"Uh-uhh", Mhym pauses to listen but shakes his head. Looking around, he peers into the surround woods.
"If we need to hide, where to? One of you outdoorsy types need to point out a decent and safe place to hide. Do you recognize the bells, or what might make that noise?"
No obvious path is discovered.
The bells draw near.
"On second thought, let's move further ahead and see if a path can be found. If we are attacked, it's better to see what is attacking us rather than being ambushed in an unfamiliar forest. I might be all right, but not everyone is comfortable in a sylvan setting."
With that, Troxell forges ahead, looking for a path off the road.
Myhm nods, Good idea, and follows.
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Teena follows the group, looking around her for the source of those strange tinkling bells as she goes.
Perception
Predictably, her attention is drawn to a strange tree, and she forgets about the sounds for a quick second. After that it was too late to pinpoint any origin.
You take only a few steps before the mist suddenly parts ahead and a mounted humanoid figure with a helm crowned with jagged, twisting antlers of dark blue ice and frosted armor emerges in mid gallop on a horse made of dark smoke. Either its face is a skull, or the helm has a very good likeness crafted into it. It raises a wicked glaive and spurs its mount and the sound of bells is heard in the jingle of its spurs.
INITIATIVE
The last encounter Myhm had with charging horses was against the bandits' attack at Oleg's; that time he had punched one out. This time, he'd try to slash with his great axe when the rider approaches.
;
;
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Xerexis' shot echoes off into the forest, startling creatures for quite a distance. The bullet tears through the phantom horse, which rears as if injured, but it makes no sound and no blood can be seen. The rider stares with cold red eyes at your group and hauls on the reigns of his steed, cantering back a few feet. A hollow voice speaks a few harsh words.
He then waves his glaive in an arc that sends ice into the air overhead. When it comes down, it arrives in a storm of hailstones the size of fists.
The raining chunks of ice cut deep enough to draw blood, one of them striking Mhym on the forehead causing the thin red stream to freeze instantly down the side of his face. Gritting against the magical storm, he takes efforted steps towards the dark rider.
Teena fires a bolt of lightning at the rider, who had attacked them for no reason. She then pulls a healing potion from her belt.
Damage
DC 19 Reflex for half.
"Evidently staying on the road was a stupid fey trick." He spits with contempt before taking the form of an air elemental and flying directly up 60 feet.
[I guessed so too]
Teena's lightning bolt blast through the air at the rider. He flinches away, avoiding a direct hit but his phantom steed disperses into shadows. The rider falls, but lands nimbly on its feet, despite the heavy armor it wears.
Badly injured by the ice storm, Mikmik scrambles off into the bushes.
The horned rider spins his glaive, spraying shards of ice into the air as he slashes back and forth at Myhm. After his attacks he takes a step away, his long weapon threatening the area around him.
Teena moves 10' to the left, clearing up her line of sight. She blasts the rider again with her powerful electrical attack. "You'd better leave us be, horseman! Last warning!"
Damage
Reflex DC 19 for half
Still flying high above, Troxell casts Entangle on the area away from his allies, but close enough to catch the rider.
Plants from the edge of the road stretch out, reaching for the rider, but he proves too fast to be snared by them. It also dodges most of the lightning thrown by Teena, though a few cracks show on its armor.
Bleeding shards of red ice, Myhm closes the distance to the rider and unleashes his fury.
;
Xerexis puts a hole in the rider with a near perfect shot from his weapon.
Myhm moves in, taking another wound from the rider's glaive, but slashes a chunk out of the rider in return. It stumbles slightly, but doesn't fall.
The rider looks at his wound, then stares at Myhm for a moment, its eyes narrowing. It speaks something in sylvan, then points at him. Its eyes flash, and Myhm feels suddenly sluggish.
Staying high in the sky in the form of an air elemental, Troxell begins casting a long spell.
Teena uses her Scorching Ray spell to fire another bolt of electricity at the strange rider, tired of him dodging her other spells.
Ranged Touch Attack for Scorching Ray
Damage
Mhym sneezes loudly then shakes it off, he lunges at the skeletal man again with his axe.
,
Troxell begins a summoning spell.
Teena send a ray of lightning, but her aim is bad and the rider dodges it.
Xerexis reloads.
The rider tries to leap back from Myhm, but the entangling plants hinder him just enough to give Myhm an opening.
Mhym swings a wide arc, preparing to pull back to let Teena and Xerexis have clear paths.
;
Myhm slashes the rider as it steps back, but the wound seems to slowly be closing up. With a shout, the rider makes a sweeping gesture at the entangling plants at its feet and they slip away.
If the rider has moved back and is out of melee, Teena quickly casts another Scorching Ray without anything to distract her.
Ranged touch
Damage
Troxell dismisses his Entangle spell, returning the forest back to its original state.
An earth elemental pops into existence adjacent to the rider and attacks.
Small Earth Elemental
N Small outsider (earth, elemental, extraplanar)
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (–1 Dex, +7 natural, +1 size)
hp 17
Fort +4, Ref –1, Will +3
Immune elemental traits
Offense
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., earth glide
Melee slam +8 (1d6+6)
Special Attacks: earth mastery
Statistics
Str 20, Dex 8, Con 17, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 13
Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Skills: Appraise +1, Climb +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +1,
Knowledge (planes) +1, Perception +4, Stealth +7
Bleeding heavily, Mhym backs down for a moment, holding his axe up as a guard.
Mikmik pops out of the bushes near Myhm and hurls a flask that breaks upon the rider's armor and sets him alight with alchemist fire.
Mikmik gives a victory cry as the rider roars in rage and surprise, but it quickly grabs its cloak and smothers the flames with a sizzle of steam. It then turns its red eyes at the kobold and Mikmik makes a high pitched sound of worry.
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Troxell's earth elemental tries to slam the rider again.
The druid himself flies down behind Myhm and returns to his natural form.
Teena will blast the rider and the elemental with her lightning. "Tell him I'm sorry, Troxell. No room to get to the baddie otherwise."
Lightning Bolt
Dc 19 Reflex for half
(Myhm is delaying this round. )
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Troxell's summoned ally slams into the rider, knocking him forward.
Teena sends another bolt of lightning, but again, the rider avoids a direct hit. However, the repeated blasts are starting to show in the cracks and blackened marks around his armor.
Troxell's elemental is not so lucky, taking the full bolt and getting blasted to pieces.
Mikmik hurls another alchemist fire, but it flies off to the rider's left, bursting harmlessly against a low hanging tree-branch.