Beloc growls under his breath. "I don't like this. Feels like we're being lured right into a trap." He kneels down to look at the drag marks.

OOC: Are there any other track besides the drag marks Krem left behind?

Seeing the rest of the group congregate near Krem's last known localtion, R.E.B.O.R.T. makes his way over. His eyes glow as he scans the area.

OOC: Aside from the obvious trail of fog, are there any signs of residual magic nearby?

Sypher blows past Beloc following the trail.  His senses scanning.  He does his best to follow the haze and the drag marks.

Shiaran arrives at Beloc and Rebort.  She sees Sypher disappear into the trees.  "Sypher, wait...errr!"  Her frustrated growl dies quickly in the damp forest.  "It's a trap."

As Sypher races after the sickly green trail, his detect evil senses don't register anything ahead or around him.

Beloc notices the drag marks of Krem's feet, but the most puzzling part of the equation is missing: additional foot prints or marks.

Rebort can detect a faint trace of magic to the teal fog, as well as the linger of undeath.

A now very faint and far off "HAAAAAAALP!" is heard by all.

"Screw it!"  Shiaran bolts off after Sypher.

At the detection of an undead trace, R..E.B.O.R.T. takes off running behind Sypher, drawing his large rifle in stride.

Beloc, still kneeling on the ground, rolls his eyes as everyone rushes past. "And here I was the one accused of getting us killed", he think so himself.

He stands up and starts following after Shiaran. "One of you swing wide right, I'll go left. If it's a trap, at least keep from clumping up."

Sypher may be too far ahead to hear, but Shiaran immediately swerves to the left into the undergrowth.

After 20 minutes of tracking the glowing trail on foot, Sypher is the first to clear the brush, followed shortly by the others a few moments later. You all pop out into a clearing at spaced intervals. The fog in the clearing isn't nearly as dense, though visibility doesn't stretch beyond around 100 yards. Row after row of blighted and dead trees can be seen. Pumpkins grow wild in random clumps here and there on the ground, though they too appear sickly and diseased. The only sound in the clearing is the beating of everyone's hearts in their ears from the chase, minus Rebort's lack there of.

Ahead, a ghostly apparition of no discernible form, shifts and swirls 50 feet directly in front of Sypher's position. Inside the apparition, hangs Krem. The drag marks from his feet end shortly before the spot where he floats within the unknown vaporous entity. His head hangs limp, while his arms are spread out, as if he's being held up by an invisible force.

A foul smelling wind picks up and blows through the orchard, kicking up dead leaves into hypnotic swirls and loud rustles. Overhead the thick fog surrounding the perimeter of the orchard persists, drowning out the sunlight and casting an eerie shadow on the scene.

From within a clump of pumpkins, the same dull, teal colored light as the apparition and trail begins to emanate from underneath the gourds and vines.

Sypher walks forward a bit and addresses the entity.  "Spirit, are you capable of communication and reason?"

Shiaran digs in a couple of pouches and mixes a bit of talc and silver dust.  "Apokalýptoun aftó pou eínai aórato."  She waves her hand in front of her face as if wiping away something in front of her that had been obscuring her sight.  Then she starts looking around the clearing.

At Sypher's inquiry, Krem's head looks up and locks eyes with him. His eye socket emit a sickly green light in the same hue as the ghostly haze around him. When his mouth opens, the words that come out have an echo, and his accent is missing. "You must make haste, Zahkrif is coming. I have peered in to this ones mind, and I know what you seek. There is damage done here, by one who knew not what he was doing at the time. But Zahkrif will try to stop you. He doesn't want the bonds broken".

Shiaran's looks from tree to tree, and then to a pumpkin patch.


As she looks over, a rustling of vines and gourds begins, as pumpkins begin to roll over to one another, seeming to fuse together in twisted shapes.

"Sypher, the pumpkins!"  Shiaran points as she begins to weave her fingers in a complex geometry.  Then she removes a bit of fur and a glass rod from her pouch and rubs the two together.  "Bida astrapis!"  A bolt of raw electrical power leaps from her fingers into the pumpkins.

Sypher nods at the Krem/Spirit and darts off toward the pumpkins.  His sword ignites as he charges, though it will be a few seconds before he arrives.

Beloc releases his shield into the air and draws his blade. He makes his way toward the pumpkins but angles out toward the right.

"What is this Zahkrif?", he asks to the odd voice come from Krem.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Fri 24 Nov 2017.

R.E.B.O.R.T. doesn't speak. His approach spreads out even wider than Beloc as he tries to keep to the edge of the tree line.

He draws his sniper rifle and quickly traces a series of runes on it.

Rebort uses rapid infusion to place Weapon Augmentation (personal) on the rifle

The lightning cast by Shiaran arcs through the air with a loud clap, and makes brief contact with someone, or something humanoid shaped. The outline of a hulking humanoid is briefly visible, wreathed in electricity. It shudders before vanishing to all but Shiaran, and it's form seems to melt into the remaining mush of charred pumpkin chunks below.

Nearby the rest of the group, other patches of pumpkins begin to glow.

Whoever, or whatever is possessing Krem speaks again, this time loudly "Zahkrif is a fiend. An evil man from years past. He and his minions hailed from the lands to the north, and now they claim these resting grounds as their haunt. They seek to stop you from opening the flow of souls. They seek to force you, like others, to join them".

Pumpkins begins to rapidly roll together now, absorbing in to one another the way water droplets do, creating grotesque and withered forms of gourd. Twisted four legged bodies begin to take shape - like those of rats - struggling against the vines attached to them and the awkwardness of their new shape.

Roll initiative
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:41, Sun 26 Nov 2017.

As the final pumpkin abomination forms from the smoldering mush that Shiaran left behind, it stands upright. It's body is huge, twisted, and charred, with multiple faces and gouts of flame bursting forth anywhere a mouth or eye socket appears. It bellows loudly, in an older accent not heard for years.

"You gave me quite a JOLT my dear, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to return the favor now"

It begins to shamble forward, surprisingly fast for its size, and starts to close the gap between itself and Shiaran [30 foot remaining between it and Shiaran at the end of its turn]. It digs a vine covered hand in the ground, erupting the soil in a path making a bee line for Shiaran, as if its being burrowed through by a pack of dire moles. [Shiaran, reflex save DC 20 to avoid. If you succeed, you avoid the attack. If you fail, opposing grapple checks will be exchanged. Please hold all other character moves/actions until this attack exchange is resolved. Shiaran also gets an attack of opportunity for the attempted grapple, prior to the dodge attempt]

Combat Turn Order

Pumpkin Kingpin [Huge size modifier]
Sypher
Beloc
Rebort
Pumpkin Hound 1
Shiaran
Pumpkin Hound 2
Pumpkin Hound 3
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:42, Sun 26 Nov 2017.

The sheer size and horrific nature of the pumpkin monster stuns Shiaran and slows her reflexes.  The grasping vines reach her before she can get out of the way and she finds herself wrestling with them.  She screams in terror.  "Sypher!"

The vines snake around Shiaran's ankles and creep up her legs, tightly constricting as they wind and weave [3 DMG]. She'll quickly find herself off balance if she isn't freed.

End Pumpkin Kingpin's turn

Sypher rushes over to where the vines are springing up out of the ground and swings at them like his hacking his way through jungle underbrush.  The blazing sword burns through the warped foliage and frees Shiaran.

"Apache, take that one down!" he shouts pointing to the pumpkin hound on the south end of the field.

Beloc lowers his shoulder and charges straight into the enormous pumpkin monster. At the last second, he leaps into the air for an overhead strike with his blade [11 DMG].


08:40, Today: Beloc S'Viscus rolled 11 using 2d4+6.  Damage vs. Pumpkin king.

Apache barks in confirmation and darts towards the pumpkin hound rising up in the southern patch. He barrels into the creature and attempts to take it down.

08:44, Today: Apache rolled 15 using 1d20+10.  Grapple check.

R.E.B.O.R.T. kneels to take a shot as Apache rushes in front of him towards his prey. He raises the rifle to eye level and draws a bead on the massive pumpkin creature.  He squeezes the trigger and a shot rings out. The bullet passes straight through the chest of the huge monster, sending bits of pumpkin flying [10 DMG]. Sadly, it doesn't do as much damage as he was expecting.


08:49, Today: R.E.B.O.R.T. rolled 10 using 2d12 ((2,8)).