Quickly stepping back, Kamal raises his hands defensively. I swear it wasn't the spell, it was angry already! Kamal shouts (perhaps a little too hastily) before summoning up a whirling ball of flame atop the creature.
Gelik takes a few steps back, ensuring that he keeps some distance from the beast, but staying within spell range.
Torch sighs, disappointed that Kamal's attempt to avoid violence failed - but now that the ankheg has attacked Aerys, there is no help for it. He circles behind it, trying to steer clear of both its pincers and the hail of magical flame raining down on it, then strikes while it is distracted by Aerys' weapon.
Torch cuts down the already singed ankheg.
You have one round to rest and recuperate.
Then another ankheg bursts out of the ground. Kamal, will you try to do your thing?
Aery shouts out ,"Once bitten, twice shy!" drops her bow and quickly leaps across to the beast, drawing her weapon as she does. She swings at the beast.
Lookout! Kamal shouts while pointing to a burrowing field of earth that is quickly moving towards them. I don't think they are going to be placated by my ability. We will have to deal with however many remain the same as the first one. The druid grimly states. Directing his orb towards the creature, Kamal sighs. They had marked the group as prey. They would learn differently.
"Kamal!" Torch shouts, turning his blade toward the new threat. "How many of these are we probably dealing with here?"
Ralf fires off another Glitterdust.
The monster is cut and burned to pieces. Another ankheg surfaces and bites Aerys for 10 poins of damage (and 4 acid).
Then Ralf hits it with a whirlwind of swirling colors, blinding it.
Everyone except Ralf can act before the monster does.
Ah.. Well it depends if the colony is mostly underground and if there is a queen. The druid shouts, peering towards the furrows in the ground and trying to recall whatever he knows about the beasts. I don't know! The guide says at last. It could be only a few or fifty of them.
Torch turns toward the blinded ankheg and drives his blade toward an exposed bit of thorax.
Eep. When Gelik hears that there might be fifty giant monsters bursting from the ground, he casts a quick protective spell.
At this point in your travels you leave the jungle behind to cross the open plain. In the afternoon the next day you notice how a number of scavenger birds start circling around you. Ominously, their number keeps getting larger as the day wears on.
"That's... unsettling," Torch says slowly.
Nodding, Kamal glances towards the sky. Scavenger birds like that are often drawn to things that are either dead or dying. Its possible a large corpse is in the area. Kamal shrugs. It's hard to say. I could try to drive them off with the power of the elements if you wish, but they might return.
The vultures keep circling you as you proceed and the afternoon wears on, and ominously after a while a few larger birds join the flock.
Knowledge (nature) 14:
Pointing up towards the sky, Kamal frowns. We might have a problem. Those larger vultures are known as Geier's. They tend to be more aggressive and while the smaller vultures won't attack, I suspect the larger ones are more likely to. We should ready ourselves incase they do. I'll try to ward them off of us, but if it fails, then it will come to combat.
Stretching out with his connection to the primal world, Kamal touches on the predatory senses of the creatures. He tries to warn them away, but rather than placating them, the foreign intrusion seems to enrage the creature. Uh.. yea... that didn't work and now they are angry! The druid yells, taking a half step back.
Roll for initiative. There are three geiers. The smaller birds won't join the fight.
"Okay, Torch says, nodding worriedly at Kamal's words. "Let me just get me bow ready, so we can..."
"...Or not."
Init:
"Damn birds, we should have just warned them off force. Let them eat each others carcasses."
Feeling a little guilty at rousing the anger of the birds, Kamal spurs his horse in an attempt to draw them away. One of the geiers follow him, leaving two for you to battle.
Aerys goes first, then the birds.
Aerys waits until one of the birds comes within reach of her sword, before slashing at the big birds heavy feathery breast. As she tries to strike she calls out, "If I could be big like these birds, I could down them quickly"
In spite of Aerys's mighty blow as the bird whizzes past, they both focus on Torch this time, and he is bitten for 9 points of damage.
Then you are all up. Flanking shouldn't be a problem.
Torch shouts in pain as savage beaks tear his flesh. He turns, trying to pummel one of the massive birds with scimitar and cestus in retaliation.
Gelik readies his action until one of the big birds gets into his spell range, then...
The geier is struck by the swirling colors and indeed crashes hard, landing stunned at your feet. At the same time, Torch cuts down the other bird. This display of violence is enough to disperse the rest of the flock, whether or not you want to kill the stunned bird or not - it's not going to be messing with you anymore.
"Sometimes I really think that Ralf''s little problem is a blessing in disguise. I mean, he doesn't hear Gelik's triumphs over and over again..." Aerys whispers to Torch, as she smiles and a small laugh exits his lips.
"Hey, where did these dang birds come from?!" Ralf is suddenly startled out of his wits.
He heals up Torch until he's back to full health.
In response to Aerys' comment, Gelik raises his eyebrows in surprise. How could you say such a hurtful thing about Ralf's infirmity? If he could hear you at all, which he most certainly can't, you'd make him feel bad. Besides, it's so much fun watching him realize that we're in a life and death confrontation just as it's ending.
Gelik adjusts his pirate hat to a slightly more jaunty angle. Speaking of life and death confrontations, I hope you were witness to my dazzling display of magical might. It was really quite impressive.
Gelik stabs the downed bird in the face with his spear. These feathers will make a fine headdress.
After the bird incident all is actually calm the entire next day. The day after that you spot a lone wanderer in the distance. It looks like a Mwangi man.
Torch eyes the other man carefully, but continues on his path. If the distance between them closes to a reasonable amount, Torch calls out, "Hello there!" in Common, then repeats the phrase in Polyglot.
The man keeps his distance, so unless you want to approach him, you'll just pass him at a distance.
"Do we leave him, and let him report our presence to his elders, or if we go to approach him, he may consider us unfriendly or even hostile and life could be more difficult. Gelik, you have a way with words and stories, can you speak Polyglot? If you can then maybe you could befriend him, otherwise I say we continue." say Aerys as she looks to her companions for guidance.
Gelik cups his hands to his mouth, in order to project his voice.
He adds in common. I don't really have a way with words, but I'm happy to try to fake it.
Ralf waves cheerfully at the man.
The man veers sharply away from you and soon disappears from sight. You see no more of him or any other human beings that day.
Two days later you finally approach Kalabuto. But you encounter a gruesome sight before the city comes into view. A tall and leafless boab tree stands alone in a clearing, its wood burnt black. A circle of tiny bones surrounds the tree. Over a dozen human bodies hang from the branches, making grisly silhouettes against the blue sky. More bodies lie on the ground at the base of the tree, frayed ropes still around their necks. A circle of tiny bones surrounds the tree.
"Wow. Strange fruit," Torch says, eyes furious, and spits. He warily draws his blade, in case whoever hung the bodies is not as far away as they might seem.
Aerys draws her sword and nestles her shield on her arm, taking up a defensive position in front of Gelik and Ralf. "I don't like this, let Torch check this to see if its some sort of trap or ambush. We can go round this place, it's unnatural."
Check what out? I've seen plenty of dead bodies. Give me one good reason that we should go any closer than we already have. Let's steer well clear.
Gelik will continue moving toward Kalabuto, making a sizeable detour around the grisly tree. That is, unless his colleagues can't help themselves and insist on investigating. He'll hang around if they do so, which they probably will, but keep well back.
So are you going to avoid the tree or have Torch check it out?
"Oh my...what a way to die," Ralf remarks sadly.
Torch exchanges a worried glance with Aerys, but he takes a defensive stance and moves slowly toward the tree. Something about the entire situation feels off, but he can't say what.
As you approach the tree, the dead spring to unnatural life. Even some of the hanging corpses twitch impotently.
You are all up, and then you can roll for initiative.