-----
The Mithral Scarab stays prone, lying in the sand looking up at the moon, doing her best to listen for any sounds. At least some that she can separate from the shouts back at the dig site to the north.
Hurgah scans the desert night for signs of pursuing enemies.
"We should put more distance between us and the camp. They will come looking."
He looks over the wounded and exhausted wizard.
"No need to go too far, though. The night is better for Karek and I than the devil-worshiping monks and the human soldiers. If they come looking for us, we will see them. We will share the watch while Moonpate sleeps and regains his magic."
"I agree friend Hurgah, and thank you and Karek for your protection. We've done a good piece of work today against those foul monks, and wit gen's luck we'll get ta finish the job."
Sounds like the distraction team intends to stay on the move for a bit longer. Where to? Continue northwest, away from the dig site? Assuming nothing of interest catches your eye, how long do you want to travel for?
. . . Or, we could make our way to the Potentate's hidey hole that has already been constructed, if Hurgah feels that its location hasn't been compromised (we killed the beasties that were previously tracking us)?[/ooc]
-----
There is no reason to believe that hideout (Moonpate's elemental-constructed boulder cavity) has been discovered and it's been well tested at least once.
The negatives though are that it is quite far east and south of where you are now. Unlesss you want to travel across the dig site you would need to travel in a wide arc to the east and you are looking at at least an hour's travel.
The largest obstacle might be that Moonpate and Hurgah are not confident they could actually find it in the dark. The night dunes are like an endless maze. There's a risk the Kurgentate will be stuck wandering as you search and not all that far from the dig site.
And lastly, you are quite certain you won't be able to fit all three inside - it was utterly crammed with two.
(Though, you could always just split up, didn't Hurgah say something about wanting to do that?)
:
(success)
Suddenly out of nowhere, from behind a pair of arms lock around Halstadt. His arms are forced to his side and he can feel the breath being crushed from his body. For good measure, his assailant drives his boot into the Scarab’s stomach, forcing her to stay on the ground. The human has incredible strength and has placed himself in a position where Hal cannot find any leverage to fight back. How did he get there?
His feral-like voice whispers into Morgrym’s ear. “The last words you shall hear heretic, will be my prayer to God Fiend!”
Hal can cast spells while grappled but he faces the dreaded concentration check. If it gets converted to a pin, he will not be able to at all.
From the PFRD:
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.
A grappled creature cannot use Stealth to hide from the creature grappling it, even if a special ability, such as hide in plain sight, would normally allow it to do so. If a grappled creature becomes invisible, through a spell or other ability, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus on its CMD to avoid being grappled, but receives no other benefit.
Ugh! She really does have a boot driving into her stomach.
Halstadt tries to ignore the pain as his insides are being crushed. He instead fights to focus on summoning the great magic of the fire forge. Before he can complete his spell though, his assailant frees an arm and grabs the horse blanket still hanging over Hal’s shoulders. The monk then pulls the blanket completely over the dwarf’s head, enveloping him.
(success)
With a dizzyingly fluid motion, the monk wraps the free ends of the blanket, pinning the dwarf’s arms to his sides. The last of it is wrapped securely around the dwarf’s head. He clearly intends to suffocate the imperilled dwarf. Halstadt fears the last smell he will ever know is the scent of rancid camel sweat.
A scream escapes from the Mithral Scarab’s lips as she sees the dwarf suddenly swallowed up by an attacker who appeared from nowhere. She fights to push the monk’s powerful leg off of her. As soon as she does she quickly brings her knees to her chest and prepares to spring to her feet to help before Halstadt runs out of air.
(hit)
As soon as she takes to the air the monk suddenly turns to the side, dragging the flailing dwarf off-balance. He drives Halstadt’s thick head into the Scarab’s stomach, seeking to wind her a second time.
(saves!)
(applies)
The assailant slams Halstadt into the Scarab and knocks her back a step but she has at least fought her way to her feet.
“Let him go!” she cries, though she looks rather tiny next to the powerful killer.
A small knife appears in her right hand, coming from out of nowhere. It looks more like a cutting tool though than an actual combat weapon.
(Miss)
Now restraining the dwarf with but a single hand, the monk brings his free arm inside the Scarab's arc and blocks it with only the slightest of motion. It is almost as though he would not lower himself by acknowledging her pitiful assault.
Hal's ribs hurt with the crushing grip assumed by the human. I will need to get myself out of this, Angradd give me strength!
Hal attempts to break the pin.
Break the Pin CMB Check
[ooc]When I read the first part of your post I thought you were going to follow with "One monk...hah! The Kurgentate has been dealing with hordes of monks! Dwarf up!"
-----
Yeah, only one.-----
He's right again. I specifically made a point of double-checking that, but I clearly missed it, it is in the description for "grappled".Pardon the ret con then. The 8 points of damage to the Mithral Scarab is gone. Nothing else changes, she still gets to her feet and still misses her attack. But this does make the monk a little less threatening.
(More to come. . .)
-----
I know you are being flip, but there's truth to that. Intentional or not, you have now lured the monk away from everyone else and isolated him in a low laying dune valley away from the path. Meanwhile presumably his colleagues are distracted by the winch crash at the dig site.
(Pardon the delay, I have needed to look up your assailant's CMD. It's very close and I want to be certain which way it goes as it could be critically important for Hal.)
-----
While this monk is proving rather formidable, and it is true that the party tanks mowed through quite many of his brethren earlier today, demonstrating that they are quite grapple immune, in Hals' defence he is actually furthering the adventure's overarching plot, which is also quite important, or so I've heard.
Monktastic vs the Infiltration Team - Round 2
Initiative Tracker
Hal's ribs hurt with the crushing grip assumed by the human. I will need to get myself out of this, Angradd give me strength!
-----
For a second, it looks as though Halstadt might wrestle his way free, but the monk repositions his feet and picks Hal right off the ground, leaving the dwarf’s stubby legs kicking and flailing against the air. In the meantime, Morgrym's hands remain trapped within the swaddle of the camel blanket. Halstadt fights as hard as he can, but he simply no longer has the leverage to fight against the steel-like grip of his superiorly-trained assailant. With his natural stubbornness and tenacity, the dwarf continues to resist anyways, trying to thrash his head and body from side to side. But the monk just smiles to himself, enjoying the moment as though he were a bear playing with a fish gasping for air as it flops uselessly on the bank. All the while, he practically ignores the small trembling girl with the tiny knife.
-----
P.S. Gandel is correct, as though you doubted it.
"Bah! Should've gotten closer! Let's go, lad! It looks as if he's got our buddy!" Throwing the blanket off his head and drawing his waraxe and shield, Breach takes off toward the monk.
Making it as far as he can, Almost there. Maybe I can get a bit o' surprise on him. Hang on, Hal!
"Bah! Should've gotten closer! Let's go, lad! It looks as if he's got our buddy!" Throwing the blanket off his head and drawing his waraxe and shield, Breach takes off toward the monk.
Making it as far as he can, Almost there. Maybe I can get a bit o' surprise on him. Hang on, Hal!
-----
Just a point of clarification so I don't snow you with my unforeseen rules interpretation. . .
Double move will automatically result in Breach being seen (no surprise). On the positive side of the ledger it will get Breach much closer which, from reading the above, I think is what your priority is.
If you did mean to have Breach come in at the monk unseen, you'll only get to advance 20 feet, but he'll get a Stealth check.
Either way, he's got his weapons out.
"Bah! Should've gotten closer! Let's go, lad! It looks as if he's got our buddy!" Throwing the blanket off his head and drawing his waraxe and shield, Breach takes off toward the monk.
-----
The so-called Supermoon marks the largest and brightest moon of the year. An astrological phenomenon caused by the moon passing unduly close to Golarion, it is a function of the natural ellipse of the body’s orbit. Scheduled for tomorrow, the moon tonight is the penultimate but still massive and silvery.
It also makes for incredible back-lighting as the Breach leaps over the crest of the dune. As soon as he clears the top, he forms a jet-black silhouette against the great white circle. Breach chooses that moment to tear off his camel blanket, which looks like a gigantic black cape as it appears to float away in the sky.
The dwarf lands and skis down the opposite side of the dune, rushing towards the monk at a startling pace. At the same time, he draws his waraxe with his right hand, the blade’s handle still wrapped in aboleth skin. With but a flick of his wrist his left is suddenly armed with his fabled shield, Skullhammer. The shield is ringed with a thicket of spines sourced from the corpse of the very type of devil Breach’s target claims to owe fealty and worship.
The monk looks up and sees Shattershield bearing down on him with barbed devil spines, and perhaps, for the flash of a second, knows fear.
-----
Hmmmmm. Yes, I’d say a check is required. Has Gandel already made or flubbed a Knowledge check on the Asmodean worshipping monks of the Shrine of Horns? If not, Knowledge checks do not normally take up an action, so he could do so as a free action.
But are you really asking: can Gandel use his naturalist ability against a human? That seems to be the issue. The description refers to creatures and monsters. The name of the ability itself also seems to militate against the inclusion of humans.
I suppose the description doesn’t explicitly exclude humans. Humans are part of the humanoid sub-type to which Knowledge (local) checks apply, which is the main theme of the ability. I am just not sure humans are technically “monsters” though in the sense of the game term.
But you know, I did listen to a podcast on rpg countdown once in which some jerk argued that humans were the most evil of monsters. We could follow that. Besides, maybe it’s time we learned something about these Shrine of Horns jackpots. Let’s go for it!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
“So! The other dwarves arrive do they?” the monk remarks rhetorically to Halstadt on spying Breach’s approach. “I should have known, where there’s one there’s a clan.”
“I will need to finish you off now then. Playtime is over.”
(successful)
The monk begins to laugh. He spears the captured dwarf right into the side of the dune, driving him head first into the sand. Hal’s shoulders, then torso sink into the sand - right to his waist, leaving only his legs kicking in the struggle. Now, planted sideways, his legs find nothing but air.
“Put your silly overly weighted weapons down dwarf! Do it now, or the girl-spy dies!” The towering Asmodean makes a motion with his hands, indicating that if his order is not complied with, he means to snap her neck.
Round Two:
Gandel draws his scorpion whip and hurries after Breach. As he approaches the melee the halfling scholar begins describing - in detail - all of the secret fighting techniques and sundry abilities of the disciples of the Shrine of Horns.
-----
Wow. . . great roll.
Heh, now I have to absorb that Professor Gandelplott has known a crap ton about the Shrine of Horns all this time. The Knowledge skill check strikes again. In any event, brace yourselves for a dissertation.
With his own work on Osiriontology in the Absalom archives, Gandel is particularly aware that Modern Cheliax (the House Thrune era of the last 70 years) has an odd fascination with Osiriontology, particularly an obsession with the serial-rule of the many ancient pharaohs. There are a number of theories why this is so. There is no particular connection between Cheliax or House Thrune and Osirion. Possibly this is the case simply because Osiriontology is a fascinating study and Cheliax has some the world’s finest academics.
One theory believes the connection has something to do with the Fiend Pharaoh, one of the four Pharaohs of Ascension (the builders of Ahn’Selota for those of you keeping score). The Fiend Pharaoh is one of the very first persons in recorded history known to have engaged in the practice of devil-binding. The Fiend Pharaoh was said to be a Master binder who entered in to all manner of pacts with the lower planes. Devil-binding is of course an important art form well-mastered by the ruling families of House Thrune. On the other hand, modern Osirion has very little to do with devil-binding, its conjurers much better known for their elaborate web of relationships with the chaotic hierarchy of elementals.
When the nation of Cheliax fell into civil war, several houses struggled for control. After 30 years of conflict, in 4640 A.R. it was House Thrune that was ultimately victorious. Much of its military success was attributed to the pacts its leadership struck with devils, binding powerful devils into service for battle. As such, devils remain an overarching part of modern Chelaxian culture. A subtle but cavernously huge distinction, which is lost by most foreigners, is that there are those that harness the power of devils and there are those that worship them, two very different approaches. Both are present, which leads to an endless debate of who is ruling who, the devils or the devil-binders
On the worship side of the ledger, Cheliax is now home to a number of churches and monasteries which are devoted to various aspects of diabolism. Once Asmodeus became the official state religion, such institutions began to flourish – though it is a misconception to believe that Cheliax is a land filled with devil-worshippers, it still remains comparatively rare and antithetical to many. The average citizen remains as far away from such activity as the state will allow. In any event, one of the more blood thirsty monasteries to have seized the change in the theological landscape is the Shrine of Horns in Egorian, the current capital of Cheliax. The Shrine of Horns is not a temple of worship by the masses. It is a secretive cloistered sect, filled only by those deemed worthy.
The Shrine of Horns is best known as the birthplace of the martial art Hamatulatsu, an exotic but deadly fighting form inspired by the varying attacks of the barbed devil. It focuses not on defeating or killing one's opponent, but on crippling them with memorable pain and scars. Masters of Hamatulatsu are known for both their aggression and resistance to pain.
Less known, is that the Shrine of Horns has studied numerous other art forms, each patterned after a specific fiend. According to reports, in extreme cases, their training rituals involve exposing their disciples to the attacks of summoned fiends. Fiendish injuries are something of badges of honor. Shrine of Horns monks are known for being able to inflict piercing and even slashing damage with their arms and legs, as well as prolonging the consciousness of those who should have long blacked-out from pain. The Shrine of Horns monks typify mobility, stealth and cruelty.
While not directly sponsored, the Shrine of Horns remains loyal to House Thrune and has no known affiliation with Osirion. Outside of the fact that the monks Gandel has seen so far were wearing hurthren, a traditional Osirion skirt for males, he is not aware of anything which ties them to Sothis, the desert or the Osirion people. Gandel has no information as to what the Shrine of Horns' interest in Exemplar Khymrasa or Ahn’Sehlota would possibly be or why they are here now, practicing their particular brand of evil.
“Oh do shut up!” growls the Scarab to the monk.
Then, realizing he monk is focussed on the dwarf with the axe and spine-covered shield barrelling down on him, she makes her move, diving away.
“Hang on Master dwarf!” she cries, “I’m coming!”
The Asmodean, however, is faster than she anticipates. As soon as she dives away he delivers a snapping kick into her back.
(hit)
An expert anatomist, he drives his heel straight into the Scarab’s mortality nerve, causing an explosion of pain to ripple up her spine to her brain – enough to incapacitate a towering orc, let alone someone so frail.
(saves!)
(applies)
The Scarab, drops to one knee screaming from the pain, but she fights through it and still rises, letting the charging dwarf with the axe sail past her. She then races to Morgrym, grabs his legs and pulls him out of the sand dune.
“Hold very very still,” she shouts as she turns her knife over in her hand. She then makes a rapid incision through the camel blanket, completely transecting it from top to bottom – possibly chopping off a lock of Hal’s beard in the process.
----
She is (and now has) but you need not.
Hal shrugs off the blanket and nods to Mithril Scarab, "Angradd smite my foe and send him to meet his masters!"
Hal casts Holy Smite -
With the Scarab now next to Hal, it is quite possible for Hal to position the smite so that only the monk is included in the area of effect.
Though it occurs to me that perhaps Hal is doing this as a strategem to verify the Scarab's alignment, so perhaps he means to include her anyway?
P.S. 4th level spell eh? Where is the love?
Has our beloved Distraction Team settled on what it wants to do?
A) Stay put and encamp, either in a dune valley or on a dune hill.
B) Travel further notheast for ___ amount of time and then encamp.
C) Search for Moonpate's elemental-constructed cave to the east.
D) Anything else?
Oh yes, I almost forgot:
Vellaneer vs. the Infiltration Team - Round 3
Initiative Tracker
Freed from the suffocating camel blanket, Hal calls down a great cone of holy fire, blanketing the dune valley in a keen white glow of righteousness.
(fails!)
Morgrym’s assailant’s skin burns in the conflagration, completely immolating his form. Nevertheless, even as he burns with tongues of golden fire, the burning man calmly turns towards Halstadt.
“You should have stayed in the sand dune,” he says icily as he turns again to prepare for Breach’s oncoming charge. Even though smoke rises from his eyes, obscuring his sight, he still stands with perfect balance readying himself for the inevitable and predictable attack.
Meanwhile, the cone of Angraad’s glory catches the Mithral Scarab as well. Hal raises an eyebrow as he carefully makes note of the degree of burn. There is though, none - she is untouched by the golden fires of the perfect forge. Perhaps Angraad has spoken.
"You really shouldn't mess with dwarves, stupid!" Breach tells the monk as he charges across the dune, his Waraxe raised high.