"That... is a very large tail. I suggest we move around it." Tony said in a cautious mood.
"Tail? What is it the tail of?" Vallus whispers back.
Kali points out the tail in the bushes to the group, then moves straight towards it. "Better to face an enemy than leave one at your back, my honored father always says."
The tail disappears into the forest before Kali could hit it. Then you here a gurgling sound.
Tony looked around, trying to find where the gurgling sound came from.
It came from the left of you. It sounds like a crocodile.
Kali draws her scythe and keeps moving in the direction she saw the tail. When she gets to the bushes, she will start clearing them using her scythe.
Kali's determined to fight a crocodile.
Shellin tosses Jolt into the bushes where Kali seems so intent.
Perhaps it will start and Kali can reap its head, let us move on with the march?
Crocodiles, this one at least, has an AC of 15. You miss.
Would be nice if you did mention it was a touch attack. :D
Roll initiative!!
Crocodile =
Initiative order:
Vallus
Kali
Crocodile
Tony
Shellin
Vallus murmurs a prayer to the angels, then draws his mace.
Kali moves into melee with the creature, drawing her scythe as she goes, and then begins trying to hew it.
looks like you hit. you brought damage to the creature. Now it's the croc's turn.
Tony popped up and fired at the Croc.
for a possible piercing damage.
That's a miss.
Shellin will back up to 25 ft and cast Jolt
And misses horribly, loudly charring the trunk of a nearby tree
Yep, that's a miss.
Vallus, it's your turn again.
Kali continues to attack the crocodile.
And Kali knocks it out of commission. It's bleeding and exhausted. Soon it will die. A coup de gras can kill the poor helpless creature.
"Guys, I have dinner!" she says as she resheathes her scythe and then drags the croc back to the group.
Once there, she'll add to the ratfolk "Aren't you guys glad you chose not to go to war with us? It really would have ended poorly for you!"
oh yeah, almost forgot. All of you gain a level after defeating the crocodile.
"Perhaps we should make camp and cook this thing, then. How far are we from this swamp?"
Shellin will check the map he made with Beads
"Perhaps we should make camp and cook this thing, then. How far are we from this swamp?"
Shellin will check the map he made with Beads
You are just ten miles away from the swamp.
"We should make it there tomorrow, according to the map. Shellin would call everyone to stop and start setting up a watch schedule."
Don't want those pesky bandits ambushing us in our sleep.
"Seems reasonable. Let's make some Crocodil stew!"
Vallus looks a little askance at the idea of croco-dinner. "Is that thing safe to eat?"
Shellin will quirk one side of his smile. ”Everyhing is safe to eat if you cook it for long enough, friend.”
After you joke about eating the crocodile, your "caravan" moves on. About two hours later you begin entering the swamp. That, and there is where the gripplis move in on your group.
"Ribbit! Hairy ones!" says the leader.
"What shall we do with them, Ribbit?" says a grippli.
"We eat them of course, Ribbit," retorts the leader.
yes
"Sweet, Jumbo frog's legs! They're a delicacy in the hordes! I have never eaten any that big!" says Kali as she unlimbers her scythe.
That. was. not cool in terms of intimidation. It didn't work.
Sorry . . .
This trip has made me tired of Diplomacy. Best start things off rightly...
Shellin cast Silent Image
Visual: Black box around the head
Those within the 10ft areas of effect are allowed saves to disbelieve the illusion when they interact with the box around their heads (such as the move action to attempt to remove it)
Until they save and on a failed save, they believe the box is around their head, meaning they are blinded (or at least unable to see visually)
"And yer not likely to," the smaller grippli says.
The grippli's face and limbs are covered with bizarre tattoos that look white on his green and brown mottled skin, including an image of a skull on his face. His clothing is made of leather and hides, and is festooned with little bones tied on with thread, dangling here and there, though beneath these clothes a well-polished chain shirt is visible peeking out from underneath. He wears multiple daggers and has a small crossbow strapped to his back.
"We don't really eat people... not unless the fishing is really bad. An' it's been okay this year... so far."
"But this swamp is grippli territory. We don' bother you out on the dry land, so I don't know why you got to bother us here in the wet. You gonna trespass here you got to make it up to us."
"Actually you're lucky it was us found you. Not all the tribes is so reasonable as us. But we're the Hr'op-Shtavor... you would call it Ghost Spider Clan. We're traders, bring things to the different tribes an' such. Our boats are sacred so we can come and go as we please. If yer good to us we can give you safe passage."
"Call me Rribak. Is my name."
"Hey! What you tryna pull?" he shouts. He waves his arms through the "box" and quickly figures out that it is not real.
"You big folk think you can push us around. But yer in our turf now, and there's a lot more than just us out here."
At the appearance of the Grippli, Tony unlimbered his crossbow.
"Safe passage eh? And so just how much do you think is a fair trade for such?" Wondered Tony aloud, probing to see if a deal could be made.
"To be fair, your group greeted us with threats of violence and feasting. I thought it only fitting to return the gesture." As she speaks, Kali leans the blade of her scythe at an angle so it sits on her shoulder.
"As you have given me your name, I shall return in kind: My name is Kali of house Soy, Daughter in good standing of the Horsemaster of the Dread Barbarian King. We did not see your territory markers, so we assumed the territory was unclaimed. We are escorting a group of pilgrims to the lands of our friend Beads."
"Safe passage eh? And so just how much do you think is a fair trade for such?"
"I dunno... whaddya got?"
"To be fair, your group greeted us with threats of violence and feasting. I thought it only fitting to return the gesture."
"Ahh, he was just messin' with ya. It's not like we're boggards or nothin'."
"As you have given me your name, I shall return in kind: My name is Kali of house Soy, Daughter in good standing of the Horsemaster of the Dread Barbarian King."
"Hm... sounds important," Rribak says, clearly not knowing what any of those titles mean.
"We did not see your territory markers, so we assumed the territory was unclaimed. We are escorting a group of pilgrims to the lands of our friend Beads."
"What would we need markers for? Everyone hereabouts knows that this swamp is ours. And... where is this land of Beads, exactly? Not too many big folk enter this here swamp, and most of 'em what do are runnin' from somethin'. We don't get too many folks tryin' to get to somewheres."
Vallus shakes his head. Rat people. Frog people. Eating crocodiles. This trip was really broadening his horizons. "Peace! We don't need any more violence. Greetings, Rribak. I am Vallus. My friends are escorting these rat-folk to a new home. We meant no disrespect to your people."
Well, I appear to be in the minority opinion then.
Shellin will drop his illusion after hearing the grippli claim to mean no harm. "So long as you mean us no harm, we mean you no harm."