Realising Aarnr's plan, Colwyn swiftly unslings his bow and nocks an arrow, which he looses towards the creature in the tree, aiming carefully to avoid hitting the barbarian priest.

Arkan, meanwhile, carefully withdraws the javelin from his flesh, and discovers that it is coated with a curious black tarry substance.

The creature in the tree shrieks and starts pounding at the wood.  Then it grows larger, and the scorched tree starts to split apart.  A fissur starts at the creature, and arrows down towards the climbing Aarnr, generating a cloud of soot and splinters as it extends...

There is a burst of Heavenly music, and Eileen is suddenly surrounded by a host* of glowing golden badgers, which start tearing at the earth and roots at the base of the tree.


*Okay... three.  A very small host.

OOC: Initiative rolls please.  :)

Taking her rope from her pack, Velanya strides towards the tree, "Prepare to meet your doom, vile abductor of children!"  As she gets close, she knots the rope into a lasso, then tosses the loop around the neck of the struggling creature, pulling it tight.

"Now you will not escape!  This I swear, in Thyr's name!"

Initiative=20.  Lasso creature=16.

Heartened by his companions efforts and Eilieen's worthy attempt at a curse (though perhaps afterwards he may be somewhat disapponted to learn that her imprecation in fact made no mention of an 'insolent tart' at all), Aarnr is  rather surprised by the sudden transformation of both the dragoom and its tree !

Not to be outdone, the priest loudly demands a favour from Bowbe as he hangs on with all his strength, ready to resume his climb on whatever half of the tree he has left that he might strangle the knotty-pated, hell-hated toady with his bare hands !

"Bowbe, thou errant, earth-vexing varlot, froggin give me strength, thou surly, common-kissing vassal !"

With her minor host of badgers clawing at the roots, Eilieen is free to hurry and assist Arkan.  Which she does.  "Arkan!"  Rushing to the half-elf's side, she takes one look at the javelin and drags out her healing kit.  "No, nononono, not again," the priestess murmurs, fighting to clean the wound and apply the proper ointments.

"Hold on, Arkan; we can get through this."  All the while she's cursing her weakness; only a little more strong, and her prayers might be able to cleanse a wound of toxins.  But not yet, not yet.

OOC - Eilieen will use her Healing skill to allow Arkan another saving throw.  That's how it works, right?  Initaitive 17 or so.

The creature continues to struggle, wedged in the tree, with Velanya hauling on a rope  that's looped around its neck.  It's struggles seem to be quite ineffective, and it pauses long enough to give a call that sounds like a combination of a hiss, a whistle, and an odd warbling noise.

The badgers dig in, literally, tearing at earth and roots alike, with considerable efficiency.  Eilieen, meanwhile, moves to aid Arkan.  Realising instantly that the black substance on the javelin is some form of poison, she tears Arkan's trouser leg, pours some water on the wound, and begins to clean it out. 

Erista smiles gleefully as her victim finds itself stuck in place, and the smile widens even as the split in the tree trunk does the same.

Pausing just long enough to shout some abuse at his god, Aarnr resumes his climb, straining muscles threatening to rip his tunic.  In a trice, he is level with the child stealing creature...  Which is, as it happens, the perfect location to witness an arrow sink into its shoulder.

The think repeats its strange cry.  But this time it is answered by a chorus of similar calls from below the earth...

Arkan can do nothing but lay on the ground while Eilieen treats his wound.  Though he does comment that his leg feels as though it is burning.

OOC: Tree-mendous.

Combatant         Init
Velanya            20
Erista             12
Aarnr Foultongue   11
Colwyn Akbar       11
Arkan              10
Reptile creature    5


Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Arkan :           Hurt
Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Velanya:          Good

Much pleased by the efforts of his companions with rope and bow, Aarnr favours the creature with a vile grin that promises much in the way of imminent violence, pausing only to growl something incomprehensible as the battle rage of his god settles upon him.  Drawing his fist back, the priest bellows as much for the joy of battle as to answer the challenge of those below, punching the creature as hard as he can.

Setting to work, Eilieen struggles to ignore the many distractions surrounding her.  There is little else she can do; this sort of treatment takes time, and Arkan must be assisted immediately.  If not, he will suffer the same fate as Fergus.

Heal Roll: 33 for the next one.

Erista jumps back a little when the tree starts to explode, but Aarnr seems to have things pretty well in hand.  She sidles around a bit to the side, watching events unfold, and whispering to herself in arcane symbols.  She doesn't seem to be doing anything by way of attacking the creature in the tree, though.  In fact, after a few moments, she doesn't seem to be around at all.

Colwyn launches another arrow at the creature jammed in the tree.  Again he is careful not to hit Aarnr, who is now engage in mayhem, and even closer to the thing.

The rogue gives a whoop of triumph as the second shaft hits the creature.

Velanya struggles to hold the creature in place.  Then she laughs alou as she hooks one foot under a thick tree root.  This gives her a bit more stability as she starts hauling on the rope, hand over hand...

"Destroy it, quickly!" she yells at Aarnr, somewhat redundantly.

Velanya yanks on the rope, and the creature's strange cries die down to a hiss... it barely makes any more noise when another arrow bites into it's scaled flesh.

Then Aarnr arrives and punches it.  Hard.  Very hard.  The things head snaps to one side, then slumps, as it ceases its struggles and falls silent with dark blood trickling from its nostrils...

Kneeling next to Arkan, Eilieen continues to treat the man's injury, noting with some concern the slight greyish tinge to the skin around the wound.  Arkan. meanwhile, seems to be babbling.  Or maybe the gibberish that pours from his lips means something in his native tongue.  A prayer, perhaps...

Nearby, the badgers are still tearing at the ground, and making considerable progress.  One of the beasts suddenly stops digging and jumps aside as a stone tipped spear smashes up through the root entangle dirt, accompanied by a shriek of rage from below... 

OOC: Nice work.  :)

Combatant         Init
Velanya            20
Eilieen            16
Erista             12
Aarnr Foultongue   11
Colwyn Akbar       11
Arkan              10
Reptile creature    5  Not moving.


Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Arkan :           Hurt
Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Velanya:          Good

Pausing only to bellow magnificently for a short while, and to hurl the reptilian thing out of his way, Aarnr will dive into the hole in the trunk, if it now seems wider than when he first looked, that he might more quickly bring the battle to those who lurk below ... or else jump down from his perch that he might assay an entry through the tree's roots.

Aarnr's foe seems to be out for the of the battle, at least for now.  Colwyn looks about for somebody else to shoot at, but  sees no potential targets.  All he sees is a spear thrust up from the ground.

After first securing his bow, he draws his sword, ready for a closer combat.

Then he smiles.  "Badgers." he mutters, "They's bein' vicious buggers.  Maybe the badgers'll be gettin' the rest of them there lizard people."

"Hold on, Arkan," Eilieen chants under her breath as she works feverishly to cleanse the wound.  Choosing a specific dried leaf from a leather pouch, she jams it into Arkan's mouth between his cheek and his teeth, pulling her fingers back out quickly to avoid being bitten.

He's either becoming delirious, or she's about to receive one of his spells directly.

OOC - Healing check of 34.

Aarnr yanks the thing out of the tree in a shower of charred, splintered wood, and hurls it to the ground, forcing Velanya to sidestep to avoid being hid by the falling creature.  She nudges the thing with her boot, to see if there is any life still in it.  Aarnr, meanwhile climbs precariously to the crumbling top of the blasted oak. 

Eilieen continues treating Arkan's wound, and seems to be winning that particular battle.  The man seems to grow quieter, while becoming a little more alert...  "What happened?" he manages to murmur.  "My leg is on fire.  Why is my leg on fire?"

The spear disappears back into the ground and the badgers resume their task.  Moments later one of them tears open a hole and falls down into a chamber just below the earth.  There follows a vicious snarling, and angry hissing.  The other two badgers redouble their efforts to enlarge the opening.

Erista, meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen...

Colwyn edges closer, and peers into the hole.  "There's bein' a sort of cave down there." he announces, followed by a laugh, "That there badger's 'avin' another of them lizard buggers by the arm, an' ol' scaley isn't likin' it over-much."

OOC: 

Combatant         Init
Velanya            20
Eilieen            16
Erista             12
Aarnr Foultongue   11
Colwyn Akbar       11
Arkan              10
Reptile creature    5  Not moving.


Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Arkan :           Hurt
Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Velanya:          Good

Even with the battle-rage of the god clouding his senses (or perhaps because of it), Aarnr is most certain he might be able to squeeze down the narrow hollow within the heart of the tree ... yet the success of the badgers (equally he does not pause to question where in the Nine Hells they froggin' came from) suggests a more direct route.

Jumping down from the tree, the priest hauls Valkyria from its sheathe, using that much honoured blade to assists the creatures in widening the hole that he might sooner engage the foe !

The creature doesn't move, even after a solid kick, but it does seem to still be breathing, albeit not deeply.

Velanya leaves the loop of rope around the thing's neck, and starts using the loose end to bind its hands and feet.

She calls out as she works, "I'll be there to help rescue the child in but a moment!  Just want to make sure our friend here doesn't get up to mischief.""

Arkan pushes himself into a half sitting position and looks at his wounded leg.  "Well, that would explain the burning and the pain."  He smiles at Eilieen.  "It feels a little better now."

Velanya binds the creature where it lays, and then turns towards the badgers.  Aarnr is there already, of course, possibly committing some form of sacrilege by using a weapon dedicated to a goddess to tear a hole in the earth and hack at tree roots.

Eilieen helps Arkan to his feet and starts to lead him away from potential combat...

Colwyn, meanwhile, fully aware of the nearby danger, keeps the widening hole between himself and Aarnr.

One of the badgers suddenly snarls, and fastens on a scaled, claw-tipped hand that reaches up from below to clutch at the tangled roots around the edge of the hole.

OOC: 

Combatant         Init
Velanya            20
Eilieen            16
Erista             12
Aarnr Foultongue   11
Colwyn Akbar       11
Arkan              10
Reptile creature    5  Not moving.


Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Arkan :           Hurt
Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Velanya:          Good

Sacrilege be damned, Aarnr is well past desecration and on the way to inventing some original sins when his keen senses detect that one of the surprise badgers has discovered the foe.

With barely a beat, the priest switches from angrily bellowing and chopping at tree roots with his ancient blade to angrily bellowing and chopping at that scaly hand caught by the badger.

Throwing a nervous look in Aarnr's general direction, Eilieen assists Arkan to move a safe distance from the conflict, all the while monitoring his condition.  He seems to be getting through this...but likely is not out of those very dark, very toxic woods yet. "Just a little further, Arkan, and you can sit..."

*chomp*

Perking up, the priestess casts a glance back towards where Aarnr looks as if he is attacking one of her badgers.  He isn't, but the optics are not fantastic.  "Ware my goddess' servant with your sword, Aarnr," she calls out before changing her tone.  "Well done, badger; yes indeed!"

Velanya, blade in hand, moves closer to the hole in the ground.  Taking a cue from Colwyn, as well as from Aarnr's incoherent utterances, she is careful to maintain a safe distance from the priest.

Colwyn also edges closer, peering into the depths.  "Damn!" he curses, "It's bein' too dark down there.  I isn't seein' nuthin!"

Velanya and Colwyn both study the hole, blades at the ready.  Sadly the pit is too dark for them to see much...

Eilieen leads Arkan away, and finally comes to a spot that she feels would be safe  and comfortable.  He is definitely looking better, seeming stronger, more capable of supporting his own weight, and steadier on his feet.

Hacking at the scaly hand, Aarnr is rewarded with a fountain of dark blood, a scream of pain, and a loud thump as the owner of the now-severed extremity falls back into the depths... closely followed by the two remaining badgers, amid a shower of dirt, stones, and splintered wood.

The thuds as the badgers land below are soon followed by screeches and hisses of pain and anger...

The edges of the hole, meanwhile, collapse.  Light floods into the widening opening.  There is a chamber below, crudely dug out below the tree roots.  The floor of loose earth is about ten feet below ground level. 

The light is dim down there, but is enough to reveal a half dozen of the reptile  creatures using primitive clubs and spears, as well as their bare hands, to fight the badgers, which are starting to look weary.

At the edge of the lighted area, a human child can be seen, curled into a ball, with her hands over her eyes.

OOC:  Ooooh!  The plot thickens!

Combatant         Init
Velanya            20
Eilieen            16
Erista             12
Aarnr Foultongue   11
Colwyn Akbar       11
Arkan              10
Reptile creatures   5


Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Arkan :           Hurt
Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Velanya:          Good

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:47, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

Arkan looks...better.  Not perfect, but Elieen begins to feel more comfortable about him.  "Let's see what we can do," she murmurs, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Hold still for a moment, Arkan, this won't hurt a bit Zadastha let Your love flow through this deserving man!"

Power flares around her fingers, liming the air with pale light and a breath of lavender scent.

OOC - Cure light wounds!  Bleah, only 7 points.