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Squall takes point with Djala as the group moves south. He keeps watch as their more technically-minded companions work on making the moving stone slab safer to move. The waterspouts in the hall beyond promptly catch the tengu's attention. "Huh. I would have expected the dwarves who dug these tunnels to carve dwarf faces here, or maybe gargoyles or other monsters. But not humans."
Squall steps to flank the skeleton next to him, studies it a moment, then swing with both weapons. ◆ Step (to flank purple with Djala) ◆ Hunt Prey (on purple) ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
Squall crows when his twinned attack obliterates the ghast, but his victory cry is cut short by the festrog mauling him in return. He focuses on that foe, and tries to repeat his last maneuver. He then takes an offhand swing at a skeleton who is flanking both him and Djala. ◆ Hunt Prey on Blue festrog ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike vs. cyan skeleton: ;
"Aye, we've a better position here," Squall replies, nodding as he keeps his eyes on the ghast, who he guesses is the most dangerous foe here. He holds Azarim (still in warhammer form) and his mace ready to attack. ◆ Hunt Prey on Yellow ghast.
Readied action ↺: Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
; ;
Squall looks into the newly opened room, and has to muffle a gagging sound. "Before anybody makes any comments about scavenger birds and their diets, I want to say, that's just grotesque." He waves at the room carpeted in watchful eyes. He steps back away from the entrance. "I'm thinking we should leave this for now and check put the sounds Tik heard coming from beyond that rubble," he suggests, gesturing towards the ratfolk then towards the other passage south. "It could be someone's hurt in there and needs help, or the place is haunted and needs cleansing. Maybe both? Whatever it might be, we should check it out."
Squall makes some distinctly avian noises of disgust once the festrogs are defeated, and gingerly steps around the corpses to make sure Djala is okay. Unsurprisingly, she insists on healing him first, over his objections. Once she finishes and begins tending her own wounds, the tengu remains nearby, on alert for more trouble. He listens to the discussion about the gear mechanism and the wall to the south. He volunteers to help turn the machine once everyone else is healed and ready to move onward. Athletics, to Aid Djala:
Same here.
Squall shows his agreement with Marguerite's tactics by taking a moment to study Green before attacking it with both his bludgeons. ◆ Hunt Prey on Green ◆ Twin Takedown vs. Green:
◆ Hunt Prey on Yellow ::Not fat at all, just strong and unyielding, like a proper dwarf,:: Squall answers Azarim, with a grim note of satisfaction.
Squall asks Azarim to take the form of a warhammer. He then drops his shortsword and quick-draws a light mace to bash at the festrog who ran past him. Drake's retreat allows the tengu to step back to where he won't be surrounded by the mob of filthy undead. ◆ Shift Azarim to warhammer
As usual, Squall is grateful for Djala's healing abilities, both mundane and mystical, and quietly thanks her as she treats his wounds. He's relieved to learn that there won't be any lingering effects from the mummy's touch.
"So, this wizard was here looking for something to help him live forever. And now, a year later, we have all this creepy death magic pouring out from the exact place he was poking his beak into. That can't be a coincidence. Sounds like he found and unlocked something," Squall muses aloud. The tengu clacks his beak in distaste, as if he bit into something even a crow would find unpalatable. "So...from his point of view, did things go horribly wrong, or...horribly right?"
"I'm not a very religious bird, but thank the gods that worked," Squall mutters fervently when the ghost is put to rest. The tengu helps with the examination of the remains and their new treasures, but he is happy to let his companions take any items of interest to them. The cage in particular creeps him out even more now that he knows what it does.
With Azarim confirming his intuition, Squall drops his non-sentient sword, rushes back to the mummy's remains to grab the caged head, then carries it to Djala's side to show the ghost. "Wait! Stop fighting! We found your head! We want to give it back!" ◇ Drop shortsword
Squall pants in relief when the mummy finally falls. He moves to peer around the corner at the zombie shuffling closer to them. "I'd wager that belongs to our friend back here," the tengu guesses, pointing at the caged head then towards the zombie. "Anyone have a clue whether giving it back would be a good idea or a very bad one?"
Squall shouts angry, panicked oaths at the mummy in Tengu as he stabs at it a few more times. Then, feeling rather like a diabolo dropped repeatedly by a drunk circus performer, he takes Djala up on her offer and takes a step back. ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before apply resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Step
Squall squawks in pain as the mummy pummels him repeatedly, but Margarite's healing spell persuades him to keep fighting rather than retreating. ◆ Twin Takedown:
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Strike: ;
Squall resists the worst of the fear aura, and after a momentary pause to study the mummy, he begins doing his darnedest to destroy the foul thing. ◆ Hunt Prey on Mummy ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Strike: ;
FYI, Meranthi (Djalamora) is traveling Sunday through Tuesday, so posting will be limited at best.
After Djala swiftly dispatches the ghouls, Squall takes a moment to shake himself, to make sure the paralysis has indeed not taken hold. He moves to watch the southern door as he waits for his companions to disarm the traps and Djala to tend his wounds. "Well done," he tells her when she joins him.
vs. sickened
vs. paralyzed
Squall urges, "Djala! Flank it!" as he rushes past her. He continues around one side of the stack of gears to close with and attack the undead thing hiding there. ◆ Stride ◆ Twin Takedown (if hits with both, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike: ;
With Azarim (still in hammer form) in one hand and his cold iron sword in the other, Squall sprints forward to help defend Marguerite. ◆ Stride
Seeing his companions preparing to attack the festrogs at range, Squall switches weapons to his bow. When the attack begins: ◆ Strike vs. Red: ; (deadly d10, range 60 ft., reload 0) ◆ Strike vs. Red: ; ◆ Interact to swap weapon back to Azarim
"Sounds like we need to try to pin them down in that alcove before they can get out to spring any traps on us?" Squall whispers to his companions. He draws his other sword, quietly moves up next to Djala, and studies one of the creatures.
Squall fails to stifle some curses in Tengu when the swills start spitting hot oil at him, but recovers his composure quickly when they prove to be lousy shots. Once they're dispatched, he tells Tik what Azarim shared about harvesting useful substances from the remains, but it's clear that he finds the creatures far too revolting to help with that process. Instead, he volunteers to go down first once again, and quickly swims to the dry tunnel to keep watch as the others come down one by one. He does his best to keep his complaints about being filthy to himself, but his body language speaks volumes as he tries to shake and wipe gunk off of his feathers and gear.
::That's disgusting,:: Squall replies to Azarim's "interesting fact." The tengu silently motions to those above to pull him up, then pulls out his bow and an arrow, and continues to study the squirming swills. When he's about halfway up, he signals his companions to stop, then shoots an arrow at Green to see how the undead will react.
;
Squall signals to Djala to stop lowering him just before he reaches the water, and replies quietly to Drake, "Water of unknown depth, with three things I can't see clearly moving in it. And weird eyeballs all over the walls."
Squall keeps watch while Drake and Tik work on rigging an elevator. Once they're nearly finished, the tengu quietly suggests, "I think either Djala or I should go down first, just in case something down there notices and we need to cover someone's descent." He peers dubiously at the hole below them. "At least I don't need a free hand to fight, if it comes to that," he adds, tapping his sharp beak. Perception:
Squall emits a long, low whistle when he's finally able to look at the full extent of the carnage instead of just focusing on mowing down the undead closest to him. The tengu cleans his weapons carefully, sheathing his cold iron blade when he's finished, but politely keeps Azarim drawn as the group discusses their plans. Judging the direction the escaped undead must have headed, he says, "Looks like they're going to the same place we intend to. I agree with Tik, we can hunt them down tomorrow." When Azarim changes into a pick, Squall nods. "Yes, let's make this place presentable again, before anyone else from town has to see the horrors. And it never hurts to curry a little favor with the Lady of Graves, does it?" After the gruesome task is finally complete, Squall declares that he is eager to make a prayer or two to Cayden Cailean, then sleep as long as his aching body will allow him to.
Squall studies the new horde before taking a couple swings at its zombies. Not wanting to be surrounded anymore then Azarim wants him to be, the tengu retreats just past Djala. "Are we having fun yet?" he calls to her in a somewhat fey tone. ◆ Hunt Prey on Green horde ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage together before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Stride
◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage together before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Strike: ;
As Squall settles into an effective rhythm with his scything blades, he begins vocalizing a strange avian song that is...surprisingly catchy, despite lacking any of their acquaintance Galesong's training or magic whatsoever.
I've been watching The Last of Us (recently finished S1 and started S2), and I gotta say, I am so, SO glad that the ones in this encounter are not nearly as fast or deadly as the ones in that series!
Squall continues to methodically slice apart undead. ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage together before applying resistance/weakness):
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Strike: ;
Squall saves his breath to focus his full attention on butchering abominations. ◆ Twin Takedown (if both hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness)
◆ Strike: ; ◆ Strike: ;
Squall studies the emerging undead, and recalls what Azarim said earlier about the best way to attack the first zombie horde. He wills the sentient weapon to become a shortsword, and swaps his mace for his cold iron sword. ◆ Hunt Prey on red troop
"Better you and me than anyone else here," Squall replies to Djala. They heft Azarim with some obvious satisfaction. "But eliminating threats faster certainly helps reduce our pain."
success vs. 1
Squall takes a quick swing with Azarim at the festrog attacking Djalamora, then shifts his full attention to the one that charged him. ◆ Strike vs. Green: ; ◆ Hunt Prey vs. Orange ◆ Twin Takedown vs. Orange:
"Let's avoid that then, shall we?" Squall replies to Azarim, willing the sword to become a light mace instead. They quick draw another mace and swing it in one fluid motion, then attack again with both weapons at once. ◆ Shift Weapon ◆ Quick Draw to draw light mace and Strike (mace gains Azarim's fundamental runes due to doubling rings):
◆ Twin Takedown (if both Strikes hit, add damage before applying resistance/weakness):
Squall watches the undead clawing its way out of the ground for just a moment, then murmurs, "You said something about slashing weapons?" He then starts climbing the fence, because he can do significantly more damage up close. ◆ Hunt Prey on Red
Squall cleans the gruesome remains from his blades, then sheathes the shortsword he drew to help dispatch the last few zombies. "I want to check out the perimeter first, see if anything sees off outside the fence. They seemed to be trying to break out on the north side. I'm curious why." The tengu suits his actions to his words, and carefully scouts along the fence to the north of the graveyard. He keeps Azarim in hand, in case of any more dangers, and to allow the sword to offer any insights she may have along the way.
"There were twice as many when we started," Squall tells Azarim, as he studies the horde more closely. The tengu fires one more arrow, curses under his breath, then switches from their bow for the talkative rapier. ◆ Hunt Prey on the zombie horde
Squall moves as the team spreads out, then methodically shots more arrows at the approaching horde. ◆ Stride
Squawk sheathes Azarim with a mental apology, and pulls out his seldom-used (but newly enchanted) shortbow as the group works their way around the perimeter. Once the zombies notice them, the tengu begins firing arrows into the horde. ◆ Strike: ; (deadly d10, range 60 ft., reload 0)
Squall tells Azarim, It won't help much, they're seventy, eighty feet away, but he complies, raising the sword higher. To the group, he says, "I agree with Drake and Djala. Let's keep that fence between us as long as possible, and whittle them down with our slings, arrows, bombs, and spells."
Squall looks concerned by Verrin's news, but lets the others handle trying to calm down the gravedigger enough to tell his story. The tengu knows little about undead, but he has found his recent encounters with them unnerving, to say the least. After a moment of weighing the pros and cons of getting involved, Squall nods to himself, and says. "If there are undead that close to town, that's an even more urgent threat than Merlokrep. And we're probably the people best equipped to check it out." |
