"It is evil and it is unnatural and I don't trust it or want to suffer it to live. It has a feel of creeping menace that doesn't seem to fit within the rest of this tomb. But I will assent to your council for now. While it has slunk off, I will take the advantage to divine if there are any other sources of evil about." Kells starts concentrating hard using his Detect Evil to thoroughly scan the hallway.
"I do not trust it either. I am expecting everyone to be mindful of it incase it does attack again."
"I'll be sure to monitor the creature closely while you do. We don’t want anymore unexpected surprises!” he adds when Kells suggest using his Detect Evil ability
Kells nods "Understood. Well, the rest of the hall is free of any evil. Just our little watcher. Well, let's be ready to move as soon as Tobin and Kessel return. I don't think standing around here being watched by that thing will avail us anything."
"Tobin, I think that horrid little monster was stalking us, who knows why, but if Kells doesn't like the sight of it we have to assume that it only means to do us harm."
Tobin heads back to join the rest of the group, chatting to Kessel as he goes. "Well, I trust your opinion, and Kells', but I think Khadath is going to be hard to convince," he says. "He seemed ready to defend the creature with arms, if necessary!"
"Well, let's be ready to move as soon as Tobin and Kessel return. I don't think standing around here being watched by that thing will avail us anything."
"Actually, I'm curious as to why the creature continues to move behind these statues. If there are no objections, I'd like to see if we can find anything of interest behind them once the others return.”
”starting with the one we first encounter the creature behind or the one its currently hiding behind now. Unless anyone has a reason why we shouldn’t?”
They young paladin shrugs "Alright, when Tobin and Kessel get back down here, I'll hold the everburning torch up there and Zareta can hold Tobin up so he can see the backs of the statuesss. IF he is comfortable with the idea of poking around with something we know is evil just inches away."
Darie shrugged. "I just hope this thing is not just waiting for us to turn our backs, or to scare us into some kind of deathtrap." She was deferring to the priest for the moment, but her face showed her quite uneasy with the decision. She just did not feel well with the thing in her back.
She lowered her crossbow, and moved past the statue the monster was hiding behind. "I'll see if there are others like this behind the other statues."
"That was an unnatural fear," Kessel says as he returns, "that creature is trying to split us up, I'm glad to see all of you alive and well, but that little horror means us nothing but trouble."
Kessel searches his memories and thinks back to his training in hopes of remembering anything that might be useful . . . but nothing seems to be coming to mind.
"I don't know what that thing was but I know it's nothing but trouble. I don't want to explore any further with that thing behind us,"
After a while a single possibility comes to mind, floating eyes and weird effects happening, it could be beholderkin.
"Wait." Kessel says as his face suddenly lights up, as if he only just remembered something, "Khadath, what do you know about beholder kin?"
Kells frowns "All I know is VERY evil and dangerous." He gently taps the hammer against his leg.
Kells can sense the thing getting a little closer to him.
"Wait." Kessel says as his face suddenly lights up, as if he only just remembered something, "Khadath, what do you know about beholder kin?"
"hmmm, let me think a moment"Khadath replies as he tries and recall what he may know of the creature.
After informing Kessel of what he knows he adds
”Evil is as evil does. Where would you place us if we killed that thing simply for being what it is?” he asks Kessel with a raised brow
”Besides, I’ve yet to see it attack anyone without provocation. I do not fear the creature and it has responded to me without any ill effects. I will search around the statue it hides behind while the rest of you keep a watchful eye on it.”
Khadath then moves to search the statue
Taking 20 for searching behind the statue that the creatures is hiding behind
"Khadath, that thing was sneaking up on us to do . . . Chauntea knows what, if it hadn't been for Zereta sharp eyes I don't doubt for a second that it would have struck first. I'm not sure what sort of offense this thing can muster but it wouldn't take much power to kill someone that's been put into a magical sleep. I wouldn't trust being alone with this thing. Killing it might seem harsh to you Khadath but I come from a different tradition and way of thinking than you, and when something goes feral it needs to be put down . . . for the safety of all."
Darie nodded. "When you see a goblin with a torch running for you, you don't expect a wild hug. You break out the crossbow and hope to shoot it before it throws that thing to your roof." Speaking against the priest was still something she immensely disliked doing, but now that she had a bit more support, she was growing bolder as well. "As for assaulting us, if it has any sense at all, it won't try and attack us with all eyes upon it. Once we turn our backs, however..."
Kessel nods at what Darie is saying,
"Plus there are monster of evil cunning and guile, things that pretend to be helpless or weak, only to take advantage of the kindness of strangers. Perhaps not all creatures that registrar as evil have blood on their hands but my friend they sure as anything have evil intent in their hearts. I wouldn't dare turn my back on this thing and I sure as hell wouldn't want to sleep knowing it's floating around here somewhere . . ."
"I fully understand all your concerns, but I have no intention of resting here in this place, whether this creature survives or not.”
”if you all feel strongly about putting this creature down simply because you believe its sole intent is to do you harm, then you are letting your own fears control you. In truth I alone could not withstand to defend this creature if the decision is made to slaughter it. But!, don’t fool yourselves, slaughter it without compassion is what you would be doing.”
”I would see no reason for you all to carry that mark within yourselves, so if you all believe we should slaughter it outright, then I shall be the one to do it, and the mark shall be against my soul alone if it were wrong to slaughter it.”
”though I cannot help to think that this creatures serves some purpose here”
Khadath stands firm as he waits for his companions to reply. His hands moves to his mace as he draws closer to the creature.
Khadath finds nothing behind the statue.
Kells feels the evil eyes of the thing looking at him.
With a little more thought and observation of the floating eyes eventually deduces that its a 'Lurking Strangler'. It is an aberration somewhat akin to beholders it has magical effects it can call down by looking at a person and it usually wraps it's striated muscle-mass around a victim it knocks prone.
Will Save= d20+ 1= 5 (fail)
Kells slips wordlessly to the floor, his hammer clanging on the stones.
Darie ground her teeth audibly, clearly conflicted about what she was doing, but she slowly, agonizingly pressed down the metal trigger on her crossbow, and was rewarded by a whirring once she passed the critical mark. I am sorry... It is too dangerous, and will not back down
"Kells!" Tobin cries out, dashing to the warrior's side. "Wake up, my friend, wake up," he repeats, shaking the fallen man by the shoulders and pinching his cheeks.
Kessel grabs his bow (which he would have dropped when he ran) and takes aim at the horrid freak!
Combat stuff:
unfortunately, in his haste, Kessel fires early and his shot barely misses his companions . . . never mind the lucking strangler.
Kessel's got a 9
Darie cursed, and none too piously. How had that thing moved so quickly? Or had she flinched the last moment? In any case, the fight was on now. She stepped back and frantically tried to put a third bolt into her crossbow... somehow, her dagger seemed even less appealing than it.
Kells starts waking up at Tobin's prodding "....hnn? Wha happ...? The eyes. They knocked me out again? Blast it!" He tries desperately to grab his hammer and stand back up.
The floating eyes drift over to Kells and it's muscle-mass stretches out and lashes around the paladin's neck.
Kessel drops his bow and pulls out his rapier (),
Walks over to Kells (),
and stabs at the blasted thing! (attack damage (1d20=6, 1d6=6) )
Khadath moves to try to help rouse Kells and free him from the strangler, all hope of reasoning with the thing lost in the dangerous moment.
"I'm with you, KC," Tobin says, moving up to where he can get a clear shot at the strange creature.
Kells, reddening, says "Pklllchrrk!!"
"I'm with you, KC," Tobin says, dropping his bow and drawing his rapier. He tries to stab at the strange creature, but fear of hurting Kells hampers him.
Kells grabs frantically at the sinewy cord-like body around his thoat and tries desperately to dig his fingers in enough to pull the foul things free.
With the help of his friends Kells manages to release the thing from around his neck, it flails out and tries to reclaim it's grip on his throat but fails.
Kessel again attempts to stab the thing but with all the wriggling he misses horribly.
"Throttling Kells isn't very friendly," Tobin says as he circles the creature, looking for a better opening. When he sees his opportunity, he lunges forward, stabbing the floating thing with his rapier.
Accepting that the thing needs to be ended for Kells sake Khadath swings at the thing with his light mace. Hitting it solidly the thing makes a pained sound.
Loriel:
Tyrion:
He sets out on a fine, sunny day, imagining what he might find and if Calli would ever write a story about him and meets nobody on his journey until he's almost at the cairn and sees someone just ahead of him..
Loriel & Tyrion:
Darie, despite the exertion, grinned as the creature let go of her friend, and shot it a dirty look. "Tobin, I'll draw its attention. You finish it off, alright?" While maybe it was not generally the wisest idea to announce such a plan in plain language as she did, she did not really consider that at the moment.
Off she went, shouting at the creature, and feigning a jab. Maybe it would turn its attention to her...