Khiari recalls that giant frogs have the annoying ability to grab hold of things that they strike with their tongue, severely limiting their prey's range of motion. Meanwhile, Bella advances up to the fallen tree and attempts to rap out a jaunty tune with her knuckles...but Red Frog does not seem impressed or enthralled by the noise.
Stitch gives Meat Wagon a good tune-up with his can of WD40 before drawing his pistol and giving the frogs ye olde hairy eyeball. He recalls that such creatures tend to be quite hardy and agile, but not so much quick-witted (as far as amphibians go).
Finn also tries to recall if he's heard anything useful about dealing with giant frogs, but comes up blank.
Nicole decides to simply get down to business as she draws out her bow and attempts to fire a shot at Red, which unfortunately goes wide. Red blinks its large, bulbous eyes in response.
Roark advances as well and climbs atop the fallen tree. Once he's sure of his footing, he proceeds to shake his tailfeathers for Red. While Red doesn't seem to find the performance fascinating, it does at least grab the creature's attention for a brief moment.
______________
Finn (2-Actions Remaining)
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Giant Frogs
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Finn may act!
Though he doesn't really know anything about giant frogs, Finn is undeterred - he dashes forward and hops up on the fallen tree to stand next to Roark.
*ribbit*
The frogs begin to move towards you, eager to feast. Red advances and then makes a long jump, clearing the fallen tree to splash down in the boggy swamp next to Nicole. Blue moves into the bog and swims towards the group, stopping just next to the fallen tree. And Orange also moves up before leaping up onto the tree next to Finn.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Giant Frogs
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Everyone may act!
Smash and slice.. always smash then slice.. why not the other way around for once?
Meat Wagon rumbles forward, ramming into the blue frog as his mower blade tries to cut it off at the knees.
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Bella climbs up the log and taps her foot upon the log, trying to generate a mesmerizing rhythm. The Yellow tinted frog should pick up on it.
Well, at least someone understands the fundamentals of music. "Sister, help Mister Steeltoe and Mister Thunder- Thunderbird."
Khiari smirks as she hops off the dirt path and into the bog. "You almost forgot his name again, didn't you?"
Stitch and Meat Wagon unload on the Blue Frog; Stitch pierces the creature's hide with lead as Meat Wagon rumbles forward and attempts to ram into it. While the frog manages to avoid being rammed, it doesn't avoid the whirling mower blade!
Meanwhile, Bella hops up on the fallen tree and taps out a tune - this time, Yellow seems enthralled by the tune! Khiari moves from the path and wades into the bog.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Red Frog
Blue Frog
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Finn, Nicole, Roark may act!
|
Seeing the Red Frog next to her, she quickly concocts a giant centipede venom from one of her infused reagents, applies it on the bolt of her shortbow, and shoots it at Red Frog.
Hero Point:
piercing damage, plus DC 17 Fortitude save vs poison damage from Giant Centipede Venom
◆ Quick Alchemy
◆ Apply poison
◆ Strike
Nicole quickly whips up a batch of poison, applying it to one of her arrows. She then takes aim and fires at Red...and easily connects! The arrow sinks into the amphibian's flesh and despite the creature's hardy constitution, it looks like the poison is doing its job.
Roark tumbles off the log and through Blue's space, splashing down into the bog behind the frog. The tengu then attempts to stab Blue with his beak but his aim is off and the strike misses.
Finn drops his crossbow and whips out his rapier, delivering two quick jabs to the fascinated Orange and breaking the temporary fascination caused by Bella.
With tasty morsels now within easy reach, the frogs attempt to partake! Red tries again and again to bite down on Nicole but she easily dodges all of the bites. Blue, for some reason, sets its sights on Meat Wagon and manages to chomp down on the construct's bumper and grabs hold!
Orange snaps at Finn, missing initially but managing to catch the investigator's arm with a second bite. Finn also finds himself grabbed!
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Red Frog
Blue Frog
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Everyone may act!
Meat Wagon does as its commanded. Resistance is futile.. for now.
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Bella claps and steps alongside the log, and tries to line up with Mister Gumshoe. Perhaps she can help him before his Pal arrives. "Mister Gumshoe, I will try to aid you as soon as possible."
Feeling good about herself, she attempts to Confidently Finish the orange tinted frog off.
Meanwhile, Khiari is knee deep in the bog when she decides to kick the Blue frog. "That's not food, silly frog. I swear, they'll try to eat anything."
Not worried about Meat Wagon being grabbed by the bumper, Stitch fires off another round into Blue and comes really close to hitting a lung in the process. Still, damage is damage and Blue is starting to look rather bloodied. He then reloads and hollers out some orders for Meat Wagon.
Meat Wagon dutifully does as ordered and squeals its tires before ramming Blue against the nearby fallen log. It's a powerful blow that leaves the frog bleeding profusely! Another blow would likely finish it, but it manages to somehow avoid Meat Wagon's second ramming attempt.
Bella moves to help Finn, maneuvering over the fallen tree to flank Orange. She hauls off and confidently punches the frog in the back of the head! It doesn't finish it off, but it certainly looks like it hurt! Khiari decides to give Meat Wagon a hand and delivers a kick to the frog, knocking it loose from the construct's bumper and sending it crashing against the fallen log. It drops to the ground with a *splat*, quite dead.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Red Frog
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Finn, Nicole, Roark may act!
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Meat Wagon rolls back and forth a bit, mashing and spraying frog innards all around. You're pretty sure someone, or maybe some-THING is playing. Does it have a mind of its own? Hard to tell with that grin on Stitch's face. He's enjoying it as well.
While Meat Wagon enjoys frolicking in frog guts, Roark moves to try and help with Red. He gives the frog a good, solid beak peck and then raises his buckler for protection. Nicole is quick to draw her dagger, but the swipe she takes at Red is a little off the mark. She then falls back a bit.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Red Frog
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Finn may act!
Finn struggles against Orange, rapidly bringing his rapier to bear against the overly-attached amphibian. The first strike sinks deeply into the frog's body and Finn feels that the blow would've been particularly devastating if he'd been able to put more power behind it. A second strike also hits home seems to do a little more damage, but the third strike harmlessly plinks off the log.
Nicole's poison continues to work through Red's system, causing the frog's muscles to begin to stiffen up. But the creatures seem almost mindless in their hunger and they persist with trying to get (or keep) you in their mouths. Red snaps at Roark, missing the first time but clamping down hard the second time and grabbing hold of the tengu with his teeth.
Orange releases Finn just long enough to attempt to bite down on him again, initially missing but then just barely managing to snag him once more, this time around the upper thigh.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Red Frog
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Everyone may act!
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Seeing Pal has some help up on top of the log, and well, climbing not being one of his specialties, Stitch jerks the wheel for a hard left, ordering Meat Wagon to come across into red's rib(bits) with the bumper and mower blade before firing off another shot.
"Don't worry Feathers, cavalry is on the way."
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It takes a moment to downshift and crank the axle but Meat Wagon does a quick hard left, ramming into the red frog. Moosh, moosh.. My gore brings all the cats to the yard.. moosh, moosh.
Roark beaks Red quite hard, leaving it terribly injured. He attempts to finish it off with another beak attack but maneuvering is difficult and the attack misses. He then raises his buckler, ready to fend off further attacks.
Bella tries to give the frog a good booty slap, but falters when she realizes that she's not sure where the booty actually is. Khiari moves up and hops up on the fallen log.
Stitch gives Meat Wagon the command to get to work against Red and then fires off another shot from his pistol, which goes wide. The construct whips around and slams into Red, spraying viscera all over the place as the creature is torn to shreds!
Finn continues stabbing like a madman at Orange, his first strike leaving another deep puncture in the frog's side while the second and third miss the mark. Nicole drops her dagger and readies her bow again, firing two shots at Orange before moving closer to Finn's position.
Orange, either extremely tenacious or lacking in self-preservation, continues to doggedly press the attack against Finn, releasing him and then attempting to bite down once again. But the creature is weakened from blood loss and Finn has no trouble avoiding being bitten again.
______________
Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Orange Frog
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)
Everyone may act!
Though not happy about being splattered with frog guts, Roark keeps his focus on the task at hand. He moves up onto the log and shakes his tail feathers at Orange with flair and panache...and then ends the creature's life with a single, powerful beak attack!
As the rush of battle fades and the sounds of nature resume, you hear a rustling sound in the nearby underbrush. A voice calls out, "Stay your weapons, I mean you no harm." Moments later, a male lizardfolk carefully emerges from the foliage, a bow slung across his back. He eyes the group with a mixture of caution and curiosity.
"At first I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, but here you are. It's rare to see travelers this deep in the swamp and ones that can apparently hold their own against the local predators are even rarer." There's a pause and then he adds, "I'm Kazuuk. Who are you and what brings you this far from the safety of the city?"
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|
"We are Pathfinders and we are on a mission to find the fungus leshy named Rain in Cloudy Day," Nicole responds while she slowly lowers her shortbow. "I am Nicole." she adds. "Is everyone alright?" she turns to her allies. [b"Finn, you are badly hurt."[/b]
She turns her head back to Kazuuk. "Where do you come from, Kazuuk? And why are you here as well? Are you tailing us or something?" she asks cautiously. "Are you alone? Do you have company?" she adds to her train of questions as she quickly scans the area to see if there are others like him.
"Hmm. Roark, you and I need to trade hygiene tips. It's not easy to wash off frog guts." She takes a long gander at his beak.
"Hello Kazuuk!" Khiari hops off the log and skips over to the lizardman, holding out a (relatively) clean hand. "Technically I'm not a Pathfinder, my sister Bella is. She's still puzzling over the frogs we just fought."
"But, it's like what Nicole said: We're looking for a fungus leshy who traveled through here. Name is Rain in Cloudy Day. Purple mushroom cap. About yay high?" She lowers her hand to a bit below her waist. "He was looking for some ruins, but he got delayed. A lot."
Kazuuk's eyes light up at the word 'Pathfinder'. "Ah! I'd wondered if you were Pathfinders! Rain in Cloudy Day is alive and well," he eagerly explains. "Some of the other scouts encountered him wandering alone out here and once we realized he posed no threat - and honestly, needed some help - we invited him to stay at the enclave my people call home. He's there right now, working on some sort of research."
"Rain did mention that others of his tribe might come looking for him...but otherwise he didn't seem too concerned about worrying anyone," he adds with a shake of his head. "Seers and scholars do great things, but sometimes they lose sight of the living world."
The lizardfolk motions for you to come closer. "If you like, I can bring you to him. My home - the Tskikha Enclave - is another two hour's trek or so from here. I promise I mean you no harm and if you wish to search the immediate area, you'll find that I'm alone - poor odds for me if I wished for battle, hmm?" He stares hard at Nicole for a moment. "But I don't blame you for your caution. I've been on a hunt, which is why I'm out here. The sounds of your battle carried through the swamp and led me to you."
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"We were rather loud. And flashy."
Bella cartwheels off the log, falling near Khiari and Kazuuk with a three-point landing before straightening up and offering a bow. Even Khiari has to admire her sister's style.
"We would be honored to be guests to the Tskikha Enclave." She turns to her friends. "Are we ready?"
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Hearing the words of Kazuuk that Rain is safe with them, Nicole does not bother to inspect the area around to know that the lizardfolk is telling the truth. His invitation to bring them to their enclave is enough to trust Kazuuk. "I would love too!" she says excitedly. "It is such a relief to know that he is alive and well! The Masters will be thrilled!" she adds.
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Stitch gives the lizardman a quick look over, wracking his well oiled brain for just what lesser evolved species they'll be dealing with here. Best he knows what they're getting into before someone (likely himself) puts their foot in their mouth.
After Meat Wagon finishes mashing up the last of the frog bodies Stitch drives it up and out of the crud "Keeping our Leshy safe and sound? Good deal. Let's get on some high ground and motor!"
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Finn rubs the enormous bruise on his arm. "Damn frogs and their wanting to grab ol' Finn Gumshoe. Ouch. Got any bandages, pal Kazuuk?"
Assuming he has a bit of time to recover, Finn agrees to move forward and find the elusive leshy.
"You're right Pal, I think you and Meat here could both use a bit of a tune up!" He hops down off the wagon and pulls out his medical tools, including a scalpel. "Don't worry, I just gotta get some of that blood outta the bruise Pal.. only hurt for a second!" He flips down an imaginary splash shield and gets to work.
"Just a couple feathers, they grow back!"
Finally he gets to work on Meat Wagon.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Finn grunts and moans as the stitches go in, but before long, he's looking much better. "Not bad at all there pal, thanks. Never seen someone carry a full kit of surgical gear with 'em on an adventure, but I'm sure glad ya did."
"You never know when a frog bite is gonna go septic and the leg, or arm has to come off." He taps Pal on the elbow and knee to make his point.
"Stop squirming Roark. You're acting like a crow on trash day, calm down."
Stitch recalls that lizardfolk - or iruxi, as they call themselves - are raised communally from the moment they break from their shells. They have an oral tradition stretching back thousands of years, brought to life through epic poems, evocative carvings, and ancestral rites performed among fields of fossilized bone. Iruxi religion plays a large role in their culture, but it is heavily practical, blending animism and ancestor worship with druidic rites. While not as prolific in number as humans and the like, iruxi aren't unheard of in the Pathfinder Society and all of you have seen a slow but steady rise in the number of iruxi recruits.
After taking a little time to patch your wounds, you set out into the swamp once more - but now you have a guide and a destination. It's not a short trek; you estimate that about two hours have passed by the time you reach the enclave, an assemblage of huts and semi-permanent structures built on several pieces of elevated land in the swamp. Kazuuk leads you to the biggest hut of the village, where an iruxi in bone armor rests. As you enter, she quickly rises to greet you.
"Greetings, you must be more Pathfinders - your appearance and the fact that Kazuuk has brought you to me is proof enough of that in my mind. It is an honor to meet you. I am Chief Thakik of the Tskikha Enclave, and I am responsible for all who dwell here, including your lost friend, Rain in Cloudy Day."
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"It is nice to meet you, Chief Thakik! I am glad to hear that Rain in Cloudy Day is safe! How long has he been with you in this enclave? We were unfortunate to take a ship that is so slow because of so many repairs done to it along the way. We were worried that we won't be able to find him, or be harder for us to find him. And where is he?" Nicole says with sparkling eyes of happiness that their mission is a success. They can now take Rain back to Absalom so that he can make his Confirmation.
Chief Thakik opens her mouth to answer Bella and Nicole's questions, but is interrupted by a sudden cacophony of panicked shouts coming from outside!
"The boulders are alive!"
"Quick, they're coming for the enclave!"
"They're coming from the ruins, too! I need help over here!"
Kazuuk immediately dashes out of the tent while Chief Thakik grabs for her weapon and nods to the group. "That last voice was Rain's! Please, go help him - the rest of us will defend the enclave proper!"
Following Thakik outside, she points to a section of ruins just north of her hut. The remnants of several stone buildings jut out of the ground, much of their structure having long-since sank into the depths of the swampy ground. Standing just at the edge, you spot a leshy fitting the description you were given of the MIA Rain in Cloudy Day - looking quite hale and hearty, thankfully. Spotting you, he waves frantically and then points back towards the ruins.
"Hello there! No time to talk, there's trouble brewing in there, living rock creatures of some sort! Your assistance in dealing with them would be greatly appreciated!"
As he speaks, two things that do indeed look like boulders, encrusted with dirt and metal shards, come rolling into the area from the west. "See? They look tough, but surely nothing we can't handle together! You folks do what you do best and I'll try to support as best as I can!"
Rain in Cloudy Day's hopeful, confident words fill everyone with determination and courage. You've got this.
______________
Rain in Cloudy Day
==============
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Roark
Bella
>Khiari
Nicole
Finn
==============
Boulders
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Swampy Ground (Difficult Terrain)
Everyone may act!
|
|
"Of course we will help defend the enclave." Bella springs into action, with Khiari skipping behind her.
"Rain in Cloudy Day? I had hoped we could have met in less dire circumstances." She looks ahead. "But yes, we will speak later. First, these living boulders must return to the earth. Sister, stay here and ensure our friend's safety. Maybe I can learn more about these foolish fossils and their follies."
Bella leaps into action, moving along the solid ground towards the two boulder creatures. She thinks for a moment and recalls that these things are literally known as living boulders, elementals from the Plane of Earth that are barely more intelligent than most animals. In fact, on their native plane they fill much the same role as great herd animals do on the Material Plane.
Given their nature, she isn't surprised to remember that they're immune to poison, sleep effects, paralyzation, and bleed effects.
______________
Rain in Cloudy Day
==============
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Roark
Bella
>Khiari
Nicole
Finn
==============
Boulders
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage
Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Swampy Ground (Difficult Terrain)
Stitch, Roark, Nicole, Finn may act!