The Gray King

[Forgefly]

"I've h-h-heard rumors that a group of gnomes in Zilargo impregnate their own flesh with some sort of elemental essence, in order to gain strange powers, but that is magic and artifice and I don't know what that thing is," states Kurst quietly as though talking to himself.
Kurst is absentmindedly rubbing his chest as though it pains him, but when he notices his gesture, he jerks his hand away and tries to see if anyone noticed, failing miserably to conceal an otherwise normal behavior.

OOC: Couldn't figure out Kurst old color, purple ok?

 

[stonegod]

Irthos sniffed disdainfully as its lungs cleared, folding its wings about it like a cloak once again. As the hunter begins to look to the tree, the kobold scurries up, the Progenitor's enhancing the sight of all around.

OOC: Climb/glide through the trees with spider climb+wings. Aura is now senses: +1 to Listen, Spot, and Initiative checks for all w/in 30 ft.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Discussing slug-like creatures with Valerian, Arrgha'n finds that his breeder symbiont is not quite like the slug-thing that the elf found. The color, subtle differences in shape and size, the placement and size of the mouth and teeth, all inidicate that this is not a breeder symbiont. Or if it is, it's not a type that's like Arrgha'n's.

Oliver continues speaking to Yatrax, "You showed great courage in the battle," he says and he pats her on her behind. "Let's go see what the others found."

Oliver walks to where Valerian is holding the parasite. "Interesting. Do you think somebody put it there, or do you think it was encountered by happenstance and this thing attached it to the marauder?"

Yatrax looks mildly exasperated at Oliver's familiarity, but lets it pass. "I am a better scout than warrior, but at least the beast could be clouded by shadow," she says. Going to Oliver to examine the slug-thing, she simply furrows her brow in distaste. "There must be a reason for something like that. Control? Like disciplining a dog?"

The others prepare to follow who they assume is Roth through the trees. Arrgha'n examines the tree itself carefully, wary and watchful for the filcher, Irthos ascends, Maavnod close on the ground. As Irthos gets to the first branching, there's a soft, crackling whumph! and a burst of freezing cold air. To his extreme surprise, the kobold finds himself completely surrounded by ice, like a bug in amber, frozen to the trunk of the tree. A high-pitched whining sound continues for a moment or two, and then ceases abruptly.

[sblock=OOC: ]Rolled rather craptacularly on your Spot and Reflex saves Irthos, sorry. But a 1 is a 1. Irthos is now encased in ice, though it is porous enough to let him breathe. It is very cold however, and he will begin to take cold damage shortly.[/sblock]

 

[Forgefly]

Kurst Artificer 1/ Warlock 2

"I think I can h-h-help you, little dragon, but it may h-hurt a little bit, do you want me to try? Kurst calls up from the base of the tree.


If Irthos agrees or if he is unable to agree from the encasing ice, Kurst will briefly concentrate before making a sound that shouldn't be possible coming from a human throat. The sound seems almost to coalesce before striking the ice which binds Irthos.


[sblock=OOC]
Baleful Utterance targeting the encasing ice if possible (unlikely I know) to avoid letting the full power fall upon Irthos. Baleful Utterance deals 2d6 sonic damage to the ice, may require a Fort save (DC 16) from Irthos (If he is "wearing" the ice which I suspect he is)
[/sblock]

 

[FreeXenon]

Arrgha'n (Half-Daelkyr Kin-Hunter) HP:28/28; Init: 22

*before leaving*

"Hmmmm..... now that I see it closer it is not exactly a Breeder Symbiont that I am familiar with, if it is one at all- similar but distinctly different. We will be safer if it is with me until we find out what its function is. I should be able to have a better answer for you later after I have had enough time to poke it."

He looks to Yatrax and says "Interesting thought." He holds his hand out ready to accept the symbiont and will stow it safely away in its own tightly closed pouch.

*now*

Arrgha'n will take to the cover of the trees (Hide/MS +9) and stalk forward with weapon drawn trying to find (Spot/Listen +7/9) our hidden assailants.



[OOC: Initiative vs "Roth"? in forest (1d20+3=22)

For some reason the 'high pitched wining sound' sounds familiar to me. Knowledge Dung (+7) check?

He will tend to the new Symbiont as best he knows how. He definitely wants to keep it alive for possible use... or destruction.]

 

[EvolutionKB]

Oliver, Human Binder

Oliver is startled by the sudden change in the mobility of the kobold, yet he still is able to redraw his rapier. Seeing the danger was immediately over, he looks to Yatrax, "What was that?!"

 

[stonegod]

Irthos grunts as the ice incases it, but cannot really respond to Kurst's request.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

[sblock=Valerian]While you are searching for other fragments of the maurader to check for any more oddities, you realize quickly that something is wrong. The head is missing. From the damage Maavnod did to the maurader, the head should be completey intact, if separated from the body, but it seems to be missing. Careful combing of the site finally turns up a single footprint you remember from the town of Ulman, as well as Arrgha'n's prior tracking. There's a single filcher footprints in the dust next to the imprint of what was probably the head. It seems to have been stolen.[/sblock]

Oliver is startled by the sudden change in the mobility of the kobold, yet he still is able to redraw his rapier. Seeing the danger was immediately over, he looks to Yatrax, "What was that?!"

"No bloody clue," she says, eyes darting about for danger. "Trap or attack... Delaying trap? Maybe." She seems to be thinking out loud.

Arrgha'n peers far into the forest, but sees nothing moving in the shadows either in the trees or on the ground. [sblock=Arrgha'n]The high pitched whining sound you recall from back in Ulman, where you saw the last murder. While Maavnod was investigating the alley, that noise sounded briefly.[/sblock]

Irthos' grunt seems to be enough of an affirmative for Kurst, and he points at the iced kobold and speaks a word of terrible power that seems to rip the night. There's a moment of utter stillness, and then the ice surrounding Irthos cracks into a dozen pieces, dumping the kobold to the ground. Irthos is stunned for a long moment, and realizes quickly that he cannot hear a thing. The sharp senses he's so used to are as stunned as he was from the power of the word.

Everyone else's ears ring, but it quickly fades into the forest. The sound brings several of the Blademark defenders from the wagon circle.

"What in the name of the Host was that? Did you find who was attacking us?" the captain asks, sword at the ready.

[sblock=OOC]Irthos, rolled poor for you again on your Fort save (sorry, the dice did not love you today) and you were stunned for one round and will be deafened for a minute. You took 2 points of subdual damage from falling out of the tree. But on the plus side, you're no longer encased in ice![/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

Irthos launches fiercely to its feet, an extremely sour look on its face. If asked questions, it ignores them---the better to hide its weakness. It instead climbs back on the caravan and gloats, waiting for the group to move on.

 

[Erekose13]

Maavnod nods to Irthos and continues the hunt.