Arc 1 - Beast of a Thousand Knives (Completed)

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Corsica looks the little fox over once more and sighs. She speaks quietly to Ying: "Tilki; lavasam kyfafarétha rymaki." Her tone and expression make it clear: she has relented. She turns now to the party and points in a direction to the north. "We head this way. Stay close to my sister and I. It is easy to get lost. Dangerous things lie deeper in the forest but the paths have been clear as of late. Let's hope it stays that way."

Corsica sets off into the thick forest underbrush and Ying follows close behind her with Hakka in hand. The two wild women lead the party through a series of winding trails obviously made by other creatures of the forest and connected by the girls' own trailblazing. As the party is led further into the forest it becomes even darker and more ominous as the forest canopy blotted out the sky. A feeling of malevolence from the forest hovers in the air, but, as the girls predicted, nothing appears to challenge the group's presence in the forest.

By the time they have arrived at Razorclaw's den, it is late in the afternoon. The party now stands before a large clearing stacked high with felled trees. The rotting trunks are piled on top of each other to make an enormous mound patched with dirt. At the base of the mound is a large hole partly dug into the ground that leads further into the makeshift structure. The party is just at the edge of the clearing in the treeline, some fifty feet from this opening. The entire area smells of decomposing vegetation. Corsica would motion to to the mound and speak in a hushed voice. "That is Razorclaw's den. I imagine at this time of the day he would be sleeping inside, but I can't be sure."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge placed one hand on the edge of the entrance to the mound, peering inside as far as his low-light vision would allow.

"Asleep sounds about right. I think the post-feast crash is universal, no matter the species." He would turn to look at the sisters. "Have either of you explored in here, even if just a little bit? Any knowledge on what we may encounter will be incredibly helpful." Looking back at the structure, he would say lowly, "If it goes underground, for instance."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

As Revenge peers into the entrance of the den, he can see that it quickly opens up into a large cavernous room, partly dug into the ground, but the mound does appear to be the roof. However, there is no source of light inside, so his vision does not pierce the blackness much further than the entrance. Corsica would shake her head at Revenge's question and continue to speak in a hushed tone. "No, we have never had a reason. I would not chance encountering that creature on its own turf."  

[Rain Yupa]

"Then you are a wiser being than I." Taking a few steps back, he would kneel and take off his pack, fishing out his wrapped everburning torch.

"Are you waiting here, Corsica, or would you rather us find you afterwards, if the gods deign our survival in their design? Or are we simply parting ways for good?"

If the two sisters aren't sticking around, he would respond with "Then it's best you two, and Ying's pet fox, be on your way. The sooner we act, the better, and these babies aren't going to go in there until the guy in full plate and a torch does first."

Unwrapping his torch and unveiling the light, he would put the cloth back into his bag and holster it once more. Glaive in one hand, torch in the other, he would stand before the entrance. Taking one deep breath, he would then take his first step and breach the threshold.  

[PupSage]

Kuori followed Revenge in. "Sorry that not all of us can see in the dark."  

[Rain Yupa]

Looking over his shoulder and giving Kuori a smirk. "It got you to follow, did it not? But if you're volunteering to take point, I'd be delighted to take rear guard." He would lift his torch for the goliath to take if she felt so inclined.

If not, he would still march forward.  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom would step in front of them both and say, "I am the darkness. I have no qualms taking the lead." And with that a flail would matterialize in hand, covered in gruesome hooks and sharp points.  

[Rain Yupa]

As promised, even though to another, Revenge would give up point to Gloom. Though he would actually follow directly behind him, rather than take up the rear, unless Kuori really wanted it. It would allow for the light source to reach a little farther for the sake of Kuori's bow, plus reach weapon warriors are best in the second row.  

[Kowsauni]

Razorclaw's Den

((The yellow square in the cave is bright light and the dimmer yellow is dim light. The grey area in the back of the room is darkness and can only seen by Gloom.))

Corsica would respond to Revenge. "We're waiting here. We have faith in your abilities. We want to get at its meat while it is fresh."

Ying, still carrying the fox, would chime in. "Good luck!"

The wild women would then hunker down in the bushes and watch the entrance.

As Revenge walks through the mound entrance, his everburning torch lights up a massive domed room so large his light doesn't even reach the back of it. The place looks empty to all but Gloom, who, with his darkvision, sees the resident of the home. In the back of the room Gloom sees an enormous centipede-like creature with clawed feet and a large circular mouth filled with teeth. Several beady red eyes dotted the top of its head. At first it looks like it's sleeping, but the voices of the adventures seem to have awakened it. Its eyes immediately narrow in on the source of light. The creature quietly rises to its feet and rears to its full height. Reading the face of an enormous insect is hard, but Gloom can guess it is not happy about intruders in its home.

Roll Initiative!

PupSage

I Drink Blue Moon

Alzzak

Rain Yupa

Ryssa Blackblood

 

[PupSage]

Taking a free verbal:

Kuori, seeing that the den is one large chamber and not a series of tunnels would say, "Revenge, I'll take that sunrod now."

((Sunrod = 120 ft of light > everburning torch))  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

16+6=22 Initiative

Gloom would cast a finger towards the beast. "Its there. Its awake. And its ugly as hell."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would likewise be taken aback that it was not a series of tunnels.

"L-left pocket. Left pocket!" he would say, dropping all pretense for silence upon Gloom's indication, and in response to Kuori's request.

Quote:

Initiative of 5.

 

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka waited for the girls to hunker down safely behind the bushes, since she was finding them to be quite pleasant, Ying especially. However, she did have a job to do, so once the others had reached the mouth of the cave and peered in, the fox reached up and licked her mount's cheek She then hopped down and ran for the mouth of the cave to join the others.

Initiative 12

Fox form: speed of 9 and a double move would pretty much have me caught up to the others. I'd be right outside the mouth of the cave  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Knowing that he wouldn't reach the creature very quickly, Gloom decided to make himself of use in another way. He moved behind Revenge (W25) and said, "Kuori, focus on shooting that thing, I will take care of the light." He removed the sunrod from Revenge's left pocket and struck the crowbar-esque rod on the ground, tossing it across the floor (Towards M35, or however far it will go), tumbling over the rubble as a brilliant light illuminate the room. Hopefully Kuori's theory was correct and this would buy them some much needed time. Though he could not do anything at this range, he began to prepare a spell should the beast come closer.

(If the beast crosses the threshold between M25-W35 Gloom will shoot an Eldritch Bolt at Razorclaw.
11+6=17 vs Reflex)