Botting Urah...
Urah recongizes this thing as... BIG. And big translates to dangerous. So naturally he bugs out, but not before casting a shield of faith on Malgrim, who seems to have no magical equipment that will vie with it.
The krakken thing starts speeding up and lashes out with one of its tentacles at the interloper, howling something in Terran. Gnasher finds himself wrapped up in a meaty and, apparently, sticky tentacle which starts squeezing the crap out of him.
What is really scary is that there are 9 more of those tentacles and a rather dangerous looking mouth.
Ongoing effects not mentioned below: surprise round
Bold may go.
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
Gnasher (-16 HP, -5 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Urah Pyr (-13 HP, -4 con)
Krakken (-0 HP, You may do a knowledge dungeoneering to get some info on this thing)
Gnasher (-16 HP, -5 con, +4 str bulls strength)
I'll give you a free escape attempt with that and if you succeed you can grow, if not you are unable to grow.
As a matter of fact it does. Much better at grabbing than keeping a grip.
Breaking loose of the squid-things grip, Gnasher began to rage, His paws grow into overly large claws, his eyes glow red, his fangs enlarge and he begins to froth at the mouth. While his brown hide takes on a red-orange cast to it, giving a peculiar laugh. Stepping back, he raises the bardiche high and chops repeatedly at the black multi-tentacled thing.
@Gnasher
You do not have time for a second shot as this is a surprise round and there is only one standard action available to you. Remember to add in the Bull's Strength to your attacks and damage. I believe that means you actually did 28 damage. Correct me if I am wrong.
Gnasher bellows and grows, shoving the tentacle off of him as the rubbery thing is stretched to it's limit. Gnasher steps away from the thing, and a bit deeper into the room, before bringing his weapon, at this point as long as the tentacles threatening him, down on the kraken with impressive force.
Ongoing effects not mentioned below: surprise round so one standard action. You can aim for the body or a tentacle when you attack. If not specific I will assume a body shot.
Bold may go.
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
Round 2 starts here will full actions available. Speaking of which, I'm putting Urah back where he was since he could not bug out quite yet.
Urah Pyr (-13[~25 with con loss] HP, -4 con)
Krakken (-28 HP, You may do a knowledge dungeoneering to get some info on this thing)
Gnasher (-16[~28 with con loss] HP, -5 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Malgrim gathers water and sends it blasting at the giant tentacle monster.
Swooping in the hallway, Tarak aligns to the doorway and scree's out a bolt of lightning.
Malgrim's blast goes wide as he watches the fight from the safety of the doorway, but Tarak's bolt of lightning catches the kraken dead center. It looks moderately wounded but still has plenty of fight in it, and poor Gnasher is front and center. Well, front and to the left, but still... the only one in the room and the only one the krakken is looking at.
Bold may go.
Urah Pyr (-13[~25 with con loss] HP, -4 con)
Krakken (-45 HP, You may do a knowledge dungeoneering to get some info on this thing)
Gnasher (-16[~28 with con loss] HP, -5 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
"Gnasher get out of there. I'll heal you when you get to me." he calls out.
With noone in the room but Gnasher, the Krakken concentrates all it's extensive and formidable attacks on the one target. And while gnasher is a formidable hitter, while enraged and enlarges he makes a pretty easy target.
hit
hit
hit
hit
hit
hit
hit
hit
Somewhere in that writhing mass of tentacular excess you can barely see Gnasher. Amazingly he is still moving, but it is for certain that one more barrage like that will kill him.
Ongoing effects not mentioned below: You may do a knowledge dungeoneering to get some info on this thing
Bold may go.
Gnasher (-60[~72 with con loss] HP, -5 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
Round 3:
Urah Pyr (-13[~25 with con loss] HP, -4 con)
Krakken (-45 HP)
Malgrim blasts the creature!
Urah joins in in battering the creature in the hopes of saving Gnasher.
Bloodied and badgered by the beast, Gnasher drops the bardiche and fights against the tentacles, attempting to bite and claw the beast into submission.
Gnasher finds it almost difficult to miss with krakken here, krakken there, krakken everywhere. All three attacks hit which, combined with Malgrims powerful blast KOs the beast.
*Combat over!*
The sand settles down and leaks slowly into the cracks in the floor mixed liberally with blood and guts.
Urah rushes forward, a spell of healing on his lips already.
Standing to his feet, Gnasher, covered in his own and the monster's blood, releases the rage. Slowly drawing out a potion from his pouch and drinks it, then drawing out a second, he drinks it as well.
Pointing at the tentacled carcass he asks, "Squid monster sentient? Squid good eating."
Malgrim walks up to Gnasher and heals him.
[ooc]So Gnasher gets 2 Con and 29 Hit Points returned to him.]
Malgrim then begins looking through the room and says, "I have no idea what this is...much less if it was sentient. My question is, was that a guardian or did we break it out of it's prison on accident?"
Gnasher looks round the room. It is, as it first appeared, some kind of temple to Revagug.
Any more healing? is Urah going to cast that spell on his lips?
Gnasher (-9 HP, -3 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
Urah Pyr (-13[~25 with con loss] HP, -4 con)
Urah complestes the spell as he reaches out and places a glowing pam on Gnasher.
Having done that, he looks around the place and studies it.
Malgrim will heal Urah. He then frowns as he looks around their surroundings and says, "This place looks...unpleasant. But we are starting to get worn down. Do we want to retreat and finish healing up or should we push on? I do not think we have any pressing business with the Carrion King dead and the old man gone."
Tarak perches nearby and preens his feathers, deciding against returning to human form on the wrong side of the acid pit.
New stats:
Gnasher (-9 HP, -3 con, +4 str bulls strength)
Malgrim Gryh (-4 HP, shield of faith)
Tarak (-0 HP)
Urah Pyr (-9 HP)
Pointing to the doors, Gnasher answers Malgrims question with his opinion. "Gnasher think squid monster guardian of Revagug temple." He nods when Malgrim says the place look 'unpleasant' but shrugs about feeling warn down. He actually felt better than he did after crossing the acid before they fought the monster. Motioning, "Maybe see what is beyond doors? Then decide?" He then moved forward, inspecting the doors to make sure there were no traps and tried to open them.
The door does not seem trapped nor can you hear anything on the other side.
Malgrim quickly circles the temple and searches for anything interesting before shrugging and wandering up to the next door and searching it for traps.
Like Gnasher, Malgrim finds nothing of interest in this room other than the two doors and dad Krakken.
...inspecting the doors to make sure there were no traps and tried to open them.
The southern door is similar to the northern door, a double stone door without any locking mechanism. It easily opens away from you to the south and into another chamber, what appears to be a burial chamber.
This large crypt contains three vaulted alcoves that form a clover-shaped room centered upon a dais. Atop the dais rests a single massive block of deep black stone. Carvings in each alcove and on the sarcophagus itself depict the terrifying image of a nine-legged spider with a gaping maw. Those with any religious schooling immediately recognize this image as the symbol of the cult of Rovagug. Narrow cave-like passages continue off from the alcoves to the east and west.
Moving to the sarcophagus, Gnasher gestures, "Maybe tribe should open."
Leaning his bardiche on the sarcophagus, he draws his crowbar from his pack. Jamming the edge between the lid and the bottom, then attempts to pry the lid off of the sarcophagus.
Malgrim keeps a wary eye on the sarcophagus as Gnasher opens it.
Gnasher wrestles with the heavy slab but , though firmly wedged, it is no match for his strength and it pops open with a sigh of air.
When you all peer inside you see the desiccated remains of a gnoll. The once splendid attire is now riddles with holes as the environment has had its way with it. You are greeted by several moths which somehow manages to find there way inside where even air seems to have been kept out. The more durable items, besides her bones, that still lie intact are a glistening suit of chain, a headband, which though cloth, looks completely intact, a bone scroll tube, and a massive greataxe still clutched in her hands and spread out over skeletal feet.
Tarak finds a perch where he can watch Gnasher work the sarcophagus open.
As he pushes the lid off of the sarcophagus Gnasher feels an up swelling of excitement and, at the same time, dread as some kind of malevolent magic tries to settle on him. His attention dragged towards a bone scroll tube. Believing there is something unique and special about it, Horrible and glorious, Gnasher reaches into the sarcophagus drawing out the bone scroll tube.
Holding it up, "This, what is this?"
He reverently opens the tube, his paws shaking as he attempts to reveal the contents.
Urah attempts to discern if the items are magical.
"Let me check." he replies as his hands weave their spell.
@Urah
Make me some spellcraft checks on the
The scroll is a rectangular sheet of pale parchment, about 16 inches by 22 inches in size. On one side, the parchment is blank and rough with small bits of hair clinging to it. The other side is smooth as glass and depicts only a single huge and relatively complex rune. Detect magic only reveals that it radiates overwhelming conjuration magic and the meaning of the rune is WAAAYY over the head of Urah.
Unable to remain an aloof bird with treasure to look at, Tarak shifts back to human form and looks over the stuff as well, casting detect magic as he does so.
The chain armor is a nice shiney +3 mithril chain.
The headband is a mystery
The axe is also a mystery and it has quite an aura too.
His eyes widening as the 'complex rune' is revealed Gnasher smiles a toothy smile, putting the parchement back in the bone scroll tube. Tucking the bone scroll tube in his belt he begins to pull the other items out of the sarcophagus. Holding up he armor he hands it to Malgrim, "This looks like it fits ghost." He then tucks the headband in his pack and ties the axe beside the other.
When the rest of the tribe is ready Gnasher points to the south, "Tribe go that way?" Without waiting for an answer, he begins to head that direction, Keeping a keen eye out as he goes.
It takes you a long time, with many twists and turns, but you fully explore a tangled network of narrow and twisting tunnels with many dead-ends and loops back to tunnels you've already encountered. You spend about an hour exploring these passageways, but finally concluded there there is no other way out of here other than through the room with the sand kraken.
Many of these tunnels are lined with burial niches, some of which contain strange bodies that seem something more than human. Some bodies are twice as large as a man, some have additional arms and bestial features, or are strangely undecayed and remain beautiful, handsome, or youthful even in death. Though you find nothing magical about them, they are clearly dead and appear as if this was how they were in life.
Nothing of great value can be found among these bodies or within these tunnels. You are able to find what appears to be small personal belongings, rings, necklaces, and such bling, but nothing of real value.
Malgrim will put on the armor.
"I think that might have been the last of this place. It might be time to head back unless anyone remembers a missing section?" Malgrim says.
Having wandered for a great bit, Gnasher nods his head in agreement with Malgrim, "Yes, let us head back."
As they near the acid pool Gnasher pauses to secure all his gear to his pack so he could move the board bridge unencumbered. As he does so he asks, "Tribe rest in cave garden? Make sure good shape in case 'priest' desires..." His mind goes to the odd 'Rune' in the bone case. "Something unique."
How long would you like to rest and are you doing anything about the con damage?
Urah is slow in picking up what the new items does but luckily Tarak does.
"Rest in garden. If we're lucky maybe there's more berries."
The roll for the headband is good enough and you determine that it is a Headband of inspired wisdom, +4.
The axe, on the other hand is unusual and defies both of your attempts. Perhaps with the aid of an identify spell you *might* be able to figure it out.
Nodding in agreement with Urah, "almonds be good too." He then begins to cross the stones. Carefully setting the bridge and waiting for Urah to join him, before he moves it along.
Once they reach the stairs and begin the long climb he points out. "After Gnasher rests Ghasher feel better. But magic help Gnasher feel more better."
Yes, like goodberries. They each heal 1 point of damage and satisfy your hunger for a day. Tasty too.
"Ok, we will rest here. Let me try and heal you some more so you will be fine by tomorrow." Malgrim says as he touches the gnoll before slumping down to rest.
[/ooc]So with the point he would heal overnight I think Gnasher will be full in the morning.[/ooc]
Careful to cross the bridge in his clumsy, non flying, human form Tarak follows the group to the garden and settles in with the almonds. At Malgrim’s healing of Gnasher he does offer, ”I can memorize restorative spells in the morning, if needed, to get our Gnasher right as the rain.”
Catching up with Urah looking over the loot, he observes, ”That headband be useful for my spells, if non other needs it.”
Headband of inspired wisdom, +4.