"Apparently my words are wasted on ears that do not know my language." Eli brings Tempest to the ready thinking back to his early education he thinks of the words his mother beat him to learn. He shouts his address to the gnolls again, this time in the Auraun tongue hoping one of them may also be versed in the language.
Initiative
Dumah says to the others It sounds like they've found a leader out there, Al'Choraiv, and they've got hundreds to their banner. Let's deal with these and make for the other way out.
"So be it...Dawnflower, sharpen my blade that I may cut down these flea-ridden mongrels."
Round 1:
With uncanny speed, the gnoll leader growls and pulls up his bow and fires 2 arrows at Quzman, both of which hit the ranger in the chest, drawing deep gashes of blood!
Looking at the map, you could block off the narrow entrance into the room from the corridor. Or something else, now that you have a visual area.
Dumah will center the http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/blackTentacles.html#_black-tentac les at the intersection of BC 9/10. That should encompass all the opponents on the map, and perhaps some off the map as well.
CMB grapple attempt on all in area
Damage if grappled plus grappled condition.
Dumah looks over at the others and shouts Run!
Black tentacles burrow from the ground, grasping the gnolls and their leader by the torso, ankles, and arms. The crunching sound of the gnolls' ribs breaking, as well as their screams of pain, are quite audible, as the tentacles squeeze their prey!
Quzman mutters under his breath, "I really must beg Dumah to teach me their infernal tongue one of these days...". Hearing Dumah's shout, Quzman will reach out and try to grab Eli by the arm so that the young man might be able to lead him away from the scene unfolding, unseen, before his very eyes.
Quzman mutters under his breath, "I really must beg Dumah to teach me their infernal tongue one of these days...". Hearing Dumah's shout, Quzman will reach out and try to grab Eli by the arm so that the young man might be able to lead him away from the scene unfolding, unseen, before his very eyes.
"Well that didn't work, lets get out of here! Sometimes you got to know when your not holding the cards and get away from the table." He will grasp Quzman's arm and lead them back to the stairs as fast as he can. As they move Eli mutters softly the chant that imbues his touch with healing mercy and lets it flow into his injured companion.
Jameena brings up the rear, retreating to the top of the stairs, ready to buy her companions some time to get away.
The tentacles continue to ravage the gnolls and block further progress from the scorpion and any other enemies.
I think the gnolls have gotten too organized for us to slip past. Let's go back to the fire caves. Perhaps the fire brothers even have a way to restore Quzman's sight.
"That's as good a plan as any, Dumah. Lets go."
Quzman follows blindly along, trying to help guide from memory as best he can with Eli's descriptions.
Eli will try to pick his way through the tunnels, back to the magic portal. "Fear not friends, we can do this...we are the Sandstalkers."
We will make our way as directly as we can back to the portal to the fire caves. Eli and Quzman in the lead, followed by Jameena and Dumah, with Jameena carrying Tyronel. Once there, Dumah will use a Magic Missile spell and several force missiles to try and trigger the portal as he did before.
With a seven round head start, the party knowing precisely where the portal is, and the gnolls chasing slowly with caution to prevent an ambush, the party easily makes it to the portal in time for Dumah to power up the runes and escape!
The heat, as always, is stifling and the party moves as quickly as possible, signaling to Lasserak, the flamebrother salamander that they have returned. He and his clan brothers escort you back to the tolerable area of heat in the caverns. He looks at the body of Tyronel and quickly deduces Quzman's condition, and says, "Obvious, you have done much battling and I am sorry for the loss of your friend, but pray tell, what news have you as to the Carrion King? Was his might too strong, forcing you to retreat? Or has his reign come to an end?"
The cost has been high indeed, but we met with success. The Carrion King's bellow shall be heard no more in these parts, and the world is now free of his menace.
Dumah glances at his allies before continuing. Though I do not know how long the vacuum will remain. Already other tribes were moving in to the caves, probing for weakness and opportunity.
With a bow of respect, he adds We seek now to return to our lands and see to our wounds and our losses. We appreciate and respect the assistance you have given us, but may we ask for your generosity again in allowing us passage back to the other portal?
"We have indeed brought down the Carrion King and many of his evil followers, but we have also been set upon by a new foe, a Janni assassin who ambushed us after we slew the king. We do not know his motives, but he is skilled in the arts of deception and disguise, and can move unseen. If you encounter any other outsiders in your caves, you should be wary."
Tired and worn out Eli waits to see how their tentative allies react to the news.
Uhm guys....I might be a bit distracted from the game for a while...*points to new forum tag*
(oh, and vote for me!)
The heroes stand before Lasserak, at the same time hopeful and fearful of his response. Will he rejoice in the death of the Carrion King? Will he honor their alliance, or try to dispose of them now that they've served their purpose... Sweat flows down Dumah's face, not all of it from the stifling heat.
Oh, and You can bet Jameena is going shopping for a Sunrise Shawl as soon as she has the cash.
P.s. Vote for me :-)
Jameena stands proud, ready to face her destiny, secure in the knowledge that no matter what, she has helped vanquish a great evil and end the gnoll threat in the area for year to come.
Quzman grimly stands next to Eli, "The tribes should take awhile to rally behind a new leader...if one exists strong enough to unite them all. There is still a lot of activity, but unguided at the moment thankfully. You and your brethren should be able to withstand any single tribe with ease. As you can see, we have been sorely pressed and our losses grievous. May we stay with you again, until we have been able to refresh our strength?"
Lasserak smiles and says, "Of course, warriors, we cannot thank you enough for ending the life of that despicable Carrion King. You have done my tribe a great service and fear not, we will be more wary of outsiders in the future. Now, please rest."
The night passes and in the morning, as a final gesture of peace, Lasserak intones magic and restores Quzman's sight! He then bids you farewell. The party treks back to Kelmarane to ensure the safety of the town and their week-long journey passes without incident, though they remain wary of potential attacks.
In Kelmarane, the party is greeted by jubilation over their triumph over the gnoll threat and sadness over Tyronel's passing. Garavel and Princess Almah are especially proud of the party and its accomplishments. A somber celebration is held to celebrate the occasion, where Kyle, April, Zastoran, Zyra, Trix, and the rest of the locals attend. As before, the party is directed to Katapesh if they wish to bring Tyronel back to life.
Once back in Kelmarane, Dumah will ask around to see if Haleen has been back in town at all. He'll also check with some of the guards to see if they know if anyone else has been asking about her, especially strangers.
Eli is eager to press on to Katapesh, retiring unusually early from the reunion and celebration. The next morning he is up and packed, restocking food stuffs from the pantry at Kyra's Place, and ready to leave town early.
Quzman is eager to press on to Katapesh, but will spend the evening and morning in contemplation at church in Kelmarane. After watching the sunrise, Quzman goes to meet the rest of the party at Kyra's Place.
Jameena will join Quzman in the temple, and make sure she refills her healing kit. Otherwise, she spends time close to whomever is holding the scroll, ever vigilant of signs that Zayifid should return to try and steal it again.
Once back in Kelmarane, Dumah will ask around to see if Haleen has been back in town at all. He'll also check with some of the guards to see if they know if anyone else has been asking about her, especially strangers.
No one has been asking about Haleen and in fact, nobody has heard from her since she left town.
The following day after the celebration, the party, rested and restocked, heads off to Katapesh, carrying the charred remains of Tyronel. The desert, as always, is hot and unforgiving, and the first night passes without incident. The second day is more of the same. However, as Quzman leads the party, he sees in the distance, over some dunes, the now recognizable signs of death: vultures circling in the sky. As you move closer to get a better look, you see an oasis, perhaps 150' away, and you barely make out what appear to be corpses on the ground, though at this distance and with the sun in your face, you cannot distinguish race or sex.
Quzman will draw out his bow, knock an arrow, and try to slowly lead the party towards the scene. Quzman does not lead straight towards the scene, but tries to take a more sweeping approach to try and get a better look at the area and see if he can tell what may have caused the devastation by possibly visible wounds or the pattern of the bodies and disturbances in the sand/vegetation around the oasis.
When Quzman gets out his bow, Eli draws forth Tempest and follows the ranger across the dunes towards the oasis and the bodies lying there, watching for any signs of movement.
Clearly remembering the encounter with the deceptive and deadly redcap, Jameena is on guard. She draws her scimitar and follows Eli and Quzman.
Dumah will follow after the others, keeping a close eye on Quzman for any instructions he may wish to convey. This clearly falls in his area of expertise, and Dumah knows to trust his judgment. Seeing the others ready weapons, Dumah will cast mage armor on himself as they approach.
As you approach the scene, you see several mangled dead bodies of gnolls and hyenas around the oasis. From your current distance, you count at least six, though there could be more given the fragmentary state of the bodies. You also spot several coils of rope laying around the scene.
Once she is close enough to inspect the wounds, Jameena halts, sensing hidden danger near by.
"Careful! See the way the bodies appear to be half-burned and melted? That is usually a result of exposure to acid or electricity. What could have caused that out here?"
"I know not what killed these beasts, but they were the foul underlings of the Carrion King. Notice the insignia partially burned away on that flea bitten mongrel there.", while pointing at the nearest corpse. Quzman looks inquiringly at the young mage and fighter, "Have either of you any idea what could have caused such wounds?"
Quzman glances this way and that trying to determine if there are other tracks in the sands from what may have done this to the beasts.