"Horrors of the Red Cathexus!" Take two!

[Seraph Darkfire]

Interesting. Goblins. Not the smartest creatures but their minds were pliable, enough for him to take control. However, he did send a small mental warning towards those he supposed were his allies before flicking his tail end and heading towards the Goblins, using his natural stealth and abilities to stay hidden as best he could. Fortunately he didn't touch the ground so no sound was made as he moved.

As he got closer to them, he'd use his skills of observation once more to pick out the one that was best equipped. Better to go for the leader and nip this in the bud.

((Stealth and then Perception to get close and pick out the best equipped one that can also be possessed at this level. Considering their all Goblins, they should all be viable hosts.))

 

[Demonsoul]

The spiders were swiftly slaughtered, a sight the Abrather relished in. Diving into the water to hide from the approaching goblins Vasilissa clang to the wall closest to the direction the goblins were approaching from. A location both out of sight, and when a goblin came close to the cistern, would be vulnerable to being taken over as a host for the Abrather.

(Stealth, when goblin reaches the edge of the cistern, touch attack attempt to claim as host.)

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

The Gluttonous One in its new form was much more swift and agile. Such freedom to test its new form lasted only for a short while as it was clear that goblins were on the way. His tremorsense also started to go off, which led the Gluttonous One to see if he could burrow somewhere in the area that the goblins would be coming out of. The plan was simple. The Gluttonous One would burrow and hide, and wait for the goblins. If the timing was opportune, then he would reach up and attack and grab with its tentacles. However, if the goblins somehow avoided his trap, then he would buy time and wait for someone else to trigger their trap so that the Gluttonous One could pop out from behind the goblins and attack from behind.

(Burrow, hide and depending on what happens. Start the attack. 2 tentacle slaps +4 (1d4 plus grab) )

 

[Daimao]

At the warning that goblins were approaching, Zagthelan instantly started moving, scuttling over the pile of bones, moving to climb up the wall and hide in the darkness above the entrance to the Cistern, in preparation to entangle the goblins in his webs.

 

[SpiralErrant]

Oooh pretty. Thorn would have to feed things to his shiny new life source some more. He couldn't explain why but something about seeing it pulse and spark with new life made him feel good. Stronger even, like he did when he was fresh from the forge. For a moment he was happy to just look at the pretty light and feel content in that. Then came the vibrations that meant movement from up above- MORE FIGHTING! Thorn rushed to see what was happening but was disappointed to see all the spiders were dead. On the bright side it looked like Thorn had a lot of new friends, so that was nice!

They were all running around trying to hide for some reason... was this a game? Thorn had seen past wearers play games and never gotten to join in so of course they jumped at the chance to join in. This must have been a hiding game, well he would show them, he could swim down and hide better than anyone.

Down Thorn went into the dark and as his mind started to wander he started to look around and actually take in the pool it was stuck in.

(Swim deeper into the pool, +7 perception check to inspect the inside of the cistern)

 

[Beckoncall]

There was no denying that Veil was stealthy, and indeed he went undetected as his shadowy form swept towards what he identified as the leader of the goblins. The goblins at the front of the group -- six in total, leered at the redness they perceived just as veil closed the distance, but seemed to dismiss it as one of the many tricks of light in the underworld.

Veil reached out to grab the fragile mind of the goblin leader -- but was repelled!

The goblin leader shouted an alarm and veils form FLARED into view temporarily but quickly slipped back into near-invisibility.

In response to the alarm the gluttonous one popped out of the ground and attacked the rearguard with it's tentacles, just as Vasilissa lurched out of the pool to strike one of the ones at the front.

One of the goblin jumps the first of Gluttonous ones tentacles but the second tendril lethally strikes the goblin next to him in the neck, quickly popping his head from his body, his neck shattering like a wet leek.

The goblins quickly scream in various cadences as a drape of webs covers three of them, pasting them to the ground.

The leader of the goblins, with just enough time to draw his shortsword is grabbed by Vasilissa and pulled into a pulpy watery and bloody end.

This leaves one goblin left to act, and it runs like a jackrabbit back up the tunnel.

The three webbed goblins struggle in their silky imprisonment, but it is so far fruitless!

 

[Beckoncall]

The fleeing goblin, provoking an attack of opportunity, makes a lethal mistake turning to look back -- it locks eyes with the hovering veil -- and this time this lesser goblin lacks any will to resist. the would be escapee is quickly supplanted by the will of the nightmare....

 

[Beckoncall]

The Abrather, sensing the twitching of the helpless goblins... finally pulled it's deceptively large weight for it's size out of the side of the pool...

homing in on the noisiest goblin, it forced it's way into it's screaming mouth and overtook it's eggshell of a mind.

The remaining goblins shrieked and cried for their lives.

Thorn, examining the bottom of the cistern for hiding places and strange things... found a false eye in one of the skulls near the bottom of the cistern, one carved of flawed and cloudy emerald. Still, the Gar popped the treasure into it's mouth and pondered if it should spit it out of the pool or swallow it whole...

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

"Unfortunate" the Goblin says softly as he examines his body "Would have preferred the leader but this will do" he took stock of his body's abilities and limitations before looking towards the crying goblins and sighing "Silence!" he growled, as he locked eyes with them "Death is the least of your worries, we can do much worse" if he couldn't crush their minds as he would in his own realm, he'd have to use the more barbaric ways of this one. Intimidation and fear would do to draw them into line.

 

[Demonsoul]

The goblin dragged the goblin to the edge of the pool where it then showed the other goblins a grisly sight. The Abrather wrenched the goblins mouth open with its tentacles and lowered its claws and horn against its shell. It began pulling its self into the goblin mouth and down its throat visibly causing a bulge in the goblins neck. As it slipped deeper inside the goblin began to start wheezing due to the large body blocking its throat. After the bulge vanished from Vasilissa delving deeper into the goblins insides the goblin began breathing heavily from the chance to take a breath. The goblin's eyes glazed over as the tentacles reached into the goblin's spinal cord and took over the goblins body. Knowledge flowed into the Abrather, the language Goblinoid could be accessed from the goblin who's name was Darb. Darb was a rather large quiet goblin who enjoyed eating greatly. The now taken over Darb pulled the web off his body with the strength borrowed from the Abrather.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Seeing an opportunity to gather some equipment, the Gluttonous One's tentacles reach out to grab any items, weapons and items that the dead and captured goblins had to take inventory and divide the equipment. He also had to consider... would he switch to the form of one of these goblins? It was a tempting idea. These goblins had to have come from somewhere after all. They could all infiltrate their home and nobody would be any wiser. That said, he remembered about the crystal and the spider. He said to the possessed giant spider "If you plan to switch to a new form... would you first retrieve the crystal and also leave us with a substantial supply of spider silk?"

 

[Beckoncall]

Loot found:
6 short swords,
6 shortbows w/ ammo
6 small leather armor.

20 gold pieces in random coins.

3 bags of trash, one containing a very convincing voodoo doll of a goblin chieftain...

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

The Gluttonous One gurgled in joy as he found some loot. It donned one of the armors, a shortbow, and a short sword. It also proceeded to pocket the coins. However, when it came to the voodoo doll, the Gluttonous One paused to examine it and see if he could determine anything such as if it were magical or perhaps give him information about this specific Chieftain.

 

[Beckoncall]

The voodoo doll is obviously of a goblin and the head-dress and beads it is decorated with would indicate that this goblin of is some status. The gluttonous one was smart enough to know that whomever made the doll wished harm to come of the chieftain.... but why the doll was in the trash was a mystery...

 

[SpiralErrant]

Oooh this was pretty too! Thorn was just having the prettiest kind of day! A part of Thorn's fishy brain said it should try eating this new stone, then maybe it could enjoy the sight of it for himself but- but then he had an even better idea. He would show this fancy rock to his new friends!

Like a scaly, murderous, puppy Thorn raced for the surface and spat the emerald out onto the ground. It was very surprised to see that even more fighting had gone on while he was away, and that everyone was something else now. But once it looked properly Thorn got even more excited... these new bodies had HANDS! Thorn was all about having hands! Finally, he could swing swords and clubs for himself. If biting things to death was fun he could only think that stabbing them would be even better.

"Friends! I bring treasure, hurrah! Now I can have a new body, yes? I want hands and swords ooohhh so many swords, such fun!" The band's mind voice cheered. Of course coming out of the mouth of a gar this sounded something like "RAAARRGGHHHAAKKGGLGLGL!"

At which point Thorn started ramming his Gar stromach into the shore in and trying to force itself to vomit his true form up onto the ground so he could find a goblin to be worn by.

(Jettison the gar! Via bulimia I assume...)

 

[Demonsoul]

The Abrather was confused by the tiny goblin, it wasn't edible, and it wasn't a weapon. So what was the purpose of the tiny goblin. Vasilissa was much more interested in the swords, they were clearly weapons, like long claws. The Abrather swung a sword a few times. Then the big fish began ramming itself against the shore. the green gem was shiny for certain, but what purpose would a shiny rock have. Maybe the other horrors might know, after all Abrathers were rather primal hunters in the void. All they knew was darkness not shininess, shininess is not prey. One thing was certain in Vasilissa's mind, there was prey, swords are sharp, and she wanted a bigger sword for Darb's body to use.

 

[Beckoncall]

Thorn willed the Gar to vomit up the emerald eye and then himself immediately to follow. It was difficult for thorn to move on his own, but with the goblins helpless it was relatively easy to roll over to one of the struggling goblins and slide down onto it's web-laden finger. Now it had a goblin body -- but it too was trapped in the web!

 

[SpiralErrant]

And then Thorn was the goblin!

The metal reformed and the spikes that had given the band purchase on the inside of the giant fish throat shot out again, nailing The Band of Thorns onto its latest unfortunate wearer. Thorn's will washed over the fragile goblin mind like fire. It was a maddening experience. The gar was just as mindless and animal as Thorn was on its own but this gobln, however dense, was a thinker. It could ponder on the past and the near future. It could scheme in its own petty way... this burst of intelligence was staggering for the focused and primal nature of the band. It was a could thing they had the webs to keep them up!

"Aha, friends, we've done it! Our war for this new world begins!" Thorn cheered in his new goblin tongue as he manically struggled against the webs in an effort to get free. He wanted swords and knives and to feel blood spill!

(Try to break free of the webs. Thorn's strength ups the goblin's strength to 16)

 

[Demonsoul]

Darb brushed the remaining webs off his body. The Abrather inside commanded Darb to look down each of the paths, getting a lay of the land was important, and now that the cistern was secure is was time to expand. The bones that lay across the cistern on land might have some treasure within the other horrors might like.

(Perception on the paths out of the cistern and in the bones on land)

 

[Beckoncall]

Thorn summoned his innate strength and burst forth from the webs, grabbing weapons and swinging them viciously in experiment of his new body.

As the scene progressed, The Goblin Vasilissa gathered what treasure they could from the bone piles laying about the cistern.

Picking carefully among the debris, he found no fewer than 11 shiny shells and semiprecious stones worth a total of 214 gp, a scroll of "Summon Monster I", and a +1 dagger obviously left here by an unfortunate victim of the spiders. More valuables might lay amid the webs higher to the ceiling, but all in all it was a good haul.

Using perception in the various directions from the cistern, Vasilissa learned the following:

To the north came the muffled sounds of hobgoblins bickering behind a door.

To the east the flapping of wings and the acceleration and thrashing of the river...

To the south deft movements could be heard, but barely, shifting around, and the noisier gnawing of bones.

To the west, all that could be heard was calm water...

 

[Demonsoul]

After searching through the bones and finding a great deal of items that the Abrather didn't understand but were shiny, and apparently some of the other horrors like the shinys. The throat of Darb the goblin was unusual to command for the Abrather but it managed to croak out in elder tongue.

"Move. West. Meet. Goblins. Subvert. Feed. Cathexus."

The roughness of the speak was clear, and it took time to speak a language not designed for mortal tongues. With a short sword in hand, Vasilissa in the guise of Darb walked towards the calm water and had an in depth look at the area.

(Perception, Survival to search for tracks of animals.)

 

[Beckoncall]

The west cavern tunnel lead a short distance through to an open, sandy cavern. Dust blew freely on the wind of the open cavern and the goblins tracks were rapidly buried beneath the shifting silt. the cavern seemed to go as far as could be seen to the north, south, and west, the landscape littered with strange boulders, large mushrooms, and broken stalagmites. the ceiling of the cavern was masked in the darkness, but here and there a great stalactite could be seen hanging down through the darkness.

Strange sounds, warped by the open terrain, was all that could be heard. A weird blooping noise off in the distance, the flapping of great leathery wings -- or was it a trick of the wind? A skittering in the sand... the cavern was an alien landscape, and even standing in the same place for too long quickly buried one's feet by the sand...

 

[SpiralErrant]

"Yeah!" Said Thorn, eager explore and feel their new legs under them. Ah to control where the body went, to be the one to decide.

Meeting more goblins sounded like fun. Thorn had no idea what subvert meant, this new host wasn't that smart, but it could understand the rest of what his new friend said. And it could scheme. Memories that weren't Thorn's said that this emerald was a treasure, one that goblins would want and would be impressed with Thorn for getting. He could play the hero while tricking the goblins into thinking he was this goblin. Now that sounded like a fun game.

"Off to goblin house! Hahaha!" And with a hop and a skip Thorn scooped up the slime covered emerald and ran off west to follow his new grumpy friend.

(Follow Abrathar west)

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

The Gluttonous One, true to its name, continued to search the area, but instead of the ground, it looked up to the webs of the spiders. He reckoned that there might be stuff up there, and he might be able to collect some of the spider silk for use later. Thus, using his root arms, the Gluttonous one began to climb up while keeping an eye out for any trouble... and his tremorsense.

 

[Beckoncall]

The gluttonous one slowly and unsteadily climbed the walls of the cistern -- the sticky algae on the walls helping them somewhat. Still, it was not possible to reach the majority of the webs by the ceiling -- the gluttonous one nevertheless found a couple of interesting items.

The mandragora was able to grap up:

A slice of sard stone worth 31 gp,
A masterwork steel heavy shield,
And a strange stone mask.

Further attempts at salvage were futile... the mandragora had long viney limbs with which to grab things, but was hardly a creature that suitable for climbing.