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Entering the room further, you find an interesting scene including the walls.
A shallow reflecting pool is set into the tile floor, flanked by plush divans. Beyond two marble supporting columns, a heavy curtain separates the sitting room from the bedroom. A large map of Absalom hangs on the south wall, riddled with pins and crossed with colorful thread.
Hundreds of pins and pieces of string, though many have fallen to the floor.
Kess is not really disturbed by the scene.
She drinks a potion of heroism that she has with her.
She then concentrates and feels the surroundings better.
She then starts to move in a circle around the pool and looks around.
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The pinned wall definitely looks like a spy tracker. Betty realizes that is very important and it will take exceptional care to move out of here or get an appropriate copy made. Yes, the pool could be used for scrying, but something’s frustratingly nagging about it, and Betty can’t remember what. Kess sees that the pool is only inches deep, but very slippery. When Kess passes the southeast corner of the reflecting pool and moves past the curtains, she hears a laughing whine from the ambush set up behind the barrier and notices the curtains are not so heavy as to block anything but sight and a bit of sound.
”Now!” comes a shout from an even bulkier gnoll than Farug, though this larger gnoll woman is wearing the tatters of a fancy dress, and combat begins. She is backed up by a regular-sized hyena and a gnarly gnoll near the bookshelves in the other direction.
Round 1, no surprise round
Kess may act.
Kess moves forward to the gnoll and tries to grab him!
"Ahh, here you are!"
Suddenly Kess's Shirt of Immolation automatically bursts into flame and burns the gnoll!
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Chau is offended by Kess, but also grabbed by the dress. "Pitiful humans, always thinking you can grab at the glory of gnollkind."
She whistles the hyena into flank. It obeys easily and bites at Kess.
Kess is struck but not so easily felled.
Chau opens up with a full attack shield bash, the slams are incredibly forceful.
That includes a free Bull Rush for 32 as well, sending Kess flying away 5 feet. She doesn't move with it, breaking the grapple. She whistles again as and Snack gets pushed back as well
She moves into a better position against Kess.
Heightened awareness Tenibri gets is next.
A giant ant skitters out of the portal before it snaps closed. It immediately recognizes what it's been called to do and both bites and stings the gnoll.
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Despite being a celestial creature smiting a clearly evil gnoll, none of the attacks hit.
The other gnoll catches the eye of Kess, who needs to make a Will save vs a Witch Hex.
Betty, Fifi, Awkin and Cat are up this round, then Kess at the top of the next round.
”What … what’s happening to me??“ Kess cries out.
Kess tries to grapple the gnoll in front of her again.
After grappling the gnoll again, Kess's Shirt of Immolation automatically bursts into flame and burns the gnoll!
~
Using her greater grappling skills, she tries to pin the gnoll as a move action.
Normal: Maintaining a grapple is a standard action.
Kess tries to pin the gnoll in front of her again.
Tenibri's celestial ant continues its assault, biting and stinging simultaneously.
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It looks like that dispelling attack worked, but the ant did not, too much armor even when pinned.
The other gnoll dives behind curtains and blasts forth a lightning bolt, blasting a hole in the curtain and setting it on fire. Kess, Fifi and Tenibri needs to make Reflex saves. Kess must Remember the other Curse, still in effect.
Players except Tenibri up.
”Arghhh!!??“ Kess cries out.
Kess tries to damage the gnoll in front of her within the grapple.
While grappling the gnoll, Kess's Shirt of Immolation automatically bursts into flame and burns the gnoll!
~
Using her greater grappling skills, she tries to damage the gnoll as a move action.
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Fifi dodges the brunt of the lightning bolt and without losing momentum continues her advance towards Chau, her scimitar ready to bring down the dangerous gnoll. Her blade glows yellow in holy light, as she smiles and declares-"It seems my blade itches to bring down this foe. In the Everlight's name, stand down!"-as she goes for a spinning slash.
+1 fire damage
The elemental steps out of the portal and immediately moves to the flames to extinguish them.
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The water elemental does what’s natural and flames get soaked. Rothur, seeing this is not going well, makes a full withdraw, scrabbling through tattering curtains, over a desk, through more curtains, her charms and talismans bustling with her. Most of the talismans look like teeth, leather strips, and clumps of hair. One at her hip looks like a shriveled canine gremlin.
As she passes the glassy wardrobe, it explodes. Shards of bloody glass and ice crystals pierce her as she runs.
As she reaches the southern wall with the edge of the pinned map, she yells ”let me leave or the precious map gets it.”
Kess moves right next to gnoll.
"I do not think so!" she says coldly.
She punches the gnoll into his solar plexus!
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The curse is still lingering, and the witch seems to have all sorts of other luck on her side.
This being the first physical attack on Rothur, Kess encounters something interesting; as she rushes up and attempts to punch, Kess finds that slightly displaced images of the Gnoll are present. Kess connects with one of them.
One of the Images explodes with how hard Kess punched, but the Gnoll still stands. "You choose poorly."
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Betty moves to a better position and waves her pistol in the gnoll’s direction.
“Threats ain’t best way ta convince us ta allow ya ta live. Might want ta reconsider.” Her pistol is now aimed directly at Rothur.
She stands ready to act if the gnoll moves to harm the map, one of the group, or tries to run away.
Kess starts to flurry the gnoll with punches and kicks.
“We have you cornered!!“
Kess moves forward to the gnoll and tries to grab them!
"Ahh, here you are!"
Suddenly Kess's Shirt of Immolation automatically bursts into flame and burns the gnoll!
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Alright, so you will remain in the room. The map board does seem to be somewhat damaged by some sort of earlier altercation, but you think you may be able to decipher the main information with a Knowledge(Geography, Local, or Nobility) check, or you may manage to properly collect it with a Sleight of Hand check for Pathfinder study later.
There are also more notable things in the room, including a chair in front of some bookshelves, singed curtains around a bed, the exploded icy-bloody wardrobe, and a nice desk which Rothur jumped over.
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“Suggest we search the place. Got a ring ta’ find along wit’ any information we can git.”
Gesturing towards the map, she says “I can try ta get it down, but might damage it, Best we collect all the information we can before I try.”
She then starts making notes of anything she can determine from the map.
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Betty feels the relief of her lucky stars on reading the map.
Betty ascertains major patterns in the placement of pins and string suggesting al’Jakri has found ways to spy on not only a dozen Absalom families but also a large number of the city’s more prestigious institutions, such as the Forae Logos and the Arcanamirium. Decoding the map entirely would take days and would still rely on considerable speculation without additional data. You might also try the collection of the map. If you think of another valid method of capturing the locations besides SoH, that may work.
Meanwhile Fifi looks almost stunned by something and listens calmly.