Malavarius squints up at the adlet for a moment before his eyes go wide. "Oh, good grief, just what we need: another Hektir!" Then, grumbling to himself, he tries to think of what he can do for Pemsworth or Quinn. He tugs on his beard before sending a trio of fiery rays into the giant bug's hide to try and drive it off.
HP: 61/61
AC: 15 (11 T / 14 FF)
Fort: +3 // Ref: +4 // Will: +9 (+1 vs spells, SLAs, & Su abilities of evil arcane spellcasters)
Resist 10: Cold
Energy Absorption: 0/33 absorbed
Pearl of Power I: 1/1 used
Pearl of Power III: 0/1 used
wand of scorching ray: 8/50 charges used
Cantrips Prepared (4): detect magic, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic
Level 1 Prepared (4+2+1): endure elements [X], feather fall [ ], protection from evil* [ ], mage armor [ ], shield [ ], snapdragon fireworks [ ] [ ]
Level 2 Prepared (4+2+1): glitterdust [ ] [ ], resist energy* [X] [ ] [ ], scorching ray [X] [ ]
Level 3 Prepared (4+1+1): dispel magic* [ ], fireball [X] [ ], haste [ ] [ ], magic weapon (greater) [X]
Level 4 Prepared (3+1+1): dimension door [X] [ ], remove curse [ ], secure shelter [ ], stoneskin* [ ]
Level 5 Prepared (2+1+1): break enchantment* [ ], dismissal [ ], teleport [ ] [ ]
Level 6 Prepared (1+1+1): greater dispel magic* [ ] [ ] [ ]
Protective Ward used: 1/8
Ongoing Effects:
mage armor (self)
mage armor (Pemsworth)
greater magic weapon (Hektir)
resist energy 30 (cold, Quinn)
bless: +1 to hit, +1 vs fear
"Oh, good grief, just what we need: another Hektir!"
Zephtyr spits, agreeing with the compliment/insight.
Round 4
Pems turns evil on the creature holding him as Hektir blasts it with fire, scorching it badly. The creature looks all but dead, as he finishes, a state reinforced by Mal's fiery blasts, which drop it to the ground, Pems falling out of its jaws to roll into the snow.
Tsin steps up and dispatches the other with a couple quick cuts of her blade, leaving you mostly standing bloodied but unbowed on the glacier.
A moment later, the adlet finishes her spell and a gigantic ice creature pulls itself free of the ground, looking around for a target before settling back on its haunches.
B: 65
Q: 3
Pems gets up and runs over to Quinn, casting first his healing hex on him!
Then, true to his word, Pems draws his icicle dagger and cuts out the buggy bastard's eyes, chewing them while glaring down at the corpse.
Tsin flicks ursikka sick from her blade, letting the flame burn away most of the bodily sinew and fluid, before sheathing it, and moving to Quinn's still form, laced in frozen spittle. She watches over Pems initially, but slowly turns to look away from the halfling as he begins to chew on insect eye. From her experience with Perkin, cow eyes were only meant for boiling in stew, as their outer skin was so tough. She turns back to make sure Pems's jaw is still moving. She'd hate to help heave a large eye from the halfling's gullet, should he manage to choke on it.
She instead calls down the adlet. "Please, we'd like an audience with you, if you will trust that we mean you no harm. Consider the dead ursikka our act of good faith."
Zephtyr spits, admiring Pems' good, honest work, keeping his word.
The bathing in the innards is the best part.
He looks at the adlet with fiery fists and waits for the prime translator to finish his post-combat hygiene threat fulfillment. He needs a translator though he thinks his actions have spoken more than his words already.
Malavarius shudders, casting a dark glance at Flash as Pemsworth sets to carving out and devouring ursikka eyes. "Good heavens!" He shakes his head ruefully, shooting Zeno a worried look. "That rabbit's changing him, Zeno."
The old wizard shakes his head, not finding any mirth in the thrush's joke, and turns his attention to the adlet. "Hullo up there! Are you alright? The lass is right, but before all that we've some restorative magics at our disposal if you'd care to partake!"
"Hail destined ones," the adlet says in Triaxian, as she descends, her eyes scanning each of you. "I am Baknarla. And, yes, Rrrestorrrative magics would be good, indeed."
Finishing his chewing, Pems sheathes his dagger and walks to the adlet. "Hello, Barknarla. May I?" Touching her, should she allow it, he uses his healing hex.
Zephtyr speaks to Baklava in a language few know to see if he gets a response.
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Pems gets up and runs over to Quinn, casting first his healing hex on him! Healing: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (1, 1) + 10 = 12
Then, true to his word, Pems draws his icicle dagger and cuts out the buggy bastard's eyes, chewing them while glaring down at the corpse
Quinn blinks back to reality, focusing on the concerned looking gnome halfling in front of him, and the dour, scowling woman looking over his shoulder. "Oh, Hello, what a sensation, first I thought Tsin was making snow angels, then angels were Everywhere, fluttering all about with twinkling stars." Quinn lies in the snow a few more moments as he fondly remembers the fluttering angels. The conversation is lost on him, unless it reverts to common or draconic.
Tsin looks over the ursikka bodies, comparing them to the size of the kokogiaks. "Do they only travel in twos? How common an encounter is this, Baknarla? Why were you alone? Should we move now?" She grows quickly impatient, picturing another pair of ursikkas meandering by.
"You are trrruly as the starrrs said," she responds in Triaxian as Pems heals her, shaking her head at Hektir's words, her brow furrowing.
"Therrre is sometimes a hive of them, as many as on ourrr fingerrrs," she continues in response to Tsin in her growly voice. "But they would likely have all attacked if therrre werrre morrre. I am on my own because my trrribe has shunned me; they did not believe you werrre coming, as I did. They did not have faith."
"Oh! Well then. Pleased to meet you, my dear. I'm Malavarius. This is Quinn. That's Tsin. Yes, their names rhyme. It was terribly confusing for a time, but you'll catch on quick, I'm sure. That spritely lad with a new appetite for eyeballs is Pemsworth, and the gusty blowhard up there is Hektir. I don't suppose you and your tribe would be at all interested in reclaiming your former home?"
Zephtyr bows when introduced, hiding his disappointment that the adlet doesn't speak a civilized and natural tongue.
"How did you know to expect us?" Zephtyr says, looking to others to translate.
"The starrrs have spoken about the coming of ones frrrom beyond the sky who will give my people back ourrr lands," she says, going on to explain much of the legends Malavarius' spell revealed.
"Although it is taboo for outsiderrrs to set foot in the crrrevasse, I will guide you therrre, if you wish. If we can find Sarrrnok’s grave, I hope I can brrring back a holy relic of the herrro to my people to rrrestore theirrr hope. You will find his legenderrry spear, which you can use to slay Yrrrax."
Pems slurps up the last of eyes, which taste surprisingly good. "Who was Sarnok?"
"Well, we don't have to set foot down, if that helps any. You know...some of us could manage flight if it would preserve the sacredness of your lands," Zephtyr offers helpfully.
"By the by, might there be any challenges in getting the spear?"
"I'm not surrre. The crrrevasse is a holy place -- the howls of ourrr ancestorrrs sound in the wind whistling thrrrough the crrrevasse -- and we only approach durrring rrrarrre sacrrred rrrituals. What may be in therrre I cannot say... As forrr flying, that may help us get therrre fasterrr, but yourrr merrre prrresence is taboo, whetherrr orrr not you set food on the grrround," she replies as the translations continue.
The Rimekeening Crevasse is the last resting place of a legendary adlet hero named Sarnok. Sarnok was a mighty warrior-shaman who lived long ago and slew more than one dragon with his magic spear. He was also renowned for his wisdom, bringing about peace treaties between the adlet tribes and several Drakelands realms. According to legends, one day Sarnok set out to explore the depths of the Rimekeening Crevasse and was never seen again, but he will return some day to guide his people to glory once more.
As everything is in Trixian, Quinn understands nothing. Instead, he makes snow angels inspired by Tsin and doesn't move to get up from the icy tundra. "Sure is a lovely day, everything seems so bright."
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Zephtry nods, understanding as Mal explains.
"So...Sarmok and spear fell at crevassa. Zephtyr with his eyes open."
"Yes, yes, Hektir. Sarmok and Jilad at Tanagra. Malavarius with his arms wide. That's all very fascinating but what about my good hat?" He turns to Baknarla, his bushy eyebrows arched inquisitively, "I don't suppose you've seen my good hat about by any chance, have you?"
Pems looks back and forth between Hektir and Mal. "I... I don't have any idea what the hell you're talking about. I mean, heavy handed allegory aside, we should probably leave before the corpses attract scavengers."
"Master Pems is right. We should move. Baknarla, if you're ready, lead on. Let us fulfill your people's destiny, because it serves our need as well. This crevasse of yours, is it perhaps guarded by ghosts or golems? We are powerful, but often humbled by overwhelming and unanticipated forces."
"Verrry well," she says. "It should not take us too long to arrrrive."
She leads the way and after a night of camping and several close calls with other glacial inhabitants -- including a flight of flightless bird creatures she calls ice rrrrunnerrrs -- you reach the edge of a vast fracture in the ice, which stretches off into the distance in both directions.
The rift is about 500 feet wide at this point, but it narrows sharply as it descends into the glacier. Freezing winds whistle through the crevasse, producing an eerie wailing that at times seems to sound like the lonely cry of a grieving woman. The crevasse drops almost 200 feet below the surface of the glacier.
Zephtyr flies along, following Baklava. When they get close, he will spend a moment to cast Barkskin.
He pauses at the crevasse.
"Hey Quinn, doesn't this sound like...you know..." Zeph asks.
"Yep", Quinn agrees, though it doesn't seem to bring him any joy, just a sorrowful look, "They all cry when I leave." then he reflects on that thought for a moment, "or until I leave, now that I consider it. You'd think they would be happy at sunrise?"
"How do we want to descend?" Baknarla asks. "I have already used my ability to walk on air this day."
"I have a pair of flying spells. They won't last terribly long, but they're get us down."
Zephtyr spits.
"If you all jump at once, I'll carry you down on magic," Zephtyr wheezes.
"Just trust me. Find a good spot to land before you jump though."
Malavarius frowns at Hektir's suggestion, shaking his head. "No, no, no. There's no need to leap like lemmings off a cliffside. I can teleport us down and back out when we're done, provided everyone is agreeable to such a course?"
Zephtyr seems hurt by Mal's distrust and opts to fly down under his own power, not blinking here and blinking there like some sort of dog.
Hektir soars down as Mal teleports with the rest of you to the base of the crevasse, which leads off to the west. Moving carefully, you advance down the tunnel.
About 200 feet down the tunnel, a large, cracked recess opens in the southern wall, about 20 feet above the floor of the main passage.
As you move by, you see two slithering, multilegged white reptilian creatures with fearsome heads crowned with two large, curling horns emerge!
They look a lot like behirs, though obviously somehow adapted to the cold.
Hektir:
Malavarius:
Pemsworth:
Quinn:
Tsin:
Antagonist:
"Are those... behirs?" Pems looks with wonder, until he realizes they mean to attack!
He moves to Tsin and lays his ward on her!
"Indeed they are, Pemsworth! Watch out, all of you!"
Malavarius invokes a spell to help quicken everyone's steps, and also shares what he knows of these strange, cold-adapted beasts.
HP: 61/61
AC: 16 (12 T / 14 FF)
Fort: +3 // Ref: +5 // Will: +9 (+1 vs spells, SLAs, & Su abilities of evil arcane spellcasters)
Resist 10: Cold
Energy Absorption: 0/33 absorbed
Pearl of Power I: 1/1 used
Pearl of Power III: 0/1 used
wand of scorching ray: 8/50 charges used
Cantrips Prepared (4): detect magic, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic
Level 1 Prepared (4+2+1): endure elements [X], feather fall [ ], protection from evil* [ ], mage armor [ ], shield [ ], snapdragon fireworks [ ] [ ]
Level 2 Prepared (4+2+1): glitterdust [ ] [ ], resist energy* [ ] [ ] [ ], scorching ray [ ] [ ]
Level 3 Prepared (4+1+1): dispel magic* [ ], fireball [ ] [ ], haste [X] [ ], magic weapon (greater) [X]
Level 4 Prepared (3+1+1): dimension door [ ] [ ], remove curse [ ], secure shelter [ ], stoneskin* [ ]
Level 5 Prepared (2+1+1): break enchantment* [ ], dismissal [ ], teleport [X] [ ]
Level 6 Prepared (1+1+1): greater dispel magic* [ ] [ ] [ ]
Protective Ward used: 1/8
Ongoing Effects:
mage armor (self)
mage armor (Pemsworth)
greater magic weapon (Hektir)
haste (1/11 rounds): +1 to hit, +1 AC, +1 ref, +30ft movement
Round 1/2, Init 8
AC = 25, Warded, Hasted
HP = 102/126
Weapon Equipped = +1 Flaming Falchion
Condition(s) = Warded, Hasted
Tsin takes in the next set of massive monsters, understanding all too well the need to deal with the pair, for the pain and futility in trying to avoid the confrontation altogether.
She moves forward swiftly, angling to avoid being flanked by both behemoths.
She flicks a hand at the creature, hoping Pharasma's gift will dull its senses.
Malavarius: 13
Pemsworth: 10
Tsin: 8
Antagonist: 8
Hektir: 5
Quinn: 4
"Frrrostcrrrawlers!" Baknarla growls, readying her spear for the creatures to charge.
Mal acts even more quickly, casting haste on the group as Pems applies his ward to Tsin, who moves forward to engage.
The first creature, seeing its easiest path down blocked, breaths a line of shimmering electricity down on the swordswoman as the other crawls quickly and easily down the ledge and bites at her. Its jaws snap shut on empty air as she sees the fangs coming in what feels like slow motion and easily moves her arm out of the way.
Pems scampers forward 10' behind Quinn and lays his evilest of eyes on the Northernmost behir!
Round 1, Init 5
After 5' flapping back (no telling how long those claws are), Zephtyr casts Flame Strike, bringing down the heat in a column upon the frostwalkers.
fire/divine damage vs. DC 17 reflex for half
AC: 7 armor+2 dex+2 dex(form)+1 ring+4 barkskin+3 NA(form)= 29AC
HP 113/113
Speed: Fly (60') perfect + 10' (Gr. Longstrider) = 70' fly perfect
to hit; (flank,BOF,-PA)
magic damage.
+8 BAB +6 Str +1 amulet = +15 to hit
1d8 + 6 str damage +1 amulet = 1d8+7
Barkskin (extended-0 minutes)
Resinous Skin (extended-0 minutes)
Gr. Longstrider (11 hours)
Resist Cold (30) - 110 minutes
Elemental Body 1 (druid lvl 6): Air elemental: If the form you take is that of a Small air elemental, you gain a +2 size bonus to your Dexterity and a +2 natural armor bonus. You also gain fly 60 feet (perfect), darkvision 60 feet, and the ability to create a whirlwind.
Elemental Body 2 (druid lvl 8):Air elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +4 size bonus to your Dexterity and a +3 natural armor bonus.
Elemental Body 3 (druid lvl 10):Air elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +2 size bonus to your Strength, +4 size bonus to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus.
AC: 7 armor + 3 shield + 2 dex + 1 ring +3 barkskin =26
HP 87/113 - DR5 piercing
[ dice]1d20+15+1[/dice] to hit; (bless)
[ dice]1d6+6+2[/dice] magic damage.
+8 BAB +6 Str + 1 Mwk +1 magic = +16 to hit
[ dice]1d6+6+2[/dice] damage;
Endure Elements (24 hours)
Barkskin (extended-220 minutes)
Resinous Skin (extended-220 minutes)
Gr. Longstrider (11 hours)
Resist Cold (220 minutes)
Resist Fire (220 minutes) -Mal
Stoneskin (110) Mal
Mage Armor (+4)
Endure Elements
Round 1, Init 8
AC = 25, Warded, Hasted
HP = 93/126
Weapon Equipped = +1 Flaming Falchion
Condition(s) = Warded, Hasted
Tsin welcomes the creature into her sword's arc distance. For as large as it is, she renews her desire to put it down quickly.
Edit:
If possible, Tsin will take a 5' step to engage the second behir, if the first one falls to her second swing.
Having no desire to sustain the same damage as the last encounter, Quinn hides behind his shield as he shuffles backward and calls upon Cayden to admonish the creature in front of him with a heavenly belch.
Zephtyr spits in approval as Tsin finally leaves the bow on her back and begins to fight like a woman.
"Nice work there."
Tsin almost smiles, flicking a quick nod at the hot air hovering. From the entrails she's slicking up, she doesn't care to open her mouth for fear of ingesting some behir ichor.
Malavarius, one hand holding his winter hat to his head, shuffles quick as he can away from the looming behirs then turns around and lets a trio of fiery beams fly.
HP: 61/61
AC: 16 (12 T / 14 FF)
Fort: +3 // Ref: +5 // Will: +9 (+1 vs spells, SLAs, & Su abilities of evil arcane spellcasters)
Resist 10: Cold
Energy Absorption: 0/33 absorbed
Pearl of Power I: 1/1 used
Pearl of Power III: 0/1 used
wand of scorching ray: 8/50 charges used
Cantrips Prepared (4): detect magic, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic
Level 1 Prepared (4+2+1): endure elements [X], feather fall [ ], protection from evil* [ ], mage armor [ ], shield [ ], snapdragon fireworks [ ] [ ]
Level 2 Prepared (4+2+1): glitterdust [ ] [ ], resist energy* [ ] [ ] [ ], scorching ray [X] [ ]
Level 3 Prepared (4+1+1): dispel magic* [ ], fireball [ ] [ ], haste [X] [ ], magic weapon (greater) [X]
Level 4 Prepared (3+1+1): dimension door [ ] [ ], remove curse [ ], secure shelter [ ], stoneskin* [ ]
Level 5 Prepared (2+1+1): break enchantment* [ ], dismissal [ ], teleport [X] [ ]
Level 6 Prepared (1+1+1): greater dispel magic* [ ] [ ] [ ]
Protective Ward used: 1/8
Ongoing Effects:
mage armor (self)
mage armor (Pemsworth)
greater magic weapon (Hektir)
haste (2/11 rounds): +1 to hit, +1 AC, +1 ref, +30ft movement
Hektir: 5
Quinn: 4
Baknarla: 23
Malavarius: 13
Pemsworth: 10
Tsin: 8
Antagonist: 8
Hektir blasts the creature with fire, the heat washing over Tsin as the spell crashes down right next to her. It's followed up by a thunderous explosion that nearly deafens her before she can bring her own blade to bear, slaying the beast as her sword goes snicker-snack, snicker-snack.
The second creature lets out a cry of rage and climbing halfway down from its perch, bits at Tsin, who's able to duck down beneath its snapping jaws.
B2: 39
R:
Pems quickly evil eyes the other behir!