Reaching into the pocket his brother directed him towards, the somewhat frantic look on Chug's face slides as he pulls out a hunk of taffy and pops some in his mouth.
Ahhh, coke flavored! With hints of coal and copper. Every bite is like a breath of air from the foundries under the mountains, it's almost like being at home. After handing some to Chagh, he looks around expectantly, "anyone?.
Hmmm, I guess that's a no. Your loss, this is great stuff, says Chug, as he tosses another lump of taffy in his mouth and stuffs the package back in his haversack.
Dalviss reaches out a hand to take some taffy, then jerks it back when he learns what's in it. "Erm... no, thank you. I'll pass."
"Feel free to search her room... if it will help us find her, I know she won't mind."
Looking through Leeara's journal, you discover that she is quite particular about the ingredients she uses, often stating her outright distaste for foreign food and her preference for local ingredients. In some places she has noted the best place to find certain ingredients, and it seems that about three quarters of the various plants and spices that she uses come from the Old Frog Swamp near the source of the Grackle river. Near the back of the journal you find a hastily-sketched map depicting a small cave at the end of a footpath in the swamp, as well as a list of supplies that she has stowed there for overnight trips.
When you mention this, Dalviss smacks his forehead and says "ah, of course! That must be where she stays when she goes foraging. Sometimes she'll be gone overnight, rather than walking back through the swamp in the dark." You don't find much else of interest in Leeara's room.
From Dalviss, you learn that the four prospectors have actually been staying in a room together at his tavern, but they mostly keep to themselves when not going about their business. Around town, you learn that they have approached several people to ask about various mining opportunities in the vicinity of Dustpawn. Dalviss indicates the room where the prospectors are staying, but there is no response when you knock on the door.
Around town, you have trouble finding out much more about the goat abductions. There are no obvious tracks, and everyone you talk to seems to think their problems are worse than everyone else's, hampering your ability to determine exactly when the most recent abduction took place.
"It looks like Leeara might have stumbled upon the crash site. Whatever happened to her, it's more pressing than speaking to these prospectors. I say we track her down first, and Crenn, perhaps you can make sure we know where to find the prospectors when we get back."
"I agree with your conclusions, Tex. Hopefully Leeara hasn't fallen into too much trouble."
"Agreed. Leeara could be in real danger. We can sort out how these prospectors play into things later." She still had her suspicions, but the prospectors could well be exactly what they claim. The time taken to track them down could put Leeara in peril, though Genevar had no idea from what yet.
"Sounds like we're heading for the swamp and river. That cave of hers seems the first place to look."
Chug smiles at the thought that fate was taking the group to a cave.
Excellent, the wide open spaces and wooden houseboxes give me the shivers. When are we leaving?
"But of course we shall save ze girl first. Why are we even zinking of doing ozzerwise?"
"Let us leave now, so zat we may 'ave 'er 'ome all ze sooner, non?"
Chagh leans into his brother and whispers,
After whispering in his brother's ear, Chagh tuns to the rest of the group and says,"Does everyone have a means of vision in the underground? My brother and I are able to see in the dark as are my dwarven brethren. However I am unsure of the rest of you. If we are expecting trouble it might be wise to keep light sources to a minimum. In combat surprise is often your best friend."
Looking to Chagh, Chug states, as usual you are a half step ahead of me! You read my mind even before I did, but I agree completely.
While the party approaches the cave, Hathor checks if there are any tracks nearby that indicate whether Leeara or someone/something else has been walking near the cave recently. Kumador assists.
<--add+2 if Kumador is successful
"I can not see underground, but I 'ave a friend, she will 'elp me see, I am sure," Aurelian says confidently. "Ozzairs may be able to see 'er light too, zough."
As the confident wizard leaves the inn, he is in fact joined by a winged naked woman, who alights on his shoulder.
"Zis is my dear companion, Spren. Spren, say 'allo to zese fine people, who will be 'elping us save zis village."
the little woman replies, short brown hair bobbing as she nods acknowledgement to your presence. Oddly, each of you hear the greeting in your own native tongue.
Dagaroth observes the dwarf and his bear searching for tracks. He approaches Hathor and observes the ground trying to aid with the search. He points out a few markings and tracks, unsure as to what they mean, hoping that Hathor can make sense of them.
Chagh will cast guidance on Hathor as he is searching the tracks.
The group heads south and away from Dustpawn. When they reach the edge of the Old Frog Swamp, Hathor and Dagarath easily discover a disused road leading into the wetlands. The narrow path winds along a low ridge that snakes its way through the boggy landscape, all the way to the banks of the Grackle River. A loamy smell assaults the senses, while the ever-present croaking of frogs permeates the air.
The croaking grows much louder as the group nears the riverbank. To either side of the path, tangles of marshy undergrowth blanket the earth. Across the river, a thirty-foot-high ridge rises up into densely forested mountains. Directly across from the path, a dark cave entrance beckons. The river is only thirty feet wide at this point and about twenty feet deep.
As you near the river, four bullfrogs nearly as big as horses come bounding up out of the swamp, two to either side. They croak loudly, causing ripples in the nearby puddles and swamp water, and move forward aggressively.
As the group began to move from the town to the cave, Chagh put on his Deathwatch glasses.
To determine what these creatures are as well as their weaknesses, strengths and forms of attack. Any information I learn I will pass along to the group.
Chagh readies his shield and weapon to defend himself and his brother.
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Glancing left and right at the approaching amphibians, Chug queries the group, which direction are we handling first?
He casts guidance on Tex, and then takes a five foot step south, so he is back to back with Chagh, shield ready, but pick not yet deployed.
Aurelian believes these are simply really big frogs, though they are acting more territorial and aggressive than usual.
Tex heaves his gun from his shoulder, kicks out the tripod, and levels it at the frogs.
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Assuming the froggies don't charge right at her and start attacking:
Karlia pulls out her holy symbol of Besmara and begins chanting. Summon monster IV using the Summon Neutral Monster feat, summoning a Shae (Full-round action, the Shae will appear adjacent to her at the beginning of her next turn).
Also, to determine if these happen to be from one of the outer planes.
Karlia hasn't seen or read about frogs like these in any of her tomes about outsiders.
The giant frogs bound forward through the undergrowth. Even for them, it is slow going, as the marshy weeds grow thick and tall here.
.
.
Chug will cast guidance on himself then and draw his pick.
"Per'aps we can scare zem away, non?" Aurelian says with a shrug.
A moment later, he twists his fingers in an arcane pattern and tosses a small bundle out of a pouch. Before it can hit the ground, it suddenly turns into a flaming dragon, which weaves its way toward the nearest frog, exploding in its face.
Genevar draws her axe and shield, planting her feet where she is. The giant frogs are alarming by size, but she's not very impressed. They're just frogs.
Nevertheless, she's concerned some of her lightweight companions might get dragged off into one of the beast's amphibious maws.
"Good plan," she nods to Aurelian and his fireworks. The less energy spent on frogs, the better!
Cast guidance on himself and readies his shield and weapon.
Dagaroth sees the bullfrogs advancing to attack and reacts accordingly. He darts around Tex and towards one of the beasts, cutting through the tall grass with ease, his movements resembling that of a wingless dragon. In the blink of an eye, he is face to face with the enormous frog, his clenched fist crossing the air in the creature's direction.
As soon as Hathor realizes what's happening, he and Kumador exchange looks and nod at each other. Then they spring into action.
To the west, Hathor, Dagaroth, and Kumador engage one of the frogs just as it opens its mouth to lash out with its hideously long tongue. Startled by the sudden crack of Dagaroth's fist against its head, the creature stumbles forward and tries to bite the brawler, flanking with its companion to the south. Dagaroth takes a single nasty bite to his forearm, but manages not to be grabbed up by the creature's maw. Hathor's blow nearly causes the already wounded frog to fall, but it remains standing, blood now flowing from a gaping axe wound.
To the east, one frog deftly jumps aside as the fireworks whizz past, narrowly avoiding being struck in the eye and suffering only a slight burn instead. To Genevar's dismay, rather than move forward, the pair of frogs attempt to grab her and Aurelian with their tongues. The sticky appendages pull the hapless adventurers through the marsh with alarming speed!
success
miss
hit
no grab :(
hit
hit
grab!
grab!
Tex spots his fellow wizard struggling alone against a frog, and aims his rifle for a shot.
vs. Touch, minus grapple penalties, plus (partial?) cover
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Chug makes a hasty decision, and believing that the Paladin is better able to survive or escape on her own than the wizard, he calls down the power of Abadar, and casts liberating command on Aurelian and cries out, break free my friend Aurelian, for Abadar is with you!
Dagaroth strikes again as the humongous amphibian moves about the terrain lowering its guard.
"Brother, help the mages, I will move to assist the worshiper of Apsu and our brother dwarf!"
Chagh will move up beside Hathor and Dagaroth and attack the other frog.
A Shae appears next to Karlia.
"Attack the frogs, my friend! Make them wish they were never tadpoles!"
The Shae moves to the frog to the bottom-right of the map and attacks it with her masterwork falchion. plus
Karlia herself charges the frog to her left, pulling her +1 grayflame rapier as she does so.
AC 30, touch 13, flat-footed 27
Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +12
CMD 21
HP 104
Effects: fear/disease immunity, 25% chance to negate crit
Condition: Grappled, -2 on attacks
"Eeeeeyugh!" Genevar's disgusted groan continues as she's whipped from the trail to directly in front of the creature's mouth. She plants her feet to resist taking an unsightly journey into its stomach, pulling as far back away as she can.
A quick glance confirms she's too far away to be of use to Aurelian, but the other adventurers have been quick to step up to his aid. So she focuses on not being swallowed, though she conserves her energy. She's revolted, but doesn't believe she's in any real danger. They're just frogs.
So she flails awkwardly with her axe, hacking at the thing to get it to let her go. "You'd choke on me! I assure you!"
Dagaroth strikes the giant frog as it reels from his last blow, and the creature falls heavily to the ground, slain instantly.
Aurelian, with the aid of Chug's faith, manages to slip free from the frog's mouth and steps back to take cover behind the shae.
Chagh, Genevar, Karlia (and her shae friend), Hathor (and Kumador), and Tex each wear the frogs down with their attacks, but the three remaining frogs continue their angry assault.
The frog with Genevar in its mouth tries to swallow her, but it can't manage to get the wiggling dwarf to go down.
Karlia's rapier drives into the leg of a frog, which turns on her and bites down hard. On the opposite side of the battlefield, her shae friend suffers a similar fate; each of them now find themselves being crushed in the massive creatures' mouths.
; success!
; big failure
; hit
; hit
; success
; success
Very well, Chug will wade on in. I believe he can charge the lower right frog (near Aurelian) by moving to the square that is down and left from that frog.
He will power attack as well.
Karlia flails with her rapier against the frog's mouth, knowing she's better off to try to kill it than to escape from its grapple.
She then expends two uses of her channel energy daily allotment to channel negative energy as a Swift action, excluding all 6 of her allies that are within 30 feet thanks to Selective Channel.
, DC 20 Will save for half damage.
Her summoned Shae uses lesser shadow evocation to cast a quasi-real frigid touch spell, delivering it to the frog that is biting her.
(possibly plus a circumstance bonus for being stuck to the thing she's trying to deliver the spell to?)
Her spell-like ability fizzles, unfortunately.
Hathor shouts "Now!" and Kumador roars in response. The dwarf hurries past Karlia who is grappling with the frog and they take flanking positions. The dwarf and bear launch a simultaneous attack, and judging by the precision of their timing, it's not the first time they using this tactic!
"Ah, bon chance, my friends!" Aurelian cries as he slips free, ducking into a defensive crouch even as he swings his arm at the frog attacking Genevar, sending yet another flaming dragon sizzling through the air to explode in the amphibian's face.
At the same time, the small azata leaps off Aurelian's shoulder, unleashing a blast of holy starlight before flying up, out of range of the frogs' tongues.
Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +12
CMD 21
HP 104
Effects: fear/disease immunity, 25% chance to negate crit
Condition: Grappled, -2 on attacks
Paladins of the First Vault did not get eaten by frogs. Genevar was pretty sure that was somewhere in her vows.
While she resists the gigantic amphibian's attempts to eat her, she flails her axe again to give it another deterring smack.
After killing the frog that attacked him, Dagaroth takes a moment to analyze the battlefield before deciding where to move next.