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Angela charges towards the remaining foe with her longspear but she stumbles over the uneven ground and the attack goes wild. Ree, however, stabs with amazing accuracy through his gut.
The human mercenary, seeing all the orcs taken down, panics! He clutches his wound, turns around and flees!
- scroll of sound burst
- scroll of summon monster II
- cloak of resistance +1
- breastplate
- javelin x4
- battleaxe
- potion of cure light wounds
- masterwork arrows x5
- tanglefoot bag x2
- thunderstone x2
- longbow with 15 arrows
- longsword
- sap
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You spot an inadvertent opening that leads straight to the centre of the orc horde. While the main leader has been taken done, it seems that a sub-chieftain is still trying to rally his troops. Once you have done what you can to heal up and distribute the loot, the party hustles over.
The stony remains of a ruined edifice provide shelter from the hot winds. Rocks on a stone table hold down a crude map of the valley. The orcs had been using the sheltered section of the ruins as a temporary command area. One of the orcs spots you approaching and alerts the largest orc. He looks towards your group with a toothy smile as he declares, ”I am Mugoh, Krun Thuul, brother of the slain chief of the Black Suns tribe. He may have been taken down, but this is the opportunity for me to take over. Your deaths will give me honor among the Black Suns to do so!” Whilst he is wielding a scimitar, what is of note is the set of drums that hangs from specially crafted leather harness by his sides. His entourage consist of three orc warriors in studded leather armor, wielding saps and nets.
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Despite his bravado, one of his followers appear less confident of his chieftain-to-be.
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Angela Lashes out at the man as he turns and runs from her, sticking her spear in the general direction of the man's kidneys.
After all of the combat has finished she takes a moment to rest and wind down from the combat, getting over her sense of impending doom. She helps the rest of her group strip the bodies of loot, commenting while doing so, "We probably should forget about that barrel unless there was something extremely valuable in it. There's no knowing what is living in that cave, and we'd be leaving this section of the caravan unguarded." As the finish stripping the orcs (and human, maybe?), Angela stands up and stretches, before fingering the giant gash the chakram left in her outfit and asking, "Did anyone prepare a mending spell today? I like this suit and I'd hate to have to retire another set of office clothes for field use. That was an amazing throw by the way, Xantanax!"
With her clothes hopefully mended, Angela turns to the rest of the group and states, "The most efficient way to deal with an enemy army is to take out the head, but seeing as that has happened, maybe we should take out the neck too?" She then gladly to takes lead of the group, or at least does so in her head, and rounds them into the fray again, trying her best to find routes that avoid conflicts already raging and sneaking the group into the center of camp.
She quickly scoffs at the temporary captain's words, retorting, "If your brother was the leader, I think we can assume you're small potatoes compared to him, and if he couldn't take out a group of pathfinders, what in Abyss's name do you think you can do to us? Sing scary skald songs at us and enrage everyone else? But then it'd be their victory, not yours! Why don't you come at us yourself, and prove your strength?"
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Action #1 if Orc leader is still standing
"I'd request Oingo Boingo, but you're not going to be able to play those drums, Orc!"
Xantanax moves forward to slash at the orc leader with his greatsword.
Action #2 if Orc leader is a smoking corpse
"So much for banging drums! Your attack has failed, orc trash! Surrender or die!"
Xantanax hurls a chakram at the orc directly opposite him and then runs forward with a blood curdling scream with his greatsword held over his head!
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Ridley's bomb arcs high into the air and smashes right over the head of the chieftain-wannabe. A fiery explosion engulfs him just as two arrows from across the field flies over from other Pathfinders. Before Mugoh even has the chance to act, he has already become badly wounded. Xantanax moves forward to finish the job, lobbing his head right off!
Two of the orcs become badly singed, while the remainder manages to duck out of the way of much of splash.
With their leader decapitated and themselves wounded, the three orcs turn tail and flee!
Digging through the properties of Mugoh, you find a number of rather useful items.
- +1 undead bane dagger
- scroll of glitterdust
- wand of cure light wounds (20 charges)
- masterwork chainshirt
- javelines x6
- masterwork scimitar
- cloak of resistance +1
- masterwork drums
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As the last orcs perish or flee, the Twinhorns reassemble the caravan and gather the fallen. Night begins to fall, swallowing up the road and leaving the caravan stranded in a pool of torchlight. Medda stands atop the new lead wagon, blood dripping from her breastplate. She holds Ivvora’s hilt aloft and shouts, “Twinhorns! We are only two days from the stone circle and have two days until the winter solstice.” A nimbus of light begins to radiate from the hilt, illuminating the entire valley in bright light. “Abandon the wagons and carry with you what you need to survive. We must reach the circle in time, or darkness will consume us.”
Bodies litter the valley, but fortunately most of them belong to orcs. Even so, the Twinhorns have lost many of their warriors and may not be at their full fighting strength for whatever lies ahead.
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“My Pathfinder allies, thank you for bringing us much needed support,” says Medda, the Twinhorn following’s spiritual leader. She stands beside Anok, her phantom and constant companion. “After the orc ambush sapped our supplies and strength, we pushed north to our winter home. We are only hours away from the stone circle and our encampment—if we are going to make it there by midnight, we need to press on. Once there, we will use Ivvora’s hilt to perform our time-honored ritual and keep evil from our lands.” Medda produces the small hilt of a broken weapon with only a fragment of its black metal blade remaining. “Let us move. There are dangers in these ancient woods: orc raiders, bears that topple trees, and worse. Stay in groups and don’t get lost.”
As the Kellids and Pathfinders reach the top of the hill next to the Twinhorn encampment, they notice splashes of blood and the occasional corpse dotting the landscape. Medda raises her voice, calling, “My brethren, our families are under attack! Secure the camp and drive back any who oppose you. Pathfinder allies, join us in defense of our home!” The landscape opens into a burned hillside where blackened trees stand like lifeless sentinels. A crude blockade shields the entrance to a natural cavern.
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"Well, the best defense is a good offense. No guts, no glory!"
Xantanax reaches over his left shoulder once again, grips the hilt of his greatsword and pulls it from its sheath. He points it at the blockade and screams "For Liberty's Edge!" Then he breaks into a run straight for the blockade (with hopefully a lot of Pathfinders in multiple groups in support of his valiant charge).
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Angela picks up the chain shirt off of the orc. "If no one minds, I might borrow this, it's lighter, but much finer than mine..." If no one objects, she then sips off her jacket and dress shirt revealing another much smaller and form fitting chain shirt. She strips this shirt off, revealing a very thin gamberson. She stretches for a second before going to work with some chemicals to clean the cheiftian's armor, stripping the blood, oil and dirt from it.
When she's finished she takes a vial from her pack and starts to liberally apply it to the armor. "It's my own alchemical creation. It keeps the steel lubricated and prevents rusting, but it doesn't come off or stain clothes." Angela then puts her dress shirt and jacket back on and then pulls on the almost comically huge chain shirt.
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@Table GMs: The Bloodied Convoy condition on page 31 is in effect. This concludes Part 1.
When the undead horde attacked, the Twinhorn members remaining in the encampment struggled to fight them off. Some retreated to this nearby cave and constructed a haphazard barricade. They’ve been able to hold off the undead for several hours, but the barricade is about to collapse. The undead creatures were trying to break the barricade down, but they turn their attention to you as you arrive. In particular, 3 skeletal humanoids and 2 rotting carcasses face you down.
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Ridley's bolt slams into one of the zombies. It plunges into its dead flesh but does not seem to do much damage. Angela moves up behind Salarian, ready to assist.
As the horde, the undeads swarm forward. They make moaning noises that sounds suspiciously like "braaaiiiinnnnssss ... braaaaiiiinnnnsss ..."
The two zombies slowly lumber forward, but the skeletons are more nimble and rushes the party. Two of them charges at Volyana, who is just within range of their charge. One of them manages to rake Volyana across her side with its claw.
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Xantanax charges at the nearest skeleton, and despite its resistance to slashing weapons, he simply smashes it to pieces. Ree charges up to the walking dead, putting her weight into her rapier, plunging it right through the zombie's head. However, its natural toughness keeps it on its feet, but just barely.
While Angela positions herself, Salarian moves amongst the undeads and releases a wave of divine energy to smite all of them. Most of them are able to resist the brunt of the attack except for one of the skeletons, which collapses in pieces, having its necromantic energy ripped from it. Similarly, the zombie badly injured by Ree is also torn apart by Salarian's divine energy.
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Almost effortlessly, Xantanax charges up and cuts the last zombie in half!
As the last undead is cut down, the Twinhorn Kellids trapped in the cave slowly emerges, first led by a handful of fatigued warriors, followed by womenfolk, still bravely shielding the young children amongst them. An elderly but hale-looking woman approaches the group, flanked by two of the warrior. ”My name is Myolar. Thank you for your help. We would likely not have survived if not for your timely arrival. Please, come with us to the main encampment. You might wish to speak with our leaders. Unliving creatures have been pouring from a portal at the stone circle since nightfall. We need your help to hold back the tide of undead and find a way to close the portal.”
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The thick hide walls of this large tent muffle the sounds of battle outside. Iron spikes pin down an enormous map in the center of the tent. Wooden carvings of warriors and monsters lie strewn about the map, marking the location of fighting warriors and the encroaching undead.
When you enter the tent, you see Medda arguing intently with two other Kellids, one a tall and massive man, the other an elderly but still hale-looking woman.
Medda is looking more worked up that you've encountered thus far. "You’re asking us to abandon our sacred duty after all these years!”
“Aye, I’d have us abandon this lunacy!” Another man proclaims as you enter. He is a towering man, broad-shouldered and sturdily built, wearing the cloak of dire polar bear. Covered in scars and with a proud bearing, his presence fills this tent as he paces back and forth. “Surely we can find better winter hunting grounds, where we don’t have to compete for game with bloodthirsty orcs and cursed undead! As for leaving behind what we care about... What I care about is my warriors, many of whom we’ve left behind on this battlefield!”
In addition to Medda, Anok the phantom, and the towering man, there is a fourth person in this room. An old woman with plenty of scars of her own, is calmly listening to the arguments while she fletches arrows. She has to bring the arrows close to her face as she fletches, but her ears are turned towards the conversation. With tanned and wrinkled skin, white hair cut short, and a weathered longbow by her side, there is an intense focus about the old woman, and the other three leaders keep darting glances her way, as if waiting for her to weigh in.
Then the old woman looks up with clouded eyes at the tent flap opening where you are gathered. Squinting at the sun in her face, she asks with a quavering voice, “Are you the warriors that Medda told us about? If so, I am pleased to meet you, and hear your wisdom. I am Jala the Patient. This bear in human form is Kragr Bloodhand. You already know Medda and Anok.” She pauses, grabbing a drink from a leather water skin and licking her lips. “Speak. We are at a decision point.” Perhaps you can help Medda persuade them to stay and fight.
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Ree will stride right up to Kragr maybe even looking comical with the huge height difference with her being so short. She pokes his arm muscles and grins up at him.
"Wow are you a big one! I bet you could crush me blindfolded and with one arm tied behind your back! So why leave now? This fight is gonna be awesome and brutal! Twinhorns and Pathfinders fighting side by side! Think of the glory! Think of the stories! Think of the after parties!"
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Angela gives Kragr a long, hard look, trying to judge what the man's position in the tribe might be and how that fits in with her, admittedly limited, knowledge of Kellid customs. She then sidles up to Medda and asks in a low voice, "Do you have nay suggestions on how to handle Kragr over there, he seems like the kind of man I don't want to say the wrong thing to."
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Kragr looks down at Ree, and brushes her poking fingers aside. "As foreigners to our land, I will ignore your disrespectful manner. And your words do bear some truth. No one will look down on Kragr as a warrior, and there is glory in a battle well-fought. But I am now more than just a warrior - I am an elder, responsible for the lives of countless others. What is the price of glory if it means the river of blood of our people." Although he seemed swayed somewhat by Ree's words, he still stands resolute.
Meanwhile, Salarian quietly observes Jala. From the way she spoke with you when you first entered, and how she studies the conversation between Ree and Kragr, you notice that she is silently evaluating the situation and likely act only when most effective. As such, you predict that she reacts well to facts, but not to emotional appeals.
Angela on the other hand approaches Medda for advice. However, she is clearly incensed by the resistance she had unexpectedly faced. She blurts out under her breadth, "Him? The best way is to fix a ring round his nose and drag him around by it! The obstinate fool!" That does not seem to offer much help.
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Having travelled with Medda for some time, you know that she has a bias toward outward followers of good-aligned deities and against those who are violent for glory or personal gain. You've also found out that Medda’s bloody bandage and celestial rune scars symbolize her devotion to Vildeis, the empyreal lord known as the Cardinal Martyr. She selflessly fights any encroaching evil.
Xantanax studies Kragr and notices many similarities between him and the many mercenaries he has come across. From the way Kragr was examining Ree, Xantanax can tell that Kragr admires physically powerful creatures , and looks down on physically weak creatures . Also, from his sneer when Ree spoke about the glory of the battle, he doesn’t like people to think he’s a coward. Insinuating that he’s afraid motivates him to look strong, but outright calling him a coward makes him angry.
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Volyana bows to the elderly ranger and locks eyes with the barbarian. "Do you all lack the will to take what actions must be done? What of the determination to see things to the end? Your ancestors took on this task, holding back the darkness each winter. What will happen when Ivvora's dagger is not kept? Will you see Eshimka stalk the land with his armies again?" Looking again at Kragr, she continues. "Strength requires action. We have traveled far to assist Medda, and we will not leave her alone."
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"I think, Kragr, that once Medda completes the ritual she has risked so much for, a ritual which is the responsibility of your tribe, that your problems in this area will suddenly decline. Were all of these issues happening before the object was stolen? No. It was only with the theft of the item that the troubles began. Someone doesn't want the ritual completed. That means they gain power. If the ritual is completed, they lose power.
Wouldn't you rather fight here knowing you can end the threat instead of going elsewhere only for the threat to grow stronger and to continue to seek you and your people out? Remember, it is your tribe's responsibility to see to the ritual. Only by wiping your tribe out can the power behind this threat prevent the ritual from ever taking place.