The majority of the party rushes towards the undergrowth, fighting with the vegetation in order to pass as fast as possible through.
Eveline moves towards the upper side without much difficulty as this is gradually going up.
As the voice of the little archer thunders around the mountain cliffs, the minotaur turns towards the hills trying to discern where the enemies are coming from.
But he merely understands the voice is coming from up the slope, not truly seeing the Pathfinders advancing through the undergrowth.
If Janira understood Eveline's advice or if she has different plans, you do not know, but she profits the time to step back out of reach, brings out a tanglefoot bag and readies herself for the minotaur's attack, prepared to pay her life for the Society.
The minotaur shouts angrily at the new foes arrival, and decided to end this quickly to face the new invaders, he steps to the front expecting to cut through the halfling in two.
Not impressed the halfling Pathfinder performs her readied attack with the whip without moving back a single centimeter.
The greataxe is rolled around by the whip, the minotaur looks at it astonished as the halfling pulls from it, making the beast to lose grasp. The greataxe falls to the floor with a heavy sound!!!!!
The minotaur curses as he attacks Janira with his gore, full in rage.
It hits Janira at her chest she profusely bleeding, but still standing on place.
The minotaur then picks up the broken greataxe from the floor, although Janira is not able to take profit of the opportunity with her whip.
Syrak and Doodlevain emerge, the minotaur driving mad on the sight.
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Eveline runs as fast as she can to the edge of the cliff, facing the minotaur just in time to see Janira deftly pull away the beast's weapon. Very impressive, Eve ponders, but finds the Janira's heroism foolish. Seeing the others push through the undergrowth, and the passage to the cliff go through her comrades, Eveline smirks and faces the minotaur.
"HEY! DOG BREATH! LOST YOUR AXE TO A HALFLING! YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE PROUD!"
As the party start appearing out of the vegetation, an arrow comes from the other side of the forest, hitting the minotaur in his left arm.
The creature shouts, but more than in pain, in rage for Eveline's taunt, although he is still able to hold focus.
"I don't know what are you saying but you will pay your words! You rats, stop hiding far away and come face my axe!"
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Reed hustles forward, saving his breath now that he knows the minotaur is aware of their presence. He quickly approaches the small stream, getting ready to jump over the narrow ribbon of water. He winces as Janira takes another hit, knowing that time is of the essence if they wish to save the woman.
Reed advances through the vegetation and readies himself to jump.
Janira tumbles back trying to desperately avoid the minotaur, the sense of death over her head brightening her movements!
She then throws the tanglefoot bag on the hope she can do something to make him less dangerous.
The bag explodes over the beast letting its contents free.
The minotaur is entangled by the alchemical gum and stuck to the sandy ground!
The minotaur starts fighting with the gum, enraged and tired of the tricky halfling. He slashes back and forth with his broken greataxe.
He breaks free and walks towards the halfling were she is totally menaced by his mighty presence, although he is still entangled by the gum all over his body.
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Lionel begins sprinting towards the river, stopping for a moment next to Bazim. "Well. Wish me luck, brotha!" Making a Calistrian sign with his hands, he begins sprinting towards the shore. Reaching the end of the shore, he leaps, grabbing his hat with one hand in hope of reaching to the other side.
Lionel leaps in the air, his yellow cloak flapping behind him, spear in one hand, hat in the other, as he lands several feet inland, right behind the minotaur. Putting on his hat, he grins at the sorcerer standing at the bridge and shouts, "Go, Nummer, now! Run, Janira!", he shouts as he swings his spear for the distracted minotaur. As soon as the spear smacks the body, Lionel grins at the minotaur turning around, creating a double of himself.
Lionel reaches the minotaur, providing light to Janira and the party to properly fight the beast.
Syrak's javelin hits at the entangled minotaur, but his hard hide deflects the weapon.
Meanwhile an arrow flies from the ledge, Eveline calibrating the long shot.
Numair discovers too late the trunk is slippery due to the water, fortunately he is fast enough to catch by when he tries to pass through it and he just fells prone over it. The giant sorcerer stands up over the trunk.
Banzim starts inspiring his comrades into the battle!
The minotaur hears Reeds' charge and turns to attack him as he flies, but he is too slow and the bold ranger lands a strong strike in between its horns with determination.
The minotaur stoutly holds the impact, even when a bloody slash opens on its head.
Janira profits the distraction to move deftly towards the forest at the other side of the stream "By all gods! You are just on time!"
She lands next to Syrak, and starts a performance to help the paladin.
“And it was Selmius Foster’s race against a marid and
efreeti on the isle of Jalmeray, which taught us that
nothing is truly impossible and every situation can
end in victory.”
Lionel also stabs at the minotaur with his spear.
The minotaur angry at the inferiors attacking him, attacks ferociously at the charging ranger.
Reed avoids the first axe slash, then the second, but he is not ready for the menace that comes from the head. Unused to fight against horned beasts the gore lands true into his chest causing a horrible wound. The ranger loses breath for a second, but determined, he holds on feet, his boldness having saved Janira from a certain death.
The minotaur steps to the side, to have a better control of Reed and Lionel's area.
Syrak tries to wade across the stream but the waters are too rough for him. He is sunk into the water.
Bazim thinks into healing Reed. Unluckily he is too far away from him.
The bard casts the spell so he has not to face attacks of opportunity later, and moves out of the vegetation jumping after a small run.
He lands good just next to Reed and touches him healing and closing part of his wounds. All this while he keeps singing.
Doodlevain tries to cross the log.
He slips and falls into the waters.
Numair gets out of the trunk and channels his arcane magic to his morningstar, hitting the minotaur with decision, causing his right leg bones to crack under the strength of the blow.
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Reed glows with righteous fury as his axe smacks home on the minotaur, only to nearly topple from a ferocious headbutt from the beast, the horns and massive skull of the creature nearly cracking ribs. He feels some of his wounds start knitting together as Bazim heals some of his wounds.
Feeling focused, the ranger brings both of his weapons to bear against the large beast after stepping to the side, forcing the creature to choose whether to pay attention to him or Lionel.
Lionel stabs the minotaur from one side, then Reed crushes his handaxe in one of the minotaur legs, then the other in the other leg.
The beast performs a raged scream of vengeance, but fails to hold on feet, and finally stomps all over the sandy stream bank, just next to Reed and Lionel.
"You... you... saved my life..." says Janira, as she falls to the floor fatigued and mentally exhausted.
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Numair grins, and bows.
"I am just glad that we were able to lend a hand! I am even more gratified that we all managed to survive; I am honestly thought it was going to be touch and go for you there, for a few moments... you still look badly hurt. Shall we head back before we run into another one of those things? I am not sure that I have it in me to deal with two of them in one day..."
"I certainly thought that was the end myself. But I guess your arrival made everything to change..." the halfling woman seems to suddenly change her mood and broadly smiling addresses you "So... what have you found about the caverns? Did you find the gillmen I saw?"
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"Well, we discovered that the place once housed a Temple to Aroden - it was festooned with some basic, but still quite fascinating, petroglyphs, appearing to be early representations of certain chapters from Aroden's holy book, 'The History and Future of Humanity'. As to the Gillmen, we met a friendly one, who explained that the Gillmen hold the pure waters within the cave to be sacred, and that is why they regularly make pilgrimages there."
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Eveline oversees the whole combat from the ledge, and sees others celebrate Janira's rescue while Doodle is splashing about in the river. "Oy! Guys! Get the gnome out!" she shouts from above, slightly frustrated at his colleagues' ignorance.
She dashes around the cliff back to where everyone else is, taking some time to do so thanks to the distance and the vegetation. She emerges from the bushes with some thorns lodged into her clothes, and comes up to Janira.
"Mission success, ma'am. Though it remains a puzzle who has made all the petroglyphs in the first place, and when."
Doodlevain rolls in the stream, turning up and down, eating some water and fighting desperately with the current, but her short limbs are not well made for this task.
Eventually, while she is sinking and being moved by the waters, she hits the area were Syrak finally succeeds at touching the bottom. Reed approaches hastily offering his weapon's grip to assist the two.
Janira, also relieved at the rescue of the fish finders, continues at her conversation with Numair "That is most interesting, excellent job!" and to Eveline "I guess that's something we will have to figure out through more research. But now you have made maps of the place and cleaned it of dangers, I foresee it to be an easy task"
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Syrak adds some more details as he takes off his armor to properly dry and polish it.
"There were signs of evil in that cave as well. A necromancer was attempting to raise an army of Gillmen, but he bit off more than he could chew... I do worry that there may be secret passageways yet unfound that host more foul threats down there. I suppose that is an expedition for another time though."
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Reed gives Doodlevain a friendly clap on the back after he and Syrak fish her out of the water before returning to where the others are gathered. "All in all, a fair success, plus we managed to come out here at just the right moment, as well. I think I might be getting the hang of being a Pathfinder agent!"
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Lionel sits down on the shore, sighing heavily, and removes his breastplate, grinning at Syrak. "That's smart, Lastwall, ya don't want it to rust." Looking at everyone weary after the combat, he leans back on a tree, and rolls himself a cigarette, stench raising to high heavens. "That's tha life of a Pathfinda, Reed. Go, explore, listen to someone tell ya what ta do and then do it. Occasionally there's tha heroic charge and taking initiative." Looking at the sorry state of his shoes, the cleric sighs. "Sadly, though, ya gotta go to the nature bit from time ta time. All this sittin' on tha dirt an' munchin' on dried jerky isn't yours truly's taste." Letting out a puff in the air, Lionel glares at the stars, "Tell ya what, though, that view ain't that bad. Funny how tha stars are brighta here than in Absalom." The cleric lies back on the grass, relaxing.
After a brief moment, he tosses the ashes in the river and stands up. "So, when we're back, I'mma takin' ya to this posh Cheliaxian eatery. There's about a dozen forks and spoon per meal, 's crazy, but don'tcha go pocketin' them, tha owner's a regular with me. And no objections, I need someone ta talk to when I'm eatin', an' I can see ya all be waitin' on a decent meal for days."
Fixing his hat, Lionel unbuttons the breastplate and shoves it in his backpack, ready to move. "Been a pleasure workin' with yo people, 's what I'm sayin'."
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Eveline stays alert and watches the surroundings. A solitary minotaur means trouble. "I wonder why the minotaur had left its lair. Something could have driven it out, or lured it out. Is it possible we were trespassing on its territory? Regardless, I had imagined the minotaurs were friendlier with the citizens of Kortos, not outright hostile..."
Eveline keeps her distance from Lionel and the bitter smoke. She enjoys the company of a fellow female halfling.