Sam looks shocked at the nasty creature and shakes her head in disgust. Nonetheless, she decides to help as much as she can and moves up to distract the creature.
Sarela knows that it can cast make people afraid (cause fear) along with move things remotely (mage hand) at will. It also has the ability to create images of itself as well as talk to other planes.Ah
Both Mithralline, Aralah and Thras fail to strike the tiny creature. Sarela tries to hex it and fails and only Aira gets some damage on it when she burns it with her flames.
The creature slinks underneath of Thras and begins to crawl up his leg. As it does so, it sinks its teeth into his flesh and bites him before jamming one of its claws into his skin!
Sam winces on Thras' behalf as he gets bitten and tires to help Mithralline hit the creature as well. "C'mon we can help him out here!" She waves her shield near the creature, attempting to distract it.
Thras annoyingly swats at the thing as it gets close to him.
Thras feels an odd sensation come over him...blind rage.
Wait, that wasn't so odd for him.
He tears into the creature with claws!
But his strength is placed in wild blows that are easy to dodge.
Dropping the lance and switching to her longsword -- it seemed a more reasonable option considering the enemy was on Thras -- Mithralline closes in.
"Don't move, Thras!" she calls.
Cowardly little thing, picking on the weaker challenge...
Spotting the slight crease in his pants, she aims carefully and slashes right along his leg, not drawing any blood from the tempestuous newcomer.
Aralah tries to be careful not to hit Thras as she launches more arrows at the strange creature.
"Hey! Get off him!" Aira shouts as she grips Serenity and tries to smash the tiny creature.
Sarela frowns, but pulls out her dagger and tries to help Thras get it off him.
Thras and Mithralline both hit the tiny creature, but find that their attacks are doing far less damage than they normally should be doing.
The tiny creature sinks its teeth into Thras's leg again, nearly nicking an artery . It tries to grab a hold of him but fails to do so this time.
Current HP 25/25; HP 31/31; Swift Refuge: 0/1
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 18 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (5 rounds): 0/1; Champion challenge: 0/1
Effects: 4 Con damage
Realizing the blade isn't quite as effective as she'd like, Mithralline drops it and grabs her adamantine warhammer, hoping that might do better.
Sam casts guidance on Thras to try to help him fight the creature off.
Thras claws at the creature!
Mithralline still finds that her weapon isn't as effective as she wants it, barely injuring hte creature. Luckily however, despite Thras's reduced damage he quickly puts an end to the creature before it can bite him again.
Among the gardening tools is a wand remaining and a wooden box with six alkali flasks packed neatly in straw.
You see the chalkboard in the corner of the room that the portrait spoke of, four rows of three letters:
7 7 7
5 5 5
3 3 3
1 1 1
The portrait says "There is a chalkboard hanging in the garden with several numbers etched on it. Circle any six digits that add up to 23."
"Hrm, I am sorry, but I am not sure what this wand is exactly. Maybe someone else knows."
Aira then steps up to the chalkboard and takes a look at it. "Hrm, 23? Thats it? Hrm..." She stares off at the chalkboard lost in thought.
"SHow literal do you think it is? If we circle 2 of the 1's as one value, do you think that counts? If so then we can get 11 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 23. We would have circled 6 digits in total. I am not sure how literal this puzzle is though. Anyone else have any thoughts?"
As Aira thinks outloud, she continues to study the chalkboard.
After the thing is dead Aralah looks at the board for a bit, she can get several combinations of 6 digits to add up to 22 and 24, but not 23. When Aira makes her suggestion Aralah shrugs "I mean that makes sense, the two ones circled together would be a single digit of 11. That seems like the only way to really do it. Though, I wonder what happens if we get it wrong?"
"Let me take a look, Aira. I might be able to figure the wand out," Sarela said as she took the wand from her cousin. Examining it, she said, "This wand contains a spell called goodberry. It produces berries from certain trees that heal wounds and fill you up for the whole day, and the wand itself has about 24 uses left. It's typically used by those who follow druidic or nature studies. I don't think any of us is one of those, however. I can try to keep the wand and use it, but I have no guarantee of success."
Turning her attention from the wand to the chalkboard, Sarela looks it over and says, "I think that's the most likely solution. The psychopomp master of this house likes his tricky little puzzles, and that is just the solution to that kind of puzzle. It adds up to 23, and it fulfills the requirement of circling 6 digits. Well done, Aira." Sarela gives her "cousin" a side hug of encouragement.
Thras lifts the chalkboard, seeing if there's anything behind it.
Thras finds a whole lot of nothing behind it.
You return to the painting and present Aira's solution to the chalkboard puzzle. "Well done. Vithiz lurks in the ballroom, but the magic of Nine-Eaves protects it there. The sahkil carries Kishokish's staff. You could slay it to free Kishokish, but the sahkil is powerful, and there is another way: if you can wrest Kishokish's staff from Vithiz and touch the sahkil with the staff, Vithiz and Kishokish will swap places—imprisoning it within the staff and freeing the rightful master of Nine-Eaves. My master's glove in his bedroom will help you with that task! But the ballroom is magically sealed and the key is—ugh, not again! I'm sorry. I can't say more yet until you solve the last puzzle."
"All right, this one is very straightforward. Only one key will open the door to the ballroom. Among the keys hidden in the master's desk, find the one that completes this home."
Thras just grins in response. "Finally, sounds like something actually worth fighting."
Sarela asks the portrait, "Which way to his bedroom and his desk?"
Sam nods as the others solve the puzzle. "That makes sense! Miss Rose taught me in school that an even number of odd numbers have to add up to an even number. So the only way to beat that puzzle is to cheat. Good job Aira!" As they wait, she eyes Thras' minor wounds but she doesn't see any beginning to appear on her. She turns to Thras "If you get any more hurt, I'll automatically help you out."
Mithralline nods, agreeing with Thras about the challenge ahead of them. She's ready to lead the group to the bedroom to find this key, pleased that they were able to figure out the number challenge so easily.
"The bedroom is upstairs on the top level."
When you recall that said door is locked and ask about it, the portrait responds "Ah yes, I'm afraid it is. I believe that key was left down in the music room."
"And which way is the music room?"
Aralah just shakes her head at all the back and forth "Probably back the way we came where we heard someone or something playing music?"
"Adjacent to the parlor, downstairs."
Heading back downstairs, you try the room to the west of the secret room Thras led you through earlier. Opening the door, you hear strains of harp music that fill this room, emanating from a large harp placed on a six-foot diameter dais in the room’s southwest corner. Other musical instruments are mounted on the walls here, from large woodwinds to tiny fiddles. A few padded stools are scattered throughout the room.
The key in question sits on a stool on the far side of the room.
"This seems too easy," Mithralline observes. Nonetheless, after a quick look around, she proceeds toward the stool.
Without a quick look around, Thras proceeds toward the stool.
Aralah is sure to stay outside the room, her bow at the ready as Thras and Mith go for the stool.
Sarela frowns, then casts a spell to detect magical auras, focusing on the harp.
Mithralline notes that among the well-made instruments are seven are especially crafted (masterwork musical instruments), including a harp an a most out of-place shabby hide drum.
Saralah detects no magic on the harp, but she does detect it coming from the drum. Sweeping the room, she also picks up something strange in the corner of the room, away from the key and instruments.
As Thras and Mith close the distance, a snarling sound is accompanied by the sudden appearance of an emaciated, hairless canine that has a strange air of menace and cruelty about it. Appearing out of thin air, the nanine shakes its head as if waking up from a long nap and snarls menacingly at the two intruders as it floats up into the air off the ground.
Sarela lets out a yelp as the canine suddenly appears from the corner, but quickly focuses on hexing it with ill fortune, then cackling madly.
"They say all dogs go to heaven but I think you're going to be an exception." With an amused grin Thras launches himself at the dog with a full-bodied haymaker!
Sarela recognizes this creature as a yeth hound, an evil outsider that delights in hunting intelligent prey. They lope through the night skies, relentlessly pursuing their chosen quarry for miles, and harrying them with their frightful baying. Yeth hounds hunt only at night. They fear the sun and never venture out in daylight, even if their lives depend on it. She knows that they are resistant to all weapons that are not silver and that they have a howl that causes panic in creatures.
HP 31/31; Swift Refuge: 0/1
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 18 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (5 rounds): 0/1; Champion challenge: 0/1
Effects:
Mithralline shakes her head -- she has no silver to use -- and brings her lance to bear instead.
"Get back, Sam!" she calls out.
"Oh no! Sarela!" Aira rushes into the room, giving herself some distance on the hound. She holds up her staff as an orb of acid spits out towards the dog.
”Watch out for the hound’s howl! It can fill you with fear and cause you to flee in panic! Be prepared!”
Aralah steps down next to Sarela where she can just she the beast and looses some arrows at it, knowing even if she wanted to there would be no easy way to avoid its howl, hoping her strong will will keep her grounded.
Sam nods and moves forward to try to distract the creature.
The creature shrugs off Sarela's attempt to cast it bad luck.
Thras, Mithralline and Aira all land attacks on the creature, but find their physical weapons aren't really injuring it effectively and their damage is reduced.
The hound howls loudly, filling you each with a fearful dread.
Despite her own words and awareness of the Yeth Hound's capabilities, she still isn't prepared enough for the creature's howl. Letting out a scream, she turns and runs as quickly as possible.
Aralah turns to flee thinking Panic and run... panic and run!
HP 31/31; Swift Refuge: 0/1
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 18 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (5 rounds): 0/1; Champion challenge: 0/1
Effects: panicked 6 rounds
Mithralline, realizing she's certainly able to flee better than the others, takes off running.
Thras is out with the others.
Seeing all of her friends taking off, Sam decides this thing is too terrifying to face alone!
Aira looked strong and courageous for this fight, until the hound shrieked. She barely could hold onto her staff as she fled the area at high speed.
The hound snaps and misses Sam as she flees along with every single other party member.
Watching the party flee and split, the hound flies out of the room and chases Aralah and Aira into the greenhouse. It closes the distance and corners Aira, preparing to rip her to shreds at the next opportunity.
Panicked and not thinking straight as the hound corners Aira, Aralah turns and runs the opposite direction toward the others.
Mithralline continues her flight, straight into the dining room.
HP 31/31; Swift Refuge: 0/1
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 18 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (5 rounds): 0/1; Champion challenge: 0/1
Effects: panicked 5 rounds