Washing Pool - Round 1 - continued
20 Isidiana (paralyzed 6 rounds)
18 Ari (readying bow)
18 Tot (paralyzed 6 rounds)
17 Creature
10 Garen (immune to shriek)
7 Grod
As the horrifying shriek rips the quiet of this underground structure, Garen shakes it off without issue, but Tot and Izzy are not quite as fortunate, and they both grind to a halt, paralyzed from the noise. After the cry, the foul creature alights downward, ending up face to face with Tot, licking it's black lips voraciously.
Being completely and utterly helpless is a new experience for Tot, one that the more analytical part of her mind might find fascinating if not for the rest of her mind screaming in howling terror.
I'm gonna die. I'm actually gonna die! No! Nonononono! I don't wanna die! Please, someone--ANYONE! Please don't let me die!
Grod hustles forward, hurdling Isidiana's immobile form in the process, and tries to figure out what the thing is.
Washing Pool - Round 1 - concluded
20 Isidiana (paralyzed 6 rounds)
18 Ari (readying bow)
18 Tot (paralyzed 6 rounds)
17 Creature
10 Garen (immune to shriek)
7 Grod
Garen rushes into the room with the small pool, and makes a stabbing attack on the flying head. His blow strike true, and hurts that creature, but it doesn't even react much, focused on the paralyzed Tot.
Grod lumbers down the narrow hallway, leaping over the frozen gnome, and getting within melee range, but too late to make an attack. Grod wracks his brain for any nuggets about a monstrosity like his winged horror, but his divine training did not cover whatever this thing is.
End of Round 1
Washing Pool - Round 2
20 Isidiana (paralyzed 5 rounds)
18 Ari (readying bow)
18 Tot (paralyzed 5 rounds)
17 Creature (9hp dmg)
10 Garen (immune to shriek)
7 Grod
Ari moves forward. With the wall of allies ahead of him he realizes that his bow is useless. He can barely see the monster. Considering what little he can do he calls out words of a simple illusion.... Maybe?
Washing Pool - Round 2 - continued
20 Isidiana (paralyzed 5 rounds)
18 Ari
18 Tot (paralyzed 5 rounds)
17 Creature (9hp dmg)
10 Garen (immune to shriek)
7 Grod
The winged creature jumps back initially as Ari conjures a wall right in front, but then a sly sneer crosses its unholy countenance, and it flies right through the illusory wall.
The bat-like head moves in close to the paralyzed Tot, forcing its long purple forked tongue into her helpless mouth, and giving a soul-splitting kiss to poor Tot. Once the kiss is broken, the flying head zooms back towards the ceiling, provoking an attack from Garen and Grod but flying out of their reach if able
saved
hit
Despite being unable to move, Tot's horror and terror show in her eyes as the vile monstrosity forces it's tongue into her mouth. Her stomach twists and knots itself as the thing steals her first kiss. Whatever else happens, Tot knows it will be a long time before she ever feels clean again, if ever.
"Not an undead, that's for sure." Grod grumbles, unable to tell what the thing *is*, only what it isn't. As it comes past him, he tries to take it down.
Washing Pool - Round 2 - concluded
Both attacks from the groups heavy hitters score against the slow-moving flying head before it can get out of reach. The last, an axe-blow from Grod, breaks open the brains of the thing, and it dies, falling to the floor of the wash room limply.
End of Combat
As soon as whatever the now dead monster had done to her to freeze her in place wears off, Tot falls to her knees and lets out a hacking cough as locked up reflexes catch up to what has happened. After a minute or so, the coughing fit is over, though Tot looks worse for the experience.
"Wh--what was that?" Her voice is raspy and harsh as she looks to the others, more than a little fear showing in her eyes. "Wh-why d-d-did it--Why d-d-did it d-d-do--th-that?!"
She shudders and rubs her arms as she turns away from the thing's remains.
"Ack!" the gnome says rubbing her ears as she revives, "I don't know... "
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"Probably trying to drink your soul or some such thing. Let us know if you feel ill later. It may have laid something in you that may come to maturity making you feel ill or have pains. I can't think of anything else. Just be wary and pay attention to your body." With that Garen focuses on Tot for just a moment and detects evil just to be sure she is still herself or at least not something evil.
Do I even have much of a soul?
Tot nods, trying not to focus on the disturbing possibility that the full consequences of what's happened to her may not be fully known, yet. She shivers as she feels Garen's eyes on her. She doesn't think the paladin means any harm, but she still feels violated from the monster's kiss and winces as her stomach turns. Once she has her sword and shield back in hand and ready, she looks to the others.
"Through here or turn back," she asks, gesturing to the door Grod stands by.
Ari moves up by Tot and examines her. "I've never seen anything like that in my studies. It looks like it was undead, or some sort of demon. You don't feel poisoned or diseased? I'd be worried from any sort of hit, but it looked like that thing was trying to suck the breath out of you!"
"Garen's right. If you feel anything weird we go back to the temple, and bring the body of that monster. Maybe someone will know something about it! I wish we had a better library in town. I'd go there right now to find out what that thing was and if you are in danger!"
Neither Tot nor any of the heroes in the group give off an evil aura.
"It was no undead I've heard of. Though admittedly there probably are some I've never heard of. At any rate, if you begin to feel ill, we should go to Father Zantus and see if he can help. Rest assured that we will do all we can, if the need arises."
Tot's cheeks color a little when Ari gets close and looks her over. She can't meet his eyes, worried as she is about what he may see in them.
"'M fine. W-we should finish clearing this place out," she says before looking up at Grod. "I--I'll go first. May I get by?"
Tot is definitely not fine. She's trying to put on a brave face, but she appears nauseous and she keeps avoiding everyone's eyes, like she's ashamed of something. It seems she's trying to repress what she's feeling to focus on what she thinks she needs to be doing.
"Pull the other one, you're not fine at all," Izzy D says "You look sick kind of...and you keep avoiding eyes, even my eyes, and my eyes are gorgeous."
If it wasn't for the seriousness of what is going, the way Tot freezes with her tail kinking up as Izzy calls her out would be comical. Slowly she lowers her sword and shield and lets her shoulders sag. She doesn't look like she's on death's door, but she's not what one would call the picture of health either. Her pale, ashen skin has taken on a decidedly green cast since the encounter with the otherworldly monster.
"I--I--Alright, I'm not fine," she admits, sounding more like someone admitting a bitter defeat than someone admitting that she's not feeling well. She shudders and pales even more as she catches the monster's remains out of the corner of her eye. "I-I f-f-feel s-s-sick and--and I--" her voice trails off as she can't bring herself to give voice to the rest of it.
And I feel violated and like I'll never be clean again.
Ari doesn't avoid Izzy's gaze. His eyes at first indicate anger, but quickly switches to thankful as Tot answers. With her weapon and shield lowered and her statement he reaches a hand to touch exposed skin on her neck. "I wish I knew what that thing was and what it did. You're right. You aren't wounded, but something is wrong."
"I think we should go back up and see if Father Zantus can help, or knows what the thing was. I'll carry the monster. Maybe they can detect disease or poison on it." He wraps his cloak around it so he doesn't have to directly touch it.
Tot flinches as she she feels Ari's fingers brush her skin, but after she regains control from the instinctual reaction, she forces herself to look up at him as he speaks. She feels guilty that they are having to turn back, and wonders how much more danger she might have just put them in because of what happened to her.
"I--" she starts to offer to carry the monster, but remembering what it did to her, she shivers violent and thanks Ari instead.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes to the others as Ari wraps up the monster in his cloak. "We've barely begun looking through this place and we're having to turn back because of me."
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Ari smiles warmly at Tot as she apologizes. "Don't be sorry. This monster used magic to paralyze you. We don't know what else it could have done. And Garen is right. This place has been here for.... centuries. We can return tomorrow, better off for the delay and knowing that you are vital and strong like you usually are."
With a grin he quietly adds, "And the next time a monster tries to kiss you, smack it away and kiss me instead...." He actually blushes a bit after realizing what he said, and turns away to lead the group back up and out.
Leaving the underground ruins behind, the heroes help Tot back to the surface with the intention of seeking out Father Zantus at the Cathedral. They also bring back the body of the flying monster in case its helpful at identifying any ongoing effects.
After about an hour of clambering through the tunnels and ending back up at the basement of the Glassworks, the group is tired from walking, and Tot is feeling a bit peaked -- not unusual given her ordeal in the ruins below the city.
As the team passed the guardsmen watching the Glassworks and head outside, Tot feels terribly affected by the light. Never really photosensitive before, she can barely stand to have her eyes open in the daylight, squinting and blinking to ward off the bright lights.
As you slowly get across Sandpoint to the temple, Tot feels something itching at her scalp, and when she reaches up to scratch it, large clumps of her long white hair fall into her shocked hands. Not enough yet to fully create a bald spot, but certainly a surprising and uncomfortable effect.
Father Zantus is purported to be in his office, and when you are led there, he sits behind a desk writing in neat straight lines, on a sheet of parchment. He looks up form his work at the end of a line, and removes the pince-nez spectacles he wears for fine writing. "Ah, the Heroes of Sandpoint! To what do I owe the honor of an audience?" he smiles wide and sincerely, and motions to seats in his office with a wave of his hands.
"We , and by we, I mean Tot, may need healing of a specialized kind. Please help her. This thing, it...was bat headed, well, it did a kiss on her while she was paralyzed and now she's having side effects." Izzy explains, "Fix her fix her fix her.. and please." She adds.
Ari unwraps the head, setting it down on a flat surface, the floor if needed. "She was feeling sick, but now it's worse. The sunlight was too bright and her hair is falling out." He looks at it and at the priest. "I haven't seen anything like this in any of my reading. Is it undead? Or maybe some kind of demon?"
"And the next time a monster tries to kiss you, smack it away and kiss me instead...." He actually blushes a bit after realizing what he said, and turns away to lead the group back up and out.
He wants to kiss me?!
Tot's emotions turn into a tangled ball too complex for her to sort through, and her blush is far more obvious on her face as she follows the others out. After having sunlight slam into her eyes and give her a headache to go along with the nausea, she keeps her eyes slitted and finds Ari's hand to have him help guide her through the streets to the newly opened cathedral.
Tot's worries grow, however, when she sees her hair beginning to fall out. It always has a mind of its own, tangling up and being impossible to do up without some help, but she doesn't want to lose it, even if she wonders if she's more vain than she thought because of that realization. Between the worry and the bottled up emotions from learning about how Ameiko was betrayed by her brother, she almost collapses against Ari in relief as they get under the roof of the cathedral and see Father Zantus.
Still, her nerves ratchet higher as the situation is explained. Her tail writhes and twists around her as she fidgets with the strap of her shield, an nervous habit that she'd regained after running away to Varisia. Questions run through her mind as she waits to hear if Father Zantus can help her.
Grod nods as the others talk, but has nothing more to add.
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Father Zantus listens with patience and looks at the carcass of the creature brought before him. He nods his head and says, "This creature is called a vargouille. It is not a demon nor an undead, but an evil extraplanar creature often summoned here by those who worship the Mother of Monsters or her allies. It is pure evil, and seeks mainly to propagate by making more just like itself. That, I am afraid, is what happened to poor Tot. She is in the process of becoming another creature like that. Untreated, she will completely transform. Fortunately, you brought here her in time, I believe, to arrest and reverse that transition."
"You must leave her here at the cathedral over night. I do not have the proper spell prepared and the Stardreamer may grant it to me overnight if she is good. Sunlight will slow her transition, even if it is painful to her. As will strong magical light, which I can cast now, if needed. Leave her with us, and return in the morning. Goddess willing she will be made whole then."
"Before you leave, tell me how and where you came across this foul outsider. How did Tot come to be infected by it?"
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”I’m not sure how much you have heard of our dealings with the sheriff. Yesterday morning Ameiko was missing. Based a letter we found in her room it seemed as if she had gone to the glassworks to see her brother. We went to find her. We found her father dead and her brother working with goblins. We also found a set of tunnels beneath the glassworks. Today we went to clear those tunnels and to ensure there no additional threats to the town. After running into an inhuman two legged monstrosity, we then ran into this thing. Needless to say, there appear to be plenty of threats to the town. As soon as Tot is ready we will resume our search and destroy mission. Is there anything else you need from us Priest?” Garen says explaining the situation with likely more detail than necessary.
Isidiana hears about the horrid creature "THIS is good story material!" then she blinks and looks apologetically at Tot "Horror story, of course. Sorry. We'll get you through this and you stay at the temple. I'll sing you songs to help you through it."
To the priest she says "Please do all you can do to restore her. I'll stay with her as I said to comfort her."
Hearing that she was in the process of turning into one of those foul monsters turns Tot's anxiety to fear. The knowledge that Father Zantus could help acts as a sop to prevent her from falling into a panic, but she is clearly shaken by the whole ordeal.
Izzy's offer to stay with her, though, sends a different emotion welling up through her. She's grown to like all of the others, but she never thought that any of them, other than Ari, would stand by her.
"Thank you, Izzy. I--I appreciate it," she says softly before turning her attention back to Father Zantus. "And thank you, Father Zantus. I--I don't know how to repay you," she says, her tail wrapping around her legs as she struggles to look him in the eyes. "I'll--I'll do whatever I can to repay the debt."
How, she has no idea. She barely has enough coin to buy a new set of clothes, much less enough to pay for any magical treatments, arcane or divine. Working as a cook isn't likely to net her riches, though given her heritage, she might live long enough to pay it all back even on that modest of a living.
If this was Cheliax or Nidal, I'd probably be killed to avoid the hassle or sold into slavery to recoup the costs. I guess I should be grateful that isn't likely to happen here.
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Father Zantus listens to the story of monsters under the village aghast. He nods firmly. "Usually such spellcasting work comes with a fee, but if you are working to save our town from such horrors, I will gladly waive the charge. We are not Abadarians after all..." He snickers at his own little joke.
"I expect Tot will be right as rain by morning. I will let you know if anything else is needed. Tell me if we can be of further assistance as you keep Sandpoint safe!"
"Thank you, Father Zantus," Tot says, her gratitude clear in her voice. As her eyes fall, she sees the state of her clothing and the battered armor she wears. Her coin purse is fuller than she remembers it being, then grimaces as she remembers why it is. If she's going to be finding herself fighting monsters, she figures it's time to get something more appropriate to exploring ruins and more protective than armor she's pieced together from whatever she could scavenge.
"Um, A-Ari," she stammers, her cheeks turning pink as she remembers what he whispered to her in the catacombs. "C-c-could you d-do me a favor?"
Ari listens but doesn't see a need to interrupt. When Father Zantus mentions waiving the charge Ari shakes his head a little. "The cure is of course worthy of a proper donation. We have some coin, and will surely find more that the enemy will gladly contribute as we end their threat. Tot is proving to be a powerful warrior in this battle to protect our town." He digs out 50 gold and hands it to the Father. "There will be more, and I have little need of it now."
Ari hears Tot's request and smiles. "Of course! Which armor would you prefer? You are on the front line and should be better protected!" Once she chooses he knows where to go to get armor. He goes and returns as quick as he can, stopping only at the Rusty Dragon to get some food for Tot and Izzy. (and himself)
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Outside, Garen draws Ari aside. "That was commendable. I mentioned what I did so the priest knew we were giving of ourselves in the defense of his town. He likewise saw a means by which he could give in providing healing. But, as I said, your desire to support the temple is commendable but I would not have you put yourself totally out." Garen then gives over 25 gold to the investigator. "I feel we will all need the best equipment we can afford before this is over so we can't have you limiting yourself too far."
"Father, that's nice of you! And also common sense as we are taking our lumps on behalf of the whole town ,but I think I'm going to create a hymn to Desna and offer it up to your church for your consideration. It's the least I can do and I like making songs anyway."
Her time will be spent with Titania and help her out. And yes, song construction.
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Ari looks at Garen when he offers him the 25 gold. He listens, then nods. "OK. And I agree. I don't really need anything now, especially with the tools that we found in the glassworks. They're a lot better than what I had." He considers things and tucks the coins away. "But if you happen to need something in the future? Making any of us stronger makes everyone stronger. And I think we're going to need strength in the future. There's just too much going on to think there's not something big coming."
Ari had thought Tot had just wanted an upgrade to armor. But there was more. Sell her old armor and add gold to it to buy scale mail. And four outfits with pants to accommodate her tail? He'd never considered the requirements of clothing requirements for other than human bodies. He thought Tot's tail was cute, interesting and useful. She'd shown that she could use it kind of like an extra arm, or more....
Considering the stores around town Ari first considers Rovanky Tannery, but he doesn't remember if they'd have any completed armor. He decides instead to go to Savah' Armory. Tot hadn't asked for a weapon, but getting scale mail to fit her might be interesting. Once he explained who he was buying for Savah's assistant directed him to the appropriate armor. Savah had been out during the celebration and had seen the group, especially the Tieflings. She corrected Ari's selection, explaining the proper fit on a female body like Tot's. Some of her words had Ari rather embarrassed and blushing.
His next stop was at Vernah's Fine Clothing. He had shopped there several times in the past for his mother, usually with his father. He knew Rynshinn Povalli and expected excellent work. Besides, after his mistakes with the armor he hoped the lovely Rynshinn would provide the guidance that he needed with the clothing. She was with a client when he arrived so Ari had to wait. Once she completed that sale she smiled a greeting. Ari explained what he needed, and showed Rynshinn the armor. She laughed and said that she'd seen the little tiefling. She had the requested clothing in the right size, but would need a day to modify it for her tail. When Ari asked about the modifications Rynshinn just laughed and told him 'The lady will have to explain it to you, if she wants to!'. She also said that Ari would have to bring Tot there to try the clothing on, and perhaps to look at some nicer, more comfortable clothing!
He pays for the clothing, again blushing and wishing that he hadn't asked, and returns to Tot.
"We'll have to go to Vernah's Fine Clothing tomorrow to pick up your order. Rynshinn says that you will have to try the stuff on so she'll know your size better in case there's anything else you want to contract, in the future. She was looking at some dresses...."
Tot figured that she might have to be present so that any tailor or seamstress would be able to see what alterations were needed, but the thought of wearing a dress...
It doesn't scare her, or displease her. It'd been so long since she had worn a dress, however, she doesn't really know how she feels about it. Besides, she tells herself as she wonders what Ari told this Rynshinn, there are a lot of different kinds of dresses.
"Um, what kinds of dresses was she looking at," Tot asks Ari, hoping to learn a little more about what she could be walking into tomorrow morning.
Assuming that all goes well and I'm not a monster by then.
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Ari smiles, but glances away at Tot's question. "Well, Ah. Rynshinn has lots of, pretty dresses there. The shop is called Vernah's Fine Clothing.... I think Vernah might have been her father? My father used to have me along to help pick out special cloths for Mom. There's a lot of regular clothing, but also a lot of really nice stuff, like you might want to wear to a party? I saw this pretty pink dress.... But, thinking about that, maybe a darker red would go better with your skin color? But what colors do you like, when you're not wearing armor?"
He puts a hand on her arm, looking at her face and hair. The expression on his face is obviously concerned. "I trust Father Zantus. I'm sure he'll get you feeling better in the morning."
"But I did get the armor like you asked. Savah said she'd seen you at the celebration. Not very many tieflings in the crowd.... And she's good at estimating sizes. I had thought I knew what I was doing, but she stopped me and handed me a different one that she said will fit you better. She said it was a proper fit for your womanly shape, and soft where it needed to be for you. You can try it on once you're cured tomorrow."