Shrugging, Torgan continues to load up Malt with fire geodes, anticipating their need in the future. "Should be useful." is all he offers to the group.
---
"Hiya!" Torgan yells as he sees his power of lock-picking is needed.
He leaps into the air and brings down Agrimmosh on the locking mechanism, hoping to break it.
"More rocks and a big sack... Not sure this helps." Kraygan scratches at his beard.
"So these glowin geodes, are they safe ta move? They ain't gonna explode if we drop 'em, are they?"
Rogzul hefts the bag, grunting while he does at the weight. "What use is a magical bag?" He wonders out loud, looking toward Wren to see if he can determine the qualities of the item.
Seeing that the dwarves seem determined to bring the rocks back with them he shrugs and moves to help them lift, hoping to speed up the process.
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@GM: Other then weight differences, are the geodes in different rooms the same? Or are the glowing ones already active?
Growing impatient with the dwarves, Rogzul helps heft one of the new stones and it also cracks open. Instead of revealing deep red crystals ,as the one set in the northern alcove did, these crystals seem to have a milky yellow hue to them that begin to glow with a pulsing yellow light.
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Wren lets out a sigh but examines the geodes revealed by Rogzul. He doesn't expect much.
Spellcraft w/Detect Magic
Wren sits up again, explaining the stuff in the spoiler above.
"Huh...better be careful with those. But they also might be useful with the giants somehow," Wren says, unsure. "Those are dangerous, to be sure."
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Wren also knows from the pulsing that the stone have been activated by the move and will explode at any second.
Quickly rushing from the room Wren slams the door shut as the milky yellow geodes within explode, nearly tearing the large door off of the frame. They would have surely injured everyone within.
...run!...
As his spirits whisper in alarm at the reveal of the yellow insides, Rog sees Wren taking off and he follows closely behind, not bothering to question. When the geodes explode he growls.
"Nearly killed us all for a bunch of rocks." He looks at Torgan angrily.
Kraygan stares at the smoking door with wide eyes.
"Break 'em up, he says. Load 'em onta the yaks, he says." Kraygan reaches for his keg again. "Really startin to think ye cut too much off the top when ye trimmed yer beard."
After a gulp, Kraygan votes to load up the other geodes and get some distance from the temple, just in case the explosion draws unwanted attention.
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Kraygan and the group quickly break apart and load the two true geodes onto the yaks in several hunks.
With a small vote you set out once more just before the sun falls. Jorgan has little trouble navigating in the dark though it gets quite late in the night as the group returns to find Gristlecrack's body where she was slain. Thunder cracks in the air in the distance The cacophonous sound reverberates throughout the valley. A storm is rapidly approaching.
Torgan leaps onto Malt and the pair powers through the doorway just as the fireballs explode, setting quite the sight for the non-existant onlookers.
---
After the lengthy hike, Torgan wipes his brow and smiles to the group. "The Shorn Whiskers 'ave survived another day." he says with a grin. "Let's 'ead west in the morning. This storm ain't natural..." he says, unsure about the timing of the impending meteorological event.
"I'll take first watch with Malt. Ye lot can worry 'bout th' rest." he says, getting comfy near a fallen tree with Agrimmosh in his grip.
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Jorgan finds one of the many hundreds of caves set into the natural rock of the Valley to try and weather the storm for the night. With watches set one by one the group stands by as the storm increases in intensity. Thunder cracks across the sky followed quickly by a massive electrical burst of lightning tearing the darkness from the land for many minutes. Small streams of water quickly flow through the Valley's rough hewn paths. It is a good thing to have stopped as someone could easily have been swept away in the slick mud and stone.
Daylight awakens the Valley leaving the sky a dark and dull gray as the driving rain continues to splatter all about the ground in thin sheets. The storm seems to have dies down some. Though he had a decent nights sleep the brisk wind makes Wren's older bones ring out in pain.
The rain makes it a bit more difficult for the group as they continue the journey back west. For many hours it seems as if you have gone in circles until Jorgan notices the path that originally lead the group into the Valley in the first place from Shinnerman's Fortune.
Continuing on, the mountains' glacier carved slopes steepen above the rim of this Valley, where dozens or so of small trickling mountain brooks converge into a wide shallow stream. The icy, roiling waters send smooth pebbles tumbling along the bottom of the stream bed.
Once again after an extremely long day of walking, nearly 30 miles, darkness begins to fall as a narrow footpath heads west through a field of boulders and dense scrub into a small side canyon that branches off from the main valley. Windswept piles of dead leaves and branches clump between boulders poking trough the mud. Patches of green and pale yellow lichen cling to the rocky canyon walls.
The footpath continues for several hundred yards, emptying into a wide, boulder filled clearing at the western edge of the canyon. A dark cave opens in the cliff face 30 feet above the valley floor. Fragments of cracked and broken bones litter the ground below the cave mouth.
Torgan and Malt awake in a sweat the next morning after being sent to bed by his brother and the elf. "Aye, I hope I've shook th' flu I've 'ad." he says as he looks at Malt's gums and eyes. "I think Malt be lookin' a 'air better as well." he adds.
"Never seen a disease go 'twixt dwarf an' yak." he mutters to himself as he finishes examining the pack animal.
Malt wanders off to find breakfast as Torgan pulls out his stale sausages and gnaws a bit in silence, waiting for the rest to get ready.
---
15 miles later...
"Huff... huff..." pants the blonde dwarf as they continue to march. "Aye... are we... there yet?" he asks as he trudges along dourly in the overland hills.
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30 miles later...
"Aye, Prophet. Ye want t' mention th' bones there, so we'll be careful?" the dwarf asks Wren with a grin, alluding to his previous rant after being eaten by a plant.
"They look t' be mammoth an' gnawed on. Prolly something big got t' em." he adds in a serious tone.
"Never seen a disease go 'twixt dwarf an' yak." he mutters to himself as he finishes examining the pack animal.
"And Orc." Rog adds as he swings by Torgan the next morning to see if he needs any of his restoration magics.
Once moving, the half-orc is quiet, trailing behind the rest of the party as he speaks with Kashag and his spirits, learning more secrets and spells to aid him in battle.
When they find they cave he finds himself near Torgan once again. Still distracted by the whispering of his guides, he is unable to inspect the remains as thoroughly as usual and he accepts the prophets judgement about the cause of death.
"We'll just need to make sure we're ready to move if we hear anything on watch. Unless you would rather travel through the night."
"Never seen a disease go 'twixt dwarf an' yak." he mutters to himself as he finishes examining the pack animal.
"Guess ye never met cousin Trumper. They say he'd bugger anythin that moved."
***
15 miles later...
Kraygan shrugs at Torgan's huffing and puffing. Since the group had left Trunau he and Haggis had grown strong and resilient from long days marching across the land and the mounting tally of fights with increasingly bigger enemies.
***
30 miles later...
"Let's rest after checkin that." Kraygan says, looking up at the cave.
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As the group travels the wormrot takes ahold of Torgan and Rogzul once again with a fury. Haggis seems to be doing a fair bit better with it. The constant rain seems to only invigorate the worms writhing around in their bodies.
**************************************
Kraygan is interrupted by an intense draconic roar that emanates from within the dark cave above. The blood curdling scream doesn't seem to sound like any of the spire drakes that the group has come across in their week within the mountains so far.
The sound of scraping claws on stone seems to be approaching the entrance very quickly.
Rogzul (74/74; Wormrot; sickened; -1 con dam)
Torgan (
Jorgan (75/75)
Wren (49/49)
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
"Here we go... sounds like we woke the dragon. Any tricks up our sleeves? Are we using that horn or anything?" Jorgan quickly protects himself and Spirit.
________________________________________________________
"If it is the dragon, we might as well try it, who has the horn?" Rog draws his longspear and begins to cast enlarge person.
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30 miles later..."Aye, Prophet. Ye want t' mention th' bones there, so we'll be careful?" the dwarf asks Wren with a grin, alluding to his previous rant after being eaten by a plant.
Wren blinks and steps further back from the trail and cave once the bones are pointed out.
"Thanks, Torgan. I appreciate you looking out for me," Wren says, leaning against a rock and rubbing his knees. "I'm not sure what we're really doing out here now, but I hope this is the last time we need to be tramping about this dang forest and hills."
*rawrmuthapiddlespotter*
Know (Arcana)
Wren's head jerks up and he looks around, drawing his bow.
"Woah! That was a real dragon. A real one, I'm sure of it. Did any of you catch the color of that sound? It could be important. What color did it sound like? Was it purple?"
Wren hides in Round 1... Stealth
"I'm thinkin that's the sound o' the brown noise." Kraygan says with an uncomfortable chuckle.
Grabbing in his pouches he pulls out a vial and pours oil on his lance.
"Jorgan, ride that way. Torgan, blow this and make it come to ye." Kraygan pulls the dragonbane horn from his back and tosses it to Torgan, then reigns Haggis about and rides the opposite direction that he sent Jorgan.
"Wren? What're ye doin under that bush? If ye still got that dragonbane amulet, now's the time to look fancy."
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"Amulet? What am--" Wren replies trying to remember what Kraygan is talking about as he peeks out of the very very small shrub he was trying to hide behind. His face lights up.
"Oh, you mean this amulet?" Wren reaches down into his 'sack and pulls out (and dons) the Dragonfoe Amulet. "Oh, yeah...I was looking for it. I thought I dropped it behind this bush."
Wren walks away from the push 5' as if he never intended to hide behind it.
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Wren remembers that the group is trying to find a back way into the Cathedral as the front didn't look to be as promising. Though the journey has been a long trek through the mountains as the group decided to search the furthest reaches of the mountain trails away from the Cathedral first so as to clear out any and all giants.
Hearing the growl and scraping of sharp claws on the stone 30 feet above. The group has little time to prepare as Torgan looks up and does indeed see the head of a young black dragon peering down at him. The head is quickly followed by a second and a third head, Those of a lion and a great horned goat. All seem to be attached to the body of a winged lion of sorts. Acid oozes from the dragon's maw as it salivates at the fresh meat invading near its lair.
Chimeras prefer meat but can subsist on vegetable matter if necessary (although being forced to do so generally leaves the beasts more ill-tempered than usual). Their flight means they can pick and choose their prey, and they usually hunt a large area in search of easy food. They are too stupid and belligerent to acquire followers, though sometimes a tribe of kobolds might give them offerings. Conversely, they are just intelligent and stubborn enough that they make poor pets, and only a significantly more powerful creature can keep them submissive. They may form equal partnerships with a respectful humanoid or similar creature, and even consent to be used as a mount. A pride of chimeras is very leonine in its hierarchy, with a dominant male leading the group and most of the hunting done by the females. A solitary chimera may be a young male or a female with cubs nearby.
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
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Monster (30 feet up at edge of the cave.)
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Torgan (80/80 62/71; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 52/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (75/75)
"It's a... Dragon?!" Kraygan was clearly expecting something more dragony. "Balls! Whatever it is, draw it to the path?" He shouts as he works out the tactics they might use against it.
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Kraygan begins working out many tactics in his head as the black-headed beast takes to the air. It's vile draconic head arches back and breaths a solid stream of acid at Torgan and Malt.
The line of acid melts everything in it's path as it nearly reaches Wren, stopping just before his feet.
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
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Monster (Breath-4 rnds; 30 feet in the air)
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Torgan (52/80; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 24/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (75/75)
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Round 1, Init 18
Know (Arcana)
Wren stares at the acid that stops just before his feet. The acidic burning scent doesn't even reach his nostrils before he moves away 30', sending a stream of magic missiles into the chimera.
force damage
HP: 55/55
AC: 18 (+4 w/mage armor)
Effects: mage armor
Right: bow
Left:
Acid 0/8 used
Blip: 0 of 480
[ dice]1d20+9[/dice] to hit;
[ dice]1d8+1[/dice] damage.
"That's it Wren! Jorgan, be ready ta take its flank! Torgan, blow that horn!" Kraygan calls, hoping this creature has enough dragon in it to be affected. "Rog, tend ta Torgan and move to yer right! I don' want ta trample ye when I charge in!"
His emotions bubbling to the surface, Kraygan grips his lance and grinds his teeth. "C'mon, monster. Come and get us!"
Torgan blesses himself with the skin of a keg using his limited nature magicks. "Keg dwarfin' time!" he yells as he follows his kin closer.
Once the dragon makes landfall, the dwarf puts the mouthpiece to his pudgy lips.
BrrrrrrrrrrrRooooooooo!
-Posted with Wayfinder
Rogzul, now towering over the rest of the party is still not tall enough to reach the many headed creature so he communes with his spirits and begins to cast, lifting his giant form off the ground and toward his strange foe.
Malt gallops free from the acid spray, avoiding the corrosive liquid as only a small bit sears intimate Torgan's scarred shoulder. "Oi! Watch it, ye git! " he yells just before sounding the horn.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Inspired to Kraygan's call to action Jorgan charges in closer to his brother and stabs!
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@JJorgan- It is flying 30 feet in the air. You won't be able to reach it to gore / Heartspit.[/ooc]
Torgan and Malt avoid the majority of the acid as the small amount of trees block the from it's hazardous effects. Torgan raises the large horn to his lips and gives a mighty blow. The sounds reverberate down the valley's walls. The Chimera turns its heads momentarily towards the horn but overall seems unaffected by it as it is less of a dragon than Torgan initially thought it to be.
Wren releases a small wave of magical missile that leap into the air at the black-headed beast. One by one they quickly slam into it's side, knocking the wind from it.
Rogzul's spirits firmly grasp ahold of the orc's arms and raise him high into the air to join them. His eyes glaze over as they take partial control of him and help to guide the seers hands.
Kraygan continues to clear some lanes and attract the beast to him, though the chimera now has sights set on Wren as his missiles stung it badly.
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
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Monster (-15; Breath-4 rnds; 30 feet in the air)
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Round 1
Torgan (66/80; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 52/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; 20 ft in air; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (75/75)
Since the beast does not want to come down and play, Jorgan starts calling on a friendlier beast to help them in this fight....
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Jorgan begins to call in a bit of aerial aid as the Chimera darts straight at Wren. The creature seems pissed at being hurt by his magical missiles. The black-headed beast lands in a small copse of trees right next to Wren. All three heads snarl and snap at the elf as small drips of acid melt away at the plant-life below.
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
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Chimera (-15; Breath-3 rnds; on the ground)
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Torgan (66/80; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 52/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; 20 ft in air; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (84/84)
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Round 2, Init 18
Wren stares in surprise, first into the lion's head, then going to the dragon's fangs, then finally at the goat's head. He quickly wishes he wasn't there.
And then he isn't.
HP: 55/55
AC: 18 (+4 w/mage armor)
Effects: mage armor
Right: bow
Left:
Acid 0/8 used
Blip: 90 of 270'
[ dice]1d20+9[/dice] to hit;
[ dice]1d8+1[/dice] damage.
As the creature moves to attack Wren, Rog takes a shot at it's exposed underside, trying to pierce it's hide with his spear.
Once the chimera land, Rogzul wills himself forward in a midair charge, zooming over Torgans head and thrusting a second time, and putting himself between it and the rest of his companion.
"No, no, no!" Kraygan exclaims when the monster flys into the brush after Wren. Turning Haggis, he crashes through, trying to close distance.
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From what Wren can recall he believes that Chimeras aren't resistance to anything in particular. Just as the goat head is getting ready to ram him Wren's form quickly blinks and vanishes as he reappears on the far side of the trail.
The spirits usher Rogzul forth as his spear stabs into the mighty beast twice, puncturing one of it's lungs. The black-headed beast forgets all about the elf and turns it's focus to Rogzul instead.
The lion head roars in defiance at Rogzul as the dragon head snaps at the spear head.
Kraygan crashes through the canopy, just a bit more gracefully than the last time he took Haggis to the glassware market.
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
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Chimera (-58; Breath-3 rnds; on the ground)
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Torgan (66/80; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 52/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; 20 ft in air; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (84/84)
Torgan sees the rumble in the jungle melee in the forest and decides to put the Steelkeg's new fighting plan to the test.
"Hiya! " The blonde dwarf yells as the elf winks out of existence.
Malt tears around the trees and comes in from the north to flank with Kraygan, but there isn't enough time to strike before he is sent into a full defensive by the chimera.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"That's it! Surround the beast!!" Kraygan bellows as Torgan joins the scrapple in the chaparral.
As Jorgan finishes his whispers float away on the wind, and from the air suddenly a large bat materializes over the chimera.
Jorgan and Spirit then push through the brush to get closer and lend their own aid to the fight.
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Torgan follows near Kraygan as he also crashes through the loose shrubs and foliage. The chimera seems to be confused, yet pleased as to why there are so many yaks in the mountains. Using the trees as cover the chimera can't seem to find an opening.
Jorgan's spell completes, though the large bat seems to do little more than annoy the black-headed beast, affording Spirit enough of a chance to hook his barbed horns in the chimera's soft underbelly, tearing it wide open.
The chimera's eyes go wide for a moment as the slowly roll back in its head. Looking down it seems that Spirit's horns have opened the belly of the beast wide open causing everything to spill out in an instant. Each of the heads slump forward as the magical creature passes.
**************************************************************
With hardly anyone injured the group slowly makes their way up to the now silent cave to rest for the evening. In the back of the smaller cave lies a sizable pile of bones mixed with a small treasure hoard.
- +1 Banded Mail
- (Large) Chainmail
- Mwk Chain Shirt
- Locked Gauntlet
- (Large) Gauntlet
- +1 Corrosive Longsword
- +1 Rapier
- (Large) Mwk Heavy Crossbow
- Mwk Quarterstaf
- Potion of CMW
- Leather case with a scroll of Flaming Sphere
- Scroll of Water Breathing
- Broken water clock (750 gp)
- Climber's Kit
- Sunrods (4)
- Clear Quartz Crystal (30 gp)
- Smoky Quartz Crystal (20 GP)
- Red-Brown Spinal (80 gp)
- Golden Yellow Topaz (252 gp)
- Silver Ring set of Azurite (30 gp)
- 650 gp (130 gp ea)
- A flanged collar of mithral and steel with a magical glyph etched into the center.
DC 28 Spellcraft:This is a Guardian Gorget
Kraygan (91/91)(Haggis 66/66)
Torgan (66/80; Wormrot; sickened)(Malt 52/52; Wormrot; sickened; 1 save)
Wren (55/55)
Rogzul (74/74; 20 ft in air; Wormrot; sickened)
Jorgan (84/84)
Jorgan pats Spirit on the side. "Thattaboy." He waves his arm and the bat flies off into the distance, having done what it could to aid the fight.
As the others rifle through the treasure, Jorgan merely helps pack it up without taking too much interest in it. "Well, that can't have been the dragon that fella talked about, could it? I'd think he would have mentioned the two other heads. Besides, I don't see any bones or anything like the man was eaten here. Seems we've still got more mountain to explore."
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Wren sorts through the crap, hoping for one item that might interest or help him, grumbling as each new item doesn't fit his criteria.
Spellcraft - gorget
Wren tosses down the gorget as his dreams of it being overtly useful to him die. He considers kicking it out of the cave and down the cliff and remembers he's not alone. He picks up the gorget and tosses it to = Rogzul.
"Here you go, squats, try that on," Wren chirps. "Get it on tight, should keep your head from being detached from your neck."
"Well, that can't have been the dragon that fella talked about, could it? I'd think he would have mentioned the two other heads. Besides, I don't see any bones or anything like the man was eaten here. Seems we've still got more mountain to explore."
"Not sure this was a dragon at all, just something that mated with one. Or was created by a wizard to act like one. Piddlespotting wizards...ain't good for anything."
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Sleeping the night in the bone-filled cave after such a long journey the day before is far more restful than any would have thought. Walking such a long distance seemed to wear everyone out enough to get a restful sleep.
Continuing south,about another 16 miles the trail begins to make its way back east, towards the back end of where the cathedral should be. The sun his high in the air and beaming down into the valley. At the end of this valley, the surrounding ridges merge, forming a tapering gorge edged in rocky escarpments. A series of giant, stone-carved stairs climb from the base of the ridgeline to several cave openings that pock the cliff face. Seven caves have been carved into the cliff face at the eastern end of this valley. The caves are mostly shallow shelters only a few yards deep but one seems to hide an entrance to a far deeper cave system.
The meandering passage widens into a natural cavern containing two huge columns formed from grayish-white calcite. While the walls and ceiling have a natural appearance, the floor of this cavern has been hewn and leveled. The air feels damp, and moisture collects on the walls and in small puddles on the floor. Hundreds of bats cling to the ceiling, forming a living carpet that constantly moves and shifts in the pitch darkness.