Homelands (Guan Yu)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

There was no need for words, Shenron surely understood Tomoe's mind well enough to know how she was feeling. A brief moment of need for warmth came over the miko, who just felt like she needed to hug the exceptional hunter for a while. Turning to her long-time companion, she wrapped her arms around him and took a moment to lean against him. "Let's... get this over with... before something even more terrible happens..." she told the lizardman, the ominous feelings never subsiding even as she let those things out from her system. This had not been the end of the tragedies ahead them, the priestess was sure of it, as much as she hated to admit it to herself.

Having settled herself down somewhat, Tomoe assumed her unwanted leadership role again, leading her party forward to the unknown area beyond the doors. While she did take brief looks into the areas they were passing, there was little of interest to her at this point. Even the bigger and more opulent room was beyond her care right then. What really caught her attention was the aura of hostility and malevolence that one could easily detect even without the spiritual sensibilities that the shrine maiden had. The rest of them hadn't missed it, so much was detectable from their dark expressions. Since she had the abillity to do it, Tomoe decided to partially bring her powers out before they entered.

(Cast Blessing at 10 before entering.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 58/76, Status = Blessing [10], +22 Body.

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: 17.

Resistance: Tomoe's party succeeds. Blessing saves the day for dem faeries.

The miko prepared herself and her party with her usual boon, which had the effect of slightly shielding them from the feeling of overwhelming malevolence emanating from the doors. The rest of her group made their own preparations, with Kei drawing her less-used sword and gaining her wind armor. The faerie spellcasters granted magical boons to Tomoe, Kei, and Shenron each.

With everyone ready, all that was left was to open the doors. Any sane person would have been hard pressed to prepare themselves for what was inside.

As soon as the doors swung open, a putrid smell all but blasted them in the face. Death and decay hung heavy in the air. The oppressive feeling returned in full force. Physically, it felt and smelled like they had been buried in an avalanche of dead bodies. Mentally, it was like stepping into a nightmare. "Ugh, I've seen things that had been rotting in the jungle for weeks that smelled better than this," Kei commented as she moved to pull part of her shirt over her nose.

But they had to enter, so they did. The room was incredibly dark and at least fifty feet long, with only two sources of light. A single beam of illumination issued forth from the door they had entered through. With that first minor source of light, they could see that the windows had all been boarded up. Cobwebs graced every corner of the stone interior, it looked as if it hadn't seen a cleaning in years. A few bookshelves had toppled, a few had lost shelves which were still in evidence on the ground along with the scattered books they had once carried. There were several desks, arrayed almost such as to look like the room had initially been a classroom, which had been smashed by something big. Stools and chairs laid on their side. Torn tapestries decorated the walls.

A long carpet -- one that Tomoe noticed had been suspiciously ripped away in an area to reveal a huge, unstable-looking square of wooden floor -- led to the second source of light. A hole in the roof that was projecting a beam directly onto a throne. On the throne sat a figure, motionless and difficult to make out at their distance. From what they could see it looked like a boy in furred garb with a crown on his head. He sat slumped over and limp. He remained utterly motionless for a few moments upon their entry. But when he finally seemed to notice his guests, his head jerked upright and he leaned against the back of the chair.

Impudence! A loud, shrill voice echoed in their minds. Who dares disturb my contemplation!? There was a long pause before his next intrusion, the apparent boy king not moving from his new position. Wait. Not subjects. Prey... Tomoe felt a sudden compulsion blast her mind. Her knees tried to fall out from under her, her body trying to turn on her and attempting to force her to kneel. Her natural willpower, her spiritual powers, and the faerie's boon helped her to easily shrug off the urge, though she noticed that the rest had been hit by the same compulsion and were apparently having a harder time with it.

Kneel! Kneel before your true god or I'll eat you whole! The voice, now enraged, proclaimed in their heads. The fight was on.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Beyond the doors, an incredible presence of corrution was brought upon the party. Bad things had happened there, and not in any small scale either. There had been a lot of death occurring there, so much that it had turned into a tangible feeling around the big hall. But it was not excuse to stop now, with all that had been said and done to reach the place. Trying her best to ignore the taint, Tomoe moved onwards with purpose.

As somehow expected, the leader of the now gone xenophobes was sitting on his seat of power, barely moving. From her little knowledge about Badaria, the shrine maiden remembered a certain thing as the whole scene unfolded. Those people dallied in the darker arts and had some undead spellcasters as leaders. This person was surely one of those kinds, given his posture than the corruption across the room. A mental message came to her mind, the ruler's anger at the sudden invasion of the room aiming to make them kneel before him. That was not something the priestess would do, and pushed back with her own psychic fortitude to resist the order. The others were getting the same thing, apparently having a bit harder time at refusing but still managing to avoid the effects. The refusal only served to further the king's rage, so it appeared the fight was going to be unavoidable. Focusing in, Tomoe sought to bring forth her usual power to further the already proceeding release of supplemental energy to the others and herself.

(Aura 10)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74/77, PP = 51, EP = 37/76, Status = Battle Aura [10], Blessing [10], +22 Body.

Rolls

Spoiler

Tomoe uses Battle Aura x = 10. Upkeeps Blessing at 8. Incurs 3 HP and 3 EP extra cost due to spirit ceiling.

Everyone else moves toward the king, progress is slowed what with it being pretty dark and there being desks in the way to prevent a full sprint forward. Kei, being the fastest, makes it halfway there.

The king retaliates by throwing bookshelves and stuff at everyone.

Attack: Misses Tomoe, Kei, Shenron, the siren, and one of the sorceresses but hits the other sorceress and the satyr.
Damage: 69 to the sorceress, 20 to the satyr. Sorceress goes down.

Tomoe's aura further shielded herself from the malevolent presence in the room and gave her more strength and speed, both of which she would surely need in order to win the day. Her group took her continued release of power as a sign to press on and did so. The king, however, was not complacent. As the miko's little liberation group pressed on, he prepared a counterattack.

Several of the bookshelves rose into the air. The remaining books upon the pieces of furniture being hefted by the psionic king fell free of their perches and hit the ground with a series of thuds. Without even moving a finger, he launched the heavy things at Tomoe's group. The bookshelves flew across the room with the same lightness that a bird might. Kei, who had been in the lead, managed a graceful dodge. Shenron similarly sidestepped one of the flying pieces of furniture thanks to Tomoe's blessing. The satyr, who was third fastest, found his left arm clipped by the corner of one of the huge projectiles, but wasn't too injured to continue his charge.

The siren and one of the sorceresses managed to avoid being hit and knocked out of the fight, again thanks to the miko's spiritual boon. The last sorceress proved to be the unluckiest of the ones targeted. She went to dodge one bookshelf and put herself directly in the path of a second. The faerie didn't even have time to give an alarmed cry. It hit her at full force and launched her several feet through the air. She ended up hitting the ground and tumbling for a few more before ending up in a heap on the ground like a discarded ragdoll. The other sorceress, at seeing that, readjusted and prepared to rush to her aid. All will kneel, the voice reiterated in the miko's head at the defeat of the first faerie.

Tomoe herself had made little forward progress and already one of her group was down. Her aura would bring her there faster, at least, and Kei would be within range to strike at the king in only a few moments. Still, with the amount of power he had already exerted, the warrior priestess's sword arm would surely be greatly appreciated in ensuring that the boy king was pacified.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With her power brought out, it would be time for Tomoe to move onwards and bring her weight into the battle. Before she managed to do it, there was a whole set of bookshelves to avoid though, as silly as it sounded. Easily evading with all the power she was employing, the priestess saw the furniture fly past her and most of the others. Still, getting hit by such heavy things hurled at high speeds would be no joke, as one of the sorceresses found out when they were taken out of the fight with the huge impact. It was not a nice sight, but the miko knew that if she didn't move to bring her power out to combat the king, there would be a lot more of fighting needed to stop his psychic strenght from destroying them. Offering a silent apoogy to the downed sorceress for not being able to get to her right now, she moved onwards with purpose, hoping to get to the king as fast as possible and get to work with Kuchinawa.

(CHAAAAARGE. Except Tomoe does not have that. But move towards dat king anyway and attack if possible, with all the usual skills. Death from the draw, slay, supreme might. Might at full power.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 73/77, PP = 51, EP = 20/76, Status = Battle Aura [10], Blessing [10], +22 Body.

Rolls

Spoiler

16 EP upkeep on Battle Aura and Blessing, which costs an additional 1 EP and 1 HP due to breaking the spirit ceiling.

Tomoe moves forth, easily making it the full distance. The good news is: the king is dead. The bad news is: he was dead before she hit him.

Something knocks at the trap door.

The next few seconds passed mainly to the footfalls of the miko, powered up and rushing to join the battle. Between her boons and her natural speed, she overtook her allies in seconds. Kei and Shenron struggled to keep up. The sorceress diverted to look after her fallen counterpart. The satyr and the siren came nowhere close to matching the warrior priestess's speed. In a flash, she was upon her target with her sword raised in the air. She swung downward in a diagonal arc that would cleave the boy king through and through. Kuchinawa did just that, the blade cut through boy king and throne alike, marking a path through his shoulder and stopping shortly after severing his spine. The back of the throne was left barely attached to its base.

The king was dead. But, as Tomoe had realized a fraction of a second prior to her weapon connecting, he had been dead for weeks.

He had not decomposed, though the smell was almost certainly coming from him. He looked like he had been mummified. His skin was like dry parchment and she had cleaved through it like paper. Most of the resistance to her blade had come from the throne rather than the king. Tomoe quickly realized that his organs were missing and that he had been drained of blood... but there was still movement inside him.

It was as Kei, Shenron, the satyr, and the siren caught up that the miko made out what was stirring inside the boy king's body. Spiders. Hundreds of small spiders with impossibly thin legs scurried out of the mummified corpse. They scattered to the corners of the rooms, avoiding the group that had just seen to the end of their host. The remnants of the boy king collapsed like a boneless husk. They were as much a confirmation as anything else that the struggle was far from over, as was what came next.

Not over... A voice whispered in their heads, sounding much more distant than before. As if to punctuate the sentence, a loud bang came from the floor. Specifically, it came from the patch of floor that had been exposed beneath the rug. A few more bangs and it had begun to lift up, like a trapdoor. A few more moments and whatever was coming for them would be upon them. Worse, the trapdoor was between the melee combatants and the sorceresses and whatever was coming would cut off anyone too slow to return to the sorceresses from the rest. Tomoe would have to act quickly against the new threat or risk losing more faeries.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With all her rampant power, it was easy for Tomoe to clear herself a way past the others and make it to the king before the others did. But as she cut apart both him and his chair, the realization came over her. This had not been all there was. Taking a healthy step back from the bursting spider swarm, the miko saw the critters retreat to the corners of the room as they departed from the long-dry husk of a man. Eventually there were none as they all vanished among the cracks of the floor, leaving the group into a very brief silence.

But another mental communication from the now-departed leader of the humans pushed away any possibility of it having ended there. A few bangs on the floor revealed that he had another body hidden, the previous sight of the missing mat now showing it's true purpose. While she was ready to face whatever was coming, getting split from the fey and leaving them without protection seemed a bad idea. Deciding to throw herself into the fray with more recklessness than usual, the priestess moved with her augmented speed once more, taking up position on the buckling trapdoor and preparing herself. It was all she could give before the fight lost some of it's edge for their side, as she would have to seal away her powers again, lest it lead to her passing out. Whatever came out from the door, she would give it one mighty blow that could be managed before it would start going sour for them.

(Switch location onto the trapdoor, poke with fury at the creature underneath and through the door if it doesn't reveal itself before that, then shut down the powers before next turn comes to avoid passing out. Full skills on the attack, but no Rurouni Kenshin things I suppose, cos blade already out.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 72/77, PP = 51, EP = 3/76, Status = +22 Body.

Rolls

Spoiler

Same upkeep as last round.

Tomoe attacks...
Attack: Don't even need to roll it, it's dead.
Terrify: Don't need to roll this either, because she can't terrify the remaining enemies.

Kei and Shenron and the satyr move to take up around the trap door, but are significantly slower than Tomoe and require their full actions to get there.

The sorceress, having stabilized her counterpart, joins the Siren in unleashing some Earthquakes down the pit.
Casting: Both succeed.
Attack: All hit.
Damage: 55 for both, dealing a total of 110 / 2 = 55 damage. They clear out the tunnel.

The miko made it just in time for the trap door to explode open. Behind it came eight huge, spindly legs, belonging to a spider that must have been at least eight feet tall, which found purchase on the ledges on the four sides of the huge opening that had been created. The thing that emerged next bore the same colors and shape as the spider which had overcome her and filled her to bursting with eggs not more than days prior, but it was larger and with white skull-shaped markings upon it. Its eyes regarded Tomoe with a mixture of alien intelligence and predator's instinct. It raised a leg to take a swipe at the warrior priestess.

Whether it was out of a survival instinct, the desire to rescue the faeries, to simply to avoid the fate she had once suffered, or something else, she proved the faster. With the last dregs of her spiritual boons, Tomoe swung down, cutting cleanly through the spider. If she hadn't been limited by the length of her sword she might have split it in half right down the middle. Regardless, at the end of her swing, as she allowed her spiritual power to fade away, the spider collapsed, tumbling back down the hole it had emerged from.

A glance down the hole revealed that it led probably fifty feet down to some deeper cavern, and that the giant spider hadn't been the only of their problems. At least eight more giant spiders were attempting to crawl up the walls, impeded only temporarily by the fall of the one at the front. Despite being of a similar size to the ones that had so successfully assaulted the miko before, they too were different. Their bodies were sliced and gouged in places and ichor stains adorned them. Once again, however, members of Tomoe's party acted to defeat them before they could come through the breach and overwhelm the group.

The remaining sorceress and the siren were on task. They muttered incantations and before long the ground shook underneath the party so fiercely that they had to cling to it to avoid being tossed into the pit. The spiders, though prodigious climbers, were knocked free of the walls by the rumbling of the earth. They fell in silence until they hit the ground in a series of noisy splats, exploding from the impact of the floor after the fall. The last of their assailants had been slain. The visible ones, at least.

They were left facing a hole with a drop long enough that it might break their limbs if they were to jump. But, given the lack of visible captives in their trip through the building, the hole was probably the only place with any clues as to what had happened. Tomoe herself was spiritually exhausted. The siren seemed to be getting a bit ragged too. A few other bad reports would follow shortly, starting with the sorceress.

"Aine is unconscious, but okay," the remaining sorceress reported of the other. "The injuries were severe. I cannot wake her right now, only time will be able to do that. I would like to remain with her and ensure she remains safe. I can provide up to two of you with cantrips in order to descend without harming yourselves while maintaining my boon if that's what you desire, but that's as much as I am able to offer now."
"I can do the same for two others," Kei offered. "Learned a few useful tricks from my master," she explained.
"I am nearing the end of my reserves and I cannot replenish them without intimate contact. If only four can go then you might leave me behind as well, or I might become more burden than aid" the siren offered.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, I've been unable to help much so far. I don't want to, but it won't hurt my feelings if you leave me behind," the satyr glumly admitted.
None of the others volunteered to remain behind.

Despite how the conversation had gone forward, the current question seemed to be what to do next. Tomoe could rest and recover, but it was hard to say if any other enemies would come pouring out of the pit to interrupt her group and her. That would at least allow her to use her spiritual powers to teleport the entirety of her party to the bottom, sans the sorceresses. Alternatively, she could press on by choosing three of her group to venture forth with her to receive the offered cantrips. She might also enact some other plan, if she had one and desired as much.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

While it certainly appeared to be a fearsome opponent, the bursting spider-monster proved to be something of a letdown. It went down in a pretty quick manner, one strike being enough to tear it apart. But it should not have been a surprise, considering that the shrine maiden was utilizing nearly all the power she could in this one slash. With that kind of force guiding and enforcing her arm, Tomoe was able to send the monster back into the hole where it emerged from, the huge carcass plummeting down the deep chasm below the floor.

It didn't seem that the creature was alone thought. As the miko peered over the edge, she saw a few other similar things scurrying up the walls of the chasm. She would be ready for them, as would be the rest of the combat-oriented people as they too got within range of the hole in preparation to meet the enemy group. Then, the fey stepped in to bring their magical prowess forward, a sudden tremor shaking the surroundings and causing Tomoe to step back a good deal lest she too fall in due to the shaking. When all the rumbling passed, she peeked down again to see the creatures now splattered on the bottom. The magic had really benefitted them nicely, and the priestess was thankful to the fey for their helpful magics.

Once again, Tomoe was in dire need of rest as she was on the verge of her limits. But this time around, it might prove to be disasterous for them to daly too long, so she opted for only a brief breather that would most likely not allow for total recovery but at least grant some of her spiritual energy back. Since it looked like the situation would not allow for the spellcasting fey to come forward with them, they would have to leave them for now and search the bottom by themselves. The satyr wanted to come with them still, so the miko was not going to make him feel bad and accepted his offer of aid. With the little aiding spells, the group could move onwards and downwards without getting themselves hurt too much. Once they had rested a very brief period, they woud make it for the bottom with the aid of the magical cantrips and see what the place was all about.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 76, Status = +22 Body, Gliding Winds.

Rolls

Spoiler

No encounters! And since I rolled low enough that Tomoe wouldn't have faced any encounters regardless of how long she had rested, take full EP regen.

(I can't remember if I decided anything on experience here, so take 4 if I haven't already distributed it.)

Following a short, and thankfully uneventful rest, that left Tomoe feeling recharged, Kei and the conscious sorceress cast their boons upon the group that would accompany the miko. With those boons, the group was able to jump directly into the opened pit and glided like feathers to the bottom. Kei had the foresight As they descended, the feeling of unnatural oppression in the air only grew stronger.

Upon landing, Kei was quick to produce a small stick, which she struck against one of the walls. A magical light flickered into being, illuminating the pit for the group and having the secondary benefit of allowing them to avoid stepping in the thoroughly smashed spiders. At first glance it looked like the drop interjected into an abandoned mining tunnel, as it led only two ways. It was unusually large, enough so for the shrine maiden and her group to stand abreast with still room for another to have slipped by them. There was no evidence of support beams, it was hard to say what was keeping it all from caving in.

There was one thing keeping the decision on which way to go from being a coin flip, though. The one way had several cocooned figures webbed to its walls. All of them were very clearly female judging by noticeable chests even under the gunk and their heavily pregnant forms, beyond that the only parts of their anatomy visible being their naked groins and mouths. There were at least twelve in plain sight. The other way was barren. It was dark enough that it was difficult to say what each path eventually led to. The satyr motioned toward the women with two fingers, making his opinion on the next step obvious without risking alerting any spiders who might be nearby by speaking aloud. Kei and Shenron remained completely silent and motionless, leaving the ultimate decision in Tomoe's hands yet again.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

The spiders seemed to have been limited to the ones they had just seen, or so Tomoe wished as she took her brief rest and managed to do it without anything ambushing them. It was a really good thing, not just for the fact that it was undisturbed rest, but a relief on the miko's troubled thoughts as well. The previous encounter with the spiders on the riverbank had already left a pretty strong impression there, and meeting too many of these big ones was not something to be desired after a few of the much smaller arachnids had done her in. In the previous encounter, it had been a real moment of desperation, the feeling of getting taken away to some unknown location and being used far too much... and not having any chance of freedom. Shivering a bit, the priestess pushed the ponderings away, having rested enough to know she was ready again. Letting the magic users do their thing, she decided to take the first jump, maybe helping the others avoid some trap along the way if she happened to trigger it. Thankfully, that was not the case, and the four of them drifted calmly and almost gracefully into the bottom of the unsavory and corpse-stained hole.

Despite the still-lingering oppression, the place was far more mundane than the building above, mostly appearing as your average mining complex in the light of Kei's light-stick. It was kind of amazing that the other Easterner seemed to have anything needed in her packs, but Tomoe would not complain about it any way, considering how useful it was. With quick looks around, there were two routes to take, one of them quite obvious with all the female forms plastered to the walls. The sight was enough to cause another shiver in the miko, who kinda saw what she might have ended up earlier as in the grotesque corridor of pregnancy. "Those might be the missing highborn fey... or at least the female ones..." the possibility arising in her mind as the most likely usage for the fairies became apparent. The male ones had most likely been eaten, and the females had ended up here... it was not pleasant. Since the satyr was feeling this to be the way to go, the priestess silently agreed with him despite not liking the idea of going through the path.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 76, Status = +22 Body, Gliding Winds.

The miko may not have entirely understood the satyr's intentions, as her silent sign of assent sent him less down the path and more directly toward the captured women. With a sense of care and nervousness so intense that it felt almost tangible in the air, the satyr began to delicately cut the women loose one by one. Shenron quickly joined him in the act, and Tomoe could as well if she desired, though regardless of whether she did or not the halls were abandoned enough that it would be finished before any spiders showed up to interrupt them.

The women's forms, once bared, were unnaturally beautiful despite their worryingly gravid bellies. In a way they were reminiscent of the demoness the miko had traveled with so many moons ago. It wasn't difficult to tell as each one was individually removed from their cocoons that the entire group was something more than strictly human. Of the dozen, only five proved to be conscious upon being removed. Somehow, they seemed much less surprised than they ought to have been given their rescue.

"I thought I had met my end," one announced, once the group of pregnant women had been aided into sitting positions leaning against the wall of the mine shafts. She had curly, shoulder-length blonde hair, though it currently matted with web residue, blue eyes, and slightly pointed ears that looked more akin to the elves of stories than those of the fey. "Fortune has smiled upon us again, it seems," she patted her rounded belly, "to some extent."

The satyr, who had been operating in concerned silence up until that point, finally found his voice. "I'm sorry I didn't arrive sooner, milady."
The woman quickly raised a hand as if to assuage him. "You made it in the end, that's all that matters. We'll heal, given time, and that's what you've given us. A strange rescue party, though," she noted, glancing at the two humans before her eyes settled on the stoic Shenron.
"The first party was wiped out, I was the only survivor. It's only thanks to the mortals and the otherworlder that I was able to make it here at all. They deserve any thanks."
"Then I thank you three. Your aid has done more than simply save my precious subordinates and myself, the situation here is worse than we ever could have expected. You may yet save hundreds more." Her eyes flitted between each member of the party again, settling on Tomoe that time.

"The humans are not the main threat here," she said as she returned her gaze to the satyr. "Their king has been dead for months, maybe years. He might have been slain before they even began building their homes. The spiders in these mines are the cause of the horrors that the humans have been inflicting on everything around them. As best I can tell, the largest among the spiders, their queen, manipulated the leader of the humans into settling here and doing her bidding. At some point, it ate his soul and used his body as a puppet to control the humans. Since then it has been deceiving them into capturing unwary travelers and delivering them to its clutches."

"The spiders are deathwalkers, a cousin of the darkwalkers. They are dangerous beings that consume souls and have command over the dead. Their queen is the most dangerous of them all, gifted with psionic might and powerful magics, almost impossible for any single person to strike down. But, if it's slain the remaining ones will fall into infighting as they squabble to claim the vacant position of leader. It would give us enough time to seal off these mining tunnels and muster a force to return and wipe the remaining deathwalkers out."

"You," she switched topics suddenly and addressed Tomoe directly. "You are a shrine maiden, aren't you? It is odd to see one so far west of the Amazonian jungles. Are you familiar with some of the eastern legends of giant spiders?" Whatever the miko answered, she would continue. "The deathwalkers are responsible for some of those tales. This is a hunting tactic they're fond of. In the shrines of the east the solitary deathwalkers who had become psionic would slowly corrupt the master of a shrine, whispering promises of great power to him or her, then would use their pawn to slowly deliver them witless sacrifices. Eventually, once they were powerful enough, they would consume everyone in the temple and turn them into massive nests. Such incidents were becoming rare until the aliens invaded."

"Whoa, lady faerie, we're not asking for the history of every spider," Kei finally cut in. "Who's to say we're even going to fight them? As much as I wouldn't mind being able to claim victory over an opponent that's bested the fey, it will be difficult enough getting you twelve back up the pit. And we're not exactly fresh."
"Deathwalkers... Endanger those above." The normally silent lizardman rumbled.
"He has a point. Though so do you. I couldn't and wouldn't force you to go face the deathwalker queen, especially since my group is in no condition to help you and all I can offer right now is information. But as he says, the deathwalkers aren't likely to remain dormant after having invaders so deep in their inner sanctum, they may attempt to consume the village above before finding a new nest. It would be your group's choice, but the time is ripe to attack now. The queen is down this corridor with only its thralls to guard it," the talkative fey pointed further down the path they were on.

"Well then," the bizarrely carefree traveler announced before interlocking her hands and placing them on her head. "Outside of all the adventure and excitement, traveling with miss miko has offered me one other advantage. I can leave all the tough decisions to her," she announced, unusually cheerfully for her, and casually leaving the decision of what the group ought to do in Tomoe's hands, although the miko could certainly ask any other questions of the fey first or ignore the offered suggestions and enact her own plan instead.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"Ohh..." Tomoe only managed to gasp as she realized her lack of consideration towards the satyr and his kin, one or more of which might actually be a leader or loved one to him. Reddening up a bit, she too joined into the releasing process, forgetting about the possibilities of a surprise spider getting a jump on them as she focused onto the relatively simple task at hand. It was hardly a difficult thing for her, one who had spent almost a decade and half wielding her sword. In a few short moments, all of the captive ladies were free from their bondage, but still burdened with their unwanted children. There was little the miko could do to that though, instead helping a few of the women to more appropriate sitting positions along the walls. Not long after, one of them began to talk with the satyr first, who indeed seemed to be a subject of hers. Despite the slightly nagging feeling of these not possibly being actual fey, it didn't bother the priestess too much as she listened at the initial exchanges. When the mention of the human soldiers not being the main issue around the place came up, the previous bad feelings came back to her. It was a little too late to mention that at this point, considering what had happened to them...

The story that the woman told them made a whole lot of sense considering what the group had seen just moments ago, and there was little doubt that the creatures keeping their nest underneath would be a massive threat to the surrounding scraps of civilization and nature in the nearby lands. Getting their queen out from her seat of power would be a necessary move to ensure at least some kind of peace in the region, that much Tomoe knew in her mind. It would be hard to do, but they would have to try it sooner or later. "Well yes, I do. I'm familiar with all kinds of mythological and real tales of fantastic creatures, and the spiders are among them." the miko replied once she was asked about her monster knowledge. There was indeed a certain amount of stories about huge and demonic spiders in the many folklore bits she had been told. The answer appeared to be pretty much what the other side had been expecting, and soon went about their own bits about the creeping monsters that had been taking over the areas back in the far east as well as here. Some further discussion went on between Kei and the talkative fairy lady, and even Shenron got some opinion into the discussion too as he too realized the situation they were in.

While the final little snap from Kei was not something Tomoe liked to hear, she too had come to recognize this fact being totally true. Despite the others being there, only she appeared to be entrusted with any real decisions. "Well... I do not want to cause any further damages to the community up there than I already have with this attack... So I am firmly set on going down there and facing that monstrous leader."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 76, Status = +22 Body, Gliding Winds.

"It's a brave and noble choice you've made. What is your name, mortal? I am called Rhoswen." Regardless of whether or not Tomoe gave her name, Rhoswen would continue. "As I've said, the queen currently has only its thralls to guard it. Do not be fooled, it is still incredibly dangerous. It is an enormous and physically powerful creature and is augmented by necromantic and psionic powers. Along with all this, it can consume magic as easily as you might eat an apple. But that's not even the worst of it, its most dreadful ability is its potential to consume the life energy of anything it catches by raping them. Moreover, it is attended by several thralls. Its thralls are slain deathwalkers that it has preserved and animated to serve its whims, they will defend it to the death."

"When you arrive in front of its chamber, prepare yourself as best you can for the battle to come. Be careful if the creature tries to talk to you, no matter how convincing it sounds, or you might end up like the monks of the legends." She paused for a few moments, fixing the miko with a regretful look. "I apologize, mortal, but my retinue and I cannot help you. Beyond our physical condition, we have been deprived of energy for days. The spiders have feasted on our souls for as long as we've been here, we're rarely left with enough power to walk."

Following a second helping of information on the spiders, Kei yawned and stretched. "The four of us against a giant spider? My, my. We've come a long way in these past few days. To think that I'd been willing to settle for showing the occasional bandit their place."
"It might make quite a trophy," the satyr suggested, apparently having caught some of Kei's slightly-too-easygoing attitude.
Shenron remained silent during the exchange.

Following all that, Tomoe was free to ask any questions that the faerie or her group might have sparked. When she was ready to make her way to the spider immediately, she needed only to continue down the path they were already on.

If she chose to begin making her way toward the giant spider's lair, it wouldn't be long before the shrine maiden and her group found themselves in front of the mouth of a large cavern. Judging by what little they would be able to see of it from their position, it wasn't a man made thing. The interior appeared to be huge and most of that was covered in shadows. A few earthen stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cavern which matched stalagmites rising upward from the ground, a few of which met created formations that looked like twisted pillars. An aura of tangible despair emanating from inside meant that Tomoe didn't need to be able to see the entire contents of the cavern to know that the queen was present. If she had chosen to push toward her confrontation with the deathwalker queen, it would be her last chance to enact her boons in peace before she was in the spider's sanctuary.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"Tomoe. My family name I have forgotten, as much as it shames them and myself..." the miko told this talkative fey as she was asked for her name. And it was true, all those long years not spent doing things for the family had pushed the simple word that was her family name out from her memories, having been replaced by things of swordsmanship and spirituality. Still, she was not totally devastated by it, as the shrine sisters were her family now more than the old-fashioned family she had left behind. Just like before, it appeared that the answer had been expected and she was getting a further briefing into what they would be facing in the deeper reaches of the old mines. It didn't appear to be more than another one of the spiders from before, though one with a greater degree of power and intelligence. It would be tough, but they had to try and end this now, only at the moment there was a decent enough opportunity for them to get the full element of surprise. Since there was little further for her to say or do at that place, the priestess went along the same path as her closest companion and remained quiet, leading the rest of their party along when they were ready. Another weird comment came over from the fey, but there was little trust towards these spiders in the miko anyway, so she might not be too willing to communicate with anything else besides physical blows.

And eventually they were. The group of four advanced a short ways into the mineshaft, soon coming across the location they were looking for. The place was really an almost stereotypical den of evil, so it was real easy to tell they had reached the right place. With no time better than the present, she began with some invocations of power once more. With the first one complete, she prepared to enter, simultanously getting the second ready for the upcoming battle.

(Fire up Blessing 10 and Aura 5 and in we go.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 61/76, Status = +22 Body, Blessing X = 10, Battle Aura x = 5.

Rolls

Spoiler

Fuck it, I'm too lazy to deal with upkeep again before the battle even happens. Spend 10 on blessing and 5 on battle aura, meaning 8 and 3 upkeep respectively.

Deathwalker Queen does nothing.

Her 2 thralls ready an action.

With her spirit unleashed for what seemed to be, or at least what was probably hoped to be, the final confrontation of the day, the priestess entered the spider's den. A rumbling that had begun as she summoned her first power and had persisted until she began to take her first steps into the huge space confirmed that her target was aware of them. While having the element of surprise might have been nice, the spider's awareness would at least mean that the disadvantage of the bright light emitted by her aura was nonexistent. Indeed, her spiritual powers proved even more useful than Kei's light stick when it came to lighting up the battlefield.

Her spiritual aura provided the four with their first look at their opponent that had been hidden within its cavernous surroundings. It was everything the faerie had said it would be. A giant spider, easily the size of a large house, supported by eight spindly legs that seemed entirely too slender to bear its weight, though only relative to it as each one was as thicker than Tomoe herself. Like its kin, it resembled a massive harvestman spider, with the sheer black coloring of its kin. Two similar spiders stood in front of it, acting as a minor barrier meant to ward off any efforts to rush directly at it. Its smaller servants, only about six feet tall, were half-crushed, one had apparently been impaled, and they had no eyes, but still they oriented themselves toward the miko's party, blatantly preparing themselves for what was to come.

The price for failure against their foe was on full display. Suspended to the underside of the monstrous creature by webbing was a green-skinned woman with similar colored hair, bloated with eggs. Even as their terrible opponent watched the four with inky black eyes that dripped with cruel intelligence, an wickedly long appendage was stuffed in the comatose-looking woman, with what must have been at least two feet of it visible beyond what was buried in its prey.

Prey... You should have knelt, the psionic voice spoke into her very mind. A quick glance around suggested that her allies were hearing it as well, or at least the satyr and Kei were as it was difficult to tell anything from the hunter's expression. You still may, it suggested imperiously. But there will be punishment before I make you my new servants. Of the shrine maiden, I will drink from her soul and mold her into an obedient slave... If you resist, I will eat the two useless ones and consume the soul of the other one until she is nothing more than an egg vessel before claiming my new servant. The spider's conditions proved to be one case where the fey woman had been completely wrong. It had apparently become confident enough in its power to skip temptation and put its chips entirely on intimidating the miko and her group into submission.

But the satyr was undaunted, his weapon drawn and ready for the battle ahead. Shenron was as stoic as he ever was. Kei had tossed her light stick and readied her sword and adopted a cocky little sneer at the threats. The spider had not moved to immediately back up its threats, so it seemed that the entire room was waiting for Tomoe to make the first move.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

This time around, Tomoe was a little more conservative with her energy release. She had already done it quite a lot and there might be similar occurrences to the previous encounter with one of these things, where it had eaten away her little augmenting power, so better not be too wasteful with it. The light she gave off proved to be very useful, and actually managed to outshine Kei's tricksy light stick. Still, it was most likely a thing that gave away their presence as the aura was really not a thing to use and remain hidden. The fact still didn't bother the miko too much, she had already sneaked around far too much for her good conscience today.

Under the light, their target was revealed regardless of it wanting to get discovered or not. And like it had been discussed just minutes ago, this creature was indeed a spider of huge proportions, all black and somewhat reminiscent of a spider species that the priestess had seen elsewhere in nature. Those things had been nothing compared to this juggernaut though, who dwarfed out even it's servants in the foreground. Still, those servants were a makeshift barrier, and would require breaking through in order to reach the lord arachnid. There was little reason to hold back now, so Tomoe ignored the spider monster's words as it tried to push them back with fear and intimidation as well as the display of a current victim getting impaled with a nasty member. As her companions prepared for the battle, the miko herself made the first move since it appeared to fall onto her shoulders once more to initiate the attack. With the two servitors there, it would take killing one to reach the queen. So, it was this that the miko opted to do, taking aim at the one on the left from her position before moving forward and readying herself for a strike along the way.

(Attack ho. Skip using supreme might, but still use slay and death from the draw on a minion.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 50/76, Status = Blessing X = 10, Battle Aura x = 5.

Rolls

Spoiler

11 upkeep for Tomoepowers.

Well, given that she has 142 attack and a base damage bonus of 60 before buffs... Yeah, that spider is dead.
Cleave: The other one is dead too.

Kei uses a sudden-strike two-handed attack against the Deathwalker Queen.
Stealth: Failure.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 59 - 20 = 39.

Shenron attacks the Deathwalker Queen using Shattering Blow (Yay lizard upgrades from my latest 3.5-induced revision of his sheet.)
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 84 - 20 = 64.

Satyr attacks using nothing because his hit is atrocious even with blessing.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 25 - 20 = 5.

The Deathwalker Queen retaliates! First it uses 6 + 10 EP in order to eat one of Tomoe's spells.
Attack: Hit.
Resistance: It wins.
1d3 says it eats +22 body.
Casting: It fails, apparently.

Rarely have I ever considered rolls unlucky for a tier 4 boss, although it probably would have stunned 2-4 members of the party if it had succeeded so hey.

The time for talk was over, and the miko's move to action pushed the spider's voice from her head. Her charge took her directly to the leftmost reanimated guardian. In an almost anticlimactic display, her sword cut through not one, but both of the spider's thralls. Her blade's path ended up severing several legs and cleaving both such that they were unable to move, even though both were still very much sentient.

Her group seized on the opportunity offered by the miko clearing the path. Kei was first to the battle, slashing at one of the monstrosity's massive legs and leaving a large wound down it. The satyr was a little less effective, fruitlessly stabbing at its torso but too short to do much more than nick it. Shenron did the most of the three, using his razor-like claws to completely sever one of its spindly legs, an explosion of ichor issuing forth to shower him. The shock and pain sent the deathwalker monster reeling and stumbling backward on its remaining legs.

But it didn't take long before their enemy was attempting to counterattack. Tomoe felt the sorceress's boon slipping from her as it was consumed by the spider. Then, seconds later, she felt the spider's dreadful, oppressive energy coalescing in the air with an obvious intent to inflict something terrible on her group. Whatever it had planned, however, never came; the energy dispersed with no effect. Whether it was the shock of its wound or some other reason, the shrine maiden and her party were unscathed, and she was left with an unparalleled opportunity to continue the attack.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With her undaunted charge, Tomoe managed to quite drastically change the situation. The underling spiders seemed quite slow and unable to respond in a timely manner, leading to them getting cut in short order. Coming in with one sidewinding draw slash, the miko quickly stepped across the front of both arachnids, a deadly line going uninterrupted through the double creatures in a burst of legs and body bits. The things seemed to have survived the massive damage from her charge, but would have no further impact on the battle due to their missing limbs and bodily damages. With the way now open to the others, all three moved in to attack what was their ultimate target, the massive leader spider. They all gave good show and dished out hurt, though the satyr's piddling blow didn't seem to have much of an impact on the huge monster. It was more effective against Tomoe's mind, who almost pitied the goat man, but still had respect towards his bravery. Most people wouldn't dare to pull out an unarmed, headlong charge into something as monstrous as their opponent was.

Still, the queen proved itself to be still capable of fighting back with force. A hasty spell-eating quickly devoured the fey-granted boon, and it appeared another form of magical offensive would be incoming as well. But while Tomoe tensed herself to meet the attack, the forces that were about to bring it forward fizzled away before anything could happen. Most likely the attacks of her companions had caused enough of a disturbance to prevent it. Mentally thanking both the spirits and her partners, the shrine maiden moved to join the fray as she had been left behind among all the spiderkilling.

(Move in and repeat, with less bonuses surely.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 77, PP = 51, EP = 39/76, Status = Blessing X = 10, Battle Aura x = 5.

Rolls

Spoiler

Attack: Hit.
Damage: 9 + 61 + 15 = 85 * 2 = 170 - 20 = 150.

Well... given that Kei has a guaranteed hit, Shenron has a guaranteed hit thanks to Blessing, and even the satyr can probably hit it, plus it only has 22 HP left... I'd say Tomoe's group wins.

The spider was totally unlucky though. A roll of 2 higher IIRC and it would have succeeded its casting check and probably mass-stunned.

Gain 10 exp! Obtain Massive Venom Sac (worth 100 denarii if sold and can be used in lieu of of up to 4 venom sacks when enchanting, even split over multiple enchants though the sell value is reduced by 25 for each usage).

The moments that came next were almost too anticlimactic for how much pain and suffering the tyrannical deathwalker had caused. Shenron, Kei, and the satyr continued their attacks on the already unbalanced monster, forcing it further and further back and making it deal with three different directions of assault. Kei, for her part, did more damage to the leg she had already injured, skillfully avoiding an attempt to impale her on the spindly appendage in the process. Shenron, the powerful alien creature, physically grabbed another leg that attempted to crush him, digging his claws into it and pushing upward. The hunter's muscles bulged powerfully underneath his tough green skin as he struggled to keep the weight of the massive thing from crushing him underneath it. But, in doing so, Shenron put the spider off guard enough for Tomoe to strike the finishing blow.

The empowered priestess rushed forward, Kuchinawa cutting through the air during her charge. Tomoe, much shorter than the spider, couldn't reach high enough to decapitate anything, so her charge did not end at the spider. Her footsteps took her directly at its massive maw and then underneath it, passing from the front of the creature to its back. The entire way, the enchanted weapon of her shrine cut a vicious line through her enemy. By the time she had finished, so much damage had been done to their villainous opponent that it simply collapsed, causing the cavern to rumble dangerously due to its initial fall, unable to fight any longer.

But, for good measure, the satyr still took the time to give the fallen spider a kick in its head with one of his bestial hooves.

The battle seemed to be over. Indeed, the entirety of the day's grueling battles that Tomoe had fought seemed to be at their end. They had ended in a victory of sorts. Though many who had been opposing her had died, none of the miko's allies, temporary or otherwise, had fallen. Indeed, even the woman who had been speared on the giant spider's ovipositor was spared. The satyr and the hunter managed to pull the gravid faerie from her impalement with a lewd 'shlick' that allowed several more feet of the spider's organ to fall limply to the ground; once she was allowed to rest free of the spider her shallow breaths confirmed that she was still alive.

From there, the rest of the group seemed largely content to simply view the outcome of their efforts. The giant spider twitched a few times, but never with any real consequence. As usual, it was Kei who would be the first among her allies to break the silence. "You made that look so easy that I'm envious. If only you had been among my fellow students," she suggested with a wry smile. The crimson-haired traveler sheathed her blade and folded her hands on the back of her head. "So, what now?"

"Darkwalkers often have venom sacs. This deathwalker might have one of great value. We should collect it before we leave. I'd do it, but..." He showed his bare hands.
"I thought you were the one talking about obtaining trophies. Fine, I'll do it, just come and show me where to cut," Kei replied with a mock sigh. Afterward, the two of them went off to do the gory business of harvesting the aforementioned venom sacs from the spider. Needless to say, it didn't twitch again after that. Their grim acts also left Shenron and Tomoe relatively alone together, sans the unconscious, egg-filled woman, for long enough for the stoic hunter to make one comment to the shrine maiden. He said; "Savior..."

Regardless of whether or not the warrior priestess replied, Kei and the satyr would return in short order, the former covered in spider fluids. She held out a comically large venom sac toward the priestess. "You can just stuff that in your pack. It'll be fine. Probably."
"Surely worth a hefty sum of denarii, if not simply a fine testament to your prowess," the satyr added, apparently not going to disagree with the questionable idea of stuffing a venom sac into a backpack with Tomoe's other supplies.
"What do you say we get back to the expectant mothers and you use your powers to take us all back up?" Kei asked of Tomoe. If the miko didn't want to do something else in the grim room or the mines, it wouldn't be hard to do just that. Shenron had already hoisted the pregnant woman onto his shoulder and was ready to go.