Trisgwar
You find yourselves somewhere on the northern border of the Mystwood, you were given excellent instructions on where to find the home of the Trisgwar family, and yet... As you look around you find it difficult to believe that anyone lives here. This doesn't even look like a part of the forest in fact. It looks like something more readily found in the Desolation. The grass is an odd red color, and the trees grow in misshapen forms. The very air seems oily and smells fetid. Here and there you can see odder plants, things that bristle with thorns or glisten with venom.
In the distance you can see a home, but it seems small and far away through this odd landscape found in the middle of the usually beautiful forest. It seems as though however, you have little choice but to move forward. Through this.
Erakirak regards the corrupted forest and shakes his head sadly. "There's a lot of this going around," he observes, looking around warily as he approaches the distant home.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/arcana: (15)+11: 26
Traveling alongside Rak is a silver-winged griffon who keeps her distance from basically everyone and doesn't seem to like being touched, though she's otherwise friendly enough. Mostly.
Walery takes a look around as we approach. He says grimly, "Some sort of wild magic has happened here. Be ready for anything." He's afoot unless we've been provided transportation.
Deak looks at Walery curiously. He says, "Wild magic? So, natural rather than evil?"
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (9)+8: 17 GAME: Deak rolls Perception: (4)+6: 10 GAME: Erakirak rolls perception: (4)+12: 16
Walery shrugs to Deak, and he says, "That, I don't know. It could have been done malevolently, I guess?"
GAME: Deak casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 5 DC: 13
"It might be another sign of the land's corruption," Rak observes. "Maybe --" he cuts off at the sight of a wiggling flower, and draws his bow, nodding in its direction.
Deak nods, then rests his hand upon his holy symbol and concentrates.
GAME: Erakirak rolls knowledge/nature: (7)+4: 11
Walery shoulders his deathray when he notices the big purple flower. "What is /that/?" he asks in a disgusted tone.
"It looks a little like a big purple venus flytrap," Rak observes. "It might have something inside it. Or someone." He looks around for a long branch to poke it with.
Deak moves toward the flower and prods its blossom with the butt of his billhook. Walery will stay well back, and switch his death ray over to FIRE. Because the phrase "kill it with fire" is flashing in his head. Someone will say it soon, he's certain.
The plant wobbles and you can hear intensifying noises. "MMMHRGP MMMEMR IGGGGRRR GGRRRRRGG GRRRR!" It sounds like roaring noises of some kind.
Erakirak finds a long branch and carefully prods the plant, trying to find a spot that will trigger it to release its contents. "Be careful everyone, whatever's trapped inside might not be friendly."
The griffon seems unhappy with him approaching the plant, and growls and paces anxiously.
Deak says. "Huh. The plants have the same magical aura that magical beasts usually do."
The plant wobbles some more, and the roaring unhappiness inside of it continues to sound very agitated. If anything poking it seems to make matters worse.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/arcana: (9)+11: 20
Walery suggests, "You could cut it off at the stem. Or squeeze it from the sides, though that'd be hard. It's absolutely a menace, though."
GAME: Deak rolls 1d8+1d6+2 nonlethal: (5)+(2)+2 nonlethal: 9
The plant wobbles under the attack, and there's a brief interlude in the muffled growls before they suddenly get louder.
This, after Deak thrusts his bill at the flower.
Erakirak backs up a bit and prepares to deal with anything that might come charging out of the flower.
Walery backs a step also, and will charge his death ray. This seems like a good time. He takes aim at the base, and fires. A bolt comes from his weapon and the charge of pure fire strikes the base of the horrible giant plant.
The fire burns right through the stalk of the plant and the head pops off with a little thud considering the weight inside.
GAME: Erakirak rolls perception: (19)+12: 31 GAME: Deak rolls Perception: (12)+6: 18 GAME: Walery rolls perception: (5)+8: 13
"Look out!" Rak calls out, and fires arrows in the direction of a slug he really hopes is actually there.
GAME: Deak casts Prayer. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
Deak sees the approaching slug and steps away while offering a prayer.
Walery activates his titan armor.
GAME: Walery activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+10: (12)+10: 22 GAME: Walery rolls 2d6+6: (2)+6: 8 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (2)+9: 11 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (13)+9: 22 GAME: Erakirak rolls 5+1d8: 5+(1): 6 GAME: Erakirak rolls 5+1d8: 5+(4): 9
Walery takes a few more steps back, fires again with his death ray, which only wings the slug, more's the pity. Maybe it will go away? Maybe? It just got interested in a plant, maybe it can lose interest? Though slugs aren't really noted for complicated psycology. Not that Walery is a slug expert.
The slug turns out to be real, and Erakirak sinks two arrows into its sluggy flank.
Erakirak does, that is.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+1: (17)+1: 18 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d4: (3): 3
Seeing new food that dared to hurt it first the slug changes course slightly toward Erakirak and spits a stream of acid right on the poor man.
GAME: Deak has prepared Weapon of Awe in a reserved spell slot. GAME: Deak casts Weapon of Awe. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
Deak begins to incant a spell, as he strides over to bless Walery's firearm
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (12)+11: 23 GAME: Walery rolls 2d6+8: (3)+8: 11 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (13)+9: 22 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (4)+9: 13 GAME: Erakirak rolls 5+1d8: 5+(1): 6 GAME: Erakirak rolls 5+1d8: 5+(3): 8
Walery keeps backing away, levelling the death ray and taking another shot. He chants, "Oh Holy Reos, without whom we could do no Artifice, please bless this weapon and let it strike true." He's no priest or wizard, but anyone can beseech the gods, right? It certainly can't hurt. It does help, though perhaps the issue is Walery's aim, which is not the best.
Erakirak continues to fire arrows into the thing.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+6: (11)+6: 17
The slug lumbers forward, finally reaching something edible... namely Erakirak, and out comes shooting its tongue from rows of weird teeth from your worst nightmare. The tongue itself is terrible (and smells awful), but it hits the ground just beside the bow-weilding man instead of him and goes shooting back the way that it came.
Erakirak frowns. "Could buy a guy a drink, first."
GAME: Deak rolls Sling+1: aliased to Weapon2+1: (20)+5+1: 26 (THREAT) GAME: Deak rolls Sling+1: aliased to Weapon2+1: (19)+5+1: 25 GAME: Deak rolls 2d4+4: (2)+4: 6
Not knowing really how else to aid in the effort to fight the slug, Deak falls back on the old standby and actually attacked it -- with a weapon! He slings a bullet at the grotesque monstrosity, and miracle of miracles, he kills the thing. Deak smirks and gives last rites to the fallen Goliath.
Behind you is a muffled "MmmmmmmmMMM!"
Erakirak inspects the ex-flower blossom, prying open the snappy-jaws part
As you pry apart the jaws of the plant a man pops out like a... daisy from the snow. He's a bit the worse for wear. Partially because someone hit him while he was trapped in a flower, and partially because the flower was digesting him in acid. There are little spots of acid burn on him... and not much else. He's wearing breeches that cover just down to his knees and his hands are wrapped in leather. The man is also clearly an elf, but also clearly a wild one at that. He growls at you irritably and mutters something gutturally before backing away cautiously as though you might attack him.
Erakirak backs away equally cautiously.
GAME: Deak rolls 3d6: (9): 9
Walery looks a bit surprised at the fellow popping out of the flower, and he says, "You don't look like a flower fairy. Are you okay?" And then Deak channels healing, and ... he figures things are likely OK at that point?
Deak's first reaction upon seeing the Sylvanori is to do a kindness before he skitters too far away, this hoping to allay his fears. However, he makes no attempt to approach, as even that could be regarded as a threat. He merely smiles in his compassionate way.
The wild man's eyes dart one way and then another and after a moment he runs away, fleeing into the unknown landscape looking at least somewhat the better for the healing.
Walery says to the others, "Well, that's two problems solved. Let's see what else we can do?"
Erakirak shakes his head. "Forests are strange," he says, to nobody in particular, before returning to the trek toward the house.
Deak laughs and pats Walery on the shoulder. "Yes. I believe we still have the original mission to attend to?" He glances at the birdman and his partner the griffon, adding, "And to the forest we are all stranger than that elf, I'd warrant."
GAME: Erakirak rolls survival: (13)+8: 21 GAME: Walery rolls survival: (2)+1: 3 GAME: Deak rolls Survival: (8)+3: 11
It takes some effort on Erakirak's part to keep you all out of danger, but you are led through this strange environment finally to the door of the house itself. The house is a lovely little manor, and as you go inside you realize that the weirdness doesn't exist just outside the house. It definately has followed you inside. The door closes behind you with a little click that sounds final, and when you glance backwards you can see water through the panes of glass that offer light into the entryway. Water through which fish swim. As if the ocean was through the door that you just came through.
Meanwhile a canopy of leaves stretches overhead, the plants growing up the walls and up the ceiling toward a massive staircase that leads upstairs. You have four options before you. One, to go upstairs. Two, go left through the door to your left. Similarly three is to your right. Or you can go back the way you came.
Deak remarks, "Well, that's weird. I wonder..."
Walery looks around, and says, "Well. That's good and strange. Bedrooms are upstairs normally, yes?"
Erakirak calls out, loudly: “Sephielia! Are you all right?!?"
GAME: Erakirak rolls perception: (5)+12: 17 GAME: Deak rolls Perception: (9)+6: 15 GAME: Walery rolls perception: (16)+8: 24 GAME: Deak casts Detect Evil. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Walery calls out a warning to Deak even as he brings his death ray to his shoulder. "Look out! Duck!" as the plants reach down towards his head.
Erakirak looks around for the duck.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (10)+5: 15
There's a nearly silent rustle as the plants above Deak's head come alive and reach down to grab him. Walery's quickly timed warning however cause them to miss the man by scant inches.
GAME: Deak has prepared Bless in a reserved spell slot. GAME: Deak casts Bless. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Deak stoops suddenly down at Walery's warning, narrowly avoiding being grasped. He says, "Thanks," then bestows a Blessing upon the party, all the while watching the plants above his head as if with a skeptical eye.
The floorboards behind those inside creak some as a hunched figure cautiously enters the doorway. It is the sylvanori formerly being digested by the plant, though now with less plant juices covering him and much more grass and moss. He sniffs at the air, eyeing the surroundings warily, to include those ahead of him.
Walery activates his titan armor. GAME: Walery activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (5)+11: 16 GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (5)+11: 16 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (5)+9: 14 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (4)+9: 13
Walery has called out the warning to Deak, now he calls out to the stranger: "Look out, this place is full of bad things!" And so saying, he aims his death ray at the plant overhead. A bolt of raw fire shoots out, and strikes the plant solidly.
Erakirak follows up the fiery blast with two arrows that embed themselves in the ceiling.
Jaen may or may not understand the warning words, but crouches more to duck low at the sudden bursts of fire. His head whirls around and tilts to look up where things are being burned and arrows loosed at.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (11)+5: 16
The plant reaches out further, waving its tendrils in the air, but it can't seem to catch hold of Deak.
GAME: Deak casts Sanctuary. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14 GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (20)+11: 31 GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (4)+11: 15
Deak, still stooping to avoid getting caught by the plants, offers his gratitude to Althea and invoke her compassion to grant him Sanctuary from any that might seek to do him harm.
GAME: Walery rolls 3d6+5: (7)+5: 12 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (11)+9: 20 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+9: (15)+9: 24 GAME: Erakirak rolls 4+1d8: 4+(5): 9 GAME: Erakirak rolls 4+1d8: 4+(4): 8
Walery will shoulder his death ray, and fire right into the center of the target, Or where he thinks it is. But it's fighting with Deak, and he can't get so good a shot as he'd like, and so while he scorches it, it's still moving.
Erakirak follows up his previous two arrows with two more, only this time he misses the ceiling and pierces the disturbingly anime-like non consensual tentacles, releasing vital plant sap stuff and, who knows, perhaps destroying some vital plant organs. Forests are weird.
Deak stands back up at his full stature, clearly relieved. He looks around and asks, "Could anyone use some healing?"
GAME: Deak casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
Walery says, "I'm all right for now." He looks up the stairs, then back at our new companion. "You're back, then?" he asks. "This place is a bit creepy all on your own, eh? No worries, we'll take care of you. Get you back to wherever you need." As long as that place is Alexandria.
GAME: Deak rolls CMW: aliased to 2d8+4: (7)+4: 11
Erakirak nods thanks to the cleric. "I'm going to check upstairs for the daughter. Or her skeleton, anyway."
Walery nods, will go with Erakirak. "I think that's as good a place as any to start."
Deak smiles at the elf and turns to follow. He softly says, "Strength in numbers..."
Jaen watches the plant burn until he's sure it's dead, then turns to look back at Walery in return. His head tilts at the question and comments, but as they begin to move he starts looking around the room.
The wild elf finds little downstairs but the two doorways and ordinary plants while the rest of you head upstairs. Upstairs proves to be a massive hallway with three different doorways. Two on the right and one at the end of the hall. You try the door handles on all three and find that all three rooms are locked.
Erakirak looks around. "Anyone got a better plan than kicking the doors down?"
Deak advises. "Before we do, let me try one quick thing."
Walery shakes his head. "Kicking sounds good. This place is going to get eaten by the surrounding land soon anyhow, I think."
Deak says, "That one glows more brightly than the rest of this place." He points.
Erakirak shrugs. "All right," he says, and tries to kick open the indicated door.
GAME: Erakirak rolls strength: (12)+3: 15
Finding nothing below, Jaen moves up the stairs after the others. Just in time for someone to point at a door. It's an easily understood signal, so he starts for it, maybe to push on it, though he stops short when the ...large chicken starts to work on it.
The door busts in and splinters go flying everywhere. It seemed like the door was made of paper it was so easy to do that. After a moment you peer inside and see what seems to be a perfectly ordinary little boy's room. There's a little boy sitting on the bed crying quietly. He hasn't noticed you yet.
Deak wastes no time going to offer the child comfort. He's an Althean priest. Nurturing is what they do. He kneels before the boy reaches for some crackers from his bag to offer, saying, "There there, son. Where are the others?"
GAME: Deak rolls Diplomacy: (5)+11: 16
Walery is a man carrying a death ray and a sort of distracted look. He's not really a children person, though he does allow, "Your dad sent us to come collect you and get you out," in a deadpan tone in case it helps.
Erakirak kneels down next to the crying boy and whistles cheerfully, if a bit artificially, in his general direction.
Jaen moves into the room, crouched, but doesn't rush up to surround the boy and add to the mob, but he does ask, "Are you hurt?" <sildanyari>
For a moment longer the child cries, and then he looks up and you notice that his eyes are an odd shade of pale color. He smiles joyfully at you, and when he speaks it's in the native tongue of the elves. "My sister... something is terribly wrong with her. She's been possessed by something. You have to help." He stands up, his short white hair swishing around his shoulders silently. "All of this is because of the darkness that came out of the well. It went inside her and now everything has gone... gone... gone."
His words fade and suddenly so does he. Fades from view until you realize suddenly that you were just talking to a ghost. <sildanyari>
Walery ohs as the child disappears. "Well, that's a thing. I thought he said something about Sandy, who takes care of orphans and vampires, back in Alexandria." He's seen the play, but his memories aren't quite fresh.
Deak looks startled at this turn of events. He stands up again and says, "Um, wow. What just happened?" He looks at Jaen with a mild, but curious expression.
Erakirak is startled by the boy's disappearance, but shakes it off. "I assume we're looking for his sister."
Jaen blinks as the boy vanishes, then his face contorts into a a near-snarl. He turns on his heels and moves quickly back into and down the hall to the next closed door, which he tries to force open.
Walery nods, "Oh, right! Maybe next door, then?" he asks, and heads back to the hall.
Deak follows along.
GAME: Jaen rolls strength: (11)+2: 13
Another door breaks, and this time you find yourselves looking at a girls bedroom. It's beautifully appointed, but the odd thing is the staircase leading downwards in the center of the room. It simply doesn't belong. Walery huhs. "Well. This was unexpected. I'm guessing this doesn't lead to the room downstairs?" He peers downwards to see what he can see.
Erakirak looks in through the door behind Jaen, shakes his head, goes to the third door and repeats the process.
GAME: Erakirak rolls str: (19)+str: 19
Erakirak bangs against the last door which seems much sturdier than the last, even so with a mighty heave the lock cracks and he forces the door inward. Immediately there is a blast of heat, and as the door swings open you can see nothing but a giant fireplace burning with flames. The flames flicker and flash and you hear a booming voice emit forth from it. "WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?" Flames leak out of the fireplace, crawling along the wood towards the doorway. "BEGONE FOOLISH MORTALS, OR FACE MY WRATH!"
Erakirak replies, unimpressed, "Oh, shut up. We're looking for Sephielia, we're here to make sure she's OK. Do you know where she is?"
Jaen was looking down the stairs as it seems very odd, even to him. The bellowing in the next room trumps that, though, and he moves to follow the large falcon person into the other room.
Deak meanders through the hallway examining the broken pieces of the doors and the doorframes. He says, "Hm. Just curious if any of these places might have had any glyphs or names or script. I guess not."
Walery will just follow everyone and keep his death ray handy. He replies back to the voice, "We were just leaving sorry to bother you."
"UHHH... THAT IS WHAT? WHO CARES ABOUT SOME /GIRL/?" The voice sounds irritable now. "I AM THE MIGHTY DEMON ILAFANG AND I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Fire leaps forth from the fireplace. As it does the shape of great wings form around the edges of the fireplace. However they hesitate upon hearing Walery's words and shrink back. "YES GOOD. LEAVE NOW AND I WILL SPARE YOUR LIVES."
Erakirak nods, as though having a suspicion confirmed. He takes a step forward into the room. "I have a better idea. Shut off the fireworks and answer my question, and I won't tell anyone about this embarrassing performance."
Deak hears the word Demon and reacts with... you guessed it... another spell! He calls upon Althea to Protect the four of them From Evil.
GAME: Deak has prepared Protection From Evil in a reserved spell slot. GAME: Deak casts Protection From Evil. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Walery calls back, "All right, here's us leaving!" Not that he's actually leaving just yet. We've got to find the girl. But if he's talking, he's not killing us, right?
Deak makes a point to remember that the demon called himself Ilafang for when he reports to the temple leaders.
Jaen doesn't know what to think of the talking fireplace, but backs up from the crawling, winged flames and out of the room. Fire bad! Also, he looks to be thinking, eyes going to the girl's room with the stairwell, to the door to the outside below, and back.
"EMBARASSING?!? THAT IS - one, two, three, four..." There's very quick quiet counting from the fireplace. "FOUR OF YOU CAN NOT STOP ME! I AM THE POWERFUL, THE MAGNIFICENT, THE INVINCIBLE, ILAFANG!" More fire pours out.
Deak gets suspicious that this evil self-proclaimed demon is really all that ominous. I mean, it sounds fishy.
"Oh, for crying out loud. We're just trying to find a girl and make sure she's OK. Her parents were worried. You can go back to doing your important napping after we leave, we won't stop you," Rak continues, irritated.
Walery is just standing around nervously and looking around for signs of danger. And young girls. "Maybe we ought to check downstairs, just to be safe," he says, backing toward the stairs.
Jaen trusts the wild more than strange stairs that should not be, so his head turning back and forth finally stops on the downstairs and the door they came in. He moves down the stairs and heads for the outdoors, but his eyes are up on the ceiling and wary for more vines as he goes.
GAME: Jaen rolls perception: (11)+9: 20
Downstairs Jaen will immediately notice that the window to the outside is showing a peaceful, idealic... oceanic scene. From underwater. Fish swim by the window merrily. Meanwhile upstairs things are getting tense. "I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THIS GIRL!" The demon's wings are back, forming quickly on either side of the fireplace. "FLEE NOW OR DIE."
GAME: Erakirak rolls will: (1)+2: 3 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Erakirak rolls will: (6)+2: 8
Deak can't let this go just yet. Children have been attacked, for Althea's sake! He casts yet another spell. At this, a heavenly light envelops the priest.
GAME: Deak has prepared lesser angelic aspect in a reserved spell slot. GAME: Deak casts Lesser Angelic Aspect. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
Erakirak seems about to say something else snarky, then stops short and flees in terror, feathers flying everywhere.
Erakirak is heading for the stairs he came up when he sees the stairs in the other room, which are closer. He charges for them, full-tilt.
Jaen blinks as he notices the window, and the view out of it. Now the outside looks much less appealing, and stairs that should not be do not seem so strange. He backs up the stairs in time to see the hawk person run down the mystery stairs. That's enough to get him to run after.
Walery is checking out the downstairs rooms while the demon and his allies have their chat.
-TBC-