Gunari's rapier makes extremely short work of one Xtabay , but Cyrus's arrow flies just wide of the turning greenery elephant.
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After the physically taxing and mentally harrowing journey through the Bandu Hills, the old man musters strength from deep within himself to sharpen his senses upon seeing the deadly plants. Fearing for the safety of the halfling, Ibid quickly draws an arrow, and takes aim at the carnivorous plant moving to consume the hapless victim, focusing his efforts on cutting down the direct threat to the stranger.
Ibid's first attack strikes the lower part of Cristopher's stem, snapping the plant in twain. Seeing the plant is no more moments before he looses his second arrow, he shoots at Dean . The arrow wedges in Dean's root system, actually unearthing the thing.
The elephant actually shifts form, growing wings and becoming dragon-like in its features as it rears up.
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Amaranti follows his companion to battle. The lance might not be the optimal weapon for this task, but perhaps brute strength makes up for it. The Garundi sprints past Kaisharga, hoping to eventually get into the creature's flank. Once in reach, he grabs his lance and thrusts the living topiary with all his might.
Not quite ready for combat, the dragophant falls prey to Kaisharga's deadly bite... and the jerking motion that follows, causing it to fall prone in front of the highly effective eidolon.
Similarly, Amaranti barely gets his blow in to the unprepared animate hedge as it flops around on the ground. While his lance may not be the ideal weapon for dealing with foliage, Amaranti twists it enough as it spikes something akin to a root within the leaves that the creature rears silently in what might have been a trumpeting bellow but just comes out as the rustling of leaves.
The thing gets to its feet, swaying angrily at the summoner and his serpent before stepping towards them.
Trying to bash Amaranti with a wing, the living topiary does an awkward spin instead.
Meanwhile, the Xtabay sprints forwards at top speed towards its juicy and vibrant future victims.
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Gunari quickly moves past Karshaiga to get into position with the plant creature. He hopes to strike cleanly as he did before, as it appears that the topiary might not be as vulnerable to his rapier as he'd like. 'How did Cayden Cailean deal with this?' he thinks, as he stabs at the plant.
He strikes, but it doesn't appear to be the solid hit he had on the xtabay. Hopefully it hurts the damned thing.
Miro fires a sling bullet at the aggravated dragon hedge, other than dislodging some leaves it has little effect. Ibids arrows look like they will be similarly ineffective, but thud into some kind of wood within the foliage. Finarin steps in to the fray and with an exceptionally deadly slice of his blad, and trims the hedge's head off. It moves no more.
Gunari strides over to the Xtabay, and between him and Cyrus, it is turned to mulch before it can release its spores.
All is still in the magically lit clearing, and the quiet that falls allows the companions to hear the belabored breathing of the unconscious halfling.
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Gunari sheaths his rapier and pops his wand of CLW out of his wrist sheath. He taps the halfing.
Seeing that this didn't quite revive the halfling, he'll go ahead an use another charge.
"How are you doing, my friend? Looks like you needed a little rescuing! I am Gunari Maximoff, priest of the Accidental God, at your service!"
The halfling miner stirs a little, and runs a hand through his brown curly hair - dislodging quite a bit of dirt and plant matter as he does so.
"Wha? What happened?" he asks, slowly coming to his senses, "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much for saving me! Have you seen the others? The kobolds got them. Oh, my poor friends! You have to look for them! They could still be alive. The little fuçkers didn't want us dead. Kept trying to keep us alive over the journey. Maybe they wanted us for slave labor, I don't know. I was probably one of the worst hurt, didn't last the journey. Knocked me out and left me here. Couldn't understand a word they were saying, but looked like they were trying to find whoever was unlikely to make it. Maybe they wanted me as a sacrifice of some sort. Why are you all covered in leaves?"
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"We're actually on our way to do just that, chap! You nearly ended up in the belly...or, erm, uh, stem, of a plant-monster of some sort. Lucky you, eh?" He elbows the Halfling in the ribs, jovial expression on his face.
"Maybe you should come with us until we find the rest of your friends...I don't think it's safe for a single person to travel around this region."
"Very lucky," says the miner, confused at his kin's apparent levity - clearly these folk are far more used to such dangers than he is, "But I'm sorry, I'm not going with you. I won't get any closer to them kobolds if'n I don't have to. No offense, but there's over two dozen of them captured us miners... and they got some kinda sorcerer with 'em.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to be traveling around this region alone either," he adds, "I'll just hide underneath that marker stone y'saw on the way in. Y'know, the big one at the top of the valley. I'll hide there until you come back. If you don't come back by sunset tomorrow, I guess I'll have to make my own way."
"How many kobolds?" Amaranti inquires, and offers the halfling something to eat from his rations.
"...No offense, but there's over two dozen of them captured us miners... and they got some kinda sorcerer with 'em..."
"Er... as I said, over two dozen. Didn't get to count them too accurately myself. Couldn't take my eyes off the one in robes with a stick. He did most of the commanding, I think," says the halfling, still a little dazed and confused after his ordeal.
"Lonnigan Moonstruck, sir," says the miner, "Thanks for asking. To the Drunken Hero... and most definitely to Desna also!"
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"You said a kobold sorcerer of some type? holding a thin wand, like this?" Cyrus points to one of his array of magical wands, "or a staff?"
"At least we know what to expect when we find them all the same, even if that doesn't help us much with figuring out what is behind this sudden uprising. Another clue..."
"More like a staff," the halfling answers, trying to remember, "But for walking on... or maybe for fighting with. He was hitting his minions with it when they were too slow to respond... or maybe he was just doing it for fun. They scurried quickly about when he hit them, though!"
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"Lonnigan Moonstruck, it's been a pleasure. I'm glad you weren't eaten by a plant, as I'm sure you are, as well. Hide really well, but keep an eye out. We wouldn't want to miss you on the way back."
With a nod to the other Halfling, Miro gets ready to move out, wanting to encounter these kobolds quickly before more time passed and possibly more miners were lost.
The group waves goodbye to Lonnigan, promising to pick him up from beneath the monolithic dwarven stones on their return to Fort Bandu. They continue along the trail for a while as the night deepens. The sounds of the jungle filter through the trees to accompany the companions' footfalls. Unlike the harsh screeching they encountered west of Fort Bandu, the noisy birds and insects are more melodious here - almost as though they are showing respect to this ancient place. Perhaps, though, it is all in the Pathfinders' imaginations.
Without warning, the treeline ends and the night sky is opened. The stars here seem brighter than anywhere the Pathfinders have found themselves recently, and the sky is littered with beautiful gleaming pin-pricks of light.
A deep ravine divides the valley here, bridged only by an ancient and crumbling span of stone reinforced by haphazard wooden reinforcements. A pair of ancient dwarven statues flanks either side of the bridge, each in considerable disrepair. An ancient stone building partly consumed by the jungle is visible across the ravine.
The ravine is deeper than the companions can see, and stretches far, far off into the distance both to the north and the south. The bridge here is the only apparent way to cross, save for the more heroic methods of jumping or attempting to find the bottom by scaling down into the inky darkness.
Before the pathfinders can get to the ancient building beyond, however, they must decide what to do about crossing the bridge. It is in a stable state, or so say Gunari and Ibid, and will easily hold the Pathfinder's combined weight. The ramshackle scaffolding won't hold the bridge forever, but it is years before its inevitable failure will occur.
The bridge is, however, trapped. Cyrus, Kaisharga and Finarin spot the rather simple leg noose trap waiting to ensnare them in the middle of the far side the bridge. Two rather nasty spike traps are spotted by Ibid and Miro on the far side also. Caution is no doubt advised. The Pathfinders need to decide if they should disable the traps or simply avoid them as they cross.
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"Good eyes Ibid, Miro. I think I can handle those quite easily. Hold just a minute while I pull my tools out."
Cyrus picks his way across the bridge, stepping as lightly as he can.
Once there () He pulls his masterwork thieves tools out, and goes to work disabling the traps set at the end of the bridge, to make it safer for his companions to get across.
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Seemingly following Miro lead, the old man agrees with their tactical assessment, and seems impressed by the other's insight and planning. Taking a few steps forward, Ibid cautiously moves toward the bridge, but stops short before stepping onto the span of crumbling stone. The old man is not afraid the bridge will give-way beneath his feet, but prepares to cover Cyrus while the youth works to disarms the traps. With his bow raised and an arrow knocked, he watches over the youth and is ready to release an arrow at the first hint of danger.
Cyrus flicks the trap just as the forest erupts in a flurry of movement.
Just in time, Ibid notices one of the beasts leap out from their hiding spot in the jungle. The are hideously malformed things, vaguely resembling spotted panthers with no ears. One charges Cyrus, and the other simply steps out and snaps at Finarin.
Finarin and Ibid both recognize the creatures as krenshars.
Krenshar
This earless, panther-like beast snarls as the skin of its face twitches, then peels back to reveal the bone and flesh beneath.
The krenshar is a strange creature that resembles a large but earless hunting cat, save that it can retract the fur and skin on its face to reveal the glistening skull and musculature underneath.
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The creatures menace the two fore-standing Pathfinders, but are unable to penetrate their defenses - even with the pair caught completely unawares. Ibid's arrow, on the other hand finds its mark, embedding itself deeply in the side of the krenshar attacking Cyrus.
The krenshar formerly attacking Cyrus beats a full retreat to lick its wounds, almost setting off the spike trap in its haste to leave.
Perhaps unaware that its friend is leaving, or perhaps not caring, the remaining krenshar tenses its shoulder muscles, causing the skin of its face to be peeled back in horrifying fashion. It bites down hard on Finarin's sword arm before tearing free.
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"Finarin, shift to your left! I am coming in!"
Gunari will move to Finarin's current position, attacking with his rapier. He'll use his swift action to activate Weapon of the Chosen, for magic, concealment reroll, and good.
He looks downtrodden, having missed what should probably have been an easy target.
Cyrus and Finarin bring the fight to the panther-like creature, eventually recovering from the initial shock of its appearance. Finarin flat out slices its jaw of with his scimitar, and Cyrus hacks into its midsection, bisecting its spine with his enchanted wakisashi.
Blood and gore drenches the ground and drips down the chasm.
In the aftermath, Cyrus manages to disable the traps and the group notices that the statues at the end of the bridge are holding real weapons, a longspear and a hammer. A quick pro-forma casting of detect magic reveals that they are indeed magical and are readily identified as a +1 longspear and a hammer of lightning .
In the distance looms an ancient ruin, visible only now due the open space the companions find themselves in. The kobold's footprints lead further into the jungle, directly towards the aging structure. All is quiet for a few moments after the krenshaw ambush, as whatever creatures were around either hide or scurried away. Gradually, however, the melodious night-time jungle choir returns.
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Gunari says, "That's fine, my friend, as long as you are willing to test it out in combat, if we need it. And I feel it may be needed. Almost as if the Lucky Drunk has influenced what we find. While I would be interested in using the longspear, it doesn't really work well with a shield. I think Amaranti's lance is already enchanted, so perhaps Ibid would want to use it, for those situations when firing a bow is less than ideal?"
Gunari will tap Finarin with a wand
"Let's keep moving. By the way, do any of you fine folks understand Draconic?"
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Cyrus looks at the hammer, intrigued by its apparent power.
"I think it is in the right hands, Finarin my friend. Use it well. and then tell me how much fun it is..." he adds with a whisper.
"Sorry, I do not speak draconic, and I think you are right about the best use of the Longspear being in Ibid's hands. I prefer to get close enough to pick out the weak points..."
Cyrus nods at Gunari's suggestion to keep moving, and continues down the path, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any more ambush locations.
The Pathfinders push on towards the ruins. Collapsed walls and statues dot the jungle, all have been long ago taken over by the dense vegetation. What surfaces remain unmolested by plants are covered in kobold graffiti. Most of the kobold additions consist of making things look more dragon-like. One crumbling statue of Torag has even got a vine and feather set of wings attached to it. The kobolds don't seem to be overly worried about accuracy.
Small humanoid shadows filter through the trees, figures silhouetted against the moonlight. They are a long distance away, but the group definitely gets the feeling that this area is being patrolled. As they approach the ruined settlement, the forest parts to allow the moonlight and starlight in.
The sound of distant chanting can be heard, and the flickering of firelight can be seen from within a large decaying building at the center of the settlement. As a precaution, the regular-sighted Pathfinders turn off their wayfinder lights.
What remains of the ruins’s heart may have once been a shrine. Demolished walls encircle an ancient dais, atop which a shattered anvil-shaped altar lies defaced with dried blood, chalk markings, and other detritus. The bones of dozens of humanoid creatures are scattered about the building, along with the larger skeletal remains of what may be wyverns or drakes that are marred with deep claw marks. Behind the altar, a large stairwell stained with the blood of countless creatures descends into some dark vault below.
On the altar is a dark-skinned native miner, tied down and crying softly - clearly long ago haven given up on begging for his life. Three kobolds are visible the temple proper, painting the captives with red and white patterns with a single yellow wing upon each human’s forehead. As the group approaches, they believe they are as yet unnoticed. However, they do hear that others are nearby, singing and chanting Draconic prayers to some golden god (as Finarin relates to you).