Tests and Trials Game Thread

Cladmir remembered the pain, the cold, the darkness, and swinging at the monster -- and the spike of fear before everything faded to black.  Then he was back -- somehow.  Slowly he pulled himself up.  He still felt the pain all over but he also felt the familiar warmth of the energy from the paladin.

Kroshav!  The smoke monster!  The stranger!  Everything came back to focus and Cladmir sat up looked around despite the pain.  First he saw Ernos, then heard Mikram, and finally he spotted the mighty paladin himself.  Holy. Victorious. Glorious. Majestic.  A paragon of virtue and all that is good the Dragonborn shone like a beacon of light amidst the darkness and has indeed prevailed against terrible odds.  Truly he can do no wrong!

(Seen through something other than the filter of Cladmir's hero worship...)

Kroshav is kneeling, numb and tired in the snow, hauling himself to his feet, head bowed as he looks around, not meeting the eyes if Ernos and Clad as he looks back over to where Jaq has not yet stirred. Fearing the worst, he trudges to his friend, calling out softly and hesitantly, voice breaking.

"Ja-Jaq?"

Slowly turning his head in the snow, Jaq just groans quietly.

After a bit he opens his eyes.

"The undead?  They are gone?"

"Yeah... for now. Gethren said he'll be back for Lurn.", Kroshav sobs with relief.

Slowly he gets up to his knees and looks around.  First off he grabs his bow.  Then he looks around the battlefield.  "Is everyone all right? There were so many ghosts..."

Rolling to his knees, Ernos forces himself up to his feet with another cough, "You fight their leader often?"

Mikram props himself up and leans on a halved golem, his initially animation gone.

A half dozen golems tentatively ascend the stairs and begin spreading out to survey the area, one stopping at each of you with the one nearest Kroshav stopping further back than the others. The Librarian asks through them,

"Are you well? Do you require healing? The undead appear to have been destroyed."

“Yes to the healing please.   Apparently I’m not correctly equipped for fighting ghosts.”   He gets to his feet and takes a quick inventory of all of his belongings.  “What happened with Gethren.”

Cladmir. although clearly hurt, doesn't say anything.  Instead he kept staring at Kroshav in awe.  

"He... turned to dust and left. Said he'd be back."

Kroshav remains kneeling in the snow, wishing the numbing cold could cover his confusion and hurt.

“Soooo…. Gethrin doesn’t know yet what happened with Lurn? “

After a bit of a pause he has a second question “Did he say or have we figured out what he wants with our grave cleric?”

 “And Kroshav, look a bit less irritated, You all got him to retreat, that’s a win in my book.”

"No. Figured that wasn't any of his business...."

"Wasn't trying to have a chat with him... he said... ummm... he asked where Lurn was, and I attacked him, and he said he'd ask my corpse, and I attacked him, and he said he just needed Lurn, and I said he couldn't have him, and he said he'd catch up with Lurn later."

"He retreated for now..."

Kroshav has a worrying thought and moves over to where Gethren was last standing, and swings his arms through the space above his footprints, just in case he turned invisible or something. 

The Librarian moves around and wraps her tail around everyone, one at a time, and heals them. Everyone but Kroshav, whom she listens to and watches closely.

Joe has come up and checks on everyone, but also keeps a healthy distance back from Kroshav. She asks somewhat quietly,

"Ar yar felen alright? Yar be stabbin the Liebrarien..."

Kroshav's hand passes through air and snow.

"Think Gethren or one of his ghosties did something to me when he left, I feel alright now though. Sorry if I scared you.", he gives Joe an uncertain, awkward smile. "Guess I ought to go talk to her."

Kroshav will approach the Librarian, slinging his shield on his back and raising empty hands if she seems cautious of his approach.

"Sorry 'bout all that, I've still a bit of healing left, if you'd accept the gesture. Not quite sure what came over me, remember being real mad that Gethren got away, but best I can figure he magicked me or something when he took off... He said he wanted to ask me where Lurn was once he was dead, maybe he was trying to get me killed by you so he could... Err... you did a pretty good job of trying. My scales or armor didn't chip any of your teeth, did they?" 

Ernos gladly accepts the healing, though his cough doesn't improve any afterward.  He takes some time to listen to what everyone is talking about, then clears his throat, "If he'll be back, I'm staying, if you'll have me.  Efreeti's prideful, wouldn't take well to losing easily as I did and not fighting back."  Taking a deep, rattling breath, he continues, "Not surprising he wants the cleric.  Gravetender, you said?  Would make sense to oppose a necromancer.  Like Efreet and Marids."

The Librarian looks more closely at Enros and his cough, lowering her head to his chest as he is talking.

Medicine: 4

She lifts her head up and looks a bit regretful,

"You have suffered greater damage than is easily repaired, and it is unfortunately beyond my ability to help correct whatever it was that has been done."

After she has made her assessment she turns to watch as Kroshav approaches, no signs of fear on her face but Kroshav does notice several golems shift. She listens to Kroshav without reaction and says,

"I was not attempting to kill you, merely to subdue. Any damage I did, I could have undone though you were significantly more... robust than expected. Your actions were not your own and I am aware of spells that could have influenced you to act the way you did. No apology is needed, you are not a real threat to my continued life and my fangs are in good condition."

Her lips pull back to reveal a pair of pearly white, hand length fangs in pristine condition.

"I suggest we return below."

She follows her own advice and a golem scoops up Mikram who pats Kroshav on the back as he goes by,

"Good work there! Ye wouldn't have managed without meh, but still."

He jokingly adds, in surprisingly high spirits after having almost died.

Ernos nods to the librarian's assessment, "I'll find a fix eventually.  Won't stop me."  He follows inside the main structure, welcoming some real shelter.

Cladmir gladly received the healing but was alarmed by exchange between the librarian and Kroshav.  He wasn't trying to pry but... from what he overheard it sounded like they came to blow?  All because of the Gethren character and its dark, insidious magic?  That dastard fiend! 

(( Cladmir doesn't really say anything but going forward he plans to stay within a quick run to Kroshav unless explicit told by the paladin otherwise. ))

Kroshav rubs at a wound on the base of his neck that looks rather similar in diameter to the Librarian's fangs and his hands glow slightly.

"Still, I'm sorry I wasn't able to fight off his magic, but glad you were able to snap me out of it."

He'll look around at the battlefield. "I'll be down in a bit, just gonna take care of the trash."

He'll start dragging the ghoul and ghast remains to one the nearby bonfires that he'd built in case of yeti attack, and make a pyre before exhaling flame on it to ignite it. Once he's sure it's caught, he'll retrieve Sword and head below. If Clad sticks around to assist, he'll welcome the help as long as it's silent help.

((If the ghouls or ghasts have clothing, he'll check the pockets real quick too.))