Gillian hisses with pain as the acid cloud erupts from the wounded drake, eating away at her flesh. "They're forest drakes!" she calls as she hastily retreats out of the cloud. "Watch out, they can pull that little trick more than once!"
Spotting a second one approaching from the northwest she turns to face the creature. A small orange orb appears in her hands, growing larger and larger until she hurls it with force, where it explodes in a burst of fireball!
___________
Nel pushes Gibraltar forward only to run head first into the drake before them. The acidic fog broils around her as she catches the creature's shadowy form. Through the fog, she is able to wound it severely. It falters and falls through the onslaught.
"Nani, they're trying to flank," Tamiro says as he charges forward to attack. The drake lashes out at him as he gets within its snapping jaws. However, he flattens himself against Kino's body to avoid the attack. Despite his unsteadiness, Tamiro's katana slashes into the drake's thigh.
|
HUNTERS IN THE FOREST - ROUND 2
24 - Blue Drake [unconscious]
22 - Orthus
18 - Aishe
17 - Yellow Drake [unconscious]
15 - Green Drake (burning for rounds)
7 - Gillian
4 - Nel [57/77] (Gibraltar 20/34)
4- Tamiro [69/76] (Kino 33/40)
0 - New Friends?!?
The drake tries to slide out of Gillian's fireball, but its flapping wings makes the inferno worse.
A firuge darts out from a tree on the other side of the clearing. Clearly an Elven man after a moment's examination, the man casts a quick appraisal of the fight.
"الرجال، إلى الأمام" he cries out with a wave of his hand.
From his back, he draws a longbow and gives a whistle. A firepelt cougar rushes forward with him. They both attack; he fires a single shot from his bow, and the cougar rushes in for a devastating bite.
Between the focused attacks of Tamiro, the elf and his cougar, the drake falls from the sky.
Round: 2, Initiative: 18
Conditions = None
Weapon Equipped = Crossbow
Silver Blanch, Cold Iron Bolts = 16/20
+1, Frost, Bolts = 20/20
+1 Bolts = 10/10
Ghost Salt, Cold iron Bolts = 10/10
Ranged: Attack: BAB +7/2, Dex +6, Magic +2, Weapon Focus +1, (Rapid Shot -2), (Deadly Aim -2) Damage: Dex +6, Magic +2, (Deadly Aim +4)
Melee: Attack: BAB +7/2, Str +0 Damage: +0
Grit = 3/4
Ranger Focus = (+2) 1/1
Quick Runner’s Shirt = 1/1
Spells (caster level 1, concentration +2, DC 11+)
At Will: Prestidigitation, Detect Magic
1/day: Detect Secret Doors, True Strike
for 7 acid damage
Forced to move by the acid, Aishe steps back 5’ and takes his shots at the remaining drake.
(cover)
(cover)
(cover)
(cover)
"Tervehdys oikeudenmukainen tonttu, ja tervetuloa taisteluun!"
With Aishe's arrow, the final drake drops through the trees, its fall broken by branches. With a final thump, it lays motionless on the ground.
The elf places his longbow on the ground and opens his hands. "Ashka, down, he says, and the cougar pads it way to him.
A band of four other elves, bows carefully packed still, emerge from the forest. They inspect everyone, seeming to judge and determine threats in an instant. Several pay particular attention to Nel, sharing close whispers between themselves.
"I am Kaerishiel, and you walk on our lands. Why have you come to the Mierani Forest?" the leader asks.
Orthrus hangs back.
Elves, direct and to the point as always. Suits me just fine.
"Thank you for the assistance," Gillian responds. As much as she'd like to commence triage on her companions, she suspects that it would be best to wait until they'd explained themselves to their new friends. "We come from Riddleport, making for Crying Leaf. Our leader," she nods at Nel, "can best explain the details of why."
Seeing the elves take pains to appear without weapons, he quickly hooks his crossbow back on his belt for the discussion. He keeps his hands in sight, and well away from any weapon.
At least they're chatty and not all stabby. he thinks to himself.
Nel grimaces as she notices the elves whisper and point at her,"My name is Nel Sandhal, and I am here on behalf of Kwava of the Ekujae. We have been sent to seek council with Eviana, and deliver her a message." Keeping her hands clutching onto Gibraltar's reigns, Nel tries her best to keep her tone neutral.
Kaerishiel gives a nod at the mention of Kwava and looks over the party once more with an additional appraisal. After a moment, he turns and draws his bow.
"You must come with us to Crying Leaf," he declares. "Eviana waits for you."
With a sudden snap of his fingers, the cougar moves alongside to sneak through the undergrowth and the elves amass around the party. They are quiet and stern with seriousness etched across their faces. As they walk through the forest, they do not discuss the path or turns they take. They move almost with one mind, taking sharp turns down the path and sending forth scouts as needed.
Up ahead, the forest begins to thin somewhat, but a screen of plants prevents observation of what lies within. After a moment, several elf scouts approach the screen, which turns out to be a solid wall of thorny vines. One of the elves puts a small silver whistle to his lips and blows three times. As the last twittering note begins to fade, the wall of vines springs to life, pulling back to reveal a small settlement in a clearing on the other side.
The village of Crying Leaf is a modest one, with low structures made of gracefully shaped stone and wood that has been carefully decorated and carved. What is immediately apparent is that this settlement has seen battle recently. A number of the buildings bear burn marks and other damage, and most of the citizens are armed with bows and swords. Several whisper in Elven, heads turned low.
Kaerishiel guides you into a small building with three chambers. In the main, central chamber an oak table dominates the center of the room, bearing freshly harvested fruit and surrounded by gracefully carved chairs. Off on the eastern side of the building is a simple bathroom and the western side holds a meditation room with simple reed mats.
"You will wait here until Eviana is ready," Kaerishiel says before he exits without waiting for a response.
After the fight, Tamiro wipes the blade and puts it away as the others talk. He keeps an eye out towards the elves, but considering none of them are dark in skin, he gives them little true care. He does keep an appraising eye on the elves as they escort them to the town. While they are not dark skinned, they still may prove to be less than friendly.
Arriving at the house, he dismounts and follows the others in. Upon entering the main room, he pulls his sheathed blades out of his belt and sets them on the table, within easy reach and sits down. Grabbing an apple he takes a tentative bite. Feeling comfortable it is not posioned, he begins devouring it. Looking over to Nel, he asks, "What do you think boss? I saw damage on the buildings as we were coming in. Think their dark skinned brothers are giving problems?"
Looking around at the room he continues, "I wonder what they are going to have us doing now. The pay better be worth the time we spend in this forest. My seat at the Goblins bar is getting cold."
Orthrus sets to work healing the wounded. He works automatically, even more wooden than his mask.
He helps himself to some fruit, happy they at least didn't leave them to their tired old rations. He munches thoughtfully. An army of drow? he doesn't believe it.
If they wait very long, he'll take out his holy book and read.
"It sure seems as if something has been giving them problems," Gillian remarks. "At least they seemed to be expecting us, though I'm sure having to rely on outsiders for help is rather galling for some of them."
While the group rests and relaxes, Gillian also helps with tending to wounds. Noting that Orthrus seems to have himself, Nel, and Tamiro covered she draws her own healing wand and takes care of herself and Aishe.
"Hopefully it won't be anything too terribly dangerous but just the same I suspect we might be away from Riddleport for awhile," she adds.
_______________
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Aishe shrugs as he's healed, "Thanks Gillian, I should have said something, but I wasn't paying attention, the elves made me a bit nervous." he chuckles uneasily.
After about an hour, the elf returns. He spies the cores from Tamiro's apple and sneers, "Glad to see you've made yourself at home already. Keep in mind that you're in Elven lands, so you better get used to it. We don't accommodate."
"All of you, come with me," he says, waiting impatiently for anyone to even stand, much less gather their effects.
He walks quickly through the village, taking turns quickly and without comment, never checking to ensure that everyone still followed. Other elves in the village seem to jump out of his way as he strides through them. The elves examine Orthus curiously, and puzzle over Aishe.
After only a few minutes walk, he stops outside a wooden long hall, roofed in broad autumn-colored leaves. The end of the hall is open, revealing an immense table running the length of the building with a striking elf seated in a high-backed chair of white birch. A thin metal circle rests on her head and gemstones sparkle throughout her hair. The finery of her gown is offset some by the sword hanging from a silver belt.
She stands and gestures to the seats next to her with an open hand. Kaerishiel strides and sits at the seat to her right.
“Please, be seated,” Eviana says in light and friendly voice. “I received word from your friend Kwava that you were coming, bringing with you knowledge that might help us with our…situation, deeper in the Mierani. My people and I are grateful that you made this journey. As you can likely guess, we are in a delicate position. It would be best if what you learn here does not spread beyond the bows of the Mierani. Do we have an accord?”
At least she *seems* friendly enough.
"That sounds fine to me," Gillian nods, glancing around at her companions. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I would assume that will work for them as well."
She didn't really expect any of them to argue at this point, though she supposed there was always the chance of Tamiro deciding to be obstinate.
Aishe tries to ignore the stares and is pleased when he sees it is to be a private meeting.
"Yeah, I can keep my tongue in my head. I'll not talk about your private things." he agrees readily, growing curious about what's to come.
Orthrus sits woodenly for a long while.
"Orthrus never trade for spear before holding it... Especially with stranger."
Taking in the village's disrepair, Nel offers their guide a tight-lipped smile and a nod before turning into their new quarters. Sighing heavily at the sight of their new close quarters, Nel places her heavy pack in the corner, out of the way. Offering a faint smile to Tamiro she merely shrugs. "I'm sure it wasn't the local fauna. That appears more interested in melting us with acid over fire." At the mention of being away from Riddleport, Nel's features darken. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to staying here any longer than I have to, but I can't trust anyone else to help out with this mess."
Moving into the meditation room, Nel visibly relaxes as she makes herself comfortable and pulls out a new small tome written in a tight blocky script.
Glowering at Kaerishiel, Nel feels her eye twitch as he barks out orders. "Well I don't do well with being barked at, Kira.", she spits back, intentionally slaughtering his name as she follows him through the village. As she enters into the long hall, her shoulder makes contact with Kaerishiel, "Oh sorry, Kira, didn't see you there." she says sweetly, moving towards the gestured seats.
Nel moves to take a seat as she pulls the two journals from her day-pack. Pushing the two books towards Eviana, Nel nods. "Tamiro and I have kept the presence of those with blackened skin quiet up to this point. I see no need to spread rumors." Crossing her arms over her chest, Nel tilts her head to the side and waits to hear more from Eviana.
Kaerishiel smiles through gritted teeth as Nel butchers his name. Under the watchful gaze of Eviana, however, he does nothing more than to stare daggers at Nel.
Eviana, light and airy, smiles and says, "I don't know if I would call this skin black just yet. It's often more of a deep purple or blue. Please, tell me about the events that you experienced on the island and in the city. It is imperative that we know exactly what happened, so that we may make better plans."
Tamiro looks around the room in a peculiar way upon hearing that they have kept the rumors of the Dark Skinned elves a secret.
"Watashi wa dare mo yopparai ni chūi o harau koto wa nai to kakushin s~*+e iru..." Tamiro mumbles.
Turning back to the elves, he finishes his apple sets the core on the table.
"The BLACK skinned elves tried killing us. With a whale if I remember right. They also do not seem particularly good at swimming. Truth be told I find it somewhat discouraging that you all are having such problems with these pests. They have yet to show any real capability that would be threatening. Why are they suddenly getting so uppity"
"Er...to be a little more exact, we found where a group of them had holed themselves up on the island. It looked as if they'd been there for some time. We did defeat them, but it wasn't quite as easy as Tamiro would make it sound," Gillian adds. "They actually did have an orca that they'd perhaps tamed somewhat or charmed."
"On the other hand, he wasn't exaggerating about the lack of swimming capability. I suppose there isn't much in the way of large bodies of water wherever they originated from."
Knowing he slept though much of the fight, Aishe remains silent, still feeling the sting of guilt about the whole affair. He's also not sure how the crime lord was involved exactly, though there was some ensorcelling there.
A thought occurs to him - could there be more of that? Could the drow be infiltrating Riddleport?
He shudders as he looks at the elves...
Nel rests her elbows on the tables and entwining her fingers as she lets her compatriots share their version of events. "Tamiro's and my tangle with these," scrunching up her nose Nel pauses for a moment, "drow, actually started back in Riddleport. The former, and now dead, Crime Lord Saul Vancaskerkin had made a deal with one Dephora of House Azrinae," Flipping open the older journal to the page written in Undercommon, Nel points out the symbol. "While most of the deal between the two is just speculation, I do know that Vancaskerkin was sending a hefty sum of the gambling hall's profits to Dephora, most likely to fund her research. It appears the she was messing with the Cyphergate located at the harbor."
"We turned Dephora over to Kwava and his men. He then sent us to follow the lead at the Devil's Elbow. Gillian and Aishe joined us on the island, and were able to track down the drow called Sindiira who had also joined House Azrainae. Sindiira had found a way to pull a star from the sky and it mentions Celwynvain and some Armageddon Echo in connection with it. When we showed it to Kwava he sent us and these journals here." Gesturing to the two books, sighs heavily as she gauges reactions to her tale.
"Yes, you have been through much. It is good to hear the tale from the source and I am sure there will be more discussion later. It sounds as though you have accomplished much, endured much and are now the current experts on these strange plans of the drow."
"But first - the journals. We can offer you 2000 gold for the pair. I can send word to those that handle purchasing if that deal is amendable to you." Eviana smiles, looking cautiously at the books.
"Three-thousand each. No less." Orthrus says and crosses his arms over his chest.
Nel visibly flinches at the offer of money for the two journals. "What are you going to do with them?" Picking the two books up and cradling them against her chest, Nel looks upon Eviana with suspicion.
"We don't often get documents and information written by the drow themselves. They would examined by our experts and stored for safe keeping. Of course, we cannot force you to do anything you do not wish to do." Eviana smiles at Nel warmly.
"Now, I do not know your name, but six thousand for the pair is quite a price. You did go through some trouble to get them... let us negotiate. Does four thousand gold sound like a good offer? Assuming, of course, that you are open to the idea of selling them at all."
Looking to Nel, Tamiro says, "Karera wa kakaku o hikiagete iru. Sorera ni ikutsu ka jūyōna koto ga aru to watashi ni omoidasa semasu. Tabun orijinaru o kopī s*$!e mo motonimodosu koto wa dekimasen ka? Karera wa yoi koin o teikyō s!&%e imasu."
Aishe wonders why Nel is so attached to the books. Surely they can't be that valuable to her. He can see why the elves want them, but why would we?
He dutifully remains silent however, and let's the others negotiate.
Orthrus sits as still as a teak statue.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Huh...I wonder why Nel cares so much about the books?
"If coin is what we're after, we're not likely to get a much better offer than the current one," Gillian murmurs quietly. "Perhaps we should take it."
Worrying her bottom lip, Nel glances between her eager teammates and Eviana. After a few moments, Nel nods. "Alright, I guess that sounds reasonable, give me just a moment." Placing the two books back down, Nel pulls a large tome from her knapsack and places it within a small pouch. Placing one of the journals in it, she hums a small tune to herself before pulling out the journal and repeating it with the second one.
Aishe stops himself from whistling, I've never seen so much money paid for a couple books before!
He can't help but wonder if he's in the wrong profession. If books are worth this much, he should be a publisher.
He relaxes a little now that the negotiation is over.
Orthrus squints.
"Very well," Eviana says with a slight smile. "It is decided."
Moments later, a page with auburn hair strides into the room with a quill, several rolls of parchment and a small teak case. Eviana accepts them, opens the case and inks the pen.
"Now, this letter of credit will allow you to either purchase items from the quartermaster or to receive an equal share of gold. If there is something more specialized you wish to purchase, we have merchants teleport for supply runs about once a month. If you need a special order, we'll be happy to coordinate that for you."
Eviana retrieves a stick of wax and seal from her case. With a snap of her fingers, the wax melts and she seals the letter, handing it to Kaerishiel. He delivers it with a saccharine smile.
Evian clears her throat with the transaction done and continues, “Thank you for this. You now know why we have had to close the borders of the Mierani, and indeed, why Crying Leaf was established. The drow have a strong presence in the old ruins of the once great city of Celwynvian. I tell you now that the situation is far worse than you might suspect. The drow control the ruins almost completely, and have for some time now. We here in Crying Leaf have been locked in what seems to be an unending struggle with them for many years, and until recently we believed we had them contained. Yet your conflicts under Riddleport and on Devil’s Elbow showed us all this was not the case at all. And in Celwynvian, the drow have been quite elusive. Whenever we prepare a major strike, the city seems empty, but our gains are quickly eroded within days as a renewed force pushes us back. We had thought that the drow were fleeing into the Darklands, but now we know the truth of it—they have been retreating instead into this pocket dimension they call the Armageddon Echo.
“I must confer with my contacts in Kyonin to determine what is to be done with the knowledge. Might I ask you to wait until we have decided? You have done well so far against the drow, and there may be a place for you among Crying Leaf ’s forces in the battles to come. I assure you, if you are willing to join with us, you shall be paid handsomely, at rates equal to those we afford the Shin’Rakorath. If, as you insisted earlier, you wish to see the spears before you agree, Kaerishiel will give you a tour of the village and our defenses.”
If there is nothing else Orthrus stands and waves the man out ahead of the party.
"Mercenaries are we? Well I cannot disagree with large pay." Tamiro says.
Looking at the letter, he asks, "How long will this word of yours take?"
"I anticipate that you will hear from us within the next day. However, I am not going to hire you to simply stand around and will be working out a specific plan for your involvement. The next supply teleportation should be completed within the week if you wish to spend your gold quickly. I recommend speaking to the quartermaster for more details." Eviana casts her gaze over Orthrus, Gillian and Aishe. "Do you have any questions or concerns? You have been rather quiet about this whole matter."
Aishe looks uncomfortable, "Well, uh, ma'am, all you've asked us to do is wait while you check out these texts, and that you might have some work for us after that, at good rates. Seems fair to me."
"I must admit, I'm not really sure what you face here, so it's all a little over my head at the moment. But drow are definitely bad news, so if we can help rid you of your problem, I don't see why we'd refuse."
Especially if the coin is as good as it has been so far. he thinks, keeping that last bit for himself.
Eviana casts her gaze over Orthrus, Gillian and Aishe. "Do you have any questions or concerns? You have been rather quiet about this whole matter."
Orthrus nods slightly, and then only once.
Eviana pauses for a moment at Orthrus's grunt, as though waiting for elaboration. When it doesn't come, she nods and looks at Aishe.
"Kaerishiel will show you around and perhaps illuminate the specific threat that we face. I want you to know that this threat isn't isolated. We are on the front lines, but this is a danger that has the possibility to destroy the whole of Golarion as we know it."
"I think that would be a good idea," Gillian agrees. "We're only as useful as the information that we have. The more you can tell us about the drow - tactics and the like - the better. But other than that, I have no particular questions or qualms with anything."
"Very well. Give me a moment to talk with Kaerishiel and then he will show you around," Eviana says, clearly dismissing you.
Aishe rises and leaves, milling about outside waiting for Kaerishiel.