...Thus far the party has been ambushed by a swarm of snakes. You're cutting them down as quickly as you can, but their bites have taken their toll! Bhielli the barbarian just cut a swath through the swarm, and only about half the snakes remain...
Boram remains to cap off round 1. After Boram, Janira finds her stride and begins recounting the tales of Pathfinders long past. It inspires you all:
Round 1:
Brillig: ATK
Bodtka: Torch prep
Baddies: ATK
Boram: Go
Hobbes: Bit o'luck
Bhielli: ATK!
Janira: Bardic!
Swarm: 7
Past actions.
Brillig stumbles away form the swarm and finally gets his stomach contents in order.
Round 2:
Brillig: Stumbles
Bodtka: Go
Baddies: TBD
Boram: TBD
Hobbes: TBD
Bhielli: TBD
Janira: TBD
Swarm: 7
Since swarms can't AoO, maybe Brillig wants to move further than 5'?
Bodta's torch slams into a huge number of snakes, and burning a few too. IT doesn't look like it'd take much more to scatter the rest!
First though it advances, engulfing Hobbes and Bodta:
and a FORT DC 12 or be nauseated for a round.
Round 2:
Brillig: Stumbles
Bodtka: Torch
Baddies: TBD
Boram: Go
Hobbes: Go
Bhielli: Go
Janira: TBD
Swarm: 15
And with a final flick of the rapier, the snakes give it up and scatter!
Out of combat.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Apologies for my tardiness," is an unexpected voice from up-trail. Its owner, a rather austere-looking elf in worn adventurer's dress, hands a sheaf of papers to Janira. "I am to join this Confirmation."
Without further ceremony he leads the way down the path, not looking behind to see if the rest of the company are keeping up. The eye is immediately drawn to massive curved blade strapped to the elf's back. Although the sharpness of its steel edge is beyond doubt, a thick layer of grime and even patches of lichen cover almost its entire length. One patch near the hilt has been scrubbed clean to reveal shining steel engraved with a highly stylized elven script beneath.
Janira smiles wide. Despite the wounds and injuries, her spirits are still high, "That was incredible! Great job guys. Most people think a big monster is the scariest, but Pathfinders know that a thousand little guys is just terrifying! Hey, come here Brillig." She holds her hands out, humming a soft tune:
"There's no time to waste though, so pack up and let's move on so we can reach the caves by dusk. I *really* think that if we don’t reach the caves tonight, any gillmen who are present may leave before we get there."
Unfortunately the trails are often blocked by fallen objects,
shortcuts are overgrown, and other minor delays start costing you time. You can work your way through the wilderness with a survival skill (usable untrained.)
Survival checks:
Brillig:
Bodtka:
Boram:
Hobbes:
Bhielli:
Thannaen:
The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
“A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
You see the minotaur chasing after Janira through the trees, fighting its way through the dense undergrowth as you make your way obediently to the caves. The backpack is certainly that of a Pathfinder, everything is carefully marked:
potion of barkskin, potions of cure light wounds (2), potion of feather step, potion of vanish, scroll of entangle, scroll of gust of wind, scroll of identify, scroll of mage armor (CL 6), scroll of obscuring mist, wand of burning hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges), wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges), acid, alchemist’s fire (2), holy water, smokestick, tanglefoot bag, thunderstone, antitoxin, sunrods (2)
The cave system stretches deep below the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, though most of it is accessible only through this narrow keyhole tunnel. All of the tunnels in this area seem to be about 3 and 10 feet wide and vary equally in height, though most are a comfortable 7 or more feet wide in each dimension. The caves are damp . Water dripping from stalactites and the distant rushing of underground streams creates an eerie backdrop to your journey. The caves’ walls are patterned with blue-green luminescent fungi that provide dim light.
Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls, becoming increasingly frequent as you go deeper and deeper into the system. The rough surface of the carvings provides a natural platform for the fungi, causing it to grow thicker and making the carvings glow slightly brighter than their surroundings.
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
The hole in the ground is artificial.
The hole is about a year old.
Unfortunately, the pit spans the width of the cavern, and there's no discernible way across. To make matters worse, there are plenty of sharp spikes at the bottom...
The pit is a solid 20' deep to the bottom. The walls of the pit have become rough over time, though the maker rounded the corners to make it difficult.
Hobbes climbs down and examines the bundle. He discovers that it's a very well made cloak!
The spikes are pretty solid, so knocking them over isn't an option.
Hobbes only:
Just around the corner is a very solid oak plank. You're pretty sure that it'll hold one person at a time to get across...
The plank is about a yard wide, which isn't too bad.
Across!
- Hobbes
- Boram
- Bhielli
Yet to cross:
- Bodta
- Brillig
- Than
Brillig takes his time, slowly making his way across the plank.
Takes 10: Acrobatics: 12
Bodta and Than remain...
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"Hmm," the elf murmurs, inspecting the contents of Janira's pack. "I should like to carry this vial. You there, Desnan, carry this wand. I shall bear the remainder unless another wishes so." He pockets the potion of barkskin and thrusts the healstick at Hobbes, stuffing the rest in his pack.
"An odd placement for such a well-made trap," he declares. "The Masters will want a note of it." He makes a note of it and starts drawing an initial map in his journal before making the crossing.