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Ignoring the bleeding halfling at his feet, the minotaur turns his attention to the half-orc. He had made ready to charge, but seeing his quarry making his way in front of him, the minotaur simply swings at Luurg in two rapid chops, followed by a vicious head thrust with his vicious horns. One axe strike, however, bounces against Luurg's pineapply shield, while the other strikes glides harmlessly off his hardened skin. The horns misses Luurg completely.
Janira's wounds seem to have stop bleeding on their own.
You feel the inspiration from Janira's words earlier fade.
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Luurg breathes a sigh of relief when his pineapple does its job beautifully, as well as his other enhancements. He looks towards Janira, relieved her bleeding has stopped while her color remains healthy. He steps to the side to keep between her and the mini-tar.
Hrmm... wonder what these mini-tars actually do? Luurg thinks to himself. Not quite sure what he remembers he decides to poke it with his spear first and remember later.
"Tickle Tickle! He he he."
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Bishop knows there is very little time to act but is inspired as he watches Luurg stab the minotaur with his spear. Hoping that is enough to distract the beast he sprints forward and drives his dagger toward the midsection of the minotaur, however his foot slips in the dirt and he is not able to regain his balance in time to avoid the errant attack.
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Damiel tries to make a heroic jump over the water.
As he jumps gracefully across and sees himself so close to the minotaur, he immediately turns another bomb in the minotaur's face!
"bahhhhhhhh!" He yells, something like a war cry, but weak, as if he was scared. And he's cowardice shows as the bomb missed him completed.
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As Bishop steps up close, the minotaur makes use of his longer reach to swing at him. The axe cleaves into Bishop with a nasty chop, spewing bllod across the forest floor, knocking him unconscious.
Despite the bad throw, Jerrid's badly aimed tanglefoot bag actually still manages to strike the large monster. The glue splatters all over him, restricting his arms and binding his feet to the ground. He roars again in frsutration.
Luurg makes use of the monster's hampered state to strike, skewering him through his chest.
The minotaur tries to step out of the way of Damiel's bomb but forgot his feet is bound to the ground. It stumbles somewhat, right into the path of the bomb. This one explodes in his face, charring his bovine features.
Begrilda calls of the blessing of her god of marriages on her party, while Einn gets on her feet and moves closer, deciding not to keep the fish for supper.
The minotaur, bleeding and burnt from multiple wounds, looks to be in a sorry state. Although a few members of the party are within his strikes, he instead tries to tear himself from the glue holding him to the ground, wanting to flee for his life instead. Unfortunately, the tanglefoot holds him tight. He roars again, this time in frustration, tinged with fear!
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Jerrid watches Bishop collapse from the hit he received and wants to go to his aid but sees the monster is badly hurt and decides the best course of action would be to take the monster down as quickly as possible.
With his mind made up, Jerrid steps into the monster. Kicking it behind his knee then spinning around to land a elbow shot in the monster's kidney area.
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After Luurg buries his spear into the 'Mini-tar's chest, the rest of the group pile on, quickly turning the bull man into nothing more than a pile of rump roasts. He leaves his spear skewering the beast and hollers for Begrilda "Help da Bishop so he ain't dead! I got da half lady ok?" He then turns around and pulls out his applewood stick and taps her lightly on the axe wound "Not dead yet!" He says and the wand glows with happy energy, healing some of her wounds
He looks down at the wound, it still in pretty nasty shape so he hollers out "Mebe she no like apples, bring over her healy stick n try that one."
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Begrilda stands beside the river for a moment before hastily running along its banks toward the log bridge. When she gets close enough, she channels Bolka's radiant energy across the river, just catching Bishop within the dazzling energies.
With Bishop's life no longer in peril, Begrilda removes her armor and shield, straps them to her pack, and makes her way carefully across the bridge, her eyes desperately avoiding the rushing waters below. When she finally reaches her southern friend, the dwarfess kneels beside him and gently lays a hand on his shoulder. She draws out her healing wand and passes the positive energy into Bishop's wounds. "You foolish man. This is no time to die!"
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Luurg watches Begrilda's flashy light show go off and smiles, then hoists Janira to her feet when she regains consciousness. "Up up up and awake half lady! We's all alive, well all 'cept that mini-tar. He's DED. Begrilda make good med'cin for all." He proceeds to dust her off and hand her her dropped whip. "Say... do you not like apples?" He gives her a questioning look.
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Bishop gasps for air and screams out something unintelligible "Watsnodeahapep..." he looks down touching for the place where the minotaur almost halved him in two. His clothing still fresh with blood but he does not feel himself bleeding out any longer. His eyes come upon the others and then on the decapitated minotaur. "Seems we lived...How..is Janira" he struggles getting up realizing that the Lady of Death had almost visited him this night.
Watching Begrilda moving about he knows who he has to thank but decides to do it later...much later. "As I said...danger in the west that we cannot escape. The bones never lie..unfortunately."
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Begrilda's divine energy burst forth, stopping Bishop's wounds from bleeding. Assured that he would not pass on, she strips down and gingerly crosses the log, using her divine gifts to restore the whole party.
Luurg does his part as well for Janira. She opens her eyes to see a greenish lumpy face staring down at her. She cried out in joy, leaps to her feet with his help and gives Luurg a tight hug. She looks at Bishop who is just getting to his feet. "You're alive! I'm alive! All of you saved me!" Tears roll down her face in joy and relief. She lets go and takes the apple from him. "Yes, I'll have one. Thank you!"
Suddenly, her legs buckle and she sits back down. "Oomph! I guess I'm still a bit weak. Let me sit down for a while." She glances at the carcass of the minotaur, and lets out a sigh of relief, before turning back to all of you with a big smile. "You did good, you did. You defeated a minotaur! I missed most of it, but you can be sure Janira Garvix has one more story to tell from now on! How a group of 6 initiates triumphed over a monstrous beast and saved their fallen mentor!"
After taking a short breather, Janira looks at each of you in turn. "Oh, but your Confirmation! Did you find the gillmen? Have you completed exploring the caves?"
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Begrilda grew up in and around the temple of her goddess, not in the tunnels and caverns of her people's ancestral home. Despite this difference in nurture, however, her dwarven senses still tell her that the tunnels of the caves here are far from totally explored, and she tells her mentor as much. "I don't know if I'd say we completed exploring them...that would take a far longer period I think, but we did find a gillman and found out that the caves are a sort of sacred site for them. The waters in there are especially pure. We also found some carvings depicting the guises of Aroden! Isn't that odd?" She pauses for a moment finally, then bursts into tears and embraces the halfling, "Oh, but Miss Gavix, I'm so glad you're alright! We heard your voice from inside the caverns and knew you might need help. I'm just glad we made it in time."
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Jerrid felt great satisfaction when he felt the monster's knee shatter from his blow and even more after it lay dead on the grown. He gives a sigh of relief as he lets the adrenaline calm down. He then goes to help Bishop but sees the flash of energy from Begrilda and watch as Bishop's wounds heal up.
He blushes a little when seeing Begrilda 'de-armored' and soaking wet, but chuckles a little when he sees a half-naked, soaking wet, dwarf hug a Halfling. Thinking to himself there has to be a bar joke in there somewhere.
Getting more serious, he speaks up. 'Begrilda is right. I wouldn't say we completed exploring the cave. We had just finished a battle when we heard your battle and decided to run through the rest of the cave. There is no telling what we missed in our rush."
Jerrid moved over to Janira and pats her on her shoulder, "It is good to see you are still alive and those items in your bag came in handy."
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Luurg smiles but looks a bit confused when Janira eats an apple, he looks at his wand and scolds it a bit.
"Ya we 'splore a bunch like Begrilda say. Found a dug pit, den some old writin's on da wall about Aroden, den a big room with a gillman near a pool wid a mini Absalom in it that flashed and tickled the belly some."
He ponders some more as he remembers the cozy caverns "Hrm den dey be two tunnels and we take one dat got us out here to save you! So at least one tunnel left. Do we need to go back? Or can't you just tell Bossman we passed right?" He gives her a big Luurg smile and a couple of winks.
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He turns back to the caves a sudden sadness comes over him which he is quick not to show. "I almost died out here if not for the quick actions of all of you. The gillman we met said many of his own people came to these caves as a form of pilgrimage but never were seen to leave. Janira this might explain why you only saw gillmen entering but never leaving. Let us try to honour those lost gillmen by finding them and interring their bodies to the water."
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Wiping his sweat away from his brows, Damiel picks himself up and walks towards the rest of the group, head held high of this latest victor. As he approaches the group and hear conversations of a possibility of entering the cave again, his happy expressions start to fade away, and he has a look of gloom in his eyes.
"I guess if we must, it would be a shame to do half cooked work, but the dangers...
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Janira releases herself from Begrilda’s tight hug after patting her on the shoulders a number of times. ”So what are you waiting for? Go on and complete your Confirmation!”
As the sun just crests over the horizon, the party heads back into the caves after a short breather, this time with Janira tailing the party. She is clearly still fatigued from her encounter with the minotaur but there’s a clear glint in her eyes, eager to see the sights you have described.
You head back to the cavern with the still pool of water, and the altar of Absalom. The cavern is now empty – Uori presumably has already returned home with the coming of daylight and the setting of the moon. Janira eyes grow-wide on seeing the altar, but she holds back her curiosity when she see you heading towards the eastern passage. ”We’ll come back later on the way back? To get a look?” she asks eagerly.
The cave’s damp air becomes increasingly stale as the you continue down through this tunnel. Gradually, what you only catch as a whiff gradually grows stronger. The stench of decay grows increasingly unmistakable. After heading south for a distance, the tunnel abruptly turns east and opens into a small cavern littered with bits of broken glass, rotting pieces of paper, and other unusable detritus. At the back of cavern, the body of a medium-sized humanoid lies facedown. Four skeletal figures emerge from the shadows and heads towards you!
"Smite those unholy creatures!" Janira yells in encouragement!
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Luurg wrinkles his nose as they approach the cavern "Smells like old animal den in here, but stinkier!" He sees groups of bone men clattering around the room with their glowing red eyes. "Ick, deez look no gud, coconuts away!" He pulls off a 'nut, pushes in the nub, shakes it violently and tosses it into the fray at the red bone man.
Unfortunately this coconut is poorly balanced for throwing and his shot is off target.
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After her hug with Janira breaks up, Begrilda joins the others in crossing back over the log bridge. She then has Bishop help her get her armor back on properly and straps on her shield. "Can't be too careful heading down into these caves right everyone?"
Begrilda can't help but smile the entire time Janira follows along with the party. She's so relieved to have their mentor alongside them to complete their exploration of the caves. Her smile quickly turns to a look of revulsion, however, as the skeletons emerge from the darkness. "No! You are not to desecrate this beautiful place. It is sacred to the gillmen. It was sacred to the followers of Aroden. And now, it shall be sacred to me! Back to the grave with you!" She charges forward, showing some of the deep-seated dwarven ferocity she had seemed not to possess so far, then raises her holy symbol and cries out to her goddess. An explosion of golden and pink lights radiates out from the ring, blasting the skeletons with divine energy, hopefully breaking the unholy bonds that hold their bones together.
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Bishop can't but help smile when he watches before his eyes the timid nature of Begrilda wash away to be replaced by a furious defender of these sacred caves. The caves are washed in gold and pink lights and for a moment he almost feels uplifted by the divine presence he is witnessing.
Dipping into the folds of his robes he takes out the flash with his free hand. His other hand holding the torch aloft to give himself and anyone else not gifted with the sight of seeing in the dark light.
Hopefully Janira won't mind me trying out her wand. In her condition it'd be best for her to stay back
Bishop inches forward cautiously waiting for an opening. He'd learn from the minotaur battle that it was better to know your opponent first.
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A burst of divine energy emanates from Begrilda, blasting into each of the skeletons. Most were able to resist the bulk of the positive energy, although one of the nearer ones took the full brunt.
Luurg throws one of his coconut at the skeleton but underestimates his strength, sending the coconut flying over its head into the corner. The skeleton was caught by surprised, however, and is caught full blast by the explosion, tearing it to pieces.
Bishop moves into position, while drawing out a wand that he is not so confident that might work for him.
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Einn tosses a vial of alchemist's fire at the skeleton, but her aim is off, exploding near the skeleton beside it instead.
Each of the skeletons step forward, two going after Luurg and one after Begrilda.
The one on Luurg's left manages to land a claw onto him, tearing a gash into his side. Luurg, however, expertly dodges the one on his right.
The skeleton next to Begrilda only manages to bang its claws ineffectually against her armor.
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Damiel as usual starts off cold after getting cold feet seeing skeletons for the first time! "What! Wa..waaa..walking skeletons?" But he's allies braver than him move into the heat of the fray very early leaving him standing behind in shock. Soon however, he pulls the courage to stand tall and take the battle to them. He moves into a closer position, but with too many people in a narrow path, he is unable to get himself closer to where he would like to be. Seeing no possible option for a good attack, he decides to not risk it and takes a swig of a mutagen he prepared earlier to give himself some courage to fight the undead!"How can I help here guys?"
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Jerrid spins Begrilda around like a ballet dancer, then does a ballet leap into a bow, landing in front of the skeleton. Unfortunately, his follow up kick was not as graceful and does not connect.
Begrilda manages to release another burst of divine energy into the room. The balletic dance by Begrilda as she spun into the adjoining space possibly weakened the blast, but it was still strong enough to cause two of them to collapse into piles of bones.
Damiel swigs down some alchemical concoctions and he grows lean and agile. Luurg attempts to skewer the remaining skeleton but the spearhead goes between its rib-bones.
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Luurg watches as more flashy lights and strange dance moves from Begrilda debone 2 more bone men. He steps up to make some space and thrusts his spear once more . Just as he does he steps on a old skull and his feet nearly roll out from under him, sending his jab high and wide.
"Deez tings bad luck fer me. Dey have some bad mojo on nice orcs er sumpting?"