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As the creature falls, Arnthoth grasps his bow tightly as if trying to strangle it, glaring fiercly at the weapon.
Spitting on the ground and stowing the weapon, he follows the party down the mountain. At the arrival of the mine, he toes at the humanoid heads after Ash points them out, then peers at the holes in the ground.
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The Amazing Ali will stick to the back of the group (he is the main attraction, after all) and tries to look away from the gruesome sight before the party. "Eek! Who put those heads there? Silly me, probably the minotaurs, right? Well, we had best show them who controls this place." Ali pulls out his wayfinder and places it around his neck, activating the light into a beacon shining before him. Just to be safe, he will also pull out his sparsely-used sword. You aren't sure, but you think you hear the sword yawning and groaning as if waking up from a nap.
Roland detects heavy foot traffic leading into and out of the portal. This is almost exclusively made up of the cloven hoof-prints of large bipeds. Continual overprinting of the tracks makes it impossible to determine how many creatures made them.
There is plenty of rusty, mild steel wire lying in tangles in the weeds and long grass about the mine entrance. Roland suspects it was once used for fencing off hazards or storage yards for mining equipment.
The inside of the mine is pitch black. Tunnel heights vary from 10 to 30 feet, with timber supports bracing the ceilings (backs) every ten feet. The floor has a noticeable lean to the left, where a narrow gulley has been cut into the floor. Shallow, moist mud fills the channel in numerous places.
After an hour or two of travel, the mine’s access tunnel widens into a long, wide hallway perhaps 30 feet high. It terminates at a back wall, where narrow twin passages lead off in opposite directions.
Torches mounted on the walls cast flickering light throughout the room. Five-foot-thick basalt columns run down the center of the passage, supporting the ceiling and replacing the aged timber sets present in the rest of the mine.
Several such pillars lie in pieces on the floor, yet to be assembled.
Three pitiful centaurs are shackled on the far-side of the chamber, where they are gathering loose rubble.
Four large horned humanoids and a smaller feral-featured beast drop their mason’s tools with a clatter and ready greataxes and natural weapons as you approach.
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Aakif will cast blessing of fervor on the party.
At the beginning of your turn, choose one of the following options:
1. Increase its speed by 30 feet.
2. Stand up as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
3. Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
4. Gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
5. Cast a single spell of 2nd level or lower as if it were an enlarged, extended, silent, or still spell.
Aakif casts a speedy spell. Roland delays until after Volfie acts.
The troll moves 10’ towards the party, GROWLS and waits.
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Ash moves forward and seeing the room filled with large bullheaded men draws some power up through his feet until his hairs stand up straight and he gathers the power he is drawing in the form of heat into one of his hands before tossing it into the room the explode in a massive ball of fire
(Using place magic to get +1 caster lvl as a free action, the casting fire ball, targeting blue and orange..and if green doesn't go into the pit I can include him in the blast as well I think)
(reflex save DC 17 for half)
The warm wind from the backblast makes Anrtoth feel a little bit better
(Glorious heat feat; heal 3 hp if needed and a +1 morale bonus on attack for 1 round)
Ash warms the cold underground hall – the classic adventurer’s way!
The blue-eyed minotaur is shielded somewhat by one of the unfinished hall's basalt columns. The others take the full brunt of Ash's firestorm.
Blue: -8
Orange: -16
Green: -16
Roland strides boldly into the south-western corner of the hall’s entranceway. His longbow radiates divine power.
Blue: -8
Orange: -16
Green: -16
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Ali steps into the room and looks about, suddenly not quite sure what he's doing there. The sword in his hand, cracked and broken though it is, then shouts at the baffled magician, "Get your act together! This show isn't going to start itself!" The sword then mumbles, "And bring a shovel next time, you know you're no good with a sword."
"Right!" Ali shouts back. "I'll get things started with a bang then!" He then splays out his left hand and fireworks shoot at the four minotaurs.
The green minotaur *gasps* “The infidel’s blade channels the voice of Our Lord of the One True Race!”
“We must reforge it into Dahruun the Firehorn’s holy glaive!”
“Careful, Oszcar.” The Red Bull admonishes his fellow with a bellow.
“You know Dahruun the Elder prefers the name ‘Derwood.’”
All of the minotaurs are stung by Ali’s spell. Of the four, only Oszcar the grouchy green minotaur avoids being knocked prone.
Red: -2, prone
Blue: -11, prone
Orange: -20, prone
Green: -20
Arnthoth’s hammer lands a solid blow on the troll’s shoulder!
In turn, it seems the troll was waiting for a member of the party to move into its reach.
As Volfie continues past the underground monster, the creature takes a second bite at the wolf.
Volfie retaliates by successfully gripping the troll’s arm and trying to shake it to the ground, but the beastial troglodyte pulls free staying on its feet.
Arnthoth watches as Volfie’s bite mark begins to heal on the troll’s arm.
The three prone minotaurs stand.
Green, Blue and Orange move into position to attack, though only Oszcar the Green can reach Volfie this round with his axe.
After absorbing Volfie’s AoO, Red retaliates with his axe.
Volfie: -10 hp
Red: -2
Blue: -11
Orange: -20
Green: -20
Karg: -36
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Aakif will use the extra movement from blessing of fervor to boldly move into the south west corner of the room (staying close to the wall, and moving through Arnthoth's square). He will end up 10 feet directly south of Arnthoth (please move me!). As he moves, Aakif will draw his adamantine scimitar.
He will then cast a fireball directly between the green and blue minotaurs (targeting that black smudge near the wall). The fireball should hit the green, blue, and orange minotaurs, and miss all allies.
"Sarenrae please smite our enemies with fire!"
Reflex dc 17 for half damage
Aakif also strides boldly, before cawsting firebawl!
Maybe because of their experience with Ash’s previous fire attack, all three minotaurs manage to dodge the worst of Sarenrae’s Searing Heat.
The troll takes a 5’ step towards Arnthoth, but full attacks Volfie.
The creature’s claws dig deeply into the wolf’s thick fur, allowing it to rend for additional damage.
Volfie: hp
Red: -2
Blue: -24
Orange: -33
Green: -33
Karg: -36
Roland holds his ground, opening with a many-shot attack at Orange.
The beast drops like a slaughtered bullock, without knowing what hit it.
Givesuwings, the Red Bull takes the ranger's next three arrows to the knee. It *SNORTS* AND *GRUNTS* as it barely remains standing.
Volfie: -43 hp
Red: -44
Blue: -24
Green: -33
Karg: -36
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Ash summons a smaller ball of fire directly behind the troll and with a flick of his wrist makes it turn and tumble through the air rolling onto the troll
The sight of the ball of flames inspires Volfie
(Casting flaming sphere, DC 16 reflex save to avoid otherwise take)
And +1 morale bonus on attacks for 1 round and heal 2 hp for Volfie
The Amazing Ali *casts*
… And somewhere in the Mwangi Expanse, a troupe of monkees led by four alpha males named Davy, Micky, Peter and Michael prepare to take the stage …
Ash targets the troll with a flaming sphere.
The giant-kin leaps to avoid the worst of the flaming ball. However, as it returns to solid ground, Ash notices the burns to its lower legs begin to heal …
The reassuring warmth from the druid’s spell also improves morale and heals Volfie a little.
Volfie: hp
As the Red Bull rises to his hoofs like he has wings, Volfie strikes at the minotaur’s face like he’s stealing a kiss.
One of Volfie’s lower canines hooks into the Bulmahn’s right nostril. While one of the large wolf’s upper fangs pierces an eye. As Volfie’s jaws close, the minotaur screams as its upper facial bones crack. Then with a tearing sound, the wolf jerks its massive head up and to the left, tearing the minotaur’s face above its mouth completely off.
The beastman collapses into a stream of its own warm blood.
Arnthoth and Volfie take stock of their actions and prepare for their opponents’ next moves.
Green retaliates by full attacking the large wolf.
Fortunately, only its first swing manages to deal the wolf a glancing blow.
The blue clad minotaur then moves up, looming over the body of its herd-mate. It also takes a swing at Arnie's animal companion, but the wiley wolf ducks.
hp
The intrepid cleric of the Cleansing Flame steps gamely to the north.
The troll laughs as it pulls in its chest and throws out both arms to avoid Aakif’s downward swing. The cave creature stops laughing when the Sarenraen catches the troll under an armpit with his upward slash.
It certainly doesn’t tickle.
hp
With a hot-foot from the flaming sphere, the troll lashes out at Ali.
The burnt beastie boy then bops 5’ closer to Aakif, as its wounds continue to heal.
"Me coming for YOU, Fireman! Your flames not hurt MIGHTY KARG. Haha!"
hp
hp
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With a flick of his wrist Ash sends his ball of flames rolling towards one of the minotaurs to give it something else to worry about
reflex save DC 16 to avoid
Before he light touches Roland on the shoulder and gives his a little bit of guidance
"Aim for the eyes"
(move action to move the flaming sphere onto the blue minotaur, standard to cast guidance on Roland)
Ash gets the ball rolling this round, sending the feisty BB-8 sphere of flame on a collision course with destiny! the blue-eyed minotaur!
The troll disrupts Ali’s spell and the noisy Monkees’ show is cancelled at the last minute! In the far off Mwangi Expanse, a crowd of their neighbours – a sleepy tribe of Zenj boo!
Ali heals Volfie with a flourish instead.
Roland attempts to 5’ step to the NE but the hard corner only let him step 5’ north.
The ranger’s first two arrows drop green-clad Oszcar who will no doubt grouch along his way in the River of Souls to face Judgement from Pharasma.
At least he won’t be lonely, as blue will join him on their final journey together courtesy of Roland’s next two arrows.
The Varisian turns his bow on Karg for his last shot, but the arrow bounces off the basalt column to the troll’s right.
Ali: -7 hp
hp
Karg: -43
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"The thing is, I don't even have to beat you... I just have to hold you off long enough for my friends to defeat your friends...... And it looks like they have."
Aakif calls a silent prayer to Sarenrae for protection, as he chooses the +2 Attack and AC bonus from blessing of fervor.
He then calmly slashes at the troll with a spinning strike.
“For real, Pops?”
Karg's eyes bulge and he almost doesn’t notice the thin slash that Aakif cuts into his stony hide.
“You happy ta go through life as Omega male?”
The troll shakes its head. “Me mum tells me not to judge hoo-MANS by our high standards, but in troll society you would be EVERYONE’S b!tch.”
“BTW bub, horn-head religious nuts not me friends. In fact the whole ‘Would you like to know more about Baphomet?’ thing gets old real quick.”
“But they pay good and gimme chance to kill things and eat their stuff. How ‘bout your Alphas?”
Ali: -7 hp
Volfie: -43 hp
Karg: -54
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Roland, normally a stoic, takes offense to the troll's baiting and implying anything about him not being a member of the alpha's just because his name starts with a different letter.
Hey you troll! I hope you enjoyed eating zhe minotaur's food.
Because your final meal will consist of nozhing but zhe steel and zhe fire we have prepared for you."
“Hmm ... K. Maybe we got sumptin' in common then, Sooty?”
The troll takes a 5’ step to the SW and full attacks the sun-priest anyway.
“This not personal. But fella gotta eat, right?”
“Yeah you really brave hiding behind wall, hoo-MAN with funny voice.”
Karg SNARLS as Aakif’s scimitar-cut begins healing, “What lower than Omega male?”
Ali: -7 hp
Volfie: -43 hp
Karg: -49
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Seeing all the minotaurs go down Ash moves forward to get a better view of the troll..or rather to get a better view of his team members cutting pieces of the troll
As he moves he makes a twirling mottion with one of his hands sending his ball of flames spinning and twisting and turning through the room towards the troll
(2 move actions)
Reflex save DC 16 to avoid
"Does anyone know why this troll isn't deadly afraid of open flames?"