Lexi freezes in place for a while, using all her inner energy to think things through. Eventually, she stirs and approaches Adistan.
"I have an idea, she says slowly to the sailor. "If you're brave--which you are--and trust me--which I hope you do--I have a plan that might get us past the bats. I think that bats react to sound and noise; thus, our fight with the amoebas and your light source might've stirred them up. If we wait for them to settle again, we might be able to slip past them if we're quiet...and if we snuff out your light. I'll be your guide: You can either hold my hand and I'll lead you or maybe you can put a hand on my shoulder and follow me."
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"Of course you have my trust, Lady Dusk. I should hardly be so scurrilous as to make anyone think to ever doubt that," Temmer replies steadfastly. "That may be a method should we have no other choice, but for the moment, I think we can merely avoid them by going another direction."
Lexi nods her head at Adistan's wisdom.
Avoiding the bats for now the group takes the western hall and descends deeper into the complex. Eventually the stairs lead to a wide catacomb chamber that has rows of burial niches cut into the stone walls. These have all been stripped bare of any former occupants. Half a dozen ten-foot-high mounds of dirt and debris dominate the floor of the chamber, reaching nearly to the ceiling fifteen feet above.
Lexi belatedly notices Gurk tracking blood all over the place and approaches the goblin, offering some more healing. When her first spell does little more than cure a hangnail, the bard casts another healing spell that functions slightly better than the first.
Gurk moves to the entrance and peers in, searching for anything nasty like more flying rats. If nothing moves, Gurk will toss a mug at one of the mounds. Why dirt be in hut?
Temmer -- extinguishing the torch he lit to deal witht he bats -- waits for Gurk to be ready, quarterstaff in hand as he takes up his usual position in front of the rest of the group as they continue on.
He stops at the strange sight ahead of him, peering around cautiously.
Lexi, too, tries to figure out what the mounds are...from a relatively safe distance.
Verris moves further forward, her longbow raised cautiously, to better see what has interested the others. She tries to recall if she knows of something that might make mounds similar to what she can see.
As the group moves in closer to the room they don't hear or notice anything out of the ordinary, that is until Gurk tosses a mug at the nearest mound. Then you suddenly hear shuffling noises first from the closest mound, then from nearly all the other mounds in the room.
Shortly after a very large ant emerges from the nearest mound and looks toward the group as it chatters its pincers.
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"Giant ants! If this is a nest, there could be over a hundred of the mindless things in the tunnels below! Target their eyes and underbelly, but beware getting grabbed by their mandibles!"
HP 28/28
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 18
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 (+2 vs. emotion spells, effects)
Tactician (5 rounds): 0/2
Studied Target (+1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks; weapon attack rolls and weapon damage rolls): big ass ant
Effects: Naturalist (+1 bonuses to attacks and AC)
Temmer moves up to the front, carefully checking the ant out for how it moves and any openings he might have.
Still looking for recognisable signs of the type of creature that made the mounds, Verris is surprised when the giant ant suddenly emerges from the mound.
She eventually recovers and draws her bow to her ear, releasing an arrow at the giant ant. She tries to keep Lexi's advice in mind as she fires.
Knowing this color of ant did not taste good from experience, Gurk readies his knives and waits for it away from the dirt.
Lexi relates what she knows of the giant ants giving her companions a better understanding of how to fight the things. While Bixby waits for the creature to come into view Gurk prepares to attack any ant that closes with him. Davor moves up to the base of the mount calling on his God to prepare him for the upcoming battle. Adistan moves up to put himself between the enemy and the rest of the group, watching how the ant moves to get a better idea on how to attack it.
The ant moves down the mound with ease and goes straight toward the nearest foe, which is Davor.
It attempts to bite Davor with its oversized mandibles but doesn't connect. Finally able to see the ant Bixby unleashes his spell as the magic missiles slam into it. Verris, with a clear shot, lands an arrow into the creature as it reels in pain.
Three more ants emerge, another brutish one similar to the one you had already seen and two smaller, but still sizeable ones. Coming from the other mounts they move to join the fight.
Moving around the group of giant ants, Gurk moves in to stab one of the smaller ones.
Still spouting crap about abdomens, thoraxes, and antennae, Lexi closes on the ant Gurk battles, waving her gladiatorial weapon before its giant eyes before attempting a tentative thrust.
for
HP 28/28
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 18
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 (+2 vs. emotion spells, effects)
Tactician (5 rounds): 0/2
Studied Target (+1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks; weapon attack rolls and weapon damage rolls): big ass ant
Effects: Naturalist (+1 bonuses to attacks and AC)
Temmer moves in toward the ant he'd previous studied, and brings his quarterstaff down on it as if it were a club, swinging with both hands.
Lexi moves in toward one of the smaller ants to attack, but being careful to not leave herself open to an attack in return. Her defensive stance, however, doesn't help her attack as she completely misses the giant ant. Gurk has more luck as he waltz's into the room and stabs the smaller ant causing it to turn its attention toward him.
Davor tries to get some higher ground as the other ants surge toward him. He strikes out at the one slightly below him but just barely misses as it dodges out of the way of his blow. Adistan moves up next to Davor and smacks the previously injured ant with his quarterstaff with a sickening crunch as it collapses to the ground.
Two more ants emerge from the last remaining mounds to the west and scurry toward Gurk to attack while the others attack the nearest source of food to them.
Two of the smaller ants manage to bite into Gurk tearing at his flesh and eating what they rip away.
With a cry of anger, Gurk lashes out wildly before moving back by Dusky to try to escape.
Seeing Gurk get injured by the ants attacking him, Verris takes aim with her bow and tries to take down the one that Gurk managed to injure.
She grunts with satisfaction as her arrow slams home into one of the less protected spots Lexi mentioned.
HP 28/28
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 18
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 (+2 vs. emotion spells, effects)
Tactician (5 rounds): 0/2
Studied Target (+1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks; weapon attack rolls and weapon damage rolls): ant
Effects: Naturalist (+1 bonuses to attacks and AC)
Temmer turns his attention to the next nearest ant, the one that could attack Lady Dusk, and sizes it up for a hopefully fatal blow. He brings the staff down, in two hands, with a slightly horrifying crunch.
" 'Ware, Lady Dusk!" he calls out.
Amelexis sees the ants start to eat the pieces of Gurk they've torn off and she feels even more sickened than when the goblin eats carrion. She quickly does a sing-song rhyme and touches the goblin's shoulder, sending healing energy into her comrade. Then she lets discretion be the better part of valor and scoots north closer to Adistan and Davor, keeping an eye on the nearest anthill.
While Bixby stands by Gurk and Verris manage to put down one of the smaller ants with their attacks before Gruk moves away from the large bugs. Davor skewers the one in its head dropping it allowing him to step down and bite into the next one. Adistan hits the same one Davor just bit and kills it while Lexi heals some of Gurks wounds before getting behind her meat shields.
Both of the remaining ants, unconcerned with their companions dieing pursue their meal heading straight for Gurk.
He is much better prepared for them this time as he dodges both of their bites.
With only the two small ants left and the group putting them down with ease, they finish off the remaining ants as the room goes quiet.
"I'm out of healing spells," Lexi announces as she examines Gurk's still-gruesome wounds.
"I've heard tales--tall ones, most likely--about giant ants mining gold by happenstance with their tunneling. Not likely here, but I wonder if they've mined any Irespan stone during their digging...."
The skinny aasimar examines the anthills for goodies while trying to stay far enough away so as to not fall down into any of the holes.
Checking the various mounds, but being careful not to fall in, Lexi doesn't find anything of particular note.
Gurk makes sure to give each ant an extra stab afterward. "Gurk no like ants. Taste bad."
Temmer frowns at Riverside's comment but has trouble disagreeing. He hates to leave the job done, but clearly some more supplies would make things go more smoothly. He would hate to have to run -- or be unable to help his companions -- if faced with another swarm of bats.
Verris listens to Lexi's story about the ants with interest then mutters. "How are they even here?! We're in a mostly stone formation in the middle of the bay. Didn't think ants could breathe water."
Seeing Gurk's injured state, she tries to heal him, willing Erastil's grace to help the goblin.
Verris says "We could rest here for a while, get our wind back. Don't like the idea of leavin' this place without a guard after we opened that door. The Tower Girls could come back and get the other shard before we can get back now that the main thing preventin' them from goin' further is gone," in response to her companion's desire to head back to town. "Somethin' to think about at least," she finishes with a shrug.
Bixby checks for magic in the mounds but does not find any.
|
As talk turns to returning to town to rest and resupply, Bixby agrees that they should.
"We found our capacity to overcome the numerous conspiracies and obstacles limited. We should all purchase something to assist with these swarms of creatures. That is, if we don't encounter swarms of Sea Piranha on the way back. We may even be able to purchase some other items that would assist us."
Once Lexi explains that they can close the door again, Verris is much more willing to go back to town to resupply and rest before returning. She nods to the others and is ready to help haul back their spoils to the boat(s).
Once the group's back in Heidmarch Manor, the other new Pathfinders see very little of Lexi (unless they visit the library). After making her report on the Thassilonian murals the party saw inside the Crow, Lexi dutifully produces the piece of Irestone rock she recovered, secretly hoping that Sheila won't want to keep it.
After that, the bookworm spends most of her time in the manor's library, gathering notes on Thassilon for a future project she's planning. The girl does take a little time out of her busy (and boring) schedule to purchase a small tome from another guest, the Varisian wizard named Almya. After the woman teases Lexi that the young aasimar will never have the nerve to actually visit any of the sites mentioned in the guidebook, Lexi comes to the conclusion that Almya is something of a meanie.
I never noticed how condescending she could be back when she was the closest thing to a friend I had in this city. Lady Sheila was right: I needed to broaden my horizons and meet new people. Now I have a whole slew of new friends!
Gurk makes sure to hide his stash of food in his hiding spot immediately upon returning to land. After a bit of conniving, he is finally brought back to the water hut afterward to return to the stone hut.
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Temmer immediately takes to making sure his equipment is shipshape. Afterward, he joins Riverside, helping buy and sell stuff. He does interrupt the half-orc and insist on two vials of alchemist's fire instead of acid, but otherwise is pleased that the cleric seems to be an able quartermaster.
Knowing that she's only got a day before the group returns to the Crow piling, Lexi spends most of her time gathering the journal, ink and pens, and a list of her most important notes for constructing a notebook on ancient Thassilon.
The young archivist is so focused on her work that she nearly completes the guidebook in one day! She briefly considers faking a cold so she can complete her project before the group returns to the Crow, but the fake sickness act never fooled her mother, so there's little reason to believe it'll work on Lady Heidmarch or her new friends.
Before the group heads off to the docks, Lexi approaches Bixby and asks if his shard-induced vision told him which shard was hidden within the piling. Trying not to sound like a shard stalker, the aasimar asks, "Is it the shard of sloth or gluttony? Or maybe the shard of lust?"