Round 4, Initiative 24
"Oh, he's totally--" Spasi cringes as Rhesus rofflestomps another piddlespotting frog. "DID YOU SEE THAT BIBIC!?! He splattered another!!"
Spasi fires out from behind cover.
"Take that you frogs! We tried to chat! We tried to be nice! Now we'll be eating your legs with kale!"
Spasi is about to shout something else when the whattheheck emerges. Spasi has no idea what it is.
Round 3, Initiative 18
Clement blinks a little as the nearest boggard sneaks through his shield, but shrugs it off as he imagines that's only because he's been so obsessed at keeping his shield ahead of any swing at Rhesus.
He gives a swing of his mace while wondering what consuming a semi-intelligent creature with kale might taste like.
for
Two more of the village defenders fall lifeless into the bloody waters of the bog and Clement lands a solid blow on the third. The villager's seem to be on the brink of fleeing, but their resolve is bolstered by the arrival of the monstrosity.
The creature slides towards you, its tentacles lashing wildly. As it approaches a foul cloying odour washes over you filling you with dread . It attacks Rhesus:
The few remaining boggards fight on:
AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, –1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 22/22 x4, 16/22
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +1
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 47/47
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Resist acid 5, cold 5
Melee 2 slams +7 (1d6+4 plus nauseating touch)
Ranged offspring +7 ranged touch (1d2 bleed plus disease)
Special Attack ravenous young
Nauseating Touch (Ex) The bogwid's touch is disgusting.
Creatures hit by its slam attack must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Noya continues on the lesser bog minion that hit her
Round 6
Rhesus ignores the stench, inured to such things from his association with Spasi. He focuses on the tentacled monstrosity in kind.
Slamming his earthbreaker into the beast, he spits at it and roars.
Round 6, Initiative 16
Weapon Equipped = Bow
Cold Iron Arrows = 29/40 (5 misses)
Silver Blunt Arrows = 20/20
Adamantium Salted Arrows = 10/10
Ghost Salted Arrows = 10/10
Bardic Performance = 14/14
Shard Major Image = 1/1
Bow Attack Mods: BAB +4, Dex +3, Weapon Focus +1, Bow +1, (Rapid Shot -2), (Deadly Aim -2)
Bow Damage Mods: Composite Bow +1, Bow +1, (Deadly Aim +4)
Bard Spells Remaining: (First: 3/4) (CL 5, Con: +8, SR: +7)
0) Detect Magic, Light, Mending, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Spark
1) Cure Light Wounds, Feather Fall, Grease, Unseen Servant
Bibic focuses on the shambler and tries to tag it twice from afar. He steps up a little closer to the beast.
vs DC 16 or sickened
He coughs a little, but keeps his food down as the stench rolls over him.
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Round 4, Initiative 24
Spasi cheers as Rhesus facestomps the big Frog. "DID YOU SEE THAT BIBIC!?!"
Spasi fires out from behind cover.
"Oh man, Bibic! What did frogs ever do to him?"
Round 4, Initiative 18
Clement staggers backward a step, shaking his head at the large gash on his stomach from the boggard attack, barely recognizing a shared injury gained from his link with Rhesus.
Stepping back, he apologizes to Rhesus.
"Just... a moment, need to fix myself up here."
His wounds knitting admirably, Clement gives himself a nod and returns his attention to the field of battle.
Noya smacks a Boggard and Bibic and Rhesus do terrible damage to the abomination, but it still stands, if barely, and it attacks Rhesus.
The few remaining boggards keep fighting,
AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, –1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 22/22 x4, 11/22
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +1
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 8/47
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Resist acid 5, cold 5
Melee 2 slams +7 (1d6+4 plus nauseating touch)
Ranged offspring +7 ranged touch (1d2 bleed plus disease)
Special Attack ravenous young
Nauseating Touch (Ex) The bogwid's touch is disgusting.
Creatures hit by its slam attack must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Round 7, Initiative 16
Weapon Equipped = Bow
Cold Iron Arrows = 29/40 (5 misses)
Silver Blunt Arrows = 20/20
Adamantium Salted Arrows = 10/10
Ghost Salted Arrows = 10/10
Bardic Performance = 14/14
Shard Major Image = 1/1
Bow Attack Mods: BAB +4, Dex +3, Weapon Focus +1, Bow +1, (Rapid Shot -2), (Deadly Aim -2)
Bow Damage Mods: Composite Bow +1, Bow +1, (Deadly Aim +4)
Bard Spells Remaining: (First: 3/4) (CL 5, Con: +8, SR: +7)
0) Detect Magic, Light, Mending, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Spark
1) Cure Light Wounds, Feather Fall, Grease, Unseen Servant
(point blank) (point blank)
Bibic continues to focus fire on the shambling mass, though he stops moving forward now so as to avoid his stink. If the creature drops, he takes his second shot at one of the lesser frogs.
Round 5, Initiative 18
Clement returns to the front line to seek retribution for his wounds.
for
He glances over to Rhesus.
"What a workout... I didn't realize we were going to exterminate this village, but should've known that was inevitable eh?"
Round 5, Initiative 24
Spasi fires out from behind cover. Spasi grunts as he hits something. "Bibic, did you see that? Rhesus and Clem are giving them frogs the Full Spasi! That's pretty good work."
Rhesus pauses as the bogwid's touch causes his head to whirl. Focusing only on defending himself he does not attack.
"Clem, there's two of them.
Noya will continue on the lesser bog minion that hit her
Bibic's arrow slays the tribe's bizarre guard dog and another boggard drops. The remaining two, one of which is badly injured, decide to cut their losses and flee, withdrawing into deep water and slipping beneath the surface.
The battle is over and you stand victorious among the fallen dead. The empty village is at your mercy and the way to the cave mouth is free of resistance.
Clement takes a few steps forward towards the fleeing boggards.
"Do we give chase?"
Glimmil glances first to Rhesus, then to Noya.
"Those two might come back with more friends?"
Clement takes a couple more steps before shrugging.
Bibic breathes a sigh of relief as the others flee.
"No, let them go I think. We didn't come this way to kill everything, just to get access."
He takes out the wand of cure light wounds and applies it to himself.
He looks to the others, "Anyone else need some healing? We're going to need another one of these soon. Should've probably bought one before heading out huh..."
"I can cover some of the needed healing each day, and mine will also relieve you of Fatigue."
Rhesus watches as the other two flee.
"Eh, fatigue? Who's tired after that little scuffle? Let's loot some bodies and get into the caves."
Clement nods.
"Oh, they can tell the others about us too. Spread word of our legend around the other bog-peoples."
Clement rests his mace on his shoulder, bumps into Rhesus and shoots him a crooked grin, and begins a slow walk to the village.
"Let's see what they have... maybe they've been robbing Pathfinders or something interesting."
Spasi nods and rubs his hands together after he puts away his crossbow.
"Oh yeah, that was the full Spasi! We got them good," Spasi says as if he had contributed anything. "Good job, Rhesus, you're getting good."
Spasi follows the team down, but not before looting the frogs he comes across with Detect Magic.
"...so...Rhesus, why don't you usually fight like that? You have something against frogs?"
"Frogs? Nah, ain't nothin' against frogs. They taste good. Not sure how these bogs taste. No sense fighting like that all the time Spasi, I'm trying to teach Clem here how to fight and he just won't learn if I kill everything right away."
Spasi nods, trying to understand.
"Well...that's good that you can fight like that. Because usually you're just standing there while me and Bibs do all the work," Spasi deludes.
"We'll make a 'Pathfinder' of you yet," Spasi airquotes. "Yeah, well good job...all of youse."
Rhesus watches as the other two flee.
"Eh, fatigue? Who's tired after that little scuffle? Let's loot some bodies and get into the caves."
"Some creatures fight with abilities that can fatigue another,
And aren't you yourself fatigued some when you whip yourself up into a frenzy."
Despoiling the dead, you find a few pouches containing rough gems and coins totalling 125gp. Near the corpse of the archer that was leading the fight, Spasi's magic detects auras emanating from beneath the murky water. Investigating he pulls out a +1 composite longbow(+2 str) and a quiver that contains 5 arrows of reptile bane.
Entering the village, you find that it consists of 18 huts, one substantially larger than the others, roughly encircling a central communal fire pit.
No one else emerges to challenge you as you enter. A path leaves the village, continuing up towards the cave opening.
Spasi offers the longbow to Bibic, but if the Elf disdains it, offers it to Noya, then Rhesus.
He arrows he hands to Bibic with a quick explanation.
Spasi looks at cave the entry point, but not before checking out the village for some stomach settling baked goods. "You guys ready to get in there?"
Bibic gladly takes the bow and arrows, "This is perfect!" He casts Prestidigitation to clean the gear of any combat or swamp muck, then puts his old bow in his quiver as a spare.
"If one of you wants, I do have a tertiary bow. It's nothing special, really more of a trainer, but it could be useful to you."
Rhesus shakes his head at Noya.
"Don't even know what yer sayin'."
"Hey Spasi, we'd better check that hut yeah?"
Clement hesitates as he observes the numerous bodies of fallen bog-men.
"We should burn them. Celebrate their transformation into something more than physical and mortal..."
As the others investigate the village and search the huts, Clement drags them somewhere suitable and performs last rites.
"Oh Mighty Fireshaker... today many of these bog-men have fallen as change has come unto their village..."
Clement touches his scars and remembers how the fire has changed him.
"Tonight we give them unto you such that you may ensure something greater, something better will take their place..."
As the fires die rage, Clement seems unafraid of them. Then, as they die down, he ensures they are properly extinguished before sighing and running his fingers through the ash, drawing lines below his eyes and looking skyward.
The serious expression on his face is only broken when he catches sight of Rhesus again, whereupon he dons his usual smile.
"Hey pal, ready to check out these caves?"
While Clement deals with the dead, the rest of the party investigates the villages. Most of the huts prove to be empty, with little more than mundane items for daily life in the swamp. There are two exceptions.
Filth hut: An almost visible miasma of hideous decay hangs about this hut, cloaking the building in a cloud of buzzing flies and the stench of rotting flesh. You can hear a faint groaning coming from within.
Big Hut: This is by far the largest and best made of all the huts in the village. As you make to enter it, a loud voice croaks a warning.
"Almost Clem, gotta finish looting first. Best part of killing things, you get to take their stuff."
**********************
Rhesus stops at the entrance of the big hut as the croaking starts.
"Hey, anybody know what they said? Mebbe a spell? Let's go Clem."
The barbarian enters the hut, trusting the others to back him up.
Bibic moves through the village looking for interesting trinkets but worrying, a little, that we're going too far with our looting.
"Not everyone here opposed us. Shouldn't we keep our looting to those we fought in battle? I mean, they were just defending their village after all. I worry that we're the monsters here."
He's happy they have nothing worth stealing as they move to the main hut.
to get any subtlety in the meaning of their croaks. I do not speak the language.
Rhesus stops at Bibic's comments, his hand almost on the flap of the hut.
"Eh, sure Bibic, that's a good point. Guess I got carried away. Let's just go to the cave."
"They speak ugly...I don't do that," Spasi says, shaking his head to Rhesus' question. "We already tried and failed."
Spasi listens at the filth hut, then the big hut.
"You know I like big huts, I cannot lie," Spasi looks wistfully at the big hut. As Bibic and Rhesus turn for the cave, Spasi listens again at the filth hut.
"Does this sound like happy moaning or sad moaning to you?"
The Shoanti shrugs.
"Dunno Spasi, does it sound like the moaning you hear when the priestess thinks you have money, or the moaning when she finds out you don't?"
"It does sound like a moan, and it is has some emotion to it, but the emotions faint."
Spasi listens again for the moaning/groaning at the filthy hut.
Take 20 Perception = 35.
"Sounds like dragon-tongue to me," Spasi says, putting pieces together. "Might be a trog."
He looks at Noya.
"You want to talk to them still?"
Clement barks back a bit at the voice-within-the-hut, his sounds not really having any bearing on the boggard language.
He quietly waits to see how the creature responds before calling out in Common.
"You in there? Are you friend or foe? Of us non-boggard types..."
Spasi translates to draconic for Clem, waiting for Noya to act or reject.
"It could be a Trog prisoner, but it could be something else?
So we'll need to see what the truth is."
"So we'll need to see what the truth is."
Spasi agrees, still looking at Noya. He waits for her to go in if she is going to.
Bibic lines up behind Noya and waits for her to proceed if she's going to.
Noya goes in ready for trouble.
The interior of this hut is filled with waste and garbage, mixed with the butchered remains of dead bugs and wild animals. The mound of filthy, rotting putrescence is horrifically vile-smelling.
Leaning against one wall is a filth covered troglodyte. She is bound and moans softly.
Spasi waits outside, keeping guard.
"This place is disgusting, and what a terrible thing to do in leaving someone tied up in this filth."
Noya frees the Trog and carries it out.
"Let's get you out of here.
And hopefully we can cure you."
Rhesus eyes the creature dubiously.
"You sure like yer dragon folk. Well whatever, we're heading to the cave, don't fall behind with the prisoner."