"Very interesting. Thank you so much. Is there anything I can do for you by way of thanks?" she asks. Cladissa offers some spellcasting services in the future, then sets out.
Nyugusk follows along, trying to stay inconspicuous so as not to get in the way of the information gathering.
"Very interesting. Thank you so much. Is there anything I can do for you by way of thanks?" she asks. Cladissa offers some spellcasting services in the future, then sets out.
The mercenary stares at Cladissa for a moment through her short-cropped, greasy hair. "I wouln't say no to a kiss from a lass like you, nor would I refuse a drink."
Cladissa's cheeks burn furiously and she tugs at a lock of hair, pulling it over her face. "Um. I'm, well, I don't--" she stammers.
She glances around nervously, swallows, then wrings her hands in front of her. "I don't really think that's, um, well, you know, she dithers. "I guess maybe a drink would be okay, I guess."
She looks around to see if there's a nearby tavern.
Hrim interrupts from his obfuscating shadow by coughing and saying, "we would love to buy you drink, but we're on a time table. We'll be back and meet you here. Thanks for your help."
The woman grunts, and takes another slug off her mostly empty bottle.
Argor flies over and sees the others walking down the street.
Argor slowly lowers himself to near street level, remaining about five feet in the air. As he closes the distance, he says, "I believe our wayward Pathfinder is at the Tower of the Horn. However, it would be an act of folly to go on after him without a complete understanding of what it was of Ralzeros' that he uncovered. We should return to the museum and learn what we can before chasing him down."
Still flustered, Cladissa smooths her skirt as she looks up at Argor. "Um, we know he was headed to Gilltown, looking for a way to the tower without using the road."
She shifts uncomfortably. "He also seemed to have been wearing a mask of some kind. Perhaps we should keep going after him? Maybe we can catch him before he gets what he wants?"
"Or we walk blindly into an ancient trap. We've already spent hours gathering this information, and now we are suddenly in a rush? No, whatever lead he has on us, it would serve us better at this juncture to continue gathering information so we are at least on a more level playing field in regards to what he knew going into the Tower."
"So you would prefer to spend further hours, or perhaps days sifting through the museum's nooks hoping to find whatever clue that sent him to this tower? Whatever advantage you believe he has over us does not seem to be regarding a means of ingress. I think we are well-suited to deal with any ancient traps that Anumet himself hasn't sprung."
"Cladissa, Argor's logic is reasonable this time. We've already spent time searching for where the target is going. We could spend a couple hours to search the attic for why the target is behaving as he is. If we can gather more information, why not?" the deep gnome offers the conflict.
Argor rolls his eyes. "Very well. Mad'am Velorryan, lead on. The Tower of the Horn lies at the base of the bluff beneath Beldrin's Tower, formerly entitled the Tower of the Broken Shield, one of three that once belonged to the wizard Beldrin."
Argor soars back up into the air, not wishing to converse with them further.
Yes, let us go about stumbling blindly once again. It has served us so well in the past.
Cladissa stares after Argor, getting used to the sight of him floating around. She recites the names of avian bones once more to take her mind off the bile that rises in her throat. She's not sure if her distaste was from his condescending tone or his incessant floating that lets him look down upon everyone. She sets out, moving through the city to the tower.
Getting to the Precipice Quarter is easy enough, but this abandoned section of Absalom is not a safe place for travelers during the night. Along the main road the group is stopped by the Eastgate’s Post
Guard at the edge of the inhabited part of the city. "You can continue on, but at your own risk. The gate will be locked from dusk until dawn, so if you go in now, you probably won't be getting back into the city until mornin'," the guard informs the Freaks.
Churning waves break against jagged rocks where the Precipice Quarter meets the sea, a chaotic maze of stone and coral with neither level ground nor shelter from the ocean’s destructive power. In the midst of this chaos lies the fallen Tower of the Horn jutting out of the shallow surf, its smooth, ivory surface now adorned with seaweed, coral, and barnacles.
From the top of the cliff in the Precipice Quarter overlooking the Tower of the Horn, the Freaks have to follow the Devourer’s supposed route down the side of the sloping bluff by climbing the jagged rocks. For the fliers, the descent is no challenge.
As Argor floats slowly towards the base of the precipice, he folds his arms behind him and meticulously scans the area around the broken tower for any sign of Anumet, or anyone, making entry into the ruined structure.
Cladissa stands quietly for a moment and appreciates the view. "Cole, stay here. Let me know if you see Anumet or anyone else pass this way."
Then she pounces down the rocky cliffs with ease. Her mutations make it almost effortless; the tough pads on her hands and feet along with the catlike configuration of her hind legs, her new claws. Did I just call them my hind legs? Cladissa thinks and she pauses in her descent. A sick fear crawls through her belly that has nothing to do with her hanging on the side of a cliff with the pounding surf far below. She squeezes her eyes shut as she clings to the rocks. She feels a tingling pulse travel through her spine all the way to the tip of her tail. No, not now, not while on a mission, please, she thinks as the tingling spreads into her muscles. Not while I'm on a cliff over certain death!
Thankfully, the sensation subsides and she finishes scrambling down the rocks and reaches the tower. The barnacles encrusting the surface of the tower makes it easy for her to scale up the side.
"So you see an entrance, or should I climb to the top?" she calls out to the fliers.
The tide is going out by the time the party reaches the base of the tower, and the entrance to the tower—a jagged breach in the wall—soon becomes visible. Any other entrances the tower once possessed now lie choked beneath tons of debris, hidden deep beneath the sand.
Argor floats down closer to the felinous female and points towards the breach. He waits for the others to lead on in before entering behind them.
__________
Cladissa moves quietly to the entrance and sniffs at the breach while she waits for Hrim to scout it out. She tells him if she smells anything inside, and cautions him, "Be wary of any pools of water you may find. This would be an apt lair for any reef-dwelling creature."
Thrassk and Nyugusk are able to climb down with little issue. Cladissa thinks they should have plenty of time to explore such a small tower before the tide comes back in.
Thrassk leads the way into the chamber with Nyugusk following closely.
Half of this chamber’s floor is covered in seawater, and the tower reeks of brine and the lingering smell of death. Three doorways lead to other chambers in the tower, the wooden doors having long rotted off their hinges. The southernmost portal is almost half-submerged beneath the cold water. A large, circular hole gapes from the ceiling to the north, with a long rope dangling down from the dark chamber above, and another hole opens in the floor directly below it.
The tower lacks any windows and any torches that once adorned its sconces have long been lost or ruined, so the Pathfindersneed to provide their own light sources in the otherwise pitch-black tower. The rooms’ ceilings are 20 feet high, and though the tower has retained much of its structural integrity, the inside is covered in barnacles and seaweed.
Initiative:
Monster 10
Party 8.4
Nyugusk hears it just before it appears. A pale green giant with scaled skin and large, webbed hands and feet comes bursting into the room from the southern chamber. On either side of its neck are slotted gills, and it wields a massive spear. It stabs at Thrassk with a powerful two handed lunge. The spear's point grinds across the dragon man's thick plate armor with a metallic screech, but doesn't harm him.
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Miss
The alchemist says, "Crap guys, we've got an aquatic giant in here!"
Then he draws his mutagen.
The merrow stabs at Thrassk again, then reaches out to claw him. This time the spear rends through Thrassk's armor. It slices him wide open, and breaks several ribs. The dragon man roars in pain while the giant laughs wickedly.
_______________________________
Seeing the permeating darkness within the tower, Argor quickly utters a cantrip and sends four glowing orbs into the tower to lend aid to the warriors.
__________
Cladissa eyes the creature from just outside the gap and levels her hex on it after seeing it tear into Thrassk.
saves
Nyugusk gasps at how easily the giant rips through the dragon's scales but he takes a step closer and then rears up and lashes out with all four pincers. The first one digs into the giant's left arm and manages to twist it into an awkward position, but the rest all fail to find purchase on its tough hide.
"Unff! While I'm holding it, can one of you get behind it? Quick, I'm not sure I can hold something this big for long!"
_____________________
The merrow stabs at Thrassk again, then reaches out to claw him. This time the spear rends through Thrassk's armor. It slices him wide open, and breaks several ribs. The dragon man roars in pain while the giant laughs wickedly.
Seeing the permeating darkness within the tower, Argor quickly utters a cantrip and sends four glowing orbs into the tower to lend aid to the warriors.
Cladissa eyes the creature from just outside the gap and levels her slumber hex on it after seeing it tear into Thrassk. The giant shakes off the curse.
Nyugusk gasps at how easily the giant rips through the dragon's scales but he takes a step closer and then rears up and lashes out with all four pincers. The first one digs into the giant's left arm and manages to twist it into an awkward position, but the rest all fail to find purchase on its tough hide.
"Unff! While I'm holding it, can one of you get behind it? Quick, I'm not sure I can hold something this big for long!"
The shadow that is Hrimnagel floats silently and unnoticed into the room, positioning himself for a shot.
Thrassk continues roaring, in an insensate rage. He steps forward and lays into the giant with everything he has. Unfortunately his wound is so great, that his effects are weak and powerless. The giant knocks them aside with its spear, hissing through its gills.
================================
The merrow turns its claws on Nyugusk, trying to tear the alchemist apart. Nyugusk's chitinous, furry hide protects him from the slashing talons.
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Argor flies through the door and climbs up near the ceiling, simultaneously positioning the lights as he does so through force of will. They settle above and behind the creature, causing an eerie red silhouette around its huge mass. As he does so, his eyes and hands begin to glow deep green as he works out a ritual he has performed several times before.
At once, four chunks of the earth around the beast tear themselves free from the floor and begin raining blows down upon its shins, though their miniscule fists seem to do little to bring the beast down.
"Cladissa," Argor says flatly, "Thrassk could use your attention with the new wand we purchased. He doesn't appear to be breathing well."
__________
Cladissa nods and retrieves the wand as she steps closer to the fray. She targets the giant again with her hex, hoping to end its threat.
fails, asleep for 5 rounds.
Effect: A witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to fall into a deep, magical sleep, as per the spell sleep. The creature receives a Will save to negate the effect. If the save fails, the creature falls asleep for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s level.
This hex can affect a creature of any HD. The creature will not wake due to noise or light, but others can rouse it with a standard action. This hex ends immediately if the creature takes damage. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
You can make a second attempt at failed hexes.Prerequisite: Hex class feature.
Benefit: When you target a creature with a hex that cannot target the same creature more than once per day, and that creature succeeds at its saving throw against the hex's effect, you can target the creature with the same hex a second time before the end of your next turn. If the second attempt fails, you can make no further attempts to target that creature with the same hex for 1 day.
Normal: You can only target a creature with these hexes once per day.
Thrassk tears the giant's throat out while it sleeps.
"I am badly wounded," he states. The dragon man stoicly presses a claw to the wound, trying to slow the blood.
"Yes, that looks bad. Here," Cladissa says, holding out the wand and applying it with a command word.
"Thank you," Thrassk says. "Perhaps we should use the wand of infernal healing."
Cladissa decides to keep the wand out, in case it is needed again soon. She then turns her attention to the tower's interior, but all of a sudden the tingling intensifies.
No no no no, she thinks as she clutches her sides and leans against one of the wet walls. She breathes heavy as several long seconds tick by. "Stop it stop it stop it," she mutters under her breath.
Finally it fades again, receding to just a faint pins-and-needles sensation and she relaxes slightly.
As Cladissa sees to Thrassk, Nyugusk decides to better prepare for their next encounter. He goes through a now-familiar routine of drinking--then gargling and spitting--a range of frothing, fizzy concoctions.
Spontaneous healing 2/2 rounds
Active effects:
- GMF (+1 to hit/dam on all natural attacks) for 5 hrs
- Heroism (+2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks) for 100 min
Argor points to the flooded chamber, "Someone should check that area just to make sure there aren't any more surprises lurking about. There may also be a lost artifact tucked away beneath the surface or under some rubble. You never know. This did used to be the property of a prominent wizard, I'll remind you."
Argor himself, moves about within the main chamber, peaking into the other rooms as best he can without entering them.
"Go and scout out these chambers, see if there is anything that could pose a threat and then report back to me," Argor says to his elemental servants.
Thrassk looks in the merrow's chamber and find's an adventurer's satchel with nearly 2,000 gold pieces inside it. The elementals go to look into the other chambers.
"Sea beasts," one reports in Terran. Immediately thereafter it moves to defend itself.
Initiative:
Reefclaws 21.8
Party 11.8
A swarm of chitinous sea critters scuttle into view and assault the elemental with their clacking claws. They crush pieces of it, and then one of them grabs ahold of it tight.
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2 hits
"These things look weirder than I do! What in the world are they?" Dammit, they look so much like me, there's something crabbish about them, why can't I figure this out? How perfected am I if a bit of knowledge like this eludes me!
The Transmogrifying Lotus drinks down one more extract--this time ballooning in size--and then comes close, ready to snatch up the first one to make it through the archway.
HP 38/38
Spontaneous healing 2/2 rounds
Current CMD 25 (just in case someone feels like grappling...)
Active effects:
- GMF (+1 to hit/dam on all natural attacks) for 5 hrs
- Heroism (+2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks) for 100 min
- Enlarge Person for 5 minutes
- (Drawback) Oppressive Expectations -2 to K. Nature until I succeed on a roll or fail on a different skill.
Current AoO [dice=Pincer (mutagen, enlarged, heroism, magic fang)]1d20+13+2+1[/dice
[dice=Damage]1d8+9+1[/dice
[dice=grab]1d20+18+2+1[/dice
Hearing the commotion Thrassk burst back into the main chamber. He sees Nyugusk in the doorway, and moves to support his battle brother. When he sees the thrashing, evil eyed crustaceans he pauses for a moment. "What on Golarion are those?" the dragon man wonders aloud.
Hrim moves behind Nyug and shoots into the bottleneck between his legs. The arrow thumps into sea beast.
"These are reefclaws, poisonous monstrosities that go into a frenzy as they perish."
Cladissa targets the nearest reefclaw, hitting it with her hex to lower its attack.
saves, -2 to attack for 1 round.
Argor turns to his elementals and says:
"Attack those creatures!"
In response, the elementals all begin to surge towards the combat, prepared to crush their master's foes.
__________
A swarm of chitinous sea critters scuttle into view and assault the elemental with their clacking claws. They crush pieces of it, and then one of them grabs ahold of it tight.
"These things look weirder than I do! What in the world are they?" Dammit, they look so much like me, there's something crabbish about them, why can't I figure this out? How perfected am I if a bit of knowledge like this eludes me!
The Transmogrifying Lotus drinks down one more extract--this time ballooning in size--and then comes close, ready to snatch up the first one to make it through the archway.
Hearing the commotion Thrassk burst back into the main chamber. He sees Nyugusk in the doorway, and moves to support his battle brother. When he sees the thrashing, evil eyed crustaceans he pauses for a moment. "What the?!"[/b] the dragon man exclaims aloud.
Hrim moves behind Nyug and shoots into the bottleneck between his legs. The arrow thumps into sea beast.
"These are reefclaws, poisonous monstrosities that go into a frenzy as they perish," Argor explains.
Cladissa targets the nearest reefclaw, hitting it with her hex to lower its attack.
Argor turns to his elementals and says, "Attack those creatures!" in terran. In response, the elementals all begin to surge towards the combat, prepared to crush their master's foes. Most of them are too far away to attack immediately, but the damaged elemental who is being held by the reefclaw tries to punch it.
/
=================================
The reefclaws focus their attacks on the damaged elemental, and working together they manage to bust it to pieces with their claws.
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18,6,7,23,23,12,10,4,17,14,7