Darkwood--Into the blackness....

[Laurel]

Blushing sheepishly, the bard acknowledges Kalindriel's help with a bow. "Perhaps I should launch in to a countersong as my first response to any other such tunes I hear, before allowing myself to listen more intently to learn more about them..."

[Katrina]

What made that noise?

I eye Laurel suspiciously. After all she DID make noise before.

[Led Pighp]

The signs...

He begins to draw them on the paper, but... something is wrong.

"The words are not becoming any clearer, but they are showing me visions of the primal sadistic delight of slaughter, bloodshed, and wanton murder. Is this the sort of joy calling upon Darethon has given you when you fight?"

Blood. "No... this isn't Darethon." He doesn't elaborate, because he's busy feeling it.

Then, the effect stops.

Led has shifted. He has dropped his sketch pencil, and is trying to carve the symbols into the page with his claw. Several pages are ruined, luckily the blank ones he hadn't started writing on yet.

"That was... different." He looks around at the others, then stares at his clawed hand. "Oh, the things I would have done to you all." When his eyes land on Laurel, "Especially you." He adjusts his stance subtly, and licks his lips as he stares.

The former scribe crosses his arms, resting his hands on the outside of his biceps. "But, that was nothing of Darethon. My new patron is, surprisingly, a social being. Blood and savegery are ways of communicating with others. Communicating dominance, but... dominance still requires others. That was... just an urge to end you all. An individual and very personal urge to be alone, in the most complete way possible. And revel in that solitude by reveling in the remains of your having departed."

He gestures with one hand, noticing that there's now blood on those claws. Glancing down, he sees where he'd been digging into his own arm, though the wounds were already healed up. He licks the blood from his claws slowly, continuing to stare at Laurel. When he gets to the second hand, he's actually making shallow slashes on the surface of his tongue, as they heal up immediately.

[I'm interpreting DR as being quick healing in this case, if the damage is minor enough.]

[Annalysei]

Eyeing Led's change in demeanor, Anna shifts her stance ever so slightly so as to be ready in case his control isn't as strong as he thinks it is. She isn't preparing for attack, more preparing for the possibility that she may have to defend the group against someone she's grown to like.

"Excellent catch, Kali" Anna murmurs in appreciation. The last thing they needed was an enthralled bard.

"I don't know about you lot, but I think the less time we spend near this shrine, the better. Whenever you are ready to leave, I'm more than willing."

[Seven Words]

A brief communication from outside....

"Whatever you did, weakened the wards. their strength dropped dramatically, but is quickly building back.....they are diminished though....by one fifth, perhaps even one fourth. This spell will be blocked once more in moments...if you have aught you wish to tell us, please..."

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

"I disrupted a shrine they had profaned. There is a green wyrm named Chtorrhuulagh heading this way. Probably a few days out, so begin preparations to Deal with it. It is unaware we know, so we should use this to our advantage."

"We've only encountered a few elves so far, but we still have the tower and a bit more of the basement to check. Sorchat should be coming out soon and can give you more details about the dragon and the device we found."

[Katrina]

"Deal with it."

My eyes glitter in anticipation.

"Deal with the dragony thing!"

[Led Pighp]

Eyes still on Laurel, Led cleans his own blood from his claws.

Then he has a thought. He uses the claws of one hand to slash the skin on his fingers on the other hand. They heal up, but some blood is left. He approaches Laurel, bloody fingers held out towards her face.

[Assuming she lets him,] he smears the blood onto her face, under her eyes and on her cheeks. He cuts himself again to draw new blood, and adds more to her chin and nose.

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

"Led, can you save the artistic endeavors for when we're done? Let's get moving."

She whispers quietly to Anna. [PM incoming.]

[Katrina]

he smears the blood onto her face.

Looking to Sigrid since Led seems a bit tranced.

"We should be moving to Deal with dragony thing, not finger painting."

[Annalysei]

Anna nods tersely to Kali in understanding.

"Yes, less painting, more moving away from here."

[Seven Words]

Retracing steps to where Trina was encountered, taking the other exit.....Skyseeker stops suddenly, gesturing to the left hand wall...."there's a door here....."

A careful touching reveals that....there's an illusion of wall overlaying the door.

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kali focuses her concentration on the wall, as if trying to see through it.

She says quietly, "There are two gargoyles, about 35 feet up." She motions to where they would be through the wall. If we're quick, some of you might be able to surprise them after opening the door."

"I'll hide and be ready to pounce if they come down." With that she disappears into the shadows.

[Katrina]

A feral grin spreads across my face, and since the baddies are on the other side of the door, slink into the shadows, waiting something to come into her line of sight. Glancing up into the darkness, and the wall between us and the stone baddies.

[Annalysei]

Anna readies for battle. She prepares the spell for a quickened fire bolt. (pending PM)

(ooc: can someone tell me if gargolyes can be knocked to the ground? I work best with things I can hit with my stick.)

[Laurel]

Eyes still on Laurel, Led cleans his own blood from his claws.

Then he has a thought. He uses the claws of one hand to slash the skin on his fingers on the other hand. They heal up, but some blood is left. He approaches Laurel, bloody fingers held out towards her face.

[Assuming she lets him,] he smears the blood onto her face, under her eyes and on her cheeks. He cuts himself again to draw new blood, and adds more to her chin and nose.

A deep felt, feral need entices the bard, as the warm, slick blood is smeared on to her face. Following Led's lead, her own tongue creeps out of her mouth and licks around her lips, seeking to taste the blood on her cheeks and chin. Even the minutest drop she reaches causes deep shudders to pulsate within her as she gazes back intently at the former scribe.

Anna nods tersely to Kali in understanding.

"Yes, less painting, more moving away from here."

Slowly coming to her senses, Laurel tears her eyes away and repeats stupidly, "...away?"

Kali focuses her concentration on the wall, as if trying to see through it.

She says quietly, "There are two gargoyles, about 35 feet up." She motions to where they would be through the wall. If we're quick, some of you might be able to surprise them after opening the door."

"I'll hide and be ready to pounce if they come down." With that she disappears into the shadows.

Gargoyles???

Her mind snapping back to clarity, the bard races through everything she has heard regarding gargoyles. "With their acute hearing, they probably heard Kaliendriel inform us that they were there," the bard barley breathes aloud. "They may stay in hiding so we can't easily see them, thus disabling any chance of us launching a surprise attack on them."

Turning towards Anna, she continues. "Gargoyles are resistant to attack, but magical weapons can overcome that resistance. Your flail is already magical; I would continue to keep it at the ready. It is my hope these constructs will either let us pass, or can be reasoned with. But for additional preparation, would you like me to buff the sonic ability of the Wraith-Slayer again?"

[Annalysei]

Anna nods her thanks and moves within range so that Laurel can buff her flail. Inwardly, she sighs in relief that Laurel seems to be coming back to her senses, but she keeps a watchful eye on both Led and Laurel

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Her mind snapping back to clarity, the bard races through everything she has heard regarding gargoyles. "With their acute hearing, they probably heard Kaliendriel inform us that they were there," the bard barley breathes aloud. "They may stay in hiding so we can't easily see them, thus disabling any chance of us launching a surprise attack on them."

[OOC: There is a door behind the illusory wall and she kept her voice down. They aren't expecting something to be ready for them so we will get a surprise round. This is per the DM.

We just need everyone with ranged capabilities to move into the room and use their best attack. Those of us without can move to get into position. Basically Kali is delaying her action to hit one before it can strike someone.]

[Vynarkus]

Vynarkus, having already reactivated his invisibility, looks quizically at the door, wondering how he had missed it earlier when he scanned the room with Detect Magic.

When everyone starts moving into the room, he goes in flat over their heads, so as not to interfere with others' motion, and blasts the nearer of the two Gargoyles as he heads to a spot that is 10 to 15 feet above the ground and as far away from the door as he can get while still reaching that hight. Until then, even if the talking only lasts one round, he looks through with Detect Magic, attempting to discern anything he can in advance.

[Annalysei]

(ooc - as everyone already knows, I am terrible at spatial relationships, so could our wise DM please move me in whatever manner necessary so that I can go through the doorway and zap a gargoyle with fire? Thx.)