Another card at red. Sustain the spell for the Mephit to move and attack.
"Last one!" Charlie gets excited as he pushes Goliath into the final remaining Xulgath.
HP 24/52 (Enfeebled 1)
AC 21 (23 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 40/40)
AC 18
Haldan's opening card drops the remaining xulgath. The fight leaves everyone sucking air, but in a resounding victory. The mephit, annoyed that it didn't do anything, spends its time cursing.
Chark watches the last of the xulgaths fall and, while amused by the cursing mephit, deftly avoids the snare to pull back the curtain to the chamber from which the foes emerged.
Chark looks about, but the room is largely bare. She finds a battered leather pouch contains four tiny emeralds worth 15 gp each and a dose of some oil...
Chark tucks the pouch away and uses her forefinger and thumb to retrieve the oil. A little disappointed, she returns to the group and begins a thorough search of the deceased.
Other than their breastplates and greataxes, there's nothing.
"Is everyone alright?" Charlie looks around. "Loooks l..l..like the hall curves b..b..back this way." He investigates where the hallway goes once everyone is ready. "Th..this place is full of those creatures. Smells like a sewer in here."
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Tiny sits down to catch his breath "Can you give me a hand Chark?"
Chark has already begun seeing to things upon her return, nodding warmly to Tiny as she works.
She makes a face. Well, that's better than nothing. But not by much. Hmm. She spends another ten minutes fussing over the dwarven performer.
Chark clucks her tongue. I suppose that will have to do for now, she says, worry in her eyes. Hopefully losing these two will break the morale of any others we find, she says, picking up the greataxe of the one who appeared to be a leader-type and handing it to Charlie. We should show this off should we see more of those wretched things. Might convince them not to fight.
Tiny nods, patching himself up further.
Tiny makes sure his heavy crossbow is armed and ready and that Þóðᛞrekkr is ready for battle.
After some triage and healing, Charlie and Goliath double check the path. In the limited tower, there can't be too much left to see on this floor.
Not far south, there's an opening towards the center of the tower. This room has a sloped ceiling at the eastern end, which accommodates a staircase ascending steeply upward from the middle of the room. Round alcoves to the north and south each bear stone daises with the booted feet of a statue, but both statues are broken off at the shins.
Charlie also notes a secret door on the Eastern wall. Haldan and Tiny also catch the barely perceptible outline.
Charlie is Scouting
(Scout)
(Search)
(Detect Magic)
(Seek, Keen Eyes)
(Search)
Check the door for traps.
Disable any locks or traps.
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the door doesn't seem to be trapped.
Charlie pushes the secret door open. "L..look here. Doesn't l..look like they found th..this."
Pushing the door sideways and down releases it, causing it to slide into the ground. The door slides back up and into place 30 seconds later, but opens easily from either side. At one time this might have been a treasure vault, but previous explorers long ago must have emptied it. It is now a bare stone chamber devoid even of decoration apart from four alcoves to the west, each bearing the image of another tower only slightly different from the Erran Tower in shape and size. Charlie seems to be right, it doesn't look like the xulgaths are aware of this room.
Charlie looks over the room as he takes in the alcoves. "There are more of these towers? If they aren't aware of this room we can probably use it to rest for a bit."
"Good idea. I'm okay to continue on, but if the group agrees we should stop then let's do so."
”Resting... would be good.”
The party takes the opportunity to shut the door. The room offers a pungent, but safe haven from the rest of the tower.
The rest is deep, the dreams are strange, and floor uncomfortable... It's par for the course after life in the circus.
Tiny rolls, dreaming of tumbling through pleasant spring grass.
Waking up Charlie looks out the door to see if anymore Xulgath's have taken over the area in the night. Seeing none he stretches and groans. Sleeping on the cold stone helped his back a little but he still hurt. "There's some s..s..stairs over here." He motions just outside the door. "Head on up?"
Dendillion gestures to Charlie in a by all means, after you good sir kind of fashion.
The party, rested and ready, heads for the stairs. Their presence seems to still be unknown. At the top of the stairs there's noise coming from both the north and the south, though the source isn't immediately visible...
Charlie points to the north "Let's go this way." Unsure of which way to go as neither seemed like decent choices.
Tiny nods making sure his crossbow is loaded and ready to go.
The party opts to head north, and it doesn't take long to run into more foes. This large, rectangular room has an arc of faintly glowing runes on the floor to the northwest. The east side of the room contains a battered xulgath corpse slumped against the wall. Within the room a trio of xulgaths stand hunched over, examining the runes. They're not so engrossed that they fail to notice the new arrivals though!
These are different. Each has neck bulges with folds of scaled flesh that extend almost to the creature’s shoulders, containing its namesake bile productions glands inside. These folds expand and contract with each breath, and each fold has a vertical line of muscled pores...
(Scout)
(Search)
(Detect Magic)
(Seek, Keen Eyes)
(Search)
Round 1:
Charlie: Go
Chark: Go
Tiny: Go
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Tiny hustles up past the entrance to make sure his allies don't get gummed up in the doorway while giving the xulgath's plenty of distance.
There Tiny fires his crossbow before dropping into Tiger stance.
Haldan waves his arms, clearly casting. The air becomes moist as he finishes by looking like his lifting something heavy off the ground. The actions finish with summoning a Water Mephit.
[b]"Huh, you're the same Mephit as yesterday."
"Hargle's the name. You seem like a good lot and I volunteered for the summons. Always happy to fight the good fight."
Tiny's opening shot goes well wide, and Haldan brings some magical assistance in. The mephit looks eager to help!
Round 1:
Charlie: Go
Chark: Go
Tiny: Miss
Haldan: Summon
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Charlie moves into the room as he begins hunting the southern bubbling xulgath. Excited at a juicy bite bursting his his mouth Goliath bounds to his prey.
HP 52/52
AC 21 (23 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 40/40)
AC 18
Chark moves into the room and launches a blazing band of orange-white fire arcing through the air at Pale Green.
Charlie sets his eyes on one of the xulgath's while Chark nails another with a small ball of frlame.
Round 1:
Charlie: Ranger-fu
Chark: Hit
Tiny: Miss
Haldan: Summon
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Pale Green: 10
Action 1: Stride
Action 2: Recall Knowledge
Action 3: Inspire Courage
Dendillion strides forward, coming up to a wall that grants some protection. He eyes the xulgaths, trying to make sense of their differences.
He shares any insight, then begins to strum his lute...
Dendillion knows that these xulgaths are likely moments away from sending out an intense musk wave. The scary part is these xulgaths can blast you with bile which slows you down and weakens your fortitude.
Despite the information he manages to begin a bardic song as the mephit begins his work...
Round 1:
Charlie: Ranger-fu
Chark: Hit
Tiny: Miss
Haldan: Summoned actions
Dendillion: Bard
Xulgaths: TBD
Pale Green: 10
Hargle moves forward and sends forth a 15ft cone of acid.
round(s)
The xulgaths waste no time fighting back. Thankfully none of them makes a break for other parts of the tower.
After a night of rest, the party's nose-blindness has warned off. These xulgath have an extra potent musk.
On a failure, the creature is sickened 1, and on a critical failure, the creature also takes a –5-foot status penalty to its Speeds for 1 round. While within the aura, the creature takes a –2 circumstance penalty to saves to recover from the sickened condition. A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune to all xulgaths’ stenches for 1 minute.
The two closing in on Goliath know that over time the bear will overpower them, unless they can weaken it quickly. They opt to bite with jaws dripping with venom:
for
The third dashes towards Chark and pops a bile filled pustule into her face!
Round 2:
Charlie: Go
Chark: Go
Tiny: Go
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Pale Green: 10
Chark manages to choke back the bile at the unwelcome scent as she calmly moves opposite Tiny and gives Pale Green a bit more fire.
A little sickened Charlie and Goliath focus on the dark green xulgath as he gags slightly. "These ones, stink!"
HP 52/52
AC 21 (23 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 40/40)
AC 18
Tiny coughs and sputters a bit, as he tries to get the smell out of his mouth.
Tiny then flurries the pale green flanked monster.
Tiny then whistles for Þóðᛞrekkr to join the fray.
Launch a card at red. Tell the Mephit to breath. Breath weapon should catch both.
Chark holds her food in, replying with a solid strike of her produced flame.
Goliath makes a pair of powerful bites land, but Charlie's arrow is off.
Þóðᛞrekkr and Tiny team up to drop the xulgath who charged in!
Haldan's card and the mephit's breath overwhelm a second xulgath!
Round 2:
Charlie: Hits
Chark: Hit
Tiny: Kill!
Haldan: Kill
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Dark: 3
Action 1: Bon Mot
Action 2-3: Hideous Laughter
With his music echoing about the room, continuing to inspire the group, the Great Bard turns his attention to the nearest xulgath. "The only thing worse than your smell is your personality!"
He follows this up with some humorous finger-picking, twanging out some magical music that fills him with some very ugly mirth!
Dendillion struggles a bit with the stench, but it doesn't stop him from getting under the pustule-ridden skin of the xulgath. His bon mot completely dies on the vine, but the magic of the comedy translates. . The creature's laugh is sibilant and discordant, but it's enough to slow it down.
The laughing xulgath moves around Goliath and manages to close with Dendillion, though he is too busy giggling to attack.
The other stays on target, laying into Goliath:
MISS
for
MISS
Round 3:
Charlie: Go
Chark: Go
Tiny: Go
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Dark: 3
Green: (Slowed 1, no reactions)
Tiny commands Þóðᛞrekkr to take a bite out of crime.
Tiny then steps up himself to finish it.
Þóðᛞrekkr scores a light bite, but Tiny's follow up is overwhelming. The xulgath dies on the spot!
Round 3:
Charlie: Go
Chark: Go
Tiny: Kill
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Dark: 3
Green: (Slowed 1, no reactions)
Goliath begins heaving as the pair continue fending off against the stronger Xulgath. "Can't s...sss.seem to hit this one."
HP 52/52
AC 21 (23 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 24/40
AC 18
Stride, Hand of the Apprentice and then sustain my summons. Mephit moves into flanking and attacks.
The toll begins to show on Goliath Still, Charlie scores a glancing blow and Haldan (and mephit) each score a solid hit.
Round 3:
Charlie: Hit
Chark: Go
Tiny: Kill
Haldan: Hits
Dendillion: Go
Xulgaths: TBD
Dark: 25
Green: (Slowed 1, no reactions)