The shapes beyond the wall's cracks do not seem to react to Ethyl's stealth, merely shifting minimally as the party now notices them.
Ethyl peers through the slightly ajar doors to see a work room of sorts. Several workbenches lie crushed beneath the rubble of this room’s collapsed ceiling. Within, peering north through the cracks in the wall, three ghouls stand surprisingly still, watching the rest of the party as they linger on the threshold to this part of the asylum.
"Come on, just a tad closer, you morsels..." One ghoul mutters, barely audible to Ethyl's half-elven ears.
Ethyl quietly sips a vial of something murky grey, opens the door, and steps inside.
The sylph squints her eyes, noticing movement behind the wall. "I see someone." She whispers and merely lifts her chin in the direction they're walking in. "Behind the weak wall over there."
Alvar nods silently, flexing their hands in preparation to launch a spell at whatever threat lingers there. Ghouls or doppelgängers? Cultists? Whatever they are, the wizard intends to be ready for them.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Despite Ethyl's skill and enhanced body, one of the ghouls' ears twitch and it turns in time to see the doctor creeping up on them. It shrieks most unflatteringly, alerting its conspirators who turn from the dangerous wall to face Ethyl.
Enoch simply pantomimes pushing the wall down....
The Paladin seems eager and seemed prepared for such an eventually.
Enoch's blue eyes frown at the wall. The Paladin decides to do some stretching first then....
He begins humming Humpty Dumpty....
"Throw the wall at them, Enoch!", Nyarai shouts at the crusader. The air shimmers around the man, and she laughs as if to spread fear into the ghouls.
That noise - probably not cultists. Ghouls or doppelgängers, then. Most likely... Alvar sidesteps, allowing Enoch the chance to pass them by. As they do so, they ready their hands, taking a deep breath and preparing to hurl a ray of positive energy at the first enemy they see. My other cantrips wouldn't hurt a doppelgänger or a ghoul, but this at least will hurt the latter.
Ethyl rounds the corner, taking her momentary advantage, and swipes her claws at a nearby ghoul!
After he reveals that "This wall can be collapsed fairly easily by a fighter or a paladin type.", and prepares to fire at the first ghoul he sees.
... But he feels something is going to go wrong.
Enoch plants his feet and hurls his shoulder into the wall, grunting in pain but satisfaction as it tumbles upon the undead waiting for them. Ethyl, taking advantage, does hit her target with a claw, slaying it as it is "properly" buried. Alvar's spell strikes as it attempts to recover, unable to put it down but punishing it for dodging the worst of the rubble. Iosif also fires on , but his rifle makes that horrid sound of failure.
The two remaining ghouls spend their movement to stand, and each attempt to bite Enoch. However, the rubble and disorientation keep their jaws at bay. As attempts to stand, Enoch's short sword strikes the undead down for good.
Ethyl tears into the last ghoul with her claws. She quietly thanks her luck that a wall didn't just fall on her.
Nyarai walks into the room, laughing loudly at the ghouls crushed by the collapsed debris. "Suit you right."
Alvar hisses their satisfaction at the fact they landed their disruptive spell, before they swiftly repeat the chant and gestures, unleashing another blast at the remaining undead creature.
The third ghoul is slain by Ethyl.
The hallway is silent for a moment. Did anything else hear the rumbling of the fallen wall or the musket's misfire? It continues to be quiet as the dust settles. The work room is only filled with second story debris and broken work benches.
Enoch looks quite satisfied with the results....
We should try knocking down all the walls in this place.
The Paladin glances at Ethyl.
"What if that lets the fog in? Or even whatever lurks in it?" Nyarai shivers for a second, stepping over the crumbled wall and the ghouls buried under it. She stops as she sees a clawed hand, now mangled, protruding from the rubble. "Should we search them?"
She considers it for a moment, then bends down to try and set one of the bodies free from the debris.
Ethyl surveys the room and shivers at the mention of letting the fog and its horrific denizens in, "I think Briarstone has suffered enough structural damage for now."
She assists in the search.
Iosif agrees and follows Ethyl to door #4 (if there's nothing), after non-quickly clearing his musket.
Alvar glances around, taking a deep breath. "The undead are a constant pestilence on this place. Hopefully we're close to dealing with the last of them, but I doubt it." They shake their head. No, focus.
They look at the door towards which their companions are headed. "That's... the baths, I think." They say aloud. Gods below, I hope we don't encounter nude ghouls. I do not need to see that ever.
Unfortunately, there is nothing of note in this room or on the ghouls themselves. Moving to , the perceptive peer inside to see that it is indeed the baths.
Cracked, river-green tiles cover the walls and floors of this communal shower in wavering patterns. Dry metal spouts jut from several walls, overlooking grates in the tile floor. A sizable portion of the floor drops into a shallow pool, filled with something other than water: a vile stew of corpses and blood. The smell of rot and copper fills the air in this room. Three alcoves, providing minimal privacy, run along the south wall. In the center, a simple chair has been transformed into
a gruesome throne covered with draped viscera and gnawed bones.
"The trap was sprung, friends." A one armed ghoul-like creature seated on the throne leered over the two other ghouls kneeling in the pool of gore nibbling absently. Fortunately, they are clothed, but their tatters are soaked in gore and cling to their emaciated forms. The creature wears what must have been his lost hand on a cord around his neck like a gruesome pendant. The leader holds a skull like a cup and sips mulched flesh from it. "Fresh meat should be delivered in mere moments."
Ethyl, as quetly as possible, shuts the door and holds up three fingers. She points at Enoch and and then down the hall.
Enoch's blue eyes widen at the macabre mockery of a scene inside the Baths. The Paladin's hands clinched tightly on his magical shortsword.
The Tortured Crusader ghasts at the sight before him.
At Ethyl's urging, he reluctantly complies, following the Doctor back down the hall.
It's a ghast. A bit tougher than mere ghouls. Plan? I could pyrotechnics them? Smoke them out?
Ethyl frowns deeply as Enoch speaks. She whispers before he moves, "Cover the other door. If we can smoke them out that would be useful."
Ethyl will open the door for someone to get line to the ghouls if needed.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Nyarai shuffles away from the doors. Ahe stands halfway between the entrances, hoping both will be covered. She looks at Enoch as air shimmers around the man, and she lets out a low chuckle, perhaps in anticipation. Her gaze shifts to Ethyl.
Iosif confirms that these are indeed ghasts.
"Damn." Alvar hisses under their breath. "That will be inconvenient." They flex their fingers, considering for a few moments. "I have a number of spells that could work against them, but some of them require me to be able to see them - and if we conceal them with smoke, I won't be able to."
Enoch begins digging out a torch and flint, as he speaks
I am lighting this torch and tossing it in there and casting Pyrotechnics. I would appreciate it if someone could be the door person?
The Tortured Crusader looks up at Alvar.
They will come out Sickened. Your spells will affect them easily.
Ethyl looks to Enoch, "Are you sure that will work on undead? I'm not confident that something that isn't alive can suffer from illness."
A few seconds later, Nyarai repeats what she had done previously. This time the air shimmers slightly near Ethyl instead. Nyarai's odd laughter echoes across the hollow space. She walks to the door indicated by Enoch .
Enoch just shrugs at Ethyl's question.
S'pose we'll find out?
The Paladin lights the torch, and hands it to Nyarai.
I'll open. You toss. I'll cast. You close.
Enoch's blue eyes turn to Alvar.
You got any spells that would block this egress? We can funnel them through the other door once they choke a bit.
The sylph winces a bit when the torch is lit, but she laughs, takes it in her hand and nods at the crusader. "Ready.", she whispers.
Ethyl nods and faces the door ready to face whatever comes out.
Iosif nods as well, ready to face anything.
As Enoch opens the door, tossing the torch into the defiled baths, the ghouls and ghast turn and see the light and the aasimar that threw it in. The ghast points with his one hand, his snarling mouth dribbling blood and bile as he roars: "Interlopers! Add them to the feast!"
The two ghouls rush for the doors, one to each, opening the doors .
Alvar grimaces, turning to attempt to ward the door, but they aren't quick enough to do so before the ghouls erupt out of them. Uttering a curse in Infernal, they chant a quick spell and place a hand on Ethyl's shoulder, causing her outline to shudder and blur. With a few hasty steps, they pull back from the open door, already considering their next move.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Acting as instructed, Nyarai promptly closes the door again. She looks at Enoch. "You want to lean against this? I'm not exactly the strongest."
Iosif fires after ensuring his musket is cleaned well enough, aiming betwen Nyarai and Enoch.
Enoch's blue eyes look curiously at Nyarai as she promptly closes the door.
That was splendid, although perhaps next time we can wait for me to actually cast the spell? Spell-likes and no components am I right!
The Paladin then takes a deep breath, reopens the door (waves at the standing still ghoul) and casts Pyrotechnics on the torch!
A stream of smoke billows out from the fire, forming a choking cloud that spreads 20 feet in all directions and lasts for 1 round per caster level. All sight, even darkvision, is ineffective in or through the cloud. All within the cloud take –4 penalties to Strength and Dexterity (Fortitude negates). These effects last for 1d4+1 rounds after the cloud dissipates or after the creature leaves the area of the cloud. Spell resistance does not apply.
As Ethyl’s form distorts and blurs she grins wolfishly as the ghouls close the distance. She recklessly extends her claws at the foe within her grasp.
Nyarai seems puzzled for a hot second. "Oh.", she looks at the door. "I guess the charging ghoul caused-", a BANG from Iosif's gun echoes through the room, causing her to flinch. "caused a minor bout of panic."
Air shimmers around Enoch as the sylph chuckles nervously, then steps back from the ghoul in the door.
Ethyl's claws rip her ghoul asunder, while Iosif's does strike but the angle isn't ideal for a kill shot. The sylph's magick vexes the ghoul's claws as it swings at Enoch, both failing to get near the aasimar's flesh.
The ghast, hearing the gunshot and seeing one of his minions fall, rises from his throne and lumbers around the pool . While the stench of rot and bile was bad, somehow the ghast's musk is fouler.
The smell of rot and death emanating from the ghast starts to get to Ethyl but she removes her mind from the sensation, and her autonomic response lessens to a manageable degree. She steps closer to the ghast and whispers, "You should really pay more attention to me, my dear."
She opt not to bite the foul creature, Ethyl has some standards.
While she is focused on Enoch, Nyarai is hit by a foul stench that emanates from the approaching ghast. She wrinkles her nose, smells at the air, and almost heaves as she turns around. Her mind grasps the immediate proximity of the ghast. She gasps and reaches for her scarf. A blink of an eye later, her tattered clothes are torn into little pieces and envelop her form before dispersing into the air, but the sylph is nowhere to be seen. Only the tattered clothing and the sound of her loud gasp echoed through the room indicate her former presence.
Ghostwalk (Su): Starting at 2nd level, as a move action after using a hex, an ashiftah can become invisible as per vanish and can then take a 5-foot step. Using ghostwalk doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Iosif misfires, swearing under his breath, and takes a five foot step out of the cloud of foul miasma,
Alvar winces as the ghast erupts from the smoky doorway. "Begone, accursed thing." They hiss, gesturing quickly to summon the Third Ward Against Weapons Natural and Artificial. A protective wave of magic spreads out from them, whirling around Ethyl and Iosif to shield them against any oncoming attacks.