Father Emmett strides up to Miss Canella, fires his hand crossbow at the bug-eyed beast, and performs Battle Medicine on his injured buddy, Miss C.
The bolt goes wide, hitting the crystal dividing the fierce creature from the child. Father Emmett's eyes grow wide as he believes he hears the crystal crack slightly.
hit points back to Miss Canella.
We've got you on the run now, insect!
Round 1
Ono takes careful aim at the rather large insectoid. He fires a two arrow barrage that truly hits it on the nose!
Father Emmett runs up to Miss Canella, putting his hands--needlessly--all over our feline!
The Angry Ant-like insect chitters at the tasty looking morsels!
Watanabe counts the number of tricks he has and frowns.
Father Emmett to Miss Canella:
Well, you seem healthy! Stop by my office again in 6 months for your next checkup.
Totally normal
Miss Canella tries to hit the big ugly ant thing 2 times
and raises her shield.
You need a make over very badly.
Round 2
Watanabe begins getting a sudden migraine, that the wizard nicely attempts to hot potato to the ankhrav.
Miss Canella politely smiles at Father Emmett; before stabbing at the beautiful creature.; Her eyes never leaving the good Father....
The ankhrav chitters quite angrily at the Feline! It rears up on its legs; before coming down to bite Miss Canella!
Offensive Or Proactive Abilities
ACTION TYPE: 2
The ankhrav makes a mandibles Strike; if the Strike hits, the target’s armor takes the damage and the acid damage bypasses the armor’s Hardness.
The ankhrav savors the tasty little morsel that is Miss Canella! It's acidic maw clenches down on her, squeezing and burning like fire!
It then dances back away from her stupid rapier...
”That thing just bit right through armor! The book also said it can spray acid, so be careful!”
Ono tactically strides outside of the 30 foot range of the acid spray, as described in the zoo literature, then fires a few mildly obstructed shots at the Ankhrav.
Round 2
Ono bravely fires from far far away. The flight of the long distance arrow takes it past many miles of wondrous sights: The Pyramids of Eqypt, the grand Eiffel Tower of beautiful Paris (did you just use a French accent when you read Paris? You did it again!), the long awaited sight of Lady Liberty herself, standing majestically near Parris Island (but you didn't that time; did you?).
Finally, weary and wanting to find rest; the arrow strikes true!
Round 3
Visions of extraplanar lands float past Watanabe's mind eye as well as silent s'es. "But that's not how it's spelled." He curses, "Never liked Galt."
He shakes himself from his reverie and makes with the magic.
He yells, "By my calculations it cannot take many more hits!"
Miss Canella strides backwards 25'.
She then uses her lay on hands on herself.
Round 3
Watanabe bravely waves his hand at the Ankhrav once again.
Miss Canella wisely decides that she left something behind our brave Wizard.
She uses her Lay on Hands ability to heal a bit.
Round 3
The angry Ankhrav roars in terrible triumph, as it sees its morsels slithering away! The beast approaches the watery-eyes group, opening its maw to spit acidic venom all over our brave Agents!
Offensive Or Proactive Abilities
ACTION TYPE: 2
TRAITS: acid
Frequency: once per hour; Effect: The ankhrav spews acid in a 30-foot cone, dealing 3d6 acid damage and 1d6 persistent acid damage (DC 20 basic Reflex save).
Round 3
Watanabe deftly dodges the acidic spray.
Miss Canella not so much!
Watanabe stares in horror as his robes are marred by the acid, soon he realizes that the acid didn't stop at his robe and was quickly dissolving his skin. Then he notices that Miss Canella's face is melting off.
SO MUCH PAINnnnnnn
Round 3
Well, s$$+ has really hit the fan! I mean it's not panic time quite yet...
Round 4
Things look bad... really bad. is the thought that crosses Ono’s mind as he surveys the carnage.
Well, here goes nothing. I hope this works.
Ono mutters a quick prayer to any god that will listen, and nocks an arrow. He slowly draws the arrow back until the bowstring is taught, inhales deeply then releases the arrow as he exhales.
Ono fishes his healing potion out of his backpack, and runs over to Father Emmett. The potion will be force fed to the dying Father posthaste!
Watanabe briefly considers resuscitating Miss Canella but then decides against it. He force feeds a potion to her quickly dissolving face.
Thank you Ono, you have saved me on this day. I will mark it on my calendar and send you a thank you card each year until Dammerich takes me away. Please accept my healing potion so you will continue to have one on reserve. Does anyone else need healing?
Father Emmett hands Ono a Minor Healing Potion
I have used my powers of memory to recall whom was injured in our epic fight. Please Watanabe and Miss Canella, line up for healing.
Miss Canella, I apologize for misusing my Battle Medicine when you were not injured. Father Emmett has not updated his glasses prescription in a very long time
hit points for Watanabe
Watanabe, I hope this helps you feel slightly better
hit points for Emmett
Father Emmett patches himself up very successfully.
The poor Miss Canella seems to be still melting on the floor...
Ono begins fumbling in his pockets; searching, searching, searching...
Father Emmett bravely administers aid to the fallen. Watanabe feel a bit unnerved, but healed a bit; even with the extras.
Father Emmett then bravely begins to administer to himself; eyes closed.
Miss Canella continues to melt....
Miss Canella pops (no seriously; it really pops) open an acidic-styled mascara eye to look at the smiling face of Watanabe.
At first it looks like Watanabe is smiling but then Miss Canella realizes she's looking at him upside down. He's really frowning, more than usual, perhaps he's upset with worry.
What an excellent day, as it appears all of my companions will be remaining with the living! Huzzah to our great victory! exclaims Ono.
I wonder how the kid got behind the glass.
Ono thinks that the boy got really lucky, looking at the dead bodies in the hall.
Also, Ono and Father Emmett see Watanabe take out some minor pot...
Miss Canella blinks her eyes a few times.
Thank you Father Emmett and Watanabe for saving my life.
And thank you Watanabe for the Minor Pot, but I usually don't smoke that!!!
She then smiles and says,
At least not on duty. But this time I will make an exception!
Miss Canella gets up and walks over to the glass and starts talking to the boy.
If the way to release the boy is obvious he will do so. "Don't worry boy your father is safe."
He turns to his fellow agents, "Let's reunite them."
The brave Agents escort the frightened boy back to his father. With a pat on the head, they continue their search of the hectic zoo!
Supply Shed
This large wooden shed has no windows, only a door on the eastern side and a large, pungent mound of animal dung piled near the north wall. Inside, the building is packed with shovels, pitchforks, buckets, and other tools, plus bags and crates of animal feed and an open-topped cistern full of water.
This is where the staff keeps all the ordinary tools and supplies necessary for the menagerie’s functioning. At the moment, it’s occupied by a single injured gnomish man holding a pitchfork. This is Remy , the menagerie’s most senior employee after Archibald Knight himself.
Of everyone in the menagerie, Remy has the best understanding of how things went to hell. He had refilled the water for all the creatures in the zoo’s main building and was starting to make the rounds with their dinner when Rusty uncharacteristically attacked him and broke free, inadvertently releasing several other creatures as he fed on the bars of their enclosures. Remy did his best to usher patrons to safety and then fled here to await reinforcements from the city guard.
Though significantly wounded by the rust monster’s mandibles, Remy is even more hurt emotionally; he loved Rusty the Rust Monster like his own child, to the point of having the creature’s cartoon image tattooed on his shoulder. He tearfully insists that an attack like this just isn’t like Rusty, and that something must have happened. He also loudly blames the disaster on the zoo’s owner and veterinarian—“If they hadn’t run off for a blanket rodeo and never come back, we wouldn’t be stretched so thin right now, and maybe none of this would have happened!”
Wrapping Up the Zoo
Once the menagerie’s creatures have been subdued or safely contained, the Edgewatch’s work here is done. In gratitude for their help—and in a thinly veiled effort to keep the city from permanently shutting down the menagerie—the employees insist on rewarding the agents with all the various funds and items found in this section’s Treasure list. (As Remy points out, “As long as the show stays open, we’ll earn it back. And besides, this is all Knight’s property—and I don’t see him here objecting, do you?”)
As the Edgewatch agents head back to the station to report, they notice an additional oddity: the giant machine called Graveraker, which had dominated the skyline not far from the menagerie as recently as an hour ago, seems to be missing. Should the agents investigate, they quickly encounter a commotion near the machine’s now-empty exhibit, as well as senior agents of the Edgewatch who’ve been assigned to the mystery and who tell the rookies to mind their own business and report to Sergeant Ollo.
Back at the station, Ollo takes down the officers’ report and commends them for their work at the menagerie. He then cuts them loose for the evening to rest up, with orders to be back at the crack of dawn the next morning for a meeting with the lieutenant.
Rumors of the imminent appearance of Macgruff the Crime Dog begin circulating the station....
Watanabe spends a few hours studying that dirty spellslinger's spellbook from the bar brawl.
The newest Agents of the Edgewatch have been given access to the Officer's Lounge.
The coffee is actually hot. The donuts are not from last week. And the availability of supplies seem to be well available!
Watanabe finds that his research is easily done with those new amenities!
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The Officer's Lounge is currently occupied by the famous Officer MacGruff, and several other officers jockey for a moment of his time. He turns to one and sagely offers his advice. "Arf."
Then he offers his head, for scritches.
Officer MacGruff, crime-sniffing riding corgi, reporting for duty!
Hopping up on to the table next to MacGruff, trying desperately and unsuccessfully not to spill her thimble-sized mug full of coffee, is a sprite. Reaching about a foot tall, with fan-like antennae sticking out of her forehead, she brushes lustrous turquoise hair out of her face and tightens the saddle sitting on MacGruff's back. Then she starts checking her equipment lashed to his side: a miniscule shortbow, a set of handcuffs barely large enough to restrain a cat, and what may be the world's tiniest violin. Her name tag reads THUNDERCRACK and her badge, while smaller than standard, is still large enough to fit her more like a breastplate than a badge.
Watanabe looks at MacGruff and Thundercrak, then the Sergeant Ollo, then to the rest of the party, then does that circuit once more for good measure. His face if it spoke (which it does, but not on this occasion), says "Are you f~*+ing kidding me?"
Ono smiles in delight as he stares at the dog and says, ”When did the station get a mascot? Excellent addition!”
The sprite puts her hands on her hips and starts reciting a well-practiced and likely oft-repeated spiel. "Officer Macgruff is a hard-working police dog with a highly trained and calibrated olfactory crime-sensing device: his nose. Cute as a button as said device may be, Officer MacGruff is just as vital to the team as you or me." Looking up from her recitation, she raises an eyebrow at Ono but then extends her tiny hand.
"He's not a "mascot," Officer Ono. Hi, I'm Pendulum Bubblebutter Thundercrack, Officer MacGruff's handler. Most folks call me Officer Pen. Pleased to meet you."
Miss Canella walks over to Pendulum and MacGruff then puts out her hand.
HI, I'm Miss Canella. Welcome to the team.
To Officer Pen, formally:
Welcome to the team, officer. We look forward to working with you.
To Officer Macgruff, excitedly:
WHO'S A GOOD BOY?!? WHO WANTS A CHEESE STICK? GOOD BOY!
"Thank you, Officers. I'm glad the Edgewatch has need of our skills and I look forward to learning your capabilities."
MacGruff leans into any pets Father Emmett sends his way, but turns mournfully to looks at Pen regarding the offered cheese stick, and she shakes her head. "He'd best not, last time Officer MacGruff had cheese, he didn't have solid stool for a week. Strictly controlled diet for my best boy. Mostly."
”I’m most certainly looking forward to seeing our... not a mascot in action!”
Chapter 2: Missing Persons
When the agents report for duty at Edgewatch Headquarters the next morning, Sergeant Ollo ushers them immediately into Lavarsus’s office, where the lieutenant leans against his desk with arms crossed, sizing them up. After a moment he grunts and holds up a report.
“Well,” the lieutenant grunts, “Ollo’s report says you didn’t screw up the menagerie call too badly. But don’t let it go to your heads—we’ve got bigger problems than a couple of escaped pets. While you were busy playing ‘catch the cockatrice,’ somebody stole one of the exhibits—some device called Graveraker. Broad daylight, thousands of pounds of magical excavator, and it’s just gone—right under our noses.” He shakes his head in disgust. “I’ve got my best people—no, not you—pulling double shifts until we figure out who took it and how in the hells they pulled it off. But until then, someone else is going to have to shovel all of this.” He waves the report in his hand at the stacks of similar papers on his desk.
“It says here,” he continues, “you reported some missing persons—a wandering wizard and some randy zookeepers. Well, half the reports on my desk are about the same thing. Now, I can’t have my top detectives chasing down every runt who didn’t hold mommy’s hand at the fair. So instead I’m putting you on it. Track down these strays and see if there’s more here than just a bunch of drunks and runaways. And for Abadar’s sake, don’t mess it up, or I’ll have you investigating the latrines in the holding cells till they shine like the First Vault. Clear?”
Lavarsus doesn’t have much information on the missing persons—there doesn’t seem to be an obvious link between the more than 20 different cases, other than the fact that all went missing in the last month, and all were visitors to the city rather than residents.