Inner Sea Megadungeon: Delving the Drowning Stones

Game Master Garden Tool

"I'd have to agree with Kargath on this one. I can't make sense of any of the noises its making."

Nesipho will step back from the edge of the pit, the be out of line of sight from the creature, and ready an action to cast Daze (DC 13) once the pit spell ends or the creature somehow manages to climb out of the pit on its own.

Can someone talk to it? Ojore asks?

""Not perfectly Ojore. I do have the means to be able to comprehend whatever the creature speaks for about thirty minutes, but the spell does not impart upon me the ability to use its language, merely understand what it is saying. I can cast it if you like, but without the ability to speak to the creature, I am unsure how effective it would be."

Are we all just going to ready / wait out the pit?

I thought maybe they were talking about trying to communicate, but I say just wait it out and beat it to death...I mean, continue the fight.

Agree with Kargath

Ojore will call down to the creature in both polyglot and common and then observe its reaction. Throw down your weapon and sit on the ground if you want to live.

Did not mean to slow things down. Just suggested that we try to find out why the creature was here, where it came from, and how many of its friends are around. Hopefully it was a random and wide ranging hunting group and nothing more.

"Ojore, if it throws down its weapon, I'll cast the spell I spoke of. If not, I think our best source of information will be your feline friend that we have saved."

The creature begins to scramble against the far wall of the pit, throwing down its weapon and attempting in vain to climb the nearly sheer stone surface.

It does not understand me Elsir. That or it refuses to submit. I have tired to preserve life, but this creature has chose another course. Ojore moves over to the tree where the cat has taken refuge, motioning Shange stay and guard Elsir. He first casts Guidance on himself then his face and hands become more feline and he calls up to the wounded cat in the cat's language.

[spoiler=Feline]The threat is dead. Come down to me if you can my brother, and I will help you. I will try to climb to you if you need me to [/b]

Wild Empathy, if needed : 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Kargath flexes his hands and prepares to leap on the creature as soon as it comes to the surface. "I'm not one fer lettin' enemies run off, bu' i' may be tha' all this one wants is t' be away from here. I'll grab 'im when 'e comes up."

"It seems clear that the beast has chosen to do as it will Ojore. Perhaps your feline friend will be able to provide some details as to what happened. It's fair to say that we have offered it more mercy than it would have of us."

If we're all holding or readying, then the pit does indeed come up and the creature does indeed seem about to run. Who readied (as opposed to delayed)? Just Kargath?

I readied an action to cast Daze DC 13 a few posts back.
Or I thought I had. That post seems to have gotten eaten.
Edit: found it, last post on the previous page

I did not have a ready action. Just waiting on the front liners to bring it down.

Nicoleta is juuuuust ambivalent enough about killing the now-mostly-defenseless skum under these circumstances to not have readied an action.

Looking a bit surprised, "Nicoleta, you seem hesitant to rid the world of this abomination. Why is that?"

Skum's Will saving throw: 1d20 ⇒ 12 (modifier withheld)

The ulat-kini shakes its head, as though snapping out of a daydream. Nesipho's daze spell does not take hold.

I'm assuming Kargath's grapple succeeded? Whose action is up?

Sorry, I forgot that Kargath had pre-rolled. The grapple holds, and...

Skum's grapple check: 1d20 ⇒ 1 (modifier withheld)

...the creature could not break free.

.....
....
...
..
.

Elsir @ 24
Ojore @ 20
Shange @ 14
Kargath @ 4
Nesipho @ 10
Skum @ 12
Nicoleta @ 9

Initiative reposted to account for readies.

Nicoleta didn't ready, so she is up.

Ojore is over talking to the cat.

Nicoleta approaches the skum and shaking her head, slashes at it with her starknife.

Starknife attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Not sure when I'll be on tomorrow, so posting my actions now.
Assuming Kargath is at AB22 Nesipho moves to flank. Will still attack regardless of being in a flanking position or not.

With a grim look Nesipho moves around opposite the grappled skum, wanting to get this unpleasant business done with. He lashes out with his rapier.

Move action to AD24
Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Sneak attack damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Fisticuffs is not Elsir's strength. He will be watching the interaction with Ojore and the Cat. This fight was already an expensive use of resources.

Kargath wrapped his muscled arms around the creature and maneuvered its arms above its head in a wrestling move that left the skum almost completely helpless.

"Lets have done with it already" Elsir calls in a cool academic voice. "It feels like the last fifteen seconds have taken days and I have nearly forgotten what we are doing out here!" Chuckling Elsir turns back and continues to study the exchange between the cat-person and Ojore.

Screaming bloody murder, the ulat-kini struggles against Kargath as Nesipho's blade pierces him. The pathetic thing's croaking wail echoes throughout the jungle. The leopard watches with cautious interest from its vantage point. 1d20 ⇒ 14

I think Nicoleta is up.

Nicoleta makes another attempt to finish the fight once and for all.

Full attack this time, since she doesn't have to move:

Starknife attack #1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Starknife damage #1: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Starknife attack #2: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Starknife damage #2: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

I'm trusting Nicoleta's attacks will have finished it off there, if not I'll poke it again.

While Ojore tends to the leopard Nesipho goes over the corpses of the skum, though with little expectation of finding anything of value. "We best be moving on quickly if we wish to make it back to camp before darkness falls." He wipes his rapier off in the brush then shoulders his pack again and prepares to move out as soon as the group is ready.

Doing his best to follow along in the conversation between the leopard creature and Ojore, Elsir study's the creatures more closely.

Knowledge (arcana) 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Knowledge (geography) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Knowledge (history) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Knowledge (nature) 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Knowledge (planes) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

In quiet voice so as not to fighting the anthropomorphic leopard Elsir wispers to Ojore. "I say Ojore, have you learned anything of interest from our friend here? I still have that spell that allows for understanding another creatures langauge if you need it."

Anthropomorphic leopard?

The ulat-kini's screams are cut short as a pair of crossed starknives take it's throat. The jungle is silent.

Kargath drops the corpse to the ground, then quickly and expertly began to rifle through its belongings, looking for anything of value. Then he turned and did the same to the other ulat-kini.

I totally forgot about my spiked armor. Doh!

Nicoleta shakes her head, looking away from the corpse as she absently cleans the blades on a jungle leaf. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but closes it again without speaking.

Ojore, his back turned to the killing continues to call up to the leopard in feline.

ah for some reason I though the leopard was more bi-peddled / humanoid.

Javelins and suspicious-looking rations aside, the ulat-kini don't seem to have anything in the way of possessions. While Kargath rifles, the leopard.

The leopard yowls.

"Your pride is gathered too close. Many would eat me as I would eat a wounded weakling. They want to eat me."

Ojore mostions the others back and says quitely Elsir, move back, and take the others with you. The Leopard fears the group. The druid' cat companion paces around Elsir protectively still.

With slow retreating steps Elsir moves away from Ojore and the leopard. Once he can no longer hear the muted converation between Ojore and the rescued leopard Elsir turns to the group. Ojore asked us to give him a little room. Apperently the creature is wary of our presence. Then once Elsir has made sure that the rest of the party is not crouding Ojore, Elsir retrives from his satchel a pad of paper and an inkpen. With deft sure strokes, Elsir begins to record the events of the last battle, with a particular note of the creatures encounted and any general observations for future pathfinders.

Shange retreats with Elsir maintaining a defensive posture, obviously still guarding the mage.

While Ojore continues to tend the leopard Nesipho drags the bodies of the ulat-kinai that are more distant from the leopard off the main path and deposits them in the thicker clumps of brush and foliage. "No sense leaving these in plain sight if they have friends that might seek them out."

"Aye, good point tha'. I'll be helpin' ye." Kargath grabs the nearest fishman under the armpits and hauls it off to where Nesipho indicated.

"Best ye be finishin' up wit' tha' kitty quick-like." he called to Ojore. "I think we need t' be movin' on, afore these start stinkin'."

Nicoleta also lends a hand to the moving of the bodies, characteristically unspeaking as she does so.

The leopard hops carefully but gracefully down, keeping close to its tree.

Without "speaking," the great cat looks to Ojore as if to say "what now?"

Ojore first looks for other wounds on the cat.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

He will then use his want of Cure Light Wounds to change his hand with healing power, and reach out slowly to touch the leopard, allowing the cat to smell his hand before delivering the touch.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

He will then examine the cat's wound if it will allow Ojore to do so. His thought is that the javelin must be removed before the wound can be fully healed. The healing energy might just push the shaft from the wound. Not sure.

With carefully sure strokes Elsir continues to document the event in his journal, drawing a picture of a Mwangi bedecked with fetishes kneeling down next to a wounded leopard, hand aglow with holy power.

Nicoleta's ready to leave whenever the rest of the group is.

The leopard warily accepts the spell, and even allows Ojore to remove the small spear from its side. Well enough to move normally, the cat slinks up the tree, to the same low branch where you first encountered it.

You do not smell fey; and I have not seen any in a long time. You smell human, but I have never smelled a human that could heal or understand living things when they speak. You are strange, and a stronger hunter. I give fealty to your pack...

XP awards - 600 xp apiece for the skum, and 600 for the encounter with and rescue of the leopard. Conveniently, that equals 600 xp each (600 x 5 /5 = 600)

Ojore calls one last time in the strange language of felines; a series of mews and growls.

After he shuffle his shield back onto his arm, hangs his club on his belt and rejoins the others, signaling he is ready to leave and laying a hand of Shange's head to reassure the young lion that he has not been replaced.

"We ready t' be off now tha' th' kitty's taken care of?"

"I've never understood your affinity for animals Ojore, but well done, I think you have a new friend in this region of the world."

Offering a slight bow to her, "Nicoleta, I trust you wish to take point again."