Arla successfully removes one of the stirges from Rall, permenantly. This leaves a single stirge still in the process of attaching itself to the sheriff deputy. Meanwhile there are still two more stirges flying around the room.
Stirges - Round 2
Chloe - Initiative 15
Rall - Initiative 10
Stirges - Initiative 10
Bowen - Initiative 4
Arla - Initiative 3
Rall crouches down on the floor hoping to give the others a better vantage to help him. "Get it off me!" he whimpers.
The stirge still attached to Rall sinks its needle like appendage deep into Rall's flesh and begins to bloat itself on his blood.
The creature must have found a vein for within mere seconds it is doubled in size and flaps languidly off of Rall back towards the ceiling.
Stirge Attacks against Bowen and Arla: (1d20+7=18, 1d20+7=15)
grapple checks: (1d20+9=24, 1d20+9=28)
The one stirge still trying to attack Bowen swoops deftly around behind the man and manages to find a perch near his neck. The other stirge, having lost one potential meal, spies Arla and swiftly flies at her, likewise finding a place to land and dig in its many little legs as its seeks a meal.
Bowen back pedals into the nearest wall trying to crush the bug between his back and the wall.
Before the stirge can begin sucking any vital fluids, Bowen backpedals straight into the wall and crushes the creature. When he pulls away from the wall, the creature drops to the ground, it's wings fluttering weakly.
Seeing the stirge on Rall flapping away, Chloe looks for another target. Bowen seems to have his in hand. But Arla has one on her.
"Watch out...on your back!" Chloe warns. She flings a wave of mental energy toward the stirge with her outstretched palm.
As the little mosquito-like creature latches onto her, Arla makes a wordless exclaimation. Unable to use a spear effectively against it due to its unwieldyness, the druid drops her weapon and draws a silvery dagger from her belt, intending to swipe the creature away from her with it.
Arla, in her haste to protect herself, instead slices herself open with her own dagger, having missed the stirge.
Meanwhile, Chloe's daze takes affect and the stirge on Arla's back shuffles its legs but does not, for the moment, start draining any blood.
Stirges - Round 3
Chloe - Initiative 15
Rall - Initiative 10
Stirges - Initiative 10
Bowen - Initiative 4
Arla - Initiative 3
Rall proves himself to be completely useless again. He flaps his fists timidly at the stirge on Arla's back but isn't too sure he wants to touch the icky bug.
The stirge on Arla is dazed.
In the hallway, the diminutive bard can be heard saying, "Careful children, let them take care of it."
Bowen Swings clumsily at the bug on the ground.
Arla yelps as her dagger swipe goes seriously astray and she ends up hurting herself instead. Biting her lip, she draws in a breath sharply before casting her last cure spell on herself.
Arla heals herself for 7 hp.
Stirges - Round 4
Chloe - Initiative 15
Rall - Initiative 10
Stirge - Initiative 10
Bowen - Initiative 4
Arla - Initiative 3
Chloe grimaces with concern at Rall's ineffectiveness in helping Arla - presumably due to the loss of blood he suffered from the one flying back to the ceiling. The young girl also seems unable to free herself from it, doing more damage with her own dagger to herself than the clinging creature.
As Chloe steps forward, a glint of sorcerous energy travels the length of the scimitar she borrowed from Bowen. While the stirge is still dazed, she lines up a quick chop to separate its head from its body.
"Hold still," she tells Arla, "I've got it..."
Rall swats at the stirge, side swiping it and then Chloe slices it neatly from Arla's back.
The hideous little bloodsucker falls to the ground, writhing.
There is, incidentally, one other exit from the room, south of the open exit and it also leads into the main hallway. The southern egress contains a still functioning door with a sturdy lock.
As the halfling bard enters the room, taking stock of the stone beds, sturdy walls and the doors, he motions at the remaining, blood-erniched stirge which is once more clinging to the cieling.
"Iffin' ye were ta be killin' that wee monstrosity for us," he says, temporarily affecting a dwarven accent, "we could hole up in this room and have only the one door to guard."
"Iffin' ye were ta be killin' that wee monstrosity for us," he says, temporarily affecting a dwarven accent, "we could hole up in this room and have only the one door to guard."
"I'm all out of those kobold javelins to throw," Chloe replies, "But you're pretty good with those rocks of yours. And maybe one of these others can bring it down?"
Meanwhile, she examines Rall's wound to determine how serious it might be. "You look pale as a ghost," she tells him, "Better sit down and take it easy for a second."
Bowen sets aside his klar and new battleaxe pulling forth his bow he nocks and arrow sights in the insect and before pulling, "This may be a slight shower," then releases and lets the arrow fly into the creature.
Bowen's arrow brings down the self-satisfied stirge. It lands with a plop and an unseemly amount of blood flows out onto the floor.
"Ewww..." Chloe remarks, then looks back to Rall, "There's no way we're getting all that back into you." She continues to check the sheriff's deputy's injury.
"Are you okay?" she asks, "How do you feel? Still with us? Now don't faint on us..."
She looks to Bowen and Arla. "Can either of you aid him? I'll see about making sure nothing else comes along to disturb us."
Bowen puts away his bow and begins ruffling through his bag. Pulling out some dried fruit and some bandages he turns to the rest. "I can staunch his wounds mundanely but if any one has magic left that would make things go faster."
Handing the fruit to Rall, "You should eat something to put back that which the bug took."
Then he begins bandaging his wounds trying to be gentle like a healer would be.
Arla shakes her head and frowns, kneeling down beside Rall.
"I don't think I can do anything that would replenish all the blood loss. Even after resting, I could only close up his wounds.."
She thinks for a moment. "I think all I can do magically is perhaps help to focus your mind slightly, should we run into any further trouble."
The druid will then assist Bowen as best she can with bandaging Rall.
Heal check: 1d20+10=12
Arla shakes her head and frowns, kneeling down beside Rall. "I don't think I can do anything that would replenish all the blood loss. Even after resting, I could only close up his wounds.."
"I agree with Arla," Chloe offers, calling back to the group as she checks each of the room's exits for signs of Savram, "Desna often responds to my prayers, but the best She could do for him would be to reknit his body. But that won't put blood back in him. That will take time to recover. Time we probably don't have..." She grimly stares off into the passageway's darkness.
"Savram's got to be out there somewhere," she says, returning to the others, "How far can he have gone? Everything happened so fast. We can't have been fighting those kobods for that long."
She looks to Arla. "How long before we can move again?" she asks, "Perhaps the three of us should keep looking for Savram while Rall waits here with Edgrin and the others?"
Rall takes the fruit and continues to stare at the blood on the floor. "Thanks. Sorry. Thanks. I can walk. I'll come with you but ... I won't be much help."
Once again packing his bag and shouldering his bow, Bowen readies his battleaxe and straps his klar on.
"Perhaps you should stay in the center of the group and use your bow."
Bowen moves to the front of the line and wills the axe to a brighter light as they move out through the opposite door.
Bowen moves to the front of the line and wills the axe to a brighter light as they move out through the opposite door.
Chloe follows, instinctively taking up the position next to Bowen to ensure Rall can stay behind them with Arla.
"What I wouldn't give for a diviner right now," Chloe says, "Or something to help us find that boy. Where can he be?"
Rall agrees to stay in the center of the group and keep his bow handy. Exhaustion combined with a loss of blood had taken his energy level to nil.
Both doors, as noted, open out onto the same section of north-south hallway.
The southern most door out of the stirges room is opposite the passage leading east into the first room of this level (the room where the kobolds were initially encountered.)
The northern door out of the stirges room is opposite the east-west hallway that goes north of the the initial room. Further east along this passage is the spot where the rats where encountered.
The north-south hallway you are in goes, of course, to the north to the dining room where the halfling and children were initially encountered. The hallway ends to the south in a blank wall.
Unsure of the halls, Chloe trusts Bowen to ascertain which direction to lead the group. Meanwhile, she looks and listens for any sign of Savram.
If you really want to search the blank wall to the south, you'll need perception checks.
Rall cautiously approaches the door. He's not very excited about being eaten by a wall or whatever insanity this dungeon has in store for him next.
Rall cautiously approaches the door. He's not very excited about being eaten by a wall or whatever insanity this dungeon has in store for him next.
"What exactly are you searching for...?" Chloe asks, "If Savram came this way, the boy would surely have set off any traps. And if there's some hidden door along here, I doubt he'd have managed to find it while running from the kobolds that chased us."
She glances worriedly in the other direction. "I feel like we're wasting time," she explains, "Every minute he's out there alone, who knows what terror has taken him?"
Rall cautiously approaches the door. He's not very excited about being eaten by a wall or whatever insanity this dungeon has in store for him next."What exactly are you searching for...?" Chloe asks, "If Savram came this way, the boy would surely have set off any traps. And if there's some hidden door along here, I doubt he'd have managed to find it while running from the kobolds that chased us."
She glances worriedly in the other direction. "I feel like we're wasting time," she explains, "Every minute he's out there alone, who knows what terror has taken him?"
"Which way do you think we should go?" growls Rall before closing his ears and ignoring any answer.
"Which way do you think we should go?" growls Rall before closing his ears and ignoring any answer.
"Oh, I don't know...someplace that doesn't lead to a deadend wall?" Chloe acidly remarks. She looks toward Bowen for help. Perhaps the Shoanti could track down the boy?
Bowen waits patiently for a few minutes thinking the Deputy has spotted something of danger but when nothing arises from it motions them back to the original room with the obsidian obelisk that they encountered the first batch of kobolds.
Once entering this room he points towards the East door, "If the child went in that room then he is surely dead. Let us try north and cut across the hall with the rats."
Rall finds no secret door.
Bowen takes charge and leads the companions back along the hallway in which they encountered the rats. The bodies of the rats are gone, as is what they were eating; all has been scoured clean, along with any footprints or tracks.
There is an intersection about halfway down the hallway. It was at this intersection that the first three companions fled south from what they thought was a dwarven ghost back into the room with the stairs going up. Further to the east is a 't' intersection but here at the mid-way point of the hall, there is also a northern passage not yet explored.
"I don't think now is a good time to argue.." Arla comments quietly as she follows Bowen, Ash loping along at her heels. Looking around herself at the various passageways, the druid has to admit that her sense of direction is not as good down here as it is out in the open.
"..It would be far too easy to get lost in here.. Bowen, do you remember what way we came?" she asks the ranger.
Bowen points south towards the obelisk, "That is the entrance we came in," then pointing east, "and over there is where those rats were having a meal." And then thinking for a moment motions north, "And if what they think is true about the child running this way if he lives he would be north hopefully. Otherwise he made it out the hole into the ruins above."
Willing the battleaxe to the brightest light it can achieve he walks slowly into the new chamber looking for danger.
Rall follows, mumbling something about 'loss of blood,' 'being dizzy,' and 'seeing secret doors everywhere.'
Bowen points south towards the obelisk, "That is the entrance we came in," then pointing east, "and over there is where those rats were having a meal." And then thinking for a moment motions north, "And if what they think is true about the child running this way if he lives he would be north hopefully. Otherwise he made it out the hole into the ruins above."
"Leave it to Savram to run in the complete opposite direction of the exit. By Desna, I swear we're all cursed with the most terrible luck in this place," Chloe offers.
Willing the battleaxe to the brightest light it can achieve he walks slowly into the new chamber looking for danger.
Chloe follows alongside Bowen, searching for any sign of the boy as well.