Round 3, Con't
15 Drail : Blinded, misses
14 Adebisi : Casts Guidance on Hooli, moves closer, draws CLW wand
11 Etta : Moves to Drail... aid TBD on switching to melee weapon & concealment roll
5 Archibald : Stabilizes
Round 4
23 Cao : Begins casting Sleep
21 Hooli :
16 Blindheim (-14) :
Still Up: Hooli and Etta's concealment roll
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The blindheim continues to evade the Pathfinders' strikes, as Etta and Adebisi reposition themselves, Drail swings wide, and Cao begins casting a spell.
Hissing, bright beams sweeping throughout the dungeon, it lashes out at Drail again before slowly retreating a step back deeper into its lair. It looks longingly at the unconscious wizard, licks it lips and almost seems insulted that its not being allowed to consume poor Archibald.
This large room looks like it was once a scribing chamber. The remains of many desks are scattered about, and amid the rubble is a number of long-dried inkwells, other writing utensils, and scraps of paper. These things are covered with black mold and patches of light green mushrooms.
Round 4
23 Cao : Begins casting Sleep
21 Hooli : TBD
16 Blindheim (-14) : Rakes Drail for 2 damage, hisses, moves
15 Drail :
14 Adebisi :
11 Etta :
5 Archibald :
Round 5
23 Cao :
21 Hooli :
Now Up: Everyone! (and Hooli twice)
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Round 3
So, no +2 for Drail, sorry!
Assuming that Drail 5 foot steps into the room, I am going to attempt a Drag Maneuver to pull Archibald back toward the rest of the party, and Adebisi's wand of cure light. Here is a link to the maneuver:
Drag is just a bit down the list
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Drail grits his teeth as he blindly whirls his blade in a defensive posture, grunting as the creature's teeth find purchase just above the vambrace on one of his arms.
He pulls back, blood dripping from his arm to the stone floor.
He cocks his head as he hears Etta, shifting his posture as she lays a hand on his shoulder, yet appearing unsurprised at the touch or her presence.
"That is the pot calling the kettle black," he murmurs, "you are easily recognizable, for the other child smells of perfume and oils, while you reek of black powder and petulance."
He smirks slightly, adding, "But your suggestion has merit, little girl."
With that, his sword whips upward into an offensive posture and upon hearing the creature skitter backward, he presses forward, stepping toward the sound of movement and bringing the blade rushing downward in a flashing strike...
"I cannot see you, creature," he murmurs, under his breath...
"...but thankfully, you smell terrible..."
Drail feels the slight shudder of the razor-sharp katana meeting the resistance of flesh...and the faintest trace of a smile crosses his scarred face.
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The Pathfinders, perhaps unaware that Cao is referring to them when he's urging them to move out of the effect of his spell, continue to group up around the blindheim and fight through their blindness.
Avoiding its gaze, Hooli's shuriken find no purchase and Etta works to drag Archibald to a safer position near Adebisi, who bats aside a claw as he finds a new location from which to fire his crossbow.
Drail steps forward, and with a wild swing of his katana, slashes deep into the creature before him, which hisses in fury.
You watch the creature drop to the ground in a puddle of its own blood after Drail's well-placed strike.
Cao's spell completes.
Drail collapses in exhaustion, believing now to be a good time for a restful nap. Despite being unconscious from his wounds, Archibald's loud snore joins the growing chorus to complete Cao's performance.
Round 4
23 Cao : Begins casting Sleep
21 Hooli : Throws a shuriken, misses
16 Blindheim (-14) : Rakes Drail for 2 damage, hisses, moves
15 Drail : Steps into room, hits blindheim for 15 damage
14 Adebisi : Rushes into the room defensively
11 Etta : Drags Archibald from the corner
5 Archibald : Is dragged
Round 5
23 Cao : Puts Drails to sleep
21 Hooli : (If awake) throws shuriken, misses
As the various Pathfinders regain consciousness or wake from their nap, they hobble back outside into the Cairnlands an arrow's shot from Asad's Keep.
As expected, Etta and Drail both begin to regain their sight just under an hour after their departure.
Returning to where they left off, they search the room with the fallen blindheim.
This large room looks like it was once a scribing chamber. The remains of many desks are scattered about, and amid the rubble is a number of long-dried inkwells, other writing utensils, and scraps of paper. These things are covered with black mold and patches of light green mushrooms.
One trade agreement, three flasks of holy water, and a potion of cure moderate wounds are hidden in the blindheim’s mushroom nest.
Three rounded alcoves in this chamber contain the rotting remains of scroll shelves, honeycombing from floor to ceiling. Scattered amid the compromised shelving are damaged scrolls, and a number of still-sealed scroll tubes. A glimmering trickle of water seeps down from the ceiling in the northwest corner of the room.
Sitting on the rotting shelves in this room are a number of moldering trade agreements. A dozen of them are of the type you are searching for. All are written in Kelish, and detail pacts that Satrap Taliq Asad made with pirates, mercenary groups (for the protection of caravans), petty lords, and even a few nations scattered about the Inner Sea region. One agreement contains a personal note addressed to the Satrap, congratulating him on gaining the Li family's jade katana and the promise it contains.
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"Huh... bwuh...? Harumph, well I'm not dead, at least." he grumbles, staring wide eyed at the man's holy symbol. He continues in well-practiced Dwarvish, too proud to say his thanks in common. ""
He grips Abadesi by the shoulders and, agonizingly slow, pulls his way groaning to his feet. "oooooooooooff... -huff-" his eyes glaze over the young prince. He grabs Cao by the shoulders, leaving a thin trail of blood, damp, and blindheim bile on his imperial regalia. "Yes, yes, quite right m'boy. The door. mmmmyes. The door."
"Aha! This looks like some kind of scribing room. An archive perhaps? Just what we're looking for. Come! We'll hole up in here. Quickly now." he snaps impatiently, ushering the others inside and sealing the chamber shut. "Aha! And here are our trade agreements. Look here, this one mentions the Li family katar... er, katana. What's that then, some sort of dessert platter? Can't imagine why they're sending us to a mouldy old ruin for a dessert dish, jade or no. It's nonsense, is what it is!"
Archibald will engage in a fruitless search for some ink to begin his report, cursing as he finds none and settling down to examine the bottles.
"Hrm... Some kind of potion, and three vials of... water?"
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Drail follows a handful of paces behind the wizard, his face expressionless. One hand lays loosely on the hilt of his sheathed katana and he smiles thinly as Archibald mentions the Li family blade.
He looks back toward Etta, noting her presence as he appears to keep watch around the chattering wizard.
Initiative:
Adebisi :
Archibald :
Cao :
Drail :
Etta :
Hooli :
Fire Beetles :
The heavy door drags along the stone floor with a grinding, nearly metallic sound as its clear the chamber beyond has not been breached in some time.
Rubbish and black mold choke the far end of the chamber. The slightest movement kicks up dust and spores, choking the stagnant and already foul-smelling air.
A trio of bright red beetles seems to enjoying themselves on the black mold, and their wings flutter in anticipation as Drail butts in on their mealtime. They take steps advancing towards the warrior with hostile, beetle-minded intent.
Round 1
24 Drail :
22 Adebisi :
19 Archibald :
18 Cao :
9 Etta :
8 Fire Beetles :
6 Hooli :
Now Up: Drail, Adebisi, Archibald, Cao, Etta
The "young prince" knows all about fire beetles.
Etta and Drail jointly move back from the doorway, preparing to execute any beetles that peek out from the room, while Adebisi once again blesses the party with the use of his wand.
Round 1
22 Adebisi : Casts bless
19 Archibald : TBD
18 Cao : TBD
10 Etta : Moves to G7, readies shot that hits for 11 damage
9 Drail (delayed) : Moves to F6, Readies swing that hits for 12 damage
8 Fire Beetle #1:
8 Fire Beetle #2:
8 Fire Beetle #3:
6 Hooli :
Still Up: Archibald and Cao
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Round 1, Init 18
Cao sings, and lends his encouragement to the strength of Etta and Drail's strikes.
"What would you do to kill
One of these fiery beatles?
Now that you know what the-ey are
How do you want to ki-ill them?"
He gives Hooli an encouraging look, Emperor to his most loyal subject.
Mage armor
AC 12 (16 mage armor)
CMD 11
CMB -1
HP 8/8
Fort +1 Reflex +4 Will +2
Weapon Equipped none
Spells Concentrate +5, Penetrate +1
Bardic performance 5 of 11 rounds used
Daze (Will 15), Detect Magic, Read Magic
Hideous Laughter (DC 16), Sleep (DC 16)
Gifted adept +1 CL to hideous laughter
Instigator of rebellion +1 Diplomacy + Intimidate
Maestro of the society +3 rounds bardic performance
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1st Realistic likeness
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The beetles flutter in excitement and begin to make their way out into the hallway. The moment the first beetle sets foot in the corridor, Etta lines up her shot and blasts the carapace wide open as the beetle skids across the stone ground into the far side of the hallway.
The second beetle flutters out and its mandibles clamp down excitedly onto Hooli's ankle .
The third begins to buzz past it's ally, turning sharp to the right but not before Hooli ekes out some retribution and strikes it down to the ground Swinging again, the ninja misses the one nibbling on his leg.
Round 1
22 Adebisi : Casts bless
19 Archibald : Readies a hit for 3 damage
18 Cao : Inspire courage
10 Etta : Moves to G7, readies shot that hits for 11 damage
9 Drail (delayed) : Moves to F6, Readies swing that hits for 12 damage
8+++ Fire Beetle #1: Moves into hallway, gets shot to death by Etta
8++ Fire Beetle #2: Moves into hallway to bite Hooli for 5 damage
8+ Hooli AoO: Kills Beetle moving to Drail
8 Fire Beetle #3: Attempts to move to Drail, gets killed by Hooli
6 Hooli : Barely misses beetle
Round 2
22 Adebisi :
19 Archibald :
18 Cao :
10 Etta :
9 Drail :
Now Up: Adebisi, Archibald, Cao, Etta and Drail.
Archibald pokes out with the end of his staff and meets some satisfaction as he hears one side of the beetle go crunch.
As he makes another attempt to stab his staff out at it, instead a large bang can be heard echoing through the corridor as Etta blasts off the beetle's one remaining good wing. It wanders around drunkenly for a moment before finally collapsing in a pile of green goo.
Among the mess in the room's northeast corner, there is a small bundle of four half-buried trade agreements; all are written in Kelish. One of the agreements is between one Taliq Asad, the self-styled Satrap of Kortos, and a band of pirates that roamed the Inner Sea centuries ago. The other three are between Asad and a trio of Katapeshi merchants, surely all long dead.
Buried amid the rubble, you notice a small sack containing 200 silver pieces and a set of bronze bracers with arcane runes scrawled across their surface.
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Archibald clutches his staff ready to strike, but nearly topples over in fright as Etta discharges her weapon. "Aiiiiiiieeeeee! I... er, hrmmmyes. Well done and all that. Yes. Ahem... hoo..." The wizard needs to steady himself for a moment, clutching at his heart and huffing and puffing for a minute before regaining his composure.
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Drail looks to Etta, his sword held high for a killing strike as he guards opening to the hallway. See her holster her pistol, his posture relaxes and he sheathes his blade in a graceful downward movement across his body.
"That was well done," he says to the young gunslinger, "you almost looked like a real Pathfinder, for a moment there."
Striding down the hall, broken pieces of beetle carapace crunching under his boots, he steps over the boy rolling and laughing on the floor and looks to the wizard.
"Anything of import?" he murmurs, looking around the room, one hand resting easily on the hilt of his blade.
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The wizard, murmuring to himself as he examines the bracers, seems to hardly hear the young princeling. He winces, inserts a crooked finger into his ear, and digs around for some time before staring down at Cao. "Terribly sorry, what were you saying? I couldn't hear you over this confounded ringing in my ears! Why, it's quite the burden being so old." he says, with the slightest hint of cheek behind his weary sigh.
He turns to the Samurai, stamping his foot impatiently as Cao's hooting laughter continues. "As I was... As I was saying they've... they've an enchantment upon them not unlike a simple mage armour spell, and...-I say, what is so funny?- at the very least until we return to the Lodge -would you stop that infernal giggling?- and I... er... Shall we press on, then? Confound it, boy! Have you been ensorcelled? Run afoul of an aboleth? Get up!"
This crossroads of stairs has one dominant feature: a crumbled statue in the southeast corner, once the image of a proud warrior chiseled roughly in granite.
The statue's helmeted head now rests on the floor, its lifeless stone eyes gazing toward the south. On the helmet, a single Kelish word is carved in the stone. The wide stairway to the north leads to a passage that ends in a cave-in ten feet past the foot of the stairs.
You guessed it - the Kelish word for "earth".