As soon as she feels some slack in its grip on her, Fenna starts wiggling free of the ankheg's grip. She scrambles upward out of the tunnel as soon as she's separated from the sliding insect.
Fenna is still trying to get her breath back so talking or shouting isn't an option, but she keeps her spear as far out ahead of her as she can so it's available for any help that comes along to grab as an aid for pulling her out.
Kowal jogs up closer and Loads his crossbow
Looks like red is still up so Malakar will take another swing.
Perception Check DC 18
Malakar's Scimitar slices into the beast's thick shell, sending acidic blood sizzling into the air. It screeches as it lunges at the Druid, once again. Malakar, understanding its movement, blocks it again with his blade and buckler.
The ground explodes under Kowal as an ankheg reappears, creating a new hole in the sand. The Elf, always treading lightly on the ground, is able to keep his feet and move to the side. While this eruption has the Witch's attention, another ankheg climbs out of different hole and lunges at him. Sharp mandibles dig into his flesh as acid pours into his body. Kowal is overwhelmed with pain but keeps enough of his wits to avoid being crushed and dragged by the monster.
Fenna has a moment to thank her rescuers, but then fear strikes her as the beast underneath her starts to move. The dead beast is suddenly ripped away from her, disappearing in the hole. Taking its place is the last missing ankheg . Once again the Bard finds mandibles wrapped tightly around her. They pierce her skin and teeth tear into her flesh. Fenna literally watches as acidic spittle dissolves her body for easy digestion. With a tight grip that she cannot break, Fenna feels herself being pulled underground.
As soon as the halfling is sure that Fenna is on sure, footing, he steps back away and pulls his crossbow back out.
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Fenna is grappled again and Kowal is badly hurt. The chaos of the battle brings Brannart back to the Worldwound for a moment.
Keep your head. Protect your people.
"Kowal, get behind me!"
Brannart takes a step and swings at the bug grappling Fenna.
Sho and Brannart act quickly in stopping the ankheg from dragging Fenna underground. With Sho's arrow and Brannart's sword, the beast releases Fenna and dies.
Fenna doesn't make it out of the hole before she's grabbed again by another ankheg. She was in pain and frightened before, but the second attack, coming as a surprise, is horrifically painful. Fenna panics, freezing up. Fortunately for her, Brannart and Sho kill the insect almost immediately.
Realizing she is free again, Fenna resumes her scramble upward and out, continuing to crawl for several feet on the ground once she's back on the surface. She finally rises to her feet and magically staunches the worst of her injuries.
Kowal stares at the monsters to his right and left and no barrier in between. Then behind the beasts he sees movement and the glint of steel. The Elf can make out the tattooed Ranger's greatsword crashing down on to the beast as two guards with spears distract the other. One piercing the creature. Both beasts wail at the attacks and turn their attention away from Kowal.
Kowal hears Brannarts recommendation and does his best to comply in the safest way possible withdrawing horizontally away from green and moving back behind brannart just off the map into the black
Kowal, seeing an opportunity for escape, quickly retreats towards Brannart.
Malakar defends himself from the beast and its vicious mandibles, but his scimitar strike bounces off its armor-like shell. Anya dances back and forth, dodging the monster's attack, but the one guard is not so lucky. Mandibles grab and tear into him. The beast then starts to slink back into its hole, taking the guard with it.
Brannart is totally focused on the battle in front of him.
"Someone help that man!"
Brannart cannot go to the aid of the guard since he is defending Kowal from the Anhkeg nearby.
He strikes with his longsword.
His sword glances off the creature's carapace.
Vexas' head spins around like it's on a swivel to look for the guard Brannart is alerting them about.
I can't pull the guard out with my strength, but I can sure irritate and distract the creature pulling him down...
Fenna looks around to see who Brannart is talking about. She sees the man being pulled under but doubts she's going to be able to kill the bug outright, which means it gets away with its prey if it has decided to retreat underground rather than fight.
She does know a trick that might work quickly to free the man though. Fenna moves in closer to make sure she's close enough and calls out "näyttää banaanikuorelta! while making a motion with her hand similar to that of spreading something around on a surface.
She targets the man rather than the ground, slathering him in a clear slippery substance after deciding the ankheg probably has too many legs to easily slip in the grease.
Vexas takes aim to aid the guard. His bolt rips through the beast and acidic gore pours out. At the same moment, Fenna's spell takes affect and covers the guard in a slick goo. The ankheg's mandibles loosen on their own with the creature's death and the guard slides free into the sand. With the goo and sand mixture, the guard now looks like some type of sand elemental.
Sho watches as her friend Anya and a beast dance back and forth. Finally seeing an opening, she nails an arrow into the beast. Acidic blood bubbles forth from the wound scorching the arrow. Surprisingly the massive insect keeps its feet.
Malakar's next swing finds its mark and tears into the beast. As it wails in pain, the several wounds along its carapace spray acid everywhere. The Druid, in close proximity, feels the unnatural sting of the gore against his skin. Kowal attempts to finish off the beast, but his bolt flies high.
The ankheg fighting Malakar misses again as the Undine dodges backward. Anya is not so lucky and takes a vicious bit from her adversary. She growls in anger and manages to avoid the grasp of the serrated mandibles by tumbling out of way. When she reaches her feet, she completes a spin and brings her greatsword down on the beast, splitting its head in half. The ankheg drops to the ground, turning the sand beneath it a sickly green color.
As Anya wipes off her blade, the two guards work on removing the sandy goo.
Sho's arrow finds the crease in the many wounds as her arrow pierces deep and hard, moving the creature back a few inches before in settles into its grave.
Looking around with no enemies in sight, you observe an empty rowboat on shore and several figures near the bodies of the fallen colonists.
Brannart moves over to the fallen colonists and checks on them.
Are any of them still alive?
As Brannart approaches, he notices Raearg the Bosun and two of his crew members standing guard around the bodies. The two clerics from the ship are kneeling next the fallen colonists, using their divine magics to save their lives.
As far as the warrior can tell, the colonists still live, but they look in bad shape. Before he gets to close, the sixth member that disembarked stands and moves to intercept.
Brannart realizes it is Ramona as she gets closer. "What happened?" she asks in a defeated voice as she raises her hands and shakes her head. "I thought the colony was safe and we could finally disembark." She looks around at the carnage along the beach. Colonists standing on crates, fearing for their lives. Other colonists bleeding out in the sand as the colony clerics try to save their lives. The corpses of giant insects and their burrowing holes littering the rest of the beach. She starts to speak softer, as if to herself, "What have I done? Bringing these people here?" She pauses for a moment and looks around again. Wiping the back of her wrist against her eye, she looks at Brannart and any companions that has joined him, "What now? Is it safe? Was I wrong to put my trust in you? I am responsible for these people and their safety," she states waving an arm in a wide arc from the bodies on the beach to across the waters from stern to aft of Peregrine.
She pauses for several moments as she, once again, takes in the scene. Turning to Brannart, "What now? We cannot go back. We have to make a life here. Is it safe now? What other horrors await us if we stay?"
Ramona stops talking and just stares as if waiting for an answer.
Vexas shifts nervously, rubbing the back of his head and fidgeting as he attempts to offer explanation.
Surely you can trust us, it's... unfortunate that such a serious threat resided below our feet and waited until now to reveal itself. We could spend some time inspecting the tunnels while the colonists remain on the boat?
Brannart has little skill with words. Nevertheless, he tries.
"We always knew there would be dangers with this sort of venture. I had expected - and still expect - Cheliax to meddle.
These vermin are not, I think, the cause of the previous colonists' disappearance. But they are a significant danger that we didn't know about.
I am sorry that I was unable to find any clues about these creatures.
If there are any more, there are measures we can take. Solid floors of thick wood or stone; the largest stones we can find to pave wide footpaths between buildings.
We found no mention of these creatures in the colony records we found, so I don't think they are especially numerous.
We knew there would be risks, and we judged the colony to be worth it. To spread the Andoran way through the power of our example, rather than the example of our power. I still believe that. We still have faith in you, and I hope you have faith in us."
Brannart will add, "Let's have all those disembarking stay in areas we have explored and cleared. There are areas that we didn't yet check."
"I am not one for words Ramona, however I think you are unfair in your stress. We arrived to a completely missing colony and you blame us for danger we could not predict knowing full well we have yet to clear the colony. We have risked life and limb nonstop for this venture. If you want to slog through the muck and the entrails of beasts and monsters be my guest. Otherwise count yourself lucky for your life and gain some perspective and collect your emotions you are these peoples leader and it is unfit for you to panic and point fingers." Malakar says with suprising diction and passion.
Malakar doesn't wait for a response and turn to help with the healing.
Does anyone require urgent healing I have two miracles to bare?
Ramona watches Malakar as he walks away, then turns back to Vexas, Brannart, and Sho. Shaking her head and squeezing her lips until they frown, she finally says, ”He is right. As you all are. I am sorry I lost my wits and forgot all you have gone through and all that you have done already for the colony. I,” she pauses for a moment as she looks around the beach and toward Peregrine before turning back, ”well, we. All of us, are in your debt.”
Ramona looks back toward the ship and squints as the mid-day sun reflects off of the water. ”The Captain has started debarkation” Looking across the water, the companions confirm this statement as the bridge is being reassembled and colonists make their way to shore. ”Markosi told me that as soon as the threat was over, we would have an hour before he needs to set sail back to Avistan.”
The Colony Leader looks down at her feet and shakes her head. Looking back up, ”Can I still count on you to get us through this? I know the people trust you. And … Yes, I trust you too. Is there anywhere I can take these people until the entirety of the colony is checked? I would hope the Chapel. I know I could use prayer right now. But I believe I’ll have to send the priests there first due to the Spirit you mentioned. How about Government House? That should be large enough. Is that secure and safe? Do you think you can find the nest of these monsters and secure the rest of the colony?”
When Malakar approaches, the priests look up from their kneeling positions as they pray over the wounded colonists. The older priest, the one with the bowl-shaped graying hair, responds to the Druid, "They will live, but they were badly burned from the acid of those beasts. Abadar protect us from this uncivilized land. Unless you know of any natural remedies that this wicked land provides, I fear that although their wounds will heal, their scars will remain."
_________________________________________________________________________
Sho considers something Vexas said and starts examining the tunnels and their underground network.
Vexas does his best to assess the ankheg tunnels with his untrained eyes.
"Yes, Ramona, I think the Government House is the most secure and intact for now. We will make quick progress clearing the other buildings.
I would be happy to accompany the priests to the Chapel when they try to exorcise the spirit if they think I could be of any use.
I suppose our first task is following the tunnels."
As soon as she sees it's safe to do so Fenna dismisses the magical grease, cleaning the man affected so he can stand up and move about freely.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fenna feels much the same way Ramona does and remains silent. While she knows there was no way they could have predicted a large nest of dangerous insects underground, knowing it doesn't change her feelings about the near-disaster.
Maybe they can't be trusted, not because they don't want to do the job but because they can't. She doesn't feel right offering assurances she doesn't believe in herself.
Fenna gathers herself, still smarting from her previous run-in with the ankhegs, and glumly goes along to help check the tunnels.
Sho squats in a few of the nymph-made tunnels along the beach. Gaining a general sense of the network structure, she believes that if there is a colony, it could be south-east of the beach.
Malakar considers Sho's assessment and takes it one step further. Considering the non-maternal instincts of many food-driven insects, the Druid walks back to the barracks to examine the hole the mother created. Just as he expected, the bigger hole created by the mother travels due north.
Vexas follows Sho, assuming she knows better than him how to inspect and follow the tunnels.
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A minor gift? Maybe...
Brannart had barely formed the idea when he saw it.
The cloak. There it was, lying folded on the ground. Not quite as she had given it to him on their first anniversary. More worn. Some scorch marks. But in fine shape.
It will help against the flames and the cold... against poison and illness... might even help that thick head of yours against bewitching or illusions.
Brannart smiled, tears in his eyes. How did it get here? It must have been destroyed in the blast...
He unfolded the cloak and held it up. Tiny green threads patched holes in it, looking more like vines. Are those vines? He peered closely. The threads seemed to move a bit. The work of the Fey? Or a trick of my mind? Best to not look a gift horse in the mouth.
The warrior does not know exactly who saved him as he lay dying from the blast of Fiendish magic that took Ingrit's life. He has his suspicions. If I have a friend in the First World, it seems they have one more gift for me.
Brannart dons the cloak.
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While Sho is messing around with the kettle she dug out, Fenna plops down to sit and wait.
Wish we could take a break for a drink between bugs and probably more bugs. It would only be humane.
Fenna shifts her weight slightly and receives a sharp poke in the butt for it. She reaches back to clear the annoying object and her hand finds a small crystal. She holds it up to get a better look and realizes there is a runic rendering of a spell in three dimensions suspended within it.
She squints and frowns as she studies the details.
"Huh, well I'll be..."
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Vexas reaches in and pulls out a back. He frowns at it at first.
A... container inside of a container. Okay...?
He opens it up to see what's inside. It's seemingly empty... but he does not find the bottom as quickly as he thinks he should. Reaching in, he's surprised to find himself in above his elbows, then up to his shoulders, and soon he's fully half into the back.
Soon, the party finds a bag with halfling feet poking out. They extract him and Kowal senses the magical properties of the bag, explaining that it is in fact a Bag of Holding, which holds far more than it seems it should from the outside.
Laughing nervously, Vexas remarks Okay... hehe. I'll not try to find the bottom on my own again.
As the companions spend time investigating the tunnel openings, the final colonists reach shore. A procession of people are led toward the Government House. Several of the colonists look your way. Emotions run the gambit from terror, to acceptance, to thankfulness, to joy.
Beyond the beach, Peregrine raises its anchor and sails.
"Sho, you are our tracker and hunter. Which tunnels do you think we should follow?"
Sho squats in a few of the nymph-made tunnels along the beach. Gaining a general sense of the network structure, she believes that if there is a colony, it could be south-east of the beach.
Malakar considers Sho's assessment and takes it one step further. Considering the non-maternal instincts of many food-driven insects, the Druid walks back to the barracks to examine the hole the mother created. Just as he expected, the bigger hole created by the mother travels due north.