Quickly, we gained a bit of distance. The mob was big, but it was also slow. However, it also seemed to be single-minded in its pursuit of us, which was not great.

However, even Zinlana, the slowest amongst us on the ground, was able to easily outpace the mob, so we soon lost sight of them as we made our way into Andor’s Hall proper. Every building was broken into, and there were signs of fighting and dried blood everywhere. Something had clearly affected the men and women of the town.

But looking for loot in townhouses was not our goal. “Let’s get to the town hall,” I whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear. “We can find out if any of this grain has been shipped out there, and maybe even find out how long it has been poisoning the town.”

Everyone nodded, so we began moving forward, carefully and quietly, trying not to call down another mob upon us. We didn’t say anything, turning our ears to listen for signs of the mob. Whatever had affected them had clearly given them some kind of corruption, and none of us cared to experience firsthand what they might be capable of.

Melinda’s Hide Check: 1d20+19 = 29

Ebonheart’s Hide Check: 1d20+8 = 10

Siora’s Hide Check: 1d20+7 = 13

Vestele’s Hide Check: 1d20+11 = 28

Fartooth’s Hide Check: 1d20+44 = 63

Zinlana’s Hide Check: 1d20-1 = 17

Soulblight Mob’s Spot check: 1d20+16 = 34 (Success)

Our caution was rewarded, as we heard the next mob before it found us. Despite our efforts to hide, the mob had many eyes to see with, and a black unicorn in armor tends to stand out just a little bit, at the best of times. Turning towards us, the crowd roared as one, and advanced!

Initiatives

Vestele

Zinlana

Melinda

Siora

Fartooth

Ebonheart

Soulblight Mob

Vestele’s attack roll (SM): 1d20+17 = 23 (Touch) (Hit)

Searing Light damage: 5d8 = 27 (Magic)

Vestele cursed, “We have to get through these things, otherwise we’ll end up getting chased throughout the city, and attract more packs!” That said, she unleashed a ray of brilliant light, like the sun, striking one of the misshapen elves in the front of the pack. The ray staggered the person, but they didn’t fall, and the pack remained.

Zinlana’s Flame Strike: 15d6 = 56 (Half fire, half divine)

SM’s Ref Save: 1d20+14 = 28 (Success, Half Damage) (+50% damage from AoE)

“Oh, Corellon, grant the flames of mercy to these poor souls who have been led from your path!” As Zinlana prayed, a column of divine flame descended from the sky, charring the crowd. Surprisingly, none of the crowd actually died, despite the intensity of the flames. “It looks as though area effects work well against them!”

Melinda’s Attack Roll (SM): 1d20+21 = 25 (touch) (Hit)

Utterdark Blast damage: 12d6 = 40 (Negative)

SM’s Fort Save: 1d20+17 = 33 (Success)

I took a breath, and then unleashed a bolt of magical power, the blast being second nature to me, after all this time. But, this time, I wove in one of the new abilities I’d learned, to try and weaken this mob. It did not have the effect I wished, but damage still spread across the mob. “This is going to be difficult, especially with us being grounded.”

Siora’s Mass Whelm: 10d6 = 25 (Nonlethal)

SM’s Will Save: 1d20+27 = 45 (Success, no damage)

Siora took a breath, and then unleashed a bolt of mental power, that exploded in the midst of the mob. Unfortunately, the power just rolled off of them. “Its no good! My spell just rolled off them, like they were one mind! I don’t think anything that affects the mind will work, here.”

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+31 = 33 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 15 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+31 = 38 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 16 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+26 = 30 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 14 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+21 = 30 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 12 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth launched a flurry of arrows, each of them striking true. Unfortunately, the strange damage sharing effect occurred again, with wounds appearing across the mob, instead of on just a single individual. The kobold hissed in annoyance. “Their hides resist my arrows, too, and I am not seeing the kind of weakening I normally do when I hit creatures more than once.”

Ebonheart stamped the ground, clearly unenthused about doing his normal method of just charging in and attacking everything. Not without reason, of course. These things looked diseased, with a disease of a soul, and they probably had some kind of horrible abilities. So, he readied himself against an attack, if they launched any attacks. “We should move, no?”

SM Fast Healing 10

The mob surged forward, groaning, hissing, and moaning as it did so. Surging around the corner, the unslightly group looked like a single creature. And it was dead set on us.

Vestele took a breath, and said, “I don’t think there is much I can do in this case. I prepared spells for dealing with individuals through illusions and enchantments. This… mob is not something I can handle unless you want them all dead.”

Zinlana’s Flame Strike: 15d6 = 54 (Half fire, half divine)

SM’s Ref Save: 1d20+14 = 20 (Fail) (+50% damage from AoE)

Zinlana sighed, and said, “It pains me to do so, but these souls are lost to corruption and evil. We must strike them down, so that we can discover just how deep this corruption spreads!” And, as she said that, another column of flame descended, and burned the mob with holy fire.

Melinda’s Attack Roll (SM): 1d20+21 = 41 (touch) (Hit)

Utterdark Blast damage: 12d6 = 39 (Negative)

SM’s Fort Save: 1d20+17 = 23 (Fail) (2 Negative Levels)

Taking a step back, I unleashed another blast of inky black energy. The energy passed through the mob, and it looked like their movements were slower, if only by a bit. “Yes, I believe we can all agree that killing these… things is a mercy. I would hate to live like that.”

Siora’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+20 = 36 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+7 = 9 (Force)

Siora’s Attack Roll (SM): 1d20+15 = 23 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+7 = 10 (Force)

Siora brought out her bow, and fired twice, each arrow flying off the string turning to pure force as it flew. Each arrow hit its mark in one of the unarmored former elves. “I just hope we don’t have to face more than one of these mobs at once, or we’ll be in serious trouble.”

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+31 = 33 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 14 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+31 = 49 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 17 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+26 = 43 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 13 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth’s Attack roll (SM): 1d20+21 = 24 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+11 = 12 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Fartooth growled as he launched another flurry of arrows. Once again, they did less than they ought to have done. “Don’t borrow bad luck! We’ve had enough already since coming to this country!”

Ebonheart nodded once. “I think it is working, though. The mob looks really ragged.”

SM Fast Healing 10

Melinda’s AoO (SM): 1d20+27 = 34 (Hit)

Damage: 1d10+6 = 8 (Slashing) (DR 10/Good)

Vampiric Damage: 1d6 = 2

Zinlana’s AoO (SM): 1d20+22 = 26 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+8 = 12 (Slashing, Good)

Ebonheart’s AoO (SM): 1d20+34 = 51 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+14 = 20 (Piercing) (DR 10/Good)

Vile: 1 (Vile)

Vestele’s AoO (SM): 1d20+23 = 40 (Hit)

Damage: 1d6+8 = 9 (Slashing, Evil) (DR 10/Good)

Mob: 5d6 = 18 (Bludgeoning)

Disruptive Attack: 20 Vile damage

Assimilation: 1d4 = 3 Rounds)

Melinda’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+34 = 44 (Fail)

Ebonheart’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+7 = 24 (Fail)

Siora’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+19 = 26 (Fail)

Vestele’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+26 = 27 (Fail)

Fartooth’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+26 = 42 (Fail)

Zinlana’s Will Save (Assimilation): 1d20+10 = 25 (Fail)

The mob, scenting blood, surged forward, faster than they had before. Their moans and growls became screams as they bit, scratched, and punched as they washed over us. But the nicks and scratches were more than just physical, and I felt the icky feeling of corruption spreading through me, through us all.

Vestele’s Concentration Check: 1d20+28 = 39 (Success)

Vestele’s Mass Heal: 180 HP Healed

Vestele breathed deeply, and held up her shield, emblazoned with Malcanthet’s symbol. “Oh, my Queen, give grace to your servants, in defiance of the Dark Prince’s will!” A wave of light spread over us, and some of our damage fell away, along with the icky feeling I had. “Finish this, before they do it again!”

Zinlana’s Concentration check: 1d20+22 = 28 (Success)

Zinlana’s Fire Storm: 20d6 = 72 (Fire) (Dispersed)

SM’s Ref Save: 1d20+14 = 18 (Fail) (+50% damage from AoE)

Zinlana nodded once, and also raised her symbol to the sky. “Oh, Corellon, smite these unclean corruptors, so that we can purge their taint from your woods!” Sheets of roaring flame descended upon us, but they did not touch any of us, only harming the mob itself. Most of the mob dropped to the ground, dead or dying, I didn’t know which. But a few, just over a dozen, were still alive, and now had some semblance of sentience again (meaning they were looking to run away).

Melinda’s Concentration check: 1d20+36 = 46 (Success)

Vitriolic Doom: 12d6 = 44

Remnants Ref Save: 1d20+2 = 21 (Fail) (Dead)

“Oh, no you don’t!” I wasn’t about to let them get away. With everything I’d seen, that was probably going to be a great way to have this start up again. With a wave of my hand, a burst of acidic magic exploded out from me, hitting only the members of the mob, not the rest of us. Thankfully, the acid was enough to finish the last of the corrupted elves, letting none escape.

Your party has defeated a Soulblight Mob!

Melinda earns 976 xp.

Ebonheart earns 887 xp.

Siora earns 976 xp.

Vestele earns 976 xp.

Fartooth earns 976 xp.

Zinlana earns 976 xp.

I sighed, and leaned against Ebonheart’s flank. Looking at the others, they looked similarly shaken by the mob. And we knew there was at least one other out there.

Vestele was the first to speak. “Those things were abominations. Even Queen Malcanthet would not countenance the creation of something like that, not even from the bodies of her worst enemies! They should all be destroyed!”

Zinlana nodded once. “Loath as I am to agree with the thralls of demons, you are correct. But, before we proceed much further, we should see about finding a shrine or temple, so that we can cleanse ourselves of the evil that infests our wounds.”

Fartooth chirped, “Is there a temple in the city? Perhaps we should move that way, instead of trying for the town hall.”

Zinlana nodded slowly. “Yes, there is a shrine to Corellon Larethian in Andor’s Hall, but I have never been there, and I do not know where in the town it lays. If I could look from the sky, I could pick it out from the surrounding buildings, if it yet stands, but I worry about getting thrown down again, especially since we still do not know what power of this mob threw us down.”

I took a breath, and spread my wings, flying up a few feet, to the level of the rooftops. I was not thrown back down to the ground, as I was before. Looking around quickly, I did not see any mobs near us. That was a good sign.

Descending, I said, “I think we’re clear, for now. If the shrine still stands, then I say we make for it, and we can figure out our next move once we know more, and are at full strength. If you will, Zinlana?”

The favored soul took a breath, and flew up, not daring to fly too much higher than the rooftop, and risk drawing attention to us. Landing quickly, she smiled at us, and said, “There is still hope, the shrine still stands, and no mobs are near. Come, I will lead the way!”