Even though he is wide open to attack, the blows seem to bend around him to smash against broken columns and the floor and he reaches the catfolk unharmed.
Mahk steps back out of range of the pugwampi unluck aura, and fires his longbow again.
Hissing in pain as she tries to back away from the large pugwampi while trying to kill the damn thing!
Adroushan steps into a flanking position. The Magi swings his enchanted scimitar at the monster's neck!
And miraculously again, every blow misses King Mokknok, who still has the stupid over confident smile on his face. Though Adroushan did get close, and even Josria missed as well.
Ajala moves in to try and pressure the beast, but her solid arms and legs hit the stone floor and columns rather than Moknok himself.
Moknok undettered will turn around and fight Ajala head on.
But as unlucky as you all are, it seems the king isn't that great himself.
Ensuring that he is out of the range of the pugwampi unluck aura, Mahk sends another arrow at the king, and misses badly.
Josria fired another ray of flames at the big pugwampi, but once again she misses, which results in a stream of curses in various languages.
Mahk's arrow misses its target, and Reja and Josria don't seem to fare much better. However....
WHAM!
The stone fist of Ajala strikes against the King's face, sending him skidding across the floor. He scrambles back to his feet, but that blow seemed to have a huge affect on him, making him almost haggard in experience. And yet, bloodied, he still charges forward in foolishness. He brings his hammer across AJala's form...
...only to find it skidding across her solid body.
Mahk continues to shoot arrows at the pugwampi king, but misses.
Adroushan stays in flanking position. The Magi swings his enchanted scimitar at the monster's neck!
Josria hisses as she hurls a fiery ray at the pugwampi king, which thankfully hits it in the side of the face.
King Mokknok grins sloppily as he seems to prance in place dodging every blow that comes his way. He looks at the somewhat cracked stone figure in front of him and raises his hammer.
Fshh!
King Mokknok still has a stupid grin on his face, but it seems to be in odd confusion instead. He glances down and sees smoke coming from one of his cheeks. And as he tries to take a breath, he finds the air whistling through the hole in his throat instead.
He collapses to the ground with a large thud, and the party worn and beaten, are pretty sure that the pugwumpi's taking residence in the monastary have been defeated.
Josria blinked in surprise as her fire magic took down the king pugwumpi!
Purring in joy, she immediately remembered her wound as she began to hop around.
"I think I reopened a wound..."
"But did you see!? Did you see! My Bastet and Cayden Cailean bless us today and forever!"
Looking over the group, "we are all injured. Lets take this creatures things, then head back to camp, rest and heal tonight and come back tomorrow."
Mahk then strips the king of the pugwampi bare, and helps carry back what ever he had on him, just leaving a bare body.
The Magi kicks any dead monster-fey, that he walks by....
The party returns to camp tired, but fairly confident that they've exterminated all the pugwumpis in the building. Later, Garavel approaches your group.
"Lady Almah requests that one of your number serve as part of her personal guard, just a bit of....insurance in case these mysterious accidents continue."
There is some discussion, but Reja ultimately volunteers giving you all a wave goodbye before leaving with Garavel back to Almah's tent.
====================================================
Through a mix of health potions supplied by Zastoran, the party is back to full health. Almah and the rest of the the traveling band venture into the temple. For your group, Almah wnats to make sure there are no surprises and orders you to figure out what lies behind the mysterious blockage that you couldn't get past.
Josria was glad that they could finally rest, but her happiness should changed to sadness at seeing Reja leave.
"I will miss you, my frrriend, Rrreja. I wish you good luck and good forrrtune, and that Bastet and Cayden Cailean watch overrr you," she said giving her friend a huge goodbye.
"I think we should explorrre a bit morrre on the upperrr levels before we start moving in. Just to make surrre therrre are no hidden surprrrises," Josria stated, pointing out the surprise attack that they had faced with the giant pugwampi king.
She also checked some of the areas they were in earlier for any overlooked clues. Of course, Josria better hoped that curiosity doesn't kill this cat!
.
After some much needed rest, Adroushan awakens early the next morning to study his spellbook.
A few moments of inspiration fill him, as he diligently scribes a couple new spells into it.
He misses breakfast; just barely catching up to the group, as they head back inside the temple.
Pardon my tardiness. I was entirely caught up in my studies. This has been a fascinating (if dirty) find.
The well-tailored Magi looks around.
We seem to be short a person.
With the rise of the next day, the camp is suddenly given new life as two distant riders are spotted in the distance. Almah orders to not attack, and lets the both riders approach and dismount.
Politely asking for an audience at Lady Almah, Faffnyr hands over a scroll, stating that Garavel has bought this half-orc and that Lady Almah shall do as she want with this new slave.
The other rider is also a woman, a human in brightly-colored garb. She has a carefree attitude, but when she dismounts and removes her possessions from the horse she carries both a beautiful, jeweled setar and a dull, curved and hooked glaive-guisarme - a strange contrast.
"Am I in time?" she says while Faffnyr hands over the scroll. "We had to avoid a small group of marauders, lost about a day of travel. Garavel sent me along to assist."
Josria purred as she greeted the two newcomers.
"Ah! Welcome! Welcome! It is nice to meet you both. It is always nice to meet new frrriends. I am Josrrria al-Zarrrqa, a sorrrcerrress skilled in the arrrrcane arrrrts. And who would I be speaking to, hm?"
Arian dismounts awkwardly, then adjusts the strap for her setar case and posts her pole arm. She extends her hand to Josria. "Ah, of course, of course. I am called Arian. This is Faffnyr," she says with a gesture to the half-orc woman. Her skirts swirl as she turns first one way, then the next, to encompass the whole of the group. "I'm glad to make it to your company. Will the campsite be staying here, or moving on again?"
Taking a hold of the human woman's hand, and shaking it, Josria replied, "It is nice to meet you. Forrr the moment, the campsite is temporrrrarrrry, but once we have clearrred the monasterrry, then we'll be moving into it. So, I plan on explorrring a bit morrrre on the top floorrr beforrre we explorrre the lowerrr levels."
"Very well. Do you want an extra pair of eyes as you survey the upper floor?"
Bowing when her name is spoken, Faffnyr returns after giving her letter to the guard at the ladys tent. "I will do all in my powers to aid you. I am a servant of the flaming lady and I will ask in my prayers for her blessings to this expedition!"
"Yes Josria, we need to finish searching the first floor, as well as the area above the chapel where those darn pugwampi were firing arrows at us. Then we can head down to the lower level."
Mahk takes the items that he took from the king, and dumps them on the floor. "Josria, Adroushan, do either of you know if these things are magical?"
As Reja leaves, Mahk turns and wishes her well, "Fare thee well, where ever thee fare, Reja."
When the new arrivals come, Mahk is on guard for a moment, till he sees that they are friendly. Once they introduce themselves, he replies, "I am Mahk. Tracker and Warrior. Welcome to our camp."
Josria cast a spell on the items to see if they are indeed magical.
"Hello, Makh, and thank you for the welcome," says Arian, extending her free hand to the warrior. "I am glad to share the hospitality of this camp."
Adroushan looks over the two new comers.
I am Adroushan. Magi and swordsman. We shall expect that you two shall exceed expectations presesented by our last set of companions as they were raised to a higher station.
The Magus smiles.
"Pleased to meet you. That's a lovely cloak. I like your choice of colors," says Arian to Adroushan.
The 1/2 elf smiles at Arian. A slight reddening of his bronzed (and painted) face appears around his well manicured beard.
Josria's fingers touch lightly upon the small warhammer KingMocknock wielded against you so fiercely. There is the faint trace of magic, but it is not a powerful effect, a minor one at most. Everything is merely junk baubles to decorate a fat pugwumpi king.
The group moves into the building, but the only place where mystery exists is behind that large chunk of moss you didn't seem to be able to budge last time. That and the upstairs area, where the floorboards threaten to collapse under your feet.
Looking around Faffnyr checks the monastery for any connection to any god. Murals, paintings statues.
Figuring it is better to finish off the small housing area before heading up the stairs over the chapel, Mahk moves to one of the doors that the group has not gone thru yet and listens carefully, then whether he hears anything or not checks for traps before opening the door.
Adroushan follows along with Mahk.
Casting a cantrip, Adroushan assists in the search.
The Magi carries his adori dueling sword at the ready.
Once the group moves into the monastery, Arian becomes quiet - obviously she is skilled at moving through areas with some discretion. She seems to stick close to Mahk, occasionally pointing at some spot or another with a quizzical look, to get more information about what the party has already seen.
When they arrive at the door she hangs back for a moment to let Mahk listen quietly, while keeping watch with her polearm at the ready.
When Arian asks about particular spot, Mahk tells her about what occurred there. From the pugwampi ambush in the chapel, to the hidden stairs down behind the statue in the southeast corner, to the large bird nest to the various frescoes and statues, especially in the hallways around the inner courtyard. He also mentions the pugwampi king that was hard to kill back in the main temple area. "Pugwampi have an unluck aura. Around 20 feet or so, things just go wrong" he mentions to her.
"Ohhh yes, I've run afoul of that," Arian says to Mahk. "Ran into some near an oasis. Things became a bit... uncomfortable." She reminisces for a moment. "I carry darts for just such a future occasion. Harder to hit at a good range, but it beats the crushing bad luck."
"How did you manage to beat the chief?" she asks, walking in a circle around the area. "Must have been a very vexing battle."
"I used my bow, and Reja elemental friend got lucky and whacked it good several times. It was a case of wearing him down before he killed us all" he replies. "And yes, it was vexing. I just hope there are no more of those things in here, but I wouldn't bet on it."
Arian nods. "Last time I fought them, I got a faceful of cactus needles, and a sorceress with whom I was traveling wound up having her dress torn off by accident. I'd almost rather just run into gnolls."
At the mention of gnolls, Mahk lets out a low growl, and grips his scythe tighter. "Yes, lets run into some gnolls. I'll show you how to chop them in half." and there is a hatred in his eyes.
"Ah, see you know the smelly beasts all too well," says Arian. "Also not my favorites, but at least fighting them is just a stand-up encounter, not an exercise in futility and crazy bad coincidences."