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As Husarq begins gathering water from the oasis, per his master's instructions, Mareq yells at him,
He then pulls his sharp Wand of Harm Abjuration, made of baby salamander horn, and stabs Husarq in the face with its polished gleaming perfection! The wand's tiny, gleaming silver Ignan runes rotate and run up the horn wand, like water flowing backwards into the puncture wound in Husarq's face.
The gnolls, seeing some wand action and fearing the worst, attempt to sneak up on you while you are "distracted" while making camp.
(adjusted for distance of closest approach)
(adjusted for distance of closest approach)
(adjusted for distance of closest approach)
(adjusted for distance of closest approach)
(adjusted for distance of closest approach)
They do not fool you for a second. The three feral, furred, hyena-headed humanoids, each slightly taller than an average human, are each carrying a single spear.
Initiative Order (rolled previously)
Gnolls
Kintampo
Maherpa
Mareq
Oronia
Lecate
Combat begins. The gnolls have the highest initiative and go first.
The gnoll across the pool from Mareq and Husarq lets out a howl, then jumps in and swims across the pool. He is standing in the water near Mareq and Husarq.
The gnoll farthest to the west responds with his own howl, then charges Oronia with his spear, stabbing her in the shoulder. Bright red blood sprays on the pristine sand.
The gnoll between the other two growls, then charges and attempts to stab Marhepa with his spear, but misses.
Kintampo, then Maherpa, then Mareq and Husarq, then Oronia, then Lecate.
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Seeing the gnoll charge is not enough because the spear hits her hard.."Arghhh...This is not what I had hoped to deal with..."
"The one in the water seems to be the leader..."
With that, she steps back, a small step, out of the way and then with a flick of her wrist, the loaded wand falls into her hand and she activates it, casting a cure light wounds on her self.
With that, she steps back, a small step, out of the way....
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"Master, gnolls approach. Should I attack them? There is one in the water, actually."
Husarq, daring the wrath of his unhinged master, drops the waterskin into the sand near Mareq and draws his great curved blade.
Perhaps he is going to bargain with these creatures. But probably not. Better to draw my blade and prepare to protect him. Hope he doesn't get mad at me again.
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"OF COURSE, FOOL! KILL THEM!" screams Mareq at Husarq. Perhaps because he notes Husarq already moving to his defense, Mareq cannot seem to find appropriately degrading insults for the efreet.
Husarq lumbers forward and slashes at the gnoll, bringing his massive curved blade down in a razor-edge death swing.
While Husarq attacks, Mareq can feel the battle excitement rise throughout his flame-touched body, igniting his blood-born powers. HOW DARE THESE FILTHY THINGS ATTACK ME! ME!!
"LEARN YOUR FOLLY CREATURE! NONE ATTACK MAREQ SON OF BOLTHUNE WITHOUT PRICE!" screams the ifrit as he steps up and casts fire at the gnoll.
Fire springs forth in a flaming cone, engulfing both the gnoll and Husarq. As the gnoll burns, the deep red skin of Husarq the efreeti drinks in the scorching flames of his master, like a thirsty salamander hatchling supping on the burning brains of his immolated eggmates.
Husarq's scimitar bites through the gnoll's wet hide, nearly severing its left arm. The gnoll drops its spear and howls in pain.
It's suffering is short-lived, however. As flames engulf it and the efreet, the stench of burning fur fills the air. The gnoll's howling weakens and ends abruptly. It's charred corpse falls into the pool with a plop, fouling the waters.
Maherpa, Kintampo, and Lecate, your actions?
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Seeing Mareck do some furious wand action Kintampo draws his own wand of shield and uses that on himself. He then stows the wand away.
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As the gnolls come closer Kintampo grasps his staff in one hand, he then casts shocking grasp and steps between the nearest gnoll and the fire. Lightning arches over the quarterstaff and when the staff connects the lightning discharges!
Kintampo slams his staff up underneath the gnoll's chin. Electricity arcs through the staff. The gnoll's head and limbs jerk and its flesh sizzles. It collapses to the ground, twitching. Kintampo strikes it two more times, and electricity continues to arc. His final blow staves in the head of the gnoll. It is dead, dead, dead.
Maherpa has less luck with his gnoll, which sidesteps Maherpa's blade. The gnoll bares its teeth and growls at Maherpa, ready to strike.
Lecate, then gnolls (gnoll), then the PCs again.
The final gnoll, giving the party one last growl, tucks its tail between it legs and slinks off into the desert.
Do you chase it, or do you let it go?
Combat continues! The gnoll is actually 15 feet further away than is depicted on the map.
Kintampo, then Maherpa, then Mareq and Husarq, then Oronia, then Lecate.
Go ahead and take your actions. Maherpa, you can charge, assuming Kintampo does not block your charge line. Lecate, you can sling away.
Lecate's shot falls short but spurs the gnoll to greater speed as it head off into the desert. The sling stone rests in the sand near the gnoll's trail.
Maherpa's great sword cuts into the fleeing gnoll's shoulder. The gnoll topples to the ground not far from the marker, its life's blood staining the sands of the oasis.
Searching the hidden oasis before the sun rises too high and the heat becomes unbearable, you find a poorly hidden cache of stolen goods near one of the gnolls' hiding spots. Their ill-gotten gains include a silver cup worth about 60 gp, a hodgepodge of coins, an alchemy crafting kit (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment 76) with markings indicating that it comes from Thuvia, a vial of antitoxin, and two flasks
of alchemist’s fire.
You hunker down to rest and regain spells during the heat of the day and awaken refreshed late in the afternoon.
About an hour before dusk, you approach the weathered, partially buried marker about 100 feet west of the oasis matches the description in Grandmaster Torch’s notes. The setting sun’s light causes a worn hieroglyph depicting an arch to glow. Even as the sun sets, the long shadow cast by the stone never shifts, always pointing to the northwest with exactly the same bearing.
The remainder of the journey through the desert proceeds uneventfully, with only the rise and fall of the dunes to break the night's monotony. Just before midnight, the light of the moon reveals a low, uneven hill of granite on the horizon to the northwest, the only shelter for miles around. Although the crag appears solid from a distance, on closer examination there is a wide fissure in the rock sealed by a heavily weathered stone wall fitted with a set of 15' high iron doors, which are partially buried by the sand. It will surely require great strength to open them.
The ruins that Grandmaster Torch calls Seeker’s Folly seem to have sat undisturbed for centuries. The khamsin storms have worn away the carvings that once decorated the 30' high outer wall, which serves as a barrier against the abrasive sand, protecting what may be a courtyard beyond. The wall is smooth and steeply sloped and would be extremely difficult to climb. The walls of the fissure are jagged and cracked, making them easier to ascend in comparison.
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"Ok Pathfinders I have an idea, tell me what you think...."
Lecate surveys the scene and suggests the following:
Lecate will double tie rope to the door to enable the strongest of us(Maherpa) to pull and the rest of the party to assist.
In addition Lecate can...
1) Pray for Desna's assistance to guide Maherpa's hand (guidence) +1
2) Touch Marhepa on the shoulder to give him a 'bit o luck' (roll twice take the better roll)
3) Lecate's aid another provides a +3, instead of the normal +2 (Helpful trait)
With a mighty pull,aided by Husarq, Lecate, and Lecate's magic, Maherpa pulls the iron door open wide enough for the Pathfinders to enter. A cool breeze from the shaded courtyard within the Folly escapes through the gap, momentarily cooling the party.
The ceiling of the archway beyond the doors contains a recessed inscription in Ancient Orisiani that has avoided the worst of millennia of erosion. Those who can read Osiriani relate that it is a message welcoming travelers and offering them safety from the winds.
Beyond the gate, the wind gusts about asmall courtyard, filling the air
with fine grit.
Corpses litter the area, little more than bone and desiccated, leathery skin. A dry well occupies the center, surrounded by the remnants of an outdoor market, though even the best tent is tattered and leans precariously. To the east, a set of low steps rise to a set of stone doors surrounded by symmetrical wall carvings of pharaohs. Stairs to the south ascend to the outer wall.
In addition to the broad stairs leading to the stone doors, there are two smaller doors leading into low stone buildings within the courtyard. There is also a narrow stairway climbing the inside of the outer wall to a small sentry post at the top.
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Husarq bends close to the inscription.
"Oh my Master, this inscription has been chipped and scratched," he says.
"I see that, dung-face!" says Mareq contemptuously. Waving Husarq away, he examines the inscription.
"This has been deliberately chipped to change the meaning in Ancient Osiriani from 'safety from winds' to 'safety from the winds of time.' An interesting difference, I should say. And perhaps critical. What could it mean?"
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Mareq's skin begins to crawl and his flaming red hair begins to wave in the breeze inside the courtyard.
"I suggest we close the gates, lest other seekers racing here follow us in once we are beyond this courtyard. Husarq! See to it, slave. And bar the door if you can."
Mareq examines the bodies more closely. Hmmm, I wonder what killed them.