GM Chadius presents Star Crossed duology 1-09 and 1-23 (Inactive)

Game Master chadius

Isaku gives Salaish an encouraging hug. "It's all right. You did help. We all did our part in this. This was a hard fight, my friend, so do not feel guilty over it."

The next morning, Mirian gathers you into the captain's quarters while Eras the Needle talks to his crew on the deck. Jekka pours some fresh water and offers everyone a few oranges.

"The good news. The hull hasn't taken too much damage, but we do need to dock somewhere to make repairs. The bad news. I haven't seen the Glorious Payoff or the Sea Sparkle anywhere. I'm hoping the locals here don't mind us sticking around, but you'll have to serve as our diplomats. Talk to the locals, look for a leader."

"Oh!" Jekka pipes up. "I wouldn't be surprised if no one here spoke the language commonly spoken by Taldane. Usually larger trade cities would bother with that. If you need help translating, I can help."

As the Grinning Pixie drifts onto the sand, a dozen figures approach, illuminated by the light of the rising sun. They speak in a mix of hisses and grunts, but seem non threatening.

They are talking in Mwangi and Iruxi. What will you say to them?

"I've no idea what is being said."

Isaku just smiles, not knowing what is being said either...

Scratch spends the morning cleaning all his firearms, paying special attention to an ornate pistol he pulls from a hidden holster under his leather armor. "This hot salty air ain't great for these things, gotta keep 'em dry and oiled up for a smooth, reliable combustion."

He takes a couple oranges with a toothy smile, nodding in thanks. "If we need food I can spend some time on shore, see what I can't round up fresh."

Scratch peeks over the ship's rail at the gathering crowd, raising an eyebrow at the squeaks and squawks they call a language "Ya.. best I can do are a few hand signals.. but they prolly won't help our case."

Luna takes the offered oranges. As she sees the approaching group, she casts Comprehend Languages

As Luna steps off the ship, she calls upon the night to help her make their speech clear. She knows the iruxi here are musing about the ship full of foreigners who gathered on their island, and wonder if this is a fortunate sign.

She also realizes Jekka can speak the language of iruxi, and quickly calls him over to make introductions, and he manages to calm the village defenders down long enough to ask for a leader.

A few minutes later, you notice the crowd starting to clear as an elderly iruxi makes his way through. He puts a hand to his chest. "Welcome, honored guests. I use the name Nahansa. Welcome to Kihirat Village!"

Any questions you'd like to ask?

As soon as she recognizes that the approaching figures are iruxi, Salaish puts a hand over her Diplomat's Badge, closes her eyes for a second, and takes a deep breath.

She takes the Envision Action to Recall Knowledge about the iruxi (Society +8). If successful, her bonus on Diplomacy checks with them increases to +2.

Speaking through Jekka, Salaish introduces the Pathfinders, making sure to use the same unusual format for names. "Hello! It's an honor to meet you Nahansa. I use the name Salaish. The captain of this ship uses the name Mirian Raas. We were on our way to Ekkeshikaar when some sea devils pulled our ship off course and damaged it. We came to shore to see if we can repair it. Of course, we want to be respectful of your people's home. We are willing to compensate your village for any materials we need."

Diplomacy (Make an Impression): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
And maybe another +1, if her Recall Knowledge above is a success.

Jekka listens to Salaish and replies to the elder. "Ah, I see now..." he muses. "The last time a foreigner ship arrived was several months ago. They reeked of brimstone. They hailed from a land named Chileax, and demanded supplies. You are much more polite than they are. We warned them their compasses will not work on this island; they ignored our warnings and marched into the jungle. They never returned." He hisses in annoyance. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to make repairs."

When Salaish mentions compensation, he chuckles. "Compensation?" Nahansa chuckles heartily. “Oh, we would never hold you to such things. We’re a hospitable folk!” He suddenly looks pensive. “Though... We may share a common concern. Your compasses will not work while Paravaax is active in the region, and we are not safe so long as the gargoyle hunts the edges of our territory. If you are willing to seek the gargoyle out and drive him away, you would be helping both our people."

Nahansa’s expression grows grim. “While you are here, your compasses will not work. The ancient gargoyle Paravaax lives in the jungle to the east of here. He’s old, cruel, and has an unusual connection to the Plane of Earth. His body has the properties of a giant lodestone, capable of disrupting compasses for miles around. When he rests or moves it causes all kinds of problems for anyone trying to navigate with such devices.”

"We also have another problem we could use help with. You see, in our temple of Gozreh, there have been odd noises coming from the belfry for almost a week now. I’m loathe to admit it, but we’ve been too preoccupied the coming rainstorms to look into it ourselves.”

Isaku pulls out his notebook and makes some, well, notes. "Paravaax, you say. Maybe we should convince him to move on. The Gozreh temple might also be worth checking out."

New Active Investigations: Paravaax, Odd noises in the belfry

"The temple seems to be the closest of these tasks. We should address that first. Shall we go?"

Luna pulls out her Wayfinder and checks to see what it is doing.

Yes ... that sounds like Chelaxians alright although some are nice folk. As for your belfry ... it could just be bats. But I am willing do go and check it out

Before going to bed last night, Salaish took the chance to switch one of her innate cantrips from Disrupt Undead to Electric Arc, per the Fey-Touched Gnome heritage.

"Oh, of course! We'll happily look into those things for you. It looks like repairs may take a while, and not all of us are useful on the repair teams. Would you like to show the six of us where your belfry is?"

Scratch gives a bit of a concerned look, pulling out his own wayfinder to look at the compass "Squirrely compass readings? That's gonna leave a mark." He grumbles a few extra cuss words in Dwarven to make his feelings known.

"Maybe after we chase out those bats we can look into that gargoyle and the lost Chels. Hopefully they're a pile of bones and coins by this point." He wonders what he's heard about gargoyles...

Luna looks over to Scratch in curiosity. Now what would your mother say if she heard that? she asks with a slight smile.

Luna looks over to Scratch in curiosity. Now what would your mother say if she heard that? she asks with a slight smile.

"She'd probably say my pronunciation isn't what she taught me, and I need to come home!"

Luna's smile gets wider.

Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that. But in my opinion, it sounds better in Abyssal

And she proceeds to demonstrate.

"Ah, you are most kind." Nahansa nods. "Well, the belfry has had-"

An echoing metallic clang rumbles through the nearby rainforest. As waves of fleeing birds take flight from the canopy, it’s easy to see that whatever is causing the sound is making its way to the coast—right toward Kihirat.

The iruxi hiss, with one of them playing a horn that echoes through the village. The elderly and infirm are escorted into the jungle, while warrior iruxi draw clubs and shields. Mirian Raas draws her cutlass and points to the oncoming chaos. "Sod Hounds. Lots of them. Please handle this group. We can cover the rest."

Quadrupedal dog-like creatures made of metal and rocks howl as they enter the clearing and rush towards you.

... and adds a few abyssal cuss words of her own when the sod hounds show up.

A swarm of hounds rush through the jungle canopy to engage the village defenders as well as the sailors. But half a dozen of them stop when they see you.

Scratch and Isaku realize they have a moment to act.

Round 1
Scratch
Isaku
Blue
Red
Salaish
Pink
Green
Caitlin
Seoni
Yellow
Black
Luna

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Scratch listens intently at the cuss words in such a vile language, he starts to sound them out but the crashing and hounds interrupt the lesson "Guess we'll work on those later. Right now I got work." He hefts his rifle and heads towards the stream for a better shot.

"I think I see the lead hound.. the one with black beady eyes.. watch this." He aims and fires.

BOOM!

+1 Striking Arquebus: Concussive, Fatal d12, Kickback: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26 Damage (P/B): 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (1, 1) + 2 = 4
Replace Damage with Fatal Damage if a Crit, then x2 (P/B): 2d12 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7Extra Fatal Dice Damage (P/B): 1d12 ⇒ 6
One Shot, One Kill (Precision): First Strike, Stealth for Initiative: 1d6 ⇒ 1

He cusses again, reloading.

Stride, Strike, Reload.

Isaku delays until they get closer

Scratch takes aim, but the shot is weak. Maybe the ammo got soaked when they embarked. Or maybe the moisture was too much to handle.

Isaku waits for them to approach, and the blue and red tinted creatures get a bit closer...

Round 1
Scratch
Blue
Red
Salaish
Isaku
Pink
Green
Caitlin
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)
Luna

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Isaku runs forward. He removes a red bead from his necklace and hurls it at Red and Blue. The bead explodes into a fireball.

Fireball, Fire Damage; DC 21 Reflex: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6, 6) = 18

As the blast dies away, Isaku turns to back to Scratch with a grin, "How's that for a BOOM?

◆ Stride
◆ Activate
◆ Interact (Throw)

*sniffs* Needs more brimstone

"You want it to smell like a toot?" Salaish exclaims incredulously as she pulls out an alabaster Persona Mask and puts it on. Fortunately, it doesn't muffle her voice as she belts out a tune to Inspire Courage among her allies.

Lingering Composition (Performance) DC 22: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31
Success. Inspire Courage lasts 3 rounds.

◆ Interact, ◆ Interact, ◇ Lingering Composition, ◆ Cast a spell

They are close enough for Isaku. He hurls a fiery orb at the two closest hounds.

Red Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Blue Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

One of the creatures howls with a tinny reverb as it is burned. Two more comrades, one with Pink gems and another with Green, come running.

Salaish takes an opportunity to get overly dramatic and sing a courageous anthem to inspire her friends.

Round 1
Scratch
Blue (18 damage)
Red (9 damage)
Salaish
Isaku
Pink
Green
Caitlin
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)
Luna

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Caitlin sees blue get hurt and targets it with ◆ Hunt Prey. She whispers an incantation in arcane elven, casting ◆ Gravity Bow, then she unleashes a pair of ◆ Hunted Shots at her prey.

Hunted Shot One Blue, Piercing: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 202d8 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (5, 2) + 1 + 4 = 12
Hunted Shot Two Blue, Piercing: 1d20 + 14 - 5 ⇒ (13) + 14 - 5 = 222d8 + 1 ⇒ (3, 6) + 1 = 10
Precision on first hit: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Seoni fires a burst of force bolts at red.
◆◆◆Force: 3d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1, 3) + 4 = 9 2nd level spell slot

Caitlin's bow grows slightly as she loosens two arrows. One of them strikes the Blue Tinted hound. Seoni unleashes another barrage at the Red gems inside the other hound.

Two more beasts come running. It won't be much longer until they are in your face.

Round 1
Luna

Round 2
Scratch
Blue (35 damage)
Red (18 damage)
Salaish
Isaku
Pink
Green
Caitlin
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

"Better not stop to scratch yer arse Isaku else we'll be pluckin' yer bits outta their doggy diamonds tomorrow!" Scratch oddly drops his rifle onto the grass, hauls his never used scattergun off his back and starts blasting away at green.

KAAPOOOOW!

+1 Striking Dwarven Scattergun: Concussive, Scatter 10', Range, IC: 1d20 + 15 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 15 - 2 + 1 = 24 Damage (P/B): 2d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5, 3) + 2 + 1 = 11

"I got big badda booms for days!"

If that hits then 2 splash to everything within 10' of green.

Free action: Drop rifle, Draw scattergun, strike green, Reload scattergun

Luna takes the opportunity to cast Mage Armour on herself. She then raises a magical Shield

Scratch takes aim and fires an explosive shot at the Green metallic hound, and it hits and explodes on its allies. Luna takes a more defensive position as the hounds advance.

The Blue and Red gem hounds race up to Isaku and bite him.
Blue: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (4, 1) + 8 = 13

Red: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (10, 6) + 8 = 24

Round 1
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)

Round 2
Scratch
Blue (37 damage)
Red (18 damage)
Salaish
Isaku (37 damage)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (11 damage)
Caitlin (Gravity Bow, Hunt Prey: Blue)
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Not trained in Arcana or Nature.

Salaish scuttles forward a bit and detonates a [url=https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=292]Sound Burst on two sod hounds adjacent to Isaku.

Sonic Damage on Red and Blue: 2d10 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9
DC 22 Fort save

◆ Stride, ◆◆ Cast a spell

Growling away the pain of the bites, Isaku draws his pistol and attempts to get an angle on Blue. He also tries to determine what they are.

Devise, IC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

He pulls the trigger, sure of his target.

Concussive, Crit, IC: 2d10 + 1 ⇒ (2, 6) + 1 = 9 with Strategic Strike: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3 Doubled to 24
Fatal: 1d10 ⇒ 9
33 damage total

"Take this one, Caitlin! I've weakened him for you!"

Assuming Blue is still alive, it will be FF to Caitlin

◆ Interact to Draw
◆ Devise vs Blue
◇ RK (Known Weakness)
◆ BANG!
◇ Shared Strategem on Caitlin (Blue is FF to Caitlin)

Isaku almost blows the blue hound away with a single contact shot.

He knows these are Metallic Sod Hounds, denizens who patrol the boundary of earth and metal. They like to devour metal and can dig underneath the earth. They also like to knockdown their prey so they can affectionately dogpile their targets.

Saliash unleashes a sonic burst against both hounds. The Blue hound crumbles while the Red hound ignores it entirely.
Blue: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26
Red: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35

Two more hounds approach, biting Isaku and knocking him out amidst a flurry of bites.

Pink: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (7, 8) + 8 = 23

Green: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (5, 9) + 8 = 22

Round 1
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)

Round 2
Scratch
Red (18 damage)
Salaish
Isaku (74 damage, Dying 1, Weapons Dropped, Prone)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (11 damage)
Caitlin (Gravity Bow, Hunt Prey: Blue, Blue is Off Guard to the first attack)
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

ouch...

Seoni sends healing towards Isaku, then she throws her returning dart at the reddish hound.

◆◆Soothe: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
◆Strike: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 10 - 2 = 19 Returning Dart: 1d4 ⇒ 4

The dart hits, then returns back to her hand.

Assuming the dart it hits..

Against her better judgement, Caitlin realises that she needs to become the front line. She ◇ drops her bow, ◆ draws her dancer's spear, ◆ marks red as her new prey and ◆ closes in.

"We need help in close quarters!"

Caitlin takes the bridge, realizing someone has to bear the brunt of the attackers.

Seoni provides emergency healing to Isaku, and hurls her dart. It's a bit too high and misses.

The Yellow and Black hounds approach Caitlin. Only the Yellow hound is able to penetrate her armor.

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (2, 2) + 8 = 12

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

Round 2
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)

Round 3
Scratch
Red (18 damage)
Salaish
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1, Weapons Dropped, Prone)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (11 damage)
Caitlin (Hunt Prey: Red, 12 damage)
Seoni
Yellow
Black (5 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Scratch shakes his head as the dogs wolf down most of Isaku, and take a treat from Caitlin. "Don't stop shootin'!" He ◇ drops his scattergun to his left, ◆ picks his long rifle back up, ◆ reloads and ◆ fires at black.

BOOM!

+1 Striking Arquebus: Concussive, Fatal d12, Kickback, IC: 1d20 + 17 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 17 + 1 = 35 Damage (P/B): 2d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7, 5) + 2 + 1 = 15
Replace Damage with Fatal Damage if a Crit, then x2 (P/B): 2d12 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8, 6) + 2 + 1 = 17Extra Fatal Dice Damage (P/B): 1d12 ⇒ 3

I shouldn't have used my scattergun last turn, it just made things complicated and wasted actions. Guess that's why I never really use it!

Pronk. I'm going to have to go all out now otherwise we could get annihilated

So she casts six magic missiles at the most damaged looking one. (Red)
mm: 6d4 + 6 ⇒ (2, 1, 3, 4, 3, 4) + 6 = 23

Pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew

Scratch critically unloads on the creature with Black crystals growing out of its spine, while Luna shoots the Red one.

Undeterred, the Red crystalline creature barks at Caitlin. It bites her leg and knocks her prone before missing with its follow up.

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (7, 3) + 8 = 18

Bite: 1d20 + 14 - 5 ⇒ (9) + 14 - 5 = 18

Round 2
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)

Round 3
Scratch
Red (41 damage)
Salaish
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1, Weapons Dropped, Prone)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (11 damage)
Caitlin (Hunt Prey: Red, 30 damage, Prone)
Seoni
Yellow
Black (42 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<

Scratch leans in closer hoping to see his shot take down black "DAMMIT, these mutts are tougher than a boiled owl! We gotta thin them out before we're all dog chow!"

Isaku gets to his feet, picks up his weapon and beats a hasty retreat back to friendly lines.

◆ Stand
◆ Picks up weapon
◆ Run!

"Working on it!" Salaish scoots a bit closer and drops another Sound Burst on the pack of sod hounds.

Sonic damage: 2d10 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3) + 1 = 6
Includes Inspire Courage. All sod hounds except black need a DC 22 Fort save

A sad trombone sound pops into her mind. That was pitiful!

◆ Stride, ◆◆ Cast a spell

Pink: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Green: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26
Red: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31
Yellow: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
The Pink-sharded hound screams loudly to deafen Salaish's noise, and it protects some of its allies.

Isaku takes a moment to retreat.

The Pink-sharded hound rushes the tree bridge, critically biting Saliash for her loud music and knocking her down!

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34
Piercing: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (2, 3) + 8 = 13

Meanwhile the Green sharded creature Steps forward and bites the prone Caitlin. She quickly twists to the side to avoid the bite.

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

Round 2 - Inspire Courage
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)

Round 3 - Inspire Courage
Scratch
Red (44 damage)
Salaish (26 damage, Prone)
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Caitlin (Hunt Prey: Red, 30 damage, Prone)
Seoni
Yellow (6 damage)
Black (42 damage)

Nature and Arcana can be used to identify the metallic dogs.

>Rumble in the Jungle<