"I just need to get myself within thirty feet of the thing. But, it would be really nice to have some support when I try this. I just knew I should have memorized invisibility. Would have come in handy right now."
Gado finishes his spellcasting and skulks towards the massive tree stump. He grabs the bark with his finger tips and allows the arcane energies to float him upwards slowly. Knowing he has no control for equal and opposite forces when dangling in the air, he grasps the edge of the stump and pulls himself forward to be able to stand on top of it.
Below him Ciaran and Mtumbwi size each other up, both in their magically enhanced states.
"Shake and pray, look at the size of that...<jumbledwords>...cock!"
Stunned by the size of the beast they had tracked, Bazsil mishears what Mtumbwi says. He double takes, unwilling to take his eyes off the mastodon, but looks twice at Mtumbwi.
Bazsil nods at Mtumbwi agreeing that that is indeed a big cock. He lifts up Lucy and readies himself for battle, adding his own quick inner reflections that might protect him in battle.
[b]"You all get in position. When you are ready, I shall challenge the beast...let it know that there are real men on this island now."
* * *
...Bazsil walk onto the path, warming up with a martial display in swinging Lucy loosely about his body. When in the middle of the path, Bazsil will begin combat with various hoots and yells of challenge.
Femi moves up near Bazsil. I assume it's been less than four hours since we entered the jungle, but let me know if that's not the case. When the party begins, he'll cast a spell, but he waits for now so as to avoid ruining anyone else's plans.
Christmas Eve Scrooge? Will try and get everything done tonight. Offline the next 2 days.
Ciaran - now enormous - hunkers down in the undergrowth opposite Mtumbwi.
As quietly as he can (which is not that quietly), he waits for the signal.
The plan - as he understands it - is that Bazsil will attract the mammoth. Once it is within range, Aeslin will attempt to send it to sleep. If anything goes wrong, he and Mtumbwi will step in to save Bazsil.
Aestivation, knowing she likely has one shot, readies to slumber hex the thing when it charges Bazsil.
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Christmas Eve Scrooge? Will try and get everything done tonight. Offline the next 2 days.
Elon stows the parchment-packed parcel back in his satchel as he watches the ridiculous pair of Ciaran and Bazsil try to prepare to take down a pachyderm.
"This ought to be good." he remarks as he watches from the woods with Barley at his side, scratching him just behind the ear.
The befeathered dwarf keeps his scythe at the ready.
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Making note of where Mtumbwi and Ciaran stand in hopes to flank the beast, Gratum slips forward of the traps in preparation to attack the monster from behind.
He pulls out his crossbow in the bushes and rests as a stone.
Gado suddenly gets a brilliant idea. At least he hopes it is brilliant.
He knows the group is settling into their positions. He whispers down to Bazsil. "Do your best Mastodon call. I'll put an illusory mastodon behind you, and hopefully get it to charge that. It may not help much, but it might allow us to get the drop on it..."
Gado waves his hands and mumbles the command words to the spell. "silent image" Suddenly a large mastodon appears behind the oily-haired anthropologist. It doesn't have quite the size of the one they hope to bring down, but in the back of Gado's scheming mind, he hopes that will entice the target to think it has an easy bull to push around.
Elon doesn't even consider hiding as he is pretty sure that the mastodon has other problems besides him and his yak. He pulls out a few berries and granola squares and begins to nosh as Barley finds sustenance amongst the forest.
Aeslin quakes in anticipation. Are they too bold?
Matla nods in satisfaction as the hunters seem to have come up with a good plan. He moves to the side to observe, but grips his long spear - ready to join the fray and help out should these outsiders require it.
With everyone in position, Bazsil bravely shouts out a challenge to the enormous beast. The mastodon turns and spies the large specialists hiding in the trees, and also the big, illusory mastodon behind them, and the shouting man in front of it. The big beast seems to weigh up its choices for a while, before deciding to charge its smaller counterpart, trampling everything in its path.
The jungle shakes with the power of its strides, small branches and a variety of other foliage rain down upon those hiding in the trees when it nears. The vibrations given off by its thunderous footfalls can be felt at the crew's very core. When it nears, Aeslin tries to halt its charge with a simple hex. Slumber.
Undeterred, the beast continues.
It notices the traps on the ground, but these were traps left for a bear, not a might mammoth. It continues on, not halting its stride in the least.
The vicious jaws of the bear trap snap shut, covering the lower portion of the mastodon's foot like an ankle bracelet. The creature trumpets out in pain, but continues along its charge. As it nears, Bazsil proves that he was prepared and dives out of the way. The oversized elephant gores the illusion.
As its tusks pass harmlessly through its opponent, the Mastodon figures something is awry and looks to the newly minted giants standing behind it.
Towering over all is now an enraged bull mastodon. The bear trap hanging from its foot looks little more than a toy now as it turns its attention upon its would-be hunters.
Round: 1, Initiative: 19
Crossbow Bolts (silver 4/4) (cold iron 6/6)
Conditions = Mage Armor (~/4h)
Melee: Attack: BAB +2, Str +0 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +2, Dex +2 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 4, Concentration +8)
Zero (14): Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Dancing Lights*, Mending, Prestidigitation, Spark*
First (15): Burning Hands (electric)*, Grease, Mage Armor, Magic Missile*
Second (16): Flaming Sphere*
* +1 DC
Femi eyes the huge beast, takes a step back, and tries what may become an old stand-by.
Worried that the beast is still too close, he tries casting defensively.
vs DC 19
He casts Flaming Sphere, unless DC 17 Reflex. The sphere appears under him.
Having braved the storms for most of his life, the boom of thunder, the break of the waves, Mtumbwi was accustomed to shaking footing as a boat rocked precariously to and fro while listening to the cacophonous bangs.
This was something else entirely. The beast was impressive. The power. The speed. The fury. For the first time in a long time, Mtumbwi's palms began to sweat and pangs of doubt spread in the back of his mind.
Seeing the huge animal trample the traps like blades of grass, Mtumbwi tries to time his thrust just right. Sitting on the prow of a ship, timing the swell of the waves before harpooning a whale was a bit different, yet close enough that he felt competent enough.
Too soon, and the beast would snap the trident in two. Too late, and he would swing through air.
"Shit!"
As the beast strode past, Mtumbwi just could not manage to pierce its thick hide with his pronger. It barely noticed as it charged toward the smaller, illusory mastodon.
Femi's flaming sphere burns away beneath the mastodon's bulk. It rears up to avoid the flames, and is rewarded for its efforts by having an only slightly singed underbelly.
Gratum lowers his sights on the beast. Breaths slowly. Prepares to pull the hair trigger on his crossbow. Looks for a spot on it that seems vulnerable.
But the missile flies far off the mark, whizzing through the air.
Unable to comprehend who attacked it with the flame, the beast instead lashes out at the the only opponents it knows hurt it.
Ciarán is almost lifted up by the force of the single tusk that pierces his side, and then suffers the full force of the beast's trunk smashing him over the head. Barely conscious, the stout Ciarán nevertheless manages to maintain his footing despite wounds that would have felled a lesser man.
Round 1
Bazsil is not surprised when Aeslin's face is not enough to put the mastodon to sleep. His thoughts that the 'phant would be made soft by the woman are also quickly disabused when the 'phant stomps Ciaran deeply.
Bazsil moves up to strike and provide the mastodon another target. He swings Lucy in a massive arc, trying to fell the foe in one blow.
to hit; (+flank)
damage.
Aeslin is shocked to see that th beast has resisted her ability. So, she decides to help in a different way. She glares at the beast, (evil eye will DC17, vs saves. If save, 1 round, else 8 rounds). She then laughs nervously (cackle).
"Oh Sh...." Gado swallows a lump rising in his throat. This creature is as big as anything he has ever seen. Seeing it pound at Ciaran both gives him new respect for the bodyguard, and a wavering willpower to continue to face the creature.
But it was past time for thoughts of that. Any cowardice now would result in his friends being extremely hurt, if not killed. He would not allow that blood on his hands.
Gado sets his jaw, and then waves his hands in deliberate motions, hoping his trembling body doesn't spoil the spell in any way.
Ciaran - too badly injured even to swear - weaves unevenly on his feet as the beast rounds on him, before shaking his head to clear it.
"I need some help," he calls to the spellcasters, blood streaming from a dozen grazes and cuts. He has little hope of rescue, as most of the healers are on the other side of the mastodon (and Elon wouldn't help him anyway).
As he looks round, though, he sees the mammoth's charge has brought it dangerously close to Aeslin, Gado and Femi. He steps protectively in front of Aeslin, and tries to shield her and Gado from the beast as best he can.
Grimly, he attempts to make his last actions count.
Round: 2, Initiative: 19
Crossbow Bolts (silver 4/4) (cold iron 6/6)
Conditions = Mage Armor (~/4h)
Melee: Attack: BAB +2, Str +0 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +2, Dex +2 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 4, Concentration +8)
Zero (14): Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Dancing Lights*, Mending, Prestidigitation, Spark*
First (15): Burning Hands (electric)*, Grease, Mage Armor, Magic Missile*
Second (16): Flaming Sphere*
* +1 DC
Femi takes another step back trying to put the tree between him and the fell beast. He keeps the fire under him.
Flaming Sphere , unless DC 17 Reflex.
Figuring the flame won’t do the trick, he tries a Magic Missile.
Ciaran!
Time to down this beast.
"Ciaran, get the hell out of there!"
Elon laughs as he pulls his beerskin from one of Barley's saddlebags. He pops the cork and takes down a nice draught of pale ale, which is refreshing in the sweltering heat of the jungle.
"You got 'em!" he yells as encouragement, enjoying the show.
As Ciaran get stomped and gored, Elon grimaces. "That will leave a mark..."
"What do you think? Even money on the mastodon, Rahui? Metzli, you think they can handle it?" he asks from the sidelines, trying to determine the odds of winning and if there is a few coins to be made.
Bazsil's mighty hammer strikes true, bruising the mastodon's knee cap.
It freaks out a little as one of the puny things trying to destroy it just gives it an... odd look.
Gado starts chanting, but in the chaos, the Mastodon doesn't even register this as a threat.
Ciaran's blade retaliates - not in kind for either blow, but very nearly. The beast trumpets another scream of pain, looking ever more panicked and confused.
The ball of fire continues to scorch the creature's belly as Femi shoots out magical bolts to strike it square between the eyes. It blinks and turns this way and that, utterly unsure of what to do.
Mtumbwi, meanwhile, cannot manage to land a blow with his prong.
Matla ignores the dwarf who cannot seem to remember his name and grips his spear all the tighter, ready to help should anyone fall.
As Ciaran coughs up blood, Elon frowns. "No one looks like they are having fun..." he mutters. "Wasn't that the whole point?"
The druid rolls his eyes and figures that he can help a little. "I ain't getting close to it though..."
He weaves his free hand in a circle as he quaffs some more beer. At the end of the symbol, the dwarf snaps his fingers.
Elon then tosses the emptied skin to the ground, grabs his scythe and moves towards Ciaran, taking care to avoid the tusks.
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The yak moos loudly as he sees his friends under attack, though no one important seems to be hurt yet.
"Mooooo!" bellows Barley as he charges in, trying to gore the creature valiantly.
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The mastodon seems to pause for a moment as Elon fixes it with a spell. Half a second later, it breaks the magical chains that bind it.
Barley is dealt a telling blow by a tusk as he approaches, but continues his charge and gores the mastodon in return. His much smaller horns manage to tear apart some skin before the effort causes the yak to fall unconscious.
Muttering to himself to keep from drawing attention, still in his sneaky mindset, Gratum thinks, These guys don't understand a fight like a warrior. Better keep the one who does alive...
Gratum reaches Ciaran's side and ...
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The yak moos loudly as he sees his friends under attack, though no one important seems to be hurt yet.
The agitated mastodon seems on the verge of panic. It takes another swing at Ciarán with its tusks.
An enormous tusk tears through Ciarán's armor and opens a massive wound in his side. As the gigantic bodyguard falls down, blood gushes from the hole in his torso and he lies very still.
The mastodon turns its attentions to the other giant facing it.
The creature's trunk lands a solid blow across Mtumbwi's brow, felling the man. Unlike Ciarán, his bleeding is internal and his skull may even be cracked from the force of the blow.
Matla rushes over to Ciarán, at a pace that seems supernaturally fast, and frantically pulls salves and makeshift reed bandages from his primitive healing kit. The salves he applies clot the blood and the leaves, while harsh, close the wound.
Ciarán is no longer in danger of death, but Matla is now in harm's way.
Round 2
Bazsil mans up and attacks again, letting others deal with the wounded. He swings Lucy in a long arc, trying to smash another kneecap.
to hit; (-PA,+flank)
damage.
Aeslin watches as the combatants attempt to kill the beast. She then goes to the next trick up her sleeve... Her misfortune hex!
"That should slow him down, fellows!"
She then cackles to add another round onto both.
The beating of his heart is so fast, it feels as if it is one long, continuous thrum in his chest. The lump in his throat feels as though it might explode at any second.
gods be merciful, I hope Ciaran and Mtumbwi are alright...
"Attack!" Gado yells as the earth elemental he just finished summoning springs from the earth next to the giant mastadon.
Not understanding the common tongue, the elemental needs no prodding anyways, and slams his small, rocky fists into the behemoth's kneecap.
for
Gado quickly changes his focus unleashing a fiery ray from his fingertips, hoping to scorch the beast into submission.
[dice=Ranged Touch, Scorching ray]1d20+5[/dice] for
With that complete, Gado summons his levitate spell to activate, lifting himself another 20 feet off the ground, and hopefully out of the reach of the massive creature.
Round: 3, Initiative: 19
Crossbow Bolts (silver 4/4) (cold iron 6/6)
Conditions = Mage Armor (~/4h)
Melee: Attack: BAB +2, Str +0 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +2, Dex +2 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 4, Concentration +8)
Zero (14): Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Dancing Lights*, Mending, Prestidigitation, Spark*
First (15): Burning Hands (electric)*, Grease, Mage Armor, Magic Missile*
Second (16): Flaming Sphere*
* +1 DC
Unable to help the injured, Femi none the less worries about the massive damage the creature is doing. I could not survive even a single blow! He worries.
He takes another step back and continues the flames under the Mastadon’s feet.
Flaming Sphere, , unless DC 17 Reflex (note that a save means NO damage not half damage).
He debates creativity vs more damage and decides to keep pressing the injury. Surely it must be close to dropping with all we’ve done! He casts another Magic Missile and loads his crossbow.
Bazsil lands a massive blow, almost caving in the mastodon's knee-cap.
Aeslin meanwhile has difficulty cursing the thing any further, but laughs about it anyway.
Gado's summoned elemental does a courageous job of hitting the big beast, but does little damage.
Gado's ray, however, proves too much for the beast. A plume of flame strikes the mastodon between the eyes and it suddenly stops moving. Slowly and ponderously, the enormous creature starts to topple... and then with the force of a large building coming down it crashes to the forest floor.
"Don't burn its flesh!" cries out Matla, asking Femi to back off with that flaming sphere of his. He lets out a cheer for the companions, "You brave warriors! I get tribe and we take mammoth back home to eat!"
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Lying flat on his back, Mtumbwi watches a few errant birds make lazy circles in the sky as puffy white clouds drift aimlessly in the azure sky.
He can hear the muffled sounds of excited speech, and the soft rustle of leaves flicking in the wind.
So peaceful. So comforting. So much pain. All over.
After the tap of a wand and a drink of potion, Mtumbwi extends his arm skyward.
Beautiful birds. Flying free.
"So..me..one...hel..p...me..up"
After rising to his feet, he leans against a nearby trunk for support as he tries to shake the ever shifting visage of the forest out of his head.
He turns and sees the downed creature out of his periphery. Inhaling deeply, he tries to strike out towards the animal but his circular path is clearly taking him wide before he criss-cross his stepping and takes a parallel route before arriving at the rear-end. Placing a hand on the creature's rump.
"You big, magnificent, bad-ass bastard. You were more than I can handle. I thank you for your sacrifice this day May it not be in vain."
Stumbling away from the beast, he shouts to his companions, "Specialists, no FRIENDS, what we did today was incredible. Ciarán your bravery, Bazil, that f$*%ing hair man! Gado and Femi with your magical fire. Aeslin, what were you doing laughing at us the whole time? I am so proud to call you all my specialists friends."
Mtumbwi falls face forward into a submerged footprint and passes out.
Femi bounces the flaming sphere into the jungle, careful not to catch anything else on fire.
"Is everyone all right? I have a wand of curing that I'm willing to share if anyone should need such a device. I cannot use it myself, but I brought one thinking it would be good for the team."
As things slow a bit, and his adrenaline gets back under control, Femi slows his breathing and walks up to the great beast, "Wow, I must confess I've never seen anything this large! An impressive creature indeed! We will eat well tonight!"
He stays out of the way as the natives clean and gut the great mastodon. He can see why they huddle behind their wall. Yowzer, imagine if you encountered a small herd of these things...
He looks to the trees and idly wonders how hard they are to climb.
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Bazsil gives a smug flick of his head, bouncing his oiled curls around, as the beast falls (talking about the mastodon, not Ciaran) into a bloody and burn heap. He moves in to add an additional blow to ensure the beast's demise.
Coup de 'Phant
He puts his foot on the mastodon's head, posing with head bowed for a few moments before looking to see if Mtumbwi and Ciaran live. He gives a brief glance to Barley, suspecting that the yak will live and his dream of turducken mastyakpig probably won't come to pass.
"Come humans, see what we have done while working together. Do you see the might in our hands? Do you see what we can do with our will? This...this is another step toward our destiny," Bazsil orates briefly in celebration.
Bazsil will oversee the carving of the beast, seeking to take one of the ivory tusks as a gift for the chief.
* * *
Returning to camp, Bazsil takes his prize (ivory tusk) to his other prize (the chief). He finds her and unceremoniously lays the large ivory tusk at her feet. He pauses momentarily to flex and pose, showing the sheen of blood and battle on his tanned body. He flicks his curls before speaking.
"This. This is what we can do when you believe. These walls will no longer be the cage of your people. They will learn to fly for their destinies await. We will see what they can do when they believe and work together, as humans, to achieve great things."
Bazsil leaves her with her gift to clean up for dinner.
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Ciaran comes round to see Gratum and Matla peering down at him.
He coughs - blood flecking his spittle - and moans in agony as the coughing reveals several broken ribs and bruised organs.
"Am I dead?"
He tries to get up, but collapses immediately with another groan of pain. "Is the yak dead? Aeslin? Gado? Anyone else?"
Clutching at his chest with what is later revealed to be a fractured wrist, he moans again. "I dreamed I saw my family," he says muzzily. "And all the others. That bastard Andross. I've seen a lot of people die over the years."
"It's unfair I should be in this much pain and not dead."
Aeslin looks very relieved that no one has died. She makes sure that people are cured up, using wands as needed.
"Mtumbwi, I was not laughing at you.... but I can understand the confusion. Be releasing vocal energies in a particular way, which sounds a lot like laughing hysterically, I can cause some of my magical abilities to sustain themselves a little bit longer than normal."