Seated in the hut, Kamal kept his back to the wall, farthest away from the door. The rubber from the local tree had been easy to find and harvest and within an hour he had fashioned crude but effective protection for the rest of the group. The night drew on and the Mwangi guide felt the fear start to come upon him. The beasts were supposed to come in the dead of the night and knowing that they would be attacking him as bait did nothing to make him feel better despite the fact they were doing it in order to protect a village of his people.
Ralf is a little hazy on what's going on, but it looks like the gang are waiting for something so he waits too.
Perception: , slightly better if it doesn't involve hearing.
Obviously the wax in Aerys ears, makes it difficult for her ....
After hours of tense waiting, suddenly a huge figure is silhouetted at the entrance of the hut. You marvel at how such a burly figure managed to sneak up on you, but these questions are moot now that it's here. At the sight of you, it bares its fangs and attacks.
Roll for initiative and if you beat 18, you may act before the beast.
Torch steps up to about 15 feet away from the thing and hurls his thunderstone at the ground between them.
The thunderous roar fills the space, leaving his ears ringing.
Staying inside of the hut but behind Torch, Kamal is shocked by the sudden deafening bang as the crack of the thunderstone fills the air. Seeing the beast just outside of the doorway, Kamal carefully judges the distance. Despite being deaf the Mwangi guide somehow manages to focus just enough to complete the spell. Suddenly outside of the hut, the low laying vines that snaked along the ground of the jungle village come alive, lashing and thrashing as they are animated.
The chemosit, a bristly black apparition that looks like some sort of cross between a bear and an ape, is taken aback at the big band and the unexpected resistance as well as the clinging vines grasping it, and lets loose a terrifying roar.
Gelik is the only one not deafened (keeping out of the range of the stone) and needs to make a Will 15 save or be shaken. He can hear children crying and people groaning and shushing in the neighboring huts. You are all up.
Init:
"Good gravy! What is that?" Ralf blurts out. He tries to blind the creature with a Glitterdust charm. (DC 16)
Gelik casts Spontaneous Immolation at the ape-bear.
Spontaneous Immolation (100 ft. + 10 ft./level, one creature, Fortitude half and Reflex)
You point your finger at a creature, causing it to spontaneously burst into flame. The target takes 3d6 points of fire damage and catches on fire. A successful Fortitude save reduces this damage by half and prevents the target from catching on fire. Each round on your turn, a burning target can attempt a new save to extinguish the flames (DC equal to the DC of the spell); otherwise it takes another 1d6 fire damage.
Torch flinches for a moment at the bursts of light and flame surrounding the chemosit, but the hesitation passes quickly and he leaps forward, hoping to strike the monster before it even knows he is there.
Seeing the creature distressed, Aerys quickly moves forward with a shout, "Aeeeee!" shrill and piercing the air. She swings her sword at the beast, moving to flank with Torch.
The monster bursts into flame, and while Torch's scimitar slides off its thick hide, Aerys's sword cuts deep. The chemosit roars in pain, rips itself free of the clinging vines and staggers out. It's still blind, though. Kamal dismisses the Entangle spell
You are up again.
Aerys follows after the creature, hoping to press home the party's advantage. She thrusts her longsword at the creature, despite her footing made difficult by the vines that are rapidly shrinking to nothing round her feet.
While the rest of you delay Aerys presses the attack, but fails to cut through the creature's thick skin. Although blinded and badly hurt it manages to scratch her for 10 points of damage. Then its mate suddenly pounces on her from its hidingplace on the roof of the hut and bites her for another 14 points.
You are up.
Aerys immediately takes a 5ft step back, trying to get away from the blinded creature's mate and immediately strikes at the wounded beast thrashing wildly. She calls out, "I can't take that again, quick kill this one and heal me. So we can get rid of it's mate."
HPs: 20
Torch strikes with cestus and blade both, hoping to aid the wounded Aerys.
Ralf tries to blast both of the beasts with some sound.
sonic damage + staggered for one round, Fort DC 16 for 1/2 damage and no staggered
The blinded chemosit is killed by Torch and Aerys, while the other is set on fire and staggered by Gelik and Ralf. Furious, it lashes out as Aerys to avenge the demise of its mate and deals her a horrible bite for 11 points of damage.
Then you are up again.
With blood streaming from the various wounds, caused by the beasts, Aerys cries out in pain. It is obvious to all that she is close to falling, but she knows that in her hand a sword will cut deep into the beast. Without her, Torch's attacks will not be as devastating. She swings at the beast, her strength and speed reduced by the depth of her injuries, the sword misses its mark.
Torch circles around the surviving chemosit, calling for Kamal to aid Aerys while he does so. "And as for you, ugly, maybe you should be paying attention to me instead!" he shouts at the beast.
Ralf sends some healing towards Aerys.
boosted Moderate Cure:
HPs: 21.
Aerys must look particularly tasty to ape-bears.
Dismissing the spell so the others can run out of the hut, Kamal attempts to summon a ball of roiling flame adding yet more fire to the vocal blasts hurled from the mouth of the inciting gnome. Unfortunately at the last moment, Kamal stumbles over the words and the spell fizzles with a blast of hot air and a *pop*
Under your combined assault the other ape-bear collapses in a flaming pile. The rest of the night is quiet.
In the morning as you awaken, there is already a crowd gathered. Some of the braver villagers poke the dead monsters gingerly, but most of them keep their distance. As you emerge from the hut, they all cheer you and offer profuse thanks. Unfortunately they are dirt poor and can't offer much of a reward.
The shaman joins the happy crowd and adds her thanks to theirs. She has a couple of items for you: a grisly, shrunken monkey head and a treasure map that she claims was taken from a Sargavan soldier and indicates a sunken wreck in the Lake of Vanishing armies. According to the map it contains a chest full of gold ingots.
The shaman says that the monkey head can be used to banish evil spirits and exorcise demons.
Thank you wise one. Kamal replies with a short bow before picking up his pack and slinging it over his shoulder with one hand while the other hefts his spear. We are glad that we could be of service to my people. Turning back to the others, the jungle guide nods. Are you ready to set out, then?
Hey! What's up with the monkey head?
Upon being cheered by the adoring crowd, Gelik takes a well-deserved bow, doffing his pirate hat with a flourish. He waves and blows kisses until it gets embarasing for all involved, then stops abruptly and walks way.
He assumes that Torch will take tha map, since it's right up his ally. Although he's intrigued by the monkey head, he feels it would be bad juju to carry the severed head of his spirit animal around.
Well, we saved their bacon. Next stop, gold ingots!
A smiling Aerys watches Gelik's performance and openly says to Torch with a sigh, "You'd think it was him alone that brought down those creatures." She starts to clap Gelik's performance, "Indeed you were mighty in the fight Gelik." she says warmly mocking him. "You seem to have found a whole village ready to pay you homage."
After a moment she returns to cleaning her weapons and armor, she looks up in a shot at Gelik's next pronouncement to go seek treasure using the map from the shaman. "Do you really think we have time to go off on some wild goose chase, following a map which may or may not lead to a treasure, when we are in search of a city with more treasure than you can throw a stick at?" asks Aerys somewhat exasperated. "Let's not loose sight of the mission we are on, to find the lost city of Saventh-Yhi. If you all want to go in search of this lake and vessel, then we can, but I'm not sure its the right thing to do." She looks questioningly at her friends.
Ralf uses the remainder of his healing on Aerys, which should be enough to heal her to full.
You can always ask Nkechi for healing, and also to cure your deafness, if you need to, so you should be fine.
The captain shakes her head at your adventures, but she's happy that you all survived and that you earned the goodwill of the village. Then it's time to press on.
You continue to follow the edge of the jungle for two more days (meaning you can replenish your spells or other dailys) without anything particularly interesting happening. Then you come upon an interesting geological formation.
A collection of snaking mounds about three feet high spreads across the savanna like an alien land formation. Some twist and wind for several hundred yards, while others sink back into the soil after only a few yards.
You can roll for Perception and/or Knowledge (nature) if you like.
Gelik sighs while Aerys drones on about their mission. When she's finally finished, he just says, Funny, you don't look like my mother. Actually, I take that back. My mother is much more fun than you are.
Later, at the mounds, Gelik proclaims sagely, There's bound to be swarms of army ants streaming out to eat us soon. Of course, all are aware he has no idea what he's talking about.
Know nature, in a trance: take 10 for a result of 35
Perception: , possibly better if sound isn't involved
Standing at the edge of the jungle, Kamal holds up his hand and scans the distance will trying to dredge up any ideas about what might have caused such an odd formation to be made.
____________________________
Ralf, Kamal and Torch all realize that this is ankheg tunnels, and Torch also notices that the ground is unsafe, being riddled with sinkholes.
Just as you try to move away from the tunnels, an ankheg bursts out of the ground and attacks.
Roll for initiative.
Careful, its an Ankheg! Kamal shouts, raising a hand. I might be able to dissuade it from attacking if i'm lucky. If not, watch out. It has a dangerous bite, and it can spit a caustic acid once every few hours if it is threatened. Slowly, Kamal moves forward and raises a hand in a non threatening gesture. Calling upon his link to the natural world, the ebon man searches out for the connection with the beast trying to calm its fears and tell it that the group means it no harm.
The ankheg goes on 4, so the rest of you can probably act before it does.
Aerys listens to Kamal's words, she hangs back and let's the druid do her stuff. However she gets ready to fire an arrow from her shortbow if the creature moves forward and attacks Kamal.
Init:
Ralf doesn't hear a word that Kamal says, so he hits the ankheg with a Glitterdust charm. (DC 16)
Gelik readies his now patented Spontaneous Immolation, but doesn't cast until the beastie attacks.
See? Ant, just like I figured. Though I do admit it may be the biggest specimen I've seen.
The monster shrugs off both spells (taking some minor damage) and attacks Aerys , but her armor shields her from its jaws.
You are all up.