"Oh, you're not all going to try to hide again, are you?" Douena sighs, remembering the attempt to ambush cannibals on Smuggler's Shiv. "If it only comes out at night, it can probably see pretty well in the dark, and if it's attracted by blood, it probably uses its nose more than its eyes anyway. Pezock, want to come up on the roof with me? It'll be almost like flying! And then when the monster shows up, you can jump down and stab it in the back from the doorway."
"I'll stay in the hut and try to hold the doorway. If it tries to get away at least I'll have a scent to track then."
"And try to have an attractive brain. Think delicious thoughts."
"Sir Ralph likes it up here," Douena remarks quietly to Pezock. "There's lots of moths for him to catch. I've never asked, Pezock: Can you see in the dark? Owls can, I think."
"Sir Ralph likes it up here," Douena remarks quietly to Pezock. "There's lots of moths for him to catch. I've never asked, Pezock: Can you see in the dark? Owls can, I think."
"I'm not an owl," Pezock grumbles. "I can see better than humans, but not in pitch blackness."
"I'm not an owl either, but I can see in the starlight" Douena answers, unperturbed. "Makoa and Urza can see in the dark dark, like bats or earthworms or ... moles, I guess. I should have come up here to commune with Desna. There's a nice breeze, and I'm closer to the stars and out of the itchy grass. Maybe I'll sleep up here tonight after we fight the monster; it's kind of hot and smelly in the hut with everyone packed in together. Only if I had another dream, I might roll off."
Ishirou heads outside and takes a position up against the side of the hut . Sasha stays inside and positions herself right beside Makoa, both her weapons drawn and ready. Jask and Shokambe stay to the back of the hut.
Once everyone is in position, you begin the boring task of waiting. Time seems to pass inexorably slowly. Pezock begins to get a bit restless, but manages to calm himself and stay still.
Finally, a couple hours later, Douena and Pezock notice rustling near the edge of the jungle. The leaves pull back and a big creature, like a cross between an ape and a bear, emerges into the village. It raises its head and sniffs the air, then raises one hairy arm and motions at the jungle behind it. There is more rustling and two more of the creatures emerge behind it.
Lorenz carefully readies his bow, slipping one of his magical arrows into place and remaining still until he can see a target.
Douena looks at Pezock with wide eyes as the first gorilla-bear is followed by two more. Scooting quietly to the east edge of the roof, where she can see both Mahjik and Ishirou on the ground and Lorenz across the clearing, she uses her innate abilities to set up a quick message with everyone outside the hut.
As Douena delivers her message, Pezock shifts over to the opposite edge to get a better view to the west, his dagger out. The three beasts move swiftly into the village. The lead one moves towards the door of the hut, and the other two begin angling towards the side of the hut.
None of them notice Lorenz to the south or the two people on the roof so they continue on. The lead one comes into the range of the campfire light where Lorenz can see it for the first time. The other two go right up to the side wall of the hut.
Order: Lorenz, Pezock, Douena, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe.
Lorenz's arrow flies out through the darkness and slams into the first chemosit's shoulder. The beast cries out in pain and rage.
Pezock tosses his dagger straight down at the second chemosit. It scrapes across the beast's cheek.
Next Up: Mahjik, Ishirou, Lorenz, Pezock.
Douena scurries back across the roof to Pezock. "Pezock, wait before you jump down," she urges him. "Let me bless you first."
Pezock nods. "Bless quickly and away I go!"
Next Up: Ishirou, Lorenz, Douena, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask
Mahjik skin tightens over and gets a decided gnarly appearance. Slowly he makes his way towards the nearest chemosit.
As Mahjik hardens his skin in preparation for battle, Ishirou sneaks forward as quietly as he can.
Next Up: Douena, Pezock, Sahsa, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe.
"Three of them? There aren't supposed to be three! I need more light, I can't see very well!"
Lorenz whispers briefly first and then draws two ordinary arrows in rapid succession and fires them at the beast he'd already struck.
The first of Lorenz's arrows thuds into the dirt in front of the beast. The second gets closer but just skims past, lodging in the wall of the hut.
Next Up: Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Lorenz.
Douena puts her hand on Pezock and says, "Desna protect you. Now, be careful, Pezock! Remember, it's better to sneak up on something and stab it in the back than to stand toe-to-toe with it in a fair fight."
She pulls a sling bullet out of her pouch.
"True, but in this case, I prefer stabbing it in the face!" Pezock replies. He draws his sword, steps to the edge of the roof , and stabs down at #2, whose head almost reaches the top of the hut.
His sabre cuts deep into the startled beast's snout, just missing its eye. It screams in pain.
Sasha steps past the blanket over the doorway , gulping momentarily at the size of the beast, and attacks #1.
Unfortunately, the blanket gets in her way, slowing her blows, so even in its still startled state, the chemosit avoids them.
The chemosits recover from their surprised state and attack.
#1 whips a claw round, catching Sasha in the shoulder and neck. She manages to duck beneath the second claw, but then it opens its mouth and bites down into her arm. Sasha is still standing after the onslaught, but she does not look good.
#2 attempts to get at Pezock, but the tengu nimbly avoids its claws and teeth, protected by both Douena's spell and the side of the hut.
#3 opens its mouth and lets out the most horrifying howl. The sound washes across the whole village, sending dread through your minds.
Most of you shake the feeling off, but for a few of you, the feeling lingers.
Next Up: Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Lorenz, Douena, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits.
Urza casts Shield and moves to the opposite wall.
Hearing Sasha cry out and seeing that something nasty has happened (even if his sight is partially blocked by the blanket over the doorway), Jask hurries forward. He reaches out and touches Sasha's injured shoulder, the doorframe protecting him from retaliation by the chemosit . "Nethys preserve you," he says. Most of Sasha's wounds close over.
Next Up: Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Lorenz, Douena, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask.
Mahjik tries to use his position to start from cover and quickly stealth to the nearest monster, possibly catching it flat-footed in surprise. The results are... less than stellar.
As Mahjik brushes the building his arm snags in loose wood and he suppressed "ouch" is audible.
The chemosit's head turns at the sound of Mahjik's ouch. As Mahjik hurries up beside it, it reaches out with its long arms and slashes the monk across the chest. It then easily steps aside from Mahjik's attack.
Ishirou takes advantage of the distraction Mahjik causes to slip past the chemosit's reach and attack.
Unfortunately, the beast is not so distracted that it cannot dodge Ishirou's hasty swing.
Next Up: Shokambe, Lorenz, Douena, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou.
Shouldering his way past his fellows, Makoa let's loose a roar and begins to swing his axe wildly at the chemosit
Shouldering his way past his fellows, Makoa let's loose a roar and begins to swing his axe wildly at the chemosit
Makoa slips in just after Ishirou, but although his attack is better placed than Ishirou's, the angle is not quite right and his axe slips off the beast's tough hide.
Shokambe hurries out of the hut, pulling out his mace as he moves. He takes advantage of the swarm of bodies around the entrance to slip around the chemosit and come at it from the other side.
Next Up: Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe.
Message (Douena)
Barkskin (Mahjik)
Mage Armour (Urza and Mahjik)
Shield (Urza)
"Need some light so people can see, Desna," Douena implores, causing the slingstone in her hand to begin to shine like a torch. Scooting quickly to the edge, she drops the glowing bullet off the roof.
I'll wait.
Lorenz readies another pair of arrows and holds the first one nocked, bow drawn while he waits for light to appear at the hut.
As the light blooms, Lorenz releases the first arrow and follows it quickly with another, teeth gritted tight in concentration.
Douena lights up a sling bullet and drops it to the ground. Although its radius is not huge, it does bring chemosits #1 and #2 into full illumination for those without low-light vision or darkvision.
Now able to see the chemosits clearly, Lorenz lets loose a pair of arrows that fly straight into the beast, both lodging in its arm.
Pezock again swipes at #2, but this time the corner of the hut gets in his way and his sword merely chips away wood. He hisses in irritation.
Sasha stabs at #1, taking advantage of Shokambe distracting the beast on the other side. Her rapier pierces its stomach, but her kukri fails to find its target. She then shifts position slightly, motioning to Ishirou to do similarly .
Roaring in pain, #1 steps to the side away from Sasha who scowls . It then reaches out with its powerful arms at Makoa.
The beast attempts to shove Makoa back. Makoa can feel the brutes immense strength, but he manages to hold his ground, only swaying slightly.
#2 continues to flail at Pezock, but only manages to tear away bits of the hut. The tengu laughs. His laughter stops, however, as he sees #3 reach up onto the top of the hut and pull itself up on the roof.
#3 swipes at Pezock and just catches the tengu on the side of the shoulder and neck.
Next Up: Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Douena, Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits.
Urza moves so he can target #1.
Magic Missile
Urza moves up to the door of the hut and sends a bolt of energy flying at the first chemosit. The beast stumbles back, crying out in pain. Its wounds are becoming quite severe.
Jask pulls out his dagger and mutters, "Nethys, guide this blade." The dagger flies out of his hand towards #1. The chemosit ducks out of the way and the dagger returns to Jask's hand.
Next Up: Ishirou, Makoa, Douena, Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask.
Mahjik unleashes a rapid series of thrusts - but his fists seem to be meaningless in the face of the thick hide.
Continuing he attacks, Makoa adds vicious snaps from his fangs to the mix and flailing steel.
Mahjik attempts to pound at the chemosit, but it barely seems to notice him.
Ishirou swings at the creature, but despite a good position, it easily avoids him. It also dodges Makoa's axe swipe, but then steps right into the path of Makoa's vicious teeth. The half-orc tears a chunk out of the creature's side, just above its hips.
While the creature is distracted by Makoa's bite, Shokambe tries to get a hit of his own in, but his shaken state has left him unsteady on his feet and he stumbles, misplacing the blow.
Next Up: Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Chemosits, Urza, Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe.
Unpleasantly surprised that such a large creature is such a nimble climber, Douena calls out loudly, " C'mon, Pezock, let's get on the ground!" She scampers to the far side of the roof and waits there to make sure Pezock is coming with her.
Pleased at the solid hits he'd made against the beast, Lorenz takes a step forward, shooting arrows as fast as he can reach for them. His first shot strikes the beast's hide but the second is caught by the wind.
Douena hurries to the other side of the roof while Lorenz fires off two more arrows. The beast gives one last pathetic whimper of pain as the first arrow hits it. It sways slightly then falls over face-first into the dirt.
"Ha! Come get us!" Pezock yells at the third chemosit and hurries across the roof to beside Douena then leaps off to the ground.
"Way to go, Lorenz!" Sash cheers, then makes her way over to the second chemosit .
She tries to roll low beneath its reach, but the chemosit anticipates her action and swipes down at her, slashing deeply across her back.
Although badly injured and shaken, Sasha lunges with her rapier and pierces the chemosit's thigh.
With a cry of rage, the chemosit responds by mauling at Sasha. She ducks beneath its first swipe, but the second catches her in the arm, twisting her on her feet. Then it bends down and bites at her, tearing at her shoulder and neck. Sasha falls to the ground in a puddle of blood.
On the roof, the third chemosit moves after Douena, but growls in annoyance as the gnome jumps off the roof, landing nimbly on the ground below.
Next Up: Jask, Mahjik, Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha (unconscious), Douena, Chemosits.
Urza steps out of the hut (to N18) in time to see Sasha fall. HE summons forth the fire in his soul and strikes out at the ape-bear-demon-thing.
Scorching Ray: RTouch
to hit damage
The flames hit the chemosit squarely in the chest, and in an instant, its fur is alight and burns away. With a scream, the chemosit falls, smouldering, to the ground.
With the chemosit down, Jask hurries out of the hut and over to Sasha's side. "Nethys, let me not be too late," he says.
His hands glow briefly and the most serious of the gashes on Sasha's body close over. She opens her eyes.
Next Up: Ishirou, Makoa, Shokambe, Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Douena, Chemosit, Urza, Jask.
Mahjik hurries towards Douena's voice and readies to attack the monster ape.
Mahjik hurries towards Douena's voice and readies to attack the monster ape.
Mahjik slips in between Pezock and Douena and prepares for the chemosit to descend.
Ishirou waits to see what the chemosit does and where it ends up.
Next Up: Shokambe, Lorenz, Pezock, Sasha, Douena, Chemosit, Urza, Jask, Mahjik (subject to readied action), Ishirou (subject to delayed action).
Dashing over for a clear shot Makoa growls and hurls his axe at the creature on the roof.
Makoa's axe glides swiftly through the air. The chemosit sees it just a bit too late and tries to swat it aside, causing it to slash across the beast's arm, drawing blood.
Shokambe waits.
Next Up: Pezock, Sasha, Douena, Chemosit, Urza, Jask, Mahjik (subject to readied action), Ishirou (subject to delayed action), Makoa, Shokambe (subject to delayed action).
"Sasha!" Lorenz cries as he sees her fall to the ground. Clutching his bow in one white-knuckled hand, he runs to her.
"Come on!" Pezock cries up at the Chemosit. "Come and get us!" He raises his sword defiantly.
Sasha looks up at Lorenz. She's covered in blood and still badly injured, but alive. "The battle's over there, mister," she says, pointing vaguely and feebly in the direction of the remaining chemosit. She smiles, collects her weapons, and stands up.
Next Up: Chemosit, Urza, Jask, Mahjik (subject to readied action), Ishirou (subject to delayed action), Makoa, Shokambe (subject to delayed action), Lorenz, Pezock (subject to readied action), Sasha.
"Punch him good, Mahjik," Douena says, touching his elbow and granting him a moment of Desna's favor, before she gets quickly out of the way before the gorilla-bear can jump down. "Is Sasha all right?" she calls over to the west side of the hut anxiously.