"All right, we need to go back to the entrance and block it and make sure this thing doesn't get out. Then we search the entire complex thoroughly until we find it."
Daelric-
Volkar-
Andreszi-
Kiera-
As the party are hurrying towards the entrance to the complex, they are not watching the side corridors very well. As the company passes through the next to last side tunnel, another creature leaps out at you, abnormal mouth gaping wide.
Kiera Videns
Volkar Glanral
Daelric Morieth
Sinspawn
The beast steps out into the passage, snapping his jaws around the defensively raised arm Andrezi thrusts at it. The saliva burns as it enters his skin..
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 3 dmg/ DC 12 Will
Sinspawn
I feel guilty about not noticing the creature until it is too late, but I quickly regain my composure and bring my axe to it, hoping to defeat it quickly before anyone else is hurt too much.
Kiera spins and with a few arcane syllables launches a sickly green bolt - much like her earlier small acidic blasts, but much more substantial.
(ranged touch attack, includes -4 for firing into melee)
"Yikes! That burns!" Andrezi exclaims as he grabs his starknife and lashes out at the creature.
Daelric and Kiera both land heavy blows against the creature, but Andrezi's knife just barely misses. It staggers, bleeding heavily..
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 3 dmg
Sinspawn- 12 dmg
Volkar lashed out at the creature that came out of the dark while they were talking with the acolytes about the mapping process.
But the creature's scream and attack on andrezi had Volkar shocked and his swing went wild.
Volkars attack goes wide, and the sinspawn keeps its focus on Andrezi.
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 13 dmg
Sinspawn- 12 dmg
Kiera's previous acid arrow continues to sizzle and burn.
If that doesn't put the creature down, Kiera follows up with one of her smaller acid splashes.
(ranged touch attack, includes -4 for firing into melee)
Andrezi once again fights off the venom of the bite..
Kiera's acid arrow almost does the creature in.. It is staggering and nearly dead..
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 13 dmg
Sinspawn- 18 dmg
I bring my axe up again and try to finish the fight after hearing how their bites burn I want to make sure nobody else can be bitten again.
But seeing this glowing green arrow spread and wound the creature even more I am taken aback and shocked, so my attack whizzes past the creatures torso.
Andrezi winces in pain, but none-the-less slashes at the creature again. Unfortunately for the priest, the results are much the same as his previous attempt.
Daelric misses his target completely, while Andrezi just barely misses the creature as it sidesteps.
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 13 dmg
Sinspawn- 18 dmg
Volkar stood firmly and swung his axe at the creature.
His axe went wide and he culd feel his body tighten as he swung. This was not what he was expecting after his recovery.
Volkar swings wide, adding to the poor performance of the group.
The sinspawn continues its assault, sliding a single claw through Andrezi's armour.
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Kiera
Daelric
Volkar
Andrezi- 16 dmg
Sinspawn- 18 dmg
Kiera continues lobbing small gouts of acid.
(ranged touch attack, includes -4 for firing into melee)
With one last splash of acid, Kiera destroys the creature!
Out of Combat!
Kiera gathers her wits and says, "I think we found our new visitor from the pool."
"Well that was quite a bit more than I had bargained. Thank you all for taking care of that creature." Andrezi says, casting a curative spell on himself.
(trait)
The creature is gone, but the runewell is obviously still active. Where to from here, adventurers?
"We should finish our patrol in case it wasn't the only one," says Kiera.
I nod to Kiera and take my place at the front, before marching onwards I turn to look at Andrezi, "You alright? It seemed to be focused on you."
"Yes, I'm fine." Andrezi says after completing his spell.
"I'm not sure why it decided I was the threat. It's not like I actually managed to harm the damned thing." he adds with a small laugh.
Moving back through the complex to the temple, you encounter no problems.
"Alright, it's time for us to work our way back up this corridor." Volkar said with a bit of hesitancy.
The party searches the complex, but finds no more threats. The door you left unchecked your first time down here leads to a set of circular stairs. After several revolutions, the way becomes blocked from an ages old collapse. The acolytes busy themselves in the temple room, making notes and drawings, capturing everything they possibly can. Eventually, they indicate that they have all that they can manage for the moment and would like to return to the city.
By the time you return, it is late in the evening, and Father Zantus has already retired for the night.
"Well, I think at this point a good warm meal, a bit of mead, and some rest is a just reward for the adventures of the day," Volkar said aloud. "I also think we need to talk a bit more about what all of this seems to mean to Sandpoint."
Volkar twirled some of the hair that was stil there that held the silver bead in his forebeard. His face was scruffy where the hair had fallen out days earlier.
The next morning, you all awake to someone pounding on your doors, urging you to get up and come out. The female elf Shalelu Andosana seems to be in quite a mood as she ushers you over to the Mayors office, where you find Mayor Deverin and Father Zantus in equal states of disarray. It is well before dawn, but Salelu is agitated and paces as she describes her findings. "I have been in the forest and wildlands around Sandpoint tracking movements of entire tribes of goblins. I have managed to capture and question a few, and they all say that a new chieftain has united the tribes. There is talk about war against human kind, and rumors are spreading through the goblin ranks like wildfire. It is hard to tell truth from fiction with the little buggers, but there is one thing that they all agreed on: Their new chieftain has set up shop in or near Thistletop, a rock sitting just off shore not too far from here."
At these words, Father Zantus' posture slumps and his features turn to worry. "This is most distressing.." he says. "I have been casting divination spells, trying to ascertain the location of Father Tobias' remains that were stolen from the graveyard during the attack. Despite attempts to conceal his location, I have managed to finally confirm that they are at Thistletop." He turns a wry grin towards the companions and says "I was going to wait until a less obscene hour, but now is just as good as any I guess."
The Mayor looks to you and asks "Well? Can you take care of this for us?"
"I won't speak for the others, but I am certainly willing to look into it, although I doubt I would be able to do much good by myself" Andrezi says looking to his companions.
Kiera does her best to stifle a yawn and fails, then says, "Yes, of course, we need to stop them from another event like their attack on the festival!"
The mayor nods, and says "You should get an early start. Shalelu will help you plan your route. Here is a map to help you." she says, pulling a local map out of a stack of papers. She lays it out on a table, then leaves the room.
Shalelu spreads the map out and starts tracing lines through the different colors of ink. "Thistletop is an island, reached by an old rope bridge, and it is right in the middle of the Nettlewood forest. The easiest way to reach it is by following the Lost Coast Road until you reach the Thistle River Crossing. That is probably only going to take you a few hours. Then comes the hard part. You have to find a way through the forest, following the river until you meet the coast. Find your way east to get to Thistletop itself. I have heard reports that Bruthazmus the bugbear has joined forces with several humanoids and moved into Thistletop, and like I said, rumor has it that is now the headquarters for all the activity around here. I have no idea what exactly is manipulating all of these events, but there is something that is there."
"I have a better idea," says Kiera. "Let's buy a cutter - a small, single-masted ship. Can be sailed or rowed and can easily carry us and our gear. Then, instead of stumbling around through the forest, we can go along the coast until we reach the island, beach on it or near it and then just climb straight up to Thistletop." Her fingers trace over the map, making loops around the woods as she talks about getting lost there, then making a clean line along the coast from Sandpoint as she talks about the possibility of sailing.
"Sailing is a hobby of mine," she says with a sheepish but happy grin.
I nod when asked if I will help, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The smell of mead is faint on my breath. I listen to the rest of the conversation in silence, letting the others decide our route.
The elf nods at Kiera's suggestion, and says "That may work.. but it is about 6 miles to get there, so that will take some added time. Also, Thistletop was man made. No one really knows what it was or how it was made, but the summit is about 60 feet from the water, and it may pose a challenge to climb. I have never been on it myself, but I have seen it from a distance. There used to be an old rope bridge to reach it from the land, but no telling what condition it is in now. You might be able to find somewhere nearby on shore to land the boat, then come in from the landward side."
"I think it may be a better approach," says Kiera, "if we can get up the side of the island. And if I can get a scroll of spider climb, I could easily climb up the side, tie off a knotted rope, and lower it down for everyone else. Or we just clamber up on the far side of the rope bridge and then cross, like you suggested."
"This is your mission. You can assault the structure any way you believe will work. Do you have any questions, or need anything else? she asks.
"I think I like the idea of using a boat" Andrezi says.
"I guess we'll figure out the rest of it when we get there."
"Well, I will need some time to prepare a few things to have available for the effort. Also, we may want to see some healing potions and scrolls too. A rock topped by goblins isn't going to be something all that friendly, I suspect." Volkar rubbed the scruff of his cheeks.
"Boat is fine, but we also have those horses we got, so that is another option, but Kiera, you know this area best, you make the call on how we get there."
"Boat's more costly, but then we have a boat and we can sail anywhere," says Kiera. "Going on horseback might take more time. I'm not too familiar with all the forest trails and I doubt there's a clearly-marked road with a sign there. Anyone else have opinions on the matter? Shalelu?"
"The forest around is going to be difficult to traverse with horses. The Nettlewood comes by its name honestly, with very thick underbrush of stinging nettles, as well as vines and scrub." Shalelu replies. "Not to mention the penchant goblins have against horses and dogs will probably not do the horses health any favors if they are discovered while you are on the island. It is only about two hours travel time on the road, but once you leave the road, it will depend on your own skills."
"I can read a map, but when it comes to actually navigating the wild, I'm pretty much a basket case," says Kiera. "Unless one of you is surprisingly good at Shalelu's kind of woodcraft..." she trails off.
"Then it seems the boat may be the best option for you. I would leave as soon as you can secure your equipment and prepare yourselves, as there is no telling when these attacks will occur. It seems you have two missions here. Investigate and secure Thistletop, and try to recover the priests remains." Shalelu concludes.
"Well then, I need to go out back to one of the sheds and work on mixing a few things. We really need, Kiera, to find a place to rent as a work space, maybe we can do that when we get back?" Volkar asked. "We could I guess use the boat as such a place too if that makes any sense.
"Ummm... I wouldn't do alchemy on a boat," says Kiera. "You're the expert, but fire and boats rarely mix well." She thinks for a moment. "We can probably rent some space from Turandarok Academy, or maybe even get the Mayor to let us take over an abandoned building. I'll chip in, I'm going to need a workshop in order to work on my arcane tinkering."
She claps her hands together excitedly and says, "Let's go see about buying a boat!"
I look around as everyone has made the plans for the journey, "Looks like it is all settled then, if you need me I shall be doing some morning exercises." With that I bow and leave to go perform my daily training regime.
An island full of goblins sounds like it could be trouble. I'm capable of healing quite a bit of damage, but I think it may be wise for me to acquire a bit more."
As the sun peeks over the horizon, the party is already moving about getting ready for their journey. The anticipation and trepidation of heading towards whatever might be causing this ruckus sets into the members of the group, and everyone has their own ways of handling the stress of the last week. Daelric has been working on his training regimen, while Volkar returns to the shed he has commandeered for the mixing of his volatile and smelly compounds. Kiera sets to studying her spells for the day, and Andrezi decides on some new armor and some more healing power.
As the town comes to life around you, Kiera and Andrezi head out to secure their purchases. Father Zantus is able to provide a wand of CLW, and then visits Savah Bevaniky, proprietor of Savah's Armory where he picks up his chain shirt. Hardly tailor fit, Andrezi will have to make do with the off the shelf sizing.
Meanwhile, Kiera heads for the docks. She finally finds her way over to the Shipyard, where she meets with Belven Valdemar. She convinces him to sell her a smaller whaleboat. With that, the group meets back up at the dock to load the boat and make any last preparations.