They shriek of the Dancing Lady shakes Gareth to his senses. He had nearly finished sheathing his rapier without being aware of his actions.
Will save
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The sound of Marlani gagging pulls Gareth from his examination of the walls. It takes a moment for him to notice the whisps of vapor and connect them to the bard's plight. Fort Save
"Yes, I think you are correct. If we are all far from hale then it might give our foes too much advantage"Gareth replies in a rare instance of wisdom.
Gareth follows Natalya. All the while, he cannot clear his mind of the image of a strongbox of rocks.
Once he has an opening, Gareth drives his rapier forth at the enemy in a flurry of thrusts. Rapier enchanted to +1, Spellstrike attack with Frigid Touch Attack 1
Attack 2
Damage + Frigid Touch
Damage
Frigid Touch cold damage
Gareth barrels into the room alongside Lorald, and stabs at the green foe. Attack
Crit confirmation
Damage
Gareth stows his crossbow, draws his rapier and follows the others inside.
Gareth backs away from the threat and levels his crossbow at the fell plant and fires his bolt. Attack
Damage
"That was nicely done, Natalya."
"I wasted a good bit of spell on that vile creature" Gareth says, indicating the quickling. "I don't have much more to spare. So, it will be mostly steel from here on out against anything we encounter." "The central tower, then?" he asks.
"I have something else for you, little bastard" Gareth says through his teeth.
the quickling is blinded, prone and disarmed at Lorald's feet.[/url]
Gareth calls a spell to his mind and subtly weaves a complex pattern with the fingers of his left hand. At the same time he mutters an incantation under his breath.
Gareth nearly leaps into a lunging thrust at the blurred foe. Attack
Miss Chance
"Let's just kill this unseen pest so that I can use pieces of it for spell-components." Intimidate
"Please, Lorald, let's not mention the foulness that was his mother. Such subjects are not worthy of gentlemen." Come to us, little foeman.
Gareth holds out his free hand before him and mumbles something unintelligible under his breath.
"Wonderful. We must arrange to have this chap decorate the halls of the capital once we have established such."
"The door to that tower there is newer than the others. If someone lurks about it would make sense that he uses that tower," Gareth says, while pointing to the southeast tower.
Perception
In a rare instance for the young man, Gareth focuses his attention entirely on searching the area for threats. He is aware of his companions and his position but puts everything but the keep to the margins of his senses.
"Perfect spot for an ambush" Gareth says as he looks at the upper works of the castle for archers.
I am still here!
This is the best news I have heard all day. Gareth has been straining to lift the portcullis off of Natalya for six weeks now!
Gareth lets his crossbow dangle from its strap and rushes to help Natalya. He grabs the portcullis and throws all his (over-estimated) strength into lifting it. Strength Check
Mardavig Spoiler: How much time passed between meeting the dryad and arriving here? If it was more than a day then Gareth would have changed his spell selection in anticipation of meeting a foe like a scythetree.
"You say you battled this tree in the past. If so, you should be able to give us directions to its location. Also, how does it threaten its foes? Does it lash with its branches? Does it wield magic?"
Sense Motive
"Why is it that you say you will die?"
Gareth waits for the woman to respond to Lorald's question. While he waits, he looks about the area to see if there any others around who are lurking. Perception
I will probably not be able to post tomorrow. Please DMPC as needed.
Gareth is uncertain about the fact that these particular trees were of any greater importance than any others. Despite his uncertainty over the matter and his predisposition to be hostile to the nixie, he could not fault Lorald's argument. In the end, he decides, it is better that these groups make up their own minds about what courses of action to take. All the same he thinks Would we really stand here idly while blood is shed?
Do we look like a pack of itinerant druids to her? How were these men to know that she claims this area for herself? From what I know of fey, it is unlikely that she even understands the idea of marking property. However, Marlani's approach seems to be gaining us good returns. With that thought, Gareth lowers his crossbow enough to not seem threatening. But he keeps his finger on the trigger, ready to fire it at the first provocation.
Do we look like itinerant druids to her? Lorald is right that these men likely did not have any inkling that she claims these woods as her own. But Marlani's conciliatory approach seems to be showing returns. Gareth lowers his crossbow just enough that he can aim it again quickly but, at the same time, not seem threatening.
Present
Gareth lowers his weapon and calls out to the men. "Your slave-driver just fled and left you in danger. I mean you no harm and wish only to see you act freely. That fish-man is your enemy, we are not." Diplomacy (untrained)
Edit:
Gareth instinctively draws his crossbow and levels it at the nixie in the riverbed. Only the consideration of his companions' possible reactions stays him from firing. Instead, keeps his eye down the sights of his weapon and asks his fellows "Does anyone want to talk to it first, or do you just want to initiate?" Please no objections, I want to skewer this nasty river-fey!
"This creature has seen better days. Why keep it chained if it is in such a state?"
Gareth unsheathes his rapier in response to Lorald's movement. He looks in the direction of the wagon while trying to pay close attention to his peripheral vision. All the while, he is keenly aware of the gaps in his damaged armor and the vulnerabilities that they leave for him.
Gareth searches his memories for lessons that he learned about gnomes. The only one that comes to mind is that of his rhetoric teacher who seemed to loath the race. 'You have to look past the hair and the cute, cuddly thing. It is all a deceptive facade. They are not to be underestimated!'
Gareth will request a mithral shirt for 1,100 gp. That is it for him.
If nothing happens in the next week, Gareth will make a second attempt at learning Web. Spellcraft
Spellcraft check to learn Expeditious Retreat
Spellcraft check to learn Web
Damn it! There goes a good battlefield control spell!
I like your suggestion about the gold. Lorald should take the cold iron rapier since it would serve him well against fey enemies. Gareth can enchant his own rapier or use spells to combat DR. Gareth will want to take a scrolls of Web and Expeditious Retreat to copy into his spellbook. Whatever cannot be used should be sold, like always.
"If he abandoned this it might mean that it was trifling to him. In that case, he must have been quite wealthy to leave this without a concern. Or perhaps his servants were negligent in retrieving all his possessions for travel." "If Bactrophan still lives he might be powerful indeed."
In any instance where a sleeper fights for the cup Gareth will let him or her drink it. All the better to continue the inebriation and incapacitation, in his opinion. "Valkus, even you never reached this level of dissipation. Not lately, anyway" Gareth says with a friendly grin.
"Yes. Minus their weapons, of course" Gareth replies. "I don't fully trust them not to take up arms against us at some later point." "The sleeping revelers are another problem for us to deal with. If we can disperse them without killing the lot, so be it." He does not add the obvious alternative.
"I just stab things." "We have these two miscreants two to deal with as well as the host of sleepers outside. Hopefully, we can do something other than slaughter them wholesale."
Not getting a response, Gareth asks his question again in Taldane (common) "What do we do with them?"
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