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Faliana nods at Monty's suggestion. "You're right we should get some rest, I don't know about everyone else but I'm pretty exhausted. I don't think there's much we can do from getting this iteration of the dig site from shutting down."
She turns to Brady as he talks about looking for items. "I'd worry that anything we find useful might be better left with the archeologists; they might need it more, but not a bad idea just in case."
She tries to take careful note of where the light is emanating from in case they lose track of it in the morning.
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The next morning Faliana does her usual routine, channeling Fritania one more time, as Fali hadn't been channeling her much of late.
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After some discussion, you decide to stay the night, and try to locate the source of the light in the morning!
The camp itself, is busy through most of the evening, as they work to secure it before they head out. As long as you don't get in the way, many of the archaeologists are more than happy to talk about their finds while they pack things up... which suits Dale fine.
You will notice there are only three monoliths in the chamber in the back now. One still battered and damaged from when Tad was controlling it last time you were here, the other two the same as when you left. The fourth of course is gone, having crashed through the wall and off into the jungle two days before. You are told that Juliet had the key, so they won't be able to close the doors, so they are making sure to pack up everything inside as best they can.
There is no sign of the control cube, and the researcher packing up the items and notes in the room where it was stored mentions it was sent back to Absalom months ago. You do notice a number of runes and writing visible on the back wall and around the alcove in the central pillar, in the square room where the cube was stored, that you don't recall seeing last time you were here. The researcher will mention something about chemicals and processes they used to reveal a number of previously concealed runes on the walls, though only Dale is really interested in those.
Only Drusilla is able to make out the meaning of some of them, as she points to some ancient runes on the pillar and translates them as best she can to: Iron warrior override device.
The researcher nods, surprised that she can read them. "This whole place was fundamentally an arms repository." She says. "And the sphere outside a defense mechanism connected to those ancient monoliths in the last room."
She smiles worriedly. "And all to warn and protect against powerful fiendish activity. So much we still have to learn..."
Across the back wall of the control room, Drusilla will point out a second set of Azlanti runes on prominent display, that read: Our one-eyed allies may falter in their vigilance; if their fiendish prisoner loosens its bonds, our iron warriors stand ready to respond.
You head out in the morning, after Faliana has had a chance to perform her seance, and Tad has done his morning prayers. The camp is already mostly packed up, the excavations covered over with canvas, edges weighed down by rocks.
It looks like they've already co-opted Raimondo's wagon, and he shrugs helplessly as you note it's filled with boxed-up artifacts.
"No way I'm sitting in this place by myself!" He explains. "So might as well make a few coins."
There's unfortunately, not much you can do about it, so resign yourselves to traveling by foot once you return.
Which turns out to be exactly what you do now, as you head out into the jungle and rocky outcroppings of the Terwa Uplands, heading higher up into the hills.
The light that was shining like a beacon the night before, becomes impossible to pick out once day time sets in, so you have to go mostly by memory and feel. Luckily, and not entirely surprising, you quickly find that your route appears to be the same as the one the Azlanti Monolith took a few days prior. The golem's trail fairly obvious as you start out.
But, as you travel, the terrain changes quite quickly the higher you go. The jungle you've grown used to, occasionally interrupted by multiple switchbacks and stony sections where the path forward is not as clear. Drusilla almost loses the trail the first time it happens, though Faliana quickly realizes that you seem to be heading the wrong direction. Her observations from the night before, of where the light was emanating from, gets Dru to take a closer look, and you get your direction sorted out with only a minor delay. After that, Dru is more diligent when the path becomes less obvious, and she manages to keep you all going in the right direction.
It is still a few hours before nightfall, when you emerge from a stretch of trees to find yourselves looking up a steep incline. Atop the high hill, choked with tough grasses, stands an enormous vine-covered ruin of granite blocks. Even from here, you can see that the upper levels of the ruin have collapsed, exposing a balcony upon which a shining ivory sphere is plainly visible. It looks exactly like the one back at the dig site.
A narrow path between the tumbled blocks leads into the ruin. The sound of steady pounding, as of metal on stone, rings from deep within the structure, audible even from where you are.
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Dale wanders about a bit, seeing dazed and confused about the whole situation, talking to people about stuff, writing down some notes to review later then going to sleep. A long, fitful sleep fully of tossing and turning and vomiting. Why am I so dizzy...
Dale follows the others along the path, quite distracted apparently from his unexpected illness. "Much farther is it Dru? I think I've been replagued, but there's no boils appearing. Must be something else. If I fall over please do retrieve me and drag me forward?"
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Dale shakes his head at Monty, a bit less angry than the others at his recklessness "Are most the Vanarans as reckless as you? Or would you say you are an outlier in the positive or maybe even the negative direction? Hrmm?" He asks with the tone of someone taking a survey vs one with anger.
Dale does indeed take interest in the small circular prism from Juliet's bag, looking it over to get an idea of its use
Looking through the runes in the control room with Dru and the archeologists Dale's eyes light up in understanding "These would have been helpful to have seen on our last trip. These inscriptions were revealed like one would with invisible ink almost? Fascinating..."
His tone gets concerned when he hears the control cube was sent back months ago "Can you confirm it actually made it back? Was it hijacked? Or perhaps has another been found? We shall soon find out I think."
Dale looks up the steep trail to the overgrown, ruin. "By my guess, it looks like we're dealing with a similar repository to our last maybe? I wonder if they found another control cube and stole our guardian to.. excavate maybe? We should be careful in our approach.. tread quietly. We can't fight one of those guardians."
Dale checks over his gear, makes sure his crossbow is loaded and his spoon is within reach, then does his best to move quietly up the slope with the others.
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Faliana comes up behind Dru, but Fritania's voice issue from her mouth. "Oh, a woman after my own heart! Are you busy after this?" She pauses for a second before talking as if to someone else. "Ugh, spoilsport! You're more dour than a Keeper of the First Law, at least the one I knew let me have fun!" Giving the warrior woman a wink, Fritania moves aside her and changes the topic, "Here, let me help keep an eye out."
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Fritania is again lying through her teeth, she probably never met a Keeper
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Brady pauses with the others and listens to the sounds coming from down the narrow path. He catches Monty's eye. "Yes, it definitely sounds like a guardian. Pounding on something in the mountain?"
"The question is... is it under Juliet's control? Or someone else's?" He looks back up the narrow path, and begins picking his way.
The crystal prism is about six inches in diameter... Dale will suspect the prism of being magical, and Tad can confirm it so.
Tad will not be able to determine anything about the crystals properties, other than that it has a moderate strength magical aura.
As you make your way up the steep incline, towards the ruin, the hammering sound gets more distinct, the closer you come. As you come around the last switchback going up and get a clearer view, you realize that there is something else very large up there!
A large snake appears up over one of the boulders near the entrance to the ruin, followed quickly by another... then another and another. It takes a rather tense moment for you to realize that all of the snakes are actually attached to the same body! A huge serpentine body, bigger around then a large tree trunk, slithers slowly out from behind the boulders with six long sinewy necks... and angry-looking snake-like heads on the end of each.
All six heads emit a hissing roar in challenge, as it starts to slide towards you!
- Round 1 -----------
Monty, Tad, Dale -----------> we are here!
reptile
Dru, Brady, Faliana
Monty, Tad, and Dale are up!
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"Oh, a lens of detection. Missing its handle, but still. It helps make things larger to see of course. Quite handy I bet for finding things hidden away or getting a better look at old writings!"
"Holy crap! That's a hydra! Easy now guys, that's A LOT of heads full of teeth!"
Dale pulls out his little used special vial, dusts it off quick and drinks it down, grimacing at the foul taste. His hairy head seems to grow a bit at the expense of his already spindly arms. He lays a hand on Monty's shoulder after he does so "Don't be foolish here, that thing is HUGE and I wouldn't try getting near it!"
Dale draws out his crossbow and unclicks the safety.
You have read that it can die if you sever all its heads... But its regeneration is such that, if you do cut off a head, two will grow back in its place if the stump is not cauterized quickly.
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"Bad news friends, hydras tend to heal themselves.. regenerate even. Fire and acid should do the trick to stop that. Cutting off heads can be effective if you can cauterize the stump with previously mentioned fire or acid. If you ask me, I suggest you pelt that sucker with long ranged attacks. These bombs should work GREAT!" He pats the satchel of explosives on his hip.
Dale, Tad, and Monty all decide that perhaps rushing forward might not be the wisest choice. They seem to be waiting for someone else to lead, or for the hydra to come to them... it's hard to tell.
The hydra seems willing to accommodate, as it moves out from behind the boulders in which it was concealed, and begins to slither towards you... all six of its serpentine heads hissing, fangs bared.
- Round 1 -----------
Dru, Brady, Faliana -----------> we are here!
- Round 2 -----------
Monty, Tad, Dale
hydra!
Party is up! (round 1 actions will process first!)
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Faliana takes a few steps past Brady and Dale. pulling out her loaded crossbow at the same time. As she moves Fritania comments in a dry voice, "Oh, great a twelve eyed snake! As if those extra elven were really necessary..."
She then hefts the 'bow and takes a shot at the thing. As it goes wide the woman gives a sigh and says, "I might be able to stay out of the reach of that thing with my spear, if you'd like..."
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Brady looks awed at the enormous reptilian beast, paying close attention to Dale's notes about engagement, and how to destroy the thing. "I don't have your acid or fire; I'll see what I can do about taking its head off. Does it still work if I just rip it out from the root?"
He begins moving down the trail, taking to the far side opposite Dru and Monty, drawing a javelin as he goes. When he gets into a position he likes, he hurls it at the hydra.
Everyone spreads out, no one eager to approach, as Dru tries to draw its attention and Tad moves in behind her to back her up.
Faliana's shot with her crossbow is hurried and misses even that large a target, but Brady hurls one of his new javelins with greater accuracy. The missile manages to get past the tangle of heads to thunk solidly into its body. The hydra hisses in irritation as one snake head pulls the javelin out. Even as you watch, much of the wound seems to heal up and close.
Dale lobs a bomb over Drusilla's head. The hydra, luckily, is not very fast, and large enough that it provide an easy target. The bomb crashes against its body and explodes... sending fire washing over the serpentine creature. All six of its heads writhe with pain.
As Monty clambers up the hill, his attention is so focused on the larger creature down below that he fails to spot the second threat lurking up above. As he reaches the top, and starts to circle around, he suddenly feels a sharp prick on his right ankle . Slithering out of a small pile of rubble along the edge of the drop-off, a cobra rears up, its hood spread wide, fangs bared! Monty can already feel the venom, where it clearly just struck him, starting to course through his veins.
The hydra, its scaled skin scarred by Dale's flames, lowers all of its heads, and slides forward towards Drusilla. It is still well out of her reach when all six fanged mouths lash out from every direction... for she is still well within its! The warrior woman has no chance at all to avoid any of them! The first latches onto her shoulder, almost tugging her off her feet before a second set of fanged jaws close on her opposite arm, pulling her in the other direction. As the two heads start trying to rend her apart, the other four descend as well, all of them sinking their fangs in, one after the other. Dru is lifted momentarily off of the ground by the onslaught, and tossed around like a rag doll . Her cries of pain are suddenly cut short, and as quickly as it lifted her up, it drops her bloody, motionless, body to the ground at its feet, snake heads turning towards the remaining quarry.
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- Round 2 -----------
Dru (-43, prone, dying), Brady, Faliana -----------> we are here!
- Round 3 -----------
Monty (1 nl), Tad, Dale
snake, hydra (-15)
Party is up!
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He sees his well-placed javelin strike get pulled out and heal up like nothing happened. Then he sees the strongest warrior in the bunch get ripped to shreds as multiple of the heads converge on her.
Its enough to make a man want to run away, Brady thinks, his mind returning to Happ and his unfair treatment of the archaeologist.
Gotta go after these heads, some way.
His dagger being the only weapon he has that could reasonably--or, well, unreasonably--remove a head, Brady draws it as he circles and approaches to strike at the closest head.
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Monty yelps and winces, glaring at the snake.
Why you little jerk...
His attention is distracted as Dru is ripped near to pieces, his eyes going wide.
DRU!
He quickly spins his staff bringing to bear on the little snake that attacked him so he can focus on the greater threat.
TAD! SAVE DRU! WE'LL HOLD THE THING OFF! OUT OF MY WAY YOU BLASTED LITTLE SERPANT!
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Faliana gives a gasp as Dru gets taken out in one fell swoop by the large snake creature. She drops her crossbow and draws her longspear as she starts to doggedly advance on the creature. As she does though, Fritania bubbles to the surface and starts violently objecting. "Fali, What are ya doin'? That snake thing just spat out the best warrior in the group in no time! What are ya goin' to be able to do about it? ...Stop, dangit! Stop! Don't keep moving!"
When she gets a good ways to the snake monster, Fali takes a defensive position ready to fend off any attacks with her longspear.
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Dale shakes his head as he calculates their chances of victory as he watches Dru get torn up like nothing. This is not the time for an I told you so! Just throw that damned bomb already! Dale, mind on bombing and backing up at the same time, kind of does both, poorly. And the bomb is wildly off the mark. "Heads up!"
Dale scurries back a bit from the hydra and his errand bomb throw.
Monty is able to fight off the cobra's venom, as he brings his staff down on the snake in two swift thumps! Apparently, that's enough to dissuade it from continuing the fight, as it quickly slithers away!
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The hydra is not so easily chased off though.
Tad, seeing Dru fall so quickly, reaches deep for some of his more powerful healing magics, hoping he is not too late! As his tongue lashes out and touches her blood-covered form, he is relieved to see some of the worst wounds close up and stop bleeding... still alive! Despite that, even his best healing is not enough to bring her entirely around, as she remains unconscious and prone on the ground.
Faliana is also dismayed to see how easily Dru fell, and lets herself get talked out of moving in by the spirit in her head. Instead she takes up a more defensive posture.
Brady goes the other way, moving around and into range, avoiding one of the heads that snaps at him as he gets near. He pulls out a long vicious knife as he goes, and as the next head lunges in trying to sink its fangs in, he slashes at it with the blade, trying to cut through the thick neck... but the quickly moving heads prove far harder to hit then the main mass of its body, and his dagger only skitters off some of the scales doing no damage at all. All six heads retaliate, snapping and biting at him from every angle! It is all the half-orc can do to avoid them, barely fending off one, before having to dodge the next. He almost succeeds, as only one of the hydra's heads managing to get through his armor and defenses, though just that one set of fangs hurts!
Dale lobs another bomb at that point, hoping to replicate the success of the first... but his foot slips on a bit of loose gravel, and the missile ends up falling short, crashing on the ground in front of the hydra. Most of the creature's many heads manage to move away from the conflagration that follows, and it only takes a bit of light singing on its torso.
But none if it stops the creature's recuperative power. The last of the wound from Brady's javelin completes mending, and now even the fire damage from Dale's bombs starts to heal up!
- Round 3 -----------
Dru (-33, prone, unconscious), Brady (-10), Faliana -----------> we are here!
- Round 4 -----------
Monty (1 nl), Tad, Dale
hydra (-14)
Party is up!
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Seeing the snake scamper off, Monty spits out something in Vanaran before turning his attention to the Hydraw which has gotten a lot closer... The cheeky monkey grins and moves forward to the edge of the rising cliff, putting him about on par with some of the heads.
HEY UGLY! UP HERE!
He gathers his ki and breathes deep, throwing a powerhouse punch at the thing, his ki powering it into a stunning blow!
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Brady sees the wounds healing up before his eyes, and he knows he needs a more aggressive approach; he needs to remove one of the heads immediately so that it can be cauterized and destroyed. He continues to weave around as he eyes the beast... looking for his opening. When he sees it, he strikes hard and fast, attempting to wrestle the head under his armpit so he can make a clean sweeping cut to take off the head.
Martial Flexibility (Ex): A brawler can take a move action to gain the benefit of a combat feat she doesn't possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The brawler must meet all the feat's prerequisites. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 her brawler level (minimum 4 times per day).
The brawler can use this ability again before the duration expires to replace the previous combat feat with another choice.
If a combat feat has a daily use limitation (such as with Stunning Fist), any uses of that combat feat while using this ability count toward that feat's daily limit.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a sunder combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to sunder an item. You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense whenever an opponent tries to sunder your gear.
Sunder Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a steel-breaker receives additional training in sunder combat maneuvers. She gains a +2 bonus when attempting sunder combat maneuver checks and a +2 bonus to her CMD when defending against this maneuver. At 7th level, these bonuses increase by 1, and she gains a +2 bonus on disarm combat maneuver checks and a +2 bonus to her CMD when defending against a disarm combat maneuver. At 11th, 15th, and 19th levels, all of these bonuses increase by 1. This ability replaces maneuver training.
Benefit(s): When you attempt a combat maneuver check against a foe you are flanking, you can forgo the +2 bonus on your attack roll for flanking to instead have the combat maneuver not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you have a feat or ability that allows you to attempt the combat maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity, you can instead increase the bonus on your attack roll for flanking to +4 for the combat maneuver check.
Dale lobs another bomb at the hydra, but his aim is no better then the previous attempt as the explosives once more crash on the ground instead of the creature, the flames mostly avoided once again.
Monty, ignoring the cobra as it slithers away, comes at the hydra from atop the rise, though rather then above it, he merely finds himself face to face with a number of the heads, though he manages to move in with enough agility to avoid them. His height does put parts of the creature closer to hand though, and he breathes deeply, before plunging one fist through the mass of biting heads, driving it deeply into a point just at the base of the necks.
The blow doesn't look like much from down below, but the effect on the hydra is almost immediate, as suddenly the creature reals backwards, all of its heads flapping about as if suddenly it can't control their movement.
Brady takes advantage of the creature's sudden distress, and latches on to one of the heads as it swings by, getting a firm grip on it, before bringing his dagger down a second time. Unlike the first attempt, this one strikes true, cleaving through the hydra's scaly hide, flesh, and bone alike. One of the hydra's heads falls to the ground with a thump, while the stump that remains jerks back out of his grip, flailing about in the air, spraying blood everywhere.
- Round 3 -----------
Dru (-33, prone, unconscious), Brady (-10), Faliana -----------> we are here!
- Round 4 -----------
Monty (1 nl), Tad, Dale
hydra (-23, 5/6 heads, stunned)
Faliana and Tad to go!