"I cannot sense any undead in the immediate area." Getting down from the saddle, I remove my shovel from my saddle bags and look for the best place to build an oven. "Best we not leave them here like this; whomever did has done a grave disservice to the fallen and the living world. We must do better.

Had he been able to breathe, Sand would have sighed of relief hearing the paladin say there was no undead around. Instead he lowered his spear and nodded.

Sand is relieved. Sand does not like dead not dead.

Seeing Andraste taking her shovel, he nodded more emphatically and put his shield on his back, as he picked up on the half-elf intentions.

Giltris wants to prepare oven like for dark... Sand means drow. Sand will help. Sand likes to build.

Using his gained experience in constructing funerary ovens and his magics, he found a suitable spot and starting putting his engineering skills to work. Freeing Clacker from the cart, he used the defender strength to move bigger rocks and logs, as Scamp was circling the area as a scout.

15:54, Today: Sand rolled 20 using 2d20+3, dropping the lowest dice only.  Scamp perception (advantage). –

"I don't know what this oven is, but if we need to dig, this I can help with." Infused did not possess a shovel - for that matter, he possessed very little at all - but he did have a magical sword with a decently-wide blade. Following the direction of Giltris, Infused helped with the digging.

Gar nodded and watched as the two warforged prepared the oven. Gar was knoledgable in many things, but on something like this he didn't have much to offer - even physically he was not strong enough to help dig a hole.

So the tortle kept watch, occasionally looking at the two work, a smile on his face.

While Giltris, Sand, and Infused dealt with the bodies, Althaea sat and cuddled up next to Alaric. She kept a watchful eye on the surroundings while the others worked, hopeful that no danger would wander into the perimeter.

---

OOC: 06:53, Today: Althaea Sylvaranth rolled 24 using 1d20+7.  Perception.

With the pit dug, greatly sped up by Sand's magic, I direct Infused to look for stones and wood while I start to begin gathering the remains. Hmm, that is odd. Signs indicate this person died sometime within the last day and yet they have decomposed much faster than expected. And this moss, it should not have covered their bones yet.

"Something strange is happening here; be on your guard."

Given our recent experience with hostile fungi some precautions may be in order. Wrapping a scarf around my mouth and nose I carefully crouch down and gently begin to remove the remains.

Note: Her hair has shifted from pale white to a dirty grey.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Tue 07 Sept 2021.

Gar, watching the warforged work, heard Andraste speak and looked at them curiously. "How is this strange, friend Andraste....other than the numbers, they appear to be normal bodies?"

The tortle, none the less narrowed his eyes as he walked over to Andraste, his curiosity peaked.

As Aisling circled overhead searching for any danger, Thorn rested a hand on Sel'zir's cephalothorax to calm the spider. While she was certain her own agitation was affecting the damhán alla, she had not earned mastery over herself at considerable cost only to allow the arachnid publicly reveal her emotions.

Even if the sources of discontent were many. Most especially, this ridiculous mission to acquire weapons for a doomed settlement instead of pursuing the woman who had invited the Drow to Vertigo and extracting everything she knew in a slow and agonizing fashion before punishing her sufficiently to discourage similar behavior in others. Thorn might have objected to the current course of action - despite the fact that her opinion was clearly unwelcome - but as the thoroughfare outside Alicia's chambers had rendered tracking impossible, she had no real alternative to offer.

And then there was this unnatural and potentially deadly forest in which her companions insisted on delaying. While she understood that burning the bodies would prevent them from arising as undead, more dangerous creatures existed, presumably in the vicinity. Such as whatever had killed these people.

Finally, Thorn had enough. If the others would say nothing - content to either participate or quietly keep watch - then it fell to her.

"No more," she said to Giltris, in a level, but unyielding, tone. "You have collected the nearby bodies. Burn them, if you must, but then we depart immediately. This is unnatural," she gestured sharply at the eyeless, moss-shrouded corpses, "And even the way the dead are spaced evokes a baited trap. If it comes to it, I would rather battle risen corpses than their creator."

With that, she covered her own nose and mouth, readied her weapons and resumed her vigil.

Perception: 11
Perception (Aisling): 16, 20
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Wed 08 Sept 2021.

If I knew what was happening I would have told you! The flash of irritation was unexpected and unjustified, and it took a couple of deep breathes to suppress it. "One of the bodies is more decomposed than it should be and the moss on it is growing too fast. I do not know the cause; all I can say is that it is strange."

Note: Reddish-orange briefly streaks her hair before it returns to grey.

"Thorn, I will move as quickly as the situation allows." I tell Thorn while continuing to gather the remains. "This is important, not only are we protecting the living from a horrible threat but we are saving these people from having their final material remains defiled by darkness. I could not do anything for these people in life but I can do this last service and give them the respect and consideration due all living creatures." Setting my burden down near the oven I turn to face Thorn, doing my best to meet her eyes. I agree, this is most likely a trap but I have faith that you will not allow us to be caught unawares. It is because of your vigilance that I can conduct this last service with the solemnity it deserves. Thank you."

Turning back to my duty I throw one last comment over my shoulder. "If it does come to pass that whatever has done this returns whilst we are here it is better that we face it rather than another, less prepared traveler. Perhaps we will be able to remove another danger to the people of these lands. You have seen the people of Vertigo and the other smaller settlements, they face dangers enough."

Gar saw the brief flash of irritation flash over her features as she calmed. The tortle had the same calm demeanor as always as he listened to the reasoning. He looked at the moss with narrowed eyes and saw the bodies in a new light. If the bodies are decomposing faster than normal, then something unnatural was causing it.

…but what?

He looked at Mathorn and her sudden outburst, features still the same. With Andraste answering he nodded. “It may be unnatural, but could you in conscious leave here knowing you could possibly do something and spare this fate of others. What if someone you knew, family, or even a child came by and was fallen. No…I could not live with turning my back without trying at least.”

He leaned on his staff. “You, as a person of nature, I would expect that something that descrates the natural flow of nature, would want at least answers?”

He looked around, looking at the bodies as he reached in his sachet. “At the very least, these bodies deserve there rest….to leave them, we would be no better than what caused this, trap or not. Besides….” The tortle narrowed his eyes, his mouth smiling in a slightly meanacing way. “….let them try. I have some surprises for whoever tries sneaking up in us”

He removed a large sash and tied it over his snout
This message was last edited by the player at 02:24, Thu 09 Sept 2021.

Thorn's expression - still hidden under her hood - didn't reflect her sudden amusement at the notion of Giltris attempting to manipulate her. Clearly the half-elf had little respect for Thorn's wisdom, which suited her fine. Let all her companions underestimate her: the annoyance was a small price to pay for such an advantage.

"We seem to be the only living near enough to be menaced by this threat. And what do the dead care? Their spirits have departed. Funerary rites serve the living, not the dead," Thorn replied to them both in the same inflectionless, level tone as always, "I have abided because undeath disrupts Nature's cycle. But if there is anything She teaches, it is that the strong and cunning survive while the weak and foolish perish. We risk becoming the latter to salve your conscience," she repeated the unfamiliar term slowly. "So I repeat: burn those already gathered if you must, but no more."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:37, Thu 09 Sept 2021.

"There is great wisdom in what you say for nature is a hard and at times even cruel mother. But as thinking creatures we can choose to rise above and aim to create a world beyond survival of the fittest. If you wish to leave before my work here is done go with my blessing, good wishes, and hopes that we will meet again at the keep. However, I have a duty here and I will complete it."

Gar listened to the two, suspecting the two were at odds more than just today. Their idealsseemed to clash in regards to certain things, something gar both knew happened in individuals and respected. But given tbe circumstances, such discussions were saved for a safer place.

....not a forest of dead.

He looked at the two and shrugged. "You are both right here....to leave them would make us no better than the cause, but we also must not waste our time here. And while our good huntress here is right that nature shows us that survival makes us strong, this suituation may not be of nature, but something worse. let us do what we can and leave. We find the cause and we can see what we can do about it."

At first, Thorn wasn't sure which made less sense: Giltris advancing a world beyond the survival of the fittest as some sort of perverse goal or Gar's repeated and bizarre equivalency between them and the potentially unnatural killer(s). But that was before he suggested they should seek out the cause of these grisly deaths.

On your own heads be it.

Thorn seriously considered departing, and not merely to the keep - she had never seen much purpose in going there - but breaking company with them altogether. Still, her reasons for not traveling alone remained and as she had seen no signs of immediate danger, the potential rewards still outweighed the risk. For now.

So she bowed her head submissively to them both, murmuring, "As you will."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 13:10, Fri 10 Sept 2021.

As the altercation between Thorn and Giltris seemed to be drawing to a close, Althaea nudges Alaric. "Let us go help Giltris collect bodies for the oven. It will go quicker with more hands helping. I will continue to keep my eyes on the surroundings so nothing gets the jump on us." Althaea stood from where she sat next to Alaric and helped the man to his feet, brushing any debris from their clothing. She moved between the bodies almost methodically, finding an additional body spaced between twenty and thirty feet apart, totaling almost twenty when the count was concluded. After seeing the bodies up close, Althaea noticed something disturbing.

Althaea returned to Giltris, visibly a little shaken. "They have no eyes."

During the altercation between the huntress and the paladin, Sand had kept his concentration on building the oven, with the help of Clacker and Infused. He was uneasy at staying in this place and understood the hurry Thorn was showing, but deeper still, he somehow agreed with Andraste. The memory of the archaic prayer he had uttered for Aleena's soul burned in his memory and raised so much questions.

But for now he was doing what he loved to do, build something, anything. So strong was his concentration that he almost missed Scamp's warning. Brutally stopping what he was doing, he locked his articulations and sent his consciousness to the familiar's senses. Coming back after a few minutes, he moved towards where the main group was still arguing, making sure Infused was following to hear.

Scamp saw floating eye coming over here, with long cord attached. Eye is that way.

He pointed to the west, then doned his shield, the oven forgotten.

Sand thinks there might be more, friends be ready.

Meanwhile, freed to use his own sense again, and feeling the unease of his master towards what he had found, Scamp decided to have a little fun and swooped down to grab the optical cord a couple of feet behind the eyeball, already deciding where he wanted to loop that thing to knot it up

Today: Sand rolled 15 using 1d20+3.  Scamp attack to grab the optical nerve.

As the party gathered the nearby bodies and began piling them in the oven, Sand had informed them of a strange sight.  A lone eyeball with its nerve strands trailing behind it off to the West.  As the group readied themselves for whatever this was, that was coming, they could never have been prepared for what did come.

A mixture of the fog and dense forest left the area with little to no sun, but it was just enough for Althaea and Thorn to see the faint shadow that grew bigger on the ground.  It took a second to realize what was happening, but when they finally did and both looked up, they saw this large mass; a collection of hundreds of eyes floating along, trailing ganglia and dripping caustic fluid that left tiny sizzles in the forest floor around them, barely heard over the cracking oven fire.  The swarm of eyes descended upon the group, dropping right on top of Gar and Thorn, but Thorn quickly moved out of the way with practiced haste.  As soon as the swarm surrounded Gar, he felt the overwhelming and painful sensation of his eyes trying to rip themselves right out of their very sockets, as if trying to join the tumbling swarm around them.




If that wasn't enough, the forest suddenly seemed to come alive as the bodies not already collected by the group, started to rise, in a most peculiar way.  Vines and roots wriggled and writhed their way through, up, and around the bones of the skeletal bodies, lifting them off the ground.  The vines became corded and taut, creating muscle like fibers in their arms, legs, and chest;  the moss covering the skeletons started to sprout mushrooms that glistened and hardened, creating protective plates sporadically over their skeletal frames. The creatures, now moving as if alive, moved with alacrity towards the PCs, quickly surrounding them.


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:47, Mon 13 Sept 2021.

Friends be careful!

What is that thing? There will be time to examine it when it's dead!

The eyeball monstrosity having landed near him and Clacker, Sand quickly stabbed twice with his spear, as Clacker attacked with his giant mandibles.

Scamp had captured the eye stalk and using his maximum speed, weaved through the trees in a random pattern to create knots!

Scamp movement and dash 120 feet to attach the eye ball to trees.

Sand 2 attacks 15 to hit for 10 magical damage, 25 to hit for 10 magical damage
Sand Bonus action : Clacker attack, 10 to hit for 10 damage
No move action.

As Althaea looked up, Gar noticed and looked up as the mass of eyes descended on himself and Thorn. Gar's head was practically enveloped in the mass of eyes. At first he was confused by the watery darkness he saw.

Then he felt the pain.

His eyes, his own eyes seemed to take a life of their own, pulling on his skull, like gravity itself was pulling him via his eyes.

The wizard let out a painful scream as he felt the pressure building, his vision darkening and his limbs freezing from the sheer pain.

The Tortle, from the outside, looked like her was swaying, his scream echoing the forest.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:57, Sat 11 Sept 2021.

Infused's head jerked toward Gar at the sound of his scream, the hold on his emotions slipping. A bundle of eyes, a number of plant zombies, and the humanoids around him grasping at their faces. He had no idea what was happening to them, nor why, but he did know between zombies and a swarm of eyeballs, the eyes were more likely to be responsible than the zombies.

Things were happening around him, quickly. Too quickly for him to respond as fast as he wished, time seeming to almost slow as he fought to intervene.

Althaea saw the creature descend on her companions, and she quickly rose to action. She did not want to venture too close to the creature, lest her eyes also try to dislodge themselves, but hearing Gar scream, she had to do something. Muttering a curse under her breath, Althaea made a few sigils with her hands before releasing her spell. She immediately followed the first spell with another, sending two beams of crackling energy at the creature made of eyes.

Turning to Giltris, knowing she was likely about to get in melee with the creature, "When you are up there, be careful."

---

OOC: Hex: Str checks made by the creature have disadvantage
02:01, Today: Althaea Sylvaranth rolled 17 using 1d20+8.  Eldritch Blast.
02:03, Today: Althaea Sylvaranth rolled 12 using 1d20+8.  Eldritch Blast. (Beam 2)
02:04, Today: Althaea Sylvaranth rolled 13 force,5 necrotic using d10+4,d6.  Eldritch Blast damage. 18 total if damage types don't matter.
02:06, Today: Althaea Sylvaranth rolled 7 force,5 necrotic using d10+4,d6.  Eldritch Blast damage. (Beam 2, if it hits) 12 total if damage types don't matter.
30 damage if both beams hit.

Surprise Round Summary:

As the creature descended upon her and Gar, Thorn reacted quickly, her chakrams flowing from her hand with unnatural speed.  However, the creature's appearance was most disturbing, more so because it was inches from her not noticing the creature in time, and error she took personally.  Because of this, her first chakram not only went wide, but low, completely missing the floating creature and landing amongst the mossy roots behind it.  The second chakram found its mark, severing the strands, the eyes falling to the forest floor.

The hundreds of eyes wriggled and wormed themselves around Gar, enveloping the wizard who completely disappeared inside the swarm itself, the screaming pain from Gar the only reason others knew he was still alive.

It was then that the blasts of energy came flying towards the creature.  The first slammed into it leaving a couple of the eyeballs dangling by their ganglia, unmoving.  However, when the second blast came at the creature, the eyes literally parted to make a hole for the blast to pass through, leaving the creature completely unharmed.  The speed at which the creature did this, adapting within seconds, was quite frightening.

The creature was steadfast though, remaining where it was, continuing to harvest the eyes of its victim within.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:19, Mon 13 Sept 2021.

Gar yelled as he was within the sea of eyes, feeling their moistness against his skin, it barely registered in comparison to the pain he felt. His vision swam as he saw flashes of light, shades of red and grey. The tortle, paralysed in pain and fear tried I vain to swat them away, grab his eyes to stop the pain, but the pain itself was so excruciating that he was near frozen in the spot.

Then, he felt a tear in the base of his skull….and he saw nothing - only darkness.

A sloshing sound assaulted his ears, and strangely the pain eased, but he still couldn’t see within the sphere of eyeballs.

Perhaps my friends have distracted it. He thought to himself as he stood there. Then he registered a new moistness on his face, running down his cheeks. He reached for it almost like it was in slow motion, and felt it…..liquid, but warm.

He couldn’t see, but his claw came to his nose. The metallic smell was distinct.

….blood.

---

OOC: charisma save - 5
Constitution save - 4


Oh crap!

Thorn didn't see the deadly and utterly silent threat descending on her from above, but a mere breath before its attack her finely-attuned sense of paranoia detected its hostility.

"Heads up!" she alerted her companions, eyes darting quickly up to the threat - apparently some sort of ersatz beholder - before sweeping around to the circle of risen corpses. In the direction that Giltris had been gathering bodies, there seemed to be a single gap remaining. Her best option - provided it wasn't a trap. But first . . .

Just as Thorn was wondering if Sel'zir could do what she had in mind, the damhán alla - in a behavior which would have been disconcerting at virtually any other time - acted in accordance with her thoughts. The web she spun toward fell short of the floating abomination, but they could waste no more time. Together they sprinted away toward the opening.

Normally in the face of such overwhelming force, Thorn would use the shadows of the forest to hide, but that would be an exercise in futility against a creature literally composed of eyes. Best to put them out as quickly as possible then.

As Aisling raked his talons at their foe to distract it, Thorn murmured the word prey under her breath in Elven and loosed her chakrams. While one weapon blinded any number of eyes, the other flew wide, falling harmlessly to the ground. Unacceptable. Still, as she threw her remaining chakram again, she was pleased to see Aisling - finished harrying their opponent - swoop over to collect her lost weapon before flying back and dropping it into her waiting hand.

Surprise Round:
Sel'zir Web Attack: 14
Web Recharge: 3 (failed)
Thorn (and companions) move 15 ft northwest.
Aisling helps.
Thorn enables Favored Foe and attacks with advantage.
Primary Weapon Main Attack: 10, 10
Damage: N/A
Off-Hand Weapon Main Attack: 17
Damage: 18
Primary Weapon Extra Attack: N/A (chakram missing)
Off-Hand Weapon Extra Attack: 15
Damage: 10
This message was last edited by the player at 04:09, Mon 13 Sept 2021.

Upon seeing Gar blinded, Thorn had to pull upon her deepest reserves of discipline to avoid retreating to the farthest reach of her weapons. The notion that she could have become so vulnerable had she reacted a heartbeat slower was horrifying, but destroying this abomination as quickly as possible was the surest way to protect herself and to do that, she had to remain within range.

Glancing behind her and seeing no attackers lying in wait, Thorn backed farther from the deadly creature and, with Aisling’s assistance, spun her chakrams toward their foe.

Web Recharge: 1 (failed)
Sel'zir readies an action: bite opponent coming within melee range of Thorn/herself
Thorn (and companions) move northwest to 30 ft from the beholder.
Aisling helps.
Thorn attacks with advantage.
Primary Weapon Main Attack: 16, 15
Damage: 13
Off-Hand Weapon Main Attack: 15
Damage: 11
Primary Weapon Extra Attack: 12
Damage: N/A
Off-Hand Weapon Extra Attack: 24
Damage: 9
This message was last edited by the player at 04:19, Mon 13 Sept 2021.