Arlo swiftly bandages Jayma's wound and restores some of her vigor.
Zelphari's bloody boar stomps and snorts as it bounds forward and slams its heavy head and sharp tusks at the man's legs. The sorcerer's investment in martial training and heavier armor saves him from the goring.
Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.
Blue Circle Boar (-2 hp)
Blue Square Boar
Arlo
Red Square Boar (-25 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (33/44 hp)
Azu (24/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari
Red Circle Boar
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
Ruby yowls as the boar attacks from behind. She turns to face the boar and takes a bite at the boar.
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Keeping his focus on the boar in front of him, Zelphari nonetheless keeps an ear out for what's happening behind him. He takes another strong swing at the boar.
He quickly swivels around to scan what's happening. Seeing another boar on the other side of the clearing that is still unengage, he races across to come next to it, buoyed by the magical enchantment he laid on himself at the start of the day.
Grunting at the resilience of the boar, Zelphari swings again.
Dropping his bow, Maximilian moves in to deal with the boar engaged with Ruby. He draws his rapier and misjudges his thrust, overextending and leaving himself vulnerable. Fortunately for him, boars are not expert duelists.
Ruby takes advantage of Maximilian's distraction and bites into the boar's shoulder.
Zelphari carves another gouge into the boar with his pole-arm, but the stubborn boar refuses to give in. He swings again, and the boar hustles out of the way. Then he summons a shield of force between himself and the boar.
Azu summons his raptor to his aid, but the boar before him proves wilily indeed as it dodges each of his blows!
The boar to the north charges through the Pathfinders, right past Arlo and Hobbs. The boar bumps into Arlo and nearly knocks him down. It takes a moment before the pain in his leg registers, and the cleric notices all of the blood at his feet .
Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.
Blue Circle Boar (-11 hp)
Blue Square Boar
Arlo (18/42 hp)
Red Square Boar (-36 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (33/44 hp)
Azu (24/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
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"Jayma! See what you can do to eliminate the hellswine threatening Zelphari. I shall endeavor to impair the the remainder."
Hobbs moves into a position that allows his magics to affect all of his foes. He waves his staff in the air, causing fearsome, ghostly apparitions to emerge and fly towards each of the attacking boars.
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When Arlo comes over to provide Jayma with more hands-on medical attention, she gives him a sheepish look. "I do hope I'm not becoming too much of a pest, dear Arlo, but these boars are beginning to bore me a little, in every sense of the word."
After Arlo finishes patching her up, Jayma feels a lot better. She stretches left and right and sighs delightedly. She flashes the halfling her best smile in recompense. "Aaah! That feels much better. What would I have done without you, dear Arlo? Probably perished at the hands of these horrible hogs by now. I do hope I won't be needing your services again too soon, but perhaps you shouldn't wander off too far, just in case."
She turns her attention back to the boar she just pineconed. Giving it a look that would freeze the blood in a more sensitive creature, Jayma starts weaving another spell. A strange blue light envelops her hands as she reaches down with her mind to call up the water trapped in the ground beneath her. The water bubbles out of the soil before her and rises slightly into the air where it forms into a ball. She then lets out a "boring boar be bathed" and the ball shoots forward to smash itself against her nemesis.
She speaks the word, "protect," and the space around her shimmers slightly.
She then notices Arlo's leg wound. "Oh no! Not you too, Arlo dear. Is no one safe from these brutish boars? Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
Hobbs summons a ghostly, mental assault upon the fierce boars to wildly variable effect .
Jayme summons a torrent of water and directs it towards Zelphari's boar. The beast, distracted by Hobbs' apparitions, never sees it coming. The water picks up the heavy boar and drives it into a tree. With a loud crack, the tree breaks and the boar's broken body hangs from the splintered trunk .
Ruby's boar swings its head and tears another deep wound in the cat's side. The cat hops out of the way of the backswing, and then the boar rushes off in preparation for another charge.
Azu's boar rams its head into his legs and rips the other leg open . He leaps back out of the way, and then his boar runs off to prepare for another charge.
Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.
Blue Circle Boar (-11 hp)
Blue Square Boar
Arlo (18/42 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (19/44 hp)
Azu (12/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar (frightened 3, fleeing 1)
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
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Arlo looks relieved and a little bit sad at the same time as one of the boars crashes to the ground. "I'm sorry piggie, but it wasn't your fault. You were possessed. I hope you're free now."
As his tools are still in his hand, Arlo starts to bandage his own wounds.
With the bleeding stopped, he weaves a spell and directs it at Red Circle. More soothing winds envelop the boar, but this time, it's the gentle rushing of leaves, and the sound of a calm sea echoes throughout the area.
Arlo uses his magic to calm the boar that was terrified and about to flee. The boar takes on a relaxed pose and just stands there.
Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.
Blue Circle Boar (-11 hp)
Blue Square Boar
Arlo (34/42 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (19/44 hp)
Azu (12/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar (frightened 3, fleeing 1, calm)
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
Furious that the boar was able to inflict such a serious wound on her Ruby rushes after it and sinks her claws
Azu and his raptor dash forward to deal with the wounded boar. Ako fails to catch his prey, but his master has no such trouble as he cuts a line across the boar's shoulder and then cracks it with his mace. The winds of fortune may be turning. Maximilian joins the melee around the wounded boar and drives his sword deep into the beast's trunk. He surely hit something vital. Ruby pounces upon the bloodied beast and ends its life with a powerful swipe.
Zelphari moves to the one remaining boar whose mind is not befuddled by Arlo. He brings his pole-blade across the boar's side and reveals several rips as he flays the hide. His second strike glances off of the boar's hide. Maybe the ribs dulled the blade.
Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.
Blue Square Boar (-20 hp)
Arlo (34/42 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (19/44 hp)
Azu (12/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar (frightened 2, calm)
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
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Seeing that Arlo was not in imminent danger of death, Jayma returns her attentions to the first boar that had gored her. She gives it one of her patented blood-freezing looks and in an ominous tone, says, "That's one down. You're next!"
With the abundance of pinecones in the area and the success of her last pineconing of a boar, she decides on a reprise. Picking out one of the many pinecones, she flicks her wrist and with another "pinecone pummels piggy" sends it rocketing into her boar nemesis.
The boar stares back at Jayma, unfazed by her glare. However, it does take notice when a magically motivated pinecone collides painfully with its nose.
Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.
Blue Square Boar (-34 hp)
Arlo (34/42 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (19/44 hp)
Azu (12/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar (frightened 2, calm)
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
Hobbs' aim is indeed off, and the ray of frigid energy zips into the woods. However, the injured boar has apparently had enough and takes off into the forest as fast as possible.
This only leaves the one, completely healthy boar that Arlo is focusing his divine energies on keeping sedate.
Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.
Arlo (34/42 hp)
Maximilian
> Ruby (19/44 hp)
Azu (12/44 hp; gravity weapon)
Zelphari (shield)
Red Circle Boar (frightened 2, calm)
Hobbs (40/41 hp)
Jayma (17/36 hp)
While Arlo keeps the boar's thoughts sedated, Maximilian prompts him to hustle off into the woods. Once he is out of range of the cleric's control, he finds himself somewhat confused but has no reason to chase down its prior prey without the rest of his sounder.
The moments after Arlo loses control of the boar's mind are tense while you wait, but he never returns. You gather yourselves and then head back down the road.
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.
The tengu turns and speaks in a soft voice, “Welcome, Pathfinders. My name is Kukuha. Apologies for not meeting you in Sakakabe, but I deemed it necessary to perform some advance observation of Kayajima to see what I could learn about the rumored ley lines. 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.”
Kukuha looks across the panoramic vista, then continues. “It’s quite beautiful, is it not?” She motions to the northwest, toward the trees. “Makuzen Forest, the verdant bounty of the land.” She turns to 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 stabilizing 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.”
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After Maximilian chases away the boar, Arlo sighs a breath or relief. "That's two still alive, at least. All in all, not bad, I think. Could've been much worse."
He then sees the blood on his teammates. "Oh. Yeah. Right. All right, line up in order of deadliness of injury, looks like we're gonna be here for a while."
After that, Jayma looks much better, though Azu looks like he could use some more. "Jayma, if you don't mind, I'll come back to you later, okay? Looks like other people need more urgent care."
Arlo's fingers slip as he is cutting the bandages and somehow manages to poke in Azu and Ruby's wounds, making them bleed some more. Unperturbed, he mutters a "Whoops," and continues applying bandages.
His fingers slip again, and you can hear Arlo growling at himself.
With that, Azu looks like he's in good condition again, while poor Ruby still needs some more help.
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Arlo beams at Azu. "It's what I'm here for, don't worry. You can thank me with some good food, once we're back in town. Or by protecting me from further harm. Good job, by the way!"
Arlo plops down next to Kukuha and admires the view. "So, we go to these places, place these focuses, then come back? That sounds easy enough."
His face falls as he remembers the fight. "Wait, we did fight several boars, though. Two of them got away, so it's sort of okay, I think. But they attacked us first! Is that bad? Other than that, I totally agree, we should leave nature alone as much as possible. It was here first."
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Hobbs waves off any treatment. Indeed his wound, although minor, seems to be slowly mending of its own accord. While Arlo is busy bandaging everyone, Hobbs pulls a small pickle from his pack and hides it in his hand. He approaches Twyl and begins to chitter.
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Under Arlo's expert care, Jayma feels almost completely back to full health. Only a slight ache remains in her ribs to remind her to be more careful around wild beasts in the future.
"Jayma, if you don't mind, I'll come back to you later, okay? Looks like other people need more urgent care."
Jayma smiles broadly at the halfling and waves him off. "Oh pish, dear boy. 'Tis but a scratch. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine."
The slight pain in her side pales in importance compared to the mortification she experiences when she looks down and sees those two large bloody rents in her bustier. Blushing slightly, she turns away from the others. With a wave of the hand and a "deterge", her body and clothes magically cleanse and repair themselves; her hair returns to its usual do; and her smeared makeup slides back into place. Once Jayma has restored herself to her usual pristine state, she lets out a sign of relief. "Ah, that feels so much better."
She looks around and notices that she was not the only one that had been disheveled by the fight with the boars. "If anyone would like a spruce up, please let me know. After all, I'd hate for the other teams to think we were slobs."
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As is usually the case when danger rears its ugly head, Twyl had bravely turned his tail and fled into the safety of his mistress's backpack. From there, he shivered in trepidation as he heard the usual screams and explosions that were part and parcel of his mistress getting irritated by something.
This time was a little different though. Twice in quick succession, Twyl felt a painfully sharp mental jolt as he experienced some of his mistress's pain through their shared empathic connection. It had never been that bad before and he really hoped everything would turn out ok in the end.
He needn't have worried. As usual, his mistress had taken care of things and everyone was safe again. Where would he be without her, he wondered for a fleeting second, but the thought of losing her is too much for his little brain to handle so he shrugs it off.
As his mistress is being repaired by the strange little man, the green man comes up and makes some noises with his mouth. Twyl is used to people coming up to him and making noises with their mouths, but this time it was different: The noises made sense to him! He understood what they meant! Twyl was somewhat shocked by this turn of events and wasn't sure how to react.
The green man gets closer and presents his two fists. Normally this would have been enough to send Twyl flying into his mistress's backpack, but this time he understood what he was meant to do. The green man had a surprise in one of his hands and Twyl had to pick the correct hand to get it. Being more intelligent than his less magically enhanced ilk, Twyl notices that one of the green man's hands is a little bigger than the other, and reaching out with his own human-like right hand, he points to it and says,
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Hobbs opens the hand that Twyl indicates and offers the pickle to the ermine.
The goblin turns his attention to Jayma. "He has a most peculiar accent. Perhaps the magic involved in binding him as a familiar has enacted some sort of change his speech centers. Or maybe the wings and hands have something to do with it."
He pulls out his pipe and lets loose a barrage of soap bubbles as he ponders. "Or it could just be that he's from a different locale than the gophers and moles that I learned to communicate with. Where was he born?"
He removes his hat and hands a pickle to Erinaceinae. "What is your opinion Erinaceinae? Is he simply speaking with a different dialect?"
Erinaceinae gingerly takes the pickle a takes a small bite.
"I don't know Mr. Hobbs. I can't understand him."
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She looks around and notices that she was not the only one that had been disheveled by the fight with the boars. "If anyone would like a spruce up, please let me know. After all, I'd hate for the other teams to think we were slobs."
Arlo looks at his blood-covered hands and travel-stained clothes, and he wipes away some of the dirt that's clung to his feet. You think he's comfortable being somewhat grubby, but he doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of Jayma.
"Um, yes please. The blood's probably not a good first impression anyway. Can you make my clothes smell like pine needles?"
Hobbs stops a passing rabbit a ways down the road and interrogates her about the dangers on the island.
"Oh dear! I hope that none of you were hurt too badly," Kukuha frets.
"You have the gist of it," the tengu says with a nod.
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"Arlo do you happen to have another apple handy?"
Assuming that Arlo gives him an apple Hobbs will offer it to the rabbit.
"Hmm...According to my leporid friend here I suspect we might encounter a threat from the skies and some sort of large land-bound predator. It is also possible, considering the diminutive size of our informant that any flying creature will be too small to effectively threaten us. Considering our fortune thus far I feel that to be unlikely however. We should be prepared for some sort of avian assault."
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Twyl squeaks in excitement at having chosen correctly and snatches the pickle from the green man's hands before he can take it away. "<crunch, crunch>" When the green man mentions pickled eggs, Twyl nods vigorously. He'd never heard of pickled eggs, but if they were anything like pickles, he was all for it.
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Jayma watches the interaction between Hobbs and Twyl with some amusement. When the goblin muses about her familiar's accent, she replies. "I'm not sure the reason. I found him as a newborn; half-dead in the snow up north when his mother abandoned him. I nursed him back to health and we've been inseparable since. As you can see, he's a bit of a nervous nellie and I don't think he's ever interacted with anyone who spoke his language. My guess is that he's just not used to speaking."
When Arlo asks for a cleaning, Jayma brightens. "Of course my dear boy. I'd be delighted. I'm not sure about the fresh pine scent, but I'll see what I can do." She then picks up a handful of pine needles and takes a deep breath from them as she waves her hand and says, "piny perfume purification"
The dirt and blood fall away from Arlo's body and clothing leaving behind a very faint smell of pine. Jayma leans in and sniffs. "Well, it isn't a strong scent, but it's something at least. I'll work on improving the spell for next time."
Jayma listens carefully to what Kukuha says, especially when she mentions the ley lines. "How exciting! I can't wait to watch you carry out that final ritual and fully activate the ley lines. If there's anything I can do to help, please feel free to involve me in some fashion." She then turns to her companions. "But first, it seems we have some work to do. If everyone is feeling better, why don't we tackle the forest gate first?"
Kukuha continues, "I suspect that what you need to do specifically with the focuses will be apparent to you once you reach each gate. The ancient people of this island, too, harnessed the energies of the ley lines, so perhaps there will be sites where they drew those powers."
Kukuha walks over to her campsite and returns bearing a small clay pot. Planted within the pot’s soil is a small sapling, with gossamer, rainbow-hued leaves sprouting from its budding branches.
“This is a rainbow cedar sapling, a magical tree attuned to the earth. It should make for an ideal focus for harnessing the power of the land.” Kukuha gestures toward the northwest. “It would seem the Forest’s Heart Gate rests within Makuzen. Journey deep within—this little one will let you know when you’ve reached the location.”
Kukuha gives Maximilian a side-eyed stare. "That way of thinking does not bode well for success."