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It is impossible to tell if night passes, or part of a day in this isolated hell hole. But time certainly does pass. Rest is hard to come by, but enough. Eventually the team is ready to move on again. The large double doors to the east swing open easily and silently. A short corridor opens into a much larger room. This long gallery stretches from south to north, its finely marbled floor cracked with age and neglect and the paint on its vaulted ceiling is flaking in places. A series of niches in the western wall feature a handful of statues, most of them defaced or crumbled into pieces—making it impossible to tell whom these sculptures once commemorated. Instead of statues, piles of straw and cloth fill two of the northern alcoves. The two sets of doors that lead south provide the only exits. The ceiling here is 30 feet high, and the mural on it once depicted the warlord striding through the streets of Absalom, a conquering hero with hundreds of citizens either looking on adoringly or cowering in fear.
Bwess: It would seem the creature cast a spell on Bwess, it failed to work proerly, but had the effect of slowling her. Hiddeous Laughter
Among the clothing Elo finds a pair of healing potions (lesser), an oil of mending, and 73 gp and 1 sp. In addition, in the pile of furs is what can only be the the sun wheel
With no immediate sign of danger, it's a good time to take a few minutes. Reciver focus points, etc, do some healing. If you want to investigae the room, there's a pile of furs, and some bloody clothes behind the screens the Jackel emerged from.
I will freely admit I've been lax in the awarding of hero points, and I'm sure Cev hasn't used any. But either way, you should all have had one going into that fight, so there we are. He's awake, on zero HP and doesn't have a wounded condition.
GM:
The hero's press the attak, each causing some damage in their own way, but not quite enough. The Jackal is looking scortched and battered, but still not finally down.
GM:
Qrk once again send sout an electrical arc, whitch the Jackal easily evades. Bwess strikes out with her spell-loaded whip, but fails to land the stike. Elo's sphere proves slightly more difficult to avoid, but the Jackal still comes out only singed. Cev lies bleeding on the floor.
GM:
The Jackel snarls then moves and bites at Elo. It gets a grip, then pulls him to the floor.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Conditions.aspx?ID=69&Redirected=1 You're on Dying 2 as you were felled by a crit. But it's recoverable.
Qrik's Missles hit the Jackal staggfering it back. Cev's projectile slams into it also causing damage. Bwess take the opportunity to stand, and backs off a little. GM:
Despite having three eyes, the Jackal is unaffected by Elo's spell.
GM:
The Jackal looks at Cev, it's third eye opening, snarls, and savages his with it's jaws. .
Qrik unleashes another volley of missiles, that slam into the jackel inerringly. Cev crawls away, and heals up a little. Bwess cracks her whip, a sliver of blood raising in the beast's fur. Elo again creates electricity from nothing, but the beast dodges the worst of the blast.
Spoiler:
"You fall so easily. Beg and I may let you live..." The jackel moves farward and this time snaps out at Bwess. Biting her savagely, and bringing her down.
Bwess successful save:
The feeling of invasion in your mind suddenly stops. The struggle is just, gone. Bwess failed save:
You shake your head. You're on the ground, and everyone seems to be in fight mode. But you can't remember why? Surely they aren't attacking that creature with no provocation?
GM:
Qrik's lightning causes the Bugbear to scream in agony, but the jackal shakes it off as if it's nothing. Cev's thrown stone flies at the bugbear, but fails to make contact. Bwess steps up and strikes out with her magically enhansed whip, cracking the bugbear under the jaw and taking it down once and for all. Flames lick over the body for a few moments. Elo's bomb flies true, but the Jackal steps easily out f the foul cloud. It's third eye still focused on Bwess, the other two look you over in disdain. "More of my loyal followers dead. How very, heroic of you. It then moves. In the blink of an eye it's on Cev, and biting. It's jaws lock on an arm and savage it as it pulls him to the ground.
GM:
Bwess:
The effect is indeed a spell, an arcane one of some power https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=150&NoRedirect=1 The Bugbear steps fardard and attempts to grapple Bwess, it's clumsy attempt is easily evaded though so it attempts to strike with it's sword instead and fails to connect there too. The Jackal continues to stair at Bwess with it's wierd third eye, but also casts a spell at Cev. Hideous black tenticles spring from it's craw and dart out at Cev, striking through him, into the wal behind.
Qrik's magic missiles again fly,this time striking the Bugbear. They hit, but don't quite manage to take it out though. Cev's projectile bounces off te bugbears armour.
Elo fires off three bolts of force, the first slams into the Ogre and with a suprisingly quiet "oof" it's eyes roll back and it thuds to the ground dead. The second two shots swerve around Bwess and strike the Bugbear illicitng a hiss but not really slowing it. Bwess stikes her whip and with it a spell that attacks the bugbears mind. It wriths in agony, but stays standing. Meanwhile the Jackal continues to maintain eye contact with Bwess, as it does so it begins to chuckle under it's breath. A strange mirth begins to overcome her, which trie as she might she cannot suppress. The laughter that occasionally birsts from her, and the fight to contain her, slow her movements. GM:
Elo pours rays of flame at teh ogre, and Cev launches a projectile at it, the rock slamming into it's head. It roars in outrage and pain, and staggers back a step, then launches forward at Qrik. It swings it's massive axe back and forth, hitting the Kobald in the side. GM:
As you watch on in horor, the Jackal opens it's third eye, and with it stares at Bwess. As it does so, her conviction drains away. At the same time she feels as though her motor functions are somehow failng. It takes a concerted effort, but Bwess throws off te effect, and the Jackal growls in frustration. GM:
"The Elf begins to understand. But too little, too late. Looks
"Such arrogance! You come into our home. Kill without mercy, and get upset that we have plans to make the world safe for ourselves? What a mirror you must see, looking at me." GM:
Bwess: The creature is a KURNUGIAN JACKAL, you remember that they have a weakness to cold iron, but also that they are not inconsequential spell casters, using their third eye it is said they can inflict cruel pain.
The bubear bristles. They raise to their full height visibly angry. "Not homes?" they begin quietly, getting louder. "That doorway you are stood in is Bromela's private quarters. With her bed, and her stuff, and a space she made for her pet! What the hell else could it BE! As the bugbear takes a breath to continue a richly timbral voice comes from behind one of the folding screens. "Rhunk, how many times have I told you not to lean on the altar? And in front of guests, no less. Shame, shame." A large jackal pads out into view, his head held high. Reddish stripes run across his dark brow fur, slaver drips from his mouth, and his pointed ears seem overlarge. A third eye, which opens lazily every so often as he talks, sits at the center of the jackal’s forehead. The thing takes a position at the edge of the dais as the bugbear moves away, chastened. Looking out across the room, the jackal continues, "Welcome to the Scar. You are not the first interlopers to harass the children of the Mother of Monsters, and you will not be the last. We came into this world hated, hunted, and feared. But we will rise up under Lamashtu’s banner and crush your pitiful civilizations."
GM:
Qrik:
They are definitely hiding something..... "Oh, another likely lot of vagrents to clear out of our domain. Them the other week were quite tastey, this could be a good day." The bugbear says. "This here, it's our home, see? And you lot? Well you're trespassing ain't you?"
The door opens easily, and there are no traps A raised dais occupies the northern end of this room, on which a rough-hewn altar of stone appears stained with blood and other liquids. A pair of wooden folding screens stand to either side of the altar, each marked with a painted symbol of a three-eyed jackal. The wall behind the altar has the same icon crudely scrawled on it in red paint. At the edge of the dais, two lit braziers cast fitful light throughout the room. The rest of the chamber looks bare, except for a few tattered mats of varying sizes arranged on the floor in rows. Doors to the east and west provide exits. There are two creatures in the room, a young looking Ogre stood inspecting her hook for rust, and a Bugbear leaning casually on the alter. Neither seems suprised as you appear...
The passage is more if an alcove when you move up to it. The door is closed and locked, but the key is in the lock on this side. The troll liked it's privicy it seems. Listening at the door reveals nothing.
A cursoury look around shows that a sturdy shield leans up against the eastern wall near the troll's bedroll.
The group sends an onslaught of fire, acid, stones and even boar tusks flying at the troll. As much as it manages to avoid most of the missles, a scortching ray and Bwes' acid spell strike home. The troll staggers, and then, as it's skin again begins to bubble from the fire, it tumbles to the ground. You watch for a moment, but even it's regeneration doesn't kick back in. It's dead. And you are safe.
GM:
Qrik's spell finishes off the boar in a roasting, hair burning kind of way. As it collapses in a heap the troll enters a fierce rage. Clearly you just killed it's pet and it is not happy. Bwess again attempts to channel through her whip, but tiems the strike all wrong and the spell discharges into a small puddle. The Troll absorbes some damage fromt he electricity too, but is still standing. It slams into Bwess with it's claws over and over. . To add insult to injury, as you watch, you see it's wounds start to knitt back together!
Elo's first spell misses the troll, but the second hits the boar squarly, if not anywhere particularly damaging. The tough beast keeps fighting for a little while longer. Cev casts a stone at the troll, again hitting it square on, and illiciting a little "umph". GM:
The boar stikes out at Elo again, getting one solid hit in but missing with it's other attacks.
Qrik fires a magical scortching ray at the torll which causes it to writhe in agony. It's skin bubbles and smokes. The spell works far better than you would ever have expected. Bwess moves up and strikes the boar with her whip, the spell released causes it to squeel in rage. GM:
The troll roares with rage. Whatever chance you may have had at negotiating with it is up in smoke, quite literally. It stands and moves as quickly as it can at Qrik, screaming semi coherent rants about small lizards as it goes. Unfortunately that puts Bwess right in it's way. It slams a fist into her, but fails to properly connect.
Yeah, one of the nice things about play by post is you can take time to describe your actions so your TKP verses one from Elo a while back:
So Elo's has in character description, and ooc how many actions are used on which thing, and exactly what foe it's targetted at. Taging your current focus point (assume you started today at Max) in your posts woudl be really helpful too. So, aside out of the way!
GM:
Elo throws his bomb at the troll which elicits a screaech of rage, the splash also catches the boar. Cev throws random debris from the room at the troll causing it to duck for cover. The boar then charges at Elo, tusks flaling, but neither of it's attacks draws blood.
"TKP"??
Elo pushes the door open, and the quiet snuffling turns into a frenzied one, with high piched squeels added in. At the northeast corner of this odd-shaped room, a wooden barrier only a few inches tall keeps a large puddle of muck from spreading. Next to that, a large bedroll with frayed edge has been laid out on the floor. A pile of clothes and other personal possessions sit near the bedroll. Sputtering torches hang from the walls near the doors leading west and south. The unmistakable odor of manure and fresh mud lingers in the air. The "pen" contains a boar, which is in now way constrained by the low fence. The bedroll contains a Troll, which judging from the bleary eyes, has just been woken by the boar.
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