Helswane Isle

I slapped my hand on Jace's armored back. "Nice blow! Showed that bastard who's boss, eh?" I said as I made my way toward Darius. "And ye wrangling a Grick like that!? Brilliant!"

It was time to see what loot those orcs and that hobgoblin left behind. I hoped with all my being that there was something valuable, though I doubted it would be as valuable as the egg we lost...

"Where'd that hobgob leave his bag? And didn't he have some shiny trinket?" I was desperate.
 
Darius sat back against the rockface, catching his breath and smiling at Mallow. He was flecked in blood, egg-yolk and Grick remains, like many of the others. "It seems that steel is not enough for some creatures out here. We must... be wary..."

[360XP each]

"Addison? Can you heal yourself?" Darius hauled himself up and moved over to the Cleric, whose leg had been savaged. Meanwhile Mallow returned to the Hobgoblin's travel pack and found what he had been looking for. It was a golden circlet, studded with aquamarines, the four gemstones glimmering brightly. As he held the jewellery up in the light his heart warmed. The gold looked to be high quality, and the aquarmarines were large. The Dwarf reckoned that, with the right persuasion, this item could fetch as much as the egg in gold. [Appraised value: 2100gp]


After they had watered and rested, the party moved on, following Addison's route through the winding canyon. Occasional remains spoke of other Hippogriff nests, but they were long abandoned, the creatures driven away by the Hobgoblin expansion. It seemed that most life had vacated this coastline altogether. The echo of crashing waves grew quieter as they headed inland and the afternoon sun left some paths in shadow. Plant life grew here and there, strange vines and shrubs protruding from the rocks. Few were recognisable.

But from these plants had come the poison that now threatened Lindon's life.

It was another hour before Garrick called them to a stop, his hand raising in quiet alarm. The party froze, peering round the corner to what lay beyond. The canyon forked sharply up ahead, and at the junction were what, at first glance, looked like free-standing rocks. But as sunlight shifted behind the clouds the shafts picked out the detail of the stones.

They had carved features, chiselled fingers, scultped weapons and travel packs.

It was a Hobgoblin and two Orcs, made completely out of stone.

To the left, where one of the forks branched off, little wisps of dust were moving back and forth, blowed and suck on a slight breeze. They could hear a breath, slow and rhythmic. And the right hand fork, beyond the statues, continued onwards through the canyon.

They would have to pass the statues to continue.

rav.jpg​
 
He cryed out, with the ripping of his skin. Hands shaking, Addison was in a bit of panic and tried to wiggle free. Luckily, the prick was struck down by one of his new allies. The cleric shivered, and dared not to move. Watching his own blood come out was just strange to see. It seeped onto the rock and made a small river across the rock beside him. Seeing the runt of a river calmed him.

Addison looked up to the perturbed paladin. He nodded and motioned that everything would be fine in moment. There was some magic still left for the day. Waving a bit, he prayed for some new, not torn skin. The small light overtook the gashes and repaired the damage beautifully.

[Casts Cure Light Wounds: Gained a total of +11 hp]

The party thought it was time to take a break. So Pelor's loyal cleric decided it was a decent time for a power nap. It was a good quicker energy picker upper. When they finally continued one the little one halted us. There were stone statues of what looked like they could have been apart of the group we just slain. Interesting. Though, the whole scene was a bit unsettling. He didn't eve want to speak above a whisper.

"It usually isn't like this up here. Ready yourselves. Does anyone have a plan?"

 
Darius came down in a crouch, one hand against the canyon wall as he observed the statues. It was the likeness of a patrol, like the one they had just encountered. He could see the stone outline of Hippogriff eggs and climbing gear, sculpted perfectly. It was a truly impressive work of art.

No... not art... this scene had not been carved by hand.

He edged a little closer, peering at the texture of the stone. It was impossibly smooth.

"They've been petrified.." the Paladin whispered, his hand moving to his holy symbol, his eyes moving to the dust whisps that danced back and forth around the statue feet.
 
Moving up beside Darius, Jace kept his ears open for any sound that might expose something lurking in their vicinity. [9 on Listen Check]
"What do you think? Poison, beast, or curse?" he asked without any hint of curiosity, only disgust. "I don't see much point in reversing them, they've been far more helpful to us this way." he added on, attempting to lighten his own mood.
 
As Jace listened closer, he discerned, just faintly, the sound of snoring. The dust around the statues' feet was being picked up and swirled around with each breath.

There was something in the left-hand tunnel.
 
Keeping pace with Darius, I stopped with the Paladin and peered at the stone.

"Petrified, eh? I wouldn't want to meet the beast that did this...but I have a feeling we might..." I whispered.

Jace's comment prompted a quiet chuckle, and with that I started making my way closer to the stone figures as quietly as I could. "I'm just going to get a closer look." I said in a hushed tone. I'm not sure why, but my curiosity was getting the best of me. I had never seen a petrified being in person before and I wanted to examine the stone a little closer. Besides, we weren't going to turn back after coming this far, might as well keep moving forward. ​[6 Move Silently Total]

I took each step as carefully as I could. Moving slowly as I inched towards the statues, everything seemed okay. I wasn't making too much noise and I felt good about being able to make my way to the statues. With the distance slowly closing between me and the closest statue, my heart started racing. Sweat started beading my brow as nervousness settled in. I twitched my nose attempting to satisfy a bothersome itch. My efforts were futile, and the itch got the better of me...

"ACHOO!" A hearty dwarven sneeze echoed through the canyon, bouncing from wall to wall resounding like a bellow of thunder.
 
There was a slight snuffling, claws scraping on stone, dust resettling. Then the snoring began again.
 
[size=+1]Petrified statues of three greenskins?

This was already a strange day to begin with; it didn't need this on top of it.

Several of my companions have already started to approach the scene; warily, I load a new bolt into my crossbow and start forwards slowly, keeping my steps light and my stature as low as I can. [12 to Move Silently check]

Things are going well for me… until Mallow's sneeze makes me almost jump out of my skin and make a little too much noise as I do so. Cursing under my breath, I keep moving forwards with the crossbow raised.

This is going to be bad. I just know it.[/size]
 
As Garrick got to the junction, he could hear clearly the snoring breaths of whatever lay around the corner. There was the smell of dung and mildew - a sharp metallic tang. It reminded the halfling of damp in coastal homes. Great swathes of dust were being whipped up in its breath, sucked and blown around the feet of the statues, and by this he reckoned it was something large, easily five times his own size.

And his gaze was drawn to the faces of the statues. Their expressions were frozen, forever, in masks of surprise and anguish.

Behind him, Darius crept forward, his platemail clanking. The man stopped, almost immediately, as he realised his error. But by then the snoring had stopped. Garrick heard a wet sound, like lips being wetted.

The creature had stirred slightly.
 
My eyes darted around, peering at the stealthy halfling and the not so stealthy Darius.

"By Moradin's beard...be on your guard..." I whispered to everyone. My heart was pounding so hard I swore I could hear my chest beating against my breastplate. I held on to my axe tightly, not sure if I should move. The snoring had stopped and hadn't started again like before. All I could do at this point was wait and if anything happened, I would be ready to fight for mine and my allies' lives.
 
His mace was drawn softly. Addison already made the mistake of moving once, and it wasn't one that was going to be made again. At least, not for another week. The rest of the party made sure there wasn't anything other than caution, from him. Feet planted, he waited for the creature to make a move, that would result in a scrap.

"Pelor, be kind."
 
As Garrick reached the junction, each step bought with dripping sweat and thumping heart, he peered around ever-so-slightly into the left-hand passage. As he did so the breath of the creature, with its stench of mildew, wrinkled his nose and ruffled his hair.

The Basilisk was sleeping barely 10 feet from him, its natural red scales faded to grey by natural camouflage. It had stirred slightly at Mallow's sneeze and Darius's clanking, but was now back to rhythmic slumber.

The tunnel behind it ended at a sheer cliff - a natural alcove in which dust and debris marked other victims. The beast had perhaps been here since the winter, devouring what rock it could find. The snapped off, petrified feet of goblins, kobold and further orcs showed that its last meal had been a large one. No wonder it had fallen asleep this early in the day.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back