Pathfinder 1E [IC] - TIDERULER OF MARAN

MARIUS

"I accept. You wil be remembered."

Click to expand...

As the monk accepts the gift and memory of the spirits, they become one with him. Their storied lives pass before his eyes as Marius discovers that the cartagulans, far from being a single race, were in fact a sum of absolutely unique individuals, refined to the point that none looked like the other. His gaze lands on one particular entity, the one that voices all others within his consciousness. The vaguely female entity opens a pair of draconian wings and vanishes in the fires of his own soul. Suddenly, his skin shines, covered in golden dragon scales that shuffle over him, as if appearing in waves! Only when his entire body becomes encircled do the scales vanish in a golden burst of flames. Marius still stands before his companions, just as he was before, but inexplicably different....

[And we have a Guardian!]



MORGRYM

After the events that led the heroes to escape the ooze's trap, Morgrym finds a suitable place for the heroes to rest. The old house, dug within the walls, only holds abandoned furniture and an unlit hearth - something the heroes remedy quite quickly. Above it, an old, round shield still covers a pair of axes, left behind by whoever lived here once. The sweet smell of burning pine knots amidst the warmth are enough to remind Morgrym of the mountain havens his brethren built up north, centuries ago. Everyone manages to find a spot to rest. Soon enough, a stew boils upon the fire, bringing in the smell of carrots and onions, potatoes and eggplants.

SHAYURI

As everyone settles, Shayuri holds on to a strange, distant feeling. Her sister awareness, the soul in the idol, insinuates thoughts to her mind. Her thoughts surround Dram and the dagger for the most part. The idol seems to express sadness and fear at the same time, as if Dram's cause had a fair claim to it, but might cause even more disgrace on its trail...

[Shayuri can commune with the awareness to uncover his reasons, but the risks of doing so are still present...]



HAGADARK

The shaman isolates himself in a corner of the shelter, raising his prayers and allowing the book to receive its own sacrifices. Another favor, another price. As his own blood drips over the pages, his link with the thing deepens. He can feel the knowledge being revealed through the pages as they present reddened writings, sinuously drown by his own blood. This time, the very chant of divination appears in one page, and as Hagadark considers the questions, his thoughts begin to appear inscribed in the book...

"WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE ORCS IF WE TAKE THE OOZE?"

The orcs are divided. Possessed by spirits, possessed by the mass. The orcs fight.

"WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD IF WE LET THE OOZE LIVE?"

The world will fulfill its destinies. The mass reigns. The mass is enslaved. The mass is gone. The mass becomes all it can become, and nothing. The world continues towards its many fates.

"HOW BEST TO DESTROY THE OOZE?"

The Mouth of Fire, gateway to the Plane of Fire.

The book ends the inscriptions, and as soon as it does, they begin to fade away, as if water drying out over parchment.


[Note: the Mouth of Fire is the volcano that exploded, leading the mountaineers down south. It spills elementals because it is a gateway, apparently.]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=6801311]KahlessNestor[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=87106]MetaVoid[/MENTION]

Nerath Wall/Long Return
Night
Round 0

The others went about their meditations, and Morgrym just stirred the stew, muttering into his beard. “Tha’ thing’ll jus’ get more dangerous. We need t’ get it oot o’ the town, at least. Kill it, ‘opefully. ‘Tis a parasite. A predator. Ain’t no satiatin’ it.”

Morgrym dished out the bowls and handed them to his companions.

[sblock=Actions and Rolls]
Move:
Action:
[/sblock]

[sblock=Ministats]
HP: 55/59 NL: 0
AC: 17 FF: 11 T: 16 (+4 vs Giants)
CMD: 16 (+2 vs bull rush, trip)
Fort: 8 Ref: 2 Will: 8 (+2 vs poisons, spells, SLA; +4 v fey and plant effects)
Armed: MW Cold Iron Battleaxe
Ammunition: 9/10 bullets
Storm Burst 7/7/day
Wild Shape 1/1/day

Conditions: Barkskin 497r (AC 19/13/16)

Spells Prepared
0: Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
1: Obscuring Mist (Domain), Cure Light Wounds, Produce Flame, Faerie Fire, [Summon Nature’s Ally 1 (Spontaneous)]
2: Fog Cloud (Domain)*, Barkskin*, Flaming Sphere*, [Summon Nature’s Ally II (Spontaneous)]
3: Call Lightning (Domain), Cure Moderate Wounds, Protection from Energy*, [Summon Nature’s Ally III (Spontaneous)][/sblock]

Marius is still considering everything that happened. Both outside with the ooze and inside with the spirits.

"Let's see what you will accomplish with the spell in the morning. If that works, I think we could charge them with keeping of The Gardens. Druids can host them and feed them without The Mass spreading far and wide. Maybe taking parts of it will weaken the main mass enough for it to be target of the attack."

"Fire is the way to destroy it. If we let it rule, it will rule the world eventually. And then be overthrown like any other ruler in fullness of time."
Hagadark comes from his meditations.
"I'll take the first watch, I need to prepare some potions for tomorrow."

Shayuri looks up at Hagadark and nods.

"I can do fire. What I won't do is let that thing 'rule the world.' Apart from any ethical concerns, it would make everything we're trying to do here completely obsolete."

Nerath Wall/Long Return
Night
Round 0

“I c’n dae fire tae,” Morgrym said. “But wot’s Mouth o’ Fire? Some new orcish hot pepper?” The dwarf shook his head and stroked his beard. “I agree we cannae let it rule the world or wot not.” And, as pointed out, they didn’t have a way to transport it.

[sblock=Actions and Rolls]
Move:
Action:
[/sblock]

[sblock=Ministats]
HP: 55/59 NL: 0
AC: 17 FF: 11 T: 16 (+4 vs Giants)
CMD: 16 (+2 vs bull rush, trip)
Fort: 8 Ref: 2 Will: 8 (+2 vs poisons, spells, SLA; +4 v fey and plant effects)
Armed: MW Cold Iron Battleaxe
Ammunition: 9/10 bullets
Storm Burst 7/7/day
Wild Shape 1/1/day

Conditions: Barkskin 497r (AC 19/13/16)

Spells Prepared
0: Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
1: Obscuring Mist (Domain), Cure Light Wounds, Produce Flame, Faerie Fire, [Summon Nature’s Ally 1 (Spontaneous)]
2: Fog Cloud (Domain)*, Barkskin*, Flaming Sphere*, [Summon Nature’s Ally II (Spontaneous)]
3: Call Lightning (Domain), Cure Moderate Wounds, Protection from Energy*, [Summon Nature’s Ally III (Spontaneous)][/sblock]

"Well, there's something to keep in mind as we continue our quest. How to cart giant...blobs around. That, or mouths of fire that are portable. Regardless, either one is beyond our reach for now, so..."

She shrugs.

"Morning watch for me."

"Mouth of Fire is that big volcano that your people are running from. Now please let me brew my potion in peace." The orc as polite as ever, but there is an edge to his answer, maybe because of all the wounds?

EVERYONE

The house is isolated enough to allow a long rest, as well as a solid working shift. While Hagadark brews his concoctions, the others manage to take a good rest. Arvana scouts out now and then, ensuring that no guards or enemies arrive.

[Everyone is now fully rested. You can heal as appropriate and take your time to brew potions and the like.]

It is only after several hours that Arvana, returning from one of her scouting trips, enter the room in a haste.

"We have problems. I've gone as far as the cave's entrance. Dram's men have closed the area and they're scouting around. They're looking for us, and I think he has a general idea of our position. It shouldn't be long till they reach us. We gotta move. Now." - she emphasizes, clearly concerned. Her distrust seem to have grown exponentially.

[Ok, I'm back! I've mentioned this before - here and in other threads - but once more, sorry for the delay. Problems overwhelmed me this time. I'm resuming normal pacing, hoping I didn't lose you guys! Please, give me a shout!]

@Neurotic @KahlessNestor @Shayuri @MetaVoid