Allafaz reads the scroll. He easily deciphers the scribbles and sigils into the common tongue and forms a bolt of flame. He hurls it, over the cloaker, past his allies and into the ground, scorching some of the roots there.
Espadabot swings again with her bastard sword.
Sword +1, Bless:1d20 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 25 Damage:1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10
Her blade slices right into the cloaker.
Nira's splinters sink into the cloaker's insides, dealing 1d6 ⇒ 1 more damage. She lunges with a thorn again.
Yamino, decides to switch tactics and takes a 5-foot step, saying, "You are doing great, everyone! Keep this up and we'll have this taken care of in no time."
Inspire Courage: +1 bonus to resist charm and fear and +1 to attack and damage rolls.
With its many, many wounds, the cloaker decides its job is done. The cloak unfurls, dropping a cracked and splintered Nira onto the cavern floor. The cloaker tries to fly into a hole in the ceiling and out of the cavern. The Pathfinders have one last chance to take aim before it escapes into the night.
Professor Yamino encourages everyone to swing quickly and end the threat.
Everyone in melee (not Allafaz) can perform an AoO on the Cloaker. Remember you have +2 to attack and +1 damage.
Espada isn't able to land a hit. Goran slices the creature with a wound it will never forget. It escapes through the ceiling as several ceiling bats fly away.
Combat Over
Nira's heavily cracked body stands up. "Thank you all for saving me." She checks her flimsy arm. "If am to...collapse, there are many dolls like me. Put this pendant on one and I shall awaken the next day."
She looks to the hole in the ceiling. "That murderer will pay. But not today. Why did it come here? What else is in this cave?"
Where to next? Espada has 9 damage, Nira has 16. Goran has 3 nonlethal damage.
Yamino turns to Nira, "That's good to know, but in the meantime, let's see what we can do about this doll."
Yamino begins to cast mending. If it works, he'll continue to cast it until Nira isn't broken or until the group leaves.
It's a ten minute casting time, so I'm not sure how you want to go about this, GM. I can roll a bunch of dice and we can only use the ones that there's time for maybe?
The party waits while Professor Yamino repairs Nira. "Thank you. Something feels familiar about this area, but it's so hazy. Hard to remember everything."
Walking through the cave, you see vine covered walls obscure a nearby chamber. You see a dead body, draped in the bright orange clothing of Mercy's residents. It's almost certainly Amenira's body.
Nira kneels down at the body, forlorn. "Me."
DC 15 Heal check:
This body has been dead for 2 months. Wounds inflicted by several bites are the most likely cause of death.
Inspecting some of the seedpods in the chamber, you notice two sealed potions inside.
loot:
potion of desperate escape (combines cure light wounds and vanish)
potion of protection from alignments (combines protection from chaos/law/evil/good)
male Human Cleric 8, HP 75, AC 22, T 13, FF 18, F +10, R +7, W +11, Initiative +1, Perception +9
hral:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
I see many bite wounds....likely the swarm or the cloaker...or both...hard to say exactly. About 2 months ago....
Goran then takesca look at the potions.
You can continue investigating the body and the potions.
Espada is quite thankful for Goran's assistance. She's down to 3 damage
After your discovery of the body, you continue looking around the cavern.
The temperature rises toward the back of the cave. A tangle of vines spins and twists out of the rocky ground to cradle an enormous seedling. Both the seedling and the vines glow with a vibrant green light.
Geirahöð looks at the seedling and remembers Professor Yamino's talk about the renegade druid Ghorus and his attempts to create potent plant life that could survive the Mana Wastes. This seedling has incredible potency. Enough exposure could lead to long term mutations and growth in plant and non-plant matter. Remember the Gnoll with the tree trunk for an arm who assaulted you on the way to Mercy? The secrecy in Mercy over protecting you from even seeing its children?
Taking the seedling back to the Pathfinder Society could lead to long term advancements for them that could be delivered to other barren lands, but the Mana Wastes and Mercy's harvest would certainly whither away.
Leaving it here would ensure the lands around Mercy stay fertile and vibrant, but the unexpected mutations could lead to unexpected consequences. And its secrets would stay sealed here, perhaps forever.
Yamino looks conflicted. "I came here hoping to find some amazing artifact to bring back and show everyone," he says, "but if these people are still relying on this, maybe we should leave it here."
male Human Cleric 8, HP 75, AC 22, T 13, FF 18, F +10, R +7, W +11, Initiative +1, Perception +9
It is a tough choice, but I feel that the greater good would be served if we took it back and let the leaders of the Society decide what is best...if this can help with getting rid of the blight of the Mana Wastes, it would be better. I know the people of Mercy would suffer in the meantime, but the Society would likely help them with food and such until the land can be fertile again.
Espada doesn't lean in one way or another, as everyone brought up good points.
Nira takes a good look at the seedling. "Is this...what I came to see? I do not remember everything. Maybe Geirahöð has the right idea- take one of the saplings here. Ask the town what they want to do."
Is everyone OK with that decision, or do you want to change your mind?
The party decides to leave the seedling alone, taking one sapling back to the society for research.
As they leave the cave, they feel the warmth of their cave -and maybe the glow of the seedling- for the first mile or so.
I will need a DC 12 Fort Save vs Disease from everyone except non-humanoids and companion creatures (familiars, eidolons, animal companions.)
As they return to the town of Mercy, they find what's left of the cloaker right outside with an arrow sticking out. The sheriff puts his bow away and climbs down from a nearby tree.
"A single arrow...reminds me of grandma, bless her soul." He takes a closer look at the cloaker and frowns. "Or maybe I just finished it off, hehe. Something tells me you did most of the dirty work. Come on in, you guys can leave in the morning."
Zuri and the townsfolk are excited when they hear the party's efforts to weaken the cloaker, and Zuri reminds everyone that she always knew they were heroes. Even if Espada still wears that blue sash. They promise to make some cashew-kale smoothies for you in the morning as a grand breakfast. Sheriff Molume is just glad to get rid of the menace.
You tell the Sheriff about the seedling and ask for his opinion on the matter. "You're saying there's a big seed here that's keeping the crops healthy? Removing it would destroy our crops. We'd have to move...that's a bad idea." He strokes his chin. "Thanks for not removing it. You've noticed how quickly the townspeople blame outsiders for everything bad, right?"
Overnight, Nira is active and a bit pensive. "Thank you for stopping that thing and saving me. I think it is time I left Mercy. May I follow you back to your home, with the Pathfinders?"
Over the next 2 days, Professor Yamino notices his skin has a yellow tint. Goran, Espada and Geirahöð had yellow tints but theirs wore off the day after they returned to Mercy. His skin is itchy, and it's made him a bit irritable.
Professor, you are suffering from a disease. You need to make 2 DC 12 Fort Saves on your way back to Alkenstar where you can find a cleric with strong enough magic to fight off the disease. Here's the Con and Cha damage you'll take if you fail:
Con Damage:1d3 ⇒ 2Cha Damage:1d3 ⇒ 2 Con Damage:1d3 ⇒ 3Cha Damage:1d3 ⇒ 3
Professor Yamino
Geirahöð Bjornsdottir
