With the addition of a sixth "canary", and a pleased Venture Captain MacGuffin who placed a side bet with the other captains that there would be a late arrival, the intrepid and plucky Pathfinders exit Absalom's north gates and follow their map through the Cairnlands.
The ruined siege castle now being called the Fallen Fortress
rises out of the churned earth of the Cairnlands. No doors or
windows mar the otherwise smooth expanse of the tower’s
walls. The tower is quatrefoil in plan; its eastern wing has
largely collapsed, exposing the interior floors to the open
air. Only the topmost level seems whole, though its eastern
portion hangs precariously over the mountain of rubble left
by the collapse. At ground level, the rubble frames a gaping
hole in the side of the building that provides access to the
tower’s darkened interior.
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Damion points at the top floor then to the bottom floor holes.
He reaches inside of his pack, and realizes he doesn't have a climber's kit.
His eyes gaze to everyone else in the group. Pointing at his pack, and then gesturing to each person. Then he motions empathically to the wall of rubble and stone. Damion awaits a response.
Damion then gets a flash of insight. He gestures to our new friend, and makes a climbing motion, points to the top most hole. He then moves his hands in a manner of throwing a bundle of something down, pantomiming gazing below.
He looks at the Grippli, then back to the others for a response.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
the Archon peers into the hole in the eastern wing.
As the intrepid explorers discuss methods by which to traverse the exterior of the fortress, three savage and ravenous feral dogs slink forward from around some of the rubble. The demeanor of these matted-fur beasts clearly indicates they are not here for slobbery kisses and belly-rubs!
K'Coro
Victor
green
brown
purple
Esdras
Quogup
Haranum
Ayana
Damion
The feral dogs advance onto Damion and Quogup and focus their attention on the two of them as weaker looking targets, or at least perhaps weaker than the big nagaji who advanced boldly their direction.
The lead canine makes contact with Damion, drawing blood and snarling as it pulls back to realign for another attack while Quogup manages to fend off the jaws of two adversaries trying to rip him apart.
K'Coro
Victor
green
brown
purple
Esdras
Quogup
Haranum
Ayana
Damion, hp 6/8
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When it is Damion's turn.
Damion takes a step back, and closes his eyes for a brief second to deal with the pain. He focus's his calm to steel himself for something he's seen too much before.
Damion opens his mouth and let's loose a vicious whip with his tongue. Lashing at the dog that hit! His long sticky appendage coated in bladed shards of ice that glisten in the sun.
Damion points to the Lighting of Heaven, and points to where he was just standing, as he fumbles to get his shield and mace out.
Esdras looking expectantly at Haranum.
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On Quogup’s turn.
Quogup quickly steps away from the pack of feral animals, hoping to draw some unwanted attention away from himself.
Quogup looks at the too-thin creature in front of him and says “It looks like these animals have not eaten for… DAZE!”
Quogup draws his scimitar with a flourish and says “I do not want to use this on you creature, but I will if I must!”
[dice=Knowledge: Nature/Arcana/Planes]1d20 + 8[/ooc]
Knowledge nature= These are dogs. Normal, feral dogs. You are eligible for three questions. But for efficiency's sake in PBP given the mundane nature of the enemy, I will give you the top most relevant things about dogs:
They have only a bite attack, no trip in conjunction, and scent.
They have a 40' move speed.
Will is their weakest save.
Between Damion and Esdras' actions, they take down one of the feral beasts with cold efficiency. The dog next to Quogup bristles in irritation and one could almost wonder if it was due to the sharply worded pun. But given the animal level of cognizance the beast possesses, that would surely be impossible.
K'Coro
Victor
green
brown
Quogup
Haranum
Esdras
Ayana
Damion
Slightly surprised that the dogs decided to run right by him causes him to miss taking an attack of opportunity.
K'Coro slashes the dog as savagely as the dog would have done to any of the adventurers if given the chance. Canine innards and eviscera cover the Cairnlands. The crows and other scavengers will feast well this day.
The ravenous cur yelps and jerks away from Victor's swing before the drum beating Pathfinder can connect. It then snaps its jaws forward at Victor's retracting arm.
Victor manages to pull his arm away in time, though covered in flecks of foamy dog slobber.
K'Coro
Victor
brown
Quogup
Haranum
Esdras
Ayana
Damion
Esdras looks to the heavans, raises his fists and recites:
"I will bring them from Proelera;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share."
Esdras steps forward and brings the fists down on the remaining dog.
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Esdras' proselytizing fist makes the remaining attacking wild dog's insides exchange places with the outsides.
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Victor looks at Esedras, then Haranum whilst wrapping his drumming up, mildly squeamish at the look of the carnage about them.
"Vell, I can see vhy you keep him around!" He chuckles darkly. "I belief our element of surprise is now gone. Perhaps it vould be vise to look at having our dear Gripilli friend climb?"
Esdras peers into the darkness of the eastern wing, but waits for the others to decide.
As Victor speaks, Esdras gives him a sidelong glance.
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Nervously, Damion looks around. He gazes at victor seeing that he is talking.
Damion's eyes drift up to the hole above. Then back to the hole in the wall. He turns his head to Victor and shrugs. He glances at Quogup. He gestures with his mace to the hole above, or to the hole forward. He then slings his shield over his shoulder.
Damion sets his pack on the ground and pulls out a single sunrod. With his other hand, he pantomimes activating it. And gesturing into the cave the dogs came from.
He turns to face everyone. Looking for a response to his silent gaze.
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Quogup carefully makes his way to the edge of the darkened hole in the side of the tower, then casts a spell on a pendant that hangs around his neck which starts to glow as bright as a torch.
Quogup glances to the party and says "Unless you are all hiding wings under those clothes, I don't think going through that hole up there is an option. Shall we?" Quogup gestures deeper into the tower and waits for someone else to lead the way.
Esdras nods and says, “Within three days God-King will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh” and walks into the tower.
The northern wing of the tower seems to have escaped the worst effects of the collapse, but rubble still litters the floor and everything is covered in a thick layer of stone dust. Thick cobwebs cloak the ceiling and hang down the walls like gossamer tapestries. A single archway stands open in the southwest wall. It is soon apparent that the collapse of the eastern wing has caved in much of tower’s first level as well. The southern wing is entirely filled with rubble, leaving only the northern wing (and part of the western wing) accessible.
As the fresh faced Pathfinders enter the fortress, they scan the area, looking for dangers. However, none of them note a human-sized, multi-legged horror dwelling in the shadowy webs along the ceiling as it quivers in hungry anticipation as it propels a glob of webbing at Esdras!
With a loud THWIPP, Esdras is entangled in sticky, gooey webbing.
Quogup
K'Coro
The thing that is probably a giant spider
Ayana
Victor
Esdras, entangled
Damion
Haranum
Esdras is now free of the webbing after being cut out of it. Numerous wisps still cling to the eidolon and will take much particular picking and cleaning to rid it all later.
Quogup
K'Coro
The thing that is probably a giant spider
Ayana
Victor
Esdras, free at last!
Damion
Skittering across the ceiling, the TTIPAGS eyes a new target, the small grippli picking his way over the rough and broken stones. Quogup's size and floundering movements makes the TTIPAGS's mandibles drip digestive juices as it it aims the spinneret glands of its anal region at the grippli and propels a sticky glob of webbing at him.
THWIPP!
But its hasty and hungry nature does not aid its aim, but hinders it and the sticky wad does not strike the intrepid servant of Uskyeria as he sidesteps the violating mass of gooey organic matter.
Quogup
K'Coro, guidance spell
the TTIPAGS, 15ft on ceiling
Ayana
Victor
Esdras
Damion
Haranum
Esdras glances impatiently back as Haranum.
"Now Thais made a double-edged sword about a cubit long,
which she strapped to her right thigh under her clothing."
Victor trusts in his studies and knowledge, both within books and in the field, and with complete mental certainty knows fully that he and his allies face a GIANT SPIDER.
Victor knocks an arrow, squints in concentration, and lets go of the bowstring in tandem with an exhaled breath. But his piercing projectile clatters against the ceiling to the side of the giant spider. Perhaps it was the warring sides within the dhampir that shook his resolve while aiming: light versus dark, life versus undeath, positive energy versus negative energy. Or perhaps he just needs to attend more practice sessions at the Grand Lodge archery range. Janira Gavix is teaching a class next week, he recalls.
Esdras moves directly under the GIANT SPIDER and spends his standard action screaming quotes from the Parables of Erastil at the spider above him.
"The first gift you ever receive is your family! A man grows from the seeds his parents plant!"
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Damion walks into the room. His gaze up at the creature on the ceiling. He points up with his mace. Damion reaches into his pack for something for this. Then sees victor with a shorbow out. He nods, and rubs his carefully polished holy symbol of Pharasma.
A gentle glow rises from his throat. He opens his mouth and his tongue darts out and blesses Victor.
Damion's tongue then deftly removes his own backpack.
Ayana and Victor both raise their instruments of destruction and let fly with resonant TWANGS of bowstrings two well aimed piercing tools of death that strike true on the giant spider. Alas, the creature remains alive yet wounded as a hiss emerges and it shakes with a combination of pained rage and hunger. Its spinneret glands start to pulsate as it begins internally churning biological material with which to expel.
Quogup
K'Coro, guidance spell
The giant spider, 15ft on ceiling, 6hp
Ayana
Victor
Esdras
Damion
Haranum