Two bullywugs leap for Wyvurn, in the lead, clearing the marsh in tremendous bounds and stabbing downward with their spears:
He easily handles the damage dealt to him by this charge, and responds with a whirling flurry of his own -- unfortunately provoking a defensive stab from the bullywug as he does so.
This blow fails to find its mark, and Wyvurn's backswing, delivered with his usual powerful grace, cleaves into his attacker, killing the monster instantly.
The other six waste little time in following:
Unexpectedly wounded by the hurled spear, Kelgan curses mentally and makes a note to check for other vulnerabilities introduced into his defense by the recent modifications to his armor.
Settling into his defensive stance to shield Jed - who also looks to have taken a spear hit - he loads his crossbow and aims it squarely at the withered matriarch.
"Recall your pets, Auntie, and surrender immediately. You assault a knight of the Kingdom, for which the punishment is death. I am willing to be merciful, but I am in a hurry today. My offer stands for ten breaths."
The two frog men leap at him and clumsily flail at him, Jaegr doesn't enter his defensive posture as he doesn't consider them a threat. He lets Kelgan issue the threats while he brings his pickaxe around.
Caspian continues his inspiration
"It seems the necromonger is aware o his back door."
Jed whips around not in a rage, but with force he to stikes at one of the frogmen....
Power Attack GreatAxe Damage
Both Jaegr and Jed dispatch an assailant each without difficulty. There are only five bullywugs left. The withered hag, cackling, begins jogging along a crooked path -- one that you're having difficulty making out, but it keeps her up out of the morass -- she is heading directly for Kelgan, who can release his bolt before she closes.
"Have it your way, then."
Kelgan tracks the hag and fires at her, mid-leap.
Kelgan's bolt would have bounced of the hag's iron-like hide but for his fell shot. Instead it strikes true, and the crone shrieks as the bolt strikes her. She seems possessed of unearthly vitality, though, and swipes at Kelgan with a claw from nearly 10 feet away, with the bullywugs assisting by keeping in Kelgan's face with their spears:
The two bullywugs also attack:
And one each against Wyvurn ,
Jaegr ,
and Caspian .
Wyvurn will swing savagely at the bullywug in front of him. The marshy terrain interfering with his footing causing him to just keep the thing at bay.
Also to Wyvurn's dismay, his multiple attacks again open him to the bullywug's deadly stop-thrust:
Thankfully, the bullywug didn't plan on Wyvurn's footing being so affected by the marsh, and the thrust is far short.
Jaegr lets his armor absorb the blow from the bullywug and returns a swing of his own.
Jaegr crushes the bullywug then moves over to help Caspian next.
Kelgan reloads and fires at point-blank range, trusting his shield to protect him from retaliation.
Falling victim again to the hair trigger, but prepared this time, he makes an instant adjustment.
Caspian continues to inspire, though he has been slightly wounded, he is thankful his experience allowed him to turn aside slightly...
Inspiration continues
"She's just a hag....."
Wyvurn scowls and wades in again for another round of attacks with the frog man.
The hag is wounded, but steps forward and tries to finish Kelgan:
The bullywugs plaguing him attack as well:
Meanwhile, Jaegr and Wyvurn each slay a bullywug. (Since the other one attacking Wyvurn is already dead, there is none left to make an attack of opportunity is response to his full attack.)
Kelgan gets scraped, as one of the multitude of attacks finally breach his defenses, but he continues to methodically load and fire. Since Jed successfully slayed the 'wug, Kelgan also shifts his shielded defense to the bagpiping Barefoot.
AoO:
Jaegr sees Kelgan surrounded by foes, but knows he is a stout fighter, even for a hill dwarf, and protect Capsian by taking out the bullywug attacking him. [occ]Once Caspian is safe he will move to help Kelgan[/ooc]
Caspian continues to inspire....
"She's just a hag, cut her up and well put her in a bag and sell her to a mage and earn a days wage!"
Jed takes the opportunity to attack!
Power Attack GreatAxe Damage
Wyvurn slips through the marshy terrain, taking a wide circuit around and outside of Kelgan's firing lane to come up behind the hag to hack at her savagely, channeling his ki into his swing.
Wyvurn strikes hard and true, smiting the hag in the center of her back, but the blow -- which should have pierced behind her ribs and cut her heart -- instead is blunted by her iron-like hide.
Meanwhile, Jed gets a little overconfident and misses his blow.
Smiling a gap-toothed smile at Jaegr, the hag croaks, "Is my embrace so awful then, that you would rather lose your souls? You should begone from this place!"
"We are trying to leave...right through yon passageway!"
Continues to inspires his friends while singing about the hag.
The hag has thus far failed to latch onto her target, rendering her rend useless, and the bullywugs have been falling like wheat -- it takes very little additional effort for you to mop them up. You are left in a boggy area at the base of a rock cliff, bodies all around you.
"Not the worst girlfriend of all time...."
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Wyvurn will continue to hack at the hag until she stops moving.
She is soon quite dead.
"Errr I was only kidding about hacking her up and selling parts to a mage. I mean maybe a mage could use some part for something, but I am not sure what parts...."
Knowledge lore
You figure her claws might make pretty good daggers, if you set them in bone handles or something. As far as more exotic or alchemical uses, you're drawing a blank.
Caspian collects the claws....
"Are you done playing around with your new lady? We have a necromancer to kill. And his soul to send back to hell."
Kelgan scrubs the blood from his face and approaches the cliff face, looking for the entrance.
"Let's go."
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"I reckon!"
....adds the halfling in his gruffest tone....
"The head at least proves we killed a hag, or mistakenly someone's grandmother."....bags the head....twice!
Kelgan - Craft (construction)? Or Profession (mining)?
Kelgan examines the rock ledge. He's no mountain dwarf, to be wise in the ways of stone, but it's clear even to him that the rocks in a certain 5-ft. wide stretch don't seem to quite match the rest of the escarpment. In fact, he's pretty sure you could lever them apart with an axe handle or staff or something.
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Jaegr indicated he has already saw that and was testing Kelgan
"Back, back door, good idea!"
"Jed is pretty strong he might help, I would just be in the way."
"Jaegr, your pick would work wonders on this wall here. Let's tear it down and get inside before one of those ravens spots us."
Jaegr lifts his pick axe with a gleam in his eye and begins to pry away at the unusual section. Where it takes more force he swings the pick axe with a long practiced form. When done an almost-but-not-quite smile comes across his face and says, "I'm not sure what I enjoy hacking at more, the rocks or the evil spawn. Guess I'll have a large enough sample ahead of us to decide."
Jaegr's pick strikes the rock in just the right spot, smashing an opening into a dank, marshy tunnel. On the floor is about a foot of water, and the floor looks squishy. Unfortunately, Jaegr's pick also sets off some sort of protective spell on the door....
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Jaegr senses something wrong just in time and manages to dive out of the way of the dangerous trap.
Kelgan yanks on his trusty shield as the malevolent miasma envelops him. Unfortunately, the thick muck grips the shield and rather than pull it upward, he only succeeds at pushing his feet further into the mud. He groans as the magic bursts the blood vessels in his exposed skin, leaving his entire face bruised and black in an instant. With gusto, he howls and yanks on the shield again. His second attempt is successful, in that he pulls his shield free, but it is far too late to ward off the attack. The momentum of the shield and his solidly-stuck feet conspire to topple him backwards and he lands with a 'thwock' in the sticky mire.
"Flint-sucking wizard," he curses as he rights himself and pulls out a bottle from his oilskin sack. He looks around to see how the others fared and pulls out his field satchel. "Who else needs a painkiller?"
"Hey now!"
Save
Jed reflex save
Jed makes his save, but ten points is alot to him...
Jed: "Let's try and not hit anymore of those!"
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Kelgan will administer the appropriate medical response to his fellow sufferers: A dollop of nasty-smelling ointment smeared over the affected area, a drop of bitter oil, and most importantly, a shot of whiskey.
Jaegr nods and grunts at Caspian's request, signifying he agrees. Once Kelgan helps with wounds, and everyone appears ready, Jaegr steps through and says, "Maybe you should fall back a few extra steps, just in case I stumble across something again."