The next one also burrows into the ground, but it pops up again next to Manny, bursting out of the snow. It bites him, and he feels icy cold flow into him from its fangs.
One with a reddish tinge to its eyes dives into the snow and bursts out again much closer.
Itka, Manny, Kamil, and Cassandra's turns.
Initiative:
Yellow Bergworm 3 (Underground)
Gruntarr (92/92)
Blue Bergworm 1
Red Bergworm 2
Itka (71/71)
Manny (81/96)
Kamil (64/64)
Cassandra (78/78)
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Cassandra scans the ground and then looks down at the wand of tailwind at her belt. Bugger, forgot to use the damn thing
She focuses her attention on the closest worm that just bit Manny.
Exploit Vulnerability
Success You recall an important fact about the creature, learning its highest weakness (or one of its highest weaknesses, if it has multiple with the same value) but not its other weaknesses, resistances, or immunities. You can exploit either the creature's mortal weakness or personal antithesis. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature also become magical if they weren't already.
Failure Failing to recall a salient weakness about the creature, you instead attempt to exploit a more personal vulnerability. You can exploit only the creature's personal antithesis. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature also become magical if they weren't already.
Critical Failure You couldn't remember the right object to use and become distracted while you rummage through your esoterica. You become flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn.
She then strikes at the thing twice, hoping her allies dont get in the way too much.
Mortal Weakness adds the Weakness value to each damage roll. Personal Antithesis adds +5 damage to each damage roll.
A critical hit forces a DC21 Fortitude save or the target is knocked prone
Retributive Strike: My ally gain Resist 9 All against the triggering attack.
Implement Interruption: Only works against my Exploited target, triggers on concentrate, manipulate or move actions.
In general Cassandra will prioritise using Retributive Strike rather than Implement Interruption.
Mortal Weakness adds the Weakness value to each damage roll. Personal Antithesis adds +5 damage to each damage roll.
A critical hit forces a DC21 Fortitude save or the target is knocked prone
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"Anyone read the book Street Sharks?" Manny watches the creatures crawl through the snow. "Ah man, they weren't as good as the Teenage Magical Ninja Turtles but they'd tear up the road."
One of them emerges to gnaw on Manny's arm, only for Cassandra to ward it off. "Flying? Yeah, OK I can do that. Shylye, help?"
A pair of magical feathered wings briefly sprout from Manny's back, before fading away. "Sweet. Bye bye land shark!"
Manny zips 10 feet up. "I have a few more scrolls of Fly. Anyone else grounded?"
Cassandra strikes the worm again and again, pulverizing it. And also somehow burning it?
The underground worm takes no notice, popping up next to Gruntarr and gnashing its teeth towards him.
Gruntarr's turn.
Initiative:
Yellow Bergworm 3 (Underground)
Gruntarr (92/92)
Red Bergworm 2
Itka (71/71, flying)
Manny (96/96, flying)
Kamil (64/64, flying)
Cassandra (78/78)
The creature squeals as Gruntarr hits it. It especially seems to dislike the heat from the fire. Though as his arm passes its fur, he becomes more aware of the jagged icicles hidden there, which threaten to cut him.
With most of the team up in the air, there are only a few targets for the worms to pursue. So the reddish one also lunges at Gruntarr. It bites him and tries to hold him, but doesn't manage to keep its grip.
Itka, Manny, Kamil, and Cassandra's turns.
Initiative:
Yellow Bergworm 3 (-46, bloodied)
Gruntarr (72/92, DC 19 Ref vs 9 piercing)
Red Bergworm 2
Itka (71/71, flying)
Manny (96/96, flying)
Kamil (64/64, flying)
Cassandra (78/78)
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Not trusting her feet on the slippery snow and ice Casandra lashes out wildly at the two worms!
Mortal Weakness adds the Weakness value to each damage roll. Personal Antithesis adds +5 damage to each damage roll.
A critical hit forces a DC21 Fortitude save or the target is knocked prone
Retributive Strike: My ally gain Resist 9 All against the triggering attack.
Implement Interruption: Only works against my Exploited target, triggers on concentrate, manipulate or move actions.
In general Cassandra will prioritise using Retributive Strike rather than Implement Interruption.
Mortal Weakness adds the Weakness value to each damage roll. Personal Antithesis adds +5 damage to each damage roll.
A critical hit forces a DC21 Fortitude save or the target is knocked prone
The icicle buries itself in the snow.
Cassandra shields Gruntarr from most of the effects of the bite. With three quick hits, she splatters the massive worm.
Manny and Kamil's turns.
Initiative:
Yellow Bergworm 3 (-46, bloodied)
Gruntarr (83/92)
Itka (71/71, flying)
Manny (96/96, flying)
Kamil (64/64, flying)
Cassandra (78/78)
“Abnormal presences have been detected! The focus is close! Rendezvous at the glacial cave, Pathfinders!”
Kamil zaps the remaining worm with magic.
Badly injured now, the creature doesn't relent but continues gnashing at Gruntarr.
Its teeth close on him, but Cassandra protects him from harm--and flattens the bergworm for good measure.
With the creatures defeated, the Pathfinders can investigate this new rift at their leisure.
Someone can try to close it , though connecting with the rift and failing to close it might cause some backlash .
Status:
Gruntarr (83/92)
Itka (71/71, flying)
Manny (96/96, flying)
Kamil (64/64, flying)
Cassandra (78/78)
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"Hmp." Itka nods in grim satisfaction as the team dispatches the worms, then turns her attention to the rift.
"Hmp. It's a minor time rift associated with the Dimension of Time. We need to close it or it'll keep growing." She begins making some calculations, muttering under her breath. "Hmp...Need the angle of the star shift..."
At first it looks like she's about to lose control--almost as though her assumptions about the stars are off somehow--but then she manages to seal the rift.
For the moment, all is calm.
“We’ve sealed the time rift! Excellent work, Pathfinders!”
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"So, how are you doing Itka? Where's your pet rat?"
"Cassandra, thanks for saving me from some gnarly damage out there. Can you fill that chalice with ale?"
"Kamil, how did you pull out the katana so quickly? You're fast as lightning, I guess..."
"Gruntarr, nice glaive. My cousin Eric is more of a lance user but also like incorporating magic into his attacks. And also jumping a lot."
Manny makes chitchat on their way back.
Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau gathers the Pathfinders in the remains of a shattered chamber, beneath a starry night sky. “Congratulations on making it this far! You’ve all earned a break. Let’s set up camp. We’ll pick up the focus’s trail tomorrow.”
Before the Pathfinders scatter, Urwal interjects. “Look at the stars. Take it in. You’ll never see a sky like this again. The stars tell us we’re on Akiton, fourth planet from the sun.” He points at a blue dot in the distance. “That’s Golarion. Savor the sky. It’s breathtaking.”
-----
After a night’s rest, Venture-Captain Jirneau gathers the Pathfinders together once more, just as Ashasar and a team of scouts stride into camp. “We’ve found the focus. It’s beyond a time rift far stronger than any we’ve yet encountered.”
“You heard him!” Armeline shouts. “We’ve got some reality to repair. Let’s move.”
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"Nice!" Manny takes a swig as soon as he gets the chance. "Man, that's good stuff. I feel better already."
Manny leans back under the stars. Urwal's words and the strangers he met do make a bit more sense now. Just a bit. His dreams involve an angel explaining to him about the sky, and the stuff beyond the sky, and where the elves came from, and some stars are just superheated gas giants. Pfft, if it's all gas, why doesn't it spread into the atmosphere? After multiple facepalms his guardian angel just drops the issue and Manny wakes up from his dream, nice and refreshed.
"Alright folks. Don't forget your preparations!" He readies his whip, transforms his outfit into a simple Red Shirt with a brooch ("I heard Red Shirts have the best luck in outer space!") and heads off.
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"So, how are you doing Itka? Where's your pet rat?"
"Hmp. I'm as good as I'll ever be." She doesn't elaborate, but she does take her white rat, Akti, from her pocket to show Manny.
"Hmp. I heard the opposite." Itka grumbles. She'd spent most of the night doing star calculations from the vantage point of Akiton, an opportunity she wasn't about to waste, and would prefer to sleep for another hour or so. She stuffs Akti into her pocket, along with a breakfast sausage, and gets to work on her preparations. Just before heading out, she casts Mage Mystic Armor on herself.
1st: Bane, Fear,
2nd: Blistering Invective, Dispel Magic, Vomit Swarm
3rd: Biting Words, Moth's Supper, Slow
4th: Comprehend Languages, Phantasmal Killer
Dozens of jagged tears in reality cut through the terrain, forming a glowing purple barrier that blocks further passage. Howls, snarls, and voices displaced through time issue from the rifts, and movement is visible within. Ashasar and Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau spread the Pathfinders out, then reach out with hands, magic, and mind. “Now! Seal the rift!”
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"Alright everyone, we got this!" Manny cheers the Pathfinders on. He pulls out his lute. "Hey, I could use some backup here." One of the novice Pathfinders quickly forms a troupe and Manny begins an impromptu concert.
"Purple not your color? Don't worry about it, it's just Red and Blue teaming up! We're Pathfinders, we're experts at that!" Manny takes the time to nudge magical fonts, imitate spellcasting gestures, and encourage teammates to get in the groove and follow along.
Itka doesn't learn anything immediately actionable, but does manage to avoid any problems.
Cassandra has more of an effect. Emmanuel and Kamil pay attention to what others do, learning from them, imitating them, and embellishing on what seems to be working. It's very effective.
Gruntarr
While the Pathfinders are working to close the rift--and it seems to be working--it's also getting more agitated and a cold wind blows from there. Continuing to work will require standing up to that bitter cold.
Manny continues directing others in working as a team.
• The PCs can attempt a Diplomacy check to encourage fellow Pathfinders to greater heights.
• The PCs can attempt a Nature check to control primal magic.
• The PCs can attempt an Occultism check to understand the nature of the time rift and the Dimension of Time.
• The PCs can attempt a Performance check to emulate other skilled Pathfinders.
• The PCs can attempt a Religion check to call upon the blessing of a deity.
• The PCs can attempt a Survival check to find supplemental components to help close the rift.
• The PCs can attempt a Thievery check to detect weakness in the time rift’s defenses.
• The PCs can attempt an applicable Lore check to assist as well; the form this assistance takes depends upon the specific Lore skill
7 Rift Points
Gruntarr (May attempt one safe check. May attempt a second check, but must make a Fortitude save)
Itka (May attempt a second check, but must make a Fortitude save)
Cassandra (May attempt a second check, but must make a Fortitude save)
Kamil (May attempt a second check, but must make a Fortitude save)
Emmanuel (89/96)
As the Pathfinders seal the rift, they see glimpses of things that have happened (a large bear sleeping in a hallway, a glass statue advancing down the stairs) and other things that have not (a glimpse of a dragon with yellow scales). But close it they do, and the blast of cold stops abruptly.
But there are still other rifts, or it may be more accurate to say other parts of one large rift. Some of the other Pathfinders could probably use a hand...
• The PCs can attempt a Diplomacy check to encourage fellow Pathfinders to greater heights.
• The PCs can attempt a Nature check to control primal magic.
• The PCs can attempt an Occultism check to understand the nature of the time rift and the Dimension of Time.
• The PCs can attempt a Performance check to emulate other skilled Pathfinders.
• The PCs can attempt a Religion check to call upon the blessing of a deity.
• The PCs can attempt a Survival check to find supplemental components to help close the rift.
• The PCs can attempt a Thievery check to detect weakness in the time rift’s defenses.
• The PCs can attempt an applicable Lore check to assist as well; the form this assistance takes depends upon the specific Lore skill
Most of the Pathfinders are able to start working on sealing the rift, and it does start to seem a little thinner. It's not going as spectacularly as their first attempt, but it is working.
Progress continues, steady but slower than before as the bitter cold starts to take a toll on the Pathfinders' stamina.
[ooc]Almost everyone made a second attempt already, but Itka still may. Even a critical success won't fully close it, though, so if anyone else would like to make a third attempt...
Rifts sealed: 1
Current Rift Points: 6
Gruntarr (82/92)
Itka (62/71)
Cassandra (48/78)
Kamil (53/64)
Emmanuel (79/96)
Itka continues working to close the portal. This time the cold doesn't bother her.
Gruntarr's heroic effort all but closes it, but the cold gets to him much more.
Rifts sealed: 1
Current Rift Points: 9
Gruntarr (65/92)
Itka (71/71)
Cassandra (48/78)
Kamil (53/64)
Emmanuel (79/96)