Baldrek sighs in relief as the bugs are killed. "How do they get so big?" He then cleans his blade. "I'll take a look on the other adjacent rooms... I wonder how many more threats can be hidden here."
"The space isn't that big - you'd think there has to be a limit."
Fortunately, a thorough sweep of the library makes it clear that there are no more dangerous pests lurking about.
The spellskeins cavort happily once you inform them that the silverfish are gone. They fold themselves into the shapes of frilled lizards and clamber over Raknar as you set to the task of combing through all of the books in the library for the tomes Teacher Ot has requested.
None of the books you are looking for are in the main room, so you begin exploring the side rooms. In the first, you find several stacks of books and closed boxes overflowing with even more books. One of the boxes stuffed with books is a chest with carved writings all over it, which is the Collected Field Notes of the Druid Mata Digemari. A gold key resting on the chest is worth 35 gp—it doesn’t unlock anything here.
The next room has heaps of partially-chewed books and scattered papers, many of which have been pulped and mashed into strange, nest-like shapes. A crack in the wooden wall drips with moisture and is covered with a profusion of mold. The books here are all compiled from the same research topic: potential positive uses for spells considered evil by the world at large. It seems someone was building to a thesis by studying these texts but left off the research a long time ago. As many of the books have gruesome subject matters (detailing evil spells and their effects in vivid detail), it’s perhaps best that the insects lairing here destroyed so many of them. The research notes here contain a limited version of the create undead ritual, useful for creating zombies of 2nd level or lower. Takulu would likely reward you for turning this over so that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
The next room is jammed with simple beds and frames, stacked and arranged to simply keep them out of the way. Dusty boxes are shoved beneath them. The boxes are easy to reach and contain—among other various works—Volumes 1, 3, 4 5, and 6 of Worlds Between Worlds. You also find a bracelet of dashing behind the boxes.
When you search through the piles of books in the room where the spellskeins were hiding, you discover several books relating to the ruined city of Bloodsalt, whose long-vanished inhabitants supposedly sprouted wings and flew away. Also among the scattered stacks are ancillary works on Mwangi residents and dragons, bookmarked for useful cross-referencing. Both Studies on the Habits and Migration Patterns of Birds and Drakes of the Continent of Garund and An Expanded History of the Lesser-Known Peoples of the Mwangi Expanse are here. A slim folio contains a partial map of the ruined city of Bloodsalt, as well as a narrow scroll of fleet step being used as a bookmark. There is also an animal staff leaning against the overstuffed chair.
You then move back into the room with the wasp's nest. Careful examination of the nest reveals that some of the paper used in its construction moans softly. These remnants once belonged to a scroll called A Treatise on the Various Communicative Methods of Non-Vocally-Projecting Entities. The scroll’s title is the only piece that’s still legible; the scrits have smeared the rest into illegibility and then tore it apart, providing material for the wasp nest. Alas, it can’t be recovered, even by Takulu’s skills at book restoration.
The final room is empty aside from a handful of books and journals in boxes. The boxes contains extra supplies, such as blank journals, quills, charcoal, and writing implements. Although you can easily replenish your academic materials here, they aren’t of much value.
"Well, we've found the books we're looking for, and more besides. However, I suspect we'll need more than one trip to take everything to Teacher Ot." Glancing at the notes for creating undead, he says, "We should give that to him, too - I don't see any good use for it. Let the dead lie in their graves at peace, I say."
"Agreed, so we better get started. We should take the books Teacher Ot was looking for first, just in case." Baldrek then grabs the books with care, securing them. "I'm sure we can find or hire a cart in town."
Teacher Ot is grateful to receive the books he requested, minus the scroll that was destroyed. "Well done, initiates! I knew you were up to the task."
Eventually, you are able to bring the other books out of the old library as well for cataloging and storage in a better facility.
The spellskeins continue to cling to Raknar. It's up to you if you want to allow the strange constructs to disperse into the campus or elsewhere in Nantambu, or if you want to find a new home for them.
Raknar carries as many books as he can each trip, taking care that the spellskeins are safe. Once the task is done, he heads back to his room and lets the spellskeins climb off if they so choose. ”You are welcome to remain here, little ones. I will do my best to see you looked after.”
The spellskeins leap off of Raknar and look around the room curiously. One of them looks up at the amurrun and nods in approval. It seems that the constructs can understand the Common tongue, even if they cannot speak.
Raknar smiles at their acceptance. For the first time since he has gotten here, he is beginning to feel like he has made a connection, even if it was with these enchanted creatures.
A few days after your escapades in the stump library, Chizire approaches you. "Hey, guys. I've got an idea for a new brew, but I need a special ingredient to make it happen: rare and magical crickets. Koride has some in her office. If you can get in there unnoticed and grab some for me, I'll make it worth your while," the catfolk says with a smirk.
Patizamo tries to figure out if there's someplace else they can find the crickets.
Patizamo doesn't know of any other local sources of the rare crickets. If you want to help Chizire, you're going to have compromise your morals...
Raknar lets out a low growl and says ”Absolutely not,” as he rises from where he was sitting by the fire. ”Not only is it vile to kill innocent things just for your idea of a drink, but taking something that isn’t yours is not the way of the Magaambya. And even if it were, it is not my way. And if you all insist on pursuing this madness, I promise I will inform Koride of your actions,” he snarls as he folds his arms across his chest as his tail flicks back and forth in anger.
__________
"I'm sorry, Chizire, but as Raknar said, this is not the right way... if I ever see one of these crickets elsewhere, I'll try to grab some for you, but I'll not steal." Baldrek explains, though in a far less angrier way than the catfolk. "Also, aren't there better things to put in your brews than insects?"
Then, something hits him. "Have ye ever put other insects in your brews? In one we have drank?"
Chizire takes Raknar’s anger in stride. ”Alright. So much for amurrun solidarity,” he grumbles.
His eyes flick to Baldrek when the fighter asks about previous brews. ”Do you really want to know the answer to that question?” he replies, his smirk returning.
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Mokhasi takes the lead at much of the work retrieving the books from the library and spends considerable time reading through what was found in his off time. He particularly is interested in any tales that might provide insight into the culture of those who came before.
********************************
Mokhasi tilts his head and listens to the discussion, adding at the end
quietly "the fire and the water - often at odds, found common ground in the defense of a principle." He retrieves his notebook and wets the tip of his pencil and begins writing a longer tale. Without looking up, he shakes his head at Chizire - "making alcohol from insects is no more or less wasteful than making food from the flesh from any other animal - but I agree that I cannot steal from a teacher. They have given us much."
He looks up again at Chizire, "I would still try any concoction you can muster without theft, Chizire. And I would help you in this if you asked, of course." He returns to writing, and muses quietly, trying to write and re-write something for a moment.
Patizamo is quiet. He’d stolen before - indeed, much of his teenage years had been spent engaged in some sort of criminal activity. Still, he remembered the look his father had given him when he’d found out, and the remembered shame held his tongue. Once the others had spoken their share, he said, ”Do you know of someplace else these crickets may be found?”
Chizire shrugs. "Not really. But it's okay. I'll come up with a new idea later, maybe. Kinda bored now. Think I'll take a nap!" The catfolk curls up on a couch in the dorm's common room and is asleep within minutes.
Walking up, Okoro shakes his head at the slumbering amurrun. "I still don't know how he does that!" Okoro holds up the huge box he is holding and shows it to you. "Anyway, I managed to get my hands on this new board game! The rules are incredibly dense and complex, just the way I like them! Would you guys be willing to help me playtest it before game night?"
He turns to Baldrek. "Oh, and Esi has been looking for you! She wants to talk to you when you have some time."
"Sure, I'd be willing to help you with it."
Patizamo barely manages to work out the rules, but he just can't seem to line up the necessary combinations to win.
Raknar is loathe to try these “games,” but is also starting to feel quite alone here. So he begrudgingly attempts it.
The end result is him feeling even more frustrated, and he “excuses” himself back to his room after one game.
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Mokhasi claps his hands in delight at the prospect, and eagerly begins to read the dense rules. He passes them to the others and arches his fingers, his mind obviously trying to formulate a winning scheme.
Mokhasi enjoys his time playing, though he seems to come up a little short, it looks like he’s taking particular care at the strategies that the other players are attempting, even those who are not successful overall. In particular, he seems to compliment good plays, or interesting mechanical combinations that he might have missed before, even if the person does not win. Muto appears to be miming ‘thinking’ a great deal. During the game he tries to encourage Raknar whenever possible, assisting him gently with rules issues and trying to keep the spirit light and positive. The process is less than successful, but if Mokhasi is disappointed, it doesn’t show much.
He spends much of his turns with his head down over the board, his grey, white, and black braids hanging ponderously in his face from time to time until he brushes them out of the way, behind his ears, or by leaning back.
Baldrek was thinking about joining for the game, but then he decides against it, preferring to look for Esi.
The game is a spirited one, but Okoro manages to eke out a victory ahead of Mokhasi! "Ha! Good game, my friends! I think I'm going to have to make a cheat sheet for the rules before the next game night, though! Thanks for helping me playtest!"
***
Baldrek finds Esi standing by the frog pond. The young woman smiles and waves as he approaches. "Hello! A fine night, o?" She steps forward and takes Baldrek's hand. "So, listen. We've been seeing a lot of each other over the last few months. I really enjoy spending time with you. I wanted to ask if you would like to be my boyfriend. What do you say? Shall we make this relationship official?"
***
While Raknar is sulking in his room, he hears a soft, hesitant knock on his door. The soft voice of Anchor Root calls out. "R-raknar? I don't want to disturb you... If you're busy, I can come back... I'll, uh, I'll just come back later. S-sorry!"
Raknar opens the door, a paper lizard nestled on his shoulder. ”No, it’s fine. Come in,” he says as he steps aside.
His room has been turned into what looks more like a hunter’s cabin. His weapons are hooked on the wall, diagrams of local wildlife are spread around his desk, and maps of the surrounding jungles with areas marked designating animal territories are on the wall.
He makes his way back to his chair to have a seat by the window when he sees Esi and Baldrek over by the pond. He rolls his eyes and turns instead to sit on the foot of his bed.
Anchor Root cautiously steps into Raknar's room, looking around nervously. The little gnoll looks up at the amurrun. "Um, I just, uh... I wanted to ask for your help. My familiar, you know, the chicken? He's wandered off somewhere. I've looked all around the dorm but I can't find him. Could you help me track him down? That is, if you're not too busy..."
Raknar nods and reaches up to take the spellskein down and set it safely on the bed. ”Where did you last see it?” he asked.
"He was in my room last I saw... But he's not there now..." Anchor Root says, scratching at her arm.
Anchor Root’s room is mostly neat, save for the occasional dried chicken dropping. Stacks of small, cleaned animal bones sit in the corners, and several large tubs serve as homes to her collection of pet fruit beetles, many of which are the size of a human fist.
Raknar first begins looking around in all the most obvious places. But when that doesn’t turn up, he begins sniffing around and trying to follow it’s scent.
Following his nose, Raknar tracks the chicken's scent trail out of the front doors of the dorm. The trail leads to the Soaring Spire, and as he gets close, the ranger can hear frantic clucking coming from the dorm's roof. He can see the wayward bird running back and forth along the roof, desperate for a way down.
Raknar spotted the bird up on the roof. He shook his head at the thing before utilizing the Soaring Spire’s unique feature to get up there. He then slowly stalks up towards the bird before making a quick lunge and capping it between his paws!
He makes his way back down and hands it over to Anchor. ”There you go. He must have wandered into the enchantment and launched himself up there.”
Anchor Root takes the offered chicken, squeaks a quick and high-pitched thanks, then hastily runs off to her room. That's the anxious gnoll's equivalence of a heartfelt thank you!
Esi's request takes Baldrek by surprise. He loses his words for a moment, but then nests her hands in his, to reassure her. Tradition dictated that it was the man who should make the request to a woman, and even so, only after asking for her parent's permission and after the five trials were completed. He was aware that this tradition was very antiquate and was slowly changing. Esi was a very confident and progressive woman. "Of course I do, Esi! I had this in my mind since the first time I put my eyes on you." He pulls her towards him and raises her chin, risking a kiss.
"I was trying to discover how traditional your family was..." He lets the sentence lingering, trying to discover if they'll have any trouble for skipping the traditions.
Esi happily returns the kiss, standing on her tiptoes as Baldrek embraces her. When he asks about traditions, she laughs. "Clearly, I am not one to follow the outdated courtship rituals! I like you, you like me. Why should we dance around it?"
"To some, it is important." He shrugs, showing he is not one of them. "I'll not argue against this progress."
Esi laughs again. "To progress!" she says as she leans in for another kiss.
***
A few more months go by as you apply yourselves to your studies. Before you know it, your first year at the Magaambya is coming to a close, and the time approaches for your First Masking ceremony. To advance to the rank of attendants, initiates must craft a mask during their First Masking ceremony. This ceremony involves genuine and often lengthy work, as the students each craft a mask under the eye (and sometimes the aid) of their teachers. There’s one blank mask present for each initiate going through the ceremony. Although made of plain wood with simple eye slits, the masks have magical transformative potential. Containers of cloth, beads, feathers, and metals are all nearby, and incorporating these materials along with shaping the wood allows an initiate to focus their experiences and aspirations into the mask’s final form, magically shaping it beyond what mere craftsmanship can produce.
You aren't the only ones attending the ceremony. Every initiate from the Spire Dormitory is making their first mask, and several teachers will be present to guide their work. The upcoming ceremony is all your fellow initiates can talk about, so you have plenty of time to consider what shape and type of mask you want to make. Animals are the most typical shapes for Magaambyan masks, but other shapes (particularly celestial objects or supernatural beasts) aren’t uncommon.
The day of the First Masking is an exciting one for all the initiates in the Spire Dormitory. They prepare their finest attire, aware that the ceremony starts off somber before turning joyous only once they’ve all completed their masks.
The ceremony takes place in Tireless Hall, the building named for Golden Snake, a serpent-person also known as the Tireless Guide. Tireless Hall is often the site of lengthy rituals or ceremonies, as popular rumor holds that participants are less likely to become exhausted while within its walls. Teachers whose classes are reputed to be dull sometimes arrange to hold lectures in Tireless Hall, hoping to make their students less inclined to sleep through class.
Tireless Hall’s principal auditorium is the site of the First Masking ceremony. This large, wood‑paneled auditorium can seat more than a hundred people. It’s located on the building’s ground floor, with its southern end below ground to accommodate the ranks of benches that ascend to the north. To provide even more seating, a wide balcony overlooks the auditorium, above the lower rows of benches.
In addition to teachers you have met (Takulu, Koride, Zuma, and Mafika) and the Spire Dormitory initiates, the auditorium holds many friends, family members, and other well-wishers. Several of your own family and friends may be in attendance if you have decided to invite them! Once everyone has assembled, Takulu Ot begins the ceremony with a short speech.
"Today you will make your first true mask. Each student’s mask is an embodiment of their learning and a reminder of the idea that, over time, people gain other names and faces. Although a mask is worn over the face, it is a reflection of who a person is underneath as well as a visualization of who the person hopes to become. The person beneath a mask has flaws, as all people do, but they also have hopes, dreams, and memories that define them.
“We shall work together to make your first true mask, the expression of your spirit face within. What you do with this mask is up to you. Some wear it proudly and at every opportunity, a sign of who they have become, with their souls writ plain upon their faces. Others choose to keep their mask secret and safe, cherished and shown only to those they trust most in life. Many find somewhere to fall in between.
“The ceremony itself will be conducted in several parts. First, the initiates will come forward with their cohort and will begin, with the teachers, the rituals necessary to mold and create one of these plain masks. The task is an artistic one, of course, for painting a mask or adorning it with beads or feathers is an artistic task, but your hands will be guided by your spirit—its final shape is what you will it to be.
“You will then hold your mask, meditating upon its meaning, as the rest of your cohort completes their masks. Your mask may change shape in your hands as you meditate; this is not unexpected, and it means your mask is attuning itself to you.
“Then, at my signal, all in your cohort will don your masks as one. You see the urn there—it is a receptacle for your beads, if you wish. You need not wear them any longer, for when you don your mask you cease to be an initiate and become an attendant of the Magaambya.
“Esi Djana, come forward with your cohort.”
Anchor Root, Chizire, and Esi are first; then Ignaci, Okoro, and Tzeniwe; then Haibram, Mariama, and Noxolo. Each group takes about half an hour to make their masks and don them before returning to their seats. All the teachers actively help the students shape their masks, particularly Takulu. However, Koride reserves her aid for those students she likes, including Anchor Root, Chizire, and Haibram.
Chizire: Chizire picks a lion as a mask. Covering all of the head, most of it is uniformly painted dull earth tones, but the eyes are wide and vividly coloured. These are actually decoys, as the eyeholes are hidden lower down (to help naps).
Esi: A noble cape buffalo, carved with shocking realism. Humbly sized, but with grand multicolored patterned horns. She chose this to represent her determination after a conversation with Teacher Ot. Covers the face.
Haibram: A somewhat abstract phoenix; a sharp cone covering his face, with fiery-colored feathers pushed back away from the tip. This represents his fascination with wind and fire magic.
Ignaci: Somewhat resembling a black fox, with asymmetrical black silk fur in fashionable patterns. Covers half the head. The eyeholes magically enhance the blue in his eyes.
Mariama: An abstract red bat, somewhat mechanical in nature featuring metal and wood, covering just the eyes. Wide black-and-red bat wings. The eyes are glass lenses that can be refocused without touch.
Noxolo: A nosoi psychopomp with an intricately carved white beaked mask, etched with a faint crocodile pattern. Wild black feathers extrudes behind. Sits fairly forward on the head, allowing for many hairstyles.
Okoro: A rhinoceros with several horns, covered with charming colorful patterns. The muzzle extrudes quite far, and leaves mouth free.
Tzeniwe: A colorful peacock spider. A bit stereotypical, she decided to choose this for her children's comfort. Masterfully carved to stay stable between spider/hybrid/human forms.
Finally, it is your turn to step forward and create your masks...
Baldrek takes the supplies and sits in silence, closing his eyes and feeling the place around himself. It was somewhat hot and suffocation with all those around watching them. He would not be able to work on his mask here, though there was no choice, since it would impolite to ask the teachers to move somewhere else. Instead, he calmed himself, trying to transport his mind to another place...
... the windy spire towers, with raindrops hitting his face. Despite the height, he could smell the wet earth. Despite the thunders, he could still hear individual raindrops hitting the frog pond...
Baldrek's mask was made of metal. Strips of iron and copper melded together to form an avian mask. It was not a full-mask, since his mouth and chin were left exposed, even if the bird's sharp beak covered his nose. The bird was fearsome, a raptor, and despite the mask being brand-new, the metal looked old... the iron parts were covered in rust, while the copper was oxidized, granting the mask red and green tones. At its sides, there were feathers that started black and then slowly turned grey and white.
Once he was done, Baldrek spoke the incantations of his lightning spell, concentrating on the mask, and was surprised and pleased to see that the patterns shifted briefly and the feathers ruffled, almost as if it was alive. "The thunderbird..." He simply said, as he looked towards the teachers.
Raknar struggled with working on his mask. He tinkered with different materials in different ways, trying to come up with something, but nothing seemed right.
”You are thinking too hard on the task, Raknar,” Koride’s voice spoke from behind him. ”Clear your mind. Focus on what you want to accomplish in life, not what you want your mask to be.”
Raknar let out a breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to help people. Protect them. Provide for them. Keep them safe.
Without even realizing it, his hands started working over the mask. After several minutes of construction, Koride helped guide him through the ritual itself, instructing him to keep his eyes closed and his focus on his goals.
”There, it’s done,” he hears her voice says appreciatively.
Raknar opens his eyes and looks at the mask in front of him. It is a surprisingly detailed mask, with sheets of silver formed into scales, gleaming bright and reflecting light as he moves the mask around. Two black horns rise up from the masks brow. The mask is designed to hook around Raknar’s jaw, allowing it to cover his whole face while still allowing him use of his mouth and fangs.
”I…I made this?” he asks in disbelief.
Patizamo sat, looking at the supplies before him. Despite knowing this was coming, despite being the last group and having had time to think of what he wanted his mask to look like, he hadn't come up with any ideas. He sat there, considering, as he listened to the teachers speak to the members of his cohort to guide them. What do I want to accomplish in life? Should my mask reflect who I am or who I want to be? Uncertain, he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, and cast his mind about, looking for something he could build from. Unbidden, he remembered the feeling he'd gotten from leaping up the Soaring Spire to help Haibram test his glider. He remembered how it had felt, the nervousness, yet also the exhiliration. That led him to a memory from his youth, one he hadn't thought of in years.
It had been just before his mother died - his parents were both sick with the plague, and he sat on the roof of their house while they were tended to by a woman who knew something about herbs - they couldn't afford a cleric. He'd been sitting there when, suddenly, a bird had landed next to him. It had a hooked beak and sharp eyes. It's head was black, with bluish-black feathers on the back and wings and white feathers on the belly. It seemed to look at him, then screeched loudly and flew off, leaving a feather behind. He'd watched it fly away, soaring confidently through the sky. When he'd told his parents about it, they had told him the bird was a falcon, a fast and speedy predator.
Opening his eyes, he saw several feathers like the one that bird had dropped. Picking up first one, then the other, he thought of the stories of his ancestors his father used to tell. The image of that bird still in his mind, he began to craft. Mostly made of wood, the mask would curve, covering the front half of his head, with falcon feathers making a crest off the top. Where the eyes of the bird were would be his eyeholes. The mask would cover his entire face, but the curved beak would be open, as though the falcon were letting out a primal screech, preventing any obstruction to his speech so he is easy to understand. It was mostly painted in dark blues and blacks, to match the feathers. After asking a couple of questions of the teachers, he used white to paint the Auran runes for "agility" and "flight" onto the cheeks. Once complete, he looked at the mask, It may not have been a magical creature or particularly colorful to stand out, but he felt it represented who he had been, his experiences growing up, and perhaps where his path might take him.
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Mokhasi had heard of the masking ceremony before this, having become something of an expert on the traditions of the Magaambya. To the ceremony, he brought with him a sizable number of smooth, thin, flat rocks, which he arrayed on the craft table before him.
He looked up and blinked slowly as he waited for the crafting to begin. When they gesture to start, he does so. Mokhasi withdraws from his pockets a few of his well-worn crafting tools, and begins to drill small holes in the edges of the stones, and then places them flat onto the table. Then he takes a spool of copper wire and unrolls pieces, snipping off the pieces one by one to make wire chain links that - using his minor, he melts into place, and which make a network of the flat stones that seem like they will serve as the mask itself.
The network begins to take shape - a broad forehead, mournful eyes, and a prodtruding beak-like snout - much broader than that of a bird. The lower part of the beak is separate and actuated, only connected to upper by a few segments of wire, seemingly to allow movement in line with the user's mouth when speaking, and looping below the chin to be flush with the user's face. The stones are arrayed to look like scales, and he melts small amounts of copper to fill in holes here and there. Notably he leaves gaps where it looks like he wishes to add other things in the future. He binds the mask to a number of fabric straps which will allow him to loop it behind his head.
The mask, then is of a stone tortoise - one of the gentle, large tortoises that live on islands off the coast of Garund. Where Mokhasi saw these things is not clear, but it's a passable approximation. Mokhasi replaces his tools into his small toolbox, and folds his hands. His mask seemingly took a good amount longer than many others, and he is the last to complete his - though it is an accomplishment that he was able to get this constructed at all given the time constraints and how complicated it is.
Takulu Ot nods in approval as each of you completes your mask. "Well done, all of you. Now, don your masks and take your place as attendants of the Magaambya."
As you place your masks over your faces, Raknar's keen ears pick up on a strange grinding noise coming from within the walls of the auditorium. Just a few moments later, the auditorium walls explode inwards with the weight of several giant beetles scrambling over one other! A flood of bugs follows them, a clicking, chittering, writhing mass that flows into the auditorium and throws the crowd into chaos!
"To arms, attendants!" Teacher Ot shouts. "Defend yourselves!" Your teachers and fellow students begin to fight against the swarm of insects as five big bugs focus their attention on you. A giant goliath beetle lumbers across the stage, while a pair of giant centipedes scuttle in its wake and two flash beetles buzz through the air!
Raknar narrows his eyes at the largest insect, and roars as he lunges into battle. He draws his blades as he closes the distance, leaping to strike the goliath beetle with both blades in a downward thrust!
__________
Baldrek moves in beside Raknar and attacks the big beetle with his ranseur. He fails to pierce its thick carapace, though.
Raknar scores two light hits that draw the beetle's ire. It snaps at him with its mandibles, scoring one hit.
The flash beetle fly over the goliath beetle as they try to get into flanking positions. Baldrek impales one on his ranseur, killing it, but the other one gets behind Raknar and attacks the amurrun, tearing at his arm.
Meanwhile, the centipedes scuttle up to attack Mokhasi! The elf is bit twice!
Patizamo sees Mokhasi in trouble, so trusting Raknar and Baldrek to handle the other two, he moves to help the Elven Wizard, who wasn’t well suited to melee combat. Drawing his short sword, he ran over and struck at one of them with his blade.
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Mokhasi shakes off the poison. He nods at Patizamo, and not moving from his location, gestures, and a small amount of rubble pummels the little creatures. He then snaps his fingers, and a shield of force appears. "I must learn to be as steady as the roots of a mountain. As patient as a tortoise," he notes idly to Patizamo, and does not retreat.
Raknar unleashes a series of slashes at the massive beetle, but his injuries appear to be having a negative impact on his combat prowess!
__________
Patizamo's attack comes up short. Mokhasi's spell wounds both centipedes, one more than the other. Raknar can't quite find a gap in the goliath beetle's chitin to land a good hit, but Baldrek dispatches the second flash beetle with a ranseur strike before delivering a powerful, critical hit on the goliath beetle!
The goliath beetle shifts its focus to Baldrek, attacking with its mandibles and returning the critical hit! The centipedes continue to strike at Mokhasi, but only one manages to hit him, and even then, his shield protects him from harm.
Baldrek flinches as the huge beetle bites him and then shifts around to offer Raknar an opening to flank the bug. He spins his ranseur before trying to pierce it, while looking around for Esi.
Weaving magic with his blade, Patizamo casts a spell of fire into it, striking with the spell. He then takes some of that energy and channels it into his body, enhancing his attacks.
Raknar continues trying to tear into the beetle, systematically slicing at weak spots in its carapace.
__________