Doral takes a close examination of the bones, but finding little of value or interest at first glance he sighs, "Doubt I'll find anything of worth in this mess. All this action and so little coin..."
After examining the bones, he closes his eyes and listens if he can detect anyone approaching or anything odd after the commotion.
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Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
AC 19 (T13, FF16), HP 46/46, F +5,R+5,W+5
Eldritch blast: +6/+7, 3d6 damage
"I have some special... abilities. Like summoning the Glaive or seeing in the dark. One of them s the ability to see invisible creatures. As the crystals were destroyed, a demon, I think they are called Babau, was set free. They reached for Kraken's and Midian's head and then evaporated. I think there is also one bound to the crystal we took in the last fight." Glaive answers the questions.
ooc
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Whisper closes her eyes at that news and actually rocks backwards a little as if struck.
"That...answers a lot of questions," she says after recovering. "And raises many more. The khyber shards can work as containers for spiritual essences. I think now we know what sort of essences are being contained!"
She goes to inspect the skeletons more closely, looking for the unbroken shards. As she searches, she mutters to herself.
"Fiends used to animate them, give them power...that would explain why they were so much stronger than simple mindless skeletons. And the acid in their claws...babau you say... Different fiends have different powers...maybe they can even extend some of their abilities to their new hosts..."
Abruptly the sorceress looks up at the others as she kicks bones aside and locates a glowing violet crystal.
"This is incredibly bad news. If they're building an army of demonically infused undead...something impossible without the vast number of khyber shards on this island...then it could mean there's a lot more than piracy on their minds."
She grabs up the shard and examines it, then brings it to Glaive and holds it out towards him.
"Can you tell what sort of demon this is without breaking it?"
Amidst the scattered bits of fossilized bones you locate two intact shards. One is badly cracked but seems to be holding together for now. While Dorel and Whisper search the bodies, Midian helps Kraken examine the wound on his arm. The acid seems to have become inert and he doesn't appear to be in any danger. Kraken's healing magic mends the worst of the damage. Midian then turns to his companion and sets about restoring him as well. Whispers revelation has chilling implications given what you now know about the mining site.
Dorel
Spoiler:
While searching the skeletons you come across two pieces of fractured crystal that reflect the light oddly. Using your detect magic spell you note that they both glow with a transmutation aura. One appears to be a dark blue, almost black color and the second is a light pink.
Glaive
Spoiler:
The two shards taken from the recently slain undead seem to throb in your hands. Under your touch the shards feel almost slippery as if an invisible sheen covered the shard. The darkened interior seems to shift subtly as if something within was stirring. Both of the undead the shards were bound to had manifested the acidic slime, a trait you recall as being associated with the Babau demons. You think it likely that each shard holds one.
The sensation you get from holding the two shards is different from the shard you took from the stomach of the Tendriculos monster a few nights ago. It is likely that a different entity is trapped within that shard.
You think that you may be able to devise a ritual to harness some of the trapped demons' abilities.
OOC - For Roleplaying purposes I'll leave the details of the ritual up to you if you decide to pursue it.
Doral picks up two shards, one a dark blue and the second a light pink. He stares at them while using his detect magic spell, trying to discern additional information such as the strength of the magic bound to them. "These strange shards have transmutation magic associated with them. Odd... anyone want to give them a closer examination?"
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Doral picks up two shards, one a dark blue and the second a light pink. He stares at them while using his detect magic spell, trying to discern additional information such as the strength of the magic bound to them. "These strange shards have transmutation magic associated with them. Odd... anyone want to give them a closer examination?"
"Whisper, you still have your monacle, yes?" Midian asks. "If we make camp ... in a more secure location, that is, Whisper might be able to tell us more using the monacle. Who knows? Maybe they could prove useful in infiltrating the camp."
"Undead augmented by fiendish spirits, and equipped with enchanted items. We'd better hope this was not a 'normal' raiding party."
She looks up at the others.
"We may want to return to our main camp. We can warn them of the dangers and update their maps. Just in case they're forced to leave the island without us."
"We may want to return to our main camp. We can warn them of the dangers and update their maps. Just in case they're forced to leave the island without us."
Midian considers, then nods. "We still don't know if these were being sent because they know someone's landed, or as a simple patrol. If the camp breaks, that might mislead anyone following after these creatures. Maybe we'll get lucky enough that they'll believe we were run off by the menace these posed. Gods know we'll need some luck and surprise if we're going to survive a whole camp of creatures like these."
Kraken grins a gap-toothed grin at Doral, as he carefully turns a bit of undead in his hands, studying it.
"Not *this* little black duck, I'm afraid, mate," he says. "This sort of thing is out of my area. The old shaman used to say that demons were things not of the Dreaming, so I don't know nothing from him. And the old bo'sun, he could spin a yarn or two but I don't reckon anything useful that'd help us.
"One thing I was thinking, though. When we first found these fellas, looked like they were collecting spare parts, eh? Maybe to make more of themselves. Maybe whoever's making these things - unless they're making themselves! - maybe they're making them better each time, eh?"
ooc
Fine with me to return to camp.
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"Mm. As a rule, demons can't summon other demons to Eberron," Whisper demurs. "At least not permanently. And I don't think they'd be interested in created an army on this world. Their wars are fought elsewhere."
"Still, we clearly have much left to learn. But first we need to make sure we will be able to leave this place when the time comes. Secure the ship, then return."
The return trip to the shore goes much smoother than your trek inland. Midian seems to be more in tune with the land the more time he spends in it, allowing him to help you avoid the worst of the hazards. At nightfall Whisper puts on her monocle and examines the fragments taken from the jaws of the undead. She identifies them as functionally similar to Ioun stones. Examining the larger shards however reveals no results. The first evening passes without incident, though twice during the night those on watch heard distant cries similar to the sounds the undead made. The second day is grueling as you are forced to climb uphill through the jungle. Many times you are forced to stop while someone climbs up to secure safety lines to ascend the steeper sections. By the evening of the second day you have reached the rim of the crater and can look out over the slope to the beach. Carefully surveying the area with his spyglass, Dorel spots your ship anchored near the beach. He can see some of the camp but the rapidly approaching darkness hides any signs of life. The night is spent in torment about the state of the camp. With no fires lit during the night, you fear the worst.
At sunrise you finish your descent to the beach. As you approach the camp a sentry calls out and meets you on the path. The sight of one of the mercenaries is a reassuring one. He leads you into the camp shows you what has been done so far. Temporary shelters and tents stand in a circle around a large tent in the center. You can see a thin wisp of smoke rising from the largest tent and one of the wood and grass shelters. It seems they have hidden their cookfires quite well. A few sailors and mercenaries are up and working around the encampment. Most of the sailors are working in the largest shelter packing local fruits, salted fish, and fresh water into barrels.
The sentry leads you into the large tent in the center of the camp. Captain Irestone and the mercenary Rouark are there working at a makeshift table covered with parchments. It looks like they are working on some maps covered with symbols. They both look up as you enter, looking surprised to see you. The captain speaks up, "Well I didn't expect to see you returned so soon, I take it you've sorted out the pirates?"
Kraken strolls through the camp with the detached and confident air of someone with no respect for authority. He points to one of the fruits being stored.
"Don't eat those until all the skin's gone red," he says to one of the nearby men. "Unless you want to spend all day on the dunny, eh?"
Approaching the captain, he stands a little to the back of the group, hands behind his back.
"By 'pirates', do you mean seven foot deadfellas made of animal parts and controlled by demons bound into a magic rock?" he asks with cheeky grin.
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"By 'pirates', do you mean seven foot deadfellas made of animal parts and controlled by demons bound into a magic rock?" he asks with cheeky grin.
Midian flinches slightly at Kraken's directness, but can't really fault it; best to get this done quickly.
"Whoever's taken to mining on this island is doing far more than we could have imagined. Kraken's not exaggerating, and the creatured manufactured through this process are lethal. We're not sure any camp on the island is going to be secure."
"They're building undead, using khyber shards bound to fiendish essences as power sources," Whisper says. "They're more intelligent, and more powerful, than normal undead by far. And with the abundance of khyber shards on this island, they could be building an army."
"We returned because they may be aware of you. They sent a group of four directly in your direction. In a few days, when they haven't heard back from them, it's likely they'll send more. Potentially a lot more. Unfortunately, we don't know enough yet to just leave. We still don't know who or what's behind this, or what they want."
Before entering the tent, Doral takes a moment to survey the area around the camp with his spyglass. Can't be too careful.
DM
Spoiler:
He will also take the time to cast detect thoughts. He'd like to observe how the captain and his staff take the news.
Once the other companions finish talking, Doral adds "That encampment of theirs looks like a tough nut to break into. They have perimeter defenses, guard dogs, mining equipment and workers, along with their dead and living soldiers. In my opinion, a frontal assault on the place would end in disaster."
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