The crocodile attempts to roll with Arvhil again, put he pops free just as the gnome did. No longer in the grasp of the nasty reptile. Fornitado and Arvhil find themselves waiting to see if Fornitado can rustle them up some transportation.
ORDER
PARTY
crocodiles
Bizzlemont pulls himself up on the beach, gasping for air. He turns back to the water and he sees the frenzy continuing. The gnome concentrates for a moment and a loud bang erupts from the water right near where the crocs.
Strang dives down beneath the water and stabs at the crocodile closer to shore.
Status hp 36, AC 18, Inspire Courage
Concentration check.
Get us out of here. Fornitado motions to the dolphin, and tries to signal Arvhil to hold on as well, so the dolphin can swim them out of there.
Not sure what to roll here :-)
Strang distracts the crocodile and narrowly misses him. Two crocs attempt to grab him.
Strang dodges the two crocodiles as the summoned dolphin brings Arvhil and Fornitado to the surface as it leaps out of the pond. The crocodiles stay below the surface, reluctant to expose themselves as they are definitely intimidated by the loud sound created by Bizzlemont. The dolphin prepares to return to harry the crocodiles.
Party to go
Update
Attacked by crocodiles, the group found three of their canoes destroyed as Bizzlemont and Arvhil were grabbed and bitten by crocodiles. Luckily both escaped when the crocodiles went for more devastating holds. Fornitado stuck a glue bag in the crocodiles mouth, but was caught by it. When he eventually escaped with Arvhil, he was able to summon a dolphin to propel them to the surface. Terion and Strang had no problems swimming and cut a wake of destruction among the creatures leaving them bleeding and weakened if not dead.
The comely young native continued to sing her inspiring song of the Glory of the Immortals.
"Get out of the water boys, if they chase us on land, we'll have croc steak for dinner!" - Terion shouts, moving to dryland himself.
Barely able to move, Arvhil struggles out of the water, throwing up large amounts of the stuff as he scrambles to the shore. He helps Fornitado out as well, the two of them leaning on each other for support.
Everyone that wants to, escapes from the water. The murky water begins to settle, full of humanoid and reptilian blood. The pool returns to its former tranquility before the sudden attack.
Fornitado waits until the others have left the water and gathered on the bank.
Gather round my friends, Let the holy light bring healing to all those gathered near.
Channel Positive Energy (NOTE: I took the liberty of a minus one, due to his conflicting faith)
Desdemona stops her song. As the party takes stock, it appears there is one working left to head into the caverns.
Terion goes around the group, checking on the wounded. Feeling the healing power bursting from Fornitado, he thanks the elf with a nod.
"Well boys and girls - that was HARD, but we pulled through and we are all still here" - he reassures everyone - "The bad news are, unless you magic wielding wonders can pull something out of your hat, some of us will have to get into the water again, if we wish to get any further"
Looking at the remaining canoe, he adds - "There is only one of those left, so... You decide who gets to stay dry, and the rest of us will just have to grab hold and swim alongside of it" - he states flatly.
The group on a single canoe with improvised floating devices makes a mad dash to swim for the other side of the water. Moving desperately through twists and turns, the occasional scream is heard as everyone paddles desperately through the crowded, dark tunnels. Hunted by crocodiles, it is a one where you dare not look back until you reach the other side.
Desdemona asks as her clingy robes leave nothing to the imagination as he struggles out of the water, "Who made it?"
"I'm here," replied Strang, surreptitiously oogling the young tribeswoman. "Soaked to the bone and with a fine collection of croc teeth thanks to 'me noif', here, at least."
"Yeah, yeah - I'm fine" - Terion grumbles, soaked to the bone - "How's everyone?"
Desdemona looks around.
"That is not many, less than half of us made it."
She seems sad at the fact and begins to sob quietly.
Strang shifted uncomfortably in his boots: what to do to help the sobbing young woman was soemthing completely outside his realm of experience. Recalling a phrase he'd once read that he'd thought sounded cool, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Life before death, Des; we shall mourn the fallen later, and celebrate our own survival as we can for now."
He didn't know if it would do anything, or if it would be enough, but... what else could he do?
"Oh for goodness sake". "That was most unpleasant". Gather around for another blessing if you wish".
CPE
The crocodiles do not seem to want to disturb the group any more. The trip is uneventful and the canoes run aground in a narrow passage at the far end.
The natural caverns ends here in a small beach. Extending from the beach is a passage of worked stone. Footprints of many creatures mar the smooth sand, but their age has Terion shaking his head in confusion unable to identify them.
The party sees a the narrow five foot wide passage ends in a door.
Nearing the door, Strang looks for traps that might spring on anyone at the door.
Strang verifies the door is free of traps. He quickly opens it and finds the ten by ten foot room packed shoulder to shoulder in nasty goblinoids. This ugly creature resembles a twisted shadow puppet’s silhouette, a wild thing of flared black and brown fur whose pelt juts out from its body at freakish angles. The crouching shadow’s ears are large and floppy, draping shoulder-length, adding to the creature’s unnatural shape. Its eyes are too big for its head. Tremendous milk-white ovals loom on either side of the thing’s wheezy pig-like nose. Its panting mouth is filled with bristly needle-teeth spiderwebbed in disgusting strands of yellowish saliva, all vibrating to the tune of its wheezing breath. Strang says the word 'Bugbears' as he vaguely puts the name to the description.
Initiative
Desdemona
Strang
Terion
Arvhil
Fornitado
Bbears
Order of action
Bugbears
Party
The goblinoids manage to get the jump on Strang.
Unable to react and dodge in time, two nasty morningstars hit the rogue before he can react. The third one misses. Three thrown javelins at point blank range fail to hit Strang in the close quarters, clattering off the walls. The quarters are tight--it looks like a guardpost designed to guard a bottlenecked passage.
Order of Action
Bugbears
PARTY
Seeing the creatures packed into such a small space, Arvhil begins to cast a sleep spell.
"Do not cross the threshold of the room, as I am about to unleash a powerful spell and I do not want you caught in its tendrils.", he warns the others.
"Get behind me Strang!" - Terion urges, attacking from behind his companion.
Fornitado fervently prays for a blessing from his god.
"Damn right I will!" exclaimed Strang as he stumbled back, bleeding profusely.
Strang moves to the nearest unoccupied space behind Terion.
"Okay, Arvhil, work your magic!"
Status AC 18, hp 24/36
Terion moves forward to gut a bugbear.
The rest of the bugbears rush out to attack Terion. They attack mindlessly.
Terion stands fast, and begins mauling the creatures as they try to move in on him - "Come on then" - he growls.
Terion sees bugbears rush out and swings, but misses in the close quarters.
The bugbears fails to connect against the warrior.
A bugbear falls to the ground sleeping. The other two bang their Morningstar and shield together and open the far door which opens into a larger room with more bugbears.
"Back!" - the man roars - "Give me space to maneuver, and throw something at them while you're at it" - he adds.
Fornitado mumbles some more prayers (Shield of Faith), then draws his trusty Composite Longbow and prepares to provide artillery support.
Once his sleep spell had gone off, Arvhil started casting another spell, and soon thick strands of sticky webs filled the guard room and beyond.
"That should keep them from overrunning us anytime soon...now we just have to decide how we want to deal with them!
oops..not a problem 5'step costs me nothing... :-)
Terion takes a step back and swings at one of the hobgoblins.
Hands slippery with his own blood, Strang is unable to act in the tight confines of the narrow corridor.
Status hp 24/36, AC 18
Terion drops a bugbear, and another keeps coming. His Morningstar unable to penetrate Terion's armor.
The bugbears seem trapped in the webbing except one at the rear, who retreats out of the area.
Arvhil fires a magic missile at the closest bugbear.
Magic Missile damage:
Fornitado quickly pulls forth his longbow, and takes a shot at the retreating bugbear (If he's out of range I'll target the same bugbear as Arvhil).
Bow
Arrow
Terion understands that trying to maneuver is counter productive at the moment since his companions are not shifting their position, so he simply drops his bardiche, drawing his silvered mace, and cursing the fact that he did not acquire a weapon that could be wielded with two hands, giving a sidelong look at one of the morningstars wielded by the bugbears, now laying dead.
The attack is poorly aimed however, and clearly misses its mark.
Not able to do anything else, Strang shakily brings up his crossbow and tries to shoot through the chaos in hopes of a lucky hit.
Status hp 24/36, AC 18
The bugbear is ripped badly by two force bolts and swings back.
A single bugbear is left out of the webs. The others continue to struggle, but cannot break free.
PARTY TO GO