Moving spheres

[Anastasia]

You dimly recall hearing of them in a report once - a mercenary band who mostly works the neutral and evil planes. They aren't hidden, just obscure and small fish, relatively.

The minotaur takes a shaking breath and then slams his hand back, right into the wall. Cracks form, sandstone giving to his blow. "I won't work for him. Not like that, not if he's willing to do that. Kuj dies and....either I walk away or I go down trying to kill that bastard."

"Good luck," The bald man spits out more blood, "We take care of Kuj and you do what you need to do, just keep me out of it."

"Yeah. Yeah." The minotaur bows his head, "Better to die with your enemy's blood on your hands than let a mind thief live."

Grimacing and wiping his mouth clean with his arm, "Yeah, personal for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah." It's all the minotaur says, "Kuj should be asleep. Tinnal'll go along with it afterwards. Let's go end this."

[Ebiris]

This is all so complicated!

And also murderous. From what they're saying it sounds like they have legitimate reason to want Kuj dead, so should she get involved? For now anyway she just stealthily observes. Despite him being evil she can't help but root for the minotaur's conviction. Maybe he can be reformed? Honey Belle could use a big beefy bodyguard!

Beefy, haha! She needs to tell Antenora that one when she gets home.

[Anastasia]

Marie can picture Antenora's arms-crossed look, disapproval on her face.

As she reflects on her home life, Marie follows. The cavern opens up into larger cavern - a winding dead end. Four tents are set up here, a spring in the back, water bubbling up. A single male elf sits at a fire between the tents, yawning. He's wearing sturdy traveling clothes with no visible armor, idly rolling a pair of dice.

"Stay here," The minotaur says as he and the bald one stride right back, going for a brown tent, the last one in the back.

"What-" The elf asks, voice musical, beautiful. He hops to his feet, but the bald one stays back, firmly pushes him back down.

In a whisper, "Taking care of what we all know needs to be done. Bastard's an unstable liability."

Meanwhile, the minotaur goes right into the tent, not hesitating for a moment.

[Ebiris]

Marie checks over everyone here for magic and moral lack of fibre as she elects to stay close to the minotaur, going into the tent with him.

[Anastasia]

The elf is not evil, but has magic on him - a ring of protection and and a cloak that lets him slip through walls.

Kuj's tend radiates various evils, small and large. It's a cluster of vile within.

[Ebiris]

Unpleasant. That helps Marie decide that she's going to do nothing here and let what happens happen.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+18
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 36 > [d20=18]
> roll 1d20+13
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 19 > [d20=6]
> roll 1d20+18 crit
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 34 > [d20=16]
> roll 9d10+75
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 130 > [d10=4,9,3,7,3,8,4,10,7]
> roll 1d20+15
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 19 > [d20=4]
> roll 1d4+8
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 9 > [d4=1]
> roll 1d20+10
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 15 > [d20=5]
> roll 3d10
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 17 > [d10=6,1,10]

There's sounds of violence, slamming, breaking glass and finally a strangled cry and a loud THUMP within. Tinnal and the bald man watch for perhaps 20 seconds before the bald man bites off a curse and goes over, "Shit. I think it was a double kill. Kuj got his head smashed in, but Bre's down." He goes in and calls out, "He's still breathing, barely! Go in my backpack, the silver vial with the red stopper!"

Tinnal says not a word, going to one of the tends with surprising speed.

[Ebiris]

Marie went inside with the minotaur!

She may have intervened depending on how it played out. Since he's not dead I guess it's fine though.

Tiny invisible orb Marie flies over, sneakily healing the now named Bre because she's nice.

[21:56] <@Ebiris> roll 3d8+15 cure serious wounds SLA
[21:56] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 35 > [d8=5,8,7]

[Anastasia]

Whoops, 100% my mistake. You'd have been it happen - one big punch that smashed Kuj's head in, and at the same time the minotaur got stabbed in the gut.

The tent itself is full of strange things - body parts, vials and bottles, a handful of books and scrolls. Almost all of it reeks with evil as you notice it. A shadow is reaching out from one of the books towards the two, as you heal the minotaur's wounds. His body is ice cold when you touch it, no heat at all, save for faintly dissipating body warmth, fleeing by the moment.

[Ebiris]

Well if that minor healing didn't help he probably got poisoned really badly...

Also don't think I don't see you there, shadow!

Is it a shadow as in the undead monster or an actual normal shadow? And if so is it magic?

[22:10] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+49 spellcraft
[22:10] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 54 > [d20=5]

If relevant.

[Anastasia]

It's a magic projection. It's going to try and steal the souls of any it touches, so long as they're dead or close to dead.

[Ebiris]

No she's not having that!

Stealing them for an evil deity or trapping them in the book?

They might not feel it, but Marie's protective aura springs into place in response to such a vile threat!

Free action to do so, +4 resistance saves/deflection AC and protection from charms/compulsions/3rd level or lower spells.

And while she could heal Bre more to keep him safe, she doesn't want Kuj to have his soul stolen either - it's just unacceptable regardless of who you are. So she acts against the shadow directly, dispelling it!

[22:25] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+20 greater dispel magic
[22:25] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d20=4]

[Anastasia]

The shadow recoils back, an unearthly howl coming from the book. Tinnal lets out a startled cry as he runs back, the bald man looking at the book - which is rising up into the air, a face forming on the front cover, a man's face, save for no eyes. A deeply lined face, frowning and in pain.

"Shiiiiiit!" The bald man cries, leaping back, "His fucking books are possessed or alive.

Init.

Into the book, by the way, you think.

[Ebiris]

[22:34] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+11 init]
[22:34] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 25 > [d20=14]

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+3 bald man
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 7 > [d20=4]
> roll 1d20+9 Tinnal
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 15 > [d20=6]
> roll 1d20+3 book
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 18 > [d20=15]

Init is Marie (25) > Book (18) > Tinnal (15) > Bald Man (7)

Go, oh courre of terror.