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Concerned that his armor will slow him down, Ethendril ponders how he might respond.
"Fall back! Our position here is untenable!"
Seeing that the others are faster than he is, and also that they seem to be doing well fending for themselves, the paladin climbs a massive nearby tree root. Securing his greatsword on his back, he grabs a vine, cuts it, and attempts to swing across the ravine to a safer location.
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Cornelia scrambles to stay ahead of the Aspis agents, hoping that perhaps the dino will be contempt to eat them instead of her and her companions. She stretches out her long legs as she runs, vaulting over the edge of the nest. She looks over at the heavily breathing man running beside her, fear clearly evident in his eyes as each tries to get ahead of the other. 'Come on, Cornelia! RUN!'
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Cornelia scrambles to her feet as the Aspis agents barrel down on them, fear clearly evident in their eyes! Her own fear causes her to forget about Sir Dydimus' conjured grease on the other side of nest and she starts to stumble as her boots seek some sort of traction! Just as she is about to fall upon her face, one of the Aspis agents passes right alongside of her just outside of grease field. Deftly she grabs hold of one of the many leather straps dangling from the heftier man and uses his momentum to pull her free of the grease.
She locks her knees and leans back slightly, allowing the large man and the lack of friction to 'ski' behind him for a moment. The speed and friction begin to wear off the layer of grease, at which point Cornelia begins to run behind her savior for just a moment... She then uses the strap to help pull her up as she leaps up into the air atop the man's shoulders just long enough to plant her feet and leap forward! She hits the ground running with a grunt and stretches out her long legs, praying to Nethys to give her more speed!
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Olga stares for a second in terror at the tyrannosaurus barreling down on them, she backs up and completely forgets that she can't run backwards, so she slips and falls flat on her behind. Once on the ground she remembers she needs to run forward so she tries like mad to bolt in the proper direction (away from the big bad dinosaur!)
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Hotspur slides away using a greased shield. In a deft motion, he finds himself suddenly about 60 feet away from the dino.
Ethrendril takes a page out of Dydimus' playbook and tries to launch himself to safety. Though he is mostly successful, he does not travel nearly as far as he had hoped and leands near Hotspur.
Dydimus uses his natural dexterity and size to weave through obstacles, mostly other humanoids, and somehow manages to keep up with Hotspur and Ethendril.
Cornelia leverages the strength of one of the Aspis agents to pull away from danger. She leapfrogs him at the last moment.
Olga runs for all she's worth--forwards and backwards.
The party succeeds!
They manage to stay away from the dino. But the Aspis agents are with you every step of the way. And the dino is right behind you all.
Soon, you come upon some fallen boulders that block your path! You may attempt to go around them (Survival Check) or try to muscle them aside (Strength Check). What would the party like to do?
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Ethendril recovers after swinging from the vine. Seeing one particularly large boulder blocking the way of the group, the paladin moves quickly to eliminate the obstacle.
Wedging himself against the ravine's wall, he pushes hard against the boulder in the hopes it leaves a hole large enough for his companions to get through.
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Cornelia spots the large boulders ahead and quickly ponders how to handle that obstacle as they race along. Suddenly she spots exactly what she wants to see, a large and sturdy looking branch. She scoops up the branch from the ground as she sprints past... She picks up a little more speed, ignoring the burning in her lungs to create just enough distance between her and the burly Aspis agent behind her, planning to use the large man to her advantage once again... Once at the boulder she spotted, she quickly plants the branch between the rock and another nearby, creating an impromptu lever. She plants her feet and with a grunt of effort she starts pushing with all her might just as the Aspis agent crashes into the lever, using his momentum to aid in removing the boulder!!
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Hotspur watches as her friends begin to tackle the boulders. At first, she thought they might all try the same boulder, but seeing everyone attack separate obstacles causes the young gunslinger to blush -- How could I have ever considered a plan that is so UNHEROIC by comparision, she wonders to herself.
Determined to show that she is no slouch in the boulder-pushing arena, Hotspur whips a tattered old canvas belt out of her bag and cinches it tightly around her waist.
"That old man at the flea market said he was sure this "Girdle of Giant Strength" had at least two more strength checks left in it! Time to say the activation word: noreturnzaftrthertidaze!"
"Hmmm, I must have forgotten to brace my legs..."
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Thanks to Olga and Cornelia, the party succeeds! You make it past the boulders just as the dino snaps at the spot where you were. The Aspis just make it past, too. You're all neck and neck in this race.
Though the dino has almost caught up with you, she temporarily loses sight of you among the boulders and pauses. You now have two choices:
1) Attempt to sneak off the path with a stealth check...
or...
2) Fend her off with a melee attack!
Remember, any one failure does not mean the party fails--and you succeed or fail as a party. Even if you think you'll roll low, talk it up! Make it as crazy, impossible, and fantastic as you like. :-)
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Dydimus votes for melee attacks.
The brave Sir Dydimus pops out from beneath a boulder just as the dino leans in to investigate. A single tear falls down the dino's cheek as Dydimus calls her "primitive." "Just because I have short arms and don't like high tea doesn't make me primitive!" she thinks to herself as he pokes her ever so slightly in the nose with his small rapier.
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Ethendril assesses the entire battlefield. Like a skilled marshal, he views the battlefield and where all the pieces are moving.
"Watch its eyes! It will tell you where it is attacking next!"
The paladin watches as the massive dinosaur rends an Aspis agent, then watches those eyes turn on him.
Waiting for the right moment, Ethendril sees the massive head begin to move toward him. Without a moment to spare, he darts underneath the creature's legs and swings his greatsword at the creature's relatively weak inner leg.
I am certainly too old for this...
for
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Olga swings mightily, but fails to connect.
Ethendril, too, swings mightily, and draws a drop of blood from the creature.
"Hey, now! Just because I dress this way doesn't mean you can touch my inner thigh!" she thinks as she looks angrily at the Paladin. "At least buy me dinner or pay me a compliment, first!"
Just waiting on Cornelia and Hotspur before we continue.
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Hotspur finds herself momentarily jammed between two boulders. Listening for the dinosaur, the gunslinger tries to wriggle free. She presses against the rock and manages to boost her head and shoulders above the impasse only to get stuck again.
A sudden rush of warm, sour air causes her to slowly turn as the enormous snout of the T-Rex snuffles just a few feet from her face. Hotspur freezes, realizing she is so close to the dinosaur that it cannot see her thanks to its own snout. She tries to manuever her musket off her back but finds it pinned.
Without warning, the Tyrannosaurus rears back as it catches her scent on the air. For a fraction of a second, the gunslinger and the dinosaur stare at each other in shock and then the T-Rex lunges forward...
Using the only weapon in reach, Hotspur slaps the Tyrannosaurus Rex across the snout with a rolled up copy of Fritz Weber's Proletariat Manifesto.
"Let the ruling classes tremble at the Andoran revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have all of Golarion to win. Workers of the Material Plane, unite!" she quotes.
If only I had the hardcover, instead of the paperback, she sighs.
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Cornelia grins as the neanderthal-like Aspis agents breaks the boulder loose and she slips in behind it; however, at the same moment the massive dinosaur catches up to them... She cowers behind another nearby boulder for a moment as her companions make moves to attack the creature. She suddenly hears heavy breath next to her as that very same Aspis fool who has saved her skin twice hides next to her. She quickly formulates a plan as she looks at him with a sly smile, and leans in closely to whisper in his ear. "You have saved me twice now, third time is a charm. Help my comrades distract that creature and tonight you will share my bedroll. I promise you that."
The beautiful Chelaxian offers him a carnal grin as he flushes as seems to think for a moment before suddenly charging around the boulder to attack to dinosaur for Cornelia!
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In rapid succession the party makes a number of attacks on the dino. And.. somehow... one of the Aspis agents makes an attack for you, too, whilst leering lasciviously at Cornelia.
The dino remains relatively unhurt, but is surprised by the ferocity of those attacks! You've successfully held her off, for now.
Sadly, so have the Aspis. You're still neck and neck, and the dino is still right behind you!
As you continue running down the trail, you come across a small body of water. From your previous crossing, you know this water to be infested with piranha! You have two choices:
1) Jump over the water (Acrobatics)...
or...
2) Swim across (Swim check)
Because neither of these are mutually exclusive (like the stealth or attack rolls from the previous check), players may do either check. You do not have to agree as a party about how to do this.
Go! :-)
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Ethendril just fends off the dinosaur and continues running forward.
He seems to be favoring one knee as he reaches the bank of the water.
With few options in his heavy armor, the paladin launches himself into the water, kicking off the bank hard in an effort to reach the other side as quickly as possible before any carnivorous fish have a chance to chew at his exposed flesh.
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WHAT A GRAND ADVENTURE! Dydimus yells as he darts ahead. Seeing the water heads for it at full speed, makes a quick hop up on to a small stump, then a leap over to a large rock before springing up even higher to a nearby tree branch all in one fluid motion. Now at the edge of the water the halfling jumps stright out towards a think vine suspended halfway over the piranha infested puddle. For a moment it looks as if he will reach the vine but then, as if time itself slowed down, you can see him sinking lower and lower in the air. Dydimus grasps wildly at the fine but he is no more that an inch too short. Time speeds back up and the Cavalier Bard falls SMACK face first into the jungle water.
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Hotspur sprints away from the confrontation with the class-conscious dinosaur and comes to a screeching halt barely in time to avoid flying into the river. She teeters for a second --- arms spinng at her sides -- before regaining her balance.
She catches a gleam of silver in the water, as a school of fish, each student sporting the same serrated-grin, begins to circle just off the bank.
Looking back over her shoulder with dismay she watches the T-Rex's advance toward her.
She closes her eyes and breathes deeply. In an attempt to calm herself, she recites:
"Hambeth, Act 3, Scene 1. 'To swim, or not to swim? Aye, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the claws and chewing of tyrannic lizards, or to take arms against a sea of piranha and, by imposing, feed them.'"
The gunslinger takes a short running jump and lands on one foot on a small portion of cypress stump protruding from the water. She watches as the school of carnivorous fish follows her.
"To skip, to jump—" Her next leap lands her on a boulder midway across the river, her boots slipping precariously on the slippery stone.
"No more—and by a leap to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks adventurers are prone to." She spots another grayish slab just above the rippling water, and launches herself through the air once more...
But in an unexpected twist, the grayish platform shudders as she lands and begins to lift quickly heavenward. Hotspur clings to its the dripping side until she finds herself face-to-face with a sleepy long-necked herbivorous dinosaur. Before she can ask if it prefers to be called a Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus, the great beast bucks its head, sending her sliding down its neck and back as she bellows a scream that sounds like: "Yabbadabbadoooooooooooo!"
She hits the ground on the other side of the bank, and catches her breath.
"To leap --perchance to scream: ay, there's the rub." She finishes as she massages her bruised ribs, and struggles back to her feet.
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Cornelia breathes a sigh of relief as they evade the dino for a short time, only to come upon that piranha infested spot once again. "Damned by our luck!" She starts to curse again at the group's inability to dodge those pesky Aspis Agents; however, as those men begin to swim across the water she suddenly grins. She backpedals a few steps and begins running as she leaps over the first two feet of open water directly onto the head and shoulders of one of the Aspis agents. She continues to leap from head to head, using them as stepping stones as she runs across the water. Her face lights up with a large grin, the first one this group can remember seeing... "I saw this trick once in a play I saw, but it was an elven archer running across the heads of dwarves in barrels!"
Soon enough she was across the water, blowing a kiss to her "saviors" with a wink!