The Gargoyle's Nest CTD Part 3
when we last left our brave, noble heroes (and for once there's no 'and') they had just finished stopping the horrible tentacled plant monster that had made the floor all squish and had horribly compelling whispers.
ALl that's left is to clear out the vegetation and see what else is within the next room or two, assuming that the brave heroes wish to push on.
Kira could be both of those. Now that no one's getting hit or grabbed or squeezed, she adds happier to the list, too. "Is everyone alright?" Her first search is her peers, since their surroundings will still be there in a minute or three.
Raethon grumbles a bit as he lowers himself towards the ground. "I'll be a bit better. one of the tendrils got me." he grumbles a bit more. "How's everyone else doing?"
Garak reaches into a satchel at his waist and withdraws a pair of wands. Their style is slightly different, as if they came from different sources. And perhaps Garak himself was not the original owner. "We should take a moment to heal ourselves," he advises. He begins with touching a wand to his own chest.
Hun'rar works his shoulder a bit "I can help heal if need be." he offers as he sheaths his sword. "That was... a frightening creature. I hope we don't see the likes of that again."
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
Elisabeth cleans plant-tentacle goo off the blade of her sword, then sheathes the weapon. "I, too, can provide healing, if needed", she says.
Well, the good news is that there's really only one doorway, leading to a set of stairs that go down. Those stairs...
They appear...
Slick, to say the least. With moss and lichen and wetness. It does not look even slightly safe.
Kira sees that everyone is doing better. That's good. Then she looks ahead around the rooms and sees the stairs. Her lips purse, because that doesn't look so good. "We should be careful. These look slippery."
Garak reclaims the falchion he tossed aside earlier during the frantic fight. He moves to the stairs and then puts a foot on the first one, experimentally. "Serriel's blessing - the one that let me escape that monstrosity's grasp," he looks at the floor. "Will last for a bit longer. I should be protected," he concludes and then continues on the stairs.
Taking a moment to reach into her pack, Elisabeth pulls out what looks like a handful of flame -- an Ioun Torch, which she tosses up into the air over her head, setting the magical object to orbiting about six inches above her, providing light.
Hun'rar slings his shield over his shoulder and pulls out some pitons and climbing gear "Nothing for it right? Just head up and do your best? Lead person takes a rope for others to follow with?" he notes a solution to the slick stairs.
"If the stairs are slippery, perhaps the best anchor person should be the last to go, providing those before them with the rope for support as needed?", Elisabeth suggests.
Kira nods to Elisabeth and her smile rekindles. "That's a great idea."
With a guide line secured, our heroic adventurers move down the stairs. Within this sanctuary for the Gargoyles, there is an immense amount of plant-matter. It's not really their thing, but thre you have it. Here, the entirety of what appears to have once been a kHazadi dining area, if the decor is any5thing to go by, is absolutely covered in thick vegetation liek the room above. Vines hang froim the ceiling, weeds bloom from cracks, and the air is thick thick thick with pollen.
There are also... bundles of plant matter that wiggle and squirm.
Cocoons of some kind.
Hun'rar straps his shield back to his arm and draws his sword when he sees the wiggling vines, he is not looking forward to another combat like the last. "Where in the world did these come from. The food here just go bad? Really really bad?" he offers a suggestion as he investigates carefully.
Raethon tilts his head at the cocoons. "Jeez. I don't really like cocoons...."
Garak casts a murderous look at the cocoons. Raising his lance in both hands he takes a few steps towards the nearest one. "Best to destroy them now," he remarks. "Before something even less pleasant emerges."
Kira looks... concerned at the wiggly bundles. "Maybe we should see what they are, first, before we do anything drastic?" She's concerned, and maybe a little ickied out, but not afraid to step close to one of the pods to try and see what she can see.
Muffled words come from within a human sized cocoon... "Bailey.." more muffled words, "doesn't really hurt..." as one of the cocoons moves on the floor a bit more than the others. "..... getting a bit tight..."
Raethon says, "they look like they should be cut open...."
Garak raises his lance with both hands for a mighty blow. Then he pauses and looks back at Raethon. Oh. Cut -open-. "Very well." He glances around at all the vines choking the room. "Perhaps one of the sword-wielders should try. The rest of us can be ready in case." he doesn't really need to finish the sentance.
Hun'rar nods to Garak and goes up to he human sized one and tries to cut it open with his bastard sword. "The others could be worth examination but unless we find reason not to, I think fire will solce this issue quite handily."
Cutting one open reveals, well...
A humanoid figure! Covered in green gunk and goo. It's like she was sealed in a rather large venus fly trap cocoon.
Either way, Leisel is now free!
Raethon tilts his head and looks to Leisel. And...he starts to attempt to help her up.....and clean her off. better to be clean with prestidigitation and all that.
The human sized cocoon moves a bit more, almost away from the sword... "Ouch..." can be heard muttered a bit more clearly. More muttering..."Oh... OH, No No No.." As she is freed, the human covered gooo stops struggling. "Oh.. thank you," but she kneels down onto what is left of the cocoon. "I was meant to be food. Quite alright you understand.." she flings some of the goop off her one hand, and pulls a small little thing from her robes, and sets it on her head. "It was just hungry...but." She looks almost sad at the cut and now slowly dying cocoon. "I don't think it knew any better..." She shakes her head, "The Green... something isn't right.." She looks around her again and allows Raethon to help her up and assist.
Raethon says, "it's strange really. Gargoyles came and asked us to help them reclaim their home from these plants. Maybe you can help us out. So far....we've had to kill....""
"Is it really 'killing' if the enemies are plants...?" Garak muses. "When you trim the weeds in your garden, is it killing?" He seems to come back to the moment, looking at Liesel. "Are you injured?"
As the cocoon is cut and Leisel helped out of it, there's a wet, shifting, glorping sound from the a vine-shroude dhallway. Something is... moving?
Leisel's mouth drops open at such statments and questions, "Oh... oh yes, I'm fine... but yes killing plants are killing." she looks quite alarmed at this. "Killing is... killing. Life is life.. the Green does not discriminate.." She blinks looking all goopy from one to the other. In the state she is in, it would probably be quite hard to take her serious, but her expression is very serious. She glances to Garak, "I don't trim weeds in gardens, I rescue them. Take them out of town, so they don't get cut down." A glop of goop drops off her shoulder, just after something down the hall moves.
Garak begins chanting under his breath, touching his holy symbol with his fingertips. When he's finishes he readies his lance. "I fear there's no taking these out of the area."
GAME: Garak casts Divine Favor. Caster Level: 10 DC: 15
Raethon says, "Yeah. As much as I don't like it....defending myself is sort of a priority. What's your name?"
Hun'rar nods "It is unfortunate but it was rather in self defense, the bufalo does not let the lion eat him if he can help it!" the Warden says with a grin. "Seems these plants have been trying to take over other territory and I highly doubt this is natural growth. There is something at work here to cause this if I had to guess."
Leisel blinks again, "Why should they move? Why can't the .. gargoyles move? It would be simpler.." she pauses, "Although, something doesn't seem quite right with this. This is not simple plant matter. I have a grove of shamblers and they only eat what is already dead on the ground, well.. they are well trained." she smiles, as if that should explain everything. She looks to Hun'rar, "Indeed he doesn't, but the bufalo eats the plants and the lion eats the bufalo, and when the lion dies, it feeds the plants. Everything is a circle of life. But now.." she now glances down the hall the noise came from. "This isn't normal growth... something is convincing them to behave badly I fear." she listens for a moment, then looks to Raethon. "I'm Leisel..a druid near Alexandria. I came to investigate an odd feeling from this area. The Green is not particularly happy with things here."
Shlorp. Glorp. Glorp. Glorp.
A shambling creature makes its way through the vines, slowly. It has the hsape of a gargoyle to it, like the ones you saw before coming here, but it's clearly made of plant matter. It leaks... stuff.
It's vile.
In any case, it spreads its 'wings' and then takes another st ep, leaving behind a slightly larger version of itself, which is still moving. And then another. And another.
Now there's four of them.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ATTENTION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
NeverSleepsPool has dropped a TIMESTOP!
Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for NeverSleepsPool to instruct you further.
For in-combat commands, type: +thelp.
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GAME: Raethon casts Fireball. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (9)+7: 16
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (10)+7: 17
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+7: (2)+7: 9
GAME: Raethon rolls 10d6: (30): 30
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (4)+14: 18
GAME: Garak rolls weapon1+3: (14)+12+3: 29
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+7+3: (1)+7+3: 11
So the Moss decides to make an appearance. Despite Leisel's warnings, Raethon holds up a bead....then throws it at the group of the moss that decided to make an appearance. it explodes very very violently, getting three of them.....
GAME: Garak casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16
GAME: Garak rolls 11: (14)+11: 25
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+3: (4)+3: 7
Garak lunges and spears the charging creature with his lance. He recovers and backs up a few steps, chanting again - given how quickly these creatures overwhelmed him in previous battles, Garak wants to cast his spells while he can. A glowing lance appears superimposed over his physical one, then streaks off to pierce the enemy's mossy hide.
GAME: Hun'rar rolls weapon10-2: (12)+11+-2: 21
GAME: Hun'rar rolls 1d10+7+4+2: (4)+7+4+2: 17
Hun'rar lights his sword in purple flame and steps up to engage a nearby gargoyle plant, magiced blade slicing through the plant material leaving a terrible gash. "What would even spawn this..." he comments.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (13)+14: 27
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (12)+14: 26
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (1)+14: 15 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (10)+14: 24
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (19)+14: 33
GAME: Leisel casts Barkskin. Caster Level: 6 DC: 17
Leisel holds up her hands to delay all the fighting, but as the fireball goes off, and they ger really angry about that, she quickly mutters under her breath. "Natures armor, form of thee, pull strenth from the trees..." Her skin starts to thicken and harden, giving her a birch bark look, which is probably hilarious with the goop still falling off her. She tries to shout over the fighting, and a strange grating sound..."(Terran whisper me if you know Terran.)"
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (20)+14: 34
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (12)+14: 26
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (8)+14: 22
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (6)+14: 20
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (1)+6: 7
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (4)+6: 10
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (4)+6: 10
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d4+6: (4)+6: 10
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (5)+6: 11
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 2d6+12: (8)+12: 20
These moss gargoyles, it seems, are violent.
Immediately, they're moving in on you. Hun'rar is dogpiled by two of them, bark-claws rending into his armor and flesh, while Leisel recevies similar treatment. Their fangs, also made of sharpened wood, join the fun too.
Bark on bark, it seems, in that case.
A third dashes out toward Garak, slamming into him and raking its claws down his front.
GAME: Kira rolls cmb+7: (3)+16+7: 26
Kira blinks when the plant monsters show up, then pounce people. Like Hun'rar, who gets tag-teamed. "Hey! Get off of him!" She moves in to try and even things up, grabbing one of them.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (15)+14: 29
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (5)+6: 11
GAME: Elisabeth casts Fire Shield. Caster Level: 8 DC: 17
Elisabeth draws and holds up her sword. "Sun-father!", she calls out, using one of Daeus' many names. "Let me some of sun's fire that I may protect those in need!", she concludes, even as she marches her way up towards Raethon, saying to him: "Behind me!" Even as she says that to the man, she seems to suddenly immolate, red flames covering her entire body as she walks right up to the thing threatening him, trying to draw its attention to herself.
GAME: Elisabeth rolls 1d6+9: (1)+9: 10
GAME: Raethon used a Wand of Magic Missile.
GAME: Raethon rolls 3d4+3: (10)+3: 13
Flying back as Elisabeth gives him a bit of cover, he takes out a wand and cojures a trio of blue orbs to burst on the plant monster.....
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 18: (11)+18: 29
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+18: (8)+18: 26
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (12)+14: 26
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (13)+14: 27
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (19)+14: 33
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (1)+6: 7
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (6)+6: 12
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (6)+6: 12
GAME: Elisabeth rolls 1d6+9: (2)+9: 11
Kisaiya was there and she looked about, rather confused by it all really. I mean... WHY?! What is going ON?! But then there's moss creatures and she sees them and "OH GODS! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?! DAMN YOU GARDENER!" She shakes her fist up at the sky as she runs forward and pulls out her scythe, a low sweep, a rising strike with a shove of her hip to help speed the blade onward before it slices in deep. "Woo! THIS THING TOTALLY WORKS AGAINST PLANTS!"
GAME: Garak rolls 11: (13)+11: 24
GAME: Garak rolls 7: (7)+7: 14
GAME: Garak rolls 5d6: (19): 19
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+3: (5)+3: 8
Garak sways back as the monster slashes at him, doing his best to let the impact flow through him. It still hurts, though. A lot. He backs up further, letting his spiritual lance prod at the enemy while Garak himself uses his holy symbol's properties to unleash a wave of divine energy to heal the party.
Leisel takes the initial damage from the gargoyle, even after she tried to talk with them... in Terran, which is really hard to speak. "Ow!!!!!" she cries, and looks down at the gashes in her bark-like skin. Blood seeping out like sap, "Now that was not nice..." she pauses and looks at the creatures. "They aren't right... they are corrupted. They are not sanctioned by the Green..." She says very sadly, "They must be distroyed." Her body moves and shifts into a bear form, the barkskin holding even in this form.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+16: (3)+16: 19
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (4)+14: 18
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (1)+14: 15 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (3)+14: 17
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (11)+14: 25
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (3)+14: 17
GAME: Hun'rar rolls weapon10-2: (10)+11+-2: 19
Hun'rar tries to plunge his blade into the creatures but does not find purchase, instead he is assaulted by a barrage of attacks that he takes on his shield. It nearly takes all his effort to keep the claws at bay as his armor absorbs the blows.
GAME: Kira rolls cmb+7+5: (8)+16+7+5: 36
GAME: Kira rolls cmb+7+5: (2)+16+7+5: 30
"No." Kira doesn't exactly scold the plantgoyle, but she's firm. Even if she has no idea if it can even understand her. She doesn't want to hurt it, but she doesn't want it to hurt anyone else, either. It's a little different wrangling a vegetable, but its in the shape of an animal, so maybe that helps? One arm pulled across another to keep claws in a safe position, then a pivot over her hip to put it off-balance and on the ground. Half-sitting on it frees up a hand to pull twine in an unraveling way from her robe to use to wrap up pointy claws, arms, legs, and anything else that hurt someone.
GAME: Elisabeth rolls weapon6: (3)+12: 15
GAME: Elisabeth rolls weapon6-5: (8)+12+-5: 15
Elisbath calls out a wordless battlecry, and the emblem of Daeus on the face of her shield flares with light, visible even through the flames that surround her body, for a brief moment. She lashes her blade out at the her opponent, trading ineffective blows back and forth with the thing.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 18: (9)+18: 27
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 2: aliased to 13: (17)+13: 30
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+18: (5)+18: 23
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+18: (5)+18: 23
The creature is still there, "Why?! Why are you here?! Can't you just leave and find someplace else? Did the gardener put you up to this?!" And of course, she's not stopping, no, there's a shove of her hip and Kisaiya pushes the front of the haft forward and she pulls the back half toward her - whipping the blade in its low arc. The slice through it, then a turn to set the other hip forward as she whips the blade around in an arc and back down through at a downward stroke. "Please?!"
GAME: Raethon casts Displacement. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19
Trying to keep out of reach of the plant gargoyles, Rae does make his way over towards Liesel the bear.....and begins his chanting. Suddenly, there's TWO Liesel the bears!
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (20)+14: 34
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (5)+14: 19
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (9)+14: 23
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Elisabeth rolls 1d6+9: (5)+9: 14
GAME: Garak rolls 11: (7)+11: 18
GAME: Garak rolls 6: (11)+6: 17
GAME: Garak casts Prayer. Caster Level: 10 DC: 17
GAME: Hun'rar rolls weapon10: (5)+11: 16
Hun'rar continues to fight the plant creatures, not finding any purchase but taking more blows on the shield.
GAME: Leisel rolls 1D20+7: (16)+7: 23
Leisel's bear form wades into the nearest one, almost hesitating, but gives in a full swipe of a claw... no longer pleading for the fighting to stop.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+5: (16)+5: 21
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (16)+14: 30
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (1)+14: 15 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (10)+14: 24
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (4)+14: 18
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (8)+14: 22
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (8)+14: 22
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+3: (5)+3: 8
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d6+6: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Kira rolls cmb+7: (19)+16+7: 42
"Stay." Kira tells the one squirming, then looks to the next one. "You shouldn't be clawing anyone, either..." Kira commits to more firm, but nonviolent retraint of the violent ones and grab hold of another.
GAME: Magnus rolls 1d20+13: (11)+13: 24
GAME: Magnus rolls 1d20+8: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Magnus rolls 1d8+6: (8)+6: 14
Magnus fires twice at the mossgoyle that Kira grabbed. One misses, both the other goes sinking into the moss at the shoulder.
GAME: Elisabeth rolls weapon6+1: (14)+12+1: 27
GAME: Elisabeth rolls weapon6+1-5: (5)+12+1+-5: 13
GAME: Elisabeth rolls 1d8+6: (8)+6: 14
Elisabeth's 'dance' with the chia-gargoyle takes a turn as she drives it back a step with a solid cut into it with the blade of her sword, driving it back a step. Her opponent is built of firm stuff, though, and it steps back up into her, preventing her from being able to make a follow-up attack as it forces her momentarily on the defensive.
GAME: Raethon used a Wand of Magic Missile.
GAME: Raethon rolls 3d4+3: (4)+3: 7
Staying back, Raethon continues to use his wand to cast out three more orbs of force to smack the same moss gargoyle.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 18: (12)+18: 30
GAME: Kisaiya rolls Scythe 2 +4: aliased to 16 +4: (1)+16+4: 21 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+18: (5)+18: 23
There's a step to the side, a feel of the strike but it's not as hard as she might expect. A wince, a frown and she uses her movement to carry her to a different angle. A twist and she pushes with her hip, using her hands to guide it as she involves her back into the strike. The first one hits - handily - and she quickly tries to reverse it into a trip.
Of course the trip goes terribly and Kisaiya yelps out, dancing back as she misses - but thankfully didn't do so terribly that she tanlges herself up.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (10)+14: 24
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (4)+14: 18
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (14)+14: 28
GAME: Garak rolls 11: (3)+11: 14
GAME: Garak rolls 6: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Garak rolls weapon1+3-2: (17)+12+3+-2: 30
GAME: Garak rolls weapon1+3-5: (5)+12+3+-5: 15
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+13+3+1: (5)+13+3+1: 22
Garak 's ghostly lance misses the mossgoyle completely, driving itself into seemingly inert vegetation instead. Garak has better fortune with his own lance, driving it into the monster's side. As he streps back he glances around to assess how the rest of the party is faring.
GAME: Hun'rar rolls weapon10+1+2: (15)+11+1+2: 29
Hun'rar moves in one of the gargoyles, sword finaly finding purchase in the creature and damaging it. "Should have started a fire..." he murmers as he strikes.
GAME: Hun'rar rolls 1d10+7+2: (4)+7+2: 13
GAME: Leisel rolls 1d20+7+2: (3)+7+2: 12
Having not caught anything the first swipe, she moves to swipe at the moss gargoyles, growling deeply as she does. As the swipe goes forth, the gargoyle moves, and she misses again... which brings about a disgruntled huff.
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (9)+14: 23
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (18)+14: 32
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+14: (10)+14: 24
GAME: NeverSleepsPool rolls 1d20+16: (18)+16: 34
One of the gargoyles gets a hold of Kira, instead, miraculously lifting itself into the air with a mighty beat of its wings, holding her above the rest before attempting to throw her into the oothers!
Uh oh!