Wei Ji puts everything he has into his sword thrust, but the elf's quick reflexes save her skin as she dodges the blow, even as Marco seeks to aid his friend's aim.
Frost and Odo try varying tactics to end the hostilities as Pangu indulges his feral tendencies and slashes and bites, finding and ripping elf flesh. She grits her teeth against the pain and slashes at him again, single mindedly seeking his destruction despite her increasing peril. But wild in her desperation, Pan avoids her strike easily.
Surprise Round
--------------------------
Enemy – fires longbow, strikes Pan for 5 damage
Croc – charges Pan, bites for 7 damage
--------------------------Round 1
Wei Ji – readies weapons and wings
Frost – moves, anchors grappling hook to tree on far bank
Pan – steps back, draws and drinks extract
Odo – double move, draws scimitar
Quinn and Bacchus – moves, fires on Croc for 7 damage / double move
Enemy - fires longbow, striking Bacchus twice for 11 damage
Croc – moves, bites at Odo, misses
Marco – double move
--------------------------Round 2
Wei Ji – runs/flies over the river toward Bacchus
Frost - tries to swim the river, makes no progress
Pan - drinks and spits potion of good hope
Odo – slashes at croc, misses
Quinn and Bacchus – fires on croc, misses / stabilized
Enemy - fires longbow at Wei Ji, misses
Croc – bites Odo for 5 damage
Marco - casts color spray at croc
--------------------------Round 3
Wei Ji - rebuke death on Bacchus
Frost – withdraws from river
Pan - moves across bridge and closes on sniper
Odo – uses crystals, begins to cross river
Quinn and Bacchus – crosses bridge / stabilized
Enemy – fires longbow, strikes Pan for 6 damage
Croc - succumbs to color spray, Unconscious for 3 rounds, Blinded for 6 rounds, Stunned for 7 rounds.
Marco – moves carefully, searching for trap
--------------------------Round 4
Wei Ji – flies to land behind the sniper
Frost – casts alter self, swims
Pan – delays
Odo – crosses river, walking on bottom
Quinn and Bacchus – moves toward Bacchus stealthily / stabilized
Enemy - drops bow, draws scimitar and attacks, misses
Croc - succumbed to color spray, Unconscious for 2 rounds, Blinded for 5 rounds, Stunned for 6 rounds.
Marco – double move
--------------------------Round 5
Wei Ji – studies target, attacks, misses
Frost – double move
Pan – bites sniper for 3 damage
Odo – moves, attempts intimidate
Quinn and Bacchus – moves, heals Bacchus for 9 hp / gets up from prone
Enemy – strikes Pan for 5 damage
Croc - succumbed to color spray, Unconscious for 1 rounds, Blinded for 4 rounds, Stunned for 5 rounds.
Marco – Aids Wei Ji’s attack
--------------------------Round 6
Wei Ji - attacks, misses
Frost – moves, demanding surrender
Pan – lands a claw and bite for 14 damage
Odo – makes a diplomatic appeal
Quinn and Bacchus - fires on sniper, misses / circles
Enemy :
Croc - succumbed to color spray, Conscious and surfacing to breathe, Blinded for 3 rounds, Stunned for 4 rounds.
Marco
--------------------------Round 7
Wei Ji
Frost
Pan
Odo
Quinn and Bacchus - moves / bites, missing
Enemy
Marco
Wei Ji's shield-bash rattles the elf and she stumbles toward where Pangu waits to maul this stubborn hunter, now turned prey. His teeth tear the soft flesh of her throat and she drops to the soft grass below, clutching at the wound. A distant rumbling growl sounds her crocodile companion's displeasure, but it remains in the river, still waiting for the disorienting effects of Marco's spell to end.
With her face no longer a predatory rictus, she looks young for an elf. But any illusion of innocence is spoiled as you search through her belongings. She carries a healing wand that appears to never have been used, a quiver of silver and mundane arrows and wears bracers and a cloak, which detect as magical. But most disturbing is the collection of odd bits which she wears displayed upon her clothing and armor. The pointed tip of a fur-covered ear, pinned with the earring it wore in life. A lock of red hair, still attached to a dried piece of scalp and braided together with a fine gold chain. A pair of broken spectacles, still stained with dried blood. It seems this particular hunter takes trophies...
Full list of the elf's gear:
wand of cure light wounds (50 charges),
20 silver arrows;
20 arrows,
leather armor,
masterwork buckler,
masterwork composite longbow (+1 Str)
scimitar,
cloak of elvenkind,
lesser bracers of archery
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The tengu lowers his head quietly and places his hand against the dying elf.
Master of Masters, it would be so easy to let this one pass. So easy, and justified. But justification is not enlightenment, nor can anyone learn from that.
Wei will Rebuke Death the fallen elf, despite his better judgement.
plus target is stabilized.
"That cloak looks like it would be particularly useful to myself or someone who is stealthy. I would like to tie her up in a tree so we can come back to bring her to justice later if we're successful, and if we're not, so she at least has a fighting chance to escape, though she probably doesn't deserve it. Any objections? We have to move fast... and recover our horses if possible."
"Also, Quinn, that crocodile seemed to be her travelling companion. Based on your interactions with Bacchus, how safe will it be to leave it as is or in a further subdued state? Do we NEED to kill it?"
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"It depends upon their bond... But in the end, they are still anamials with inane basic survival skills... I doubt it would charge all of us. However if we did tie her and she regains consciousness, I wouldn't expect her to be here when we return with the crock still alive."
Quinn continues, "Removing her tools of death, and those disgusting trophies, will at least limit the damage she can inflect. Karma has a way of dealing with people like her..." as she eyes the wand, bracers and the arrows.
Odo concentrates on her now peaceful face and the blood begins to pound in his ears as a dull ache comes on behind his eyes. In a sudden flash, he sees her face and hands stained red. He feels she has spilled much blood, and rarely her own.
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Quinn busies herself quickly removing the weapons, armor, and other items but takes great care with the 'trophies.' These she treats like reviered holy objects, cradling them with both hands as she gently places them in her pack.
She tells the group, "These are the last remaining pieces of people i know met a vile end. I didn't know them, but I shall honor them by properly passing the last remnents of their essence into the great beyond properly and with honor, but now we have a mission to complete and time is not our friend."
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"Now there is a moral issue" Frost considers the situation "At the end of the day, our mission - which is for the greater good - does not allow us the fullness of time to deal with this persons trespasses. We cannot directly dole out the punishment she appears to warrant without fair trial, and it was our choice to save her from death rather than let her bleed out at the end of the combat, as our sense of mercy dictated, however misplaced it may appear to be."
"Leave her only with items fit for survival - her food, water and clothing, and a modest sum of gold that she may purchase honest goods"
Frost quickly writes a letter:
You are reading this because the quality of mercy and a sense of goodness exists within this world, and you have been graced with a touch of it, as undeserving as you were based upon your behaviour and the evidence we found.Now that you have been given a second chance, I can only suggest you embrace the opportunity to start anew, and use your skills for the greater good, which holds far greater rewards, than continue on this road.
Should you be wise enough, the Pathfinder Society would happily embrace such a skilled hunter, and the Silver Crusade would show you kindness. Should you be foolhardy and continue your ways then no doubt a messy and less gracious end will await you, for Densa won't smile on you twice.
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Odo defers to Frost's mercy as he says, "She has a bloody past, this one. When she used silver, I thought she might be defending herself from what she thought was a lycanthrope. But now I believe there was no misunderstanding. Were I a betting halfling, I would place my money on her being an ally or paid mercenary of the druids behind the transformation ritual. She was defending this approach, and ther means we are in the right track. Let us use her goods to repair the hurt she has done to us. If I may? he asks Quinn.
He takes up the wand and uses it to heal himself of the alligator bite and anyone else with injuries.
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As the others judge the huntress, Marco contents himself to identify her magical belongings and then shares their properties with the party.
He shakes his head when the decision is made, "Some of those trophies don't look to come from beastmen. I'm not so sure that she's the pure-hearted, but misguided, defender that we suspected from her rhetoric. I know my opinion won't make a difference, but if we leave her alive, we share the glory of every trophy she collects in the future."
The elf's blind would likely protect her from all but the most determined scavengers, so she is left with food, water and Frost's note as you make your preparations to go on your way.
Upon approaching the river to retrieve your mounts, the crocodile submerges and moves away from the party. Nursing his own wounds, it's unlikely he will cause trouble again soon.
If there is any consolation for those Pathfinders who feel such mercy is undeserved, the elf seems quite badly wounded. Certain that you are closing in on your destination, it seems likely you might return this way to secure her before she could waken on her own. Soon you are pressing your mounts to find the path again and it is not long until the narrow winding trail gives way to a wide open expanse with a great mass of vines and briars.
Briar Henge is a bristling fortress. The compound is roughly circular and approximately 100 feet across. The walls are made of tangled thorn bushes twelve feet high, although the compound does not appear to have a roof. The only break in the prickly wall is a gap five feet wide and eight feet high. Hanging ivy covers this doorway and blocks the view of the interior of the compound.
Quinn scans the surrounding trees and spots one that might be suitable, both close enough to the wall and tall enough to provide the proper vantage point.
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Quinn will send Bacchus up and into a stealthy orbit looking for anyone or anything that is moving aggressively towards the entrence. The raptor will call audibly in a series of 3 short screams, she tells her companions, if he detects danger.
Next Quinn moves to the target tree and assesses the hand and foot holds she will need to use to get high enough to see inside the thorned fortress. After explaining some simple hand and arm signals to her friends (numbers, sentries, locations, buildings etc) she begins to stealthily climb, assessing the situation as she goes.
Quinn takes her time climbing up as quietly as possible, but the occasional snap of a branch tells her she has not achieved her goal. Bacchus makes a few rounds, but does not give a cry of alarm. He observed humanoids within, but they are not near the entrance.
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Once the Hunter reaches a point that affords her the best view into the compound, she will make a mental map of what she can see and what route to best take to their quest destination.
Quinn, disappointed in her performance on the way up, will take her time descending to rejoin her companions for their final assault.
Stealth: Take 10+7=17
Climb: Take 10+6=16
_
Surprise Round
--------------------------
Enemies:
Purple – casts at Wei Ji
_
Orange – casts at Frost
Blue – fires crossbow on Odo
--------------------------Round 1
Odo
Wei Ji
Quinn and Bacchus
Pan
Enemies
Marco
Frost
You approach the entrance, some more directly than others, but it seems Falbin's intelligence was flawed. The Briar Henge does indeed have guards and they spring an ambush as you close upon the vine draped entrance. Up above you, you hear two high pitched voices buzz in unison and a pair of diminutive fey appear suddenly, flying above the briar wall. They hurl some sort of charm at Wei Ji and Frost, but neither is affected. A crossbow bolt streaks through the leafy curtain straight at Odo, but his sturdy armor deflects the shot.
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If Wei's cold iron blade was not out before, it is now, and his shield is up in defensive mode once more.
However, he's not quite going totally on the defensive as he offers something insightful and motivating in... a strange foreign language for most.
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range 50 ft.
Area The caster and all allies within a 50-ft. burst, centered on the caster
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
Bless fills your allies with courage. Each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.
Bless counters and dispels bane.
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While Pan is the type to be prepared, he would not prepare until he knew what was going on. Upon the ambush occurring, he gazes at the attackers with feline eyes and snarls.
"We can't even walk without being attacked...this is getting...," he snarls louder, "Frustrating. What now?"
+15 (if local) or +11 (if nature)
+15 (if local) or +11 (if nature)
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Quinn will summon Bacchus back to her and cast Resistance on herself... she will then prepare to cast Magic Fang on her Hawk.
The huntress thinks that now might be the right time to use those 'special' projectiles gifted to her by Pan at the beginning if this adventure and readies a cold iron tipped arrow.
Prep round, walking up:
---------------------------
Marco – draws scroll, casts mage armor
Frost – no prep actions?
Odo – uses wand of bless weapon
Wei Ji – casts bless
Quinn and Bacchus – calls Bacchus over, cast magic fang on Bacchus
Pan – no prep actions
Surprise Round
--------------------------
Enemies:
Purple – casts at Wei Ji to no effect
Orange – casts at Frost to no effect
Blue – fires crossbow on Odo, misses
--------------------------Round 1
Odo – steps up, strikes Blue for 5 damage
Wei Ji - ?
Quinn and Bacchus – casts resistance on self / ?
Pan – identifies creatures
Enemies:
Purple – casts at Wei Ji and succeeds in reducing him!
_
Orange – casts at Quinn
_
Blue – steps out from the greenery and grows large!
Marco
Frost
--------------------------Round 2
Odo
Wei Ji
Quinn and Bacchus
Pan
Enemies
Odo moves into the greenery and strikes at the blue skinned gnome, drawing first blood. The little winged fairies continue to cast from the relative safety of their altitude. Wei Ji feels a tingling as the magic works upon him, his surroundings growing larger, or so it would seem. The purple fairy gives a triumphant shout upon seeing her magic work at last.
Odo's opponent further surprises him by stepping out from the Henge and growing suddenly to Large size! He then drops his crossbow, which shrinks back to small proportions and draws his massive morningstar.
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Round 1
After receiving his gift from his Mistress Quinn, Bacchus launches to look for an opening to assist his partner when his keen eyes see something the size do a small squirrel hurl what looks like light at Quinn. Having lived off of squirrels and chipmunks most of his life, the hawk cuts the air and slashes his talon at the orange fey, but the quick fluttering creature easily dodges his strike.
Round 2
The hawk ruthlessly turns in midair and strikes orange again with all of his God given weapons...
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R1
The tengu attempts to make it through the gate and into the passageways!
...and then he shrinks. This is something new!
"Oh? Come down and fight me, then!! Don't be a wimp like Cyflymder was!"
R2
The tengu taps the side of his bag and produces a particular flower, breathing deep and then flinging it in the general direction of one of the faeries atop the hedge!
"CATCH!"
Marco's grease spell does it's job as the Spriggan fumbles and then drops his slippery weapon.
Odo does indeed detect evil and his less than impressive swing hits home after all, deeply wounding the Spriggan.
Quinn misses her shot, but Bacchus bites and claws at the Orange Atomie and she falls, bleeding onto the top of the henge. Her companion looks scandalized, both by Wei Ji's taunt and seeing her friend fall. One hand on her little hip, she raises her rapier toward the hawk and twitches it like one might do with their finger when reprimanding a naughty child as she speaks angrily in a stream of chirps and shrieks and squawks.
The little Atomie then drifts back a bit and disappears!
The Spriggan then reaches down to retrieve his weapon, opening himself for attack from Pan and Odo. But this time, he manages a good grip on the weapon and swings it hard, delivering a crushing blow to the halfling knight.
Prep round, walking up:
---------------------------
Marco – draws scroll, casts mage armor
Frost – no prep actions?
Odo – uses wand of bless weapon
Wei Ji – casts bless
Quinn and Bacchus – calls Bacchus over, cast magic fang on Bacchus
Pan – no prep actions
Surprise Round
--------------------------
Enemies:
Purple – casts at Wei Ji to no effect
Orange – casts at Frost to no effect
Blue – fires crossbow on Odo, misses
--------------------------Round 1
Odo – steps up, strikes Blue for 5 damage
Wei Ji – moves past the gate
Quinn and Bacchus – casts resistance on self / flies, attacks orange, misses
Pan – identifies creatures
Enemies:
Purple – casts at Wei Ji and succeeds in reducing him!
Orange – casts at Quinn to no effect
Blue – steps out from the greenery and grows large!
Marco – Casts grease upon Morningstar
-
Frost
--------------------------Round 2
Odo – detects and smites evil on Blue for 11 damage
Wei Ji – draws and inhales Litheria Blossom
Quinn and Bacchus – fires on Purple, misses / ravages orange for 17 damage, downing her
Pan - aids Odo's next attack
Enemies:
Purple - flutters back, scolding Bacchus and disappears!
Orange – dying, unconsious
Blue - picks up Morningstar, provoking AoO, steps back and strikes at Odo dealing 13 damage
Marco
Frost
--------------------------Round 3
Odo
Wei Ji
Quinn and Bacchus
Pan
Enemies
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Marco looks on with satisfaction as the spriggan drops its weapon, though he grimaces when he manages to pick it up again. Still, he turns his attention to the next task on his list. "Hominen maior!" This time he points at the diminutized Wei Ji at the end of his somatic ritual, and the Tengu returns to normal size.