The Vorpal Tribble
2007-02-20, 09:20 PM
Players
Akuano - Male Goliath Warrior
Alex - Male Human Psionicist
Jadon - Male Human Caster/Warrior
Kailindra - Female Humanoid Divine Caster
Khazdun - Male Dwarf Warrior
Silence - Female Human Arcane Caster
Setting
The players have awoken from a 3-month coma after a great explosion following the fall of a meteorite shatters the tower they were occupying. They find themselves within a wing of a temple of St. Cuthbert in a room lined with many more unconscious victims. They are recovering and asking questions of what has occurred in the last three months when one of the comatose women goes into labor. One of the players, a cleric, goes to aid her...
-=-=-=-=-=-
Protecting the Young
- DM -
In the meantime the shrill cry of a newborn sounds across the room and Haakem turns, a smile of relief briefly pushing away the cloud of worry upon his features. A second cry then joins the first and his brows knot in perplexment.
There is an inarticulate noise from behind the birthing seperator followed by a blood-curdling scream that raises in volume and continues as if from someone in the throes of panic.
The elderly cleric come tearing out, and runs to Haakem, unable to form a coherent sentence in her obvious hysteria.
The priest sprints over to the bed and he recoils violently, all color rushing from his face. "Oh St. Cuthbert in your fair grace save us..." he says hoarsely.
- Akuano -
His own brow furrowing, Akuano's hand goes to his weapon and looks to the curtain trying to guage the cause of the commotion.
- Kailindra -
Kailindra lets out a shriek, backing away from the newborn, eyes wide with shock. Her head wheels around, and spotting Aku, she quickly lunges for him. "Don't you dare draw that in here! It's just a baby!"
- Akuano -
Releasing the grip on the oversized handle, the goliath moves in close to get a good look at this child in order to understand what happened, his forehead still creased with worry.
- DM -
Those who go over see a writhing figure in a basket at the foot of the bed. At first glance it appears to be a large, healthy baby, but it has no mouth, ears or nose, merely slight indentions where the organs should be. And instead of the normal black of newborns, the babes eyes open to display irises of an icy blue.
The cries issue from its balled hands... each of which sports a mouth in the middle of its palm.
Haakem lifts the basket and the female priest averts her eyes with a choked sob. Haakem looks to her and waves her over to the shielded bed.
"Go, take care of the mother. A boon she was not awake to see this."
- Kailindra -
Kailindra rounds on Hakeem, staring with wild eyes. "Wait! What do you intend on doing...?"
- Jadon -
Jadon moves in only as close as needed to catch a glimpse of the baby, then takes a step back untrusting of things with mouths where they oughtn't be. Shaken from his observation (or was it day-dreaming), to Haakem he asks, one question tumbling on top of another, "how many of these babes have you seen? Are they all like this? And, forgive me, what...happens to them?"
- DM -
Haakem makes soothing gestures to Kailindra, though his hands are shaking, "Do not worry, we shall care for the babe. I don't see how it could survive long however. But while it does, it will be protected. We do not kill in this church."
He glances to Jadon's outburst with a bewildered look, "Never have I witnessed such as this."
- Kailindra -
Kailindra sighs with relief, her hand, which was edging closer to her own weapon, relaxing again. "Good..." She frowns slightly. "...I don't see why it wouldn't survive, though.. it looks perfectly healthy... it can breathe, it can see... I assume it can eat..."
- Alex -
Alex puts away the dagger after Kailindra's outburst, not wishing to cause any more panic. "Strange..." he mutters. "If this fallen star has corrupted the very wombs of those caught by it..." He ceases the line of thought, along with any thoughts of having children in the near future he may have had.
- DM -
"I once knew of a pair of babes that were born as one, their heads and shoulders conjoined. They both could breath, and both would eat. They lasted no longer than a week." Haakem says remorsefully, "However, your optimism gives me hope and it is my wish as well, but never have I seen such severe deformities in a living child."
- Akuano -
Visibly distrubed by the mouth in hand child, the goliath still threatens to pull his weapon as he backs away slowly. The worried look and teh beands of sweet forming on his forhead should be enough of a sign for even a blind man to know that Akuano isn' taking this so well. Slinking back even further towards a corner, Akuano resembles more of a wild beast than a culturalized being.
- Khazdun -
Khazdun looked up suspiciously, curiousity itching at the back of his brain but his instinct telling him no. There were two things about this situation from what he could gather: babies and something strange. As a soldier he was not trained to properly handle either of these. 'Let tha' women an' tha' priests sort it out,' he thought to himself grimly.
Pretending not to notice the strangeness going on, he spat upon one of his shoulderplates and began to polish that as well, taking care to ensure that it was extra shiny. He was disturbed by the happenings though, and a little bit of sweat was beading on his forehead. "Ah'm not sure ah wanna ask..." he muttered, glancing suspiciously at the seemingly shocked goliath and debating whether or not to try and calm him down.
- DM -
Haakem murmers a blessing over the child and waves a glowing hand across it. Its navel immediately heals, and a tinge of blueness to its fingertips fades away. It quiets down almost immediately and its eyes close sleepily.
The priest smiles a worried smile when a thin, poised being dressed in a voluminous cape of white pushes aside a set of double doors and walks in, its hands clasped before it. There is something surreal about its presence, and is hard to follow with the eyes. The cape drapes over articulated plate armor the color of pale flesh and the hood hides the features of the face. A backsheath holds a large greatsword whoes blade shines with a silvery sheen. The handle is decorated with delicate and intricate designs in white gold and platinum.
The hood turns this way and that and a genderless voice says to the room in general, "There was a child born here recently?"
The priest looks momentarily startled and says in surprise, "There was... but how did you know this? Are you its sire?"
The stranger shakes its head, "No, but do show me to it."
- Kailindra -
Kailindra looks worried for a moment, then hmmphs and stalks over to the person in all the armour. "You shouldn't be in here, you know." SHe pokes him directly in his armoured chest. "Coming into a hospital ward and demanding to see a baby that was born all of five minutes ago... One that I helped deliver, mind you..."
She really does have that 'midwife' air about her at times.
- Khazdun -
Khazdun glanced up, seemingly suspicious. His thick brows furrowed slightly and he reached down to where his weapon was safely stowed away, loosening it but not removing it as of yet. He wanted to have quick access to it, just in case. He grunted to Akuano, trying to get the goliath's attention. He would rather have the big guy normal and focused if something were to happen here.
- DM -
The figure stops momentarily as Kailindra gets in his way, and the hood seems to inspect her for a moment. He then lifts his head and moves to step around her. As he goes around she remains still with a confused expression.
Note: Kailindra succeeds on a save against the Attraction psionic power which would have had her running for the hallway the figure came from.
- Kailindra -
Kailindra stands still for a moment, looking towards the door. Her eyes then flash, and she shakes the feeling off, turning around. "Hey, didn't you hear me? You have no right to be here!"
- Akuano -
Dazed and slightly confused, Aku stood ready. He noticed Jadon's expression change and Kalindra's reaction to the man. Obviously he did strike her as being avery apeasing man. He trusted the small one with her intuition. His hand gripped the great axe on his back, though he didn't move a muscle. The caped wonder seemed to be interested in the child mostly. If he were to take it away, it would be one less trouble on the goliath's mind at the moment.
- DM -
At that point a double squeal comes from the basket as little hands reach out.
"There it is..." says the figure as it walks forward, ignoring the queries put to it. "I believe it would be in the child's best interest if it came away with me."
Haakem takes a few steps back from the newcomer and says in tones that brook no argument, "I do not know what you have in mind for the child but in this temple we do not give away infants."
"You will this one." the being responds in the same flat tone.
- Kailindra -
Kailindra's eyes narrow, as her hand delves into the leather pouch at her waist. She retrieves a tiny blue quartz crystal, roughly in the shape of a shield, and holds it tightly in her hand. "No, actually, I don't think he will. Guardian souls, aid me!" She points both hands towards the man in the armour, as the quartz is consumed by blue-white energy. A blue, shimmering and completely opaque barrier springs into existance between the man in the armour and Hakeem, blocking armour-guy from reaching the priest. Kailindra's eyes' glow becomes slightly fiercer, as a faint, misty blue aura surrounds her body.
Note: Kailindra casts Wall of Incarnum which extends from one wall of the temple to the other, completely blocking all passage.
- DM -
The being seems to stare at the wall for a moment and turns towards the blue-eyed woman. It steps forward quickly and begins to lift a hand to her.
Rounds Begin
- Khazdun -
Growling, Khazdun reached down and picked up his shield, raising it in a defensive posture but not taking his weapon just yet. This was a house of healing and he was not prepared to draw blood in the realm of those who had helped him unless lives were in obvious danger. If the newcomer made so much as a hostile move, he would have axe in hand and ready to fight.
- Jadon -
Jadon, distrustful of the white-clad being's motives, is similarly concerned about drawing down on the unknown figure. Unlike Khazdun, his concern is not respect for the house of healing but a pragmatic concern to "know thy enemy." Still he shifts his footing slightly and stands ready to act should the armored figure attack.
- Akuano -
Moving quickly, the goliath spins around the back of the group, drawing his over sized axe, and makes his way right up to the wall before the strange..er..thing. It had, Akuano first thought, done the world a favor by taking the babe, but the more he thought about it, the more Aku felt the creeping urge in his stomache that something just wasn't right. If this priest is beside himself, there must be some cause for alarm.
- DM -
Before Kailindra can properly react the being rubs the back of its hand in almost a caress along her cheek and jawline. He then turns his palm agressively into her face.
Ready for just such an action the enormous dwarf clutches at his axe and brings it down to bear.
Jadon lunges forward, electricity arcing across his fingertips (casting Shocking Grasp). Though he strikes with unerring accuracy he inexplicably misses the being, his eyes fooled by its surreal presence.
Silence's eyes flash with anger and then fade away to be replaced with pits of utter darkness. The light streaming in from the windows above grows abruptly dim as if a thick cloud was passing across the sun. From beneath the beds of the patients streams liquid shadows that quest about for those on the other side of the wall like groping fingers.
(Note: Silence has casted Clinging Darkness, affecting all those on the side of the wall where the figure is, which includes Khazdun, Jadon, and Kailindra.)
Khazdun tries to kick away the shadows while simultaneously jumping heavily away. The result is that he stumbles and falls flat on his back. The shadows swarm over and envelope him.
Jadon dances nimbly to the side but is not quite quick enough and is ensnared.
Kailindra steps back with a swift, dainty movement from the shadows but lands directly within another bit of darkness behind her which rises up and wraps around.
Despite its armor, the hooded being performs an acrobatic movement that allows it to elude the shadow's grasp. It runs and hops atop the bed of one of the comatose patients as it unsheaths his enormous sword in a single lightening movement. This sudden movement dislodges the hood. Exposed to all is a face eerily alike to the child, devoid of key organs, and its blue, icy eyes seem to glow with sadness and a grim determination.
It reaches for the immobilized priestess and she gets an indepth look at the large mouth in the center of the palm. It hisses, showing teeth, before a clear liquid sprays in a horrible gush right into her horrified expression. Her skin seems to sag and liquify, displaying bone, and quickly drips down, burning through armor and clothing to the skin beneath as if it were wet paper. A horrible stench fill the room from the caustic mist that rises off the unfortunate Kailindra.
"Take away the wall and shadows and give me the child and I will leave in peace!" one of the palm-mouths shout.
"TAMMI!" Haakem shouts as he holds out the basket holding the baby to the young midwife a few beds down. Meanwhile the crystaline symbol about his neck snaps off its chain and rises into the air. It rotates as if to orient itself, and flies up and over the blue barrier in an arc that takes it behind Kailindra. It pulses with a strange, dim light like that of a visible heartbeat as it tries to make physical contact when suddenly a tendril of darkness leaps up and knocks it from the air. It falls to the ground so hard one would think it should shatter and disapears in the writhing gloom.
- Kailindra -
Kailindra growls, taking a vial from her pouch, downing its contents in one gulp, then throwing it off to her side. Her melted skin shines with a white light, and begins to... well, unmelt. Unfortunately the healing power of the potion isn't enough to restore her to full health, but at least the disfiguring melted skin is gone now.
- DM -
It is difficult for Kailindra to gulp the mixture, her lips and part of her mouth painfully disolved. The potion dribble messily down her and reconstructs the first fleshy layers of her face, regrowing basic muscle and tendons and one of her eyes.
- Alex -
Alex, caught off his guard, is all too unprepared for the stranger's actions. Though the shadows around the creature prevent Alex from clearly seeing him, he reaches out to the creature's mind. He channels all the despair and pain he has felt into the strange being's mind, screaming telepathically at it to die.
Note: Alex successfully manifests Death Urge upon the creature, though it cannot act upon it until its turn.
- DM -
The creature's eyes widen in a look of surprise and its shoulders slump. It looks at Kailindra and her mangled visage and its beautiful, soulful eyes quickly fills with tears.
It glances down at its sword with a fixed expression.
- Khazdun -
Khazdun cried out in shock, then growled and fought against the darkness swarming around him. He tried to struggle through the darkness to find his foe, but it was weighing him down too much, he simply couldn't move...
- DM -
The nightmarish man begins to lift his sword as the dwarf struggles.
- Alex -
"Do it, do it!" Alex chants quietly, even as he tries to stave off the madness the horrid being inspires.
- Jadon -
Jadon curses mightily as Kailindra's skin sloughs from her skull. He leaps to the side but is jerked to a halt by the gripping darkness. As unlikely his movements, as much as he strains, he is unable to free himself. He gapes as the creature shows its features, or lack thereof, but only for a moment before resuming his attempts to get loose.
- Silence -
(Note: Silence uses a quickened Thoughts of Shadow on herself, improving her Charisma by +4, followed by a reaching Thoughts of Shadow on Kailindra, improving her Charisma by +4 as well)
- Akuano -
Squeezing hard on the handle of the axe, Aku growls lowly and swings hard at the creature.
- DM -
The goliath charges right up the wall and his arms and axe pass right through it as he manages to disbelieve. His axe arcs with a mighty blow directly at it, and though the nightmarish being makes not the slightest effort to move out of the way, sunken in a sudden listlessness, the goliath's aim is fooled. With a look of rage the goliath then swings back in a horrible uppercut that nearly severs the being's head. As is the blade takes off a chunk from his shoulder and buries itself in the being's muscular neck with a spurt of dark blood. The being is knocked clear off the bed and falls to the floor.
With incredible vitality it picks itself up off the floor as its life blood gushes down its side. As the shadows around it wrap about it grips its sword and raises it to a chink in its own armor. It leans over quickly, shoving the sword within. The being soundless totters, blood leaking out of the gasping mouths on its palms. The sword is withdrawn and immediately the eyes brighten, blinking in confusion as the compulsion wears off. As the being straightens up proudly, it lifts a hand to the gaping wound along the side of its neck and the eyes narrow. It lifts its arms and from its palms erupt a twin roar of utter rage.
Haakem's eyes unfocus and his crystal on the other side of the wall spins up and out of the shadows suddenly. It hovers back over to Kailindra and brushes up against her. Her face scabs over thickly and her mouth heals back completely. Haakem's face however momentarily takes on her wounds as if the acid had touched him and he winces slightly. The wound then fades away like it had never been.
The midwife runs out from behind the privacy screen and gapes momentarily at the scene around her. She runs with the younger midwife and the both of them head for a door at the other end of the room.
Another of the clerics at the end of the room runs up, a heavyset man approaching middle age with shaggy brown hair and wide green eyes.
- Kailindra -
Reaching for her morningstar, Kailindra's body is enveloped by a bright blue aura, that same misty substance that makes up the wall 'leaking' from her body into the darkness. She draws the weapon, as well as her shield, both of which are now glowing with that same brilliant blue glow.
"Silence! Get rid of this darkness already, I can't move!" She pauses. "And for the love of Chaav don't kill him!"
- Alex -
Alex looks on in great annoyance as the being is horribly beaten and yet still rises. Perhaps something a bit less physical...
As the being screams he closes his eyes and clenches his jaw. Through the medium of thought Alex's mind reaches out and melds with that of the nightmarish creature's. He pours his energy into the connection and everyone's head fills with a strange white noise.
Note: Alex manifests Mind Thrust unsuccessfully.
- DM -
The being strives against Alex, and with a powerful mental backlash evicts him from his consciousness.
- Khazdun -
Khazdun continued to struggle with his bonds in frustration. Gathering his strength and swatting at the tendrils of darkness swarming over him, the stocky dwarf did his best to try and push through in order to escape the constricting blackness.
- Jadon -
Jadon also struggles to free himself from the darkness, batting away tendrils of inky blackness and tearing his way toward the light.
- DM -
Khazdun rolls to his feet and dances almost drunkenly around the shadows for a time, finally pulling free of their advance with a great heave of his stout legs. He prepares to flee as the shadows immediately dart forward again to claim him.
Jadon almost manages to twist away but is snagged quickly and once again is consumed.
- Silence -
With a begrudging gesture Silence waves her hand as if erasing something. The shadows immediately release those in their space and rush back beneath the beds and dark crannies. The shades of dusk filling the room fades away to be replaced by cheery sunlight.
She then opens her mouth, from which dark mist begins to trickle.
"Drop your weapon..." she whispers, which despite the quietness with which it was uttered, echoes about the room eerily. For a brief moment the room grows dark again, even darker than before, and the shade about the intruder is darkest of all.
Note: Silence manifests some compulsion spell I forget the name of.
- DM -
It jerks its head to the side as if pulling it from some force and the shadows disipate.
- Akuano -
Confused by the shadows that come and go as if they were the tide, the goliath lurches, swinging hard at the intruder. As his blade finishes the movement, Akuano moves back to his original starting postion.
- DM -
With a phenomenal leap the goliath hurls himself over the wall and over the bed nearby the intruder to land directly before him. He is swinging as he lands, bringing his axe down to nearly cleave the being's head in two, though it is able to shift its head slightly. As is Akuano lops off the flesh of one side of it face, taking off ear and cheek down to the bone and buring itself in the shoulder.
Akuano rips it forth and swings again, though with a screech of metal on metal the axe richotes off the being's sword which it lifts to block the blow with strength nearly comparable to the hulking goliath.
The goliath then bends his knees and flips over backwards, doing a somersault that takes him back over the wall and to the location where he started.
The being staggers a moment as blood drips down his face, his palms gasping. He lifts his mangled face and the mournful eyes narrow with concentration. Those within the room begin to hear faint whispers and a faint feeling of dread (Note: successfully manifests Aversion upon the goliath who can no longer tolerate the temple itself and must flee from it next round). The being lifts his sword and places it to the sweating throat of a boy moaning in fever on the bed beside him.
A voice rasps hoarsely from one of the palms, "Give me the child or this one dies. If any but the one holding the infant moves towards me I will slit his throat and steal away his mind. Which life is more important to you?"
"Stop!" shouts Haakem, turning to the midwife.
"Haakem, we cannot..." she begins when he lifts a hand for silence.
He turns back to the being, "Would you really do this thing?"
"That will not be decided by I..." the being responds weakly.
- Kailindra -
Kailindra sighs slightly. "I wish it didn't have to come to this." She drops her morningstar on the ground next to her. The weapon immediately stops glowing. She then presses her free fist against the symbol around her neck, looks down for a second, then looks back up at the hooded intruder with a glower quite unlike her. She suddenly raises her hand.
"In Chaav's name, and the power of the morning sun..." Her hand begins to glow a bright white, seeming to draw in the sunlight streaming through the windows. She draw her hand back, then thrusts her fist forward, a beam of radient energy shooting from her towards the hooded thing...
She then promptly picks her weapon back up, and it instantly regains its blue glow.
Note: Kailindra casts Searing Light.
- DM -
The light strikes out right at the being, a stark contrast to the shadows of late, but misses as Kailindra's aim is completely foiled, searing a chunk out of the wall to a depth of several inches.
It flinches aside anyways and begins to lift his sword for the killing blow.
- Alex -
"It is said that even suns will die and in the midst of my deepest dreams I have forseen the cold nothingness that all shall become. I bid you to feel that chill..." Alex says as he walks to the wall to face the being directly.
There is a sound of creaking and crackling as all heat seems to be pulled from the room and the furniture seizes up. Each breath releases a puff of fog. Alex's eyes close and abruptly in a line that passes right through Kailindra's barrier the condensation in the air freezes solid, falling with a shattering sound to the ground.
- DM -
The line terminates at the being whoes skin goes instantly pale and its wounds rip open horribly as crimson ice crystals grow.
It freezes in place, a statue poised for a killing blow that will never fall. A thin sheen of frost sparkles over his body and armor.
The End
(or is it?)
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