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Jasariel mentally thanks Gozreh for preventing the boars from targeting her in their initial charge, then stabs at the anima, which attacked Hannah.
As she withdraws her weapon from the boar, Jasariel turns in a smooth motion and aims the trident over Ukh's head at Dranald, channeling a stream of positive energy through its prongs and into his wounds.
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Hannah smacks Yellow twice, grievously injuring it.
Ukh throws a brace of molotov cocktails, but only manages to hit Cyan once.
Farryn focuses on binding his allies' wounds, making Hannah as good as new.
Dranald calls upon his goddess, enhancing his weapon, and smacks Cyan once.
Jasariel takes a half-hearted swipe at Red, then channels healing energy into Dranald.
The boars squeal angrily, and press their attack!
Farryn is gored twice.
A single lucky tusk strike gets past Jasariel's guard.
Ukh dodges all of Cyan's thrusts.
Blue covers itself in Dranald's blood!
Kayajima Boars (-44, -, -30; 3 Persistent Fire, -)
Hannah (-)
Ukh (-6)
Farryn (-34)
Dranald (-39)
Jasariel (-14)
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Hannah carves into Yellow's flank, causing the boar to squeal in pain!
It lashes out...
...and collapses to the ground.
Ukh throws a bomb, which misses.
Dranald heals himself, but weakened from blood-loss, his follow-up swing goes wide.
Jasariel draws and readies her shield, then jabs Red once!
Farryn channels electricity between two of the boars...
...but surprisingly, both dodge the worst of it.
The three remaining boars keep attacking their chosen targets with single-minded ferocity...
Jasariel cops a single hit, which damages her shield.
Ukh, likewise, is gored once.
Meanwhile, Blue continues to smear Dranald's blood all over its tusks!
Kayajima Boars (-16, -39; 3 Persistent Fire, -)
Hannah (-)
Ukh (-20)
Farryn (-34)
Dranald (-42)
Jasariel (-20; -5 Shield)
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Hannah steps closer to Farryn so she can threaten both boars with her reach.
"These things are single-minded! What are the chances they're being compelled to attack us?"
+1 Striking Halberd (vs Blue):
+1 Striking Halberd (vs Blue):
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Hannah smacks Blue twice.
With an angry squeal, it lashes out at Dranald one more time...
...then collapses.
Ukh attempts to electrocute Cyan...
...and is rewarded with a pained squeal!
As it falls, it lashes out...
...then collapses to the ground, still smouldering.
Farryn attempts to electrocute Red...
...and is rewarded with the smell of frying bacon.
Dranald heals himself.
Jasariel keeps her shield raised, then takes an (unsuccessful) swing.
The final boar tries to gore Jasariel...
...nearly shattering her shield, and then knocking her unconscious with a gut-stab.
Kayajima Boars (-36)
Hannah (-)
Ukh (-20)
Farryn (-23)
Dranald (-16)
Jasariel (-44; -17 Shield; Unconscious; Dying 2)
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Hannah channels healing energy into Jasariel, restoring her to consciousness, then pokes the boar.
Ukh's crossbow bolt goes wide.
Farryn then electrocutes the boar...
...but incredibly, it dodges!
Frustrated, he then burns it with a molotov cocktail.
It collapses to the ground, smoking, but as it does so, lashes out at Jasariel...
...goring her in the abdomen again, and causing her to pass out, once more.
Hannah (-)
Ukh (-20)
Farryn (-23)
Dranald (-16)
Jasariel (-44; -17 Shield; Unconscious; Dying 2; Wounded 1)
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The cleric arrives to treat the wounds.
Medicine. Treat wounds Dranald. DC 20:
Damage healed:
Medicine. Treat wounds Jasariel. DC 20:
Damage healed:
Again on Jasariel:
Medicine. Treat wounds Jasariel. DC 15:
Damage healed:
Again again on Jasariel:
Medicine. Treat wounds Jasariel. DC 15:
Damage healed, crit:
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After healing up, and harvesting some boar meat, the party continues northward, shortly thereafter reaching Kayajima Fortress.
The forest gives way to an expansive clearing. A gigantic statue stands in front of what appears to have once been an entryway. Up ahead, ruined spires and ancient stone buildings litter the grounds. To the northeast, a mountain rises toward the sky. To the southeast, the terrain slopes downward and a gap in the tree line reveals a view of the sparkling sea. The buzz of distant cicadas fills the air.
A tengu woman stares at the complex muttering to herself. She’s tall and elegant, with dark feathers, clad in simple robes and wooden sandals. A smoking fire pit and a run-down wooden structure are nearby.
The tengu turns and speaks in a soft voice, “Welcome, Pathfinders. My name is Kukuha. Apologies for not meeting you in Sakakabe, but I deemed it necessary to perform some advance observation of Kayajima to see what I could learn about the rumored ley lines. Fola’s information has proven correct. There are indeed ley lines running through the island here, and quite powerful ones at that, though it seems something is interfering with their function.
It’s quite beautiful, is it not?” She motions to the northwest, toward the trees. “Makuzen Forest, the verdant bounty of the land.” She turns to the sea glittering in the southeast. “Airishin Cove, resting by the sea.” Finally, Kukuha gestures to the mountain in the northeast. “And Soruseiji Peak, stretching toward the sky. These are not only places of natural beauty; my research and divinations would appear to indicate that each is a kind of gate for natural power. They appear to be damaged or malfunctioning somehow, though, but I believe by placing special focuses at each, we can repair them.” She taps the ground with a talon. “And when that’s done, here is where I will carry out a final ritual — uniting land, sea, and sky — thus stabilizing the protective powers of the convergence. This should make it safe to establish our lodge.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to access these locations. That is where I need your aid. I have prepared several ritual focus items that should aid in restoring each gate. Travel to Makuzen Forest’s heart, Airishin Cove, and Soruseiji Peak, and take a ritual focus to each. I do not know what you will find there, but I trust that your instincts will
guide you true.”
Kukuha then shakes her head. “We have to do this the right way. Kayajima is home to many creatures. To simply take the island’s powers and position ourselves as its tyrants — I cannot allow that to happen, and besides, honest negotiation is always a better foundation than force. Pay the island and its inhabitants the utmost respect as you carry out this mission. In this way, I hope the Pathfinder Society will be viewed as a welcomed presence rather than a conquering foe.”
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The tengu shrugs.
“If my intuition is correct, what you need to do with each Ritual focus should be clear once you reach each gate. The ancient people of this island, too, harnessed the energies of the ley lines, so perhaps there will be sites where they drew those powers. I suggest you do them one at a time - this place is central to all three locations, so feel free to use it as a base. I would have done it myself, but, well, I am more of a scholar than a soldier, and it could be dangerous...”
She then frowns as she regards Farryn.
"I would *prefer* if you didn't slaughter them indiscriminately, as that would simply push the balance even further out of alignment, but obviously, you should feel free to defend yourselves if attacked..."
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"I will do everything in my power to restore harmony to this land while respecting its denizens," Jasariel tells Kukuha, "And dissuade my companions from any unnecessary violence. Anything less would be a betrayal of my deity's most sacred tenets."
She nods at Hannah's suggestion. "The forest would make a good starting point."
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Kukuha walks over to her campsite and returns bearing a small clay pot. Planted within the pot’s soil is a small sapling, with gossamer, rainbow-hued leaves sprouting from its budding branches.
“This is a rainbow cedar sapling, a magical tree attuned to the earth. It should make for an ideal focus for harnessing the power of the land.” Kukuha gestures toward the northwest. “It would seem the Forest’s Heart Gate rests within Makuzen. Journey deep within—this little one will let you know when you’ve reached the location.”
Not long after heading into the forest, the path disappears into a tangle of vines and brush.
A number of trees have fallen across the path, blocking the way.
The trees open into a field that has turned to mud in recent rains.
As you leave the mud field, a magical mist rolls in that limits vision and threatens to waylay the party.
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Farryn tries to help out, at least hoping to not hinder the efforts to find the way.
He doesn't do much either way.
____________________
The easily jumps at the crafting check opportunity, hoping to be useful.
____________________
Darting across the logs he moves confidently... maybe too confidently.
____________________
And lastly, he points out a valuable little thing about the lay lines that might help an ally get through the mist.
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Hannah lights the way with her Wayfinder while remarking on the beautiful landscape. "I spent my childhood outside of a jungle, and my adolescence in cities. I really treasure the opportunity for treks such as this."
But after the forest condenses, Hannah breaks out her crowbar.
"Mud is only good for facemasks."
"Reminds me of the story of Aram Zey..."
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Overgrown Path:
Perception, Aid:
I think it's this way.
Fallen Trees:
Crafting:
Place the thing here to level up the tree please.
Mud Field:
Acrobatics:
I'm singing in the mud, I'm singing in the mud, I'm singing in the mud.
Magical Mist:
Arcana, Aid:
The mist now. Let be careful with this.
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Jasariel tries to help Hannah using her knowledge of the plant life, but the forest's disrupted ecosystem renders most of her knowledge useless.
When she attempts to push through the pile of trees she causes part of it to collapse, forcing her to leap out of the way of a rolling trunk.
Jasariel does her best to work out which which parts of the mud will support her weight.
"Based on the auras I can detect we should definitely turn left here. Yes, I'm absolutely certain that's the right way."
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With a bit of help from Dranald, Hannah finds a path through the forest; in the process, the party comes across an ancient guard tower surrounded
by trees that have grown since its abandonment. The tower consists of a crumbling staircase connecting the empty ground floor to a partially caved-in upper deck.
Searching it, the party finds a rusted lockbox that contains ancient coins worth 15 gp.
When it comes to the fallen trees, although Jasariel struggles, the rest of the party turn out to be closet-lumberjacks, and speedily chew through the obstacle.
In the process, they find the remains of a magic kiln where the people of Kayajima’s past could create inventions that harnessed the island’s power. Most importantly, you find a small glazed clay toy shaped like a dog. With a fairly trivial Nature check, you manage to activate the toy, causing energy to flow through the dog and cause its head and legs to move. When you put the toy on the ground after activating it, the dog runs around in a playful pattern and wags its tail.
When it comes to the mud field, Farryn wades awkwardly, Hannah fails to find an alternate route, forcing her to wade.
Both fall into the mud, cutting themselves on rocks and sharp branches hidden under the mud that deal piercing damage.
Fortunately, the rest of the party have better luck.
Finally, when it comes to the mist, Hannah confidently plots a way through, ably aided by Farryn.
In the process, the party happens upon a crumbling shrine and trickling fountain hidden among the trees. Examining the ruins, you notice faint imagery of what seems to be of a nine-tailed fox; strangely, you feel a little better for having seen it.
---------------------------------------
The dense forest gives way to a small clearing, the sun dappling through the foliage. The sounds of wildlife fade, leaving a serene silence. At the center of the clearing stands a menhir circle composed of weathered, dark stone. The rainbow cedar hums, its gossamer leaves shimmering in
the light...
The party is easily able to plant the sapling in the middle of the Forest’s Heart Gate. When you do so, the sapling’s latent magic restores the gate, energy flowing from the sapling and illuminating the etchings of the menhir with lines of green light that plunge back into and course
through the earth.
Activating the gate *also* causes natural energy to flow into one of the buttons on Farryn' shirt, which shines with green light and exudes a pleasant warmth when touched, becoming obviously magical and increasing its value to 15 gp!
From the trees bordering the clearing, hundreds of small, vaguely humanoid shapes materialize into existence, each with a featureless stone face and wearing a rope made of braided straw. Interspersed through the branches, peeking from behind trunks, standing among the roots, the blank‑faced spirits stare with hollow eyes into the clearing. Then, in unison, their heads begin to shake, drowning the silence with a cacophony of chimes and rattles. Suddenly, the noise stops, and the spirits are still.
Everyone *except* Ukh realises that that these spirits are Kodama, guardian kami which are curious about the rainbow cedar and wonder what you are doing here...