"Yes, we can still take them by surprise." Kamo waits for Sakura to lead the way, but strides just behind her, resolutely.
You quickly find the secret door built into the fence around the lumber camp. You slip through the door and into the camp proper. You find yourselves near a group of outhouses. A horrible, gag-inducing stench wafts out of the open doors of this side building, revealing the poor condition of these outhouses without a shadow of a doubt. They are attached to a large dormitory building.
To the south are two smaller buildings, the closer one a dormitory and the further one a cookhouse. Through the gaps in the buildings to the west, you can see the light of a roaring campfire. The sounds of revelry and the smell of cooking meat comes from that direction.
Jing must press a hand against his mouth to keep the worst stench out. With a voice filled with concern, he proposes a plan to the others. "Let's start by clearing the building to the left and then the one on the right. That way, if things go wrong, we can retreat to the secret door and escape."
"And perhaps we can sneak out the prisoners before confronting all of their captors." Kamo wrinkles his nose and follows Jing-De's lead.
You head into the small dormitory. This room is well furnished, complete with a desk, wardrobe, and a bed with privacy curtains. Two faceless monsters stand guard here. They do not hesitate, raising their staffs as they prepare to attack!
Kamo moves quickly and quietly to confront the faceless guards.
Attack Roll: 25 for
Amid the chaos, Sakura's initial charge is hampered by an unexpected obstacle—Little Kamo. The dog, perhaps too eager to be involved or unaware of the unfolding danger, scurries underfoot just as Sakura unleashes her attack. This unexpected interference throws her off balance, and for a moment, she stumbles forward and teeters perilously close to her own blade. This heart-stopping near-miss could have ended disastrously.
Managing to right herself just in time, Sakura attempts to regain her footing and composure. She raises her katana for another strike, but the disruption has thrown off her rhythm. Her blade cuts through the air, missing the target entirely. It's a rare moment of vulnerability for the usually precise and skilled warrior. Her knuckles whiten as she squeezes her blade tightly, trying to regain her composure.
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"Oh good, more of them" Pagma says with less worry in her voice than before. Quickly she tosses the flask she had been holding, probably too quickly. "No! Crud. Let me-" she tried again with another vial, this one acid, but it isn't much better.
Instead she pulls her dagger ready to try her luck with that.
Jing-De taps into the inner anger that's boiling in his veins and releases it upon his foes. An otherworldly cold manifests itself and strikes at one of the faceless abominations.
Jing-De reacts quickly, critically hitting one of the monsters right in its no-face! As it reels, Kamo moves in and bashes it with his staff, taking it down! Unfortunately, neither Sakura nor Pagma are able to strike the second creature. It casts a quick spell, raising a shield of force, then focuses its faceless gaze on Jing-De...
Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target is dazzled until the start of its next turn.
Failure: The noppera-bo gains the target's face. The target's face vanishes until the end of its next turn. Until then, it is blinded, can't speak or ingest, and can't smell. The target must also hold its breath or begin to suffocate.
Critical Failure: As failure, but the effect doesn't end automatically. The target can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns, and the DC cumulatively decreases by 1 on each such attempt.
"No!" Jing vigorously shakes his head from left to right and starts to spasm when the accursed spell refuses to let him go.
Poised to dash forward into fighting and potentially being stabbed range, the cry from Jing makes her turn quickly toward him "What's wrong?" concern filling her voice.
Since her friend is in distress, she risks throwing another of her concoctions. A new one that sends blazing blue jolts stunning a person (and for some reason blacking trees, and sometimes setting things on fire. Pagma hasn't figured that part out yet). But she can't seem to concentrate enough.
Was there something else in that drink Kamo gave her???
Shaking her own head away from thoughts, she goes with her original plan of rushing forward into danger and attempting to stab the thing.
Kamo untangles his staff from the crumpled form and looks for the weakest spot on the remaining enemy.
Attack Roll: 21 for
Sakura continues to struggle. After getting off to a rough start, she can't seem to get her grip straight on the blade. She swings and nearly loses control of her of weapon, barely managing to keep it in her hands.
Jing's being assaulted and you can't even hold on to your katana!
She recovers and swings, but once again it's not very effective. Frustrated, she blurts out curses and raises her blade to parry.
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◈Dueling Parry: +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn
The creature's force shield deflects Jing-De's ray and Pagma's attacks. Both Kamo and Sakura score a hit, the latter causing the shield to shatter as it absorbs some of the impact from the katana.
The faceless monster is badly wounded, but it is determined to go down swinging. It bashes Kamo with its staff!
Pagma skitters around the aftereffects of her failed throws. A patch of wall on fire, a puddle of acid each through the floor. At least the new one doesn't leave after effects. Wait, no, there is a dead rat on its back, still twitching... oh well.
She really should be paying attention more to the enemy, she realizes as her first swing goes wide. Pagma's cheek burn a little, imagining her friend who spends HOURS just swinging her sword over and over, Judging her lack of attention to her thrusts.
That focuses her enough to stab right once, a stabbing slashing thing. The elation does cause her follow up to be utter swill, but one out of three isn't horrible.
Kamo looks for an opening, but doesn't find one, so he settels for trying to trip the creature and positioning his staff defensively.
Sakura's growl is a deep, guttural sound, full of protective rage for her brother. Moving with a warrior's grace, she positions herself to flank the creature, her katana glinting menacingly. She unleashes two powerful strikes with a swift, precise motion, her blade cutting through the air with deadly accuracy. Each attack is a perfect balance of strength and control, a testament to her skill and determination.
After delivering her blows, Sakura swiftly raises her katana, holding it in a defensive stance. Her eyes are locked onto the creature, ready to parry any incoming attacks. Her posture is tense, yet controlled, embodying the resolve of a seasoned fighter prepared to protect her companions at all costs. The tension in the air is palpable, a silent promise of her readiness to counter any threat that dares to harm her brother or her friends.
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Pagma stabs the creature with her knife. Kamo misses with his initial hit, but he trips it with his follow-up attack, setting Sakura up to slay the monster with two downward stabs of her katana!
Exploring the small building, you find the owner of Willowshore Stables, Kum Soon-chong, tightly bound with rope in the adjoining bedroom! He breaks into tears as you untie him. "Thank you! But the monsters have my son, Meng-sung! They brought us both here after abducting us, but they only kept Meng-sung here a short time before taking him away! All I've managed to learn is that they took him somewhere to the northwest at the end of a trail. They said Meng-sung has some sort of 'old soul' that the monsters are eager to use as an offering to something or someone they called 'Great Kugaptee.' Please, save my son! I will stay here and hide while you press on! Just don't leave me behind when you go back to town!"
"Goodness! That sounds serious. Do you know how many other people the monsters have taken prisoner?" Kamo rubs the bruise on his ribs, but grits his teeth against making a groan.
Soon-chong shakes his head. "I don't know! I haven't seen anybody else from in here!"
"Well, we will find whoever they have taken. Let's head into the camp." Kamo makes sure everyone is ready to go, then quietly eases the dormitory door back open.
Sakura nods to Kamo, her resolve visible in her eyes. She turns her attention to Soon-chong. "We'll find Meng-sung and anyone else they've taken. Stay hidden and safe," she reassures the stable owner with a firm, comforting tone.
As they leave the dormitory and prepare to venture deeper into the camp, Sakura whispers, "Stay alert. We don't know what we're up against."
You head to the small building nearby, entering through the storeroom. This pantry has been cleaned out, leaving empty baskets and bags with scraps of vegetables and grains.
From there, you proceed into a kitchen, the hearth dark from heavy use. The floor is lined with broken pots. A thin layer of cobwebs cover much of the surfaces, including a few bundles of what seem like bodies that lie in the middle of the room.
A trio of enormous spiders the size of a pony lurk here! They quickly begin to scurry towards you!
"Shoo! We're not an easy meal!" Kamo jumps into combat with the spiders.
Attack: 26 for
Pagma thinks now is a great time for fire so does so, and then draws her knife.
As the spiders begin to scurry towards the group, Sakura's fear overtakes her ability to think rationally. She freezes in place, unable to move due to the overwhelming terror. Her breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and her body starts to tremble. She looks behind her, considering fleeing from this danger.
"Maybe we should go a different way?" she suggests meekly.
Then Kamo jumps into combat. Sakura's initial impulse to flee is overridden by her deep-seated need to safeguard her sibling. She loudly protests as she charges in and tries to keep her composure as she attacks with her blade.
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Kamo recognizes the spiders as giant hunting spiders. They are straightforward combatants who use their venom and webs to incapacitate foes. The investigator moves in and bashes the first spider with his staff! Sakura maneuvers to flank with him, finishing off the spider with a thrust of her sword. Pagma hurls fire at another spider, lighting it up!
The spiders attack Kamo and Sakura, but both siblings avoid their fangs.
Jing-De assists the Yuzukis with a touch of frost. Even though he's not happy to do so, for the sheer size of the spiders is nightmare fuel, he falls in behind Sakura.
"What? They're just spiders, Sakura." Kamo continues his (over)confident attack on the arachnids.
Attack: 26 for
for
You quickly exterminate the remaining spiders. Most of the bodies wrapped up in the webs are devoid of gear, but on the corpse of one faceless humanoid, you discover a moderate thunderstone still clutched in its hand.
Tik leaps off Pagma's shoulder, scurries over to its larger cousin, raising its front legs while sit ting on the dead arachnid. Tik is doing a victory dance... Like he had anything to do with it.
She turns to Kamo, her expression a mix of annoyance and relief. "JUST SPIDERS?!? Just spiders? Those were GIANT, VENEMOUS spiders, Kamo!" she retorts, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Remember, size and venom make a big difference! One should never take spiders lightly!"
"Besides, what if one of them bit Little Kamo!" She calls Little Kamo over, petting him and making sure he's safe.
She then kneels beside the corpse of the faceless humanoid, examining the moderate thunderstone in its grasp. With careful movements, she retrieves the stone, inspecting it for any signs of tampering or traps. "This could be useful," she murmurs, tossing it to Pagma. "Can you use that?"
"If it bit Little Kamo? I'd say turnabout is fair play." Kamo rejoins. "Besides, I'm an expert in giant hunting spiders. I knew we would handle them."
Kamo helps to poke through the cobwebs.
"Let's head into the camp, now."
Little Kamo barks and wags his tail happily.
You head to the long building across the way. An elevated floor takes up the majority of this room. Dozens of blood-red candles carved into the shapes of various ancestries are lit here, their wicks burning without smoke. In the center of the irregular configuration of lights hunkers a misshapen effigy crafted from a very deformed burl.
The effigy strangely seems to shimmer and ripple when studied, as if it were trying to hide its actual form from observation. One moment it appears as a hunched-over man with long broken arms and a head made of a bundle of twigs. In another, it shifts to a crouching frog choking on a man it swallowed whole. In the next, it appears to take on a form not wholly spider nor octopus nor plant, yet something combining all three. Then, as soon as one sees a shape, it shifts back to a tangled knot of roots, branches, and bark.
A pair of faceless creatures sit before the effigy. They ignore your arrival, repeatedly genuflecting as they worship the image, chanting telepathic prayers you can hear in your minds:
"Kugaptee... Kugaptee... Kugaptee... Kugaptee... Kugaptee..."
Pagma retrieves her victorious spider creature and stuffs it in her bag as the siblings argue Again about spiders. An act that brings a warm smile not irritation.
At the alter, since this entire Weird thing is obviously religious the dark haired alchemist looks over at Jing with raised brow in question. She also raised one of her dwindling bombs makes a gesturing moment, after giving Sakura a glare. "we do not have to alert them we are peeking in. They and that is obviously evil so we can attack first." she whispers, hoping to counter Honor for Prudence.
Kamo studies the statue thing intently and watches the worshipers for any changes in behavior.
"But destroying the idol might weaken the evil being..." Kamo's comment is tentative. "There are no prisoners here, though. Perhaps we can come back later."
Sakura observes the scene with a mix of curiosity and caution. The effigy's shifting forms and the faceless creatures' chant create an eerie atmosphere that sets her on edge. She nods slightly at Pagma's suggestion, understanding the need for prudence in this strange and potentially dangerous situation.
"You're right, Pagma," Sakura whispers back, her eyes never leaving the effigy and the worshippers. "We should be careful not to startle them, but that effigy doesn't bode well. It could be a source of power for whatever is controlling these creatures."
Turning to Kamo, she adds, "I agree with Pagma. We should avoid a direct confrontation for now, especially if there are no prisoners here. Let's gather as much information as we can and plan our next move. We might need to come back with a better understanding of what we're dealing with."
Sakura gestures to the group to retreat quietly, ensuring they make as little noise as possible. As they move away from the building, she keeps her senses alert, ready for any sign of danger or an ambush. Once at a safe distance, she turns to her companions.
"We need to figure out what that effigy represents and how it ties into the disappearance of the townsfolk. Jing-De, any ideas on the religious or arcane significance of what we just saw? And Kamo, maybe there's something in the town's history or folklore that could give us a clue?"
For once, it's Jing-De who feels they ought to take decisive action and strike a blow before the faceless ones become aware of their presence. "We were told that Meng-Sung's 'old soul' would be sacrificed to this Kugaptee. Judging by what we saw, whatever 'it is' seems to be mocking the teachings of Sangpotshi. I have no words of wisdom for you this time. I strongly suggest we take out the faceless men and then deal with this effigy. Whatever it is, it is not going to bring anything good into this world."
Sakura listens to Jing-De's explanation and considers his perspective. "Alright, Jing-De, you make a compelling point. We can't let them complete whatever they plan with this Kugaptee, especially if it involves sacrificing someone from our town." She tightens her grip on her katana, her body tensing in preparation for the impending confrontation. "Let's go deal with this now."
You find two faceless creatures are still focused on their bowing and chanting. Even as you approach with weapons drawn and clearly hostile intent, they continue to ignore you...
Pagma was all ready to toss a bomb at the creatures, but something about them ignoring them just feels... off. She looks to Jing with concern in her almond eyes.
Then looking back at the figures, "they've attacked each time, with the intent to kill us, they kidnapped us once even, they plan to sacrifice someone..." she whispers the reasons this is okay. This being throwing a fire explosive at two prone figures.
Her lips form a solid line, determination coming when she imagines these creatures getting into town, coming after the kids and elders. Pagma grasps her clay sphere, lifts it over hand, and throws true at the nearest faceless chanter.
The creature shouts in pain as the flames engulf it! The pair finally stops their worship as they prepare to retaliate!
Taking the pair by surprise, Kamo looks for weaknesses, then sweeps his staff into one of the defenders.
Attack Roll: 21 for
for
Sakura charges towards one of the faceless creatures, and with a mighty swing, her katana finds its mark, delivering a critical strike against the faceless creature. She swings again, attempting to follow-up her excellent opening strike.
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The Yuzuki siblings coordinate their strikes with deadly efficiency. Both faceless creatures fall dead at their feet!
Destroying the effigy is a simple matter. It stops its strange shifting as you smash it, reverting to chunks of tangled wood. Among the debris you find a pendant of the occult.
Kamo examines the strange necklace. "Clearly, these faceless creatures are worshiping some foul spirit. The sooner we find the captured townsfolk, the better."
"Oh good..." Pagma breaths a sigh of relief. When the others look at her with a questioning gaze, she responded "I thought that shifting statue was like a spinning wheel and that whatever it was on when they stopped chanting is what would spawn to try and eat us."
She looked around Kamo's shoulder at the pretty necklace "That looks like an eyeball coming out of a cricket." she says bluntly but the looks up at him "Not in a bad way though."
"It's creepy, but I bet it's powerful." Kamo slips the strange necklace over his neck and leads the group out the side door to the area around the central fire.
Once ready, you approach the center of the lumber camp. A roaring campfire built from furniture scraps and lengths of timber roars in the middle of this open courtyard. A dome-shaped cage made of branches and thin wooden slats stands just to the south of the fire.
The sounds of revelry and the scent of cooking meat come from here, where a gathering of a half-dozen faceless creatures are cooking strips of beef over the fire while betting on the outcome of a fight they’ve just staged in the wooden cage between two giant rats. Engrossed in their fun, the creatures do not immediately react to your arrival.