Winnie is able to grab Tavetti and the spiritual scimitar slashes the crazy man in the back!
-
You see a madman with the two axes attack the illusion of the Azata again!!
~
"I think it is time for you stop!! I am Tavettii!!!" the man with the whip says.
He tries to escape the grip and he is almost out when the large beats tightens its grip.
Initiative - Round 3
Zeldana Bordana
Winnie
Kyra
Lorimyr Hoenheim
Henrikuaxian
Wulthur, -17
Yellow, -16, 1 rounds blind/stunned
Dark Blue, -15, 2 rounds blind/stunned
Red, -9, 3 rounds blind/stunned
Light blue, -12
Tavetti, -9
BOLD may act!
Kyra waits for a moment as she does not want to get in the way of bombs and spells.
Winnie leaves the bard broken and battered!! His unconscious body is now in her grip!
Zeldana slashes across the blinded thug’s back!
Wolthur’s blunt force attack knocks out the woman!!
Initiative - Round 3
Zeldana Bordana
Winnie
Kyra
Lorimyr Hoenheim
Henrikuaxian
Wulthur, -17
Yellow, -26, 1 rounds blind/stunned
Dark Blue, unconscious
Red, -9, 3 rounds blind/stunned
Light blue, -12
Tavetti, dead
BOLD may act!
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Henrikuaxian giggles as the crazed man takes another swipe at his illusion. The Azata also smiles in a mocking sort of smile, as it dances backwards again and lets fly with another arrow that once more sails wide, turning the smile into a frown.
The little gnome then chants once more, pointing at the very injured thug facing off against Zeldana, and a small glob of acid sails through the space between them.
Winnie leaves the bard broken and battered!! His unconscious body is now in her grip!
Winnie leaves the bard broken and battered!! His unconscious body is now in her grip!
Kyra steps east and attacks the man in light blue.
The spiritual weapon attacks:
Kyra and the spiritual scimitar try to slash the crazy man in the back but they miss! But a bomb splashes the man and an acid blast burns his skin!
-
The man looks at Kyra and then at the Azata and suddenly realizes that the illusion is not a threat!
He faints and then can move towards Kyra ... his axe sinks into her flesh!
~
Initiative - Round 4
Zeldana Bordana
Winnie
Kyra, -5
Lorimyr Hoenheim
Henrikuaxian
Wulthur, -17
Yellow, -26, 0 rounds blind/stunned
Dark Blue, unconscious
Red, -9, 2 rounds blind/stunned
Light blue, -19
Tavetti, dying
BOLD may act!
Kyra attacks the man in light blue and steps north.
The spiritual weapon attacks:
Wulthur hits the man that was so fooled by the illusion and knocks him out with one strike!
Kyra's real and spiritual scimitar just cannot find an opening!
~
Initiative - Round 4
Zeldana Bordana
Winnie
Lorimyr Hoenheim
Henrikuaxian
Wulthur, -17
Kyra, -5
Yellow, -28
Dark Blue, unconscious
Red, -9, 2 rounds blind/stunned
Light blue, unconscious
Tavetti, dying
BOLD may act!
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Henrikuaxian, seeing most all of the foes are unconsious or dying, points his finger at the one remaining relatively healthy foe, blinded and stunned though he might be. A quick arcane chant sends another glob of acid flying. "Does anyone have a means of securing this one, before he wakes up from my spell?"
The animal companion strikes once with a claw and rips the man’s throat out!!
You are then able to restrain the last thug and stabilize all the fallen enemies!
Kyra draws her wand of cure light wounds.
"Who needs healing?"
You investigate the house.
The upper floor is completely collapsed, preventing access to the rooms above.
~
Map Key:
A1. Front Entrance
A2. Grand Hall (the room with the haunt, where you came in)
A3. Shrine to Asmodeus, thoroughly vandalized
A4. Library, only fragments of books and broken furniture remain
A5. Office (I will provide more details below)
A6. Salon, mostly destroyed by fire
A7 and A8. Side rooms, nothing but fallen plaster, dust, and cobwebs
A9. Salon, mostly intact, lit by lantern, shows signs of recent habitation
A10. Sitting room, well-lit by lanterns, and bedrolls and other personal gear are stacked along the walls
After exploring most of the rooms, the Pathfinders make their way into a small office. This once luxurious office has been thoroughly ransacked, and vandals have defaced the walls and furniture. A dead crow, relatively fresh but burned and blackened, has been nailed to a plaque on the western wall. A gilded portrait frame over the desk has been covered with paint and blood, obscuring the image underneath.
You identify the burnt bird as the territorial mark of the Scorchfeathers goblin tribe.
As you step into the room, something very strange happens. You hear a muffled voice come from the blood-covered painting, which says, "I am Asmodea Irrica, daughter of Rutillo and heir to the House of Irrica."
The painting seems to sit slightly askew from the wall, as though there is something behind it.
The talking portrait is an animated portrait, a detailed painting of a particular intelligent creature, animated to show movement or action within the painted scene. The image reacts when questioned, with the creature turning to face the viewer and responding appropriately.
The image is a magical effect with no actual intelligence, but is programmed with up to ten 25-word verbal responses and can respond to questions if these responses seem appropriate.
For example, if one of the programmed responses is the name of the person shown in the portrait, it can answer questions such as “who are you?” and “what is your name?” If the item crafter is familiar with or has the cooperation of the creature depicted in the painting, the illusory image has the voice and mannerisms of that creature.
Kyra casts detect magic .
She whispers: "Look, the painting... there may be something behind it."
A piece of parchment is affixed to the back of the portrait with alchemical glue (noticeable if the portrait is removed from the wall).
On it is a hastily updated handwritten copy of Rutillo Irrica’s last will and testament, dated the day he and his family were killed.
The talking portrait is an animated portrait, a detailed painting of a particular intelligent creature, animated to show movement or action within the painted scene. The image reacts when questioned, with the creature turning to face the viewer and responding appropriately.
”Do not come nearer! I will curse you!!“ the figure says but nothing happens.
At your question, the painting simply repeats the phrase, "I am Asmodea Irrica, daughter of Rutillo and heir to the House of Irrica."
You suspect that the magical portrait might not be able to hear you due to it being painted over.
If the painting is properly cleaned and restored, it may be able to answer other questions as well, though such a restoration is impossible without specialized equipment.
"Hm... Prestidigitation might work... couldn't hurt to try, could it?"
Kyra gives Henrikuaxian a pointed look.
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Henrikuaxian was wandering about the room, lost in thought, barely paying any attention to what was going on around him. He finally got around to looking at the painting, and quickly cast Detect Magic at it.
He gives a tiny squeal of delight and says "This is an animated portrait! Heard about them, but never seen one before. It isn't actually intelligent," he says with a slight glance at the painting, quickly adding "no offense Asmodea, it just has some pre-set answers to questions."
"It is filthy! No wonder it isn't working proper. Last time I was covered in paint and blood, I couldn't hear a thing! Perhaps some Prestidigitation?" He says all of this, seemingly unaware that others have said exactly that already and he was offering no new information. He quickly gives a few arcane gestures and words, pointing at the gunk-covered painting.
The Pathfinders clean the protrait and search the house but find nothing else of value in the Irrica estate.
Furthermore, they realize that the goblins that were here probably left about a month ago or longer.
The Pathfinders deal with the unconscious bandits, and then hurry on to Elidir with a painting in hand.
You report back to you venture-captain and are able to rest the night, and await a message from Venture-Captain Brackett.
Such a message comes the next morning..
~ ~ ~
After they finish their preparations, the Pathfinders travel from Elidir as part of a caravan headed toward Citadel Dinyar in southern Isger. The journey is without incident. The group prepares to separate from the caravan to begin tracking the Scorchfeather goblin tribe.
The morning cookfire crackles softly as the caravan breaks camp and prepares to depart for Citadel Dinyar. The Chitterwood surrounds the road in all directions, but the forest is far from consistent. East of the road, burnt and dead trees still stand upright. The land to the west is snarled with low scrub in a dense weave. Irregular slashes of bare dirt and two-foot high grasses give the illusion of other roads leading off from the main track.
~ ~ ~
You see Caravan Master Jarkan, a Kalistocrat wearing the traditional white clothing, a friendly and polite man all the while you've traveled with him.
Also traveling with the caravan are a pair of Druman Blackjacket guards, and Gallion Land, a Hellknight of the Order of the Godclaw traveling to Citadel Dinyar.
Most trade in Isger is via the Cornerica River and its tributaries. Isger's undersized army focuses on securing the river trade, and consequently much of the hinterlands is easy prey for bandits.
The few overland trade routes in use are normally traveled by heavily guarded caravans. One such route passes through the eastern Chitterwood from Umok to the Hellknight fortress of Citadel Dinyar. Hellknights often accompany such caravans as it is also the quickest route for them to get to central Isger and the capital of Elidir.
Among the known threats in the Chitterwood is a tribe of goblins known as the Scorchfeathers. While the Scorchfeathers were a feared band of ravagers during the Goblinblood Wars, their hobgoblin commanders were all killed in the final months of the war and the Scorchfeathers are now a force of undirected and unpredictable mayhem.
~
The Chitterwood stretches more than 100 miles form east to west and nearly as far north to south. However, much of the forest was deliberately burned by Isger troops in the Goblinblood Wars to deny their enemies a refuge.
Since the burning, the Chitterwood has begun to regrow in places. Thick underbrush, bare ground, and open trails under quick-growing evergreens can all be found during a few minutes' walk.
The deepest reaches of the Chitterwood were never burned, nor were the numerous underground warrens. Goblinoids have been rapidly reproducing since the end of the Goblinblood Wars and have recently begun roaming farther afield.
The party heads off into the Chitterwood. Henrikuaxian is the first to pick up a trail, and after a few hours you stumble across what seems to have been a fairly recent goblin camp in a large clearing.
The clearing was likely burnt during the Goblinblood Wars, but the ground cover has been clearly burnt away again within the past few days. A few minutes of sifting through the ashes uncovers a broken Small dogslicer, two empty ceramic jugs, and the jumbled bones of a small-sized creature.
The bones likely belong to a forest bird of some type, perhaps a wild turkey.
You continue on the trail, but eventually need to rest for the night.
The next day Wulthur takes the lead, and he guides you to place where a shallow cleft in a rocky hill appears to have provided the goblins with a resting place for the night but little to burn.
The dung of several creatures is scattered about with no regard for sanitation. Near one pile of dung is a discarded string of feathers tied together as a crude headdress.
Again, the group pushes on but eventually has to rest again. On the third day, Kyra leads to the group to a place beneath a spreading oak where the goblins made a very recent camp.
The first thing to strike the senses is the scent of charred flesh and fuzz. The unplucked carcass of a small bird has been nailed to the oak tree and set on fire.
Discarded scraps of food are scattered around a crude semi-circle of stones facing the tree. Among the scraps lies a small blood-smeared vial.
The vial contains a potion of cure light wounds.
You push on, tracking the goblins once more. The trees thicken, and the previously wide glades narrow and disappear in this unburnt part of the Chitterwood. A loud animal screech echoes between the trunks, followed by excited laughter and cheers of triumph.
The goblins seem distracted, and you think you might be able to sneak up on them.
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"Hmm... look like they nabbed themselves a turkey..."
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"Sneak Winnie! Sneak!"
Zeldana surprise action: casts stone call plus area is difficult terrain for 4 rounds afterwards.
Winnie surprise action: readies an attack from her hiding position if someone comes into range
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"It appears that we have the element of surprise on our side," notes Wulthur as he keeps an eye on the goblins. He begins to retrieve his magical, composite short bow. "We could all try to sneak up on them, though with their sharp ears, I doubt we'd all get far."
He knocks an arrow and raises his bow to get a bead on one of the goblins. "If you wish to go ahead, I can give you a distraction or, if necessary, a shot or two of covering fire should you be discovered."
Wulthur fires at a goblin.
Kyra casts detect magic, but she is not trained in spellcraft...
------------
"Well, I am not very stealthy, so I'll stay where I am and use magic as a surprise..."
Kyra draws her scimitar.
Kyra casts spiritual weapon next to the big bird.