Session 83: Are you copying me? Stop Copying Me! Report
General Summary
The whole situation became almost surreal. Despite all their adventures; regardless of all they had learned; heedless of their desperate quest; Roisin and her Roses were about to die at the hands of some random construct guardians left behind just in case an old and disused "back entrance" was opened. Just as the large Combat Constructs were about to act, however, Roisin, Jeeves, and Boris began to lose consciousness of the situation, even as Roy saw them fade from view.
Roisin, Boris, and Jeeves vision cleared as they found themselves in an unfamiliar place, a gentle rolling countryside with a light forest. Walking a remote road they could not remember, with little sign of travel, they soon noticed a long abandoned homestead a short distance ahead. A large tree had fallen upon the house, but while the tree had fallen somewhat recently, the house itself appeared to be abandoned long before, perhaps a decade or two. The out-house was all that remained in reasonable condition, and that was unusually intact, despite its simple construction. There was no knowing who might have lived in this place, why they planted a garden, but left it. They heard a voice, "A brief break, a chance to rest. Not all is as it seems, sometimes the enemy you see is but a puppet of the enemy you seek".
Jeeves looked about with a critical eye, and noticed a complete lack of birds in the trees, or any other small creatures. Looking back, he noticed a bit of dust, perhaps created by someone traveling quickly in the distance, or perhaps a caravan far behind. Jeeves described this to the others, even as Boris walked closer to the ruins. The rest caught up with Boris, as another, darker, voice came to them. "Time flies; Who waits, dies; A friend in need, is a friend indeed; Fields left fallow, go to seed". Jeeves and Boris continued closer, when they heard a voice from the out-house "Is there anybody out there? Help me, help me please?" Simultaneously Roisin felt a wave of fear from somewhere, as if someone nearby was terrified. Everyone immediately began to rush toward the out-house. As Boris closed on the small structure, a creature of horror stepped from behind it, and a tentacle lashed out at the diminutive knight.
The tentacle grappled Boris with the tentacle which crushed him, pierced his flesh with hooked barbs, dragged him close and bit down on his upper torso. Boris felt terribly ill as the horrid stench of offal and rot struck him. The creature slammed Boris against the ground, knocking him unconscious, then stuffed him in its maw and bit his torso in half. Boris died instantly as the creature waved his bloody corpse in the air. Jeeves consumed a Blue Gorse Berry, thinking this thing might be a fiend, but sensed nothing, then used the pike he drew earlier as a javelin and struck the creature, though the improvised weapon did little damage. Roisin ordered Jeeves to attack again, and he caused a magical bell to toll the creature's death. The necrotic energy angered the creature, which roared even as Roisin and Jeeves felt a wave of intense hatred roil over them. The creature tossed Boris corpse into its maw and began chewing on the body before picking the crushed armor from its teeth and tossed that to the ground. The creature burped, emitting a wave of stench like the pit of a diseased out-house, before rushing forward to attack with two tentacles, then emitted a strange warbling cry. The out-house grew a set of pseudopods, the door became a gaping toothy maw, and it charged to Jeeves and slammed him with an adhesive pseudopod. Jeeves could see that the creature's maw dripped with strong acid, Jeeves slapped it with a shocking grasp and prepared to dodge magical effects if possible. Roisin ordered Jeeves to attack again, so Jeeves tried to shock the tentacled creature, but could not reach it. The tentacled creature (now recognized as an Otyugh), dried to eat Jeeves and Roisin. The creature struck Jeeves powerfully, but missed Roisin, then bit viciously into Roisin, severely injuring her and leaving her sickened. The huge mimic that had been an out-house bit deeply into Jeeves, shredding his skin and dissolving his flesh, nearly killing him. Jeeves used his medical knowledge to heal up some of his wounds, then chugged a powerful healing draught. Roisin used a magical guardian script to conjure a magical hound-like force next to the mimic, then ran away from the Otyugh which lashed out ineffectually. Roisin was filled with a wave of hunger, and an image of the creature lifting her in a tentacle to drop her in its maw. The Otyugh started after Roisin, thrashed in confusion, then turned back to Jeeves. The creature struck once with a tentacle, and again with its diseased bite, once again nearly killing Jeeves. The mimic bit into Jeeves savagely, and would have killed him outright, but Roisin cried out in a loud voice, begging him to remain, and Jeeves tapped into his last reserves of strength to protect the princess. Jeeves drank a potion to reinvigorate himself and was able to bind his wounds as well, fully recovering his strength. Roisin's magic dog tore into the mimic ordered Jeeves to attack, and Jeeves slapped the mimic with another shocking grasp. The Otyugh roared and Roisin and Jeeves were filled with waves of lonliness. The Otyugh tore into Jeeves, completely erasing his gains and leaving him once again near death. The mimic bit down on Jeeves, and would have killed him were it not for his indomitable will to live. Jeeves thought about using illusion, but quickly realized these creatures don't see and would not be fooled. Jeeves used a couple of divine boons, pulled a warhammer, and struck the mimic three times, but it was not enough to free him from their grasp. Roisin's hound also tore into the mimic, then she ordered Jeeves to attack and Jeeves again conjured the tolling bell which left the mimic on death's door. The Otyugh tore at Jeeves with tentacle and maw, leaving him unconscious and bleeding out. The air shimmered and Boris lept from the Otyugh's maw looking stronger than ever and poured a healing potion down Jeeves' throat, then conjured a spiritual weapon which bashed in the mimic, killing it and causing it to dissolve into nothing more than a toxic pool of acidic sludge that poisoned the ground. The Otyugh screamed in a desperate warbling tone and flailed about causing itself injury in its distress. Jeeves backed up and threw two poisoned darts; one struck, but bounced off its magical hide. Jeeves backed up again, and it swung a tentacle, tearing into Jeeves, as Jeeves backed up even further. Roisin ordered Boris to attack, and Boris threw his hammer, slamming into the Otyugh and knocking it over as it continued to scream and flail wildly and ineffectually. Boris again slammed the Otyugh, and followed up with a second hammer strike as well as a spiritual weapon, battering it severely. Jeeves consumed a potion that spewed forth a terrible string of insults, but had no effect on this monstrous creature which lacks the intellect to use language. Roisin ordered Boris to attack again and everyone heard a dark voice scream "Finish It!" as Boris' hammer slammed into the creature's head, and it convulsed, leaping into the air as the death-throes engulfed it. With the death of the Otyugh, everyone heard again the first, calmer voice, say "Well done. Always remember that, sometimes, the weaker being is the one in charge. Rest; recover; sleep for a time".
Everyone felt consciousness slip away as their vision darkened. They awoke, an unknown time later, feeling as though they had spent a week in the finest of care. As they woke, Jeeves realized he could not see or move. Roisin felt stiff and realized she had transformed to stone. Boris lost all magic for a minute. As Boris and Jeeves both recovered, Roisin appeared to crumble to dust, leaving her unharmed as though the stone was merely a shell. Boris found he had a one-time boon to change his magical preparation completely. Jeeves found that lies could not be told in his presence for a short time. Roisin suddenly realized that, for the next few minutes, she could blast a radiant beam of holy energy from her navel as needed. The scene around them shimmered and wavered, and as their vision cleared they found themselves back where they had been, in the middle of a desperate fight, but now with a better chance to survive.