and several large fields lay between them and it. The sun was setting, and already they could see light sources being kindled in the distance. What the source was couldn't be known at this distance, but it seemed the village wasn't hesitating to prepare.
"I'm game, I like the dark."
"I'm game either way. But we need light. Also, we shouldn't approach as thieves in the night. That would set a wrong tone for our first meeting."
”I have this,” Alden says, holding up his shining bow, ”as well as the dagger. We should be okay for light. If we approach their gates well lit, it should assuage their concerns enough to speak with us. I hope.”
As the party moves through the dark they are met with silence. Not a sound from the local wildlife or from the village. Though the lights along the perimeter remain lit. As you draw closer you can see earthen mounds, wooden spikes jutting from them circling the few buildings. The standing torches burn, but no one is about them. The only sound in the night is the occasional crackle and pop from the torches.
Then, from the far end of the village you hear a howl that echoes through the night. A familiar howl, furious and beast like. A wolf's cry mixed with that of a man.
"I don't suppose any of you took the mithral rapier or the silver longsword from the armory did ya? I wanted something like that but nothing for my size was available. I'd go scout around but I think it would be best if we all move for the village. Those things could strike at any moment. Once everyone is in the village I can scout about a bit if you want. See what the puppies are so upset about and all that."
Jaxom watches in the direction of the howl. "I agree. Let's get to the town. I never did add silver to my hand wraps. Was working on new plows and other tools."
”Let’s go, then, and hope our new neighbors don’t assume we are werewolves, as well.”
It hadn't been like this. Not until they had tried to destroy the nest. Then the attacks started. Every night the ants came. Every night more people died. More and more until this evening. This would be the final stand.
The wives... or to be more apt the wife and widows. The children as well. They were in the village meeting house. Tarlind's husband Jaime guarded the door. Set with a torch so he could light the barricades around it if ants threatened them. He had shouted, and a minute later flames lit up the area around the meeting house. So long as the fire blazed they would be safe.
The smoke blew in the night breeze, some of it drifting across the wooden stakes and debris that formed their barricade into the village. Or at least what was left after nights of fighting. The amber light of the fire illuminated the bodies of their enemies. Chitin covered red ants, large as the largest dogs and clicking mandibles as they tried to put and end to the village of Garm.
A few laid dead, smoldering in remnants of alchemical bombs or pierced with arrows and javelins. A few of the remaining villagers lay in the dirt as well. Franklin's skull was pulped and his arms had deep gouges in them from when he had tried to shield himself from the pincers. His alchemist's satchel was at his side with the remaining vials of fire unused.
The blacksmith and his son still wielded spears, thrusting angrily at more ants. Joffrey and Tims both frantically fended off the ants they were engaged with, but it did all the good of flailing. The ants ducking back and bobbing about from each thrust. The two men were tiring.
Meanwhile, Lars had transformed and braced himself to fight two ants with an angry cry. Behind him Milton had a moment to consider his options. This was potentially their last night alive. Just as they readied themselves though, they saw more ants skitter down from their piled barricades. Two more giant ants, and a pair of swarms!
As the party moved through the darkened town toward the noise they heard, a great light filled the air. It's glow flickering between the houses as the party ran toward it. Once there they saw a scene of carnage. There was a building, ringed with a barricade of furniture, straw, and other flammables. Lit aflame with the corpse of some huge bug roasting on it.
On the ground beside the flaming barrier was a man, a huge gash taken from his belly. He was obviously dead, and further ahead four more figures held the line. Fighting more giant bugs. What looked like agitatetd, huge ants! Even as they held them back more came along, and among them were a pair of ant swarms that moved across the ground like living carpets.
Initiative Order:
Lars Current Turn
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton
Lars was a blur of movement. For a brief moment he paused, looking at the newcomers, his gaze drawn specifically to Alden. While they were physically the eyes of a wolf, there was obvious intelligence behind them. His body was swollen with powerful muscles, corded like rope, with broad chest and shoulders. Storm-gray fur covered his body, with darker shades along his back and forearms.
Despite the beastly frame, he wore armor and clothing with unsettling familiarity. For any familiar with arms and armor, they would be able to see that hiis armor was more than just a patchwork of leather, hide, and reinforced chitin. The armor had been made with straps that were wider to accommodate the breadth of his limbs, with segments loosened and layered to allow for flex and expansion. The pieces fit snugly across his torso, leaving range for movement without exposing too much flesh. Bone charms and furs still hung from his belt, brushing against clawed legs as he moved. Through it all, his tattoo of Erastril's holy symbol was still visible at his throat, partially concealed beneath the fur and armor. His face was, of course, distinctly lupine. A pronounced snout lined with jagged teeth and framed by twitching ears.
The moment of locking eyes was just that, a moment. With no time to waste, he lunged forward, moving with startling speed towards the ant to the north. He lunged, his maw open. Coming in low his jaws crunched on the leg of the ant, and with a savage twist, he planted his feet and pushed upwards, seeking to topple the insect over.
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
The ant screeched and fought as Lar's bit down on it's leg with a wet crunch. Blood pooled in his mouth and drooled down his chin. As he pulled with all his strength he overbalanced the ant, and in it's struggle the leg tore away from it's body as it fell. Viscera and gore spilled from it's abdomen, and it was slow to try and rise.
Lars takes advantage though, biting down on the ant's skull and fracturing it. The creature slumps, twitching but dead on the ground. The other ants chitter and take their chance to attack. The new arrivals, swarms and giant ants alike move over the barricade slowly, with the closest managing to scrabble over to Kevan.
Lars and the older villager escape unscathed from the assault of the ants. Trained defenses keep the fast but straightforward attacks of the ants at bay. The younger man though, is caught by the bit of the ant he was facing, and the creature followed it up by lifting him high into the air by it's hold on his collar. Then, with a sickening thump, jabbed it's stinger into his chest. The young man went pale, then slumped, and the ant tossed his dead body to the side.
The other man roars out at the sight, "SON!"
Kevan steps back away from the ant and draws forth one of his new bombs. "Jaxom, would you squash this ant for me?" he asks as he chucks his bomb at the ant near the swarm.
Alden rushes forward to the fallen young man, reaches down and calls upon Erastil to stabilize him.
Milton yells out "Lars! Looks like we got some help from the other shard. We are going to get surrounded if we don't pull back some or kill them!"
He then unleashes a wave of fire at the ant and swram near him and then moves back.
Alden draws his sword and closes with the nearest insect. He swings his blade, hoping to cut through its carapace.
”Bugs!”
Initiative Order:
Lars Current Turn
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton
As Kevan throws his bomb it manages to graze the ant on a forelimb. Normally, such a weak toss wouldn't phase the ant, but as the glass cracked from impact the volatile component inside reacted to the air. It erupted all over the ant, and spilled fire out around it. The swarm writhed in response to the scorching, and the larger ant shrieked as well.
This is compounded as Milton positions himself, and the wreathes them both in flame.
The larger ant's entire body is ignited, chittering madly. The swarm sweeps out of the way of much of the fire, but even so is badly scorched. Clumps of ants die in a smoldering pile.
Alden moves forward to the closest ant intent on ending the threat. It swiped at his with it's forelegs, but the paladin backstepped out of the way. Then, bracing himself, he swung forward in an overhead arc that caught the ant's head. There was a wet sound, and the front half of the ant's skull sloughed away from the rest of it. A moment later it fell dead.
With the path made clear, Jaxom charged the next ant in line. Leaping as her drew close, he drove his weaponized fist down into the top of the burning ant's skull to finish it off with a sickening crack of bone.
There was little time at all revel in the kill, for it came at a price. Lar's countenance darkened as another life was lost. The dead were not beyond counting, but they were beyond tears. His had long since dried up, and he was left with naught but a smoldering anger. An anger at the ants, even though he knew that they acted on instinct. Even more, then, an anger towards himself, for the situation had proven the limitations of his skills as a warrior and a healer.
Turning his frustration outward, he savaged the nearest ant. Its mandibles snapped at him, but he lunged in past them. His jaws crunching down at its neck, he used his prodigious strength to lift it up so that he could dig a claw into it's underside.
Jaxom moves to attack the next nearest ant....
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
Lars tears apart his second foe. Biting and moving to take it to the ground, but his shredding claws had already done their grim work. The creature twitching and pooling pinkish blood out into the ground.
The two swarms move over to the nearest enemies, swarming over Jaxom and the older man crying out for his son.
The man collapses on the ground, screaming around ants even as they crawl into his mouth biting. The two giant ants near him move toward Lars, ganking up on the werewolf.
Though neither is able to get a firm bite down on him, not even catching the furiously moving beastman.
"Jaxom, get out of there!" Kevan yells and then waits for Jaxom to get out of the swarm before tossing another bomb and then moving away.
Alden runs to the aid of the Old Man, swinging his blade at the mass of insects.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lars could see the newcomers rushing to the aid of the fallen. He decided to thank them later, for at the moment it was an impossibility. More giant ants were trying to surround him. Letting the rage within him boil to the surface, the lycanthrope touched man tore into them. Hemolymph ran down his chin and spilled forth from his maw. Unlike blood, this liquid was pale or greenish. The same liquid covered his claws, which tore through chitin, as well as much of his fur. As disgusting as it might have been, it was far better than to be covered in his blood.
Milton moves up to where he can see the ants clearly, he can't do anything about the swarms with others in them. He then conjures a ray of frost and aims at the ant.
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
Jaxom moves out of the swarm, thick clumps of ant's clinging to him as he does so.
As soon as Jaxom moves, Kevan let's loose. His vial landing amongst the swarm and shattering in the middle. Flames plume up, and the swarm roasts. Clumps of dead ants cluttering the ground in piles.
Milton fires at an ant, stinging it with biting cold, though it shrugs it off.
Alden rushes the other swarm, chopping down where the ants clustered... only to have them not be there when his blade hacked the ground.
Lars tears into the first ant, tearing legs from it's torso and spilling out so much viscera that it collapses on the spot. The other tries to move in and he punches his other clawed hand through it's carapace, wounding it enough to drive it back.
The remaining giant ant snaps it's mandibles and thrusts it's pincer at Lars.
Those once again it's attacks proved futile. Between Lars inhuman hide and reflexes the bug's straightforward snapping and poking had little to no chance to actually wound him.
The swarms change targets. After Jaxom escapes the first swarm makes it's way to Milton, and the dying man on the ground is freed as the swarm moves over Alden.
Alden moves out of the swarm, pulls his flask of alchemist fire from his bandolier with his free hand, and flings it at the carpet of insects.
"I'm glad I prepped these things." Kevan says as he moves south and throws his last special bomb at the ant swarm to the north-east of Alden. "Fire in the hole!" he cries out as he lets the bomb fly.
One of the giant ants still stood, and its movements were far too predictable. For a moment Lars lost himself in a mixture of rage (for all who had fallen), bloodlust, and fear (of the swarming ants for which he had no answer to). All of this was unleashed on the last foe that he could rightly fight. Waiting for the right moment, he leapt at it, his eyes focused on naught but the grisly task at hand.
It did not go well for the ant.
Jaxon feels the great pain as the bugs still crawling on him bite and sting. Then there is relief as things go black. As he collapses on the ground he wonders. He had thought his death would be from some mage, or some magical monster. Not bugs....
RetCon: The 4 damage wasn't to me. I have 3 HP and get a chance to save to not take the damage.
RETCON ACTION:
Alden calls on Erastil to flood the area with healing energy.
Meanwhile, the ants continue to chew on him.
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
Jaxom falls to the leftover clumps of swarm eating away at him, but as he does Alden notices and moves out of the swarm around him (Getting Jaxom in range.) and throws out a pulse of healing to all in range.
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
Lars easily predicts the movements of the ant, and having already faced down several of them, lunges past it's biting and stinging to brutally rip it apart.
"I'm glad I prepped these things." Kevan says as he moves south and throws his last special bomb at the ant swarm to the north-east of Alden. "Fire in the hole!" he cries out as he lets the bomb fly.
bomb: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 8 - 2 = 12 2d6 ⇒ (5, 6) = 11
Milton moves out of the swarm and tries to remember what he knows about the defenses of the swarms and ants. He then pulls out a scroll of burning hands.
Initiative Order:
Lars
Giant Ants, Ant Swarms
Kevan, Jaxom, Alden, Milton Current Turn
Milton takes clumps of ants with him as he leaves the swarm. The mass of angry ants lessens even more as he does, though he takes some of the danger with him. He tries to remember what he can of swarms in the moment, but it was hard with the ants worming over his body and threatening his nostrils, ears, and mouth.
Kevan hurls his bottle at the swarm as the wizard backs out of it, splashing the ants indirectly.
More ants burn, the first swarm greatly diminished now. The mass still writhes, but it was only a small clump compared to the scores of dead ants burnt on the ground. The swarms prepared to crawl over the party once again, threatening them all with a prolonged and costly fight...
Then, a voice calls out from above. Familiar to those from Passbog, and almost directly above Alden. "Move back!"
A sudden plume of green vapor impacts with the ground and a large form descends from the sky into the ensuing cloud. The silhouette quickly reduces down to that of a feminine figure, and when the vapor clears there is a large area of scorched earth. The ground was still blackened where it had been pock marked by fire, but now looked eaten away by acid. All the charred ants, the living swarms, and any debris or plant life has been carved away by the acid gas.
Catching a glimpse of descending form in the instant before it became shrouded in mist you see a huge green dragon. It has a panther like musculature, vibrant emerald scales, and a slender horn protruding from it's snout. A veritable carpet of rings were inlaid up the length of the horn in half spiral pattern.
The woman who remained was completely unharmed. Turning to Alden she gave him a even look. "Why were you swinging your sword at a swarm?" she asked.
She seems very pleased with herself.
For those not from Passbog, this was their first time seeing the lady Talschornvox. She was tall and slender, with lithe musculature. Her sand colored hair was woven back in thin braids. She had eyes of a vibrant emerald green, and small scaled ran along the side of her brow and nape of her neck. She wore a loose white dress and her hands and feet were bare. She had the same scales along her ankles and wrists.
The fury ebbed, and with ragged breaths, was pushed down. The coarse fur along Lars' arms shivered and retreated, drawing back into his skin. His claws, which moments ago had torn through chitin like parchment shrunk, leaving behind only calloused, trembling fingers. His muzzle, slick with gore and viscera, twisted and shortened with a series of soft cracks, until his face was his own once more.
Lars stood, himself once more. Even without the primal power that had infused him, he was still a broad-shouldered a powerfully built man. He had the look of someone who had been shaped by hard labor, with weathered skin, and an age which was hard to determine. A jagged scar ran from temple to cheekbone, sitting under a heavy brow. His armor and clothing, designed for the transformation, was still worn. Chitin and leather pieced together from the wreckage of far too many desperate battles. The tattoo of Erastril, barely visible under the fur of a werewolf, was now only partially obscured by the furs and bone charms that he wore. The bow on his back and dagger from his belt marked him out as someone who was well used to hunting to survive.
"A dragon." He breathed, bowing his head in reverence of the mighty dragon which had saved them. The dragon seemed to know the newcomers, and it was enough for him that they had been saved. He stood back, away from the others, though he watched them all with a wary, even predatory, eye. As he did so he walked along the edge of the field, heading towards what was left of the two men he had come with. One was obviously dead, but the other might yet be saved. As he moved he deftly took out a healer's kit, opening with practiced ease as he moved with all haste to save what life he could. He had decided that they could have what conversation they needed, but his priority was clear. Too many of his people had died already, and while he still drew breath he would save who he could.