As squirm and his friends fasten the rope he begins to descend into the sinkhole. After a short distance down he notices A half buried feral creature. The creature looks up at him he looks at it before
The creature comes charging at him. Bared fangs and claws squirm can easily tell that this is a wolverine. A ferocious animal. As it goes to bite him squirms aura kicks in and nightmares flood the creatures animalistic brain.
The creature rolls back in terror.
As an horrific appendage whips from squirms cloak and slap at the creature, squirm focuses on the beast, channeling some psionic energy
Neils pulls the rope quickly
Christaph tries his best to help with pulling up on the rope.
As does Kazushi, though strength is not really her thing.
Aidan too pulls the rope up with with all his strength.
With his friends' help, Squirm scurries up the side of the sinkhole wall to the relative safety above ground. Everyone backs away a bit to give the crumbling edge some distance. Heartbeats returning to normal, the caravan guards remember a alternate path about an hour back. They know that the other path was not as direct a route as this one, and would prolong their journey a bit. They also don't want their wagon to wind up next to that wolverine either.
Kazushi pokes her tongue out at the wolverine as Squirm is getting dirt off himself. "There was another path a way back. I suggest we go back and take that route. It will take longer, but we won't risk our wagon or injury falling in this hole."
"I agree with Miss Kazushi, on both the alternate route and the sticking out of the tongue at the creature." As he grins at her and gives her a wink.
"This is why I never learned to ride properly, for the record. Though it doesn't look like this fella will be going around any time soon. Do we really need to backtrack all that way?" comments Neils.
"what is a few days out of the way with friends eh? I'm in no hurry."
Squirm coils and stows the rope whilst whistling. An image quite opposite tho the Dromite being dragged out of the hole.
The caravan guards back away from the sinkhole and wolverine at the bottom. Slowly turning the wagon and draft animals around, the backtrack to the fork in the road. Once there, they turn to the road less traveled. In the waning sunlight, they spy a likely campsite and set up for the night.
The draft animals fed, watered, and tethered, the companions set up their makeshift camp.
Looking forward for some nice time free of rocking and shaking of the wagon, Aidan starts gathering stones, brushwood and sticks to set up a fire.
Kazushi assists creating a fire and gets out food for cooking. Over dinner, she suggests:-
"You psionics need a bit longer if your rest is interrupted. I can watch second, with say Aidan first, Neils third and Squirm last, watches of about two hours fifteen minutes each. Sound reasonable?'
"If truth be told I will only require 4 hours of sleep. Do you not want me to take a watch as well?"
Squirm sets up its own little tent near the others, working slowly but fastidiously. Once the fire is made and the group are eating Squirm begins to recant tales of his past, all plausible but far too many for all to be true, tales of adventure. Its little voice drones on long after the others have begun to dose off and retired to their own tents. At last pats Squirm on the knee and it lifts itself up and slumps into its own bed. Soon enough he is dreaming of home, wherever that is.
Kazushi awakes from a somewhat restless sleep to relieve Squirm, saying:-
" All seems quiet. My watch, you may sleep now my insectoid friend."
Though none of the caravan guards would consider themselves an outdoorsman, their makeshift camp is well constructed and comfortable. The draft animals, grateful from the break of hauling the wagon, silently chew on the abundant grasses. After a meager dinner, and some stories of deeds great and small, the first group takes their watch positions as the rest retire for the night.
Though those that remain awake while their friends slumber are ever vigilant, tracking every squirrel and rattling leaf, the first watch passes uneventfully and they shake awake the second watch. At the end of second watch, the third watch take their place, rubbing sleep from their eyes. The hours pass slowly as the bright morning sun slowly pushes it way up from the horizon, bathing the shadowy forest with warm, yellow light. Quickly breaking camp, the caravan guards resume their trek to Vensnak.
Less than an hour into their journey, they come across A squat, armored form trudges along here, barely lifting its feet as it marches. Despite the initial slow movements, the duergar’s head snaps from side to side, keeping a close watch on the area surrounding the forest.
Spying the Duergar, Kazushi offers a cheerful greeting:-
Good day sir. How do you fare?
Christaph noticing the Duergar thinks, Better watch out, they tend to be evil, vile creatures that work in groups. This could be some sort of trap.
Christaph will warily keep an eye on the surrounding area.
Aidan notices the duergar and signs Squirm to stop the wagon. After Kazushi's greeting Aidan watches closely at duergar.
Neils waves from the wagon.
Squirm reigns in the horse.
Which obeys immediately.
From his vantage point on the wagon he observes proceedings
As the caravan guards try to interact with the duergar, he largely ignores them and just meanders back and forth on the path, staring intermittently at the woods. "Gotta save them ... fight harder ... can win ... gotta be a way." He continues his pacing.
Kazushi gets off the wagon and approaches the Duergar without getting too close, observing him as closely as possible and also seeing if she can spot anything in the woods where the dwarf is looking. She asks:-
"Sir, you are obviously greatly distressed. Who is the "they" you need to save?"
"Aye, maybe we can help. We're pretty mean fighters, truth be told."
Squirm casts his mind out towards the duegar
"Sir! Time to snap out of it!"
"Who are "they"? Do you hear us?"
Aidan slowly walks towards the duergar and waves his hand in front of the man's face.
The guards continue their discourse with the duegar. He continues to largely ignore them muttering under his breath.
A few glance at the woods they have been skirting since leaving Arbil, but other than trees, underbrush, and birds, they don't see anything out of place.
More than a few of the caravan guards notice a purplish slug at the base of the duergar's neck.
"Ha, I see it now! No Duegar at all, I suppose we should be addressing you Mr Puppeteer? I don't think my colleagues here will be too happy with you purloining that body. Do you still have those restraints Mr Christaph?"
"Well spotted Squirm. And I think the restraints are the right answer."
"Yes, I do have those restraints still. I believe we may need to try to 'suprise' him though to get them on him? And I am not very sneaky. Does anyone else care to give it a try?"
"I can try while you distract him."
Aidan takes the restraints and hides in bushes.
The duergar follows close behind Aidan. "I see you human. I see you." he rambles.
"We could just...beat him up."
Aidan comes out of his now useless cover, walk to his companions and asks.
"We certainly can. But isn't there a more peaceful resolution? Christaph, Kazushi, do you have any magic or power that can help?"
"Beating is always an option Mr Neils, just not a very nuanced one. Could you not use your prodigious strength to simply grab the... Thing. I will happily aid in the endeavour, perhaps I can get inside its head a little"
"I have it."
Kazushi moves to an appropriate spot, where the Duergar is in the cone of effect and nobody else is, then casts Colour Spray.
As Kazushi gets into position Squirm turns to the 'Duergar'
"You have made a mistake creature. You have allowed us to take control, you may spot my stealthy friend here, you may best our finest swords, pit your mind against our psions, you may even live to stand before me. But then you will have made a mistake. Pray you don't make it that far, I will destroy you, mind and soul."
Not being sure of what Miss Kazushi is getting ready to do, Christaph stands at the ready, trying to be prepared to manifest some power if needed.
After a brief conversation starter and then noticing the purple Puppeteer on the base of the duergar 's neck, the caravan guards decide to engage the hapless dwarf.
Squirm begins to berate the duergar who becomes shaken.
Neils jumps out of the wagon quickly and strikes an imposing figure.
"Snap out of it, guy! Don't be a puppet for that thing!"
A Cagebreaker can channel part of Rumor’s unbridled chaotic spirit into a rebel yell once per encounter. As a swift action, he lets loose a wild cry, and all allies within 60 feet (including the Cagebreaker himself) can make a second saving throw against a mind- affecting effect that allows a saving throw affecting them. This saving throw has the same DC as the original save. If an ally succeeds, the effect in question ends. The ally does not suffer any additional effects for failing the save, if the effect would normally have any. A creature cannot be granted more than one additional save against a given effect with by the Cagebreakers’ allegiance benefit; even if they multiple Cagebreakers use this ability.
You spin, sweeping your target’s legs while at the same time using your momentum to grab and throw them. Choose one creature within your reach and make a Climb check with a DC equal to their CMD. If you succeed, you may throw the target up to 10 feet in any direction (including up). The target falls prone (taking falling damage, if applicable) in the last unoccupied space in that direction. Your target’s movement during this strike does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
"Right, sorry!"
Aidan manifests his panoply infuses one of the swords before sending towards the duergar.
Augment: You can augment this maneuver in one or more of the following ways:
• For every 2 power points you spend, the penalty inflicted by this strike increases by –1.
• If you expend your psionic focus while initiating this strike, your target does not get a saving throw against it.
Kazushi moves to an appropriate spot, where the Duergar is in the cone of effect and nobody else is, then casts Colour Spray.
The combined efforts of Squirm's mean spirited talk, Neils' trademark takedown maneuver, Aidan's psionically charged strike, and Kazushi's colorful magiks, the duergar and puppeteer fall down unconscious.
All that can be heard is the soft rustling of the verdant foliage as the caravan guards look upon the trade route that turns into the Hirauu Forest.
Squirm limps over to the unconscious form and takes a closer look at the purple slug-thing
"Horrible things!"
It bends down and tries to remove the thing with the twisted appendage that passes for one of its arms.
Squirm easily removes the Puppeteer from the base of the duergar's neck. Both life forms slump on the ground unconscious.