Clot Busting Part 1

It's been a trying time for the town of Greenholme. around this time last year, they had been raided by a band of mercenaries, themselves thwarted by a band of adventurers. More recently there was some drama involving fallout from bad business in the village of Mornhaven, but ultimately nothing of lasting import to the people at large.

Most recently, however, a new threat loomed, and it is why the Guild has opted to send the lot of you to meet with a young bard of fine breeding but melancholic air, flanked by her two friends; a leather clad pair of siblings. While they seems protective of the redheaded mouthpiece, you imagine their martial prowess is more proof against rabble than blooded adventurers as yourselves.

It is the bardess, a Liatris Vorhearst, who speaks to you now, "Hello, on behalf of Greenholme, friends." her words smooth and well enunciated, belying her somewhat 'hard times' bearing, "There seems to be a couple of murderous creatures about, some miles to the northeast of here. some of our woodsmen have been found crushed, or..."

The woman blanches, and the brother of the siblings gently touches her shoulder, from which she finds new strength, "...or simply drained of blood. There have been no other wounds, or signs of weapons being used. Please... will you help us?"

"Crushed? That's.....odd. Drained of blood sounds odd as well, but....crushed is even more odd." Shara rubs her face. "I'll give it a shot. If worse comes to worse, we can always talk to the Vardaman acolytes to take them on." Shara hazards a guess at that.

Rocky chuffs softly, considering. Having no conclusion from such limited information, the grey Sith rolls his shoulders and nods in softskin fashion. "This One will help."

Shifting uncomfortably on his feet the masked cleric nods his head. "I will aid in what ways that I can." Says Sark. He brushes his blue robes with gloved hands, not a single inch of skin shows with his mask hiding the entirety of his face. "Althea protects and cares for all."

The young woman smiles in gratitude and bows deeply, "Thank you!" she exhults with some relief, "Thank you so much!" She looks first to Shara as she elaborates, "There have been... similar blights in the area in the recent past." She lowers her eyes a touch, adjusting the lay of her collar against her neck, "My... my mother had become a type of Vampire, preying on the people of Mornhaven, nearby..."

Now it's the sister's turn, as she intones a soft, "Lee...." which the redhead shrinks somewhat under, "She was... released months back... the man who corrupted her was taken down by other adventurers, like you."

A deep breath, and she squares up to regard the party as evenly as that old shame allows her, "The Mayor doesn't feel this to be the same thing.... but the similarity encourages him to think, perhaps, it would be well that I be involved at least this far in resolving the matter. Mother's need... was ritual, and her means more.... er... discrete."

Rocky's tail thumps to the ground with a solid 'wump'. "Many creatures feed on blood. Maybe large leech. Maybe carniverous vine. We shall find, we shall fight."

The steel masked cleric intones simply. "Vampire? A formidable foe." He shifts on his feet slowly, his slim, elfin frame radiating discomfort. "I believe Althea's light can harm such a thing. I am willing to try, in order to alleviate the burden upon this village." Sark strokes the second belt around his waist absently with his left hand. He glances towards Rocky and tilts his head. "Well, at least we have enthusiasm."

"Likely not. We'll see to it. Don't worry and word won't get out." Shara then looks to Rocky. "Good point. COuld be anything. Well..the sooner we get to it, the better."

Stena is quiet, of course. The pale, blonde haired warrior has her hammer over her shoulder, held casually, and is observing. Listening. She's letting the others take point, of course, but it seems she's ready to provide backup (and a hammer) where necessary.

Alexander arrives, a red tailed hawk on his shoulder as he looks to the others. He remains silent as he lets the others speak and he simply nods with the others. He could be a statue if it weren't for the hawk's movements, the eyes of the raptor watching the people as they speak and he crosses his arms, waiting for the verdict. Maybe someone can get him to stop talking so much.

"Come on guys, let's get moving." Shara says as she picks up her lute and starts her way out...

Liatris turns to the brother, who nods and steps forward, "I can... get you to where the bodies're found, help you track the killers, if you need it."

With Shara already beginning to move, the trio share a long, uncomfortable silence, before the women embrace him, whispering for him to be careful, and he reassures them with a firm squeeze and a sort of cheeky, "It's me!" before he sets out with the group.

It takes some time to get out to the path of wilderness whence the woodsmen were killed. There are disturbances in the grass, and depressions that likely involved the poor souls being 'crushed'. Here, the fellow seems slightly less sure of himself, but not about to bitch or leave them group in a lurch.

"Found Vemond here..." he says solemnly, "Sprawled out, ribs... crushed an... he was all shriveled, no bruising. No blood, either... even where the bones broke the skin."

That's the opening to the story....

Rocky is no ranger, but he checks the ground as best he knows, searching for clues as to what manner of beast they're dealing with, and perhaps more importantly, where it went.

 GAME: Rocky rolls survival: (6)+5: 11
 GAME: Alexander rolls knowledge/arcana: (19)+7: 26
 GAME: Sark rolls knowledge/arcana: (17)+7: 24
 GAME: Shara rolls knowledge/arcana 25

Stena, on the other hand is just along for the ride. Moving is good. She's agreeing with Shara on this point. "Someone just make sure they have a big stake ready to go and I'll hammer it in." She pats its haft.

"Oh Man....this is not gonna be fun." Shara says as she realizes what COULD do this. "Any of you ever heard of a blood golem?" She makes sure all of them hear it too. "Rocky...it can't be too far away...as they don't move fast."

Rocky's muzzle hovers close to the ground, taking scents as well as sights. "Two, maybe, walking on two legs." He looks to Shara, and shakes his head. "This One is not familiar. Thinks are heavy, not fast. But tracks are old, This One is not skilled, may be wrong."

"They react badly to spell effects which involve boiling blood or bleeding. They don't move fast and they kill this way." Alexander says the hawk hops onto his arm and takes off flying ahead, as if to try and find these golems if they are nearby. He then looks to the tracks and tries to figure out which way they go.

 GAME: Alexander rolls survival: (14)+6: 20
 GAME: Shara rolls survival: (2)+0: 2

The masked cleric opens his robes and selects the mace hanging from his belt. He then slides his round light shield onto his arm. The emblazoned crest of Althea glinting on the shield's face. "They also do not fare well against crushing strikes. If I remember my teachings under the abbot." He sighs and turns

slowly scanning the trees around them. "At least it is not a living creature. Well living by conventional standards."

"I trust you, Rocky. Don't worry." Shara says as she looks to Sark. "they can also squeeze through narrow passages, but tend to like to remain bipedal." Then to Alexander. "Got something?"

The guide mouths the words 'Blood Golems' to himself with a somewhat perplexed, vaguely horrified expression. Ahem. He takes a breath to square himself away, then, "Will you be needing my help to find them?"

"It is an animated being. Baring the war golems, I think we can safely say they aren't sentient. We need to put them down, lest they kill more." Alexander says as he pulls his bow off his back and draws an arrow. He readies it as he begins to follow the trail. He is no ranger and it shows, he doesn't move in the terrain too well. "There are two of them, moving northeast. If we hurry we can catch up." He says calmly, "One has a slightly heavier footprint."

"Do we need the guide?" Sark asks the group. "Are we capable of finding our way back on our own? I am not a wilderness person and would be lost, but if those of you who can feel so. Perhaps it would be best if we sent him home so he is not at risk." Sark says, shifting his mace to his shield hand and setting about binding his robes for combat movement.

"I'm not much of a pathfinder myself, but I do know some woods....and how they affect my singing." Shara looks to Sark. "Yeah, the guide would have to keep way back if he came along...and I mean WAY back."

Rocky chuffs in mild amusement. "This One thinks we would not be lost for more than a day or two, -if- get lost at all."

The man thinks about it, nodding to himself, then, "How about this? The tracks lead ta them from here. I'll wait here till.." Hmm, "Sun up, day after tomorrow. Figure if they're not that fast, they can't be too overly far.I'll put up a campfire, make it a little easier ta find."

"That'll work. If you see them come back though...run. Got it?" Shara says jabbing a finger into the man's chest. "No putting on a brave face and facing them yourself. You run for it if you see them come back. No exceptions." She then turns to the group. "Come on."

The pursuit, with the hawkmaster's tracking skills doesn't take but a couple of hours. While 'not fast' is true enough, it has a certain latitude for interpretation. Eventually there comes the roof of a brass and pipe dotted cottage with a smallish door and twice the tiny windows as would be present on a normal cottage. While the little door is open and one of two creatures is looming before it, there is a small broken body laying half sprawled within the threshold.

While nominally man sized, their somewhat odd shaping makes them seem larger at first. Both of them are the color of dried blood, with a sort of consistency like granite flakes over a skein of curdled red oatmeal. Neither of them, at present, seems to be occupied with anything in particular.

 GAME: Sark casts Bless. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14

Upon sighting the golems, Sark raises his shield up over his head. The emblazoned seal of Althea glowing slightly as he intones a spell, asking for aid and strength in this endeavor. A soft pulse of divine energy passes over the group adding strength to their arms and hearts (+1 Morale to Hit, +1 to resist fear) helping to prepare them for the possible conflict ahead.

"...huh," is what Stena quietly offers. That is all. She has her hammer at the ready. Frowning. The broken body? That makes her .. unhappy, to say the least. There's anger there.

It could be a gnome, maybe a halfling. Goblin? Eh, possible, you suppose.

The red constructs, one at the doorway, the other to the side somwehere between the treeline and the cottage seem to be at some kind of impasse, or, at the least, not seeing anything worth reacting to.

Rocky chuffs quietly. "Little wizard try make servants, loose control. Maybe peaceful now, but This One doubt it."

"I am loathe to start battles but I do not think we can trust them to stop here. If they are leaving bodies throughout the forest and that one on the threshold. They must be stopped." Sark peers to the left and right then turns back. "Do we advance on them, or fire from here and bring them to us?"

"More like incompetent. We need to stop them before any others are killed because some lowlife didn't have the wisdom to temper his power." Shara sighs. "My firepower is limited. You guys will need to start the fighting."

"I can run up and hit them with a hammer," suggests Stena quietly.

Rocky draws his large blade and sets his feet. "This One is ready."

"Go get them guys." Shara flits the lute from her back to her front and begins to sing an elvish tune that's....fairly upbeat.....

 GAME: Sark casts Shield of Faith. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14

Reaching out his hand, letting his mace hang from his arm on a sling. Sark lets the protective energy of Althea flow forth into Rocky's form. The divine energy armoring (+2ac) him against the foes ahead.

The construct by the door continues to loom over the small body at it's lumpy feet, oblivious to the ire directed it's way.

Rocky rushes in. For all his bulk, the greyscale is quite quick, but not unnaturally so. The sith rushes up to the hemo-golem, ready to face off.

Like it's brother, the second construct seems ignorant, or indifferent to the doings in the woods.

 GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+13: (8)+13: 21
 GAME: Stena rolls 2d6+6: (9)+6: 15

.... so Stena runs up to it, yelling. She really does. She runs up to it yelling and *smashes her hammer into it*. "You know, usually I use an axe! I wanted to try something different today. MEET HAMMER," she yells. Angrily. "Because it's a ... meat .. hammer... for tenderizing." She looks back and forth.

There's probably no amusement.

GAME: Alexander casts True Strike. Caster Level: 1 DC: 14

Alexander puts his bow on his shoulder and begins to mutter something in some foreign languages, making special gestures as he speaks, seeming entirely focused on what he is doing.

The little ditty Shara's putting out simply continues, but she does move up a bit....not within melee range though. She needs to stay back to be the most effective.

 GAME: Sark casts Divine Favor. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14

Advancing on the fight Sark readies his mace and then swings it slowly infront of him as he murmurs another prayer. The emblazoned symbol on his shield glows with divine energy that engulfs his weapon and the arm weidling it. His eyes tighten beneath his mask as he prepares to enter combat.

 GAME: Scab rolls 1d20+10: (9)+10: 19
 GAME: Scab rolls 2d6+8: (9)+8: 17
 GAME: Scab damaged Stena for 17 points. 26 HP remaining.
 GAME: Scab rolls 1d6: (3): 3
 GAME: Scab damaged Stena for 3 points. 23 HP remaining.
 GAME: Scab rolls 1d20+10: (7)+10: 17

The flakey scabrous mass by the door seems tacitly indifferent to the Sith running up on him, and even the more mammalian attacker, until she actually lays into it with her punnishing weapon. Silently, the coagulated construct whirls and flails with it's two clublike appendages, the backhand rattling bone, while the second whistles by. However... despite the nature of the blow, its started bleeding... quite a bit, actually.

 GAME: Rocky rolls weapon2+3: (19)+6+3: 28
 GAME: Rocky rolls damage2+2: aliased to 1d6+3+2: (3)+3+2: 8

Rocky doesn't specifically mind being ignored, but the greyscale does care to be left out, so swings his simple club, striking the golem.

With it's twin under attack, the second abominable clot starts to heavily stomp it's way toward the altercation.

 GAME: Stena RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 8 temporary HP
 GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+10: (13)+10: 23
 GAME: Stena rolls 2d6+8: (8)+8: 16
 GAME: Scab rolls 1d6: (3): 3
 GAME: Stena bleeds her own blood for 3 points. 23 AND 5 TEMP HP remaining.

"...augh!"

Stena rears back from the harm she's taken, bleeding, bleeding. Her eyes fill with rage and she roars. Actually *roars*. The white streaks in her hair stand out even more when they're strained with crimson.

Another splooshy smash of her hammer.

 GAME: Alexander rolls weapon 3+20: (18)+0+20: 38
 GAME: Alexander rolls 1d8+2: (7)+2: 9

Alexander pulls his bow off the shoulder, pulls an arrow out and draws it, aims and fires, burying the arrow deep into it. He makes a face as he see's the golem still upright but he goes about getting his next arrow ready.

Shara gets closer and continues to bolster her allies through her performance. (Placeholder pose)

 GAME: Sark rolls 3d6: (9): 9
 GAME: Sark Healed Stena for -9 points. 37 AND 5 TEMP HP remaining.

Continuing to advance on the fight, Sark keeps his shield up. Another murmured prayer sends a burst of divine energy out into the field. The minor pulse closing some wounds and pushing back against the damage wrought but the disgusting foes.

 GAME: Scab's who do I love roll (1=Rocky, 2=Stena) 1d2: (2): 2
 GAME: Scab rolls 1d20+10: (7)+10: 17
 GAME: Scab rolls 2d6+8: (8)+2: 10
 GAME: Scab damaged Stena for 10 points. 43 AND 5 TEMP HP remaining.
 GAME: Scab's who do I love roll (1=Rocky, 2=Stena) 1d2: (2): 2
 GAME: Scab rolls 1d20+10: (2)+10: 12

The first construct, with great, chummy furrows plowed through it, continues to assail the raging tenderizing terror, smacking Stena once more, and again missing with the followup. Again, as before, her blood seems to want to abscond.

 GAME: Rocky rolls weapon2+3: (7)+6+3: 16

Rocky takes another swing, but fails to connect.

 GAME: Clot rolls 1d20+14: (19)+14: 33
 GAME: Clot rolls 1d2: (2): 2
 GAME: Clot damaged Rocky's Constitution for 2 points. 2 total damage.

The second golem bypasses the hammer swinger to wade into the Sith's personal space and enfolds him in slightly tacky limbs despite Rocky's prowess, and he begins to fee a drawing sensation, and a faint chill, a lethargy as it begins to feed from him.

 GAME: Stena rolls 1d6: (1): 1
 GAME: Bleeding damaged Stena for 1 points. 43 AND 4 TEMP HP remaining.
 GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+10: (17)+10: 27
 GAME: Stena rolls 2d6+8: (12)+8: 20

...splat.

Again, Stena brings her hammer to bear in thoughtless rage, this time leaving the things far worse off than it was before. She's reeling, but keeping at it for the time being.

 GAME: Alexander rolls weapon3: (16)+10: 26
 GAME: Alexander rolls 1d8: (7): 7

Seeing one of his allies having been grappled by the beast, Alexander draws an arrow, aims and opens fire, sending it into the creature and beginning to aim another arrow at the beast, remaining in his spot far from the golems.

 ===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 4 =====================
 ---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
  >> 25   Shara            1   <<
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     23   Sark             1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     23   Scab             1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     22   Rocky            1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     11   Clot             1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     10   Stena            1  Raging (3 rnds active)                       
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     7    Alexander        1  
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ==============================================================================

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Starring:

ALEXANDER

The man has dextrous build, though he is also one with some musculature to him. He wears a chain shirt and a composite longbow on his back with a quiver, a dagger at his hip for when he has to deal with things up close. He wears black pants with brown leather boots as well as a pack over his shoulder. He also has a hawk which flies above him usually.

ROCKY

'A large grey rock in armor' tends to be most first impressions of this sith-makar, though a closer look finds his scales are actually a mix of white and black, with a few splotches of green, a look not unlike a granite rock covered with bits of moss. Taller than the average human, he's massively stout, built thick and heavy, not unlike the boulder he resembles.

Rocky is almost always armed and armored, heavy plates of metal protecting his major organs, with layers of leather filling the gaps between. A kilt of smaller, flexable plates trails down over his legs, offering protction without hindering movement. He carries a green metal shield, and a simple set of weapons, favoring a plain longsword worn on his hip. Several smaller bags and pouches hang from his outfit.

He tends towards stillness, sitting quietly, moving only when there is need.

SARK

Standing at just about 5'4" this male is rather concealed within his clothing. A mixture of blue and argent robes show him likely to be a cleric of Aletha, a Hearthguard. The robes are loose enough to conceal much of his frame, yet still tight enough to be serviceable in the field rather the temple. Beneath these robes he wears an engraved breast plate, well polished and cared for. Upon his hands is a pair of brown leather gloves, long enough up his forearms to conceal all hint of flesh. A pair of long brown leather boots also adorns his feet. Finally across his face, surrounded by the blue of his robe's hood, is a steel mask, concealing away his features leaving only the deep brown of his eyes visible.

He is usually additionally outfitted with a small backpack, and a set of pouches hanging from a brown leather belt at his waist. He carries a well made short sword on his left-hip, and a quiver and compact hand crossbow on his right. Against the torso on his back is a light steel shield baring the symbol of Althea. Engraved around that symbol is the pledge of a Hearthguard cleric to heal and care for others in tradespeak

SHARA

Standing 5'2" tall, this woman has red hair that goes down to her shoulders. She has large green eyes that are framed by red eyebrows and high cheekbones. She has an angular face and pointed ears, marking her as an elf.

She has a slender, yet full figured body. She usually wears a shirt and a bodice, along with a comfortable pair of pants and long traveler's boots. Usually, at her hip, there is a rather lovely looking rapier, and there's usually some sort of instrument upon her...somewhere.

STENA

A tall Aesirian woman who looks like she more or less stepped straight out of a storybook, with her long blonde, white-streaked hair and muscular and stocky frame. Her skin is /exceptionally/ pale, as if the sun has no effect on her at all, and her eyes a deeply striking glacier-blue, a splash of freckles on her cheeks beneath them.

At the moment, she's dressed in a comfortable, well fitted breastplate with corresponding armore and padding on the rest of her torso and a lengthy, armored ankle-length skirt wrapped in chainmail padding for additional protection.