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As the adventurers follow the trail through the cedar forest, an intersection in the trail looms. Suddenly, crashing noises in the underbrush herald the appearance of a sampling of Kayajima's infamously-inhospitable fauna!
With a squeal and a furious pounding of hooves feet, a quartet of boars crash into the intersection. The boar to the northeast proves fleeter of foot than the others, and charges headlong at the gnome, lowering its tusks to gore.
The boar brutally gores the gnome in the abdomen, blood spraying. With a enraged squeal, the boar rips its tusks out and slashes again at the bloodied bard.
The boar misses the gnome's face by inches, but splatters Jeeves face with his own warm blood.
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Jeeves reels from the boar's vicious attack. Ignoring the blood as best he can, he strums his lyre to play an inspirational tune.
"The forest has monsters so scary.
Attacking all tusky and hairy.
.....I hope you agree
.....To dodge better than me.
Let the boars be the creatures we bury."
He looks around and chants:
"A boar stands before me. To life I am clinging.
He's trying to gore me. A stone I'll be flinging."
Inspired by his own melody, he sees a loose rock nearby and flings it at the attacking boar.
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Jeeves blasts a bit of rock into the back of his attacker's haunches.
Almost as if in response to the song (or the attack), a second boar charges out of the underbrush at the gnome!
It then thrashes about with its tusks, similarly to the first.
A second boar successfully charges in and gores the gnome. As Jeeves cries out, it slashes upwards, successfully puncturing the gnome's throat. His song echoes forth, even as he crumples gurgling in a pool of his own blood.
From the other side of the intersection, a third boar charges down Nina.
In a similar fashion, after landing the goring charge, the boar whips out its tusks and moves to stab Nina in the throat.
Nina falls under the onslaught of the malevolent boar, blood spraying from her sliced throat!
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Grum will work himself into a rage and then move adjacent to two of the boars.
He will then strike red.
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MugVug clenches his teeth as he watches the boars maul his companions.
He sets his feet and begins making complex movements in the air with his hands and arms. The stylized tigers sewn into his hand wraps begin to glow with an arcane orange fire. As the movements accelerate he lets out a low growl and then ends the movements with a front roll to position himself behind the closest beast.
MugVug takes a stand versus the boar next to Jeeves' fallen body and then rakes the boar across the eyes with his left hand followed by a slash to the boars throat with his other.
for points of slashing damage.
for points of slashing damage.
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The goblin monkey monk races into action, taking an advantageous position across from the orc barbarian. His lightning-fast blows strike true, wounding the boar that has savaged Jeeves!
At that point, the last of the quartet of angry boars enters the fray, unable to charge in due to the crowded battlefield and multiple bodies. It snarls and makes for the goblin.
The boar slashes once successfully at the monk, catching him in the thigh.
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Kamil is a little bit disroriented seeing, after a few seconds, two of his comrades laying uncounscious and bleeding on the ground before he could act.
Recovering his senses, he says By the Serpent's spit! I need to act
He takes a step towards the boar closest to him, draws his katana two handed and strikes.
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Kamil's katana slice misses the thrashing boar.
The gnome's wounds stop spurting blood. Meanwhile, the boar that initially attacked him races around the beefy-looking orc in a wide loop, and comes back with its tusks on gore....at Kamil!
The boar trips over its own hooves as it charges, and though it (just) keeps its feet as it reaches Kamil, it cannot bring its tusks to bear. Instead, it thrashes its head at the sorcerer with a squeal from a stationary position.
Kamil ducks out of the way of the upswing. The boar that he attacked wages a series of slashes a the katana-wielding sorcerer.
The boar rips deep into Kamil's ribcage, leaving him breathless and gasping. By the time the boar slashes him in the shoulder, the sorcerer has collapsed to the ground.
The boar that felled Nina races south past the melee, angles back, and lowers it tusks at the goblin!
The boar's charge crashes into the goblin monk's back, tusks protruding through his ribcage in the front as MugVug spits out a burst of blood and collapses to the earth. Feeling the blood frenzy, the boar trots around the last remaining combatant - the orc barbarian - setting up its packmate with a flanking position.
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[Stabilize, DC 11]1d20
Grum strikes down the wounded boar in front of him with a vicious overhand chop, nearly severing the thing's head. His backswing slashes through the belly of one of the flanking boars and then with a whip-speed THOCK! the orc buries his axe in the thing's skull, dropping it with a pained squeal. The boar at Grum's back tries to slash him with its tusks.
The remaining boar races north out of the fracas, rounds hard and lines up the orc with its tusks in a flanking flourish!
The boar seems ready to punish the barbarian with a further painful stab to the flank, but Grum steps aside at the last moment!
Off-balance and winded, the boar misses wildly, almost falling over in the process.
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Bloodied and angry, the orc swings down hard on the injured boar, eliciting a pained and similarly-angry squeal. Grum misses with his backswing, his biceps and shoulders burning with intensity. With a roar, Grum swings low in front of him, shearing off the boar's forelegs and sending the creature face-first into the churned mud. The creature twitches and squeals feebly before stilling in a pool of its own making.
The last living (and uninjured boar) thrashes and stabs at the raging orc.
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Grum will roar with frustration as a tusks pierce his skin. He shouts once more to try and scare the boar.
He then brings his great ax down on top of the boar.
Cutting his way through the boar once, he then changes momentum and comes from the side.
Grum howls with rage and comes back for a third time.
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You continue north along the trail as it begins to climb altitude. Shortly thereafter, the forest gives way to an expansive clearing. A gigantic statue stands in front of what appears to have once been an entryway. Up ahead, ruined spires and ancient stone buildings litter the grounds. To the northeast, a mountain rises toward the sky. To the southeast, the terrain slopes downward and a gap in the tree line reveals a view of the sparkling sea. The buzz of distant cicadas fills the air.
A tengu woman stares at the complex muttering to herself. She’s tall and elegant, with dark feathers, clad in simple robes and wooden sandals. A smoking fire pit and a run-down wooden structure are nearby.
As you approach, she turns and speaks in a soft voice, “Welcome, Pathfinders. My name is Kukuha - Kukuha Mukai. Apologies again for not meeting you in Sakakabe; I was eager to see what I could glean before your arrival. Fola’s information has proven correct. There are indeed ley lines running through the island here, and quite powerful ones at that, though it seems something is interfering with their function.”
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Kamil wakes up with a big headache. What... what happened?!
Seeing the carnage around him, he realized that he owes his life to Grum.
Thanks you mate! You're quite a warrior for taking down these monsters all by yourself! We will be dead without you. I need to improve my skills and my toughness...
Having no skill in medicine, he waits for Nina to use her talents on him or someone else knowing how to treat wounds.
Once everyone is healed, he is more careful than before, this time he already has his weapon ready.
With a flourished bow, Kamil presents himself.
Greetings, Kukuha Mukai. I'm Kamil Durus, connoisseur of both Art and Blade. A pleasure and an honor to meet you.
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Huzzah for Grum!
Nina blinks awake and sees everyone wounded. Her eyes flash and she's surrounded by a halo of light.
I see everyone at:
Grum -37
Kamil -35
Jeeves -63
MugVug -39
Nina -26
That brings everyone except Jeeves to full.
That should bring everyone to full.
Two of those Heals will be off her Staff of Heal for accounting purposes.
I assume we can rest for 10 minutes to clear Wounded?
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Springing to his feet, Jeeves is in shock. He looks around. "I had a dream I injured a boar, but seems I took 2nd place in that duel." Seeing our barbarian feeding potions to the others, he smiles weakly, "Many thanks, Master Grum. I can only hope my music helped provide some small inspiration."
His clothing is an absolute mess. Shaking his head, he mutters, "I have no time ... for blood and grime."
When Nina casts the first batch of spells, Jeeves feels much better. He bows to her and, as she's about to use a final spell ONLY on him, he holds up his hand to stop her. "Thank you SO much. But please...best to save your spells when they can benefit all. I'm fine to continue. I shall tend to my minor wounds later."
While Grum is working on the boars, I presume some of us are searching the area.
When the group reaches the clearing and meets Kukuha, Jeeves doffs his top hat and bows low, "I'm Jeeves. Humbly at your service. It's an honor to meet you." After a short pause, he adds, "We apologize for our delay. We got stuck at a pork in the road."
When she mentions the ley lines, "That's incredible they're still here. But you say they're not functioning...how can we help?"
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MugVug gingerly removes the entrails that Grum so thoughtfully dumped in his lap and then gets up off the ground. He brushes as much as the blood and gore off as he can.
He nods thankfully towards Nina and then runs over and hugs Grum's leg.
Thank you, thank you oh great warrior Grum. You saved us all from being a meal to these pig beasts. I can only hope to be as strong and capable as you in the future! Thank you thank you thank you.
When we reach the clearing and meet Kukuha MugVug's eyes widen as he has never seen a Tengu before. He bows deeply at the waist.
Greetings to you. I am MugVug and I am hopeful to be of service.
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Kukuha's eyes twinkle at your introductions. She then draws your attention to the sights around you, looking across the panoramic vista. “It’s quite beautiful, is it not?” She motions to the northwest, toward the trees. “Makuzen Forest, the verdant bounty of the land.” She turnsto the sea glittering in the southeast. “Airishin Cove, resting by the sea.” Finally, Kukuha gestures to the mountain in the northeast. “And Soruseiji Peak, stretching toward the sky. These are not only places of natural beauty; my research and divinations would appear to indicate that each is a kind of gate for natural power. They appear to be damaged or malfunctioning somehow, though, but I believe by placing special focuses at each, we can repair them.” She taps the ground with a talon. “And when that’s done, here is where I will carry out a final ritual - uniting land, sea, and sky — thus stabilising the protective powers of the convergence. This should make it safe to establish our lodge."
“Unfortunately, I have not been able to access these locations. That is where I need your aid. I have prepared several ritual focus items that should aid in restoring each gate. Travel to Makuzen Forest’s heart, Airishin Cove, and Soruseiji Peak, and take a ritual focus to each. I do not know what you will find there, but I trust that your instincts will guide you true.”
Kukuha then shakes her head. “We have to do this the right way. Kayajima is home to many creatures. To simply take the island’s powers and position ourselves as its tyrants — I cannot allow that to happen, and besides, honest negotiation is always a better foundation than force. Pay the island and its inhabitants the utmost respect as you carry out this mission. In this way, I hope the Pathfinder Society will be viewed as a welcomed presence rather than a conquering foe.”
The tengu then cocks her head at you all, seeing the blood-stains on some of your clothing. "Has there been some trouble?"
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Looking at the blood stains on the other Pathfinder's clothes, Jeeves snaps his fingers and grumbles, "I knew I forgot something. If any of you desire your clothes being tidied up, you need only but ask."
Turning back to Kukuha, Jeeves explains, "We had to defend ourselves from a pack of wild boars. Of course, we would have tried to reason with them, as I speak the language of most beasts. Unfortunately, they had gored two of us before most of the group had a chance to react." Indicating the barbarian, he adds, "Grum here stood his ground and protected all of us till the last one fled."
He continues, "Rest assured we will treat the land and its inhabitants with honor and respect as we restore the gates, defending ourselves with force only when necessary."
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The tengu cocks her head at Nina, then gestures to the ruins around her.
"I have thoroughly searched the ruins of Kayajima Fortress. The buildings are crumbling guard towers - once homes for the warriors and citizens who once lived here. Once restored, in tune via the ritual focuses with the ley lines predominantly found here, we should be able to break ground on a new Pathfinder lodge."
She produces a satchel from under her robes and pulls items from it.
"Here is what I found within the ruins." She produces a tile game made of bone, a box with several sets of brass chopsticks, and several stone stamps carved to resemble various animals. "There is no enchantment present. You may search for yourself if you wish, but I have been thorough. The gates of natural power, however - well, I am more scholar than adventurer."
"You can visit each gate as you choose. I can give you the ritual focus pertinent to each gate; you need not take all three focuses at the same time, but you can do so if you wish. I will begin to prepare the final ritual here. Use this place as your base camp - I would be happy to hear of your progress as you go!"
At Kamil's question, Kukuha cocks her head once more. "Why, the spirits of the land! I would envision that you would learn more of them as you travel. I do not think that they are hostile; they are likely more curious than anything else. For now."
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Jeeves studies the artifacts, and turns to Kukuha, "Is it posible that we'll need these 3 items to access parts of the ruins?" After another look at the tile game, the brass chopsticks, and stone stamps, he asks, "In case it's important, can you tell us at which location you found each of these relics?"
After others have asked questions, Jeeves summarizes, "So we're to travel to Makuzen Forest, Airishin Cove, and Soruseiji Peak to restore the gates using a ritual focus. When shall we begin and can you suggest which gate we should fix first?"