Wolves have the ability to attempt trip their opponents on a successful hit. They also have low-light vision and the scent ability, making hiding from them unreliable at best.
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As Rin and Markus both show magics it doesn't understand, surrounded by two opponents, the Brown wolf lets out a cowed "Awoooo," and turns tail, ready to flee .
The brown wolf beats a hasty retreat, running off to the north and east faster than the companions could possibly hope to follow .
Varus's hope that the white wolf wouldn't notice it proves in vain, however, as the feral canine lopes in and gnashes at the Chelaxian with its jaws.
Its heart clearly isn't in it, however, as it misses the warpriest completely.
The companions are forced to relive the encounter with the Aspis dummy, as first Brobdingnagian and then Varus's shots fail to even touch the wolf. Markus reverses the trend, however, and his glob of acidic sap singes the wolf pelt. The horrendous smell of sulfur and wet dog assails the Pathfinders' senses.
However, Janira quickly casts an inspiring spell, allowing Varus to rethink his blow.
Alas, it is not enough and the warpriest still misses.
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Boris shakes his fist at the retreating form of the brown wolf, before turning his attention to the white wolf remaining. Channeling arcane energy into his weapon, he grips it with both hands before dashing in to deliver what he hopes to be a solid blow.
Is wolf Shelyn dancer animal??? he thinks as he stumbles straight across a root, nearly tripping him.
Boris charges in, but goes well wide of his mark. The wolf is startled and lashes out at the man.
Unfortunately, the albino white wolf is similarly unable to land a blow. Warily, it backs off a little, perhaps it is preparing to retreat .
"Come on Pathfinders! Show this four-legged menace what you're made of!" Janira cheers everyone on, continuing to be inspirational.
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Encouraged by Janira, Rin steps toward the wolf, still holding her unloaded crossbow in her left hand as she draws her dagger with her right.
Desna, please let me be less tasty than the other two.
"Rthal'sa d'howeth"
As the wolf steps back, Rin lashes out praying to the lady of luck it won't survive to counterattack.
Nervous and paranoid, Rin's lack of focus shows.
The white wolf takes a massive blow to the head from Varus's morningstar and, with one last whimper, it falls to the ground unconscious. Its breathing is labored, but it is not yet dead.
"Well done, Pathfinders!" Janira enthuses, "There was some nice teamwork shown here in maneuvering around. But, let us not congratulate each other just yet. We need make haste and get out of here before the brown wolf comes back. If it sees us standing around its unconscious mate, then it will probably attack. If we leave her here, then let's hope it stays to tend to her and leaves us alone."
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"Although you were threatening us, you were just defending your territory. You should not die for that." Varus whispers a short prayer to Milani
Thank you for guiding my strike, Everbloom. And for sparing this creature's life.
"Alright friends, I think Janira is correct. Let's depart!" Varus makes to follow Janira's lead.
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The wolf falls to the floor, and Markus allows his magic to subside once more. Looking around nervously he sees no evidence of the other wolf.
"Let's do as Janira says. These wolves seem territorial, we had lots of issues with similar creatures back in the Arthfell. They won't give up until we're dead or out of their territory."
The strong winds have felled more than just the tree nearby. As the Pathfinders wind their way toward the caves, they find their route frequently blocked by tree trunks and other obstacles. Most of the shortcuts Janira knew of are now overgrown. The plucky halfling finds herself a little frustrated, "If we don't find a way to hurry here... we won't make the caves before dusk! We may miss our chance!"
As the wisest member of the troupe, Janira lends Varus her wayfinder that he may figure out the best way forwards.
Luckily, with the aid of the compass on the wayfinder, Varus is able to pick an appropriate path and the companions stop themselves from going in circles.
Finally, still a few hours before dusk, he dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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Janira is right, there is little we can do against a monster like that. I just wish there was more we can do for her.
Varus looks troubled, and says a quick prayer to Milani for Janira
"I hate to leave her, but Janira is right. We can't stand against that thing. We must continue the mission." Gods I hope this is the right thing to do.
Varus moves towards the cave, hoping his companions will follow.
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The appearance of the minotaur and Janira's insistence that they continue rock Markus' confidence.
There's no way she can take on that thing alone, but we'd not be much use either. Janira is the experienced Pathfinder, we should do as she says.
Markus' ingrained need to follow orders causes him to follow Varus into the cave.
"There's nothing we can do, look at the size of that thing. We have to follow Janira's orders, we have to complete the mission."
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Breath seems to return to Rin and the deep hollow voice subsides. "We should go. She gathers her quarterstaff and sheathes her dagger without a word and looks toward the others.
"And here comes the part where they learn you're a monster and decide to run."
At the sound of more trouble coming through the forest, Rin's pulse quickens and her once soft voice is again replaced by an otherworldly tone.
"Szw Yrsogth ll'wrghtha"
Rin is soon surrounded by a swirling mantle of shadow that seems to pulse and cling to her form with shifting tendrils.
She stands her ground as the halfling speaks. The words garble as they reach Rin's ears.
"cthlr'sksska YGS'rK llgH"
"Ok. Something's coming...get ready.
Rin pulls a wand from her blouse's sash, and sets it between her teeth as she draws her crossbow and prepares to load it.
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Boris nods in approval at Varus. "Wolf is dumb animal of the instinct. Should to be dead, is not because gods merciful."
Sheathing his blade, he marches forth. "Forwards! he belows, his usual grin on his face. He takes a few steps, then realises he doesn't quite know where he should be going. "Ah... What way is cave?
Our Ulfen magus weighs the options available. He is no coward, and does not fear this overgrown bull. But given their current tactical situation, someone will die if they meet the creature in battle here. Lessons from his early years come forth, unbeckoned; the necessity to endure the worst, in hopes of surviving yet another day, perhaps to find an opportunity for something better not tomorrow, nor maybe even the day after, but sometime in the future. "The strong ones live. The strong ones are patient." as the saying went down below.
He spits. He hates this, but Janira's plan is the better one. Buying them time. Hope find something in cave to make big cow bleed.
He shouts "Trust Jani! Into cave all, find something to help later!
Should Rin not seem to hear, he shouts:
"Ashurn'gllth t'shlohiir yrgr'cath-la Rin! J'suurth td'caah, rl'asu'ur td'coh!"
The six Pathfinders retreat into the relative safety of the caves, some reluctantly. Their eyes take a little while to adjust to the gloom, but they are soon winding their way inwards. The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. They can hear Janira's taunts for a little while longer, accompanied by the frustrated roars of the minotaur. Both sounds get gradually softer until they can no longer be heard. Whatever she was doing, it was working.
With the threat past, the companions take stock of their surroundings and inventory. In Janira's bag, they find the following (most items clearly labeled for the Pathfinders' convenience):
- potion of barkskin
- potion of feather step
- potion of vanish
- scroll of entangle
- scroll of gust of wind
- scroll of identify
- scroll of mage armor (CL 6)
- scroll of obscuring mist
- wand of burning hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges)
- wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges)
- acid
- holy water
- smokestick
- tanglefoot bag
- thunderstone
In front of the Pathfinders, a large hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth. Brobdingnagian notes that the hole is actually what remains of a pit trap, made well over a year ago.
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"Oh boy, this should be about as fun as that obstacle course" Varus mumbles to himself.
Stowing his shield, Varus makes a quick prayer to Milani and attempts to climb the wall across the pit
"Now where was that luck during our initial testing?" Varus grins at his good fortune, and silently thanks his goddess.
"And if there are no objections, I wouldn't mind holding on to that barkskin potion. But if someone thinks it will serve them better, I will not complain!"
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Boris takes a quick glance over the items contained in Janira's bag. "Would rather not use Jani's stuff. But like Varus, barkskin could be help.". He reaches into his backpack and starts to take out his rope, which he then begins to knot at regular intervals. "Is does not matter. Can use wand of the hands burn though."
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"I think I'll hold onto these scrolls for now," Markus states as they sort through Janira's equipment. "One will allow me to conjure a thick mist which give us some cover if we need to escape, or if we get attacked by archers, and the other causes plants to grab ankles and slow our enemies down."
The pit yawns widely in the darkness, it's width intimidating to Markus. How am I ever going to get across that? Jillia's much more nimble than me, and Varus' strength propelled him over. Then he sees Boris knotting a rope, evidently having the same concerns.
Can I help you with that Boris? he asks, I think I'm going to need to use it to get across this pit.
Jillia leaps over the pit with little trouble. Not wanting to be upstaged, and trusting to his goddess, Varus - perhaps unwisely - grabs ahold of the cavern walls and shuffles across the pit. Meanwhile, Boris finishes knotting his rope, but then notices that there is nowhere to anchor it - unless someone has a grappling hook.
Once over the other side of the pit, Varus notices a long, sturdy plank propped up against the cave wall a little further along the tunnel. He picks it up and notes that it is about two feet wider than the pit. Experimentally, he places it across the man-made shallow chasm. As he does so, he notes that it settles in to some indentations along either side - it has clearly been used for this purpose before! It looks sturdy enough, and one at a time, the companions manage to cross over the other side.
Meanwhile, Brobdingnagian continues to examine the pit with his magical detection spell. He notes that the cloth is indeed magical - the only magical thing in the pit - and that it is giving off a faint abjuration aura.
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Brobdingnagian looks around. "That cloak looks magic, we should probably go down and get it." Glancing at Boris' rope, he continues, "I can try to go down and grab it using the rope if nobody else wants to... want to tie it off on that beam, or just have someone hold it? Just be ready in case there are any snakes or scorpions under it!"
"I'll give it a once over; might want to save that Identify scroll."
"Nope, I got nothing. Anyone else care to try?"
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"Might be important, we should try and get it. We could probably just tie the rope onto that plank if someone light is going down, hopefully it'll hold your weight." Markus remarks, hoping no-one volunteers him to go down the rope.
"I can keep a look out," he adds, grabbing a small pebble from the floor. He cups the pebble in both hands and calls "Záře".
As he does, the pebble begins to glow, initially very gently then with increasing intensity until the little stone gives off a strong green light.
Markus steps up to the edge of the pit and throws the glowing pebble down, to get a better look before Brob descends.
Using teamwork and pebble-light, the two halflings manage to get relatively easily in and out of the pit with the cloth in hand. Examining it further, they realize that it's actually a cloak of kinds. Brob's expert eye is unable to discern the type of magical cloak that it is, though the glow of abjuration magic usually points to a protection of some kind.
Magical cloak in hand, the Pathfinders set off further into the cavern complex.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves. Unfortunately, they are so severely eroded by time that only four of the twelve carvings are still complete and understandable.
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Markus looks over the cloak that Brob rescued from the pit.
"Odhalit," he says, turning the cloth over in his hands, his eyes turning green as he speaks.
As they move further into the caves, a flickering blue light appears in the distance. Approaching, Markus sees that the light has revealed worn and weathered carvings, of a kind unknown to him. He sees Brob studying them intently however, and takes a cursory look.
The astute Brobdingnagian and Markus together identify the carvings and texts as entries from none other than entries from Aroden's Holy Text: The History and Future of Humanity! These versions of the text differ in certain key ways from the text that is known today, meaning that they probably predate current translations and could well shed new light as to Aroden's true intentions when he wrote his seminal work.
The significance of this find to the Pathfinder Society cannot be overstated, and even those without the attention to Scrolls classes that Markus and Brob show are excited by the discovery.
As best the Pathfinders can recall and make out, the interpretations of each of the carvings found is as follows:
The Farmer is depicted plowing four lines in a field, retelling Aroden’s prophecy that humankind would prepare the rocky earth for planting and over generations wear the pebbles down into fertile soil.
The Fisherman is depicted hauling in an enormous catch of small fish to take back to Absalom, illustrating Aroden’s declaration that a great host of creatures could accomplish a great task, whether that be taming the wilds or feeding a nation.
The Hunter is depicted slaying a giant serpentine creature and then parading a trophy through the city streets—a sign to all humanity that the wilds are safe to inhabit once the monsters are slain.
The Scholar is depicted writing on a piece of parchment and then reading from it to passersby, just as Aroden was said to smile on those who recorded history and other knowledge to share it with others.
Markus is, like his kinsman, unable to identify the magical cloak.
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"No idea I'm afraid, Brob," Markus says as he lets his magic fade. "Does anyone else want to take a look?"
The carvings seem to depict an allegorical interpretation of early human civilisation, a subject mostly beyond Markus' understanding. "These carvings look like they're based on the early texts of Aroden, the dead human god. We should probably make a recording of them before we leave. Anyone got any charcoal and paper, or something like that?" he asks, looking round at his colleagues.
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Rin takes the cloak and looks it over, drawing a deep breath as she enters a semi-meditative state.
"hg'thlatl
Rin shakes her head and blinks, trying to clear her mind from the madness she invited in.
"I'm sorry my friends, it refused to reveal it's true self to me." passes the cloak forward. "Perhaps it will be more communicative once it is more familiar with our auras. I don't believe that it means us harm though. It seems to be some sort of guard or protection. I will bear it if no one else will."
Looking at the cave carvings...
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"Go ahead, Rin. It probably wouldn't fit half of us, anyway."
While the studious are making rubbings and taking notes, Jillia paces, muttering something about "can't get away from lectures and riddles" under her breath.
"Any idea what these ruined ones used to look like?" Jillia inquisits towards the ruined carvings while she paces.
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"Probably more of Aroden's teachings, as useful as that is in this situation. It's a shame there aren't more of them that have survived; one might have bee could have shed new life on 'The Beggar' and instead shown that it was intended to be 'The Short Person.'
Overall, definitely interesting, but doesn't solve our gillmen mystery."
Brobdingnagian investigates the blue burning torches to see if they're recently lit.