Exploring the Ruins
Good news, everyone! There's a set of ruins uncovered by explorers that apparently belongs to that perennial favorite of explorers, the Kulthians!
Kulthus being the Empire of Machines and Sorcerer, a globe-spanning power that once ruled the world with a magi-tech powered iron fist before their society collapsed in the wake of their sudden disappearnce and the sundering of the world.
The Guild of Explorers has hired you to make first exploration and ensure it is cleared of any dangers. That is why you've been sent out into the badlands of the Alexandros region, a rocky and rugged land and before too long you're arriving at your destination, the encampment of the treasure hunters that found it. Their collection of tents and more seem quiet.
Sarcis gives a gentle pull on the reins to bring the horse into more of a canter as she glances toward her companions. Quiet tents near a dig site that was recently found? Either this set of ruins was devoid of artifacts or more was afoot. She expected drinking, revelry, all that good stuff to go along with such a momentous and happy occasion.
"I swear to the Gods," Sarcis mutters, "If there's another moss, vine, whatever, green thing sent by an agent of the Teacher - I'm going to scream."
Strangely enough, there is a Wild Elf arriving at the encampment for the job. Vasya blinks as she looks about and makes a face. "This'll be amusing. A Kulthian ruin will bring a lot of people here....but no one wants to clear it first." She then looks to Sarcis. "Moss?" She then thinks. "Expanding moss....like aggressively expanding?" She then looks to Sarcis and tilts her head. "And....if you don't like vines....you won't like me."
Owen just looked at you.
Valkea Sirron, The Half-Sil in scale mail and the somewhat oversized heavy crossbow on her back joins the rest of the party. Taking a moment once everyone comes to a stop to doublecheck the weapon is still ready to go if not yet loaded.
"Well someone has to clear it out. Might as well be us." the blonde woman says cheerfully and re-slings the weapon back over her shoukder to dangle behind her.
"So think it's just traps, and or monsters in their already?"
"It's not a matter of vines - per say - it's a matter of who it is that's ordering it." Sarcis' voice carried none of the accent you might expect from an Oruch, besides a light lisp thanks to the tusks. A shrug is given to Vasya to match her words.
"And yes, aggressively expanding. Why?" Her crafted eyebrows gives a slow arch to it,
"Blitherin idjits leavin their magical garbage rustin round wherever..." Ilmig grumbles before taking a drink from his travelling mug. "So, we all good 'n ready ta be headin in?!"
With at least a vague familarity of the land and its geography, Owen makes his way towards the grouping of tents along with the rest of the party. The golem doesn't seem to mind traveling in silence, as was the case most of the way, but Sarcis' words draw the golem's attention. His unblinking, glowing green eyes and mouthless face regard her a moment before he speaks. "The Teacher," he echoes in his hollow baritone. "I've heard this name before." And then he just stares at her. Because the construct isn't at all creepy or weird. "Mind your step and the flora will give you little trouble."
Acoszotl has disconnected.
"Dry it out and it can't expand. As a matter of fact, it'll die pretty rapidly if it doesn't have a constant supply of water. it comes from a humid jungle, so water is in the very air." Vasya says as she looks about the campsite. "were we supposed to meet someone here?"
...well, there's even MORE good news!
The camp looks empty. Like nobody who should be there, IS there.
Great, right? What's not to love about this? Looks like they fled in the middle of breakfast, too, if the smoking embers left in the camp fire and toppled tea cups are anything to go by.
Yep. Something defintiely happened around here.
GAME: Vasya refreshes spells.
GAME: Vasya casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
GAME: Duthei refreshes spells.
GAME: Sarcis refreshes spells.
Sarcis finally pulls her horse to a stop near one of the hitches, tying it up her rental from Hurtz the Oruch out of Alexandria. Very fair rates and good policy. A toss over, a pull through, and it's not getting free too easily. "You say that." Sarcis responds to Vasya, "But it's never that simple. And yes - that is the rule of thumb with The Teacher, but it's not really the only way to stop it. No matter." She looks around at the others.
"Time to find what's going on here, am I right?" An arch of her brow and she'll start to move about the camp in an attempt to do just that.
Finally, someone else arrives at the camp - completely heedless of the forest, snapping twigs and singing tunelessly as they arrive, Duthei comes tall and pretty and strange to the edge of the encampment. "My," the blonde tower states in a wry, husky voice, "Did someone suffer a case of cabin fever? Our treasure hunters seem to be gone."
"no....somethign ran them off." Vasya says as she gestures towards the dying embers of the fire. "Or they were carried off." She says as she summons a bit of force armor to cover her.
"Inneruptin drinkin? That's a damnable shame." Ilmig takes another drink, in homage. Then he switches cup for axe. "Aye. Could be bandits up 'n tryin ta nab somethin. Maybe scared 'em off."
Valkea lets those blue eyes roam around the camp sight, as much to see if there was anything extra out of place as to make sure whatever might have scared the original occupants of the camp off doesn't get a jump on anyone.
More new arrivals get a smile while the ranger keeps up her perusal. Though now the crossbow is unslung and loaded, hooking a foot into the stirrup up front while one hand hangs onto the drawstring and the other steadies the whole thing as the half elf kicks down and clicks the bow to the ready position. A bolt loaded ready to shoot once the large weapon is horizontal again.
Owen shifts his attention to the newcomer as he walks, using his staff like a walking stick as the group approaches the camp. "Odd that no one stayed behind," the war golem reasons, lifting a single large digit to gently poke the owl snoozing on his shoulder. The large horned owl fluffs in mild annoyance and doesn't open its eyes. With a hollow, somewhat mechanical sigh, he turns his wooden face to the others. "I am Owen, by the by. Druid of the Green Word. This is Bikku." Beat. "He isn't feeling sociable."
Unslinging a great polearm, a berdysh with a gleaming adamantine blade, Duthei smiles prettily as they survey the party. "I'm Duthei," they say simply. "Have they all been killed, do you think?"
In the distance, you hear shouting.
Sounds like calls for help!
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! OVER HERE!"
See? Calls for help. They're distant but audible.
"If they were killed, their bodies would still be here." Vasya says as she searches for some sort of clue, but she's not a tracker. "I am Vasya, Elf of the wilds." Strangely....as she walks into the sun....her skin start to turn green." She then snaps her head up. "And there's the proof they're not dead." She says starting to head in that direction.
Sarcis takes a moment to string her bow and snap up an arrow between her fingers as she hears the call, a look toward the others. "Yet." She adds to Vasya, and sets in beside her toward the distant call for help.
"Valkea Sirron." The half-sil ranger offers in a cheerful introduction before the calls are made audible enough. Pointy ears twitch amd the short little thing is moving with anyone else towards the source of the call, weapon aimed safely away from others, the bolt pulled and held in hand just in case while the crossbow is hauled along with.
"Oh!" Duthei's face lights up and they hitch the berdysh up into ready position, running off toward the sound. They may or may not say something along the lines of 'hurray for battle!' as they go.
Owen is surprisingly fleet-footed for a 300-odd-pound war golem. The construct of wood and stone turns and breaks into a stride towards the sound of the distressed voice. Bikku, the beyond annoyed owl, flutters at this and starts flapping his wings. There are no scurrying incentives by his estimation, so the owl takes off and starts circling overhead.
Before too much longer you're reaching the source of the screamns. It is, perhaps, a tiring but brief run.
A handful of rather frightened humans are standing on a boulder.
Just hanging out on the boulder. They see you and start waving frantically for help, screaming and shouting before they queit down and one calls out to you.
"Be careful! The grounds aren't stable!"
Well, that's no good. Duthei aims to brake, being much lighter on their feet than their absolute abandon on getting there might suggest; they skid to a halt not far from the boulder, but hopefully far enough not to fall and muss their hair.
"I say," they call with a wave. "What's going on?"
GAME: Owen rolls Knowledge/Geography: (11)+5: 16
"If the grounds aren't stable...then why are you on a rock..that is on the ground?" Vasya says looking down at the ground.....investigating....
Sarcis comes to a slower stop, staying back from the boulder as she still has an arrow knocked on the bowstring. She glances toward Vasya, an eyebrow raising, then toward the the people on the boulder. "Describe this unstable ground and explain yourselves!"
Valkea has to put a little extra effor to keep up, shorter legs and heavy gear makes for a slow elf. With a brief puf to catch her breath when she stop short of any potential ground and pitfalls she looks around. "Need a rope to get down from there?" she further asks the group stuck on the boulder.
"There's something in the ground! It came from the ruins! We think it might've gone back but we're not sure. It's some kind of metal drill creation! We think the Kulthians used it to mine ore! Briv tried to make a run for it and he got sucekd right into the ground."
GAME: Duthei rolls knowledge/geography: (5)+3: 8
Owen's rather impressive sprint towards the group of humans comes to a stop near the others. It's here he stops and stares out at the land in silence, standing perfectly still. After a moment, he speaks up, his eyes and nose pulsing that eerie green with his syllables. "This is not an area known for 'unstable ground' as I recall. Not sinkholes, not quicksand. This is troubling news." He pauses a moment and turns to look to the others in turn. "Do watch your step."
".....well then, nothing like getting drilled to start your day. "have any room up there for more?"
Vasya says that.
"I find you should get drilled often for true happiness," Duthei says without hesitation. "Well, shall we go slice this thing into ribbons?" Real go-getter, that Duthei.
Everyone groans immediately as Duthei speaks.
"Metal drill," Owen echoes after a fashion. "That would explain it." He adjusts his staff then and glowers...as much as he's able. The wooden face doesn't emote. He glances to Duthei then, shaking his head. "Incorrect. Whatever it is, it is doing irreversible damage to the land. It must be stopped."
GAME: Sarcis rolls Knowledge/arcana: (15)+8: 23
"Getting drilled is only the start." Sarcis says with an amused tone, letting go of the arrow for a moment to sweep her black hair up and back behind a pointed ear. The hand comes back down, slipping her fingers about the knock once more. "But this is going to be interesting." She takes a moment to try and think of what creature this might be.
"This," Sarcis says, "Sounds like a Kulthians construct. No real weaknesses that I know of."
Vasya says, "We'll just have to find one as we go along."
Ilmig has disconnected.
"As I said," Duthei said. "Slice. Into ribbons. This cleaver goes through most anything, after all." A wide, toothy grin is offered. Duthei is a cheeky thing. "Shall we go down?"
"If it's still here, even. Just get us out of here!"
That's what the person is yelling from their position.
Valkea just rolls her eyes and kinda fails to hide a smirk at the drilling jokes. Not so above it all after all. still, keeping her crossbow cradled and ready to loose in case things need shooting, she tries to eyeball the distance between where she stands while it's currently safe and the boulder itself. And whether or not she could get a bolt lodged into the rock to attach a line of spidersilk rope.
Owen really doesn't get innuendo, but it does finally dawn on him that the organic ones are having a bit of fun. "No one get any ideas about getting a drill anywhere near my chassis," he intones, voice hollow and flat. It might be a joke. Golems are confusing - particularly the ones without articulate faces. "If you've a rope, Bikku will fly it up to them." The golem pauses, looking skyward. "Since he has decided to awaken and join the living."
Sarcis nods and turns her head to Vasya again, a curve of her lips into a smile as she arches a crafted brow. "Mmm. Not sure that's how it works, Little elf. But I like how you think." A crinkle to her nose and she lets someone else lead the way. She was really more of a back-line fighting type rather than a front-line.
Valkea smiles up at Owen. "We'd need to tether ith. So I got a better idea. You can hang onto this end of the rope though. You look heavy and strong enough!" the Ranger states and starts rummaging in her pack, extracting a goblin army knife. Or at least the couple doesn't feet of spidersilk rope.
One end is tied to the bolt lodged in her crossbow, securing a neat and secure knot so it won't slip. The other end is handed to Owen. "Hold on real tight. The rest of you might wanna grab hold too just to be safe." the half elf ranger says loudly before calling out to the folks stuck on the boulder.
"Rope in coming, you might wanna stand clear as possible." the small blonde's voice rings out.
"I can't believe we got roped into this." Vasya says with a laugh.
Owen takes hold of the end of rope as it's produced, just staring at Valkea with that austere, wooden face. "I should hope so," he replies. His end of rope is wrapped around one hand and he leans a bit away from the bolt's trajectory in preparation. Those heavy crossbows have some power behind them, golem or no.
GAME: Valkea rolls dexterity+2: (3)+4+2: 9
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (11)+6: 17
The bolt fired by Valkea clatteres into the stone. Immediately, the trapped humans over there and one goblin start looking to tie it off around a stone, erxpecting you to do the same thing, obviously.
"Good shot, Valkea." Vasya says softly.
Owen just hangs on to the rope. It's essentially the same thing as tying it off to a stone, but this one moves in helpful ways. He's patient and still, or taking direction as to where he needs to move if at all. In any case, there isn't even an utterance of complaint on his part. The owl still looks pissed, were one to fancy looking up.
Sarcis simply waits off to the side with the bow nocked. If there really was a chance of this creature attacking them, she would hopefully be ready for it.
The Ranger aims, away from the goblin. She's really not a fan of them, but she does try to keep a professional demeanor. It's not stuck in the rock so the other side has to tie it off. With Owen and anyone else on her end working to anchor the line.
The praise from Vasya earns a big smile in return. "Thanks! That was the easy part. Just gotta hope the ground underneath us doesn't collapse while the others are moving." Even as she speaks she positions the crossbow to redraw the strings ready to slot in a fresh bolt if need be.
Anchoring the line is easy enough and thanks to the height of the boulder, it's going to be fairly easy for them to start making it across.
The first excavator grabs the rope and slids down it a short way, the nstarts to run across the ground while holding it tightly. He has it for security should something go wrong.
At one point, the earth beneath his feet crumbles into some sort of horrible sinkhole, but he's able to avoid getting pulled in thanks t o, well... rope.
It's an adventurer's best friend.
Duthei fetches, as previously mentioned, a tent peg - two, in fact - and cheerfully drives them into the earth with some of the rope tied around. For someone so...thin...they certainly have no trouble one-shotting the spikes into the earth with a mallet. "All done over here," Duthei chimes.
Owen assists in tying the rope to the spike, nodding his austere wooden face to Duthei. "Well done," he says in his hollow tone. Standing again, the tall construct steps one foot down on the tent peg. He poises himself in preparation to help catch anyone who comes in too hot and overshoots. "I expect that they will have more information regarding this metal drill," he thinks aloud, watching for the people coming down.
"I'm thinking we should be more careful the more people we have on the ground." Sarcis says, "It may sense through tremors in the ground." She gives more of a grimace and begins to move away from the group as slowly and quietly as she can. If she's right, it might attack toward the center of this group - she didn't want to be there.
Valkea winces when the ground gives way, luckily the rope is their and being spider silk makes hanging on a lot easier. "Hopefully we won't need to backpedal ourselves." she chimes in before giving the folks crossing some encouragement. Most of the 'you can do it' sort. She isn't the best of cheerleaders but she does her best.
Vasya says, "If we tighten the rope....they can slide down...if they have tools that are hard enough to survive rope burn."
It's not so easy to slide down givem that they're not THAT high in the first place, but they do make it. One by one, all six of them are making their way across, minus some hiccups with the earth being pretty crumbly.
They're all a-tremble, seeming relieved to be out of trouble for the moment.
"No sign of it. It must've gone back to the r-,"
The earth starts to shake.
"RUN!" Vasya says as the ground starts to rumble with increasing ferocity. "We need to get these people out of here."
Vasya says, "and not drilled."
It might have been a wince before but now that the ground is rumbling beneath Valkea's feat, the diminutive blonde Ranger is all but bug eyed with worry. "This might be a good time to move away from here." she agrees and starts helping to herd everyone somewhere less likely to get into a position to be used as coolant for a giant metal drill machine. Or whatever the heck is down there.
"Ha ha!" Duthei claps with delight at the sudden shuddering of the earth - they pull down the gleaming berdysh, holding the polearm in both hands, and proceeds to smile at the earth as if awaiting a suitor's expected gift.
Some people.
Beaglefinder arrives, singing as she steps into the high grasses. Bluebirds sing.
Beaglefinder has arrived.
Owen doesn't look to the rescued crew, but when the ground starts shaking he does speak up for their benefit. "If you wish to continue living, it would be in your best interests to run." The hollow voice carries, but then he turns his head towards Vasya and Valkea. "Too much open, difficult terrain for these people. It will follow. Making our stand here means they can run and we can stop this thing from doing further harm."
Sarcis stays back from the others, staying still for now as she worries it might track based off of the vibrations in the ground. She raises the bow and pulls back on the string. Soon. Soon the creature will burst forth, it's just a question of where.
As the excavators break into a run, near to the edge of the field they just emerged from, the ground crumbles inwards and a lengthy, pointed drill emerges from the ground, attached to an equally long, metal snake like creature.
Lovely.
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 18.
It is now Duthei's turn! Drillbit is next!
Giant drill snake things should in theory be a very easy target, but with so much ground shaking and dirt flying around everywhere, it makes aiming a bit more difficult for Valkea and the bolt she fires goes wide with a faint whistling sound fading with distance and a muttered expletive or two in the elven tongue.
Beaglefinder has left.
GAME: You move 1 RPP point from yourself to Kisaiya
GAME: Duthei rolls weapon2: (5)+7: 12
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 16.
It is now Drillbit's turn! Owen is next!
Briefly, the drill contorts itself, coiling like a snake. The metal is apparently, oddly flexible and segmented.
It's roaring, clicking body powers the drill up further and it raises itself up straight, like it's intending to drop on the lot of you.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 15.
It is now Owen's turn! Vasya is next!
"Oh!" It's not over here, it's over /there/ - and Duthei just isn't going to have any of THAT. Making a soft fussing noise, the blonde person slings the polearm in the crook of their knee whilst unlimbering the ebony bow on their back, along with a white-fletched arrow - and with an impressive show of drawing the composite bow's layered limbs, shoots. Very wide.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 11.
It is now Vasya's turn! Sarcis is next!
GAME: Owen casts Shillelagh. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14
Owen braces himself for the rumbling of the ground and widens his stance a bit. The golem then lifts his oaken staff into the air with one hand while waving his other large mitt over it. The spell is uttered in hollow druidic as tendrils of green light weave from his fingers and begin to wind around the staff like vines. That done, he readies his staff and starts closing the distance between himself and the drill with a long, but cautious stride.
GAME: Vasya rolls 3d4+3: (4)+3: 7
Since the rumbly ground isn't doing anyone any sort of favors, Vasya makes sure to simply keep her eyes on the drill thing, and tosses out three magical sphere that make the device shudder a little....
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 11.
It is now Sarcis' turn! Valkea is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed ended.
GAME: Vasya casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
GAME: Sarcis casts Wrath. Caster Level: 4 DC: 14
Sarcis looks at the creature and takes a different approach, her original idea was to simply shoot it. But now? Now it seems better to focus in on it, her eyes narrowing as she mutters softly - a prayer to a deity - for guidance to to her wrath. A smile slides along her lips as she moves to a better spot, yes. This would do. She drew her bow back fully, holding the arrow as she waits for the chance to take her shot.
"That was awful rude of that thing." She murmurs, inspiration from on-high given to her as she aims toward a weak point. "Disrupting that poor gnome in the middle of its business."
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 22.
It is now Valkea's turn! Duthei is next!
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (19)+6: 25
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (14)+6: 20
GAME: Valkea rolls 2d10: (8): 8
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 18.
It is now Duthei's turn! Drillbit is next!
She could either run or reload, Valkea uses the moment to reload, stepping down into the stirrup at the front of the crossbow and steps down while hanging onto the string and the stock. A new bolt is loaded even as the weapon is leveled at the snake drill thing and with some extra few moments to aim she actually manages to hit, and embed the bolt into the body of it. How effective it was remains to be seen. It might even be mad now.
GAME: Duthei rolls weapon2: (10)+7: 17
GAME: Duthei rolls 1d8+2: (8)+2: 10
"Oooh!" Duthei sees what's happening and books it. Those long legs carry their frame far to the right, bootheels biting into the loose earth as they go - and as they reach the end of their stride, fires another shot from that great black bow of theirs. This time, the arrow finds its mark, finding purchase squarely between the armored plates of its body, just a hint of white fletching peeking out.
GAME: Valkea rolls reflex: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6: (7): 7
It's a drill monster. What does it do? It drills?
It dives back down beneath the ground, drill first, and a rumbling can be heard.
A short time later, the earth begins to give way beneath Valkea, dropping her a good fifteen feet into a rapidly manifested sinkhole.
She can climb out, probably fairly easily, but the drop hurt.
It emerges right in froint of Owen thereafter.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 15.
It is now Owen's turn! Vasya is next!
GAME: Owen rolls Weapon1+1: (17)+3+1: 21
GAME: Owen rolls 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 11.
It is now Vasya's turn! Sarcis is next!
GAME: Vasya rolls ranged: (10)+5: 15
Owen hops back an inch or two when the mechanical drill surfaces near him. The golem keeps his stance wide and quarterstaff held defensively. When he sees he has an opening as it surfaces though, he snaps the end of his enchanted staff forward and lands a solid blow against the drill's chassis.
GAME: Vasya rolls 4d6: (17): 17
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 11.
It is now Sarcis' turn! Valkea is next!
GAME: Sarcis rolls BowPBSWra: aliased to weapon1 +3: (18)+8+3: 29
With everyone else starting to hit, Vasya tries her luck. She zaps out a beam of flame that melts some of the plate of the driller....
GAME: Vasya casts Scorching Ray. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
GAME: Sarcis rolls 1d8+2+1+2+2: (6)+2+1+2+2: 13
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 22.
It is now Valkea's turn! Duthei is next!
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (8)+6: 14
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 18.
It is now Duthei's turn! Drillbit is next!
Sarcis moves the point up and a bit in front of where she wants it to hit, pauses that last moment to exhale, and her fingers slip free with the Thwmm of a bowstring that launches its missile toward the target. It sparks as the head of the arrow lodges into it, and another smile careens along the Oruch's lips.
GAME: Duthei RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 8 temporary HP
GAME: Duthei rolls 1d20+13: (19)+13: 32
GAME: Duthei rolls 1d20+13: (17)+13: 30
Well it's a drop, and armor really doesn't help when the enemy is gravity. Still, Valkea just looks up at the snake and uses the sink hole briefly for cover while the climb is three times her height. Half hanging herself over the rim of the sink hole and lining up the shot, which the now very dirty half elf just misses again whith the lack of elevation on her aim.
GAME: Duthei rolls 1d10+8: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Duthei rolls 1d10+8: (4)+8: 12
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 16.
It is now Drillbit's turn! Owen is next!
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6+6: (6)+6: 12
The great drill bit creature, as the exavacators are running away and screaming, turns and falls pretty much right onto Duthei, trying to score him with the drilltip. It c omes incredibly close and he's only able to narrowly avoid getting impaled one the thing.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 15.
It is now Owen's turn! Vasya is next!
GAME: Owen rolls 1d8+2: (2)+2: 4
GAME: Owen casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14
It is at this time that Duthei turns into space.
No. Really.
That china-pale skin runs clear as Duthei's pretty features warp into a frown; for a moment, there is a glimpse of muscle beneath the transparent flesh - but then their body fills with greens and blue-violets, a living nebula, tiny motes of light glittering in their body as their eyes turn black and all that white-blonde hair turns into black, flexible fringe that shudders as if alive.
And then they run. They run, screaming, a horrible sound coming from their mouth that freezes the blood in its alien plasticity - no throat on this planet should be able to make the horrible sounds that ululate from that once-beautiful mouth. As they charge the machine, that berdysh of theirs sweeps out, driven by arms that extend far more than is normal, and cleaves through the drilling machine's segmented body as if it were rotten cloth. Sparks and metal shards, and perhaps fluid as well spatter their body and the earth all around.
Screaming still, they ready another swing.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 11.
It is now Vasya's turn! Sarcis is next!
GAME: Vasya rolls ranged: (11)+5: 16
GAME: Vasya rolls 4d6: (14): 14
Owen moves with perhaps surprising speed and grace, vaulting himself over the land to where Valkea has gotten herself out of the hole. The war golem stands protectively in front of her, muttering under his breath in druidic. As the chant continues, warmth and green light course from his hand over her shoulder. "I do not like that thing," he says flatly, taking a stance in front of her and a bit to the side so she has a clear line of sight.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 11.
It is now Sarcis' turn! Valkea is next!
GAME: Sarcis rolls BowPBSWra: aliased to weapon1 +3: (8)+8+3: 19
GAME: Sarcis rolls 1d8+7: (4)+7: 11
Vasya bolts out another Scorching ray, and it boils away a bit more armor......
Sarcis moves as smoothly as ever, her hand reaching back to grab yet another one of her arrows. She slips it up, nocking it and drawing. Her eyes give a narrow, looking toward it as she tries to find that spot she shot before. She exhales a hair, lines up, and looses it to drive another arrow inbetween the plates to a shattering of sparks and a gout of noise. Hopefully they would be killing this thing soon.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 22.
It is now Valkea's turn! Duthei is next!
GAME: Valkea rolls ranged: (14)+6: 20
GAME: Valkea rolls 1d10: (9): 9
Valkea feels the spell knit whatever major bruising and damage the fall caused wash away, she even breathes a little easier. She's still caked it dirt and much though so that needs an actual wash. Calling out a 'Thanks! And I certainly agree with you.' the ranger loads to fire again, bypassing the hand crank on the side of the weapon by using brute strength or what the slim little woman can muster to lock the next bolt into place to take aim and shoot again. Running isn't going to do much when it can easily take the ground out from under your feet. "Please hit something good this time." and the trigger catch is released.
GAME: Duthei ends its rage.
GAME: Whirlpool removes the timestop.
Timestop by Whirlpool has left.
PANG!
Valkea's crossbow bolt embeds in the slagged area of metal that is a result of Duthei's rending, Vasya's spells, the bashing of a shillelagh, and of course, one musn't forget an Orcuh's shots either! It finally sparks several more times before teetering and collapsing towards Duthei and Owen's forms.
They may want to get out of the way.
GAME: Owen rolls athletics: (9)+3: 12
GAME: Duthei rolls athletics: (6)+5: 11
Owen watches with...his same expression as always as the machine starts teetering his way. The golem leaps backwards, narrowly avoiding the collapsing machine. When it croaks a metallic death groan and hisses its last, the golem starts to relax his stance. Glowing, unblinking eyes study the thing as he steps towards its fallen corpse. "I wonder where it came from."
Stepping back rather clumsily from the drill-machine as it collapses across the dirt, Duthei stands heaving and monstrous for a moment more. Then, the horror passes, and the tortured growl leaving their mouth is gone, and they are pale and beautiful once more. The hair is down, blowing like a banner in the wind, but otherwise the transformation is complete.
"Well, then," Duthei says, smiling prettily once more. "That's done, isn't it?"
"Underground is where it came from." Vasya then looks to Owen. "I'm guessing you meant where it's home is though. That I have no idea."
When Valkea's shot fells the drillsnake, she looks surprised, it was an unexpected turn. Though when it starts falling towards Owen and Duthiel she winces and sidesteps a ways so she isn't quite in the impact area when it finally lands and goe still. One for caution, the half-elf ranger loads up again and keeps her crossbow trained so she can punch another bolt into the mechanical menace if it tries to reactivate itself. If it can. "I hope it stays down." she mutters down the sights of her weapon.
The Oruch is in the process of reaching for yet another arrow when the machine crashes to the ground. She begins to walk toward it, glancing at Vasya in the process and muttering "At least it's dead." She gives a shake of her head and continues forward, another arrow already attached to the bowstring. There's a sort of sweep to her steps as she closes in on it, stopping next to it and planting a foot as best she can upon it. A draw, and she fires one arrow, and then a second, into it.
Machines. Can never be too sure.
"As Vasya said, and those people did, it probably came from whatever they found underground."
"Is it dead?" one of the excavators approaches and they begin peering at it.
"Yeah, it came out of the little ruin we found. We didn't think anything sao large could come out of it. Come on, guys. You wanna see? I think it should be sfe now."
Owen turns his wooden face to Duthei. "Not entirely," he says, voice hollow and calm as usual. "If there are more of them, that would be alarming news. They could do unspeakable damage." To Vasya, he nods his head, staring blankly back at her. "Perhaps an artificer in the city can track its origins." His face turns back towards the fallen drill, studying it for another few moments. "Though I somehow doubt leaving it unattended will see much left of it upon return."
The ranger grins and relaxes a little. The excavators get a nod. "Looks it. Be a good haul to take back to the ciy and have it looked at. Might even see how to build them. Or at least control them if we have any more in the future." Valkea says cheerfully. "And yeah, think the reason we came here was to help with uncovering stuff right?" she says accepting the invitation.
Owen then looks up and over to the excavators, staring at them now in his usual blank and vaguely creepy fashion. "Yes. Lead the way." A longer pause then and the golem is preparing to leave when he suddenly adds: 'Please.'
"Yeah. Lets go ahead and take a look. Now that the coast is clear." Vasya stretches her arms. "Keep your weapons out...just in case."
"I never scare anybody anymore," Duthei observes, more to themselves than anyone else. "Hmmm. Maybe I need to eat the heart the next time I finish someone." Sure, Doots. That's what you need to do. Good lord. "Well, let's go have a look."
Sarcis looks to the excavators, "It's hard to say if it iwll ever be truly dead, but it's close enough." She nods to the rest of the party, the Oruch figures they're right and should check for more of these burrowing monstrosities.
Before long, you're lead by the excavation team to what appears to be a mound of earth. Half-dug out is a silver, metal foundation belonging to something that once stood here. A simple hatch is half-opened set into a revealed bit of flooring.
Smoke occasionally wafts out of it alongside obvious heat. You can hear the sound of whirring machinery from within.
Duthei frowns faintly at the sight of that. "I don't like hatches leading into machines," they say. "But I will have to examine anyway."