Caitlin makes a critical lunge at her prey, skewering through its metallic hide. It's clear the Red hound can't take much more of this.
Luna (Mage Armor, Shield)
Scratch
Red (66 damage)
Salaish (26 damage, Prone)
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1)
Pink (2 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Caitlin (Hunt Prey: Red, 30 damage)
Seoni
Yellow (6 damage)
Black (42 damage)
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Seoni hears Scratch's words and wonders which is louder... that fabulous firearm of his, or air suddenly returning to the vacuum created by a lighting bolt... she thinks I guess there's only way to find out!
She moves to position herself better so that she can target both Pink and Black. She speaks the arcane words of power and...
◆Stride to maneuver
◆◆ Lightning Bolt
Seoni sees the perfect line. A crack of thunder surges from her fingertips. While these hounds are sturdy, they aren't particularly agile.
The Black Hound's remains are scattered through the jungle, and the Pink Hound survives but is clearly damaged.
The beast with Yellow shards moves across the bridge, biting Caitlin and toppling her in the process.
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Red (66 damage, Clumsy 1)
Salaish (26 damage, Prone)
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1)
Pink (42 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Caitlin (Hunt Prey: Red, 52 damage, Prone)
Seoni
Yellow (6 damage)
[ooc]Sorry about that GM Chadius. Yes, the DC is 21[/dice]
Scratch's critical shot blasts the Red hound against a tree, leaving a fine red powder against its bark.
Caitlin realizes it's not worth tracking that prey anymore.
Round 2 - Inspire Courage [/ooc]
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Salaish (26 damage, Prone)
Isaku (64 damage, Wounded 1)
Pink (42 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Caitlin (52 damage, Prone)
Seoni
Yellow (6 damage)
Luna launches more bolts of power and chips away a bit more at the Pink hound. Isaku takes a moment to help himself and Caitlin.
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Salaish (26 damage, Prone)
Isaku (42 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Pink (52 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Caitlin (29 damage, Prone, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Seoni
Yellow (6 damage)
Still prone, Salaish crawls away before unleashing a smaller bolt of lightning at two of the hounds.
At the edge of the clearing, you see one iruxi pull out a scroll. She reads from it and points her hand at the most injured of you- Isaku. More of his wounds heal as the scroll burns to ash.
Some of the iruxi warriors quickly cover and escort her back to safety as the hounds attack.
The Pink hound bites the Prone Caitlin and then critically digs in to knock her out.
The Greenish hound rushes the bridge and chooses between a Wounded Isaku and a prone Salaish. It goes for the downed Gnome.
Scratch
Salaish (48 damage, Prone)
Isaku (18 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Caitlin (63 damage, Prone, Weapons Dropped, Dying 2, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Pink (61 damage)
Green (14 damage)
Seoni
Yellow (10 damage)
Luna (Mage Armor)
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Seoni stands her ground and fires yet another lightning bolt. She targets Pink, Green and Yellow. She then casts a defensive cantrip.
◆◆ DC21 Reflex
◆Shield ↺Shield Block if taking damage
"I'm running out of these bolts!"
Another lightning blast streaks forward.
The hound with Pink gems is obliterated, while the Yellow gemed creature is unharmed.
The Yellow wolf runs in to counterattack Seoni. It bites into her leg and she sacrifices her shield to reduce some of the impact and maintain her footing.
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Salaish (48 damage, Prone)
Isaku (18 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Caitlin (63 damage, Prone, Weapons Dropped, Dying 2, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Green (32 damage)
Seoni (12 damage, Shield Broken)
Yellow (10 damage)
Isaku revives Caitlin and helps Salaish with her bite wound as Luna unleashes another barrage of bolts at a hound.
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Salaish (31 damage, Prone, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Isaku (18 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Caitlin (50 damage, Prone, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Green (56 damage)
Seoni (12 damage, Shield Broken)
Yellow (10 damage)
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"Thanks, Isaku!" Salaish cautiously backs up from the yellow hound, stands, and belts out a song:
"Buddy, you're an old dog, poor dog
Pleading with your eyes, gonna make you some peace today
You got mud on your face, big disgrace
Somebody better put you back into your place.
We will, we will rock you!"
Salaish gets some distance from the remaining hounds as she encourages the team to finish up.
And Scratch likes what he hears. He takes his shot and critically pulverizes the Green hound into dust.
The last hound realizes it has bit off more than it can chew and starts looking back where it came. Maybe it's trying to run away...
Luna (Mage Armor)
Scratch
Salaish (31 damage, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Isaku (18 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Caitlin (50 damage, Prone, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Seoni (12 damage, Shield Broken)
Yellow (27 damage)
"One last 3rd rank spell Luna! Then the rest will have to be weaker force bolts." she says impressed with the power of Luna's Magic Missile spells.
Realizing there's only one foe left... Seoni copies Luna's strategy. "Opprimere verberare!"
◆◆◆Magic Missile
Beaten and battered, the hound whines and quickly digs underground, replacing the ground where it came.
Salaish (31 damage, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Isaku (18 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
(50 damage, Wounded 1, Battle Medicine via Isaku)
Seoni (12 damage)
[/ooc]
With the invaders slain, you notice the non combatant iruxi returning to the village, treating as many wounds as they can.
(14 damage)
(0 damage)
(36 damage)
(0 damage)
As the healers finish up, Mirian Raas and Jekka approach. "How many dogs did you get? Jekka opened fire on three of 'em. One of them practically exploded." Mirian wraps an arm around her brother's shoulder, who seems to blush embarassed. "Ah, come on brother, this is the fun part of fightin'. Bragging about your kill."
"Not now sister. The Elder is here, he wants to speak to all of us." Nahansa approaches and Jekka is glad to get the attention off of him. He translates as necessary.
"Thank you for your brave defense of our village. Many of our warriors are injured, and it would have been worse without your crew's good timing." He holds a shard of one of the hounds. "Paravaax has grown more bold. He sent them out to kill us and claim the village as his own, just like how he drove us out of our observatory!" Nahansa clutches the shard with a balled fist before catching his temper.
"Centuries ago, we built an observatory to research the stars. It is very important to learn about our future. Paravaax arrived and brought his monsters to drive our ancestors away. But with this attack, it's clear he will never stop harassing us. If we don't reclaim the observatory now..."
Mirian grins and points at you. "Looks like you found a hunting party, chief. Jekka and I will remain here to help defend the village while my associates will go to the observatory and drive the gargoyle away." She grins.
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Scratch quickly reloads his rifle before retrieving his scattergun. He gives both a quick wipe down for any stray mud. "That was a BLAST!" He can't stop grinning, clearly not noticing the beating many of the group took.
"Those spells flying were the fiercest I've ever seen, bolts of lightning, Gatling guns of missiles flying all over!" He's clearly on an adrenaline high.
Back at camp he quickly gets pulled into the conversations between the Captain and crew "Jekka, what caliber you firing? What sort of firearms we talking about here... don't hold out on me!" His backwoods hillbilly starts to leak out.
"You accept? Thank you." Nahansa speaks in iruxi. "Let me get you a guide. Lumki!" He shouts the name again, turning to the side. A young iruxi woman approaches from the village holidng an eyepiece in one, sexton in the other, and wild red plumage in her hair.
"Ah, hello everyone! I hope my Taldane is good enough." She speaks in Common. "My name is Lumki, and I am an astrologer in training! Lashweather himself helped me learn about the stars, but I haven't been to the observatory in months. If you'll accept me, I'll gladly lead you there. I'm not a fighter, so I'll stay out of the way if trouble is brewing." She gulps. "Uh, may I join you?"
"...you seem to be a bit healthier, I had to step in for a bit..." You recognize the woman as popping her head in to heal you during the battle.
"Gargoyle? Hookayy... we need to sleep and recover. I don't see any reason we need to go right now?"
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"Nothing wrong with more than one guide, I'm sure I can learn a thing or two from Lumki." Scratch agrees to the mission and guide but sides with the ladies on resting overnight. "Its been a long arse day, we need rest. If you guys need anything blown up and brought down let me know, I got some fresh mixes I'd love to try out."
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"We shall spend the day fortifying the village against outside threats." Nahansa continues to speak. "In the morning, Lumki will join you. For now, please rest and thank you for your strength and bravery."
Nahansa calls for an assistant, who returns with a staff. "This is a >scrollstaff<. Inscribed upon it is the power to transform into an animal, if you can cast the spell. A gift from me to you, as thanks for driving that awful gargoyle away!"
---
You finish preparations in the village and make your way into the jungle. 30 minutes pass before the village becomes a memory lost among the trees.
The jungle becomes unforgivingly dense and oppressively humid as the trail winds deeper into the canopied depths. Dappled light shines down through gaps in the leaves above, and although nothing stirs but the dew dripping from the branches above, the sing-song sounds of the jungle wildlife are a constant reminder that one is never truly alone here.
"Did you know the Garundi parrot’s feathers change colors throughout the year? They even turn orange during autumn, just like tree leaves!” Lumki seems to be in great spirits as she moves through the jungle, making seemingly abrupt turns that she insists are necessary.
A twisting path branches away from the main trail leading east. The path is trampled flat and lifeless by the passage of many feet, but the jungle seems well on its way to reclaiming the narrow passage.
"Oh! I have to show you this. It's the furthest I've been from the village ever since that awful gargoyle attacked." She leads you to a majestic building made of stone and brick. "This trail leads to Kihirat’s temple of Gozreh. We're not completely certain of who built it - the architecture is completely different from our style, for one thing. But many of us did come here to pray and contemplate. The star view wasn't too bad out here, either. I suspect once Paravaax drove us away, someone moved in. I'd like to take a look inside."
Seoni initially takes interest in the staff, but soon realizes that the spell the scroll holds is beyond her magic. She shows the staff off to Luna, who may be able to better use it?
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Before bedding down for the night, Salaish tops herself and anyone else off with some Soothe spells.
"I suspect once Paravaax drove us away, someone moved in. I'd like to take a look inside."
"So playing a song while we approach is probably a bad idea? Should we be stealthy?" Salaish really wishes there was a way for her to send a mental song to her allies' minds so she could boost their defense and be sneaky at the same time.
"Oh thank you. I'll let you lead, just in case it's more violent than I expect."
As you enter the temple, you heard excited croaks as frog-like humanoids reach for their spears, while one of them begins to chant. "Boggard intruders! EEEK!" Lumki yelps and then runs for cover, right outside the temple.
As Lumki flees, one of the creatures croaks in Taldane. "Wait! There is no need to spill your blood. Despite our incredible might, we are quite hungry. If you present us with a week's worth of food, we will leave. Are we not generous?"
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Scratch creeps along through the jungle paying close attention to what their guide is doing. He frequently stops to examine animal remains, scat, and den sites.
What kinda food do frogs eat? Lotta bugs right? If they eat frog meat well, I can dress out that one with the staff in about thirty seconds.. He wonders just the right place to put the bullet...
"Yes, yes!" The boggard stops chanting and calls her bretheren forward. The four of them lower their weapons and move slowly, hunger slowing them down. "Fruit, grains, we shall take anything. We are quite hungry- I mean, we are resilient and adaptable!" They take any food you can give them.
"We were, er, scouting, and hounds made of metal and earth attacked us! We were able to drive them off, but we were stranded here for days. They finally ran off yesterday but we were much too scared- I mean, alert, to abandon our posts!" She eats a mango whole in one chomp before using her tongue to toss the peel outside.
"But if you are here, in one piece, they must have left entirely. Good! Clearly they did not want to fight us!" The boggards croak in unison before finishing off a loaf of bread. "Now, we can return home. Er, mission complete!" The boggards make their way out of the temple.
"And don't come back, you rancid toads!" Lumki shakes her fist before regaining her composure. "Oh, thank you for driving them away. The boggard tribe likes to send scouting parties to attack the village and... oooh!" She stomps over to the fallen statue and inspects its base. "Let me see... aha. Turn to the left, the right, and... here we go!"
With a satisfying click, a false floor near the statue slides open, revealing four ruby-red potions inside. "Khiarat Village Secret: healing potions are next to the base, but only if you know how to unlock it."
With the immediate threat passed, Scratch takes an opportunity to figure out what roams here.
Boggards are omnivores, and can consume plant and animal material. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Their tongues are quite sticky and can be used to grab far away objects. They can also hold people in place with them.
He notices bite marks near the base of the temple and claw marks near the open window that match those of the hounds who attacked the village yesterday. They must have attacked here as well.