Samar focuses on the red gnoll then fires a pair of arrows at him.
Scipio combines fire with Samar having had a recent reminder of how resilient gnolls can be.
Scipio combines fire with Samar having had a recent reminder of how resilient gnolls can be, and succeeds in dealing heavy damage before the gnolls can react.
The front gnolls yip, one in excitement, the other in pain, and both reach the warriors in front of them. The closest one, still bleeding from crossbow bolts, sweeps its battleaxe at Scipio but manages to strike sparks from the rock.
In common, the gnoll leader roars:
"Know that Zakfah will eat your hearts, and trick the manticore with your bones!"
He rushes forward, still just behind his charges, and pulls out a wicked composite bow. His presence clearly bolsters the others.
Samar focuses on the red gnoll then fires a pair of arrows at him. The first goes wild, but the second further injures the yipping creature. He stands, but likely not for much longer.
Neshim takes the opportunity to whistle cheerfully as he begins to fire off his own arrows.
As the injured gnoll falls, he switches to shooting at the one next to it, also causing injury.
Initiative
Scipio
Gnoll Warrior Red - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Gnoll Warrior Cyan - AC 16, TAC 15 -4 hp
Zakfah - AC 19, TAC 16
Samar
Neshim
Scipio stays focused trying to concentrate on one gnoll at a time. "That's one down, keep it up."
Scipio lands a pair of solid blows on the next gnoll, if neither is as deadly as previously.
The gnoll snarls at him, slashing wildly
The gnoll leader who identified himself as Zakfah shoots at Scipio, draws his scimitar, and steps forward to face the monk.
Neshim continues to whistle - and shoots fatally.
Only Zakfah remains, and he has nowhere else to run.
Initiative
Samar
Scipio
Gnoll Warrior Red - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Gnoll Warrior Cyan - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Zakfah - AC 19, TAC 16
Neshim
Scipio does his best to hit Zakfah but finds the gnolls defenses that bit more resilient than it's underlings.
Samar drops her bow and focuses on the last gnoll. She draws a hatchet and attacks with it. Then she does the same with her second hatchet, drawing and swinging it at the remaining gnoll in a single smooth action.
Scipio does his best to hit Zakfah but finds the gnolls defenses that bit more resilient than it's underlings.
Samar drops her bow and focuses on the last gnoll. She draws a hatchet and attacks with it. Then she does the same with her second hatchet, drawing and swinging it at the remaining gnoll in a single smooth action.
Zakfah seeks vengeance - and a way out - through the party. And he aims to carve it with his scimitar! Unfortunately for him, his blows are stronger than they are accurate.
Forceful
This weapon becomes more dangerous when you build
up momentum. When you attack with it more than once on
your turn, the second attack adds a circumstance bonus to
damage equal to the number of weapon damage dice, and each
subsequent attack adds a circumstance bonus to damage equal
to double the number of weapon damage dice.
Sweep
This weapon makes wide sweeping or spinning attacks,
making it easier to attack multiple enemies. When you attack
with this weapon, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your
attack roll if you already attempted an attack this turn against
a creature other than the target of this attack.
Neshim focuses too much on keeping a tune, and less on his archery.
Only Zakfah remains, and he has nowhere else to run.
Initiative
Samar
Scipio
Gnoll Warrior Red - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Gnoll Warrior Cyan - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Zakfah - AC 19, TAC 16 -7 hp
Neshim
Determined to finish the gnoll, Samar unleashes a barrage of swings!
Scipio manages to breach the gnolls defences.
Scipio and Samar both draw blood, but Zakfah is considerably more resilient than his underlings were.
Zakfah retaliates immediately, striking Samar!
Forceful
This weapon becomes more dangerous when you build
up momentum. When you attack with it more than once on
your turn, the second attack adds a circumstance bonus to
damage equal to the number of weapon damage dice, and each
subsequent attack adds a circumstance bonus to damage equal
to double the number of weapon damage dice.
Sweep
This weapon makes wide sweeping or spinning attacks,
making it easier to attack multiple enemies. When you attack
with this weapon, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your
attack roll if you already attempted an attack this turn against
a creature other than the target of this attack.
Neshim does focus this time, hurting Zakfah!
Initiative
Samar -12hp
Scipio
Gnoll Warrior Red - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Gnoll Warrior Cyan - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Zakfah - AC 19, TAC 16 -27 hp
Neshim
Scipio lands another blow on the gnoll.
Samar scowls and continues her attack on the gnoll, hoping to take him down before she gets hurt again.
Scipio lands another blow on the gnoll. Samar scowls and continues her attack on the gnoll, hoping to take him down before she gets hurt again - and very nearly does so.
Zakfah, sensing his end is near, roars and swings hard!
Forceful
This weapon becomes more dangerous when you build
up momentum. When you attack with it more than once on
your turn, the second attack adds a circumstance bonus to
damage equal to the number of weapon damage dice, and each
subsequent attack adds a circumstance bonus to damage equal
to double the number of weapon damage dice.
Sweep
This weapon makes wide sweeping or spinning attacks,
making it easier to attack multiple enemies. When you attack
with this weapon, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your
attack roll if you already attempted an attack this turn against
a creature other than the target of this attack.
Neshim hums cheerily right as he puts an arrow through Zakfah's right eye, ending the gnoll's fury.
Initiative
Samar -21hp
Scipio
Gnoll Warrior Red - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Gnoll Warrior Cyan - AC 16, TAC 15 -31 hp Dead
Zakfah - AC 19, TAC 16 -68 hp Dead
Neshim
Searching the bodies, you find evidence of the posessions of a fourth gnoll - who likely met a grim fate.
3 battleaxes
3 leather armor
3 shortbows with 60 arrows
Scimitar
Composite shortbow with 19 arrows
Hide armor
Samar collects the loot and stuffs it in her bag. Then she pulls out her healing kit and tries to tend everyones wounds.
But it doesn't help any.
"Want to check out the first room. If it's safe we can bed down inside the tomb. Or we can camp out here."
Either way she wanders up to the stone door and examines it.
The mountain ledge narrows significantly before coming to an end below an overhanging shelf of rock, but directly to the east, a door of solid black stone has been set into the mountainside. At one point, the door may have been difficult to notice, but recent damage, as if inflicted by poorly crafted tools, has made the mysterious doorway quite apparent.
Samar's keen eyes do not spot an obvious handle for the door, but do spy a hidden latch concealed in the rocks near the door’s base. Whether it is safe to use is another question.
Neshim takes it upon himself to fiddle with the lever.
He finds and disarms a trap connected to the lever, which he now assures the others is entirely safe to pull.
Samar raises an eyebrow at him then pulls the lever.
Scipio keeps his weapons at the ready in case some kind of undead or construct guardian has stayed waiting for a very long time. He stays alert for traps when they get ready to move in.
This large cavern seems to have been dedicated to the ideals of water and earth. A set of rough natural stairs leads down from the main passage into this natural chamber. Holes piercing the walls of the cave allow rivulets of water to filter into this room, flooding the floor. Several flat-topped stones project above the water.
"Let's clear those bodies away from outside before resting here to regain our strength."
"Sounds good," Samar replies. She stows her weapons, robs the gnolls of everything of value, and kicks their corpses off the cliff. Then she settles down for the night. "I'll take first watch."
The trio get to rest undisturbed. To their left, is the watery cavern. To the south-east, faint heat. To the north-east, silence.
Scripio heads into the watery cavern staying alert for trap, threats and secret door.
Feeling much better after a good rest, Samar follows after Scipio with her shortbow in hand.
The water in this room is 15 feet deep but calm, requiring a PC to succeed at a DC 12 Athletics check to Swim through. A PC must succeed at a DC 10 Athletics check to Climb onto one of the rocky outcroppings from the water. Each outcropping rises just 1 foot above the water’s surface, or 5 feet for the stones in the northeastern chamber; a creature in the water can Take Cover behind these larger stones.
The group notices notices in the gloom that, while much water flows into the room, the level has remained constant consistently. This seems planned.
"I see nothing of note. I'd rather not give our presence away by walking about the rest of this place sopping wet. Let's come back here." Unless someone objects Scipio heads off to the corridor in the east.
"Interesting..." Samar remarks. "And agreed. Let's look for the bauble someplace dry."
On the right, a set of stairs tiled in red and white leads upward and around a bend. Ahead, the corridor turns to the left.
Samar gives both passages a bit of a look see, curious if anything frequents either path, or there's any traps along their length.
Scipio takes a cue from Samar and defaults to caution as they investigate the tomb.
The stairs emerge onto a small landing before an almost spherical room. This chamber appears to be a tribute to air and fire, with a high, domed ceiling and bowl-shaped floor. Small lava flows trickle from the walls to collect in a pool below, from which a column of smoke pours up to roil against the ceiling above.
Two strange creatures wander the room. A burning horse with fiery spines on its back and the rough shape of a vulture made of mist and smoke.
Before anyone can react, Neshim whispers knowingly:
"Elementals of fire and air. The one of fire is stronger."
A straight hallway separates an ornate stone door on the western wall from a circular room to the east. The door has no latch or lock and depicts a sagacious man in relief. He wears a robe and holds a book and quill across his chest. Golden accents inset in the stone give him a sense of majesty, but his eyes are gone—gouged out of the stone and filled in with tarry black paint.
The circular room has a low ceiling and four concentric circles on the floor around a dais in the center. Each of these circles features a glowing object or phenomenon within its ring. The outermost ring emits an orange flame from a small spout. The next ring has a protrusion—a translucent purple stone that glows faintly. The third ring
is inset with a small, circular basin that shines with green light from below the water. The innermost ring includes a small vent that pours forth vapor shot through with white light.
The dais inside the fourth ring supports a complex device of brass atop a metal pole, covered in dials and complex runes.
Returning to the hall and looping would bring ye back to the beginning.
Scipio moves into the room, watching out for traps and enemies. He moves towards the scholarly robed figure. "Well it's obvious there's an elemental theme going on here. That other cavern could have hidden a water and earth elemental quite possibly. We might have to double back to retrieve some objects the elementals were summoned to guard. Maybe each cavern contains some kind of hybrid elemental gem to replace each of this fellows eyes?"
Noticing the strange elemental rings and the complex device they protect, Samar squints at the strange contraption.
The device - whatever it is - consists of four complex dials built into the room’s floor, each of which corresponds to one of the Elemental Planes. The alignment of each dial can be determined by the elemental emblem that adorns it.
The magical traditions and equations spelled out by the runes on each elemental emblem can be deciphered with some difficulty.
"I think I've figured out the one connected with the plane of fire."
"Hmm... Wonder if I can mess with this thing..."
[ooc]Lowering the DC on the first emblem.[ooc]
"Hey, Neshim! Quit napping. Get over here and check this thing out."
Neshim chuckles as he gets to work.
First of all, by fiddling with magic devices with altogether too much enthusiasm. With success!
He then puzzles over the three unsolved (but sabotaged) emblems, to discern their secrets. With a great deal of "hmmmm!"-ing.
He ends up scratching his head, musing.
"What did we miss?"
"Like I know! Aren't you supposed to be good at this junk?"
"Well the only one I could make sense of was the fire one but I'm not sure how we can deal with this. Perhaps there are clues elsewhere that might help us. The only other alternative I can think of is setting up and ambush but that might be a rather costly approach."
"So... should we go mess with those elemental rooms, then?"
Judging by the fire emblem, the alignment of each dial can be determined by the elemental emblem that adorns it, and a close examination of each dial’s decoration reveals the presence of dozens of strange runes and a small faceted indentation that seems to be built to house a single (but
missing) gemstone.
Scipio can now can select the correct components of each equation adorning the fire emblem by touching them in the correct order.
"Unless we can find something else of use the other three are going to be a problem."
"Well, let's start in that air room then. We need some gems or something, right?"
The stairs emerge onto a small landing before an almost spherical room. This chamber appears to be a tribute to air and fire, with a high, domed ceiling and bowl-shaped floor. Small lava flows trickle from the walls to collect in a pool below, from which a column of smoke pours up to roil against the ceiling above.
Two strange creatures wander the room. A burning horse with fiery spines on its back and the rough shape of a vulture made of mist and smoke.
Before anyone can react, Neshim whispers knowingly:
"Elementals of fire and air. The one of fire is stronger."
Standing at the entrance to the room, the group can see that the air elemental taking the shape of the vulture remains near the centre of the room, and the horse-like fire elemental is roaming closer to the lava.