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The Krenshar tries to bite Gruug before dying but misses.
Round 6:
Phanaton (-18) roars in rage as Aero's arrow strikes him but he continues to advance on Baolo, trying to feint him again! But the inquisitor is well versed in reading body language and he does not fall for it. Phanaton tries to bite him again, yelling, "No more running now, archer! Got you up against the wall!"
Round 5:
The phanaton 5' steps toward Baolo and tries to feint him, before moving in with his bite!
Round 4:
The phanaton looks in anger at Baolo, who just shot 4 arrows at him and rushes him but misses with the bite!
Round 3:
The phanaton frowns as Aero momentarily escapes his clutches but then sees the voluptuous Xarethi come near him and he attacks her instead, "C'mere mama!" His tail cuts her with the kukri across the abdomen and then he bites her breast, as Xarethi screams and passes out from blood loss!
Ialda's blow ends the Krenshar's savage existence but not before it tries to bite Gruug one last time but misses, dissolving in the usual puddle of goo!
Round 2:
The other Krenshar full-attacks the half-orc as well with claw, claw, bite: Meanwhile, Aero feels something small land on her back and bite her in the shoulder viciously! Suddenly materializing out of thin air, she sees a halfling-sized creature, clearly "savage" by its demeanor, that looks like a cross between a raccoon and a monkey, with a 4-foot long tail holding a kukri at the end of it. Pic of Creature It smiles and says, "Yummy, give me more mouthfuls of your tasty flesh, wench!"
Both Gruud and Ialda resist the creatures' wails of fear. You are all up!
Round 1 Initiative:
Both creatures' faces twitch and each pulls the skin back from its face, revealing the musculature and bony structures of its skull, while emitting a loud screech! Ialda and Gruug feel a chill of terror move up their spines at the horrifying sight and are filled with a palpable sense of fear!
You head NE into a 20' wide cavern where the bodies of three strange creatures lie in a mangled heap in the center, their bodies torn apart and gnawed down to the bone. It's difficult to tell what manner of wolf-like or hyena-like creatures they once were. As you continue forward, two earless panther-like beasts enter the cave through the Northern exit. They have large jaws and large patches of their mangy fur have fallen away to reveal leprous skin covered with writhing tendrils. Knowledge Arcane CR 12:
The beasts, known as Krenshars, resemble a large but earless hunting cat, save that it can retract the fur and skin on its face to reveal the glistening skull and musculature underneath.
In this room, you find in the NE corner a table upon which rest four rare books, a little moist, but still serviceable. The topics range from lizardfolk cuisine (Volumes I + II) to naturalist studies of the Mwangi Expanse (Parts 1 and 2). There are 4 exits from this room not counting the passage you just came from: NE, NW, W, and S (leads back in the direction you initially came).
Ialda's flail bashes in the dinosaur's head and it tries to bite Gruud one last time before melting into a puddle of acidic goo!
Round 3: Ripclaw
The wounded dinosaur attacks Gruug with hatred in its eyes, ripping the half-orc with both of its talons, its foreclaw, and its bite! Gruug's blood flies everywhere as do his screams as the savage dinosaur tears into him! Miraculously, only due to his parent race's ferocity is he still standing!
The dinosaur take a vicious blow but it is hearty and it stands, not in death mode yet.
Round 1: Ripclaw Gruug's scimitar cuts the dinosaur's flesh with ease, as it howls in pain. It bares its teeth at him and full attacks the half-orc with its talons, foreclaws, and bite, but Gruug's armor is tough and only one of the creature's weaker claws manages to penetrate!
GM stealth roll:
As Gruug bends down to examine the ground, he notices odd tracks in the sandy floor of a three-toed creature, approximate weight of no more than 200 lbs., leaving a sickle-shaped claw impression, apparently from its second digit. In the meantime, Ialda's keen ears pick up rapid yet muted movement from behind the silk sheets coming closer and closer. She yells out to the party, as a dinosaur rushes up, ripping the scarves down as it passes and it appears in silhouette form behind them (a la Jurassic Park), before it makes its appearance known to the party! As soon as you see it, you can tell it's been "affected" by the same affliction as the other creatures you've fought, as evident by the writhing tentacles on its back oozing pus and the row of sharp teeth! Savage Deinoychus pic
Initiative Order:
You notice imprints in the sand when you walked in the cave and when you walked down the corridors, but you cannot tell shape, size, number, or any distinguishing details.
You head east, the corridor tightening to 4' wide, forcing the party to go in single file. Eventually about 20' later, the corridor widens and you see dozens of bolts of once-fine silk scarves hang from lines of rope stretched length wise across the ceiling of this chamber, making it difficult to accurately judge the size of the sandy floored cavern. It looks like the silks were hung to dry, as some of them are still moist. The dozens of silk scarves block your view.
The Hall is four stories high and is easily the tallest building in a three-block radius. It is flanked to the east and west by open-air temples to the various Osirion gods in Garund. To the north and south, the Hall is flanked by two large merchant pavilions, wherein much magic is sold. All around the Hall are various merchant stands and tents where all different manners of fruit, spices, armors, and weapons can be bought.
The party heads into the cave and 20' in, the passage splits, one to the east and one to the west.
The two armors are MW studded leather and the scimitar that the second pirate wielded glows as magical! In fact, when you examine it carefully, you see a design of a ship at sea among the waves etched across the blade. Its construction is quite beautiful and flawless and looks very well maintained.
Gruug's mighty blow does not kill the creature but staggers it! Baolo's second arrow hits the pirate in the head and it appears it will topple over but before it dies, it looks around to bite someone but no one is in reach, as the half-orc stepped away! It falls to the sand, dissolving harmlessly, leaving its scimitar and studded leather armor.
Round 2 Savage Pirate:
Gruug's powerful blow caves in the savage pirate's chest, but before he dies, the mutant head on his shoulder tries to bite the half-orc:
The pirate takes a vicious blow from Ialda's spear, although his DR helps stave off half the damage, but he's still up!
Aero's arrow hits as do both of Baolo's and then Xarethi's magic missiles and it looks like the savage pirate might go down but his inner ferocity keeps him up. Round 1: Savage Pirates attack!
The other pirate moves quickly around the beach, avoiding drawing attacks, and flanks Gruug, plunging his short sword through the half-orc's ribs causing him to howl in pain!
GM rolls:
Three hours later, after trying to gather information about Father Jackal and his organization, you find yourself back at Rayhan's villa for lunch (it is 1pm), tired and frustrated that your efforts were met with little success and many false leads. As you return home, you find a note on the door addressed to Eli. The bard opens it and reads it: I do not have the patience to wait anymore. You want to know where your friends are and who has them, meet me alone on the roof of the Municipal building tonight at midnight. Your presence is required xxxx.
The half-orc's falchion cuts through the pirate, and though some of the wound heals, he delivers a strong blow, but not enough to fell the savage pirate.
You can tell the bodies lying on the beach were devoured with a ferocity never before seen. Bones were gnashed in a single crushing bite and entire lengths of flesh and muscle were ripped out. Crossbow bolts riddle a few of the dead bodies, their bodies deformed with extra heads and tentacles. It looks like a battle took place between humans and something else....and the humans lost! Aero and Baolo's keen senses protect the party from an ambush, as two figures suddenly land on the sand, having jumped down from the beached ship. They appear to have previously been pirates by their garb of studded leather armor and bandanas, but now, they look feral and deformed, with an extra head growing from their shoulder and their jaws are filled with sharp teeth, dripping in blood. Pic of Pirates With scimitars in hand, they cry out, "Fresh flesh!"
Both Gruud and Ialda have 50' of rope so Ialda quickly climbs down in 2 rounds while everyone else takes 3+ rounds.
Ialda starts climbing down, getting 20' down without any trouble. Baolo boldly dives off the cliff, hitting the water smoothly as he sinks down 15' but does not hit the rock floor, as he rises and swims away from the fire toward the beach. He does not spot anything though, as there is fire and a three-masted ship 40' long obstructing his view. Aero does not spot anything unusual or interesting about the cove. And yes, you can walk across the top of the cliff face and look along the beach. It is hard to see anything from your height though due to the smoke.
You head on foot toward the cove, noting the march is uphill, as the elevation rises. By the time you reach the cove, you appear about 40' high on a cliff looking down. In the sheltered cove below, an inferno rages atop the water. Several ships, including a two-masted caravel, a sizeable frigate, a long barge, and what might have once been a schooner are all ablaze. Further out, a three-masted caravel seems to have escaped the fire. A shiny slick on the surface of the water burns as well, creating a wall of wood and flame. The heat rises in searing sheets. Through the periodic gaps in the smoke, however, movement on the beach is still visible, though you cannot make out the figure(s). You can get down from the cliff to the beach various ways: climbing down the numerous handholds in the cliff wall (DC 15 climb checks), cliff diving into the water (Swim or Acrobatic check), or using the rickety wooden walkway that descends straight to the beach (Balance checks).
Aero examines her comrades' wounds and has never seen any such infection in her life. What she can tell is the following from remembering the monkeys' unnatural behavior and Ialda's comments: 1. It was passed on in the saliva of the monkeys and is now in the bloodstream of her companions.
The money lashes out before it dies at Gruud but misses!
As you stop to heal with the wand and collect your breaths, Ialda and Left Ear's wounds darken and begin to fester, causing your skin to break out into a terrible black rash. 5 rounds later, they both fall to the ground screaming, Ialda gripping her forearm and Left-Ear his knee. Short bony protrusions rip from the flesh where the monkeys' bites infected you. For Ialda and Left-Ear:
You both feel your minds and rational thought leaving, as you become more bestial and begin to momentarily hunger for the flesh of your companions, before you shake off the insidious thoughts. As you stand up, you realize the rational portion of your brain is leaving you and you're fighting to keep your baser instincts in control!
The celestial bird claws and bites the demonic monkey but its wounds heal almost immediately. Left-Ear stabs at the monkey but misses.
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