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Ayo remains completely inscrutable as she notices her wound.
"I meditate each morning upon the many ways in which my body will face its inevitable end. I have imagined a thousand claws ripping into my flesh a thousand times from a thousand creatures far more fearful than you, abomination."
She balls the hand with her cestus into a fist and lets it fly at the skeleton's skull.
"Your scrapes are nothing."
Ayo crushes the skeletal man next to her.
The skeleton stands triumphantly on the greasy ground conjured by Zartan while Oddr swings but fails to connect with his adversary.
23 Zartan : Grease
22 Sickly Sam :
17 Haffley :
11 Oddr : Swings but misses bugbear skeleton
6 Serana :
3 Ayo : Strikes down her skeleton
Still Up: Sam, Haffley, Serana
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Serena enjoys the entertainment of the Mesmerist and his assistant, loudly reciting tales of daring raids and giantslaying to her companions. However, she grows ever moodier as the moon grows near full. One might suspect it to be merely women's troubles, but Serana's troubles are of a different nature. A pair of silver shackles hang from her belt, and dried belladonna and wolfsbane are lashed to her axe-haft. She takes several long scouting missions ahead of the caravan, and wonders aloud why the people of Logas fight so hard to defend a muddy glade so far from the sea. Eager for a fight to distract her from her cares, Serena takes point at the front of the procession.
Rushing to meet their foe, Serana rams into him with her shield, trying to send him sprawling.
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Her eyes growing big as saucers as she catches site of the reanimated bugbear, Haffley attempts to tumble away from the greased skeleton, making a beeline for the more robust creature.
Landing lithely on her tufted feet after the somersault and having procured her weapon, she tries to get the creature's attention, crossing her eyes and lolling out her tongue.
"Hurrrr durr I'm a skeleton durr durrr, this is what you look like, durrrrrr!"
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Sam cowers as the skeleton rends his flesh with its claws. "Agh! Stay back monster!" he yells as he grabs for one of his weapons, unsure how to fight such creatures.
The young man grabs his trusty pick and takes a mighty swing at the skeleton, feeling rather injured from the first attack.
The trusty pick is not so trusty, however as the attack goes wide and the young man steps away. "Stay *cough* back!" he bellows, this time coughing up blood.
for
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for fails to overcome DR
for hits
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Sam begins work digging a hole, perhaps to bury the skeletons once they are defeated while Serana coaxes the bugbear to take a well-needed rest. Haffley tumbles past into position making an odd sounded taunt once he reaches it.
Alik and Kazrin draw their longswords but fail to stop their undead attackers.
The skeletons begin to retaliate as one scrambles out of the grease and scratches Kazrin and the other slashes a wicked scratch in Sam's side . The bugbear stands but the wise and wily woman warrior is weady to weave away.
Round 1 Con't
23 Zartan : Grease
22 Sickly Sam : Begins mining operations
17 Haffley : Moves and hurr-durrs.
11 Oddr : Swings but misses bugbear skeleton
6 Serana : Up-ends the skeletal bugbear
3 Ayo : Strikes down her skeleton
2 Kazrin : Moves up and misses Skeleton
2 Alik : Moves up and misses skeleton
Round 2
25 Skeleton : Stands as Kazrin swings (AoO) but fails to injure, stiking him for 3
25 Skeleton : Slashes at Sickly Sam for 5
25 Bugbear Skeleton : Stands (provoking from Haffley & Serana), then misses her
23 Zartan :
22 Sickly Sam :
17 Haffley :
11 Oddr :
6 Serana :
3 Ayo :
Now Up: Everyone!
Round 2
23 Zartan : Aids Serana
22 Sickly Sam : Crushes a skeleton
17 Haffley : Total defense
11 Oddr : Waraxe against bugbear skeleton for 4
6 Serana : Hits (with aids) for
3 Ayo : Crushes skeleton
Zartan and Haffley distract the bugbear skeleton long enough for Oddr and Serana to advance and slash and crush the undead brute into oblivion.
Sam has similar success with his hammer, smashing his to bits while Ayo's cestus once again proves the bane of undead as she strikes quickly and collapses the skeleton's skull through its nose.
Alik takes a couple swings at the fallen skeletons, separating their skulls from their bodies while Kazrin gives you all a thankful nod.
"Well, that was certainly an ambush! My thanks that you were all here... what should we do now?"
A cool breeze rustles through the trees which feels oddly quiet now that the sounds of battle have come to an end.
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Ayo, covered in blood and bone dust, takes a seat on the cart for a moment. She takes deep breaths through her nose as she pushes through the pain of her wound.
"Such abominations may have been sent to ambush us. This so-and-so suggest their path here, if we may find it, may lead us to those responsible."
Ayo stands again and begins looking for tracks.
Kazrin pauses, observing the conversation about wounds and healing, and once he realizes that none of the Pathfinders is about to produce a wand, he turns and begins to rummage through the wagon.
After a moment, he pulls out two flasks.
"Oh! Well, I was keeping these for an emergency. And it seems we've found an emergency!"
He presses one into Sickly Sam's hands quickly, and holds the second out for Ayo or Oddr.
"Might want to hold onto the second one if you're planning on investigating the area..."
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Kazrin frowns a bit at the results of his first potion.
"Damned witch... err, perhaps she watered them down?"
He pushes the second flask into Sam's hands.
"I was wondering why she was offering them as a buy-one-get-one deal. I guess now I know."
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Ayo inspects Sam's wounds. She grabs his chin and pulls it up so he can see the scowl on her face. Her eyes glow harsh, bringing attention to the boy.
"You have been wounded.
A fear of death shackles you,
A wound of your mind."
She turns away from him, but she pauses after a few steps, looking back at him over her shoulder.
"七転び八起き. Fall seven times, stand eight."
As the Pathfinders pack up for the trek through the Chitterwood, the stories about the perils within cause all the members of the group to do a "Standard Pathfinder Mission Wand Check". As the group discovers that not one of their members have brought along a wand, potion or scroll, nor prepared any healing magic of their own... Oddr volunteers to use some of the bounty of his recent missions to quickly run into town and purchase a wand of his own.
Returning, he presses it into Ayo's hands for future use.
Ayo, remembering the wand that Oddr purchased earlier, mends the party's wounds so they can follow the trail of their skeletal attackers while it's fresh.
Perception
Kazrin agrees to take the caravan off to a relatively safe campsite while you all investigate the possible origin of the skeletal ambushers.
After a short hike, you set foot in a small forest clearing that smells of recently tilled earth.
Several crude grave markers dot the landscape, each currently marking the position of an empty pit that has been recently excavated.
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The wolf thing straightens itself up upon hearing Ayo and Haffley's warnings. It almost seems to sigh as it takes a few steps around the grave marker.
It's mouth twists and contorts in ways eerie and strange for a canine as it speaks perfectly good Common.
"This old dog bears no quarrel with you... however I am curious what brings a band such as yours to an old battlefield...?"
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Ayo's eyes flash as the worg begins speaking, but she quells her surprise almost instantly. She takes her hand away from her sword and crosses her arms.
"This humble, unworthy, clumsy fool seeks the villain behind the attacks upon caravans through this wood. Our group, including this so-and-so, has been following the tracks of skeletons. Do you know of these abominations?"
The worg eyes Ayo and Oddr with some doubt and turns its eyes to the others. It then replies cautiously to Ayo's inquiry.
"I might..."
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Sam bows graciously to Oddr. "Thank you, sir. *cough*" he says as he bows repeatedly, glad to be free from the painful clawed flesh left by the skeleton.
"I thought *cough* that my armor and shield would be *cough* enough." he says, looking sheepishly at the man.
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As the wagon arrives at the graveyard, Sam looks around warily. "Please, *cough* no more skeletons."
As the worg approaches, Sam eyes it warily, keeping his shield high and his heavy pick in his other hand. "Please *cough* don't eat me." he whispers to himself, almost as if it is a prayer.
Zartan seems to possess the magic touch, salvaging the conversation with the worg just when it seemed it may have taken a turn for the worse.
He pads out and presents Zartan his paw.
"You may call me Feren."
Smiling, the old worg reveals a mouthful of wicked fangs.
“A hobgoblin tribe, one I do not recognize, came across this place several moons ago. They spent many days turning the land and removing the dead—human, goblin, bugbear, it did not matter to them.”
“They have made their lair not far from here, toward the setting sun. A nearby trail should lead you directly to a tree broken in two. The entrance lies somewhere off the road, beneath the tree.”
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Sam mutters as Oddr walks away. "I told you that it's not *cough* contagious."
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The young man lowers his weapon and shield as the worg acts hospitably towards them. "Thank you, *cough* ser wolf. Your aid is most kind. Is there anything that we *cough* may do to help you? I'm afraid that we *cough* may need your guidance to *cough* find them." he offers.
Initiative
The path winds its way through the Chitterwood until it forks at the foot of a large and mangled tree. A large tear runs the length of its trunk, splitting the tree nearly in two. The southern half of the tree hangs awkwardly to the side, casting a shadow over a small dip in the land.
Zartan weaves his cantrip to conjure magical light while Oddr and Serana take point and lead you all down the stairs into the cave.
A pair of skeleton goblins appear to be lurking here and turn their attention towards you.
Round 1
22 Zartan :
21 Skeletons :
20 Haffley :
10 Sam :
9 Oddr :
8 Ayo :
4 Serana :
Now Up: Zartan