While the logging camp has several buildings around – a mix of offices, quarters, and warehouses – only one has a second floor. Securing the doors to that building and lightly barricading the stairs, you pull some bedding from the loggers’ beds and settle in for the night, keeping watch in case any further beast-men wander by in a similar frenzy.
Whether by Desna smiling on you or just blind chance, dawn breaks the next morning with no attacks in the night. However, each of your sleep has been less than fully restful, as your dreams are filled visions of you hunting prey through the woods, trying to catch and kill your targets with your bare hands.
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Shenendril awakens bright and early, feeling no effects from the dark druidic magic in the area. Belthelgior does not awaken, because he does not sleep. In fact, the tiny elemental spent the night on watch with the rest of the group as well, his ability to see in the dark invaluable, his lack of ability to communicate with most of the party costly.
"On to the Henge?" Shenendril asks as the group gets themselves in the morning.
She frowns when she sees that Drukpa has not recovered. She can only hope that Falbin is correct and that, once they stop the ceremony everyone, including the Nagaji will return to normal.
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Yes, his starting INT is 5 and CHA is 12, bestial reduces that to 3 and 10. This latest ability damage doesn't actually lower his score, but instead applies an additional -1 penalty for anything related to those abilities scores. If my ability damage equals or exceeds my ability score, I fall unconscious (i.e. 1 more point of INT damage will do it). One question: according to the CRB, ability damage normally heals at 1 point/day, but I assume that this does not apply in this case? It probably won't matter in effective terms since whether I'm at an effective INT of 1 or 2, either way, another day and 2 more points of INT damage will render me unconscious.
When the group awakens, Drukpa seems to have taken a turn for the worse. He is bent close to the ground, sniffing and snarling, and he looks at his companions without any seeming comprehension of their words. He sticks his snout into any of the PCs' backpacks that are nearby and if any rations are found he devours them rapidly and with a hostile look towards any who might try to take them from him.
Getting him to wear his breastplate should probably require a Handle Animal check from someone. He shows no interest in his weapons, backpack, or other gear, so unless someone else takes them they will be left behind. He does, however, continue to wear his wayfinder, which is fixed around his neck almost like a collar.
From time to time he flexes his shoulder blades, almost as if he expects wings where there are none, and is trying to flap them.
Rising the next morning, the rest of you see that Drukpa has reverted even further into a feral and primative state. The speed at which the ritual seems to be affecting your companion is shocking - and this is with the ritual not yet complete!
Worse, as Vello wakes his face seems wider, bulging around the eyes. a thin row of sharp teeth threaten to poke out from his mouth as he looks around, and faint webbing has begun to link his fingers together as their tips now end in needle-sharp points.
As for Cerryl...
Cerryl wakes up smelling...more. As he stretches, his skin seems to be covered in a thin layer of orange-tinged fur. The rest of you notice the mage's nose is elongated into the early stages of a snout. His canines have elongated in the night, and claws emerging from his hands even as Cerryl's palms feel thicker and more padded...
It seems more and more of your party is beginning to feel the effects of the powerful ritual being wrought.
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Once you break camp and make haste towards Briar Henge, Falbin's map begins to prove far more invaluable than the day before. Your path is taking you into far denser clusters of the Verduran forest, and the cut trails grow faint and overgrown at times.
Your speed of progress slows, but luckily your destination nears. After a few hours of travel, the sun is still high in the sky when your path is interrupted by a placid river cutting through ahead of you. A couple of large logs have been placed across the river, providing a crude bridge to access the other side. Sunlight dapples the surface of the murky water, the result of branches crisscrossing the river high overhead. providing a intermittent canopy over it.
As you move towards the river's edge, Vello spots a creature lingering just below the surface of the water, near a rock by the far bank. It looks like a crocodile.
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As she looks around at her companions, a tendril of dread worms its way into Shenendril's stomach. It's becoming apparent that if they don't stop the ritual soon, there won't be anyone whose not under the spell to stop the spell.
She thanks Malek for helping their most animalistic companion into his armor. For now, they'll leave his gear behind. It will weigh the rest of them down and he's not going to be able to use it in the foreseeable future.
When Vello points the animal out to the rest of the group, she readies her bow and an arrow but turns to speak to Malek rather than speaking.
"Do you think you can get it to leave?" she asks him, after seeing how well he dealt with another beastial reptile.
The crocodile eyes you intently as you peek down at it lounging in the water. As Drukpa barks at it, the large reptile hisses right back before moving off its perch and diving into the river. and out of sight.
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"Well...I don't like this..." Shenendril says, drawing her bow, as well. She doesn't ready a shot though.
Instead, she uses her psychic abilities to draw another celestial creature into the Material Plane.
"That should keep it busy long enough for us to get to the other side."
Then she tries to shoo Drukpa across the bridge.
The opalescent white dolphin does not enjoy being in the murky fresh water of the river after the pure, perfect, salty oceans of its home. But it does know it is here with a purpose.
It seeks out the crocodile, using its blindsight to find the creature.
It does not attack, though, unless it attacks first or approaches the bridge.
As Vello summons another creature from the outer planes, Drukpa heads over the bridge, head moving back and forth alert as he strides across. Just as he approaches the end, the nagaji stops. At the log's end is a vine attached to the 'bridge', and following it up it seems connected to a sharp shining thing up above.
When the bloodrager pauses to look up, an elven woman jumps out from behind an incredibly dense blind on the river's opposite edge. Bow in hand, she sizes up the hunced nagaji and grins. The elf notches an arrow towards him, yelling Roar your last, lycan! just as in the water below the dolphin detects the crocodile right as it begins to surge towards the mammal.
Initiative
Shenedryl
Cerryl
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Shenendril is ready to fire an arrow at the woman who has suddenly appeared when she realizes what she said. Is this another lycanthrope bounty hunter?
"Wait!" she calls out. "He's not a lycan! He hasn't been infected with lycanthropy. He's under the effects of a spell. And if we don't get to the source of the spell soon, it's going to become permanent! And a lot of people are going to end up mindless beasts."
Despite what it's summoner is trying to do, the dolphin is in no mood for negotiation. Nor does it think this primitive beast would understand anything short of violence in any case. It slams into it with it's powerful nose.
As the elf emerges, Shenedryl and Cerryl both try to call out to give her pause. But Shenedryl stumbles with her words just as her dolphin ally bludgeons the croc, and as Cerryl speaks the elf looks straight at him, eyes scanning his fur and fanged mouth.
Sure. Take your word on that, 'monster'!
The archer aims and looses a silver arrow at Drukpa before breaking across the space to the opposite treeline. She then yells at the crocodile thrashing in the river below.
JG! Scurry up! that fish can't hit ya up here!
for
Initiative
Malek
Drukpa
The elf tries to dodge Malek's return fire, but the arrow manages to nick her.
Initiative
Drukpa
Dukpa's wariness of the odd vine is instantly outweighed when the arrow clangs against his scales. The nagaji races forwards, his small efforts to avoid brushing the vine failing in his haste. The plant *snaps*, and from above a large axe arcs down at first Drukpa
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...and then continues through towards Malek!
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Luckily for you, it seems that this trapper's knots were a bit too tight when setting up her lure. Both Durkpa and Malek are able to shift out of the way of the axe as it swings, snapping as it completes the arc to clatter into the river below.
In the river, the crocodile bites at the oddly-formed dolphin and pierces its blubber.
for
Initiative
Shenedryl (dolphin -4hp)
Cerryl
Vello
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After watching the ax sweep down and miss Drukpa and Malek.
Now that your trap failed doubt you will be quite as confident.
Course dont think I want to be on this side of the bridge anymore just in case there are some friends still over here.
Cerryl moves forward quickly to get across the water and into position to help his companions.
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Now that diplomacy has failed, it is time to move on to more extreme measures. Shenendril does not like how mobile their opponent is and does not have a good shot at her, anyway.
She pulls another of the looted tanglefoot bags out of her pouch and hands it to Belthelgior. As her distant, tiny cousin dashes away, she moves with impressive (though not nearly as impressive) speed to get to and cross most of the bridge.
Belthelgior, having done this previously, is a little more brave about it. Last time, the person he attacked didn't even get a chance to retaliate. He streaks straight over the water, moves behind and past the strange dragon man, slows just enough to fling the bag then darts back behind Shenendril for protection, hiding in her hair once more.
The crocodile takes a solid chunk out of the dolphin and it chitters in pain. But it has not come from a celestial realm, not crossed the sea of reality, not swam its way into these murky waters to be defeated by a common beast.
It takes aim and retaliates!
Now covered in a sticky goo, the elf nevertheless avoids the worst of Belthelgior's throw. It pulls out and nocks another silver arrow, jumping away from Durkpa and loosing a shot that this time lands a deep blow on the near-feral nagaji.
for
Ha! Taken down worse monsters than you lot. And for three the bounty'll be a nice bonus.
Initiative
Malek
Drukpa -9hp
Now bloodied, the nagaji steps up to the evading elf and does his best to reflect the beast she is accusing him of being. Enraged, his bite rips through her leather armor, leaving her bleeding on the ground.
Those by the river see the crocodile jerk and start at the moment the archer falls. Wary of the dolphin, he submerges below the water and takes off down the stream.
As the rest of you make your way across, you see the glue-covered elf has a scimitar at her belt and her quiver is filled with silver arrows. She is currently bleeding out, though you notice several scraps of papaer with incantations on them poking from her pocket.
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Agreed can use one of these scrolls Shenendril though does anyone have any rope or are we just going to disarm her...Think she also mentioned a bounty which I am curious who was putting prices on lycanthropes in the area.
Turning towards Shenendril which casting Detect Magic.
Wonder if she would allow me to observe her elemental after all this is over?
Probably need to do this quickly though since I don't plan on letting this condition become permanent.
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Shenendril is just about to dismiss the dolphin back to where it came from when it is suggested that she heal their fallen opponent. It seems like a good idea to her, especially if she doesn't have to expend any of her own resources on it. She commands the dolphin to wait, though and not pursue the crocodile.
"I'll take some of the arrows, please," she says as she fishes the scrolls out of the woman's pocket.
"I think tying her up would be a good thing. I don't want to have to use another of these on her to convince her fighting is a bad idea. Did anyone bring rope and want to do that while I help our injured friend?" she asks.
She turns to Drukpa first, reading off the scroll and then imparting it's healing magic to him.
Once that is done, she'll read another and touch their downed opponent, assuming she's either been tied up or no one decided to do it in the meantime.