Janira nods at the suggestion of a fire.
"A fire will help keep the wild animals from accidentally stumbling on our camp. No need to go through a night in the cold."
Gwynbel recognizes the signs of small mammals like racoons and other scavengers.
The night passes uneventfully, after breakfast you depart
Around mid-day...
As you progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser.
Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver
compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road.
“I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.”
She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks,
“We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
Just then, you hear a rumbling tearing sound followed by seeing an old tree about 50 feet ahead of you come loose from the ground.
Fortunately it falls away from you.
Unfortunately, after it finishes its cacophonous landing there is a moment of eerie silence before thousands of Diminutive spiders crawl out of a pair of holes.
Janira reacts quickly and shouts out:
“It was Selmius Foster’s race against a marid and efreeti on the isle of Jalmeray, which taught us that nothing is truly impossible and every situation can end in victory.”
Followed by drawing an alchemist's fire and shouting:
"Here, somebody throw this!"
The south spider swarm then swarms over Mrachni Swordfollower for + a Fort save vs poison.
Initiative:
Darius Orion
Harlbrount Keldermar
North Spiders
Gwynbel Tathdiir
Mrachni Swordfollower
Janira
South Spiders
Darius Orion & Harlbrount Keldermar are up.
MAP is accessibly under my name on all my posts now!
Darius steps up and roasts the spiders, leaving only the scorched outline of what used to be many spiders. It now smells distinctly like burnt vermin.
Harlbrount Keldermar
North Spiders
Gwynbel Tathdiir
Mrachni Swordfollower
Janira
South Spiders
Darius Orion
Harlbrount Keldermar is up.
Don't forget about inspire courage!
Janita shouts out an inspiring word and Harlbrount's alchemist's fire hits!
Harlbrount's alchemists' fire takes down the second swarm and we are out of combat.
Janira beams back.
"Not my first rodeo. It pays to be well."
Looking over at Mrachni
"You okay there, spider bites can turn into bad news quickly if you're not careful?"
|
Gwynbel shakes out of his short daze and comments "Harl, I'm surprised you were so eager to use fire in such a place! But you used it well."
After commenting on that, he hears Janira asking Mrachni if is alright and looks over with a worried face. Releaved to see the proud fighter still standing, he walks over and rummages through his own bag to see if he can help.
"I must apologize, I have nothing that could aid you with the bite..."
2 Strength damage, but no further saves are necessary.
You are familiar with Vermin and swarm traits.
Darkvision 60 feet.
Proficient with its natural weapons only.
Proficient with no armor.
Vermin breathe, eat, and sleep.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Additionally they are poisonous, and these particular swarms seemed a little smaller than normal.
Janira nods and agrees. "We've got to keep moving if we're going to make it by nightfall. Let me take care of those spider bites for you first though."
Janira will pull out a wand of Cure Light Wounds and use a charge on Mrachni before continuing.
As you continue to travel through the wilderness, you find your trail blocked by fallen objects. Several shortcuts which Janira had made notes about have since been overgrown by foliage further slowing your journey.
Between Harlbrount and Mrachni you are easily able to find new paths through the lush underbrush.
Several hours later...
The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead.
“Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,”
Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface.
“This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfling worriedly remarks,
“Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!”
As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off expeditiously toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
What do you do?
It's a Minotaur.
You know that they are cunning and neve caught flat-footed. Additionally a charge from the creature could very well be fatal.
New MAP
The trees are only a few decades old and do not completely occupy their respective squares. A creature that shares a space with one or more trees benefits from partial cover. (+2 AC / +1 Reflex Saves)
The stream is about 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep in this area, and the water moves downstream from east to west at 30 feet per round. Treat this as rough water, which requires a DC 15 Swim check to navigate. A Large creature can walk through the water as though it were difficult terrain with a successful DC 12 Strength check.
A 3-foot-diameter tree truck spans the width of the river, creating an impromptu bridge. The trunk is slippery from the splashing water, and crossing it at half speed requires a successful DC 7 Acrobatics check, during which time the creature is treated as flatfooted for moving on a narrow surface. If the creature fails this check, it falls into the water unless it succeeds at a DC 13 Reflex save, in which case it lands prone on the trunk instead.
Janira acts quickly and double moves towards the other path to help drag the Minotaur away.
Initiative:
Harlbrount
Gwynbel
Minotaur
Darius
Mrachni
Janira
Harlbrount & Gwynbel are up.
Harlbrount's arrow thunks into the minotaur and it lets out a rage filled roar and turns its eyes towards you.
Initiative:
Gwynbel
Minotaur
Darius
Mrachni
Janira
Harlbrount
Gwynbel is up.
Gwynbel fires a glowing rock that unfortunately goes wide.
The minotaur comes charging up to the south bank, turning it's head quickly between you guys and Janira.
Initiative:
Darius
Mrachni
Janira
Harlbrount
Gwynbel
Minotaur
Darius and Mrachni are up.