Mordack is searching, actively looking for danger
At the scene of the wagons, Muriel glances around.
After taking mental note of the position of the bodies and the wagons, Muriel nods. Trusting the rest of the party to capably investigate the scene, she eyes the surrounding woods. She frowns and draws her longbow before heading into the brush.
"I'm going to cover you from the trees. I don't like the look of this."
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Muriel takes to the undergrowth in case of danger, while the others edge towards the wreckage. Mordack is also already on high alert, and justifiably so - he spots a trio of live minotaurs hiding in foliage across the river. His alertness combines well with that of his teammates and the foe's poor disguise. They are more caught off guard than their would-be prey, and stumble to go on the offensive.
Tjrren jumps at Mordack's alert and changes his focus from healing.
"Dagger of the Death Goddess hear me!"
Sweeping his free hand in a wide but narrowing spiral, the halfling points at the nearest Minotaur and casts Spiritual Weapon.
The weapon appears but because the halfling's view is low and interspersed by river plants the dagger attacks a tree instead of the minotaur that Tjrren had in mind.
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Kyra calls upon the fiery glory of her divine patron and hurls a fireball at the assembled minotaur.
As the smell of charred beef takes to the wind, the cleric smirks, "That ought to raise... the steaks."
Mordack will toss a fireball in the same exact spot Reflex 19.
Muriel looks at the minotaur on the right for a moment. She raises her bow and releases a slew of arrows at him!
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Kyra blankets the minotaurs in fire, though one manages to avoid it somehow. He calls out mockingly before being engulfed again with a blast and a scream. His voice comes back more subdued.
"...Déjà moo."
Two of the minotaurs rush across the river, stopped from attacking the fire-slingers by the front line. Muriel shoots the brash one twice as he advances. The third, slower on the mark, is forced to cross by bridge instead. At least it keeps him out of the way of further blasts.
Muriel eyes the Minotaur crossing the bridge, eyes narrowed. She raises her longbow and fires two arrows at him before shifting her position in the brush.
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Xavier's choices are limited to attacking minotaurs, so this makes the choice pretty simple. He pulls out his greatsword, a family heirloom passed down for generations from a member of the family to the next generation, and attacks the blue minotaur.
If that minotaur is still standing, he attacks it again! If it is down he attacks the green minotaur instead.
Just in case, he attacks the minotaur again unless it is down. If it is down, he then attacks the green minotaur.
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Both Xavier and Muriel land a hit apiece. The minotaur menacing the big man isn't looking very steady, but the other swings and shots glance off thick hide to negligible effect. Muriel then melts back into the shadows.
Tjrren steps back and has his spiritual weapon attack.
The halfling begins channeling Pharasma's energy.
With one of the minotaurs standing directly in front of him, Derek slides his back foot into Dragon Stance, then brings the same leg around once with a twist of his powerful goblin hips. As he turns out of his kick, he stalls his momentum, then reverses it like a wound cord snapping back around again.
His voice comes back more subdued.
The third, slower on the mark, is forced to cross by bridge instead. At least it keeps him out of the way of further blasts.
Wishing that she had learned Jotun, Kyra moves to clear at clear shot on the third minotaur, before again calling upon the power of the Dawnflower.
She gives the beast a grilling, in accordance with the words of scripture, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
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Derek shows good form, but his kicks go wide. Kyra's good aim all but ignores the minotaur's armor and skin, taking him down. Seeing this, the other two drop their axes and drop fighting stances. Not the most certain gesture considering their skill at goring. One speaks frantically.
Muriel eyes the situation warily, hand still on her quiver and bow.
Kyra considers the minotaurs gestures.
She then tries to placate these beasts, "Halt! It would seem that you understand our language. We do not wish to cause you further harm though as you have seen we are quite capable." declares the Pathfinder. "We were warned before coming here that your kind posed a threat, but we do not come seeking your deaths, but information. If you have knowledge of value about those we seek, I believe that both our parties can leave here with someone of worth."
Xavier decides to help Kyra with her diplomatic negotiations.
"Yeah! Don't be big meanies!"
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The minotaurs aren't parsing all of Kyra's words, but Derek and Xavier provide a good abridgment. The one attempting gestures keeps at it, and Kyra narrows down the meaning. "We don't know much Taldane, or speak it. We have suffered many losses. Follow, our leader can talk to you if you will help."
One walks to the pile of bodies and slings the two previously slain kinsmen over his back. The other does the same for the burned one. Upon closer inspection, he is still alive, and bears an odd religious symbol around his neck.
Muriel comes out from the brush and agrees to follow the minotaurs.
She points to the religious symbol on the barely-breathing minotaur. "Bamophet." She says to the party.
Kyra concurs with Muriel's assessment of the holy symbol.
"Okay. We go see big hefer. Uhhh...can someone help Derek while we walks? Big mean bull-man hurt Derek pretty bad with nasty horns."
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Muriel, from her wanderings, notes that the Gorebreather minotaur tribe are the only local worshipers of Baphomet. Kyra also notices his mark and recalls that most of his followers encourage cleverness and secrecy. From a brief look at a rather heretical book, she remembers an aphorism of his: "The beast takes its time."
"Okay. We go see big hefer. Uhhh...can someone help Derek while we walks? Big mean bull-man hurt Derek pretty bad with nasty horns."
Kyra attempts to staunch the goblin's bleeding. "Don't worry," she tries to reassure the small Pathfinder. "If this doesn't work, then I can always cauterize it with a fireball."
Realizing that the goblin still bears considerable wounds, despite her efforts, the cleric states a quiet prayer the goddess of the sun and flame and then imparts the power of her divine patron by casting fireball channeling a heal spell, making certain to include the paladin within her area of effect.
Noting that bodily fluids are still leaking from the goblin, she retrieves a wand and gives Derek a good whack.
"That ought to do it." she concludes.
"Awww...why you not fireball for heal? Derek thought that sound cool!" The goblin scratches at the spot where he had previously had a gaping wound. "Still itches. And Kyra hit hard with that wand..."
"There seems to be a compartment over here."
Tjrren is too busy searching and misses out on healing until Kyra has already done so.
Xavier looks at the medallion as well.
He also considers what he knows about minotaur society based on Muriel's earlier knowledge.
He looks at the loot and decides he doesn't need any of it. Then he reconsiders and takes one of the shortbows and 20 arrows.
after have the compartment pointed out to him, Mordack will use his athletics to open it as he is an expert in such.
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Mordack's efforts aren't enough to break the sturdy compartment.
The minotaurs resignedly lead their conquerors to the Gorebreather camp, no more than a mile away. It looks forlorn, full of tents despite most being damaged or in the midst of taking down. The biggest and meanest-looking among them is about to leave, surrounded by fellow minotaurs only a bit smaller. She turns to look imperiously at the new arrivals, but the expression falls quickly. Even more so as one of the captured speaks to her in Jotun.
"Hello, I am High Priestess Mildora. I think I already understand the situation," she says in decent Common. "You've roughed up my scouts. Admittedly, I can rest easy knowing they seem to have backed down. Not an easy task for proud ones like us, but we've fallen on hard times. A harpy has taken many humans under his thrall, and we have been attacked and stolen from numerous times as a result."
Mildora snorts in annoyance before continuing. "You didn't strike me as so enchanted - they don't return captives. He and his attacked again recently, and I've given up. I have decided to pledge our tribe's fealty to another. We may one day return and rebuild, and I'd take even their servitude over that of a harpy.
"But what do you want? Clearly you're here for a reason, and I might as well practice my listening. Though you will have to try harder to convince me than my prospective new leader."
Kyra attempts to break intobthe compartment, but fails. She considers a more fiery method of getting through it, but decides against it.
Xavier attempts to break it open.
Xavier will talk with the High Priestess Mildora using Diplomacy.
"Your scouts attacked us when we came to the location of our ambushed convoy. We only defended ourselves from their attacks. What is this about a harpy? Why is a harpy attacking you?"
Xavier thinks for a minute and reaches a conclusion.
"This harpy problem, if we solve it for you, would that suffice to get your tribe to stop attacking convoys on the inner caravan route?"
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Mildora doesn't seem to take well with Xavier's request. Maybe she sees his status as a holy hand, and takes issue with it. Perhaps she isn't yet inured to reasonable requests and negotiation. Regardless, something strikes a nerve and she steps back, yelling in Jotun. As if the tone wasn't enough her guards have shifted their grip on massive axes.
Muriel narrows her eyes at the Minotaur on the left. She raises her bow and fires two arrows at it before dodging into the trees to her left.
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"Wait, we aren't going to talk? I thought... but... oh bother. Armor of the faithful dead attend me!"
Tjrren focuses and whips his hands through a holy spiral while whispering the rules of the grave, then dropping some bone dust onto the ground with a prayer he points towards the Minotaurs in front of him.
A silvery set of armor appears as if stepping out of shadow.
Addressing the armor and gesturing towards the hostile jotun, Tjrren states: "The Minotaur are the enemies of the faithful at this moment. Introduce them to the Queen of Fate."
Senses Perception +2; darkvision
Speed 20 feet
DEFENSES
AC 18 (14 when broken), TAC 12 (10 when broken); construct armor; Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2
HP 20; Hardness 9; Immunities asleep, bleed disease, death effects, enervated, enfeebled, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralysis, poison, stun
Construct Armor As animated broom.
ACTIONS
1A Melee glaive +8 (deadly 1d8, forceful, reach 10 feet), Damage 1d8+3 slashing
1A Melee gauntlet +8 (agile, free hand), Damage 1d4+3 b
STATISTICS
Languages —; Skills +1; Athletics +6
Str +3, Dex –3, Con +4, Int –5, Wis –5, Cha –5