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The priest lets the young count vent. His words are shouted in anger, a normal reaction to the news of his father-in-law's death. He cringes inwardly at Adeah's sharp counter, but lets him gel a bit with Rapunzel's consoling words before chiming in.
"As vwill I." He then adds, "In the end, you know the baron truly did care for you greatly. The creature feigned your voice as a trap, it vwas as if you vwere there and in great peril, calling out for his help. I have never seen a man jump to another's aid so swiftly. The beast was clever to trick him so. But, it is a testimony to his true feelings for his son-in-law."
Grigori's words seem to have an effect on the Count, and he quiets down. The mood of the camp is somber, but the Baron's body is magically preserved and stored until the return journey.
The plan was to remain at the hunting lodge for another six days, at which point the Count's ship would arrive offshore and you would depart for home. The ruins are in the Urupangi Lowlands less than a day's travel inland, through a thick freshwater swamp with no discernible trail.
Let me know what preparations you make before leaving to explore the ruins (which, as a reminder, is the main point of the mission).
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Out of earshot of the Count, "I believe we should take some food and tents and head out for the ruins with all due haste. With all due respect to the Baron, there is little more we can do at this point except perhaps continue to annoy the grieving Count. Adeah and I should be able to navigate the swamplands well enough."
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With an unasked for hand upon her shoulder, "Agreed my dear. But perhaps some healing vwould be vwarranted before vwe head out." The priest holds up his holy symbol to the heavens and recites a brief prayer of restoration to his goddess. Thereafter, he whips out his healing wand and mends any remaining wounds of his comrades.
Yep, you leave the next day.
The next morning, after healing and preparation, you head into the jungle. The Urupangi Lowlands quickly become swampy, with thick vegetation making movement difficult. Leeches infest the ankle-deep water, and swarms of stinging insects make the journey uncomfortable at best.
Between Lymwin and Adeah, you are able to follow the crude map without too much backtracking around the terrain. About mid-afternoon, as you cut through the thick jungle, you suddenly come upon a set of stone steps leading up to an arched doorway. The temple is almost completely overgrown, with vines and trailing creepers covering most of the stonework. Through the entrance archway, you can see that the roof has collapsed, leaving rubble everywhere. In the dim light, you catch some humanoid shapes carved into the brown sandstone visible through the foliage.
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Before settling in for the night, Rapunzel calls Gregori to her bunk requesting his special, long term care for her wounds.
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Rapunzel quietly informs the others there are two people inside the temple using Pathfinder sign language. Letting Roland take the lead, Rapunzel draws her curved blade and prepares to sprint up the steps should things get violent.
Roland leads the way up the stairs and stops at the doorway, with the others following. What was once the entrance hall of this temple is lined with carved columns, each one depicting a monkey in a different pose: reclining, sitting serenely in meditation, and arms raised in beneficence, as well as more typical primate postures. The floor is littered with mud and decaying plant matter, and part of the ceiling has collapsed farther ahead.
Standing near the center of the room are a woman and two men, who seem surprised to see you here. Each of the three carries a half-full sack over their shoulder, partially covering a crossbow slung on their backs. Both men have long-bladed axes at their belt, while the woman carries a strange wide-bladed dagger with an unusual handle.
"तुम बहुत थोड़ी देर से कर रहे हैं, लेकिन आप हमारी बचत करने के लिए स्वागत कर रहे हैं," the woman says aggressively. Seeing the quizzical look, she repeats herself in Taldane: "You foreigners can have the leftovers if you want. Now out of of way!"
"We don't want trouble, or to delay in this cursed place any longer," the woman replies. "Here, you can have the meager loot we've found." she tosses the bag towards Roland. A small golden orb and a couple of jeweled stone tiles spill out of the bag. "Now step aside... please."
The other two also drop their bags, one one puts his hand on the long hooked axe at his belt.
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Inclining his head to the side, talking to those behind him, Roland says "What do you say folks? Should we let them pass, or should we make sure they're not holding anything back from us?"
Then to the group in front of him, Roland says "How about a simple game of chance? You and I. Winner takes all. And, by all, I mean not only what you've appropriated from here, but all your stuff and all your information, too."
The woman's face hardens at Roland's thinly-veiled threat. She whispers something in Vudrani to the other two, and begins to move her hands (triggering initiative).
Initiative order: Rapunzel, Lymwin, Woman, Adeah, Roland, Man #1 (red), Man #2 (blue), Grigori.
Rapunzel and Lymwin are up!
Round 1 (partial)
Rapunzel delays briefly.
Lymwin readies an attack to interrupt the woman's action.
The woman begins to casts a spell, and Lymwin's bomb flies. Due to cover from Roland, she barely manages to position it properly, and flames splash all three of the strangers. Despite this, she manages to complete her spell. She steps forward and her arm shoots out towards Roland, growing unnaturally longer and rubbery as it stretches a full ten feet to reach him! Roland dodges, and the woman snarls.
Rapunzel moves in to attack the woman, slashing her badly.
Adeah is up!
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Adeah unslings her musket and takes aim over the heads of her allies at the female caster.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Round 1 (partial)
Rapunzel delays briefly.
Lymwin readies an attack to interrupt the woman's action.
The woman begins to casts a spell, and Lymwin's bomb flies. Due to cover from Roland, she barely manages to position it properly, and flames splash all three of the strangers. Concentration DC 17: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Despite this, she manages to complete her spell. She steps forward and her arm shoots out towards Roland, growing unnaturally longer and rubbery as it stretches a full ten feet to reach him! Touch attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Roland dodges, and the woman snarls.
Rapunzel moves in to attack the woman, slashing her badly.
Adeah unslings her musket fires, grazing the woman and eliciting a moan of pain.
Roland ducks behind the woman and avoids the flat-footed men, stabbing her in the back. She sinks to the ground without a word.
Red Man shouts, Asvika!" followed by a string of curses in Vudrani aimed at Roland. He draws his hooked axe and pauses a second to allow his companion to draw his weapon, and they they both attack Roland.
- miss
- miss
Everyone is up - Grigori is still in ROund 1, and everyone else is round 2!
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Passing Adeah's lovely self, with a wink the priest taps her on her shoulder with a few prayerful words of divine guidance.
...
The priest continues in, entering into melee with the man in red. He teases Adeah when the too familiar sound of her misfiring musket is heard yet again, "You are quite lovely vwhen you're angry, my dear Adeah." He then swiftly swings his curved blade at him, but misses.
Round 1 (complete)
Rapunzel delays briefly.
Lymwin readies an attack to interrupt the woman's action.
The woman begins to casts a spell, and Lymwin's bomb flies. Due to cover from Roland, she barely manages to position it properly, and flames splash all three of the strangers. Concentration DC 17: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Despite this, she manages to complete her spell. She steps forward and her arm shoots out towards Roland, growing unnaturally longer and rubbery as it stretches a full ten feet to reach him! Touch attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Roland dodges, and the woman snarls.
Rapunzel moves in to attack the woman, slashing her badly.
Adeah unslings her musket and fires, grazing the woman and eliciting a moan of pain.
Roland ducks behind the woman and avoids the flat-footed men, stabbing her in the back. She sinks to the ground without a word.
Red Man shouts, "Asvika!" followed by a string of curses in Vudrani aimed at Roland. He draws his hooked axe and pauses a second to allow his companion to draw his weapon, and they they both attack Roland. Roland parries the red man's attack, and stabs him in return.
Red Man - trip CMB: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 2 = 19 - miss
Blue Man - axe: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 2 = 15 - miss
Grigori casts guidance on Adeah and mvoes forward.
End of round 1.
Round 2
Lymwin hurls a bomb at the red man, hitting him squarely in the chest. He bursts into flames and screams, wildly flailing on the ground for a few seconds before expiring.
Rapunzel moves up and attacks the blue man after he swings on Roland, but swings wide and strikes the floor instead!
Adeah reloads and fires again, but again her weapon betrays her.
Roland steps back and stabs the blue man, wounding him.
The blue man's eyes dart back and forth, and he bolts for the doorway and freedom. Both Rapunzel and Grigori attack as he moves away.
Both attacks miss and he continues past Lymwin and Adeah out the door. He dives into the jungle .
Grigori can change his action based on the new situation, and everyone else is up for the next round!
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With Grigori's magical influence, her first bullet strikes true. Without it, her weapon (to her frustration) misfires again. "You should touch me more often," she quips to the bard-priest without thinking. "I mean, with the... The way you..." She falls silent, flushed with embarrassment. Smooth. She discards the useless cartridge as quickly as she can and fires again to distract herself.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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The charming priest cannot help but smirk confidently back at Adeah, somewhat oblivious to the painful screams of the burning man. "But of course, my dear. I vwould love to touch you anytime, all you have to do is ask."
He drops his blade and draws his crossbow, heading back out the doorway to take aim at the fleeing man in blue. As he does so, he adds, "Perhaps I can show you my own gun sometime?" There is no visible sign of a firearm on Grigori's person...
The blue man falls, shot several times in the back back as he attempted to flee for his life into the jungle. You drag him back to the temple and stabilize their wounds (I assume), then take stock of the gear they were carrying. The woman had a pair of potions, a scroll, and a wand, as well as an everburning torch and a magical cloak. Each of the men wear masterwork chain shirts, and carried a potion and a tanglefoot bag in addition to their hooked axes. The bags that they were carrying contain six jeweled tiles pried out of a wall, as well as a holy symbol made of coral, and a golden apple.
As you take inventory, you realize the jungle noise has changed. Instead of the mix of wildlife that has accompanied you for so long, the sound has shifted, now consisting almost solely of the shattering of monkeys.
What next?
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Adeah reloads her musket and puts it back onto her shoulder, looking over the loot. "We can collect that stuff on our way out, unless you think it might be useful to us now. I say we keep moving."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Grigori indeed stabilizes the men and the woman as best he can with the aid of his kit and surgeon's tools. After propping up the last of their heads for optimal breathing, he stands and looks admiringly at Rapunzel, daring even to place an approving hand firmly on her shoulder. "Ah, yes, my dear. It is undoubtedly the Vudrani monkey god." His grin shifting to a grimace as his gaze shifts towards the chattering outside, "Undoubtedly, his charges have been called upon. And I fear vwe have not made a good first impression vwith them during the Baron's hunt..." And with that, he retrieves the golden apple and places it in his pocket.
The priest wonders aloud about how they might block the entrance to prevent swarms of monkeys from entering and ambushing them at a most inopportune time during their exploration of the temple...
You head further into the temple. A mosaic of a monkey-faced figure decorates the floor of the room, though the tiles that would form its eyes are missing. The far end of the room is filled with rubble blocking an arched passageway. To the west, vines and foliage intrude into the temple through an open-air balcony, while a similar balcony to the east remains relatively clear of plant life.
In the jungle behind you, the monkeys continue to chatter and scream, slowly rising in intensity.
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Adeah nods. "Not a bad idea. See if they've got those tiles, I'll keep a lookout." She readies her musket.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The tiles carried by the looters do indeed match the ones missing from the mosaic. The monkeys continue to scream as you examine them, but as the last one fits into its place, the sound suddenly subsides. The jungle noises return to normal, with only a few monkey noises heard among the usual birds and insects.
What do you do next?