"Well done, Huntsmen! I am honored by among such exceptional company, especially ones who dispatch dragonflies with such facility!"
"Indeed. It feels good to have such a commanding victory. Come now, let us harvest these wings."
"We're not done yet. We also needs some big slugs."
Harvesting the wings does not take long, and you spend another couple of days mapping the surrounding areas.
Dawn arrives on 14th Sarenith muggy and hot.
Southeast
Heading southeast, the Huntsmen find themselves leaving the swamps in favor of the westernmost reaches of the Narlmarches forest.
Taranis preps to explore and map the area.
Mapping the area proceeds smoothly enough, bringing you to 17th Sarenith.
As you begin to head west, you come across a small team of loggers taking a break for a quick meal at the edge of the forest. "Headed for the Swamp Scar, eh?" one calls out to you as you pass. "Beautiful spot, that. A rare sight. Been meanin' to visit again myself soon."
"Do tell! There is nothing so important as a citizen with a story, and no easier way to grab my attention than to speak of a rare and beautiful sight... or site as the case may be."
"Never been, eh? Keep heading that way an' you'll come across a huge mound of fallen trees, some living, some dead, piled high in a jagged line by the river currents. It's, oh I dunno, fifty feet tall and a quarter mile long, I'd guess. It'd be a logger's paradise, but there's something serene and beautiful about the place, I'd dare not touch a log there. We just call it the Swamp Scar."
"Indeed. Tell me more."
Indeed, Bytor takes 10 on his sense motive!
”Did you meet anyone when you were out visiting the swamp scar? Any creatures or stewards of the land out there?”
"Oh, aye," the man grins. "There's a lady that lives out that way. She's very... liberal, if y'know what I mean, an' always enjoys company." He winks.
"Just look for the smoke, you'll see her hut."
Appearing slightly flustered and a little red in the face, Bytor replies, ”I was not looking for any liberal stewards!”
"Of course not, of course not," the man throws up his hands, chuckling. "Out here'd be an odd place to look, but she's out there all the same."
Bytor casts Dispel Magic on the logger with whom Taranis was speaking.
The man immediately becomes suspicious. "Oi! What you doin' there? Some kinda wizard are ya? Don't need you puttin' a spell on me, now. Run off, the lot of you!"
Taranis waves the issue away, "Sorry. Standard operating procedure. We'll head there forthwith." Which we do.
The man thumbs his nose at you as you leave. It does not take long to reach the landmark. An immense mound of fallen trees and logs lie in a jagged line here, forming a scar of decaying plant matter created over the course of decades by various river currents. The jagged mound is pockmarked with many dark holes and warrens as the creatures of the Slough have made their homes here. The scene is certainly impressive, and beautiful in its own way, if a little disgusting from all the rot.
You do not see any smoke, however.
Taranis casts a spell of Heightened Awareness, then calls out, "Hullo!"
After a moment, there is a quiet rustling noise as a large, dark shape slithers out of one of the shadowed holes in the towering mound. Curved yellow teeth and a long, forked black tongue protrude from a human-like face at the head of a towering serpentine menace. "Wellll 'hulllo' my ssssssweeeet! Don't you loook tasssssty!"
The creature's eyes shimmer with a dangerous, curious glow.
+2 if Surprise
+2 if Surprise
Round I
1. Bytor
2. ???
3. Taranis, Augrym, Unrak
As a standard action, Bytor tries to identify this foe!
"I am actually not very tasty. I think you want to go look for a bag of snake kibbles."
Bytor inspires courage in his companions as he draws his bow!
"Let's cut this little menace down to size, brothers!"
By the coloration of the scales, you are confident that this is a spirit naga---a deadly and formidable foe.
"Shhhhhh, shhhhhh my sssssweeeet. No neeeeed to talk back." The serpentine horror clicks her tongue, and Bytor suddenly feels very drowsy.
Round I
1. Bytor (Will save!)
2. Ngara
3. Taranis, Augrym, Unrak
”Do you guys feel like taking a rest right now?”
Bytor promptly falls into a deep, deep slumber, curled up on a little grassy tussock. His snores, though copious, do not have the same effect on your zeal as his oratory.
As you fall asleep, you remember that spirit nagas are known to bewitch unsuspecting travelers with a mere gaze, sometimes charming whole groups to do their bidding. As with most nagas, their best defenses are usually their sorcerer abilities.
Round I
1. Bytor
2. Ngara
3. Taranis, Augrym, Unrak
Woth a curse, Taranis steps over to Bytor, casting a spell on Toth to turn the cat into a huge tiger!
Bigger, stronger, and deadlier, Toth pounces!
for
for
for
for
Brother!! Slap him awake!!
Unrak does what he does best--scream in primordial rage and charge his foe He trusts his fury will gird his mind against this beastie's magicks...
Full of fury, the mighty tiger leaps into the air, eager to taste snake flesh for the first time in a long while. The naga looks up at her impending doom.
They lock eyes.
And suddenly the snarl on Toth's face disappears. His muscles relax. He lands gently next to the naga. "Goooood kittyyyy, yessssss!" The naga licks the tiger's snout playfully. "Have a sssssseat." Toth curls up by her side, purring contentedly.
It does not matter. Toth's animal instincts, driven by his bond, tell him to kill. He pounces maw-first, ripping away scales with his jaws and burying into the flesh with his claws. The naga screams with horror.
Round I
1. Bytor (zzzz)
2. Ngara (41 dmg)
3. Taranis, Augrym, Unrak (Will)
Unrak rushes forward, brow and beard full of rage. The naga gazes in his direction and... smiles? In a friendly way? The big man almost loses his nerve and stops, but the momentum of his fury pushes him onward.
He swings, the blade going well wide---turned as if by magic as much as skill.
Round I
1. Bytor (zzzz)
2. Ngara (41 dmg)
3. Taranis, Augrym, Unrak
Movie, study the target, and attack.
The instant Augrym reaches for a blade instead of his bow, Taranis shouts, "NO! Stay back! Use your bow!"
Taranis's pleas fall on deaf ears, for the half-orc is already rushing forward. Augrym looks into his foe's eyes, studying their intent, and his expression soon registers surprise. This is not a foe---but a friend! A kindly naga, all alone in the wilderness, only in need of an attentive ear in this big, cruel world. Augrym moves closes to his new-found companion.
"Keeeeep the tiiiiiger off meeeee..." she hisses. Augrym steps over to obey.
The naga intones a muttering of arcane power and snaps forward to lick Unrak's face, leaving a potent green slime on his lips.
SUCCESS
HIT
She then slithers back out of Toth's reach and an instant latter fires off a set of magical bolts at Toth.
Round 2
1. Bytor (zzzz)
2. Ngara (41 dmg)
3. Taranis (Toth 62/83 hp), Augrym (charmed, must keep Toth away from the naga), Unrak (FORT, WILL)
fakkin hell
Taranis violently shakes Bytor to wake him up, trusting that Toth will keep up the fire.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Toth goes nuts:
Miss
for
for
MISS
Unrak licks his lips, unbothered by the poison. At the same time, something stirs in him... he would not mind licking those lips again. And those eyes! "Resssstrain the tiiiger!!!" Ngara hisses at him.
The tiger, paying no mind, launches another assault---this time finding his every move foiled by the naga's quick defenses and hardened scales.
Meanwhile, Bytor is startled awake by Taranis's swift kick in the ribs.
Round 2
3. Taranis (Toth 62/83 hp), Augrym (charmed, must attempt to keep Toth away from the naga), Unrak (charmed, must attempt to restrain Toth)
Round 3
1. Bytor (prone)
2. Ngara (41 dmg)
”Watch out! Spirit Nagas have a way of ensorceling their victims. Take this thing out before it charms us to death!”
Bytor stands up and immediately casts haste on his companions!
Unrak licks his lips, unbothered by the poison. At the same time, something stirs in him... he would not mind licking those lips again. And those eyes! "Resssstrain the tiiiger!!!" Ngara hisses at him.
Unrak, a tad confused about the (to him) shifting situation, turns to Toth and tries to hold him down.
Toth!! No, leave her alone!!