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Tipping the Fates


Nina

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Ardan stole a glance back at the fountain which he now saw was void of and water, a chill stole down his back at what he saw and what he had seen and heard.

 

Meara had come back when she heard the exchange between her companions and now she approached the fountain and looked closely at it using her ability to see the magic of a thing.

 

After a moment she turned back to her friends. "There is something here I can feel magic here I did not feel before," She points at the bottom of the fountain, "Look here at this seam, everything else is one piece of stone but this I think maybe the fountain is covering something."  She looks back towards the path she had headed for, "But I still think the spirit is that way."

 

 

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Ardan nodded.  "It could be  sealing something away."   He looked at Meara. "We can investigate afterwards, but I think it best we try to focus on the spirit first.  Once it is dealt with, then we can explore this place more, within the limits of the warnings we were given."

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"Sure," Artoria breathed in relief, glad that that had worked. The memory of her verbal bullying might have been still raw enough he wouldn't trust her in the grip of whatever that was, forced her to physically stop him. She hadn't crossed that line, not after the first time she'd been caught and disciplined within an inch of her life when word reached her father. Achings weren't brigands, he'd emphasized, so Artoria had become more... subtle. In her own way. Buuuut... Crisis averted.

 

"That way, right? Still burning daylight," she added, pointing her axe along Meara's heading.   

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The three youths delved deeper into the small elven city eventually coming to a building surrounded by pillars of blue marble with broad low steps leading up to a wide open doorway shrouded in darkness. This building was even more overgrown than the other and it was Ardan who notices that the vines and weed were of unwholesome varieties and that many were covered with thorns.  This place more than any other gave the party a sense of dread.

 

Meara placed her foot upon the first step and halted a moan, unearthly sounding, came from the depths of the shadowed doorway. She turned to Ardan, "I think a torch might be better for light than my staff in this case," she said.

 

Ardan assemble a torch and Artoria lit it with her fire kit, for good measure they had made several torches and now both Artoria and Ardan carried one. The three went up the steps and entered the dark chamber beyond.

 

The torches lit up the chamber, revealing walls pierced by open doorways into smaller chambers on either side. The vines from outside had crept inside and clung to the walls and ceiling and the floor, unlike elsewhere in the city they had explored, was littered with debris. Broken pottery, cast off utensils, bones of animals and other things, warily they checked the open doorways seeing more of the same but nothing in any of those chambers that drew them inside. 

 

They cam to the end of the building and two flights of stairs one leading up and the second down. After brief discussion they decided to clear the upper floor first, and so up the stairs the cautiously advanced. 

 

The upper floor was a single chamber which stretched what looked like the full length of the building. The torches let them see but here were still shadows the vines from below had crept up the stairs but had not continued on into the long chamber. there was more debris on the floor mostly of animal bones and tiny skulls of rats but there were larger skeletal remains as well and what was truly disconcerting was that these bone were all plied neatly through out the chamber. At the very end the could see a larger pile of bones and what looked like a a statue made of different creatures bones atop the pile.

 

 

 

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"So. None of us can fly or walk through walls. You do have a trick that can stop the spirit from flying away from Ardan's sword again, right, Meara?"

 

"I... Yes. Yes, I can."

 

That one question just before entering the eerie structure was the most Artoria said in one go since then, restricting herself to simple, tense 'wait', 'okay', and the occasional almost involuntary 'Gods' through the exploration. Whatever had happened here made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, the hand holding her axe white knuckled with tension as each room of unspoken ancient yet still echoing tragedy made it clear why the elves hadn't wanted to get any closer then they had.

 

If this had been a human city, she wouldn't want to either. Not with all the holy people in the village at her back.

 

Luckily, they had Meara and her miraculous tricks, and Artoria had every faith in her to end this with all of them safe in mind, body, and soul, unhexed and unmaimed. That faith wavered a little upon seeing the great upper hall with it's morbid collection of remains, more than an entire family of hunters might bring down in a season. The chaos spirit? That skeletal scarecrow looked like a body ready for use by something evil, and hadn't the whole problem been from Meara not giving it one..? She decided to risk something, stepping forward.

 

"Well. We're here! I broke your old toy and I'll break this one if you don't stop me, weakling little pig fart of a spirit. No wonder Meara rejected you! You're pathetic, and not worth the last scrape of cheese on the wheel."  

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As if in answer to Artoria's challenge the sound of shifting bones filled the room. With horror the young adventurers stood in momentary shock as piles of bone swirled and began to reassemble themselves in to skeletons of animals and men.

 

Skeletons which moved!

 

Spoiler

There are six skeletons which have formed from the bones. 4 are animal skeletons and 2 are humanoid. the two hmnoid have short swords that were unseen in the pile of bones. initiative order is artoria, ardan, skeletons, meara.... they hav an AC of 13 and have 4 hp

 

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Had to be easier then killing a possessed bear. Had to be easier then killing a possessed bear. Had to be easier then killing a possessed bear. The thought ran like a prayer through the blonde bladesmith's head as she gave Meara her best I-believe-in-you look, before charging the first humanoid skeleton, glad that her axe could be wielded with one hand. She did not want to have to drop her torch in the dust and risk fighting these things blind. They didn't have eyes, so she feared that the dark was exactly where they would do best.

 

Down came the axe on her bony target, ready to smash and cleave it back to death!

 

Spoiler

rolling to hit a spooky skeleton.

# 23 Details:[1d20+5 (18)] 23 to hit.

Rolling damage.

# 6 Details:[1d8+5 (1)] Six total damage, wa wa.

 

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The nearest Beast skeleton was Ardan's target, but whether it was the fact he was somewhat less proficient with his sword as opposed to his bow, or an unnatural agility,  the blade cleaved only air as the animated skeleton dodged the attack.  "Godsdammit." Ardan swore, annoyed more with himself than anything else.

 

Spoiler
 
Details:[1d20+3 (10)]

 

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Artoria's axe flashed and the skeleton, an animals, was shattered into its component parts the skull where the axe had hit cleaved in two.

Ardan didn't far so well, he had counted on the quickness of the animated things and his swing atthe bones of a second animal missed as it dodged to the side and then lunged in to bite at him.

 

The bone animal, Ardan thought the skull of this one might have have belonged to a badger, sunk its teeth into Ardan's calf and latching on as it shook hits head back and forth worrying his leg!

 

The fourth animal skeleton lept over the scattering bones of it companion to snap its toothy jaws at Artoria. Its teeth left its mark on her forearm that held the torch. It landed just behind her.

 

The remaining animal skeleton danced with Meara avoiding her staff but not getting close enough to strike at her.

 

The two remaining skeletons, both humanoid had hung back but now began to advance.

 

Spoiler

ardan takes 3 hp damage, Artoria 2.

 

next turn go

 

 

 

 

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"Accck! Come back here," Artoria grunted in pain as her blood began to drip down her arm. She  tracked it out of the corner of her eye, half-turning to bring her axe into range to a revenge swing on the bony little horror. She didn't want to spare even a fraction of her attention from the pair of humanoid threats, the very image of the angry souls denied copper pieces to cross over into the land of the dead, but she couldn't leave it to worry her legs. And so she swung downward with her axe.

 

Spoiler

8/10 HP Left

Rolling to hit...

# 16 Details:[1d20+5 (11)] 16 total.

Rolling for damage...

# 10 Details:[1d8+5 (5)] 10 damage to the mook.

 

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Ardan grunted in pain, but with the skeleton biting him, it wasn't fast enough to get away this time, as he brought his sword down in a powerful swing that shattered the skeleton, sending bones and fragments flying. He was not happy with his performance, but he had to keep going.

 

Spoiler

Details:[1d20+3 (14)] hit

Details:[1d8+1 (4)] 4 damage kills the skeleton

 

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Animal Skeletons explode as both Artoria and Ardan smash their opponents but they are not left alone for long. The first of the humanoid Monsters rushes Artoria and with a wicked lung tries to impale her on its short leaf bladed sword, she mages a parry knocking the blade from entering her stomach to slicing along her side parting both leather and flesh.

 

The second Humanoid steps up and swings double handed at Ardan who interposes his own sword in a parry which shatters the skeletons short sword!

 

On the other side Meara continues her back and forth with the last animal skeleton when suddenly the wolf skeleton leaps avoiding the swinging staff landing full upon the hapless young sorcerer knocking her to the ground flat on her back her staff flying from her grip to roll across the room.

 

The bone-wolf snaps at her exposed throat, in desperation she raises her hand and cries out a  word not hear in over a thousand years, "ZHOSHAA!"

 

Green-blue light fills the chamber as magical energy in the form of a coruscating sphere the size of an egg flashes into existence in Meara's hand and flies into the jaws of the skeletal skull where it explodes hurling the skeleton across the room, where it shakily stand its lower jaw torn away and several other bones scattered. with a limp it starts back towards Meara.

 

Spoiler

Ardans skeleton has lost its weapon. Artoria has taken a slight cut on her side 1hp damage. Meara took 3 hp from the fall but blasted the skeleton across the room where it took 3 hp.

turn 3

 

 

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Whoah. Even engaged in defending herself from a thing from her nightmares, Meara's feat of summoning a tiny lightning bolt from nothing registered as impressive, inspiring. She grinned and laid into her target with her axe. Long as Meara could keep it up long enough to chain the creature behind these rattling horrors in place, this was going to work. It had to. And if it didn't, she had one last trick up her sleeve. This thing wanted destruction? She'd show it destruction.

 

And, so she fought, swinging at her target high on adrenaline.

 

 

Spoiler

7/10 HP

Rolling to hit...

# 25 Details:[1d20+5 (20)] Crit 20 if it matters.

Rolling for damage...

# 10 Details:[1d8+5 (5)] 10 damage total pre shenanigans.

 

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Ardan swung his sword at the skeleton, and his shock at what meara had just done was evident, as even unarmed, the skeleton was able to bend back unnaturally and avoid the hasty swing.   "Okay, time to start really practicing when we get home."

 

Spoiler

Details:[1d20+3 (7)] another miss

 

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With an over handed swing Arotoria brought her axe down on the skeleton's head driving it down trough its body bones flying everywhere as the skull driven by the axe head smashed into the floor and became dust!

 

The Skeleton facing Ardan swung a bony claw and struck him in the chest a fierce blow which bruised but did not penetrate his stout leather. 

 

The bone-wolf scramble at Meara but missed as she scooted to her staff but she missed grabbing up her weapon and as the monster lunged to bite she kicked out catching it on the side of the skull, with the neck already weakened the skull flew across the room smashing to pieces against the wall as the rest of the skeleton crumbled.

 

Spoiler

only one left. Ardan is bruised for 1 hp

 

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"Just so you know," Artoria offered conversationally to the thin air and dancing shadows as she pulled her axe back up and hustled to assist the trio's resident Chosen One, "Another sad showing on your part. Are you sure you're up to this destruction and chaos deal on your own? I mean, you get called up as a pet, and I'm beginning to see why."

 

She took another swing with her axe, quite ready to finish this and force the thing out of hiding, all bravado aside.

 

Spoiler

7/10 HP

Rolling to hit...

# 24 Details:[1d20+5 (19)] Okay, 24 to hit...

Rolling for damage...

# 11 Details:[1d8+5 (6)] 11 damage to the last spooky skeleton.

 

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With a might swing Artoria decapitated the last skeleton and as its skull flew up Ardan took one last swing and cleaved it in two.

 

As the last bones clattered to the floor Artoria helped Meara to her feet while Ardan approached the skeletal figure at the end of the chamber.

 

"Why hasn't this one moved?"

 

Meara after retrieving her staff joined Ardan in looking at the final figure. "There is no magic in this one. Our foe is below. Gather up the longest on the bones you can will need them to make the trap."

 

Minutes later after gathering the bones, Meara led them to the floor below and with Ardan watching the front and Artoria the stirs down Meara set the bones in a many sided circle. They watched as she used her staff to scratch arcane symbols in the floor that lit up as she inscribed them only to fade from view when she was done.

 

When she had finished they met at the entrance to the chamber below.

 

"We will need to lure it up here, once it is in the circle it will be trapped and you can kill it Ardan."

 

Down the stair they went torches sputtering. Below was a single chamber filled with columns holding the upper floor. Once the elft the stair they could all feel it a heaviness to the air. Meara led the way, something rustled to their left, then their right then ahead, and behind.

 

"It is trying to scare us. Artoria when you hear me call to you you must grab me and carry me upstairs to the circle bring the staff once I Am in the Circle lay me down and place the staff across my body. Ardan you must strike when it leaves my body."

 

"What," Ardan asks shocked as Meara dashes ahead and scream her own name "I am Meara It was I who called you and denied you come take what is yours!"

 

Then her scream echoes amid unholy laughter and a single plaintive wail  "ARTORIAAAAA!"

 

 

 

 

 

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The mutinous glare in Artoria's eyes could have cut the young mage in half, lips pressed to a thin line of displeasure, a line of argument already forming on her tongue as why this was a bad idea. Meara's scream, cut all that short, and with a curse, the blonde bladesmith slung her axe on it's strap to her back. She caught up to her friend in time to see her shaking, spasming, eyes a sickly glowing red like the possessed bear. That made Artoria see red.

 

She tackled the much smaller girl like a bull, wrapping one arm around her unresisting form and pinning the arm with her staff against her body.

 

"I swear to the Maker, Meara, if you don't live through this I will feed your damned book to my forge and watch each and every cursed page be reduced to ashes," she muttered into the brunette's twitching body, shifting her friend around into position to be moved, "So fight, damn it."

 

It was then, with all the gentleness you'd expect of someone carting a bag of moldy potatoes to the dump, she started half-dragging, half-carrying, her friend at as close to a run as she could manage. Strong as she was, a limp human body was an awkward bundle, and there were stairs to fight her way up and any number of obstacles to trip over in the dark. "Ardan! Grab the staff if she drops it!" she called behind her.   

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Artoria dashed into the circle of bones and as she set Meara down she heard the bones making up the circle clattering. With a glance she could see them dancing , hopping up and down and the whole set of them started to move to revolve.

 

Ardan came to the top of the stairs and saw this too but then he jumped over the bones which had risen in to the air about a foot. "Aroria do as she said!"

 

Artoria grabbed the staff, still clutched in Meara's hands and wrestled it free then she laid the staff across the girl as she had been instructed.

 

A wind blew through the chamber and the bones circled faster and rose higher. Meara began convulsing and a wail of anguish came from her! Suddenly her back arched and her mouth opened wise, wider than possible and a thing crawled out, spread wet red bat like wings and took to the air, flapping hiter and yon trying to escape but being blocked by the bones!

 

Spoiler

demon has ac12 and hp13

initiative is ardan, demon, artoria

round will commence once justin is available.

 

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Ardan was ready, despite everything else going on. His swing was abit hasty, he was afterall worried about his friends, but the enchanted blade arced through the air, slicing deeply into the otherworldly creature before it could escape.   It wasn't enough to kill it, but the creature certainly knew its earlier caution was justified.   Ardan readied for another swing, knowing he had to end this quickly.

"You cannot have my friends, not while I still draw breath.  This will be your end."   The young woodsman's voice was low, with all the gravity of an executioner.

 

Spoiler

Details:[1d20+3 (12)] hit

Details:[1d8+1 (5)] 5 damage

 

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The demon hisses as the blade slices into it's form something which should be impossible it thinks but no it is a blade of ancient making, a weapon enchanted in a time when sorcerer kings ruled the world and demons answered to their beck and call. The demon knew fear!

 

It lashed out with a claw at the man who wielded the blade scratchinng for it's eyes! Only to leap back as Ardan shifts the sword to parry the strike. The demon looks to the left and sees Artoria, an easier target it thinks.

 

Artoria is stunned by the sudden appearance of the demon and Ardans attack, she had hoped it would die with one blow and hope that was not to be. The the monster looked at her and prepared to attack her, at her hip something throbbed, the rune in her pouch, the one given to her by the elf smith.

 

 

 

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Well, it beat her half-baked idea of scrambling for meara's staff and hoping a mage's walking stick was magical enough to give this monster pause. Couldn't hurt at least. The elves wouldn't give them something that would get them all killed, right? Too much effort for something they wouldn't even be around to see. She reached down into her pouch, fingers brushing the ribbon she'd received from saving Maria's wedding from drama. The blonde bladesmith gave ground while staying within the circle, wrapping the rune's strap around her clenched fingers. eyes on the angry thing.

 

And just when it started looking particularly cocky, she shto her fist forward, rune swinging like a blackjack for it's mismatched needle-toothed face.

 

Only for her expression to fall as it passed through to no effect other than the demon's wicked amusement.

 

Spoiler

Nothing, lol. Still all you, Justin. 🙂

 

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Artoria pulled back and dodged away from the demon as it lunged at her stumbling, she caught the Rune in her hand to keep it from falling and it pulsed again the sound that wasn't a sound singing in her ears and she remembered

On 1/26/2021 at 2:16 PM, Beyond the Wall said:

Fendarlel approached Artoria, “It is not often that I meet one who shares a calling. I sense that the Maker has touched both of us. I would give you a gift, and my friendship.” She takes a cloth from her pouch and unwraps it, inside is a small carving or casting, of some white metal. “This is a rune imbuing; it was gifted to me by a master smith of KarnekHal. I have used it many times and it has taught me much. Take it with the blessing of the Maker, use it and learn from it.”

 

It isn't a weapon but used to make a weapon...

 

Spoiler

your up ardan

 

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With its attention focused on Artoria, Ardan was able to swing at its back, the enchanted blade biting into again.   Ardan grunted, just a little more, and he knew it would be over, They had to finish this now.   

"Hold still, we'll make this quick, and then you will bother no one again."

 

Spoiler

Details:[1d20+3 (11)] +1  for 12 hit
Details:[1d8+1 (5)]+1   6 damage  

 

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