The Severed Hand

The heroes continue their exploration of Solonor Tower, ascending the stairs and leaving Sehriya behind. She blows ghostly kisses at Fergy and then continues her games.

The next floor of the tower looks to have been some kind of indoor arboretum - once. The large chamber is decorated with trees and bushes, but all drip with a sticky black tar. Motes of dust and ash float through the air over empty flower beds, lit dimly by pale light coming from somewhere beyond the trees.

It takes the party a moment to notice that the light comes from outside the tower - the whole back wall of the chamber is actually open to the air, presumably to have allowed natural light into the garden back when it was alive and thriving.

The companions have just a moment to remember that the outside of the tower is just as dangerous as the inside, when they hear something large move between the trees nearby. Ducking back into the stairwell, they see one of the squido-griffs pass between the shadows of the trees, scraping its bloated flank along one tree and making a mess of the tar.

It doesn't seem to have noticed the heroes. But where there is one of these creatures, there will likely be more.

Judging by there being yet another set of stairs leading higher, this level must not be the highest floor of the tower.

The heroes make their preparations as silently as possible. When the time comes, Fergy's illusion detonates outside the tower with lights, sounds, and smells.

Under the mantle of Ras' spell, the party moves forward quickly and quietly.

Little does the party know (though soon are they about to learn) that they understand nothing of these creatures.

Slipping between the slimy trees, the heroes keep their eyes peeled for enemies as they move towards the far stairway. Where is the one they saw earlier?

There.

Its horse rump is visible from behind a tree just ahead, motionless. The party skirts about to one side, trying to get past it without drawing too close. Why is it here? Why is it not drawn by the fantastic explosion of senses without the walls?

A moist slapping sound reaches the party's ears as the creature's head and neck flop backwards across its horse body and into view, eyeless hawk head twisting weirdly as the tentacles twitch in the party's direction. The grotesque and unnerving sight is nearly enough to make this hardy group empty their stomachs.

The thing's face tentacles rise abruptly, and in a flash it reorients itself and faces the party, stretching out dank wings that stink of rot and offal. A terrible cry echoes in the companion's minds, and they realize that this creature is incapable of perceiving the world as they do. It is too foreign, too alien, to this plane of existence. Whatever senses it uses to hunt appear to completely bypass the party's precautions.

It scrambles forward on horse legs covered in sores. Judging by the beating of wings that pounds the air, there are at least two more of the creatures alert and swooping in from the trees.

Round 1 Player Phase!

Round 1 Summary

The squid-horse charges the party, tentacled face flaring wide. Together, Alalla and Ug stand to face it while the others attempt to fend off two more coming by flight. Just before it reaches the two warriors, the running griff blasts the group with a wave of psychic energy. Alalla and Ug feel their minds become overrun by the awful sensation, but with grim determination finish their dirty work on the creature before them. Fire sword and ice maul descend on the griff and wreck grievous wounds all about it, but even after it lies dead they feel the numbing touch of oblivion on their minds (Al and Ug each take 52 psychic damage and are stunned).

Magical ice and arrows pummel the incoming fliers, but the monsters retaliate with mind blasts of their own. In one horrible moment, the entire party lies disabled, their minds scattered and their bodies frozen (Ras takes 25, Zen takes 52, Erevain takes 27, all psychic damage, and all stunned).

The entire party, except Fergy.

The two remaining creatures land on the ground and approach, tentacles waggling hungrily at the air. Those frozen companions can only watch with mounting horror as the twisted monsters draw closer. Ug, in particular, remembers the feeling of those tentacles piercing his skin and reaching for his brain.

Round 2 Player Phase!!