Garin speaks up, having been silent during the interrogation of the beast. "I agree with Miss Shel's suggestion. That approach makes the most sense to me."
8 Miles east of Lepidstadt, amid the Dippelmere Swamp, is the small hamlet of Morast. The shacks that the villagers live in are up on stilts, and they are connected by warped and mossy boardwalks. The villagers stare at you as you approach, and silently point you toward the town elder Lazne.
Lazne is a grizzled, middle-aged man with dirty gray hair and skin the color of swamp mud. He chews on a foul-smelling swamp weed and
punctuates most of his sentences by spitting weed-juice
onto the ground.
Wha'cha city folk want? You ain't furrners, is ya?
diplo
we have a few questions about he late unpleasantness
"My friend is right. We are wondering about what happened here with the Beast? Apparently he committed vile crimes in this town, and call it a morbid curiosity, but we'd like to see where the crimes happened, and talk to any witnesses, if they are around today. It seems like a wild story!"
Diplomacy
Aye, furners ye be. Ye just want a perview of the trail, eh? Well, yer gunna have to wait. That Beast killed 10 townsfolk. I led the townsfolk to chase that monster into the swamp, right off the boneyard into the swamp. It was eat by a bigger monster. I saws it with me own eyes. It ain't right, that thing still running around- after that much damage.
"What was the Beast doing in the boneyard? And this other monster, what did it look like?"
"Did you see the Beast kill the townfolk, or could the bigger monster have eaten them too?"
Embarrassed at hiis gruff opening Vachordi simply listens and watches for trouble
We drove the beast into the swamp- to the boneyard- with pitch forks and torches. He slogged off into the swamp and was ate by a blood caiman (giant crocodile).
"Is it possible for someone to guide us to the place? We'd like to investigate for ourselves."
I don't reckon I'd be inclined to help a bunch a furners... without some sort of recompenstance. After all, the swamp is filled with killer crocodiles.
Are you sure that helping your fellow man is not recompense enough. I promise that we have good cause.
diplo
"We talk the language of gold. What would you ask for let us outsiders take a peek at the scene?"
Ye can rent me boats- 5gp a piece. It's a mile north of here, ye can find it yerselfs. Each boat holds only 2 medium creatures.
A tiny, miserable island rises from the swamp, a tangle of trees
covering its dour, reed-choked surface. Hundreds of fetishes
hang from the trees—simple, roughly humanoid figures made
of sticks and bound with twine. Larger fetishes are planted in
the ground on various parts of the island, leaning drunkenly
in the soft mud. A large nest built of sodden swamp wood sits
high in the boughs of a trio of tangled trees on the northwest
side of the isle.
Vachordi tosses coin to him for a boat and offers to navigate for whomever wishes to ride with him.
Nature to learn anything?
Somehow I suspect those fetishes are not a welcome...
Shel grabs a second boat, and tosses over 5 gp. "Who is with me? We need to head out quickly."
Survival
As Shel heads her way up the river, she calls out what she sees about the topography. "A tiny, miserable island rises from the swamp, a tangle of trees covering its dour, reed-choked surface. Hundreds of fetishes
hang from the trees—simple, roughly humanoid figures made of sticks and bound with twine. Larger fetishes are planted in the ground on various parts of the island, leaning drunkenly in the soft mud. A large nest built of sodden swamp wood sits high in the boughs of a trio of tangled trees on the northwest side of the isle."
"I'll go with you, Shel!", Awnara quickly replies, hopping in the boat. "Someone else can go with us, we don't take up that much room."
"I'll accompany you ladies," Garin says and steps into the boat with them.
Shel fills the other two in on what she can tell as the boat floats up the River.
The fetishes are likely left by the locals as grave markers. As such, they're similar to primitive tombstones, and not necessarily sinister.
The trip to the island is uneventful, if a bit moist.
Please roll initiative and a perception check as you explore the island.
init
Garin steps off the boat and acts as a guard next to the ladies.
Know. Local
Initiative
Several minutes after the boats had left the dock, Awnara knelt her head in prayer, and a nimbus of white light surrounded her.
initiative for 'thing that lurks.'
The moist air of the swamp graveyard clings to your skin. The musky smell of the swamp is almost enough to cover the faint sour smell of decay. It seems almost serene... until a loud lion-like roar reverberates through the trees- challenging your presence here.
The trees shudder above you as a large winged lion with a spiked tail crashes through it's branches.
Combat begins.
Initiative order:
Vachardi
Shel
Garin
The thing
Awnara
Suddenly a thunderclap rips the air
Shel pulls her two magical daggers and readies an action to slice at the magical creature, when it closes to battle.
"What is that beast?!?", Awnara cries, her hand reaching for her holy symbol as she watches the abomination descend.
Garin unstraps his halberd and holds it ready with both hands. "Beast! Are you the one they spoke of? Your head shall be our evidence!"
Garin then closes in, swinging his halberd.
Clarification: It's flying.
Unless it fails that save...
Still missing our new priest. I'll give them another day to post or so, and we'll proceed.
Tibor quietly followed, his lantern held high in his left hand. When the beast approached he quietly took a step back followed by a soft spoken prayer to Pharasma.
hello
yes yes yes!!!
The manticore resists Vachordi's sonic attack, and flies over the party, peppering them with four tail spikes.
One hits Vachordi for 8 points of damage.
A second one impales Shel in the neck (unconfirmed crit) for 7points of damage.
The third manages to find a hole in Garin's armor, piercing 6 points of damage. The final spine lands harmlessly in the ground. It roars in triumph, and lands amid the party to eat his kill.
Garin's held attack connects, slicing across it's flank. Shel closes in with her blades...
Tibor draws upon a holy reserve for protection.
Shel tries to dice the creature as it opens up, giving her a chance at attacks.
Attack One
Damage
Attack Two
Damage
"Bad luck, Shel!", Awnara calls, grasping her holy symbol. "Let's get Lady Luck back on our side!" She says a short prayer, and a warm white glow settles over Awnara and her friends.
Garin grimaces from his wound but steps around the beast to corner it, making sure the creature has no avenues of escape before slashing at it again.
Vachordi begins his inspiration.
Round one conclusion:
The mantacore deflects Shel's clumsy attacks, and roars a territorial challenge.
Round 2:
Ssuming Shel is flanking now, she again strikes out with her dual daggers.
Attack
Damage and
Attack
Damage plus