"There's a mom spell?" Zaine asks. "Did not know that."
Pakshee blinks, "Maybe there are spells, but I mean I want to make sure word you want is done correctly."
After your time with the newly-freed spirit dancers, you turn away from the river, heading west, skirting the edge of a range of mountains. After five days you see the green mass of the Mwangi Expanse, but it takes two more days to follow the ancient roadmap you found on the Shiv to find the ruins that marks the once-outpost of Taizon.
The crumbling remnants of a massive enclosure wall curl through the jungle for thousands of feet. More often than not you hear simian hoots and hollers from beyond the tar pits and ruined walls.
After examining the break for a minute, Sasha quietly comments that the ruins must be inhabited.
Zaine, still mounted and with loaded musket in hand, will take the lead in heading through the biggest gap.
Tulip easily dodges the barbed net that springs down from the trees above. After a moment it is clear that was the only trap - in this area.
To the northwest you can see the jungle clears a little, hindered by ancient stone roadways.
Zaine keeps riding, though this time he's a bit more alert to potential hazards.
"Back when I was with the Blue Demons... no wait, it was the Forgotten Legion... no, it was the Demons. Doesn't matter. Point is, we had this guy, Twitchy Shreve. We called him that on account of how twitchy he was, and his name was Shreve. Probably could have guessed that. Anyhow, he could spot a trap from fifty paces off. Disarm 'em too. So he'd spot the trap, scamper off and deal with it, and then we'd all move up. The whole time I knew him I never got hit with a trap, not a pit, not a deathray, not a poison needle. Then one day, Shreve scurries off to disarm something and BAM. Eaten by an owlbear. One trap he never saw." Zaine shakes his head. "Point is, we should have hired someone like Twitchy Shreve, only better with owlbears."
Faith nods along to Zaine's story.
Near to where the jungle thins a single massive ruin rises from the dense brush, consisting of concentric rings of crude stone columns surrounding a yawning pit in the early. Although heavily overgrown by the jungle, you can make out some weathered writing and pictograms on the columns. You see a long term encampment by the pit, but no people at the moment.
To the west, you can see a single, small stone structure that still stands despite jungle wear and time. The pathway to is would require care due to a number of tar pits that pit the jungle surface.
To the north, also with the hazard of tar pits - although less contiguous - you see a temple building and beyond that an ancient ziggurat.
Faith squints at the columns, and shakes his head. "Can't make sense of these."
"Yeah, me neither." Áine looks away from the columns, then points to the left and ahead "Stone structure to the left and a temple and ziggurat ahead." and in a lower voice she continues, "and hidden blinds in both directions. Probably a rotating guard."
"Maybe we should hire a wizard too." Zaine pauses. "There was this one woman I knew, Magnia the Red... y'know, it's not important. She probably could have read this. But then, she would have tried to turn us into toads too, so it's probably a push either way."
Faith shades his eyes and peers off in the directions that Áine indicates. "Being turned into a toad will happen from time to time," he says. "It's an occupational hazard when you associate with wizards."
He glances over at Zaine. "But they don't prattle on about their Gods, so maybe it's worth the trade-off." Faith winks.
"I would prefer not becoming a toad, thank you."
He glances over at Zaine. "But they don't prattle on about their Gods, so maybe it's worth the trade-off." Faith winks.
Zaine laughs.
"I always thought it was witches who liked to turn you into toads and wizards preferred squirrels." Sasha comments.
As you move through the columns towards the pit, the campsite reveals its occupants as four ape-men burst out to investigate the voices, stones sized for throwing in hand.
"I always thought it was witches who liked to turn you into toads and wizards preferred squirrels." Sasha comments.
"Depends on the spellcaster, I think. Magnia had a whole thing with toads."
As you move through the columns towards the pit, the campsite reveals its occupants as four ape-men burst out to investigate the voices, stones sized for throwing in hand.
"Charau-ka," Zaine says. "Supposed to be demon worshipers." He keeps his musket in hand, but isn't pointing it just yet.
"Angazhan, demon lord of apes," Faith confirms. "Although the scales on that armor and the tools are atypical."
"Hmmm. Do you speak Common?" He asks the apes. Then again, in Polyglot.
Know.Local dc12=take 10
Linguistics dc15=take 10
Áine smiles disarmingly at the apes, a hand vaguely opened upwards towards Faith. She turns sideways, then again stretches, bending over and putting her palms flat on the ground and arcing her back
"Don't much like demon worshipers." she whispers loudly enough for those in her immediate presence to hear.
In response to Faith's calm, diplomatic tone, the simian-men begin to shriek, a madness coming into the eyes, dulling the intelligence. Even so you think what they shriek may be words.
In response to Faith's calm, diplomatic tone, the simian-men begin to shriek, a madness coming into the eyes, dulling the intelligence. Even so you think what they shriek may be words.
"Eventually, that'll work," Zaine says.
Zaine initiative
Tulip initiative
Zaine fires his musket at the lead man.
Zaine gives Tulip a slight kick, and the t-rex lumbers forward, snatching one of the men in her jaws.
Grab
[Ooc]possible damage
Arrow1: to hit 14, assumed miss or 14hp
Arrow2: 43hp
Arrow3: 14 or 44hp (if a 19 hits)
Áine replies in kind, minus the high pitched shrieks. "I wonder what Angazhan wil think of your failure?"
Two of her arrows find their mark to deadly affect.
Faith sighs. "One day," he says. "But perhaps not today."
Faith draws Charity, and attacks an ape. "Hopefully this hurts you more than it hurts me," he says.
"They want to sacrifice us. Probably not the best sample group to choose from."
"So do you think it would be useful to keep one alive for questioning?"
"They want to sacrifice us. Probably not the best sample group to choose from."
"I'm no theologian," Zaine says, bringing his musket to his cheek, "but isn't the idea of sacrifice, giving something to the gods that you value?"
Sasha runs forward, pulling out her sword, the blade slashing into the side of one of the charau-ka.
Faith draws Charity, and moves to attack the same ape as Sasha. "Hopefully this hurts you more than it hurts me," he says. The blade sinks into the charau-ka's chest, pulling out with no blood and no visible wound - but the simian falls to the ground, heavily unsconscious.
Zaine fires his musket at the lead man a bit to the right of Faith. The charau-ka falls to the ground, bleeding out.
Zaine gives Tulip a slight kick, and the t-rex lumbers forward, snatching one of the men in her jaws. That charau-ka is limp as Tulip shakes teeth sinking in on the successful grab.
The one remaining charau-ka lets loose with a flurry of rocks, only one managing to tag Áine.
Áine replies in kind, minus the high pitched shrieks. "I wonder what Angazhan will think of your failure?" Two of her arrows find their mark to deadly affect dropping the final charau-ka. "مجھے حیرت ہے کہ انگزان تمہاری ناکامی کے بارے میں سوچتے ہیں؟"
Zaine pats Tulip's neck as the t-rex dips her head down to eat the simian man. "I figure eventually they'll work out that picking a fight with a t-rex isn't a good move."
"I don't understand why they look at us," Faith gestures to the group in general, "and think easy pickings."
"Is it my generous nature?"
"Nah, it's because of the lack of "Appraise Class Level" skill."
Áine looks at Faith, "What were you going to try to learn from him?" she asks. And assuming Faith is interested in questioning him, she ties him up.
Just as people have gotten re-calibrated from the quick fight and are ready to focus on the unconscious prisoner, you hear Faith's voice echo up from the black pit at the center of the columns, only 10-feet away from the fallen charau-ka.
"Do you speak Common?"
Just as people have gotten re-calibrated from the quick fight and are ready to focus on the unconscious prisoner, you hear Faith's voice echo up from the black pit at the center of the columns, only 10-feet away from the fallen charau-ka.
"Do you speak Common?"
Zaine brings up his musket. "There's no way that's a good sign."
Faith shakes his head. "This I have to see," he says, and walks over to the pit.
Just as Faith looks over the edge of the pit (and sees what he sees), a tentacle shoots up, massively misjudging where Faith is clearly outlined by the sky above, and it falls - it's predatory ambush a complete failure.
Faith's voice from the pit again, "Have to see."
Faith points down into the pit. "Evil octopus thing!" he says gleefully.
Faith draws Charity and attacks the creature.
Zaine curses, then mutters. "At least Pakshee can heal us."
Zaine initiative
Tulip initiative
Zaine directs Tulip closer to the hole, hunting for a shot. "Hey, ugly! Eat this!"
Tulip sinks her teeth into the offending tentacle.
Áine takes a 5' diagonal step and skewers a tentacle or whatever else comes into view.
Zaine directs Tulip closer to the hole, hunting for a shot. "Hey, ugly! Eat this!" When Tulip gets to the edge of the pit, he can see the green purple ten-tentacled 'octopus'. The shot that follows slams into the beastie's rubbery body.
Faith draws Charity and attacks the creature. His first stab with Charity catches the retreating tentacle, but the second only rings off the stone of the pit.
Áine takes a diagonal step and sends a barrage of arrows into the creature. The final arrow goes through the octopus and pins it to the stone side of the pit.
The simian charau-ka prisoner remains tied and unconscious.
No non-player characters get to act.
"So I guess we're back to this." Áine says nudging the tied up ape-man with her toe, "Don't suppose any of you can detect any magic stuffs down that pit?" she adds, glancing it the direction of the octopus ambush.
"Three magical auras," Faith says. "At the very edge of my range. Roughly sixty feet."
"We should definitely check on those," Áine says, "Did you want to ask him anything first?"
"What he is, what he wants, that sort of thing," Faith says. "If he is an intelligent creature in thrall to the evil below."
"Did you understand their language? It sounded like Abyssal, but I do not speak Abyssal. I will pray to share our tongue with it ... but if you can understand them, it might be better to save the spell for smiting evil."
Áine sighs, but nods, "Makes sense." she toes the creature again.
Faith kneels down and checks the creature.
The charau-ka comes around with a pained simian shriek. His fingers scramble for a rock, anything to throw. Glares when he realizes his limbs are bound.
Faith Shares Taldane. ”Why did you attack us?”
"آپ کیا ہیں اور آپ نے ہم پر حملہ کیوں کیا؟" Áine asks.