You’re some distance away, but can now see Leeara’s hideaway from the link in my header. How do you approach?
Let's clarify this question. Are you scouting the location, or are you approaching openly?
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Grigorii grows agitated having to wait while the halfling scouts around. He eventually starts humming quietly to himself, composing some bright tune.
"Just one moment, I'll figure it out for myself. Words from the heart are always better than those on a page. Both have their uses, but mine will last longer." He grins wickedly, then shoots Shel a dark look. "Just not too long, you hear?"
After a moment of hesitation he adds, "And you better have heroism. Would not want you to get in too much trouble out on your own."
Grigorii casts heroism on both Shel and himself, then follows up with invisibility.
Buffed with heroism and invisibility, Shel melts into the landscape, moving softer than a butterfly on wing. All around her are the sensations of the Old Frog Swamp: whirring insects, tall marshy reeds that rustle in the breeze, the soft mud squishing beneath her feet, pungent and vividly green herbs and brightly colored wildflowers. The croaking noises grow louder and louder as she approaches the burbling river.
As she approaches the river, she’s startled when she watches a horse-sized blue bullfrog rise out of the water, its sticky tongue nabbing a low-flying crane out of the air, and then swallowing it whole, leaving nothing behind but a small cloud of feathers.
The Grackle River is only 30 feet wide at this point, but it looks far too deep to wade through. Still, the waters are calm enough that one could swim it, if one decided that they weren’t worried about the giant bullfrogs. As Shel approaches the banks, she realizes that she can see three of them... no wait. Four. Heroism has sharpened her senses, and she barely spots the fourth brown bullfrog, camouflaged in the mud of the bank.
What do you do?
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Stretching his arms, he groans, "Finally, something to do. Show them to me, and I will sing them the songs of their people."
Grigorii retrieves a small signal whistle from his pack and moves downstream of the frogs with the dwarven ranger. He plucks some reeds and takes some bark from a nearby tree, experimenting with a makeshift percussive instrument. After a few tries, he shakes his head and offers the signal whistle to Harsk.
"Harsk, can you use this to imitate a crane call? I'll be playing the frog."
He inhales deeply, expanding his deep chest, and lets out a deep
"That should get them interested!"
Down by the banks of the Grackle Panky
Four bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
With an eeps, ipes, opes, opps
One fell in and went kerplops.
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River Connection
Why are there so many songs about rivers
And what's on the other side
Rivers are homelands
But only to nomads
Such rivers have nothing to hide
So we've been told
And some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see
Someday we'll find them
The river's connection
The lovers, the bullfrogs, and me
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Knowing that her companions were taking steps to avoid combat with the animals appears to grant the quiet, earnest young Kiku new life.
"What a good idea, Grigorii! I do so very much hope that we won't have to hurt these poor frogs."
She smiles brightly as she gives an enthusiastic nod.
"Any battle we can avoid is a good one."
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As Grigorii and Harsk embark upon the new Skaldic art of giant bullfrog seduction, from the sky a cloudy, translucent figure on a horse descends at a furious pace from the Southwest, blowing in at 600 feet a round. A sussurus arises, as the marshy reeds blow, bend and rustle. Clouds of honking water fowl and buzzing insects take flight, disturbed and confused. In the last minute, the figure slows, then blurs and solidifies. Shel looks up to see the mists condense into a familiar face -- the tengu named Wei Ji, galloping in on a sooty buckskin mare. Char, the horse, snorts as her hooves find purchase, kicking up chunks of mud and reeds everywhere.
Meanwhile, the siren call of attracts the bullfrogs, who thud towards the come-hither sound with great huge splashes. As the frogs slosh noisily downstream towards the ranger-skald dynamic duo with the watchful Azara waiting behind them, there is a moment as the frogs pause, taking in the sight of the three distinctly non-amphibian love interests crouching before them. They leap into action...
The brown frog, roused by the promise of both dinner and sex, decides to just settle for dinner. First dates can be such a drag.
His tongue shoots out 30 feet to grab Grigorii and starts pulling him in to the water... Grigorii, you’re grappled and soon will be wet.
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Yojimbo and Grigorii are up.
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"This did not go quite as planned"
Grigorii begins a song, then pulls out his potion sponge with touch of the sea.
+4 Str/Con
+3 Will
-1 AC
20% concealment v. ranged
slam attack v. adjacent
Like a sharp note
And a potion
Sending big braves
Into motion
Like how a single sword
Can make a heart open
I might only have bat dung
But I can make an explosion
And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls heading your way
I will scream them loud and fight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Cut short your life song
Prove I am right song
Rage powers turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll sing my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else still lives
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me
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The brown toad attempts to get a hunk of half-orc love, but alas, only manages to stick its tongue in Grigorii's ear before sliding away...
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Calisro Benarry looked over the rail of the Grinning Pixie at the somber Silver Crusade representative.
"You're doing WHAT? I've already sent this agent out into the field! How on Golarion do you propose that we correct that? For the love 'f..."
She sighed and considered a moment.
"Alright. You're taking an agent from me, it's going to cost you to get the replacement because I shelled out for the group teleport for the last group, and the Lodge's funds are tight with this week's upcoming return trip to the Gloomspires -- you know, the place the Society wants me to keep bringing Pathfinders to?"
The Crusader, a weathered half-orc, looked up apologetically.
"If it wasn't important, I wouldn't be here and yes, the Crusade is paying for this one. Here." A significant coin bag was handed to the sea-faring Venture Captain. "That should cover the expenses, but do you have any idea of how to recall the agent?"
Calisro thought for a moment. One of the agents she'd taken up to the Gloomspires on a previous run had been one of the most taciturn of folks.
She squinted a bit and rubbed her chin.
Once he'd had a chance to unwind, he actually spoke in something close to sentences though the terms were always curt and to the point.
Zykon had sent her a letter recently, thanking her for the hospitality and a very fine bottle of Taldan wine along with it, relating the tales of his mentor, a tengu that had encountered some difficulties in a temple to the Drunken Hero, and how his mentor needed a straightforward mission away from civilization for a while...
Two birds... one stone...
"Tell the Crusaders they have a deal, the person they want is Wei Ji, last seen up in Northern Andoran on Eagle Knight business. He's not Juniper, but he'll do. He'll do."
Wei kills his momentum to end up nearby Juniper and hand over two scrolls to her, one sealed with the personal signet of Ollysta Zadrian, the other apparently another magical scroll.
He then hops out of the saddle and gives the reins to the halfling, cinching up the stirrups so it is easier for the paladin to ride.
"You're needed desperately on Crusader business to the southwest. Char knows the way, read the letter when you get well and far from here. Calisro sends her regards, too. I'm here to replace you! Go Go GO!"
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Leaning on her hip, Azara looks amused at the appearance of the smoky horse.
"Looks like Asmodeus finally decided to send me that Horseman I've been praying for all these years..."
But then, as the form of a Tengu rider becomes clear, she sighs.
"Silly me. I should have better stipulated his race. When we're done here I really need to go back and finish up my studies on contract law."
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Juniper practically jumps out of her skin as the Tengu gallops up to her with the message. But the sight of the Zadrian’s private seal makes her swallow. She looks at her friends. Surely Grigorii and the others can handle a few amorous toads? She calls out to the others, “Oh my gosh, I’m being recalled!” She’s never been recalled before. It must be urgent, right? Then she looks the Tengu in the eye as he boosts her into the saddle. “Take care of them for me. They’re the best team I’ve ever had.”
“Stay safe, and keep me posted!” She glances back one last time before waving at the others, then casting the scroll and melting into the winds.
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Confusion and worry come across Kiku's face as she sees Juniper being sent off. She tries to suppress those emotions by instead focusing on greeting the new arrival.
"Greetings, friend. I am Kiku. Please let Yojimbo take the lead. He will protect you." She nods towards the creature of burning orange and red ectoplasm next to her, a kind of ghostly samurai figure.
Slurp! The blue bullfrog tongues Harsk with a wet sticky tongue, but fails to grab the dwarf.
Splash! The green bullfrog approaches and takes a bite out of Yojimbo, but fails to grab the spirit.
Unfortunately, the frogs have ten feet reach. Since Yojimbo moved this turn, he cannot also five foot step as part of his readied action, so his readied action does not go off this round.
Kiku is up!
Slurp! The red bullfrog thinks Halflings look delicious...
...And he grabs and grapples Shel!
Yummy, yummy halflings!
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The rest of the party is up!
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Smoke begins to billow around Azara as the air around her gets increasingly warm.
To the frog, she declares, "No means no!"
In a flash she leaps over towards [red], passing right in front of [green] as she does so .
[dice=+1 Fortuitous Viridium Scimitar]1d20+16[/dice]
Perhaps startled by the attack on his friend, Wei Ji's shot goes wide. Harsk's first shot against the red frog hits dead on and confirms a crit, his second just barely misses and the third is another solid hit.
Shel's kukri also hits solidly, slicing at the red frog's tongue which bleeds freely. The frog twitches, but sticks doggedly (froggedly?) to his halfling appetizer.
And then the raging Azara slices, dices and skewers the Red frog, who bleeds out into the water. Her spirit slams into the Green frog, and then she provokes an attack of opportunity from Green, who decides he wants a spicier snack than Red did.
Azara gleefully parries and ripostes and crits, her little leprosy-causing scimitar slicing, dicing and making froggy fries.
Splash! Then Brown moves forward to attack Grigorii...
...and misses, perhaps disconcerted by the whirling Ifrit of death.
Yojimbo and Grigorii are up!
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"I guess that I will not be needing this."
Grigorii drops the sponge in his hand to the ground, draws his battleaxe and attacks the frog.
Down by the banks of the Grackle Panky
TWO bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
With an eeps, ipes, opes, opps
One fell in and went kerplops.
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Who said that every croak
Would be heard and answered
When croaked on the marshy banks
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
Look what we get in thanks
What's so enraging that keeps us engaging
And what do we think we might be
Someday we'll find it
The river’s connection
The lovers, the bullfrogs, and me
Grigorii and his spirit slam into the brown frog, attacking it ferociously.
Yojimbo is up!
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Panache comes flowing back to Azara!
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Yojimbo takes the hit from the frog with the same stoic expression as always. He waits for his moment, nodding approvingly at Azara, then steps forward towards the frog in melee with Grigorii, his arms still folded. He draws his ectoplasmic sword and swings twice, returning it to its spectral sheath after and resuming his pose.
The Brown frog reels under the dual assault from both Grigorii and the spirit, blood pouring from multiple wounds. However, Brown hasn't croaked yet! He's still standing!
Splash! The Blue frog rushes forward to bite Harsk...
...and grabs the dwarf in his mouth!
Kiku, Azara, Shel, Wei Ji and Harsk are all up!
(Okay, Harsk is currently upside down in a frog mouth. But he still can act.)
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The recently-arrived tengu sprints towards the rest of the party, because with two frogs remaining in melee there's no reliable way for him to hit either one of them without potentially hurting a party member.
Instead, he's positioning to be able to heal up the party next turn provided no one has died from the amphibious onslaught.
"Focus fire for Harsk, Yojimbo keep on your target! Mind th' tongues!" he shouts as he gets a bit closer. It's all simple stuff, really, but it's worth a shot.