Graythan curses as the creatures descend on the group suddenly. Trusting Moira to occupy the one beside him, Graythan steps nearer to the cliffs' edge to fire upon the gargoyle beside Captain Amalla.
HP: 48/48
AC: 23 (13 T / 20 FF)
CMD: 17
F/R/W: +6/+5/+10 (+2 vs Illusion, +1 vs Enchantment, +2 vs disease, +2/roll 2x vs mind affecting)
Judgements used: 1/3
Bane rounds used: 0/7
Discern lies rounds used: 0/7
Relentless footing used: 0/7
Inner strength used: 0/1
inflict wand charges used: 3/50
cure wand charges used: 8/50
Spell Slots used:
Level 1 (4+1) - 0/5 | DC 15
Level 2 (3+1) - 0/4 | DC 16
Level 3 (1+1) - 0/2 | DC 17
Ongoing Effects
Judgement (justice): +2 to hit
The shock of the gargoyles appearance gives Moira a heart attack and she falls over, probably dead.
Krilla and Graythan both wound their target, but neither gargoyle falls.
The gargoyle's attack misses
Two of the creatures try to grab the smaller members of the party:
Grappled
Misses
Another attacks Avner:
Avner lets out a scream, as his flesh is torn.
The last attacks Graythan:
Tavey tries to wriggle free from the gargoyle: , but fails.
CE Medium monstrous humanoid (earth)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 42, 31/42, 25/42
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4
DR 10/magic
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +7 (1d6+2), bite +7 (1d4+2), gore +7 (1d4+2)
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 19
Graythan sends another pair of bolts for his same target, ignoring the gargoyle harrying him for the moment. Hey growls angrily as he ducks another wicked claw, "Moira! Get UP!"
HP: 29/48
AC: 23 (13 T / 20 FF)
CMD: 17
F/R/W: +6/+5/+10 (+2 vs Illusion, +1 vs Enchantment, +2 vs disease, +2/roll 2x vs mind affecting)
Judgements used: 1/3
Bane rounds used: 1/7
Discern lies rounds used: 0/7
Relentless footing used: 0/7
Inner strength used: 0/1
inflict wand charges used: 3/50
cure wand charges used: 8/50
Spell Slots used:
Level 1 (4+1) - 0/5 | DC 15
Level 2 (3+1) - 0/4 | DC 16
Level 3 (1+1) - 0/2 | DC 17
Ongoing Effects
Judgement (justice): +2 to hit
deadly aim: -2/+4
bane: +2/+2d6+2
Seeing there are wounded all around, Krila raises her holy symbol on her wrist and calls out in Celestial.
Justified manages to drop the gargoyle grappling Tavey, though he is dragged to the ground when the creature is tripped. Graythan drops the gargoyle menacing Avner, while Krila's power closes the arrogant nobleman's wounds.
The ambushers fail miserably in their efforts. The way clear, Tavey and Urol fall back behind Justified.
CE Medium monstrous humanoid (earth)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 42,
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4
DR 10/magic
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +7 (1d6+2), bite +7 (1d4+2), gore +7 (1d4+2)
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 19
Krila looks at a wounded Gargoyle, and her eyes flash. She points one finger at the Gargoyle, and lightning cracks as the five foot area it's in is lit up!
With an angry growl, Graythan casts his spent crossbow to the ground and draws his morningstar. Relying on Tyr's aid to guide his strike, he brings it down in a flashing, overhead arc toward the gargoyle beside him.
HP: 41/48
AC: 23 (13 T / 20 FF)
CMD: 17
F/R/W: +6/+5/+10 (+2 vs Illusion, +1 vs Enchantment, +2 vs disease, +2/roll 2x vs mind affecting)
Judgements used: 1/3
Bane rounds used: 2/7
Discern lies rounds used: 0/7
Relentless footing used: 0/7
Inner strength used: 1/1
inflict wand charges used: 3/50
cure wand charges used: 8/50
Spell Slots used:
Level 1 (4+1) - 0/5 | DC 15
Level 2 (3+1) - 0/4 | DC 16
Level 3 (1+1) - 0/2 | DC 17
Ongoing Effects
Judgement (justice): +2 to hit
bane: +2/+2d6+2
Moira looks for an opening in supporting any of her friends.
Justified and Krilla drop another gargoyle and Graythan damages another.
The last remaining gargoyle withdraws up and away, flying out over the bay.
CE Medium monstrous humanoid (earth)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 28,
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4
DR 10/magic
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +7 (1d6+2), bite +7 (1d4+2), gore +7 (1d4+2)
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 19
As the gargoyle leaps to the sky in response to Moira stirring behind it, Graythan brings his morningstar around in a heavy, sidelong arc. His strike lands heavily in the beast's side, and it lurches wildly, but it keeps its wits about it and continues to flap out over the waves.
Krila's eyes flash as the last Gargoyle tries to leave. "If you are going to attack the sentient, you don't get to flee..." She points a finger at it as it flies away, and a crack of lightning slams into it mid air.
Moira stares in awe as Krila commands the lightning to do her bidding. She then stare at "Little Prick", the name of her saber, and says softly with a frown, "I wish I could do something like that."
After a very short time of pondering she shrugs off her inadequacies and puts her saber away. "I'm hungry! When are we eating?"
"I could teach you the ways of the spirits, if you like. But I would point out, trying to be good at everything usually leaves you good at nothing. A bit of dabbling can be useful, the ability to heal yourself when separated from the group for example, the ability to use wands. But I would not delve too much into it unless you intend to change your calling. While you are not as puissant in combat as Justified, nor able currently to use magic, there are skills you posess that we cannot do. Such as disabling the traps on those doors we encountered." She grins. "Without you, we would have had to use Justified as a battering ram, and then heal him up afterwards." She looks at Justified's head, as if considering how hard it is. "Not that he would make a bad battering ram, I think he would make an excellent one. Very sturdy..."
Graythan severely wounds the fleeing gargoyle and Krilla's bolt blasts it out of the sky. It falls smoking into the sea.
The other members of your travelling crew are all in a bit of shock following the attack. Urol mutters to himself, "Gargoyles.....gargoyles....Right, there was supposed to be a colony of them on this bay." He raises his voice a little, "We had best be careful, there might be more gargoyles along this path."
Thunderstrike (the horse) has worked itself into a bit of a panic and Avner is too distracted by his close brush with death to do anything about it. A narrow ledge is no place for a horse to lose its head.
Krila begins to croon a calming song, and calms the horse down, stroking it's muzzle. "This is the second time you have neglected your horse, and it and us in danger through either stupidity or incompetence. If it happens a third time, you will no longer be a horse owner." She says in a sweet voice designed to calm the horse and make human's spines freeze.
A bolt of lightning strikes a hundred feet out.
Graythan snatches his crossbow from the ground, shaking his head at Krila's particular brand of bullying. He starts moving his way through the group, checking on each of the surviving crew to ensure no one was injured by the gargoyles or from being dropped. "Tavey? You alright? Captain?" He helps Avner to his feet, then glances over toward Urol and shoots him a questioning nod.
Once he's sure everyone is well and Thunderstrike has calmed, he starts ushering the group along the cliffside path once more. "Now that we're done with the theatrics, let's get moving. Any other dangerous inhabitants we should know about, Urol?"
Krilla manages to sooth the animal preventing it from falling. Avner seems somewhat cowed and mutters a distracted apology, but is too distracted by the slashes and freshly healed wounds on his chest to pay much attention.
Tavey is white as a sheet, but doesn't seem any worse for wear from his brush with danger. He flashes a forced smile, "That wasn't nothin' Mister Fist. Those uglies didn't stand a chance."
Captain Venkalie nods to Graythan. She looks at her sword with disgust and sheaths it with a muttered "Worthless..."
The distracted gnomes eyes focus when Grathan calls upon him, "Hmm... Well we've seen the dinosaurs, giant animals, giant spiders and now gargoyles. What does that leave....? Well, we haven't encountered any natives yet, though they tend to be mostly friendly. They have legends of darker things that live in the depths of the jungle, but those stories tend to be vague and might just be legends. I will say that some great calamity did topple the Olman empire, some there might be some truth to those tales."
Once the party gets moving, the rest of the day passes without incident. The shadows lengthen and you turn your thoughts to finding a place to camp.
Krila pulls Justified, Graythan, and and Moira to the side. "Avner has repeatedly placed the group in danger. I am not advocating leaving him, nor am I advocating killing him. However, we need to discuss containing him. If we don't, someone may die because of his incompetence and general lack of common sense."
"Our main goal right now, Krila, is to get these people safely to the nearest settlement. It doesn't matter how difficult or disagreeable anyone might be. You don't like him? Tough. You think he makes a difficult situation more difficult? Tough. Just keep in mind that if it weren't for his money and Urol's inquisitiveness, you'd still be a garden decoration."
"I pointed this out because my main goal is keeping people alive, and he's making that more difficult." Krila states, giving Graythan a cold look. "If you don't give a rats ass about that, then by all means, ignore my words. I find it odd that a follower of Tyr would ignore a clear warning about an unstable individual who has already placed others lives at risk, because that person is their patron. Then again, I was a 'garden decoration' for several thousand years, perhaps the gods no longer care how their followers act. If you feel his money absolves him of responsibility, then perhaps my knowledge of Tyr is obsolete."
"He's our charge, Krila. Him and the horse and the rest of them. Get over it."
At this Graythan abruptly turns around and departs the meeting, making his way back to the rest of the surviving crew with a singular huff. He wears his frustration plainly on his face as he steps into the small campsite, but his voice and tone are under control as he moves near to the fire. He nods in greeting as he takes a seat beside Amalla. "Captain." He pokes at one of the logs with an errant stick, the firelight dancing in his eerie blue eyes.
"Pompous Ass." Krila comments as he turns and walks off.
"Hey hey hey you guys....Play nice." The young girl adds. "We are the good guys. Breaks my heart to see my friends argue. Why have this dung beetle come between us."
The young girl looks over to Justified. "You just gonna stand there and daydream?" Moira shows her emotions as her two friend split apart.
The young rogue sneers towards Avner as she does not trust the pompous man. "Oh great!!! I'll take watch with him too. He'll probably be staring at himself during the whole watch." She says hoping the paladin can hear her sarcasm.
Avner still seems a little shaken by his brush with death, but his usual pleasant demeanour is beginning to resurface. He sneers a little, "Well I guess I had better stand watch, as none of you can be relied upon to see danger. Led us right into an ambush. I mean, I thought you were supposed to be professionals."
With a sour look at everybody, he settles in for the watch.
Krila looks at Avner, and then laughs, the sound echoing off the rocks nearby, ascending high as she holds her stomach. "Oh my, I have no idea where you got the idea that I'm a professional. I assure you, I have never been paid for sleeping with others. I sincerely doubt any of us are professionals. I leave all pretentions at being a professional to you, Dear Avner. Although I'm not sure who'd pay for you for...." She squints, as if trying to see something small. "...well, whatever it is."
"Enough." Graythan's rebuke of the building spat is quiet but forceful. "This isn't what any of us signed up for. Digging at one another isn't going to help us get through this jungle alive." His eyes are fixed on the fire as he speaks, but his words, while quiet and calm, carry a thread of steel through them.
"And Avner, you and Thunderstrike are still alive, despite trapped ruins and ambushes and everything else we've dealt with since we wrecked. We're all out of our element here, but as difficult as it's been, we've still gotten this far."
He tosses his stick into the fire at this and rises. Walking to his bedroll, he exchanges a glance with Amalla as he doffs his boots and lays down. "Good night. All of you."
Avner brushes Justified's hand away. "What heroics? I claim none and aspire for the same. I am Avner Meravanchi of House Meravanchi. What I have is money. If I need heroics, I pay others to do them. Much like Lavinia has done with you. If things had been different, you just as easily could be working for me instead of her. If we ever make it to this supposed town of hers, you still might."
He grabs a seat near the fire and stare moodily into the flames.
Krila rolls her eyes, but doesn't comment further. The look on her face says it all though, as if the statement had been her own belief's confirmed. "Well, time to sleep." She finishes up the last of her dinner and then turns in until her turn at watch.
Graythan's countenance tightens at Avner's mention of Lavinia, but laying on his side as he is upon his bedroll, none can see it. He shifts his weight and closes his bright, eerie eyes and prays silently to Tyr to watch over the group through the night. He prays too for Lavinia, and tries to let sleep take him until his turn at watch.
|
Justified only smiles at the disagreeable man, finding this the better way to deal with him. No man becomes rich, or manages to keep such riches without talent or even heroics, I am sure of it. You have it in you I've no doubt. I am sure you would bravely defend your fortune if it were threatened. Yes, I believe you to be a brave man. He shoots Moira a wink. We will be fine on watch Moira. It seems you are needed on another watch.
Moira gives two thumbs up in agreement as she will gladly do her duty in taking the 4th watch.
The rogue looks for a spot where she can lean her back on, much like a boulder or tree. One would notice that she is no stranger in living without the comforts of a real home. Like a stray animal she positions her belongings to form a make-shift pillow and at times, the flexible rogue curls up like a cat.
Avner gives Justified a sidelong glance, but says nothing. The rest of the first watch passes without incident.
At the end of the first watch, they wake Graythan and Captain Venkalie for the second watch, which also is quiet.