A Comely Seeming, Pt2

Log Info

• Title: A Comely Seeming

• GM: Subduction

• Characters: Fidget, Rune, Harkashan, Aelwyn

• Place: A small village outside Alexandria

• Summary: A number of young women have gone missing in recent months from the rural communities surrounding Alexandria. One missing girl returned under suspicious circumstances and was discovered to be a Blood Hag. The creature attacked and tried to flee, causing immense damage to the town in the process, but the Guild adventurers are trying to stop her before she can escape.

<<Previous: A Comely Seeming>>

Round Five - Init 20.
It is now Fidget's turn! Rune is next!
<OOC> Fidget will chase after her, getting no closer than 20ft, and try Hideous Laughter. Using BoF for the +2's. I believe she gets a +4 on her save due to her type being Monstrous Humanoid and I think Goblins are just Humanoid.
GAME: Fidget casts Hideous Laughter. Caster Level: 5 DC: 17
GAME: Subduction rolls 11: (12)+11: 23
<OOC> Subduction says, "She saves"

Glancing between the flaming inn, and the murderous creature, Fidget isn't sure which thing she should be trying to help with. But she has to make a decision - so she runs after the retreating Hag, and her fingers dance in the air as she sends a thread of purple magic forward to muddle the Hag's mind. But the creature is too focused, and too alien in mindset, so it can't take root and the Hag has no more than a momentary feeling of hilarity.

Round Five - Init 13.
It is now Harkashan's turn! Aelwyn is next!
<OOC> Harkashan says, "Will move up on them and try to Grab them."
<OOC> Subduction says, "Do you have improved grapple?"
<OOC> Harkashan says, "I do not, so I will get an AoO"
GAME: Subduction rolls 18: (8)+18: 26
<OOC> Harkashan says, "Miss."
GAME: Harkashan rolls CMB+2+1: (19)+7+2+1: 29
<OOC> Subduction says, "You're unable to grab her."

Harkashan rushes forward after the Hag, the wings propelling him forward. Thanks to the spell on his body, he's having less trouble keeping up with the Hag. Reaching her, he tries to grab hold of one of her arms in an attempt to hold her in place. "Rune!" He calls out. Trying to keep up with the Hag.

Round Five - Init 12.
It is now Rune's turn! Aelwyn is next!
<OOC> Subduction says, "You're up, rune. She is currently 60' north-northwest of you, with Fidget 20' behind"
<OOC> Subduction says, "Moving to flank?"
<OOC> Rune says, "BoF +2/+2, using the movement from Haste position to flank with Hark. Do a single stab."
GAME: Rune rolls weapon2+2+2+1: (7)+15+2+2+1: 27
<OOC> Subduction says, "Hits"
GAME: Rune rolls damage2+1d6+5d6: aliased to 1d6+1+1d6+5d6: (2)+1+(6)+(16): 25
<OOC> Rune says, "6 of that is cold."
<OOC> Subduction says, "Hanging on by a thread."

Being cursed out by a hag is likely something that Rune takes as a badge of pride under most circumstances. With the fire still licking up around her and the hag shifting just out of her reach, the rogue follows her retreat with her keen eyes. Pressing off with one foot, she darts after the creature, arriving just at the moment when Harkashan calls out her name.

Knowing that this is a creature who utilizes fire, it is her frost-blade that she strikes out with, lashing out from behind the Hag and jabbing the blade deep into the hag's back.

"You know, I give some credit, usually they aren't smart enough to run." She pants, looking more than a bit singed from the fire.

Round Five - Init 12.
It is now Aelwyn's turn! Fire is next!
<OOC> Aelwyn says, "I'll move to the right of Rune and go for the big old power attack smack."
<OOC> Aelwyn 'll do some dramatic display for the +2 to hit, too. .-.
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-2+2+1+2: (12)+12+-2+2+1+2: 27
<OOC> Subduction says, "That hits"
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+6: aliased to 1d10+5+6: (8)+5+6: 19
<OOC> Subduction says, "And that drops her."

Aelwyn's scales were still glistening with fire as he watches the rest of the party run forward. Taking in a deep breath, he then sprints in after himself, spinning his glaive to the side.

"Twin!" The Dragoon calls out as he nears, "Brace!" Circling from behind her, he takes a running leap. And with a barely a weight felt, his leg lands on her - before a familiar flaming glaive thrusts downward and from above to hit the hag directly into the head, dropping her down.

Aelwyn then tumbles to the ground with a particularly annoyed sounding hiss.

Round Five - Init -4.
It is now Fire's turn! Blood Hag is next!
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d20: (7): 7
<OOC> Subduction says, "The fire does not grow this round."

The hag crumples to the ground, her crimson spilling into the earth and staining the grass where she lies. "Fools..." she manages to wheeze, her voice thin and raspy. "My death... spells doom... here..." the last word trailing into a rattling sigh as she breathes her last and goes limp, manic red eyes staring sightlessly at the sky above.

<OOC> Subduction says, "She mentioned having Sisters, knowledge/nature check to know the significance of that."
GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/nature: (5)+9: 14
GAME: Harkashan rolls Knowledge/Nature: (9)+4: 13
GAME: Rune rolls knowledge/nature: (13)+4: 17

GAME: NEW ROUND!
Round Six - Init 20.
It is now Fidget's turn! Harkashan is next!
<OOC> Fidget will try to help stop the fire, use Burning Hands (Ice) with my last charge of the Elemental rod.
<OOC> Subduction says, "Well, now the hag is dealt with, the bucket brigade will start in earnest, so if everyone pitches in you should be able to extinguish the fire between you."
<OOC> Fidget will circle around so she only takes 1 square of fire damage and blast the kitchen with cold.
GAME: Fidget used a Rod of Lesser Elemental.
GAME: Fidget casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (3): 3
<OOC> Subduction says, "Everyone who helps will take 1d6 of fire damage, though, because fire fighting is risky business. But now the immediate threat is over I'm treating it like taking 10."

With the hag down, Fidget gives a sigh of relief, and then realizes there's still a building on fire, so she rushes back to the Inn - using the last of the magic in her rod to transmute a blast of fire magic into ice, and blasting a wave of ice that consumes the fire in the kitchen in one blast, then starts liberally applying rays of ice to the other areas of fire, climbing in the broken, ice-rimed window to go searching for any fires that are inside the building.

Round Six - Init 13. It is now Harkashan's turn! Rune is next!

Harkashan is concerned as the Hag gives that dying message. "It'll take at least a day for me to get the information out of her on where her coven is." He rumbles. "But I imagine they're likely to try and exact revenge when they don't hear from her for long enough. I imagine we may want to rest here in town and guard it for a while."

He then moves to join the bucket brigade that is forming. He's got just a few seconds more of the spell of speed on him left, and he intends to make most of it, handing out buckets as fast as he can and moving to the people of the community.

<OOC> Harkashan says, "Harkashan fire-brigades. He'll go deeper into the fire so others don't have to."
<OOC> Harkashan says, "He'll also heal folk as needed, if needed."
GAME: Harkashan rolls 5d6: (16): 16
<OOC> Harkashan says, "For 16 HP in an area."
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (5): 5
<OOC> Subduction says, "Harkashan tanks the fire"

Round Six - Init 12.
It is now Rune's turn! Aelwyn is next!
<OOC> Rune says, "Rune will walk a little bit further from where the hag was, looking for any signs of blood near the edge of the forest that might suggest exactly where she was heading."
GAME: Rune rolls survival: (12)+12: 24

The threat from the hag echoes in Rune's mind, even while the sound of flames and the shouts of those working to extinguish it cause her ears to twitch in the background. "I'll be right there. I just want to take a quick look." She informs the others, stepping over the hag towards the edge of the woods. With her haste driven speed, she manages to sweep the area relatively quickly.

The rogue crouches, touches the ground, then grabs an arrow from her pack, tieing a bit of fabric on it to turn it into a marker and stabs it into the ground.

Only then does she turn back towards the others, knowing her assistance might be needed with the fire. "I found some tracks. Once we get this taken care of, we should be able to give chase."

Very much the opposite of Harkashan's idea of standing watch.

Round Six - Init 12.
It is now Aelwyn's turn! Fire is next!
<OOC> Aelwyn says, "Aelwyn will go help with the fire, wading in as deep as necessary. Because he loves a good fire in the morning. ._."
GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (5): 5
<OOC> Subduction says, "Aelwyn also tanks the fire."
GAME: Subduction removes the timestop.

Aelwyn picks himself up from the ground, then lets out a tch. "And this one thought he put on a show." He flashes his sharp teeth, before swinging his glaive around his shoulder. He is soon rushing over the water line, picking up buckets and carrying them like a mule, to try extinquish the fire. He keeps wading in deeper and deeper into the inferno as well, to make sure there are no other people stuck in the flames by accident.

The innkeep and his son join the bucket brigade, and a young woman emerging from one of the other houses- a latecomer to the call to action, joins the adventurers in battling the fire. It's sooty, sweaty work, and the assembled group have more than a few singed hairs and burn marks- aside from the pair of Sith-Makar who brave the flames without heed or harm. In the end, the inn is saved- although the kitchen and pantry are ruined, and the staircase up to the bedrooms has collapsed.

When all is said and done, the Innkeep makes his way inside, finds a bottle of some amber spirit that has somehow survived the blaze, and takes a swig of it, sitting on a charred mound that might once have been a barstool.

"So." he says, looking around the ruined kitchen. "Not Ankhegs, then."

"Definitely not Ankhegs." Harkashan answers the man, putting a hand on his shoulder for a moment, before stepping outside as he hears Rune call over that she found tracks. Nodding to her, he lifts his hand to show he heard her and begins heading her way. This isn't over yet, and the faster they can act, the less troublesome this situation will be. He's glad she found some tracks.

Aelwyn bows his head towards the innkeeper in respectful fashion. It was not going to be an easy going forward - but the draconian could only do what he could do. That is to say, join up with the rest of the party, kill the creatures and finish up the guild contract. "How many of these things could we find? Her words did not sound as hollow as this one hoped." The ruddy sith-makar asks.

"Not Ankhegs. Hags." Rune confirms. The expression on her face says that she would very much like to join the man in a drink, but they have other things to attend to. With a glance over to Aelwyn, she offers him a belated, "That was some nice glaive-work. Glad I could be of assistance." She offers him a wink.

Then, looking to the others, she motions a hand out towards the forest. "I marked us a trail. We should probably try to get on that before night falls."

To the innkeeper, she offers, "I'd suggest finding a safe place your people can hole up indoors for the time being. Not here, obviously. It likely won't be safe until they're gone completely."

With that, she looks to the others. "We go?"

Fidget quickly mends one of the charred barstools for herself, and hops up on it, before grabbing a glass that was nearby and holding it out to the barkeep to be filled "Some to spare?" she asks, taking a moment of rest before Rune comes in with more work. Fidget picks up the now full glass and sips at it as she hops off the stool once more. "You should check in on the Farrier, and... someone with tact should tell him the bad news. I'm afraid the one who came home was never his daughter, it was a Blood Hag wearing her-" Fidget pauses and finds a word that's a little less awful than 'flayed skin', "-guise. One of the creatures responsible is dead, and we'll try to find and deal with the rest, but it's too late to rescue his daughter. Oh, and tell him sorry about the whole... enchantment thing. It was for his own good!"

The message given, Fidget joins the others, taking the mostly full glass of what appears to be some kind of cheap, potent rum with her. "This is pretty good!" she says as she heads out the door.

GAME: Fidget casts Mending. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15

"The Farrier!" The barkeep says, then, standing up off his own seat. In the rush to protect his own livelihood, he'd forgotten about the adventurer's warning. He's about to rush out, but Fidget has more to say and he looks puzzled. "Enchantment? His own good? It- when you mentioned he was hurt, I assumed the beast did it...?" he says, mild concern in his tone. He'd heard /things/ about adventurers, after all. Especially goblin adventurers. "I'll uh... I'll go check on him." he says, goes to leave, and then decides to take the bottle with him. Just in case. "You're... going now, right? After the other monsters?" he pauses to ask. "You might guess, but we're closed. For repairs." he adds, and with another moment of hesitation, heads out to see to his neighbour.

"We go." Harkashan agrees with Rune, motioning towards the path that she has discovered. There's an irritated and worried flick in his tail.

Aelwyn rumbles back at Rune, leaning towards her. "This one always thought his thrust was better than his swipe." He spins his glaive. "So how could this one resist, when she and Lava set up each other so beautifully?" He flickers his tongue out and waves his tail, as he gives Harkashan a look. "Fine find on that trail; this one would have hated to wait for more of those creatures to crawl in."

The goblin's return makes Aelwyn stare blankly, then he cannot resist. "... what kind of rum is it?" He asks as he moves on to join the others, nostrils flaring as he attempts to not engage in the goblin-ery. It was professional interest!

<OOC> Subduction says, "The trail is not too old, and there hasn't been much weather to speak of recently, so you're able to follow it with Rune's survival roll earlier. What sort of formation will you be traveling in, and what sort of preperations will you make?"
<OOC> Rune says, "I think Hark and I are the two with trained survival so probably us towards the front?"
<OOC> Subduction says, "Two by two, ten feet between sound good?"
<OOC> Harkashan says, "Works for me."
<OOC> Fidget is at the back, enjoying her borrowed rum.
<OOC> Fidget will mend and clean anyone who's got burn damage to their outfits, unless it currently looks cooler with the damage.

With the waymarker Rune placed, it's easy enough to find the trail. It weaves through the woods, disappearing in places- but scorched bark and curled, charred ferns mark the passage of that fiery orb the Hag could be at times. The trees grow thicker and more gnarled as they press through the woods, and the undergrowth more unruly. Brambles fat with brightly colored berries cling to the lower reaches of the trees in pockets of leaf-dappled sunlight. The trail is no sort of path, not even a deer trail, it seems the hag picked her own way through the woods towards the village.

Eventually, the trees begin to thin again, and the loam and leaf litter underfoot gives way to patches of gravel and stone. The ground begins to swell, a gentle upwards slope as they make their way uphill.

<OOC> Subduction says, "Up front, give me perception checks, trapfinding applies."
GAME: Harkashan rolls Perception: (5)+10: 15
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (14)+23: 37
<OOC> Rune says, "Trap finding is +5"

The interaction between the Innkeeper and Fidget gets a look from Rune, but she seems to hold her tongue. The situation hadn't been ideal, regardless.

Even Aelwyn's banter can't quite get rid of the the concern from her expression as she nods, motioning the group back to where she'd marked the start of the tracks.

Rune moves towards the front of the group, having the keen eyes for just the sort of trouble that might lurk in wait for them in these woods. Enough so that at one point, she stops in her tracks, holding her hand out. "Wait."

Making one step forward, she motions her foot through some brush, and then shakes her head, "Pit trap. Follow me." With that, she leads them around it, making sure no one steps close enough to fall in.

The occassional ball of fire shape certainly seems to make it easier to find the trail. Following with Rune, slightly spread out to more easily spot any attempts to fool them, Harkashan keeps an eye out. Taking note of the trees coming more gnarled and the brightly colored berries. Only to end up in a thinning and area of forest and upwards slope.

Only to suddenly startle when Rune says wait. He's learned well enough from previous journeys that when Rune says to wait, he wait. So he halts immediately.

Pit trap.

His nemesis.

"Alright." Harkashan rumbles, moving with Rune. Careful to follow in her footsteps.

With Rune's guidance, the party are able to circumvent the pitfall trap, and pick up the trail again on the other side of it. Falling back into stride once more, they continue their gentle ascent until the trees thin further still, a dry streambed cutting a path through them with only relatively young trees sprouting in it. And a sheer cliff face- not especially tall, some thirty feet, made by some shifting of the land. The streambed plunges into a cave mouth carved out of the soft stone of the cliff face.

By now, it is mid afternoon, the trail having taken a couple of hours to follow. The party hear, up ahead, snarling and crunching and bickering of canines feeding on something. There's a rank smell in the air, of rotting flesh, infected wounds and the sharp tang of ozone.

What glimpses the party can manage of the bickering hounds, they bear iron collars with spikes burrowed into the flesh of their necks, and affixed to chains which dissapear deeper into the cave mouth.

<OOC> Fidget says, "Nature to know things?"
GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/nature: (16)+9: 25
GAME: Rune rolls knowledge/nature: (13)+4: 17

Harkashan warns, when they finally seem to arrive near their destination; "Remember, I've used a lot of my abilities already today. I have more to give. But I won't be able to speed things up again." He reminds.

"We will have to be extra careful." As he touches a set of spells to himself in order to improve their ability to assault a group of Hags.

"Especially as I have no ways to remove mind affecting abilities right now." He puts down that extra warning, while observing the hounds from the bushes.

GAME: Harkashan casts Aura of Doom. Caster Level: 9 DC: 19
GAME: Harkashan casts Archon's Aura. Caster Level: 9 DC: 18

"That doesn't sound like Hags." Fidget says frowning, and upping her pace a little to catch up and see ahead, "Oh, great. Trollhounds. Disease-ridden and vicious, but worst of all, they've got troll regeneration. Have to finish them with fire or acid." she adds, "I've got a little fire left in me, but not much. So we'll mostly be relying on your enchanted weapons." Fidget says, seeming fairly pleased with herself for having the right information today, the studying had actually paid off, for all it had been sooooo boring.

"Do not worry, this one brought plenty of rope." Aelwyn rumbles - partly to inform, partly in amusement. He keeps his step light as he walks in after the other makari and the rogue.

When they near their querry, Aelwyn tchs and knocks his head back a touch. "Is this one not always careful?" At Fidget's information, he simply spreads his teeth. "This one's fire shall never run out."

"I have acid on one of my blades if we need to." Rune whispers, keeping her voice down. "I can sneak around pretty well, but I don't think that's the case for everyone in our party." Her hands motion to the Makari wearing plate armor.

"The tracks lead this way. So I don't know that we have too much of a choice." She adds, hands reaching for her blades. "Ideas?"

<OOC> Harkashan says, "Harkashan will trail behind so the others can Sneak."
<OOC> Subduction says, "So, fidget and rune attempting to sneak closer, Hark and Aelwyn hanging back?"
<OOC> Fidget nods, "Fidget will stay back from Rune, but sneak close enough to be in Scorching Ray range.
GAME: Fidget rolls stealth: (6)+11: 17
GAME: Subduction rolls 12: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Rune rolls stealth+4+2: (5)+19+4+2: 30
GAME: Aelwyn rolls stealth: (20)+3: 23

As the pair of them draw nearer, and round the corner, they see whence the hounds chains lead. There is a hulking green-skinned brute, easily nine feet tall, but emaciated with a sunken abdomen and visible ribs beneath tight-stretched skin. His face is the most striking feature, though. He bears a passing resemblance to the Farrier in the set of his jaw and shape of his nose- if distorted by the presence of protruding tusks and a thick cranial ridge.

He holds the chains bundled up in one hand, and picks at his teeth absently with a sharp-ended broken femur bone- looking out to the north. The meat the dogs fight over is clear now. It's a human leg, foetid and rotting in the heat, blotched in shades of yellow and green and purple.

Harkashan is remaining behind the rest of the team, letting them sneak ahead. He'll catch up the moment battle begins. But he knows that it's best if the team gets the drop on them. And he's... not subtle.

<OOC> Subduction says, "So, they haven't noticed you yet. Will you try to sneak closer?"
<OOC> Rune says, "Rune will."
<OOC> Fidget says, "Nature to learn about the ... maybe troll?"
GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/nature: (9)+9: 18
<OOC> Subduction says, "You can move up another 20' in cover, but you'd need to cross open ground to get any closer than that. You can attempt to sneak up and attack, but ending your movement in open ground will make stealth impossible unless you have some means to hide in plain sight."
<OOC> Subduction says, "Actually, make that 30', there's shade from the trees that far."

Whispering to Rune ahead of her before the rogue slips too far away, Fidget mutters "He didn't *mention* his son was a damned Troll. And he looks hungry, too. I can't imagine we can talk it out."

<OOC> Rune says, "Assume Rune will come back to pass along the information so everyone can ICly be prepared."

After scouting forward, Rune returns to the others, seeming to meld out of the shadows of the forest. There is a strange, smoke-like substance, like living shadow that clings to her body as she emerges.

Then, in a hushed voice, she explains, "Three wolves, one troll, two hags. Massive hunch-backed one. Thick-bodied one that is smaller with some kind of magical sparks in her hair."

She lets out a soft sigh of sound, "It's a lot."

<< Continued: A Comely Seeming Pt3 >>