"Spread out!" Inas shouts, hoping that doing so will help the party determine who the pre-determined target is (as if it matters).  At the same time, he fires a salvo of three enchanted arrows at the creature.



11:28, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 9,7 using d20+3,d6+4.  Attack 1A.

11:28, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 21,10 using d20+3,d6+4.  Attack 1B.

11:28, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 22,8 using d20+3,d6+4.  Attack 1C.

Mari tries to speak to it in Giantish as she rushes away from the others and readies her spear.

Despite Inas' command, Rath stood firm near Saliq, interposing himself between the wizard and the creature. Rath wasn't sure yet who this thing was after, if it was after any of them. He grabbed Devilsbane, his trident, comfortable with it in his grip, and leveled it toward the giant brute.

Despite Inas' testimony that the creature was moving quickly and rather gracefully through the forest, it moves now with slow steady determination.  The arrows bury deep into it with dull thuds but it does not react nor bleed, nor does it seem to hear Marissa's words,  but makes a steady path towards Saliq and Rath, to come to stand before them staring down.

ooc: The Vengeance Golem used it's turn to move into place, round two belongs to the PC's first. 

Marissa has no idea what a vengeance golem is, but it appears she's about to find out. Using the power of the helm, she calls forth a magical flame that wreaths her spear.

ooc: good for 8 rounds - damage bonus like flame tongue.

Rath looked up a the monster, staring into its one eye. His trident was in hand, but he wasn't stabbing the thing, at least not at this moment. He threw down a divine ward on Saliq -- a spell of sanctuary, to keep the wizard safe. Maybe.

With a smirk, Rath asked the golem: "You want something?"

The giant form of the golem stands steady a moment, then swings its massive and long arms out, one clubbing Rath on the head, one swooping past the warrior and slapping Saliq.  It is like being hit by the side of a mountain.  There is something so impersonal about the attacks, so cold and distant, it creates some feeling that rises in your mind.  This thing will kill you all, and there is nothing you can do to harm it.





Vengeance Golem   AC: 5   HP's:  -25/x

Rath takes 23 damage, Saliq takes 15

PC       AC    HP   AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes

Inas     2   89/89   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Rath     2   67/44   2   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Saliq    7   30/15   3   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8
Marissa  2   71/71   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4


PC's are up

Mari circles around and attacks from the rear...quite literally. She tries to plunge the blade of the spear into the beasty's backside.

17:01, Today: Marissa Ehridol rolled 24 using 1d20+4 ((20)).

17:05, Today: Marissa Ehridol rolled 14 damage.

Nice! Shoved her spear right up the the bastard's bum.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:10, Thu 05 Dec 2019.

Nat 20's are max damage, the flametongue effect makes the item, even non-magical to have the same abilities as the sword of that name, and does an additional 1d6 in fire damage.

While his first salvo had no effect, Inas assumes it is due to the nature's artificial status -- the magic on his arrows should be sufficient to pierce any resistance it might have to ordinary weapons.

Inas sinks two more enhanced arrows into the creature's side.



08:59, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 19,5 using d20+3,d6+4.  Round 2A.


08:59, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 10,8 using d20+3,d6+4.  Round 2B.

Saliq retreats out of range of the golem's arms.

'If it's hunting us specifically we might be able to trick it into thinking it's done it's job,' he called out to the others. 'Keep it occupied until I see a chance.'

Rath snarled. "Occupied. Right."

Shaking off the brunt of the attack, Rath hurled himself forward, a master of the trident, putting his full strength into each thrust.

2 attacks with specialization. Hits twice (barely) for total of 24 damage.

17:01, Today: Aldo Rathmus rolled 12 using 3d4+4.  damage #2.
17:01, Today: Aldo Rathmus rolled 12 using 3d4+4.  damage #1.
16:59, Today: Aldo Rathmus rolled 15 using 1d20+3.  attack #2.
16:59, Today: Aldo Rathmus rolled 9 using 1d20+3.  attack #1.

Rath, Marissa, and Inas all land an assortment of brutal hits against the golem.  Only Inas, who is firing arrows, doesn't end up spending half the round tugging furiously to pull the weapons out of the monsters claylike body.  Luckily both Marissa and Rath are strong enough they manage this time to retrieve their weapons.  For its part, the creature again does not react at all, seeming not to notice any pain and showing very little actual damage from the blows.  There are some nicks on it, but the clay seems to seal up almost as soon as the weapons do their damage.

Again, almost casually, the creature thumps Rath twice more with its huge fists, rocking the solid warrior nearly to his knees.





Vengeance Golem   AC: 5   HP's:  -76/x

Rath takes 33 damage

PC       AC    HP   AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes

Inas     2   89/89   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Rath     2   67/11   2   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Saliq    7   30/15   3   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8
Marissa  2   71/71   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4


PC's are up

Marissa rushes to Rath's aid: Cure Serious Wounds: 12 HP of healing.

Once done, she retreats quickly.

When Marissa casts her divine spell, her hands glow and the healing magic that flows through her, crackles and spreads across Rath, but does not sink in, it fizzles upon his flesh and slowly fades away.

Upon seeing Marissa's attempt fail, Inas tries a most counter-intuitive action.

He retrieves some normal arrows -- arrows that he had not yet enhanced with the feather -- and lets a trio fly.

At first, it seems that the experiment will fail, as Inas is unable to hit the target.  But finally, his last arrow finds its way into the beast's neck.





08:45, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 5,4 using d20+1,d6+2.  Round 3A.


08:45, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 5,7 using d20+1,d6+2.  Round 3B.

08:45, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 9,6 using d20+1,d6+2.  Round 3C.

As the party seems to freeze up, unsure what to do against this force of nature, Inas tries a different tactic with his arrows, but with similar results.  Marissa attempt to heal Rath but to no avail.  And just as Rath and Saliq seem about to act, the creature moves with unusual speed, hitting first Rath and then taking a mighty step forward to hit Saliq.  Both men collapse under the weight of the assault.

It appears the creature might just kill everyone but as Saliq falls, the glass eye in the golems forehead flickers to life, and a white beam of light like from a bright lantern surveys the body before going dark again.

Immediately, the creature turns and walks back into the woods, heading back the way it came.




Vengeance Golem   AC: 5   HP's:  -82/x

Rath takes 16 damage, Saliq takes 21 damage

PC       AC    HP   AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes

Inas     2   89/89   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Rath     2   67/-5   2   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Saliq    7   30/-6   3   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8
Marissa  2   71/71   3   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4


PC's are up

Inas groans as he commands his owl to scout -- just in case whoever controlled the golem is now on his way, believing that Saliq is incapacitated (or worse).

At the same time he rushes to Saliq's and Rath's side to check on their health . . .

Inas finds both men unconscious and bleeding to death.  Between he and Marissa though they manage to bind the wounds to stop further damage but find that they cannot heal them.

His owl scout follows the creature but it is heading south at a fast clip and does not seem likely to stop any time soon.

"Makes no sense," Mari said as she bound her companions' wounds. "A warning, do you think?






'

"Why just them, I wonder?"

He looks about.

"Where are we?  Or more importantly: what are we near that might be able to render aid?"

With the threat seemingly gone, Inas and Marissa take stock.  Luckily, they still have the stout ponies, so with some effort they should be able to move Rath and Saliq safely with them.   Peryn's Crag was their destination and judging by where they stand now, it is probably as close to them as the dwarves are that they left behind.

"Let's keep going," Inas decides.

He directs his owl to serve as a literal "eyes in the sky," monitoring to make sure nothing else approaches from behind.

Rath moaned. Or maybe that was the pony.

Inas and Marissa work together to load Saliq and Rath onto their ponies, as comfortably as they can although each moan from time to time.  Each riding one pony and leading another, the two move off in the direction of Peryn's Crag.   Knowing little of the place, they wonder why the Seneschal of Stormhaven and the Doorwarden of the Mages Guild would go there in the first place.

The evening shadows lengthen and the well worn path becomes rougher than what the dwarves maintained, however, the ponies are sure-footed and seem to know the way.  Rath and Saliq continue to moan when they are jostled along the ride, proof enough they still live but hard to listen to.

As evening shifts to night, a sky full of stars and a near full moon light the way, but it remains cold and the forest ever encroaches, sometimes engulfing the path.  In what must be near midnight, Inas and Marissa sees pinpricks of light, seeming floating in the air like a line.  As they round another bend and come out from some of the tree cover, Peryn's Crag looms before them, a small city lit up against the night sky.  Despite the hour, figures can be seen moving about the main street, it appears very active for the nighttime.


OOC: I am going to open a new thread for Peryn's Crag, so please hold off posting until I open that one up. Thx.