Theran also set himself against the arrival of new foes.
Galin will walk back to the place where he dropped his bow, sheathing his rapier as he waits to see what will happen next.
Galin retrieved his bow as the lizard snapped at Abelard once more. Teeth sink into the crusader's leg. The lizard's jaws lock around his leg, nearly immobilizing the knee. They show no signs of letting go.
Seeing that his spell has become an obstruction, Yridhrennor speaks a mystical word and the oil slick vanishes.
hit
nevermind that
it's a grapple!
A grappled creature is restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. Grappled creatures cannot move and take a –4 penalty to Dexterity. A grappled creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, except those made to grapple or escape a grapple. In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform. A grappled character who attempts to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler's CMB + spell level), or lose the spell. Grappled creatures cannot make attacks of opportunity.
Lizard and Abelard both have the condition now. Enjoy!
Abelard grits his teeth as the lizard's teeth sink into his leg. He looks down as it becomes clear that the beast's jaws have no intention of relaxing their grip.
"Well, shoot..."
When the magical oil slick disappears, Steave charges to his fellow crusaders aid. But his sword cannot penetrate its leathery hide.
Abelard beats the thing on its snout repeatedly with the hilt of his sword, to no avail: its jaws remain firmly clamped round his leg.
Guarding against threats is well and good, but given that there's a current threat, Theran whips around to free Abelard by breking the lizard's spine.
Galin picks up his bow and takes aim at the lizard, doing his best to avoid Abelard but flying far wide.
Steave swung in vain against the lizard, which proved nimble enough to evade his blow even while locked to Abelard's leg. Abelard pounded at its snout to no avail.
With the ground now clear, Saito rushed to Abelard's aid. His huge blade swung with all his weight behind it and struck sparks against the floor inches from the lizard's tail as it thrashed clear.
Theran also came to Abelard's relief, but like Saito he found the lizard remarkably quick for such a heavy and encumbered creature. Too quick to land a solid blow. Galin's shot from afar streaked past just above the lizard's head.
The door to the south burst open and two mongrels rushed through, one literally stepping on the unconscious mongrel on the ground in his haste. Steave easily blocked a rushed attack with his shield as a third mongrel, blue-skinned, hooded, and bearing a bow, rushed into the room. Sticking to the far end of the chamber, the blue mongrel grinned and spoke as he nocked an arrow.
"Manflesh for Wenduag Manslayer! Come give your lives to the Lord of Beasts!"
With that he released his arrow. Steave raised his shield an instant too slow and the arrow went through his chest. Almost at once he felt blood rushing into his lungs.
The lizard's teeth it deeper into his flesh, despite the crusader's pounding upon the reptile's snout. Blood flowed freely and the Abelard felt the world spinning about as he collapsed.
Seeing that the crusaders couldn't afford the time spent on new foes, Yridhrennor spoke the words of another spell and a cone of brilliant color rushed from his hand across the new arrivals...but both mongrels resisted the magic and Wenduag stood just past its reach.
miss
New arrivals: 2 mongrels and Wenduag. One mongrel used up a move opening the door, so no attack for him this round.
miss
Yridrennor's color spray hits the two mongrels, DC 16
Bummer.
With that he released his arrow. Steave raised his shield an instant too slow and the arrow went through his chest. Almost at once he felt blood rushing into his lungs.
With their proclamation to the Lord of Beasts, Steave determines that the leader is beyond redeption. He shifts out of flank and punches the one nearer to Yridhrennor.
Steave slammed his fist into the asymmetrical face of one of the new mongrels. The cultist staggered under the impact.
Gritting his teeth as he barely remains conscious through the pain, Abelard drops his prized falchion and draws his handaxe. Wielding it one-handed, he hits the lizard as hard as he can.
Abelard slammed his handaxe into the lizard's head, piercing cleaving bone and brain. The reptile released his leg as it collapsed.
Theran seems ready to face the new foes with vigor and bloodlust when he shakes his head. His hand coms off of his hammer and jerks backward as if pulled. "Let blood become flesh, under the light of the moon." The voice doesn't sound right, as his silvery glowing hand brushes Abelard.
As the magic discharges, he regains his grip on his hammer, if not his grip on reality.
Saito charges the nearest mongrelman(if he can).
Galin again draws his sword, this time calling upon his divine power to bless his battle as he moves towards the fray.
Saito surged forward, the momentum of his blow nearly carrying his blade clear through the nearest mongrel.
The spirits of Theran's clan healed Abelard as Galin called on Arqueros to bless his slim blade. The mongrels pressed Saito, one hitting him painfully on the shoulder with a club. Wenduag fired another arrow, but there Saito's warding flared and the shaft shattered against it.
miss
Yridhrennor's home and next. Order is Mongrels, Wenduag, Yridhrennor, Steave, Abelard, Saito, Theran, Galin.
"Shoot me, Manslayer! You coward!" Steave attempts to provoke the obvious leader. He kicks the mongrelmen in front of him in the chest.
Yridhrennor mutters a few words and flings his fingers open wide. The saliva covering Abelard thickens and reins, completely encasing him.
Rocking back on his heels from the blow Saito recovers and strikes back.
Abelard retrieves his falchion from the floor , before striding towards the leader, the blue mongrel.
"Lord of Beasts, huh? Well, lemme see. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna gather up all your altars, and statues, and icons; and I'm gonna smash 'em into splinters with this here axe. Then I'm gonna burn the splinters with the purifyin' fires of righteousness. Then I'm gonna wash the ashes in the cleansin' waters of holiness. And if I have to kill you as you try to stop me, well, that's just an added bonus, I guess."
His tone is friendly, warm even; but his eyes glow with a divine fervour.
Theran will circle around to face the leader coming in. "Oh, he's not going to kill you. I'm killing him FIRST!"
Yridhrennor incanted and slippery grease materialized all across Wenduag's bow. It slid from his hands to the ground and the blue mongrelman cursed.
Steave taunted Wenduag and punched the one before him in the face, staggering the deformed cultist. Next to him, Saito dispatched the other mongrel pressing the crusaders with a sweeping blow that carried off an arm and reached the heart.
Abelard retrieved his falchion and started for Wenduag, declaring in a friendly tone, "Lord of Beasts, huh? Well, lemme see. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna gather up all your altars, and statues, and icons; and I'm gonna smash 'em into splinters with this here axe. Then I'm gonna burn the splinters with the purifyin' fires of righteousness. Then I'm gonna wash the ashes in the cleansin' waters of holiness. And if I have to kill you as you try to stop me, well, that's just an added bonus, I guess."
"Never! I shall walk the labyrinth eternal!" Wenduag, now empty-handed, shot back.
Theran resolved to beat Abelard to the kill, swinging with all his might at the blue mongrel. Wenduag ducked the blow.
"I walk the labyrinth where none may follow. You twist blindly within!" the mongrel gloated, eyes shining with fanaticism.
and that's a dropped bow.
Galin shrugs, walking forward carefully, Wow, aggressive much? Can I get in on this? Barely looking, he lacerates the nearby Mongrel across his chest.
Galin's slice was enough to fell the mongrel caught between himself and Steave. It made a strangled cri as it slumped unconscious to the ground.
After Galin and Saito drop the two mooks, Steave moves up to leader and misses with a right cross.
"Y'know, I don't see what's so special about a labyrinth, anyhow. All you gotta do is just cut right through the walls, amirite?"
Abelard walks over to the mongrel leader. Presenting the blade of his falchion formally, he offers the classing duelling stroke, which doesn't appear to have been taught to his opponent.
Yridhrennor quickly scurries over the ground. "Please don't notice me! Please don't notice me!" His voice is hushed and fast, as he haunches over and tries to make himself the smallest of moving targets possible.
He makes a beeline for Abelard, his hand beginning to glow with pale blue light. "Réaltaí thuas, a bhfuil solas treoir a thabhairt don díreach trasna na farraigí, foscadh agus garda an laoch uasal ina chúis!" For a brief moment, the cavern ceiling bursts to life as though it were the night sky, a million stars twinkling far above. The stars slowly fall into a shower of soft-glowing white light that fall upon Abelard's shoulders. Soon, the crusader is covered in a soft nimbus of glowing white light.
Then, he winks out of existence and reappears 5 feet back from where he was.
Yridhrennor steps forward and wards Abelard before vanishing back to his original position in a twinkling.
Steave aims a balled-up fist at Wenduag, but the disarmed mongrel feints forward and he misjudges the blow. Abelard has better luck, slicing into the blue mongrel's side with a practiced blow.
Abelard has [url=http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/protectionFromEvil.htmlProtection From Evil.[/url] +2 deflection to AC and resistance to saves. Since the foes are all evil, it applies to the lot.
Saito, his blade dripping with gore, decides to support his fellows.
"I hate killing beings who have a soul, but I do what I must." He says before charging Wenduag and swinging his blade in a mighty blow.
Saito surged forward again, rushing past Abelard and slashing across Wenduag's shoulder. The limb nearly comes free and the blue mongrel howls in agony as blood sprays out, but somehow remains standing.
Theran's next. Order is Mongrels, Wenduag, Yridhrennor, Steave, Abelard, Saito, Theran, Galin.
Theran is getting annoyed at missing things and puts his whole body into the next blow.
With a heavy overhand blow, Theran smashes down Wenduag's skull.
Galin shrugs, a grin breaking out across his slim features as he flourishes his blade to send blood flying into the air.
Well that was quick, and fairly easy by my judgment. If that's the worst we have to face, then we are well prepared indeed.
Steave goes to the door where the reinforcements arrived and looks through.
Steave finds a common room supplied with heavy stone chairs surrounding a block of larger stone that makes for a table, strewn with bone dice and cracked clay jugs. Stained canvas pillows adorn each chair, each leaking a bit of sand. A coppwer bowl filled with coals hangs from the ceiling, lighting the room an infernal orange.
Yridhrennor beams and and claps his hands. Well done everyone! That was just like in The Five Hundred Voyages of Jain Farstrider! I feel like I'm in a real story!!.
Falfaeren snorts and caws rudely. Only you would think that!! Spare me from foolish elves!
Yridhrennor blushes and grips his staff tighter. Um... Uh... Well that is.... He turns around and begins investigating the area.
"We've a guard room here, another door, and maybe a privy. Can someone check the other door?" Steave points north and heads into the room looking around.
Falfaeren, go scout!. The bird takes off into t he air with a heavy sigh.
Sure, send the bird! Lazy elf! The raven floats over towards the area Staeve pointed.
Steave found that the hole on the floor to the southwest descended smoothly into the earth, a rope ladder clinging to one side. It looked to the crusader like the pit opened up about forty feet below.
Assuming the identifications because sure why not
2 potions cure light wounds
1 wand of longstrider (10 charges)
mwk chain shirt
mwk longbow
20 arrows
7 clubs
obsidian holy symbol of Baphomet (20gp)
34gp
Steave returns to the group and whispers, "We've a hole in the floor smoothly descending into the earth with a rope ladder on one side. It looks like the pit opens up about forty feet below. Is it too risky to send the raven to scout first? Otherwise, I can go first. But we must secure the other two doors before we go down."
Theran will look over the treasure pile. As he does, one of the items scoots out of the pile, away from everybody else. The elders have spoken." With a mighty swing, he brings his hammer down upon Baphomet's symbol, leaving nothing by shards of black glass.
"No more evil will come through that door."
Yridhrennor looks pointedly at Falfaeren.
Oh sure! Send the raven! I am of the line of royalty, I'll have you know. I do not appreciate being treated like a common dog!. The raven gives a few flaps of his wings and takes flight. He lands beside the hole going down and then pokes his head down and around, gushing what's inside. Everyone says they want tan adventure, but who do they make do all the hard work! Yes, that's right, the poor raven!. He flutters Down through the hole, keeping close to the ladder should he need to grab it for something.
Falfaeren descends, guided by the dim light filtering down below. The gloom would have left a human blind, but not a raven. Possibly also not an elf, but best not let them get ideas. He flew down in a tight spiral, coming out into a dark, damp chamber that smelled of mold. The feeble light from above only revealed the immediate surrounds at the foot of the ladder.
As Falfaeren turned to fly back, the muffled sound of bodies moving in haste came from the east, followed by the sharp reports of two crossbows. One bolt shatters against the wall past the raven, but the other tore at his breast and came free trailing feathers and blood. The bird knew another hit would slay him.
Up above, the crusaders head the shots . Falfaeren could also heard the sound of cranks winding back for more shots to come.
Well damn, bad guys see Falfaeren. Since there's no light for Fal's low-light vision to work with much past the immediate bottom of the shaft, and the foes aren't there, it's not a mutual perception affair.
2 attacks on the poor bird
Fal is at 1 hp.
Let's do a mini-initiative for Fal and the shooters. If Fal wins, that's a chance to fly to safety. If not, then he's got to risk another volley. With it being forty feet straight down, no one is really in place to rush to join.
At the sound of a shattering crossbow bolt, Steave hops down the hole.
At the sound of a shattering crossbow bolt, Steave hops down the hole.
At the sound of a shattering crossbow bolt, Steave hops down the hole.
Theran will follow along after Steave, ready to deal with whatever's down there.