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Genryl grabs out the second flask of fire he bought that morning and gives a slight sigh over it. I'm glad I have these, but I hate having to use them so quickly, it almost seems like a waste... He cocks his arm back and takes aim, before looking at Ayla for a second.
"Oh! could you hold still? I don't want to splash any of this on you and if you keep shifting about like that it makes this much harder!"
He then takes a step back and launches his last fire on to the swarm of spiders.
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Genryl, Ayla and Uriah each miss the swarm but does enough splash damage to kill of the swarm.
Janira satisfied how the new pathfinders handled themselves smiles, "Very good everyone. That is what team work is about." She looks around to assess the damage, "Anyone in need of healing, if so, I think I have some things in my bag."
After the party heals themselves, it is time to head back on the trail.
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Mae watches with a hunger in her large eyes as the spider swarm disperses, she quickly hops over to the area and lets her long tongue lash out, grabbing up some of the fleeing spiders as well as some of the charred ones "Crunchy. Great snack, thank you for cooking them for me."
After having her fill, she hops around looking for what remains of the trail. "This way for the path to the mountains."
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Ayla smiles widely. "Nope! I'm good! I'm right as rain! Bright as the sun! And hey! Why do they say right as rain, anyway?"
Ayla continues to ramble on about amazingly interesting topics (not) while Janira heals everyone. Once they get moving again, she takes a deep breath... and talks some more, pointing out interesting objects a they pass (and uninteresting ones as well), exclaiming 'Oh look, a _____!' every time they pass an animal, and asking people absurd questions without giving them time to answer.
"The poison not so much" Janira pulls out a wand. "But this should work for the bumps and bruises.
"Good job guys, if we keep on this path, we should reach the cave entrance by the evening."
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.
[ooc]Decision time, what do you do? Majority rules here.
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Genryl gives one last look at the remains of his vials, and decides to feel glad that they proved useful. He turns back to Janira, "I'm fine the spiders didn't get anywhere near me. But while everyone is healing up, I'm going to do a simple blessing with everyone! If you don't want to you don't have to, but it really urks me that I haven't done this yet!"
Genryl then moves around the group having everyone pull a card from the deck. He spends a few moments to explain the card and what it might mean.
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As Ayla pulls this card form the deck, Genryl's face darkens for a second. "Ah, the twin... This card notes duality on quite a few different levels. It could suggest you have two reasons for being here or have two personalities. It could also note a decision that you'll waver over making... or it could not a divided loyalty, though I doubt that's true... But nonetheless, be careful this card can be devious."
"Ah, the bear! This marks pure strength! But be it can also indicate the dangers of being overconfident in having control of something... I'm willing to bet the deck is telling you to stay strong, though!"
With a slight hiss, Genryl collects the card Kargath pulled out. "The Waxworks... This card is not pleasant. it represents helplessness. I'm afraid that you might run into a situation where despite wanting to so something you can't... Good luck."
"Ah, the Cyclone, a force that brings destruction to whatever it meets. This isn't a good sign, you might run into a bad situation shortly due to the plans of someone... Be careful!"
"Ahh, the betrayal, I doubt I need explain much more than that. It's a selfish card, noting maybe someone in the near future is not what they appear on surface or it's a warning about bein envious. Still this is no a good sign.
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As the group sets out, Genryl, relaxed a bit, spends time walking with Ayla, chatting with the excitable gnome curious as to what makes her tick. His answers do tend to be a bit serious, but he genuinely seems amused by her antics. "Oh, did you see that stone over there?"
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Mae stands and listens to Genryl as he looks into her future, and it doesn't bode well "I don't like that, I will be extra careful. Thank you for your wisdom." With that she continues along, bow drawn this time and eyes keen on the path ahead.
At the cave entrance and the sight of the monstrous creature, Mae's eyes grow wide at Genryl's foresight "The force you saw, it has come for me! I must flee into the caves!" With that she hurries off behind the vines into the cool, damp darkness.
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"Very mysterious!" Ayla remarks, happily accepting a reading from Genryl.
"Wow! That stone looks awesome! Good eye, Genryl! Did you draw the 'spot cool stuff' card from your deck today?" She asks excitedly.
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As the minotaur approaches, Ayla hides as ordered. From the cover of the underbrush she loads her crossbow with a wide smile on her face. She clearly intends to leap out and attack the beast!
Against the wishes of Janira, two of the pathfinders take off after her to face the minotaur. Leaving one standing in indecision and the other at the mouth of the cave with the bag.
The minotaur seems surprised to see the group of creatures, it was looking for much smaller prey. It snorts and lowers it head.
Janira looks over her shoulder, I told you all that I would handle it... She turns back to the mintaur and cast a spell. A puddle of slippery substance appears under its feet.
But the minotaur keeps his footing.
Janira begins to inspire her group once more. Hoping this goes well.
Round 1-Inspire Courage-+1 10 rounds remaining
Party is up
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"I know, but can you guarantee you can get away from it safely? We have a good chance if we take it on together!" Genryl shouts as he starts to dig out his holy symbol from underneath his beard. Yanking it free, he holds it aloft in one hand and starts making large grandiose gestures with his other while chanting a prayer to Halcamora. When he finishes, a small torrent of red wine douses the man before quickly soaking into his skin and clothes, which take on the red coloring and start glowing slightly. He then rushes forward, closer to the minotaur.
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I also just noticed that Genryl's stat line was off and he;s only supposed to be at 20 ft. speed (I'm so used to normal speed characters... blargh!)
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"This creature so big, why not run away?"
Mae licks her eyeballs in annoyance before hopping towards the nearest tall rock she can find, dropping the bag at the base before climbing up with ease, her feet sticking to the stone. As she gets to the top she draws out her bow, knocks an arrow and fires at the top half of the horned monster. The shot just bounces off him unfortunately. Bad wind.
Teloish and Yoko, who happened to be in the area hears the commotion and walks in on combat between the minotaur and the group.
Nothing seems to phase the minotaur, yet. It cautiously steps out of the grease and approaches Janiara.
She takes a step back and pulls out a scroll and reads it. A loud snap can be heard as the minotaur's ax cracks in half.
She then takes step back and draws out her whip.
Round 2-Inspire Courage-+1 9 rounds remaining
Party is up
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Mae blinks her eyes a few times in disbelief as the others move closer to the giant creature instead of away. "Why you want to get eaten? Climb up high, then shoot down, is that not how they do things here?"
She quickly knocks another arrow, then pulls back the string on her longbow, sending another arrow down on the Minotaur from her rocky perch.
She watches with an impassive face as the arrow sinks deep into its shoulder, missing any vital organs, then hops down off the rocks, moving south towards the larger boulders.
The sounds of exploding powder rings out as two pieces of hot metal tear through the minotaur.
Lady Mae follows up with the ranged assault as she launches an arrow into the beast.
Genryl closes in on the beast and drives his longs spear into it.
The beast roars in rage and hefts its broken greataxe and brings it down in the direction of Genryl laying open his chest.
The upswing catches Janira by surprise, catching her in the side, from rib to under arm.
Janira yells out to the rest of the group.."Get Genryl out of here." before releasing a blob of gold dust into the eyes of the beast.
Party is up
Genryl is bleeding out and will need to stabilize.
The pathfinders come together and finish off the minotaur, with Teolish giving the killing blow to the head.
Janira looking a bit shaken, runs oveer to Genryl. "I told you all to run, now look what has happened." The bard runs her hands over the savage wound.
"Genryl, you still with us." Janira says shaking the dwarf. She see his eyes open,"At last, thought you were a goner.
"Well, I will be noting that you directly disobeyed a direct order. But you all did okay in combat, as a team." Janira finds a rock to sit on and then tends to her own wounds. "Well now, you all have to go and finish the mission. I will be waiting out here, writing up a report. Come get me when you are finished and report your finding."
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Mae hops down the side of the rock face as the Minotaur falls over dead. She keeps a wary eye on it, bow in hand, as she comes over to check on The Genryl "In the jungle, fighting big things like that on their terms is thought of as foolish. Sometimes it is best to stay away and shoot at it." Her voice is merely a whisper. An odd, croaky sort of whisper at that.
After a minute of rest and making sure the beast lay still, she heads back over to find the bag for the group "There are many treasures here. Miss Janira is wealthy beyond measure."
Mae quickly grabs up a vial of alchemist fire, the potion of feather step and holds up the wand of healing "I can use this if The Genryl doesn't have one." She whispers.
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Ayla smiles widely. "I think you meant, 'Thank-you!'" Ayla corrects Janira. "So you're welcome! You know, since you're alive and all! Besides, Genryl's fine! Aren't you Genryl?"
Ayla pats Genryl on the back. "Come on, big guy. Let's get you up."
"Oh, yeah?" Ayla asks Lady Mae. "Rich, hey..." Ayla looks through the bag.
She pulls out a potion of vanish, a vial of alchemist's fire, a vial of acid, a smokestick, and a tanglefoot bag. "I'm going to hang onto these."
"There's still some good stuff in this bag! Some scrolls and a wand... Can anyone use those? Or.... A few potions! Who doesn't have a healing potion to hang onto? We've got two! Or... A potion of Barkskin. Hey! You want that Genryl? It might stop you from showing off your guts again! A pair of sunrods... a thunderstone...." She shrugs and passes the backpack on to the others.
This cave system stretches deep below the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, though most of it is accessible only through a narrow keyhole tunnel.
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, floating in water, lies a small bundle of cloth.
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Mae hops up to the hole and looks in, her vision still good in the dim underground. She nods in agreement with the human man. "Yes, not very old hole. What's that?" She asks as he goes fishing. Mmmm fishy snack maybe?
She will eyeball up the walls of pit and the walls of the cavern to see if she could climb them easy enough.