JustinCase
the magical equivalent to the number zero
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D&D 5E [IC] THE CURSE OF AMBERSTAR
- Thread starter Archon Basileus
- Start date
Archon Basileus
First Post
[Oook, brace yourselves...]
Yttrian's shoots around, hitting the spirit attacking Harfik twice! The luminous trails cross the air, hissing against the vague figure, turning part of its silhouette into a vaporous, green-grayed cloud. The creature screams aloud as it persists in its attempt to possess the monk!
As for the miners, they make to the door, desperately trying to reopen it. Their screams of fear are maddening and discouraging, and translate the unlucky turn of the situation.
Things are far from lost, though. As Aanzu dispatches the phantasmal priest, the others cry in agony! They fear! Now they approach the heroes carefully, like snakes preparing an attack, but still aren't dissuaded, and keep pursuing the promises of living flesh and throbbing veins, coursing blood and panting bodies!
Swiftly, they ensnare two of the heroes! Lyllie's obsessed countenance twists in surprising ways, not recognizable by others. Could the gnome see herself, she'd realize her features aged some forty years in the few seconds of struggle she faced, adding arcane marks to her dry, stiffened skin! Soon enough, her cries of despair are suffocated, turning slowly into a guttural moan, and finally into a maddened laugh! The spirit overtook her, controlling her limbs and features as her soul sinks behind, watching the events as they unfold!
Thulwar has a similar fate. One second, and his body trembles before the creatures. Another goes on, and he is cold, calm, controlled as the wise man he is... There's only one thing, one strange thing in his gaze, a certain arrogance that flow over his features, turning into a smirk as his small body perches itself within his traveling clothes... The possessing priestess smiles, satisfied with her conquest!
[Oook... Lyllie ages forty years for the two failed save throws. Both her and Thulwar are possessed. as for Tink.... Leave him to me for now, heheh. We still have [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION] to go! You guys can post in any order, and I'll put order into it later on. One ghost is gone, the other is hurt, and two possess your companions! Characters are still aware - they just can't control their bodies. Anyone can roll for arcane lore or undead lore to know how to counter these effects - the necromancer could tell you right off the bat, heheh. Also, after the first ghost's demise, I rolled morale for the others. I'll be doing it behind the scenes always - you are heroes, and therefore I consider intimidation to play a great deal when resolving conflicts. Feel free to bend and twist the rules as well - for example, Aanzu, Icosa or Harfik might go for a particular display of skill in order to force a retreat from enemies, and so on... Lastly, dn't forget to roll again to end frightened state, if you want to.]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION] [MENTION=8858]hafrogman[/MENTION]
Yttrian's shoots around, hitting the spirit attacking Harfik twice! The luminous trails cross the air, hissing against the vague figure, turning part of its silhouette into a vaporous, green-grayed cloud. The creature screams aloud as it persists in its attempt to possess the monk!
As for the miners, they make to the door, desperately trying to reopen it. Their screams of fear are maddening and discouraging, and translate the unlucky turn of the situation.
Things are far from lost, though. As Aanzu dispatches the phantasmal priest, the others cry in agony! They fear! Now they approach the heroes carefully, like snakes preparing an attack, but still aren't dissuaded, and keep pursuing the promises of living flesh and throbbing veins, coursing blood and panting bodies!
Swiftly, they ensnare two of the heroes! Lyllie's obsessed countenance twists in surprising ways, not recognizable by others. Could the gnome see herself, she'd realize her features aged some forty years in the few seconds of struggle she faced, adding arcane marks to her dry, stiffened skin! Soon enough, her cries of despair are suffocated, turning slowly into a guttural moan, and finally into a maddened laugh! The spirit overtook her, controlling her limbs and features as her soul sinks behind, watching the events as they unfold!
Thulwar has a similar fate. One second, and his body trembles before the creatures. Another goes on, and he is cold, calm, controlled as the wise man he is... There's only one thing, one strange thing in his gaze, a certain arrogance that flow over his features, turning into a smirk as his small body perches itself within his traveling clothes... The possessing priestess smiles, satisfied with her conquest!
[Oook... Lyllie ages forty years for the two failed save throws. Both her and Thulwar are possessed. as for Tink.... Leave him to me for now, heheh. We still have [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION] to go! You guys can post in any order, and I'll put order into it later on. One ghost is gone, the other is hurt, and two possess your companions! Characters are still aware - they just can't control their bodies. Anyone can roll for arcane lore or undead lore to know how to counter these effects - the necromancer could tell you right off the bat, heheh. Also, after the first ghost's demise, I rolled morale for the others. I'll be doing it behind the scenes always - you are heroes, and therefore I consider intimidation to play a great deal when resolving conflicts. Feel free to bend and twist the rules as well - for example, Aanzu, Icosa or Harfik might go for a particular display of skill in order to force a retreat from enemies, and so on... Lastly, dn't forget to roll again to end frightened state, if you want to.]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION] [MENTION=8858]hafrogman[/MENTION]
Archon Basileus
First Post
[Ok, I'll update with the rolls I have and start the second round, assuming Harfik would try to put as much distance between him and the spirits as possible. @Shayuri, I have your rolls, no worries. You can still shoot them, though! Remember that all non-possessed must roll once more against fright! As for the possessed, well... Look below, hehe.]
SECOND ROUND
[INITIATIVE ORDER:
LYLLIE 22
EMBLA 22
AANZU 19
ICOSA 17
GOBLIN 16
YTTRIAN 15
MINERS 13
THULWAR 12
GHOSTS 8
HARFIK 5]
EVERYONE
The creatures haul the words out of their chests, craving for the flesh of the living! The last standing soul cries in agony, turning to flee into the mists as a second salvo of arrows crosses the room!
"Food for the gods..." - small Lyllie pronounces, point towards Harfik.
The arrows spread arround, loosing themselves upon the broken, derelict floor, but one hits the fearful giantess in her back! Cries of profanity escape her mouth as she covers the child even more, rising as follows with a guttural "ENOUGH!" crawls out of her! She throws her own weight right against the remaining spirit, driven to see it destroyed, but the nimble creature escapes with a vague, cloud-like movement! She looks at the thing, clearly enraged, and her eyes scout the area for a weapon she can use.
"THE BLOOD OF MEN WILL OPEN THE DIVINE DOORS ONCE MORE!" - Thulwar's voice, now distorted by the invader, cries through a cruel, angular smile.
"Forgiveness! REDEMPTION!" - other distorted cries come from everywhere within the clouds, desperate, furious, insane.
LYLLIE
From the clouds, Poe advances, perching around Lyllie as if to make her remember who she is. Her trapped soul awakens to the world, and once more she stands a chance! But in front of Poe's image, the dreadful, skinless face of her enemy appears, a gaping mouth opened to the thick presence of darkness that surrounds both of them. Soon enough, though, they're both back at Glitterdale, a pale version of the destroyed land. Oddly enough, Lyllie knows where they are and can clearly perceive her surroundings, but Glitterdale's memory assaults her continuously, as real as in the day she felt her loss.
"You should have died here..." - the spirit says, brutal and cold. "Wouldn't it be better if you had? No pain... No sadness. Just silence." - his words spin around, and she feels as her body begins to descend - Or is it her soul? - laying on the scorched earth, dead.
[Ok, sooo.... It's a battle of wills! The possessed can roll wisdom against DC 14. Success releases the possessed. Failure by less than 3 points allows a movement action with all possible complements it entails - talking, operating simple weapons and machines, and so on. No attacks, though! This is supposed to reflect the potential struggle between the souls willing to occupy the body.]
THULWAR
Tink stands around Thulwar, unwilling to let anyone hurt his master. Apparently, the machine hasn't realized what happened, although it doesn't recognize the possessed voice coming from the gnome.
Meanwhile, inside his own head, Thulwar faces his own horrors. Despite knowing where he is and sensing all that happens around him, he remembers the black halls of his land. There, he meets with the strangest, most glorious machines he could ever imagine. These are not simple memories. They are recollections of the lost halls of the Underworld peoples, but at the same time they are a dream coming true for the small sage. "Look" - the spirit's voice says, in a cold, harsh tone - "the only reliable thing in this forsaken world. It calls out to you, so you can unveil its secrets." - the structure opens itself as in an embrace, but Thulwar knows how lethal it will become, should he enter the machine. "Go on, right towards the womb of wisdom, little one. You know you want it. You know this to be the beating heart of worlds. Discover what it is, how it works. Discover how to recreate it, how to control it. Go..." - Thulwar feels the cruel pull around him, and he understands he can't surrender to his whims. Not now.
[Same rules apply here! Roll against 14, less than 3 allow for movement actions and lesser actions around it.]
EVERYONE
Within the mists, the goblin's cries can be heard, as if he met with his own death trying to escape! The miners intensify their efforts, clawing against the door in desperation!
AANZU
As the prince's rage steels his movement and his heart, he feels the presence of other mice running around. Like a true predator, his visage makes the spirit tremble, and Aanzu feels stronger because of it. At once he understands where the arrows come from, even though his mind does not question how they can be fired through the thickness that surrounds them with any kind of precision. He can leap forward, leaving the sight of others, and he should find the attackers in a fifteen-feet radius from his position. He might stay as well, and try to finish this last soul that now despairs for a way out of the struggle.
HARFIK
The monk still shakes as the creature is shot by Yttrian's loose attacks and, much to his relief, the beast begins to leave. He can't tell whether it was the pair of shots landed upon it or his own resolve that made it cease its efforts, but as they make space between each other his heart increases in confidence.
Harfik feels the presence of other contenders within the room, his head beginning to make sense of the scenario. Someone hides within the clouds, profiting from the spirits' presence to attack and remain concealed. Considering the direction of the arrows, he thinks he can calculate their relative position. They should be about 15 feet from the heroes, and he could jolt away from the remaining spirit if he tried to attack these treacherous rogues. But that would also mean loosing visual contact with the others...
ICOSA
The machine's data bank races to find explanations and resolutions for the dilemma as the last spirit swirls around, readying itself to flee. Perhaps, if it vanishes from sight, it might solve the problem for the heroes, since it would offer a more complete behavioral pattern to be analyzed. Others seem to be at a similar loss, except maybe for Aanzu, as Icosa understands. The warforged also realizes what happened to Thulwar and Lyllie, his puzzled mind trying to make sense of it.
[As before, I have anticipated NPC actions to make it easier on everyone. You can post your actions from now on and I'll arrange them appropriately. Hope you like the descriptions, hehe.]
@Neurotic @Shayuri @Greenmtn @JustinCase @industrygothica @hafrogman
SECOND ROUND
[INITIATIVE ORDER:
LYLLIE 22
EMBLA 22
AANZU 19
ICOSA 17
GOBLIN 16
YTTRIAN 15
MINERS 13
THULWAR 12
GHOSTS 8
HARFIK 5]
EVERYONE
The creatures haul the words out of their chests, craving for the flesh of the living! The last standing soul cries in agony, turning to flee into the mists as a second salvo of arrows crosses the room!
"Food for the gods..." - small Lyllie pronounces, point towards Harfik.
The arrows spread arround, loosing themselves upon the broken, derelict floor, but one hits the fearful giantess in her back! Cries of profanity escape her mouth as she covers the child even more, rising as follows with a guttural "ENOUGH!" crawls out of her! She throws her own weight right against the remaining spirit, driven to see it destroyed, but the nimble creature escapes with a vague, cloud-like movement! She looks at the thing, clearly enraged, and her eyes scout the area for a weapon she can use.
"THE BLOOD OF MEN WILL OPEN THE DIVINE DOORS ONCE MORE!" - Thulwar's voice, now distorted by the invader, cries through a cruel, angular smile.
"Forgiveness! REDEMPTION!" - other distorted cries come from everywhere within the clouds, desperate, furious, insane.
LYLLIE
From the clouds, Poe advances, perching around Lyllie as if to make her remember who she is. Her trapped soul awakens to the world, and once more she stands a chance! But in front of Poe's image, the dreadful, skinless face of her enemy appears, a gaping mouth opened to the thick presence of darkness that surrounds both of them. Soon enough, though, they're both back at Glitterdale, a pale version of the destroyed land. Oddly enough, Lyllie knows where they are and can clearly perceive her surroundings, but Glitterdale's memory assaults her continuously, as real as in the day she felt her loss.
"You should have died here..." - the spirit says, brutal and cold. "Wouldn't it be better if you had? No pain... No sadness. Just silence." - his words spin around, and she feels as her body begins to descend - Or is it her soul? - laying on the scorched earth, dead.
[Ok, sooo.... It's a battle of wills! The possessed can roll wisdom against DC 14. Success releases the possessed. Failure by less than 3 points allows a movement action with all possible complements it entails - talking, operating simple weapons and machines, and so on. No attacks, though! This is supposed to reflect the potential struggle between the souls willing to occupy the body.]
THULWAR
Tink stands around Thulwar, unwilling to let anyone hurt his master. Apparently, the machine hasn't realized what happened, although it doesn't recognize the possessed voice coming from the gnome.
Meanwhile, inside his own head, Thulwar faces his own horrors. Despite knowing where he is and sensing all that happens around him, he remembers the black halls of his land. There, he meets with the strangest, most glorious machines he could ever imagine. These are not simple memories. They are recollections of the lost halls of the Underworld peoples, but at the same time they are a dream coming true for the small sage. "Look" - the spirit's voice says, in a cold, harsh tone - "the only reliable thing in this forsaken world. It calls out to you, so you can unveil its secrets." - the structure opens itself as in an embrace, but Thulwar knows how lethal it will become, should he enter the machine. "Go on, right towards the womb of wisdom, little one. You know you want it. You know this to be the beating heart of worlds. Discover what it is, how it works. Discover how to recreate it, how to control it. Go..." - Thulwar feels the cruel pull around him, and he understands he can't surrender to his whims. Not now.
[Same rules apply here! Roll against 14, less than 3 allow for movement actions and lesser actions around it.]
EVERYONE
Within the mists, the goblin's cries can be heard, as if he met with his own death trying to escape! The miners intensify their efforts, clawing against the door in desperation!
AANZU
As the prince's rage steels his movement and his heart, he feels the presence of other mice running around. Like a true predator, his visage makes the spirit tremble, and Aanzu feels stronger because of it. At once he understands where the arrows come from, even though his mind does not question how they can be fired through the thickness that surrounds them with any kind of precision. He can leap forward, leaving the sight of others, and he should find the attackers in a fifteen-feet radius from his position. He might stay as well, and try to finish this last soul that now despairs for a way out of the struggle.
HARFIK
The monk still shakes as the creature is shot by Yttrian's loose attacks and, much to his relief, the beast begins to leave. He can't tell whether it was the pair of shots landed upon it or his own resolve that made it cease its efforts, but as they make space between each other his heart increases in confidence.
Harfik feels the presence of other contenders within the room, his head beginning to make sense of the scenario. Someone hides within the clouds, profiting from the spirits' presence to attack and remain concealed. Considering the direction of the arrows, he thinks he can calculate their relative position. They should be about 15 feet from the heroes, and he could jolt away from the remaining spirit if he tried to attack these treacherous rogues. But that would also mean loosing visual contact with the others...
ICOSA
The machine's data bank races to find explanations and resolutions for the dilemma as the last spirit swirls around, readying itself to flee. Perhaps, if it vanishes from sight, it might solve the problem for the heroes, since it would offer a more complete behavioral pattern to be analyzed. Others seem to be at a similar loss, except maybe for Aanzu, as Icosa understands. The warforged also realizes what happened to Thulwar and Lyllie, his puzzled mind trying to make sense of it.
[As before, I have anticipated NPC actions to make it easier on everyone. You can post your actions from now on and I'll arrange them appropriately. Hope you like the descriptions, hehe.]
@Neurotic @Shayuri @Greenmtn @JustinCase @industrygothica @hafrogman
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Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
Last conscious thought before the spirit took over was
"Tink, hold me and don't let me move!" The machine does not think, but the opposing commands to attack his master with his instinct to protect cause it to hesitate for the moment. There are no targets attacking his master therefore it does nothing.
But Thulwar fights from the inside, his anti-magical nature working against the spell of the ghost - and Tink helps even while inactive providing the link to the real world. Focusing his will into rational patterns, the ghost unknowingly helps diminutive alchemist. He starts treating his body and mind as parts of the machine that needs to align just so to be able to work properly.
OOC: This assumes the possession is magical attack in nature - Thulwar as svirfneblin has advantage on mental resistances (Int, Wis, Cha) vs magical attacks. I'll wait with the rest of the description to see if he is depossessed (he saved from fright in the second round)
Save vs Possession: 2D20.HIGH(1) = [10, 18] = 18
"Tink, hold me and don't let me move!" The machine does not think, but the opposing commands to attack his master with his instinct to protect cause it to hesitate for the moment. There are no targets attacking his master therefore it does nothing.
But Thulwar fights from the inside, his anti-magical nature working against the spell of the ghost - and Tink helps even while inactive providing the link to the real world. Focusing his will into rational patterns, the ghost unknowingly helps diminutive alchemist. He starts treating his body and mind as parts of the machine that needs to align just so to be able to work properly.
OOC: This assumes the possession is magical attack in nature - Thulwar as svirfneblin has advantage on mental resistances (Int, Wis, Cha) vs magical attacks. I'll wait with the rest of the description to see if he is depossessed (he saved from fright in the second round)
Save vs Possession: 2D20.HIGH(1) = [10, 18] = 18
Harfik Human Monk
Harfik is unable to to shake his uneasy feeling about these tormented souls Harfik knows he is not the only one. He must find a way to get his allies confidence back up and the arrows from this shadowy attacker isn't helping. He must take the chance.
"His archer must be stopped! I will be right back." Harfik says with all the confidence he can muster.
Harfik runs at the location the arrows came from, swatting one arrow away in mid flight before launching himself into the air as he disappears into the fog. His allies can't see what is going on, but if the noises Harfik is making can be believed be has found his target.
Harfik is unable to to shake his uneasy feeling about these tormented souls Harfik knows he is not the only one. He must find a way to get his allies confidence back up and the arrows from this shadowy attacker isn't helping. He must take the chance.
"His archer must be stopped! I will be right back." Harfik says with all the confidence he can muster.
Harfik runs at the location the arrows came from, swatting one arrow away in mid flight before launching himself into the air as he disappears into the fog. His allies can't see what is going on, but if the noises Harfik is making can be believed be has found his target.
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Icosa feels the attempt to invade his consciousness; to subvert the functioning of his body to a different set of instructions. however, the principles his mind operates by are very different than that of most creatures. The intruding spirit encounters not flashes of lightning in a murky organic soup, but pulses of light trapped in a crystalline lattice, constantly pulsing with alien rhythms. The music it makes is similar in the end, but the instruments are foreign...and in the end the ghost retreats, confused.
The warforged targets his shoulder-mounted cannon on the nearest of the fleeting spectres, but finds his ability to compensate for their movement to be limited at best. They move fluidly, with no regard for momentum or solidity. However, the missed shots are not without value. Observing their movements and reactions allows him to begin a predictive model that accounts for their strange material-less nature. With more confidence, Icosa continues to track the unearthly presences, ready to resume fire.
Charisma save: 1d20+8 21
Resisted possession
Eldritch blast w/disad: 1d20+8 12 1d20+8 19 1d10 2 1d20+8 10 1d20+8 17 1d10 6
(That's a 10 and a 12 to hit, which I presume is not sufficient.
)
Wisdom save: 1d20+6 25
Recovered from fright.
The warforged targets his shoulder-mounted cannon on the nearest of the fleeting spectres, but finds his ability to compensate for their movement to be limited at best. They move fluidly, with no regard for momentum or solidity. However, the missed shots are not without value. Observing their movements and reactions allows him to begin a predictive model that accounts for their strange material-less nature. With more confidence, Icosa continues to track the unearthly presences, ready to resume fire.
Charisma save: 1d20+8 21
Resisted possession
Eldritch blast w/disad: 1d20+8 12 1d20+8 19 1d10 2 1d20+8 10 1d20+8 17 1d10 6
(That's a 10 and a 12 to hit, which I presume is not sufficient.
)Wisdom save: 1d20+6 25
Recovered from fright.
JustinCase
the magical equivalent to the number zero
Ignoring the now frightened spirit, which is no threat to him currently, Aanzu rushes out of sight of his allies and towards the archers he knows hide in the fog.
Roaring loudly so the others can take heart that at least one among them is still fighting, the dragonborn finds an opponent and recklessly attacks with his magical greatsword.
Roaring loudly so the others can take heart that at least one among them is still fighting, the dragonborn finds an opponent and recklessly attacks with his magical greatsword.
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industrygothica
Adventurer
Silence... The whispered word echos through Lyllie's mind, the cracks in her dried lips deepening as she lies on the sun-baked earth of the ruins of Glitterdale. The crows overhead do their death dance, waiting for the gnome's weakening breath to finally fade, that she joins her brethren in the fiery pits below while her bones lay ripe for the picking. No pain... no sadness. It's all over. It's all gone. It's forgotten. They're forgotten.
"No!" she shouts, filling the chamber again with her chilling screams. The color again disappears from her eyes in a puff of brown smoke, and even as her aging gnomish features belie her young age, it is in those scarred, lifeless eyes that one knows that Lyllie has returned to them in all her morbid glory.
"No!" she shouts, filling the chamber again with her chilling screams. The color again disappears from her eyes in a puff of brown smoke, and even as her aging gnomish features belie her young age, it is in those scarred, lifeless eyes that one knows that Lyllie has returned to them in all her morbid glory.
Code:
[B]AC:[/B] 16; [B]HP:[/B] [COLOR=#FF000]52[/COLOR]/52
[B]Initiative:[/B] +3
[B]Saves:[/B] INT +7, WIS +5
[B]Passive Perception:[/B] 15
[B]Languages:[/B] Common, Gnomish, Sylvan, Druidic
[B]Skills:[/B] Arcana +7, Investigation +7, Nature +7, Perception +5
[B]Stats:[/B] Str 8 (-1), Dex 14 (+2) , Con 14 (+2), Int 18 (+4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 11 (+0)
[B]XP:[/B]14,075 / 23,000
-[B]Inspiration[/B]? [[COLOR=#FF0000]X[/COLOR]] Yes, [ ] No
[B]Spell Save DC:[/B] 13/15
[B]Spell Slots:[/B] 4, 4, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
[B]Slots Used:[/B] 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
[B]Spells Prepared:[/B] (4/8)
[list]
[*]1st Level: 1st Level: Healing Word (D), Entangle (D), Faerie Fire (D), Speak with Animals (D), Ray of Sickness, Color Spray,
Mage Armor, Witch Bolt, False Life
[*]2nd Level: Blindness/Deafness, Ray of Enfeeblement, Misty Step
[/list](D) Druid Spells modified with Wisdom. All others are Wizard spells modified with Intelligence.
[B]Rituals[/B]
Tenser's Floating Disk, Find Familiar, Identify, Gentle Repose
[URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?558266-THE-CURSE-OF-AMBERSTAR-ROGUE-S-GALLERY&p=7144213&viewfull=1#post7144213"]Full character sheet[/URL]
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Archon Basileus
First Post
HARFIK/AANZU
As both heroes plunge into the mists, the faint steps of the archers can be heard, their bodies quickly adapting to the presence of the attackers. Seeking out distinct targets, both heroes vanish beyond each other's grasp, becoming unseen to each other, as well as to their companions. Both march and hope to reach the enemies, but it is not yet to be. The mists show them a bit further than both first realized, but their sudden approximation gave them the certainty of the enemies' position.
[You'll need another turn to reach the archers, sinking even deeper into the mists, and further away from your companions, but both of you are confident that the target can be reached with the next step.]
HARFIK
As the monk steps further towards the unkown, his mind races. He considers how strange it is that archers are able to attack with any semblance of precision within such heavy clouds. The further he moves, the more he feels how unsettling this is. No one would be able to see through such a dense veil. Any marksman capable of placing an arrow at Aanzu's shoulder must be indeed remarkable. But it would be indeed a rare thing to have such a skilled shooter in this part of the world, specially within an abandoned and cursed temple. The only time he'd seen a similar display of talent was long ago, in the arena. A southern slave from the mountains of Zinj, fabled to have survived the holocaust risen by the Teraphim. He fought blindfolded, using the sound of his opponents to target them. Even he couldn't perform miracles, though. As soon as his trick was discovered, he was killed by a faster opponent, filling the purses of many a man and creating yet another merchant family in the land of shades and lies...
But that was all in the past... The present was simple and brutal: if the archers were that skilled, they might make easier targets of the heroes, as they approached their opponents..
AANZU
The dragon prowls through the clouds, seeking the prey as he goes. The fleeting steps of the unaware victim rasp all around. In fact, Aanzu hears the trick: there are three, and each take a different direction. All are within the range of his next attack, though, but only one can be chosen. They are smart little rats, hunting like the jackals in the sands. They want to take Aanzu by the back, but he won't be caught unaware. He feels their fear, the fear of lesser creatures trying to bring the stronger predator down. They didn't move far, probably trying to correct the distance and use the bows in a more efficient way. They don't know how thick Aanzu's scales are...
ICOSA
As the shot blasts away from the strange figure, it floats away from the area, moving its form towards the mists and disappearing into it, without noise or trace.Clearly the continued shots scared it enough so it wouldn't fight, and Icosa is able to infer that the creature's integrity had been dangerously compromised during the brief encounter.
Glancing around, the warforged realizes Harfik's and Aanzu's departure. The readings show the presence of the enemies around, into the way the two undertook just a moment ago, but Icosa also captures the sound of footsteps in the opposite direction.
Not a second later, his struggling companions, still within reach, are freed from the grasp of the two apparitions. Both of them leap out of the small bodies, rising from them as if they were phantasmal cloaks upon their shoulders. The spirits glance around, trying to build sense out of their defeat, giving the heroes a precious advantage!
THULWAR
As the gnome regains his strength, thoughts flow through his mind. He reminds himself of the priests of his own people speaking of the horrors that inhabited some of the older caves, where men died in horrific, undiscovered ways. Their ghosts attempted to frighten and possess careless travelers, envious of the life in their bones. The most common measure to avoid such dangers was to have a priest around. By calling upon the gods, they might scare the souls away, just as they did with any other undead creature, relieving the possessed of their oppression. On the other hand, there were times where this exorcism wouldn't help, and so the possessed had to be fought into submission. Once his body was grasped by the claws of death, the spirit would leave it behind. Some necromancers theorize that this happens because they fear being imprisoned in the new corpse, should death claim its' toll. Others say that these souls hate feeling the approach of death once more... But the fatalist opinion is that death's advocates might take the possessing soul along with the soul of the possessed, should both of them be found within the corpse. There's even a rumor that a person killed while possessed might leave its soul stuck within the corpse, eventually turning into a revenant... But these are just rumors, for sure...
Either way, one thing's for sure: these souls won't let the heroes go without a fight. Once they cling to the taste of life, nothing will dissuade them from trying again, and again...
[So, here's the result for the lore roll and... Yes, the attack can be considered magical in nature!]
LYLLIE
The gnome's pale eyes are once more opened to the world, and she discerns the entity that possessed her just a moment ago, trying to prey on her innermost fears. Most people believe them to be simply the effigies of the dead, but Lyllie knows best... These creatures feed on fear and anger, and these are the aspects that keep them around. Lyllie has seen so many of them, she could even be able to classify their behaviors and odd varieties. These, as it seems, are stuck here because of a great past trauma - maybe the Second Fall, maybe the march that ensued, soon after. They died violently, she knows, as she can see the blood on their blades. Certainly, they've fallen to depravity, what makes them even more dangerous: odds are any semblance of humanity has been lost. But, most noticeably, they seem to keep to a routine, imprisoned in this place as they repeat certain gestures and actions. Those are the worst. Talking to them is a nightmare, a puzzling, gruesome process, as the speaker has to at least understand their motivations and habits, and even then is, for the most part, bound to fail.
Lyllie also realizes the double danger for the group, now. One of the things vanished. The others might try for it as well. If they do so, they'll oppress the heroes until they break - or until the souls get caught. They crave flesh, not only for envying the living, but also to dedicate their dead carcasses as profane sacrifices in what once was - or at least seems to have been - a sacred temple of the Teraphim.
They won't stop, unless they're destroyed. And, should there be more of them...
@Neurotic @Shayuri @JustinCase @Greenmtn @industrygothica @hafrogman
As both heroes plunge into the mists, the faint steps of the archers can be heard, their bodies quickly adapting to the presence of the attackers. Seeking out distinct targets, both heroes vanish beyond each other's grasp, becoming unseen to each other, as well as to their companions. Both march and hope to reach the enemies, but it is not yet to be. The mists show them a bit further than both first realized, but their sudden approximation gave them the certainty of the enemies' position.
[You'll need another turn to reach the archers, sinking even deeper into the mists, and further away from your companions, but both of you are confident that the target can be reached with the next step.]
HARFIK
As the monk steps further towards the unkown, his mind races. He considers how strange it is that archers are able to attack with any semblance of precision within such heavy clouds. The further he moves, the more he feels how unsettling this is. No one would be able to see through such a dense veil. Any marksman capable of placing an arrow at Aanzu's shoulder must be indeed remarkable. But it would be indeed a rare thing to have such a skilled shooter in this part of the world, specially within an abandoned and cursed temple. The only time he'd seen a similar display of talent was long ago, in the arena. A southern slave from the mountains of Zinj, fabled to have survived the holocaust risen by the Teraphim. He fought blindfolded, using the sound of his opponents to target them. Even he couldn't perform miracles, though. As soon as his trick was discovered, he was killed by a faster opponent, filling the purses of many a man and creating yet another merchant family in the land of shades and lies...
But that was all in the past... The present was simple and brutal: if the archers were that skilled, they might make easier targets of the heroes, as they approached their opponents..
AANZU
The dragon prowls through the clouds, seeking the prey as he goes. The fleeting steps of the unaware victim rasp all around. In fact, Aanzu hears the trick: there are three, and each take a different direction. All are within the range of his next attack, though, but only one can be chosen. They are smart little rats, hunting like the jackals in the sands. They want to take Aanzu by the back, but he won't be caught unaware. He feels their fear, the fear of lesser creatures trying to bring the stronger predator down. They didn't move far, probably trying to correct the distance and use the bows in a more efficient way. They don't know how thick Aanzu's scales are...
ICOSA
As the shot blasts away from the strange figure, it floats away from the area, moving its form towards the mists and disappearing into it, without noise or trace.Clearly the continued shots scared it enough so it wouldn't fight, and Icosa is able to infer that the creature's integrity had been dangerously compromised during the brief encounter.
Glancing around, the warforged realizes Harfik's and Aanzu's departure. The readings show the presence of the enemies around, into the way the two undertook just a moment ago, but Icosa also captures the sound of footsteps in the opposite direction.
Not a second later, his struggling companions, still within reach, are freed from the grasp of the two apparitions. Both of them leap out of the small bodies, rising from them as if they were phantasmal cloaks upon their shoulders. The spirits glance around, trying to build sense out of their defeat, giving the heroes a precious advantage!
THULWAR
As the gnome regains his strength, thoughts flow through his mind. He reminds himself of the priests of his own people speaking of the horrors that inhabited some of the older caves, where men died in horrific, undiscovered ways. Their ghosts attempted to frighten and possess careless travelers, envious of the life in their bones. The most common measure to avoid such dangers was to have a priest around. By calling upon the gods, they might scare the souls away, just as they did with any other undead creature, relieving the possessed of their oppression. On the other hand, there were times where this exorcism wouldn't help, and so the possessed had to be fought into submission. Once his body was grasped by the claws of death, the spirit would leave it behind. Some necromancers theorize that this happens because they fear being imprisoned in the new corpse, should death claim its' toll. Others say that these souls hate feeling the approach of death once more... But the fatalist opinion is that death's advocates might take the possessing soul along with the soul of the possessed, should both of them be found within the corpse. There's even a rumor that a person killed while possessed might leave its soul stuck within the corpse, eventually turning into a revenant... But these are just rumors, for sure...
Either way, one thing's for sure: these souls won't let the heroes go without a fight. Once they cling to the taste of life, nothing will dissuade them from trying again, and again...
[So, here's the result for the lore roll and... Yes, the attack can be considered magical in nature!
]LYLLIE
The gnome's pale eyes are once more opened to the world, and she discerns the entity that possessed her just a moment ago, trying to prey on her innermost fears. Most people believe them to be simply the effigies of the dead, but Lyllie knows best... These creatures feed on fear and anger, and these are the aspects that keep them around. Lyllie has seen so many of them, she could even be able to classify their behaviors and odd varieties. These, as it seems, are stuck here because of a great past trauma - maybe the Second Fall, maybe the march that ensued, soon after. They died violently, she knows, as she can see the blood on their blades. Certainly, they've fallen to depravity, what makes them even more dangerous: odds are any semblance of humanity has been lost. But, most noticeably, they seem to keep to a routine, imprisoned in this place as they repeat certain gestures and actions. Those are the worst. Talking to them is a nightmare, a puzzling, gruesome process, as the speaker has to at least understand their motivations and habits, and even then is, for the most part, bound to fail.
Lyllie also realizes the double danger for the group, now. One of the things vanished. The others might try for it as well. If they do so, they'll oppress the heroes until they break - or until the souls get caught. They crave flesh, not only for envying the living, but also to dedicate their dead carcasses as profane sacrifices in what once was - or at least seems to have been - a sacred temple of the Teraphim.
They won't stop, unless they're destroyed. And, should there be more of them...
@Neurotic @Shayuri @JustinCase @Greenmtn @industrygothica @hafrogman
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