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As the two Pathfinders approach the beast, the crowd's booing intensifies. However, it quiets down briefly as the two walk forward and touch the creature's green flesh.
The divine energy spreads through the Hydra and wounds knit together. You can even see the bleeding stump begin to grow a little. Suddenly, four sets of eyes open and the creature begins to growl as it wakes up!
Fingalad
Pazacku
Bennybeck
Grey 7/17
Lucy 11/19
Vogue 19/31
Reaper 31/43
Hydra 44 dmg
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The Hydra roars, knees bending and large body lifting up. As it does so, you can see the severed stump beginning to grow longer, with a lump on the end.
The other four heads lash out, screaming at those who torment it.
Bennybeck
.
Reaper
.
.
Pazacku
Fortunately, the Hydra is blinded by pain, missing the adventurers by a hair. The heads look up at the blue sky in unison and roar once again. This din is matched by the crowd, egging it on. " HYDRA! HYDRA! HYDRA! "
Fingalad
Grey 7/17
Lucy 11/19
Pazacku
Vogue 19/31
Bennybeck
Reaper 31/43
Hydra 39 dmg
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Poor Benny,
did he at least get close?
ROUND 6 COMPLETE!
The group dodges and weaves, surrounding the Hydra in armor and steel. Over the sound of the crowd you can hear the Master of Games shouting. " Give up! While you still can! Or don't! The crowd loves seeing more blood! "
As if called, the Hydra snaps at the group again.
.
Reaper
.
.
Bennybeck
.
Pazacku
The Hydra feints at Reaper and Pazacku, setting up a terrible strike around Bennybeck's spear and into his left arm! A gasp from the crowd accentuates the blood and meat being torn out of the halfling's muscle! He nearly drops the spear, but manages to stay together.
Fingalad x2
Grey 7/17
Lucy 11/19
Pazacku
Vogue 19/31
Bennybeck 12/23
Reaper 31/43
Hydra 34 dmg
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ROUND 7 COMPLETE!
Reaper takes advantage of the creature being surrounded and swings hard with his snake-hating flail. The large ball collides with the Hydra's body with a large *CRACK* as ribs break. The Hydra roars in pain, and the crowd's allegiance flips! The popcorn stops flying and it is a new name on their lips. "REAPER! REAPER! REAPER!"
Bennybeck backs away as Vogue, Pazacku and Grey watch the fighting unfold.
Fingalad, sensing the weakness of the Hydra, goes to lop off another head. He misses, however, swinging just past the neck. As he does so, the neck of the Hydra snaps around and grabs a bite of his arm!
Fingalad pulls back to swing again, aiming at the head which just bit him. He manages it, slicing off the beast's head! The snake-like head falls to the ground, bouncing in the bloody sand. Unfortunately, this move caused the elf to reach to far and another head swings past his arm, nearly biting him!
With a spirit of vengeance, the elf mutters some arcane words and fire fans out towards the beast.
The hydra was not prepared after the strenuous battle and took the entirety of the blast. With burning skin and two cauterized stumps where heads used to be, the beast falls to the ground, unconscious.
The monster may have fallen, but his wounds are still healing... the cuts are stitching back together and there is the quiet sound of ribs snapping back into place.
Fingalad 18/28
Grey 9/17
Lucy 11/19
Pazacku x2
Vogue 19/31 x2
Bennybeck 12/23
Reaper 31/43
Hydra 57 dmg
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COMBAT OVER
The devastating combo of Grey and his noble companion causes the unconscious monster to let out a yelp of pain. Pazacku walks up and swings into the beast, connecting deep into the tissue. With that, the Hydra breathes it's last.
The crowd roars at the sight, cheering on the group of adventurers!
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After a few minutes, Axetongue, the Master of Games, walks onto the floor of the arena and raises the arms of the victors. With a magically enhanced voice, he cries out to the crowd. "Give it up for our victors, THE PATHFINDERS! "
You can still hear the crowd's roar echoing through the halls of the colosseum an hour later when he hands you the large bag of gold. "Well fought, gentlemen. Very impressive. I threw in a couple hundred extra for drawing out the fight. " He laughs. " You wouldn't believe how many more beers I can sell in those extra 12 seconds! "
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When away from the public eye, Vogue taps himself with his healing wand and applies a few castings of prestidigitation on his clothes to freshen and brighten them up after the battle.
He then turns to Bennybeck and scrutinizes the halfling's wounds.
"I say, quite a savage scrape you took there. May I examine that wound?"
With Bennybeck's permission, Vogue checks his injuries and applies healing magic from his wand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Cathedral of Abadar will soon open its doors for the public auction! Anyone interested in participating must be within the cathedral in fifteen minutes. Once the auction starts, the doors will close. This is not an open door auction and no one will be admitted to the auction once the bidding starts"
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After the small messenger boy runs off, having handed you the sheet of paper announcing the onset of the auction, the group finishes up recovering from the battle.
Winding back through the city streets, towards the mansion, you are stopped several times as members of the audience stop you to congratulate you on your victory. A small girl runs up to Reaper with a small yellow flower. "For you, mister. " She looks at the large flail nervously, then scampers away.
As the butler ushers you back, Sheila is reading through a ledger. "Well, how did you do? Obviously nobody was eaten. That's a good start."
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The Venture Captain smiles at the large bag of coins which is set on the table. "Excellent, that will help our cause nicely. " She takes note of the amount in her ledger, then taps a few empty spots. Obviously frustrated, she speaks. "Some other teams are still on their way back. They better make it back in time for the auction. Otherwise their efforts will be in vain. " She looks up at you and smiles, then writes down a number. "At least I can count on you! This is our current total. Please go to the auction and bid in my name, up to this amount. Hopefully others will return and they will get an updated number. So, if another Society member outbids you, fret not. " Her eyes gleam with some curious emotion. "We're all in this together, after all. Do you have any questions for me about the auction? "
The last of the attendees are shuffled into the Cathedral of Abadar and the crowd eagerly await the beginning of the auction. A portly man takes to the stage, and with a voice like a foghorn declares ”The auction is open!” which sets off a hum through the crowd as people start jostling for position and readying their auction bidding paddles, as though they were cutlasses with which to defeat the auction itself!
Kresch Vaor looks around at the readied auction-slayers with a broken resolve “Bah, too much for an old key. Proctor, I’m out. Have one of your clergymen transfer my deposit to my personal account.” then sits back down.
The bidding then begins with fury, paddles being thrust into the air representing thousands of gold at a time
The Duchesses seem a bit distant, and very quickly exit the bidding.
As the numbers rise, Maiveer Sloan calls out, he pleads with the auctioneer, “I don’t have the funds on hand, but let my organization put down credit on the key. I can have the extra funds in a few months and you know we’re good for it.” The Auctioneer purses his heavy lips in sympathetic understanding. The Proctor interjects ”The rules state this auction would be a fast sell only with coin in hand” Maiveer pleads further ”Sir! I protest! I have been victimised and robbed - and though I make no issue of it now I protest that I would have had the coin had it not been so! The rogues, robbers, and conspirators sit right under this very roof and gain from this injustice!” The proctor, having none of it, simply turns to Sloan ”Contain yourself or the church will have you removed.”
As order is almost restored, a group of toughs barges in and heads straight for Dymal Rinks - ”Minvandu wants a word”. He begins to protest, but two burly half-orcs simply grab an arm each and pick him up and start walking out. Sheila Heidmarch makes a gesture that is very clear - do NOT get involved. Minvandu’s chief legbreaker pauses at the Proctor ”Sorry about that interruption, bit of confusion needing to be dealt with. Whatever deposit Rinks tried to put down on the auction belongs to our employer, Mr. Minvandu. I’ll send someone around later to collect it, after the boss has a few private words with Rinks”. Rinks is then dragged out of the auction house, kicking and screaming.
The auction begins again in earnest, with some Pathfinders baulking at the sums being thrown around and consider wandering to a nearby tavern instead. The number of bidders begins to rapidly thin…
Doctor Landis starts making an offer,then thinks better of it - some concern playing at the back of his mind no doubt. He lowers his hand, and simply gestures that he’s cut himself off by waving his hand across his throat.
Falrig Sneve seems spooked by Doctors Landis withdrawing and it triggers him too “Too rich for my blood. Fold!”
With only Pathfinders and Lady Kaddren in the bidding war, the atmosphere gets tense - it is clear that Lady Kaddren is determined to win… yet as she is about to bid a breathtaking sum, a runner presents her with a note which she quickly reads. After, she grimaces at the assembled Pathfinders and their Venture Captain and in a threatening tone says, “This time, you got lucky. From here out, you might want to watch your backs.” Then she turns to the proctor and tells him, “You can close my bids out.” After, she tucks the note into her cloak and storms out.
The Auctioneer continues “Going, going, gone! And sold to table seven with the red coloured paddle for a final price of sixty thousand gold pieces! Table seven please send one representative to the front of the room to claim your prize!”
A seasoned Pathfinder, Eadie Navhelan from the winning table strides out to collect.
Without warning, a tremendous flash of light and smoke appears behind the auctioneer, and the very fabric of reality is sliced open. Seconds later, a black-robed figure steps through the rift and pulls a jagged black-bladed dagger across the auctioneer’s throat sending a shower of blood into the screaming crowd of bidders. The remorseless assassin snatches the Runecarved Key and in a fit of mad laughter bursts into dozens of shadowy black forms, each fleeing from the cathedral in a different direction.
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As the numbers rise, Maiveer Sloan calls out, he pleads with the auctioneer, “I don’t have the funds on hand, but let my organization put down credit on the key. I can have the extra funds in a few months and you know we’re good for it.” The Auctioneer purses his heavy lips in sympathetic understanding. The Proctor interjects ”The rules state this auction would be a fast sell only with coin in hand” Maiveer pleads further ”Sir! I protest! I have been victimised and robbed - and though I make no issue of it now I protest that I would have had the coin had it not been so! The rogues, robbers, and conspirators sit right under this very roof and gain from this injustice!” The proctor, having none of it, simply turns to Sloan ”Contain yourself or the church will have you removed.”
Vogue possesses no self-control to be able to contain a quite audible snickering.