As directed, the horrid serpent-thing resurfaced with it's prey.
Free of the ground, it continued to coil around the troll. It hadn't been told not to seek additional prey while it waited, so it indulged itself.
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The unnatural snake did not seem to like the little fire spirit coming after it's prey. With a mighty yank it buried itself and the troll under the dirt.
As the troll hauled itself out of the extra-dimensional pit, Judah's terrible guardian snapped out from beneath the ground...
...but it missed.
Hey GM, it looks like the troll climbing out of the pit shoudl trigger Gate's readied attack. Would that action go off before or after the Troll attacked Lorant?
With nothing nearby and threatening it's master, the mostly buried horror was content to keep chewing it's troll.
Judah's unnatural guardian left the still body of the troll underground. As the ground above it compressed under the weight of the second troll, Gate lunged through the the ground like a striking serpent.
Judah's unnatural guardian continued to strangle and chew the troll.
A massive serpentine thing erupted from the ground and lashed out at the troll.
It wrapped around the ugly giant, and dragged it partially into the dirt.
The ground below one of the dogs erupts in a shower of dust and dirt...
O̢̼̫͖̙͖n̘͔̝͙̞e͍̠͕̫̫͜,̡̢͚͍͉͕ y̡̪̟̼͚͜e̺͚̫͇͎̟s̙͇̺͙͜.͚̻̫͎͎͚ T͖̺͉͚͓̺w͕̻͇̘͜͜o͚̪͔͉̝,̡̢͙̫̞͔ u͓͙n͖̦̠̻͍̠l͇͉͖͖͙i͚͉͕͖͇̙k̫̞͚̙͉̝e͔͕͇̟͍̞l͍͍̞̺̫̟y̡̢͕͕͓͇.͉͚͙͚͜ the thing answered in Judah's mind.
The creature reached into his master's mind and showed him many things.
Without a sound the amorphous thing rearranged itself into a serpentine beast and burrowed into the ground.
Behind him in the street, the serpentine thing didn't reply. Instead it's horrible leech-flower mouth snapped closed and it disappeared back into the ground the moment Judah began to panic. The earth displaced enough to show roughly where it was as it moved nearer to the doorway, hidden and waiting to protect it's master.
The ground rumbled and bulged before caving in as a large, inky tendril pushed it's way free of the dirt. It was black and rubbery looking, covered in odd folds and cracks. Faint yellow light on it's bulbous end formed an asymetiric symbol that matched the one that curved around Judah's eye. The yellow mark tilted towards Judah, then split in a dozen places, blooming like a flower made of meat and teeth. It seemed like it was waiting for something.
In Judah's mind, a thousand whispers answered in one voice. Psychopomp. Ushers of morbidity. Guides beyond the realm of flesh. Useful to those who travel beyond mortal thresholds. A hindrence to any who return.
Ev̮͍͍̫̺̗͚e̫͓ͅn͉͔̜̻͈͘ ͇̪d̠̳͓̦̝͚͞ͅe͇̻a̞̞̖͜t̛̤̯̘̺̻h̫̦̗̱ ̙̮̝̥͍̗͎m͔̩̫͎a͇y ̳̳d͇̤i̻e̠̙̗̼̼ͅ the creature whispered in Judah's mind. I̹̘͜f͞ ̬͕̭y̭͈̩̖̳o̙̻̘̹̭̮̻͜u̙̯̫̰͙͓ ͇̹̬̙͙̣͉s̻̥̣̼̦ha̺̭̮͈̼̠̜p͏̹̮͎̯͔̻e̢ m̺̙͙̗̞̯̟ę̫̫̖͖̝͖ ̻̠͈͍̼t̻͈̟̠o͙̰̱͈̱̥͟ ̩̺̬̝ͅt̞̠̗͝h͈͖a̢̼̠͇̝͙t̯͚ ͈̦̹̻̭p̘̕u̻̗̜͉͍̱r͙̺͢p͕͎͎̝ǫ͔͓͔̣̱̰̰s̴͖̻̝e̗̬̳̥.͍̭
E͕̪̟͇̟t̮͈e̯͙̼̠̣͜r̰͎͖̟n͎̟̺͚͙̙͔͘a̘l͝l̶y̛̘̲̤̯̲̱ the thing whispered in his mind. By the time they reached thier previous position, the ground had begun to bulge and crack with the telltail signs of Judah's guardian moving below the ground.
The faceless thing tilted it's head for a moment, then quietly burst like a balloon full of ink. Black liquid that had been a humanoid shape a moment before fell to the ground and ran into the cracks and shadows, vanishing into the liminal spaces it had been called from.
The inky, faceless creature simply started moving again as if nothing happened. With no further threats in the room it crawled head first back down the ladder to rejoin it's ward.
The inky black figure wormed it's way through the trapdoor, for a moment seeming more serpentine than humanoid, moving with an unnatural jerk and slither. A claw lanced out from behind the tiny thing.
Taking it's cue from it's current charge, the black, long-limbed thing slunk behind.
The winged thing didn't have a face. Instead it had a puckered ring that looked like a fanged anus, and a glowing yellow rune that matched the one that curled around Judah's eyes. If it had eyes, they would have been staring intently at the bronze shape in it's hands. Time seemed to stand still for a long moment, then slowly, it turned the polyhedron. Something clicked. The shape changed. There were more sides now than a moment ago. The creature tilted it's head in thought.
The shadow-winged specter pounced on it's master's foe.
Rebounding off the floor with a leap and a flap, the inky winged thing launched itself toward the next prey.
After swooping down at it's prey, the great inky thing hit the wall in a crouch, fell to the ground, and sprang right back up into the air to continue it's savage assault.
It's great wings held it aloft as it savaged the man on the wall.
The shadow creature stepped off the catwalk silently and let its massive wings carry it towards it's prey.
After swooping in to attack, the nightmarish creature was forced to land. There just wasn't enough room to maneuvvor it's great wings.
The lanky shadow lashed out as it's prey made to escape.
Out of the blackness behind the cloaked figure on the catwalk, a shadow loomed. For a moment it was serpentine, but it unfolded like it was turning inside out. Spindly legs pushed it up into a bipedal stance. Great black wings unfolded. It's eatureless face split and opened, yawning into a leech-like abyss as it lunged.
Y̶̝͈͍̰̝̻̮o̠͙͇ṵ̡̗̣͖̲̬ a̠̞̩s̱̙͔̦̲̠̰͝ke̦̟̜̭̮̥̯d͚̠̫̪̮̘ ̛̖w̨̳͖̗e͎͓ ͏̠̳͙͉̪r̥ę͉̬̟̙̮p̸̰̬̖̼̱̗͍o͇̙̳̯ͅr̵͙̣̞̳̜t ̭̠͉̮͢w̢͈̹͓̼h̭͙͚ͅa͖̫̫̣̯̖͇t ̝͈̞w͎ạ͈͖̼͙̪s̤ ̹̬̖͓i̛̱n̢s̩͙̟̣̦̫i͓͡d̫͔ͅe̠ ̦͚̠̪̥̫̘͘t̸̼͚͔h҉͙͙̜̟̼̟͎e̱̹͕̜̟̪ͅ ̗͍̮̰́s̬t̟͇̙͘r͎̫̼̺̞ư̙̗ͅc͇͓͈͈̟̀ͅt̡̞̮̹͈̪̙̟u̵̲̝̣̺͈͉͉re̠̩͇̠̕.͙̀
Ī̵͕̳̳̯̠͔̜͆̎̓͛͒̾͆͗͐̃͘͝ ̴̢̧̘͎͎͇̣͓͉̬̆͂͠͝͝c̷̨̹̯̣̬͍̜̩̈̓͊͜ͅà̶̲n̴̨̰̹̟̠̼̥̜̤͙̻̺̪̊̓͑̄̽̏͌͆̚ the thing's cacophonous whisper slithered through his mind.
"We̤̫͖ͅ ̯̦ar̮͞e̻͘ ̡̰̗͕͍̩w̢̩̹̝h̞̗̜̥ͅa҉̝̖̣͓̰̭̠t̢̺̦͕ ̸̠̠̳̯̼͚̟y̱͈̗o̞u̫̬̗̫̙ͅͅ ̸n̸e͔̗̰e̢͈̳̣̯̼͍̜d ̸̮̘̠us̻̜̘͎̪ ̤̤͢t͚̩̗̳͝o̻͖̣̤͞ ͈̱̞̻̞b̸̩̲e̥̥̫͖̰" the thing answered.
T̻̟͖̤̣͚́he̝̺ ̙̖f̙̭͎̦̥̜̝l̳̻͔e̦̝͙̗̮̮̻͘s̰h̙̜̪̭̱̙ ̗̱̰̻̪h҉̮̱̮̘̰͎̻a̖͕͝s̘̼̻̰̰̞̳͟ ̧̯̻͚͓̬̼͇b̢̞e̞̦̣͕͢é̠̻͖̦̤̺n̢̜ ͔͢s̝̥͇͇̘h̬̻͚͔̝̘̹e̱̝d̸͍͍͙̙͕͙͉,̗̙̣͈̳ ̴̖̠͎̩r̤̹̰ͅe҉͈̰p̹͇͓̺̫l̯̜̤̱̳̺a̧̪c̙̱̘̫̹e҉̥̦̺͚d ͅwi̗̲͚͝t̹̱̯̪̯ẖ̭̣ ̷͚e̬̯̗̯ͅͅa̮͓̭̙̼̤r̝̪̬̗t̛͎̤̞̫͓̙͍h͙ ̡̹à͎n̜̱͕̣̘d̫̜̰͇͚̲͍ ̠͎͕̮͓͉͡s͍̙̤̝̗̲͔̀t̢͓̤̱̮̠̤̗o̼̘͉̤̞͝n̛e̬̱̤, the thing said.
A̵̝̱̝̘̦̣͔ ̪̠̱̼͇d͉͖̪i̸̼̯̲̻͓͎f̡̺̠̪f̱e̺͔͕͔̺̝͎r̛͙͇̲͖̲̯e͓̼̪̩̺͘nt͙̭̠̦ ͇͉̯̬̭͚́ͅc̗̳̣̭o̶̫̦̱̩ͅn҉̫̼͔̤͓͍̘f̩̥͍̘͓͈i̡̹̞g͙̪̮̠͙͉͠u͡r̳̼͈̫a̩t̫͔̖̬̳ͅi̱̳̺͙̯̭̦o̝̭ ͚n̻͔͚͍̱̘ w͈̙̣̝a̝̹̖̥s̡̹ ̼̮ͅn̞͎͓͉e̷̤̼e̝̘͚͎͠d̻̤͜e̡̥̣d̮̻̳̤ ̬̩ͅt̝̝̲̖͙o̵͙͎̝͉̹͙ ̬̣̠͞c̢͎̠̻̗̖͚o͉̠͔̣m̳̰̼̭̹̟̳̕p̮l̫̹̰̻̹̗et̨̖̖̬ḛ ̖̗̮̻͕͇́y̷͍̥͕̫ou͔r̴̤̦ ͈̲̜͕̗̫̫r͙eq͎̼͈ͅụ̻̬͔̫̫̪͝e͇s̻͎͚t͓̰̘̘͓̪͟ the thing in his head said in a thousand stitched-together whispers.
The ground began to rumble. Soft earth bulged, then formed a sink hole.
The bulging coils of the creature below churned in the ground, breaching the surface briefly.
"Ļ̞̙̥̣̼̞ͮ͌ͅo̸̗̫̊̏ͤo̤̼̦̭̩̮̤͐́͌̇͞k̹̩̮̬̲̳̒̀ ̡̲͍͖͔̩͉̦̋ͬa̬̳͎̜͎̹̼̜ͭ͢g̸̺̟͐̊ͅa̗̩̰̺̺̔ͬ̐͆͝ḭ̴͈̂ͥ̈n̷̥̲̩̠͈̖̞̟̄" his guardian whispered in his head.
Ȩ͙̹̬̻̭̞̐ͩ̿͊t̳̞̪̖̤ͧ͆̂̀e̸̠͎͎̫̩̻̺̓ͩr͈̞͋͡n̶̤̰̻̍̃̂̋ȃ̵̜̻̝͈̖l̞͙̄̀̏́l͖̜͎̘̏ͬ͘y̡̲͙̅ ̰̙̯
The blotchy serpentine creature disappeared as quickly as it had emerged, dragging half the manticore carcass into the ground with it.
The ground erupted as the serpentine thing burst forth...
This is a big level for everyone's favorite eldritch horror. Gate doesn't get a new hit dice, so all it's numbers stay the same, but it gets a whole slew of new evolutions to play with. In it's serpentine form, it gains Grab. In it's quadraped form, it's now a flying, pouncing, rendmonster. In it's humanoid form, it's learned from Ed, and has Shadow Form, Shadow Blend, and is getting very good at impersonating Judah.
"Y̛o͎͚̠̯̲͝ú ̲͟c̷͓̳̜a̢̦̬̼͉̞͎l̲͈̣͇l̷̼̬̗̖͇e̶̜̟ͅd̲̜̯̗.͖̲͝ ͈W͍̙͔̪̜e ̴͙͕ć͎̪̪̦a̱̣̭̘͖̬̰m̧̼̱e̸̠̝̰̤̝.̣̘̗̙ ͓̳̹̻̹͕̲Y̺͇͉̻͕o̶̹̫̜̩̝͇u̶̘̠̲̠ ͈͈b̬͚̕ͅa̴͎͈̺̖̹̜n͈͕͇̯̹̘͝i̶̭͔̹̼̹̞ͅs̖̟̜̪̕ͅh̙̺͉̦̻̭. ̜̬̻̬̻̜͖Wͅe͔̞̼͔ ̧͓w̙̟a̯̻̮̹̤̤̫i̸t͏.̨̟̲:" the things strange multi-toned voice echoed quietly through the shaking stones. Then it burrowed beneath the ground again. This time, the ground seemed to give way to... somewhere else. A layer of subtle scintillating colors, like oil spilled on water, coated the black, organic looking tunnel it left behind. Then the tunnel closed like a wound as the ground fell into it. The creature was gone.
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