Chapter 15: With Uncertain Ends

[Darren]

Kal watches his friends' various reactions to the death of the nycaloth. "No time for celebration, yet, my friends," he says, his brow still furrowed in concentration. The egg still floats in the air and continues its slow movement back towards the beach. "We must settle with these other creatures, and Lamara and Demise are still out there somewhere." Kal glances nervously back in the direction of the village. "Stay on your guard. Gather back up and let's move back to the beach." Keeping as much distance from the egg as his spell will allow, Kal follows it back towards the beach.

[Brian]

Jul 3, 2018 15:34:58 GMT -4 Joe said:

Streko moves to Melethos's side and hands him one of the powerful healing potions. "Drink this, my friend. It will help."
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Streko gives Melethos a Potion of Greater Helaing: 4d4+4 can be restored upon drinking it.

Melethos looks at the potion bottle, smiles, and shakes his head. "I am well. Save that for later, when we may really need it."

He returns Thul's nod. "Well done, Captain."

To the others, he says, "We need to get back to the beach. The dragon turtle needs her eggs, and we still have Sem and the others to find." He retrieves his shield and sets off toward the beach. "This is not over yet."

[Jeff]

The tieflings watch as Thul decapitates the fiend's skeleton. It takes two hacks to do it; even in its withered form, the corpse is tough. Then the head rolls to the ground, still horned, and the arrows and bolts lodged in it break away at last. The tieflings also watch Adamant's moment of elation, faces inscrutable.

As Thul lifts the nycaloth's axe, he feels its considerable weight. It's a remarkable blade, but also seriously big and would be difficult to use. The shaft is so long, it seems designed for large, four-armed warriors. The metal is black, veined with red; not likely a material from Eberron itself, but whatever plane the fiend is from.

The blackened skeletal remains nycaloth are still propped upright, and whatever slime remains seems to hold it together. It gives to response to Belarin now.

As Kal prompts the eggs closer to the beach, the frog-men gather before them, standing close. Watching without speaking. The one from the dock skirts the area with Streko's conjured guardian.

Histra looks to Belarin. "Shall we wait? Or should I release her now?" She gestures to the water.

Adjalarr looks to Melethos. She looks to where the fiend has fallen. "Explain this," she says darkly, clearly not pleased as the losses on her side.

Shorak manages to locate his two thunder bolts within a minute’s time.

[Elvis]

Thul takes a couple of awkward swings of the massive weapon.

"Bah."

He drops it on the jungle floor with a heavy thud, and heads back to the beach.

Thul heads to the rowboat and inspects it for damage as he unties the lines.

[Ken]

"Let her go," says Belarin to Histra, his face still turned toward the nycaloth.

As he turns to her, though, his eyes go wide.

"Streko!" he calls. "Histra could do with your ministrations."

[Brian]

Jul 4, 2018 8:45:47 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Adjalarr looks to Melethos. She looks to where the fiend has fallen. "Explain this," she says darkly, clearly not pleased as the losses on her side.

Melethos's brows rise at Adjalarr's command, but lets it pass. "It started when we journeyed to Dolurrh to find the sphinx's mate..." Melethos relates briefly their adventures in the other realm, the freeing of the nycaloth, and its animosity toward them. "It followed us to this realm. When we brought down the cloud castle that ended the rain in Stormreach--oh, did I not mention that?--the demon was there. It obviously followed us to Last Chance. We failed to kill it at the castle, but we succeeded here." He tone softens. "I am truly sorry for your losses. You had nothing to do with the demon, and should have been spared this fight. That said, I thank you for your aid. If any of your party requires healing, say so and I shall see it done."

[Ken]

While waiting for Streko, Belarin says to Histra, "Let's see what we can salvage." He indicates the nycaloth's withering remains. "I'm sure we can find some use for demon ichor and bones." He walks over to the corpse and begins poking at spots with the tip of his dagger.

___________________

Jeff, besides the bones, what's left of Nicky? Any blood?

[Dave W.]

When Kal declares that this is not complete, Adamant looks up, “yes, of course, excuse me but the weight of my past sin is lessened now.” Adamant gets up. He keeps his shield on but puts the hammer back in its place at his belt.

“We will celebrate later.” Standing close to Melethos, Adamant adds, “you were brilliant my friend. Thank you.”

The warforged lets His friend explain the fiend to Adjalarr , but then appends a thought, “it may be more than that.” He looks at the female tiefling eye to eye-gem. “I will be straight forward with you. We are on the quest for the Eye. We have made several enemies in the course of that. It seems as though all of them are either here or have left agents here. Krez’s Oathbreaker, the Medani agent, this demon, all here. Only the Coin Lord we annoyed is missing.”

“It’s possible it is simply tactics, this is a likely stop. But facing the collection of enemies at the same time has cost us. I would advise caution if you are heading in.”

[Darren]

"Maybe Wilkes, too," Kal says to Adamant. "Demise is here, as well. We must be on our guard. On problem at a time," he mutters, looking ahead to the frog-men. Kal floats the egg gently to the sand in front of them, then picks up the other to put them side-by-side. "We have found her eggs and returned them to you. Will you let us leave in peace?" he asks.

[Joe]

Jul 4, 2018 10:45:58 GMT -4 Ken said:

"Let her go," says Belarin to Histra, his face still turned toward the nycaloth.

As he turns to her, though, his eyes go wide.

"Streko!" he calls. "Histra could do with your ministrations."

"Then minister I shall," he says, taking the potion he offered to Melethos and handing it to Histra.

[Dave B.]

"Got 'em!" Shorak says as he returns to the beach and stows away the thunderbolts. He looks back towards the road. "I wonder where Sem and the others are? Shouldn't they have arrived by now?" He does not venture too far onto the beach, choosing to stay closer to the road. A much better place to retreat then the water. Still, he keeps alert for any other danger, as it seems to be following them around since they arrived.

[Jeff]

Jul 4, 2018 11:08:05 GMT -4 Brian said:

Jul 4, 2018 8:45:47 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"I am truly sorry for your losses. You had nothing to do with the demon, and should have been spared this fight. That said, I thank you for your aid. If any of your party requires healing, say so and I shall see it done."

Adjalarr listens to Melethos's brief account and Adamant's follow-up explanation with wonder tempered by realism. "I appreciate the warning. For the most part, your enemies are not ours. Yet. We require no healing, only justice." She leaves it at that for the moment, and she turns and speaks with the other tieflings as they start back towards the water. Their words are hushed, clipped, and fierce. They are angry. Melethos catches only the tail-end of it in the Infernal tongue.

"Blood for blood," one says to her. The tiefling indicates the frog-men with a murderous glare.

"In Fah'lrrg," the woman snaps back at him. "Under the lash of your masters. No longer."

They continue on, calling out to the bugbears in the longship, while Adjalarr whirls back around to watch your party.

The three frog-men on the beach have gathered around the two big eggs. They look this way and that, still a bit on edge, teeth bared but otherwise not quite as threatening as before. Anyone looking at them can see they appear to be unharmed now. They do regenerate.

One remains crouched by the broken dock and the rowboat. As Thul approaches the latter, the creature hisses at him. Then it points to the spectral black figure standing fifteen feet away with its sword and shield, as if expecting Thul to remove it. It looks like it will pounce on him if he ignores it and tries to go into the rowboat instead.

Histra stares at the water for a moment. She lets out an exasperated sigh, and then seems to slump. In the past she would have leaned on her staff. Now she just looks fragile. Belarin is fairly certain she has ended her spell of Polymorph. "Prepare yourselves," she calls out to your party as loudly as she can to be heard, but it's not very loud at all.

Jul 4, 2018 19:35:28 GMT -4 Joe said:

"Then minister I shall," he says, taking the potion he offered to Melethos and handing it to Histra.

Histra waves the potion away. "You are too quick to use such resources," she scolds Streko. "It would be better used when you are down."

She turns away, her skin still reddened from the burns. Her mood is sour. But she looks back at the halfling. "Thank you, though."

She joins Belarin by the gooey black skeleton of the four-armed fiend. When he prods at the remains with his dagger, he finds it all too easily wants to adhere to it. But there is a brown, leather-like garment resembling an unadorned kilt that still hangs on the skeleton's hips, glued to it now. The area reeks of the corpses, but he could check its pockets. It has some.

Shorak takes up a position with eyes on the road. He does see a tiny spark of light a short distance away, partially concealed by the trees. It might be Kurra, Starg, and Sem. Then again, he knows all three can see well in the dark. Would they use light?

[Brian]

Melethos approaches Belarin and Histra. He points at the demon’s axe. “Do you suppose that has any worth? With Larest dead, we have lost our financier. We will need secure our own money for this trip.”

[Ken]

"Anything from him might earn us a penny or two, including the axe," says Belarin, his voice sounding a bit nasally. It occurs to Melethos that Belarin is taking pains to not breathe through his nose. Understandable.

"The dragon turtle is returning," he says loudly to all concerned. "Good Streko, remove your guardian, and let her move freely to her eggs!"

Turning back to the demon's corpse, he bends down and - after a shudder of revulsion - starts looking through the nycaloth's pockets.

As he looks, he says quietly to Histra, "That was a close call. Well done with the polymorph, my love. Speaking of well done, you need to take my arm when we walk back to the rowboat."

[Brian]

Melethos bends to pick up the axe, then pauses. He looks up at Belarin. "Is this thing magical at all?" he asks, remembering his misfortunes with cursed items.

[Elvis]

One remains crouched by the broken dock and the rowboat. As Thul approaches the latter, the creature hisses at him. Then it points to the spectral black figure standing fifteen feet away with its sword and shield, as if expecting Thul to remove it. It looks like it will pounce on him if he ignores it and tries to go into the rowboat instead.



Thul looks where the frogman is pointing and shrugs.

"Not mine."

Then he stares back at the frogman and rolls his shoulders.

It looks like Thul will kill the frogman if he continues to stare at him.

[Ken]

Jul 5, 2018 10:40:09 GMT -4 Brian said:

Melethos bends to pick up the axe, then pauses. He looks up at Belarin. "Is this thing magical at all?" he asks, remembering his misfortunes with cursed items.

"Oooh, good thought," says Belarin. He shifts his vision to sense any magical auras around the axe or any possessions in the nycaloth's pockets.

________________

Invoking Eldritch Sight. Thanks for the reminder, Brian.

[Dave W.]

Adamant nods to Histra, Belarin, and Melethos, "If you don't mind I will go speak with Kal for a moment." He turns but pauses and turns back a moment, "You saved us back there Lady Histra," he gently places his three fingers on her shoulder, "my thanks." Channeling Dol Arrah, he pushes some of Her healing warmth into the necromancer.

Adamant moves over to Kal quickly. "I'll stand with you until this," he nods to towards the Dragon Turtle, "is resolved if you like, Kal."

---

Lay on Hands to Histra for 5 more hp. That leaves me 10 more today... just in case...

[Joe]

Streko sighs. "All are hurt, yet no one wishes to feel better. Your martyrdom amazes me, each and every one of you. As to my guardian, I reluctantly bid her farewell."
____________________________________________________

Streko dismissed the Guardian of Faith and returns the potion to his haversack.

[Dave B.]

Shorak stares at the spark of light, waiting to see if it is moving towards them or not. Hearing that the dragonturtle will be returning, Shorak keeps his other eye on the beach. He just hopes Kurra got everything she was looking for.

[Jeff]

Histra accepts Adamant's touch of healing. It isn't much, but he can see the raw parts of her flesh soften. The warforged still can't truly imagine what it's like to wear skin and be beholden to its fragility all the time. He once saw unit of human Cyran soldiers returning from the Talenta Plains so badly sunburned they were sent to a Jorasco field tent. They were half as red as Melethos and every movement appeared to be agony. By comparison, Histra is looking just fine. But she still looks weak.[/font]

When Streko dispels Olladra's guardian, the frog-man standing in front of Thul croaks at him but walks away, joining its fellows. But it constantly looks over its should at him, still glaring. He is now free to attend to the boat, where he starts on the remaining oar's knots.

Belarin eyes the remains and looks through his fey-touched vision. The great battle axe glows with a magic aura, though no particular school of magic predominant. An aura of evocation emits from one of the corpse's now-gooey pockets, and when Belarin starts to poke through them (using his dagger where possible and as few fingers as possible when he can't), he finds that it comes from a wand of blue glass. Instantly he remembers that the nycaloth had launched a lightning bolt but had never seen him use such a spell before. It is most likely from this wand.

There is also a thick and heavy pouch of coins, which has no aura. From the sound of it there are things other than coins in it, too. The entire thing is caked in the moist remains of the yugoloth's boiled-away flesh matter.

The light on the road gets closer. They're not within speaking distance yet, not without shouting, but Shorak can see a tall, bull-horned figure within the light. Definitely Starg, at least.

On the beach, Adjalarr and one of the tieflings conclude a fierce but hushed argument. She turns back to your party. "Condign, can we speak?" she calls out.

A surge of waves on the shore seems to also presage a large creature coming closer. The dragon turle's roar suddenly vibrates the shoreline.

"Be careful," Histra says weakly, now taking Belarin's arm.

[Elvis]

Thul pauses in his inspection of the rowboat as the turtledragon bursts from the water.

He steps off the docks and onto the sand, backing far enough away to avoid it's snapping maw.

[Brian]

Jul 6, 2018 10:56:16 GMT -4 Jeff said:

On the beach, Adjalarr and one of the tieflings conclude a fierce but hushed argument. She turns back to your party. "Melethos, can we speak?" she calls out.

Melethos nods when Adjalarr calls his name. He turns to whisper to Belarin. "Keep an eye on me. I do not entirely trust that woman."

He then moves across the beach to meet with his kinswoman.

___________________________________________________

Jeff, I went back and checked. Only three times did someone say Melethos's name aloud. Streko twice and Kal once. They were across the beach at the dock, and neither were calling to him. Would Adjalarr know to call him Melethos?

DM's Edit: Sorry, no. My bad. Condign it is.

[Joe]

Seeing Histra still weak and leaning heavily on Belarin, Streko suddenly feels empathy for the woman. He silently steps up to her and places his palm on her arm.

"We still need your strength, Lady ir'Serell," Healing warmth floods into her. "I hate to see my companions in pain."
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Streko casts Cure Wounds on Histra at 2nd Level for  13 points .

[Ken]

Gingerly, using the tip of his dagger, Belarin pokes the wand free of the surrounding goo, wipes it on the back of his legs, and examines it more closely. The rest of the nycaloth's possessions will have to wait until the dragon turtle departs.

Jul 6, 2018 12:18:18 GMT -4 Brian said:

Melethos nods when Adjalarr calls his name. He turns to whisper to Belarin. "Keep an eye on me. I do not entirely trust that woman."

Belarin nods, pocketing the wand as he does so. With Histra on his arm, he moves to keep Melethos within sight and no more than 30 feet away.

[Jeff]

Histra only nods a silent thanks to Streko. She is beginning to look stronger. She indicates the great battle axe. "I don't know what risks there may be in carrying such a weapon. The artificer may know better."

Melethos and Adjalarr come in to talk, but that's when the dragon turtle surfaces, which temporary postpones their words. Waves crash along the beach in every direction as the creature looms over everyone again. Her eyes swivel this way and then. She seems angry still, but then her attention is drawn immediately to the two eggs, which now sit in the surf between the frog-men. They seem to converse with her in croaking sounds not clearly recognizable as a language. One gestures toward members of your party...angrily.

Thul finds himself safe enough to remain by the rowboat, but the dragon turtle turns her eyes upon you all.

Shorak sees Starg, Kurr, and Sem drawing closer. They look a bit tired, but also perplexed as they see something's been going on here.

Taking is slow here, as I know Darren's rather busy at the moment.

[Ken]

"Let's stay well back," says Belarin. "Don't want to make Mommy more nervous."

[Dave B.]

Shorak gestures for Sem, Starg and Kurra to stay back, while waiting to see how the turtle dragon is going to react to the return of her eggs, ready to retreat back towards the road if need be.

[Dave W.]

Adamant makes sure to keep Kal on his shield side, ready to defend him instantly... but Syndra remains on his belt.

[Darren]

Kal's silhouette stands stark against the water's skyline. A breeze whips his cloak sideways as the water begins to churn and the great dragon turtle emerges from the sea. Kalarian does not flinch, or turn away. He stands rooted to the spot, his sharrash planted firmly next to him. Kalarian bears the Deneith name. He is part of the Jaren family. His parents serve with distinction in the Marshals. His brothers are some of the finest Goldblades ever to walk the battlefields. Sadly, he amends his thought. Were? Marin, I hope you are okay. He will not turn away. He will not be cowed by this creature. "Here," he calls out in a clear voice, gesturing to the eggs on the beach. "Here are your eggs. And back there lies the remains of the demon that stole them from you. There," he points at the fallen bugbears, "are those whom you have killed who did you no wrong. Take what was stolen from you and go, and we will do the same, and we will all live to see another day."