The Deep Forest Hungers [IC]

[Doxkid]

The unsightly forest looms before you, it’s trees reaching through the sky for other planes and its roots visibly draining life from the earth. The air stings the first few moments after you reach the danger zone, a mere hundred odd feet from the forest proper, even without touching The Mist itself (not for lack of trying of the malevolent air, most would quickly note as it flicks its tendril wisps and grasps hungrily in your direction). Whether that is from a natural aversion to the impending danger of The Deep Forest or a physical property of The Mist itself is hard to define, but it is a bad sign nonetheless.


A single extremely nervous man was sent to address you as you enter and, hopefully, collect you after seven days; he is haunched and mouse-like and the very presences of the The Deep Forest left the man sobbing uncontrollably for some time, but surely this belies unmatched magical prowess that will greatly aid in you and several others escaping or conquering this cursed place.

“A-as requested by the Alliance of Elder Kingdoms, the First Order of Natural Magic, Lord Orcus (May the even the gods fall dead before him), the Second Order of High Mages, the Fifth Order of Lower Magickas, Lord Asmodeus (May his machinations continue to bend the world to his will), Lord Mephistopheles (May he rule over all and bring his rivals to their knees), Lord Juiblex (May the Faceless Lord engulf all that is and ever will be), uh…Pale Night...” The mousy-man consults a very, very long list of all the patrons and mages and councilors who made this expedition possible, or made it possible to make this expedition possible, or who are powerful enough to bare mention just because they want a cut of the action. He then spends some time considering the likelihood of any of you surviving and reporting of his insubordinate behavior to his superiors..


“Well...I’m sure you all know exactly who made this possible. There’s the tiny matter of your sponsor extracting the memories of your journey once you leave the Forest, but otherwise nothing needs to be said. Remember that you will also be rewarded for how deep you travel and how many creatures, beings, entities, fauna, flora, substances, altered environments, or otherwise that you acquire data on. Please note that there may be some difficulties in leaving once you enter, so please make any final preparations here and now. I w-w-will b-be escorting you from this Deep Forest seven days from now, hopefully in time to prevent permanent physical or magical side effects of The Mist.

Most importantly, try t-to have fun!” He clearly does not believe this is the time to say this, but he is also in severe need of adult diapers so perhaps his opinion can be disregarded for now: it is absolutely the correct time to have Fun and this will surely be a wondrous adventure everyone here will enjoy*.

*Results may vary. Please consult a licensed physician or healer before attempting to have Fun. Consult a Necromancer should you have Fun for more than seven days. Viewer discretion is advised.

[PossiblyInsane]

How odd, to send a man so apparently weak of will so close to the Forest. A masterful ploy to lull others into a false sense of security? Would the Forest overlook someone so manifestly pitiful? Perhaps he is simply the most disposable person that was qualified. One would hope a representative of so many nations, guilds, and gods would be of better make. Perhaps the others gathered here would honor their blood better. Or bones, in the case of those without the former.

A pale, wiry figure flickers into corporeal view. A dozen rapiers are slung across his back for no immediately discernible purpose. His white, if somewhat translucent clothes are of plain hides and simple, haphazard stitching. His hat, however, is a much finer affair, with a wide brim and smooth leather tastefully patterned with ghostly ivory. It is currently tipped forward, concealing his eyes from view.

"An inspiring speech, to be sure. I look forward to the celebratory dance and tea party when we all return entirely unharmed." he monotones, the lower half of his face carefully blank.

"Now, shall we make ourselves known to one another? It would likely increase our chances of relative survival if we knew one another's capabilities and had a coherent plan. Of course, if such knowledge would make it more difficult to bear watching other beings torn apart, that is entirely up to you."

[Gunhaven]

Qut was at one point a normal Qu and, in fact, bears the same general size and shape of one of the swamp dwelling gluttons. If one were to view Qut from a distance, or perhaps if someone had cataracts and were partially blind. As it stands the only thing that remained was the odd patch of steel blue skin and a tongue that was perpetually dangling out its mouth. Everything else had been replaced...made better even.
Qut's head isn't even covered by hair any longer but dozens of eyes of various sizes and shapes. Half of them have pupils that range in color from icy blue to violet to maroon while the other half seem to be hand plucked from blink dogs with hint of viscera as they were replaced around its skull. The tongue that Qus are known for is framed in a monstrous scorpion's grasping mandibles and the barest hint of a wolf's teeth from the donor of the part. More unsettling is that the mouth seems three sizes too big, especially when it eats it's grappled foes that are the size of giant tarantulas.
Qut's shoulders and arms are those of zombies, perpetually rotting, while its hands are a pair of bear claws that seem to produce a light haze and shimmer. On most days the unholy appendages are wreathed in flames that Qut has used on more than one occasion to cook the food it eats. Similarly from its upper back four tentacles writhe about and look for things to pummel into bite size bits. The torso is covered in the chitin of past kills with further bony plates visible underneath instead of the fat that it clearly has in spades. From where the belly button should be instead is a steady stream of red jelly that Qut occasionally rubs all over as a habit.
Below the waist it's no better. For whatever reason a salamander tail snakes out from just above the legs and ends in a scorpion's barb. The legs are that of a lion, complete with paws covered with bone plated boots. Thankfully the gear is alright for the most part with a sack currently devoid of anything, a nice leather cloak, and...9 dead pigs tied with some vines as an impromptu necklace. Qut gets hungry sometimes!

Qut, the abomination that it was, hustled over the horizon. It was slow, though, and panted with every step. With every step the ten pigs tied around its neck jiggled, roasted as they were by the pair of flaming arms. As it drew closer to the Forest it's grin grew. Such food, much danger, awaited!
Qut waited for the greeter to finish, it's belly rumbling at the mention of Second and idly the former Qu plucked one of the pigs with it's writhing mound of tentacles and snapped off the snack's head. Bones cracked, meat was torn, and the delicious brains were slurped from the cavity as Qut popped the thing into its jaws and began to gnaw it.
When the man finished talking so did Qut finish the skull and the headless corpse was casually returned to the other nine to await when Qut grew hungry again. It nodded at mention of greeting and called out in a voice a touch too loud and as if it hadn't finished it's snack. "Qut's name! Qut eat and Qut beat! Qut follow blood real well so Qut can find food. Pig tide over until Qut find Forest to eat. Otherwise Qut answer questions?"

[PossiblyInsane]

...

...

Well. That's a...somewhat socially awkward abomination. A slow moving one, at that.

"...I...take it your aptitude with blood extends to determining what is highly toxic or will eat you from your insides? At least, what a...pig, for example, might find edib-... Can Qut tell what not-Quts can eat and live?"

It will be a long journey if one cannot tell the Forest's abominations from the supposedly friendly abominations.

[ErebusVonMori]

"Fortunately eating will not be a problem, though I am impressed at what they've brought together, truly the threat is great if abominations such as ourselves are called for." The lich grins, though any other expression is impossible, his skull afire to make it the living, or rather unliving, symbol of his goddess, his burning robe showing his more than casual love of fire. "I've met no creature, within or without the Forest, that does not scream when bathed in divine flame."

"Will samples be desired or required oh emissary?"

[Gunhaven]

Qut nods at the question, tongue flopping around, before it settled its head and looked at the pale being. Qut said in the same food-in-mouth, loud manner "Qut find food for non-Qus. Is easy. Qut eat Forest though. Will be good, Qut sure." The creature then swiveled its head, spinning in its spot twice, before settling on the flaming Lich. It then added "Qut break apart food in belly. Is big inside too! Once Qut swallowed whole giant tarantula, no problem!"

[PossiblyInsane]

"A cleric, then? It is good to hear this expedition should be self sufficient, at least."

A...giant tarantula? Depending on this Qut creature's definition of 'giant', that is either unusual or physically improbable. And it's stated intention to...eat 'the Forest' was worrying, though such a diet would be hard put to cause any mutations less abhorrent than those already present.

"What of time to rest? The undead need not slumber, but do you require time to commune with your god? And...Qut...do you sleep?"

[ErebusVonMori]

"Wee Jas and I could be said to have a cordial relationship." He says dryly, "I am grateful and so I serve, and she tolerates my service, but I assure you I am still combat effective without my beloved patron."

[drack]

"...and I'm..." one of the druedic tribe begins to say before another jumps, spinning through the air only to land... face first on the ground. Hastily the fallen druid scrambles up on all fours pointing a wavering finger at the nervous man. "HIM! IT'S HIM! THE FOREST SPEAKS THROUGH HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!"


Helga is presently speaking in black. :smallwink:

What is this, has drack been secretly PMing with dox and discovered a hidden truth? ...or is the messenger our only way out in which case killing him might mean never emerging from the forest after all? Could it be that Helga was the first druid, the one who's introduction was interrupted? All will be revealed at the end of the campaign when it does or does not end. :smalltongue:

Sense motive DC 5 ("any idiot can tell" level) reveals that the druid genuinely believes this man to be of the forest. :smallamused:

ROLLS!
helga initiative [roll0]
adamson initiative [roll1]
zoleren initiative [roll2]

[PossiblyInsane]

Rolling that initiative:
[roll0]
And using Telekinesis. Not sure if the cooldown starts at the beginning or end of the power, but for when it does:
[roll1] rounds


The rapiers previously on the pale figure's back fly through the air, solidify as they leave his presence, and hover in front of the outspoken druid.

"Compose yourself. If he is mere flesh and blood, killing him will merely hinder us. If he is of the Forest, then he should be catalogued and tested before death. Either way, hasty action accomplishes nothing."

[ErebusVonMori]

"I concur, the Forest does not oft speak through mortal voice, it's language is hunger and hate and desire, vile malformed creatures, plants that would suck the moisture from your body, fungi to consume a mind, beauracrats are an evil I doubt it understands."

[PossiblyInsane]

"Woe betide us all if it were. The hunt was the one pleasure I imagined would last the Forest swallowing the worlds."

[Gunhaven]

Qut doesn't even move it's eyes, but Qut still sees. Qut sees everything. Slowly it's eyes blink in a wave originating from the druid and ending at the speaker before it grins and calls out "Qut can eat! Make man part of Qut. Maybe give man gift. Make man tell truth." The head turns, the tongue trailing behind, and the abomination grins a toothy grin at the man while adding calmly "Qut do it before. It hurt at first but Qut know you be fine without old hand."

Init: [roll0]
Intimidate check if I can: [roll1]

Also: Sanity Eclipse makes the druids and creatures of nature hate me a little more. :smallamused:
• Unnatural Presence: All Sanity’s Eclipse stances provide the unnatural presence aura. These abhorrent forms envelop you in a strange disdaining energy that seeps from your being, inciting a feeling of eeriness and unease in those around you. All living creatures within 30 feet are unsettled by your presence. You receive a madness penalty on your social skills (Bluff, Disguise, Diplomacy and Handle Animal) equal to half your initiator level, when interacting with humanoids and nature associated beings. Especially animals are strongly affected by this aura, they shun you at all cost and panic or lash out defensively when forced to confront you. Magic animals, fey and druids immediately pick up on your presence, causing them to adept a more hostile composure towards you.

[Doxkid]

The poor, poor man (whose name you did not even catch) is terribly unprepared for this. Such an accusation did not merely catch him by surprise, it visibly hurts him already taxed spirit; he recoils, stumbled back and just drops staring aghast at the druid.

"N-no. N-n-not l-like this."

[ErebusVonMori]

The lich rests a hand upon the man's shoulder, intending it to be comforting, "We are not killing him, or eating him Qut, I sincerely doubt he is of the Forest and we are wasting daylight with petty squabbles. Besides we will need someone to help with anything noteworthy we bring back with us, there will be forms to sign and paperwork to sort, I'm sure our valiant penpusher will prove useful in that regard, isn't that right..?"

He pauses, giving the man the chance to tell them his name.

[PossiblyInsane]

The pale man wrinkles his nose slightly at the smell wafting through the air, but waits to see if the druids advance or the escort remains incoherent.

[Gunhaven]

Qut shakes its head, tongue flailing about, before locking its mouth in the same direction as the pencil pusher. Calmly, slowly, Qut says "No,no,no. Qut not digest...probably. Qut just replace man's arm then Qut can see what man think. Is safe, maybe. Qut like zombie arm to replace but Qut probably able to use own arm if needed. We do operation now?" It licked it's grasping mandibles with it's oversized tongue, just waiting for the chance to swallow the bureaucrat.

[PossiblyInsane]

"As much as I appreciate your forthright and helpful attitude, Qut, temporary surgery and mind magic should at least be postponed until the man can speak in his own defense. Besides, in the unlikely event that he is of the Forest, you don't know where that mind has been."

[drack]

A nearby bear roared, rising onto two legs. Its fur had once been white, but now was soaked so thoroughly with blood that one might not ever have guessed. Its bloodshot eyes ferociously glared at the pale figure in black. The bear knew well the terror of sorcery, but none the less it took several long steps forward before falling heavily onto all fours about the druid, roaring once more, this time with enough force to lodge misshapen globules of spittle at everyone present.

Meanwhile the druid on the ground laughed. "They'll doom us all, they'll eat us all! Look ye, look! Look how he trembles with fake fright and stutters with fake word! Be that he is not of the woodlands, the wood still does eat him! It crawls through his veils, it lodges to his bones, it wriggles in his mind..." The druid let that thought linger hauntingly on the cold misty air as she used a hand thick with mud to push back her hair. "The forest is in him, it's in him I say! Kill him fast, kill him quick, kill him before he can run on fast. He'll tell them of us, he'll bring them to us, he'll be sure we never do leave! He's a monster he is, a monster I says! Beware his misty eyes, filled so full of deviled lies!" It was then that Helga was caught in another fit. Almost instantly the world fell out before her, the man, the forest, her companions, all of that lost so far away...

Casually she drifted through the stars, looked down at the moon, and wound her way through a plane of dreams both glorious and filled with the most terrible of nightmares. For that moment she was all and all was she. With a sense of indifference so potent that it bordered on disdain, Helga was aware of her condition. She watched her lungs heaved desperately for breath, watched as her neck snapped sharply hurling her head into a nearby root, watched with eager intent as the stars of this endless sky multiplied and swam. Yes, yes, it had come again, it was right, that as right, this was right! Again and again her head struck that root. Oh the magnificence of the angle, the great majesty of all the fates that wound unto this one. With this it would happen, with this it would be achieved!

With an almost casual laziness the great bear caught Helga's head in its aged but powerful claw. Even so more were coming. From the caravan, a good forty wagons long, came another druid with a sickeningly broad smile. He hardly gave any concern to the druid who'd initially attempted to introduce himself, and who now lay in the mud prostrating himself before the prophetical brilliance of Helga, nor did he pay any attention to the convulsing leader's quickly mounting cries of protest, pitifully begging and pleading to be let go and fulfill her fate. Instead he stops a reasonable distance from the man, and looks him up and down, then giggles in delight. "Yes, yes, sister." Turning to the others he explains. "My sister you see, she's quite a gift for both reading the fates and leading people. Surely we are all rational people and are thus bound by good logic and reason, are we not?" The sagely air he'd been building all dissipated instantly as he snickered, the not-quite-suppressed laughter shaking his entire body. "Now what are the risks of allowing something that might be a thing of the woodland guide us to its home rather then ours? What is the risk of letting such a creature go without then latter following it only for it to sabotage our efforts in some other way? What is the risk of being left, stranded, lost here when we've left five capable members of our tribe on the forest's edge to help guide us back if we become lost, or if the forest grows too vast for us to find a way out at all? Would anyone care to make a case for his survival?" After his fine words of fear-mongering and oh so casually weighing the life of a man against their collective survival, Adamson's mood could only be described as chipper, which at least seemed some modicum more serious then he had before he began, though only by a hair.


Helga is now using this color.
Helga takes a self-destructive action, the bear mitigates this, Adamson readies an action to do bad stuff to people if he judges he might come to harm, but is plenty willing to hear them out. Zoleren however is still over by the wagons and will fall back to last in the player initiative order at which time she'll burn the man alive if she isn't convinced otherwise before his initiative turn. It's always the silent ones right? :smalltongue:

[PossiblyInsane]

Ah. The woman was mad. "Madness? What is madness? She sees a world disjointed in time and reason. You dance between two worlds of your choosing. If that is madness, 'tis madder by far to live in two than see in one." spoke the three eyed vulture perched on his shoulder. An odd choice of words, for one claiming to be wise in the ways of the world. Perhaps the woman was in good company. A religious lich, a quite literally patchwork creature, a cowardly bureaucrat far from home, a collection of zealots...While understandable, it was a pity the most sane one of those assembled seemed to be the red white bear.

The rapiers turn their points away from the fitful druid towards the giggling one.

"A course of action, cheerful one, that leaves a trail of corpses in our wake until the last, lone survivor kills themselves rather than let the Forest's imagined roots creep through their veins. If you wish to court death on your journey through these woods, you are welcome to."

"Were it not for the bear, the one they revere would have already done so. These folk may take Reason's form, but only till they shed it's skin and fly to freedom." The pale man tips his hat towards said druid. He does not reply to the vulture. It is the nature of birds to speak without care of being heard.

"Besides, two of our members are currently on fire. I highly doubt we will be entering the Forest unnoticed. If you wish to assure yourselves that no agent of the Forest lies in our company, then all we need do is leave them to Qut's tender care, as Qut has thus far proven the most worthy of trust. Of course, we would naturally have to examine all those present in such a manner, including Qut. I suppose Qut can interrogate Qut'sself."

"Words, words, words. Swords ring louder than tongues, for all you may wish to wag it. Allow me to grasp your blades, as you seem otherwise occupied." The rapiers bob slightly with the motion.as the vulture's ilk settle on them, peering inquisitively along their length for the blood that may come.

"As for letting him live, any being may prove useful in time, and it is far easier to kill a man than to bring him back. I would rather save myself that effort for when we enter the Forest proper, as I highly doubt it will prove unnecessary."

[ErebusVonMori]

"I imagine I'd prove difficult for Qut to interrogate. Besides if you're after a Forest agent you don't need to look much further than myself, I spent nearly two weeks inside one once and I've been around samples almost constantly since." The tone is calm, even and grave but there's a tremor of fear in it despite his best efforts.

[Gunhaven]

Qut remained trained on the man, waiting, watching, just hoping he'd make a hostile move. The seconds ticked by as it further delayed its pounce on the pencil pusher. Still, the myriad of eyes watched the growing commotion around itself (including, as the vultures will notice, a few of the ethereal birds) and the steady unraveling of diplomatic intents. Qut said in the same calm voice "Qut pounce if you move, mister. You probably fine though." Without moving its head but obviously talking to the others it continues "So much talking. Too much with food waiting. Qut's gift let Qut spy, let Qut read surface mind, let Qut suggest action."

Delaying until the man (or heck, anyone) makes any sort of movement or hostile action (the man having a lower threshold versus us morally ambiguous adventurers). If such occurs then I'll use Owl Siezes Mouse.
Grapple check: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
And I guess swallow him whole all in one fell swoop!

[drack]

"Indeed, indeed." The cheerful man replies casually. "All men become useful in time, but not necessarily to any one man, they might as easily be useful to the man's enemies, and with time, readiness, and surprise, come the power to overturn odds. no doubt we will indeed be leaving a trail of corpses, but it's far better then to leave a trail of our own corpses, and the woods themselves are not so forgiving. Certainly Qut may read the man's mind and see what there is to see, but if the man is host to some foreign entity they might avoid detection. Thus far we've prophetical evidence that the man will betray us, which is to say it is then far more likely that he'd latter aid our enemy, and only his word as evidence to the contrary. Could it be that you doubt our chieftess' foresight?" The man continues to smile jovially, but a dangerous glint passes through his eyes at the thought of such insult.

Finally turning to the man who calmed to be an agent of the forest re replies with a hearty laugh. "Well be as you may one might argue druiedic nature, aberrant nature, or one of magic might bear ties tot eh woodlands, but I believe I speak for all the druids when I say that since Helga hasn't implicated any of you, you can probably be trusted, and as such we'll freely deign not to suspect you of any treachery. After all, what point is there in turning upon ourselves, it is only he that we distrust."

You know, I really assumed he'd be talking less when I chose this speech color... :smallsigh:

Since the taking's dragging on longer then six seconds, I guess I'll have Zoe hold off... The way readied actions work, relying on them in response to an attack means he's free to take an attack first, and ultimately you'll loose your move action too, and as readying one to attack if they look like they're gonna attack won't necessarily know if it's a sign of attack or innocuous action, my intent had been that she'd have simply taken anything he did as a sign of attack and fried the man, but might as well make it a nice party decision.

[PossiblyInsane]

"You insult me with the implication of disbelief. The truth of her words are clear to all that hear them." "The lack thereof, you mean?" Hush. The pale man does not seem particularly perturbed.

"If you would heed the words of your chieftess more closely, it would seem his mind was already overtaken, even if it be merely the Forest's fear that has rooted. However, the concerns you raise lie only with the placement of his body, and whether it follows us into the Forest to warn of our coming and sabotage our efforts. Is this not so? Then all that need be done is to render it incapable of betrayal, and we will have him available to provide payment for the completion of this expedition, without spending our time on worthless combat."

That's what you get for trying to use logic to convince us! If there's one thing two thirds of the Undead present apparently love, it's endless philosophical debates. :smalltongue:

With Qut's nat20 on the intimidate check, the poor man might be catatonic. Zoe could be waiting a while :smalltongue:

[blade artist]

initiative [roll0]
Also, I've purchased those mundane items and updated the character sheet.

Oh, bold is for my psicrystal talking, his name is Rick, and italics is for the my symbiont talking telepathically with me.

A stranger walks swiftly from behind the caravans, huffing and puffing. He wears simple clothing and has blonde hair with exception to an unruly lock of purple hair. Getting closer, some of his skin, especially nearing the torso, looks wooden or almost as if it was bark. Looking up, one of his eyes is a brilliant silver, whilst the over a leafy green. A small crystal bobs and floats out in front of him, jingling up and down as anyone hears "What ho! Adventure awaits, my friend! Let us go and explore. Keep up, will you?"

The stranger looks up tired at the tiny stone as something looking like a glistening, fleshy snake cones out of his collar and drapes itself around his neck and shoulders as a scarf. It opens its head slowly as a sleapy eye.

Are we there yet?
"Yes, we're finally here, and you. Some of us still have legs... Well, one of us. So what's..."

He stops, watching the people that look to be starting to fight each other, the bear holding down a struggling (possibly foaming) woman, and the hulking patchwork creature. His crystal and eye-worm join in looking from figure to figure.

"I'm here for the expedition, I seem to be late... Am I interrupting something here? "

Edit: Forgot to mention that he currently has a what appears to be a cloak of swirling mist... That might put people a little off in this situation. I also can't turn it off currently.

[Doxkid]

"I-I'm sorry if I offended y-you." The Nameless-Mage manages to squeak out before he brings his hands up and calls upon his magic. "I-I'll come f-for you all in s-seven days. Goodbye!"

Spellcraft DC 20: The spell he is casting is definitely some form of conjuration magic. It is hard to determine whether it is arcane or divine.
Spellcraft DC 25: The spell is at least of fifth level and borrows heavily from teleportation magic like Teleport and inter-planar magic like Plane Shift.

...but nothing changes. The Nameless-Mage does not move from his position, magically or otherwise. Fear and confusion run rampant in his delicate psyche for a few seconds as he pieces together that he is far too close to The Deep Forest (more important, he is too close to The Mist and its strange properties, but that is a consequence of being near The Deep Forest in the first place) for him to escape unaided.

He hiccoughs loudly with his hands still raised and contorted to manipulate the delicate mystical energies he planned to use to escape what he could only assume would be a violent lynching/brunch. And then the tears and sobbing begin again.

It took ages for him to calm down the first time. It might be an act of mercy to put him down.

[ErebusVonMori]

"Pretty sure that's not a listed property of the Mists." Zyran says before slapping the man sharply, "Snap out of it, you have a job to do, and right now the most important part of it is finding someone in authority and reporting this to them. Understand?"
Knowledge (Arcana) [roll0] That was meant to be spellcraft, can we -3 from the roll pls?

[PossiblyInsane]

"Ah, hello to the three of you. Yes, but hopefully not for too much longer."

Hearing the escort had stopped pathetically whimpering for a few seconds, the pale man turned to watch the attempt of.... some magic or other? All this talk of schools and spell levels and classification had come well after his death, and there were always better ways to spend one's time than in a lecture hall. Besides, by the current example, they did terrible things to your mental fortitude.

"Cease your sobbing and pathetic gesticulations, lest Qut devour you. I grow weary of this, druid, I will simply demonstrate."

A faint buzzing can be heard in the heads of those close to the pale man.

Manifesting Psionic Dominate on the poor sobbing fellow(augmented for 1 day/level duration), DC 26 Will negates. Also, rolls for Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive (of the man's sobbing bona fides) respectively.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Gunhaven]

Qut closed the distance a second after the man fell to the ground and started to sob, nearly tackling the poor man in its grasp. Without a sound the man was swallowed, disappearing in one motion within the gullet of the Qu. Outwardly nothing seemed different from before, not even the slightest bulge from the man that was taller than Qu. Qut for its part remained relatively motionless as it seemed to concentrate on what had just happened.
Inwardly was something much worse. The Nameless-Mage found himself lodged within the primary stomach of Qut; a field of flesh driven black by the enclosed space. Teleportation wouldn't work here and within seconds of landing against the floor it began to slowly envelop the man and probe him. If the man was successfully restrained then the operation could begin, working on replacing the man's silly human eyes with some sweet Ethereal Filcher Eyes.
So he ends up in my Primary Stomach. AC 18, Hardness 4, HP 45/45.
Restrain him as a Full Round Action: [roll0]
If I didn't restrain him then he could make a DC 30 Climb check to make it 1/3rd of the way out of there.

Operate on him as a Swift Action: Heal check vs DC of 11 + 1/2 their Hit Dice + their Constitution modifier. [roll1]
If I could take 20 on it, I would (especially since the graft growing will take a minute any way).

[PossiblyInsane]

"...And I suppose Qut could eat him as well. That works too. Qut, could you please spit him out at least mostly intact when you are finished with this surgery business?"

[Gunhaven]

Qut blinked it's eyes at mention of its name and seemed almost dazed at first. The feeling passed fast enough considering all that had just happened and soon enough Qut grinned at the ghostly figure, saying without a concern in the world "Qut finish as fast as possible. Qut notice snack had fun with mindflayers when Qut closed distance. Also Qut see funny necklace! Qut think it less important than free pet lizard though."

[Doxkid]

The man does not struggle all that much as he is hefted into Qut's mouth, flopping uselessly as he tries to hide his face behind his hands and have a good and proper cry; either he has not realized the danger or his will to live has been completely shattered by recent revelations and being consumed alive by a horrid thing is a pleasant alternative to living in a world like this. He tastes of freshly penned notes and conjuration residue, with a slight aftertaste of salts of various planes superimposed upon chickenfeed quality grist and lilac.What of the pet Lizard? Are you operating on it too? I'll allow you to piggyback on the rolls for the mage if you are. Also, is communication in any way blocked while beings are inside of Qut's stomach?

[48] Spot: No new information of value.
[49] Listen: You can hear movement in the Forest reach a peak moments after the mage tries to cast his spell. Then there is silence (other than the sobbing, of course) for several seconds before the noise begins again but more distant and, if you are hearing correctly, more numerous.
[35] Sense motive: You suspect someone or something is in control of the Nameless Mage's lizard, oddly enough, and the lizard is actively exerting mental control over something else. There is no sign that the Nameless Mage is part of this control circuit, but he does show signs of recent 'tampering' from several sources.

I believe I resolved the Arcana/Spellcraft roll separately, but please correct me if I did not.

Other than Qut's...engagement with the Nameless Mage there is not much taking place at the moment. The Mists of the Deep Forest seems to pace within an ill defined boundary, eager to reach out and drag anything it can reach into the Deep Forest's grasp. What will you do?

[Gunhaven]

Qut licked it's lips, or at least the grasping mandibles and biting teeth of the scorpion wolf, and "Mmm'd" at the mage's taste. It was much better than the necromancer he devoured in the past after all. For a few seconds it did nothing but savored the taste before it began the task of gathering together the necessary mutations to the infect upon another. In the end the pet lizard would likely be free to join its master in the warm and wet embrace that was Qut's stomach without any of the benefits.

Ill grapple the lizard but only operate if I can replace its eyes with the mage's eyes (which I don't really suspect is feasible). Communication isn't blocked but any teleportation effects are. Once you enter you either leave when I say you can or make your way out.

Otherwise I'll drop my mouth's size by one so I can put the full 5 points into the Magic Eye graft, assuming it takes. Theoretically I believe I could put the eye grafts on the inside of my stomach if you need visual confirmation that the operation is going well.

[PossiblyInsane]

"Mindflayers, you say? That would make sense. It would seem we are only the latest in a long line of attempts to take control of this man." Thought it would truly seem this man was a man no longer, but merely a puppet for others whims. One without the courage to free himself has made his own chains. The pale man pauses for a moment, seeming to consider something. When the lizard is safely in Qut's stomach, he continues.

"While the mage's mind has been subject to multiple tamperings as of late, he is currently free of external control. His familiar, on the other hand, appears to be the middle-man in a control chain. Perhaps that is what your priestess meant us to be wary of, cheerful man."

"Also, it appears several somethings a distance into the Forest can sense the casting of magic. Be on your guard." The pale man draws a rune-enscribed bone out of his belt, looking towards the forest.
"What fun! There may be bones to pick by the days end! And here I believed you would speak til the sun burned out." There is still a good deal of planning to be done if this band wishes to come out of the forest intact. "Of course. Why do you think I sleep most of the time? You would bore me to death if either of us could truly die." The vulture settles on the pale man's shoulder, closing all but his central eye.

"Now, while those two are enjoying Qut's hospitality, shall we get back to logistics? Newcomer, do you require sleep or rest? Cheerful man, how fast can those wagons of yours travel?"

Although I will probably regret it immediately, I will concentrate on the man's sensory input to make sure the Domination went through. Also, about how far from here was the Spell Spire of Lindhurst before the Forest swallowed it up and started potentially distorting space?

[Doxkid]

Ill grapple the lizard but only operate if I can replace its eyes with the mage's eyes (which I don't really suspect is feasible). Communication isn't blocked but any teleportation effects are. Once you enter you either leave when I say you can or make your way out.

Otherwise I'll drop my mouth's size by one so I can put the full 5 points into the Magic Eye graft, assuming it takes. Theoretically I believe I could put the eye grafts on the inside of my stomach if you need visual confirmation that the operation is going well.
Replacing the lizard's eyes with the man's eyes would have cruel and abnormal effects upon the lizard, leaving it suffering because it cannot possibly sustain the eyes for long periods of time (proper blood supply, straightforward hydration, etc). So yes, doing so is possible. And encouraged. If you would like you can attempt to link their senses of sight since they already share a mental bond and it's only a minor matter, but that'll require an investment of...eh, lets say 3 form points apiece (and it'll expire to normal eyes once you remove those points


Although I will probably regret it immediately, I will concentrate on the man's sensory input to make sure the Domination went through. Also, about how far from here was the Spell Spire of Lindhurst before the Forest swallowed it up and started potentially distorting space?

The Spell Spire of Lindhurst is roughly twenty six miles into the forest from here, travelling Northy by Northeast. The major city that used to stand below it is about two miles further in the same direction.

Knowledge Nature DC 20: Assuming ideal forest travel and a rather unhealthy speed it is roughly two days of away. Three if you move at a reasonable pace so as to avoid fatigue or exhaustion.

Knowledge Geography/Nature/History (roll all of them and average it out) DC 30: There used to be a major river/magical irrigation/canal running that would be semi-nearby. It is roughly four miles directly north east of your location into the forest and fed from a large lake (maintained through druidic rituals) Information about how longstanding druidiic magic from the lake interacted with the forest would fetch a pretty penny.

The Spire itself would not have much in it anymore...probably, but a physical remnant of the building would also be worth a decent payout, and would definitely lead you deep enough into the Deep Forest to satisfy your patrons. Then again basically any usefulinformation is worth something to them, and physical evidence of your findings besides horrid mutations and the larva of large Mist denizens are all worth reasonable amounts on their own.
----
The Nameless Mage's is lulled from his state of complacent despair into full panic and being swallowed alive. You briefly feed his heart going wild in his chest, nausea racking his body and (not only) blindness, but a strange fleshy warmth. He wants to just give in completely, but his fear is too strong for him to allow it to end this way. Still, he does not put up a noticeable struggle; he is not all that powerful to begin with and he is not altogether enough to coordinate what little strength, Magic or Wits he does possess.

Sense motive DC 30: You detect pulses of resolve attempting to sooth him. It is easy to draw parallels to a prey shutting down as a predator feasts upon it, or a diplomat clearing their mind and heart in preparation for torture, or a prison having their last meal before being marched to their execution.

Sense motive DC 40: It is not resolve assuaging a fraction of his fear. It is determination to -----

Sense Motive DC 50: "You should not have meddled. This was for your benefit. Fools. I hope you use him to help yourselves as well as we would have. Now we must find replacements. So much time wasted..."

[drack]

Meanwhile Helga's desperate screams had faded. She bit her lip in irritation, and blood began to trickle across her smooth skin. "There!" She declared, pointing to a spot on the ground. "Put them there."
Dutifully her tribe unloaded the bodies into a pile, much like the wood of a funeral pyre the bodies piled higher and higher into the sky as they were slowly enveloped by the mists.
Zoeleren sprinkled a dusting of silver over the corpses, and Adamson gathered wood setting it into seven piles equally spaced about the pile.
Helga Hrmmed gently, and almost instantly a hum was taken up by the tribe as a whole.
Zoleren walked slowly about the circle casting blasts of flame into each of the small wooden pyres, igniting them instantly. The other tribesmen followed slowly forming a humming spiral of humanoid bodies.
Adamson then led the undeads followers as they formed an outer spiral, and as the smoke from the fires intermixed with the mists that filled the air they let loose maddened howls, laughter, and cries that rose over the all consuming hum like waves lapsing up over the sea.
Zoleren began to chant Heck Ho Hummmmmmmmmmm. Heck Ho Hummmmmmmmmmm. Heck Ho Hummmmmmmmmmm. Heck Ho Hummmmmmmmmmm... the humming of the druedic tribe seemed to reverberate and fluctuate in tone with the chant The mound of corpses took on an evil taint, like a dark miasma seeping from the corpses, but even that became caught in the spirals of the crowd, and was drawn in once more, concentrated and pulled back in towards the mass of corpses, and as it did, the mists mixed with it and were too drawn into the working.
A wide eyed Helga walked through the human and inhuman spirals alike that were her tribesmen, with each line she walked through her senses were assaulted by progressively stronger waves of power until she stood before the mass of corpses. For a moment she paused, breathing in the intense atmosphere, then she began to climb. her hands slipped periodically as a handful of rotten flesh slipped free of the bone that bound it, and her feet slipped when they knocked a disembodied limb beneath them down off the pile, but she paid no mind as the gore soaked the front of her garb. With a single minded sense of purpose she climbed higher and higher in the pile until she was sear the top, at which point she sat down.
Helga's head lolled slightly back and to the left as she drew out several items by feel alone. A fist sized green rock, a feather from an owl, a sea shell, a turtle shell, and a mummified wolf leg. All objects of power imbued with her own magic, they smelled of home, and tasted of life. A warm gentle smile fell over her face as she touched each in turn, then she drew forth a bolt, and without the faintest hesitation plunged it into her navel.

[roll0] improvised weapon damage.

Zoleren breathed in long and slow, breathing in all the life of the surrounding woodlands. Vines crusted up, brushes wilted into tinder, and leaves shriveled and fell.
Blood trickled healthily down from the wound as she yanked the bolt free, tossing it into one of the pyres. With care she moistened each of her objects of power in her blood and stood so it could run down into the pile of corpses as she turned to address her followers. It felt right. This was neither her end nor her beginning, but this was a part of what she must do. A warm empty nothingness washed over her body as her blood drained from her, and she smiled, softly at first, but then the magic began to fill her, turning it fierce. "This forest, it is like any wood! It cuts, it burns, it LIVES, and so too shalt we!" The cacophonous humming and cries rose to a frenzied pitch as Helga began to sway, slowly at first, then faster as the seizing took her, then her legs fell out from under her and she fell limply into the pile of corpses, but as she fell they rose. hands, grasping, reaching, feet kicking, beings despratly clinging to life. They rose beneath her, and her stillhousette cast by the misty smoke and the flame danced overhead, pushed, and jostled, and recoiling as the corpses rose alongside her. While they climbed up and down from the heap of corpses, rotten flesh falling frrom their bones in globs, she instead fell deeper and deeper into the space at the center of the pile that hallowed as more and more corpses climbed out.

She was falling deeper, deeper into the darkness, but fate guided her, she had no need to resist. About her the last of the undeads rose and she was left alone in a pile of slimy rotting flesh, plastered with blood, fat, gore, and the occasional disembodied limb, but now the dead were returning, placing such limbs against their stumps and watching as they limbs affixed themselves into position. As one the tribe breathed, a sound much like a billowing and unyielding wind. Soon Helga was left alone in that bile of gore with all the limbs having been retrieved, but fate told her there was more, she was not done. That voice in the back of her head guided her as she felt for that chain of pigeon-skulls. Dimly she grasped it with her bloodied hands and held it to the sky. She'd raised over three hundred and fifty corpses, but she was not done. Bearing the chain of pigeon-skulls she cried out incomprehensibly to the sky, cursing the dead, tearing their distorted souls from the would, tearing their bodies from existence, and binding them instead to earthly vessels. Scores of the dead vanished, simply vanished, and then it was done. Helga stood up in the gore-angel she'd made on the ground and strode from the gore back to her bear who she wrapped her arms around, stealing a moment of rest. As she walked through the swirls of tribesmen, the circles broke, and the magic was broken. The breathing died down into the silence of the woodlands once more as the dead spilled out through the broken circle. It didn't take long for all of them to have moved from their ritual site leaving only the gelatinous pool of rotting flesh and seven pyres to burn themselves out. Dimly prayers to the forest that it might shelter them and give them a chance at life can be heard as the tribesmen return to their carts, newly raised undeads in toe. The carts themselves are significantly lightened, but not yet depleted.

OOC

post mechanical actions summary:
Create alter to the woodlands, desecrate (spell), deforestation (ability), stab/damage, animate dead from wands, haunt shift from wand into crossbows, chains, shields, carts, and Helga's cloths.
Haunt shift rolls: [roll1]

[Gunhaven]

Qut remains as it is, staring idly into the Forest as it's guts churn and the sobs of the mage are occasionally heard from the bowels of the extradimensional space that serves now as it's belly. When the summoning of the undead begin Qut drools slightly at all of the undead, it's shoulders twitching slightly as it seems to visibly contemplate new grafts for the beings within. Still, the work continued until it was finally done after what felt like an eternity but in reality only took about a minute to do.
With a gag and a lurch, the contents of the primary stomach was purged. A few seconds later and the random bits of gore were grabbed back up, leaving the mage and lizard behind. True to it's word, Qut had managed to figure out how to replace the mage's eyes and as an added bonus replaced the lizard's eyes. Now the mage's eyes covered his head, much like the proud Qu's, and glowed with an unearthly light as they found they could detect magic. The lizard meanwhile had the tear filled eyes of the mage inserted and multiplied around it's much smaller head, looking almost funny if it wasn't such an abomination. Simply because Qut could, Qut concentrated for a minute to see what surface thoughts it could read from the two newest people to receive gifts from the abomination.
I think I'm done, and hopefully successful, with the operation by the time the undead are summoned. I will attempt to use Detect Thoughts (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectThoughts.htm) over and over until they fail (or if I get stunned because one of them has an intelligence greater than 26) and I can start reading some surface thoughts.

[PossiblyInsane]

That is an interesting set of rites. An odd fixation on corpses, but they do have a nice cadence going, even if their technique could use work. If only they were so attentive to planning and survival. Rather rude of them to interrupt a conversation like that. It would appear respect to one's ancestors has been put to the grave. I suppose she is concentrating on the casting, and it does seem to be a fairly large scale spell, but-

...

Lovely. As if this expedition wasn't crowded enough. Well, at least the newly raised should provide a distraction.

Hostilities appearing to have ceased, at least for the moment, the rapiers float back to the pale man and sheathe themselves. "I shall not give up hope of bloodshed that easily. Perhaps they'll all turn out to be agents of the Forest and leap upon us when you least expect it." The vultures keep their perch on the rapier handles, content with the spectacle of so many corpses being hauled around.

"Our druidic associates appear to have occupied themselves with other matters. Well, the Spell Spire of Lindhurst lies some twenty six miles North-Northeast of here. It was sacked in the Aldhanstain war, then dragon's breath destroyed what was left, but at least it will be a landmark. Besides, it's city is but two miles further, and that will be the closest thing to civilization we are likely find out there."

"Now- Qut, I gathered you just needed the man's arm for a while. Was replacing his eyes truly necessary? I hope you can put them back, we might need them in him later. Anyways, with those carts and our recently swollen ranks of undead, we may be able to afford to keep a good pace if necessary to meet the deadline. Well, we no longer have to worry about catching that mage, but it would at least be polite to our sponsors to stay on schedule. And a fast pace would buy us more time to collect samples, or should unexpected obstacles present themselves."

The pale man looks down at the disgorged mage and his lizard. "Resolve? This puppet still has resolve? Where was that supposed to come from, his soiled breeches? False fear, indeed." A man may find courage in surprising places. "That implies he is still a man. Given how easily we took hold, he is evidently not."

"Do not attempt to flee from my presence without my express permission again. Qut, have you a grip on his thoughts? Something slippery lies within, and may not have fled."


I'll try to recall if those druidic rites have their roots in any historic tribes I might know about. Who knows, we might be related. Also, I'll keep an eye and an ear on the Forest to see what that ritual attracts. I suppose there is a theoretical possibility it does not, if the Forest feels like lulling us into a false sense of security on our first day.

Knowledge (History):[roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Listen: [roll2]

[blade artist]

Edward cared little for the mage being eaten, he'd relaxed when he thought that affair had ended. On the other hand, he took great interest in the workings of the one druid. Edward and his two little companions staredon in awe of the grand ritual that took place. They watch quietly and patiently till the end. He is about to rush for the druid and her about her magic... Until Qut spits his food back out.

"Why are you spitting him up?"

"Agast! Is he poisonous?"

"I don't think so, but possibly. Ooo, look at those eyes."

[Gunhaven]

Qut tilted it's head at the question and concern, thinking how to answer the questions. After a few seconds and slowly inching towards the leftovers Qut says "Qut done operating. Had eyes left over so replaced old eyes with new eyes, then used old eye to replace lizard eye. All very simple. Qut... bit poisonous like so..." Qut adjusted it's stance slightly before it let out two loud belches, accompanied by two separate breaths. The first is a rolling black miasma that saps what life was left from the Forest and the ritual. The second knocks aside the dead plants and a touch of the gore that the Qu slowly approaches.

Qut slowly circles the mound of viscera, judging the weight and pieces available. The mostly intact arms are tossed into it's bag for safe keeping and in case it needed to operate again while the legs, heads, and other non-graftable bits are casually tossed into it's mouth and devoured in a constant strive to sate it's hunger. In between bites it adds "If Qut wanted to Qut could make stay worse. Fire from arms, acid from chest, teeth that drain constitution, strong muscles when grapple or digest. Should all work together to break down." It's voice is oddly cheerful despite the fact that it's talking about devouring the next thing they find and not leaving anything left to question.

[drack]

Helga nods vigorously, clearly accepting Qut as quite a sensible young man. Without giving too much thought to the notion she volunteers five human skeletons for experimentation and augmentation as she directs her caravan to follow the grumpy mage who only ever seemed to care about time. What was time even, she'd never seen time. She's seen thyme, but they told her that was different. Weren't useless thing like that to be forgotten when one entered the woods? Dimly she pondered this as she walked. Adamson meanwhile was thinking about how offering the skeletons for experimentation might be a brilliant idea. He in point of fact, did not believe it was, but he had the utmost faith in Helga which meant he just hadn't thought about it long enough. Zoe's mind, however, was unreadable as she morbidly strolled along.


I'll take five skeletons with tower shields, and the five to be experimented on as Helga's honor guard at present, and she'll ride a the front of the cart filled with chains and crossbows. :smallsmile:

[Gunhaven]

Qut looked the five skeletons up and down, pondering for a moment. After it's inner consul complete the Qu casually adjusted itself and revealed a secondary stomach upon it's prestigious belly. Once so revealed it swallowed up the chosen ones with as little damage as possible. Once inside the leftover arms from what zombies and wings from whatever ravens Qut ate were casually grafted upon the skeletons. Even as the secondary stomach worked it's magic Qut was ready to see what the Mage had to offer and get a few new meals.

So I'll do nonlethal damage with bite attacks if I can, swallow whole, etc etc etc. Take 10s on Heal checks, etc etc.
But I'm gonna shoot for Wings and Zombie Arms on these skeletons, maybe upgrading the skeleton chests with further bones.

[PossiblyInsane]

"Well, now that your life does not seem to be in immediate danger, we can continue with our earlier conversation. You will answer my questions truthfully and to the best of your abilities. As my clerical colleague asked, would samples, live or dead, be wanted or needed for this expedition? What were you to have done when we had left for this expedition? What were you to do with the survivors of the expedition when seven days had passed? Were you to have done anything related to our expedition in the intervening time? What was the nature and purpose of the magic you attempted and failed to cast a few minutes before? Are you aware of any contact you or your familiar may have had with the Forest or a being influenced by it?"

"Do you recall a few minutes past, when I warned you of the dangers posed in speaking so long and at such length? You seem to be making little effort to alleviate them." If they have not caused you any serious harm in the past millennium, my friend, they are not likely to cause you any harm in the next few minutes. "Bah. Inductive reasoning of that sort is inherently flawed. A man who has wandered through the desert for a few days without water will not continue to live simply because he had not yet expired from thirst." I thought you had balked at the thought of speaking at length? "Of you speaking at length. I have a far more soothing inflection."

[Doxkid]

The Nameless Mage still looks to be moments from collapsing, but he surrenders to the questioning easily and this time he manages to string words together without passing out or collapsing. "Nothing that is alive will be accepted. Memories, drawings, information, solid artifacts that are untained; anything might not infect the outside world is acceptable. There have been failures before and The Mist has greater influence than we can plan for; if it seems to be from a living thing it will be rejected, and if you seem to have undergone any great change your masters will probably execute you. My masters will be paid as long as you are delivered in a functional condition to your sponsor.

I was to report to the Greater PlaneWalkers and prepare your escape route. Ten mages would channel their power through artifacts that would then channel power through an enhanced magic circle, that would then channel power through my familiar that would then channel power through me. This would create several layers for The Deep Forest to penetrate so my superiors could avoid infection of their magic or minds. I am the twenty third translocation specialist used for this purposed from my guild, and the third to survive more than two trips into the deep forest. This method is one of the safer ones for my Masters.

I would take you to my masters who would take you to your masters. We are paid a great deal for any survivors we successfuly extract. The safe delivery of two more people will garner me a promotion and allow me to live comfortably for the rest of my life; I can only image what my masters would gain.

No.

I was to leave and report to my masters.

No."

[PossiblyInsane]

"These all seem reasonable answers. If no-one has any further questions or business with...What is your name and past?...then it would seem best to send him back to be thoroughly checked for corruption and ensure our escape route. Better for a cabal of mages to mind him than for us to worry about him or his corpse."
"Seem this, seem that...for one who spoke so disparagingly of the mad a few minutes before, you seem rather uncertain of the state of being."
"If we might tarry here some twenty minutes further while the wagons are prepared, I would divine something of what awaits us in the Forest, and see where best we break camp next."
"Might is hardly any better." Really? I had thought you in favor of might. "When? Oh, I see. Might might share meanings in this tongue, but might is but the only meaning in the old tongue. We might see might before the day is out, or we might just stand here bandying about until we get mites." Might these mites be mighty mites, or might these mites of might only be a matter of might? "If I had a stomach capable of contents, the disgusting alliteration of that comment would have liberated it."

[ErebusVonMori]

"Very well," Zyran says lightly, "I'm not used to being impatient and apologise for it."

[drack]

Adamson chuckles, quite plainly bemused. "So if the magic ultimately does channel through your familiar to hone in on us, then it would need be with us, and if the bond of a familiar is anything akin to that of an animal companion, you'd need to accompany us. Certainly you could travel with Qut so the rest of us might feel somewhat more assured that you have no ulterior motives.

Naturally your communication with these planeswalkers will likely be done by magic as well since I've heard it said that magical travel within the woods is impossible, so if you were to have left you'd never reach us again, short of us finding our own way out, in which case we wouldn't need you anyways."

[Gunhaven]

Qut chuckled at being changed from it's base form. A few seconds later and the chuckle threatened to bowl over the fat Qu mutant. Before it could roll around in merriment at not being changed beyond it's current state, Qut regained it's composure. One tentacle held up to indicate that Qut had something. It said "Qut need mage back in stomach then. Qut no waste if mage can't be tracked with gift. Familiar too."
Unless someone stopped Qut, Qut would spit up the skeletons with what grafts it could do on such short notice. In their place would the mage and familiar go, in much the same way as the skeletons, and the process would begin to strip them of the grafts and return them to their former states. Even as the stomach worked, Qut would still hustle slowly toward the forest if everyone else was going. It was in no hurry though, there wasn't prey to eat just yet.

[Doxkid]

"What is your name and past?..."

The Nameless Mage puppet considers this a moment before replying, "My name is Aaron Striker. I was born in Conkram to Liam Striker, my father who at the time acted as part of the guard to the the newborn princess Noa, and Erin Salgiiv, my mother who also held a position as a guard of the newborn princess. They were removed from their positions because of their preexisting relationship with the request that they sire a child that could stand beside the princess, both protecting her and nurturing a friendship with her. One could say they gave that new task their all since I was born only six months after the princess, despite them being tasked with this duty when the princess was two months old.

My birth was somewhat difficult, but the best nurses and healers of our land were made available to my parents so there were no significant complications. The next two and a half years I know of only through hearsay, but thereafter I took to my duties as compatriot of the princess with all of my being. When I was three I discovered a small slug under a toy and kept it as a pet for some time. It was apparently some form of parasite that invaded my body, consumed a third of my liver, and activated the magical abilities I now possess. Two months after the princess's birth I was able to teleport fifty feet at will.

The growth of my magical abilities was, unfortunately, slow and linear up until I took to my studies under the sages of the royal family on March eighth of my fifth year..."

And he goes on, and on, and on, and on...

[PossiblyInsane]

"Hold on replacing this man in your stomach for the moment, Qut. I would hear his tale and thoughts on this magic before deciding what is to be done with him. Son of Striker, before you continue, you will answer my associate's questions in these matters as you would my own. Describe the requirements and functions of this escape spell, barring the previously mentioned layers of abstraction to minimize contact with the Forest. After you have done so, and answered any further questions my associates may have to their satisfaction, you may continue recounting your past, provided it can be summarized in twenty minutes."

"For Tharack's mercy, we are mere STRIDES away from excitement and peril beyond reckoning, and you wish to fritter away the daylight with this man's tale distracting you from your already exhaustive preparations?" Of course not. I will fully concentrate on my divinations while you listen to his story and summarize when I am finished. "...You do realize that we are one, do you not? You suffer my pain as surely as I suffer yours, and I assure you that another twenty minutes of this man's prose will be agonizing." Well, perhaps if you had not been so insistent upon us making haste, I would not have regarded thorough preparations to be so necessary. "Oh? And if I had advised you to take caution, you would have rushed heedless into danger?" No. Then I would have taken the sound advice of my wise and noble companion. The three eyed vulture croaked in exasperation. Besides, I would have thought a tale of worms and devoured livers would be to your liking. "Bah. To hear of the long past meals of others is no more pleasurable than tasting their digested leavings. Anything of interest has since moved elsewhere".

[Doxkid]

"Hold on replacing this man in your stomach for the moment, Qut. I would hear his tale and thoughts on this magic before deciding what is to be done with him. Son of Striker, before you continue, you will answer my associate's questions in these matters as you would my own. Describe the requirements and functions of this escape spell, barring the previously mentioned layers of abstraction to minimize contact with the Forest. After you have done so, and answered any further questions my associates may have to their satisfaction, you may continue recounting your past, provided it can be summarized in twenty minutes."

Aaron stops mid word to change topics match this new request.

"The spell transports my and whoever accompanies me to a pre-set marker in a demiplane prepared specifically to act as a midpoint. From there I will instantly be removed from the place by a second marker attuned to, and triggered by, the spell. The spell itself is a more archaic form of Plane Shift built off of the methodology behind the common Teleport spell and using inter-planar subjugation magic to bootstrap the essence of my being to my destination; if I were capable of casting normal magic of that level it might be within the realm of possibility to demand a lesser Wish from Magic itself to do the same, but my training was focused on hybridizing arcane and divine magic for unique conjuration applications."

Aaron waits poised to answer any other questions presented to him. After a few seconds he continues his autobiographical onslaught. "The first pet hummingbird my great uncle presented to me to use as my familiar was, unfortunately, not clever enough to aid me properly as a crow or raven would but by the time I discovered this I had already lost interest in sharing my life with flying creatures. The riding dog and homunculus were not much more useful..."

[PossiblyInsane]

As the soothing "Hah." tones of a lengthy story wash over him, the pale man sits cross legged upon the air and begins casting.

Assuming the twenty minutes go uninterrupted, I'll go through two castings of Commune with Nature (12 mile radius), attempting to discern the general state of the natural setting, the overall terrain within the Forest itself, the location of any significant bodies of water, the clearest path heading Northeast, the presence of any powerful unnatural creatures, and the presence of any people.

[Doxkid]

The first casting of Commune with Nature barely makes a connection at all. Whereas you would normally feel the earth's strength and the might of every leaf upon every tree you instead face minute waves of dread and hate. Even so you are able to make out that some of those strange sensations you feel are things nearby and ALL of them feel distinctly unnatural to you. There are no people, although some of the things flicker into and out of states of conscious thought you would typically ascribe to 'people'.

The second seems to fail outright. There is nothing; no sensations, no fear, no hate, no dread.

Then you feel a hateful presence loom over you, your magic failing and reversing itself so that you can feel all of the hatred and wrongness of the forest as it rushes to examine you thoroughly. Just before you cut your connection to the magic you feel it lunging for your magic and mind. The Mist mirrors this action, rushing out to enclose your small group, and even the Tall Trees of the Deep Forest can be seen bending oh so high up in the sky, quickly blotting out the sun as their shade brings more Mist and that mist extends their flexibility.

The Deep Forest will be upon you soon. Very, very soon.
The Deep Forest and The Mist are both extending towards your group at a rate of 200 feet per round. It will be upon you in in two rounds on its initiative count. There is no surprise round.
[roll0]
You may now roll initiative.

[PossiblyInsane]

What dread horror could have corrupted the land so? "This one. Obviously." A rhetorical question. "A practical answer." More to the point, how could the land have become so hateful, and so quick witted?

"It seems the Forest would keep it's secrets close. Qut, our new companion would be safer in your stomach, as we shall have welcoming company shortly."

The pale man flickers out of corporeal view.

Initiative: [roll0]
White Shroud will go fully Ethereal as a standard action, then move inside the carts, wherein the wood, living, and undead will hopefully allow him to hide from anything that can see ethereal things.
Hide Check: [roll1]
Spot Check: [roll2]
Listen Check: [roll3]

[Gunhaven]

Qut nods as it nearly barrels over and rolls toward the rambling man. At the moment of collision the secondary stomach swallows up the man and his pet lizard before the Qu lands in the dirt with a solid thud. With subjects kept within its secondary stomach with the skeletons it rolls over and looks around at the Mist, saying "Yay! Is time to eat! Qut bored with story anyway."

Qut is so fat it rolled a nat 1 and got an 11 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20639570&postcount=97)

[drack]

In her bones she felt it, she felt the swell and lapses of the forest, of its mists. She was one with the land, and the forest felt to her not so different from those chaotically spinning thoughts that on occasion might take her. Still, she was in no rush, her heartbeat slowed as she took a long and slow, yet somewhat excited breath, the undeads about her like statues.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Doxkid]

In moments The Mist will be upon you.

For some this is what you have prepared for for what seems like forever. For others this is a fresh nightmare woven from soiled threads of reality that cannot be cut and that will never be cleaned. Even through the magical compulsions impressed upon him Aaron trembles as his greatest fear approaches; the being who now holds the mind and will of that man has wisely made itself scarce. The rotund avatar of gluttony swallows Aaron whole as it looks upon the what could easily be the twilight of your existences with glee and hunger. The Death Druids have resigned themselves to this fate...or perhaps they are gathering their resolve as one to march through this mockery of their domain?

It may not matter. The Tall Trees of a breed unique to the Deep Forest have almost entrapped you now, each trunk bending like the fingers of a god to capture you in its palm and crush you against its previous victims. The canopy of each tree blots out the sun in one massive wall of darkness that The Mist fills with its own strange light as it fills the gap between heaven and earth.

Once you are in the Deep Forest and its treacherous Mist it is almost impossible to get out without aid from the outside. Maps are made useless, spells turn against their casters, and the not even the strongest of wings can lift a flyer high enough to crest the trees that may well reach beyond the sky of this plane. The effects of The Mist are strange and the beings that call it home are stranger still.

There is still time to run. To flee your masters or keepers or minders and never look back...

[PossiblyInsane]

In the relative safety of occupying a solid object on another plane, the pale man adjusts his hat, revealing his eyes. Or he would be, if he wasn't inside a solid object on another plane.

Time to take wing, my old friend. We shall soon have your sport at last. "At last. But to whose last? Given the tales of what we are to face, I doubt that the mere humans present will last." The flock of vultures resume their perch upon the swords, eyeing the pale man suspiciously, lest this confrontation should prove as bloodless as the last. The humans may surprise us. And if they do not, they would have been of little consequence in a world of the Hunt. "Perhaps I shall be able to feast my eyes upon the spectacle, if nothing else." As we are, all pleasures are either abstract or vicarious. You really should search for a better quality of entertainment. "And the reasons of pleasure are ultimately arbitrary. I'll take my simple meal over your protracted fast."

White Shroud will expose his eyes (as a move action, if required), and activate Telekinesis as a standard action, to be maintained by his spirit guide.

Telekinesis Cooldown: [roll0]

[Gunhaven]

Qut nearly doubled over as its breathing grew heavy. Why it did was still up in the air; the Qu was definitely out of shape and could use a break. Yet there was something in that gleeful glimmer at what awaited within. Slowly the tentacles stroked the sudden appearance of the trees as it struggled to stay near the group.

Of course internally was an entirely different story. Given the chance the procedures began again and first the grafts are removed, then the points, then they can be returned to normal. Granted the middle step required ten minutes of meditation and either step before or after took a minute to take full effect. That just meant for the next roughly twelve minutes Mage and familiar would be losing eyes and the ability to share each other's shared torture. Externally the only sign was the muffled screams of pain or sob of despair from within Qut's secondary stomach.

[Doxkid]

The tops of the Tall Trees crash down a few hundred feet behind you, the noise far more quiet than one would expect and the world goes dark for a moment. The sounds of the Deep Forest are muted by the buffer of normal air between you and The Mist, the air laying still for a moment as the currents driving it fail against the robust foliage of the Tall Trees now burying their tops into the ground behind you.

Just as there is no breeze there is no sun, but that matters a great deal more than the flow of the air. With no sunlight, no moonlight, no stars or open sky to restrain it The Mist balloons outward. In a moment it is upon you, oily and thick and heavy enough to hold you in place.

Sight fails.

Then touch.

Taste, smell and hearing all waiver momentarily against a strange lack that fills all of those physically present to the brim and then overflows back into the air around you.

Then it passes, rushing to fill every available nook and cranny of the area; you are forgotten for the more important matter of salting the earth and sowing the seeds of ruin.

It is no longer dark. Your sight pierces its veil as it it were not even there and, after a few seconds, all of your senses adjust to the point that there is scarce difference between the early afternoon you stood in and the realm of horror than you have entered.

Seconds pass and around you infant trees sprout and rise from the ground; fathered by The Tall Trees and nurtured by The Mist they are like wildgrass un number and height in seconds, growing visibly in a wave that extends to the edge of where the Tree tops ...

Wait.

No.

The Tall Trees that bent and flexed to entrap you in this realm cannot be seen. The curving trunk above you, the tops behind you, the base before you; nothing but an endless forest of ancient and infant Tall Trees exist as far as your senses can perceive. Further ahead there is variation (bushes and fern and areas of empty earth, and trunks of lesser trees skewed about) but in all other directions the Deep Forest is fresh and new and ENDLESS.

Your bodies and beings are currently unaffected by the presence of The Mist. Likewise the undead and corpses collected by this group have not (as far as one can tell with only a moment of attention upon them) been affected either. It is impossible to know how long this will remain true though.
[roll0]

[drack]

Zoe nhialistically informs the party that there are eight residents approaching, about a minuet out. Now the druids could, perhaps, cover the tracks of the party and the wagons as they move out of the native's way, but Helga, weighing this against the hunger of her people, decided instead to hold the line. With a certainty that nearly made her look sane, she directed the presently non-combatant carriages out of the way, one of her eight guards behind the remaining carriage, two level with her, and the other five hemicircularly placed before her as she sat on that last carriage.

[PossiblyInsane]

Something approaches. Liquid, by the sound of it? If so, it would be less likely to have discernible anatomy to target. Unfortunate. Perhaps they could be dissuaded from coming further, or tempted into taking another path? "But how will we see the competence of our companions? More to the point, dealing with eight such creatures would be a tiring waste of our resources." We must put some thought to our own well being. The longer the rest of them survive, the more likely we are of escaping this place without recorporation. "It is difficult to credit enlightened self interest as a motivating force when you are moving straight towards danger."If all else fails, something that heavy should be easily outrun or outflown, without cumbersome carts to organize. And better to see what methods work against the Forest's denizens now than in more pressing circumstances.

The pale man strides towards the sounds of movement, feet as silent as only a ghost on another plane can be.

White Shroud will use Defensive Precognition, and move 50 ft along the ground towards the sound, hoping that these creatures either have a limited sight range or have no relation to the ethereal.

[Gunhaven]

Qut had a brief second of fear as silence overcame the group of explorers. From the silence, however, came the reassuring sound of the blood flow and the beating of the Qu's heart. The tongue that all Qus were known for, and the one part that Qut hadn't altered in some manner, darted out like a snake to taste the air. It was careful to not taste anything...yet. Soon the feast would begin, and this Forest would join the list of things devoured by the fat Qu.

On some level Qut knew that it's hearing wouldn't be good enough. It depended more on it's array of eyes that blinked and gazed upon all angels to see and search for food to eat. Instead it remained as close as possible to the others and remained as ready as possible. It wasn't fast enough to hustle away either, seeing as how it was already nearly winded from the slight hustle into the forest. Still, it waited for something living to be eaten.

[Doxkid]

The steady silence of the Deep Forest is broken by a feint sound of unknown origin that slowly grows louder and louder as time passes. What could at first pass as someone clapping in the distances eventually becomes something unusual; those of you with unusual inclinations or backgrounds may note that the sound bears similarity to that of a person schlepping a few too many sacks of lard at a pace they cannot sustain, but without any of the typical regard for said lard that has made travelling so hard.

The number of ...'things'...producing the sound seems to decrease. There are now seven and it is moving faster than before by a significant margin; by rough estimate it has doubled speed.

[PossiblyInsane]

Oh? Are these creatures consuming each other to go faster? Or are they fleeing from something more dangerous and harder to detect? "Do you have so little faith in my senses?" I have little faith all of the Forest's denizens follow the usual niceties of reality. Now, shall we see what this Forest is made of? "I would much rather see what's making this infernal clapping. If as much fat lies within as it sounds, we need never go hungry this journey."...Such foolishness lies in that sentiment it has robbed me of words. "That was the intention. Now go and kill something, preferably full of tissue."

White Shroud will look for a Tree nearby that has a relatively clear line of descent across the path these things seem to be taking, preferably about 5 feet in diameter or so. He'll spend the turn moving towards the best candidate.

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Search (if needed for tree assaying): [roll2]
Survival (likewise): [roll3]

[blade artist]

Edward recovered from recoiling at the sight of the Forest crashing over him. As his senses returned to him, he checked on his two smaller companions.

Hey is-

"What is going on, I can't see! Where is everybod? Oh, there you are."

Ugh, all of the yelling. Yes, it appears we are all fine. The others seem to have notice d something.

Yeah what is that?

As Edward heard the clatter, he could swear it was lard... Actually he was entirely convinced it was lard. But with the stories of this place, Edward thought it best to prepare to fight. Or run. Whichever seemed appropriate when it got here. In any case short but wickedly sharp and pointed claws seem to form up out of his finger tips.

Can I just have my psionic focus charged currently or do I need to charge it now, I forgot to mention it earlier. Also I'm gonna cast animal affinity in the meantime, augmented up to 8pp so I can have Str and Con. I'll try concentrating once each round if I'm not psionicly focused.

[Gunhaven]

Qut continued to stand in what it hoped was the path of the incoming food, still unable to hear much of anything too unique. After a couple more seconds it started and said out loud "While we wait, Qut want bond living allies. Raise hand if okay! Will help talking and make us tougher." Even as it waited the Qu began to hustle toward the druids since it had a guess that at least one of them could be bonded, even with all the skeletons.
Really just want to use Blood Bond, which requires a living creature that has blood (or something like blood). Right now double moving/running to the nearest living ally to get adjacent to them so I can use it next round.

[drack]

Adamson and Zoe, confused, look to Helga who smiles welcomingly.


I've no idea what that does, nor does Helga, but she's all one-with-the-world, so why not? :smalltongue:

[Gunhaven]

With a poke of one of it's claws, Qut completed the relatively simple procedure. Once satisfied it took hold the Qu looked around to find something to demonstrate the new ability to heal, digging it's nail into it's arm until blood finally dripped free. Then, just as quickly, the damage healed and left a slight scar as if self damage wasn't just inflicted upon the mutant. With a smile it seemed to say cheerily Now you try! from within Helga's bones.

In a nutshell: I can take up to 16 points of damage (if you take over 32, otherwise half) from when you take damage. In addition you have DR 2, Fast Healing 3, and we can communicate telepathically. The long version:

At level 1, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity in combat, a Sanguine Knight may form a Blood Bond with a willing, sentient, living creature (who possesses blood or another similar vital liquid) adjacent to him.

Whenever his bonded partner takes damage, the Sanguine Knight may choose to suffer an amount of damage up to X (Where X is 1/2 Sanguine knight's level + his constitution modifier). The original target of the attack reduces the damage that would be dealt to them by an amount equal to that taken by the Sanguine Knight (for example: if an ally of the Sanguine Knight would take 20 damage from an attack, a level 8 Sanguine Knight with a constitution of 22 may choose to take up to 10 damage. He reduces the damage his ally takes by an amount equal to the damage he redirected to himself). The damage diverted in this manner may not exceed 1/2 of the incoming damage.

A 1st level Sanguine Knight may have a single Blood Bond active at once. He gains the ability to maintain an additional Blood Bond at 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 7 at 20th level).

A Blood Bond persists indefinitely, or until either the Sanguine Knight or his bound partner choose to terminate it as a free action. A Blood Bond cannot be used if either of the Sanguine Knight or its bonded target is on a different plane or dead.

At level 8, the Sanguine Knight can shift damage between bonded partners instead of absorbing it all himself. The damage can be divided any number of ways, but it must be equal to all creatures, and the Sanguine Knight must take some of the damage himself. For example, if a level 8 sanguine knight with 3 blood bonds absorbs 18 damage from an attack to one of those allies, he may divide it into thirds so that he and the other two creatures take 6 damage each. This does not increase the damage that may be absorbed from an attack, it merely redirects it to multiple targets. All targets of this split must be willing.

At level 10, all creatures that the Sanguine Knight has bonded may communicate telepathically with one another through their blood, using the Sanguine Knight as their focal point. This communication cannot be detected through normal means, and it may not be detected by a "Read thoughts" or any magical way to detect telepathic messages. Only members who have been bonded may communicate in this way, and they may only do it within 100' of the Sanguine Knight.

At level 12 the Sanguine Knight learns how to aid in making the bodies of his allies more durable and helps them heal faster. From this point on, the Sanguine Knight grants all creatures bonded to him quick healing 3 and DR 2/-. These bonuses are untyped, and stack with abilities, enhancements and spells that grant similar effects.

[drack]

Helga smiles gayly in the direction of the fatty critters.

If you're level 8 feel free to pass some damage to zoe and adamson, they're healers, so it should be alright.

Yeah, I've always liked those blood-magicey classes. :smallbiggrin:

[Doxkid]

The sounds of someone purposefully throwing great piles of lard or manure grows as something horrible establishes a frenetic pace towards your group; now everyone as two more sacks fail to disuse leaving only five for movement, somehow moving faster for having given up three tools for movement. In seconds the last of each of your senses are able to detect strange shape moving towards you: the powerful odor of saltwater mixing with fouled earth, as you might find in an estuary used as a sewer, fills your mouth and oily droplets of the same rain upon you coating everything with its scent.

It is on a direct collision course with your group and will arrive in around nine seconds if it maintains this pace. It is doubtful it will actually take that long though, given that it has 5 more 'limbs' to get rid of.


Spot: [35] There is a towering...something approaching. It's main mass (and the only part of it currently sivible) is partitioned into eight large sacks, each easily as tall as a bull troll, that squish against the ground and easily roll over/through the trees that have sprouted and overgrown this ne addition to the forest. Three sacks have been hefted into the air and are now being held ready as neat spheres above what you would estimate to be its center. It is hard to make out the exact color of this thing through The Mist, but at the very least you can tell it is a shade of blue.


Listen: [50] There is no sound of respiration; no panting or even breathing, or anything of the sort. Bu as it approaches you can hear the sharp drone of a powerful spell failing. The squishing of the five sacks being used for locomotion grow louder, of course, but now you can also make out a slight echo as it approaches.

Search: [31] Your watchful eye catches a grief glimpse of a small square floating at the center of the thing's mass, surrounded by the flailing sacks it uses to move and the three orbs revolving around it.

Survival: [20] It is too late to leave.

[PossiblyInsane]

Ah. That is a quickly accelerating problem. "So, what were you planning to do with that tree?" Nothing that would effectively block the path of this creature. "I don't see any eyes. That is disappointing." Wait until the beast is slain before deciding which parts would be the most edible if you were capable of eating. "You're no fun. Try aiming for that little square in the center, all the rest of it looks non-essential." It sounds of failing magic. I suspect it would resist such attempts to affect it directly. "Conjuration, then?" Indeed. The vultures prepare to hoist their burdens.

White Shroud will move 30 feet into the air, then prepare to manifest and fill the square thing with Splinterbolts and rapiers when it moves past.

Spot/Listen checks (in case they reveal anything new, might as well make use of that feat).
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Gunhaven]

Qut took a deep breath in, shuddering in joy. Quickly the Qu slapped Ed and said with no attempt to hide it's excitement "'ere we go! Is eating time!" Eyes blinked, tongue darted, and caution no longer existed with the thought of SOMETHING possibly filling it's gullet.

Search: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Survival: [roll2]

[Doxkid]

It is upon you. Rushing at you at full speed, the thing is only 40 feet away and will likely make its own attack while it bowls the caravan (and everyone around it) over. The pressure and presence of The Mist is actually beneficial in this moment, as it helps to suppress the raw stench and greasiness of the thing that is now approaching; even the denizens of The Mist cannot claim to be it's master, apparently.

There are only a few seconds to attack, to maneuver, to demonstrate just how you have to be here and why you think you'll be able to get back out.

--OOC
Initiatives:
---Party: 30
Thing: 18

Disregard any Mist based concealment for attacks at the moment.

Everyone feel free to name the thing that is now attacking.

Next DM post: ~Monday: 9PM
Next combat update post: Tuesday ~11 PM

[Gunhaven]

Qut chuckled and called out "IS EATING TIME!" The fat Qu barreled toward the creature, propelled by it's sweet lion legs, and breathing in the delicious scent of fresh food before it stopped at a corner tucked away from the creature's path. Then all ten limbs lashed out, both bites attempting to tear chunks out of it's corner while both ghoul claws, zombie shoulders, salamander tail, and four shadowy tentacles just tear and burn into another block (or eight if they just all die quick). With a slurp, the two blocks the bites ate attempted to be swallowed into it's primary gullet and away from the beings tucked away in the secondary stomach.
Feeding Frenzy is Active: +4 Strength, +4 Dexterity, and Primary Bite for 1d6 damage (if I didn't have one already) for 13 rounds (or until I've eaten the flesh of my enemy. So one round?)
Eager is Active: +2 Damage for First Round.
Bloodlust MAY be Active: +1 to hit and damage against it for every 10% of its maximum health it is missing; +2 Hit and Damage if target is taking Bleed damage.
Free Action: Flame on!
Full Round: Pale Horseman's Ride! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?162222-Stygian-Nightmare-3-5-ToB-Discipline-PEACH) Pounce on I11
Primary Bite: Attack: [roll0] Confirm: [roll1]
Free Grapple Check: [roll2] Constrict Damage: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4] Fire: [roll5] Negative Energy: [roll6]

Form Bite: Attack: [roll7] Confirm: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9] Fire: [roll10] Negative Energy: [roll11]

Slam: Attack: [roll12] Confirm: [roll13]
Damage: [roll14] Fire: [roll15] Negative Energy: [roll16] Bleed 1 Point (until DC 15 Heal or Magical Healing)

Tail: Attack: [roll17] Confirm: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19] Fire: [roll20] Negative Energy: [roll21]

Claw 1: Attack: [roll22] Confirm: [roll23]
Damage: [roll24] Fire: [roll25] Negative Energy: [roll26]

Claw 2: Attack: [roll27] Confirm: [roll28]
Damage: [roll29] Fire: [roll30] Negative Energy: [roll31]

Tentacle 1: Attack: [roll32] Confirm: [roll33]
Damage: [roll34] Fire: [roll35] Negative Energy: [roll36]

Tentacle 2: Attack: [roll37] Confirm: [roll38]
Damage: [roll39] Fire: [roll40] Negative Energy: [roll41]

Tentacle 3: Attack: [roll42] Confirm: [roll43]
Damage: [roll44] Fire: [roll45] Negative Energy: [roll46]

Tentacle 4: Attack: [roll47] Confirm: [roll48]
Damage: [roll49] Fire: [roll50] Negative Energy: [roll51]

[PossiblyInsane]

Well, that should be enough elevation to put ourselves out of this creature's reach, unless it can suddenly reverse direction and balance itself on two legs. "Unless it can do some extraordinary thing we have never seen before, in this Forest full of extraordinary things we have never seen before. Comforting." Hush, now. We have hunting to do.

The pale man maneuvers himself well above the creature, rematerializes, and sends a hail of rapiers and massive wooden spikes towards it's central mass.

White Shroud will fly 30 feet into the air above the creature (30 ft+creature height total elevation) and cast Splinterbolt. His Spirit Guide will direct the maintained Telekinesis into a violent thrust using his 12 rapiers, ending the effect. Cooldown rolled at start of power was 2 rounds.

Telekinesis Attack Rolls: [roll0], [roll1], [roll2], [roll3], [roll4], [roll5], [roll6], [roll7], [roll8], [roll9], [roll10], [roll11]

Telekinesis Damage Rolls: [roll12], [roll13], [roll14], [roll15], [roll16], [roll17], [roll18], [roll19], [roll20], [roll21], [roll22], [roll23]
Assuming all 12 attacks hit, and the central square is susceptible to precision damage: 211 piercing damage
Assuming all 12 attacks hit, and the central square is not susceptible to precision damage: 34 piercing damage (taking first die rolled)

Splinterbolt Attack Rolls: [roll24], [roll25], [roll26]

Splinterbolt Damage Rolls: [roll27], [roll28], [roll29]
Assuming all 3 attacks hit, and the central square is susceptible to precision damage: 74 piercing damage
Assuming all 3 attacks hit, and the central square is not susceptible to precision damage: 40 piercing damage (taking first four die rolled)

Precision damage applies against Plants and Aberrations (Swift Hunter feat), with a +4 damage on each attack that hit on plants, and a +2 damage on each attack that hit on Aberrations.

[blade artist]

Edward panics at the size of the thing and throws a glob of glue at it.

manifesting Entangling Ectoplasm modifying it for colossal/gargantuan (I forget which, 4 size categories larger than medium) and trying to hit all of it. Costs 9pp (1 base + 2 for each size cat. larger)

touch attack to hit
no save to resist, no spell resistance

E: I have no idea why I put that there. oh and if it hits, target is entangled. It moves at half speed, cannot run/charge, -2 to attack, and -4 penalty to dex.

E2:Forgot again for a place for Ed. Put him on H8

[drack]

Helga looks to be dazing off in her own crazy little world. With a casual indifference to the threat, she examined the strange creatures. They looked... fatty, globby, gelatinous... Yes, fat meant higher energy value which made the meat all the more precious. Her tribe would eat well tonight. As she smiled in satisfaction hew winged skeletal soldiers formed ranks, raising their tower shields in defense. Why, were it not for how Helga was staring into the treetops, she might even look the part of a good commander.


Standard action to give the formation full cover.

[Doxkid]

Edward's large glob of adhesive strikes the abomination dead-center and then splashes out, binding each of the supporting sacks and revolving orbs to it's central structure. For a moment. Without preface or any available explanation large chunks of the ectoplasm binding the thing vanish entirely. Still, the psionic bindings hold as well as could be expected and the thing should not be going anywhere anytime soon.

White's shroud's flurry of telekinetic attacks come next, raining down upon the thing with swords and blasts of arboreal magic. The furious rain of swords disappears into the two dimensional center of the thing, with the square sometimes even moving to intercept a rapier that would have missed it, leaving not even the slightest trace of the attack. The Pale man's magic, on the other hand, causes the entire 'creature's mass to shudder and twitch in discomfort as each conjured wooden stake visibly pierces the flat shape before being fully drawn into the creature's core.

Qut capitalizes on these distractions with a furious attack; claws, tentacles and gnashing teeth all all desperately working to force some of the thing into the ravenous mortal's stomach. Each attack is more aggressive, more accurate, more devastating than the last; in seconds Qut bites and claws and thrashes one of the sacks until vibrant green ooze has splattered the ground and filled his stomach. With a great shutter the ground-bound sack collapses entirely under the last of Qut's attacks. Curiously enough, as that sack collapses the other sacks glow grey, and then red, and finally black before returning to their natural blue coloration.

The floating orbs ripple for a moment before a side of each flattens and the opposite end is drawn to a point. These floating cones each turn their vertex toward a a foe, with one directed at White Shroud another towards Qut and the last of the group pointing towards Edward, before expanding dramatically into spears so thin they are nigh invisible.

Two of the remaining four sacks on the ground balloon stretch and balloon out to fully encompass the abomination's Core, while the third flails at Qut and the last of the four rolls forward into the mass of undead warriors standing at attention around Helga.


Qut
Attack roll: [roll0]
Alternately you may choose to make a Reflex save DC 25, but the consequences will be worst if it fails.

Damage: [roll1] Piercing,
[roll2] Force
[roll3] Cold
[roll4] Positive Energy

White shroud:
Attack roll: [roll5]
Alternately you may choose to make a Reflex save DC 25, but the consequences will be worst if it fails.

Damage: [roll6] Piercing,
[roll7] Force
[roll8] Cold
[roll9] Positive Energy

Edward
Attack roll: [roll10]
Alternately you may choose to make a Reflex save DC 25, but the consequences will be worst if it fails.

Damage: [roll11] Piercing,
[roll12] Force
[roll13] Cold
[roll14] Positive Energy

----
@ Qut
Reflex save please.

@Drack: Reflex save for your troops please.

[Gunhaven]

Qut took the full front of the attack, it's red slime coating the appendage that struck the Qu. While the attack itself may have been impressive against a more normal being Qut simply grinned and said "Is fun when food fight back. Qut feast on innards soon. Find reasons why." What wounds it suffered stitched themselves together, leaving only a smallish burn on its left cheek. The abomination stepped forward to the ground sack that remained with the ooze. In much the same manner as the destroyed one, Qut slammed, slashed, pummeled, and finally attempted to gobble on up the remaining sack.
Blood Bond: FH 3, DR 2/-
Crimson Revelry: FH 12
Xenomorphia Passive: FH 1
Bloodlust: +1 per 10% HP missing, +2 for Bleeding
Reinforced Blood: DR 5/Magic, SR 22
Slime Jelly Excretion Sphincter: [roll0] Acid if it fails a DC 25 Reflex
Take 32 from Attack, at most 5 from Edward. -9 due to DR. -24 damage due to healing.

Free Action: 5ft step to I12
Full Round: Pummel J13!
Slam Attack: [roll1] Crit Confirm: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3] + [roll4] Fire

Claw 1 Attack: [roll5] Crit Confirm: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7] + [roll8] Fire

Claw 2 Attack: [roll9] Crit Confirm: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11] + [roll12] Fire

T1 Attack: [roll13] Crit Confirm: [roll14]
Damage: [roll15] + [roll16] Fire

T2 Attack: [roll17] Crit Confirm: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19] + [roll20] Fire

T3 Attack: [roll21] Crit Confirm: [roll22]
Damage: [roll23] + [roll24] Fire

T4 Attack: [roll25] Crit Confirm: [roll26]
Damage: [roll27] + [roll28] Fire

Bite 1 Attack: [roll29] Crit Confirm: [roll30]
Grapple: [roll31] Damage: [roll32]
Damage: [roll33] + [roll34] Fire

Bite 2 Attack: [roll35] Crit Confirm: [roll36]
Damage: [roll37] + [roll38] Fire

[PossiblyInsane]

Ah. It would seem it holds it's center dear. "Ooze like creatures tend to be highly acidic. We are unlikely to retrieve those rapiers. Even if we were, I would be reluctant to touch them." Yes, this creature does seem like it will take much of our arsenal to overcome, even with Qut's enthusiastic assistance. The more humanoid members, however, are unlikely to last that long. If the Forest will consume our weapons so quickly, it will desirable to have spare hands to replace them. "You assume that those hands can be trusted. I have not forgotten how quickly they were willing to tear that mage apart. They have done little to combat this creature." They are only human. Or skeletons, in some cases. There may be little they can do. "I shall be watching them. In the meantime, I suggest you ask Red Marrow what tricks would best work on walking bones." There is wisdom in that. Perhaps this battle could be ended quickly. It is doubtful this ooze has much more of a mind than others of it's kind. However, the lack of a mind can be a double edged sword... "I do hope you are not suggesting what I know you are suggesting." If this Forest has many more monsters like these, it is likely we shall be forced into it some time. Better to see if the mind of the Forest can act through it's creatures when the beast does not have a mind itself to provide contention.

The pale man flickers away from the path of the outstretched spear, descending towards the now encased central square.


White Shroud's AC is currently 40, the spear misses.

White Shroud will cast Freedom of Movement on himself, then move 20ft towards the thing's center, seeing if the stretched ground sacks can be tempted to attack and leave an opening. In the meantime, he will try to intuit how the creature reacts to the loss of a ground sack by it's body language. Is it actively attempting to get them destroyed by the largest perceived threat, to fuel the presumably dangerous glowy stuff? Or is it just hungry?

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Sense Motive: [roll2]
Survival: [roll3]

[drack]

Helga chuckles darkly, a throaty distant laugh, as if she, like her minions, was laughing from beyond the vale. The skeletons hollowly echoed her laugh, albeit quieter, scarcely a whisper. With a wave of her hands they take to the sky. Two beside the cart grab hold of it, hauling it too into the skies, and the others extend their tower shields before them as a platform on which for others to stand. Helga, Adamson, and Zoe casually step onto these shields, rising into the air with them. Another shield slips beneath Edward hoisting him to the relative safety of the skies as well...

Optional, you could easily slip out of its path.

...while another flies full speed past the creature, turning in the air to look down on white shroud.


Guess I don't have much more to add. :smallsmile:

winged skeleton
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ca/68/35/ca68356660b947a022efb15d00ccb4b2.jpg

[Doxkid]

Qut's violent attack shreds yet another one of the creature's defensive sacs, spraying even ore green ooze around himself as he all but burrows through the object/creature in his path, sprewing acid onto the thing to ease the effort of digesting it later. There is a pulse of something in between music and sound that reverberates in the bones and teeth of corporeal beings, and across the 'skin' of those that are tangibility-impaired. Despite the sound/spell produced by this abomination it barely seems to notice the destruction of the last of the sacs not occupied with defending its core.

Spot DC 25: The larger clumps of green 'flesh' seem to draw the smaller pieces closer. It's slow going for the most recently destroyed sac, but the first one Qut tore apart has collected over into a few dozen limp clumps around the size of a fist.

Listen DC 25: In the wake of the pulse released by your enemy you hear a frantic rush of many tiny skitteirng creatures approaching. By rough estimate they will arrive in around twenty seconds.
Helga's army rises to the air with only a single loss; one skeleton's noble sacrifice occupies the attacking sac as the even the caravan is hoisted to relative safety. Even that lost skeleton warrior is not truly 'lost'. Not yet anyway. Though the sac bowls it over and entraps the undead creature, shield and all, it is easy to make out the imprint of the skeleton's wings pushing against the membrane of the portion of the creature that consumed it.

Sense Motive: This thing does not seem to have a goal of spreading itself around. It barely seems to perceive the loss of the ground sacs at all, for better or for worst, but its attempt to capture a skeleton warrior indicates hunger is as likely a reason behind its attack as any other.

The three orbs hovering above the creature's core reform into spheres. Two immediately flex and undulate back into nearly invisible spears that are thrust towards Qut, while the last of the group interposes itself between White Shroud and the defensive structure on the ground.

OOC
--Orb Attack against Qut #1--
Attack roll: [roll0] You have the option of attempting a reflex save DC 30 to avoid the attack completely. There will be consequences if you take this option and fail the save.

Damage rolls:
[roll1] Piercing,
[roll2] Force
[roll3] Cold
[roll4] Positive Energy

--Orb Attack against Qut #2--
Attack roll: [roll5] You have the option of attempting a reflex save DC 30 to avoid the attack completely. There will be consequences if you take this option and fail the save.

Damage rolls:
[roll6] Piercing,
[roll7] Force
[roll8] Cold
[roll9] Positive Energy

--Drack and the case of the jelly-bound skeleton--
I will need saves from that skeleton. Fortitude DCs 15, then Will DC 20, then Will DC 25, then Fortitude DC 30 in order.

Does anyone have a mental or magical connection to the entrapped skeleton's senses? And please detail your ability to command this skeleton, Drack: is it by nature of Animate Dead, via Command undead or via Rebuking?

[Gunhaven]

Qut took both spears like a champ, its blood flowing freely as it cackled madly. It yelled out "Was good blow! Blood flow freely though, Qut eat you!" In much the same manner as the destroyed ones, Qut slammed, slashed, pummeled, and finally attempted to gobble on up the sack that attacked him. There was the glimmer of understanding that next time tactics would need to be adjusted unless this assault killed the creature.
Spot Check: [roll0]
Listen Check: [roll1]
Sense Check: [roll2]

Adrenaline Surge: +6 Strength, Dexterity, +2 AC 12/12 Rounds remaining.
Blood Bond: FH 3, DR 2/-
Crimson Revelry: FH 12
Xenomorphia Passive: FH 1
Bloodlust: +1 per 10% HP missing, +2 for Bleeding
Reinforced Blood: DR 5/Magic, SR 22
Slime Jelly Excretion Sphincter: [roll3] Acid if it fails a DC 25 Reflex
Take 143 from Attack -14 due to DR. -16 damage due to Fast Healing. -19 from Positive Energy

Full Round: Pummel J13!
Slam Attack: [roll4] Crit Confirm: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6] + [roll7] Fire, plus that bleeding

Claw 1 Attack: [roll8] Crit Confirm: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10] + [roll11] Fire

Claw 2 Attack: [roll12] Crit Confirm: [roll13]
Damage: [roll14] + [roll15] Fire

T1 Attack: [roll16] Crit Confirm: [roll17]
Damage: [roll18] + [roll19] Fire

T2 Attack: [roll20] Crit Confirm: [roll21]
Damage: [roll22] + [roll23] Fire

T3 Attack: [roll24] Crit Confirm: [roll25]
Damage: [roll26] + [roll27] Fire

T4 Attack: [roll28] Crit Confirm: [roll29]
Damage: [roll30] + [roll31] Fire

Bite 1 Attack: [roll32] Crit Confirm: [roll33]
Grapple: [roll34]
Damage: [roll35]
Damage: [roll36] + [roll37] Fire

Bite 2 Attack: [roll38] Crit Confirm: [roll39]
Damage: [roll40] + [roll41] Fire

[drack]

OOCSkeletons aren't magically linked, they follow spoken and nonverbal commands because they know I'm topdog so far as negative energy. Controlled through
animate dead.

Prolly immune to the forts.
fort[roll0]
will[roll1]
will[roll2]
fort[roll3]

[PossiblyInsane]

What a curious mix of base instinct and almost intelligent cooperation. "And now there's an orb in the way. It only seems to strike in retaliation or hunger, neither of which we need to provide. The Qut creature seems to have things well in stomach, perhaps we should leave them to it? That skittering horde may have eyes in it, which make for much more appealing targets." We have already discussed the matter. Besides, where else in the Forest would you find the spectacle of such a flight of skeletons? "...That is a fair point." Still, such things distract from the task at hand.

The pale man gestures, and writhing lengths of wet kelp whip towards the interposing orb, one strand curling off to spool into the defensive structure. The pale man then attempts to fly around the orb, through the kelp-matted segment to minimize contact with the ooze, and tries to reach the central square.

White Shroud will cast Kelpstrand, targeting 3 strands at the interposing orb and the last strand at one of the stretched ground sacs. While it is hopefully occupied engulfing the kelp, he will fly through it, trusting in Freedom of Movement to keep him going and use Malevolence on the central square, which quite fortunately affects life-forces rather than minds.

Kelpstrand Ranged Touch Attacks: [roll0], [roll1], [roll2], [roll3]

Kelpstrand Grapples: [roll4], [roll5], [roll6], [roll7]

Malevolence: Supernatural Ability, Will DC 25 or target gets their life force replaced in a manner similar to Magic Jar.

Also, drack, you might want to OOC that last post. :smallwink:

[blade artist]

It would seem that whatever body fluids it has are dangerous, the symbiont notes on the splashes on Qut.

"Yeah, and my last power barely worked either..." Ed responds, looking down at his claws. "Let's try blasting it" Ed then slides closer to the outstecthed sac in front of him, gathering part of his misty cloak in either hand. He stops a short distance away and fires off both shots of compressed mist into the mass that enveloped the skeleton.

Move over to J8 and dull attack with my air blasts

10ft reach, vs touch AC

First attack
[roll0]
Damage [roll1]

Second attack
[roll2]
Damage [roll3]

Attacks deal bludgeoning

Edit: I hate my phone.

[drack]

Helga and her devout followers search the creature for a weakness, seeing scarce little they could do to help.


Whoops, we were waiting on me again. I'd have given the white shroud cover, but he seems too entrenched to really mark it on the map... :smalltongue: Plus, it'd only be to one of three. Well, mayhaps with a half a platoon looking we'll find something.

[Doxkid]

The Deep Forest and Qut are both thoroughly splattered with the creature's green ooze-like flesh. All but three of of the sacs have been vanquished, two being too occupied defending what is most likely the creature's core and the third rippling and twisting as a skeletal warrior attempts to rejoin its fallen brethren from within it. Unlike the others this sac is strangely solid and abnormally durable, and it endures both Quts attacks seemingly without experiencing any structural damage at all. Edward's magical blasts punch straight through it though momentarily revealing the diminished skeletal warrior contained therein.

White Shroud's magic conjures great lengths of interlocking algae to lock and further bind the three floating orbs; already they are shackled by Edward's Entangling Ectoplasm, and with these added chains of plant life the orbs cannot move at all. The ghost sinks through the two stretching defensive sacs noting that even with magic ensuring its mobility goes unrestrained its movements through these structures takes far longer than it really should have. And then White Shroud sinks into the central structure of the abomination and exerts its will upon it, and through it the world.

As one every active portion of the abomination folds over itself and squeezes out of the spacial plane. The ground sac that captured the skeleton warrior disappears, trapped skeleton and all. The defensive structure assembled by the two ground sacs surrounding the abomination core disappears. The three orbs twist themselves out of existence. All that remains are the massive splatters of abomination blood...and the abomination's core, which now floats freely exactly where it was last spotted.

PM sent.
:smallbiggrin:

[drack]

Helga sits back in the cart, half slouching as she looks down at the collapsing aberration. This was so useless. The outcome had long since been decided. Why delay that glorious an inevitable end?
...and so she sat there, caring not whether she lived or died, caring not for the lives of her people, but caring only for their heaths, caring only as to the how. Caring only for the when, for the what. This was not right, this moment was not right. She would live if only for that glorious death that would follow. Casually she raised her finger towards one of the aberrations in much the same haphazard way that a wannabe gangster might raise a gun. A slovenly and under-coordinated gesture that focused more on the lackluster effort and grandiose appearance then anything else. Casually she spat a curse in the ancient language of the druids which, along with a healthy ball of phlegm, fell unnoticed to the ground below. Still, while the living might have scarcely at all for the gesture, the dead knew it well. With casual noncombative motions she drew a rock from her pocket. Rather a grouping of petrified leaves that had undergone petrafaction together, binding them as one. Five leaves, but that was of lesser concern as the gental chink of metal on metal could be heard from the cart behind her.

*chink*

*chink*

*chink* *chink*

*chink*
Then, gradually the noises grew louder, like chains dragging along the ground or flexing through the air, but as time dragged on they seemed to be rattling only more and more rapidly, rising to a fevered pitch.
*chink* *chink* *chink* *chink*
*chink*
*chink* *chink* *chink*
*chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink** chink*
*chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink** chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink*
*chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink** chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**chink**c hink**chink**chink**chink**chink*
Then came the voices. They were not voices of coherent speech... or at least most weren't. Some begged, pleading for release, pleading to be fixed in a way they never would be. Others moaned. More screamed, ear splitting shrieks, sobbing wails, terrified screams, so muted with fear that they could hardly be heard, and others, others so wracked with agony you'd swear they echoed back from a torture chamber far off. Something was moving in the cart, shifting under the shade of the woven hemp canopy. They were tentacles rising from the floor, no, tendrils of dark smoke, no...

Angled heads fell into view, rounded in the front, but turning to a right angle in the back with a gaping hole where the brain should be. Then one came into the light. A crossbow attacked to a chain, writhing like a pained beast, and casting a shadow that held no resemblance to a crossbow at all. As one these creatures focused their sights where Helga pointed, their bodies constantly writhing, constantly shaping, constantly shearing against one another so fiercely as to not-quite throw sparks. Then, Helga snapped, still pointing at the aberration, and as one the crossbows fired a hail of bolts. Then again she snapped, and again they fired. One of the petrified leaves burst to flame, consumed in an instant like a dry leaf rather then one of stone. Still, Helga only scowled at the result. A waste of time, a waste of energies, both physical and magical alike. If only... if only...There it was, it was coming again, that perfect moment to die. She just needed to wait. She just needed to wait for it, wait for it to take her, to curl up tight about her, and to smother her life in so elegant a way...

Then with a faint fricking motion of her wrist, as if dismissing the whole ordeal out of hand, she commnds Zolern's escort.

Zoe flies somewhat closer to qut, observing his battle from above. Spreading her hands she recites an ancient druedic proverb. "An acorn has many moons to grow, but patience saves none from the flame." Spiraling green arcs of energy swirl from her hands, burrowing deep into her fellow party members, filling them with primal instinct. Their hands move quicker, their bodies react faster, even their minds ply thought to their actions with uncanny ease.


Merg. Anywho, there's some precedent of simultaneous attacks being counted as single attack for the purpose of DR, elemental resistance, and the like. Take twin spell for instance, it claims that because the spells are cast in such rapid succession as to be counted as the same attack for such purposes. So, maybe that'll make this more then a futile assault.

I'll designate a target when the map's updated with regards to enemies left and their positions. :smallsmile:

Attack #1
[roll0] to hit and [roll1] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll2] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll3]
[roll4] to hit and [roll5] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll6] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll7]
[roll8] to hit and [roll9] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll10] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll11]
[roll12] to hit and [roll13] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll14] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll15]
[roll16] to hit and [roll17] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll18] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll19]
[roll20] to hit and [roll21] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll22] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll23]
[roll24] to hit and [roll25] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll26] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll27]
[roll28] to hit and [roll29] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll30] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll31]
[roll32] to hit and [roll33] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll34] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll35]
[roll36] to hit and [roll37] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll38] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll39]
[roll40] to hit and [roll41] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll42] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll43]
[roll44] to hit and [roll45] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll46] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll47]
[roll48] to hit and [roll49] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll50] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll51]
[roll52] to hit and [roll53] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll54] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll55]
[roll56] to hit and [roll57] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll58] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll59]
[roll60] to hit and [roll61] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll62] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll63]
[roll64] to hit and [roll65] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll66] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll67]
[roll68] to hit and [roll69] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll70] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll71]
[roll72] to hit and [roll73] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll74] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll75]
[roll76] to hit and [roll77] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll78] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll79]


Attack #2
[roll80] to hit and [roll81] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll82] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll83]
[roll84] to hit and [roll85] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll86] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll87]
[roll88] to hit and [roll89] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll90] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll91]
[roll92] to hit and [roll93] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll94] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll95]
[roll96] to hit and [roll97] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll98] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll99]
[roll100] to hit and [roll101] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll102] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll103]
[roll104] to hit and [roll105] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll106] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll107]
[roll108] to hit and [roll109] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll110] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll111]
[roll112] to hit and [roll113] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll114] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll115]
[roll116] to hit and [roll117] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll118] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll119]
[roll120] to hit and [roll121] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll122] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll123]
[roll124] to hit and [roll125] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll126] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll127]
[roll128] to hit and [roll129] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll130] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll131]
[roll132] to hit and [roll133] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll134] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll135]
[roll136] to hit and [roll137] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll138] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll139]
[roll140] to hit and [roll141] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll142] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll143]
[roll144] to hit and [roll145] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll146] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll147]
[roll148] to hit and [roll149] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll150] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll151]
[roll152] to hit and [roll153] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll154] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll155]
[roll156] to hit and [roll157] damage, tripped on a crit(20). [roll158] to confirm, potentially auto-dead on a triple 20? (that's a variant.) [roll159]


Oh yeah, and Zoe cast snakes swiftneess mass on the party. Everyone gets a free attack action this round. :smallsmile: It doesn't stack with other sources of the same.

[Gunhaven]

Qut licked the ooze off and grinned at the core that remained. It cooed "Last little morsel for Qut! Will make you last though." In much the same manner as the destroyed ones, Qut slammed, slashed, pummeled, and finally attempted to gobble on up the sack that attacked him.


Adrenaline Surge: +6 Strength, Dexterity, +2 AC 11/12 Rounds remaining.
Blood Bond: FH 3, DR 2/-
Crimson Revelry: FH 12
Xenomorphia Passive: FH 1
Bloodlust: +1 per 10% HP missing, +2 for Bleeding
Reinforced Blood: DR 5/Magic, SR 22
Slime Jelly Excretion Sphincter: [roll0] Acid if it fails a DC 25 Reflex
-16 damage due to Fast Healing.

Full Round: Pounce K14!
Slam Attack: [roll1] Crit Confirm: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3] + [roll4] Fire, plus that bleeding

Claw 1 Attack: [roll5] Crit Confirm: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7] + [roll8] Fire

Claw 2 Attack: [roll9] Crit Confirm: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11] + [roll12] Fire

T1 Attack: [roll13] Crit Confirm: [roll14]
Damage: [roll15] + [roll16] Fire

T2 Attack: [roll17] Crit Confirm: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19] + [roll20] Fire

T3 Attack: [roll21] Crit Confirm: [roll22]
Damage: [roll23] + [roll24] Fire

T4 Attack: [roll25] Crit Confirm: [roll26]
Damage: [roll27] + [roll28] Fire

Bite 1 Attack: [roll29] Crit Confirm: [roll30]
Damage: [roll31] + [roll32] Fire
Grapple: [roll33] Damage: [roll34]

Snake's Swiftness Bite Attack: [roll35] Crit Confirm: [roll36]
Damage: [roll37] + [roll38] Fire
Grapple: [roll39] Damage: [roll40]

Bite 2 Attack: [roll41] Crit Confirm: [roll42]
Damage: [roll43] + [roll44] Fire

[blade artist]

"Fire! Fire now!" the little crystal shouts

"Alright! Just let me concentrate for a moment"

Edward takes a moment to focus before gathering mental energy in front of him. He then crystalizes it and pulls it back, aiming for the revealed core. He then launches it hard with all of his strength.

first is a move action to gain my psionic focus
[roll0]

If I gain my psionic focus, I will then overchannel my power at +2 manifested level and augment it with empower power. I will then lose my psionic focus from that

Possible damage from that [roll1]

In either case I will manifest crystal shard for 12pp(+2 if I get my psionic focus to use empower power)

Attack [roll2]

Damage [roll3] puncture damage
Possibly 1.5 times damage with empowered power

No save or spell resistance

[Doxkid]

Helga's army fires upon the Abomination's core with militant discipline. In just a moment the better half of forty arrows sunder the floating square, fraying its surface and ripping its edges as they disappear into it. Thick grey oil drips upward from the thing and disappear into the canopy, momentarily lending a matching discoloration to the square.

Edward follows up with a bolt of crystallized psionic energy aimed through the center of the square. The attack flies true, but passes through the square without harming it...for a moment. The crystal appears to continue in a line slightly skewed, probably from having passed through an almost immaterial substance, but then ceases to exist before it can strike a tree in its path. The air around the square ripples in the crystal's wake.

And then qut charges that last piece of the abomination. There is much gnashing of teeth and flailing of limbs and, surprisingly enough, the square distorts and frays visibly after each attack. His success in attacking is pyrhic though; Quts teeth chip each time he bites down and into the square, and his limbs dribble blood after having passed through his target.

The square expands violently. In a second it doubles in size. in another it quadruples its new size. And then octuples that size. And so on, until it fully fills the space the Abomination originally occupied. With each expansion the square becomes a little less 'square', finally coming to rest in the third spacial plane as well as the first two as its bulges out both upward and downward.

From within the new area of distorted space (still occasionally rippling with grey, but otherwise translucent) a dull blue mass shifts into view and then strikes out at Qut with a mass of tentacles that might as well be a solid wall. As these breach the distortion they form into a single massive sac, a large version of what your team fended off earlier, that attempts to Capture Qut just as it did the skeleton warrior.

Around you

Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage: 1 Bludgeoning
Grapple: [roll1] - Does not provoke an attack of opportunity in this attempt.

Please take 1 Piercing, 1 Force, 1 Cold, and 1 Positive Energy damage for each of your attacks against the abomination (so ten instances of 1 Force, 1 Cold, 1 Positive, 1 Piercing for a total of 40 damage be ore resistances and DR)


Listen Check DC 30 - Many tiny scurrying things draw near.
Spot Check DC 30 - Tiny elongated crabs, each no larger than a grain of sand but in such monstrously large numbers that one could mistake the ruddy-brown colored creatures for shifting earth, burrow up from the ground. Each grabs a tiny globule of the ooze that has been liberally scattered around the forest floor and descends back into the earth. The quantity of goo remaining is not visibly different after this takes place.

[Doxkid]

Grapple attempt #2
[roll0]


The tentacles sac sweeps Qut off his feet. In a single strange motion it clumps over Quts body, wrapping around the stout ravenous being until the sac folds over itself and fuses back together into one seemless structure; it undoubtedly intends to open a whole new realm of Deep Forest to Nature World communication possibilities, if by "communication possibilities" one means "horrible torture and abomination infestation".

[Gunhaven]

With nothing more than a simple shudder, Qut is gone from the writhing mass. Then, just as quickly, it appears near the viscera in a fine bloody mist. An astute observer would notice that what in reality happened was that the Qu appeared to step into one of the writhing tentacles and then step out of a mass of insects. It licked it's face clean and said "Qut wringle away! Is harder to eat like you, sloshing sac!" Even as he stood nearby he became a little less real, a little more like wraithlike, as he prepared for another round.
Standard: Bloody Step! DC29 Fort save from the insect swarm please. [roll0] and stunned for a round if they fail, half damage otherwise, minimum 1.
Swift: Activate Wraithdance (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?162222-Stygian-Nightmare-3-5-ToB-Discipline-PEACH)

[drack]

Helga twists her fingers upward, her voice cracking "Kuct!" The winged skeletons had only just begun rising to a cautious elevation of sixty feet, but already she was pointing and snapping, madly cackling as the wind threw her tangled hair back into her face. The serpentine crossbow-constructs were, if anything, more agitated, firing two more volleys into the growing blob below. Perhaps she thought they might pop it, or at the least, overtax it. Another petrified leaf burns as she does, but it falls unnoticed under the assault.

yummy skelly in da tummy!
[roll0] for [roll1] damage
[roll2] for [roll3] damage

Volley 1
[roll4] for [roll5] crit 1 [roll6] crit confirm 2 [roll7]
[roll8] for [roll9] crit 1 [roll10] crit confirm 2 [roll11]
[roll12] for [roll13] crit 1 [roll14] crit confirm 2 [roll15]
[roll16] for [roll17] crit 1 [roll18] crit confirm 2 [roll19]
[roll20] for [roll21] crit 1 [roll22] crit confirm 2 [roll23]
[roll24] for [roll25] crit 1 [roll26] crit confirm 2 [roll27]
[roll28] for [roll29] crit 1 [roll30] crit confirm 2 [roll31]
[roll32] for [roll33] crit 1 [roll34] crit confirm 2 [roll35]
[roll36] for [roll37] crit 1 [roll38] crit confirm 2 [roll39]
[roll40] for [roll41] crit 1 [roll42] crit confirm 2 [roll43]
[roll44] for [roll45] crit 1 [roll46] crit confirm 2 [roll47]
[roll48] for [roll49] crit 1 [roll50] crit confirm 2 [roll51]
[roll52] for [roll53] crit 1 [roll54] crit confirm 2 [roll55]
[roll56] for [roll57] crit 1 [roll58] crit confirm 2 [roll59]
[roll60] for [roll61] crit 1 [roll62] crit confirm 2 [roll63]
[roll64] for [roll65] crit 1 [roll66] crit confirm 2 [roll67]
[roll68] for [roll69] crit 1 [roll70] crit confirm 2 [roll71]
[roll72] for [roll73] crit 1 [roll74] crit confirm 2 [roll75]
[roll76] for [roll77] crit 1 [roll78] crit confirm 2 [roll79]
[roll80] for [roll81] crit 1 [roll82] crit confirm 2 [roll83]

Volley 2

[roll84] for [roll85] crit 1 [roll86] crit confirm 2 [roll87]
[roll88] for [roll89] crit 1 [roll90] crit confirm 2 [roll91]
[roll92] for [roll93] crit 1 [roll94] crit confirm 2 [roll95]
[roll96] for [roll97] crit 1 [roll98] crit confirm 2 [roll99]
[roll100] for [roll101] crit 1 [roll102] crit confirm 2 [roll103]
[roll104] for [roll105] crit 1 [roll106] crit confirm 2 [roll107]
[roll108] for [roll109] crit 1 [roll110] crit confirm 2 [roll111]
[roll112] for [roll113] crit 1 [roll114] crit confirm 2 [roll115]
[roll116] for [roll117] crit 1 [roll118] crit confirm 2 [roll119]
[roll120] for [roll121] crit 1 [roll122] crit confirm 2 [roll123]
[roll124] for [roll125] crit 1 [roll126] crit confirm 2 [roll127]
[roll128] for [roll129] crit 1 [roll130] crit confirm 2 [roll131]
[roll132] for [roll133] crit 1 [roll134] crit confirm 2 [roll135]
[roll136] for [roll137] crit 1 [roll138] crit confirm 2 [roll139]
[roll140] for [roll141] crit 1 [roll142] crit confirm 2 [roll143]
[roll144] for [roll145] crit 1 [roll146] crit confirm 2 [roll147]
[roll148] for [roll149] crit 1 [roll150] crit confirm 2 [roll151]
[roll152] for [roll153] crit 1 [roll154] crit confirm 2 [roll155]
[roll156] for [roll157] crit 1 [roll158] crit confirm 2 [roll159]
[roll160] for [roll161] crit 1 [roll162] crit confirm 2 [roll163]

[blade artist]

Ed ponders about the formation of the creature's core. Incidentally, his more physical attack would not work on it. He decides, then, to opt for a more energetic approach to the problem. He charges in his palm a bolt of electricity, distilled from the air with his mental powers, and shoots it straight at the creature's core.

going to manifest ray, electricity version, for 8pp

Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
No save
Spell resistance [roll2]