"Let them track us, if they can," Nuveril declares defiantly. "They are more easily fought a scouting group at a time on ground of our own choosing than in their citadel." She looks around at the bloody mess Grall made of the snake with something like satisfaction. "Let them find what we have done, and let them fear what may be stalking them."
Edit:
where?
Grall would continue to lead the way with his darkvision. He will try to be a bit stealthy in case anything is lying in wait for whomever walks out the door/opening.
in case you need another check
Turns to the rest of the group since it seems it is decided, Count to 10 and then follow me out. I will make sure the path is clear.
Grall moves carefully outside. Not seeing anything he beckons to the others as above and moves out in the lead.
The rest of the group follows, taking equal care, and you soon reach the concealing vegetation along the river. From there you make your way steadily south. A few minutes later you can hear a loud howling, as if from a wolf or dog, coming from behind you. It sounds of frustration and rage.
Perception
Nuveril
Linah
Khalid
Sajan
Arjun
Stealth
Nuveril
Linah
Khalid
Sajan
Arjun
As you are moving out you can see at the very edge of your vision a winged quadraped about the size of a horse. It is about 200 feet to the north west (the opposite direction of where you are going), about fifty feet above the ground. It seems to be searching the ground in circles.
+1
The creatures howls recede behind as you hurry south east, following the river and you soon reach the relative safety of the hills.
The temperature has continued to drop and now your adrenalin has faded you can feel the chill.
Even with the moon out, the terrain is not easy to negotiate and all but Grall end up with their fair share of scrapes from the uneven ground. With the aid of the gnoll's darkvision you find the path you took this morning and ascend.
The monastery (and your beds) are close when you hear a high pitched yelp sound loudly from a canyon to your north-west. Then again. It sounds full of fear and pain. And then you can hear other noises, a chorus of strange keening whails as if from multiple throats.
Whatever is happening the sources seem to be moving at great speed, south as you are, although several hundred feet to your west. Distances aren't easy to judge here but you think you would need to travel rapidly west over broken ground to have any chance to intercept. Alternatively, it would seem that if you keep to your current heading whatever it is will miss you.
Nuveril's first reaction is to move to intercept. "Come on! Quickly!"
Khalid is in no shape to fight and stumbling arrround in the darrrkness to fight whateverrr it is out therrre is going to get you killed. We should wait it out until daylight and everrryone can see what is out there. We can then trrrack it tomorrrow by day if we want...
"Whatever is harassing the monastery may scatter our only means of support if we wait until morning. We should at least take a look and see what is going on."
"I agree with Arjun. We should investigate what we are up against. Khalid can stay here in the care of father Zantus."
Edit:
Grall in front, you scramble over the broken ground, rocks shifting under your feet. Linah, in her armour, manages to keep up with Sajan's assistance while Nuveril does so through her own agility. Khalid stubbornly follows despite his weakness.
The sounds, seemingly of a pursuit, continue as you move and the yelping creature's cries fill the hills.
Grall leads you down a gulley and up over a ridge into an L shaped canyon. A small, long eared dog with a coarse, tawny coat is fleeing south pursued closely by six larger creatures, earless hunting cats about 5 feet in length. The dog looks like a juvenile, and even in the moonlight you can see that its legs and flanks bear the marks of several wounds. It stumbles, clearly near exhaustion, and it seems that you have arrived on the scene only to see the creature brought down. The lead cat, slightly larger than the others, leaps at the dog, claws extended and the attack seems on target. At the very last moment however a flash of blue light seemingly emanates from the dog and the strike misses. The cat screams in frustration.
The creatures notice you at about the same time. The dog regains its feet and surges straight toward you. The cats whail and hiss. They show no sign of backing off at your approach, eyeing you with predatory looks.
Round 1
Initiative
Grall
Nuveril
Linah
Khalid
Sajan
Arjun
Dog
Hunting Cats
Larger Hunting Cat
Ordered Initiative
Larger Hunting Cat
Nuveril
Hunting Cats
Dog
Khalid
Grall
Arjun
Sajan
Linah
The larger cat (F,1) lunges forward again at the dog biting at its flanks but is off balance from its previous lunge and misses.
EDIT:
EDIT:
Knowledge (Arcane):1d20 + 8
Knowledge (Nature):1d20 + 8
Yeah better find out what these are soon, I would hate for Grall to cut the dog in two since he doesn't know what it is.
Wow you know all about these guys. Feel free to read their respective entries.
The dog is clearly a juvenile blink dog. Highly (human level) intelligent, blink dogs would be known to you as valiant foes of all evil creatures. Some of the badawi (I have totally assumed your tribe is badawi) legends speak of packs of blink dogs intervening to assist the tribe from attack by evil creatures.
Blink dogs are fiercly loyal defending their own pack or creatures they befriend to the death, and maintaining oaths handed down from litter to litter. They travel in tight family packs led by an alpha which may be male or female. It seems unusual for one to be alone.
Blink dogs can teleport (dimension door) short distances and naturally move in and out of phase causing opponents attacks to miss them (constant blink spell). Clearly the juvenile is too young to teleport or something is preventing it from doing so.
The cats are krenshars, intelligent hunters and scavengers who travel alone or in small groups. Krenshars can retract the fur and skin on its face to reveal the glistening skull and musculature underneath. Combined with its strange, keening wail, this horrifying display is enough to paralyze prey and send formidable opponents running (they have a magical intimidate effect which can target single foes within 100 feet).
Though krenshars generally prefer to stalk herd animals, they have no qualms about taking on humanoids when food is scarce. They would have attacked the tribes animals on occassion. Up to you whether you've fought them before.
Both creatures inhabit the plains and hills and would be natural competitors although you would expect krenshars to run from a pack of more powerful blink dogs.
"Save the dog," Nuveril orders tersely, "and steel yourselves to face the demon-cats. Ancestor-dog! To us! We will defend you!"
The five remaining cats peel off toward you.
Two move to flank Nuveril, the one in the front darting under her hammer.
They come in low, teeth bared, trying to get under her madu. She bats one away with the hammer but the other nearly gets through, only the halflings experience at fighting larger foes preventing a bite.
miss
miss due to medium size attacker
The other three move in to screen and then halt. As you look on in horror the three retract the fur and skin on their face to reveal the glistening skull and musculature underneath. The three fix their violet eyes on Grall, Sajan and Arjun respectively and issue their strange, keening wail. Each of the three targets feel an unatural fear rise up in them and with it the urge to flee.
Its unclear whether or not the dog understands Nuveril's words but either way it contines to run in your direction, provoking an attack from the larger cat but again it is a clear miss.
"Save the dog," Nuveril orders tersely, "and steel yourselves to face the demon-cats. Ancestor-dog! To us! We will defend you!" 1d20+6 1d6+3
** spoiler omitted **
No problem that actually makes a vague kind of sense :) The dogs help out either because their enemies of the evil attacker or are acting out of some long forgotten point of honour. They can't explain why they're helping so they just leave afterwards.
Believe me this is palty compared to the rationalising that Nuveril is going to have to come up with in this AP :)
Round 1-
Sajan moves in swiftly to J17 and attempts to hammer his fist into the creature's skull, seeking to stop the flank on Nuveril.
Arjun rushes forward and heaves a crystal vial filled with a blue, glowing fluid.
Attack
Damage cold damage, 5 splash damage
Arjun rushes forward and heaves a crystal vial filled with a blue, glowing fluid.
Attack 1d20+4
Damage 1d6+4 cold damage, 5 splash damage
The dog is a juvenile blink dog. Highly (human level) intelligent, blink dogs are valiant foes of all evil creatures. Blink dogs naturally move in and out of phase causing opponents attacks to miss them (constant blink spell).
The cats are krenshars, intelligent hunters and scavengers who travel alone or in small groups. Krenshars can retract the fur and skin on its face to reveal the glistening skull and musculature underneath. Combined with its strange, keening wail, this horrifying display is enough to paralyze prey and send formidable opponents running (they have a magical intimidate effect which can target single foes within 100 feet).
"Be careful, honorable comrades! Krenshars can retract the fur and skin on their face to reveal bone and musculature underneath. This horrifying display paralyzes their prey."
"Be careful, honorable comrades! Krenshars can retract the fur and skin on their face to reveal bone and musculature underneath. This horrifying display paralyzes their prey."
Please see my post above on the creature's actions :)
Grall, overcome by the magical ability of the hunting cats moves away from the combat and heads back to the monastery at full speed.
Will
Nuveril swings her hammer at the cat which has got around behind her but it is too quick and the swing comes nowhere near.
Khalid issues a bolt of fire which startles all of the cats but is dodged by the target.
Grall is unable to resist the magical fear that grips him and runs east at speed. However he doesn't not make it very far before the fear fades and he finds himself back in control of his body.
Arjun also falls victim to the fear and he runs straight after Grall.
will save
Sajun however is unaffected by the fear. He moves easily over the broken ground and delivers such a brutal blow to the cat behind Nuveril that even those running away from the fight can hear the crack of its skull breaking.