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Surely, we will if you would like to carry at least one of these all day as I believe you look capable of. Unfortunately I have little skill in foraging if needed later. And Sphyn doesn't let... nevermind
Wren looks toward his companion with delusional expectancy and finds Sphyn gnawing on one of the carcasses already with teeth and tendrils prying pieces off.
Well. Two is still plenty. We should be on our way. And get in place to set our trap, yes?
Janira looks at Wren confused. "Set a trap, for what? You are tasked with investigating what is bringing the gillmen so far inland, not ambushing and assaulting them. We are Pathfinders, not brigands. Now, we should get moving if wr are to arrive by nightfall."
Moving further into the wilds, you begin to transition into mountainous forest. The path becomes more challenging with each step. At some points it is completely overgrown, at others their are rock slides and fallen trees.
Despite the obstacles, Bezni is able to lead you through the mess and keep you on track. While taking a brief break, Janira notes the wounds on Jovlund and offers more healing.
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Jovlund thanks Janira with a nod as he turns to the gnome.
Have you not forseen, prophet? We watch fish
If there's sarcasm present in his comment, it's unclear.
You've seen them go in twice, but no one comes out and there's been no trail?
He thinks for a moment, pondering something deeply.
Abruptly, Can the fish smell out of water?
Janira eyes Jovlund disapprovingly. "Gillmen are a wise, intelligent race that share a distant common ancestry with humans. Calling them fish would be like me calling you a pig, though that might be more of an insult to pigs everywhere. You'd do well to revisit your lessons as a Pathfinder Initiate and contemplate if this is the path for you."
After pausing for a moment to regain her composure, Janira continues."My Confirmation was to map and document the area. The first time, I observed a gillman entering, but was in the area later. The second time, realizing a different gillman had entered the same cave, I did go in after it to investigate, though by the time I did it was gone and no, I did not find any trail... though I am no tracker."
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Sounds easy enough. We find the cave entrance. Explore and map the passages. Find the gillmen and ask them what they are doing there.
Hmmm, I don't think I've ever been inside a mountain before...
Well I did spend a night with Kirti Shell, who was big as a mountain.
If you ever find youself in the Kourtez Pass and a fellow says hey want to mount the mountain, do yourself a favor and pass... Well (Winking at Jovlund) unless you'r into that sort of thing.
The sun is starting to dip on the horizon as Rukus asks his question. Janira smiles, "Not long now."
As if on cue, the dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfing worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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Jovlund begins to quip about everything having gills being a fish when the commotion breaks out.
Looking toward the massive charging beast he pauses momentarily. Drawing his sword, allowing the rest of the group to pass, he takes up the rear position heading toward the mouth of the cave. As he enter, he snags the pack in one fluid motion.
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Right. Sphyn, come'on.
Wren darts through the vines and into the cave proper with the rest of the party, puffing breaths from the sprint. Regaining his composure, he looks around for the backpack that Janira heaved. Finding it resting on the Half-Orc's shoulder, Wren looks at them and in hushed tones questions his companions.
So whats in the bag?
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Assessing the hulking mass being distracted away from the group, Sphyn runs through the cave vines along with Wren. Curling and laying by the cave walls, Sphyn pokes red eyes backwards looking hungrily.
Food running away. Too stringly but good. I get later when least thinking.
A big ravenous grin sits steadily on an indifferent face as it shrugs and lays its tentacles in a guarded position.
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Jovlund's glances back and forth, using his keen vision to look for further threats he remarks I don't know, but that's my kind of lady. Dead, but I liked her. We'll look, but lets get to a safer spot. I doubt that Minotaur was just a coincidence.
Let's get out of sight for the moment. We're still expecting company.
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As the halfling departs...with fake despair "May Desna smile upon you Janira...your going to need it"
Bezni follows Janira's direction and heads towards the cave, as soon as the minotaur is out of sight. As he approaches the vine covered entrance he scouts about searching the ground and the opening for signs of potential enemies.
Before entering the cave...
"Well lads, my eyes don't see so good in the dark. I best bring up the rear with the torch."
Retrieves said illumination device, nods towards Renli
"After you bub"
Glancing out through the vines, you see the minotaur angrily storm off after the halfling, though she remarkably seems faster than him. They disappear back into the forest. The cacophony of the chase, dotted with howls from the beast and jests from Janira, starts to fade in the distance.
After Jovlund picks up the bag, Wren scoops it out of his hands and opening it, finds the following contents:
potion of barkskin,
potions of cure light wounds (2),
potion of feather step (APG),
potion of vanish (APG),
scroll of entangle,
scroll of gust of wind,
scroll of identify,
scroll of mage armor (CL 6),
scroll of obscuring mist,
wand of burning hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges),
wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges),
acid,
alchemist’s fire (2),
holy water,
smokestick,
tanglefoot bags,
thunderstone,
antitoxin,
sunrods (2)
Rukus and Bezni look about the entrance to the chamber, and are both able to identify a single set of footprints. They appear as though from a bare human foot, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that the foot is longer and more narrow, with webbed toes. The prints lead further down the cave.
Following the footprints, the narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage nearly ten feet wide. Rather abruptly, a large hole spans the tunnel’s width and stretches ten feet out in front of you. The bottom of the pit is filled with water, upon which floats a indiscernible bundle of cloth.
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Jovlund looks at Renli, peers at the water, then addresses Benzi Has the creature crossed? He gestures toward the ground on the other side of the hole.
The water is about ten feet below you. Even with your arms extended, you cannot reach the cloth with your blade. Now, if someone had a spear or polearm perhaps...
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"What do you make of these prints...don't seem natural" Bezni gestures to a 1' x 2' compression and another on the otherside of the pit.
"Huh, well I can make out more of the fishman's prints on the other side so he must have made it a cross. Looking at his footprints, doesn't seem like he jumped."
If the Gnome's Mage Hand proves unable to move the bundle (If its too heavy) Bezni will get out his grappling hook and rope and try to fish it out of the water.
Rukus summons the powers granted to his by Razmir, and calling out, slowly draws the cloth up out of the water and through the air to him. As it lifts out of the murky depths, it is revealed to be a cloak of some kind, made from a strange dark gray fabric, with gold and black embroidery along the edges. In your hands the material is wet, but does not have the weight you would expect from a cloak soaking in a pool of water. The material is... unusual.
The chasm still lies before you needing to be crossed.
After several moments of intense contemplation, the all powerful Razmir reveals that the cloak is indeed magical.
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More importantly, who did it belong to...
Jovlund steps to the edge of the pit, staring into the water where it came from,
and what happened to them?
Looking through the water's surface, you are guessing it is perhaps eight to ten feet deep. That said, it seems to be the pit and nothing more (no bodies, monsters, or anything else below.)
The ceiling is 10 feet high. Given the 10 foot gap, a long jump capable of such a distance would raise your height during travel by 2.5 feet. So yes, a small or medium character would be able to jump it without hitting the ceiling.
Bezni comes up short but manages to catch the far ledge, then haul himself up onto the far side.
Jovlund awaits Rukus' response whilst Wren plays games with his mutant companion.
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Scrambling up the ledge, Bezni laughs at his close call.
"Well, at least I didn't get wet, I suppose that's something."
He lights up another torch (assuming he dropped his first when he grabbed onto the ledge,) and searches the area, checking out that depression on this side thoroughly as well.
And pick-up the tracks on this side of the pit.
The imprint is similar in this side, though a little longer. Still, it is barely noticeable, and is the only of its kind as the footsteps head further down the tunnel.
The tunnel continues on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
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"I'd be careful calling that one a half-wit gnome, looks like he could squash you like a cockroach." Chuckle
Bezni inspects the walls and one of the blue torches. Is it hot? Can it be removed from the wall? Why is the fire Blue?
Can anything be made out from the walls?
If the torch can be removed, he will take it with him, otherwise he continues to follow the tracks.
Bezni tentatively reaches his hand toward the blue flame and pauses. After assuring that he feels no heat, he reaches into the flame, playing with it as it flickers. Handing off his torch to someone else, he lifts one of the magical torches out of its wall mount, then turns his attention to the walls.
Moving about the room, he spends some time staring at the carvings. After a while, he is able to notice enough detail in four of them to encourage further examination.
Approaching the first of the said four, he spends some time tracing his fingers along the faded edges.