To find a portal to the Eternal Hearth...

[Attilius]

He'll unhook her and stow the trikal. He'll then pull out his dagger, bite down on the blade and begin a one handed search of the body. Always making sure his shield is between him and the body...

[Niachi]

Niachi started the day with Cat's Grace on himself:

D8: Rolled 7, Dex 22 for next 8 hours.

On discovery of the dead elf, he and his familiar are watchful of their surroundings. He uses hand gestures to have the xerichou fly in a fast tight orbit above them to scout beyond the blood on the walls.

"Fucking athuum got the jump on an elf. Fast. Where's the rest of her Stalker kin?"

Facing the body he mumbles:

"Run now with Coraanu, No-Speaker."

He draws his bow, plants 2 bone arrows in the dirt and notches another during the inspection.

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko casts Detect Magic as Attilius drags the corpse back.  If anything on her is glowing, 'Muiko says "The [Glowing_Items] on the dead gotti detect as [School_They_Detect_As], collect them and leave her to feed the living wild.  Stop playing with their food."

Those close to 'Muiko may hear Yvera say "Egotti, she got caught!" then louder (to ensure she is heard by those gathered) "I am the living wild yes?"

'Muiko chuckles [Elven: "Wildly domesticated maybe"]

[DM Bob]

No magic is detected on her person. Or weapons for that matter, which is odd given the fact that the elves in the bar were all sporting multiple blades and shivs. Three sheathes are found empty.

Closer investigation of her corpse shows matching puncture wounds on her back, as if a crab or insect had given her a death hug.

The wormy xerichou flies above and does not see anything out of the ordinary. It does seem a tad anxious however.

Something rises slowly from the tar near where the body sat, a blob of black. Skyre hears it grumble the same words, over and over that she has been hearing constantly in her head. It sounds frustrated; angry.

[Attilius]

Attilius quickly sheaths his dagger, grabs the pole and hastily returns to the group using the same path he took to the elf

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "I don't understand your words, and you are not a pure earth elemental, go away from my mind" - in upsetting tone, without looking to the tar shape or pits, no shouting but quite annoyed

Skrye's mind becomes like a thick brick walled tower of granite, sharp, without fissures, carved from the base rock itself, as she mentally casts a psionic defence on her

[OOC: Using Tower of the Iron Will to reinforce the mental protection, as the protection vs evil didn't work last time.
Rolled 12, needed 16 or less, 115/118PSPs left]

This is not needed, as Tower of Iron Will has no maintenance cost. Psionics are not spells and also not "cast". You may activate this power if under attack (as well as respond with one other power as stated in the power description). Also, be forewarned that even spending PSPs in defense might cause unwanted attentions in this area. -Bob

[DM Bob]

The wind has died down, causing the smoke from the tar pits to frame the scene and obscures your vision in a different way than the silty wind. The forty foot tall stone wall, two toned in construction - like older and newer masonry combined takes up most of your field of vision. There seems to be a darker area in the wall further to your left, but out of detail range.

The tar creature is to your right front and makes no move from the substance at where it's feet should be. Three dark pits, er, depressions suggest a face with two eyes and a mouth. Black smoke drifts from it's "mouth". Rising perhaps six and a half to seven feet tall, the morass reaches almost a full six feet trying to reach the goliath...

But he is not close enough.

The black blob does not leave the pit however. Perhaps it can't. The nearest other tar pit is about twelve feet away to your right and rear.

The closer you get to the wall, the less tar there is. It should be safer (and physically cooler, one would imagine) closer to the stone barricade. The bloody smear straight ahead suggests that whatever killed the elf was able to climb very well.

[Attilius]

Attilius's head is on a swivel looking for trouble "That dark spot to the left could be a hole in the wall... or just different kind of stone. If we's have to climb, we'll be sitting Kestrekel's!"

[AthasianLaborer]

"I doubt we'll need to climb, this map indicated gaps in the walls, we just need to find them" 'Muiko says from outside Atillius' arms reach but within easy earshot.

[Attilius]

Feb 9, 2024 5:38:04 GMT -12 AthasianLaborer said:

"I doubt we'll need to climb, this map indicated gaps in the walls, we just need to find them"

Attilius's shoulders relax a bit upon hearing this

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

“Also climbing walls of a ruined city from ages past doesn’t sound like the safest thing to do. Let’s continue and keep an eye on those tar creatures, on movement upon or behind the walls, and up in the sky above. You can’t see as far as you normally could so if we get attacked it will be more close by and come with less warning. I’m not using Danger Sense.”

Quila looks around, clears her head and starts zoning out a bit to get into a different mindset, one where she’s more in touch with her surroundings than otherwise that will make her sixth sense active. (OOC: Using my NWP of Alertness. Rolled 19 of 19. Ultra alertness activated lol.)

[Attilius]

The Murmillo tightens his silt mask and grunts his agreement to Quila

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "Let's go, I don't want to be close to these tar pits and creatures" - looking for some track of any sort in the route towards the wall ahead

[OOC: Thank you for the previous post Bob. Successful Observation roll, 12 out of 13. Skrye is no ranger but just in case she could spot footsteps, even if she doesn't know from who/what. Roll it out if it doesn't correct]

[Niachi]

Keeping out of the tar thing's range, Niachi calls his familiar down onto his arm and talks to it:

<Common> "Why nervous? No mental talk or powers from now on unless I say."

He calms his breathing to pick up on any empathic cues.

After a few heartbeats he sights the bloody smear trailing up the 40 foot walls and casts Footsteps of the Quarry:

For next 8 hours, the path of whatever killed the elf is visible. It disappears as the caster crosses them, if the quarry leaves the ground, or if the path crosses silt. If it returns from silt to land, the path reappears wherever it touches solid ground.

He waits to get a response from the xerichou. 

To the team:

"Let's move on, yah? We can track the beastie now."

[DM Bob]

[Closing thread.]