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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Archon Basileus" data-source="post: 7289007" data-attributes="member: 6855545">HARFIK/AANZUAs 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.]HARFIKAs 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..AANZUThe 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...ICOSAAs 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!THULWARAs 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! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />]LYLLIEThe 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... @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=24380" target="_blank">Neurotic</a> @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=4936" target="_blank">Shayuri</a> @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=6776182" target="_blank">JustinCase</a> @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=6855102" target="_blank">Greenmtn</a> @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=23298" target="_blank">industrygothica</a> @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=8858" target="_blank">hafrogman</a></blockquote>

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