Into the Barrier Peaks

The plant creature continues to howl and hiss, smacking its spear on the metal floor, the sound reverberating up and down the corridors in all directions. From the room it emerged from you can hear hisses and snarls as two massive plant creatures come bursting out from within. They look like huge dogs, twice the size of the largest mastiff you have ever seen, and are a mass of plants, vines and thorns that protrude from all around like that of a grotesque porcupine.

As they charge toward Caedwyn and Ilwyn, you hear more sounds coming from the east,a s more of these things are seen rushing down the hall. The two before you leap at the front line warriors and though you are well-versed in defensive tactics, the shear ferocity of the dog attacks catches you both off guard, as the abominations sink their rotted, thorny fangs into your arms.

From the doorway of the room, you can see that there are more creatures inside, but what type and how many cannot be determined. Regrouping, Hraefn immediately release the flames he has conjured as a light source, and it strikes the lone vegepygmy. The flames burst around it, as it drops the spear and tries to extinguish the growing flames. Thick grey smoke begins rising to the ceiling, as the creature burns as any green plant might when thrown on a bonfire.

Before it can succeed, an arrow streaks from above, as Merriweather, standing upside down on the ceiling, hunched and distorted to appear as a humanoid spider, strikes true with his bow and sends the creature reeling to the floor with an arrow between its eyes. Not to be outdone, Caedwyn manages to push back on the thorny in front of him and deals a solid blow to it.

Sighting one of the plant creatures through the cluster of companions, Etna shoots a volley for its head. She had no experience fighting plants before, but she suspects they wouldn't be much different from man or beast.

Moving to get a shot, the ranger launches a pair of arrows at the plant creatures, both of them sinking into the dog-beast assaulting the paladin at the head of the party. One of the arrows lodges deeply, causing obvious pain to the creature as it recoils backward for a couple of steps. The other arrow, while true, falls off to the floor as the beast shakes its massive head in anger. Before it can resume its attack on Ilwyn, a series of magical streaks of energy light up the corridor as Bram releases the energy he had been holding at the ready.

All four blast into the beast, blowing away large chunks of rotted plant material in all directions, sending it careening back toward the doorway it had come from. Sickly green ocher splatter the wall and floor as the beast collapses. Incredibly, a moment later, you watch as the thorny vines it is made up of begin to twist and turn, renewing its broken form. With an audible snarl-like hiss, the beast gets its legs under it and begins to stand.

Your moods sour as you watch yet more of the humanoid plant creatures emerge from the nearby doorway as well as the eastern hall.

Vegepygmy Move/Attack
Vegepygmy 1 Dash 60' to engage Ilwyn (bad idea)
Vegepygmy 2 Dash 60' to engage Ilwyn (another bad idea)
Vegepygmy 3 Dash 60'
Vegepygmy 4 Dash 60'
Vegepygmy 5 Move 25' Melee Caedwyn
Vegepygmy 6 Move 25' Melee Caedwyn
Vegepygmy 7 Move 25' Ranged Caedwyn
Vegepygmy 8 Move 25' Ranged Ilwyn
Vegepygmy 9 Move 25' Ranged Hraefn

As you watch the combat scene unfold before you, you realize that a small horde of the things are pouring out of the room ahead and from down the eastern hall. Those in the east are so eager to get to you that then skip and bound off of the walls, catapulting themselves past the massive dog-plant creatures between you and them. Four creatures arrive from the east to immediately engage Ilwyn, who deflects their attacks and swipes back with two mighty blows. Like slicing bread, the paladin's blade cleaves the two arrivals, who collapse in a heap near her feet. While offering a brief respite, there are two more who are there to take their place. Without even time to acknowledge her first kill, however, Ilwyn notes that some abhorrent magic must be at play as the two plant creatures are slowly knitting themselves back together! Before she can ready herself, more of the things appear in the doorway, one of them flinging a rock at her from a sling. Unable to deflect it, the rock cracks Ilwyn in-between the eyes, causing her eyes to water and vision to blur at the most inopportune time.

Under similar duress, Caedwyn suddenly finds himself swarmed upon by more of the beasts as well. Able to deflect one of the beasts, he is not so lucky against the second as the spear being held pierces his arm, causing a stinging pain in his off-hand. A third pygmy launches a wicked-looking stone that whizzes past Caedwyn's ear, and you can hear it clattering down the metal hallway behind you.

As the rest of you look on, more rocks begin to fling down the hallway as the creatures arrive, one of which catches Hraefn in the shoulder.