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"Well what did you expect, tossing a Mendevian cocktail at 'em like that!? They were probably just coming over to say 'Hello, did you have any fresh blood you could spare?' and the next thing they know is you are immolating grandma and all the womenfolk from her side of the family." Droo shouts over her shoulder. "That's the trouble with you big folks--no respect."
"And now me and Vinegar have to do something spectacular to save everyone--typical!"
She reaches out her gauntleted right hand and drags it along the surface of the tree there like an anchor, digging up a band of bark, and using Vinegar's speed and momentum to set them both into a sudden 180 degree turn.
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Flasks of acid appear in the party's hands almost simultaneously. The nebulous nature of the enemy makes a direct hit quite difficult. Only Molly is able to land a direct blow. It seems more effective than normal.
The swarm continues its assault on the party and moves to consume Molly. Squire Droo and Vinegar ride in at the last moment and sweep Molly to safety.
Round 2
Droo
Deacon (-8 HP)
Swarm (-6 HP)
Popit (owes a turn for rd 1)
Oli
Molly
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Deacon's lit torch swipes at the swarm burning off a few bugs before he dives to safety. Oli and Molly simultaneously toss fire and acid at the remaining cloud of insects as it explodes, leaving a fine ash. Everything goes very quiet aside from a light crackle of burning grass.
Well done! That was quite a test, brave Pathfinders. Excellent use of your procured instruments. She jots down a few notes in her notebook and doodles a small drawing of area of encounter. Here, let me patch you up, Deacon.
There you go. Everyone else ok? Come on then, we need to make it to the cave before sundown.
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The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer
cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet
overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,”
Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She
pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in
the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods
come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen
danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before
whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature
with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from
the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and
wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with
unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’
capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance
we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling
off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your
mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and
join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack
into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur
before turning to lure it away.
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At the sounds of approaching danger, Molly pushes her lute down and out of the way and pulls out her battle-axe. But, a moment later, Janira tells her to run and tosses her backpack into the cave. Molly looks at Janira in concern and, for once, her smile drops.
"Are you sure, hon? That doesn't sit right with me..."
But the halfling's already hurried away and casting spells at the minotaur.
Unsure and worried, Molly moves toward the cave.
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"Thank you so much for the healing Janira." Deacon keeps his torch ready just in case any other bugs come by, swarm or not.
================
Looking to Oli and replying, "She's already saw our survival attempts and thinks it would be safer running into the cave." With a shrug of his shoulders, leading with the torch, Deacon enters the cave entrance.
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"Hmm. I don't know. It was pretty suspicious the way she was going on about how you had to have dangerous combustible chemicals on you at all times to deal with swarms of stuff and then, in the middle of nowhere there's big swarm of bugs. You would have thought she would have mentioned food or clothing first. Makes you think she owes a share in the guild that mixes the stuff. I suspect this one of those hazing things. Sad really. That minotaur is probably one of those two-part cow costumes with Dean Shaine on top working the mouth, and Dean Zey playing the rear end, as usual. So what's in the sack? And anyone got a light?"
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potion of barkskin, potions of cure light wounds (2),
potion of feather step , potion of vanish , scroll of
entangle, scroll of gust of wind, scroll of identify, scroll of
mage armor (CL 6), scroll of obscuring mist, wand of burning
hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges), wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd,
7 charges), acid, alchemist’s fire (2), holy water, smokestick,
tanglefoot bags (2), thunderstone.
-----------------
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet
before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans
the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the
bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
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The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheercliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
"And is that why we've come? To look at people with gills?"
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** Janira's stuff **
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"Look at this! Why that little twerp! She was holding out on us! There's alchemist fire in here!"
She rum ages some more. "Hey! I think it is one of those sunrod thingies."
She snaps the smokestick and waits for the light to come pouring out. It doesn't of course.
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"Do you have a light? I'd like to see anything. It's dark in here."
"Oh I did not know you were the type of gnome that could not see in the dark. Here take five torches encase you lose the sunrod. I don't really need them."
Oli with a big sincere smile starts tucking torches on to Droo and Vinegar.
"Ha! Droo that's a funny joke. You called her little and you're little too. Especially because she is out there fighting a minotaur by herself and you ran away with us. I can't wait until I can joke with other pathfinders like that."
Oli pulls out a grappling hook and rope and starts to set a rig to climb down into the pit.
"We can all go this way!"
Detect magic and perception down the pit before climbing down.
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"Oh I did not know you were the type of gnome that could not see in the dark. Here take five torches encase you lose the sunrod. I don't really need them."
"Do I look like a juggler?" She lets all but one of the torches drop. "I ask again, does anyone have a light?"
"Ha! Droo that's a funny joke. You called her little and you're little too. Especially because she is out there fighting a minotaur by herself and you ran away with us. I can't wait until I can joke with other pathfinders like that."
"Two men in a cow suit." Droo says flatly. "Honestly if it had been a real minotaur Vinegar and me would have been the first to fight it."
In nature, bright colors are often an indication of danger. If so Droo is no doubt more dangerous than any three grizzly bears. She turns her near 4-foot-tall frame (hair included) and levels her 12-foot-tall stare at Oli.