The Heart of Ethon (IC)

[Shazek]

"In the realm of the Lords of the Wild, the Fae Kings roam upon the ancient rocks and the borders of the world run thin. The forces beneath the land stir, struggling against their bonds, trying over and over to burst them - to burst them and rise and devour. The memory of the dead gods is called upon in the heart of the land, and powers long forgotten stalk the earth once more. Time blurs as the world trembles, and all is lost."

-Excerpted from the diary of the last Skysliver, at the end of the Second Era


The Heart of Ethon, Chapter One:
Rise of the Splintered Ones

It has been some weeks since you were brought here.

Rea ensured you were well accommodated by the people of Thalmurk, but hospitality can only make up for so much. The waiting, the anticipation - that is what truly kills you. Her tower remains dark, just as it was the day after she brought you into town, and has been since. The townsfolk seemed sure she would return soon enough, but as the days grow longer and the beasts grow bolder, their faith seems to be wavering. They know, just as you do, what her prolonged absence would mean to them. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

In the past couple of days, you've heard some disturbing stories - hunters well experienced in the swamp and the wastes disappearing on routine trips, merchant caravans found abandoned on the roads. The incidents alone, wouldn't be too unusual, but together, in Rea's absence... You understand the townsfolk's worries.

You are in an inn - the best in town, The Dancing Cartman - where you have stayed since Rea's "invitation". It is around 8 o'clock in the evening, and you can feel the tension thick in the atmosphere. The liveliness of the inn's patrons and staff that was so prevalent upon your arrival has slowly disappeared, until most simply drink in silence. The minutes pass gradually, no real conversation going on, until, suddenly, the door of the inn bursts open with a mighty crash. A tall young man, looking to be about 15, stands in the doorway, panting.

He shouts with great urgency, "The Mayor needs to see you, the people the Lady brought, now! He didn't say why, but please, hurry, follow me!"

He looks like he's about to fall over from exhaustion. The mayor's home is all the way on the other side of the town, over a mile away, and the poor boy seems to have run all the way from there.

The inn's patrons seem to be torn between interest and fear at this sudden appearance.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Sherah doesn't even say a word... She just nods at her comrades and gives them a telling wink that seems to say Race ya there...

And the next minute she's off, sprinting out the door and down the road!

50 ft speed, full run... so... Ya. She'll get there pretty fast

She had been waiting for this.. for ANYthing really. Being cooped up in this town for so long was starting to wear on here... She was itching for some excitement. Even if it were the kind that would later make her wish she was safe and bored in the dreariest of towns for the rest of her life......

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus had been growing more annoyed by the day. Had it not been for the patience naturally accrued over more than two centuries of life, he expected he would have been irate. To pluck him from his home and duties was bad enough, but to then simply leave him cooling his heels...why it was simply disrespectful.

When the young man arrived and made his declaration, though, he quickly began considering the wisest course. The mayor needed to speak with them, so likely not immediate danger. Nonetheless, the boy's haste did suggest the matter was serious, and from what he had gathered over the past few weeks about the other souls who had been forced to set their lives on hold for a mage's whims, a call to them as a unit likely meant action would be required. Perhaps, then, the best course would be to call upon a carriage, allow them to make haste to the mayor while also giving them a chance to plot out a basic strategy. An opportunity to prepare with basic augmentative magic might also-

And then one of them took off at (frankly, impressive) speed.

Ah. Wonderful.

Aethus stood, moving briskly but without undue haste. "Very well, lead on. On the way, you can brief us on the situation, to the best of your knowledge," he told the youth. It wasn't an order, quite, but it didn't really sound like a request either.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom smiles at the reaction of Sherah. They all knew by now how fast and swift to act she was. For a second he thought about racing her, but the view of the exhausted kid made him change his mind.

Arkom stands up behind Aethus and follow him without saying a word. He does so calmly, trying not to brake any more furniture. In the early days, he had trouble adjusting to his new limbs and caused a few accidents.

Once they are outside. He looks at the tower, as he always does, checking for change.
He grabs the boy and sits him on his shoulder for the boy's concern.
"You can't keep up with us now. And we need to get there fast."

Once the others are ready and start running, Arkom keeps their pace.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka's eyes flash green where he sits in the far corner, watching with a predator's gaze as the youth burst into the tavern.

He was already an oddity... a catfolk from some far off land, tall and muscled with a coat of orange and white fur cut through with black stripes.

He doesn't carry any belongings with him, and is dressed very simply in only a loincloth and a necklace strung with various teeth and claws.

He watches to see who if his new companions stand to answer the young man's call for assistance, and skulks along after them as they depart the tavern.

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro sighed as he witnessed Sherah running into the fray. Again. He knew that wink could only be followed by a wry smile. He honestly missed that, though it may be because she's one of the few who doesn't find him disquieting.

"Don't want to keep the lady waiting on us." He says as he make a dash to follow her. What ever is going on it has to be better than being stuck in this little town for forever twiddling our thumbs.

[Shazek]

The boy is very startled at the sudden grip of Arkom, but somehow suppresses the urge to shout in alarm. He points after Sherah, and quickly enough the group is off after her on the way to the mayor's abode. You reach it in little time at all, and see the rather corpulent man pacing nervously and sweating outside the door. He wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, then seems to notice your arrival with a start. He seems quite nervous.

He speaks quickly in a deep voice that sounds more suitable to giving speeches than asking for aid. "Oh, thank the Lady you're here. Please, you must help me! They've taken my daughter!"

As he shares the reason for his near-panicked state, the youth on Arkom's shoulder drops his head, as if in shame. He slides off, then turns to speak to the group at large. "I was escorting Miss Eleanor into the swamp to collect herbs for her healing poultices, when we were ambushed by half a dozen robed men. Most had knives, but the largest one had claws for hands! I tried to fight them off, but the big one just broke my dagger and laughed. He held me off while the rest of them took Miss Eleanor, and would've killed me if it weren't for my snake, Bernie. He bit the big fellow on the leg, and I ran back here. Then Mr. Mayor told me to come get you all, said that Lady Rea left you here to protect us..." As the boy trails off, the mayor continues to plead.

"Those men in robes... Some of the hunters said something about a cult in the swamp. I didn't think it would be too much of a problem, but now..."

[Laendri]

Arkom

"Find men. Kill men. Bring woman." Thinks Arkom aloud. "Much better than sitting on a stool. I'm in."

Arkom hits his fist together at the idea of doing something. If they kidnap women, maybe they have something to do with Rea disappearing.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Yes, Mayor we will help you. And... Hmm, she hesitates, before going on, "...I know this might seem a bit callous but you ARE the Mayor here. And I've heard that people who do this sort of work often expect... compensation for their efforts. If we return with your girl, I think we'd deserve some payment for the danger we are putting ourselves in.

Now... if that is something that can happen, then by all means... point us in the right direction and we will try our best!"

Diplomacy? Maybe? [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus, being a fair bit slower than the rest of the team, is rather winded on arrival. Nonetheless, he listens closely as the mayor explains why he called them. Initially, he was considering using whatever leverage this request might provide to secure more information about Rea and why they were here, if the mayor could provide any.

On hearing the nature of the mission, though, he dropped the idea immediately. "I can only hope I speak for all of us when I say, we will do whatever we can to help." There was just the hint of a sneer in his voice at the word hope, making clear his feelings for anyone who could think to refuse the mission, though he didn't expect anyone to. Sherah's immediate request for a reward did draw a raised brow, though.

"Fortunately, kidnappers generally don't go killing their victims too quickly. If we're lucky, there is no cult involvement at all; a mundane kidnapping would likely be for ransom. If a cult is involved, it is possible that they are intending a ritual sacrifice, which does give us a more narrow window to act. But, fortunately, it is a window that exists." He was trying to be reassuring, and almost certainly failing. Protip: when attempting to reassure a scared parent, do your best to avoid the words "ritual sacrifice".

"These claws...did they appear to match any other physiological traits the biggest one possessed?" He asked the youth. "For example, were they reptilian in nature while the man possessed scales, or perhaps similar to a large cat's claws and matched by fur or cat-like ears? Or did they appear supernatural in any way; perhaps glowing or appearing as a twisted version of human hands?"

Knowledge (Arcana) to see if I know anything relevant regarding rituals that might involve human sacrifice, particularly as relates to times or locations important to performing them or how much time they might take to set up (although without knowledge of the specific ritual, I doubt there would be more than broad possibilities if that): [roll0]

Knowledge check for information about what those claws could mean: [roll1] (I've got all Knowledges save Psionics trained, though if Arcana is most relevant, add +3).

Knowledge (presumably Religion or Local) to see if I might know anything useful about this supposed cult: [roll2].

EDIT: ...Ugly, decent, epic fail. Right then. That's how it's gonna be, huh? I only wish I could say it was a surprise, at this point :smallsigh:.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka


or perhaps similar to a large cat's claws and matched by fur or cat-like ears?

Mishka chimes in... "It wasn't me.

Reward or not, I would be glad to get out of this village, and if rescuing this woman will accomplish that, so be it."

Though he doesn't particularly show it, Mishka listens with interest to the answers to Aethus' questions.

[Shazek]

The mayor's face grows even more tense and strained at the questions of Sherah and Aethus. "Yes, of course I can reward you for this, but don't we have bigger matters than payment to worry about now? They have my little girl!"

The boy steps in with the answers to Aethus' questions. "They looked... streched. Like his hands had gotten longer and his nails like daggers and the skin was all pulled taut. It looked... scary," he finishes somewhat lamely.

A ritual sacrifice could vary in length, preparation, and times performed with the exact reasoning behind it and the power to whom it is dedicated. Sacrifices involving young women in particular, though, tend to be performed at midnight.

The claws sound like the flesh has been warped and shaped, either through magical or surgical means. Without being able to inspect them in person, you can't say anything more.

You know nothing of any cult activity in the area.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Yes, of course... you're right. Alright then, boy, can you lead us to where the abduction happened? Or at least tell us exactly how to get there?"

[Gnarnia]

Mishka


"And do you have a garment of hers that she's worn? Anything that carries her scent, really. It will help me to track her."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus nodded, considering. He chuckled just a bit at Mishka's assertion. They did have rather their fair share of clawed folk in their group, now didn't they? "Indeed. It sounds more like the man has access to some sort of supernatural power. Perhaps of a druidic bent? Impossible to say, at this stage. Well, either that or access to a highly skilled and...perhaps slightly mad surgeon." That information, he deemed relevant. The ritual idea he played with in his own head, but seeing as it was pure speculation, and the only relevant information it provided in the event it was correct was "we should go quick quick quick", he figured a lecture on ritualized magic was not of particular use to them at that stage.

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro chimes in an abrasive tone "Well, let's stop this talking and rescue the woman now. You said it yourself Aethus that our window is small. We should worry about the enemies capabilities when we actually face them."

With that he starts walking out the door towards the swamp.

[Quellian-dyrae]

It was actually Aethus's first instinct to argue. The talking points were all listed out in his head. The value of maximizing their knowledge of their foe, ensuring they met the opponent with sufficiently overwhelming force, the dangers of rushing in without full information, how they wouldn't be of any help at all if they were killed. He opened his mouth to retort.

And shut it with an audible click of teeth striking together. No. It may not be the optimal strategy, but our skills should be sufficient to the task, and if not, I will be able to alter our strategy in the field. No more lives will be put to risk for the sake of my tactics, he told himself.

"Agreed," he replied instead, and followed after.

[Shazek]

The mayor retreats into the house momentarily and emerges a minute or so later with what appears to be a well-worn apron. "It was her mother's. She wears it whenever she cooks to remember her by."

The boy replies somewhat hesitantly to Sherah's question, "I can take you there, yes. The swamp isn't too far outside of town. We should hurry, I think."

With that, he starts off to the north, towards the edge of the town. Having caught his breath, he settles into a run at a decent clip. After about fifteen minutes of following him, you've gone about two miles and can see the edge of the swampy terrain. "It wasn't too far in there. Do you want me to show you exactly where?"

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

" I don't know... do you think if you go in there with us, you'll end up getting horribly killed by something? I mean...." she trails off again, realizing she's once again being insensitive...

She heads off into the direction pointed and waits for the rest of her more animalistic partners to do those things they do to find things they want to find...

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom looks the boy into the eyes. "Coming or not is your choice. Do you want to save her? Do you want to become a hero? " with that, Arkom advances, taking a front position as a hield and wqiting for the trackers to say which way. He is confident in their skill, and a little sad he can' t be of much help.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka hands the apron to Arkom. "Hold this for me if you would. I need to change shape to track her, but it is still me. The boy may want to look away."

Mishka lets out a feral roar. His bones make a sickening cracking sound as they dislocate and change shape. He falls to the ground on all fours, and soon the tiger-looking man who was with you before is replaced by a mundane tiger, still wearing the same necklace of claws and talons.

The cat strides over and sniffs the apron up and down and then begins sniffing at the ground.

Track by scent: [roll0]
Track by sight: [roll1]

Attempting both types for a greater chance of success. Assuming one is successful, he will start down the trail and gesture until the party follows (he can't speak in tiger form and will be staying in this shape for now).

Edit: Dang, glad I picked up the apron :p

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"There we go.. that's what I was expecting... Here I'll help!" And with that, Sherah begins aiding the tiger in its search...

Aid Another [roll0]

But uhh... I don't know what she'd actually be doing to help. All I'm envisioning is her fanning air at the tiger so that it's easier for him to smell it........

[Shazek]

The boy turns to Arkom, seemingly uncertain, before his face hardens. "It was my job to protect her. I'm coming with you." He moves with purpose into the swamp, and in a couple of minutes has brought you to where she was taken from. The uncertain ground seems to grow a bit firmer here, and you see many flowers growing, some of which you have never seen before. There is waist-deep water just to the edge of the firm dirt, with a tree growing out of the edge. It has a small, but obvious bloodstain on its side. The youth points to it. "That was where the one with the claws had me pinned. Bernie bit him, and I got him with what was left of my knife in the leg and ran. He wasn't able to chase me. They took Eleanor that way," he says, pointing northeast, deeper into the swamp.

Mishka's nose concurs. The scent trail of the apron is strongly favoring that direction.

You're going to get the poor kid killed, you know. Still, he's just been upgraded to colored text for that, so maybe not.

[Laendri]

Or he might survive, get the girl, understand what a hero is, and become an adventurer! xD
I always loved the "peasant" background.


Arkom

Arkom smiles at the boy, he always liked people with courage. Arkom moves close to him, he is going to make sure he survives this. The world needs more brave boys not afraid of standing strong.

Once they reach the tree with the blood stain Arkom sais "So that blood is from the clawed man. Could you use it Mishka? Maybe blood smells stronger, I don't know."

Arkom asks the boy "Is your snake arround?" while looking arround.

Also, Arkom is happy to carry anyone on his back if he doesn't want to get swampy wet.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Current Quests:
Protect the citizens of Thalmurk.
Rescue the mayor's daughter.
[NEW] Keep the little dude alive.

Aethus eyed the young man appraisingly as they walked. Courage was well and good, but more lives than his own were at stake. They could not afford a liability, but..."I believe what might be his best move would be to stay always behind Arkom, and near me if possible. Preferably, behind me as well. I'm already working on the assumption that Arkom will be bearing the brunt of a melee, and I will prove most useful in support of that. If he can keep an eye on the rest of you, and alert me if you need healing or support, it would give him a role to play without exposing him to needless danger."

He looked at the boy directly, and added, "I would prefer you refrain from entering combat directly except on my order, when I know an enemy is sufficiently vulnerable that you would have a reasonable chance to dispatch it." He thought a moment, and then said, "Have you ever practiced with a longbow, by any chance?"

On the mechanical end, I have Leading the Attack and my active stance is Island of Blades, so if the kid does wait for my orders and fights in tandem with me, he can be swinging at a +6 to hit at least occasionally. The Latent Ability of the Curative Arts circle is actually really reliable healing for someone with as few hit points as I expect he has :smallamused:.

On a related note, if anyone wants free flanking, go after guys I'm threatening. I don't think I saw any Sneak Attack among us, but if anyone does have it or something similar let me know and I'll do my best to coordinate with you.

DM: Is there any chance we could fashion him a kinda makeshift longspear from available materials? Not sure if it would be plausible while we travel but figured I'd ask, since spears are pretty simple. I can contribute a +5 untrained Craft skill to the cause :smallwink:.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The tiger pads over to the flowers briefly, studying them more closely. The image of a big cat smelling the roses is a bit comical.

Knowledge:Nature check to see if he notices anything special about them [roll0].

Woo, natural 20 :)

Afterwards, Mishka sniffs at the blood, noting the scent, and looks around for tracks as well.

Tracking rolls for the next mile:

Track by scent: 1d20+3
Track by sight: 1d20+7

I think track by scent is just supposed to be a wis check, and just for regular tracking I get to add the survival ranks.

[Gnarnia]

Derp. Messed up the tracking rolls


Track by scent: [roll1d20+3[/roll]
Track by sight: [roll0]

[Gnarnia]

*palmface*

Third try's the charm, right? Track by scent: [roll0]

[Shazek]

The youth seems to perk up a bit at Arkom's question. "Come out, Bernie!"

A very, very large blue snake slithers up out of the water in response. "Hello there, Bernie. Thank you for helping me out earlier. These people are going to help us find Eleanor."

The snake appears to listen to the boy, then sagaciously (as sagaciously as a snake can, at any rate) nods its head.

"I know how to use a bow, sir. And a spear or a club, if I need to. In fact..." He trails off a moment, then reaches into the water near the tree. In a moment, he rises, holding what appears to be a quiver of crudely crafted arrows and an unstrung bow. "I'd almost forgotten about these! The big man took them from me and threw them into the water, but Bernie told me he brought them to the edge." He pulls a bowstring from a pouch at his waist, strings the bow, and slings his quiver over his shoulder. "I couldn't do anything to them alone, but with you all..."

"That reminds me, I never told you my name, did I? I'm Daniel."

Finally seeming to have lost some of the uncertainty and melancholy that had gripped him, he waits for you all to continue.

Mishka:
These flowers are known to have strong medicinal properties, but are not magical or otherwise special. They tend to only grow in swampy terrain.

You are able to pick up the scent of the blood quite easily, but it doesn't seem to head in the same direction as the scent of the apron does. You smell it roughly due east, and not too far off.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The tiger snorts. Padding over to the apron, he paws at it, and then strikes a canine style pointing pose, facing to the northeast where the youth had indicated they took the young woman.

Then the tiger walks over to the blood patch and scratches at the ground nearby, and then strikes the same pointing pose, but this time facing due east instead of northeast.

The tiger then starts walking slowly to the east, looking over its shoulder at the party every few paces.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Gotcha... so two different trails. Interes- OH... I guess we're taking the trail to the east... coming! And Sherah chases off after the tiger, waving and fanning air currents at it. For smells.

...
More Aid Another [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Ah, excellent," Aethus said as Daniel armed himself. That would simplify matters quite nicely.

He followed Serah and Mishka, though not without hesitation, "I'm not quite sure I understand the logic of following this trail. If I am interpreting Mishka's actions correctly, we are now heading in the direction of the enemy leader, rather than Eleanor. While neutralizing the leader of this little operation is a worthwhile goal, I should think it a secondary one. Similarly, while I don't have enough understanding of our opponents to do more than speculate as to their motives and organization, I would figure it more likely that a disparity of troops, if one exists, would favor the leader. If so, following the other trail first may allow us to achieve our primary objective with reduced risk, and if Eleanor is being held at a base of operations, and the leader isn't present, taking it may afford us the opportunity to prepare an ambush. That is, of course, significant speculation, but it's the best I can offer with the little information we have available to us at this stage."

He said his entire piece in a soft and somewhat monotone voice, hardly seeming to stop to breathe.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom evaluates Daniel. "A bow, an intelligent snake, brave... you don't look like the average farmer. I guess you don't have to, if you live in Ethon."

Arkom starts following the tiger but stops and sighs at Aethus's verbiage.
"You got a point, as always. And you make it painful to hear. As always."

"Mishka, let's save the girl first." Arkom waits for the party to move, not matter how much he wanted to advance, he will just get lost.

[Shazek]

Gnarnia sent a PM stating that Mishka cut northeast following the girl's trail after the party's objections.

Daniel looks quizzically at Arkom. "Farmer? In the middle of the wastes near a deadly swamp? You must not be thinking straight. I'm a hunter. Why else would the mayor trust me with Eleanor? Of course, he probably shouldn't have..."

Mishka turns and follows Eleanor's trail after the group's objections.

You have been travelling for around fifteen minutes through the swampy terrain when you get a feeling of unease. You hear a splashing sound off to the left, when suddenly Daniel cries out, "Croc!"

Looking to where you heard the sound, a crocodile of decent size is heaving itself out of the water. It is about 10 feet long, but looks... unnatural. Its skin is covered in strange tentacles, and it has a third eye atop its forehead. By the time it is on land, you've all noted its presence, and are ready to react.

You all made the listen check to hear it getting out of the water, so no surprise round. Time for initiative.

Croc: [roll0]

Bernie: [roll1]
Daniel: [roll2]

Aethus: [roll3]
Alejandro: [roll4]
Arkom: [roll5]
Mishka: [roll6]
Sherah: [roll7]

You may post your actions for a round in any order; I'll resolve them as appropriate.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Is there shadow of any kind? Like literally anything. Clouds in front of the sun, trees above us... As long as I'm not in direct Daylight, or a Daylight equivalent spell I can Hide in Plain Sight. And that's what I'll do:

Hide[roll0]
Move Silently[roll1]

Also if it's a summoned creature that isn't of the animal, beast, fey, or magical beast type (it's sounding awfully Aberration-y) then it can't make contact with me at all unless I hit it first.

ALSO also, if it's not animal, beast, fey, or magical beast, then I get a +2 deflection against it.

Sherah blurs into the the shade around her, and sneaks up right next to the Croc and waits patiently for the right moment to strike, and tries to figure out what the croc is exactly...

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The hackles on Mishka's back raise up in alarm at the site of the mutated crocodile crawling out of the water.

He bears his fangs, hissing at the crocodile, before striking.

Wary of those tentacles and the possibility that they have extended reach, Mishka will reposition himself to be the closest target, but won't come closer than 10' to the creature.

(I'm assuming Mishka acts before the croc (same initiative, but Mishka has higher dex). If the croc acts first just let me know and I will probably adjust this).

Standard action: Total Defense (+4 AC until his next turn)
Move action: Up to 40' movement as needed to position himself between the croc and the rest of the party, but no closer than 10' to the creature.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom guards his position near Daniel to see the crococreature's objetive. Once it's clear who it's objetive is, Arkom jumps into action with little caution, charging directly.


Any chanve we get tactical maps for combats?

My init. goes after the croco, if it's objetive is Daniel, I will jump between them. If it grapples anyone, my action will be to break the grapple.
Otherwise, I will charge.

Charge [roll0]
Elbow Slam Damage [roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus bit back a chuckle at Mishka's words. That was fair, he figured. "I apologize. That was rather wordier than it needed to be, wasn't it? I've always erred on the side of being thorough, but there is that saying about brevity. I shall, in the future, endeavor to be more succinct, especially in the field."

Given how few words that could have taken to say, it was likely fairly clear just how likely he was to succeed in that little goal.

When the crocodile approached, Aethus eyed it critically. He felt...sort of strange actually. He realized this was it. His first actual battle. He had trained hard, sparred many times, wielded a variety of weapons in his life and recently added magic to that repertoire. But this would be the first time he raised his blade or worked his spells in defense of his life, and those of others.

Daniel is experienced with a bow. I'm trained with one, but I certainly favor my sword. None of the others have mentioned their missile weapons. Hand to hand appears to be overwhelmingly favored, so limiting its movements would not really earn us much. While I can engage directly, it is unlikely to the point of absurdity that I can put it down in one strike, leaving me vulnerable to a return assault. However, I can work with that...

The tactician prided himself on clarity of thought. By the time the crocodile had planted its last claw on the ground, his strategy was decided. He moved in quickly, hopefully before the crocodile could react, lashing out with his blade while his left hand flashed through the gestures of a simple spell. A softly glowing barrier of pale blue force appeared hovering before his left hand, which he quickly interposed between himself and the crocodile.

Move Action: Move in. Hopefully the thing is flat-footed and without Combat Reflexes. Or doesn't have reach. NOTE: If at least one ally also threatens the crocodile, it will be considered Flanked.

Free Action: Activate Cunning Insight for +5 to hit.

Standard Action: Attack at [roll0] for [roll1].

Swift Action: Use Channel Spell power to cast Shield on myself. AC improves to 22 (touch 18, flat-footed 13).

Current Energy: 9/10.
Current Inspiration: 3/4.

Party Hit Points:
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 18/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.
Daniel: ???/???.

(I figure I'll keep a running total of hit points so I know if/when to do some healing).

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro had been relatively quiet since the arrival in the swamp, rolls his eyes at Aethus's exposition.

When the crocodile appears he fixes a cold glare at the aberrant monstrosity and strides towards it with a steely confidence and prepares his strike.

Duel of Wills use of intimidate:
You can confront a potential enemy in the
moments before a fight breaks out and attempt to crush his
will, while he does the same to you.
Immediately before initiative is rolled for either side, you
can instigate a duel of wills by selecting a single enemy
you are aware of within 30 feet. Only characters with
Intelligence scores of 3 or higher can engage in a duel of
wills, and the participants must be able to see one another.
You can’t attempt to instigate more than one duel of wills
per encounter.
When you instigate the duel (usually by fixing a cold, steely
stare on your opponent), your adversary can respond in one
of three ways.

Submit: The opponent takes a –2 penalty on its initiative
check and a –1 penalty on attack rolls against you on the first
round of combat.

Ignore the Challenge: If your opponent ignores your challenge
to engage in a contest of wills, make a DC 15 Intimidate check.
If you succeed, you gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls
against that opponent for 1 round.

Participate: Both you and your chosen foe must make an
Intimidate check. The character with the higher result gains
a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against
the loser, and the loser takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls and
damage rolls against the winner. If the result is a tie, neither
character gains any benefit. These bonuses and penalties last
for the duration of the encounter.

If the croc is within 30 feet then I engage in a Duel of Wills
Intimidate:[roll0]

Swift Action: Enter Master of the Field stance

If the croc was not within 30 feet.
Move Action: Move 30 ft closer to the croc while drawing Longspear
Standard Action: Ready action initiate Sapphire Nightmare Blade if it moves closer to me

If the croc was within 30 feet.

Move Action: Move just within my reach to the croc while drawing Longspear
Standard Action: Initiate Sapphire Nightmare Blade
Bluff:[roll1]
Attack:[roll2]
Damage:[roll3] + [roll4] if bluff was successful.

Modify my attack roll as appropriate to its response

[Shazek]

The crocodile gives a loud roar as Aethus cuts into it, then retaliates. Very, very violently retaliates, in fact. It makes a biting lunge at him, trying to get a hold of the protected man. Fortunately, its teeth are unable to find purchase in his flesh. The crocodile seems rather unhappy at this, but remains still, waiting for an attack.

Alejandro approaches it and whiffs with his attack, failing to hurt the monster.

Bernie stays back with Daniel, as if to protect his master from any new threats. Daniel himself, though, draws his bow and fires an arrow at the beast. It flies far afield of the beast, not even scratching it.

Arkom charges the creature and lands a solid blow with his elbow, leaving it obviously hurt.

Sherah blends into the shadows effortlessly, the croc not even noticing her presence.


Ignores the challenge from Alejandro.

Attack: [roll]1d20+8[roll]
Damage:[roll0]

If it hits, then free grapple attempt: [roll1]
Opposed Roll for Aethus: [roll2]
If you have any bonuses to Grapple or conditions I may not be thinking of, let me know, Aethus.

Your turns again.

[Shazek]

Bah, screwed up the attack roll. [roll0]

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The tiger which had been crouched near the crocodile now leaps aggressively towards it, snarling and clawing and biting at it.



5' step closer to the mutated crocodile and full attack:

Claw 1 Attack: [roll0]
Claw 1 Damage: [roll1]

Claw 2 Attack: [roll2]
Claw 2 Damage: [roll3]

Bite Attack: [roll4]
Bite Damage: [roll5]

Correction: Bite damage should be 1d6+2 (the homebrew page didn't specify such, but I assumed it should function like SRD tiger entry that claws are primary attack and bite is secondary attack. My attack roll already reflected this, but str bonus for secondary attacks is at half, so that should be a total of 4 damage on the bite, not 6.

Correction 2: My attack rolls do not include any flanking bonus to hit, but if Mishka is flanking you can add that in there :)

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

The dragon-girl who had sneaked up on it follows the tiger's actions...

Claw [roll0]
Claw [roll1]
Bite [roll2]

Confirm Crit:
Claw [roll3]
Claw [roll4]
Bite [roll5]

Damage:
Claw [roll6]
Claw [roll7]
Bite [roll8]

Crit:
Claw [roll9]
Claw [roll10]
Bite [roll11]

And since I'm surprising it, it should be denied its Dex unless it has a reason not to

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro is obviously perturbed by his missed attack. He re-positions himself to flank with Mishka and swings his longspear once more the reptilian horror.

Tumble if necessary:[roll0]
Attack:[roll1]
Damage:[roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus gave a slight smile at the success of his shielding spell, and attacked with a hard thrust of his blade. "Take him!" he called to his allies in encouragement.

Free Action: Activate Cunning Insight for +5 to hit.

Standard Action: Initiate Leading the Attack at [roll0] for [roll1]. Attack roll includes the bonus for flanking as well as Cunning Insight. If the attack hits, in addition to normal damage, all allies will get a +4 Morale bonus to attack the crocodile for one round.

Current Energy: 9/10.
Current Inspiration: 2/4.
Maneuvers Available: 1/2.

Party Hit Points:
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 18/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.
Daniel: ???/???.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Again, if someone is grappled, I will help them instead.

Arkom notices his companions are taking tactical positions against the creature, but that's not his style. He hits the beats directly as hard as he can.


Kick (power attack 1) [roll0] Apply bonuses here if they proceed. (+4 moral, +2 flank, etc.)
Damage [roll1]

Claw 1 [roll2]
Damage [roll3]

Claw 2 [roll4]
Damage [roll5]


I'm not sure I'm doing this well. Can I attack with both claws if my primary unnarmed attack is not a hand? I have always used a sword.

Also, could I hit with the slam attack too? It seems a little weird.

Edit: I did some mistakes. The SLAM attack I did before should deal 4 more point of damage, because it's treated as a two handed weapon.
And both claws of this post should not do +8 damage but +4 instead.

[Shazek]

The numerous attacks from the group manage to bring the crocodile down, but not before it manages one last attack. It swipes its tail at Aethus, as if seeing the man as its greatest enemy.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus staggered back several steps when the tail struck, smashing clean through his shield and hitting his chest with rib-cracking force. He had actually planned for this, his first battle wound. He had thought long and hard about the sort of witty retort he'd give to show his enemy and companions just how little effect it had!

"Gahh! Flame-blas-gahhg!" That actually hurt. Quite a lot in fact.

He focused on his shield, bringing it up before him and waving his sword in a ready defensive pattern. 'Course, by the time he had prepared himself for the defense, his companions had neutralized the threat.

Go team... he thought thankfully, and began casting. With a word of power and quick gesture, a pale blue light was just visible under his tunic. A second, more complex spell followed, his hand glowing with the same light as he touched his chest.

His breathing, which had been quite labored, eased as the healing magic did its work. He offered a silent thanks to Merril for insisting he learn the curative arts.

Although, looking at the slain creature, he did rather wish he had gotten the hang of elemental commands. He really wanted to hit the corpse with some fire, right then.

"So. Moving on?" he asked the group with exaggerated dignity and refreshing brevity.

Recovers 6 Energy on succeeding the encounter, then spends 1 Energy on the Latent Ability of Curative Arts, followed by 3 Energy to cast Faith Healing.

Current Energy: 6/10.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

" ... But seriously. Are these things common around here??"

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom grabs the corpse by the head and lifts it. "Well, this land has the more strange and brutal creatures I have ever seen. If fact, this croco-thing was fairly harmless." Arkom shudders as a brief memory of his encounter with the lodestone marauder crossed his mind.

Arkom suddenly rends the creature stomach with his claw while he holds the creature in the air with the other hand. He let his bowels drop and once his stomach is visible he cuts through it and takes a look to it's content.
Looking for girl pieces :smalltongue:

"For all we know, this creature could be some kind of werecrocodile, we know they can't talk while in animal form." sais as he looks to Mishka. "Let's hope it's not the case."
Arkom smirks, as he carelessly drops the body away.

To Gnarnia, it's not a confrontation or a threat. It's Arkom's playful brute rudeness. :smallamused:

[JerichoPenumbra]

"I doubt it was some kind of were-creature." Alejandro said with a sneer. "They typically the revert back to a humanoid shape once they're die. And if our combined attack didn't fully kill it, your mutilation of it's corpse certainly did the trick."

Turning to Aethus, "Yes, lets move on. Rescue the girl and all that." Alejandro paces while adressing the rest of the group, "If we find one or two of cultists alone I should be able to extract the information of where miss... Elanore was it? is being held. Though this would be a meaningless if we manage to find them all together."

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The tiger paces back and forth nervously, keeping his eyes on the swamp for signs of other threats as the crocodile's corpse is investigated.

Once they're satisfied that she hasn't been eaten, he resumes following the girl's scent deeper into the swamp.

[Shazek]

Daniel stares at the corpse for a bit with a strange look in his eye. "I've seen lots of crocodiles out here, but none like that one. They're usually less... monstery."

Mishka is able to follow the tracks without much difficulty a fair ways further, until you feel you're in the inner part of the swamp. Daniel seems uneasy. "I haven't been this far before. The older hunters have, but they say that its too dangerous for even the best of them."

Mishka:
Around 60 feet away from the group, in the direction the trail leads, is a group of three very tall lizard creatures. Each is at least 12 feet tall, but they look unnatural, shambling. Your keen nose detects the scent of rotting flesh.

[Quellian-dyrae]

As they walked, Aethus mused some about what might have caused such a strange mutation to the creature, or, perhaps stranger still, created such a beast naturally.

Knowledge (Arcana): [roll0].
Knowledge (Nature): [roll1].
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): [roll2].

[JerichoPenumbra]

In response to Daniel once they get to the center of the swamp, "Well, Lady Skysliver did bring us to the Endless Swamp for..." Alejandro remembers that its several weeks in and their little convey still had no real clue what they were there for. "Well she brought us here to handle things that you locals couldn't... probably..." trailing off in an unsure tone.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

The tiger freezes in his tracks and makes the same pointing gesture as earlier, facing straight ahead up the path they're following.

Mishka then slips into the concealment of foliage nearby, trying to blend in with the reeds as he begins to creep forward.


Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

Attempting to stealthily close with the zombie-like creatures and catch them by surprise

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Hey where'd the tiger go..?"

Do uhhh... do the rest of us see the zombie lizards, or did our tiger just disappear on us and we're standing around like "whut"..?

[Shazek]

Aethus:
Some form of powerful, evil magic caused that change; it certainly was not natural.

The rest of you didn't see the zombie lizards. Mishka is the only one who made the Spot check, but he did point in their direction, so you each got a reroll. Only Sherah made that one...

Sherah:
Looking in the direction the tiger pointed, you see three tall, shambling lizard-creatures through the trees.

Mishka:
They don't seem to notice you as you approach through the swampy terrain. You get within about 30 feet of them, but something seems to be amiss. In front of you, you detect a patch of quicksand.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Oh... Zombie lizards. That's where the tiger went..." she says dropping her voice and pointing out the lizards to the party......

[Laendri]

Arkom

"This is centainly and interesting path the cultists have followed. I wonder how they avoided all these creatures." sais Arkom after hearing about the zombie creatures.

"Well, let's see what is Mishka thinking." He waits there, making a mental path to charge against them if the tiger has problems.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"I'll try to help him..."

She blends into the shadows and starts stalking after that tiger.

hide [roll0]
Move silently [roll1]

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

A short while after the tiger disappears, he re-emerges from the undergrowth back at the party. He nods over his shoulder in a beckoning gesture, and moves without stealth back towards where he was before, but will growl and shake his head at anyone who gets too close to the quicksand.

He'll look around for a suitable tree, and once he sees one, tug on Arkom's pant leg until he follows the tiger over to it. The tiger then puts his paws on the tree as if trying to push it over before stepping away and looking expectantly at the massive earth genasi.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom is obviously surprised, Mishka was always distant but right now it looks like a playful kitty. At least for Arkom.
He follows him and once he makes the obvious assumption that Arkom could push the tree down, Arkom tries to pet him to Mishka's anger.

"Ha, ha, ha. Come on, it was a joke." he sais as he takes some steps back and charges with his shoulder against the tree.

I guess it's not really a charge, but a STR roll.
[roll0]

[Laendri]

Consecutives tries, I don't remember the DC of a STR check, but I guess 13 was not enough.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

If I still can't I will just brake it in two.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus

"Normal lizards, giant lizards, or lizard-men?" Aethus asked softly, peering in the direction they indicated, but not catching sight of the creatures.

[JerichoPenumbra]

"Lizard-men I think. They may be the guards that the cultists created, which means that we're the much closer to rescuing the lady."

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

"Normal lizards, giant lizards, or lizard-men?"[/QUOTE]

The tiger limps towards Aethus, dragging his back paw behind him, moving in a slow but jerky fashion, one eye open and one eye closed, his tongue limply hanging out of his mouth and making a gargling sound.

[Shazek]

Arkom's mighty shoulder manages to knock the tree down, but not before the lizard creatures seem to notice you all. They take positions around the end of your makeshift bridge and wait.

Lizard 1:
Lizard 2: [roll1]
Lizard 3: [roll2]

Party:
Bernie: [roll](1d20+3)
Daniel: (1d20+2)

Aethus: (1d20+4)
Alejandro: (1d20-3)
Arkom: (1d20+5)
Mishka: (1d20+3)
Sherah: (1d20+4)

[Shazek]

Bernie: [roll0]
Daniel: [roll1]

Aethus: [roll2]
Alejandro: [roll3]
Arkom: [roll4]
Mishka: [roll5]
Sherah: [roll6]

Whoops!

[AngryCyc]

Sherah, whenever her turn comes up

Sherah trusts to her ability to hide in plain sight, and waltzes right out across the tree to maneuver behind the lizards.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Since the things had been called out as zombies, Aethus felt fairly confident discussing strategy openly. "Whichever side has to cross that bridge one at a time directly into the enemy force is at a notable disadvantage," he said. "Might I suggest ranged tactics to open this battle?"

He would see what his team wanted to do before making his move.

EDIT: As Arkom charges, Aethus gives a soft sigh. Wonderful, he thinks. Nonetheless, there's little to do for it; he's not going to stand back and let the warrior, mighty though he is, engage without support. Gripping his sword tightly, he moves in behind Arkom, aiming to strike the nearest opponent with a hard thrust of his blade.

Aethus is Delaying until after the party Arkom has acted.

If the group wishes to make use of ranged attacks, and the lizards do not display any ranged capabilities on their turns (and haven't crossed to our side by Aethus's delayed turn, for that matter):
Move action: Sheathe short sword.
Standard action: Cast Grease on the makeshift bridge.

If any party member engages in melee (since the above would cut off support if they do), or a higher percentage of enemies either have effective ranged attacks than party members or have crossed to our side by Aethus's turn: Since Arkom charged with great valor :smalltongue::
Move action: Close with an enemy.
Standard action: If adjacent, attack with Cunning Insight at [roll0] for [roll1]. Prioritize an opponent that an ally is already threatening; if this is possible, add +2 to the attack roll from auto-flank.

Current Energy: 6/10.
Current Inspiration: 3/4.
Maneuvers Available: 2/2.

Party Hit Points:
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 18/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.
Daniel: ???/???.

[Laendri]

Arkom

"You stay here with your ranged attack, I will go there and make some room." sais Arkom smiling as he charges against the first lizard-man.

As he charges his blood runs hotter and hotter until his eyes are bright red and his mouth salivates strongly. "WAAAARRG!!" Until he can finally release his fury on the lizard.

Extra +4 to init as long as I charge, so right now init 20.
Rage and Charge for 5 rounds.
Slam Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
Current AC 24 (-2 charge +2 dex)

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka eyes what looks to be a world of hurt sitting at the far end of the tree waiting for him and reconsiders his bright idea.

Unless the others charge down the tree ahead of him, the tiger slips into some nearby reeds and tries to stealthily slip away.

If the others want to try and cross the log, he'll accompany them, but otherwise he's going to try and scout for a safer place to cross. That looks like an invitation to some painful readied attacks :p

Move Silently: [roll0]
Hide: [roll1]
Survival: [roll2]

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro eyes the narrow path and the clutter near the end of the tree. Not wanting to risk falling in to the quicksand, he opts to go around, drawing is spear to attack the rotting behemoths.

Double Move around the quicksand drawing longspear as I do so.

[Shazek]

Sherah makes it across the tree first, slipping past the unaware lizards.

She is quickly followed by Arkom, who is... somewhat less subtle. His angry charge seems to catch the zombies off guard, as he smacks one quite thoroughly.

Daniel's snake, Bernie, takes his customary position by his master's side.

The first zombie seems to finally get its head on straight and swings a massive arm at Arkom.

Slam Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

As Aethus approaches to aid Arkom, the lizard that first attacked the large man takes the opportunity to attack him as well as he approaches, swiping with a massive arm at him.

Slam Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

Aethus' blade cuts deep into the rotting flesh of the zombie Arkom had tried to smash. (Assuming that he remains conscious after the AoO. Which he doesn't seem to, unless somebody has an immediate action to burn or his AC is higher than it says on his character sheet.)

Alejandro moves without incident into a position he can make use of his spear.

Mishka is able to approach without incident. (I assume you'll make an attack with your standard action, but since I doubt you can prevent any of them from acting, I'll proceed unless you say otherwise.)

Daniel draws and fires an arrow at one of the zombies, but misses them all.

The two uninjured zombies pick out Arkom as their target and swipe at him with fury.

Slam Attack (Lizard 2): [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

Slam Attack (Lizard 3): [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

For all the worry about readied actions, it would've helped if they weren't Flat-Footed Zombies, a terrible combination for being ready against a charge.

Round 2 Begin.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Hey, we're level 1, we're allowed to be deathly scared of zombies if we want to :)

Prowling across the fallen tree, Mishka takes a swipe at the nearest zombie

You called it correctly for the first round. Just a move and an attack

Claw attack (pierce/slash): [roll0]
Claw attack damage: [roll1]



Once he's better positioned for his next attack, he strikes out with his full fury.

Round 2 attack (full attack on nearest zombie if it's still standing, otherwise just a move action and use the first claw attack.

Claw attack (pierce/slash): [roll2]
Claw attack damage: [roll3]

Claw attack (pierce/slash): [roll4]
Claw attack damage: [roll5]

Bite attack (pierce/slash/bludgeon): [roll6]
Claw attack damage: [roll7]

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Sherah takes a few steps back more away from the Lizards so that she can properly line up her shot, then takes a deep inhale of air and breathes forth a mighty cone of flame, scorching the unaware enemies. Halfway through the breath she takes a second to ponder on the fact that they attacked an enemy that actually wasn't provoking them...... and then quickly went back to scorching the living dead.

Moving so as to position 30 ft cone of flame so it hits all three and misses any allies. If that's not quite possible, then she'll only hit two, but it looks like she's good for it.

[roll0] fire damage, reflex DC 15 to half. I can use it again in [roll]1d4[/roll turns.

And, hiding after attacking [roll1]

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro attempts to impale the last standing lizard zombie on charge of bravado.


Move Action: Maneuver self to point 4M

Standard Action: Initiate Sapphire Nightmare Blade on lizard 3

Bluff:[roll0]
Attack:[roll1]
Damage[roll2]+[roll3] if Bluff successful.


Mayday, mayday, guy with lowest AC and HP is near the death machines.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom looks at the massive creatures closing arround him, but he has no time to think. He has flesh to rend. "RAAAAR!"


5' step to L5.
Full Attack Zombie VI. (If he dies, keep going with IV)
Kick (PA1) [roll]1d20+10
Damage [roll0]

Claw [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

Slam [roll3]
Damage [roll4]

[Laendri]

Derp
Re-roll first messed up attack

Claw [roll0]



And crit confirmation from claw
Claw [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus raised his blade to defend against the creature's blow, only for Arkom to tank it for him - more fortuitously than he knew, in fact. He pressed his assault, striking rapidly at both nearby foes the remaining creature. With a gesture of his left hand, the faint aura of arcane power around him solidified into a fleeting defense.

Thanks Laendri! :smallsmile:

Standard Action: Steel Wind at VI and Attack zombie VII.
VI: Attack at [roll0] for [roll1].
VII: Attack at [roll2] for [roll3].
Attack rolls include +2 for flanking from Island of Blades.

Swift Action: Latent Power - Personal Augmentation to get +2 AC for one round. AC is 20 until start of next turn.

NOTE: If by my initiative, a party member is below 6 hit points, Aethus will instead use Curative Arts to provide 5 healing to that ally (in this case, AC will remain 18).

Current Energy: 5/10.
Current Inspiration: 3/4.
Maneuvers Available: 2/2.

Party Hit Points:
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 18/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.

[Shazek]

Saves:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Sherah's breath scorches the poor, poor inoffensive zombies that were minding their own business until you murder-hobos started tearing up their home and hitting them.

The central zombie aims a mighty blow at Aethus.

[roll3]
[roll4]

Arkom's first blow lands solidly on the central zombie. With the damage it had already taken, it falls, destroyed. His next two re-kill the leftmost zombie.

Aethus strikes through the last zombie, though it still stands.

Alejandro's attack against the final lizard-thing is enough to take it down. It collapses like its brethren, the foul energies that had been animating it dispersed. The corpses are in terrible shape.

Combat complete in two rounds. Against bags of HP.

I'm going to have to turn it up a couple notches.

You each gain 360 Experience. Those zombies were all CR 2.


Daniel seems to be shaking after that encounter. "Giant dead lizards!? What kind of people took Eleanor?"

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro looks quizzically at Daniel, "I thought we've been over this. Cultists took her, you pretty much said so yourself. Most of the time cultists either worship demons or other beings that bring death, madness, misery or some combination thereof." Alejandro sighs. "Now lets go and finish this rescue."

The way Al finished those last words implies that he's disappointed that their task at hand was coming to an end.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus took another powerful blow right to his chest, just before he could raise a magical defense. Gods my poor, helpless ribs, he thought. As soon as the creatures were down, he worked his curative magic once more.

"Indeed," he said in response to Daniel. "Clearly, fairly advanced dark magic is responsible for both of our recent encounters. This does lend credence to the idea of some sort of cult, rather than mere brigands. Assuming, of course, that these sorts of things are not naturally found here, which I take it from your reactions so far they are not."

Second verse same as the first; victory refresh six EG, Latent Cure followed by Faith Healing to get me back to full hit points, with six Energy available.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Once the group is put back together, Mishka wrinkles his nose at the stench of zombified lizardman and resumes tracking the missing young woman.

[Laendri]

Arkom

"YEEEEEEEAH!"
Arkom roars as the enemies fall, raising his arms and hitting the ground. He stomps the ground annoyed as there is no more fight to join.

He gathers the remains of the bodies, grabs them and throw them into the quicksand. "If someone ever finds them, I wonder what crazy ideas about giant lizards roaming this land they will have."

Then, calm and more rational, Arkom proceeds to join the search. "Come on tiger-man, fetch us another fight. This guys seems to know we are following them. This place is dangerous enough without their centinels. They must be trying to stop us."

[JerichoPenumbra]

"Don't be so hasty to jump conclusions Arkom. They may have no idea that we're following them. The creatures we're facing don't seem to be finding us, as much as we are them. The could just be guards to keep the towns folk away, which means we may still have the element of surprise." Turning to Aethus, "Right?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hmm...it seems reasonable. The big question is, how much of a connection they have to their creations. If they have any sort of supernatural link, allowing them to, for example, convey telepathic orders, perceive through their senses, or simply sense their presence and activity, they could be aware of us to greater or lesser degrees. However, it is rather more likely that these creatures were simply created and beholden to direct orders, but otherwise essentially autonomous. In that case, unless we tripped some sort of alarm, or were detected by a scouting creature of some kind that we failed to notice, it is likely that they are unaware of our presence and progress."

And some Knowledge checks, mainly to see if I would have any reason to believe they would have some sort of link to the creatures:
Arcana (I imagine this is most relevant): [roll0]
Religion (if this is more appropriate for the undead): [roll1]
Dungeoneering (if this is more appropriate for the aberration): [roll2]

[Shazek]

Aethus:
You have no reason to believe that these creatures were telepathically linked to their creators; however, it is entirely possible that they were. You lack the information to know for certain.

Mishka continues following the scent without further trouble until you reach the shores of a large lake, dotted with small islands. They look to be large enough for inhabitation, but you are too far away to tell for certain. The scent stops abruptly at the edge of the lake.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

"Alright! So. Who can swim as fast as me..? Anyone? anyone..?"

[JerichoPenumbra]

"I don't think anyone here can swim as fast as you Sherah."Alejandro chuckles, "And I'm pretty sure you're the only one I know who swims in volcanoes."

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka stands at the shoreline, slowly wagging his tail back and forth before snorting angrily.

He then looks around for any signs that a boat was shored here recently. If so, he'll look around the woods nearby in case there are any spares hidden away somewhere in the bushes.


Tracking check: [roll0]

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom laughs loudly at Sherah's question. "HAH! I'm not going to fall for that... again."

He taps the water a couple of times, as if knocking a door and he starts looking arround for anything that could be used to make a float board.

"It looks like Mishka lost the track here. Could you check if there is anything underwater Sherah? I don't want to lose too much time here." Arkom looks arround, trying to figure out if this is a trap.
"Aethus, do your thing and tell us what happened here."

It's obvious that Arkom doesn't like sitting arround at a shore when they are supposed to be hunting.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus had been standing silently, considering the situation. When Arkom spoke, he obligingly responded with his usual stream-of-consciousness theorizing. "It seems unlikely, but certainly not impossible, that our quarry knows about us, specifically. However, it is more reasonable that they expected to be tracked in the general sense. Indeed, if our theories that the creatures we've encountered were placed by them is correct, that could be taken as confirmation of just that. An island base is highly defensible, so we cannot rule it out. However, it is also possible that they simply waded along the water's edge to throw off pursuit."

"It...might be worth checking the shoreline to see if Mishka can pick up their trail again. Failing that, we could stage an ambush here for their leader, but that would likely take time we can't be sure we have. Attempting to cross to the islands seems the most likely plan to succeed, but by far the most dangerous. Naturally, a search of the shoreline, even if not fruitful, would help confirm the validity of such a course, albeit at its own cost in time. Hmm..."

In other words, he had no earthly idea what to do, other than ramble.

While he spoke, he started rooting around to see if he could come up with any sign of their foes' passage. Maybe Eleanor had her wits about her well enough to leave a clue or trail? It was worth looking, anyway.

Search: [roll0]
EDIT: I should really start taking 10... :smallsigh:

[Shazek]

Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, you can't find any trace of a boat or a trail left by Eleanor.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

I guess I basically HAVE to just swim out there to one of those little islands and bring the rest of you a boat, huh?"

Sherah lithely slips into the water and starts taking heavy strokes towards the islands, making surprisingly quick progress....

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That is-! Ah...hmm..." Aethus stumbled, too late. With a sigh, he muttered, "That is assuming there is a boat out there." No sign of one could also mean, they were simply wading along the shore to deter tracking.

Still, it was at least as likely that there just wasn't sufficient evidence remaining to discern the boat that had previously been there. He sheathed his sword and drew his bow, peering out across the water and doing his best to keep track of Sherah's position.

[Shazek]

Sherah is making excellent time, and has made it about 60 feet out from shore, when, suddenly, she is ambushed by a crocodile, much like the one you fought earlier, and just as monstrous looking. It was apparently waiting for something, and her approach startled it. It bites at her as she passes it.

Surprise Round!

Attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

If the bite hits, Grapple attempt with Improved Grab:
[roll2]

Initiative:
Croc: [roll3]

Bernie: [roll4]
Daniel: [roll5]

Aethus: [roll6]
Alejandro: [roll7]
Arkom: [roll8]
Mishka: [roll9]
Sherah: [roll10]

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Sherah 5-foot swims away from it, breathes a gout of flame at it for [roll0] damage, and then swims as fast as she can back towards her team...

[Shazek]

Sherah makes it back to the shore without further incident.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus eyed the crocodile. If it appeared to be coming for them, or the rest of the party wished to engage, he'd loose an arrow its way. Like most elves, he had been trained with a bow at a young age. Of course, for him, that left him about a century or so rusty. Hopefully it would come back to him.

Nonetheless, the crocodile wasn't where his attention was, his mind still on the problem of the lost trail. Mundane methods of search frustrated, he scanned for emanations of magic.

Standard: Fire at the crocodile, two IP spent for Cunning Insight (one for attack, one for damage), attacking at [roll0] for [roll1].

Swift: Activate Oracular Perceptions Latent Power (Detect Magic).

Current Energy: 5/10.
Inspiration: 2/4.
Maneuvers Available: 2/2.

Party Hit Points:
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 18/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka


Mishka sighs and bites his own leg, not hard enough to seriously wound himself, but enough to get the blood flowing freely. He then begins splashing and flailing around near the shoreline.

Do I need to take -1 HP? Anyways, hoping to bait the thing to shore. I don't wanna fight a one eyed mutant crocolisk out in the middle of a lake :)

(just read the OOC thread. I was under the mistaken impression this was a big pond).

Mishka looks around near the water's edge for any sign where they could have taken her. Since the zombies were lizardmen... maybe they swam down instead of out.

[Laendri]

Arkom

"Back already?" Jokes Arkom as he sees Sherah at the shoreline again.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to fight that thing on the water, let's see if we can make it come out." Arkom advances into the lake, letting the water reach his belt, and starts stomping the bottom with his feet.
"Come on monster!"

And, if possible, I would ready an action to grab anything that comes.

[Laendri]

I will roll the ready grab here, in case it happens, so I don't slow things down.

Touch attack [roll0]
Str check [roll1]

[JerichoPenumbra]

"This isn't getting us anywhere." Alejandro bemoans. "At this rate it might just be easier to ride that freakish croc over to the other side." he says in a wry tone.

[Shazek]

Aethus:
You sense the presence of magic at the water's edge.

Aethus' arrow sails out over the water and strikes the crocodile in head. It is quickly followed by Daniel's, which misses quite badly.

The crocodile, apparently unhappy with the arrow sticking out of it, sinks down into the water, leaving your line of sight.

Nothing outside the water gives any indication as to the path the cultists took. No light seems to be coming from the islands, either.

Combat over. After losing half its health to one arrow, it wasn't keen to stick around. You each get 60 experience - half, since it got away.

EDIT: Assuming Aethus continues to concentrate on Detect Magic...
Round 2: You can detect 1 Dim aura.
Round 3: The Aura is almost exactly where you stand at the water's edge.
Spellcraft DC 21: The Aura is of the Abjuration school.

[AngryCyc]

"Well that was fun... I'm going to start hating those things, huh? Any ideas from here? I could try to swim back out there again..?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"There is magic here!" Aethus said, actually showing some excitement rather than his usual dry informative manner of speech. With the crocodile fled, he concentrated intently on the energy he sensed, trying to learn whatever he could about the magic. "Right where I'm standing. Not particularly strong, but...also not anything I'm familiar with."

Spending an IP on Cunning Knowledge. Its daily use for Spellcraft is now unavailable. Still one shy of being able to Take 10 though, so: [roll0].

EDIT: I vow, the skill checks know I'm planning to be evil to them in a few levels... :smallsigh:

[Laendri]

Arkom

"So there was magic here... but you don't know what magic. That's like saying they were here but they are not anymore! I can SEE that." sais Arkom annoyed at how the magic user got all excited for nothing.

He starts looking at the lake again, wondering if meeting a second mutant crocodile meant something.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The excitement was gone from his voice as he responded, somewhat snappishly, "Not being here anymore and not being here anymore but leaving a magical aura behind are two very different things. Something this faint and this complex...it can't be an active spell. Advanced magic was used here recently...probably no more than a few minutes ago. Maybe up to an hour." He shook his head. "There's little more I can tell, but if this was some sort of travel magic, I'm afraid we may have to face the possibility that we are not going to be able to track them. Even if we could, magic this complex is not something we wish to contend with."

Despite his pessimism, though, he searched around the spot where the aura lingered, in the vain hope that there might be some sort of rune or item that was the cause. "Mishka, can you tell if there was anyone waiting here for the people we were tracking?"

Okay, gonna test my luck one more time and roll this Search check: [roll0]

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

You don't have to know much about magic to reailze if they used spells to teleport away or something, they didn't need to come all the way to the lake to do that... No no, if there was magic here, it was because of the lake. Could they be... UNDER the lake..?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That's why I'm looking for anything that might provide such magic, and curious as to whether or not they met someone here. The magic taking them elsewhere in the lake is a possibility I hadn't considered, though. Why don't you-" he halted. On one hand, he did not want to put anyone at undue risk - he had had quite enough of that in the military - and more than that, he was not the leader here and it was not his job to assign tasks.

Still, Sherah had the stealth and aquatic mobility that they needed. "How comfortable would you be taking to the water again, to test that theory? It might be worth it, but it would be a risky operation; I expect it would involve going deeper rather than further. As a result, we would have little means of supporting you if you did encounter an enemy. Likewise, we must be cognizant of the fact that our opposition, by whatever means, has at least some access to highly advanced magic. If we're lucky, it is highly limited and would be of not use to them in battle, but we cannot be sure of that by any means."

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

*sigh*
She takes a deep breath and dives into the water once more, this time swimming down below the depths... As the light dims from the water diffusing the sun however, she's able to hide much better in this environment.

Hide [roll0]

[Shazek]

Sherah:
As you enter into the water, you see a quite terrifying sight approaching. Two of the crocodiles that you've become unfortunately familiar with are approaching rapidly, one of them the one that just tried to take a chunk out of you, judging by the arrow in its head. Behind them, though, is the true horror. A creature, about the size of a man, seems to be following close behind. It looks much like an eel, long and sinuous, but it has arms with large claws and a fish's head with immense, bulbous eyes. The fish-mouth it bears is surrounded by four large tentacles, each waving about as it swims closer. At its rear end, you spy three tails, each apparently barbed and painful-looking. Oh, and it appears to be quite, quite dead, what with the mottled flesh and all, but what else is new?

[AngryCyc]

She quietly swims back up and tells the party exactly what she saw under the waves...

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus blinked, and sighed. "Right then," he murmured, shouldering his bow and drawing his sword, then casting a spell of shielding and moving to stand ready beside Arkom while he tried to recall if he had ever heard of such a creature. If he did, he'd report what he knew to the party.

I'll take 10 on Knowledge (Arcana) for 20.

If it's not Arcana: [roll0].

Current Energy 7 after the refresh for the croc. GM, let me know if that didn't count as an encounter; if not, I won't cast Shield and will be at 5 Energy.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom stands up from his position on the shoreline "Finally..." he streches his muscles, prepare his position, and smile.

Suddenly, after seeing the tiger moving, something crosses his mind. "Say Sherah, did the bad guys track smell fishy? Maybe they are mutant were-crocs alfter all, hahahah. How funny would that be?"

Readied attack [roll0] damage [roll1]

[Gnarnia]

Mishka


Mishka backs up a few paces from the water's edge and awaits the approach of these aquatic horrors.

Readied attack action against the creature's approach

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro draws his spear, sighing at the incoming encounter. "These mutant crocs are becoming annoying. Do you think they're leave us be if we wore some boots made out of them?"

Ready an action to attack the first think to pop out of the water in range. If possible, Duel of Wills. I just roll here to keep things from slowing down.

Intimidate:[roll0]

Attack:[roll1]
Damage:[roll2]

[AngryCyc]

"So what should I do then..? Try to lure them into some kind of ambush maybe..?"

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Inside Mishka's head, he thinks "Wait for it...

wait for it...

wait for it...

wait for it..

goddamnit, where are those stupid things?"

[Shazek]

Once you all are prepared, it takes little time for battle to begin. First out of the water is an uninjured aberrous crocodile. It is quickly struck by your combined attacks. Next is the one with the arrow in its head. Following closely on its heels is the strange, eel-like undead monstrosity. It seems quite ready for battle.

Initiative!

Creature: [roll0]
Croc (Arrow): [roll1]
Croc (No Arrow): [roll2]

Bernie: [roll3]
Daniel: [roll4]

Aethus: [roll5]
Alejandro: [roll6]
Arkom: [roll7]
Mishka: [roll8]
Sherah: [roll9]

Wait for the next post, please.

[Shazek]

Arkom and Alejandro, unfortunately, miss the crocodile.
Mishka's Attack:
Attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

The monstrous undead creature turns on Arkom as the battle begins. First is a great lunge, as if it is trying to bite him. Then it whips around and slashes him with its tail, with a speed belying its size.
Bite: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

Tail Slap: [roll4]
Damage: [roll]1d6+3[roll]

Improved Grab: If the tail attack hits, Grapple Check.
[roll5]
If the Grapple Check wins, Constrict Damage:
[roll6]

Ok, you can all post now. Sorry about the delay.

[Shazek]

Re-rolling Tail Damage:
[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

If any of the creatures came near to Aethus, he'd lash out with furious speed, even as he tried to assess the battlefield and plan a strategy.

I can AoO when a foe enters a threatened square. I was standing beside Arkom, so I assume at least the eel guy did. I've got Combat Reflexes, for up to five AoOs per round (and Deft Opportunist for +4 to hit on them, and I'm assuming there's at least one other ally threatening them, so including the +2 for flank, but if there isn't, the attack roll is two points lower). I'm not sure how many I actually get, so just rolling three below just in case, use whichever apply, if any (assume the target order is eel guy -> arrow croc -> fresh croc if it matters):

[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]

I'm holding a bit on posting my actual turn because :smalleek:, and I want to discuss strategy some before committing. Because seriously, :smalleek:.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Having tasted blood once (I think), and knowing they need to thin their numbers if they're to survive, Mishka continues thrashing at the same croc he's already wounded once.

Full attack action:

Claw 1 [roll0]
Claw 1 Damage: [roll1]
Claw 1 Critical Confirmation (threatens on 20): [roll2]
Claw 1 Critical Damage (if needed): [roll3]

Claw 2 [roll4]
Claw 2 Damage: [roll5]
Claw 2 Critical Confirmation (Threatens on 20): [roll6]
Claw 2 Critical Damage (if needed): [roll7]

Bite [roll8]
Bite Damage: [roll9]
Bite Critical Confirmation (Threatens on 20): [roll10]
Bite Critical Damage (if needed): [roll11]

[Laendri]

Arkom

*slap!*
"Oh, you like to slap huh? Two can play THAT GAME!!" Arkom recives the hard hits as a wake up. They hurt. A lot. But they make him feel alive.
He starts hitting the eel creature with anger and growls.


Fast healing 2 points.
RAGE (5 rounds) +4 STR +4 DEX (ergo 26 AC)
Grapple check in case the creature can use it on medium creatures.
Grapple check [roll0] <--- YEAH !!!!!

If Arkom is still concious, he attacks the eel creature dead. If I get lucky and kill it without using all my attacks, I use the remaining ones to rip its fishbone spine and will use it the next round as an improvised weapon of bad assery.
Knee [roll1]
Dmg [roll2]

Claw [roll]1d20+9[roll]
Dmg [roll3]

Slam(headbutt) [roll4]
Dmg [roll5]

And I am not sure again, but, if my unarmed strike is not done with my hands (I like using knees and kicks and elbows as you have already seen) can I make 2 claw attacks?
In case answer is yes,
Claw2 [roll]1d20+9[roll]
Dmg [roll6]

[Laendri]

Derped claw attacks:
Claw1 [roll0]

Claw2 [roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus saw little for it; his team favored aggressive attack, so the ideal strategy was to supplement that as best he could. His eyes glowed with sky blue light as he gathered his power, doing what he could to strike out at his foes and protect his friends.

Okay, sorry for all the conditionals, but here we go:

If, by my turn, any ally is below 6 hit points, Swift Action to Latent Cure that ally, healing 5. An unconscious or disabled ally is prioritized. All else equal, priority is Arkom -> Me -> Mishka -> Sherah -> Alejandro -> Daniel -> Bernie.

If I am threatening at least two opponents, or can be with a 5' step, take the step if needed, then initiate Steel Wind. Nova out all four of my Inspiration to give both attacks a bonus to both hit and damage:
[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
These attacks include +2 for flanking. If either target doesn't have at least one ally threatening it, reduce by two. Priority is eel, and then whichever croc looks most injured.

Otherwise, if an ally is (even after the swift heal), unconscious or disabled, cast Cure Light Wounds on that ally for [roll4] healing. 5' step to avoid AoOs if possible; if not, cast on the defensive at [roll5] (DC 16).

Otherwise, if I threaten (or can with a 5' step) at least one opponent, attack it with two Inspiration. Use the first attack and damage roll given above for this attack, same priority. If this is the eel guy, make it a Leading the Attack, granting +4 to all ally attack rolls for one round if I hit.

Finally, if I am not threatening any opponent, can't with a 5' step, and no allies are incapacitated cast Grease on as many opponents as I can, centering the spell so opponents are on the edge if possible. 10' radius, DC 16 Reflex or fall, DC 10 Balance check to move through the area at half speed (fail by 5 means fall).

EDIT: Also, as a reminder, allies who are threatening a foe I am also receive a +2 flanking bonus.

I'll edit in my resources once I know what I'm actually spending :smallamused:.

Party Hit Points (as of this post):
Aethus: 14/14.
Sherah: 13/13.
Arkom: 8/18.
Alejandro: 8/8.
Mishka: 12/12.

[JerichoPenumbra]

Alejandro curses as his misses with his spear. "Die!" he shouts as he brings down his spear on the rotting fish monster.

Initiate Saphire Nightmare Blade. 5 ft step or move action if needed.
Tumble if move action is needed: [roll0]

Bluff:[roll1]
Attack:[roll2] Including the flanking bonus from being next to Aethus.
Damage:[roll3]+[roll4] if bluff successful

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Sherah swims herself around in the water to get a good position around the enemies, so that she can catch each of them in a breath attack without harming her friends...

Myth weavers is just DEAD right now. Seriously. No response. I know it's a [roll0] fire damage 15 ft cone but, geeze... I wanted to restealth aftewards and maybe see what my other options were first...!

[Shazek]

Mishka's wrath seriously injures the arrowless crocodile monstrosity. The other then attacks Aethus, trying to bite the man. It narrowly misses.

Bite Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Improved Grab: (Amusingly enough, this one has no size limitations at all.) [roll2]


Arkom is not amused at the eel-thing's slap-fest. He responds... violently. It takes mere seconds for his thorough beating to render the undead inanimate.

Alejandro and the snake, Bernie, are rather unlucky and fail to strike your foes. Daniel's arrow is similarly off-target.

Aethus explodes into a whirlwind of steel, striking the two remaining crocodiles with unerring accuracy to devastating effect. They seem to teeter a moment on the brink of unconsciousness, then fall to the ground, defeated.

1 Round Victory. Against a CR 7 encounter.

You gain 780 Experience each! Level up!

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

After a brief celebration, Sherah once again resumes swimming under the water trying to figure out exactly what happened here and what is going on...

Guess I'll need to make a new hide check [roll0]

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka roars defiantly at the crocodile's corpse.

Pawing at the mud, he draws a crude arrow with his foot pointing in the direction he's about to head and then slips into the water, swimming out towards the structure he saw at the bottom of the lake (he'll swim along the surface until he's above it, then dive down).


Let me know how far we have to go and I'll let you know how many rounds it takes him to get there :) No swim speed, so I'll have to get there the old fashioned way.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom roars as he sees their enemies go down. Still enraged, he finish the enemies by smashing their heads below his adamantine legs.
Sweating and panting, he recomposes himself.
"Good thing- you came- with us." sais to Daniel as he cleans the foam on his lips. "This things are obviously an abomination. A creation of a rotten mind. We have to save her before they can do something like this to her." Arkom looks gloom.
Ethon was a savage paradise, there was no need to come here and start corrupting it. And it was a terrible thing to do.

As they others start moving into the water, Arkom takes time to rest.

Waiting for fast healing to fix me.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus gave a stern nod at the defeat of the creatures. He was halfway through a healing spell when he noticed that Arkom was already healing. Very convenient. As two of their number returned to the water, he grimaced some, but did not speak out against it. He did begin to rather regret that his augmentative spells were all limited to his person.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Tons of swim checks, stop when needed. Gonna assume this is calm water for now (DC 10)

Edit: I checked, and I can't actually drown w/o being exhausted given his str score, so I suppose this was unnecessary, but anyways

[roll0] - 20'
[roll1] - 20'
[roll2] - 10'
[roll3] - 20'
[roll4] - 20'
[roll5] - 20'
[roll6] - 20'
[roll7] - 20'
[roll8] - 20'
[roll9] - 20'
[roll10] - 20'
[roll11] - 20'
[roll12] - 20'
[roll13] - 10'
[roll14] - 20'
[roll15] - 20'
[roll16] - 20'
[roll17] - 20'
[roll18] - 20'
[roll19] - 20'
[roll20] - 20'
[roll21] - 20'
[roll22] - 20'
[roll23] - 20'
[roll24] - 10'
[roll25] - 20'

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom waves a hand at Aethus as if thanking him for his care but it was not needed. He asks the ones not in the water "Ever heard of a cult of people that used this kind of creatures as allies?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus considered for a moment. "Undead in the general sense are...not particularly uncommon minions for cultists. They may simply be making do with what they can find..."

Or they may be subject to a Knowledge check!

Knowledge (Religion): [roll0].

EDIT: ...Those blasted Pelorans, always raising zombie swamp creatures and siccing them on the populace. I'm on to their tricks! :smallsigh:

[Shazek]

Aethus:
Nope. You got nothing.

Mishka leads Sherah underwater to some sort of crafted stone structure about sixty feet from shore. It is twenty feet tall, give or take. A strange blue glow comes from a hole in the top of it. There does not appear to be any other entrance.

Looking into the hole, you see a shimmering barrier of blue light holding back the water. There are ladders on each side on the inside, which appears perfectly dry. At the bottom, about thirty feet down, is a stone floor. A door is apparent at the end of the wall, leading out of the small room.

[Gnarnia]

Mishka


Mishka contorts and writhes in the water, his bones and muscles reshaping themselves as he takes on a new form, somewhere half way between that of a tiger and a catfolk. Swimming back to the surface, he calls out to those on shore in a growling voice.

"Hey! Can you make it out here? We think we've found where they went!"



Full round action to shift to hybrid form. Same attacks and damage as tiger form, but no pounce ability. But now he can talk.

He'll tread water until the others arrive before swimming down and trying to grab hold of one of the ladders into the room below.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I suppose it should have been obvious from the start, given a thorough examination of my life up to this point, that there was no way we were going to complete this mission without getting wet." Aethus murmured. He removed his shoes and hat, setting them in as concealed a spot as he could manage without much time. With a grimace, he also placed his bow and quiver beside them, knowing the water would do them little good. Finally, he eased into the lake with all the trepidation of a kid who never learned it's easier to just dive in and swam over towards Mishka.

Taking 10 on Swim.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom stands up, streches his shoulders and walks into the lake, following Aethus towards the tiger-creature he supposes is Mishka.

Whats the swim DC?
If there is no danger, I too take 10.

If there is [roll0]

[Gnarnia]

((Just DC 10 I think. I was thinking that only creatures with a swim speed can take 10, but that's for under duress. Anyone can take 10 in calm water))

[JerichoPenumbra]

"Better not be more things with tentacles..." Alejandro mutters as he follows the rest of the party into the depths below.

Al takes 10 on the swim check as well.

[Shazek]

You all are able to make it into the room and down the ladder without incident. The shimmering barrier of light seems to dry you off as you pass through, and you make it into the small room at the bottom without incident. It is about twenty-five feet by twenty-five feet, and save for the one door in the wall, is entirely featureless. The walls and floors are made of stone, but the door is wooden.

[AngryCyc]

Sherah

Sherah heads over to the door and listens closely for sounds on the other side...

[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Aethus whispered a quick spell, and blue light shone in his eyes as he attuned his senses to the particular aura of malign energy given off by those dedicated to evil - and, conveniently, most undead creatures as a simple side effect of the sheer volume of negative energy they contained. He began staring at the door, concentrating intently.

Casting Detect Evil and concentrating three rounds on it (assuming circumstances and the party allow). Current Energy: 17.

[JerichoPenumbra]

"These cultists certainly seem to have potent magic as you suggested Aethus. Who thinks we should be ready to charge in and take them all by surprise?" Alejandro whispered as walks towards the door. "You guys notice anything?" He murmurs as he puts his head closer to the door to listen.

Listen Check: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Indeed," he replied, with deep concern. This magic seemed...highly advanced. "And yes, I believe a rapid advance to cause maximum harm while they are, hopefully, unprepared would be the most reasonable strategy. Although tempered with caution. There may be alarming wards or similar warning magic present. As a fallback strategy, keeping around the corner of this doorway, perhaps with some magical Grease in it, would give us a choke point to work with and keep us reasonably safe from non-area ranged attacks.

And just to see if there's anything useful to glean about whatever magic is keeping this place dry:

Knowledge (Arcana): [roll0]
Spellcraft: [roll1]

[Gnarnia]

Mishka

Mishka quietly paces, stretching his claws in anticipation of the upcoming fight.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom watches the magical water entrance in case something jumps on them while the group checks the door.
"I should warn you that I'm not very good at being stealthy. My feet sound like a hammer hitting the ground." sais Arkom without breaking his ward.

[Laendri]

Arkom

Arkom, grows impatient as the minutes go. "If you don't open it, I will, and everyone could see that I did it."