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"Do we need to?" Kronas asks Artus "It's obvious that they're bullying the poor creature, and we can't just stand by and watch them do it..." Kronas says, distressed at the sight. Despite his initial instinct to rush in, he spends a second to really concentrate on the words they are speaking. His eyes briefly flash with a violet light and with a gasp he declares "They're asking for help! We have to, we just have to!" He bounds closer to the group of elementals "Hey!" he lands a few feet from them, and slides a few inches more on the frozen ground "Stop that this instant!" he admonishes the closest creature, waving his sword at it "That is no way to treat others."
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Seeing the group beating on one of their own, he turns to alter his course. He raises an eyebrow at Kronas' rambling and sighs deeply. The strong dominate the weak. That is the way of the universe. Leave it to a gnome to think intervening is a good idea...
With Kronas leaping into the open, Lutorinus saunters over. This better be worth it. "Kronas, do enlighten us on the words that apparently only you are able to understand," he requests, clearly a little irritated by the situation.
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"The frozen city sounds good. If we get the chance I would love to explore the ship as well though." Menarul says as he reholsters his hammer. Following Kronas' example he then starts experimenting with jumping in the gravity. "Well, this is fun. I wonder how it'll affect arrows and distances."
Menarul starts taking memos of the lands and sights as the group moves on. He stops for a brief second to take a few quick sketches of the trees as well as a good sample he puts into an empty vial.
Menarul listens to the few words of Aquan reaching them, visibly bristling. He draws his longbow and shouts, "That one being attacked wants our help and I say we give it to him." Menarul then sighs as the gnome rushes up. "Again immediately into close-quarters. Fine let's talk this out." He drops the bow and pulls out his hammer and then bounds up beside the gnome. Holding the hammer in what he hopes is a menacing way, he intones in a fairly flat Aquan, "What is going on here? Would you mind explaining why you are ganging up on this one?"
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Robyyn sidles up beside Lutorinus in a single exaggerated step allowed by the lower gravity, landing after an even longer tail to the step than most. "The creature on the ground is very definitely crying for help. Though understanding its words is secondary to understanding that point, I can confirm that's exactly what it is saying. It seems that Kronas is very far from the only one here that can understand an elemental language."
Knowing he has nothing to offer via either physical threats or diplomacy, Robyyn remains a few steps back with Lutorinus, staying ready to intevene in his own particular way should it prove necessary, but leaving room for those with softer tongues to try their words first.
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Kronas's attempt at diplomacy doesn't go over well, as something seems to get lost in translation. All they know, is a small creature is waving a sword at them before Menarul joins with his hammer. They interpret this as a sign of aggressions and move towards the party, not acting interested in any sort of negotiations.
Round 1
Active conditions: Flagbearer
Artus (-1)
Robyyn
Kronas
Zandu
Lutorinus
Menarul
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Red
Blue
Orange
Purple
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Menarul sighs as the gnome rushes up to the water creatures. "Immediately into close-quarters, yet again. Does everyone hate shooting things? Fine, let's sort this out." He drops his bow and pulls out his hammer and then glides up beside the gnome. With a deft flick he sends the flat portion of the hammer flying to the nearest elemental.
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"I know all about bullies like these..." Kronas says as he bounds further to the side "Just stand tall and brave, and it won't matter how many of them there are, they will soon flee!" Circling the elementals to get a good view of the situation, Kronas continues to give tactical advice to his comrades while he waves the Society flag high in the air "Too risky for ranged tactics, Menarul, we could end up hitting the one we're trying to protect."
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Menarul is clearly the only other person here with any semblance of sense. If we are going to start a fight, why not put a few projectiles in them first? Always more fun that way!
Lutorinus pulls out his crossbow and takes a pot shot at a water elemental. Having a better time with the awkward gravity, the bolt grazes their foe, releasing a small spray of water that quickly turns to mist in the harsh cold. "These are simply a water version of the earth elementals we fought earlier. Take them down quickly."
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Move Draw Crossbow
Standard Fire
Free 5ft step
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Zandu, in his typically quiet fashion, responds quickly to the ensuing chaos. He tracks northeast, to get a clear shot, and then extends his hand toward one of the creatures. His coin shoots forward toward the nearest elemental.
Move action to move
Standard action to use telekinetic blast against the orange elemental
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Artus rushes in to attack, but slides on the slippery surface and misses with his blade. Robyyn uses his arcane powers to weaken one of their foes while Kronas tries to bring everyone's spirits up. Zandu's coin leaves a gaping hole in one of the elementals, before Lutorinus finishes it off with a bolt from his crossbow. Using his hammer, Menarul crushes an elemental into oblivion, but his reactions aren't quick enough to hit the one that rushes in to attack. Both of the remaining elementals are obviously affected by the cold, and can't connect on their attacks.
Round 2
Active conditions: Flagbearer, Inspire
Artus (-1)
Robyyn
Kronas
Zandu
Lutorinus
Menarul
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Red
Blue
Orange
Purple
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"They're sluggish! When I jump back, take your shots." Kronas feints up high and strikes down low, his sword glowing slightly in the darkness "Now!" He quickly darts backwards and takes up a defensive stance.
Swift: Arcane Strike (+1 to damage roll and counts as magical)
Free: Inspire Courage
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"Surprisingly, a typical water elemental is unlikely to resist your fire bomb. However, I've never frozen one of these things before..." Lutorinus explains as he winds up his crossbow and fires it at another elemental. Unfortunately, he anticipates it's lurching incorrectly and he snarls loudly as the bolt strikes the tree behind it with a commanding thump. Damned things, they are wasting our time!
Move Reload
Standard Fire
Free 5ft NW
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Seeing his first target fall easily to Zandu and Lutorinus' combined efforts, Robyyn turns his attention to one of the other elementals. His gaze settling on the creature, Robyyn's mind goes to work to weaken its defenses.
Standard action to use Evil Eye targeting Blue for a -2 penalty to AC. Will DC 15 for 1 round, otherwise 7 rounds duration.
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Artus slashes again with his blade, cutting a large chunk off of the frozen elemental. Robyym again distracts the other elemental with his evil gaze, just enough for Zandu to smack it with a piece of ice. Kronas and Lutorinus both miss with their attacks, but Menarul has more luck, and puts another elementals down for good. The last remaining creature, seeing itself outmatched, begins to flee.
Out of combat!
The remaining elemental, the one that was being attacked, looks up at you from the ground. It speaks to you in a combination of Aquan and very poor Common. "Th-thank you. Please help me, I feel so weak."
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Lutorinus strides forth, signature wand in hand. "I am Lutorinus Exsuberia and it is I who shall heal you." He inhales deeply before continuing.
he cries out as he annoints the wounded elemental in the most unholy of pentagrams. Another lamb joins the flock...
He takes what passes for the elemental's hand gently between his own. "All I ask in return is for you to remember who it was that did so."
With a flourish, he rises. "We have much to do, let us not waste time. What is your name, my dearest of friends? Do you know of a frozen city?"
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"Yeah, you better run!" Kronas yells after the fleeing elemental "Maybe next time you'll treat others with some respect." He walks over to greet their new friend, smiling at Lutorinus What a nice man! He sheathes his sword and waves affably at the elemental "I'm Kronas, Kronas Kronglic and we are Pathfinders..." he points to his flag "See? And we're here to save the day." He smiles and waits for him to answer Lutronius' questions. He notices Artus slip into the shadows and wishes him luck.
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"I'm very happy to meet you, Krezak." Kronas says with a beaming smile "Would you be able to guide us to the city? No, wait... Does anyone live in the city, or is it deserted? Oh, oh, are there any nasty things hanging around that we should know about?" He jumps up a little with each question, enjoying the lower gravity "I've never met anyone like you before, Krezak... You soo nice! Why did those bullies attack you? Is it because they're bullies?"
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Fool, Krezak was bullied because he is weak! That isn't to say he doesn't have potential...
"I'm sure our new friend would love to tell us what he knows about the city!" Unsure whether or not the elemental is getting overwhelmed by Kronas' stream of conscious, Lutorinus leaves it at that and waits patiently for a reply.
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Menarul gives a big smile and hoists his hammer onto his shoulder, looking at the last Elemental still attacking the group. He then frowns for a second when it subsequently turns and flees. He gives a shrug and re holsters his hammer. He then watches as the teifling performs his healing and the gnome starts nattering away. He then moves in closer and in a quiet voice says, "Kronas, our gnome friend over there, is a bit talkative. He means well, and just answer what you can."
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Zandu grins in satisfaction at seeing his strike land home and the remaining elementals fall. He holds out his hand, and his coin removes itself from the remains of the first elemental and zooms back to his hand. As the others begin to interact with the friendly elemental, he remains quiet, leaning against a nearby tree, watching the interaction with satisfied look on his face.
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Aware that some of you understand the aquan tongue, Krezak continues in its native language "To understand why they attacked, you must first know a bit of our past. Dozens of our kind were frozen into these lands by Ayrzul. Once servants of Kelizandri, we occupied this location and flooded it with water, so that we might live in it and flourish. Eventually, the shahzada, Zhaleh Setat, who oversaw the defenses here, heard the call of Raginori. He had been captured somewhere, and she heard his whispers. He called out to her, and so she led a revolt. She wanted to save him. In the end, we failed, and Ayrzul turned this entire place to ice by rotating the asteroid away from the sun. Our kind cannot survive this climate."
"Many of us are already dead, turned on each other in hopes that we may regain Kelizandri's favor. That is why they decided to attack me. We had all been rebels and escaped into this forest together, but they had a change of heart and I would not join them."
"As for the city itself, it is an ancient city from Iovo itself. I don't know much about it, but I can tell you where some of the patrols are."
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Lutorinus distorts his face into a pained expression as Krezak tells the tale of his betrayal. "Rest easy, friend. Asmodeus lends aid to all who are willing to accept it, as am I. Please, as we walk, tell us who these people are. I've not heard the names Ayrzul, Zhaleh Setat, Kelizandri, or Raginori. When we near the city, patrol locations would be very helpful to our cause." As much as I appreciate a good twist, this is getting a little too sweet for me. Out with the information so we can be on our way!
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Kronas does his best to translate, although he stumbles on some of the names "Wow!" He exclaims when the story is finished "What a story!" He nods along to Lutorinus "There were an awful lot of names..." He scratches his head as he tries to sort them all out in his head "Oh! Do you think Raginori is the reason we're here?" he asks the others "He is friendly, isn't he?" now directed towards the elemental "If you're still interested, we should start a new revolt! Then when someone says that I'm revolting, I can take it as a compliment." he says happily.
When directions are given, he starts skipping in the direction of the city, merrily waving his flag.
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Krezak looks at you quite quizzically, astonished that you don't know who he is talking about. "You really don't know who Raginori is, or Kelizandri? You Pathfinders seems to have much to learn. Ranginori of course, is the Duke of Thunder, a benevolent elemental lord. On the other hand, the Brackish Emperor, Kelizandri, and the Fossilized King, Ayrzul are evil elemental lords. They have been at war for countless millennia with Raginori and his kin, and he himself is trapped within this asteroid."
"Zhaleh's what I think is normally referred to as a genie. She had helped some of us who heard Raginori's call, lead a revolt. But it failed, and I believe she is imprisoned in that fortress." as it points to the spire in the distance.
"While I cannot join you on your journey, you may call on me to aid you and I will do my best to help. Right now, there are other rebels like myself that need my help."
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Kronas translates once again "Ooooh! Save the damsel in distress... now that sounds real heroic!" He draws his sword again and slashes it through the air a few times "Haha! These mean elemental royals don't stand a chance against the full force of the Pathfinders." he swishes his sword one more time for luck before thanking the elemental for the information.
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"Very well, we shall part ways. I hope to find you again, may Asmodeus bless and protect you, as truly as he does me," with a warm smile, Lutorinus turns and heads in the direction of the city. Finally! I was on the verge of a little acid reflux there...
"Artus, we have a genie to free in the frozen fortress. I can accompany you in your scouting if you wish," he says flatly, stark contrast to his previous demeanor with the water elemental. Though it is always nice to have someone you can out run if things go poorly...
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Robyyn, staying silent and towards the back, is unable to conceal his increased interest when Zhaleh's nature is mentioned. Genie? I wonder if she's djinn? Oh, to meet one in person.
After Krezak has left, Robyyn voices his agreement. "We should definitely seek this genie. This rock is proving to be most interesting."
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Menarul occasionally helps the gnome in translating the elemental's words, a look of wonder on his face the entire time. A good aligned elemental lord? I thought they had been all killed. No wonder this asteroid is important! But the genie sounds like she knows more.
Menarul bids the elemental Farewell, but as soon as Krezak leaves, Menarul springs into action, almost as visibly excited as the Kronas. "Artus and Lutorinus, it be great if you could scout ahead. Try not to get into too much trouble and give us a signal if you do. I can lead the rest of the group behind you. Kronas and Robyyn would you mind taking the middle? And Zandu can you cover our rear?" With this he turns and starts marching towards the fortress, softly humming a tune of some sort.
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You continue on down along the dark, frozen path and eventually, you come to the vast frozen city. The gentle wind brings a semblance of life and movement to the area. Failing enchantments causes stone to crumble and rebuild from moment to moment. A thick sheen of ice and snow covers every surface. A few structures around a temple plaza bear signs of recent repairs and habitation, and the icy, shattered remains of fifteen-foot-tall, willowy humanoids lie scattered across the cobbles.
Scouting a bit further ahead, Artus and Lutorinus, spot what appears to be some sort of shrine, with broken doors, and faint shimmer coming from within.
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There is a strange beauty to this place... Similarities to Cocytus, I'll be sure to include exhaustive details in my report. Fascinating... Seeing the broken remains, he is taken aback.
"By the Nine... What could have done that? For our sakes, I pray that was purely due to the cold. Were those... water elementals?" he mutters. His pace quickens a little at the thought of what could have shattered those beings and does his best to stick to the shadows.
From around 50ft away from the doors, Lutorinus will cast detect magic over the area and search for any other details that would indicate what happened here. He does his best to use the rubble to shield his investigation from any prying eyes. Wouldn't do us any good if we got caught, now would it? Artus better be faring well. What is that shimmering further in?
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Kronas follows some distance behind the scouting pair, silent as a gelatinous cube. That is, until he starts humming along with Menarul without realising. He examines everything in sight with wide-eyed wonder Wooah! Those things were huge... What were they? he thinks when the willowy humanoids come into view, but the sight of a crumbling wall grabs his attention Ooh, enchantment! He then happily skips off to examine the area the Artus and Lutorinus have just moved through for signs of life.
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From where you are outside the shrine, nobody is able to make out what's inside or detect any magical auras. You can also tell that the broken door is not locked, and would probably open very easily. You do what any good Pathfinder would, and push the doors open. They slowly creak open, the icy coating on the perimeter shattering cleanly off. In the center of the shrine is a frozen pool inside a cracked basin.
As you approach the pool, an ethereal humanoid figure manifests from the waters, bearing a benign expression. It opens its mouth to speak, and its face suddenly distorts wildly. The runes surrounding the pool glow white hot and the spirit howls in pain. The area around the basin begins to rumble as whatever magic is here grows unstable.
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"I will try to distract it, Robyyn, I'm sure your extreme age has granted you something to do to this thing! Whatever it is, do it quickly!" Lutorinus bounds forward and does his best to get it's attention.
"OH! By the Dark Prince's boots, we are stranded here in this frozen place and completely at your mercy! Please, help us escape this damned rock!" he mournfully laments to the spirit. How the hell does one distract a raging spirit? I don't know anything about this!
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Move 20ft East, 10ft North
Standard Bluff
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"Got it covered, Lutorinus. Keep that thing away from me so I can concentrate!" Robyyn approaches the glowing runes, cautious of the rumbling floor that starts to almost move under his feet. He kneels in close, trying to get a better view and understand what forces these runes shape and bind.