The last she remembered was being smashed into the cobblestoned street alongside the Large Halcorg...
Conciousness returned slowly and she flinched as the flame haired woman thundered past on her Warbeast. Seeing Halcorg laying next to her she rolled over and placed her hands on him. Casting her spell defensively lest the beast finish her off...
Seeing the predicament that Tepti and the large warrior are in Ti'Itza moves forward to distract the beast. He continues his loud Oratory, but doesn't focus as much effort to it as he casts another spell. Upon completion of the spell
He uses the footwork he was taught as a scale for hunting in the swamps to avoid the worst of the creatures strikes...
He gets just within reach of the beast to avoid gaining its ire but to start irritating it. "Come beast of rage and feather, fight a warrior of the Swamp!"
"Arv?! Wh- over there?" Karou nods excitedly.
Mulray looks for a nice spot of land, pulls the carriage to a stop, and hops down while rummaging through his gear for an iron spike.
Karou scrambles on top of the carriage opening the side doors for the passengers from above.
"Alright folks, I am going to keep you hidden inside an illusory hill until it is safe."
Round 4
With fabled elven persistence and patience, Daliedhur relentlessly peppers the monstrosity with arrows - she realizes the effect is not devastating, and wishes she could do more as the sense of urgency increases, with her companions being victim of massively strong attacks.
She continues to push Leaf to move around the creature, trying to find some spot where the dust does not offer it any cover.
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Until he moves, he has concealment.
The first two of Daliedhur arrows would have hit, but the dust and debris don't let her see well...
Tarina crawls, almost blind, away from the Owlbear and nexto to Tepti and Halcorg.
Azurefang keeps biting at the Owlbear feet, manageing to hurt him some, but without tripping it.
Realizing that the huge owlbear has no problem hitting him, whether he is up or down. And feeling a little more healing magic flow through him, Halcorg grimaces against the pain he still feels from the last round of brutal attacks. Nonetheless, Halcorg once more swings his large earthbreaker at the creatures gigantic knees.
Attack-earthbreaker: <-- +1 haste, +1 IC, +1 prayer, -4 prone
Damage:
Attack-earthbreaker: <-- +1 haste, +1 IC, +1 prayer, -4 prone
Damage:
Attack-earthbreaker(haste attack): <-- +1 haste, +1 IC, +1 prayer, -4 prone
Damage:
Concealment: <-- all got through concealment
Although not having the impact of his prior attacks , the battered and bruised ranger continues to strike the owlbear, although hope is rapidly waining.
Tarina mumbles a few words and releases some positive energy into Halcorg.
Azurefang will bite at the Owlbear some more.
But cannot manage to see it well enough to attack it.
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The owlbear, hungry, attacks his next meal... Ti'Itza! (It is still unable to use his broken beak).
It's first attack go right at the Lizarfolk, Trying to grab him and eat him, but thanks to the bard's blur effect it strikes the ground instead, hard. It sweeps with his claw but with such a bad luck that it trips and falls to the ground, with a huge rumbling noise. Everybody is barely able to get away to avoid getting crushed.
But even on the floor it uses the other claw to grab Ti'Itza, constricting him and trying to grab him!
Ti'Itza finds itself grappled by the Owlbear.
But just then , suddenly, it transforms into a hideous horrible substance, on flames, and the Owlbear throws him away.
Next to Neji Vodyanoy Leventon smiles.
I got it this time!
Your turn, the Owlbear is badly hurt and prone. Concealment is still on.
Neji quickly hugs her fiance and whispers, "Good job, honey!"
Meanwhile, Destroyerman seizes the moment to strike. Like an angel of vengence, the great Eidolon swoops down from above and swings his Falchion three times. Because of the field of dust generated by the owlbear's fall, Destoryerman misses the first couple of strikes, but on the third one, his weapon sinks deep into the monster's exposed neck.
Once.
Twice it swung and he nimbly skipped aside.
Ti'Itza used his tribal footwork to avoid the worst of the beasts strikes, greatly aided by his magic and the well timed magical attack. He capitalizes on the beasts bad luck as it falls to earth like a mountain, as he prepared to strike it he was snatched up like a helpless frog in the mouth of a serpent. When it tosses him away he is unphased by how close he came to be being injured, instead he refocuses his efforts. It had to die...
Despite being thrown he makes his tumbling fall look almost planned. Avoiding the worst of the fall as he twisted his body to land in the least painful way.
The beasts tumbling fall herald its doom. Swift reared with a powerful winny as Seraph urged him to charge once more. She angled her lance downward as she intended to stab the beast in the belly with her passing. Seeing the others inflict such terrible wounds heartened her resolve just as her lance connected with its thick feathery coat...
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Ti'Itza flies out and makes a jumping landing some 20' away from the beast, with an unexpected agility for the big lizardman. (Falls on his feet).
The large Eidolon Destroyerman goes for the throat, and destroy a big chuck of tissue there, a green glowing ichor pouring out of the deep wound.
Seraph and Swift charges on the other side of it and sink their lance deep in the beast belly. The lance get stuck there, and Seraph and Lady stop next to it.
The Owlbear let out a pitiful scream from it's broken beak, and the glowing in it's eyes start to flicker...
Xi seeing the beast down, abandons her bow and draws her blade. Her strange headband glows with unknown power as she charges forward with her greatsword raised.
Her blade slams into the beasts feathers and does no visible damage.
Seraph nearly cries out as her shoulder is almost torn out of the socket after the sudden stop with her lance strike. She drew her greatsword and aimed to finish the creature off quickly...
"Is it over, did we win." Tarina asks, looking over the owlbear as she gets up closer, her hand on Azurefang's head.
"Not.. Yet.. Keep fighting."
Ti'Itza's display shocked Tepti, as he was flung back and landed neatly she continued her efforts to right the larger warrior while her companion bought them precious time...
She uses her last high spell to ensure Halcorg can stand.
He landed hard on his feet and swept loose rubble behind him as his tail swung to a stop a moment before he surged forward to distract the beast once more. He began his Oratory of the legends of the swamp warriors once more so that it continued to remain fresh in everyone's minds and bolster their actions at this critical moment.
Wanting to end this sooner rather than later, the much less injured ranger stands up (probably drawing an AoO, and then makes a huge overhand swing at the creature's head.
Move - stand up, probably draws an AoO
Attack-earthbreaker+vital strike: --> +1 Prayer, +1 haste, +1 Inspire Courage, +2 flanking
Damage:
The blow lands with devastating force.
Two large, blue-glowing, flying starknives continue to harass the owlbear.
With her red cape flapping behind her, Tatiana lands near her companions and well out of reach of the huge, green-glowing owlbear. She again channels the holy power of Desna to heal her wounded companions and exclude the owlbear.
bypassing all DR
bypassing all DR
After planting the iron spike in the ground, Mulray jumps back onto the drivers bench and urges his horses back to the fight. Karou squawks about Arv again.
"I'm sure you thought you saw Arv... You miss him and saw someone that looked like him.
We are a little too busy right now to check out what you think you might have saw."
Karou stares shocked that Mulray would dismiss him so easily.
Mulray leans into the wind as the carriage picks up speed.
"Alright... we're done being bait. To battle!"
Karou sighs and slumps - having heard this late-to-action bravado far too many times.
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While the Huge owlbear start crying in the ground you all gather around it... Mulray arrives in his wagon and descends to marvel at the great beast.
The green glow in it's eyes flicker, the blood wets it's great strong feathers.
You can't avoid felling a little sad for the animal as it dies.
Daliedhur, at last, takes her longsword and moves to cut his head off, trying to avoid it more pain.
When the head is cut off a big green tinted explosion rocks all of Trivium, blowing the dust of the falling buildings up again and destroying all the windows of all the houses.
Some people starts peeking out, to see if the heroes of Trivium could survive the explosion. From within the dust cloud they see shapes emerging, walking out.
But they are not the same people... they are not the same heroes...
They seem... taller.. stronger... more powerful.
They are now mythic in power and legend!
After they leave out from the dust you see people running away again.
"Protect us! They are going to attack us! People is coming! They seem powerful!"
A group of 8 people, looking human or humanoid, descend at full speed towards Trivium!
Mulray is about to fire the first shot when Karou stop him! And just in time, as when they go near, your realize that you know that people. Or you think so...
They look like your long lost companions. Faces you started to think you would never saw again. Names you have in your prayers and minds this last few months.
Arv.. Danath... Edeldhur... Janus... Kiritta.. Ni'Tir... Szymon... Venetia...
But they don't seem right. You know you haven't saw them in the last half year, but they seem changed. They seem completely different. Even if they don't seem changed, and even had the same clothes you last remember seeing them, there is a fire in their eyes, a walk in their step, a magic air around them that let you see these are not the same people you feared dead all this time. They are different now. But they are back!
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After travelling all this distance, crossing even the dark tapestry to get here, you fear you are too late. Something is destroying the "city" when you where told you could find your companions, and you fear you won't get in time to save them. What if you reach them just to see them murdered by a real powerful enemy?
When you are almost there you feel the explosion, and fear the worst. You can't even avoid fall on your knees. You are too late...
But then you see figures climb out from the darkness, from the hopelessness, from the brink of dead itself in a fight against insurmountable odds. You start to identify the shadows getting out from the dust.
Daliedhur... Halcorg... Mulray... Neji... Seraph... Tarina... Tatiana... Xi'Tir...
But even if you remember last seeing them just a couple days ago (even if many things have happened in that couple of days) they look completely changed. They seem hurt, very tired, much older... and wiser, stronger, powerful.
They are not the same people you leave behind.
You have reached them at last!
"Mother!" Tarina yells as she runs up and hugs Venetia, forgetting for a moment that those around her know her as Lalia Lebeda's daughter and not Venetia Medvyed's. "They said you were dead, they said you were lost, but I knew you'd come back, I could feel you and I knew that you couldn't just die like that." Tears were welling down Tarina's eyes, this was clearly the greatest emotion many had seen her express, perhaps only Elpída had seen more emotion out of the young girl. "Where were you, what happened, why couldn't I contact you..." Tarina began pelting her mother with questions, eventually the language she is speaking turning to celestial and becoming pure nonsense as pure emotion just overwhelms her.
"I missed you." She finally says, looking up into her mother's eyes.
Venetia can do little other then return her daughter's hug as she is pelted with questions, holding the child who she swore she saw only just days ago, but yet her child was clearly older, wiser, and stronger then when she had left.
"I'm home." Venetia says with a smile, patting her daughter on the back and looking around at the others. "We're home, all of us."
Mulray sheepishly submits to Karou climbing up his back, and smacking him repeatedly with his own hat. "Alright, alright... so it was him."
His mind... in part occupied with the enigmatic return of Arv and his other friends, but the thought of mortal men bringing down such a creature...
Though he lacked the draw strength of someone like Xi'tir, he realized now... "Heck... I can do this."
He cranes his neck to speak with the monkey on his shoulders "I ever tell you bout how I shot the out-ey off an ogre's belly from eighty yards away?", as he walks over to greet his old drinking buddy.
Arv plucks Karou from Mulray's shoulders with his tentacle, and tosses the little monkey in the air like a proud papa. "Oh how I've missed you my friend!"
He looks over at the aftermath of battle... the massive corpse, and structural damage (some quite oddly shaped)...
"Will someone be along to see to this mess here? I would far rather give a rest to the part of my brain which has come to accept seeing sights as this. Would you be so kind as to recommend a dining establishment - or just drinking for that matter, in a quieter district perhaps?" He smiles and exchanges fraternal smacks on the shoulder with Mulray, and bows to the others around.
At first, Tatiana prepares to shift Desna's spiritual weapons to the new threats. When she starts to realize who they people might be, she searches for and locks on to her love Szymon. Through a flood of tears, she flies into an embrace with her red cape flapping behind her.
Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.
It would be some time before Tatiana and Szymon recognize anyone else on Golarion.
Unlike the others, Kiritta has no problem spotting her husband, standing well over 12' tall, he is hard to miss amongst the wrecked buildings and the corpse of the gigantic owlbear. Deciding that mischief is always the best recourse, while her companions quickly run toward the town, she casts her own enlarging spell as well as a flying spell. Then moments later she shoots over the heads of the other Barons and crashes into the towering form of Halcorg. A massive hug and kiss ensue, with the ever stoic Shoanti ranger turning rather red from embarrassment in the process. After a minute or two of embracing, the spell causing Halcorg to be so large begins to fade and he shrinks back to a more normal human size. Kiritta laughs.
So, this is what it feels like to be you all the time.
She then ends her spell and also shrinks back down to normal human size.
She then looks to her companions, all of whom are getting reacquainted with their old friends, some more actively than others from the look.
A nice town you have here. Seems to have some trouble with big vermin though.
Xi looked towards the distant threat, howling a battlecry that shattered what little glass there was left in the windows of Trivium. Chi rushed to her side ready to fight as she hefted her greatblade. With her headband blazing she charged towards the image that was her sister.
Unlike the others she wouldn't be swayed so easily by such fortunate circumstance. She'd given up hope long ago that Ni'Tir would return, she was lost in the jungle with no one to save her this time but herself. She'd not bow so easly. "YA NOT WEAR MY SISTERS FACE!" She raised her blade and leapt into the air to hack at the imposter...
Ni'Tir watched passively as her sister did as she expected. Xi came at her with everything she had, even changed as she was she was the same reckless girl she had loved as her only sister. However she wasn't about to stand there and be cut down.
As Xi'Tir took to leaping at her blade first, Ni'Tir responded in kind. Her form shifting into the monstrous beast she had used against the creatures of the first world. She slammed Xi'Tir with her massive tail, knocking her sister flat to the ground before turning and standing over her. Xi'Tir laid there staring in shock as Ni'Tir's huge dinosaur frame leaned over her before inhaling a massive breath. Ni'Tir opened her toothed maw mere inches above Xi'Tir and let loose a mighty roar. Enough that it made Xi'Tir's armor tremble with its bass.
When she finished she returned to her normal form, leaning over her sister and allowing her brooch to hang where Xi'Tir could see it. "Mi face is mi face sista. Now put ya sword away silly girl."
She rose shakily to her knees then, the rush of adrenaline burned in her veins and she was trembling as she let the blade slip from her hands. Seeing that it was truly her sister Xi'Tir did something unexpexted. She started crying, turning to a complete mess as a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't speak through the sobbing and leaned against Ni'Tir as her sister embraced the broken ranger.
Seeing the necklace about her neck Ni'Tir's nose crumpled in distate, she took hold of it and broke it off with a single firm tug. She spoke quietly to Xi'Tir then as her younger sister cried. "Ya not need dis, da Mwangi is far, far away Sista. Dey Bekyar can't get ya here and if dey try... Dey'd regret it." With that Ni'Tir cast aside the dried ears as Xi'Tir merely nodded into Ni'Tir's shoulder.
Chi came up and curled up near Xi and Ni's side and Ni'Tir stroked the animal between the ears just before the rumble of a beasts great footsteps reached her ears...
She looked towards the materializing form of Chimalma and smiled broadly. She had missed the great beast greatly, longing for many months to see a glimpse of his scales. Her Shieldbearer, her companion that had saved her and her sister. Chimalma, though waited patiently standing over the broken form of the beast that had attacked Trivium. No doubt the battle had summoned him here, to fight again, to protect.
"Chimalma..." Ni'Tir's eyes watered fr a moment as he stood there out of her reach. She knew she had time to catch up though later. To wash his scales and to see him shine brightly...
Seraph looked in shock as Aru materialized from the dust and debris, moving alongside the dragon armored warrior that stood mere yards away. He walked towards her with Aru trailing behind him, nipping at the edges of his dragon helm. As he approached she sheathed her greatblade and dismounted, yanking her lance out of the dead Owlbear and stowing it on Swift before turning and facing Danath.
Once she had thought there would be a heartfelt reunion, a kindling of the their past attraction. However this time she felt nothing more then a great respect for the man who seemed to defy death again and again. she pulled off her helm and let her flame red hair fall as it may. He pulled off his as well and his appearance was changed in ways she couldn't tell. It looked like he had left only yesterday despite the months he had been gone.
"It's good to see you again Milord." She moved to bow but stopped when he spoke...
"Don't kneel..." He hid the relief in his voice as best he could. It appeared the spark was gone and it was for the best, however she had grown in his eyes. To aid in the defeat of such a monstrous creature astounded him. It approved that she no longer needed him to train her in the ways of combat, but now he had to find out how she had faired since he left.
"You are my friend and friends don't kneel." He moved forward and clasped her shield arm with his own. He pulled her forward and embraced her with his other arm tightly before releasing her to stand tall once more. "You are still my equal more then ever before and we have much to catch up on. Commander of the Silver Dragonflight." His tone was somewhat teasing and when she unconsciously blushed at his formal greeting he couldn't help but laugh.
He turned and used his voice to get everyone's attention. "Looks like we have some work to do before we can get a drink eh?"
He was the last to stand near the beast as it breathed its last. With its passing he cast aside his protective spells. Satisfied that the battle was over and allowed his voice to be drowned out by the noise around him. He arched an eyebrow as the battle mad Xi was bested by a beast out of legend and then was shocked as another creature lumbered up alongside him. Its many scales and plates reminding him of great bony shields dotting its back.
However the many shocks were short-lived as he kneeled down and scooped Tepti up into his arms. He held her tightly to ensure she was warm despite her injuries. He was still taking in the information as he spoke carefully to her. "I will warm your scales this night nest-mate. This fight is at an end and you did well."
Battered, bleeding and now infused with a strange great power Tepti was trying to recover when Ti'Itza came to stand over her.
Tepti was about to protest when her nest-mate scooped her up and held her tightly. Ti'Itza's words were strange to her, such warmth was not known among their kind and somehow it filled her with an alien feeling. Joy? Happiness? The mammal's had so many words for it, but she did nuzzle her face into his scaled chest, enjoying the new warmth that seemed to permeate from his being. [smaller}"Rest will come later, there are injured mammal's to heal Ti'Itza. If we are to succeed..."[/smaller]
She said nothing else as Ti'Itza nodded fractionally in response to her words.
After Tatiana and Szymon's long embrace, she looks around for King Rupert Surtova among the barons. "Where's the king? Where's Rupert? We started the kingdom in his name..."
Szymon begins to explain the barons' adventures and status of Rupert.
Frequently interrupting Szymon, Tatiana starts leading the damage control, clean up, and healing of civilians. After all, she is still "queen" by the claims of others. She always politely returns to Szymon repeating the last section of his story, so he knows where and when to continue. Unless giving orders or casting spells, she constantly holds his hand making certain he does not escape again.
After Szymon tells of the barons' arrival in Trivium, Tatiana explains what has been happening without the barons founding the kingdom.
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About the Barons:
Rhasadilara Wynterfall (Irrisen Witch), Anton Marakov (Aldori Swordman) and Kaldwell Surtova (Noble Wizard) died in the "battle" against Nyrissa on the Castle of Knives in the Thousandbreaths Forest in the First World.
Also died in that battle Kind Rupert I of Sloboda.
About Rudolf Ferdinand Aldori III (The "baron" for the Four Swords), Saul McGill (representative to the "Oracle's Shadow") and the representative of the Cenobitic Monks, you don't know what happened to them on the first world.
But the worst part is Marius du'Caat. He turned on you and became a thrall for Nyrissa.
About the (now inactive) Cohorts:
Anton Vitruvian, Sofia Marakov and Okana went back to Brevoy to look for their "Barons", never to be hear of again.
Hrraggar Thunderanvil works at the Leventon's Lands. He is doing well, thank you.
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Quick Recap.
The Barons met Nyrissa, with bad results (1 turncoat, 3 dead, 3 missing, 8 barely escaped). They faced a black dragon and a lot of Redcaps. They also met the exiled Queen and Prince of Artume (which are following you).
The Cohorts saw the start of a war between Restov and Issia, but things got quiet down in the last months. They started with the creation of Sloboda as a collection of semi-independent baronies. They allied themselves with the Leventons, Maria Sloboda, the Conobitic Monks at Varhold, and a "Green" wizard. They have just beat up the Stag Bandits, and got attacked by a Mythical Huge Owlbear, which they defeated, granting them Mythical powers.
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Note: Tarina IS NOT King Rupert's child. It is Venetia's. But King Rupert did mention he has a child, and even named her his successor to the throne (at the same time he asked Venetia's hand in marriage), but nobody knows who Rupert's child is.