"Screech!" A piercing cry rings out as a flash of white streaks out to deftly snatch a fish from the waves. The white blur circles back and lands at the ranger's side. The snow white owl hoots softly and begins to devour his meal.
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You're welcome. Just make sure you sleep downwind of me tonight. You get so gassy when you eat fish."
The young half elf sighs heavily once more and sits down cross legged on the deck. She pulls out a short bow and a small vial of oil and begins to service her weapon.
"We better get to land soon. It's getting pretty darned dull around here."
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As Meadow begins to clean her weapon, she hears Silence let out a startled screech. She looks up and barely moves her head out of the way as six needles of gleaming silver flash past her nose and embed itself in the mast.
"Oops! Sorry! Lost my focus for a moment there!" comes a cheerful voice, "I hope I didn't hit anything vital!" A slender woman of medium height an a perpetually mischievous grin on her face hurries across the deck. Seeing the elf, she barely contains a squeal of delight and rushes forward to hug her friend.
"Meadow!!" Shayla squeals, "I thought I heard your voices! Led any tour groups into lakes lately? Heard ya met one of my other friends lately. Her name's Maneki! Kinda stuffy but I hear she's a whiz with a bow and arrow!" She reaches into a pouch and pulls out some dried meat, tossing it to Silence.
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The little silver-bluish kobold flinches as the owl shrieks, and his sprite companion rolls his eyes.
Though as sprites go, he's rather large, as tall as the kobold or slightly taller.
"Oh, h-hello," the kobold nods nervously at the other Pathfinder agents. "I'm Kaz, and this is Zak. Or at least, that's the only name he's ever given me. I still think he's making fun of me. We're, well, somewhat linked."
"Our life force is intertwined, which binds me to this plane!" The fairy sticks out his tongue.
"Yes, which is why he's still alive. You can see he's very grateful if you pay exceptionally close attention."
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The sea seems to go on forever, surrounding the Grinning Pixie on all sides. The voyage has lasted several weeks, and the regular meals of salted meat and stale oranges are starting to wear thin. At the command of the captain, the anchor has been lowered, and the ship now sits bobbing on the waves; yet land is nowhere in sight.
Captain Eras the Needle paces the deck anxiously, watching the waves before turning an eye to a small sprite who sits along a portside wooden rail. "Are you sure this is the location?” Eras asks. "Could your measurements be wrong?”
With a disgruntled huff, the sprite snaps her fingers. "Certainly not! I’ve been preparing this ritual for weeks.”
"It’s not the ritual I worry about,” Eras replies, looking out to the empty sea again, "it’s the location. Even so, if the island is hidden by Azlanti magic…”
"I,” insists the sprite, "have been studying Azlanti magic for centuries. I didn’t take the title ‘runelord’ for no reason. Now…” The sprite looks around. "Ritual assistants, help me get these glyphs written down.”
Eras steps away from the sprite, muttering that Zinthyra Tannol’s title of runelord is "self-appointed,” while the crew hurries to finish placing her ritual circle along the deck, etching glyphs in chalk and placing candles while Zinthyra mutters arcane incantations. Soon, the air is thick with both incense and arcane energy.
As the ritual reaches its apex and the sprite’s chanting grows frantic, the chalk glyphs begin to glow. A call echoes from one of the deckhands.
"Captain!” he shouts. "Land… ho?”
Several of the crew hurry portside to gape in awe. The sea-haze seems to part, like a curtain being pulled back. Water ripples and fades from view, revealing a small island with bright-green trees and white, sandy beaches.
"Well, I’ll be damned,” mutters Eras. "Okay, Pathfinders. While Zinthyra finishes preparations for landfall, let’s make sure you’ve not forgotten why you’re here, eh?” He pauses. "You’re to investigate this lost Azlanti research lab, as directed by Zinthyra. She believes it contains a key to a site we discovered beneath Kaer Maga in Varisia.”
Silence looks up from his meal at the undine and hoots softly.
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"I,” insists the sprite, "have been studying Azlanti magic for centuries. I didn’t take the title ‘runelord’ for no reason. Now…” The sprite looks around. "Ritual assistants, help me get these glyphs written down.” ...
A call echoes from one of the deckhands. "Captain!” he shouts. "Land… ho?”
Meadow claps her hands excitedly, She rushes over to Zinthyra. "Wow, that was great! Have you really really been studying Azlanti magic for centuries? You must know everything and everyone. I was raised by sprites you know. Do you happen to know Lily with the Brown Hair? Or Poppy? Or Thistle, Tulip or Daisy? What about Lily with the Blonde Hair? Please don't tell me you're friends with Lily with the Blonde Hair."
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Earlier...
"Oops! Sorry! Lost my focus for a moment there!" comes a cheerful voice, "I hope I didn't hit anything vital!" A slender woman of medium height an a perpetually mischievous grin on her face hurries across the deck. Seeing the elf, she barely contains a squeal of delight and rushes forward to hug her friend.
"Meadow!!" Shayla squeals, "I thought I heard your voices! Led any tour groups into lakes lately? Heard ya met one of my other friends lately. Her name's Maneki! Kinda stuffy but I hear she's a whiz with a bow and arrow!" She reaches into a pouch and pulls out some dried meat, tossing it to Silence.
Meadow frowns briefly and mutters under her breath. "Hmph. I'll lead you into a lake."
She quickly recovers and forces a guilty smile onto her face. "Stuffy? Nah, Makeki's great. Almost as good as me." She frowns again as Shayla tosses the treat to Silence. "And stop feeding Silence. He's getting too fat."
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"I... I... No. No, I do not know any of those names," the sprite says clearly very flustered. Gathering her arrogance like a warding cloak, she announces, "I’m the acclaimed scholar of Thassilon and Azlanti history; the Runelord Zinthyra Tannol, at your service. And you are my illustrious crew on this expedition into the unknown! Hope you can carry a shovel.”
"And that island," she crows with a sweep of her hand to the horizon, "is the culmination of months of research, which is certain to land me the lofty title of venture-captain! This island, which I will name in good time, is the resting place of Lesolethe’s laboratory; and with it, the key to the secrets beneath Kaer Maga!”
She looks at Kaz, "Well, of course, it's not likely something that looks like a key, but an object that can be used to unlock the teleportation circle beneath Kaer Maga."
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"Not all sprites know each other." Zak sticks his tongue out at Meadow.
"There aren't that many sprites in the Society, though, and most are Wingless," Kaz answers fairly, "They're kind of a community. You're different."
"If it has a laboratory on it, doesn't it already have a name?" asks Zak, ignoring this and turning his attention to the Runelord.
Aren't Runelords bad? he also asks, though nobody else hears it.
I don't know. But now I don't even know what we're looking for.
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Zak has been reading his Chronicles, but Kaz just skimmed that edition.
Betel, Shayla and Meadow all remember having read that one, too. It came out after the Society found a teleportation complex beneath Kaer Maga, and talked about the the architect of that complex, an ancient Runelord named Lesolethe. Her use of teleportation magic allowed her to easily travel great distances, and she created numerous bases throughout Golarion, as well as a few within planar subrealms. This earned her great renown, not only as a skilled arcanist, but also as a canny explorer. The tunnels found beneath Kaer Mage last year were one of her many outposts, from which she studied the mysterious ancient structure known to exist below. Nobody knows why she abruptly sealed the entrance to the structure.
Eras pauses for a moment before digging into a pocket to recover a notebook. “Zinthyra is certainly a character, eh? I’m sure you’ve gathered, but I’m here to monitor her performance. She’s aiming to become recognized as a venture-captain, and this mission is her assessment. The guidance she gives you will determine her outcome. Here, the ship’s alchemist has concocted a few items for the expedition. Remember to use them with care.”
Eras the Needle offers you 3 moderate alchemist’s fire bombs.
The sailors drop anchor and, before long, rowboats carry the expedition toward the newly uncovered isle. The sand on the beach is damp and sun-bleached.
“We’ll have to make the best of our time” states Zinthyra, examining the landscape. Eras order the party to pick up the pace. Beyond a line of trees, the isle’s foliage grows thick, and heavy fronds must be cut back to make a path through the undergrowth. Overhead, birds caw, and a gentle breeze causes the trees to rustle.
“This isle is fairly small,” Zinthyra says, “and there’s bound to be an entrance to the laboratory somewhere nearby. Keep your eyes sharp.”
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Betel, having been refreshed and fortified by that cup of tea, does not take the fire bombs either. To her, casting fire spells with gay abandon is an anathema. So she politely declines.
She also grins at Eras. I have met several 'characters in the Society, and I must say I am glad of that. They make life more ... interesting. I wish her well.
She spends the trip over, studying the island through a spyglass.
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You soon come across several crumbled stone pillars bearing Azlanti markings. Zinthyra eagerly points them out to the you. “We have to be getting close. Most likely, Lesolethe would keep her laboratory behind a teleportation circle. Look for one around here.”
But before you get a chance to investigate, twigs snap in the undergrowth. Four strange tigers emerge from the undergrowth. They crouch down around the base of the ruins and begin to stalk forward.
As the large felines approach, Zinthyra flexes her fingers, crackling with energy. “Okay, this calls for one of my patented atom-incineration spells, coming right up!”
Eras beckons her back. “Wait, Zinthyra. First thing to remember if you want to be a venture-captain: trust your crew. Let them handle this.”
Big Kitties
Conditions: none.
BOLD May Act
Meadow
Shayla
Kaz
Dran’Thul
Betel
Yellow Cat
Green Cat
Red Cat
Blue Cat
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"Are those cats?" asks Kaz nervously, "They look kind of like.. snakes? A little bit."
"Who cares?" asks Zak, charging at the nearest one. Kaz quickly (though not as effectively as he'd hope) channels some energy into him to empower his strikes. With a twirl he slices with his wings and follows it up with a punch.
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Zak rushes in and slams the Yellow-furred tiger in its left head and then in its right head. Yep, that's right, this one has 2 heads! Dran'Thul follows suit, but the tiger dodges the first strike and takes only the second.
Betel calls for calm but can't quite figure anything out about these weird "cats."
Big Kitties
Conditions: none.
BOLD May Act
Meadow
Shayla
Kaz
Dran’Thul
Betel
2-headed Yellow Cat
6-legged Green Cat
Armor-plated Red Cat
Armor-plated Blue Cat
"Screech!" Silence issues a warning cry and flaps his wings.
Silence launches into the air and ascends in a graceful spiral.
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Meadow sends Silence aloft and fires 3 quick shots at the armored Blue tiger. Only the first hits; the other two bouncing off its hide.
Shayla flings metallic shards at the injured one. She follows up with an axe to the skull, putting that one down.
The Tiger with the mossy-Green fur and the extra pair of legs sprints towards the lunch buffet line, choosing Betel as its appetizer.
It bites Betel, but can’t quite get a grip on the tasty morsel.
The metal plating scattered about the body of the tiger to the northwest appears to be rusting, giving it a Red tinge. It sees two targets close by and rushes in to feast on the dwarf. (It’s never tried dwarf before and wonders if it’s tough to eat.)
Mmmm, yes, drawf is tough, but yummy. It grabs a hold to not let the treat get away.
The last to act, perhaps due to being slowed by its heavy armor, Blue pounces upon the closest snack - Meadow.
It flails about as the ranger dodges each and every attempt.
Big Kitties
Conditions: none.
BOLD May Act
Meadow
Shayla
Kaz
Dran’Thul
Betel
2-headed Yellow Cat
6-legged Green Cat
Armor-plated Red Cat
Armor-plated Blue Cat
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Kaz is glad none of the cats came up to him, but he's still surrounded. This makes it a little difficult to fully concentrate on empowering Zak.
Instead he tries to protect the reckless fairy, while he backs away and Zak circles around for a more advantageous position. Kaz empowers Zak's strikes once again as he tries to slice up the bad kitty.
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Shayla stabs through the armor plating and then moves around to its backside.
Dran’Thul doesn’t like being munched on and punches back twice at his assailant. Both hits just barely land, but he’s still getting gnawed on. That is, until Zak slaps the tiger with a wing and drops it.
Betel zaps Green with ice,
But the tiger seems pretty tough.
Meadow and Silence team up on Blue, stabbing and pecking at it in unison.
Green liked the taste of undine. It comes pre-salted and extra moist!
Mmmm, yes, undine is tasty! It’s even better when you knock it down and get ready to feast on the soft underbelly!
Blue has an elf right in front of it, so it goes for that.
Silence swoops in and distracts the tiger when it tries to bite Meadow, and then it just can’t get a paw to connect with the wily ranger.
Big Kitties
Conditions: none.
BOLD May Act
Meadow
Shayla
Kaz
Dran’Thul
Betel
6-legged Green Cat
Armor-plated Red Cat
Armor-plated Blue Cat
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@Meadow: Thanks for the links, but a) How is Blue OG to you? Shayla doesn’t threaten nor would she provide flanking from her position even if she had Reach; and I don’t see that as a benefit of Silence nor of Hunted Prey. Note that it doesn’t matter whether he is OG or not, the results of your Strikes are the same either way. B) How is Silence providing support from his position? He needs to be threatening the foe, which he is currently not. (I will allow that perhaps he’s not positioned correctly and allow the Support Benefit to apply if you correct his position to adjacent and threatening.)