(PFS2) Bounty / Quest Rotation (B4, B5, B7, B8, Q1) @ "The Sandstone Secret" (Inactive)

Game Master rainzax

PLUNK

The flying full acorn strikes the acorn stem from Maruta's head, de-crowning the festive sprite, but the incessant giggles seem to cause him even greater pain, as he sticks his fingers back into his ears and grits his teeth. In a moment the sound subsides.

"Do you not see?" having forewarned the party earlier, he glares at them.

And leaps to defend poor Darb from the creatures that would assail it, but is quickly overrun!

"Help him and it!"

Vanvathar stands baffled at the commotion in front of him.

"Er, hello. We're here to - will you please listen - oh, forget it."

Vanvathar digs in his sack of carrots and casts a Light spell on a carrot he's holding up, hoping to draw their attention to the group.

We are honored to be able to meet you, Empress Nelia Starsister, says Matei with a deep bow. We have been sent here by Lady Kupyn in support of Sir Darbious, to kindly ask you if you could give her scallions in the name of Cooperation between humans and sprites. They are a necessary ingredient in Rock Stew for Winter Week.

I don't think this is enough to roll Diplomacy to Make an Impression.

Maruta picks himself up off the ground, and it is now that he notices the flower petals stuck to his sappy skin. Interestingly, this doesn't seem to bother him much.

He opens his mouth to speak, but stops just short of doing so, as if some imminent thought had passed through his head, and instead looks over at the Golden Talking Carrot, and sticks his hand up into the air, trying to catch Vanvathar's attention now, even jumping a little and grunting "Ooh ooh"...

Ron is unfamiliar with the fey creatures around him and doesn't want to offend any one on accident so he stays quite while he listens to his allies, hoping they can make these "brownies" happy.

Again Ignatius was out of his element. Such creatures seemed flighty, chaotic, something that wouldn't have been tolerated in Cheliax. So rather than make a scene, he continues to observe as those more comfortable with the situation do the explaining.

Vanvathar catches Maruta gesticulating from the corner of his eye and holds out the carrot to him. "Here, have this, maybe you can draw their attention. I can't seem to get a a word in."

"Beasts of the wood" Maruta begins, now holding the Golden Talking Carrot "It would seem these tallfolk of the settlement adjacent to this grove that you well know have Ideas" he adjusts some of the flower petals on his person here "Which pertain to holding a Ritual in need of blessing" he picks back up his acorn crown knocked to the ground "He is bound to this one here" he points to Darb "And here" he points to Vanathar "Protector!" putting his arms at his hip he puffs out his chest at this proclamation "Heed the requests or let locusts take this grove!"

Maruta hold out the Golden Talking Carrot for whomever would like to speak next.

Nelia and the other brownies are very impressed with the Golden Talking Carrot and very impressive courtly language presented by the party, as well as the presence of Sir Darbious the Glorious!

Nelia bows, "Honored Emissaries, Glorious Sir Darbious and... Maruta. We the brownies of the grove have always offered our marvelous and magical scallions to the Rock Stew of Winter Week. That said... This year we have suffered a grave offense. We were making Sir Darbious beautiful, and he honored us with his singing..."

"Woof?" Darb offers a dubious expression.

They caught me napping and the next thing I knew I was covered in ribbons and bells and then I howled!

"...and then for NO reason, Kupyn comes along while we're beautifying him, and then pulled Sir Darbious away and then... she knocked down our Castle!"

The other brownies gasp.

Nellia points to a small pile of sticks and logs. "It was the BEST Castle our court hath ever built!"

All the other brownies wail, looking at the broken Castle.

You can attempt a Diplomacy check to convince the brownies that Kupyn meant no harm. You can also attempt to repair the brownies' castle by succeeding at an Athletics check to hoist the logs up or Crafting to make the 'Castle' better than ever.

I can make no excuse or apology since I wasn't there for the attack on your castle, but Ron looks over at the logs. I think I might be able to fix it. Let me give it a try...

athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Maruta runs over "No no no" interrupting Ron to hand him the Golden Talking Carrot "Not no now" his tone matter-of-factly, as he now considers the human's words. Why apologize on another's behalf? When Ron stops talking and starts picking up sticks, the sprite rolls his eyes and once again regains the GTC.

And with it - not helpful! - he invites the Brownies of the Grove to consider "Have it looked into alternate locations?" pointing to Nelia "There is an Idea in which what is said is that throwing sticks (and acorns) hath wrought very much opposite the attraction that guided the hoof (or hand) meddlesome in the beginning" now waving his finger back and forth "If it asked him" pointing to himself now "Ruled out could not be that the effect's cause was in proportion, or so to say, the same number of sticks (or acorns) by the hoof (or hand)!"

Where a human might hold a smuggish expression here - as if to say "ah ha Ha!" - instead he is simply curious if there is more to the story than just the accidental knockover.

Standing ready to pass the GTC to the next speaker before they open their mouth, poised at attention to the argument unfolding...

I am dismayed to learn of the destruction of your castle, Your Highness, says Matei in his affable tone, picking up the GTC from Maruta, but I am quite certain that old Kupyn did not intend to harm you out of sheer malice. If you will let me, I will mediate between you and Kupyn myself, but we would need those scallions first, so let me help you rebuild your building.

Having said that, the doctor goes to the remains of the castle of the sprites and tries to rebuild it to the best of his ability.

Crafting: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

EDIT
Forgot to make my Diplomacy check...
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Vanvathar stands quiet, trying to follow Maruta's logic in his head, and failing. Still, the carrot trick seems to have worked, so he stands by while the rest are reconstructing the castle. Too many hands will surely knock it over again, anyway.

Ron looks perplexed at Maruta's speaking again. I can not make heads or tails of what this creature is saying... is he our ally?

But he does pick up enough to know he was wrong to try and speak without the GTC.

Ignatius stands by watching the others work.

"By the thrice-damned House of Thrune, I swear if that little pixie tries to thrust a glowing carrot into my face, I'm throwing both of them as far as I can."

I have no idea what Maruta is saying... Does Maruta know?

Despite Maruta's confusing dialogue, the brownies are wowed by the rebuilding of their Castle and Matei's honeyed words. The brownies all cheer, tossing flowers in the air and running off in all directions to fetch scallions.

"Kneel, oh noblest knights of Scallions Grove!" Nelia knights each of you once on the shoulder with her onion flower stalk and crowns each of you with a floral chain woven from scallions. "Now rise, and receive our bounty of scallions!" The brownies all clap. "We will attend the Winter Week feast, and you are owed a favor by the brownies of the grove. We brownies will watch out for our noblest knights while you dwell in Scallion's Wrap."

They even crown Maruta with the flowers, and promise him safe passage.

Success!

It is time to return towards Kupyn and the village center with your bounty of vegetable goodness!

"Woof! Woof!"

Eager to be on his way and no longer beautified, Darb leads you back to town, barking and running circles around you in his eagerness to get home.

Kupyn's cottage is brightly colored, with a thatched roof and tall chimney merrily puffing smoke into the brisk air. Yet as you get close, the house begins to rumble and quake as the cauldron perched in front of it begins spewing out purple smoke, and the runes on the cauldron -- some of which were drawn quite sloppily -- begin to glow. The cauldron bubbles over. Numerous tiny cobblestones pour out—no ordinary rocks. They all have open mouths with gleaming sharp teeth.

Map is on first slide of our Bounty Slide Show!

The big black circle is Kupyn's Rock Stew cauldron! The pink rock with teeth is our swarm of cobbles!

Ignatius roars his Call to Arms!

"TO BATTLE!"

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

If you wish to identify the swarm of rocks with teeth, you may take an action to do so with a Nature or Occultism check.

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting.

As a reminder... you do have four jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

Matei
Maruta
Rocks with TEETH
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

Matei tries to identify the mouthy rocks [Recall Knowledge (Occultism) ◆], then reaches for his spear attached to his backpack [Interact ◆] and starts reciting words of encouragement to his allies [Cast a Spell (inspire courage) ◆].

Occultism: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Don't fear my friends! We will win over these... Whatever they are!

The ground shakes, an Lo, a great small beast of bent exoskeleton emerges from the earth by sickening mandibles, hairy and black, blindingly luminescent, gnashing and writhing, as if choking on the air itself, opening it's eyes for the first time to the material plane, naked, slimy, smelling of salt, grime, and excrement.

Crawling towards the toothen rocks, it scrapes it's wings together, grinding foul pheromones and chemicals, shedding a waste energy in the form of a flashing light, then extinguishing like spent cloud of smoke over a dying fire!

◆) Stride
◆) Light Flash

It is imminently unclear if Maruta is aware of having been clearly misunderstood - indeed, if such were the case, one might naturally surmise that it would be clued by a tell on his face, perhaps a change of expression, however subtle or minuscule, and yet, instead, his attention seems to have been abundantly and primarily (even singularly!) fixed upon the GTC, the only turn of eye or cheek seeming to be an unfolding look of pleasure to bear witness to the adherence to the code of conversational structure suggested by Vanvathar and maintained by the group.

And so it is that my Protecting here is concluded. The pleasant thought crosses into his mind as he is crowned in a wreathe of scallions. Deciding against spoiling the gesture with speech, the sprite instead cuts his eyes at Nelia. As if acquiescing to a witch's request was a sufficient apology! Knowing that his glance was as facile as words to express himself - perhaps the one redeeming trait of brownies? - he parts ways as easily as he arrived.

"Smoke!"

He points to the cauldron, but it seems his warning is late, as even the Rocks with Teeth emerge.

"Bug!"

A single word conjures forth through primal magic an insect loyal to Maruta, and he commands it forth unto the unstable concoction frothing from whence their ought to be Rock Stew!

◆◆◆) Summon Insect

Matei pulls a spear and tries to identify the bitey rocks. Maruta summons a bug to fight on his behalf! The bug comes forward, and flashes the rocks... which has no effect because the rocks cannot see. They only have a tremor sense to locate prey. On the other hand, the bug is between the rocks and party, and provides an excellent target!

The rocks roll up over the bug and begin to try to tackle it with the grasping bites!

Athletics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

The bug falls prone, and is grabbed by the cobbleswarm until the end of the cobbleswarm’s next turn.

◈ Stride (Rock and Roll!)
◈◈ Grasping Bite

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

If you wish to identify the swarm of rocks with teeth, you may take an action to do so with a Nature or Occultism check.

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting.

As a reminder... you do have four jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

Matei
Maruta
Bug
Rocks with TEETH
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

Ignatius didn't know how to fix the cauldron and knows that throwing a flask can be trickier than it looks. But he could try to sweep away enough of them with his halberd.

◆ Stride

Advancing on the swarm, raises his weapon to the sky the infernal cacophony reaching a crescendo as his mind becomes filled only with the thoughts of destruction as hell's power flows through him.

◆ Cast a Spell (weapon surge) - Curse increases to Moderate

The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.

◆ Strike

Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 1 = 18
Damage: 2d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (5, 3) + 3 + 2 = 13

Vanvathar sneaks around the whole commotion, trying to stay as far away from the weird stones as possible while nearing the cauldron. Once nearby, he takes a good look at the runes and tries to figure out what's wrong.

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Hmm, from this angle everything seems fine. The Bormius-formula was adhered to, and Crandular's theorem is also applied correctly. I can't figure out what's causing all this to happen..."

Move twice, Interact once.

What are those things? Ron shouts as he draws his long sword out of habit. Ignatius, I am going to swing around behind it to try and trap it between us. He then runs across the battle field and swings once at the creatures.

strike: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
damage (s): 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

◆ to draw my long sword. ◆ to stride. ◆ to strike. Use my reaction to raise shield if attacked making my ac 20 till my next turn.

"Bug: Up!"

The words leave the sprite's mouth, materializing smokily and spelling out his intent, which propagates wispily across the way towards the cauldron and into the antennae of his loyal insect, causing it's eyes to glow red with rage!

"Rock: Still!"

Opening his mouth, a leafy tendril springs forth, flying through the air and forking once, twice, thrice, each splitting into equally as many rocks, grasping them to hold them into place!

◆◆) Cast a Spell @ Tanglefoot
◆) Sustain a Spell @ Summon Insect

Spell Attack vs Rocks AC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Whipping it's many legs desperately upside-down, the flash beetle's black eyes flush red with anger as Maruta's command communicates pheromonally to it's executive center, and with a violent motion, the creature flips right-side-up assisted by it's shelled wings, and sensing the mass of rocks standing above it, lashes out with it's drizzling mandibles, sensing the vines grasping at many objects in place, trying to swallow as many errant pebbles in a flurry of flapping pincers!

◆) Stand
◆) Strike

Piercing Mandibles vs Rock AC: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 141d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Come on friends, let's show what we are made of to these jagged stones!

After another urge (inspire courage +1 ◆) Matei moves towards the rocks (Stride ◆), trying to position himself in order to leave room for his companions to flank them, and tries to hit them with his spear (Strike ◆).

Attack (Spear): 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 1 = 21

Damage (Spear): 1d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 1 = 8

Ignatius empowers his weapon and pokes at the rock swarm only to discover that the rock swarm resists both the Piercing and the Slashing damage of the Halberd! Vanvathar makes an initial attempt to debug the cauldron, but at first the runes make no sense to him. Maruta casts tanglefoot and not only misses the swarm, but realizes that he would only trip one rock in the whole bitey avalanche that is the cobblestone swarm. The bug misses the swarm entirely. Ron hits the swarm, but only because of Matei's inspire courage! Still, the swarm resists most of the Slashing damage of his blade. Matei pokes powerfully at the swarm, and the swarm resists most of the Piercing damage of his spear.

Between all of you, the rocks have taken 15 damage, but they're still raring to go!

The rocks roll away from Matei and the bug and swarm Ignatius's space because that halberd hurt!

Pummeling Assault Bluegeoning Damage (Reflex DC 17): 2d4 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

◈ Stride (Rock and Roll!)
◈◈ Pummeling Assault

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting. As a reminder... you do have four jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

Matei
Maruta
Bug
Rocks with TEETH (-15)
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

Vanvatar now has the time to study the runes more carefully. Since the Arcana didn't yield anything, he looks and tries to re-draw some runes on the cauldron.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

"The runes seem to make sense. Let's start again from the basics..."

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

"Aha! I think I've got it! The multiplication rune has been sloppily drawn, infusing the contents of the cauldron with a basic sentience... Fascinating stuff, really. Too bad we probably have to erase this, this could be a breakthrough in golem crafting."

Vanvathar erases the rune and tries to draw it correctly.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Whelp, that's a whole load of nothing. There's one success, at least.

could I take the AoO as it moved? And I am having a hard time tell which square it is in. Is Ron adjacent to it currently?

Vanvathar fixes one of the runes on the cauldron!

Ron, you were not adjacent to it on the map before but if you are having technical difficulties, let us know and we will move you! Go ahead and give me your AoO, and I will move your figure next to the rock now, so you will have 1 stride action, 1 reaction, and whatever else you want this turn. Fair?

strange. I could move my character and I did last turn but I thought I moved it to be adjacent to the enemy (one square north of it) moving 25 ft straight from the spot I started the battle. If I wasn't adjacent, I would not of been able to attack last round. I am sorry for any mix up there.

As the rocks move by him Ron takes a quick swing at the swarm of rocks.

AoO (inspire courage: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 1 = 14
damage (s) (inspire courage): 1d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10

Ron then moves back up to the rocks, I can't believe I went for the long sword again when clearly my flail would be the better weapon against rocks!

Ron drops his sword and pulls out his flail and tries to strike the swarm once more.

to hit (inspire courage): 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 9 + 1 = 27
damage (b) (inspire courage): 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7
crit?: 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 = 8

◆ stride. ◆ interact action to draw flail. ◆ strike. Will use my reaction to take another AoO if it moves again. Will not raise my shield because it doesn't seem armor class is particularly helpful in this fight.

Reflex: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 - 1 = 7 Well that went about as well as expected.

Ignatius feels like he's a pile of rocks in a tumbler, gradually being worn away.

Desperate, and with no other weapon, Ignatius enchants his weapon and then swings to clear the rocks away.

◆◆ Cast a spell (magic weapon)
◆ Strike

Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 23
Damage: 2d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10, 6) + 3 + 2 = 21

Maruta dashes under Ron's legs crosswise, and grabs a single heavy (1 Bulk to him!?) jar of rock solvent from the human's bandolier as he passes underfoot, and using both hands to carry it now, studying the strange item to try and discern how it possibly works...

"Our Roots Run Deep" he recalls...

◆) Stride
◆) Interact
◆) Sustain Summon Insect

"Bug!" the primal energy continues to flow into the beetle, it's rage ebbing with the sprite's deep-voiced vocalization.

It's eyes continuing to glow with a low red light, it scuttles on six legs towards the swirling rock pile, and scoops for pebbles with it's dripping mandibles!

◆) Stride (into flank w/ Ron)
◆) Strike

"Sczzzshshshsscsczzzchss" the scratching of chitin on chitin!

Inspired Piercing Mandibles vs Flanked: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 1 = 231d4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 1 = 4

Ron makes a half-serious strike at the rock swarm with his sword, and then has second thoughts and attacks it with his flail.

The second strike is solid, but alas not a crit because the second strike is at -5 to strike.

Still... it's enough to take out the first pink rock swarm... But because the cauldron still has 2 runes left that need fixing, it spits out a second blue rock swarm with a pile of smoke to replace the first rock swarm that went down!

Target: 1d6 ⇒ 1

It rolls forward ignoring the elf who is furiously trying to rearrange the runes and attacks the bug!

Pummeling Assault Bludgeoning Damage (Reflex DC 17): 2d4 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5

◈ Stride (Rock and Roll!)
◈◈ Pummeling Assault

Then... Ignatius casts magic weapon on his halberd, and strikes the second swarm with a mighty blow that deals fifteen damage (after resistances) as it surges forward! It is still up! Maruta grabs a pile of the rock solvent, and his mighty bug strikes at the new rock swarm, but the mandibles cannot get through the swarm's resistances.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting. As a reminder... you do have four jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

Matei
Maruta
Bug
CAULDRON (2 wonky runes left)
Rocks with TEETH, 2nd blue swarm (-15)
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

Basic Reflex vs DC 17 @ 5 blunt: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Slimy shell-shaped wings flap furiously as Maruta's loyal beetle averts the worst of the second rockswarm!

2 damage

Come on my friends, teach these foul stones a lesson as we try to repair this crazed cauldron!

After another incitement (inspire courage +1 ◆) Matei approaches the cauldron (Stride ◆) and attempts to repair the runic inscriptions on it (Interact ◆).

Crafting: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Taking cue, Maruta struggles to understand the mechanics of the bottled acid. At first he manages to uncork the stopper by setting the glass bottom on the ground and heaving his entire body, and producing it, hucks it directly at the rockswarm, bouncing off a couple rock anticlimactically. Turning his head sideways, his gaze then fixes upon the rest of the glass receptacle, and putting two and two together, squats down and spilling some acid on the dirt manages to send it flying topsy-turvy towards the same rocks he had just impotently corked!

◆) Strike w/ Acid Flask
◆) Stride
◆) Sustain Summon Insect

Inspired Rock Solvent (Untrained) vs Rockswarmt w/ 1 Acid Splash vs Bug and Ignatius (sorry): 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 1 = 14
Hero Point!
1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 3 + 1 = 22

If "22" hits then 1+1 Acid to Rockswarm; 1 Acid Splash to Rockswarm, Bug, Ignatius; Persistent Acid 1d6 to Rockswarm

"Foul Stones: Melt" one command preceding another "Bug!"

Sssssszzzzzztztztztz

Burning a little of it's exoskeleton off, it's cruel master continues to funnel binding energy that compels the creature to obey his whim, and despite having extinguished it's own light, it marches to Matei's beat, eyes glowing red with compulsion.

◆◆) Strike x2

Inspired Piercing Mandibles: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 = 261d4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6
Inspired Piercing Mandibles (Agile): 1d20 + 8 - 4 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 8 - 4 + 1 = 171d4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3

Matei alas fails to fix the runes. They're such slippery things, runes. He does however inspire courage!

Remember folks... Hero points?

Just as the rocks are raring to attack again, Maruta melts the remaining swarm! As Vanvathar is looking, he sees that the cauldron is still churning smoke and attempting to multiply cobblestones. It sure needs fixing! No swarm is coming out this turn, but it looks like you may have another one bubbling out soon.

Maruta and Bug took their action in advance, but time got wonky with the second swarm. Matei however can act again as can everyone bolded.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Matei
Maruta
Bug
CAULDRON (2 wonky runes left)
Pink Swarm
Blue Swarm
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

What are you doing while waiting for the cauldron to spew out more rocks?

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting. As a reminder... you do have four three jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

Ignatius approaches the cauldron. He was no arcanist, but maybe he's seen something as he grew up among plenty.

Arcana: 1d20 ⇒ 4 Using a hero point
Arcana: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Arcana: 1d20 ⇒ 5

Ignatius remembers an old chant from his Chelaxian childhood.

"The devil's in the runes
In our cupboard with the spoons
Wait, who let the devil in?
'Twas Abrogail and all the Thrunes!"

In response, one of the wonky runes falls off the cauldron!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Matei
Maruta
Bug
CAULDRON (1 wonky runes left)
Pink Swarm
Blue Swarm
Vanvathar
Ron
Ignatius

What are you doing while waiting for the cauldron to spew out more rocks?

You can also attempt to fix the runes on the Cauldron, which will take a total of 3 successful checks that can be any combination of Arcana, Thievery or Crafting. As a reminder... you do have four three jars of rock solvent with you! They're a splash weapon that acts as a lesser acid flask.

"I think I've located the aggression rune! If we can erase that, the stones should remain docile! Let's see, what was the rune for 'serenity' again..."

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Vanvathar redraws the rune and a puff of foul purple smoke erupts from the cauldron. He nearly chokes on the foul stench, but catches himself and tries again.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"I should really brush up on my runework, evidently it's been a while.."

Vanvathar fixes the final rune and the cauldron stops rapidly reproducing rocks and settles down to a nice gentle simmer.

Out of Combat!

"Bug: Dismiss!"

The color red leaves the insect's eyes, and folds itself back through a tiny portal, returning to it's planar destination of origin.

Maruta goes to check that Darb is okay "Whole" seems to be his analysis. Walking over to Kupyn "Strange you sent fetchers in us and yet yield your rock stew early and while away - if it didn't like him it could plainly say" a little distraught at the perceived slight, the sprite folds his arms, then remembers the discomfort upon his head, transferring the the crown of flowers to the halfling witch like a hot potato, a couple of the petals smoldering to ash as he gently flaps his weak mothen wings the last two feet to "knight" her by transitive process.

Then holds out his hands "Acorns. Four." the agreed upon price for the task!

"Woof!" Darb wags his tail in support of Maruta's acorn invoice.

They ALL deserve acorns.