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Luckily, Neethan is a little better trained than the ordinary scholar and agrees to move further before taking a rest. His added protection from the Mage Armor spell will still be effective for a few hours more, but there is a lot of natural hazards and obstacles to tackle while walking in the jungle at dusk, even without Mzalis harassing them. He keeps vigilant.
Neethan senses that the Mzalis are breaking contact. When his allies seem content to not chase after them, Neethan moves closer to Shalissa and thanks her for the healing. The air is still full of noises from the agitated birds and monkeys that have survived Neethan’s onslaught.
Neethan thought he had ducked behind cover well enough, but an arrow finds him anyway. Well, they can try hide from his revenge!
”Manducare lutum!” Combat: Casting Stone Call
This damage only occurs once, when the spell is cast.
To his dismay, Neethan recognizes the natives as Mzalis, and realizes there’s no point in trying to negotiate with these. Running away is likely not going to work either as these tribesmen know the jungle and can move faster than they can. Since Davor has already addressed them, it’s also too late to hide. The wizard just hopes they can survive this fight if the warband is not too large. He can spot a couple of them coming his way and casts a Fireball, hoping to scare them away.
Combat: Casting Fireball, trying to catch more warriors not yet seen. Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) Area 20-ft.-radius spread Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Reflex half, Spell DC = 18; Spell Resistance yes , fire damage incl Intense spells
Move I6 -> J9
Trying to keep hidden, Neethan spies on the natives wondering if they are (relatively) friendly Zenjis or the fearsome Mzalis. If they are Zenjis, they might just be a couple of hunters looking for prey, but if Mzalis, then it’s likely a whole warband close by. He does not like this at all.
Yes, Real Life sometimes hits us in the face, and it’s easy to feel a burn-out, especially as a GM.
Neethan nods in agreement. Whatever it is, it’s better to find out now, than in the dark. It’s going to be hard to get any rest anyway with the monkeys making that noise. The wizard doesn’t mind taking cover, but if possible, he stays close to the paladin while doing so.
Neethan hears the monkeys are restless. He knows they sometimes fight among themselves, but they are also territorial and will announce intruders. In the dense jungle, it’s hard to see. The whole thing gives him a creepy feeling, especially since it’s getting dark soon. He’s both jumpy and a bit on edge. When the others also seem to hesitate and listen even more carefully, Neethan casts Mage Armor on himself.
Memorized spell list:
1st Level: (4+1)
2nd Level: (3+1)
3rd Level: (2+1)
Being from Sargava, Neethan likely knows more about the mad Mzalis than the other team members. The wizard is a Chelixian colonist; someone the Mzalis would really like to catch and play with. He’d prefer to negotiate with pirates any day instead, but it seems the others have already made up their minds. Neethan is not happy, but rather gets even more cautious, keeping to the rear of the team.
Neethan takes in the new info about another possible player in the race.
Neethan has an inherent distrust for guides, having been abandoned by at least two. He was not with the team when they found this Nkechi character either. Seems they have to gamble in order not to lose more time, but they need to head north soon. He does not want to go anywhere near Mzali. He agrees to tread along to the river juncture though. Then Shalissa has an outburst, and Neethan asks: ”Who’s Sasha?”
Walking in the lead, Davor is more observant than Neethan, but the wizard at least has some local knowledge of the nature here. The sight of the hunting bird does not frighten him, and he believes they will be ok if they keep walking under the trees. Neethan is more worried about the direction though. The south bank of the river will get them dangerously close to the Mzali, and if the going here is easier, it might be that their war bands are the ones making the paths. He wonders if they have to crisscross up the river to find the way easiest to travel. He goes looking for their guide, to ask if they are on the right path, compared to staying on the north bank. While encountering men from the Rivermen’s Guild is risky sometimes, they are better than the Mzalis any day of the week.
Neethan tries to look where he puts his feet and also looks out for possible danger. He keeps to the middle of the group.
The next morning, it feels like the expedition is really starting in earnest. Everyone seems to prepare a little extra, knowing they are heading into the jungle now. Neethan does his morning routine, trying to memorize the spells he thinks will be handy, as well as making sure his waterskin is full. His clothes are dry again. The water from the lake rinsed them from some of the sweat stains, but there is still a smell from them. It seems like you are never clean out here. Sometimes he misses the city and the comfort of his parents’ home. A civilized bath and getting scrubbed. Well, this is what he chose instead. He adjusts his clothing; not so much it will get too hot but covering his legs and arms as best he can from the various insects and sharp-edged plants. Neethan wonders what other teams might also be going. Have they lost too much time already to their competitors?
The term "use" in this case is likely "to fight with" and if not proficient, it's a –4 penalty on attack rolls, right? Even Neethan could probably use it as a tool, e.g. cut branches and vines, if it comes to that. Neethan will put the ingots in his haversack.
When Davor finally gets the lock open and they can see what’s inside, Neethan will help identifying the contents.
”There was indeed a treasure to be found! Then it was worth the extra day, perhaps.” It’s a lot of ingots inside and the wizard offers to take them in his magic haversack.
Neethan is pretty useless in the loose sand and slips badly when trying to help. Again lying on his back in the shallow water, he curses and gets up again, shaking his clothes. At least it's not cold here.
Neethan agrees with Davor and takes out his hemp rope and his Traveler's Any-tool. With a few adjustments he makes a small anchor of the tool.
The wizard hopes Shalissa can heal Davor and Kerndrew.
Thinking they have defeated the snakewhale, Neethan turns to Shalissa with a big smile. ”Nicely fought!”
Neethan will stay on land, keeping watch.
Having locked the sea monster in place, Neethan continues to bombard it with more snowballs. He can see it thrashes and that it does not like being cold. He is glad having the others fighting up close though, as he would not like to get into melee with it himself.
Combat, Round 3: Casting Flurry of Snowballs - ordinary, not Rime
Mage Armor activated.
Considering:
Then her prepared lightning bolt spell might be a choice. It’s at Reflex DC 18 and the beast is entangled.
Having successfully burned the huge sea monster, Neethan steps forward some to be able to cast something else amidst all his allies.
Combat, End of Round 2: Move one square. Squeeze in the spell. (Remove the area when you've looked at it.) Casting Rime Flurry of Snowballs Range 30 ft. Area cone-shaped burst Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Reflex half, DC17; Spell Resistance no Description You send a flurry of snowballs hurtling at your foes. Any creature in the area takes 4d6 points of cold damage from being pelted with the icy spheres. , cold damage incl Intense spells The snakewhale is Entangled for 2 rounds Mage Armor activated.
The Flaming Sphere can jump up over hindrances, but I guess it's not hovering, but gravity pulls it down. I could possibly cast it a bit over the surface, and it would have the initial effect. Then it would fall into the water and wink out. (?) I cast Fireball this time though, and it just goes off with a bang. :) It will burn the parts of snakewhale that are above the surface at least, i.e. the head.
Neethan quickly scrambles up on his feet again. Water is dripping from his clothes and hands, but it does not stop him from calling on fire to scare away the large creature. Combat: Casting Fireball, center just behind the “whale” (like D11) as to not harm Kerndrew. Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) Area 20-ft.-radius spread Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Reflex half, Spell DC = 18; Spell Resistance yes , fire damage incl Intense spells
Mage Armor activated.
Saturated with water, the loose sand is very soft and Neethan falls backwards when the unexpected wave hits his legs.
The wizard tries to keep watch as best he can in the dimming light.
Neethan does not have the Dancing Light spell prepared, but he casts Light on Davor’s dagger (or another item or part of Davor, if the so chooses). The wizard then tries to help by using the Detect Magic spell and sees what auras he can pick up from the wreck.
The low water level exposes more of the shoreline and Neethan’s nostrils are filled with the smell of rotting seaweed and mud. It’s not all bad though, as they later come upon what looks like a sunken boat, something they might otherwise have missed. Things are looking promising. Even the large beast is nowhere to be seen. They have lost some daylight though and the fast sunset is approaching, forcing them to make a decision: come back tomorrow or stay here? There might not be enough light to search the boat. Should they find a place to camp nearby? ”That sunken ship looks promising! Too bad it’s getting dark soon. It will be even darker in the water. Davor, you can see well enough in the dark. How do you feel about darkness under water? I can’t help you much down there. A few light sources floating over the area perhaps? Maybe just search the hind-castle that sticks above water for now and the rest tomorrow? Do we want to return to the tradepost or find somewhere to camp nearby? I don’t feel like spending the night in this small boat.”
Neethan is not the most physical of them and instead tries to sit still in the boat. If he thinks they will arrive at the end of the lake where they might encounter trouble within 2-3 hours, he will cast Mage Armor already now. Until then, he tries to remember anything about this region and/or about water-dwelling large animals that could fit into the description of ‘part snake – part whale’. It sounds big! The animal is reportedly eating grass, rather than killing off all the fish in the area though.
Neethan agrees with Shalissa and joins her studying the map too.
paste?
Later, when he has cleaned up a bit, he takes more interest in where they are. He remembers the map they had been given earlier, and at least making an effort to found something could be worth it, if it doesn’t take too much time.
Neethan had been so totally occupied by trying to remember what he had heard about the evil necromancer, he did not notice they’d come to a river where the tracks ended. Rumors about Jigeke had been used for years to scare children, but there was enough truth behind them to scare grown-ups too. Jigeke was a ferocious magician; he was seven feet tall with command over living and dead; almost his whole tribe had been killed in a horrible way, when they opposed him; he could kill you by just looking at you, … The stories were many. Maybe a part of Neethan unconsciously really wanted this war band to come along with them in their pursuit. Chasing after such a character, seemed a tough task where everyone was needed. On the other hand, Jigeke might be long gone, and the team needed to continue their own journey. He agrees with Shalissa.
Neethan has heard enough stories about this lone necromancer, to just discard it as a myth. The wizard has been in a cave for more than four years though, so he can’t be sure it’s the same one active now. It could be someone else. None-the-less, they had no trouble seeing tracks to follow around the tomb. He looks around for Athyra, wondering if they will ever get any use from her.
Neethan was not with the others when Kerndrew got his special vision or mission or whatever drives the paladin. The wizard knows his ally is looking for some bad sorcerer though. Shalissa seems to make some kind of connection to what they are facing here, and Neethan tries to remember what he has heard about anyone called ‘Jigeke’. Shalissa thinks he might be a necromancer, and Neethan feels for any lingering magic aura to confirm her theory, while he listens to her questions.
Neethan sees some of the natives are discussing something in the background, and he does not really trust them either.
Having been kept busy studying his new spells, Neethan is torn from his thoughts by Shalissa referring to him. He focuses a little more on the problem at hand and uses his Detect Magic spell while watching the ruined grave. He’s not sure what they are looking for. Someone has obviously been here and broken in.
Neethan uses his Read Magic spell to decipher a few other scrolls, and then spends the rest of the day studying and trying to write them into his spellbook too. Scroll study: vs DC17, 1h, 1hwrite vs DC15, 1h, 2h write
While keeping one eye into his spellbook, Neethan watches the ceremony come to a finish.
Sad to hear about your problems, GM Kulko. I hope you all will quickly be home and fine again!
This far south, sunset comes early. It’s late evening none-the-less, when Neethan is finally finished writing his two(?) scrolls into his spellbook and can turn in for the night. Rising so early the next morning, gives him not enough time to study his spellbook, however. He just manages to grab some bread and cheese to go, and munches on the food while they all make it to the temple. The wizard had first thought to stay at Cheiton’s and finish his arcane studies while the others attended the sermon, but then decided it was better to join them. The ritual seems important to Kerndrew and Shalissa and while Neethan is not very religious, he feels they might need all support they can get. The gathered Zenjis and Father Curtius’s speech, remind him of the statue he had seen twice yesterday, and he tries to learn more about the legendary paladin. His new bag also proves useful, as he can easily pull the spellbook discretely out of it and study some of today’s set of spells, whenever there is a pause or singing in the ceremony.
Thanks, Davor! :)
Having come back and described his scroll plans to the rest of the team, Neethan is able to borrow enough gold to head out again and do the final purchase of some dark red ink. Later at Cheiton’s house, the wizard manages to decipher how two of the scrolls can be interpreted and he studies them. Scroll study: vs DC16, 1h vs DC18, 1h
Neethan has already bought the scrolls. He just need ink and time to write them into his spellbook, not to study with another wizard.
(It’s of course up to the GM. :) ) If Neethan could just buy the ink and study himself, that would of course be the fastest way. (1h per level of spell to write into his spellbook.
In Nantambu lies the Magaambya, which is Golarion's oldest academy of arcane learning (even if many proud schools in Avistan have never heard of it). It was established by Old-Mage Jatembe and his Ten Magic Warriors during the Age of Anguish, and is still in operation thousands of years later. The school preserves the learning and secrets of Jatembe, but also tries to have some influence in the areas neighboring the Mwangi Expanse.
Seeking up and getting admission to a high-level Cheliaxian wizard, would likely take more than a day.
Neethan can prepare the Read Magic cantrip for tomorrow and decipher the rest of the scrolls then. He will likely feel that he is preparing better for the trip by working on his spellbook, but he might not have/get enough gold to write all four of them, so he could possibly join the rest in the celebration too. As Shalissa mentioned, one way to otherwise finance the cost, would be to seek up other wizards in the city and try to trade knowledge for his Flurry of Snowballs-spell that might be exotic and useful in the warm climate of Sargava. That would have him leave the group for the day though and have his side adventure (, and we'd have problems syncing the parallel story lines again).
Identify, L1:
”If we have some time still, I have a few scrolls I’d like to study and add to my spellbook, so we can have better use of them. I’ve got most of the magical components, but still need to buy some special ink. About 100 gold pieces would do, but I only have 8 left myself, right now.
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