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Shandra rushes forward, spells or no, and rams the closest rat with her shield. Her target, little more than an ordinary dire rat, barely survives the crushing blow but is knocked out bleeding into the water all the same. It will likely drown, if it does not bleed out or get stepped on first, a fate which could befall Karos if he is left unattended!
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Matsu's swift shot misses the offending rodent's brain, instead tearing across the left side of its face and ear! It is still more than enough to leave the rat barely floating above the water, blood swiftly diluting across the surface.
Karos suddenly comes to upon the many bites he received, no longer in danger of drowning but wounded and chest-deep sitting in water.
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V lays a hand on Shandra's shoulder while muttering theobabble.
[dice=I give Shandra aid, replicating quicksilver to increase the duration to 7 minutes]1d8+6[/dice]
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V empowers Shandra with the power of Razmir, Marra tries, with little effect, to unravel the sleep gripping Karos. Soon after, however, he wakes up of his own accord, with perhaps the help of many rat bites. Cirri shoots a small beam of chilled air at the yellow one, causing it to shudder violently and squeak in pain. The rats remobilize and surround Karos once again, eager for more of his flesh.
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Shandra impales another rat on her shield, then moves into Karos' square and draws the rats' attention, allowing her ally to back up safely. When will men learn the difference between bravery and stupidity? "Let's go Karos, I'm not saving your butt a second time in one fight!"
Move Movement?
If I actually hit and kill orange, I will move into Karos' square and then back to where orange is now. That should provoke from yellow and blue, allowing Karos to retreat safely if he wants.
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Karos hastens to stand up, grabbing his hat and pistol as he does.
"See? I can hear Cayden laughing now!"
"It is my cruel fate to be rescued by beautiful women, it seems," he says firing his pistol point-blank into one of the rats. "And be forced to thank them later over a cup of wine."
<-vs. Touch AC
<-vs. Touch AC
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Cirri, from her vantage point on the wall, brains the bluish rat after failing to freeze the yellow one. Karos steps up, on guard in case the rats retaliate, but Shandra has already drawn their ire for the time being. He shoots the remaining rodent directly in front of him, which practically explodes, sending small chunks in all directions from the force and accuracy of the shot.
With the rats dealt with, and the Keleshite, whoever he was, vanished, the Pathfinders are free to resuscitate Agosa and continue on down the hall. "Indeed, it is curious for someone to have tipped off the Pure Legion," Agosa mutters drowsily upon being woken up. "Perhaps we should question the survivors? We are in no hurry, but if you would prefer to press on..."
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"That must have been him...Sa'ad Bakir. Tortured terribly back in 4612 AD. He tried to escape, but he collapsed and drowned in knee-deep water. His captors were also gone..." She looks at the soaking wet Karos. "It looks like he never found his final rest."
Cirri shakes her head. "Ugh, more undead!" She spends a few minutes crawling along the walls until she loses her grip and the spell ends.
"I don't know, is it a good idea to ask them? The sooner we get you to where you're needed, the better!"
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"I understand, that makes perfect sense. You agents annihilated those Legionnaires, I just wonder who sent them. But for now, let us press on." He takes a thoughtful look at where the man appeared and vanished. "If you say it was him, you know more than I. I don't even know who he was, but I suspect his ignominious death caused his spirit to linger here. If we could find out more, perhaps we could help him on his way to his final rest."
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Shandra turns her back on Karos, "I don't need a man to buy me anything. If I wanted to spend time with you socially, I would buy you a drink."
After looking around the area where the spirit appeared, the ranger responds to Agosa, "We should definitely endeavor to find the remains and give them a proper burial. Often the spirit cannot find rest until the body does, too." A moment later, she asks the group, "Can anybody sense magic in the area?"
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V notes a relatively strong necromantic aura where the man appeared and vanished, showing up like a small black cloud in his vision. Cirri notes that as Sa'ad died more than a century ago, his corpse has either been moved or devoured by rats. Having gleaned what they can, the party moves on, throwing open the next door at the end of hall.
The door opens onto a dark, dank chamber—a great hollow space that rises into the heights of the fortress above and descends into darkness below. A narrow limestone shelf, without rail or lip, hugs the wall near the doorway, and leads to a rickety wooden stair that clings precariously to the wall and winds its way around the circumference of the chamber to a similar ledge above. The walls of the chamber, starting at the level of the limestone walk and ascending to the top of the chamber 100 feet above, are a honeycomb of small alcoves. Many of these are dusty and cobweb filled but some still hold wooden racks containing an assortment of smoked-glass bottles and darkstained barrels—most shattered and ruined but a few still intact. The rush of the surf can be heard from below where, 10 feet down, the bottom reaches of the chamber fill with the surging foam of high tide through what must be hidden inlets from the sea. A narrow metal ladder descends to this turbulent stew from the limestone walkway, and the rusted skeletons of several metal implements or furnishings break the surface of the roiling surf. The salty smell of the sea is strong here, mixed with an acrid taint.
It appears as if the walkway must be traversed and the stairs climbed to reach the southern gate. However, as the Pathfinders begin their trek up the shaky yet sound steps, the entire chamber seems to go dark. A small thunk can be heard, as if something had just dropped onto the stairs, and a dry, rasping voice utters a single word: Even the aasimars can no longer see, and Shandra feels a burning pain as she is suddenly stabbed by an unseen blade!
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"Uhh...I can't see anything!" Cirri clutches her staff, and casts Dancing Lights around her.
If CIrri can see, she prepares to parry and riposte a melee attack coming her way.
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"Okay, time for something gutsy! Winds of the air, carry me through the darkness!" Cirri's hair pulses and flaps. She flies around the stairwell, landing in the corner.
"Okay, let's see what's going on here!" Cirri's staff glows for an instant and she prepares to parry incoming attacks.
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Making use of her small size Marra moves forward along the wall, draws her small scimitar and infuses it with arcane strike power. She then cast Good hope on her companions {link}
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Shandra slams her shield into the area where she last felt her attacker, managing to hit something, which makes no sound of pain but growls,
Whatever is hiding in the dark quickly strikes back, two desperate strikes bouncing off of Shandra's armor and magical protections but one hitting home!
The ranger also feels something akin to poison on her wounds, but her strong immune system rejects the life-sapping toxins. She strikes back with all the fury she can muster, empowered by Marra's magic. This attack finds it mark as well, but does not seem to have much effect. "Here it is, right next to me!" Shandra shouts, alerting the others to the general location of the unseen enemy.
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Cirri decides to combine her spellcasting with her staff play, engaging in spell combat.
She takes the appearance of a bugbear. Not her preferred form, but bugbears have an excellent sense of smell. And darkvision too, but that doesn't help in this darkness.
Nonetheless, she advances and swings her staff, hoping to trip whomever is there. Her staff briefly glows a faint blue as she infuses it with arcane energy.
Cirri is certain her staff found its mark, but...it's hard to hit in the dark! "Bah!" A guttural grunt emerges.
Cirri prepares to parry and riposte any attacks...which is hard to do in the dark.
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Cirri mutters an arcane phrase and begins to morph into a bugbear. Her guard is down as she does so, however, and the unseen enemy takes a swing, leaving a light wound on what is now a hideous goblinoid creature. She ignores her appearance and pain for the moment, however, and manages to bring the foe to the floor.
Meanwhile, Matsu gets ready to strike should he notice the opponent near him, and Karos strides into the room, only seen by the creature but already blazing with divine power.