Khedron bridles away from the worms's potent strike, but bravely stands his ground, striking with horn and hoof. Omari winces at the blow that hits Khedron, and focuses on his shooting...
5 bab+3 dex +1 enhancement -2 rapid shot (no penalties for shooting into melee or 1 person worth of cover)+1 pbs
+2 str +1 enhancement +1 PBS
4 bab+6 str +1 enhancement -1 size
+6 str +1 enhancement
4 bab+6 str +1 enhancement -1 size -5 secondary attack
+3 0.5Xstr +1 enhancement
Ohrmizd shoots and hits the worm several times. And Khedron bravely keeps attacking and wounds the worm some more. In returns Khedrom suffers another large bite wound.
Roryx follows Heshan's example, and burns the worm.
Then he picks up some stones and shoots them at the worm.
Assuming Samuel tells everyone what the worm is, Ohrmizd activates his bane ability. The Sarenrite profits his invisibility to finish surrounding the worm, and then launches an attack on the creature "Go back to the dust of the ground from where you came!"
After catching the beast by surprise with the roaring flames of Sarenrae, the inquisitor pops out of invisibility.
Ohrmizd cuts deep into the worm, opening an artery. The whole worm twitches violently back and forth, before falling limp to the ground.
Omari rushes to Khedron, as the stag is broken and bloody on the sand , and calls on Erastil to heal his faithful servant.
Ohrmizd helps Khedron with some healing too, his reliquary shield shining as it offers the soothing of the Dawnflower.
"Quickly we must jump on the gnolls before we lose all our surprise! Can you bring us there Heshan?" unless the answer is yes, the Kellid starts running towards the dune.
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"I can cast Fly on one of you to get there faster, but as far as speed-boosting magic goes, we are out of luck."
Ohrmizd hurries up the dune. As he reaches the top, he finds that the small army is hastily retreating. Gnolls, humans and hyena's got a 60 yard head start on Ohrmizd. They retreat towards the mountains.
The landscape is sand for some distance, then the cacti again and then rocky hills some miles away.
"Fly can help, but we want to be all there" Ohrmizd answers Heshan "I will try to watch them, follow me as soon as you can"
Ohrmizd hides himself to make good note of where the gnolls are heading. He waits a bit to see if the group catches up with him, then follows them a bit more but making sure he is not seen.
If he sees the party following him, he makes signs for them to approach.
Samuel instinctively moves to the elk and his master. He presses the wand back into its holster and notices the cleric is not casting healing on his companion. Samuel assumes death is the reason and halts his approach. He curses the gods and looks away. He motions for the dragon to return.
Omari climbs the dune to Ohrmizd, with Khedron back on his hooves and following. "I think that pursuing is of little value. I'm sure that they will get to hell in their own good time. Although a fireball or two might speed them on their way Heshan..." turning back to survey the battlefield he asks "Do you think it's worth gutting the worm to see if there is anything in it's crop?"
7 rank +4 wis+3 racial
Heshan proceeds to cast Mage Armor and Fly before nodding in agreement.
"I bet I can sneak in and light things up to soften them up for the rest of you."
Heshan is quite fast with his fly and approaches quickly.
"I do not think it was a coincidence we found them in the first oasis in our path to Katapesh" Ohrmizd comments worried while holding his stare on the retreating gnolls "I fear they are only going to attempt more ambushes on us..."
He remains hidden for now waiting to see what Heshan has under his sleeve.
Glancing back at the cleric Samuel is relieved to see the casting. He checks his pocket and feels the healing potion. When Red arrives the two walk to the dune with the others.
"I would like to know what is in its craw as well, Omari. We could cast detect magic on it. We can take precautions to not destroy a fine weapon in the process. It does produce acid."
Samuel gives Ohrmizd's comment some thought. "Interesting observation, Ohrmizd. They were laying in wait and based on the location of the carnage, they came from the same direction we did. Humans and gnolls, I will need to give that alliance some thought. I can provide darkvision to party this evening." He looks to the sky. With a smile he says "Hopefully Heshan will be able to deliver our message."
Before he gains eye contact with the gnolls, he also casts Invisibility to keep himself from being spotted. While sticking around is tempting, he would move back at the final minute to join the others.
Heshan counts nine gnolls, eight humans and four hyenas running over the sand. There is no formation, they are spread out with the hyenas ahead. A lucky shot with a fireball might get half of them.
Once that knowledge has been known, he would go back to his crew to give them the news as well as the number of enemies that were at camp.
"It's hard to say which ones are enemies, but I can get half of them with a fireball where they are now.
"Let's do it before they get more distance from us" while the others shoot and cast at range, Ohrmizd gets out of his hiding and starts to run after the gnolls.
"That was an illogical conclusion, Jafar. They could have been headed any direction from any direction. Rovagug's symbol. Best we rid this place of those cultists. Ohrmizd, I will sleep better this night if we clean up the entire lot of them." Samuel follows the inquisitor of Sarenrae at a distance of 40 feet.
Unable to keep up by hoofing it, Red takes to the air just above the ground 5 feet in front of and to the left of Samuel.
The gnolls have quite the distance and catching up doesn't really work as long as they are moving fast too.
Omari looks up from where he's been searching and realizes that apparently, everyone but Roryx and he have decided to pursue the gnolls... Calling Khedron and Roryx to him, he hurries to the top of the dune and bemusedly watches the futile pursuit. He turns to Roryx and says "Do you think we can find a worthless blade on the gnoll bodies to open the worms craw? Jafar says that such a worm produces acid... We may as well do something useful, the others will presumably give up this futile pursuit and come back here, so we can camp at the oasis."
There is indeed a worthless blade found on the battle field. Cutting the worm open is a disgusting pastime, that produces more gnoll pieces like the ones on the field, just partly digested. Also the blade used to cut the worm open is still - fine would be the wrong term, but undamaged.
Ohrmizd will follow their trail for a couple of hours or until the party's energies start to fail "Do not falter my friends, the Dawnflower lights our way."
If they do not reach them, he will call to evaluate the situation in order to continue the pursuit tomorrow or completely give up on it.
Following carefully Ohrmizd finds out that the gnolls camp about an hour away. Lying in hiding Ohrmizd gets to listen in on a loud dispute between two gnolls. One argues that they should set up another ambush for the pesky humans that killed the Carrion King and one wants to do an all out assault.
After advancing himself to put his ears on the gnoll camp, Ohrmizd traces back a bit to the main group to deliver the intel obtained "It seems they plan to attack us again, but there is a huge debate on whether if they should try another ambush or if they should go for an open assault. Their motivation seems to be revenge on what we did to the Carrion King."
"I propose we advance ourselves and take the initiative on them. Either trying to fabricate dissent between them or outright falling on them hard while we have the surprise advantage" the Keleshite exposes his ideas but remains attentive to other plans he probably is not seeing.
Upon Ohrmizd's report, Omari replies "I think you are correct, we should seize the initiative. One of your proposals is 'falling on them hard while we have the surprise advantage'; presumably you have identified a way we can sneak up on the gnoll camp without being spotted?"
While listening to Ohrmizd's report, Omari will use 3 charges from his wand of Cure Light Wounds on Khedron
"They are discussing now. If Heshan and Jafar can bring us close to there, I think it is doable. Perhaps even just stealthing fast over their camp, they did not had too much time to prepare defenses." Ohrmizd looks at their powerful wizards with hope.
"This day I loaded for one prisoner not two concurrent fights. That being said, I can still be of some assistance to you. I can cast haste on you, Ohrmizd and I can likewise place resistance on everyone." He glances at Khedron and then Omari. "You could have but did not. We are in good hands."
"I still have some invisibility left, but that wouldn't leave me with much left. I can do so for those who need it and then we can surprise them with an attack. I can start with a fireball."
Jafar casts resistance on the entire party and haste on Ohrmizd just before he takes action.
"There are some ruins to the southeast. We can probably approach from south of there for a better impact." Ohrmizd proposes "Yes Heshan, if you still can, make invisible the less stealthy of us"
The Keleshite will renew the heroism and shield of faith magic before the attack begins.
Omari blesses the party as they gather at the edge of the oasis and then calls on Erastil's favor .
"I will take that." Heshan nods before preparing some more buffs before taking flight once more, staying 60 feet above Omari
Samuel casts haste on everyone.
edit
As the group comes close to the camp of the gnolls, one of those on watch duty sounds the alarm. "<The regicides are here!>" Everyone readies their weapons.
Samuel casts haste on everyone.
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So much for that. It was bound to happen anyways. So with a shrug, he proceeded to blast away at the group of gnolls to his right.
Heshan opens combat with a fireball.
Of the seven enemies engulfed five drop like flies. Two still stand badly burned.
The gnolls and mercenaries come to attack. For now with ranged attacks.
Seeing the large quantity of gnolls, Ohrmizd calls for Sarenrae's destruction judgement while moving forward hastened "Sarenrae let my shield shine with your light against the evilness of the gnolls that wants us bad!"
Omari takes a step forward, and, his hands blurring, launches 3 arrows at the oncoming gnolls.
5 bab+3 dex +1 enhancement -2 rapid shot (no penalties for shooting into melee or 1 person worth of cover)+3 luck (divine Favor) +1 Morale (Bless) +1 Haste
+2 str +1 enhancement +3 divine favor
He then commands Khedron "Attack!" Khedron bugles and charges the nearest gnoll.
4 bab+6 str +1 enhancement -1 size +2 charge +1 Morale (Bless) +1 haste
+9 1.5Xstr +1 enhancement +2d6 powerful charge
4 bab+6 str +1 enhancement -1 size +1 Morale (Bless) +1 haste
+9 1.5Xstr +1 enhancement
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Ohrmizd cuts down a gnoll, Omari takes one down with arrows and wounds the next badly. Khedron rips one apart in a way the gnolls mother couln't tell her son anymore. Entrails splattered all over the place.
With his exposed position, Kedron has to take the bulk of the attacks of the oncoming gnolls and mercenaries.
Samuel begins to summon a small fire elemental.
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Heshan moves forward a bit mid air and unleashes one more fireball at the group of gnolls and mercenaries in front of him.
Heshan burns all the gnolls and mercenaries that managed to come close to a crisp.
Smelling the familiar guano, Ohrmizd ducks his head as another fireball flies over putting more gnolls to flame "Get purified in Sarenrae's flames!"
The Keleshite advances to face the next gnoll, loading his scimitar with extra magic "Dawnflower, let me be the bane of our enemies"