|
Arrows fall around Cai Fen as he springs back up like nothing happened. He does however glare at the Orc on the tower for trying to pin him to the ground before he even got a chance to rise. Unsporting.
He throws another blow toward the swarming orcs (targeting #6)
vs Flat Footed. Eat crit.
He then retreats behind the palisade to get away from the pesky archer and take stock of the situation.
Cai obliterates orc 6 with an unarmed strike. With the dangerous Cai off the field of battle, the Orcs believe they are winning. They're not very smart.
Orc 7 moonwalks over to Marula and swings twice! In Orcish he says Kill da healer! By happenstance, he ends up outside the Grig's influence.
Orc 8 sees the hobgoblin and tapdances over to try his luck there.
Nar swings and swings away but cannot hit!
STAND STILL FOR KILL!
----
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 3
Graytusk
Marula, spent hero point, -6 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -37HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Orc 7
Orc 8, flat-footed -10 speed
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -39 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -15 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
Kyrie smiles to herself as she manages to avoid a full set of attacks. She returns two of her own, fully comfortable now with her increased size and power.
She considers trying one more attack, but she reminds herself to not get too carried away and forget caution and raises her shield.
Kyrie slams her shield into Nar's face — left cheek, right cheek — yellow teeth spray. He still stands, but looks a little woozy…
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 3
Graytusk
Marula, spent hero point, -6 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -37HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Orc 7
Orc 8, flat-footed -10 speed
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -57 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -15 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
The arc only grazes orc 7, but 8 takes the full force to the face. Orc 7 begins dancing again, but Nar refuses to become Lord of the Dance.
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 3?
Graytusk
Marula, spent hero point, -6 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -26HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Orc 7 -3 HP
Orc 8, -12 HP, flat-footed -10 speed
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -57 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -15 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
G'nak steps away from orc #8 and throws two bombs at him.
+2 splash, + 2 persistent fire
+2 splash, + 2 persistent fire
Orc 8 dies burning! Orc 7 takes splash and then some more splash. Unfortunately, Marula also gets splashed, exposing the weakness of their Barkskin spell.
--
Graytusk spits at Nar from the tower. Finally bit off more than he could chew, "Lord" Nar? I hope they stuff an apple in your mouth!
She runs and leaps from the rooftop to the top of the cliff, moving out of sight.
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 4?
Graytusk
Marula, spent hero point, -14 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -26HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Orc 7 -5 HP
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -57 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -15 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
Smoking from friendly fire (literally), Marula turns their irritation on the orcs in front of them.
They signal Ina to go after Nar the Comparatively Puny.
Orc 7 drops; Nar barely notices the electricity damage. Ina can't manage to hit the angry Nar.
Orc 3 — slowed — moves to the edge and jumps — barely making it to the cliff's edge, where he teeters!
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 4?
Graytusk, ran away
Marula, spent hero point, -14 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -26HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -63 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -15 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
Nar looks woozy after Cai's solid blow, but still doesn't understand his situation. KILL ALL ALONE! IS WHY NAR KING! YOU NEXT GRAYTUSK!
Nar's greatclub swings by Kyrie's head in the smoke — missing by a hair's breadth thanks to G'nak's cunning. He connects on his last swing.
This is fine. Everything's Fine. Round 4?
Graytusk, ran away
Marula, spent hero point, -14 HP, concealed, shield broken, barkskin
Orc 3, flat-footed -10 speed
Cai, -26HP, Wounded 1, no panache, battle med used on self
Nar, concealed (DC 5 flat to hit), -75 HP, on fire
G'nak
Kyrie, -18 HP Shield raised (5 damage), Everstand, Enlarged (Large, Clumsy 1, 10' reach, +2 damage), concealed (DC 5 flat to hit)
Guyzer
Kyrie is surprised to see Nar still standing after that hit from Cai, surprised enough that Nar is able to get a quick glancing hit in on her. She responds with two attacks of her own before returning to her defensive stance.
Kyrie follows through with a blow directly to the face — with a crunch, Nar's nose breaks… the big orc's little eyes slowly cross… and he drops!
As you pause for a collective sigh of relief, you hear a choked-off cry from the orc on the cliff — he suddenly plummets to the ground, landing on his neck with another sickening crunch. Two arrows protrude from his bleeding throat… the calling card of Graytusk and her twinned shot.
Her deep laugh echoes high above you, among the canyon walls. Have fun with Vilree and her… lovely… children. I won't interfere… and I REFUSE to be followed.
Marula gives Ina a big hug before gathering more fruit from their foliage. They present two to Cai and begin preparing more.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Kyrie switches out her shields for the time being, recognizing how close her current one is to breaking.
"I think sometimes smart plans are bad and stupid plans are good. I think this was one of those times."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Marula shrugs.
"The breeze guides seeds
To unexpected, fertile soil.
They trust nature's plan."
Ina licks Cai's wounds after they stitch together.
"I think we just got lucky."
Nar has a a +1 Greatclub and a couple hatchets. He also has hide armor that has merged with his own skin after months of not washing — you are free peel it off and use it if you need hhide armor that badly.
He also has a bronze key. It looks important.
----
You investigate the orcs' hut first. In the center is a massive stone throne. Crudely carved with howling orc faces, the chair is clearly intended to intimidate. Flanking it are two massive leather canvases featuring simplistic paintings. On the left is an image of a mountain peak with an orc head howling up at it from a great cavern at the mountain’s heart. On the right is the image of a tall, slender woman with black hair. Her ears suggest she is elven or half-elven. In one hand, she holds a large beaker overflowing with green liquid; in the other, she holds naked fire.
You notice two eyes on the throne that look like buttons, revealing a secret compartmnt. Insideis a bag containing 28 gp in silver and copper pieces, a flawed sapphire worth 20 gp, a scroll of heal (2nd level), a scroll of sound burst, and a scroll of restoration. There is also a straw doll with button eyes, long ears, and several strands of a humanoid's black hair glued to its head.
----
At the back wall, you can make out a curtain partly concealing an opening into the cliff face. Behind is a connected pair of cramped chambers that stink of sweat and campfire smoke. The floor is covered in debris and piles of filth. Almost a dozen sleeping mats are nestled in nooks and built into the walls throughout this space.
The orcs do not have much of value, but there are a few things of interest to be found here. Scattered among the nooks is 37 sp, 52 cp, and a lot of damaged or shoddy common items (such as ropes, whetstones, backpacks, and candles). Marula finds a small cache located under a rock beneath a bedroll. This cache contains an invisibility potion and a silver key.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Invisibility potion - Cai
Scroll of sound burst - Guyzer
Scroll of heal - Marula
Scroll of restoration - Marula
Greatclub +1
Hatchets (2)
Marula focuses on the architecture more than the squalid decor.
"Life flows like water
Through civilization's halls.
Here that flow is dammed."
Over the course of a lengthy pause, Marula repairs Kyrie's shield and their own. They cultivate excellent berries as needed.
Marula teases Cai,
"Just give me a toss.
I'll find the highest ground I can.
Like sparrow flying."
Kyrie thanks Marula for the help with repairs and straps on her favored shield once more, now with the added rune. She has spent the time waiting for repairs attempting to clean the rune as best she can.
”I think it is best to clear the ground level doors first. I would not like to be surrounded upstairs and cut off.”
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
G'nak, who was never allowed such a childhood possession, takes the straw doll and hides it away in his pack. He then studies the portrait and tries to recall what the green potion or handful of fire might refer to.
G'nak notices that the beaker might be overflowing with pus. The flame in her right hand seems white-tinged, like positive energy.
----
You make your way to the second floor of the tower, finding nothing but a some broken chairs. There's a ladder rising to a closed hatch that leads to the roof, where you find a bucket with around a hundred arrows and a rack of javelins.
You move down to the first floos, which is also emprt bt leads into a small reception hall. A worn carpet stretches from the doors to another double door across the way. To the left is a curved wall with a map of the nearby area painted on it. Spite’s Cradle is in the center, with lines drawn to all of the nearby major settlements and noting travel times by horse.
Where Etran’s Folly should be, there is only a simple legend that reads “Ruins of Plaguestone.”
In this room are two whirlwind-like creatures! They churn in the air, and attack!
It looks like these creatures were guarding the door, and coming in from the stairs behind has given you the drop!
At least they're not Orcs, round 1
Arcana or Narure to ID.
Marula
G'nak
Cai
Kyrie
Guyzer
Hawk 2
Hawk 1
Marula steps back into the room, getting a bede on one of the air hawks.
Not knowing what the creatures might be, they urge Ina to attack. She moves into the room and nips at the closest creature.
|
|
Cai Fen darts in to flank with Ina and performs a Rebounding Strike with his war flail.
vs flat footed
vs flat footed
Trigger: An enemy misses Cai Fen by 10 or more, or rolls a natural 1 on an attack. Cai Fen must have performed confident finish on his last turn or must have panache (which he loses).
Result:
(-1 if unarmed, -3 if unarmed and attempting lethal damage)
+2 with panache.
+2 with panache.
Kyrie enters the room, her shield up and her stance ready for battle.
You easily dispatch the elementals and spend a few minutes healing up before making your way further in.
The next room is a study. There are tomes full of alchemical treatises lining the shelves here — you could study them for an hour if you like, researching any particular questions you might have (after all, good research needs a direction).
There is a pair of brass goggles on the top shelf, seemingly forgotten; the two triple-paned lenses telescope back and forth independently using a series of tiny, complex gears that lock into place. The sides are engraved with flame patterns. They are Alchemist Goggles!
There are two doors here; one (labeled "A" on the map) goes further in towards the canyon walls. The other (labeled "B" on the map) enters the tower by the second palisade.
G’nak happily takes the goggles and puts them on.
He researches the vial of puss and the flame of positive energy.
G'nak researches the pus. He finds research into some kind of virulent poison that spreads like a green gas. It causes the skin to burst before kills the victim.
G'nak cannot find any information about cleansing flame. Mostly, any research into flame is based around its destructive powers.
The door is locked, but opens with the silver key you found in the orcs' sleeping area.
The door swings open to reveal a well-appointed lounge. Off to one side, a pair of padded chairs sit in front of a fireplace lit with faintly glowing embers. Two bookcases flank the fireplace along the curved wall; they are filled with tomes, scrolls, and an assortment of odd and esoteric objects. Nearby, a staircase goes up to a second level, and a door stands partly open, leading into a kitchen.
There are stairs going up and doors going to an interior chamber.
You search the room.
In a bookcase, you find a ledger of business dealings. Some of them match Bort's ledger. While most of these dealings were ordinary in nature, there are also orders for increasing amounts of vile-sounding reagents such as corpse blood, essence of bile, and fester root.
G'nak glances briefly at the ledger and recognizes these as reagents used in poisons and diseases.
There is a diary on the shelf. But before you can read it, you hear a clatter from the inner room…
The door, which wasn't locked, flies open! There's a tiny creature that looks like this in a kitchen, stirring a pot of soup.
It drops the spoon and squeaks, trying to fly away! Luckily, the only way out is through the door where Cai is standing.
The creature trembles weakly in Cai's grasp, hiding its face. He can hear sad squeaks, and his arm is wet with tears!
"CAI. I do not like how rough you are being with this little creature." Kyrie bends her knees so she can bring her face level with it. "I am sorry for Cai's roughness. My name is Kyrie. I don't want to hurt you. Who are you?"
The creature looks ay Kyrie and squeaks. It doesn't seem to be capable of talking. It flies over to her and hides behind her shield, giving Cai a fearful look.
Kyrie makes sure her shield is interposed between her and Cai, a fierce look in her eyes. ”I understand that you are expecting battle. I do not think this creature wants to fight.” She looks to the creature. ”Do you?”
Marula waves to the creature, looks to both Kyrie and Cai.
"Scared birds flee branches.
Prey learns of hunters' approach.
Keep it in its nest."
The creature shakes its head "no" at Kyrie and wipes away its tears.
It looks at Marula, then at the paring knife on the rack, then at Kyrie.
G'nak knows this is a Homonculus, a tiny construct made from clay, ash, mandrake root, spring water, and a pint of the creator’s own blood. Like a familiar, it is possible for them to live independently if their master dies.