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Much turns her attention to the ground, mumbling that she had, indeed, totally known that.
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Laesah takes a deep breath.
Why are we doing this? she thinks to herself, but she realises that she's simply painting all of these newcomers with the same Dookie-stained brush. Laesah considers using the crown given her by Teacher Janatimo, but resists the urge.
"And if Teacher Ulawa has anything to say about it, she foresees extra homework and the collection of twelve different types of sea moss in all of our futures!"
"uh-HEH HEH HEH." *ahem*
A not-at-all-awkward lifetime passes in a few heartbeats as the two groups take each other in.
"HELLO. Um, hi. I'm Laesah youknowthatalready and THESE are my colleagues - Much, Haunt, and Maddox. Uh...."
A second not-at-all-awkward pause grips them all in the same way.
"Wewerewonderinghowyouallwerefindingyourwayaround. Yeah." Laesah glances at Ducreyi and immediately regrets that decision, focussing on Goss and Threads instead. "Have you found the Soaring Spire yet? It's kinda fun."
HELP.
Thankfully for Laesah, the anadi don't even seem to notice her speaking. You get the feeling this idea might work, but maybe the approach wasn't as graceful as it needed to be.
“Hi!” Haunt reaches out and…
… grabs Threads’s hand and pumps it up and down in a quick handshake. “Like Laesah said, I’m Haunt - Haunter of Monsters, but most people call me Haunt. We’ve met, but not under the best of circumstances.” He turns to shake Goss’s hand next. “Hopefully you’ve found the Academy a little more welcoming that it must have seemed when you first got here?”
He gives Ducreyi a nod, but avoids shaking his hand. Shouldn’t come off as rude in front of the other two, but whatever’s going on with him and Laesah, he’s too much of a jerk to deal with now.
Threads pauses mid sentence, looking down at the hand then up at Haunt's face. He repeats this a couple times, then collects himself and cracks a broad smile. "Well, that's embarrassing. We can get a little carried away around here... My apologies." He says, gripping Haunt's hand warmly.
Goss is not as smooth. "YOU GUYS!" He shouts, throwing his arms out wide. "You guys saved the shit out of us, holy shit. What are you doing here? Are we hanging out? TOGETHER? Did you bring food? What are you doing here? Did I ask that already?"
Ducreyi rolls his eyes, but says nothing, waiting to hear which of these questions get answers.
“We’re here to hang out, together, right!” Haunt grins. “We got to thinking about those griffins that attacked the day you got here. While we were talking about them with one of our teachers, they mentioned that maybe you all hadn’t had the most normal introduction to life at the Magaambya. We were meaning to look you up anyway, and decided tonight was as good a night as any. We didn’t think to bring any food, though, that would’ve been smart. Do you want to come back to the Old Stump? We’ve got —“ the amurrun thinks for a moment “I’m pretty sure we’ve got snacks there.”
Much leans into the opportunity Haunt has provided, hoping to carry the anadi past any party-poopiness Ducreyi might bring to the situation.
"Haunt, are you suggesting a Stump Party?? Is it time for an inaugural 'Pound the Stump' Party?! Let's goooooo!"
With that, she throws her burly arms over the shoulders of the two nearest anadi and convivially begins to pull them in the direction of the Stump.
"Have you ever been to a Kholo party? The games! I hope you like knives. When we get there..." Much's one-sided conversation with her new friends fades as they move away from the group towards the Stump.
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Laesah smiles weakly at the anadi as Goss and Threads warm to Haunt and Much. The smile dies a quick death as she glances at Ducreyi. She turns to Goss and throws her arms wide as well in a typical anadi greeting.
"It is good to have you here, web-brother."
"Haunt, are you suggesting a Stump Party?? Is it time for an inaugural 'Pound the Stump' Party?! Let's goooooo!"
"ooooohhhh NO NO no no....it's a study night, GUYS we have lectures tomorrow...."
Laesah's pleas fall on deaf ears.
“We got to thinking about those griffins that attacked the day you got here..
Threads gives a quick shake of his head and says, “About those griffons? We couldn’t say. It was the most terrifying moment of our lives, and we are grateful you were there. We owe you a great debt. We have seen griffons before, but not those griffons—they are very distinctive in their look, so perhaps it’s not difficult to find out where they came from.”
Goss then jumps in and says, "Yeah, we talked about it and we don't know. One minute they just showed up looking to make a snack out of ME. Speaking of snacks, I'd love to check out your stump. This place has been getting weird, man. Strange noises and just strange a strange mood. Sometimes the school seems to call to you, ya know? This place here though? It's started giving serious 'get out' vibes. It's our hangout spot, but maybe it needs a break?"
Ducreyi shakes his head, having none of it. "We're not going anywhere, especially not with these ones and certainly not to 'pound a stump.'" He gestures up to the storeroom. "If something is going on in there, who cares? It won't bother us out here. And the griffons? They attacked us be because they thought we were prey, but then they found out otherwise. It's the way of the jungle - I don't see why it warrants an investigation."
"If something is going on in there, who cares?"
Much pauses her forward march to frivolity at the mention of possible trouble, pulling both of her Anadi compatriots to a sudden halt.
Much likes a stump party, but she loves adventure.Much's eye flit to her pack, remembering that their last adventure came at a very heavy cost, and is embarrassed at that rush of excitement.
She moves to stand near Ducreyi.
"You're hearing noises? From that storeroom? Tell us more."
Threads answers the question. "Some bumping and scraping. Just general sounds of activity. Nothing that would even register except everyone assures us this building is otherwise out of use. It's strange enough that we stay outside." He sighs and glances up at the sky, then gestures broadly at his surroundings. "I mean, this whole campus is strange, but also feels like where we're supposed to be, if that makes sense? Still, we're not going to look for trouble, so while it'd be nice to have a spot like your Old Stump, I'm not up for poking around in the storeroom."
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Something snaps in Laesah - maybe it’s ennui post-adventure; maybe it’s the impotent feeling she always gets when she’s near Dookie - the anadi decides: it’s time TO DO SOMETHING.
"I mean, this whole campus is strange, but also feels like where we're supposed to be, if that makes sense? Still, we're not going to look for trouble, so while it'd be nice to have a spot like your Old Stump, I'm not up for poking around in the storeroom."
”Well, WE ARE!” Laesah announces with a bravado completely antithetical to her personality, marching up to the front door of the storeroom and trying to open it.
’Way of the jungle’, eh, Dookie? Dare ya to follow me.
Haunt hurries after Laesah, pulling out his rapier and grabbing his amulet. “Laesah, wait! We worked out a process for opening doors when there might …”
Never mind. He waits to see if the uncharacteristically impulse anandi is able to open the door.
Much shrugs her shoulders to settle her armor, pats the stone head of her rope for luck, and steps into her spot in the door-opening formation.
Haunt checks the door as well (per the Pack's SOP).
As Laesah hastily approaches the door, the rest of the pack tries to get into into their normal positions. Before they can assemble completely, one of the statues next to the door grinds to life, rising and hoisting its sword and shield into a fighting stance.
Roll for initiative!
Perhaps it's because she's on edge, but Laesah reacts the moment the statue starts to comes to life.
Laesah's first blow connects and breaks off an outsized chunk of statue. The second gets warded off and does no damage.
The statue opens its mouth in a silent battle cry and slashes out at Laesah...
...but she proves too fast, nimbly avoiding both attacks.
The statue then hoists its shield to deflect attacks.
Maddox springs into life at the first sign of movement from the statue, but Laesah is quicker than he is. Seeing the statue retaliate against her, he breathes a sigh of relief that she wasn’t hit, sizes up the situation for himself, and launches into an attack.
He thinks his hit might land if he goes for the statue’s kidney…area.
He feels like he was probably right about the kidney zone.
Haunt eyes the statue for a moment, trying to suss out its weaknesses, before joining he friends in combat.
◆:
You can find the one weak point in a creature’s scales, wards, or armor to get past its resistances. When you succeed at Exploit Vulnerability, you learn about the highest of the creature’s resistances that can be bypassed (for example, if the creature has resistance to physical damage except silver), if the creature has one. If you prefer, you can choose the following benefit instead of one of the usual two benefits from Exploit Vulnerability.
Breached Defenses You can choose this benefit only if you succeeded at Exploit Vulnerability and learned the creature has at least one resistance that can be bypassed. Choose one such resistance. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes bypass the chosen resistance.
◆: Stride
◆: Strike
The sight of statues lining up to fight makes Much hesitate long enough for her packmates to beat her into the fray.
She slides to unleash The Stone Falls Down the Mountain upon the least damaged creature.
◆: Stride
◆◆: Slam down
Maddox knicks the warrior in the "kidney," though it gets a shield in the way and absorbs some of the blow. The rest of the attacks are warded off by shield and sword.
Haunt then does get a really good idea of what this thing is about though...
This is a Terra-Cotta Soldier, a fighter construct with all the construct immunities (death effects, diseased, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious) and weakness 10 to bludgeoning attacks.
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"Vulnerable to bludgeoning, eh?"
Laesah enters into a mystic hyung, moving her arcing limbs in a dance-like pattern, striking out with her feet twice in rapid succession before raising her arms over her head.
As her arms ascend, a blast of water shoots from underneath the terracotta guardian, rattling its fired clay form.
"Let's make this clay mouldable, ha!"
"I'm good at bludgeoning!"
It isn't clear if Much is trying reassure herself or intimidate the statue.
Much flows back into Stone Falls Down the Mountain and then into Heron Alights on the Stump.
◆◆: Slam down
◆: Strike
The warrior shows a remarkable burst of agility, fending off all of Laesah's attacks as well as sidestepping the gout of water completely.
It keeps going with that momentum and steps closer to Much, breaking the flanks that it finds itself in and chopping down at the gnoll...
Following it up with a slash to her hip. Both connect and draw blood.
Much lashes out with her own attacks, the first sending a huge chunk of stone flying from the statue's shoulder and next sending it to its back. The warrior lands with such force that cracks spiderweb from the ground and from its back. The dust that flies up from the impact must obscure Much's vision, because her last attack misses the mark.
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“Normally I’d make some kind of quip or insult here, but I’m not going to waste the effort on what’s about to be a pile of broken pottery.”
“Oh, I guess I did anyway.”
Haunt reaches into a vest pocket and pulls out a small lump of lead with a narrow crack running along one side. He fits it onto the tip of this rapier, making the pointy end blunt and heavy instead.
I knew that would come in handy someday.
The amurrun steps up to the statue and lunges at it with two quick strikes.
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Noticing Much do more damage to the statue, Maddox drops his rapier and pulls out a hammer from beneath his cloak. He quickly calculates the best approach to move forward and deal the most damage to their enemy, keeping one eye on Much who looks pretty injured.
He thinks he should probably go for it and takes a swing at the crumbling clay figure with the hammer.
He (hopes he) feels shrapnel hit his face as the bludgeoning weapon hits its mark. He feels like putting on sunglasses and delivering a clay pun like "Consider yourself fired," but feels like the situation might be too serious for that and stays quiet.
The statue looks to be barely held together. A couple more blows would likely make and end of things.
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Laesah's blurred fist and foot pummels the prone statue further. She then takes the opportunity to produce her healer's tools and patch up Much's wounds.
"Woe, then weal, eh?" she quips, her breath a touch breathless with the efforts.
It would seem that the anadi's shaky hands don't do any good at patching wounds.
"More like woe, then whiff," she chortles.
Laesah connects with a downward strike then steps back to attempt and heal Much. Right after those failed ministrations, the warrior groans and begins to rise... Then falls to pieces as the cracks throughout the body deepen and the statue crumbles.
"Oh, what the HECK?" Threads groans. "Is everything going to try and kill us?"
"Maybe... And may be everything will be fine, because we have better guardians than them," Goss responds. He reaches up and takes the sky blue scarf from his shoulders, smiling and presenting it to Laesah.
"Here sister, I think it suits you," he says.
Ducreyi snorts, punctuated with a clacking of his mandibles. "Yes, our heroes, we're forever in your debt for clumsily activating a defense system that was troubling nobody and managing to bravely survive your error."
“Right, and you probably don’t want to risk that we won’t be so lucky the next time, Ducreyi. You should stay out here.”
Haunt nods to Threads and Goss. “You two coming?”
With that, the amurrun walks to the door and checks it for traps.
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Laesah blushes at the gift from Goss, forgetting Ducreyi’s presence for a moment.
Only a moment, however. As the anadi wheels on her heels to deliver a venomous retort…
”Right, and you probably don’t want to risk that we won’t be so lucky the next time, Ducreyi. You should stay out here.”
Laesah bites on her lip to prevent the telltale lip twitch from turning into a full grin.
*peaceful contented sigh*
Much looks down at her already swelling ribs and settles back as Haunt moves forward.
"I'm also not in much of a position to risk what's next. Can we take a few minutes to regroup?"
“Oh, right! Sorry, Much!”
While someone else (hopefully) tries to patch up the gnoll warrior through more mundane means, Haunt pulls a scroll out of his bookbag of holding. Squinting a bit at the elaborate calligraphy, the amurrun reads off the spell. As he finishes, the scroll crumbles to dust and a ray of healing energy shoots from his hands to engulf Much, causing the worst of her wounds to knit themselves closed.
◆◆:
Haunt, after a quick inspection is confident there are no more traps on the door or in the area. The door also appears unlocked and there are signs of recent (wihin the last day activity) around the area. Odd, since the Anadi say they are here often and never go in or see any activity.
Haunt nods to Threads and Goss. “You two coming?”
Goss and Threads exchange a nervous look, then Threads speaks up with clearly affected bravery. "Yeah, ah, we'll be behind you, but probably well behind you..."
Freshly bandaged and spirits restored, Much peers into the first room.
“Huh. Looks like someone’s been through here recently - maybe several someones. So how did they get past the statue?”
Assuming Much doesn’t see anyone in the first room, Haunt adjusts his grip on his rapier, wraps his amulet’s chain around his off-hand, and moves slowly through the doorway. He looks around.
When Much tries the door she finds it stuck closed. She lowers a shoulder and pushes forward. With a snapping sound, the door swings inward as an ineffective bar gives way.
Inside you see an abandoned supply room. Dust and cobwebs coat empty shelves and cabinets. The hard dirt floor is stained with paint and the powder of long-inert reagents.
As Much looks around, she sees a few details that ruin the impression of a room nobody cares about.
First of all, the door to the west is trapped, and it looks like a tricky one. There's some clearly magical component to it, and it looks like a curse and an alarm rolled together. You could learn more with some further occult investigations, if you are or knew an expert.
Second, the wall to the north has a trick cabinet that is really a door. One of the shelves has a hinge that works as the trigger.
When Much points out the trap on the west door, Haunt takes a closer look in an attempt to understand the effects of the curse.
Haunt has a realization that might shock him: His studies are paying off. He knows what this is. It's a Serpent Ward - if anyone besides those designated by the creators of the ward try to open the door, it will hiss loudly and afflict them with a potent poison curse, making them more susceptible to being poisoned and making any poison that afflicts them do more damage.
He knows this trap so well, he even knows how to disarm it, whenever he chooses.
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Laesah has recovered from the embarrassment of treating her amurrun companion when it was Much that was injured. She follows her observant companions after reassuring the anadi of their safety.
Marvelling at their powers of observation, Laesah suddenly wonders if this semi-abandoned storeroom truly is as safe as it should be.
”Uh, Goss….Threads? Maybe you should hang out here,” Laesah gestures at the front door as Haunt gallops forward to disarm the magical curse-trap. ”You all could watch out for us should someone come along wondering what we were doing here.”
It would not go over well if we got the newest anadi injured or worse sticking our snouts where they didn’t belong. And Dookie wouldn’t let me live it down.
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As Haunt describes the trap, Much finds her upper lip curling back in revulsion. Poison is one of the worst paths to death. She struggles between wanting to hug Haunt for finding the trap before their feet did and wanting to snarl out loud at the cruelty that it is there at all.
"If our choice is between a secret door and a trapped door -disarmable or not- my vote is for the secret door."
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Goss nods at Laesah and retreats to the front door. "Yeah, we've got your back," he says.
"WAY back," adds Threads.
“I mean… why not both?”
Haunt takes a few seconds and disarms the trap. “Let’s take a quick look behind each.”
Haunt leans an ear against the door to listen for anything behind it.
Haunt hears a muffled conversation behind the door. It doesn't sound particularly heated, and you catch the sound of rolling dice, a laugh, and someone say, "That's me again. Pay up, loser."
Much gestures for the team to pull into huddle, lowering her voice into a low growl.
"I don't know who they are, but anyone with traps in their front room isn't someone I trust immediately. I say we try to catch them with their pants down."
Much pauses, considering her phrasing and the small bit of conversation that had made its way through the keyhole.
"Catch them by surprise, is all I mean." she clarifies.
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Laesah looks back to the anadi novices (and Ducreyi) huddled by the entrance, then gives a short nod to Much’s plan
”It still might be something benign, so let’s proceed with the potential to pull back should it not be sinister, yeah?”
No need to prove ourselves incompetent through needless violence.
”Just for good luck,” and Laesah grasps her dear kholo kemosabe’s paw.