Strange Aeons (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

"Back to back and eyes out!" Baldrek exclaims as he jumps closer to Tassa. "With zis f+++inge mist, we wanderr arrround we will be killed one by one."

Ephra'im waits a few seconds as he huddles with the others. "Perhaps this is not the right time, but I wonder if leaving the oneirogens unmolested was a mistake," he murmurs.

The creature reappears, this time behind Baldrek. Tassa's tentacles manage to strike it, but it slips away from their grasp.
Attack (baldrek): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20 Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Attack (baldrek): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Enemy: 9pts damage

Ephra'im watches the creature carefully for signs of weakness.
Knowledge (occult) to Scout, free inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 10 + (3) = 17

He swats twice at it distractingly, hoping to create an opening for Baldrek and Tassa.
Aid Baldrek (standard) attack (DC 9): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Aid Tassa (move) attack (DC 9): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
If either check is successful, it adds 5 to their attack.

Sheesh! Well, I guess if anything I got those awful rolls out of the dice. ;)

Tassa keeps huddling close to her companions, again ready to swipe out.

Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Mya touches on both Tassa's and Baldrek's ripple in the rivers of time, hastening both of them. Otherwise, she just stands back-to-back against her companions.

Mass Time, haste on both characters mentioned! Rest of my turns I will keep concentrating, whenever possible.

"F~!&er." He curses and grabs his net for when the a*&$&$% shows up again.

Readied Attack (net): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13 Touch

The creature dodges the net and continues slashing at Baldrek.
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28 Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Confirm?: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29 Extra Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Ephra'im desperately tries to staunch Baldrek's bleeding, quickly drawing upon his medical dexterity and genius to sew up some of the fighter's wounds. (He uses Healer's Hands as a full-round action, one use of his healer's kit, and a point of inspiration.)
Heal (DC 20), healer's kit, inspiration: 1d20 + 13 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + 13 + 2 + (5) = 30
Baldrek heals 10 hp -- 3 for HD, +4 for INT, +3 for Knowledge (planes).

GM, we can all see the creature now, right? It's no longer invisible?

Tassa shifts to her right, and nods for Baldrek to shift left. I made a 5' step, and think you can make one too to give us both flanking vs this guy

Then she lashes out with all of her strength, trying to tear this horror asunder.

Bite, flank: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 6 + 2 = 24
Damage (bite, drain): 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 2 = 16 BTW, I think I forgot to point out -2 CON damage from my first attack, but my first hit should've drained him...which empowers this one with +2 damage.
Grab, flank: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 2 = 13
Damage (constrict): 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Mya stays put, concentrating on empowering her companions.

Move Action and Standard Action to focus!

"Ha! Not so invincible now, are you?" she says, her emotionless voice betraying her own intentions of merely distracting the creature.

Yes, the creature is not currently invisible.

Tassa strikes the creature once more but fails to keep it in her grasp. It turns its focus back to her and lashes out with its claws.
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Creature: 12pts damage

Ephra'im tries again to distract their opponent with his longspear.

Scout, free inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (19) + 10 + (5) = 34

Aid attack (Baldrek, DC 10 or 9 with Scout): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Aid attack (Tassa, DC 10 or 9 with Scout): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Success gives his ally a +5 on their next attack.

Tassa manages to dodge back from the creature's blows and–with the help of Ephra'im's keen observations–manages to connect with a solid blow...though once again she can't find purchase to grab their foe.

Bite, aid: 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 5 = 25
Damage (bite, drained): 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 2 = 13
Grab: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

"I am brreaty tirred of yourr skinny ass..." Baldrek curses as he swipes his trident and then proceeds to skewer the monster repeatedly!

Trip, Flanking, Haste, Aid: 1d20 + 10 + 4 + 1 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 4 + 1 + 5 = 40 YES!

Immediate Action to use a Bloodthirsty Boast

Attack (trident), Flanking, Haste: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 2 + 1 = 31 YES!
Crit?: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 2 + 1 = 26 vs. Prone
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Crit Extra Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 WOW!

Attack (trident), Flanking, Haste: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 2 + 1 = 28 vs. Prone
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 Just amazing!

Mya keeps concentrating and it pays off as she watches Baldrek perforate the creature.

Tassa's tentacles fail to wrap up the creature, but they serve as an effective distraction as a recently-healed Baldrek trips the monster and then stabs it repeatedly in the head. It falls limp momentarily - but then the wounds begin to close....

Despite that spectacular attack sequence, this monster has regeneration, so it'll regain consciousness after your next actions. Ephra'im was able to scout out the specifics at the beginning of combat, though, so the question becomes: how are you going to permanently destroy it?

I must have missed where you told us what Ephra'im learned. :) Do we know its regeneration weakness, if any?

Ephra'im frowns as he sees the creature's wounds begin to knit and close. "Perhaps we should cut off its head," he suggests.

Seeing the wounds closing, Baldrek keeps stabbing it.

Basically using coup de grace each round for 2d8+12 to keep it from awakening.

@Ephra'im: Going back on the posts, the GM shared we need either good or silver to overcome it. The Loot Tracker says we have a mw silver dagger!

Ephra'im smacks his head as he remembers. "We have a silver dagger somewhere... perhaps it is in your pack, Mya?" he murmurs, as he dodges back from the regenerating creature. "If the fruit of my studies is worth anything, damage from that weapon should keep it from healing."

"You're right." Mya rummages through the bag and grabs the silver dagger. She hands it to Baldrek as she loses concentration on her Haste on both of them. "Do the honors."

It probably would not matter, but my melee damage is awful, so just making sure!

Baldrek quickly grabs the dagger and rams it in the creature's eye, trying to reach its brain.

The creature shudders when Baldrek stabs it, and you see its flesh sear around the wound. It slowly dissolves into yellow mist, leaving the chamber empty.

Potential Loot (under the mattress)
The Chain of Nights
400gp in assorted coinage
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The Chain of Nights
This lengthy tome concerns itself the anatomy and workings of the brain. There are also several hundred pages discussing how to analyze, diagnose, and treat - via therapy, drugs, and basic surgeries - numerous physiological and psychological conditions. The final third of the book discusses various esoteric topics, such as the source of nightmares, accounts of the Dimension of Dreams, and descriptions of the creatures that dwell there.

The most immediately-relevant piece of information, however, is the detailing of an elaborate ritual for releasing one's dreams. By creating a small rift to the Dimension of Dreams inside the subject's mind, their nightmares are conjured into a viscous substance that boils forth from the mouth and nose before congealing into an inert coal-like substance. After this, the subject will have no natural nightmares for a year. The ritual is highly complex, and failure to perform it correctly has severe side-effects - although the specifics are not listed.

Ephra'im pages through the book, becoming more and more interested with each new diagram and concept. "This is fascinating!" he exclaims. "A worthy idea, to surgically rid the brain of unpleasant dreams. I wonder if that is what happened to Zandalus? Still, I suspect that with the ending of the creature, it will be safe to return to the chapel once we have dealt with the remaining oneirogens. We should begin to see some changes here as soon as they stop producing yellow mist. And perhaps once back I might study this learned work in more detail?"

Mya stares vacantly at an unspecified point on the wall before questioning "Is it really dead, thought? Was this creature a nightmare? Do they die? Or does it mean this night we'll be visited while we sleep?"

Inventory updated! I've added 'The Chains of Night' because if feels important.

Ephra'im nods sagely to Mya. "Good questions! We must investigate this. Let us return to the chapel and share the good news with the others! Perhaps they will have data to contribute to our research."

Tassa nods, uncertainly.

"The cultists guarded this place–or this thing–"(she glances down at their latest foe)"–but why? Is this Zandalus? Or what's left of him? Or is he elsewhere?"

Shrugging, she adds, "Either way, I don't have anything better to suggest than heading back to the chapel, though perhaps we stop to chat with our doctor friend first: see if there's anything more he can tell us."

As you exit the chamber and make your way back toward the chapel, you notice that the trio of oneirogens has collapsed and smoke is no longer emanating from their orifices. Over the next day or so, the mist around the asylum gradually dissipates, giving everyone their first view of the sky in who knows how long. It really does seem that Zandalus was the source, although a review of Administer Losandro's patient notes reveals that this wasn't by design. He did suffer from persistent horrible nightmares, after all, and the ritual detailed in The Chain of Nights appears to be very easy to perform incorrectly....

Regardless, as the fog fades, so too do the ghouls, doppelgangers, and other horrid abominations trapping you inside the asylum. You - and everyone else - are finally free to leave. Winter and Doctor Elbourne take charge of the other survivors, and after finding a boat tied to the pier on the southern end of the island, decide to ferry everyone to the nearby town of Thrushmoor. It will take many trips before Briarstone is fully evacuated, but with the worst of its dangers gone, time is something all of you have in abundance.

As for the four of you, the matter of your identities and reasons for being here remains a mystery. It's possible that there are clues to be found somewhere in the asylum's records, but you already know that sorting through them is an incredibly time-consuming task with no guarantee that it will bear fruit. Many of the records were damaged or destroyed, after all. Now that you're no longer in survival mode, though, perhaps this is a task you wish to undertake. On the other hand, perhaps it's better to not know. Not many people get the chance for a fresh start, after all. Ultimately, the choice is up to you - for good or for ill....