Perception check:
You drop down to the soft but stable ground below. As Norton shines his illuminated shield around, you see mud, filth, and the occasional root sprouting from the ceiling..
As Norton directs the glow to the west, just on the edge of the darkness you see several forms scurry away from the light ..
Furiel calls attention to the wall-climbers,"Three jumped down a level, two are up that far wall with slingshots."
"Whoa there now, no need for those slings little one's, let's talk first yes?"
Green holds out his large but empty hands in a consilatory gesture.
"Pointless to talk .. they don't speak your common tongue, whoever you are.." a raspy and strained sibilant voice echos from below .. "We're just centipede food to them."
On the west side you see two tables covered in bones and sharpened sticks -- fashioned together into primitive tools. The two continue to watch you, and you here more squeaky chatter below.
The light from your blade illuminates most of the east room. Piles of compost and remains line the walls. White dots the size of curds cover the piles. Two tiny blue mites creep in from the tunnel on the far east wall.
It IS a long shot, but they are fey are they not, maybe...
The Green Man repeats his words to the mites but in Sylvan instead.
I hope we can take care of them quickly if it comes to battle, I need more space to be effective...
Rogar swings his blade as preparing for a fencing exercise:"Sp... what now? Shall we teach these creatures not to bother us or do you still want to parlay? let me know, but I don't think they are very amicable"
"But it seems you do. My name is Norton how may I call you?"
Furiel stays hidden--figuring the sight of him may inflame things.
Quietly to others, "I think it is time to get a start on cleaning up this nest. These little guys are bad news."
I can't start things again by himself.
After a few moments the voice from below responds to Norton -- his speech more clipped and forceful but still strained. "Mikmek of Sootscales. Son of Moblek Wardead Shaman of Sootscales. Ambushed .. all dead and eaten, now just me."
You see two more come up the tunnel .. pushing what looks like a two-foot tall catapult made of bone and other scraps. You can't tell at first what is in the basket, but it looks like tiny pieces of metal and bone.
Rogar is puzzled seeing the creatures bringing a catapult up, especially in a place like this:Uh... people... I think our little hosts don't want us here... like REALLY don't want us here! So my consuel is... STOP TRYING TO BEFRIEND THEM AND FIGHT!!!"
I knew they were bad news, I knew it.
Furiel decides to teach the mites a lesson. His hands turn into a ball of fire and he casts a ball of flame at the mites.
A spectacular ball of fire erupts, but not where Furiel wanted.
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range 0 ft.
Effect flame in your palm
Duration 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
Flames as bright as a torch appear in your open hand. The flames harm neither you nor your equipment.
In addition to providing illumination, the flames can be hurled or used to touch enemies. You can strike an opponent with a melee touch attack, dealing fire damage equal to 1d6 + 1 point per caster level (maximum +5). Alternatively, you can hurl the flames up to 120 feet as a thrown weapon. When doing so, you attack with a ranged touch attack (with no range penalty) and deal the same damage as with the melee attack. No sooner do you hurl the flames than a new set appears in your hand. Each attack you make reduces the remaining duration by 1 minute. If an attack reduces the remaining duration to 0 minutes or less, the spell ends after the attack resolves.
Rogar
Furiel
Ta'de-win
Green
Norton
Mites
When Rogar yells, the mites start yapping at each other .. it sounds like a call to action.
Rogar drops down to the floor below and prepares to charge toward the mites with the miniature catapult...
Furiel's ball of fire flies straight into a pile of filth and compost .. every bug-eyed blue beast screeches and turns toward Furiel...
So much for doing things the "nice" way, but I think it was the right call either way.
The Green Man, slow as ever, still makes ready to follow Rogar into more open space, wishing that he had a stone or something to hurl at the motes with slings.
Rogar charges the mites at the catapult (the nearest one):
Round 01
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14
hp 22/22
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -2
Effects:none
Attack roll:
Damage roll (two handed attack):
With Rogar's charge and Furiel's strike, Ta'de-win can feel the pack move to action. Leaving Norton and Green to defend the one flank, she aids in stopping the group with the catapul Gathering the storm once again, she strikes one of the mites.
Rogar's blade skewers the first mite .. its body falls against the flaming compost.
The blast of wet wind knocks out the other mite wheeling the catapult in.
One of the mites standing on the wall behind it leaps heroically and triggers the catapult. The arm swings forward and lazily tosses caltrops at Rogar .. one sticks in his forehead for just a second before falling. The other mite in the back frantically yells something down the tunnel to the east while pointing at the fire.
The two on the west side open their bug eyes wide and gesture at Norton and Green.
Since it seems that Norton is unaffected by whatever is attempting to his composure.
"Without Murak I lost all my mobility, but I can still defend, Furiel, stay close to me and target them from far, I'll give you cover" Norton puts himself in total defense and provides cover for Furiel, ready to defend the west flank.
Furiel rushes to back up Rogar and waves his hands to make colors wash over all the mites near the catapult while carefully avoiding Rogar.
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (red, yellow, and blue powder or colored sand)
Range 15 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous; see text
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
A vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious. Each creature within the cone is affected according to its HD.
2 HD or less: The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round. (Only living creatures are knocked unconscious.)
3 or 4 HD: The creature is blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, then stunned for 1 round.
5 or more HD: The creature is stunned for 1 round.
Sightless creatures are not affected by color spray.
I forgot they are Fey! Best to guard my mind.
The Green Man looks around franticly for something he can use as a throwing weapon, cursing himself for not thinking to bring something like that.
"Thanks Norton, I am helping Rogar at this chokepoint. From this spot I can get any of them rushing up this ramp. I can still get those on the wall from here too."
A blast of color covers the east side .. the two remaining visible mites drop unconscious.
"OUCH! That hurts! These little monsters might be more dangerous than what their looks suggest..."
Rogar moves near the first unconsious mite (on J3) and delivers coup de grace
With the east side in hand, Ta'de-win turns to the mites to the west and unleashes another strike, after which she retrieves her sling and offers it to Green with a smile. "As long as the storm heeds my command, I can manage without this."
"Much appreciated Madame Ta'de-win, I seem to have left my own in my other pants..."
Rogar finishes off the next mite..
Ta'de-win's blast hits the west wall next to the mites..
The two mites on the west wall drop down out of sight. Three giant mandibles appear -- cresting the edge. Man-sized centipedes each with a mite rider.. presumably the two that dropped, and another wearing chitin armor and a floppy mandible helm. He hurls a bullet from his sling, while the other two load their slingshots -- squeak/yapping commands to their vermin mounts.
The helmed mite's slingbullet strikes Green square in the chin ..
"Norton, wait a second and step to your left Green. Here comes the light show, I'm coming back to hose that side down."
Furiel is nimbly rushing to where Green is to fire off another burst of stunning colors, quite at home moving in the small cave.
Norton will wait for the impact, no reason to lose the advantage of higher grounds
"Why you....!"
The damage from the sling stone might have been light, but for some reason it triggered a violent reaction in The Green Man.
His entire body seemed to swell with a rage barely kept in check, and his previously green and clear eyes seem to almost glow red.
Before the rage fully overtakes him, The Green Man manages to rattle of a quick incantation, and as he feels the magic take hold, he drops down to the floor below, axe in hand.
A2mite
A3mite
A4mite
A2centi
A3centi
A4centi
Furiel's blast of color covers the west wall. Two of the centipedes slide and fall, the mite on the right falls with his mount. The leader hops off his unconscious mount.
The mite on the left collapses, but his mount appears unaffected.
Fail=The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round
Seeing one of the mites still up, Ta'de-win makes that her target.
Rogar moves forward and tries to kill another mite
The mite leader yells out "Aku dugga Aie!" and leaps onto the remaining centipede .. both retreat out of sight.
"Seems we won the first round. Shall we go to see who this Mikmek Son of Wardead is?"
Furiel realizes he sprayed Green in his excitement to take out mites.
If Green his out, he will shake him awake. If not he will help the party dispatch the mites and centipedes on this side with point blank shots from his crossbow.
"We need to finish off the unconscious ones before they awake. No need to fight these nasties again, an the centipedes can be poison."
"Buuuh...."
The Green Man falls over as the pretty colors wash over him, and once Furiel slaps him awake, he comes to with a silly grin on his tusked face.
Ta'de-win assists in finishing the defeated foes.
"Sorry big guy, I said step left not forward."
Furiel will make sure Rogar has things in hand and then bring his crossbow to help the nature lady finish off mites.
There is a good deal of scurrying sounds, and hushed mite chatter coming from below, but nothing immediately comes to threaten you.
When Green is recovered he finds a grinning Furiel ready to help him up, "I count this as pinning you. Had to use my gnome magic."
When the mites are dispatched and Green is recovered, Furiel points to where the boss descended. "Wider may mean less cramped and crowded. I am small, but Green is not. How about this way?"
Can we discern the way the voice of Mikmek came from?
Once the last mite his dead for good Rogar joins his companions again:"Yes I agree with Ambrosi here: let's find this Mikmek, seems like he's not with these dastardly little pests, and I guess he needs help"
"Sounds like a plan to me, he can't be LESS friendly than the mites were."