Marvin power attacks the next elemental, too frostbitten to attempt spell combat.
A second elemental shatters under their combined attacks leaving only one more remaining in their own fight, as Marvin lands a solid blow on the creature Cassus follows up with a strike of his own from his rapier.
Tragershen melts away half of the elemental just before the ball of fire dissipates away. Steam fills the area for a moment. Next the glittery dust covers the Mephit and it yells, blinded. It bumps into the mast it is flying next to. "Noo, let Kiliketz see!"
Marvin is the only one who manages to hit the melted away elemental but it is still standing. Kargeld finally finds a good footing and cuts down two of the elementals. Only two elementals remain. Both are too damaged to attack successfully.
Two of the sailors who had managed to find their courage throw a net over the Mephit who is then dragged to the deck unable to see or fly away. Kargeld's next attack kills the last elemental near him and Marvin, Carnadine and Cassus make short worth of the final elemental.
Kargeld kicks a chunk of icy elemental body off the ship as he leaves his rage. He has several bruises from fighting three all alone. "What were ya's doing cowering behind your blankets!" He is quick to yell at his men as they now come out from where they were taking cover.
On the deck under the net is the Mephit struggling against it but unable to escape.
"Right..." Marvin approaches the Mephit, struggling under the net. "Who are you working for?" he asks, in common, as he grinds the tip of his staff into its wing.
The Mephit struggles for a bit longer until his wing is hurt by Marvin, "Ow. Ow. Please spare Kiliketz! It was just a joke. Kiliketz didn't mean any harm," he cowers and begs under the net.
"Kiliketz only work for Kiliketz! Ow Ow!" The ice elementals from the north, several of many different monsters that inhabit it, preying upon intruders to their realm. Kiliketz seems to be one of the more harmless beings when he isn't flinging magic missiles for a little bit of 'harmless' fun.
"Hmm." Marvin frowns. "A joke? I like this thing's audacity. If anyone's got a small cage, I guess we could keep it, or else I'll just stomp it out."
"Even if it could prove value to us, I doubt we could trust it. What do you say, mephit? Can you prove value, or give us cause to trust you?"
"No no. Please spare Kiliketz. Kiliketz serve you." He begs for his life.
"Certainly value as an amusement," Marvin ponders, slowly raising his staff.
"Thankyou masters for sparing. What do you want Kiliketz to do?"
The rest of the night is uneventful but very cold, though Kiliketz does not seem to care. Many of the crew look like they got little sleep if any at all. Kargeld is the only one who is ok, though he still has wounds from fighting the elementals.
Finally the Frosthamar arrives at the ice-choked entrance to the River Taiga. Kargeld proves himself a worthy captain nimbly sailing the heavily laden craft through fields of floating jagged ice. He barks orders in norspik and his sailors scramble to comply. Again and again he turns the boat at just the right moment to pass between the broken shards calved from ancient glaciers. You realise that if you had have killed the Captain before now, you could have shipwrecked here easily.
Finally, after nerve-wracking hours of this, the boat pushes through the dangerous headwaters of the Taiga into the clear water of this almost uncharted mighty river.Beyond the headwaters is a land of savage wonders. The Taiga winds through a great northern forest that to the best of anyone’s knowledge has no name. After miles and miles of picturesque pine trees frosted with new fallen snow, the ship comes to a great mountain range. This river flows through a great rift in the mountains that looks as if some impossibly huge primordial giant smashed a pass through the grey slate.
You are headed south now, though this has no noticeable effect on the intense cold yet. You are headed to the great interior sea of Talingarde – Lake Tarik as it is known. To the south of that lake sits the Watch Wall. And on the northern banks in a wide wooded valley is your destination – the camp of Sakkarot Fire-Axe. Thousands of bugbears are already assembled. These savage humanoids are not pleased to see outsiders, especially humans. Worse, there are more than just bugbears here. The occasional polar bear lumbers around the camp untended. Fur-clad goblins scamper here and there, laughing with frenetic glee. Even a few hill giants gather at the camp’s fringes. There is only one place to dock the boat – a crudely made pier that juts into the river. On that pier are four hulking bugbears. They don’t seem pleased to see the Frosthamar. "Nasty Bugbears. What does masters want with Bugbears? Too many. They kill you." Kiliketz rambles.
Carnadine is silent and ambivalent about the mephit.
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Carnadine moves to meet the bugbears and says to the welcoming committee in Talerian, "we have a delivery from Cardinal Thorn for Chieftain Sakkarot Fire-Axe. Who of you speaks for Fire-Axe?"
If they don't appear to respond, he repeats his statement and question in Norspik.
They understand your common and one of the bugbears, all of whom are wielding large clubs and several javelins, replies, "We were not told of any deliveries for the Chieftain. Disembark and relinquish all weapons so that we may inspect your ship."
Kargeld doesn't seem to like this idea one bit, "Over my dead body you fat ugly ape." His sailors, still fatigued and weakened from the frost the nights before are mostly standing back looking on.
On the shore roughly 100ft. or more away are the closest of the bugbear army besides these four. Several goblins, other bugbears and one giant.
Carnadine replies, "that is unacceptable. Go inform Fire-Axe we are here, and bring someone who can speak for him. Do not delay us any further. It has been a long trip."
The bugbears don't seem to like being told what to do, their fur stands on end, "I'm in charge here. We'll see if Fire-Axe wants you here. Now put down the weapons and let us inspect your ship," Hostility is evident in his voice and low rumbling growls are coming from a couple of the others, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way..."
Carnadine steps forward such that three of the bugbears are now within his Aura of Obedience. He commands the bugbear standing next to the bugbear speaking (Carnadine evidently failed to Intimidate the speaker)."Go inform Fire-Axe we are here, and bring someone who can speak for him."
--> Flee (Go inform Fire-Axe)
The Bugbear looks unsure of himself for a moment but looks to his fellow thugs and resists the effects of your aura. "What'd you do to me!" There can be no mistaking the bugbears next actions.
Carnadine shouts to get the big dogs to heel.
As the situation starts seems to spiralling out of control with the bugbears making their own threats in return and a fight already seeming to be inevitable, Cassus moves up along the docks and steps up besides Carnadine with a mad grin growing on his face. Drawing out his rapier with a sound of ringing steel he gives the weapon a desultory swirl and looks the leading bugbear in the eyes "I say that we kill the leader ourselves either way, I'm sure Fire-Axe won't miss one underling that doesn't know his place."
Speaking to the other bugbears the original speaker says loud enough for all to hear, "I say we kill them all and present the ship to Fire-Axe ourselves!" At this the bugbears roar their agreement. The commotion draws some attention from the others further away that hear, turning their heads to see what is going on.
The two bugbears in the middle each equip a javelin and throw it, missing Carnadine but hitting Cassus .
Carnadine calls for his shield of faith and draws his greatsword.
Round 1
Tragershen casts Glitterdust, centering it on the mouthy bugbear. DC 17 will save for those in the area, or they are blinded.
Then Tragershen moves back, taking cover against potential javelin tosses.
Marvin moves forward, drawing his staff, and his hair begins to whip around wildly.
Tragershen covers the bugbears in a sparkling magical dust blinding all but one of them. They flail around with their clubs, two more javelin's thrown blindly and missing. Kargeld stands behind Cassus
As the bugbears open up their attack with a volley of javelins, Cassus manages to bring his buckler up in time to deflect the missile about to strike him harmlessly off instead to the side of the pier. Moving up as Tragershen's spell hits the bugbears he takes the oppurtunity to aim a strike at his now blinded foe.
Carnadine steps up and slashes at the speaker and lops off his head.
he shouts at the rest of the bugbears.
Cassus and Carnadine combine their attacks to deeply wound the blinded bugbear who was just a moment ago so bold. Out of nowhere Kiliketz shouts and 3 magic missiles hit the same bugbear. He stumbles backwards and falls off the pier into the water dying. The rest of the bugbears have thrown off the blindness but their clubs hit nothing. "Blasted furballs!" Kargeld curses at them as he waits for an opportunity to use his axe.
Round 2
Tragershen casts flaming sphere, placing it behind the front rank. He mentally slams the sphere into one of the aggressive bugbears.
Flaming sphere, damage, a DC 17 reflex save will negate.
Marvin attempts to spell strike the creature closest to him with a Brand spell, as usual.
The stench of burnt bugbear fur fills the air.
Marvin swipes, cracking the bugbear over the head.
Carnadine backslashes the unwounded bugbear (bb4)
Marvin can't actually reach any of the bugbears, so he'll attempt to cast a spell on the gnoll at bb4, delivered through his whirling hair.
Laughing after for all of it's boasting the bugbears leader proceeds to fall in seconds, Cassus turns his gaze to the other bugbear standing in front of him and takes advantage of the distraction of Tragershens flaming spell burning it to deal a crippling strike.
The bugbear is able to dodge the burning ball of flame this time despite Cassus' grievous strike. It swings back at him in retaliation and Cassus can feel the breeze from the club brush his face as it just misses him.
Carnadine shouts at the prone bugbear and hacks down at him (bb4).
Round 4
If Carnadine's blow takes down the bugbear (BB4), then Tragershen will send the flaming sphere at the other bugbear before him (BB3). Otherwise, he'll try to finish off BB4 with the flaming sphere.
Damage , reflex DC 17 negates.
He'll fire a ray of frost at the same bugbear as well.
To hit ranged touch attack.
Damage
Cassus follows up with a further strike on the injured bugbear, intent on finishing it off before moving on to it's companions.
Marvin, unable to move up to any bugbears without provoking, strikes again at 10' range with his hair.
Tragershen burns the prone bugbears backfur off and Carnadine cuts off its head but not before the other two give deep wounds to both Carnadine and Cassuss . Marvin's hair misses its target.
"Captain, we can't have all the fun." Carnadine withdraws behind the captain.
Round 5.
Sensing that the power of his spell has run its course, Tragershen sends it one last time at the bugbear . The flame splashes against it and dissipates. He follows up the flame with a freezing bolt, hoping the contradiction will shock the bugbear into unconsciousness. He finds it harder to land a hit with the ray since he doesn't want to hit his allies.
Flaming sphere damage, DC 17 reflex save negates.
Ray of Frost
Damage
Marvin casts another Brand spell, and 5' steps downwards, delivering a spellstrike against the Bugbear there.
"This is asinine!" he calls out to the bugbears. "I'd rather not kill you all and have to do this unloading ourselves. Can we talk reasonably yet?"
Tragershen's fireball is dodged as well as his ray of frost and the bugbear hits out at Cassus again wounding him and causing him to fall, bleeding out. Carnadine pulls back and Marvin and Kargeld step forward cutting down the wounded bugbear leaving only 1 left. Seeing he is the only one left he makes to flee.
Kargeld slices him with his axe.
"This one lives!" Marvin shouts. "We need information, and cooperation if we can get it."
Carnadine infuses himself with infernal fires.
Some times it's better to retreat to fight another day.
Round 6
Based on Marvin wanting to keep the one alive, Tragershen will delay and see if he surrenders.