"Well, I have no desire to meet my end on the remains of a crumbling tower, which is slowly sinking beneath the waves. Let's head for shore - if those beasts make it down to us, I will be quite willing to hurry them along on their journey to oblivion!"
Despite his full-plate, Tyrrol practically flies through the water!
"Huh?" Lothan wakes, wondering if he's dead. The searing pain in the back of his head telling him he's not. Luckily for Lothan, the pain in his head covers up the pain everywhere else. "Ow, my freaking head." He puts his hand on the back of it, trying to ease the pain. "Well whaddaya know, on top of that, it looks like I'm about to drown. Man am I glad I took this trip." He says facetiously. Looking for a way out, "Well, looks like I better swim or die." He pauses a moment wondering which would be better at this point. Shrugging, he decides to find a way to safety.
On the cliff above, the four blue cats continue their zigzag descent.
Another falters and falls, rolls and bounces down the slope.
Samarintha glances at Kuva, but refastens her attention on Tyrrol as he nears the upper tower. She cheers Lothan's appearance and yells, "Good to see you, Lothan! What about Gep?"
Seeing that Kuva is reaching down to attempt to pull him up as well, Mordecai attempts to climb up to his arms, after praying to Urgathoa to lend him her aid.
He has no luck clambering up the slick walls, and might have to wait for the tower to fill with water enough to float him high enough to reach the crack...
Lothan turns his head at the sound of Samaritha calling out to him. He looks behind him, seeing Gep nowhere, remembering he wasn't in there when he woke either. Turning back to Samaritha, "I'm sorry, Samaritha. When I came to, he was nowhere to be found. I have no idea what happened to him. I'll take a look." He tells her as he dives.
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Kuva peers through the hole at Mordecai, clearly uncomfortable at the sight of all the water. "Come, imam of the Great Journey! More of the creatures are upon the shore, and you may yet be needed." He tries again to haul his companion up...
...but is unable to find purchase on the sea-slick tower walls.
The tower's lower half has reached equilibrium and is no longer sinking. The upper half grinds almost imperceptibly downward in fits and starts.
The cliffside Akatas
Another slips and leads its personal landslide to the bottom.
The creatures are more than halfway down and the slope is starting to level out.
Disappointed, Lecian tosses the spellbook back into the water, away from. He then manipulates arcane energies around him to give himself a moment of clarity, imbuing himself with the skill needed to get through the tower. He dives towards the second floor. Unfortunately, he panics and tumbles clumsily into the water.
Swim:
Lothan pokes around the submarine rubble along the shore and base of the tower, but finds no sign of Gep.
Lecian and Mordecai thrash in the first floor of the tower.
Mordecai again attempts to call upon the favor of the Pallid Princess, asking that she lend her bony hand to his escape.
With supernaturally assisted confidence, he moves across the slick stones with the grace of a spider, reaching the crack, and attempting to squeeze his body through the crack, aware that, no matter how skeletal his patron, he is not nearly no slender as Kuva. Ever so briefly, he regrets his tendency to eat to excess.
Like a cork in a bottle, he's wedged, and is stuck halfway out of the tower, suddenly aware that if the tower were to pick this moment to roll, he'd be snapped in half like a twig...
Unable to see any sign of Gep, Lothan returns to the surface. "Sorry, Samaritha. I can't find him anywhere. I'm sorry." Clearly unhappy with his failure. Lothan then swims to see if there are any others that need help.
While he waits for the beasts to come down the cliff, Tyrrol takes takes the opportunity to start to heal himself...
Lecian gathers himself and concentrates, and makes another attempt for the second floor.
Lecian ducks underwater, dives to the bottom and swims out of the first floor room, leaving Mordecai quite alone.
With the lessening slope the two remaining creatures increase their speed and the directness of their line down the cliff face.
Climb
Climb
The remaining descent will pose little threat to them.
Mordecai makes another attempt to free himself from the crack in the side of the tower, struggling furiously.
He realizes that he simply can't fit through this gap, no matter how easy Kuva made it look, and drops back through into the water-filled room below, attempting to soften his fall.
Unable to see any sign of Gep, Lothan returns to the surface. "Sorry, Samaritha. I can't find him anywhere. I'm sorry." Clearly unhappy with his failure. Lothan then swims to see if there are any others that need help.
Samarintha looks disappointed, but she's pragmatic. She waves acknowledgement, then looks at the cliff. "Lothan!' She points to Tyrrol and the approaching creatures on the shore. Her hands start patting pockets and she looks around. Seeing Mordecai she hurries to him along the crest of the tower, then skooches gingerly done the slope to reach the crack where the cleric is stuck.
"Come on! We're going to need help!" She reaches for his hand to help pull him out.
Strength check to Aid Mordecai:
Tyrrol once again calls upon Groetus to aid his servant...
Before tightening his grip upon his flail, and awaiting the inevitable attentions of the beasts...
Lothan turning and seeing Tyrrol and the pair of creatures coming at him, "Oh freaking crap. That's just great." He begins swimming that way. He hollers in hopes that he hears. "Maybe. Heck, I don't know." He tells himself in all honesty.
The creatures' tentacled manes stream behind them as they bound toward Tyrrol across the last bit of rockslide.
Round 1: Tyrrol and the beasts on the shore. Lothan swimming to shore. Kuva firing from the lower tower, range 30'. Lecian in the second floor. Mordecai in the first floor. Samarintha on the lower tower.
Initiative: Akatas
Lothan you won't be able to take part in melee until the second round, but add 4 to your initiative for the good swim check.
Round 1:
Shrugging his shoulders as the beasts close, Tyrrol raises his flail up above his head, and delivers a powerful blow to one of them...
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Mordecai attempts to swim clear of the original entrance to the tower, plunging his head under the fouled seawater, trying to ignore the stink of decomposing whatever-they-are's.
Uncomfortable opening his eyes in the alien-rot-polluted waters, he misses the exit entirely and swims into the unyielding stone walls.
Initiative Order, ROund 1:
Lothan 26, swimming ashore
Creatures 23, mauling Tyrrol
Mordecai Quan 21, trapped alive in a cold watery grave
Kuva
Tyrrol 17,
Lecian
The creatures charge in faster than Tyrrol can raise his mace. They try to savage him with teeth and numbing tentacles.
Bite .. damage
Tendril .. damage
Tendril .. damage
if the bite hits: Fort DC 12 or take Con and Dex damage
Bite .. damage
Tendril .. damage
Tendril .. damage
if the bite hits: Fort DC 12 or take Con and Dex damage
Tyrrol's riposte is more than equally violent. His mace shatters jaw and skull and the creature crumbles to the stony strand.
Lecian hears of sound of Mordecai's body hitting water, and he decides to head back to the second floor for assistance.
Crit confirm bite Bite .. damage
Cirt confirm tentacle .. damage
Lecian touches Mordecai's shoulder to help him make it out of the first floor. "Relax, take a deep breath, and swim for the second floor, now."
Kuva's stone strikes the second creature in the head just forward of its mane. It twists and sidewinds wide of Tyrrol. Then the first blue beast crumples. Kuva's target spins and begins a running retreat to the west.
With Lecian's arcane guidance, Mordecai swims free of the tower, and attempts to find his footing on the shore, bringing his shield up to defend himself in case one of the creatures is willing to brave the surf to attack him.
Lecian continues using his arcane insight to swim out of the first floor.
Samarintha cheers from the top of the lower portion of the tower.
Lothan making it to shore, moves toward the Akata while drawing his longsword, then attempting to cut it in two. "Don't worry, Tyrrol ol' buddy! I'm here to help..."
Cutting it pretty good, Lothan seems a bit surprised. "Well whaddya know! I really am here to help, ol' buddy!" He says quite proud of himself.
Lothan's blade cuts the legs out from under the creature as it dashes by. It makes an abrupt lefthand turn and noses into the shallows. It struggles only an instant before sinking into the hissing water.
Mordecai staggers up onto the shore, any attempt at looking dour or imposing ruined by his bedraggled appearance.
"Did anyone get bitten? We don't want anyone turning into one of those wyrmtongue zombie-creatures..."
He looks back to where he left Lecian, waiting to offer him a hand to shore, if necessary.
"Nope. Not me. But the tower sure beat the hell out of me pretty good. Not sure if that counts or not." Still feeling the pain, he pulls out one of the healing potions and drinks it.
Seeing a small scratch close up, "Well that sucks. I must've gotten a bad bunch." He looks inside the empty vial and then tosses it aside. "Figures. Freaking Riddleport. Just another reason to hate that place." Shrugging it off, as he's glad he's not in Riddleport now, "Well, does anyone else need one? I got a bunch." He offers. "Anyone? Speak up now, otherwise, I'm probably gonna have to drink them all."
Tyrrol shrugs.
"One of them managed to land a blow with its bite, and another with its tendrils. As to whether or not I become a zombie, well, I am sure that you will have no qualms about putting me down if it is required..."
He glances up at the cliff for a few moments, before continuing.
"We should probably try to adopt a defensive position for the night; there were still a fair few of the creatures left up top, and I do not doubt that they will try to ambush us if we present a tempting target..."
Seeing everyone else on shore, Samarintha slides down the side of the tower and into the water. She strikes out for shore.
Swim
And arrives dripping wet. Hug for Lothan. "I'm glad you made it. I've got something for those injuries back in the tower."
***
"We need to find some place to stay. And I need to salvage some goods from the tower."
Mordecai readies his wand of healing, "Save your potions for if I am not available. Or, more to the point, for waking me up if I fall." he adds, with a grin. He doesn't use the wand immediately, but instead casts two cure light wounds spell on Lothan.
He turns to the wand, and attempts to seal up the injuries he can visibly see on Tyrrol and Lecian (and himself).
His gaze passes over Samaritha, as he checks everyone for injuries or signs of infection, "Your cyphermages should have know that this mission would be dangerous, if only because every crimelord in the city was sending a force of thugs, and not sent those boys into this danger." He's obviously annoyed that the others died, although it's impossible to tell if he really cares, or is just put-out that he expended resources to heal men who were so hoplessly doomed.
T
Tyrrol shrugs.
"One of them managed to land a blow with its bite, and another with its tendrils. As to whether or not I become a zombie, well, I am sure that you will have no qualms about putting me down if it is required..."
"Don't you worry, Tyrrol ol' buddy! We won't put you down. I might have to burn your face, though. Lecian didn't appreciate that idea very much, but hey, I thought we were He states defensively, turning in Lecian's direction hoping he overhears. Turning back to Tyrrol, Lothan shrugs.
Seeing everyone else on shore, Samarintha slides down the side of the tower and into the water. She strikes out for shore.
And arrives dripping wet. Hug for Lothan. "I'm glad you made it. I've got something for those injuries back in the tower."
"We need to find some place to stay. And I need to salvage some goods from the tower."
He hugs her in return. "Yeah, me too." He smiles. "I'm glad you're okay as well. I was really worried about you. Still looks like we lost a lot of people, though. Man." Running a hand through his hair in irritation. "Alright, um, if you want, you can tell me where those goods are and I'll go and get 'em for you." He offers.
Mordecai readies his wand of healing, "Save your potions for if I am not available. Or, more to the point, for waking me up if I fall." he adds, with a grin. He doesn't use the wand immediately, but instead casts two cure light wounds spell on Lothan.
"Yeah, that makes sense." He saves the rest. As Mordecai heals him of his injuries, "Thanks Mordecai. That feels a ton better." He stretches his limbs and feels the part of his face and head that met the wall inside the tower. Still a little sore, Lothan's glad it's a lot more tolerable than it was.
...
Seeing everyone else on shore, Samarintha slides down the side of the tower and into the water. She strikes out for shore.
And arrives dripping wet. Hug for Lothan. "I'm glad you made it. I've got something for those injuries back in the tower."
"We need to find some place to stay. And I need to salvage some goods from the tower."
He hugs her in return. "Yeah, me too." He smiles. "I'm glad you're okay as well. I was really worried about you. Still looks like we lost a lot of people, though. Man." Running a hand through his hair in irritation. "Alright, um, if you want, you can tell me where those goods are and I'll go and get 'em for you." He offers.
...
"We had stored most of our goods in the little room on the second floor. There's food, other goods and my spellbook in there."
Lecian swims to shore after Mordecai and immediately check to make sure he has all his possessions about him. Afterwards, he looks around and finds a corpse of one of the creatures and prods it with is foot, gauging it's weight and hide toughness. "What in all of Golarion are these things?" he ponders. He yells out to everyone else "It may be best to use your empty vials to hold sea water, should we encounter these creatures again."
He gives an annoyed glare at Lothan's mention at burning his face and rubs the spot where he was licked. "The thing just stuck to my face and sapped the strength out of me!" he exclaims assuredly, throwing his arms up. "I don't know why you think I've become an egg nest!" He betrays that outward confidence, though, turning to Mordecai. "Maybe you can confirm there's nothing living in my face...?"
Tyrrol nods his thanks to Mordecai for the healing, and then continues to watch the cliffs impassively, for signs of more of the beasts, whilst the rest of the group deals with 'supply retrieval'...
"We had stored most of our goods in the little room on the second floor. There's food, other goods and my spellbook in there."
"Um, okay. I'll see what I can do." Several questions then come to mind, "Um, this little room you're talking about, how can I get to it exactly? Is there a door that has to be unlocked? Broken down? Will it be obvious when I see it? Just want to know exactly what I'm looking for to make this a bit smoother."
He gives an annoyed glare at Lothan's mention at burning his face and rubs the spot where he was licked. "The thing just stuck to my face and sapped the strength out of me!" he exclaims assuredly, throwing his arms up. "I don't know why you think I've become an egg nest!"
Hearing Lecian, "One sec, Samaritha." Lothan moves over next to Tyrrol, smiling at Lecian's outburst. "You know what Tyrrol ol' buddy, I think Lecian's starting to come around." He gives him a wink with a wry smile as he pats him on the shoulder, strolling back over to Samaritha.