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Kramac activates tiger focus, and instructs Jino to close with with the Vrock. Jino surges forward with unnatural speed, and gets in close with the Vrock.
Kramac calls upon Kurgess to aid him in felling the demon, before attempting to knock the creature off it's feet.
No wicked dancing! You should have stayed in the Worldwound! Kramac will not suffer your kind expanding your territory! Back to Hell with you!
Kramac and Jino will both appear to leave themselves open to a return attack from the Vrock.
AC is 32 currently. Jino will bodyguard the first two attacks agains Kramac, giving him an AC of 34 vs those attacks.
Hwoarrrrrrgggg!
Jino will trample the prone demon.
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Without hesitation, the Pathfinders charge directly towards the Vrock before he is able to take flight! The gamble pays off as they immediately pummel the demon to it's demise.
Flyn adds a couple more arrows into the collection of the dinosaur. The creature limps, clearly on the brink of defeat, but it rages on and lashes out at the closest Pathfinder. It has amazing reach for a proportionately small arm!
With her focus on the demon, Martha is wounded severely as the creature easily picks her up with it's mouth!
~~~
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Maps & Handouts
"Moooaaarrrgggghhhhh!!!!"
Mvumbu the wise and beautiful rushes to aid her friend.
No giant lizard will get the better of Mvumbu and Kiboko today!
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Realising an ally in need, Kiboko and Mvumbu quickly come around to wrestle the huge dinosaur to the ground! The fall of the dinosaur trembles the lands for a moment, and the impact echoes across the horizon.
As soon as dinosaur is defeated, out of the bushes, four, presumably, Kellid warriors tall, lean, and muscular dressed in garments made of piece-meal animal hides, and armed with spears at the ready emerge and make their presences known. They clearly are fighters based on the countless scars exposed. A woman among them speaks in a broken form of the common tongue.
"I..Denur.. who..you!?" She points at lot of you rudely with her spear end.
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Kramac bows his head and says a prayer to Kurgess before approaching the locals.
I am Kramac! These are my friends, Kiboko, Ishmail, Martha and Flynn! And, let us not forget the wise and powerful Mvumbu! And finally, my good friend Jino! We are from the Pathfinder Society - sent to explore this area, when we happened upon this demon. Kramac cannot abide demons expanding their territory, so we slew the wicked creature. We mean you no harm and do not wish to make trouble. Perhaps, even we could be friends?
As he speaks, Kramac walks to Jino, and rifles though his packs, producing the package of five bastard swords.
Here, friends. A gift of mighty weapons for mighty warriors, and a token of the goodwill of the Pathfinder society
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Damn judgy barbarians but these look like the locals they are looking for.
As Kramac starts casting spells Ishmail mutters to him in polyglot, I wouldnt start that in front of a bunch of superstitious barbarians...they probably have no idea what you are trying to cast.
Ishmail floats down towards the locals and addresses them in Hallit. My name is Ishmail. We are members of the Pathfinder Society here to speak with your leaders. We bring gifts and the knowledge of the death of this greater demon. Can you take us to your chieftain?
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As Ishmail begins to speak their tongue, their facial expresses changes, clearly surprised. She responds in a more friendly manner"Tōmāra upahāra āmāra yōgya naẏa, tumi śaktiśālī yōd'dhā ēbaṁ āmi tōmāra prati śrad'dhā kari. Tumi prācīnadēra sāthē kathā bala, āmi tōmākē niẏē yāba, āra tumi'ō tādēra bicāra karabē. And at the same time they lower their weapons.
She then points her people to the dinosaur, and they begin harvesting the corpse for anything that could be of use, the teeth, the skin, and even the meat.
"follow." She says to you, in a way that seems a little bit commanding.
The trek to your surprise isn't very far, but it does go through some dense forestry terrain and unmarked paths. But with Denur leading you, you make it without incident to Tolguth.
High walls, constructed from timber, stone, and earth surround Tolguth. The Kellids have cut away the foliage surrounding the settlement, providing an unobstructed view for several hundred feet from the walls. Three bipedal dinosaur carcasses, each with rounded dome-like heads, lie crumpled and pressed up against the fortifications—a clear indication of the need for such defensive measures.
At the gate, you are stopped by a few warriors as they enquire you business aggressively. Weapon at the helm."What foreign want!?"
Denur attempts to speak, but is halted by the men before she can mutter.
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Flyn frowns as he looks upon the dinosaur carcasses. He whispers to his friends, "Strange...I know this type of dinosaur...they are known to be peaceful...something odd going on here..."
Flyn will just smile upon the approach of the warriors, showing open hands and again saying, "Friends..."
He'll look to and defer to Ishmail since the tiefling knows their language...
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Whispering to his companions as they approach the gate, Those creatures bear fiendish taint, perhaps this region is more corrupted by the Worldwound than we thought. Watch yourselves
Approaching the guards he addresses them in Hallit, We are members of the Pathfinder Society and we are here with gifts for your chieftains. We would speak with them.
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The guards are taken back by surprise as the tielfling speaks hallit, but after a few enquiries, they would have trust the Pathfinders intentions and let them in. They ask you to head directly to the large tent in the centre, but also to wait awhile the elders prepare themselves. The wait is a few hours....
In the meantime, a few curious townspeople come your way, and to your surprise many of them speak broken common.
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"Those great lizards, they are herbivores. They would not have attacked this settlement unless controlled by some outside force. As you say Ishmail, the Worldwound itself may have corrupted them."
Kiboko keeps his distance from the Kellids, uncertain if they might be tainted too. His memories of enslavement to the demon-worshipping Bekyar tribe of the Mwangi Expanse return to the forerfront of his mind, and he sits brooding, alongside Mvumbu.
When an opportunity arises (ie. out of view of too many prying Kellids) Kiboko asks Ishmail to recharge his ioun stone using a wand.
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After much waiting, when it’s time for the meeting, several warrior Kellids come around to escort you into the large building made of stone of wood. Inside, the three elders, clear by their age, sit around a large table. In almost perfect common, They invite them to sit, enjoy Tolguth’s hospitality, and explain their reason for visiting.
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Kiboko sits.
"Kiboko greets you, elders of Tolguth, and thanks you for your hospitality. Kiboko and Mvumbu are warriors of the Pathfinder Society. We come, with our comrades here, to ask for your blessing and support for an expedition into the Worldwound. We bring gifts, as tokens of our esteem."
Let us see how they respond. Kiboko does not think they have the look of demon-worshippers.
Kiboko nods towards his comrades, inviting them to continue the conversation.
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After Kiboko speaks, Flyn rises and bows. "Esteemed Elders, thank you for the honor of meeting with us. As my good friend Kiboko has already mentioned, we are Pathfinders come to meet with, and bear gifts for, the mighty warriors of Tolgoth. We hope to discuss how we might become better friends and, perhaps, allies..." He looks to Ishmail and Kramac before continuing, "...but I fear I'm more skilled at fighting demons than speaking words, so I will defer to those in my party who are skilled at both. Again, thank you for your hospitality."
Flyn bows again and sits.
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Ishmail slides into his seat and gives the elders a toothy smile. Honoured elders, as my companions say we are here from the Pathfinder Society. We are here seeking your blessing on an expedition to secure a site on the edge of the Worldwound from which we might launch an expedition to recover an ancient site of great importance. Our leaders have sent many gifts, in recognition of your importance and standing and I would hope the way in which we dealt with the Vrock should underscore the importance our leaders place on this mission...
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The eldest of them all, Traros, the Father of Tolguth, listens carefully and speaks. “You wish to explore hrungara, where even the mammoths dare not go? You are either very brave or very foolish, foreigners,” Traros begins, [/b]“But no matter how reckless or insane, any enemy of the Worldwound is of value to Tolguth.” [/b]
He smiles broadly before continuing, “We know of a few locations that may serve as a campground for you; Vanna has used them in the past. The first is a small cave network among the lower reaches of the Tusk Mountains. The caves would provide shelter against the weather and the height provides a good view of the surroundings. The second is an isolated hot spring, located among the foothills at the base of the Tusk Mountains, much like the springs that heat Tolguth. The third is an abandoned town, built by foreigners generations ago. Vanna can tell you more about each, but before you set out, I have one warning."
“The Red Winter tribe still ekes out an existence on the Thunder Steppes and foothills of the Tusk Mountains. They lay claim to those lands and have often challenged Vanna and her raiders, thankfully without resorting to violence. I doubt they would be as accommodating to foreigners.”
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Vanna answers all questions to the best of her knowledge.
“The great beasts still roam the Thunder Steppes, though their movements are difficult to predict these days. Within the mountains, frost giants are common, and along hrungara, anything is possible, the springs I fear are no different. In fact, you would likely find all places with the possible threat."
He takes a pause, but returns to the conversation after he captures his breath.
"The red tribe are not to be bribed, showing strength in combat might be your best best to win their trust. I have seen them fight once—wild beasts, all of them, some fighting with their bare hands alone, tearing demons apart. Even with all of their individual strength though, they are a small and shrinking tribe, struggling to survive along the Thunder Steppes. They were once a proud tribe, roaming the Ginji Mesa until something drove them east and broke their spirit.”
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You follow the directions given by the elders closely and stays out of trouble along the way. The sites are relatively close to each other and it nearly takes a trek of 3 days to get to where you want. Eventually, you make your way safely to the natural springs. Nestled among the foothills along the base of the Tusk Mountains, a large steaming pool of bubbling water warms the nearby area, providing a welcome break from the chill winds that blow across the Thunder Steppes.
You try to make best of your time to learn what the area has to offer.
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Flyn surveys the area...
Flyn ponders before turning to his friends. "The springs are nice and the water is potable...but there's no natural protection from the elements...and, even worse, no natural defenses...'twould be a difficult position to defend. Hopefully, one of the other two sites will be more suitable..."
After speaking, Flyn keeps alert for any signs of danger, checking for any recent tracks in the area as well...
Mvumbu bounds over to the hot spring as Kiboko and Flyn examine it. She sniffs at the water, and checks for predators, before wading in and wallowing in the warm, luxurious water.
"Haaarrr!! Haaaarrrr!!"