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Each morning when she awakens, Pai immediately activates her Enveloping Winds ability . The effect certainly makes her look odd, with tiny arcs running all over her, her short-cropped orange hair standing on end, and sparks of static electricity snapping every time she touches something. Thinking back to her jittery energy when you first met her, it makes complete sense now. The amount of energy coursing through her is nearly impossible for her to suppress for long.
”Unfortunately, all the people that we had in the other caravans that were attacked have probably died! We have not seen any of their bodies but a lot of blood ... and do not know what has happened to them! Therefore, it is a mystery who is behind these attacks! I hope that you will be able to find out more!“ he says with hope and fear in his voice.
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Van talks to Jandri whenever he can. With her being rather close mouthed, it's more like he's talking at her. He'll tell her about his youth and his time as a librarian and his adventures. He'll talk to her about his training as a magus, showing her kata with his staff and gestures for spells. Vayon will talk to her about anything that comes to mind. He'll follow her as she goes about her duties and looks for her if she's not around. If she snaps at him, it will remind him of a mentor or trainer and he'll talk about them.
And he'll be smiling a knowing smile the whole time.
Jandri is patient and at some point pissed but she endures... :-)
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Upon realizing that Camon is likely an escaped slave, Pai feels an immediate affinity for him. Having spent much of her life in Cheliax, witnessing the treatment of slaves there, she has a deep seated hatred of the practice. That's why she joined Liberty's Edge, after all. Consciously not prying into his past, she talks to him of her experiences traveling about with her father and later in the Pathfinder Society, hoping that some of the information she gives him will be useful in his future life. "And if you ever need anything, like if you're concerned about trouble or whatnot, check in with the Pathfinder Society. Tell them Pai Shecks recommended them to you. We try to be a helpful bunch." She finishes with a conspiratorial wink.
The halfling is truly thankful.
”I have to admit that I have rarely really felt any kindness in my life and of course I knew that this caravan was probably going to be attacked but freedom was more important for me than any danger for my life! I want to thank you Pai and your fellow Pathfinders for trying to help us all!“ he says holding the gnome’s hands.
The Sczarni definitely will let you all know when the caravan approaches a site that has been the location of an attack!
* * *
Perception
Initiative
As the caravan approaches a crossroads, Vayon and Giovanni realize that something is bursting from the ground ... suddenly three very fast skeletal undead who were obviously waiting in ambush burst out of the ground and are standing in front of you ready to attack.
* * *
SURPRISE ROUND (Only standard or move action)
Skeletons
Vayon, Giovanni -> GO!
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ROUND 1
Arin, Pai, Peregryne -> GO!
Skeletons
Vayon, Giovanni, Pazacku
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As soon as she realizes there's a ruckus, Pai leaps down off the back of the cart and scoots up alongside it. Spotting skeletons, she muses: "Only three? Where are the others?" Targeting the one in her direct line of sight , she lets loose a sizable blast of electrical energy from her outstretched hand. Her left eye twitches as she does so, a slight grimace contorting her features for a moment as she strains with her power. After a moment, she releases it, panting slightly from the exertion.
The blast hits the skeleton and completely consumes it!!
The skeleton with green clothes combusts immediately but the last skeleton in blue is still standing!
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I had hoped they wouldn't have to experience my curse so soon...
Arin hops out of the wagon and directs very rapt attention to the final skeleton.
He's eyes begin glowing a bright white, the same color which begins to surround his hair as it begins to float upwards as if suspended in water.
He begins a harsh, guttural utterance that booms throughout the clearing, contrary to what you would expect from the little gnome.
The last skeleton crumbles to dust ... but out of the corner of your eyes you see two figures emerging from the bushes.
These armored skeletons stand in a battle-ready pose, their weapons held high as cold blue light shines in their eye sockets.
The sekeletal champion in purple charges forward to Peregryne and attacks with his longsword but completely misses.
The skeleton in brown only moves forward!
* * *
ROUND 1
Arin, Pai, Peregryne -> GO!
Skeletons
Vayon, Giovanni, Pazacku -> GO!
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ROUND 2
Arin, Pai, Peregryne -> GO!
Skeletons
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"EEEP!" "I knew there had to be more! Yikes!" Pai isn't surprised by the emergence of another opponent, per se, but definitely doesn't like the looks of the armored skeleton, especially since it's so gosh darned close to her. Not wanting to become trapped against the wagon between the wheels, she scoots farther away from her opponent before aiming another arcing electric blast at the blue-eyed monstrosity of a skeleton.
"Die-die-die-die-DIE!" She chatters, her voice rising in pitch with each syllable. "I want to fly I want to fly I want to fly I wish I could FLY!" She doesn't have time to indulge in the image that flashes into her mind: one of her floating above the battlefield, blasting all the undead to dust from a safe, unreachable distance, as their futile efforts to reach her frustrate the heck out of them before she ends their existence. Instead, she immediately shoves the idea aside to focus on keeping her hide in one--preferably undamaged--piece.
At least her group isn't surrounded. For now...
Pai’s Electric Blast almost destroys the skeleton and after the bird takes a bite, Pazacku’s Katana cuts off its head.
The brown clothed skeleton is hit by the positive energy...
... and is weakened!
Vayon’s staff takes the opportunity to strike right in the torso of the undead and Peregryne‘s air blast completely disrupts the negative energy that animated the undead.
Silence follows ...
You see that the caravan staff is completely surprised how fast you were able to kill all five undead.
”You ... you saved us!!!“ you hear from within the wagon - it is the halfling that probably peed from fear as he has wet his pants.
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Giovanni sheathes his weapon. Well done, crew. With tactics like that, we shouldn't have any problem with your run-of-the-mill bandits. Let's clean up and keep moving. No need to attract more attention from the forces of evil.
Giovanni does a cursory check of the piles of bones to see if there was anything serviceable in the remains.
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Clearly still buzzing from her soon-to-be-waning adrenaline rush, Pai blabbers: "I'm just glad they didn't surround us! That sucks! I'd rather they come one at a time. Then we can pick them off one by one." She realizes that she's babbling, and clamps her mouth shut, clenching her jaw as she takes deep, soothing breaths to slow her racing heart.
"Why was I so scared? I've fought undead before. Scarier ones than this. Maybe that's why. Maybe I was afraid it'd get that bad again..." Her mind wanders back to a previous mission, when she faced down a terrifying ghoul alone, drawing it away from her dying companions as it advanced on her, its stench overwhelming her, its claws slashing into her... "I barely survived..." With a deep breath, she forcibly steels herself. "This time it's different. We're stronger. I'm stronger. And these were just little skeletons. We can do this." With renewed resolve, she squares her shoulders and deliberately climbs into the cart.
"Let's get going. No point in lingering here."
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Pazacku whips his katana around in a flourish before sheathing it, he then speaks to the others. "My concern is that we were briefed that they were bandits. Nothing was mentioned about being attacked by undead. I hope the two are not connected"
He then looks at the Gnome, "Agreed, let us continue on." He then falls back to his position in the rear.
Kazrin is shaken but after a while speaks up, "Sorry that we did not really assist, but walking bones ... I can't really fight that ... never experienced anything like that before."
While the bugbear corpses carried nothing but deadly claws, the soldiers wore breastplates and heavy steel shields marked with age. Their longswords are clearly of better make, if in need of oiling and sharpening.
You recognize that the human skeletons are dressed in the remains of Mercenary League gear.
You also know that Mercenary League engaged in several battles in this section of the Chitterwood, and that one of the more famous of those battles occurred a short distance north of the ambush site.
Kazrin hems and haws a moment.
"We should be safe at the campsite, so long as no more ambushes are laying in wait for us. I won't hold it against you if you want to split off here rather than backtrack after we settle in. But I am worried about going with just myself and Alik for sword arms. There is also some defensive setup I could use help with."
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This livery of that of the Mercenary League. They fought here in the Chitterwood some time ago. Just north of where we are. I'll scout in that direction to make sure we don't get any more surprises and we can make camp. Giovanni looks around. I could use a partner.
He leaves behind heavier gear and strikes out with a companion or no.
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Peregryne begins to search the area for tracks...
"Perhaps I can help with tracking...I have some experience in that field..."
You can also use your aerokinesis to make it harder to detect you or others by scent. You can designate a number of creatures or objects equal to your Constitution bonus. These creatures and objects always count as being downwind for the purpose of determining the distance at which they can be detected by scent. This effect lasts for 1 hour or until you use basic aerokinesis again, whichever comes first.
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"I'll stay with the wagon, make sure that they make it to the campsite and get the defenses set up right. I can use this opportunity to see what Jandri knows about the Mecenary League and their battles. They probably fought hobgoblins. You know Jandri, I've fought hobgoblins before. Did I tell you. I'll tell you about that along the way."
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With a cocky nod, Pai replies brightly: "Yup! I've got that covered!" She manages to stifle the pun that flashes into her mind, denying herself indulgence in the impulse to slap a hand onto the canvas covering
of the wagon. The only outward sign of this internal victory is, after a pause, a slight twitch of her lips as she lets out a little gust of breath from her nose: a momentary, minor laugh that never fully escapes.
* *
The wagon rolls forward, the horse Anka calmer but still wild-eyed as she drags the caravan forward. The half hour walk to the campsite is tense, the Sczarni on edge but energized. No other attacks come, and the wagon is pulled safely into a copse of trees that block sight from the smuggler's trail.
As the rest pull bedrolls from the wagon, Kazrin produces a number of tightly packed kits, unveiling harsh metal bands and springs along with lengths of rope and pitons as he lays them out.
"If you've any skill with traps, you are welcome to help. Otherwise, you'll want to hail before coming back to camp, to avoid unfortunate mishaps." Kazrin's grin is less humorous than before.
* * *
"Good luck. And thank you for your protection." Camon offers before you depart, from the ambush site.
The sun has set and long shadows cover the Chitterwood. Even so, the tracks remain visible to Peregryne enough to follow with care. Before long, the close foilage opens up. This small forest clearing smells of recently tilled earth. Several crude grave markers dot the landscape, each currently marking the position of an empty pit.
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"If you've any skill with traps, you are welcome to help."
Gravitating toward Kazrin, Pai ruefully shakes her head. "Nope. I don't know anything about traps. It would've come in really handy during my last mission if someone'd known, for sure! Mind if I watch you? I'd really like to learn." Her eyes sparkle with interest as she peers over the equipment Kazrin is laying out.
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"... and that's what happened that time. Now my fourth encounter with hobgoblins they were accompanied by .... Oh! we're here. I'll finish telling you about that time later. It ends with me near naked and covered in butter and red sauce."
Van has no experience with traps, but he'll help all he can.
* * *
Giovanni finds little in the way of discernible tracks to follow in the old graveyard at first, as the dirt is crossed with tracks all about.
Ranging further out from the gaping holes of the disturbed graves, he locates a clear series of boot prints accompanied by skeletal footprints leading out of the clearing to a forest path.
More alarmingly, his examination also reveals two impressively sized wolves lurking among the headstones around 30 ft away!
Neither wolf appears hostile, watching the party with wary eyes.
Both animals appear thin and gaunt underneath their heavy coats, showing signs of starvation.
These wolves are actually worgs, larger and more intelligent creatures that sometimes serve as goblin mounts when packs ally with goblin tribes.
While typically evil, worgs are intelligent enough to communicate, commonly in Goblin and Common.