Something magical up there.
Zarena casts mage hand to start picking apart the web around the corpses until they are able to be retrieved.
lowering her bow, Saélihn quickly moves over to Ghost, crouching down to check his wounds. Satisfied that he isn't too badly hurt, she stands taking a deep breath to release the residual anger as she looks up at the trapped corpses of the spiders' victims, noting the ones that Zarena points out.
"Sheesh, finally those oversized critters are done with.", Lizzie says relieved. That sentient one was particularly ugly.
"Magic you say?", she looks up where Zarena is taking apart the webbings.
Yeah, I am not sure what kind, but I'll probably be able to tell more once we get them down.
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Hope it's not the Chesnardos Grym says concerned that the redoubt will be empty
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"Pfiiiiu!" Gronilda whistles at the sight of the beast's wound "With that aim, maybe we should have tried to bring you in Phaendar to a place where you could make a try at the hobgoblin's leader" the dwarven female smiles at Saélihn.
Grasping her holy symbol she channels the positive energy of Erastil, if nothing more, to heal Ghost.
Without the menace, and while the others focus on the webs in the trees. She moves to the bridge once more, and works on making it safe for passage.
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A ghostly hand emerges from Zarena's own palm and floats up into the trees, picking apart the webbing. A few squirrel and rabbit corpses fall to the ground at various states of decay, but there are also two humanoid bodies.
In the web with one of the corpses is , a and that also have magical auras
The spectral hand tears open the second corpse, and are sealed in with it.
Gronilda advances on the bridge, testing it for its sturdiness. While doing so, she gets a peek at the water below... only to realize it's not water, it's actually quicksand. Luckily, no one in the party had mistakenly set foot in it yet. Finishing her inspection, the bridge seems sturdy enough to support the party.
Grym looks over the bodies, spotting the holy symbol of Erastil Seems like a good chance these might be the Chesnardo's we were looking for. Regardless they deserve a proper burial. But that'll have to wait til after we check across the bridge. And if they are the Chessies we should probably bury them in the redoubt. Seems like the proper place for them
Do ya want to take the time to identify the items now or after we check the redoubt?
Let's do it now, just in case some of this stuff will help us.
Zarena proceeds to examine everything magically to see if she can identify the items.
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At the finding of the holy symbol, Gronilda turns back and grimaces "A dire end for a fellow faithful... I will certainly want to give them proper burial and bring their stuff to the Chernessardo."
She steps firmly over the bridge "By the way, the bridge is solid to cross. But be aware not to touch the water. It is quicksand. You will be buried before we can ask for any help"
While Zarena identifies the items, Gronilda will reach the hideout in the tree and look around, identifying how easy would be to climb there.
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Zarena spends some time looking over the items, and identifies several of them.
Gronilda advances across the bridge and looks up at the hideout. The steps of the ladder leading up to the door shows signs of wear and tear, but the thick rope securing it against the large tree appears sturdy and untampered with.
Saélihn quietly smiles at Gronilda's comment, running her fingers through Ghost's fur again while the found gear is gathered and identified. Looking up, the huntress shakes her head as once again Gronilda simply heads forth like before.
At least the bridge seems safe
Carefully she follows across the bridge with her companion.
Zerena gathers everything up and packs it away carefully, and follows.
"The stairs seem sturdy enough. Let's see what was left behind in this hideout" Gronilda climbs the stairs and knocks on the door waiting a minute or so before knocking again.
If there is no answer or noise inside, she carefully opens the door, or tries to.
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Grym leads the way through the door. It is the tanks job after all. Never risk the Cleric being first through in possibly dangerous areas, even if her God blesses her with the ability to get frighteningly big sometimes.
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Gronilda knocks. No answer. Another knock. Still no answer. She's about to open the door, but Grymwold shakes his head and insists on going in first - just in case.
The redoubt is a large treehouse consisting of three rooms. Six single beds are in the adjoining rooms, while the main room contains a simple wooden table and a few chairs. Constructed above quicksand, it's clear the Chernasardo established the treehouse as an easily defensible location in a dangerous place like the Fangwood.
No one is inside.
Examining the state of the treehouse and the dust and cobwebs collected, it seems like no one has been here for at least two weeks.
Opening a small trapdoor reveals a half-burned letter. What can still be read follows: All Chernasardo rangers, return to Fort Trevalay immediately. Leave your current location at once.
The rest of the letter has burned away.
Following the others in, Zarena estimates that no one has been here for approximately two weeks. Then she spots a small trapdoor, and upon opening it, she finds a half-burned letter. She shares the contents with the others.
Looks like they were ordered to return to "Fort Trevalay." Anyone know where that is?
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"Odd." Saélihn says, reading the burned out letter after Zerena passes it to her. "It's like something happened to draw them all away, leaving the villages in the area unprotected."
[dice=Knowledge (Geography)]1d20+4
"Odd." Saélihn says, reading the burned out letter after Zerena passes it to her. "It's like something happened to draw them all away, leaving the villages in the area unprotected."
"Dang...of all times to have this happen. No wait, to even -have- this happen."
She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs."Well, we could go to that fort, and hope we find them there all alive."
Gronilda examines the letter with concern "Good question. What might have brought the attention of the Chesnesardo in such a hurry? Some trouble? Or maybe this is some trick of the enemy to cause a distraction and have them away from Phaendar at the most needed time?"
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Not knowing where Fort Trevalay is, Zarena isn't sure how realistic the suggestion to go there is, but focusing on immediate needs, she asks
Could the refugees shelter here? ... Although, they'd probably wander into the quicksand wouldn't they? Okay, so... the boar? Or search for those caves someone said were around? We should find the rangers, but unless someone knows where the fort is and it is close, we probably need to take care of some other things first?
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The name Fort Trevalay doesn't ring a bell to anyone, but you deduce that it's likely a Chernasardo hold.
The treehouse looks like it could be a good temporary shelter, and a few actual beds will likely do well for the villagers' morale. And back pain. It's certainly better than sleeping out in the open and subjected to the elements and dangers of the wilds.
With the travel to Veld's shack, back to the camp, and now to the abandoned Chernasardo redoubt, most of the day has gone by.
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We can move everyone here tomorrow if that's what we want to do. Might not be a bad idea, the island and treefort are a pretty secure camp. I'd still like to find those caves. That might be an even better long-term shelter than the treefort. Maybe we can sweep wide on our way back to the camp and cover some area we haven't searched yet and still be back at camp by nightfall
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"Makes sense. We'll at least have a better idea of the surrounding area. Safer to know the lay of the land before bringing everyone here." Saélihn adds. "I'm sure Aubrin will know where Fort Trevalay is."
Sounds like a plan. Lead on.
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"After you Grymwold!" Gronilda nods energetically and follows the other dwarf of the group "We can explore a bit while the night falls, and if we find the boar, that better for us, it might bring some extra food for the group. And yes, we should try to bring the people here tomorrow"
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The heroes leave the safety of the redoubt for now, stepping back through the dense forest towards where Veld had last seen the dangerous boar. The uneven terrain would make progress slow, but Gronilda uses a magical divination that greatly sharpens her senses. Ghost sniffs the air for boar stink, and Saélihn uses her own hunting prowess to aid the search.
The towering trees stretch towards the sky, their branches creating a canopy that filters the fading light of the setting sun. As the party navigates through the forest, they eventually come tusk impressions in a unique circular pattern gouged on a moss-covered stone. Could they have been made by the local legend of a boar?
The party presses on, finding more tusk marks on trees and stones along the way. The air grows cooler as the sun continues its descent, and the forest grows quieter.
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Gronilda crouches down, examining the tusk marks closely. She looks back at Saélihn with a determined glint in her eyes "These markings are fresh. We're close," she whispers, then gestures for the group to move quietly. Drawing upon her divine connection once more, she feels Erastil's guidance flowing through her, sharpening her senses even further.
She leads the group onward, eyes scanning the forest floor and surrounding trees for any further signs of the boar's path "Stay alert. We know the beast is dangerous" she warns as the group continues the search.
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Gronilda keeps her eyes on the tusk marks, noticing that they're increasing in frequency. As the party moves forward, the sound of clashing weapons and the angry grunting of an animal fills the air, and only grows louder as they approach.
Just ahead in a clearing is a large boar locked in combat with three hobgoblins. The hobgoblins are clearly struggling against the ferocity of the boar's attacks. Looking over at their shoulders, you notice they wear the same insignia seen on the invaders in Phaendar.
It's a chaotic scene. The boar's furious snorts and the hobgoblins' shouts fill the air. The ground is a muddy mess of upturned plants and hobgoblin blood. One hobgoblin, knocked to the ground by the boar's powerful charge, struggles to rise while the other two try to flank the beast.
Zarena smiles and settles in to watch. She is rooting for the boar, mostly, although she hopes that the hobgoblins wear it out enough that her group can take it down afterward.
As she watches, she slowly edges closer, trying to position herself perfectly so as to catch all four combatants in in a blast from a burning hands spell, if possible.
"That is gross. I do not know whom to root for" Gronilda nods to Zarena, also thinking it is better to see who goes victorious "Let's engage whomever survives"
As the combat seems to be coming down to an end, she intones some words of power "Come Grymwold, I will pass you back the power of Erastil"
I'm rooting for the Boar. It's not even close. he says thinking about everything he saw at Phaendar
But we need meat and he'll fill a lot of bellies
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"Let the boar finish them off, i fully agree. And as Grymwold said, that meat will be a good amount of food for the survivors."
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The heroes watch the combat unfold. The prone hobgoblin scrambles to his feet only to be brutally gored through the thigh by the boar's mighty tusks. With a pained cry, he collapses, purple blood pooling beneath him.
The remaining hobgoblins hack at the boar, but the beast is surprisingly agile, lunging side to side to avoid their clumsy attacks. With a fierce snarl, the boar rears back and charges, slamming into one of the remaining hobgoblins and sending him sprawling to the ground.
Gronilda hides behind the bushes and tries to keep Pawnies from jumping out of the place "Hold! Not yet there!"
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A hobgoblin swings his blade at the boar from behind, slicing off a chunk of its flesh. The boar grunts in anger and slams its head into the attacker, sending the hobgoblin crashing to the ground in a heap.
The prone hobgoblin struggles to stand, only to be met with a vicious swipe of the boar's tusks that tear through his legs and drop him back to the ground with a cry of pain. He's very still after that.
With the hobgoblins eliminated, the boar begins trampling over their corpses ensuring there are no survivors.
Zarena takes a chance and moves close enough to spit at the boar. In the air the spittle expands and envelops the boar in a sticky, but quickly-hardening substance.
rounds after this.
Gronilda finishes her spell, and Grymwold enlarges to giant size.
She then points to the boar "Now, Pawnies, attack!"
The dog dashes valiantly, willing to face the boar to give the party some time to deal with it.
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Grym holds no malice in his heart against this beast and in fact appreciates it killing the Hobs. But the group could really benefit from a tasty meal so he charges in
BIG Grym charges(Full round Charge action) in leading with his shield, trying to knock the creature to the ground
IF successful,Bull Rush Damage=3
IF Bull Rush successful, free action Overrun
IF successful,Overrun Damage=3
Breaker Rush (Ex): At 1st level, a siegebreaker can attempt bull rush or overrun combat maneuvers without provoking attacks of opportunity. When he performs either combat maneuver, he deals an amount of bludgeoning damage equal to his Strength bonus (minimum 1). If he has Improved Bull Rush or Improved Overrun, the damage dealt by the appropriate maneuver increases by 2 and he adds any enhancement bonus from his armor or shield (though such enhancement bonuses do not stack, if both armor and shield are magic). This ability replaces the feat gained at 1st level.
Breaker Momentum (Ex): At 2nd level, when a siegebreaker successfully bull rushes a foe, he can attempt an overrun combat maneuver check against that foe as a free action. This ability replaces the feat gained at 2nd level
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Zarena exhales a blast of sticky spittle, but as it flies towards the boar, the boar notices and pulls its head in, avoiding it. Close one though.
The boar growls in anger at the new combatants showing up, its victory over the hobgoblins short-lived. Grymwold doubles in size and charges at the beast, the force of the impact knocking the boar back. It quickly gets its bearings, digs its hooves in and manages to push back against Grymwold's attempt to charge over it.
Responding to its master's command, Pawnies moves forward and tears a chunk out of the boar's side, leaving it writhing in pain.
Saélihn moves closer, gaining a better angle before relating her shot, and giving Ghost the command to attack.
Ghost races into action, easily falling into his usual hunting pattern with Saélihn, running wide and moving into a position to attack the boar from behind.
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Lizzie double moves to near Saélihn.
"Something suggests Grymwold's eager for salted pork tonight.", she says with a smirk.
Grym takes a swing at the grunting pack of bacon.
Zarena moves to get a better sightline, and a bit more distance, and lobs a small ball of acid at the boar.
She misjudges the distance though, and with a muted sizzle, it lands in the mud.
Encouraging Ghost to attack, Saélihn quickly buries another arrow into the boar's side.
Ghost races toward the massive boar, sinking his teeth into one of it's back legs. While not enough to pull it to the ground, the wolf's fierce attack creates an added distraction to their harried prey.