A look of surprise and fear first crosses Kellen's face as he lands on his back - thinking the dwarf was right - but it turns to a mild smile at the cat's appreciation. "Glad to see you're all right there," he adds and rubs behind the cat's ear.
Just as the cat moves, he turns to the sound of the noise and singing. He gets to his feet and his blade comes back out - trying to expect whatever is coming and glancing back at the now hostile cat. "I have bad feeling about this..."
Lym whips out her shortbow, but starts to mutter the incantation for one of her strongest spells. "If an attack comes, distract it from me," she warns the others. "I can probably catch a lot of enemies in one go."
"Graul? We were warned about them. Bring them on!"
Praxim wears a determined grin, stands square behind the cat, his new bow ready. And calmly waits for them to arrive.
Tomaru rises and readies his weapon.
Thordak grins in relief as the cat doesn't tear the face off the rogue. But his grin quickly vanishes at the sound of the song as he draws his longaxe, moving up in front of the cat and awaiting the terrible singing beast.
Rhianni quickly casts a spell to aid her fellows, including the cat....
School transmutation; Level bard 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a shaving of licorice root)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
The transmuted creatures move and act more quickly than normal. This extra speed has several effects.
When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with one natural or manufactured weapon. The attack is made using the creature's full base attack bonus, plus any modifiers appropriate to the situation. (This effect is not cumulative with similar effects, such as that provided by a speed weapon, nor does it actually grant an extra action, so you can't use it to cast a second spell or otherwise take an extra action in the round.)
A hasted creature gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves. Any condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
All of the hasted creature's modes of movement (including land movement, burrow, climb, fly, and swim) increase by 30 feet, to a maximum of twice the subject's normal speed using that form of movement. This increase counts as an enhancement bonus, and it affects the creature's jumping distance as normal for increased speed. Multiple haste effects don't stack. Haste dispels and counters slow.
Tomaru rises and readies his weapon.
The howling of the hounds grows louder, deafeningly so, when suddenly they burst through the brush. There are at least a dozen of them, huge and black, with mangy fur and tongues lolling red. They stop as they see you, and bare their teeth at you, growling and snarling.
"Git 'er ladz!" A voice roars from just behind the wall of brush. With a crash, this creature breaks through to where you are standing. It pulls up to its full height, surprised to see you there.
Oi! Who're yooz? Run along lil peeples, afore Rukus runs ya thu! Dats MY cat! Mammy wantz her fer dinner!"
Lym flinches with shock, then throws out a hand and barks words in Draconic. A gobbet of something rubbery bounces off of "Rufus'" chest -- and black, rubbery tentacles burst from the earth, twining themselves around him and his dogs!
"Who are we?" Lym snarls as her spell takes effect. "Take a wild guess! "
Praxim only has eyes for the monstrosity before them. With a grim smile, he starts loosing arrows.
Activate smite evil!! +2 to all these attack rolls if this thing counts as a giant, and another +1 if it's within 30 feet. Also, +1 to all damage rolls if it's within 30 feet.
+ if it's a giant
+ if it's a giant
+ if it's a giant
+ if it's a giant
Seeing that the ugly creature is no mood for talking, and that the tentacles now impede any close combat, Kellen switches over to his crossbow. With a cat at his heels, he aims towards keeping some of the dogs away from them.
"Can see why you were running, Mister Cat - that kind of ugly I'd run from too."
The tentacles trap all of the dogs save one, and of course the big ogre, Rukus. At least he seems like an ogre, but one hideously deformed. He staggers backwards, out the tentacles, shouting: "Aww, dat's not fair! I iz gonna tell Mammy about...urrrrggghhh."
He never gets to finish as Praxim's bow sings a deadly tune. Four arrows suddenly protrude from Rukus' body and he topples over...dead. The tentacles slowly crush the pack of dogs as they struggle to escape, whining and howling in fright and rage.
The last of dogs, the one who escaped, stands trapped between you and the black tentacles. Taking a glancing hit from Kellen's crossbow, it decides to flee. It only makes it a few steps before a bolt of black and red fur tackles it and tumbles it into the brush. A few moments later, the cougar emerges, jaws covered in red blood.
As the spell fades, Shalelu is the first to the body of the ogrekin. She frantically attempts to roll the body on its back, and when unsuccessful, reaches deep under its backside, and pulls with all of her might. There is the sound of tearing cloth, and with a final jerk, she pulls whatever it is she has in her hands free, ending up sitting on her rear. In her hands is a torn, ratty blanket, covered in dirt and blood...and something else.
"Look at this!"
Holding up the blanket as she speaks, you can see that there are five identical patches sewn on the blanket: a red shield with a sable arrow pointing upwards.
The insignia of the Black Arrows.
"That was a Black Arrow?" Praxim asks, suddenly confused and worried, "or something that got the Black Arrows?"
Kellen looks at the "trophy" Shalelu has found on the deformed ogre's body with a frown. "Looks like these Grauls have been hunting more'n mountain cats - looks they've been hunting the soldiers." He stares towards Shalelu and asks: "So can you track where ugly Ruckus came from - see what we find? Or do we move forward to the Fort for more answers?"
"I am... relieved," Lym says, her shoulders visibly slumping. "He was so... I just reacted, I didn't think. To kill, just because of the way someone looks, I... I am ashamed. It would be worse if we didn't have this proof that... Well."
The Wizard heaves a deep sigh and mutters something.
"We should follow these tracks. If those creatures eat cougars, they might also eat...people, and they may have a larder or pantry in need of liberation. Besides, we have an opportunity to track down and eliminate this Graul threat to the area."
Kellen kneels down to rub the cougar again as he answers Praxim. "Fair enough then. Think maybe you can lead us back to them, eh?" He focuses his attention on the animal as he speaks - hoping his request is understood by the big cat.
"Let's be cautious as we approach the fort. They may have overrun it.
The cougar accepts the attention from Kellen for a moment, then starts off into the wood. It stops a few feet away, looks back at you, then comes back. It grabs Kellen's cloak in its mouth, and gives a slight tug, then sets off again.
You can see a little used game trail, heavily overgrown and nearly invisible. The trail heads north, deeper into the Kreegwood.
Shalelu wastes no time wrapping the blanket up and stuffing it in her pack. Bow drawn with an arrow knocked, she sets off after the cat, bent in a stealthy crouch. Soon she and the cat are out of sight.
"Beats the alternative of going in blind," Lym mutters.
The Wizard dismounts, pulls her hood down low and, pulling her horse behind her by the bridle, trots off after Shalelu.
At the tug, Kellen shrugs at the others and adds:"Couldn't ask for a better guide." He then follows the cougar and Shalelu as well, doing his best to remain quiet if not as swift as them.
Praxim pauses his pursuit as he hears a loud crashing through the bushes. "Another of those Grauls must be coming," Praxim calls out a warning. He trains his bow on the rustling foliage, then lowers it with a laugh as Lym emerges with a bramble vine caught in her veil.
"False alarm!" he adds, then turns to follow Shalelu, keeping pace with Lym to protect her and Rhianni.
. Sadly, he does little better, as his bow continues to catch on low branches.
Tomaru follows as quietly as he can.
Thordak takes off after the others.
I forgot.
Stealth
Limmerick goes flying ahead, keeping high among the treetops to remain unseen while he scouts the forest. He uses wide ellipses, always circling back to check on the group before flying out again.
The trail, and the cat, lead you deeper into the Kreegwood. The forest canopy is thicker here, preventing the undergrowth from growing. The trees are tall and strong, and you can tell this forest is old.
After a mile or so, you come upon a clearing. The cat and Shalelu have dropped into a crouch, hidden behind the large trunk of a tree. The clearing shows signs of occupation, albeit a ramshackle one. There is a decrepit house-like dwelling to your left, with what looks like a porch running along the front of it. To the right, an equally decrepit barn sits, leaning heavily. In front of that and to the right, is a patch of diseased and stunted corn. The doors of both structures are closed, and all of the windows you can see are boarded up. As the breeze shifts in your direction, the smell of rotted meat, stale urine, and worse wafts over you.
"If all the occupants attack in a body, I can get them with one, two spells," Lym whispers. "Those will be killing spells, however; we won't be able to question anyone. Also, we will have to get them to attack en masse."
"So...bait them out into the open is your suggestion? I'd prefer a...quieter method. Sneak around to the barn and maybe try coming in the backside. We walk out there we don't know what they'll throw at us - unless one of you can create an illusion to bait them out."
"Not an illusion... But I can summon creatures from the Beyond," Lym offers. "Even if those fall in battle, they will not be truly slain."
"As can I, though I would rather not treat servants of my goddess so."
"Or I could just walk out there and challenge them. Problem is, if they have any brains at all, they'll be tipped off, and just barricade themselves inside and we'll have to extract them. Anybody see a way we could sneak inside, and take the fight to them?"
"I don't think we have much time to deliberate. We have to go one way or the other. I suggest the barn. Barns tend to have more open space and less places to hide."
"Or I could just walk out there and challenge them.
Kellen looks at Praxim and Tomaru with a pensive look:"Or there could be a dozen of them in there and they come charging out in more force than we can handle. Better we bait them with some creature we don't have to worry about or we sneak around to that barn and get a better look."
He pauses also to look at the cougar they liberated. "And we'd better watch our step - if that trap back there was any indication, there's other surprises out there."
"If it's something we don't need to worry about, I have just the thing," Lym says. "How about one to three monkeys, suddenly making a terrible ruckus out in their yard?"
Provided the others agree, and at a time of the group's choosing, Lym whispers the incantation and makes a gesture. Immediately, three golden-furred monkeys appear around the Wizard, who whispers something to them in a beautiful language and points her finger. Immediately, the three monkeys scamper into the yard, up onto the porch, then clamber onto the roof and start to hoot and scream like... well, like monkeys!
"Interesting...that's one way to do it I suppose."
The monkeys tear off across the clearing, scrambling up the posts on the porch. Once on the roof, they begin to holler and scream, causing a terrible racket. They continue for almost a minute, then disappear back into the nether. There is an ominous silence.
And anybody else hear those banjos...
Suddenly a huge form appears from behind a tree nearest Thordak. 8 feet tall, its head is a mass of tumors and bone, giving the skull a horrible lean to the left. In its hands is a giant hook, which it uses to slash at the dwarf with a scream.
"GITS AWAY FROM MAH CORN! SHOO, YA LIL DAM FLIES! SHOO!"
He hacks away at the surprised dwarf, the hook tearing a vicious wound across Thordak's chest.
"Ignem iubeo!" Lym shouts, backpedaling away from Thordak and the hideous attacker -- but even as she moves away, she raises her hand towards the enemy, and two rays of blazing heat shoot forth.
Kellen does his best to move around to flank the monster and attack.
While waiting for the monkeys to be summoned, Tomaru casts Shield of Faith.
Tomaru starts at the hook and tree wielding horror. He gathers himself quickly, though, and wades in with his mace.
Morningstar:
to hit Damage
Rhianni, hoping that the dwarf will accept her magical help, casts a little spell to aid the dwarf against the ugly giant creature, by making the giant's footing a little difficult.
The ogrekin's back swing with his hook catches Kellen across the stomach as he moves in for his flank.
Praxim stands resolute again, though this time he doesn't waste his righteousness in smiting this guy, since they seem to have him surrounded.
base, rapid, giant bane, BGH, PBS
base, giant bane, PBS, BGH, bane
The dwarf hollers in pain as he's caught by surprise from the giant beast. "You'll pay for that," he vows through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes as he's unable to control the fury within. His heart beating rapidly causing an increase in blood flow, the dwarf sees red as he swings angrily at the giant.
Fire, axe, falcata, and bow all come together to end Old Crowfood. He staggers back, screaming in pain: "WAIT 'TIL MAMMY GITZ AHOLD OF YOOS! Y'ALL...will...seeeee....." then collapses in a grotesque heap, dead.
From the house...silence.
"Remind me not to make you guys angry."