"Hmmmm.... Oh?  Yes.  I can do that," she says in reply to T'Vala's statement.  "After careful thinking, I realized where I recognize this... sensation.  I have both felt and been taught of this particular feeling we are experiencing. It is quintessential anti-nature, necromantic, and generally considered evil.  Which would explain the other visitors to this place."

She nods and dismounts, placing her hand on the forelock of her mount, leaning in and pressing her face to its.

Dii dismounts from her stilled Aht-Ra, and readies her bow at the behest of the actions of those around her. "If it lives, it can die. If it's "unliving" it can die again."

Burikan dismounts and pats his mount on the head.

"Maybe I will get to eat you yet!"

He loads his krin while waiting for the others to get ready to go ahead on foot.

Sathras clambers down from his aht-ra, his tail swinging wildly as he tries to maintain balance.
"Sathras will carry stuff. Will take water and food. Other heavy stuff." He slowly sets about adjusting his own pack and belongings and will wait for anything from others as well, but he clearly stumbles and has trouble standing even with his own load.

---

Today: Sathras the Bold rolled 4 using 1d20-1. Laborer.

Califax make's his tri-bow ready, the sense of this place was really getting to him and making him nervous.

Hopefully this feeling will abate once we have some cover around us.

Aaban gathers necessary gear from his aht-ra, stowing what is required in his pack.  He loads and readies his crossbow, then waits for the others.  When all is made ready, just as they are about to set off, he makes a prayer to Aa.

"Omniscient Aa who sees all, lift the darkness from the eyes of your humble servant, that the secrets of our dark enemies may be revealed."

The group dismounts and gathers what gear they see fit as Shadow is able to commune with the mounts, convincing them to remain here while the group checks the towers. Aaban is successful invoking the aid of Aa, piercing the gloom out to 50 feet, allowing him to see clearly. The towers and whatever is in the sands are still out past his augmented vision and are still shadowy. As the night deepens the air temperature continues to fall, everyone now noticably uncomfortable but Sathras suffering in particular. The intact tower of the pair awaits just ahead, hopefully a place to hole up and get warm, but the sensation of evil grows with each step.

OOC: So the group starts out about 90 feet from the tower. If I could have an idea of how people are situated, who is doing what, and who is in the lead that would be appreciated.

Shadow looks at Sathras and pity actually crosses her features.  She adjusts her own gear and begins plucking things off of his pack that she can carry.

She keeps close to him, despite his slow pace.  She places her slightly warm hands on his bare arm, trying to infuse him with some of her body heat.

"Not much farther my friend," she says gently.  "Just a bit farther and we can build you a nice fire."

She turns to look at the towers, scanning the area around them.  Her vision easily piercing the gloom.

Califax stays more to the centre of the group, sweeping his tri-bow over each flank.  He pauses for a few seconds to run a finger in a pattern on his fore head to cast a spell to improve his night vision.  The summoned armour that he had been wearing vanishes as they move.

(ooc: 11:38, Today: Califax rolled 20 using 1d20. Mark of Midnight.
Well I think that critical success will go into doubling the range to 120ft, giving 10 minutes of good vision in darkness.  On the downside the armour will have dropped by now.)
This message was lightly edited by the player at 14:46, Mon 16 Apr 2012.

Sathras slowly swivels his head from side to side, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, plodding towards the tower.

---

With a speed of -2 and a -2 penalty to his rolls because of the cold, Sathras is moving slower than everyone else, I'd imagine. So, he's probably at the back of the group, but steadily moving towards the tower.

Looking at the group of once acquaintances, now friends she calls out quietly to them.

"We are only as fast as our slowest," she remarks.  "I can small, quiet, and need no light to see.  This gloom does not hinder me in the slightest.  If you would like, I can scout ahead a bit, but I would rather we stay overall more close to our cold friend here."

She says nothing else, but begins to tuck things into her pack and adjust it so that it is quiet.

In reply to Shadow Seeking the Light (msg #20):

"I'll go with you Shadow. It wouldn't serve to have you isolated without any protection. I'll follow behind you about 20 feet." With that, Dii makes sure that all her weapons are secured, and continues to keep her bow at the ready.

OOC: "Dii Ahnah rolled 26 using 1d20+8. Stealth +8."
I wasn't sure if any additional dif mods apply.

Novo:

"I too, shudder at the thought of having one of us left alone in... This. I will accompany Sathras." He stands by Sathras and half leans against his staff.

She nods and shrugs and moves into the darkness, unhindered by it herself.

Aaban begins to move forward.  "Perhaps we should all stay together.  Thus far, separating has only magnified problems.  If we move together, the sooner we get inside, and Sathras under cover."

"I don't plan on being too far ahead, but I can see unhindered in the darkness," she replies very quietly.  Her distant expression focused on the darkness beyond.

Sathras nods to all of this, slowly, and begins plodding across the sands towards the towers.

Murron stays near Sathras, to assist in keeping his friend heading towards the towers. Since the tower is much closer he switches to his shortsword and shield, especially being in close proximity to the main mass of the group; "Just follow me friend, hopefully my luck will not sour the group and we all are before a blazing fire soon."

T'Vala loosens his sword in its sheath but keeps his hurlant at the ready. He falls in slightly behind Dii and to the outside so he can have a clear shot if need be. He hopes to himself that the aht-ra will be OK until the group figures out what is going on.

Burikan brings up the rear. He can move much quicker but feels best letting those more stealthy lead the way.

The group moves towards the intact tower, the aht-ra watching them with every step they take. Shadow and once within 50 feet Aaban and Califax see a tall set of double doors mostly intact and partially open in the tower. Shadow can also see that the other tower is pretty well collapsed. Much more visible once closer it is quite obvious that the scraps and pieces in the sands scattered around the front of the tower are fragments of bone, flesh, and limbs that appear to have been dried by the desert heat. There is an obvious carrion stench now being carried by the swirling winds and the feeling of wrongness and evil is almost overwhelming.

Despite some of the members the group is surprisingly quiet, the sands and the wind helping to muffle any noises. However once the group gets to around 50 feet they hear a maniacal giggle emanate from behind the doors and a voice speaks out that oozes malevolence and barely contained madness; "I smell you, I smell you all. Such an assembly of delicacies come calling. A bright priest and a nature witch, not something often seen together but I have tasted both in my travels. I don't know nor do I care what you seek, but this is my place now and I hunger. So please, come forward and embrace your fates."

The eerie voice finishes with a horrific laugh that seems more like a scream. A moment later the doors are flung open and several forms shamble out. Most of them are rotted and withered but one was obviously a Rajan. That one's flesh is studded in places with flecks of the purple glowing fragments and a pair of larger fragments flicker where his eyes once were. Simultaneously from the sands around the doors hands in various levels of intactness crawl forth, moving inexorably towards the group, a purple fragment embedded in each one. Shadow, Aaban, and Califax can see just behind the shambling forms is a tall and slender being; long claws on its fingers, a forest of sharp teeth in its mouth, and eyes bright with madness. This being is festooned with scraps of flesh, ribs, and vertebrae. It begins speaking in a dark, guttural, gurgling voice that somehow still has a rhythm to it.

OOC: So there are 12 crawling hands, 3 zombies, 1 zombie studded with those flecks, and the being within the tower (Shadow and Aaban can make Int checks and anyone with Arcane Lore may also make a check to see if they have an idea of what it is). The hands are 20 feet away, the zombies 45 feet, and the being 50 feet away inside the tower.

Sathras tries to focus, thumping his tail against the sands to force his blood to move swifter in the cold. He reaches to uncoil his long, spiked war-whip; the red iron glints dully in the dim, cold light. The big lizard half hopes to keep some of the horrors away with the length of heavy, spiked iron.

NOVO:

Gaining a bit of perspective on what Sathras is trying to do, Novo conjures an idea. He begins to focus his tone while holding his arms out and speaking in a low prominent baritone toward Sathras.

OOC: "rolled 24 using 1d20+7. Novo: Arcane Lore +7."

Casting "The Corpusants of Santel Mowzfyre", total of 4 plasma streams focusing on Sathras' arms, tail and core. Going for the "ignite" effect to heat up Sathras. He will attempt to stay about 40 feet from Sathras (range is 60') and continually "heat" him for the duration of the spell (6 minutes).

"rolled 11 using 1d20-2. NO"The Corpusants of Santel Mowzfyre" -2."

"May this minor lightning inspire you, my friend."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:56, Sun 22 Apr 2012.

Suddenly, Diis collected "battle-cool" leaves her. All she can perceive is Shadow, the eerie voice from the tower, the purple specks glowing from the zombies, and now small streams of lightning behind her where the party was. She begins to wonder how these "entities" perceive her as well. She's hidden to normal eyes but unsure if these creatures detect life. In a moment of desperation where standing in one place is assured death, she decides to trust in her ability to be unseen just moments longer. She puts her bow away and draws her bastard sword. Then she starts putting one foot in front of the other, gradually picking up speed...

OOC: "Dii Ahnah rolled 16 using 1d20+3. Tactics +3."
She wants to charge attack/run through the "multi-specked zombie". What are the mods for charge again? +SPD to Dam. but at what neg?

Aaban's eyes the undead and the creature behind them, trying to determine if he may have learned of such a thing before. 

He sights down his loaded crossbow at the zombies and the creature, and raises his voice, steady in the face of the horrors.  "Omnipotent Aa, shine your holy light upon us, and defend thy servant from these blasphemies."  As he speaks, a white glow envelops him.