Search Posts
As Koddast and Vysala peer around the corner they see: Down the center of this wide corridor, a narrow footpath winds through a shimmering grove of perfectly sculpted ice chrysanthemums. Beyond the cooridoor the maze turns left, and its from just up there you can hear a beast bellowing.
The lovers look at Aleon like he's crazy. The crazy ogre yelling crazily trying to ruin their fun. But they do not stop. They enter the maze and disappear in the icy mist that shrouds the first bend. Opo lifts 13sp from the young man: all the money he had to woo the young peasant girl with. You follow them into the maze. It's eerily quiet in here. You turn left, right, right and then left. Every few minuets you hear that roar of some terrible beast coming from deeper in the maze, now from your left, now from your right, as you move cautiously through this maze of twisty little passages, all alike. There is a corner up ahead, bending to the right. From around the corner comes a "tinkling" sound, like Christmas ornaments clinking together, or champagne flutes being "cheers"-ed.
The carnival is getting eerily quiet as the evening wears on. Bodies lie everwhere, there just arn't that many people left to scream. Now and then you hear a heavy "pluph" sound followed by high pitched ice brownie laughter as some poor sod gets thumped by some terrible fey. Koddast picks a few of these off on the path but there are just so many. You've got to get to the root of the problem: the creature Sintyra called "The Cold Rider". You arrive at the entrance to the Ice Maze: The few remaining Fairgoers happily trot into the ice maze, oblivious to the eerie pinkish color of the ice walls and the blurred shapes of butchered townsfolk now sealed beneath layers of ice, propped upright and facing into the maze. A pair of star-crossed lovers pass you holding hands, laugh, and enter the maze, walking right past the blood and gore without batting an eye. Somewhere from deep in the maze you hear the roar of some massive creature.
From inside, you can hear villagers starting to scream as they inhale smoke. They will burn alive! Just then a small ice-brownie comes walking by whistling a tune. When he realizes the Titan is on fire he stops next to Opo to admire. Goblin and Brownie both stand there for a moment, the same sick grin on each of their faces. Brownie says Wow, Mr. Goblin dude, very nice. I mean, really impressive work. Congratulations. He shakes Opo's hand vigorously, then he turns to continue on his way. It's sort of a "did that just f*&ing happen?" moment.
The Titan's Wheel. Even before the fey got ahold of it, twas a nauseating site. It's a windmill, you know. Kind of a big one at that. The windmill’s blades had been replaced for the Carnival by a massive fifteen-foot-diameter metal wheel painted in nauseating spirals of lime green and orange and threaded with flapping rainbow streamers. Kids stood around laughing as the men of the town tried their strength at spinning it, to win prizes for their sweethearts. But now, The Titan’s Wheel has undergone a drastic change. Stripped of its once-colorful decorations, it juts like a rotten claw from a quagmire of mud and blood. Fairgoers navigate toward it on rotten planks arranged as steppingstones to span the fetid morass. Ghoulish trophies dangle from the great metal wheel, bound by their own intestines to the rusting metal so they drag through the mud and up into the air as the wheel rotates. As long as this thing continues to rotate it's gonna kill these poor souls. Around the side of the monsterous building you see a door, covered in blood and guts, which allows access to the mighty gears of the mill inside... Off in the distance, somewhere in the ice maze, there is a mighty roar. The Monster Gradzaal, no doubt.
Having left poor Azalia there with the evil tree, Opo peeks in the Gnome's bag and finds: -A Potion of Fly
Quickwood begins vomitting up a nasty black liquid. His big eyes grow glassy and he staggars around. The beetles and creepy crawlies chew and burrow into his bark. Blinded by the light Quickwood is Stunned and stands still, it's highest branches creaking from the residual motion of the monster as you all run with the children from the woods.
Round summary. If Opo's fire bomb only does fire damage than it has no effect other than the flames reflecting in Quickwoods' giant dark eyes. Koddast's and Aleon's arrows stick in it's bark causing it to wince and it's oaken leaves to shutter and rustle. Tamar's ray of flame (all fire damage) likewise has no effect. Opo is the only target close enough to Quickwood, it it grabs him with his roots... Mechanics:
root 1 VS Opo: miss root 2 VS Opo: miss root 3 VS Opo: hit! for now pulls... CMB Vs Opo:
Opo's little green legs are shredded bad by the roots and Quickwood begins to drag the poor goblin toward hit's gaping maw. MAP UPDATED.
But she flys too close. and gets knocked out of the sky by Quickwoods mighty blow . Her little body hits the snow, her fairy-glow beginning to fade... Jan's beetles attack the monster Quickwood lumbers toward you as fast as it can (20ft double move). Cold rider said this forest could be mine.
Koddast/Vsyla, Kan, Aleon make for some distance and Tamar rises out of reach into the air. Opo arrives puffing and out of breath, but the kids are too far back to worry about. Azalia is not sure what's going on, Old Quickwood looks just like any other tree to her!
Let's take a moment here and talk about whether I've resolved the monsters actions correctly before we move on. Did I misread any Character ACs? Take too many actions? Forget a character Feat that applies? Feel free to look at his statblock if you want, i trust everyone not to metagame:) This is a very powerful monster. And it's fun for characters to run in to something over their head now and then, though I guess that's up to you guys to decide. But It's not too late to run!
Something terrible happens: as Tamar's magic missiles hit the creature it absorbs the energy. Lumbering toward you all (move speed 10 ft) it sends it's roots deep into the ground... ...roots burst up from the ground grasping for Koddast, Jan and Tamar's legs! Mechanics:
hit! for confirm Confirmed! For an additional hit! for hit! for now pulls...
And free bite!
Koddast's legs are sliced and squeezed by the dark roots. It's an especially ruthless attack! Jan's and Tamar's legs are also squeezed though not as bad Then the most horrifying thing...the roots begin to drag each of you close to Quickwood (). That's close enough! It lurches forward and bites Jan MAP UPDATED
Initiative?
As Tamar peers into the deep darkness he sees that the eyes are set into a large - no a GIANT - fallen tree lying in the river. Were it not for the image of a sinister face peeking out from its dark gray bark, this would look like any other ragged fallen oak tree. There is a creaking and cracking sound and its branches snap off while it pulls itself out from being jammed under the bridge and lifts itself to it's, um, feet? Koddast and Jan both recognize this monstrosity. It is a QUICKWOOD. Although usually of Neutral alignment, the Quickwood, as with the fey killing people down in the carnival, has been corrupted, and it's moving menacingly toward you now...
***************** TRACKING OPO ************* Jan and Vsyla do an excellent job following the trail. You are on the right track you've no idea how far ahead the sleigh is. Eventually you come to a small stone bridge. Koddast knows:
there are no man-made bridges over the forest creeks this far into the fey forest... The Fey must have put it here, and that makes it dangerous. Just then you hear an explosion! It's about 400 yards Northwest. There is a flash of colorful light visible through the trees in that direction - One of Opo's bombs! But just as you are about to start that direction you hear a terrible growling sound, and two red glowing eyes shine out from under the dark bridge...
*************** OPOS EXPERIENCE ******************* Opo's Bomb blows the Gnome sky high! He squeels as he sails in to the air at lest 20 ft. He hits the deck with a thud and a crack, his fey neck broken. Opo wings wide as he grabbs a passing tree trunk. He lands with a thud in the snow, having rescued 3 kids in the crook of his hideously mutated arm... As Opo stands up and himself off he sees the sleigh lanterns disappearing into the darkness as the horses bolt in fright. Opo now finds himself in total darkness. Alone with 3 children deep in the fey forest. The kids start to sob.
************ OPO'S EXPERIENCE *********** The crazy gnome with the arrow in it's back spurs the horses wildly, and the sleigh weaves in and out of the thin birch trees on the snow. The kids laugh and hollar, standing up in their seats and dangerously reaching out of the vehicle. It's only a matter of time before one of them gets decapitated by a passing tree!!!
The Ice Fey just sits there and smiles. Of the 7 kids getting on the sled two little girls who really love bugs take Jan's offer and get off. And the kids scream as Aleon plops the grinning goblin right down between them on the sled! But just after that the ice gnome flicks the reigns and shouts yaaaaaaa! and the horse takes off, with Opo and 5 kids aboard! Koddast looses his readied arrow and the arrow hits the ice gnome! but not enough to slow him down. DC10 spot check:
You see Mr Sathelbry’s mangled corpse bound beneath the sleigh, his head dragging against the snow leaving behind a
bloody trail. Poor devil. The next few harrowing moments are spent racing after the sled as it disappears into the fey-forest tree line but it's too fast. Accept for Opo, finding the sled is now a group DC20 check (can use SURVIVAL, KNOWLEDGE LOCAL, OR KNOWLEDGE GEOGRAPHY).
You walk through the carnival. Everywhere you see people laughing and eating corn dogs and having a good time while they are tackled and dragged away by fey. But you've no time to save them, for there is one attraction you want to check on first. An attraction that makes you shudder whenever you think how the fey might be twisting it. And it has to do with the children... You arrive at the sleigh ride stop. Last time you walked by here, old Mr. Sathelbry was giving sleigh rides to the kids. They squealed and laughed as his prancing pony, Doc McStuffins, pulled the well-lacquered sleigh over hill and dale along the nearby treeline. But now, black lines smear through Sathelbry’s name on the signboard in front of his sleigh stop. It now reads, “Free Sleigh Rides for Children.” Seated in the driver’s seat, a queer little gnome with an icy beard waits patiently with an un-naturally wide smile, as dozens of children pile into the sled.
The Flower prevents them from seeing the horrors all around them. But nothing can hide the fact that they are getting hollared at by an Ogre. An Ogre!. Grumbling and nervously exchanging comments they all hustle away as Opo weaves among them feeling up the last hidden spots in their pockets...
Jan pokes the porker, but he seems amazingly unaffected. Tough pig-leather hide! Opo is sneaky enough to pick a few pockets. He finds 16sp, a Harrow Card (unidentified), a corked potion (unidentified), and he pricks his finger on a fishhook one of them had in his pocket! Aleon's arrow hits it's mark. Again, the creature is TOUGH. But he seems to have a lot of pig-blood seeping out multiple orifices now... Hi-ho, fast or slow, I'll tear your flesh to make pie dough! says the sick swinomancer!
As everyone holds Vsyla sniffs the air. She can sense the Swinomancer is there... ...then beys loudly and starts running toward Jan! That's when the swineomancer reappears - right beside Jan! He's laughing: Hey ho, diddle-de-do, here's some Pie to stuff your HOLE! and he smears putrid pie innards all over your branches. Yuck! Then you notice in his other piggy hand he's got a GIANT PIE-DOE ROLLER! and he swings it at Jan for . Vysala snarls and digs her teeth into the pig-monsters leg, tearing flesh.
The poor townsfolk only look at Jan quizzically. As Koddast steps to the NW he gets a view behind the wagon. There are dead bodies back there, getting eaten by pigs! That's when you see him: He's a giant, 600 lb humanoid pig headed monstrosity. He wears a chefs hat and a sick fey smile. He hums a tune as he comes around the wagon, pushing a cart upon which a bubbling machine churns intestinal pie-filling. Seeing you and assuming you are under the flower's spell he greats you warmly: Ho hum, diddle-dee dum...Oh, hello there! Welcome to the pie eating contest! Then through a hose attacked to the gut-pie machine, he sprays new gut juices and organs onto the table for the contestants! It's time to fight the Swineomancer!!
You sneak through the carnival as best you can. Last time you walked by here the delicious scents of sugary berries and fresh-baked pastry wafted by as laughing contestants buried there faces in sweet smelling pies. Now a new banner hangs over the event: “Biggy-Piggy Pie-Eating Contest!”. Written in blood. Beneath the banner sits a twentyfoot-long table covered with a red-checkered tablecloth. Seated at the table, twelve local contestants. With napkins tucked into their shirts and their hands tied behind their backs, their faces greedily plunge into the fresh-baked "pies". As they slobber and gnash their way to victory they laugh and kid eachother, for the Eye of Rapture has cast it's evil spell upon them and they think they are eating pie. Only it's not pie. It's stinking entrails, gall bladdars, and body fat of God-knows-what!
|
