Memnosyne darts past a head to stab the creature.
The wound her touch inflicted on the beast continues to bleed.
Oster keeps stabbing, confident in having set up the hydra nicely for shanking!
Whirling his hammer Xango bashes the hydra again.
Xango whirls his hammer again and bashes it into the hydra.
Just for good measure he stabs with his klar.
"Score! Anyone fancy that ring? Could be handy for me scouting for the time being."
"Wow, nice work. What the hell is that thing, Devlin?"
"How about I sneak up the tunnel I first saw it in? See if there's a lair or if it was guarding something."
"Nice haul. See any tunnels or anything that might lead to the Lady's Light?"
Xango helps with the haul of the coins.
"Well maybe we can skin it and make some nice boots!"
Xango grabs his dagger and starts to skin the beast.
"Once Xango finishes grabbing his hydra-skin cloak, we can clamber up that way!"
As Xango finishes skinning the beast, an Asian man cautiously approaches the entrance to the cave. Upon seeing people, he begins speaking, "Ahh excuse me but..." There's a pause as he catches sight of the bloody, skinless hydra. He then continues, politely ignoring the grisly sight. "Excuse me, but I am looking for a group of people going to explore the Lady's Light. By any chance have you seen them? I was sent by the Pathfinder Society to accompany them, but sadly was unable to join them before they departed." His speech is calm and precise, with the slightest hint of an accent.
If that in itself didn't mark him as a foreigner, his clothes certainly did. He sported an odd, triangle-shaped hat that obscured his eyes as it shaded him from the sun outside. Below the had, his short dark hair could be seen as well as the lower half of his tan, clean-shaven face. He wore a dark, robe-like shirt held closed by a wide cloth belt. Tucked into the belt was a long, sheathed dagger and underneath the shirt a tattoo of some sort could just be seen. His pants were baggy until they reached party way down his calves, at which point they clung tightly to his form before ending near his wooden sandled feet.
Memnosyne eyed the stranger suspiciously as he approached...
but she sensed he was telling the truth. No harm having help out here.
"Greetings. I'm surprised Lady Heidmarch sent back-up, but I'm certainly not going to turn away help, or gainsay her judgement. Welcome. My name is Memnosyne."
Oster grins and turns to the newcomer, rapier held in a relaxed pose.
Satisfied, the rapier stays relaxed.
"Welcome, friend! I am Oster Catus, and I very quietly scout and poke things through. Who are we speaking to?"
"Ahh, then you are the ones I seek? Most excellent." Tatsuo bows deeply from his waist before continuing. "My apologies Miss Memnosyne, Mister Catus; I in no way meant to imply that you and your group's skills were in question. If anything, it was my own interest in the Lady's Light that caused Lady Heidmarch to suggest I meet up with you. My name is Tatsuo of the Arashi clan. I traveled with another -- a half-elf by the name of Calvon -- on the way here. No doubt he will join us shortly. Though I suspect his interest in the Lady's Light may be more academic than my own." He smiles slightly ruefully. "I will admit, my interest stems about as much from a desire to stretch my legs as from curiosity."
"Two new companions? Hmm, perhaps the Lady's Light has more value to the Pathfinder's than we were led to believe." She looks over at Xango's bloody work. "Any chance those creatures make good steaks? I could get a fire started while we wait?"
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You hear an exclamation from the bushes surrounding the cave.
Oh, this a wonderful place. Tatsuo, did you see that we can actually see the statue in the distance. Tatsuo, where did you go?
Stumbling backwards from the bushes into the area in front of the cave is a man wearing a simple travelers outfit, wool pants and shirt with a full cloak, carrying a wooden staff taller than he is. His pointed ears are obvious due to his short cut black hair. He is slight and slender. He turns around to look at the area and suddenly sees you.
Oh, you found them. Wonderful! he says enthusiastically.
He rushes forward with his hand outstretched.
My name is Calvon. I'm so excited to be exploring this incredible historic monument with you
Looking at the newcommers quizzingly Xango lowers his huge hammer.
"If you are pathfinders... show me your wayfinder!"
"I never did try hydra - cook it up!"
"And hello there Calvon! I'm Oster Catus."
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Calvon, a little taken aback by Xango's demand, says in a quiet voice
Hello, Oster.
Calvon then searches through his clothes for a minute, looking frustrated.
I'm sure I brought it. Oh, where is it? Aha!
He pulls forth a wayfinder and holds it aloft in the air.
See, I really am a Pathfinder!
His wayfinder seems to give him a little confidence and he walks up to Oster looking very interested.
I've never tried hydra meat. I would be fascinated to see how it tastes. Is there anything I can do to help?
"My best guess would be to help Xango turn the carcass over the fire! But he could set you up better."
Oster will assist if asked.
"Ahh, yes, of course." Tatsuo pulls out the wayfinder he probably also got from the Pathfinder Society. I wonder what happened to this group to make them so suspicious. Or is their mission more important than I had been lead to believe if infiltration of the group is something to be guarded against?
He watched with a mix of fascination and mild disgust as his new companions moved forward with their plan of cooking the recently slain beast. "Would it not be easier to cut the creature into smaller pieces rather than roast it whole?"
"I'm all ears, Tatsuo. I never had hydra before.", Oster says with a grin.
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Calvon will assist
Calvon eagerly helps wherever he can, studying the whole process but not having any suggestions to contribute.
During this time, he also asks a few questions about what happened during the fight with the hydra and, more importantly, he would like to know the basics of how long you have been here and what you have found so far, especially as it relates to the Lady's Light and Thassilon.
Oster does not hesitate and starts chewing the meat not long from the spit.
He certainly seems less bothered by intense heat than most - or by food that most others would not even dream of eating.
Oster sneaks forward to get a closer look, and if not discovered, will return to report back to the others.
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As Oster pushes ahead of Calvon, obviously intending to do some scouting, Calvon stops. His interest in the runes, plus relative inexperience with dungeons, led him to forget about having someone scout ahead. He waits for Oster to report back, mentally berating himself for his thoughtlessness. Perhaps he could help identitfy the creatures from Oster's description.
Not wanting to ruin the element of surprise, Tatsuo waits silently for their scout to return, taking up a ready position should the chittering, crawling, spider-monstrosities decide to follow Oster on his return. His sleeves fall back slightly, revealing intricate thunderstorm tattoos covering his lowers arms and hands. The clouds seem to be roiling in preparation for a confrontation.
Xango grabs his weapon tighter, preparing for the battle about to unfold!
Oster slinks back to the group, and whispers a description of what he saw.
Unless someone points out extreme danger, he will sneak back afterwards, and get into position for a surprise charge.