Corbius bursts out of the doorway the sounds of words of power echoing as he races towards Umargo. Corbius strikes out at Umargo, his black blade crackling with energy. The blade bites deep and electricity courses through the blade.
In preparation for the assault, Aedalis cast Unseen Servant, commanding the force to follow him closely until told otherwise. He moved slowly as he continued to maintain his two Fortune hexes, and added a third weave to include Wicewakan into his mind's eye. He then cast Touch of Fatigue and infused the spell into Tilsini's essence, so that his faithful familiar could deliver it upon a successful nip of his teeth.
Re-posting:
Order of Combat Round 1-Showdown with Umagro:
Mihai 20
Wic 12
Corbrius 12
Brotherhood Lacky 10
Aedalis 9
Anton 7
Umagro 9
Tragershen 5
Nim 3
As Corbrius moves in to attack Umagro, the enlarged man takes a swing at him.
Corbrius deftly ducks underneath the ill timed swipe and it misses him. He returns the blow with a hit that makes Umagro grunt.
You notice an odd wind swirling just in front of you. You could feel a little bit of resistance as you tried to strike Umagro but it didn't slow down your sword.
The two lacky's move up and attack Corbrius.
Order of Combat Round 1-Showdown with Umagro:
Mihai 20
Wic 12
Corbrius 12
Brotherhood Lacky 10
Aedalis 9
Umagro 9
Anton 7
Tragershen 5
Nim 3
Slowly moving towards the fight , Aedalis fixed Umagro with a hex-infused glare; whether or not the man looked at Aedalis or not, the baleful magic marred his resilience, in preparation for the warlock's next hex...
Umagro shifts 5 feet away from your group and casts a spell.
Spike Stones.
Suddenly the cobblestone courtyard as well as the stone floor of the office you are in turns to a field of sharp stone spikes sticking straight up!
Tragershen will delay until after Nim, to initiative 2.
Furious at the Brotherhood thug that hit Corb, Anton returns the favor, launching an arrow from behind the Nimosaur to avoid stepping on spikes. "Who wants to get shot next?"
Nimosaur dashes forward through the shards before leaping the last bit of sharpened ground between Corb and one of the Freemen...
...landing on the still smooth ground behind them, before continuing past the druid.
He then slashes at the druid's leg with a talon.
Wic follows Nim's lead, bounding forward, suffering his own wounds, before trying to leap over a large chunk of the sharpened stones...
...before landing and moving into flank with Nim and biting at the druid...
Round 1, Init 2.
Move to -O-2 and cast Azlanti Glue, targeting Umagro.
Reflex DC 16 save.
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/witch/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (pinch of tree sap)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area One creature
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (partial); Spell Resistance yes
A globe of sticky resin springs from your hand and strikes the target.
The subject is immediately held in place, effectively stuck to the ground. A failed reflex save means the creature gains the grappled condition and cannot move until the spell expires.
Each round they make attempt to break free by making a successful combat maneuver check or escape artist check at against the DC of the spell as a full round action.
A successful save means the subject gains the entangled condition for 1 round.
Aedalis asserts his magic on Umagro.
He resists the effect the best he can but is still affected.
Anton sends a shot into one of the Brotherhood Lacky's, successfully hitting him.
Nim, in Dionsaur form, strides through the spike field taking some minor wounds. He then leaps past the brotherhood men before moving into a position behind Umagro.
Both brotherhood men swing at him as he passes them.
After taking a nick from one of the men, Nim and Wic move into position and attack Umagro, damaging him again, wic is just unable to pull Umagro down...
Tragershen moves up, taking damage along the way.
He then releases his spell, striking Umagro with the sticky goo.
The dust settles after just a few seconds, there has been a fury of activity and hits traded back on forth.
Umagro stands there covered in the Azlanti magic glue, much easier to hit. He roars in frustration.
Order of Combat Round 2-Showdown with Umagro:
Mihai 20
Wic 12
Corbrius 12
Brotherhood Lacky 10
Aedalis 9
Umagro 9
Anton 7
Tragershen 5
Nim 3
Round 2:
Mihai shifts attention to Corbius as Nim moves beyond his field of influence. Concentrating, Corbius feels the gifted harrow card he bears become chilled and bouyant. His steps are lighter, and mind soaring with echoed song "Fell the big one Corbius, it is the danger here!"
Aedalis abandoned his concentration upon his various hexes, moving beside Nim in order to toy with Umagro's fate, spinning fate to hinder him in every way imaginable.
Corbius feeling lightened by the divine energy swirling around him easily steps throughout the rough terrain to stand beside Umargo. Chanting under hi breath the air around him suddenly cools as his blade becomes ensconced in frost. He quickly launches two attacks at the giant. His first strike knocks the man off balance allowing him the opening he needs to drive his blade deep into his side. The wounds instantly surrounded by black frost burned skin.
Tragershen moves up, taking damage along the way.
Reflex save
The two brotherhood lacky's step back into the flank with Corbrius, trying to end the wizard-warrior.
Corbrius' luck finally runs out, one mans blade finds Corbirus' shoulder. He holds Corbrius in place for long enough for the other man to run him through completely. He looks down at the sword appearing out of his stomach before slumping to the ground in a heap.
The sword suddenly shrieks out, Corbrius NOOOO! He is not dead yet, please heal him!
Both men jump back and look down and the sword, obvious fear on their faces.
When Aedalis heals him Corbrius' eyes pop back open, staring at the sky. The blood has stopped seeping from his stomach, though he is still hurting from the wound.
The grin fades from Umagro's face as it is apparent that Corbrius is still alive. He seems to weigh finishing the man off as he lays there but settles his eyes on Nim before attacking him with everything he has...
The Bear man tears into Nim, opening his arm and his leg...leaving him barely standing. As he finishes his attack he steps 5' straight back.
Bleeding heavily, and on the brink of defeat as well, Nimosaur retaliates in kind, becoming a blur of talons, claws and bites as he tears into Umagro with everything has...
...landing multiple hits.
Wic also lunges in and bites at the distracted Umagro...
...tearing a chunk of flesh from his leg and pulling the big man to the ground before shifting position.
Current Status
HP 4/30
AC 21 (cats grace)
Arcane Pool 1/4
Black Blade pool 1/1
Blur till round 39
Cats Grace till Round 38
Prone
Round 2, Init 7
Anton hears Larissia cry out and rushes forward as best he can on the spiky ground, only to see Crobrius's heart's blood dripping off the blade of the thug that the halfling already shot once. "What did I just say??" He buries another arrow in the idiot.
The Azanti glue stops Umagro from stepping back, allowing Nimosaur and his animal companion to both leap on the large sized man and savage him to death.
Leg is rendered from body, stomach is opened...both of the brotherhood men that so feared Umagro as the unnatural leader of their group stare in awe as he is overcome by the other "animals" they face.
With no one to drive or motivate them, the men weigh their options and the scene before them before throwing their swords to the ground and putting their arms up.
We surrender...it was all his idea! pointing to Umagro.
In a matter of seconds the battle is over...
Equipment found:
5 longswords MW.
5 sets of studded leather.
5 Composite Longbows MW.
+2 periapt of wisdom
1 potion of shield of faith +3
+2 hide armor
22gp
Jask lives as do the two men that were at the whaling company, simple workers there to watch over the place. He is badly beaten, but nothing too serious.
Sargavan government forces swarm the area about two hours later. After a short period of questioning you are free to go with their thanks.
Jask talks to you just before the government forces arrive, My thanks again for my life. It appears that Umagro was the leader of this group, although I overheard one of the men mentioned a mysterious "benefactor" who had been helping them in the last few weeks with equipment.
Anton contemptuously lets the two sniveling worms live. They have better things to do with preparing for their expedition; and with Jask down in a chair, he's able to hug his friend's chest, not just his leg. He winces at the man's grunt. "Oops! Sorry about that, I'm just glad to see you alive." The halfling contributes his modest best to treat the priest's wounds.
Before Anton calls upon his art, Mihai extends the grace of Sinishakti to all who suffer...
Channel:
Tragershen greets Jask warmly. "I am so glad you are well, my friend. I was quite concerned."
In response to his revelation, "We best look around carefully here for any clue as to their benefactor is. Or was. When they realize their attempt to end our expedition has failed, they may try again."
After Amagro falls, and the others surrender, Nim steps back and resumes his natural form. It is quite obvious that he has suffered grievous wounds as well. Even after Mihai's grace, wounds remain.
As the investigation gets under way Nim speaks up. I am sure at least some of you are thinking what I am thinking. That this Amagro is the one responsible for the rash of foreigner murders plaguing the city these last weeks. It would seem that someone has pushed them to be more openly brazen in their efforts. As Tragershen says, our targeting may have been more than just a random attack upon more foreigners. Surely one of the groups we did not ally with for our expedition may have seen an opportunity to hamper our efforts by using patsies to do their dirty work.
Nim turns to the remaining lackeys. I think it best you tell us all you know about these "benefactors" unless you wish to share in Amagro's fate...
We never saw whoever it was...he or she always dealt with Umagro directly. They gave us these weapons...if we knew something we would tell you! says one.
We didn't know anythin' about no murders either. If he done it, it was just him. says the other.
It doesn't take long to extract the remaining information from the two dolts. The first one appears to have been telling the truth but the second one was lying.
Although he didn't witness Umagro, he did overhear him talking to this "benefactor".
A shadowed man would come to their hideout at one of the men's house. This Brotherhood lackey is a fairly wealthy man and believed in their cause. From the description it may be the other man you captured, the one who said he had connections.
They never saw him, he met Umagro in a different room but he did overhear part of a conversation. It seems this man knew about their plans and supported them. There are no clear clues to his identity but he mentioned their plan going into phase two. This was three days ago.
The Sargavan authorities take the men and you return to your home. Later that evening you are visited by Jask and General Havelar.
Havelar starts, It appears that we have been struck by more bad luck. My aide, Seargent Jothan, has disappeared. The rumor is he ran off to another faction but I don't believe it. He knew about our route as well as our destination and now we are going to lose days, maybe even weeks due to this attack.
Jask continues, We have a idea though. What if we were to find a guide, a seasoned local who could lead you and blaze a trail with shortcuts and deal with the local natives?
We think we know of such a man. If you could find him and convince him to join our expedition then we might be able to make up the lost time and then some. His name is Nkechi, whom locals call the Tempest. He is
very knowledgeable, but can be quite temperamental, and like his patron is prone to fits of rage and madness. The holy man lives alone in a cave atop a jagged seaside cliff face several miles north of the city known as the Pallid Bluffs. The best way to find the mystic’s hermitage, is to approach the Pallid Bluffs from the shore, as
his cave cannot be spotted from above.
Nkechi is an aged mystic priest of Gozreh. He is known to be a bit eccentric and very protective of nature and it's beasts.
He is said to have beasts guarding the entrance to his domain.
The Pallid Bluffs are great cliffs form the very edge of a long promontory and drop some 300 feet into the angry sea.
The best route is to take a small boat up the coast and try to row in at high tide when the ocean waters cover most of the rocky shore. You can also travel up the coast on foot, but be warned that the beaches consist mostly of jagged, slippery rocks. Walking there will take at least a day.
Mihai raises an eyebrow to the General "Is someone looking to Jothan's disappearance?"
I have men looking for him but his gear is gone as is he. I expect something bad has happened to him, possibly one of the factions. He was a good soldier, I don't believe he would sell his information and just disappear but I could be wrong. His information would have been valuable.
Knowledge Local
Knowledge Geography
Tragershen considers Jask's suggestion.
"I've heard of Nkechi. As you say, a mercurial priest of Gozreh, with beasts guarding him as much as he guards them. If we were to win his aid, we'd have to be respectful of nature and the wild beasts where we are going."
"The Pallid Bluffs are quite foreboding. I believe when we arrived here, we came in from the wrong direction to have seen them. They are massive cliffs, perhaps three hundred feet high for most of their length. We could walk there, but it is rough and dangerous ground. I would estimate it would take a day to get there." The faraway look in the elf's eyes indicate he's calculating something in his mind. "If we were to take a small boat up the coast and row in at high tide, it would be a relatively quick trip, I believe. If we have anyone familiar enough with boating to lead the effort."
Nim looks at the General harshly. Was it necessary, and more importantly wise, to share this information with this soldier so early? Why would he need to know the exact route prior to our departure?
How many others know our "valuable" information?
I believe I will have no problems with respecting nature and wild animals...
Do we all need to go? I could fly there and make our request. Or I could deliver a message in animal form. Requesting a meeting...
If you think we should all go in person, and we need a boat with someone experienced to operate it, I'm certain the whaling company can set us up. They shouldn't have issue with extending us the courtesy considering the recent events...
He has been my personal assistant for several years. He was helping me plan out the expedition. Supplies, pack animals, way stops. As you can imagine planning something like that requires more than one person and not knowing the route would severely hamper our ability to plan it properly.
If he has fled he will be executed, if not I would kill the person who hurt him myself!
It seems to me that this "small" expedition is growing larger than is perhaps wise. It won't be difficult to figure out where we are going with a group so numerous and unwieldy. Our competitors will only have to follow the swath of destruction we blaze into the jungle, leading anyone who wishes it, right to the lost city.
This expedition is to locate and explore the ruins, no? Not colonize it. Wouldn't a smaller group be more suitable to the task?
Nim begins to have doubts about the expedition and choosing the government to ally with. So far it has brought no boon but rather trouble at all turns. Something seemingly likely to continue into the future.
This is an expedition to that will probably be in place for years, I would think the main expedition would probably be around 100 men including support staff.
Most people who try to follow us wil probably die in the attempt, where we go is not an easy area to go or stay...the area is supposed to be infested with dealy monsters as well.
You are the advanced group, helping blaze the trail for us and get us there ahead of the other groups, don't worry about our group. We will be fine once we get going and get our lead from you.
I am fine with other groups following behind us as long as we get there first, maintain a strategic advantage over them, and get one of the best sites to explore the city! Using magic they will be able to follow us anyways.
You plan your part and we will plan ours!
Nim's voice had been one of concern previously, but that began to change as he continued his discussion with the General. He did not raise his voice but rather sternly responded to the General.
It is interesting that you would take such a stance and tone. Since we have allied with you, the expedition supplies and warehouse has been set on fire, Jask has been kidnapped and threatened with execution, and an aide privy to sensitive information, that we provided in secrecy and trust, has gone missing. The government has also been unable to solve the mysterious murders plaguing the city as of late. Even going so far as to accuse us of involvement.
Conversely, we dealt with the arson, rescued Jask and defeated the Freeman's revolt, very likely putting an end to the murder spree.
I am sorry to say General, but my confidence and trust is starting to wane in regards to what the government is offering in terms of "support".
So far your involvement in this joint endeavour has been a series of unmitigated failures. Surely the government of Saragava can bring enough resources together to assure the continued success and future of our venture?
You demand we do our part, but recent events seem to indicate it is not us who are in question so far here. How do you propose to rectify this in the future?
Careful Nim when you say "your" unless you want to end up on my bad side as well. I haven't been involved with any of these matters until recently.
Someone or some group is much more brazen in their efforts to stop or delay us than any of us would have expected.
Did you imagine another faction might kill and kidnap my men as well as burn our supplies? If so why didn't you speak up? he says sarcastically.
It is easy to assign blame after the fact. We are trying to mitigate our errors through this guide as well as additional precautions going forward. Now I have to see to my dead men and the families they left behind.
He strides off, anger on his face leaving Jask to continue any conversations....
I wouldn't bring it back up with the general again Nim, he takes his men's safety quite seriously and Jothan was a trusted aide, he obviously blames himself already.
Putting that aside are you willing to try and get this Guide on our side tomorrow?
Nim allows the General to leave, and attempt to save face, before addressing his concerns further with Jask.
As a General, and the the lead representative of the Saragavan Government in this venture, is he not ultimately responsible for the actions or inactions of those under him and by proxy, those he represents? I would think a man of his position would understand the difference between you, meaning yourself, and you, meaning the collective you.
The fact he did not foresee the possibility of hostile interference and sabotage does nothing to assuage my concerns. We have been acting under that very assumption ourselves since we arrived. It did not dawn upon me that he would not be as well. And his sarcasm is unbecoming of a man of his position.
I am not assigning blame... there is no question where it lies in my opinion. If we are to work together we need assurances that things will not be so lacking in the future. Instead of providing that, he seeks to threaten us further.
The safety of everyone involved is also of prime concern for us. It is not solely his.
All that aside, if it is the wish of the group, yes, I will help seek out this guide...