|
The Chelish half-elf points behind the northern flank and calls his inner powers of summon monster to summon a small devil to the Material Plane.
A lemure appears just behind the undead largest flank and attacks the owlbear!
Vailis quickly summons a lemure to attack the northern owlbear. Although its first claw misses, the second claw hacks a big enough chunk of the zombie's body to finally destroy it.
|
Quiella grits her teeth as some of the wounds from Valik and Mel flow into her own body. She quickly heals herself before attempting to smash the skeletons into splinters.
for
for
-Posted with Wayfinder
Both of Quiella's hammer blows hit the skeletal creature, but it remains standing afterwards.
Valik then attacks the same creature, striking it both times and destroying it.
Halkale fires two more arrows at the remaining owlbear, and the second hits the creature in the neck. At the Ranger's command, Frostfur rushes forward, but can't manage to get a good bite in this time.
Although severely injured, Melufiuos gets in an effective strike that finishes off the owlbear.
Ophelia then channels positive energy to heal her injured companions.
The remaining skeletal hodag appear undeterred by the destruction of the other large undead and attacks Quiella with a bite, two claws, and a tail slap. The left claw and tail both make it past her armor, the tail especially whipping her hard in her midrift.
Initiative (Rounds 3-4)
Valik [6 Dmg] <= Up
Halkale <= Up
1 Skeletal Hodags
Ophelia <= Up
Melufiuos [20 Dmg]<= Up
Vailis <= Up
Quiella [25 Dmg]<= Up
Effects
Haste (Valik, Melufuos, Quiella, Frostfur): +30' speed, +1 to hit, +1 AC, +1 Reflex save, can make an additional attack if full attacking.
Bless (Everyone): +1 to hit and fear saves.
|
Glad tho btw alive,but still tempting fate, Mel runs along the side of the house and then casts burning hands at the huge, freaking skeleton.
-Posted with Wayfinder
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The skeletal hodag jumps out the way of the worse of Melufiuos' flames, but still gets some of its bone scorched.
As the lemure advances its fleshy mass toward the skeleton, the undead takes a large bite out of the summoned creature, yet not enough to send it back to its home plane.
Both of Halkale's arrows hit the skeletal hodag, knocking off several bones.
Quiella finally finishes the animal skeleton off with a strike of her hammer.
As the group takes a moment to catch its breath, one of the boards reinforcing a cottage window is pried open from the inside, and the heavily wrinkled face of a purple-haired gnome woman pokes out of the window. Spotting the party, she worms her way headfirst out the window, despite a chorus of protests from inside the cottage. Eventually the tiny old gnome wriggles through the gap, landing deftly on her rear end. She then bounds to her feet and addresses the party in a rapid-fire voice, "Finally! I was getting thirsty in there. Did you bring any wine? Bloody owlbears. You’d think they’d know better than to trifle with me! Is that my packhorse? I’ll settle for grog, if you have it."
The dishevelled gnome climbs directly over the rotten corpse of an owlbear and starts rummaging through the packhorse’s saddlebags. Meanwhile, a shocked group of young Pathfinders emerge from the cottage, surveying the carnage with horror. They include a male halfling in robes, a female human in leather armor, a male half-elf also in leather armor, and a female human also in robes.
The thirsty female gnome continues, "Been like this for a week, you know. Nothing but undead and southeastern winds. Wretched awful smell. And me without my astrolabe. You should hear these youngsters whine and complain. One little undead horde and they go all to pot. By the Eldest, I’m thirsty. I’d drink a flask of ink at this point! Bloody zombos did drag off one of the youngsters, though. You should hear them complain: ‘Oooh, we’re all about to die! Oh my, what’s-her-face was abducted by zombos! Oh, I don’t want to be eaten.’ And they call themselves Pathfinders!"
"Aha!" The gnome triumphantly holds up a bottle of dark red wine.
She whirls around, addressing the assembled group, "You youngsters, burn these carcasses. Bloody awful stink. You lot with the weapons, unpack this horse, build a nice fire, and pull some turnips from the garden. Then come have a drink and tell me how fat Sheila’s gotten."
With that, the renowned researcher Ignizi Dinnelletter scuttles back into the cottage, uncorking her newly acquired wine along the way.
|
|
"'Hello fellow pathfinders', 'thanks a lot for your help'..." says Vailis astonished as he looks at the man closing up at the cottage once more. He then looks at the other apprentices "What happened here? Where those undead are coming front and what did he meant by 'what's-her-face'?"
The half-elf will draw fint and steel and help to set the fire up.
|
|
Mel breaths a sigh of relief as the last creature goes down and then sights down on the spot. "I thought I was a gonner!" Fumbling his wand of CLW out, he makes a point of hugging both Quellia and Ophelia.
After getting healed, he uses his Perl of power to recall shocking hands. Then he helps drag the bodies to the fire.
If no one had taken to the turnips, Mel will roll up his sleeves and dig in.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The other pathfinders introduce themselves as Lemmy Monelli (male halfling in robes), Leona Marideth (female human in leather armor), Narsisco (male half-elf in leather armor), and Marsia Backar (female human in robes). In response to Vailis' questions, Lemmy replies quietly, "Her name is Djinit." Before he can add more, Leona interrupts with, "Ignizi wouldn't let us go after her. I'll let her explain it, but it wasn't out decision."
When Quiella or anyone else approaches Ignizi about the missing Pathfinder, she appears extremely put out, "Can't I enjoy some wine before you assault me with questions? You guys are worse than an Osirini sphinx! I'll get to it, but first chores must be done! We can't leave those bodies decomposing in the yard and we'll all think better with some turnip soup."
Halkale finds tracks that suggest the undead came from deeper inside the woods, but spots no immediate dangers.
* * *
Once the corpses are burnt, the supplies are gathered off the pack horse, and the turnip soup is finished, Ignizi Dinnelletter finally returns to business, "So, I was going to ask you all to find what’s-her-face, er, Djinit, but you seem like your already there so that saves me the trouble. Some fast zombos grabbed her and ran off with her a few days ago, so bring her back and kill all of those nasty smelling undead. Make sure she's still alive, she might be horrible at not getting kidnapped, but she really has a way with fungus."
"So, I can already read your minds. Hey, Ignizi what can you tell us about Djinit other than her amazing fungus abilities? Well, she's a female gnome with short, orange hair. I don't really care for it. She was here when the zombos grabbed her, doing work in the garden. Some of these other jokers wanted us all to go after her. Hey, you don't get as old as me without some ability to assess risk. I'm old, they still haven't earned there chops yet, so I know a suicidal mission when I see one. That's why we're lucky you showed up and are all gung-ho on rescuing people."
"And the other pressing question, what's up with all the undead activity? Nobody knows for sure, but the rumor floating around local circles suggests something is collecting bodies for an undead army. So, you have to stop them or that will really put a damper on my important research."
"I have an old chum named Riddywipple who lives in a hollow log a day’s march north of here, he'll probably help you find her if you tell him I sent you. He knows Sanos better than Zarta Dralneen knows about manacles, so he'd be the perfect guide. Since its getting late, you should all just stay the night here in the guest cots and depart at dawn."
Finishing her bottle of wine, she hops up and starts to rummage around the cottage, "There's a lot of poisonous stuff out there, so I got three Neutralize Poison potions you can take with you. I'll throw in a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds because I like you. Oh, you can probably have a couple of scrolls of Detect Undead I have lying around, we won't need them once you get the job done. You should take this uncut alexandrite I have too in case you need to bribe someone."
|
|
"any guesses about why she was captured instead of just killed and dragged off. It seems that would be easier... No struggling. Would she know something that would be useful to necromancers?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Quiella grumbles about waiting until morning to leave, but seems to be enjoying her time in the feywild. I relish the chance to strike at foes such as these...
In the morning she rises quickly with the dawn, spending some time in prayer before donning her gear. She pesters all the slow-risers, insistent that the party make their way as quickly as possible.
|
|
"Nice stuff" mumbles Vailis making sure the group picks up all the offered aid "Some provisions for the days travel will be of use also"
Vailis will ask about the place the group will have to walk "What other hazards can damper our path on our search?"
The half-elf will comfortably rest the night to be fresh the next day.
|
Halkale and Frostfur sleep as normal, waking before first light and out in the woods, listening and waiting for enough light to see.
He waits for Quiella to finish her prayers and then says, "S-s-sometimes I wish I had your eyes to see in t-t-the d-dark." He scratches Frostfur behind the ears waiting for the group to finish their morning needs.
"If Dijjit knows anything about necromancy, that's news to me." Ignizi replies to Melufiuos' question, "I'm assuming she's still alive, because if they just needed bodies they would have squashed her in the garden instead of gnome-napping her. Other than that, who knows what zombo-lovers think?"
She then addresses Vailis' concerns, "Well, there are various fey that live in the woods and apparently an undead army, so I'd look out for those. But don't worry your pretty little head about it my boy, Riddywipple will help you avoid making any missteps as long as you stay on his good side!"
* * *
As the group awakens the next day to prepare the day's march into the Sanos Forest, Ignizi helpfully supplies you with some hardtack biscuits and the left-over turnip soup poured into a wineskin, as well as the magical items she offered previous evening.
After receiving the researcher's best wishes and simple directions to Riddywipple's log, the party departs to begin the long march through the forest. It takes the better part of a day, but the instructions are based on clear landmarks so they are easy to follow.
Eventually you come to a series of ravines that your directions indicate will lead you to your destination. Indeed, you soon locate the log, which is distinguished by a series of distinctive carvings that adorn the trees for twenty yards in every direction.
You do not see anyone around, but after a few moments you hear a squeaky voice about 30 feet up a nearby hillside, "Hey, over here!"
|
|
Vailis enjoys the early morning walk. He arranges his scrolls and bolts as the group walks in the forest.
When the voice is heard he almost instinctively casts detect magic and scans the area for auras as Quiella addresses the someone.
If diplomacy is needed he tries to help "We are looking for a companion, whom are you?"
|
|
Before leaving, Mel asks for permission to look through the missing gnome's possessions. Detect magic, naturally.
Is there any chance he can use knowledge local to know anything about her, perhaps through her family name?
-Posted with Wayfinder
Although it takes some coaxing, eventually Ignizi capitulates to Melufiuos' request to examine Dijjit's stuff. He finds nothing magical or enlightening, unless various tomes on fungi interest him. If Dijjit has a family name, it's unknown to the researchers and Melufiuos doesn't recall anything noteworthy about the first name.
* * *
As Quiella and Vailis address the voice, the summoner also casts Detect Magic. He notes that there are magical auras nearby.
Still 30 feet up the hill, the voice responds with urgency, "Yes, yes, Riddywipple is up here. Please hurry!"
|
|
Mel spends most of the day musing about why zombies would capture someone alive. He is jolted to lucidity when the rest of the party takes off hurrying up a hill. "Huh? What's happening?"
He scans the area, trying to see why we are running.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
Valik, will take the other items offered to the group, if nobody claims them. He has learned to be over prepared when sent on missions.
At hearing the voice, he looks around, trying to pinpoint where it is coming from.
Everyone wait, of there is magic being used, we must be careful! We don't know who or what is causing such a thing.
Quiella forges ahead after the voice to near the top of the hill only to find herself triggering a landslide that threatens to drop her down fifty feet into a ravine full of thorny brambles!
The same disembodied voice from earlier giggles for a few moments at Quiella's predicament before barraging the group with a litany of questions, "Who are you mean meanies? What's your putrid purpose here? Why are you looking for the awesome Riddywipple? How did you evasive eyes spy my log? Where nasty bad place did you come from? Why are you in this fertile forest?"
|
|
Quiella tumbles through the landslide, "Wheeeee..."
"Ow..." Landslide. And thorns. Well I can check those off the list now.
She begins addressing the gnome's questions as she heals herself.
"We're not meanies at all. We're Pathfinders. Ignizi told us where to find you and sent us to you so we could get your help. We're trying to find a girl that was captured by some undead a few days ago. We want to rescue the girl and destroy all the undead in this delightful forest. Will you please help us?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
At the bottom of the ravine, Quiella does spot a shiny ring laying hidden underneath the brambles she just broke through. The use of Detect Magic reveals a magical aura.
It's a Ring of Maniacal Devices.
"Oooooh." The voice replies, showing some hint of regret. After a few moments pass, a tiny dragon appears out of thin air, held aloft with brightly colored butterfly wings.
"My sincerest, honest apologies. You don't look like how Ignizi's friend usually look. When mean meanies come in to hurt me, I set up tricks and traps to stop them. Sorriest sorries again. I'm Riddywipple, super pleased to meet you all."
Zipping around each of you on his wings as he speaks, he continues, "Any friend of Ignizi's is a friendly of mine. I have heard along the toadstools about the grossiest dead rising up into an army. I will surely help you stop whoever, whatever is doing all this. Let me thinkies..."
After pausing for a few moments to think, he suggests, "Ummm, how 'bout you stay here at my log and I'll askie around about to my forest friendlies? They'll be super spooked by you, so I need to go alone. I should be back by morning."
|
|
Quiella picks up the ring. She can't make out what it does, so she shrugs and decides to show it to Mel, Ophelia, and Vailis when she gets out of the ravine.
"I don't fancy the idea of sitting idle for that long, but I don't see what else we can do in this situation." She pauses, and adds to herself "Well, it will be nice to spend some time in the feywild again..."
-Posted with Wayfinder