Surprise Round
Mahdi shouts hissing words in Ignan, gesturing with his fingers. A roiling ball of flame roars into being around the flind.
Round 1, Init 26
fire damage.
Almost casually, he fires his crossbow at the flind as well.
Surprise Round
Pent makes sure he's free and clear of any and all newcomers, then pats his crossbow, hoping that a little blessing will bring him some better luck against the brutes.
Though the Flind just manages to avoid the flame on its approach, he is hit as it pursues him. He side steps toward Kul.
As he taunts Kul, the hyena closes distance.
, .
Though the Flind's attack misses widely, the hyena manages to trip Kul.
Though the Flind just manages to avoid the flame on its approach, he is hit as it pursues him.
Round Surprise
Yeen moves up slowly, preparing his own glorious pounce while Ami loads a stone into his sling.
Round One: Alderbert, Ami/Yeen, & Pent now acting.
Round: 1, Initiative:
Weapon Equipped = Guisarme
Conditions = None
Smite Evil = 2/2 (+2 attack, +4 damage, +2 AC)
Lay on Hands = 3/4 (2d6 healing +1d6 if not fatigued)
Guisarme Attack Mods: BAB +4, Str +2, MW +1, Size +1
Guisarme Damage Mods: Str +2, Two handed +1
Spells (caster level 1, concentration +3)
1) Hero's Defiance
Aldebert takes a 5’ step into flank with the Hyena (thanks Kul!) and attacks it.
(flank)
The hyena yelps as Aldebert strikes it easily.
Round 1
Pent fires at the hyena as well, hoping to lessen numbers.
"Fly true, bolt of blue, never knew, you had it in you!!"
"So it's true, now I'm blue, shoulda knew, you had to be you!!!"
Round 1
Ami fires off a stone while Yeen moves in to deliver the whatfor!
Ranged slingstone:
to hit;
damage.
Yeen (bite):
to hit;
damage.
The series of attacks surprise the Flind, but as each misses he smiles and resumes taunting Kul.
Round Two: Mahdi & Kul now acting.
Mahdi saunters up.
Flame erupts from his fingers and washes over the hyena and the flind both.
, , .
The Flind is engulfed in flames, dying nearly immediately. Although the heyna is mostly unharmed, it growls loudly as it sees it's master fall. The sounds are followed by jaws lunging toward Kul.
,
The hyena's teeth clamp around Kul, tearing at his flesh savagely.
Round two: Kul, Alderbert, Ami/Yeen, & Pent now acting.
Round: 2, Initiative:
Weapon Equipped = Guisarme
Conditions = None
Smite Evil = 2/2 (+2 attack, +4 damage, +2 AC)
Lay on Hands = 3/4 (2d6 healing +1d6 if not fatigued)
Guisarme Attack Mods: BAB +4, Str +2, MW +1, Size +1
Guisarme Damage Mods: Str +2, Two handed +1
Spells (caster level 1, concentration +3)
1) Hero's Defiance
Aldebert stays in flank and tries to end the Hyenas life - if Kul hasn’t already beaten him to it!
(flank)
Round 2
The glow of his light crossbow makes Pent turn it over in his hands in admiration. "Ah, that you could shine like Sarah all the time!! I'd never take my eyes off you! A little calm and quiet for contemplation, a little less sand between my cheeks, and we'd find new levels of peace, we would. Ah."
Almost by surprise, another bolt finds its way into the groove of the crossbow. The gnome leans in, just catching the faintest of suggestions. He nods vigorously, points the crossbow at the hyena, and fires.
Round 2
Ami and Yeen move 5' to flank with Kul. Ami attacks with his slingstaff, Yeen with claws and mouth.
Time for the whatfor!
to hit;
damage.
to hit (bite);
damage.
to hit (bite);
damage.
to hit (bite);
damage.
Between Aldebert, Ami, and Yeen's attacks the hyena falls. Yeen seems happy to not have to bite at the mangy creature again. Not far from the burnt remains of the Flind there seems to be bit of smoldering cloth. Other than charred remains there seems to be little remaining of the Flind or it's gear.
Pent hobbles over to the bent bolt, hoping it's not fooked past function.
"Broken bolt, broken toe, broken bolt, broken toe." Pent storms around in a huff for a little while, before turning a look to the injured Kul. He waves everyone around, not looking too closely at those potentially injured.
"Alright now." Pent wiggles his foot, smiling heartily. "Where are we off to, now? The shrine to Nethys, and some huffpuffing? Yeah?"
A last bit of smoke wafts from the bit of smoldering cloth as the fire subsides. Above, the clouds seem to be gathering. The shade is welcomed, but the sound of thunder in the distance may not be.
Aldebert pokes at the remains with his Guisarme.
Seeing the mask, he pulls it from the fire with his weapon, and holds it up once cooler to the touch. "Check this out, he was carrying this mask." He turns to the others holding it up, "Is it magical? What is it?"
Is it worth anything?
...Aldebert isn't sure anyway.
Pent wiggles his fingers, as if to pluck the mask out of Aldebert's hands, but not doing so.
Kul examines the bite on his side:
His face relaxes as he feels the healing power channeled by Pent. "Thanks! That guy was a jerk."
Pent wiggles his fingers all the way to the mask as he identifies magic about it. "Hey, Aldi, would you mind?" Pent plucks the mask out of the halfling's hands if it's easy enough.
"It's just like the monkey face."
As Pent looks over the mask he is able to gain much about it's qualities. However, he also finds some writing on the inside of the mask he does not understand.
Three times per day the wearer can command the mask to appear to retract the wearer’s skin, revealing an illusion of the wearer’s glistening skull and musculature. Creatures within 100 feet who see this display must succeed at a DC 13 Will save or become frightened (if the target has 6 or fewer Hit Dice) or shaken (if the target has more than 6 HD) for 1d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect and a glamer. Anyone who can see through illusions (such as by true seeing) is unaffected.
You also note that the item is cursed with requiring the blood of a recently killed krenshar (same day) to be rubbed upon it each day to function. This curse can be broken through completing a quest, which is written on inside of the mask.
Pent giggles as he puts the pieces together. He traipses across the countryside , to the last kill of krenshar, where he procures a sample. Applying it quickly to the mask, then quickly to his face, he then returns to Mahdi.
Within moments, he calls forth the mask's ability, while uttering the sacred words..."Boogie boogie!!"
Standing among the grasses is a sight to behold. The gnome's face covered in a leather mask that mimics the face of a krenshar, which drips now with the fresh blood of the slain creature, seems to be expecting something.
Ami waits as Yeen tears out the throat of the flind, both to make sure its dead and as a reflexive act of hatred towards his mortal enemies.
That's the whatfor!
Ami turns around to see Pent, agrin like a skeleton. Yeen's dander rises and Ami follows suit, wondering what enchantment will necessitate their slaying of the gnoll-possessed gnome.
"Brother!! We should slay it!" Ami says to his brother, pointing his 'staff at the gnome-grinner. "He is lost to us and Sarenrae!"
Yeen turns from his sacred duty, gnoll throat ripping, to face the new foe. He bristles and hisses at the kit sized man-dog-demon-thing and prepares to launch both himself and The One at the creature. Better to kill it while it's young.
Aldebert speaks haltingly, and uneasily grips his Guisarme while he waits to see what happens next.
Mahdi had time to cast a cantrip to detect magic on the thing before Pent decided to jam it onto his face and add fresh blood to the tableau.
Now the wizard just stares at Pent.
"...that is... both disgusting and hideously unhygienic. Take that off. You have no idea where it's been, other than: probably on the flind. If you get fleas it's going to be your own fault, let alone whatever you pick up from the fresh blood. Besides, I think my fire damaged the magics on that thing-- it'll probably curse you so that you can't take it off."
Pent looks back and forth at everyone, the realization setting in. "So... no booga?? Not even a little boogie??" He pulls the mask off, dismayed that any chance for shocking the marble mug of Mahdi has blown away like so much hot desert wind.
"Already got fleas, so yeah. Seems to come off easily enough, so you may rest easier for that bit of good luck." The gnome turns the mask over and over, thoroughly expectant that it is not just a rag of flesh, but something with great promise.
"I read the gnoll scritch, which says with great clarity- 'By the blood of the speaking krenshar', so should we happen to encounter such a beast, I'd say we should ask for a donation."
"You think you can sort out this magic bit, Maddie? Think of what I could do with that from a hundred paces. Think of what... <giggle>... think of what I... <snort>..." Pent's face turns from placid to playful at odd moments.
Aldebert leans back off the balls of his feet and murmurs to his brother.
He laughs and picks up his crossbow, stowing it for the next leg of the journey.
The promise of a storm seems to hang in the sky as the gathered clouds darken. Cool wind shifts at moments to strong gusts, but as the journey continues toward the old shrine there seems to be no follow through with the threat. The rain that begins to fall is cooling and lacks intensity. Rain comes in starts and stops as you near the base of the mountain path. Not far from the shrine the sound of thunder in the distance betrays the storms strengthening. With the sound growing closer, and the rain becoming heavy enough to make it difficult to see at times, the flash of lightning not far from the shrine is not surprising.
Perception:
(normal)
(low-light)
(normal)
(low-light)
(normal)
Huh, I wonder what that is?
"Be careful folks, I think something's coming. Something large. Maybe a giant."
Aldebert looks for some cover to hide behind, hoping to take whatever it is by surprise.
Apparently cover is thin and he can't find much. He grips his Guisarme hoping the rain doesn't make it too slick as he tries to see through the water filled sky at what may be coming.
Pent uses the light rainfall to rinse off the last bits of blood from his face. Keeping up with the others, he stops and starts as well, taking in the landscape, with a nostalgic look towards the pesh fields. Oooo, what waits for us back in the monastery? Hehehe, of course, of course, just a matter of time, then you'll have earned a spot of the pesh, homebrewed special and fresh from the harvest!!
Pent looks around half-heartedly, his heart somewhere else at present. "When the ground rumbles like that, Aldi, it's usually the sky's thunder that shakes it like that. Not unlike that belly of yours that grumbles when you're hungry. All very natural processes, you should be relieved to know."
With his brother's words, Ami and Yeen relax a bit, but Yeen continues his low growl at the gnome. Ami tosses in a fierce glare that lasts several moments.
"Gnome, you should be careful. Yeen does not take kindly to gnoll tricks...next time that happens, your neckmeat will be his," Ami issues a warning before forcibly moving Yeen away from attacking Pent.
* * *
Round of Surprise
With his brother's words, Ami and Yeen move into cover, seeking stealth from whatever comes.
Stealth w/sneak trick
"Gnome, you should be careful..."
Pent slaps his thigh, glad at least someone sees the humor in masks and mayhem. "Ah, you brute!!" Pent feigns terror, then chuckles to himself, feigns terror again to himself, then chuckles again.
...
Round of Impending Thunder Tummy Rumbles
Pent sticks close by the others, not sure why everyone is so flipped out, but taking some measure to prevent him from being targetted first.
Round one
Mahdi squints through the rain, shading his eyes with his hand and trying to see through the sheeting moisture. Sa'amm perches nervously on his shoulder.
"...that's no giant," Mahdi says sharply, "that's an avalanche! Coming this way! Several hundred feet away, but those rocks are moving fast!"
He looks around for any sort of sheltering natural feature or high ground they could get to before the rocks crash upon them.
Round One
Ignoring Amiamble and Pent's grab-assing, Kul spends time carefully cleaning his falchion, sheathing it, and securing his gear from the rain.
Rumbling continues to intensify, as does the rain. Though the rocky ground ahead is slick, it at least isn't becoming mired with mud like the ground nearby.
"We can run back down to the flood plain-- and try and outrun the rockslide-- or run forward-- the outcroppings ahead may offer some shelter!" Mahdi says quickly. "But we must decide in short order-- those rocks will be on us before too long! Sa'amm, get back in my pack where it's safe!"
Roc slide? I've got to see this!
Ami and Yeen whirl and begin to sprint down the mountain, turning his head to see if his brother follows.
I can't wait to see the rocs at the bottom! When they are done, it might be that both me and Yeen go down!
Round 2
Pointing downhill and to the left, Kul yells, "I vote for downhill, angling to the side. It gives us more time to hopefully find some cover. Go! Go! Go!"
Round 2
Mahdi nods his agreement with Kul's plan, and turns to tear downhill, his robes flapping around his legs. This is undignified. A wizard should have other ways of getting around. Someday, he vows, he will learn a spell that saves him from running on the ground like an imbecile.
Turning and heading downhill the initial patches of mud are easily avoided, but after just ten or so feet, there seems to be little break from the mud. Between the slowing progress and the occasional slick rock hidden beneath the mud, the path down is seeming less inviting.
Reflex:
(normal)
(low-light)
(normal)
(low-light)
(normal)
As robes gather around his feet in the wind, the mud proves to be too much for Mahdi. As if the indignity of running in such conditions weren't enough, laying filthy upon the soaked ground proves to be even less becoming. Pent, trying to stifle a giggle, isn't able to balance himself as his foot finds a slick rock beneath the mud. The gnome falls to his rump with a squishy thud. Kul, for all his strength isn't able to help either of them. Though he offers an outreached hand, the gesture leaves him off balance as he too falls to the ground.