Hajar grimaces against the pain of the octopus bite. He calls out to his Goddess! Sarenrae, your servant has need of your light!
Hajar struggles against the tentacled creature but he cannot break free.
Dhavyn's sudden grunt of pain cuts through Anjali's anger. His lack of protection worries Anjali. He may not be able to take another savage bite such as that!
She moves behind him, making sure to stay out of reach of his flames.
Anjali's hand touches his back, radiating the warmth of her healing.
Bartan draws another card, hoping to finish off the gnoll that is assaulting Dhavyn so that he can use a spell card on the big guy.
=> The Paladin (Lawful Good, Strength)
"The Paladin will righteously smite you!"
He tosses the card, and in the short flight toward the gnoll, it takes on the shape of a gavel.
Unfortunately, the gavel-shaped card glances off the gnoll's shoulder harmlessly.
Oh, there will be smiting...
Avenka attacks Narg, yelling and drooling as she takes a mighty swing : She will also use powerful blow :
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Monsters
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B: dead
Octopus: attempts to maintain his grapple and drag Hajar out into the middle of the pond
Narg laughs as the aged Hajar is dragged away by the octopus. Warrior of light indeed! he then turns to Avenka and reaches to touch her too casts Disfiguring Touch. DC15 will save or else your arms and hands turn in to massive scorpion claws causing -2 penalties to attack rolls
C against Khayal: for
D against Khayal: for
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Monsters
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Khayal continues his assault on the gnoll in front of him.
Bartan moves up to get a clear shot at Narg, finally getting a moment to study the leader of the group and the spell he cast. to determine the spell used to summon the octopus.
Then Bartan pulls a card from the harrow deck.
=> The Midwife (Neutral Good, Wisdom)
"The Midwife will punish you for attacking innocent children!"
Bartan casts a spell, and the midwife card seems to freeze the very air around it, frost beginning to form on its surface almost immediately.
Bartan then hurls the card at Narg, it seeming to slow in midair as more and more frost gathers on it, turning into a ball of snow.
plus cold damage, DC 13 Fort save or Staggered for one round!
Unfortunately, the snowball flies harmlessly past the stupid gnoll! :-(
Khayal kills one Gnoll and Yazi kills the other. That just leaves the octopus and the Gnoll Cleric Narg.
Hajar snarls and tries to break free of the octopus He gets free! He moves away from the octopus to engage with Narg!
Dhavyn smiles briefly to Anjali as the healing energy washes over him. He peers at Hajar fighting the octopus. Taking a few quick steps he unleashes another wave of flame, this time at the ocotpus.
Burning Hands: V, S / 15 cone burst / Reflex DC15 for half damage. Flammable materials burn if the flame touches them. A character can extinguish burning items as a full-round action.
Avenka attacks Narg, still raging :
...and enraged indeed she is, for she missed again !
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Monsters
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Narg beings to see that he will be losing this battle. Curses of Lamashtu on your heads, humans!
Khayal turns to the gnoll behind him and slashes away.
Narg's turn: reaching into his breastplate the Gnoll cleric pulls out a Potion.
You have no idea what you are doing Humaaans! Interfereing with the internal affairs of a mighty Gnoll tribe has lead to the deaths of many stout young adventurers such as yourselves! He looks at the aged Hajar and gives a toothy grin and old adventurers too, hee heee hahahha!
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Monsters
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TAKE YOUR AoOs now!!!
Att of opp :
Crunch, crunch! Yazi and Avenka slay the poor Gnollish Cleric.
Ahhhh! You have not seen the last of meeeee!
dudes and dudettes, I think that was a good battle.
Hajar nods to Yazi and Avenka It is good he was slain. Well done.
Hajar turns to the remaining gnolls and addresses them
Kdo ste vi? In zakaj se ti lov in vas ubil?
Hajar peers into their souls to Detect Evil.
The old crone moves slowly to Hajar and casts dispel magic ending the aging spell. In fairly decipherable common she says: Blessings upon you all. You have saved us! I am Anakhsunamun. A teacher among the Great Tribe: the Three Jaws. And this is Celanka, my student, a very special priestess.
She regresses into Gnollish in order to explain her situation better. In Gnollish:We are refugee. There was a coup d'état. The insurgents seek to replace the image of our goddess Lamashtu with the worship of Rovagug and the enslavement to the Carrion King! she spits on the ground violently at the mention of the evil leader and his sick god. We, the Three Jaws, are the last Gnoll tribe to stand against the service of Rovagug in the hinterlands. When Celanka discovered what that evil cult was doing in the temple we attempted to expose them. So they send these scorpion assasins. she kicks one of the dead gnolls. We fled here to the monastery. I tried to save all the young priestesses in training. But I failed.
As you look back among the carnage you notice it is true. Most of the dead children are females, wearing light robes of Lamashtu's protege's.
Anakhsunamun in common again: We seek the asylum of Kakooyapesh, the guardian. Better to live among the pugwampis than enslaved to the rough beast, though calling it that is too great an honor for the bastard! she turns away thoughtfully. Besides, we will not be gone long. We have a plan to save our tribe. Will you allow us passage to the monastery to seek the Guardian's aid?
Hajar's face remains impassive as he speaks with the gnoll.
Kakooyapesh is no more. We are adventurers, come from Katapesh to cleanse Kelmerane of its evil. The Monastery of St. Vardishal has been claimed as our base, it belongs to the gnoll no longer.
Dhavyn stays on the background following the conversation as best he can while at the same time trying to keep an eye for more Gnolls.
Distracted by the blood in his clothes he mutters a few brief incantations erasing the stains, but still lamenting quietly the torn fabric.
He keeps poking the still red wound closed by Anjali's magic and shudders. I nearly hot skewered by that monster... teaches me to go into battle without protections.
Avenka stays put (rage stopped), so she is fatigued, but still has her flail more than ready, and growls each time a gnoll talks or moves. She almost is their shadow, very ready to strike them.
Khayal re-sheaths his blades, he looks warily at the two gnolls, while he hates Rovagug, Lamashtu is not much better in his book. He will be on guard around them for quite a while.
Anjali watches the survivors for a few moments, her lips pressed thin in a disapproving line as the elder one tells her tale. She turns away from the two gnolls, her crossbow still loaded as she walks around the perimeter of the pool to where Narg fell. Kicking at his body to make sure that he was indeed dead, she tries to retrieve her crossbow bolt from his breastplate and bends down to carefully look for anything else on his person that might be useful.
The Guardian Kakooyapesh defeated? Hm. The old Gnoll goes silent, looking thoughtful.
The young priestess Celanka begins to speak for the first time. But just as she does the Old Gnoll snaps her teath: Be careful what you say, girl!
Celanka nods, but continues in almost perfect Common: If you would allow us into the Monestary we would be greatful. I believe from my studies that there may be an artifact hidden there. An artifact that might help us to defeat the cult of Rovagug once and for all. Perhaps hidden in the bowels of the Crypt, where it is said the body of St Vardishal lies in the "repose of breathing death."
Indeed, we should speak then young one. I am too interested in the Holy St. Vardishal, follower of the Dawnflower. Hajar says, loosing up a little. He walks over to Yazi and murmurs to her The old one reeks of darkness, but the young one might yet be saved, we must separate them somehow.
Bartan sidles over to Anjali who is busy looting the gnolls. "Mon chere, may I look at those? They may be of use for our group."
<-
He calls over his shoulder to Celanka "My young gnollish friend, what kind of artifact would this be? We would not want to create even more tension between the gnoll tribes and start a bloody war, but if these specimens are any indication, we do not want them to rule your tribe, I think? So we may be willing to aid you."
To the rest of the party, he says "I think we should update the princess on what has happened here, before we start exploring a crypt, no?"
We should report success, we have accomplished little thus far. Let us cleanse the monastery first. Hajar will say loudly and then to Bartan say We should find whatever the gnolls want before more come to claim it. These will not be the only ones and time spent traveling to the Sultan's Claw will be time that they might search for the artifact.
Anjali stands, the shaft of her bolt in hand. She nods at Bartan and Hajar. "I am certain that say'yida Almah would want to know about our progress. We have been gone for a day and a night now. But we should finish our task in the monastery before returning."
To Hajar: "My friend, you are correct. I am getting ahead of myself. Let us go back to the monastery and take care of whatever lies below."
To nobody in particular :
"And we bring them with us ? I don't want another victim among us... I have some chain, if you know what I mean..."
Bartan Identifies one of the scrolls as a scroll of blood transcription. The other he can not identify. LOOT LOG UPDATED.
"My friends, I do not recognize this magic. Dhavyn, can you decipher this?"
He hands the other scroll to Dhavyn, and attempts to Aid Another on his Spellcraft roll by pointing out words and symbols that he DOES recognize.
Upon hearing Avenka, Hajar says They came to us asking for protection, we will not chain them. But, we should not tempt fate as was done earlier. They will stay here, in the shadow of the Monastery until we return for them. Hajar turns to the gnolls and in their own tongue, so they would understand fully he says Boste počakati tukaj, ko smo končali našo nalogo v samostanu. Če ste prišli v samostan bomo prevzeti vaše namere so sovražno in vas bomo ubili. V zameno, vam bomo ponudili varstva, ko smo v celoti zavarovana samostan. Ali se strinjate?
"And we bring them with us ? I don't want another victim among us... I have some chain, if you know what I mean..."
Celanka looks frightened when Avenka says this. But the old Gnoll pats her on the shoulder and comforts her. She is releived when Hajar tells her she will not be chained!
My young gnollish friend, what kind of artifact would this be? We would not want to create even more tension between the gnoll tribes and start a bloody war, but if these specimens are any indication, we do not want them to rule your tribe, I think? So we may be willing to aid you."
Celanka explains what she is looking for: Your Paladin friend is correct. The Artifact belonged to a Janni Prince. His name was Vardishal. When I was a girl I was told this Janni man could not die because of a wish. That he still lives somewhere in the monestary. And that generations ago he was sent to our plane by saranrae herself to fight the forces of Rovagug...
The old crone cuts Celanka off: Girl, no more! We have explained ourselves enough. Please.
Celanka falls silent. For now.
The Gnolls agree to remain in the shadow of the monestary's north face, where the shade of the building cools the sand...
"So, we are looking for an artifact owned by Monsieur Vardishal. Do you have any idea what it looks like?"
I would like to report success to our princess. My vote is to press on into the crypt.
He tries to keep a steady face but the slightest hint of excitement leaks into his voice.