Kiri quickly shuts all their vents to keep the poison out. Calling out an arcane word of power, they disappear, reappearing beside the caster! They attempt to tumble past the boggard before it can react, then slash at it with their claws.
Wisps coughs and sputters.
"Fear not!"
She moves out of the poison and fires an arrow at #2.
Wisps plunks an arrow into her target while kiri creates all sorts of problems for the casters.
Welcome to the party! Cheers Haibram.
The giant stands up slowly. It strike Kiri with the gaffe!
Missing.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Hunter 1
Caster
Kiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
Akoril
Marsh Giant
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
Friends
Soomdevi withers ' his pup fares a bit better.
Your friends fire on the giant!
Hunter 2 is slowed. It unleashes a terrifying croak!
for Wiss, Chim, Alrinkiri. Fail = Frightened 1.[/ooc]
Then it moves alongside Chim.
The other boggard hops into a flank:
The caster also croaks…
She doesn't seem to care much about her marsh giant ally.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Hunter 1
Caster
➤ Kiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
➤ Akoril
Marsh Giant
Soomdevi
⠀⠀Blinks
Friends
Kiri ignores the frightful croak of the hunter, but is completely unprepared for the battering sonic blast of the caster which nearly staggers them from their feet! Eying the now-standing giant nervously, they quickly dart to the far side of the caster, trying to throw them off-guard again.
The caster is slow to react, and Kiri slashes at them with their claws, then quickly step back and raise a defensive ward.
"Ow! Ack!" Chimwemwe gets beaten back and forth by the wooden oar. "Get. Away!" He quickly manipulates details on his armor, which causes short iron rods to emerge at various points. Little arcs of electricity dance across them faster and faster until the inventor blooms in a flare of white lightning.
The metal rods fall from his armor as he leaps away from the two boggards.
Kiri, badly hurt, slashes feebly with their claws before backing off.
Both boggard oarsmen avoid the worst of it.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Hunter 1
Caster
Kiri
➤ Wisps
Chimwemwe
➤ Akoril
Marsh Giant
Soomdevi
⠀⠀Blinks
Friends
Despite being a little closer to the fire than he's entirely comfortable with Akoril stands his ground as he joins the assault from Kiri on the caster.
Whipping out of falesm come a trio of rainbow feathers from his mask.
Akoril follows up by tapping into a leyline that connects to the plane of shadows and unleashes a draining arrow at the caster.
How much can Chimwemwe endure?
Wisps counterperforms!
Despite the awfule sound of the croak, Wisps moves close enough to heal Kiri, forcing her to drop the inspiring words.
Chim crits another save! Tanking!
The caster withers in negative energy…
Wisps soothes Kiri…
The marsh giant, frustrated with Kiri, rushes up to Chim.
Fire-pot launches a fire spell at the caster! Teacher Ot says to focus fire!
She burns.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Hunter 1
Caster
Kiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
Akoril
Marsh Giant
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
Friends
Soomdevi clobbers the hunter with rocks, then Blinks tears flesh!
Hunter 1 succeeds. Hunter 2 begins to cry.
The hunter moves in and strikes at Soomeevi with its oar!
Soomdevi is extremely lucky not to be knocked out cold as the oar connects to his head.
The other boggard buggers off, not willing to die for its friends. its two erstwhile comrades croak angrily at it.
The caster moves and targets Akoril and Chim!
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Caster
➤ Kiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
➤ Akoril
Marsh Giant
Soomdevi
⠀⠀Blinks
Friends
Akoril gets hit hy the torrest and pushed into the fire!
Akoril snaps off a quick shot from inside the fire.
Before double moving up to melee with the caster to provide a flank.
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"Have no fear, my friends!"
Wisps sends a healing spell at Soomdevi.
Chimwemwe resists the torrent as best he can, his heels digging into the ground. Still dripping with conjured water, he follow Akoril and moves around to the other side of the boggard shaman. There he tries to slam his shield against their foe. The water evaporates from the shield boss as it begins to glow with heat.
+
Seeing Akoril and Chimwemwe take over assaulting the caster, Kiri dashes toward the remaining hunter with an eye toward helping Soomdevi. As they take the final, careful step, they lash out at boggard with their machined-sharp claws.
P:ew, Slash, Bash, Soothe.
The giant trudges forth and cuts at Chim with his gaff:
Not very well. It looks at its weapon in consternation.
Meanwhile your friends burn it!
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Hunter 2
Caster
Kiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
Akoril
Marsh Giant
➤ Soomdevi
⠀⠀➤ Blinks
⠀⠀Friends
Soomdevi's rock sends the boggard reeling; he croaks and hops away into the forest!
Somethingn inside the barn crashed against the wall. Somethingn big. The boggard caster croaks happily. Mo-GO-BO! Ribbit!
Crash! The double doors behind the giant bulge outward…
The caster hops about happily, so excited her acid arrow misses Akoril by a wide berth.
The marsh giant glances at the doors, looking somewhat worried.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
???
Caster
⠀⠀➤ Kiri
⠀⠀➤ Wisps
⠀⠀➤ Chimwemwe
⠀⠀➤ Akoril
Marsh Giant
Soomdevi
Blinks
Friends
Kiri looks nervously at the bulging barn doors, but doesn't let that deter them from moving in. They dart forward toward the caster, tumbling as they arrive before popping up behind the boggard. Their claws flash in the firelight, then they nimbly hop back to gain a little more separation from whatever's coming through that door.
MO-G—
Kiri drops the caster!
She won't live to see whatever it is she's so excited about.
Akoril takes a moment to cast haste on Alrinkiri before refreshing his spellstrike.
Wisps carefully steps away from the giant.
"We are winning!"
She fires an arrow at the giant.
Chimwemwe tries to sweep the giant off of his feet and leave him in the path of whatever is coming out of the shed. He steps away and raises his shield.
The marsh giant stands up and runs away. Quickly. It doesn't looks back.
Boom!
MO-Go-BOO
Bursting through the wall is a huge, fanged, three-eyed, massive monstrosity that combines the worst aspects of giant toads and ugly dragon.
The creature glances around. There are no boggards here, just a caster with its throat slit, a dog, a chicken, some humanoids, and a lot of noise.
"Bloop-blorp, gurgle-glug glosh blubble-blurble blabber glarb glug burble splurble?"
The creature hesitates.
"Mariama!" Kiri cries out in the direction of the students. "Do you know any boggard?" They wince after a moment, perhaps too late, and follow it with "Any polite boggard?"
Mariama shouts over. Of course I blorping do. Frog pond is inhabited by hezrou-boggards! Everyone knows hezrou-boggards speak demonic and boggard.
…I just haven't gotten them to SAY anything… yet.
She points at the Mogobo. Anyway she's named Mo-Go-Bo. That's what her boggard worshipers call her Boggards must not be very creative. She says she has an offer, if we'll listen.
Chimwemwe lowers his shield and forces himself into a relaxed posture. He points to his ear with his free hand while looking at the three-eyed monstrosity.
The Mogobo gurgles and croaks. Mariama continues: OK… Mogobo here likes being pampered by all the local boggards. Why risk a good deal? Since we killed or ran off the witnesses she's willing to let us go without a fight. That way she can tell her froggy friends she gobbled us all up. Returning unscathed after a great battle will garner her even more power and respect. We just have to promise to never come back to this godsforesaken orchard. Sounds like a win-win to me…
…I guess Mogobo here is smarter than she seems. Or lazy.
Haibram laughs, then doubles over in pain from his wounds. The wheezing dwarf opines: If only Chizire was here, they'd get along swimmingly.
One thing… Mariama crooks her finger and grins wickedly. I need answers about Frog Pond! Occult magic swirls around her fingertip… And I won't leave here without finding the truth!
Chimwemwe nods his head. "I'm agreeable." he says and looks to the others, all of them wounded to some degree.
Akoril notes "I'm glad I didn't start by burning down the building."
Akoril leaves the negotiating to others and tries to look over the students from afar, particularly in terms of count as the negotiations go on.
"Mariama...perhaps we should just leave things be with the solution that ensures no one gets eaten right now. We can try to find out answers later."
"Think, Mariama! Picking another fight, slowing ourselves down before we can go rescue the others...it's just what the frogs want you to do! You're playing into their hands!"
Fine. FINE! We should probably go save everyone else anwyay.
Mariama nods and translates. Mogobo says good. Now go away or else!
The huge creature leaps awkwardly into the air and flies away into the swamp…
Anchor root runs up and gives Akoril a big hug. Mariama smirks.
Haibram punches 'Kiri's shoulder. What took ya so long?
Fire-pot watches the burning orchard, eyes glittering. I'll incinerate them all… all of them!
Mariana looks at Soomdevi. You got any cloves, Soomdevi? They took all mine.
Inside the abandoned barnhouse where the Mogobo was nesting is a gnawed arm with a vanishing coin looped around its wrist, an iron medallion, a moderate sturdy shield, and six large sapphires worth 100 gp each.
In the shed in the back is a [url=https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=404]collar of empathy[/url and matching bracelet.
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Mariama collects samples of boggard blood, samples of the dead caster's toenails and hair, and samples of the water and mud. "For experiments" later at Frog Pond. She begins their story. The kayal who attacked that little village — whatever it's called — came back again! They wanted to round up the villagers take them away. Clearly they're in in cahoots with someone in that village, or maybe it's a false flag set up by powers on the Negative Energy Plane! Probably both.
Root blushes Ummmm… is that a little convoluted? Everyone in the village is really nice… and ummmm… does everything have to be a false flag…?
Haibram cuts in. Bah. Whatever the case, they's a bunch of fetchlings runnin' amok causin' trouble an' kidnappin' folk. And more'n that they's from the "Shadow Maagambya!"
Sardonically chuckling, Mariama cuts in. "Which is why goodie-goodie Esi needs to just SHUT UP sometimes! She mimics Esi. We're from the Maagambya she says. Take us instead she says. Those wannabe Soomdevis LOVED her idea SO MUCH! They thought it was HILARIOUS! I think they KNOW someone at the Maagambya too. I bet they're WORKING with someone there!
Root feeds a worm to Lucky Bones. Ummmm… ok? Clearly she doubts Mariama's conspiracy. Anyway… umm… they found some massive cyclops ruin full of old treasures and knowledge of the past. Umm… seems to me like maybe these Shadow Maagambyans were on an archaeology mission like we were? Instead of being nice and doing the archaeology themselves, maybe they're kidnapping people from small, remote villages for forced labor. People who no one will notice are gone. At least… umm… for a while.
Like I wanna go bust up rocks in some cyclops ruin. says Mariama. Then again maybe if I worked them the inside their organization…
Fire-pot tinkers absently with a fuse attached to a small clay cylinder that's painted bright red. He still stinks of sulfur… It's a long way away. We four escaped last night, but the others aren't so lucky. They're still being forcibly marched to those ruins. I'll find those kayal and burn them all for this affront.
Haibram kicks the dead boggard. Thought we was free an' clear and got caught by these jarks. They wanted to sacrifice us to that three-eyed Mogobo character. Lucky you showed up.
Oh right. Sacrifices! Mariama slams her fist into her palm. I bet those Shadow Maagambyans want powerful casters because they're gonna make a evil sacrifice too! I bet there's some forgotten cyclops ritual that needs the blood of powerful spellcasters! I'm telling you, they seemed all too familiar with our school and our talents. Yeah. I bet their ritual requires sacrificing powerful casters to ancient evils cyclops gods. Casters like me.
Ummmmmmmmm… Root isn't so sure about these conspiracies, but lets it go. Anyway, we were heading back and we're lucky you found us. We should be careful, I bet they noticed we escaped by now.
Bet ya saw the fires blazin' eh? No such thing as overkill when it comes to fire! Haibram cracks his knuckles.
You realize everyone in the region probably saw it. Best to get moving, as you're not only hunting but being hunted.
|
Of course Soomdevi's mind immediately goes to Koride when Mariama suggests the knights are working with someone at the Maagambya, but no, it couldn't be. That might mean he was helping too. He thinks back to his mysterious clandesine missions in the shadow realm. No way.
Soomdevi rises to his full height and lowers his shroud. He fluffs the tulle.
"Posers are the worst. I've got no time for wannabes. Let's get out of here before we draw too much attention. Where's this cyclops ruin?"
Chimwemwe frowns while fiddling with his puzzle box in his right hand. "It would be safer for you back at the village," he says slowly, "but there's a primitive dragon claiming a region between here and there as their territory."
"We did indeed, Haibram. You all did well. And now we know more of what we're up against."
You heal up and move quickly out of the region, with the students tagging along but a bit behind you.
The Knights of the Gloaming Heart have not bothered to hide their tracks. They seem to have crossed the Terwa River at one of its shallowest fords. Their tracks on either side are obvious.
Suddenly a behemoth hippopotamus lurches out from some reeds and bites at Chim, the massive jaws missing by a whisker!
It looks badly wounded from a recent fight, blood dribbles into the water from its hide. Unless you can find a way to pacify the beast you will have a difficult fight on your hands.
Kiri slips the coin off the wrist of the gnawed arm, brushing it off a little before tying it around their own limb.
Kiri, seeing the injuries on the hippos hide, makes a snap decision. They quickly weave a healing spell, hoping that reducing the creatures pain will cause it to calm down.
The hippo accepts the healing and seems a touch less furious, but everyone knows they're territorial and easily affronted. If only you had a way to talk to it or Handle an Animal.
Wisps holds out her hands in a calming gesture. "Go in peace, creature." Magic flows from her hands, surrounding the hippo in a soothing aura.
You pass the way, leaving the beast be.
The ambush happens several days later on a muddy trail that might have once been an ancient highway. Five fetchlings step out from the bushes. Get them!
The first one rushes ahead:
Luckily he attacks the defending shield bearer, as the attack would have crit anyone else.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Brute 2
⠀⠀➤ Wisps
⠀⠀➤ Kiri
Brute 4
Brute 1
Soomdevi
Blinks
Brute 5
⠀⠀Chimwemwe
Brute 3
⠀⠀Akoril
"Look how these cowards attack us!"
Wisps raises a hand and a field of tentacles erupts from the ground, attacking three of them!
bludgeoning plus grabbed
bludgeoning plus grabbed
bludgeoning plus grabbed