u-b
 
 Spoiler: Links to other threads 
This is continuing Ruins of Azlant  IC  and still uses the same  OOC 
 

Jessica bestows some luck on Henri while Laurelata tries to move past the fishmen to attack them from behind. The maneuver is not executed properly and Laurelata is stabbed by a trident getting two wounds in her side for  6  damage. She in turn inflicts only one wound with the rapier... which was, actually, the plan, but the attack could have been better aimed as it does not seem to hit anything  vital  and amounts for mere  4  damage. The fishmen seem to be rather worried by the growling glowing outsider. This divides their attention and Henri hits one for  14  damage. The creature, previously wounded by Laurelata, barely holds itself together until it gets water-blasted for  9  damage and into oblivion. The remaining one, scared as it is, seems to be willing to fight to the death and concentrates all of the attacks on Henri. This toes not do any good as the half orc fends off all the attacks - weapon, claw, bite and all.

 
 Spoiler 
Trident AoO: (1d20+5)[23] for (1d8+3)[6]
Trident AoO: (1d20+5)[11] for (1d8+3)[10]

Trident: (1d20+3)[6] for (1d8+3)[6]
Claw: (1d20+0)[11] for (1d4+1)[3]
Bite: (1d20+0)[2] for (1d6+1)[4]


 
 Originally Posted by Farmerbink 
  HP  0/14 
 


 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne7141981 
  HP  14/22 
 

People, you serious? 🤨 I thought I've told you well enough. I might one day use this stuff for reference (or why it it there at all)...
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
 "Ouch you annoying buggers,"  Laurelata shouted as she was hit.  Clearly she had to practice this maneuver a bit more.  But for now she was on the other side of the fishman and with a small step she could flank again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 2 

free: 5 foot step to flank again if needed.

attack:  (1d20+6)[ 19 ]  (incl flanking bonus)
damage:  (1d6)[ 6 ]  (and  (1d6)[ 3 ]  sneak attack)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  2,  Init  9,  HP  7/13,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  14,  Fort  0,  Ref  6,  Will  1,  CMB  +1,  Base Attack Bonus  1
   Rapier   +4 (1d6, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +4 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz grins wildly as her blow knocks the fishman out of the fight.  She then shifts her position to line up a clear shot on the other.  When the opportunity comes, she fires a second powerful blast in the fishman's direction.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 
Move: to most appropriate position (avoid AoOs, and cover if possible)
Standard: water blast on the remaining
Attack:  (1d20+4)[ 9 ]  (+1 if vs abberations)
Damage:  (1d6+6)[ 11 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  23/23,  DR  Cold/pressure - 1,  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  1,  CMB  +2 (5),  Base Attack Bonus  1
 PBS Water Blast   +4 (1d6+6, x2)
   Dagger   +2 (+3 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +2 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 2, Henri's Status 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  2,  Init  1,  HP  14/22,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  17,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  16,  CMD  17,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  4,  CMB  +6,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"  Finish it, fast!  " spits Henri as he slashes at the attacker again.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack, take a 5-ft step to flank (if possible), and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 21 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 12 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 26 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 23 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 20 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 23 ]  critical strike damage.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica stays in the back, gripping her glaive fruitlessly.  " Smile upon us, mistress! "  She raises her idol high, using it to channel the healing energy of her goddess.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  0/14,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 6/8, 1d6
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 1/1
Unprepared slots: 1

 (1d6)[ 6 ]  HP to everyone but up to 3 enemies (I think there's only two?)
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to send Lightburn to help after its first plan didnt work. He casts a spell on Lightburn whom with a better defense might try to help fight back.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Casting Mage armor on Lightburn to increse its AC.
Lightburn would try to attack even if he ends up eating an attack for it.
Attack:  (1d20+2)[ 17 ] 
Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 5 ] 
 
u-b
It takes a coordinated effort, but you do manage to bring down the remaining fishman before he could attack again. No more opposition is incoming at the moment, though you do wonder if the sounds of shouting and fighting have alerted anyone behind the doors leading further in. Unless you spend some time to look at the magics again, the only notable thing that those of you seeing the initial charge can notice is that if you squint  just like so , you can spot the empty space through the almost solid looking walls along the far sides to the right and the room you are in.
farothel
 "Let's check for magic again before we move on,"  Laurelata said,  "if anybody else has the spell, I'm all out for that one." 
She kept looking around just in case something or someone else was coming towards them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I can only do detect magic 1/day, so someone else will have to do it.
perception:  (1d20+8)[ 25 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods dutifully at Laurelata's request.  " I'm not the best at identifying the auras, but I can see them if I try. "  She casts the spell and looks around carefully.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
It's +5 for both know (arcana) and spellcraft.  If we're not interrupted, Jessica will attempt to identify anything and everything she sees to the best of her ability.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt also offers himself for the task. " I believe this is also a task I can help with. Allow me to offer a helping hand on the matter. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Casting detect magic to help checking everything out
Know. Arcana:  (1d20+6)[ 7 ] 
Spellcraft:  (1d20+6)[ 16 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri rubs his mostly-healed wound, looking a bit unhappy at where the fishman stabbed him. "   Surprised me there...thank you for healing us, Jessica.   " he says, quietly, as he puts pressure on the wound to slow its flow of blood.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
At 20/22 HPs, so good to go.
 
u-b
Between Jess and Hewitt you manage to learn the following:
1. There is, like, a dozen of spells and effects on this tower, some of them linked together and most of them well above your pay grade. Nothing seem to be immediately harmful given that you are still alive, but for example you cannot sense any auras behind the double doors leading north, even though you well expect there should be some. You check it with the front doors and yep, your divinations are blocked by these too, so there is apparently some protective magic at work (well, or some lead hidden inside the doors, you might try disassembling the doors to check the hypothesis).
2. While a multitude of high-level auras like this is certainly not something you see every day, some stuff is quite recognizable, if noticiably permanent:
2.1 Illumination on the ceiling, which is a version of Light.
2.2 The illusory walls, which use the same version of Silent Image.
3. Apart from the tower itself, there are some more localized auras:
3.1 Two circles of silvery metal set into the floor in the corners of the rooms (or are they better considered parts of the same room) behind the illusory walls. These shine moderate Transmutation.
3.2 Two tridents the fishmen were attacking you with. These are +1 tridents.

Laurelata, meanwhile, both hears and later sees something interesting:
4. She hears some faint activity behind the doors leading north. People moving and talking? She does not recognize anything said.
5. Then she no longer hears this activity.
6. Then she notices what seems to be a keyhole in the wall to the left of those double doors. Noticiably, it does not seem positioned like a door lock normally would be.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches the efforts of the spellcasters to understand what is happening quietly. When one announces that the fishmen's  tridents  are magical he takes one and tests it carefully. "   Could prove handy. If no one else minds, I'll take one of these,   " he says as he adjusts his gear to find a place for it.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Add one +1 Trident to Henri's inventory. It's a bit redundant with his +1 Spear from the grindylows, but as a one-handed weapon I figure it might be useful in other situations.

If anyone wants it instead they can have either it or his +1 Spear instead.
 
farothel
Laurelata put her hand up for silence but then the sound dropped.
 "I heard someone behind those back doors,"  she said,  "but it's gone now.  They know we're here, so be careful." 

She agreed with Henri taking one of the tridents.  He could work with it and she couldn't and if it was better than his current stuff, why not.
 "That's weird,"  she said when she noticed the lock,  "this shouldn't be here.  Let me have a closer look at this, but keep your guard up." 

She took a closer look at the lock to see why it was there, or if it was even real.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

Have a close look at the lock to see if it's real and if it's trapped.
perception:  (1d20+8)[ 11 ]  (extra +1 for searching for traps)
or if it's a disable device check:  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  (extra +1 for traps)
 
Farmerbink
Jessica eagerly reports her findings, glad to be helpful, even if she doesn't learn as much as she'd like.  When Laurelata calls for silence, she demurely obliges, taking a few precautionary steps backwards.  She favors Henri with a nod and a smile, as she readies her glaive in silence.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt adds. " We should probably be careful about potentially some of the magical stuff in the room. " Lightburn wonders. "  How should we deal with all of this? There might be a trap in this room and potentially enemies in the next.  "
DarkOne-Rob
Henri gestures to everyone to stay close as he trails right behind Laurelata. "   They know we're here - stay close,   " he says as he pulls out his polearm and tries to look everywhere at once...
u-b
Laurelata checks the strange keyhole. It seems quite real when she goes on to tinker with it, including what seems to be a locking mechanism in it. Eventually, Laurelata feels the pins settle and the core rotate. She is pretty sure whatever lock is there is now in a different state than it was before. She still has no idea what she has just locked or unlocked, but highly suspects it is not this door.
farothel
 "I have it open,"  Laurelata said, looking at the others,  "or closed something.  I'm actually not really sure and whatever it was, it wasn't that door.  Anybody seen anything change around here?" 
DaOldeWolf
" This could be potentially dangerous. " Hewitt looks around searching for any changes in the magic of the area.
u-b
Hewitt does his best looking for any change in the surrounding magics, but could not find any. So, either Laurelata has affected something non-magical, or something magical outside of the scanned area, or something magical that does not change its aura upon being affected.
farothel
 "We can always knock and try diplomacy,"  Laurelata suggested,  "they know we're here, I'm quite sure of it.  So why not try to talk our way through?  And if that doesn't work, they have opened the door for us." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Diplomacy? As long as we don't try and catch more prisoners - the colony can't afford more of those,   " mutters Henri, a bit irritably. "   In the meantime, let's be ready to fight whatever comes out of that door. I'm ready - open it when ready.   "
Farmerbink
Jessica lights up briefly at Laurelata's call for friendly resolution.  Her excitement fades almost immediately at Henri's brusque response, instead leaving her almost embarrassed.  " I would... be glad to try, " she murmurs quietly.  As no one else steps forward, Jessica does.  She raises her voice, and calls out (first in Azlanti, then Common, Aquan, Celestial, and Dwarven- if there is no response), " Hello?  We're not here to hurt you!  We're just looking for our friends, and maybe some answers?  Can we speak peaceably?  I am a priestess of Shelyn and swear by her grace no harm will come to you if you don't attack us! "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
We'll use her religious trait, to get a +4 on this diplomacy check.

 (1d20+12)[ 18 ]  diplomacy to improve their attitude? // make a good impression.
 
u-b
Jessica tries to communicate. She does it in every language she knows, but the only outcome you get is some barely audible whispers behind the closed doors. Those do not seem to be addressed to you and are then followed by silence.
Farmerbink
The lack of response leaves Jessica decidedly disappointed.  " I don't think they care.  It's possible they don't understand, but we had better be prepared for a fight if we want to see what's on the other side of this door... "  She takes several cautious steps back, to be in a less exposed position when one of the more able combatants opens the doors.
farothel
 "Well, we tried,"  Laurelata said,  "now we just have to get this bloody door open... somehow." 
She had another look at the door and the vicinity around it.
 "If anybody has seen any illusion magic around here,"  she said.
DarkOne-Rob
With a glance at Jessica Henri sighs quietly as the idealistic cleric's efforts fail. When she moves out of the way he steps forward, prepared to be the first in melee...
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to leave Lightburn at the front too. There wasnt much else he could do at this point in time.
u-b
The doors at least do not seem to be illusory. Nor do they seem locked. Henri opens them and is greeted by two fishmen on your left looking at him, then looking expectantly at the ceiling where what appears to be two automatic fully-steerable clockwork crossbows are located. The crossbows are pointed at the entrance (which is to say, at you), but do not seem to do anything at the moment.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Fishmen init: (1d20+1)[7] (everyone roll your init, but you still get to act now, even if it is lower than 7)
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
 "I think I turned those off,"  Laurelata said as she brought her bow up and bending around Henri she shot at the second of the fishmen.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelata round 1 

attack:  (1d20+6)[ 26 ]  (including bonus for flat-footed).
damage  (1d8+1)[ 3 ]  ( (2d6)[ 5 ]  extra if evil and  (1d6)[ 2 ]  sneak attack as they are flat-footed and within 30ft).

initiative:  (1d20+9)[ 17 ]  (my minimum is 10, so I'll always in front of the fishmen)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  2,  Init  9,  HP  13/13,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  14,  Fort  0,  Ref  6,  Will  1,  CMB  +1,  Base Attack Bonus  1
   Rapier   +4 (1d6, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +4 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 1, Henri's Status 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  2,  Init  1,  HP  20/22,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  17,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  16,  CMD  17,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  4,  CMB  +6,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   Turned them off? What does an 'on' crossbow look like?   " asks Henri. Then he steps forward and brings his axe down at the fishman with an overhead swing!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack, take a 5-ft step to  AV9 , and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  to hit,   (1d20+5)[ 21 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 11 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 33 ]  critical strike damage .

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 23 ]  to hit,   (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 18 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 25 ]  critical strike damage .
 
Farmerbink
Jessica's eyes widen as she takes in the mounted crossbow-launchers.  " I sure hope so! " she exclaims, at Laurelata's comment.  " Still, let's not be reckless, " she adds, as she steps behind a wall, close to Lightburn.  She reaches out to the eidolon's flank, " Get 'em! "

  Lightburn has bit of luck- roll twice and take best on all d20s this round.  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  0/14,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 6/8, 1d6
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 1/1
Unprepared slots: 1

Move to AX/10
give Lightburn bit of luck
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz eyes the bow suspiciously as she dashes into the room.   "Let's hope you did!"  she says as she passes Laurelata. Halfway into the room, she fires blast of water across her chest at the far fishman.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Init: 13 (ooc)

Move: to AW7
Standard: water blast at AU7
Attack:  (1d20+4)[ 16 ]  (+1 if vs abberations)
Damage:  (1d6+6)[ 7 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  23/23,  DR  Cold/pressure - 1,  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  1,  CMB  +2 (5),  Base Attack Bonus  1
 PBS Water Blast   +4 (1d6+6, x2)
   Dagger   +2 (+3 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +2 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
 
 Originally Posted by Farmerbink 
 Jessica's eyes widen as she takes in the mounted crossbow-launchers.  " I sure hope so! " she exclaims, at Laurelata's comment.  " Still, let's not be reckless, " she adds, as she steps behind a wall, close to Lightburn.  She reaches out to the eidolon's flank, " Get 'em! " 
 

Lightburn roars feeling extra confident after hearing Laurelata´s kind words. He then immediately leap into action to maul the fisherman closer to them. Hewitt remains on the back as he waits for the battle to conclude trying to keep his attention on the room they currently reside on and any possible changes in the magic auras.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Lightburn will attack the fishman on AU 8 with a bite.
Bite :  (1d20+4)[ 19 ]   (1d20+4)[ 12 ] 
Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 5 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata shots one fishman in the chest for  10  damage. Henri hits another one for only  11  as the mighty swing of the axe passes clean through the muscle of the front of the other fishman's right leg without breaking the bone. Jessica brings some divine luck into the picture. Tazmara moves in and, notably, is not targeted by crossbows as she blasts the northern fishman for  7  more damage. The fishman looks quite terrified, but counterattacks, stepping into melee range, clawing and biting, but only manages to land one blow for  4  damage. Another one counterattacks against Henri. This one has better success, langing  a claw and a bite, for a total of  8  damage.], but then is bitten by Lightburn for  5  damage and also starts to look decidedly unwell. Hewitt can sense quite a lot of magic auras that he was unable to sense while the doors were closed. It will take time to make sense of them all.

 
 Spoiler 
  
 UPD: Jessica is in AX10 instead, I wont re-make the picture.  
Claw (1d20+4)[5] for (1d4+2)[4]
Claw (1d20+4)[18] for (1d4+2)[4]
Bite (1d20+4)[14] for (1d6+2)[3]

Claw (1d20+4)[9] for (1d4+2)[6]
Claw (1d20+4)[18] for (1d4+2)[3]
Bite (1d20+4)[23] for (1d6+2)[5]
 

 =&gt; Party (except Lightburn and Hewitt) 
SanguinePenguin
Taz takes the claw in stride.  Water droplets condense in the surrounding air as she connects to the source of her power.  She then leaps back from the fishman and sends a powerful stream of water back in its direction, attempting to push it back to where it was a moment before

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
5 ft step to AX7
Move: gather power 1
Standard: pushing water blast at AV7
Attack:  (1d20+4)[ 22 ]  (+1 if vs abberations)
Damage:  (1d6+6)[ 10 ] 
Bull Rush:  (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  (+1 if vs abberations)

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  19/23,  DR  Cold/pressure - 1,  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  1,  CMB  +2 (5),  Base Attack Bonus  1
 PBS Water Blast   +4 (1d6+6, x2)
   Dagger   +2 (+3 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +2 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 2, Henri's Status 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  2,  Init  1,  HP  12/22,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  17,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  16,  CMD  17,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  4,  CMB  +6,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

Henri grunts in pain as he takes the pointy end of a trident in his armored side. Then he silently swings his axe back again, hoping to finish off the fish-man!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 19 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 34 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 16 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 36 ]  critical strike damage.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica follows her allies into the suddenly crowded chamber.  Relieved to not be under fire from some automated crossbow system, she brings her glaive around on one of the fishmen.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  0/14,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 6/8, 1d6
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 1/1
Unprepared slots: 1

Move to AW/9
Attack AC/7:
 (1d20+3)[ 12 ]  glaive
 (1d20+3)[ 8 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 4 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 23 ]  crit bonus
 
farothel
With everybody (or almost) in melee, it became too dangerous to shoot further.  So Laurelate drew her rapier and moved next to Henri, trying to stab the fishman.

 
 Spoiler: Laurelate round 2 

free: draw rapier
move action: move to AU9
attack: see OOC topic
 
u-b
Tazmara splatters one fishman and Henri cuts the left arm off another, thus taking both opponents well out of fight. The crossbows on the ceiling still seem to do nothing. Hewitt eventually notices they both shine moderate divination and nothing else, so the operation seems mostly mechanical. You now have some time to look at the curving ramp along the northern wall ascending to the floor above, closed door leading east with some quiet activity behind it, not fully closed door leading west with no activity behind it and at murals all over tha place. The murals are depicting kind-looking human adult figures smiling benevolently at children. The children, for their  part, are smiling and appear healthy and happy. The figures, both adults and children, have tiny jewels orbiting around their heads in shining rings that resemble halos. Bold words are painted above the door in Azlanti:  "Ours is the Great Work to see humanity achieve its greatest potential" .
DarkOne-Rob
Henri wipes his blade clean after ensuring neither of the fishmen will rise again. Looking around he gets Jessica's attention and points to the words in the foreign script. "   What's the deal here? Happy kids with magic rocks...?   "

He listens to her answer and then moves towards the nearest door (West). There he listens for sounds of movement or speaking before pushing it open with his axe as he tries to look inside...
farothel
 "Nice place,"  Laurelata said,  "let me first check that for traps, before you open it." 
The last was to Henri.  If she could get there in time, she would check the door for traps and disable any found.  Then she would have a closer look at the crossbows to try and figure out how they operated.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

check for traps:  (1d20+9)[ 25 ] 
if there is one: disable device:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata checks for traps. There seem to be none on the door itself, though there is a keyhole (the lock is not engaged). The crossbows rather seem completely clockwork, even though Hewitt points out their divination auras. On each crossbow, there seems to be a box with maybe ten bolts, judging from its size, some swiveling mechanisms suggesting no dead zones in this rooms if they work like they seem they should, a big round basement connecting the thing to the ceiling and connected to every part of the crossbow, including te swivels and the string-pulling hook. Laurelata can only guess there should be a spring somewhere in there as divination magic is unlikely to provide the force.

The room remains silent during Henri's inspection and so he opens the door and looks in. The illumination of the ceiling turns on. The room appears to be a workshop, as evidenced by a table along the western wall laden with tools and mechanical parts. Beneath the table is a metallic chest of drawers. There is a closed door leading north.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Don't give them our backs - it's quiet here, and I head something there,   " says Henri as he points with his axe at the opposite door. "   Someone else check this new room while I stay between us and that noise...   "

Henri breaths a bit heavily, moving with pain as his wounds show their impact. He could use some healing.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Move to  AX8  and wait for someone else to explore the quiet room.

Henri needs to heal about ten HPs. A CLW or Channel Positive Energy with decent rolls will cover it, if Jessica can spare it.
 
farothel
 "I'll have a look around,"  Laurelata said, moving into the room.  First she checked out the chest of drawers for traps and after she had found none or disabled them she opened them to see what was inside.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception to check for traps:  (1d20+11)[ 23 ] 
disable device for traps:  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
disable device to open locks if it's locked:  (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
 
Farmerbink
In the sudden wake of violence, Jessica breathes heavily in relief.  It's broken briefly when Henri puts down the defeated enemies, and she grimaces slightly at the gruesome display.  Still, a few moments later, when he asks about the language, she is stirred from her daze.

The priestess sheathes her glaive as she approaches, eyes glued to the fresco.  " Uh... it seems like... propaganda, honestly, " she mutters.  After translating, she gestures in vague annoyance and editorializes briefly: " Usually you don't have to paint that you're doing the good work on the wall, if... you're.. you know.   Actually  doing the good work. "

Only then does the young woman look back to her friend and realize Henri's injuries.  " Oh, gods!  I'm sorry!  Here I am waxing poetic and you're bleeding on the floor! "  She raises her symbol high in the middle of the room, and feels the similar wave of energy pour forth- only...  harder.   " Oh!  Shelyn has blessed us, indeed! "

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, after combat 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  0/14,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 5/8, 2d6
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 1/1
Unprepared slots: 1

 (2d6)[ 6 ]  HP   If that's less than 5, we'll do it again:  (2d6)[ 7 ]  
 
u-b
From his position next to the eastern door Henri hears what seems to be someone doing something there. Something not particularly loud or energetic.

The table in the western room does not seem to contain any traps. Neither does the metallic chest of drawers beneath the table. Instead, they contain countless gears, cogs, springs, and other parts and pieces to any number of clockwork contraptions. They also contain some tooling, presumably to be used on such. The only thing that is not necessarily a piece of some clockwork or a tool is a single gemstone nestled among the parts on the table.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Company over here - wrap it up and get ready for more fighting!   " warns Henri from where he stands, listening to whatever is on the other side of the door.
DaOldeWolf
" More fish people?  " Hewitt asks Henri. " Let me check for any magic auras around first. We better be careful about this. " He explains trying to check for magic from outside the western room.
farothel
Laurelata takes the gem and shows it to the others as she puts it away and moves to the other door.
 "There's a lot of gears and stuff there as well,"  she adds,  "and one more door to check out.  Let me first check this one on traps, just in case." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception to check on traps:  (1d20+11)[ 15 ] 
if there are any: disable device to remove:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] 
 
u-b
The whole western room shines magical just like the rest of the building. By now, though, that is not of interest. The only other thing that shines magical is the gemstone Laurelata has collected.


 
 Originally Posted by DaOldeWolf 
 " More fish people? " 
 

Despite not being asked, Lightburn responds that no, not the fish people behind the eastern door. Just more clockworks and... well, Lightburn is not sure, but some rather strange smell, not biological.

Laurelata examines the door. It does not seem to be trapped in an obvious way. There is a keyhole, but the lock does not seem to be engaged.

 
 Spoiler 
Roll knowledge/spellcraft if you study the gem.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri grunts. "   Can you smell if they're hostile?   " he asks Lightburn, his tone not quite joking, though it's possible he intends it that way. "   Say when,   " he requests, looking to everyone for a cue as he gets ready to shoulder the door open roughly.
SanguinePenguin
Taz clenches her fists, nods, and says softly,  "let's go!" 
farothel
 "Interesting,"  Laurelata said when the gem turned out to be magical,  "let's clear this out first and then we can take the time to investigate this and other stuff further, ok?" 
She nodded to Henri to indicate she was ready.
u-b
You open the door. A long marble workbench runs the entire length of the southern wall of the room beyond, and a rusting metal shelf stands on the opposite wall. Squat stools line up along the bench, which is littered with a variety of small, precise hammers and chisels as well as fragments of crystalline stone that looks like quartz. There is a single closed door in the eastern part of the north wall. Two clockwork humanoids man two of four stools, working on some pieces of crystal. They seem to notice you, but refuse to be interrupted.

   
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at the two figures for a moment, then back to the party. He shrugs, clearly expressing his cluelessness on how to proceed...
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt is reminded of the past when they had just arrived. " All these contraptions remind me of that eye like machination we encountered on our first day. Does anyone else think there might be a connection between the two? "
farothel
 "Greetings,"  Laurelata said in the ancient Aztlanti that seemed to be the language here.  She had been studying it and while her accent was probably terrible, she was sure she could be understood.
 "What are you making?" 

She looked at the stuff they were working on, trying to figure out what it was.
u-b
The clockwork humanoid closer to you takes pause with its work, turns to you and responds in Azlanti.  "You are trespassing. You are not authorized to receive information. You are required to leave immediately. The security has been alerted. If you don't leave now, you will be removed by force."  It does not immediately resume its work, but instead seems to await your reaction.

Lookin at the things the humanoids were working on, Laurelata mostly sees pieces of... quartz? No raw quartz like it comes from prospectors, but various bits and pieces it seems.

 
 Spoiler 
Roll some skill having to do with the stuff (gems, minerals or suchlike) vs DC 15 or just appraise vs DC 20 (at +5 if you spend time handling the stuff, if they let you).
 
farothel
 "So where do we have to be to get permission,"  Laurelata asked, stalling for time while she tried to see what they were working on and what they were as well.  She had seen gems before, so she thought she should have some idea to what they were worth.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

appraise:  (1d20+8)[ 15 ] 
craft(clockwork) to get some idea of the abilities of the automatons:  (1d20+7)[ 11 ] 
 
u-b
The stones seem rather cheap, mostly chipped and flawed. They probably not worth a lot, and the work on them is not finished. Lightburn is not a great jeweler, but at least now he can identify the other smell here - it is the dust from polishing those stones, that is all he can tell. Meanwhile, Laurelata's question is met with a pause.  "Due to the emergency, only the personnel has permission to enter."  Then there is another pause.  "Only Spindle Solutions personnel is authorized to enter."  Apparently, something did not compute.

 
 Spoiler 
As for the abilities of these two. They look fairly advanced. May be fully reprogrammable, you think. Probably tougher than a human. Not much is really known by Laurelata.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri doesn't move from the doorway, his axe still in hand ready to commit violence if needed. "   So...I think I follow, but they aren't making sense...   " he says quietly as he tries to keep an eye on both the room they left and the room with the two construct workers...
farothel
 "We are Spindle Solutions personnel,"  Laurelata said with a straight face,  "we recently arrived.  Haven't they informed you of the new staff arrivals?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

in case it's needed against clockwork workers: bluff:  (1d20+6)[ 7 ] 
 
u-b
The clockwork humanoid takes another look past Laurelata at the two fishmen you've just murdered and seems totally unimpressed.  "You are not. All Spindle Solutions personnel has been evacuated."  Now something does not compute in Laurelata's head, if only for a moment...
Farmerbink
Jessica's furrowed brow finally seems to produce results.  She steps up, alongside Henri, and speaks up over the low hum of scraping and chipping caused by the automatons' actions.  " If what you say is true, " she begins- with just a little hesitance, "  anyone  here is trespassing, including yourselves.  It cannot be that everyone allowed to be here has been evacuated.  Perhaps more to the point, we  are  here to help.  I don't precisely know the nature of your emergency, but would offer my assistance, if you can please explain. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As per her usual, going for the "honey" method:  (1d20+9)[ 13 ]  diplomacy
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri continues to watch and listen, readying himself for violence when the "security" shows up...
u-b
The clockwork humanoid responds:  "We are not personnel. We are equipment. All personnel has been evacuated. There are trespassers. All trespassers must leave the facility."  Then, after a pause:  "All trespassers must leave the facility."  The clockwork humanoid seems either unwilling or unable to do much of explaining, you are not sure which.
farothel
 "How long ago was the evacuation,"  Laurelata asked next.  She wasn't sure what was going on here, but these were talking and she hoped that by stalling and asking questions, to get some information.
u-b
The clockwork humanoid responds:  "The evacuation was complete by 22 Lissa 13480, which was no less than 126 days ago, but we were switched off for some time, so it might have been longer." 
 
 Spoiler: Hewitt 
You know that Azlanti had their own calendar, and preparing for this trip you did some research. You remember that surviving records date the Earthfall as occuring on or around 18 Zura 13480, which is year -5239 AR...
 
Farmerbink
Jessica blinks, almost instinctively beginning to do the math in her head.  " That's...  Well, it was definitely much,  much  longer.  I'm quite confident we need not worry about security- at least, not of the living sort... "  She peers curiously into the room, taking the time to consider what she sees fairly carefully.  For only a moment, she directs her words to the constructs once more.  " Your last instructions were given thousands of years ago.  Is there an end point to them? "

 " I don't know if those two will attack us, or indeed if they can make any choices at all, but they're talking about an event that happened some 10,000 years ago.  I wouldn't  completely  disregard the threat of security, but it seems very likely to be mechanical if it still exists.  Henri, would you see if they'll interfere with going to that door? "   She points unobtrusively towards the door on the far wall, hoping to direct his efforts but not alert the constructs.

 "  Wait!    she whispers, suddenly urgently, grabbing Henri by the shoulder.   " They were off for  thousands of years,  but only registered  126 days??   The  -" she visibly shivers, looking at the automatons wide-eyed.

" The first wave of colonists came here.  I'm  sure  of it. "
farothel
 "How long have you been switched on now,"  Laurelata asked.  She had heard Jessica speak, but she first wanted as much information as they could get.  And if they were in some sort of trap, it was too late anyway, but the information they got here could be very important.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri listens silently before nodding resolutely. He then walks to the next door deliberately and then tries to open it, keeping his axe in hand to defend himself...
SanguinePenguin
Taz stands vigilant as the clockwork men speak with Jessica and Laurelata in Azlanti.  She isn't really paying attention, when she suddenly realize she is following the conversation!  Either through those endless hours where those pedantic statues droned on and on or Jessica's constant talking to everyone and everthing about whatever, Taz seemed to have picked up enough Azlanti to follow along.

 "Are there more... trespassers not us? Err... other than us?"   Taz's pronounciation left much to be desired and her grammar needed work, but she managed to inject her own thoughts into the conversation.
DaOldeWolf
" How have you managed to stay well.... in working condition? Also, is anyone currently in charge here? " Hewitt decides to join the interrogation.
u-b
 "Our last instructions..."  then the other construct stands up from its work  "You are not authorized to ask questions. You are trespassers and must leave the facility."  but the first construct then makes what seems to Taz like an important correction...  " All  trespassers must leave the facility."  It seems the things are getting a bit tense here. Would you want to push it?
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne7141981 
 Henri listens silently before nodding resolutely. He then walks to the next door deliberately and then tries to open it, keeping his axe in hand to defend himself... 
 

From the next doorway Henri looks back as he opens the door, ignoring the protestations of the clockwork humanoids...
farothel
 "You're last instructions date from almost 10000 years ago,"  Laurelata said, trying to keep them occupied,  "everybody that ever worked here is dead.  We might actually be descendants of those people." 
u-b
Henri opens the door into what seems to be a dark chamber, mostly featureless except for a large ring of an unusual-looking metal embedded in the floor. Henri goes not get to examine the ring more closely as this is the time he gets punched in the breastplate with considerable force. The other clockwork also stands up and seems ready to defend itself from any aggression.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Clockwork humanoid vs Henri: (1d20+6)[16] (1d4+6)[8]
 

 =&gt; Party 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 1, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  26/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   Alright, that's enough,   " grunts Henri as his armor stops the attack from the construct-man. "   Boring conversation anyway...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 13 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 39 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 13 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 43 ]  critical strike damage.
 
farothel
 'That's so unexpected,'  Laurelata said as she whipped out her rapier, moved in and tried to poke the automaton in a spot where it would shut down.  She also tried to see if they had a way to 'switch them off' as they said.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 1 

draw rapier and 5ft step to move in.  Then attack  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  the automaton in front of me for damage ( (1d6+3)[ 6 ] ) (I don't know if they are susceptible to it, but if they are: sneak attack  (2d6)[ 6 ] 
looking for a way to shut them down: craft (clockwork)  (1d20+7)[ 24 ]  or perception:  (1d20+9)[ 13 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica focuses through her divine bond, and reaches out to the thread connecting her to Lightburn.  " If you can get on the table, I can bless your efforts, " she speaks- without opening her eyes.  The eidolon feels a gentle pulse of the divine as Jessica calls upon her connection to Shelyn.

  Lightburn gains  Touch of Good:  +1 to most d20 rolls  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
 Supernatural Abilities: 
 Augery 2/2 (weekly)
 Inner beauty: 1/1
 Alter self: 1/1
 Channel energy: 5/8, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  All allies, including Lightburn
  -Touch of good: 4/5
  -Bit of Luck: 3/5
 Consumables: 
 Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 Spells: 
 Bless: 1/1
 Protection from Evil: 1/1
 Unprepared slots: 1

Use Touch of Good on Lightburn.  We're close enough I don't need to use the caravan bond, but I want to start writing that because it's the only thing I really get for not having armor- so it's kind of important. XD
 
SanguinePenguin
Reaching inward, Taz grasps her power source.  Whatever strength she could grab it worth before, she could feel herself holding onto it more tightly.  The power surged through her... and it  hurt .  It felt like standing in rushing river, but her very being was in danger of being swept away.  Whatever force kept her mortal coil solidified was in danger of giving out.  Part of her knew she could grasp on more tightly, it would hurt more - so much more - but she could draw more power if she needed.

She could feel her hair and clothes getting wet and water dripped off of her as she stepped forward after Laurelata.  With a contained shout through clenched teeth, she launched a blast past the other woman and at the far automata.  The power behind the shot nealy threw her off balance, as it was so much more forceful that anything she had experienced yet.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: take (and store) one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: to where Laurelata was
Standard: water blast on the far clockwork man (through cover likely)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 21 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 18 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn nods and jumps in to attack following the suggestion given by Jessica. Hewitt decides to not waste the little magic he has left yet and just observes.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite :  (1d20+4)[ 18 ]  Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 
 
u-b
Henri swings his greataxe around, hitting the desk, the shelf, and not much else. Laurelata cannot see a visible switch anywhere on the clockwork hunamoid. The closest thing she can see is a rectangular plate held in place with four screws that seen to have no other purpose than to be unscrewed. You would be screwed trying to get it unscrewed in the circumstances. Laurelata tries to stab it, but she spent too much attention on hitting this rectangular plate and forgot to take in the account that a telegraphed attack would be too easy to defend against, which the clockwork hunamoid easily does. Jessica stands in the back, aiding the others however she can. Tazmara gets herself and the surroundings noticiably wet and blasts a hole in the chest of the  far  clockwork hunamoid. This reveals quite a lot of internal structure and gears and such, but so far something in it is still working. Lightburn gets in, jumps on the table, avoiding incoming attack, and makes an attempt to bite the nearest clockwork hunamoid. Biting the metal feels unlike biting some living thing, but at least the metal bends, so it should be effective. The clockworks attack, but only the western one is able to actually hit Lightburn in the chest, breaking a rib, it seems, as it hurts quite a lot. The eastern one again hits Henri's armor.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Slam: (1d20+6)[12] for (1d4+6)[8] AoO Lightburn
Slam: (1d20+6)[18] for (1d4+6)[8] Lightburn
Slam: (1d20+6)[12] for (1d4+6)[9] Henri
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
When Taz blew off the plate, Laurelata noticed the clockwork inside.  So she stabbed at that, trying to get her rapier into the cogs to block them and hopefully doing a lot of damage.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 2 

Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
 
Farmerbink
" Henri, I'm with you! " Jessica calls, channeling her divine power into the conduit between them.

  Henri gains  Touch of Good:  +1 to most d20 rolls  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
 Supernatural Abilities: 
 Augery 2/2 (weekly)
 Inner beauty: 1/1
 Alter self: 1/1
 Channel energy: 5/8, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  All allies, including Lightburn
  -Touch of good: 3/5
  -Bit of Luck: 3/5
 Consumables: 
 Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 Spells: 
 Bless: 1/1
 Protection from Evil: 1/1
 Unprepared slots: 1

Use touch of good on Henri
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 2, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  26/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
Touch of Good
 

Henri's nod is the only recognition he affords to Jessica, though he seems intent to use her blessing to good effect...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 12 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 10 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 19 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 28 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 23 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 14 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 38 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn is hurt but keep on going. "  I wont fail.  " Lightburn claims trying to shrug off the damage and keeping fighting. He goes to attack the automaton that hurt him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite attack  (1d20+4)[ 11 ]  Damage :  (1d6+2)[ 3 ] 
 
SanguinePenguin
Maintaining her hold on the power source becomes easier, but the feeling is still quite intense for Tazmara.  The physiological consequences, mostly a wetting of everything on her, remain strong.  As a puddle begins to pull at her feet, she launches another powerful blast at the closer autonoma.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast on the closer clockwork man (through cover likely)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 19 ]  (cover not included)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 18 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Laurelata stabs the nearest clockwork humanoid for  5  damage. Jessica blesses Henri's attack, which goes wide anyway. Lightburn's attack goes wide too. A powerful stream of water blasts past Laurelata, past two clockwork humanoids, past Henri, and into the eastern wall. The clockwork humanoids fight back. The eastern fumbles on wet floor and comes nowhere close to hitting Henri. The western does much better. It hits Laurelata in the chest. Hard. Having taken  9  damage, Laurelata doubts she would be able to do any fighting after another hit like this.

 
 Spoiler 
Slam: (1d20+6)[23] for (1d4+6)[9]
Slam: (1d20+6)[7] for (1d4+6)[9]

 I see that neither Hewitt nor Lightburn have been updated when the party hit level 3.
I would like them updated some time before Spring. 
 

 =&gt; Party 
Farmerbink
" Shelyn, protect us! " Raising her symbol high, Jessica calls down a pulse of warm, healing energy

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 3 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  2,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  14,  Fort  4,  Ref  1,  Will  5,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  1
 Glaive   +3 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +3/+2 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
 Supernatural Abilities: 
 Augery 2/2 (weekly)
 Inner beauty: 1/1
 Alter self: 1/1
 Channel energy: 4/8, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  All allies, including Lightburn
  -Touch of good: 3/5
  -Bit of Luck: 3/5
 Consumables: 
 Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 Spells: 
 Bless: 1/1
 Protection from Evil: 1/1
 Unprepared slots: 1

Channel energy for  (2d6)[ 6 ]  HP to everyone but the machines
 
farothel
Laurelata screamed when she was hit, but she quickly regained her senses when Jessica's healing energy revitalised her.  Going at it again, she tried to hit the construct again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 3 

Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/15,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 3, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  26/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
Touch of Good
 

With a grunt of frustration Henri swings his two-handed axe again, trying to connect with the water-slick constructs.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 18 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 37 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 20 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 39 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt stays back still wanting to keep the last of his magic. Lightburn in the meantime keeps fighting the automatons with fierce determination.


 
 Originally Posted by u-b 
  
 Spoiler 
Slam: (1d20+6)[23] for (1d4+6)[9]
Slam: (1d20+6)[7] for (1d4+6)[9]

 I see that neither Hewitt nor Lightburn have been updated when the party hit level 3.
I would like them updated some time before Spring. 
 

 =&gt; Party  
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Attack (bite):  (1d20+4)[ 6 ]  Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 

I have the changes up in private, I am just waiting till the end of in game day to update the changes. 😁
 
SanguinePenguin
The pain subsists and, from her frustration at missing her target, Taz emits a half-growl, half-scream through her clenched teeth.  "RRRROAAAAAAWWWWWW,"  she fires another blast and gains a bit more control of the feelings,  "WWWLLLllll...." 
 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 3 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast on the closer clockwork man (through cover likely)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 19 ]  (cover not included)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Jessica heals the wounded companions, which seems to be a good move  as  everyone fumbles, misses or just gets their attack narrowly dodged resulting basically in the same thing, which is getting a prolonged one-sided fight. The other side does not seem to be made to cause excessive amounts of damage however, even if it manages to hit more or less consistently. Henri gets punched in the shoulder for  7  damage, but at this rate is not in danger of dying anytime soon. Laurelata has more success defending herself, though to be sure the clockwork was somewhat distracted by Lightburn.

 
 Spoiler 
Slam: (1d20+6)[18] for (1d4+6)[7]
Slam: (1d20+6)[8] for (1d4+6)[8]
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
 "Stand still and die already,"  Laurelata shouted as she tried to destroy the automaton.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 4 

Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 18 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/15,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
SanguinePenguin
The intensity of the source back under her control, Taz breathes heavily before firing another shot past Laurelata and at the second clockwork man.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 4 
Posting quickly while I have a minute to preempt holding the game up in a few days.

Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast on the further clockwork man (through cover likely)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 16 ]  (cover not included)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 17 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 4, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  19/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   Damn it...   " growls Henri as he tries, yet again, to connect with his two-handed axe...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 22 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 41 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 21 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 22 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 37 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn keeps trying his best to keep the automatons busy. He roars as he opens his maw to shred one of them apart.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite:  (1d20+4)[ 14 ]  Damage  (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata gets the nearest clockwork pierced through the torso. The rapier does not penetrate too deep, but there is a satisfying grinding sound, so that should be some good. Tazmara blasts another jet of hyper-accelerated water past everyone. The good thing was it hit neither Laurelata nor Henri. The bad thing was it did not hit the clockworks. The eastern wall seems to suffer again, gaining more pits, but who cares... Not Henri, for sure. The half-orc finally does away with the new tradition of every serious attack missing and hits the eastern clockwork man across the chest, cutting it deep all the way and scattering the gears across the floor from the body that seems finally unable to function. Lightburn keeps attacking the other one, but the target defends. The clockwork man tries to punch Laurelata in the face, but the elf only had to lean back a little for the blow to pass by.

 
 Spoiler 
Slam: (1d20+6)[9] for (1d4+6)[10]
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
With the target still not destroyed, Laurelata attacked again, trying to get the one cog that would destroy the whole.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Laurelate round 5 

Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 9 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/15,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 5, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  19/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   That's better!   " Henri says with a smirk before he slashes at the remaining construct.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power attack and then attack: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 17 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 40 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO if applicable: Greataxe  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 21 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 20 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 42 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
" Just one more, guys! " Hewitt cheered from behind. Lightburn kept on fighting and ganging up on the last enemy.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite:  (1d20+4)[ 8 ] 
Damage  (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 
 
SanguinePenguin
With the first one fallen, Taz gets a blast of optimism,  "nice... hit, Hen.. ri!"   Her speaking is still a bit strained and she scowls when his next attack goes wide, but she launches a blast at the space the clockwork man shifted into.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 5 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast on the remaining clockwork man (through cover likely)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 21 ]  (cover not included)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 20 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Laurelata makes a  good  stab for once, bending a couple gears inside the clockwork man's torso and seemingly paralyzing an arm. Henri makes a swing from another side, but the target seems wary enough of that axe after whai it just did, so ducks and evades. Lightburn's jaws close up on a point in the air and then, just as the clockwork man was raising up after ducking, a super-speed jet of water comes in, comes  in , and lots of gears come  out . Henri barely manages to raise an elbow in time to prevent getting a face-full of parts. He gets all wet though. The two clockwork men are on the floor, gutted and perfectly still.
farothel
 "Now that was interesting,"  Laurelata said as she went through the gears to see how they were build and to see if there was something interesting they might be able to use, maybe to make something that could watch out at night.  That way they could use less guards if they had some sort of clockwork guard.
u-b
Laurelata looks at the damaged duo. The one Tazmara splattered is clearly beyond repair. There is an intact head and two intact legs, but everything else is a total write-off. The one finished by Henri seems to fare better. You guess it would be possible to fix it, with a proper clockwork team in a proper clockwork lab in, like, a matter of months. Failing that, you have two arms, two legs and a head. The most promising parts are the heads. Laurelata is not sure whether they were the seats of consciousness, but they clearly have sensory gear, so maybe you could try to use that.

 
 Spoiler 
Know (arcana or engineering) 20 to say where they had the equivalent of their brains.
Craft (clockwork) 20 to make a head work (either as motion detector or as a complete construct, depending on the above). The same at +2 to do it on another head if the first one is a success. Each attempt takes a day and you can try more than once. There are limits of how many attempts you can make though: the heads have  (1d10)[ 3 ]  and  (1d10)[ 6 ]  hit points respectively and a failed attempt does 1d4-1 damage to the head.
Your call on how you want to use arms and legs. They have similar hit points and clearly no cognitive ability.
 
farothel
 "I might be able to get one of the heads working again,  Laurelata said,  "although I probably need the workshop here.  It might be interesting to have one on a guard tower at the village as a night guard, programmed to sound the alarm if something come around.  But it will be a long term project.  I think we best let these here for now and continue exploring.  We have to come back this way anyway and we can still take them with us then without having to carry them all the time." 
Farmerbink
" What a bizarre development, " Jessica comments.  " Were they even truly self-aware, or just... content to repeat some series of instructions forever? "  She wonders at the fallen machines, her thoughts interrupted by Laurelata's commentary.  " Oh, really?  That...  uh... I  think  that would be good? "  She considers the constructs for a time, trying to make sense of the visible parts.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Know arcana?  (1d20+5)[ 14 ] 
 


As Laurelata does likewise, and Henri keeps guard, Jessica's curiosity turns sour.  " I didn't really expect for any of these parts to make sense to me, so I shouldn't be disappointed, " she murmurs.  " Still, I can't help but feel like these could provide a wealth of information, if only we can figure out how to get at it.... "
DarkOne-Rob
With a definitive motion Henri begins to shake off the water soaking his form, apparently not too bothered but also not wanting to squeak around as he walks. He dumps out both boots, one at a time, as the others inspect the fallen constructs before setting his attention back to the next door...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
After hearing Laurelata´s plan, Hewitt decides that he needs to assist on the subject matter too. " This sounds like a job for me, our magical expert. Lets see if I can help bring light on the subject. I will even use my last spell to help our goal. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Casting Identify:
Know. Arcana roll:  (1d20+6)[ 14 ] 
Spellcraft roll:  (1d20+16)[ 22 ] 
 
farothel
Laurelata looked on as Hewitt checked out the magical stuff.  While she wasn't a mage, not by a long shot, she had some interest in magic and knew a few small tricks.  And she hoped she could be able to at least partially rebuild some of them, so any information was good.
u-b
The door leading north from the eastern part of this room is closed, but does not appear to be trapped. The constructs... well, you don't  know  much about them, but Hewitt is able to make some sense about the magics involved. It seems the constructs were not purely mechanical.  Mostly  mechanical, but not totally so. Hewitt  thinks  those and now broken  things  placed deep in the torsos behind thick removable covers were the seats of consciousness of those constructs. He thinks so because the heads seem not up to the task. Still, heads are, too, not purely mechanical and seem like they can do some processing too. Weak one though. Hewitt would speculate that the constructs would remain somewhat functional without the things in the torsos... mindless or such, but capable of  something . And those things in the torsos might even have been optional. If so, this is good news, because a sensor as a mostly mindless programmable creature should be much more capable than a sensor utilized raw. Oh, and the limbs are totally dumb. Pure mechanical function. Hewitt is much more sure of that than of anything else.
DaOldeWolf
hewitt tries his best to explain himself to Laurelata about what he could analyze and deduct of the automatons. " I hope this information helps you out on the construction of such beings. If you want, I would gladly assist in the creation of such beings. " Hewitt replies trying to offer as much assistance as possible.
farothel
 "Sure, but that's going to be a long term project,"  Laurelata said,  "let's get back to exploring.  Maybe we get really lucky and find manuals for these things.  That would help a lot.  Anything up there, Henri?" 

She left the parts where they were for now as they were too heavy to lug around and they had to get back this way anyway, so they could pick them up then.  She moved to the door Henri had been looking at.
Farmerbink
Jessica eyes Henri a bit warily.  As Laurelata approaches the closed door, she speaks up.  " Hold, just a moment please.  I've still got access to much of Shelyn's power for today, so it seems prudent to use it. "  Smiling warmly, she conjures another comforting pulse of energy, happy to see some of her allies' injuries lessen.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
This is my 5th of 8 for today, leaving 3 more.

 (2d6)[ 4 ]  HP to everyone
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri smiles at the now-familiar feeling of healing flowing through him, nodding gratefully at Jessica. He shrugs at the questions and moves forward to deliberately open the door and see what is on the other side...
u-b
Henri opens the door. Behind it is a single dark and featureless chamber with a large and unusual-looking metal circle embedded into the floor. It seems... not quite decorated as the ornamentation seems more like schematic or algorithm... at least it seems to be annotated to some extent, in Azlanti.

 
 Spoiler: If you spend some time to read it 
The thing seems to be a test rig for the constructs created or serviced here. The text briefly describes, without explaining, how to use the thing to achieve this and that, but mostly diagnostics. The thing you  can  immediately make sense of is "detect magic" mode, where everything placed inside the circle shines, to everyone, as if it was under effect of the spell. There are more modes of operation, but you'll have to spend even more time here, fiddling with some actual construct to really understand how they work.
 
farothel
 "I really start thinking of claiming this place,"  Laurelata said,  "there's a lot of interesting stuff here.  So what more do we have." 
She looks closer at the construct.  She's not going to spend hours looking at things, but some time to figure out the main stuff the things does.
Farmerbink
Jessica immediately starts approaching the written notes.  Listening to Laurelata on her way, she chuckles.  " I don't know.  Though the inhabitants have long-since passed on, it seems we'll have to fight for it, regardless. "

As she's given a few moments to read the notes, she quickly discovers them to be instructional in nature.  " Interesting...  If I- wait, everyone back away for a moment.  It occurs to me that even following the rules could be more dangerous than it...  should.  "  She gives her allies a moment to get a few paces clearance, before turning her attention back to the ring.

" I  think  this will make any magical items inside the circle appear as such- even to people who usually can't use the spell or see the auras.... "  She carefully places a small potion from her pack in the ring, and aligns the knobs according to the writings.

" If I understand it right, there's a.... well, we don't precisely have a word for this in common, but it's a word that roughly means "finding out what's wrong."  It applies to.... complicated things- machines, like those figures in the last room.  You could put them here and it would tell you why it wasn't working right.  Of course,  now  it would probably say 'because you smashed it all up,' but if it was... not horribly broken, it might provide useful information. "  As she tinkers, she quickly finds the discovery to be quite invigorating.  " We aren't really in a hurry, are we?  Let's see what it says, anyway! "   
 Spoiler: OOC 
Assuming the party doesn't object, Jessica will go ahead and take the biggest portion of the destroyed constructs and place it in the circle, attempting to use the ring's diagnostic settings.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt adds " I really want to know what happened here. There is so much history waiting to be unvelied here. I just wish there were some records from the creators of this place. Anything that could help piece together the past of this advanced civilization. " Hewiit decides to observe to Jesssica´s actions wondering if this will actually work.
u-b
You set the metal ring on the floor to detect magic and place a potion inside. It shines as it should, and then continues to shine until you remove it from the circle. Those of you without magical ability now have first-hand experience of what an aura looms like, whatever good that experience might be. Then you set it to construct diagnostics mode and use it on an effectively destroyed construct. In fact, there are more than one mode, so you cycle them all. By the end of this you have the following info:
1. It is a clockwork servant, a generic humanoid model, sapient, S/N SS13454-121.
2. It is currently non-operational. The malfinctioning parts are: &lt;a rather long list&gt;.
3. To repair it, replacing the following parts is recommended: &lt;one part number&gt; (you scratch your heads on this, then decide this must be the whole torso assembly).
4. The service manual for this model should be at shelf location 4.7 at this facility (you check the shelf in the next room, where there  is  such a number, but at the specified location there's nothing but dust).

 
 Spoiler 
If you want more specific info, roll something apropriate (like engineering or clockwork) vs DC 10 to get it.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica looks up from the empty shelf with an unreadable expression.  " I...  I don't know what to say! " she admits, with something like excitement.  " I honestly didn't even expect to find this shelf, though perhaps I should have.  It seems obvious the...  creators here were meticulously detailed in their efforts- including the storage of instructions. "  She glances longingly at the ruined construct.  " Just fascinating, " she finally murmurs.

Content that there isn't more  she  can learn from the situation, she looks to her companions.  " Any other ideas, or should we press on?  I'm still pretty convinced we'll find  some  sign of the first wave further in.  There's just no better explanation for that bit about '126 days ago.' "
farothel
Laurelata was quite impressed with the machine and tried to figure out some more information.  It was very interesting and if she ever wanted to make these kinds of automatons herself, she would need a machine like this.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

craft(clockwork):  (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata fiddles with the controls, tunes the readings... well, it does turns out that building these machines is quite easy, whatever good does this knowledge give you: you just take a few parts with the specified part numbers, assemble them together just as described in a certain part of the nonexistent manual, and presto! Having no contracts with relevant suppliers, Laurelata dives deeper. The circle readily displays that any of those part numbers can be assembled from a number of other part numbers, also according to the same manual. She learns that some spells must be cast to make this thing work - the parts can be ordered with them pre-cast or thay can be cast on-site. Laurelata dives deeper again. And again. Well, it ends with part numbers. Nowhere it says how to produce the smallest parts. All that she gets are references to documentation. Laurelata spends an hour diving through this and gets much better understanding of now the heads work (she's mostly interested in the heads how that she knows the information is incomplete), what are their most common malfunction modes and stuff like that.

 
 Spoiler 
+2 to work with those heads. The spells mentioned are  geas/quest ,  make whole  and  fox’s cunning  (the later being optional).

You can roll spellcraft or arcana 15 to see if you have other ideas.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches the proceedings patiently but keeps an eye and ear out for signs of threats throughout the hour-long investigation of the strange circle.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt also decides to watch everything with Lightburn. " This is very fascinating. I kind of wonder what other marvelous things they were capable creating. " Lightburn nods in agreement.
farothel
 "True,"  Laurelata said, turning away from the circle,  "but I think we might better continue our investigation of the building.  This we can come back to easily and maybe we find some manuals or other interesting things that can help us later." 
She won't continue the investigation of the circle for now, but having made some notes, she will continue after they inspected the rest of the building.
u-b
You proceed to the stairs, which, in fact, turn out to be a ramps, and rather steep ones. Lightburn quietly warns you about a fishman ahead. You prepare for combat and advance with care. You do not see any fishman, but then a shadow appears on the floor and a fishman casting that shadow reaches down from above with a glaive to chop at the head of whoever is in the lead...

 
 Spoiler 
   
I am not sure who is in the lead, so go ahead and choose the victim. He will be in AW18.

Fishman init: (1d20+6)[23]
Party leader init: (1d20)[5] (+X)

Fishman glaive: (1d20+11)[27] for (1d10+7)[16] (incl. higher ground; vs full armor, but will hit anyway)

The fisherman has lover body covered: +4 cover vs reach weapons, +8 cover vs non-reach weapons, +2 cover vs projectiles. You can fight on these terms, retreat, move forward while provoking AoOs, duck down out of reach (halves your speed and requires a withdraw maneuver to do safely), attack his weapon or invent something else. The guy seems competent enough and his glaive is very well made. The slope is  not  difficult terrain, you cannot run upwards, but can otherwise move normally.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 1, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  7/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"  Gah! Back down!  " groans Henri as the creature's glaive cuts deep and his wounds threaten to overwhelm him. "  If we can talk him down, do it, but I need healing before I try to charge past his guard!  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri is (suddenly) in single digits. Would like to retreat back down, using a withdraw action to duck down out of reach. He needs healing before charging up through an enemy guarding with a reach weapon...
 
farothel
Laurelata fired an arrow at the guy to cover Henri's retreat and also to make the critter think about other things than taking out Henri.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 1 


shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  (cover not taken into account in the roll, will normally be done in the AC if I'm not mistaken)
damage:  (1d8+1)[ 3 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 9 ]  extra damage if the target is evil)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
Laurelata shoots "somewhere that way" and everyone retreats back to the ground floor. You are not pursued. From where you are, you do not see the fishman. You also no longer see his glaive. Everything seems to be rather quiet as Henri continues to drip more blood on the floor.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt wonders about how and if they should proceed. " It seems like there is going to be more resistance up ahead. I just hope we have enough resources. I am out of my strongest magic. "
SanguinePenguin
Taz stares up the steps, bracing herself to fire when the creature charges.  When no pursuit comes, she drops her guard.   "That is a challenging ambush... Hewitt - could you summon a creature to take the hit?" 
Farmerbink
" Here, Henri.  Let me help, " Jessica murmurs as she approaches her injured companion.  Scowling, she calls upon another blessing of Shelyn.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
converting protection from evil into CLW:  (1d8+3)[ 4 ]  HP.   Then channeling for  8  HP   Still 2 channels remaining.
 


" That would be fortunate if we can, Hewitt.  It would save precious healing, though I understand Lightburn would have to... uh... wait?  Somewhere else? "  Clearly, Jessica isn't quite clear on the details, but recalls their earlier conversations well enough.
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 2, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  19/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

As his wounds seal up Henri looks better, though still not fully whole. With a glare he looks up the ramp towards his unseen attacker. "   Summons? Better than one of us taking a strike like that one...   " he growls unhappily.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri will hang tight, ready to defend anyone that gets attacked.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt nods. " Thanks for the assistance, Lightburn but we might need a distraction right about now. I´ll see if I can call you later back. Thanks for everything for the time being. " Hewitt gently pats Lightburn in the forehead before dismissing it. " As for the creature, I suppose a wolf should suffice. " Hewitt then uses his summon monster ability to call forth a celerstial wolf. " Go and attack the fishman awaiting ahead, please. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If it manages to find and reach the fishman on its turn, here is the attack roll (bite)  (1d20+2)[ 6 ] 
Damage  (1d6+1)[ 2 ] 
 
u-b
The wolf hurries forward, up the ramp, to the right and out of sight. You hear a thud, a short yelp, and then silence.

 
 Spoiler 
If you want to follow, roll initiative. Rolls of 12+ get full round worth of actions, everybody else gets standard action this round.
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
Laurelata had switched to her rapier and as soon as the wolf left, she followed, staying as close to the wall as possible to get up before their enemies could recover.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 1 

move up following the wolf.
If I can get to an enemy: attack  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ]  (if sneak attack applies:  (2d6)[ 6 ] 
If not, double move to get into close combat.

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
Farmerbink
" Hurry,  hurry!  " Jessica urges.  Following the summoned wolf and Laurelata up the ramp, she moves to engage with the fishman with perhaps surprising assertiveness.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 2/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  (5/5) All allies, currently not including Lightburn
Touch of good: 3/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 0/1
Unprepared slots: 1

Move and attack seems the prudent play:
 (1d20+4)[ 16 ]  glaive
  (1d20+4)[ 14 ]  crit confirmation (24) 
 (1d10+3)[ 13 ]  damage
  (2d10+6)[ 14 ]  crit bonus damag e
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 1(?), Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  19/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

With a shrug Henri hustles up the ramp behind the wolf, intent on violence once he gets to the top...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
I don't think Henri can get into melee range, but if he can, he will. Power Attack with Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 23 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 43 ]  critical strike damage
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz sprints up after everyone else and positions herself at the far side of the room ready to strike.

 
 Spoiler 
Double move, stand away from agressors
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt stays in the back of the party for the moment especially in case te summon was dismissed and he needed to cast another one.
u-b
The fishman seemingly did not expect this kind of charge, but it still takes some time to get around to reach him, so by the time you do that he is ready to act once again. He makes a step back and to his left, puting himself against a bookshelf on one side and the outer wall on another. He swings the glaive at Henri and the best the half-orc manages is to get a glancing blow against his breastplate. The fishman seems less than happy by that.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Fishman glaive: (1d20+11)[17] for (1d10+7)[12]

Hewitt  is at the bottom of AV18.
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
 "Let's swarm it,"  Laurelata said as she moved closer cautiously and tried to stab the fishman.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 2 

free action: 5ft step to AV19
attack  (1d20+5)[ 14 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 2, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  19/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

With a grim nod Henri moves forward, deliberately taking any attacks from the enemy so his allies can help him surround the attacker. He raises his axe high for an overhand strike!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri will move to  AT-19  (likely incurring an AoO) and Power Attack with his Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 17 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 38 ]  critical strike damage
 
SanguinePenguin
With a grunt, Taz draws in a bit more power and launches a powerful blast of water attempting to shove the fishman onto uncertain footing.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: channel
Standard: pushing infusion water blast on the fishman (attempt push to AT18)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 9 ]  (cover not included if needed)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
(if attack hits) bull rush:  (1d20+8)[ 14 ]  (cover not relevant)

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
" Can anyone see if the summoned wolf is still there? " Hewitt requests as he waits to see if there is going to be the need for another summon.
u-b
Laurelata's attack  almost  gets the fishman, but he dodges enough for the rapier to just glance off his scales. With the fishman's back to the wall and his near side covered, Henri decides to cut the fishman's possible retreat and cover the other side. He catches a nasty blow by the glaive for  11  damage and, berely holds himself together while swinging the axe, which results in a wide enough miss. A jet of water speeds past the combatants and hits the bookshelf. This causes some damage, but not to anyone involved, which might be good or bad depending on how you look at it. The fishman, locked into close combat, drops the glaive and attacks Henri with both claws and teeth, landing only the bite, but for a solid chunk of Henri's cheek, causing  7  damage and prompting an urgent reevaluation of the situation at hand.

 
 Spoiler 
Fishman glaive AoO (1d20+11)[25] for (1d10+7)[11]
Claw (1d20+7)[8] for (1d4+2)[5]
Claw (1d20+7)[13] for (1d4+2)[3]
Bite (1d20+7)[19] for (1d6+2)[7]

Henri is at AT19. Laurelata is at AV19, the others don't really move.
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
Trying to distract the critter from Henri, Laurelata attacked again.
 "Try to get to the other side,"  she shouted to the others,  "so it has to split its attention." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC round 2 

move action: speak
attack  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 3, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  1/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

With gritted teeth Henri grunts, "  Healing, please!  " as he waits for a chance to strike at the enemy. Once any healing is delivered he swings his axe and then steps back, out of melee.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Delay turn until Jessica (hopefully) delivers some healing, somehow.

Then he uses Power Attack with his Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 23 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 13 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 43 ]  critical strike damage.

Finally, 5-ft step to  AS20 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica dutifully calls upon shelyn once more to heal everyone but the nearby fishman.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 1/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  (5/5) All allies, currently not including Lightburn
Touch of good: 3/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 1/1
Protection from Evil: 0/1
Unprepared slots: 1

 (2d6)[ 6 ]  HP
 
SanguinePenguin
With the fishman's polearm discarded, Taz moves forward toward the fray and launches another jet of water at the fishman from a better angle.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 3 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: to AV20
Standard: water blast on the fishman
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 7 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 16 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Laurelata stabs the fishman in the chest for  8  damage. Henri also hits, but is too busy breaking the contact and so the wound caused by a mighty swing is long, but not too deep, for "only"  13  damage. Jessica channels in   6   healing, but if things go at current rate, that seems nowhere close to enough. Taz repositions herself and blasts another powerful jet of water straight at the bookshelf. The fishman picks up the glaive to swing it at Henri...

 
 Spoiler 
Laurelata can make an AoO, which normally would not be enough, and then...

Fishman glaive: (1d20+10)[23] for (1d10+7)[16]

Ouch. Henri out.

   
 

 =&gt; Party 
farothel
Clearly her distraction hadn't worked, although she did try to take it out, by trying to stab it when it picked up its weapon and then again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 3 

AoO:  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  for damge:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
attack  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  for damge:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 4, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP   -10 /30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Prone and dying
 

Henri collapses from his wounds, bleeding on the floor.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
To stabilize (DC 10 Constitution Check with a penalty = to negative HPs):  (1d20-7)[ -2 ] 

Edit: failed, so he lost another HP and is at -10 HPs. Five rounds from death...
 
SanguinePenguin
After the fishman picks up the glaive and drops Henri, Taz clenches her teeth in anger.  The creature branishes the glaive at her in an aggressive fashion.  Not wanting to get hit, she considers jumping back, but instead dashes forward firing a shot when just inches from the fishman.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 4 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
5 ft step to AU19
Standard: water blast on the fishman
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 24 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 13 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt makes a new summon to assist his companions. Once again summons a celestial wolf and asks it to move forward and attack the fishman ahead.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite:  (1d20+2)[ 16 ]  Damage:  (1d6+1)[ 6 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata did not quite expect the fishman to pick up the glaive again just after he dropped it, so she was not prepared to seize the opportunity, and when that glaive is  used  for good effect, she finds herself even less prepared be the only melee person to face that opponent, waving her rapier somewhere his way, with the effect of achieving nothing... but then Tazmara joins in and blasts a hole in the fishman's side for  13  damage, the thinly dilluted blood and dispersed parts of intestines splattering everywhere... the fishman gets a bite of her, for  4  damage, dealing not nearly as much as he got. Then even more reinforcements appear - a wolf, and bithing solid chunk of fishman's leg, for  6  damage, and you start to see some shadow of doubt... not so much on your opponent's "face", but by his stance and such. He drops the glaive again, and goes all-in against Tazmara... he deals  6  and  10  and  3 , clawing and biting the dwarf, like, all over... and then you are washed by a wave of healing energy, for   8   - not quite keeping with the rate of damage you are suffering, but clearly much better than nothing, and sort of giving you hope...

 
 Spoiler 
Bite AoO (1d20+7)[15] for (1d6+2)[4]
Claw (1d20+7)[18] for (1d4+2)[6]
Claw (1d20+7)[27] for (1d4+2)[4]
Crit (1d20+7)[24] for (1d4+2)[6]
Bite (1d20+7)[15] for (1d6+2)[3]

Channel (2d6)[8]  (I'm spending one for Jessica) 
   
 

 =&gt; Party (but Henri is still out) 
farothel
This was clearly not going well, but now it would be difficult to withdraw.  Feeling the healing energy, Laurelata knew Henri would be okay, so she could concentrate on getting this enemy out of the way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 4 

attack  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  for damge:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
Farmerbink
" Finish him quickly! " Jessica calls urgently.  For the first time in her adult life, she can feel that her connection with Shelyn has been tapped- she's simply not capable of drawing further upon the pure energy of her goddess' power.  Instead, she considers the morning's meditation and abandons her last prepared spell.  " Henri, we need you!! " she comments, almost frantically, as she converts a blessing into pure holy energy.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 4 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 0/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond:  (5/5) All allies, currently not including Lightburn
Touch of good: 3/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
Bless: 0/1
Protection from Evil: 0/1
Unprepared slots: 1

converting bless to CLW:  (1d8+3)[ 4 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Round 5, Henri's Status 
   Henri   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1 (+2 in Jungle),  HP  2/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

With a grunt Henri's eyes open. He looks up from the floor, realizes the danger he's (still) in, and rolls away from the enemy before trying to get back to his feet!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Crawling away (which incurs an AoO...his AC will be at 14 while prone...) to  AR21 . If he makes it there without being dropped again he will stand.


 
 Originally Posted by PRD 
  Crawling 
You can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Crawling incurs attacks of opportunity from any attackers who threaten you at any point of your crawl. A crawling character is considered prone and must take a move action to stand up, provoking an attack of opportunity. 
 
 
SanguinePenguin
Reeling from her nascent injuries, Taz jumps back and fires another powerful blast at the fishman.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 5 
Free: maintain point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
5 ft step to AU20
Standard: water blast on the fishman
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 17 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 20 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  23,  Init  2,  HP  18/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Your coordinated efforts finally get the fishman - a nice little hole in the chest and then said chest is literally blown apart by a super-speed jet of water. Both Laurelata and the wolf are splattered with what came out of the fishman. The wolf, actually, does not seem to mind, making a few more bites and chews if not stopped. The question is, what you do next...
DarkOne-Rob
Narrowly avoiding the gore splatter from where he stands, Henri gasps in obvious pain at his wounds. With a nod of thanks to Jessica he stows his axe and looks around. "   Is there anything more here planning to gut us?   " he asks quietly, the question partially rhetorical and partially serious, as he doesn't trust the unfamiliar magic/tech around them. "   We need to find a safe place to rest and stop. I can't take any more...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception: Take 20 for a  29  or  (1d20+9)[ 27 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica is visibly relieved when their foe falls.  As she hurries to Henri's side, and helps him rise, she nods and finds her own voice- a more flustered display than any have yet seen from her, even when she nearly died herself.  " I couldn't agree more.  Really, I must insist we find a way to rest.  If I have a few minutes, I can call upon Shelyn's power only one last time today- and not for anything extravagant.  We'll be well protected from the elements in here, and at least as defensible as anywhere else we've slept in weeks. "
farothel
 "Not a bad idea,"  Laurelata said, while checking if the fishman had anything interesting,  "Let's finish our recon of this floor and then set-up camp to the side where we can't be taken from behind." 

She would head to the double doors and listen to hear if there was movement behind them.  She would also check them for traps.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception on the door to hear:  (1d20+9)[ 17 ] 
perception for traps:  (1d20+11)[ 19 ] 
disable device if traps:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt finally reunites with the party. " Agreed. I am almost tapped out myself. And basic magic and a couple more summons aint going to make it far.... " Hewitt actually complains outloud.
u-b
Nothing animate seems to be active on this floor. Henri suspects the upper level is  not  empty, but cannot provide much in the way of details as the sounds are not very loud. The doors leading to the central room seem neither locked not trapped and even out of it there is a lot of stuff, including full shelves of books, but that would require time to sort out...
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks behind him, notes the lack of sound from that way, and walks around to check and find the dead end. He returns a moment later and gestures at the pair of doors. "   I'll listen, but if it sounds bad someone else needs to open it...or block it,   " he says as he leans down to listen.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception  (1d20+9)[ 18 ] 
 
u-b
There still seems to be no sound coming from behind the double doors.
farothel
 "I'll go first,"  Laurelata said.  As soon as everybody was ready, she opened the doors and looked in without going into the room.
u-b
The sight beyond the doors is somewhat unexpected as things go, but Laurelata probably did not have  precise  expectations, so...

Along the perimeterof this room is an octagonal walkway illuminated by a soft, pervasive light. The only major, and overwhelmingly dominant, feature is another chamber inside this area, which has transparent walls and appears to be filled with gently bubbling water. This cistern or tank appears to extend up into the next floor, although there is a stone ceiling 15 feet above this external walkway. Valves of various sizes cover the floor of the tank, leading to pipes and hoses that lead somewhere into the tower. The water inside seems surprisingly clean. On the east side of the tank is a transparent door, complete with an opaque handle. You are not sure you can make sense of a vertical door leading into a lower part of a large water-filled tank.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks into the room and mutters, "   I'm   so   out. I'm going down the ramp to hole up in the room with the broken...people? We can lock that door, rest, and recover...   " Then he begins to do just that, apparently expecting the others to join him.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods soberly.  " That's an interesting looking room, " she murmurs, " but I'm in no position to help if  anything  goes wrong.  I agree with Henri. "  She follows the ranger down the ramp, obviously eager to rest and recover.
farothel
Laurelata wasn't sure what to make of that strange room.  And with the others wounded as they were, she also understood that now wasn't the time to continue investigating.  So she shut the doors again and followed the others to the small room and the lab.  There she would spend the rest of the day looking at the automatons they had destroyed, making notes and starting to make headway on figuring them out, probably with Hewitt's help if he wanted.

One of the things she would do is pile up some stuff on the inside of the door, so that if the door was opened, there would be a lot of noise and they would hopefully wake up.
u-b
You barricade in the eastern room on the first floor and spend the rest of the day and the night. You are not disturbed during that time. Laurelata has some fun with the clockworks. The one barely surviving torso seems to have a reprogramming circuity. The other likely had it too. Laurelata cannot make much sense of the thing, but seems it was not set to factory defaults, whatever that means.

 
 Spoiler 
You rest and restore your magics. Everyone spend a day's worth of water and food. Anyone unable has to either ask for some or be fatigued for the rest of the day.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz eyes the strange door.   "I have creeping suspicion that opening that door would somehow not flood the room with water... but if it does, it would be too much for me to control. "   She glances at her wounds, only partially healed, not actively bleeding any longer, but still pretty bad,  "I could use the rest too." 

---

After a night of rest, Taz looks over her wounds with a grimace.  Turning to Jessica, she says,  "I think I might need some more healing.  Maybe I shouldn't get near the fishmen in the future..." 
 
 Spoiler 
Jessica has create water, so I will assume that covers water.  Taz has some extra rations if anybody needs one.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri stands a watch, in spite of his wounds and discomfort, partaking of the generosity of his companions for both water and food. "   I'll pay you back for this,   " he tells Taz with a tusked smile. When Jessica uses her last healing spell for the day on his wounds he thanks her too. "   When you're up in the morning, I think I will need more. Thank you in advance...   "

The next morning he wakes groggy and sore, with an orcish body odor that he's not proud to share. He waits quietly for the others to be ready and looks to Jessica hopefully for more divine healing...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Henri is at 12/30 HPs.
 
Farmerbink
Before calling it a night, Jessica retrieves her medicine bag.  " I'm fairly well-versed in mundane care as well, " she offers.  " It doesn't have the same kick, and it'll take a few hours to feel better, but we're not going anywhere anyway, right? "  Over the next several minutes, Jessica becomes more and more agitated as both Tazmara and Henri respond to the negative when prompted for progress.  " It's  still  not helping?  You're kidding me! " she groans, exasperated.

It's a very frustrated (and useless-feeling) priestess who sulks sullenly in the corner before finally nodding off to sleep.

In the morning, she stuffs her annoyances from the previous day in a secret hole where no one will ever find them, and quickly retrieves a small prayer book.  " If you don't mind joining me, " she suggests, while the rest of the party breaks their fasts on dried rations.  " As Shelyn wills, I can draw upon her power anew this morning. "  With a few brief gestures and words of supplication, she releases a pair of pulses of pleasant energy.  Satisfied, finally, with her work, she takes a moment to renew the divine conduit she shares with her companions before digging into her own rations.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 18 HP  all around, rolled in OOC.  I'm fairly confident we're all topped off, or  very  close to it.
She also has enough uses of caravan bond to apply it to everyone +Lightburn, and she will because it makes no sense to not and she traded armor for the ability. 😉
 
DarkOne-Rob
 The previous night 
Henri politely, patiently, and without outward sign of disappointment submits himself to Jessica's ministrations. He shows no indication of his thoughts beyond answering her questions honestly before settling down for the night.

 Continuing the new day 
Henri nods and silently participates as directed in the worship, his familiarity with the efforts of chaplains (from his time in Golarion armies) making him comfortable with the process even if he doesn't overtly worship any deity. He does smile as his wounds are (fully) healed and then waits patiently for everyone to be ready to return to the efforts to explore the tower.

Once everyone is ready he again takes the lead, presumably guiding everyone back to the floor with the unusual water feature...
SanguinePenguin
Taz shares in Jessica's frustrations as yet another bandage sloughs off her arm sopping wet.   "Well, I'm sorry to have wasted your kit."   Deep down she was a little happy that it also didn't work on Henri, so that she didn't have to once again blame her physiology for this.

------

In the morning, Taz joins the prayer to Shelyn, reciting some of it from memory.  As a polytheistic celebrant of several gods, including the Eternal Rose, she welcomed the blessings from Shelyn whole-heartedly.   "So much better!  Thank you, Jessica.  We wouldn't survive long out here without you!" 
DaOldeWolf
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Well, since we are at a new level and we finally had the desired rest. The char sheets have been updated to the new level.
 


" Well, I suppose this will be better than nothing. I wish you all a good night then.  "Hewitt feels worried about sleeping in a strange place but he knows he needs the rest to recover himself. He thinks about trying out a couple of ideas he had though about for some time. His own tiredness ends up winning and eventually he falls asleep.

------------------------------

In the morning, he gets ready to leap back into action. First by calling forth Lightburn who is glad to see that the party is safe and sound. While Lightburn goes to greet with everyone, Hewitt uses his time to recover his magic.
u-b
The floor you've had your last combat on... well, seems mostly just as you left it. The site of the battle has dried up a bit, but not much else seems to be changed.
farothel
 "Weird,"  Laurelata said as she looked around,  "I would have expected there to be more of those fishmen here, waiting for us." 
She has a look around the room just to make sure there weren't any traps left/activated.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception (+trapfinding):  (1d20+11)[ 13 ] 
 
u-b
Nope. No new traps or new anything anywhere in sight.
SanguinePenguin
While she wanted to investigate the water, Taz heads toward the stairs quietly,  "I'll have your back, Henri."   She encourages the armored half-orc to take point.  Were she not shredded to ribbons during about three seconds of combat just about 10 hours earlier, she might have offered to take the lead, but as such, she veered toward the rear.

 
 Spoiler 
Focused up the stairs and ready to react
Perception:  (1d20+7)[ 24 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Before heading to the stairs, Henry carefully takes  something  (a pole, furniture, anything effective) and blocks the door to the strange water feature. Preferably he entwines it in the handles too, trying to prevent anything from coming out of that room to attack the party while their backs are collectively turned.

At the next ramp he takes a deep breath and looks back to be sure everyone is ready. Once he has all their attention he begins a slow countdown, using his raised right hand to demonstrate. 5-fingers, 4-fingers, 3-fingers...

Once he holds only a closed fist he silently rushes up the ramp as quickly as he can, intent on attacking anything that threatens him as he ascends higher into the strange tower...
DaOldeWolf
" Lightburn, you should help them up front. Make sure to let them now if you detect any smells. " Hewitt replies with Lightburn nodding in agreement."  I´ll try my best to live up to everyone´s expectations.  " As soon as the group starts moving, he tries to stay at the front while Hewitt tries to stay at the back.
u-b
Approaching the ramp leading up reveals that it is unobstructed and you see the domed ceiling of the whole tower. Lightburn does notice more things besides that. He smells two... fishy humans? They appear to still be there somewhere on the floor you are about to enter, but Lightburn can sniff tracks of one of them right under his paws. A female, it seems. Went down the ramp and back up some time ago. You don't  see  either of them from where you stand. Entering?
DarkOne-Rob
After Lightburn reveals what it smells Henri nods. Then he confirms the others are following and gets ready to charge up the stairs!

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yes, still go upstairs to enter the top floor.
 
u-b
Henri gets to the upper floor closely followed by Lightburn. There he sees the upper part of the same tank, with another transparent vertical door on its eastern side. Beyond that is another transparent tank with a vertical door, this one small and empty. Next to him is sitting an armed and armored man. He seems to have noticed you, but does not say anything. There is also a woman to the north of the tank and she seems much more active. She approaches halfway, but not too close.

 "Uhm, hello? Who are you? Are you here to save us?" 
     
Henri notices they two are sort of wrong. Too... slimy?

 
 Spoiler 
   
 
farothel
Laurelata follows Henri up the ramp, weapon out just in case.  She looks around when she arrives and doesn't see any fishmen.
 "That depends,"  she said in the same language (if she can speak it),  "who are you and what are you doing here?" 
SanguinePenguin
Taz follows up the stairs, water slowly seeping from her pores, when she sees the somewhat slimy woman before her.  She is, however, very excited to see an actual person on the island.  With less caution than Laurelata, she starts,  “I’m Tazmara.  What is your name?   Are you from the colony?  What are you doing here?  We’ve killed the fishmen.” 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at the two figures suspiciously, not putting away his axe or speaking but also not moving to attack. "   Lightburn - what do they smell like?   " he asks quietly.
u-b
They speak in a perfectly normal Taldane, also known in the Inner Sea region as Common. To anyone from Andoran, they don't even appear to have a foreign accent.

 "I am Eliza Haniver... yes, from the colony. And this is Rayland."  - she points at the man -  "We, uhm, just stay here. We were forbidden to leave. Uhm, I don't know any of you. Was there a second ship?"  She seems somewhat uneasy, with an eye on Henri and Lightburn whispering among themselves and on Lightburn in general.

 
 Spoiler: Lightburn and Henri 
The people definitely smell funny. Lightburn never smelled a thing of the sort. Definitely not normal humans, but he would not call them totally not humans either. And, he assures Henri, it's not just the smell of the stockfish, both eaten and not, that is present around.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica hustles up the ramp, not too far behind- if much more naive.  " There  was  a second ship! " she blurts excitedly.  After a moment's reflection, she lowers her voice.

 " Both of these folks were on that charter list we found, "  she murmurs, without taking her eyes off the slimy people.   " Their names  were checked off...   I'm still not sure what that  means,  but... it means something, "  she finishes lamely.

 " Oh, and they  didn't get along at  all ,  remember?  And  she's   a psychic!  " 

As the implications become apparent, Jessica's eyes widen and her grip on her glaive tightens.  " Miss Haniver, who told you you weren't allowed to leave? " she calls.  " We're actually  specifically  looking for colonists to help rescue.  Hopefully you can help explain what happened to the first wave? " she asks, hopefully.  "  Please,  any information you can give us will help more than you know. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
We'll use my daily religion trait: inner beauty, for a +4 on this diplomacy check.

 (1d20+13)[ 20 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods at Lightburn first and then Jessica. "   Reason to be excited, but there is something  wrong  about them now too. We need to be careful,   " he says before turning to the two figures. "  What is happening to you both? Why are you so wet and slimy?  "
SanguinePenguin
 ”And Rayland Arkley, you were the leader of the first expedition,”  Taz was initially less concerned about the slimy, drippy nature of them, after all, she had similar issues, but there was something cagey about their interaction that was slowly putting her on edge.   ”Can you speak, Mr Arkley?  Why is this water tank here?” 
 
 Spoiler 
Can Taz see anything in the tank?
Perception:  (1d20+7)[ 12 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt wonders about the two but remains silent for the moment. He wouldnt want to make things a bit more difficult by joining in the conversation. He tells Lightburn to remain on guard in any case telepatically. Lightburn tries to pay special attention to how they act and how they speak trying to figure them out.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Sense motive:  (1d20+6)[ 8 ] 
 
u-b
Eliza remains wary - maybe of all the hushing going on, maybe of you being wary and maybe in general.  "There was some... man? I mean, a person, pickled here in the smaller tank, completely motionless. Only when I opened it, it came out and... well... things are quite fuzzy after that, but I know I was told not to leave here. Rayland was dragged here by the fishmen. He does not seem to talk much. I don't know what is up with our skin. Some fishman disease? Does not seem to get worse, but does not seem to get better either. And... what do you mean "what happened to the first wave"? All of them?"  She seems surprised by the notion.

Arkley lifts his head and responds to direct question.  "Yes, I can speak. What she told you. Was knocked out asleep, woke up here. No idea about the tank."  The man does not seem very happy talking or being rescued.
farothel
Laurelata kept an eye on them to see if they were telling the truth.  She looked at them trying to see if she knew what they were inflicted with.
 "We can have a look and see if we can find a cure for it,"  Laurelata offered,  "do you know if there are traps here, or can we approach." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

sense motive:  (1d20+6)[ 16 ] 
heal to see what the disease is:  (1d20+2)[ 3 ] 
 
u-b
 "It's safe. I mean, I've walked all over this room and nothing has sprung on me after that one encounter, so it  has  to be safe." 

Eliza lets you examine her. She is a lean young woman with long red hair, a fair complexion, and large, expressive green eyes. Her physical frame is slight, but that seems to be natural. Her skin is wet, slimy, and to some extent translucent. When looked up close, the exposed muscle tissue and circulatory system revealed by her partially transparent skin leave an impression of some grotesque horror.

 
 Spoiler: Laurelata 
Seems to be telling the truth, actually. No idea about the disease.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nervously approaches with Laurelata.  " Have you eaten recently?  I didn't bring much- we didn't expect to be out this long, but I can share some rations. "  She retrieves a pouch of wrapped foods from her package and offers it gingerly to whichever of the colonists first approaches to take it - or Eliza, if neither of them do.

" I'm a priestess of The Eternal Maiden, Shelyn.  I'm well trained in medicine and magical healing.  May I also see if I can help? "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Assuming they allow Jessica to inspect them and try to figure out the affliction:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]  heal
I doubt the offer of food constitutes a second diplomacy check.  It's +9, if it does.
 
u-b
 "We have plenty of fish, though I almost wish we had  less ."  Eliza grimaces.  "Do you have  spirits ?" 

She doe not hurry up to grab the ration, but lets Jessica examine her.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
You are  pretty sure  this disease was not described anywhere but in ancient sources originating from Azlant, where it was, like, exceedingly rare, and the causes were debated but deemed non-infectious. The effects of this disease would be roughly as follows and any magical cure should help. It does not heal on its own and the medicine to cure it was unknown in the ancient Azlant (maybe because there was no need to find one).


 A creature's skin and flesh transform into a clear, slimy membrane. The creature’s new flesh is soft and tender, reducing its Constitution score by 4 as long as the condition persists. If the creature’s flesh isn’t kept moist, it dries quickly and the creature takes 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. Remove disease and similar effects can restore an afflicted creature to normal. 
 
SanguinePenguin
 “Yes, the whole colony had vanished by the time our ship arrived.  Roughly what date did you both arrive here?   Have you seen anyone else from the colony since coming here?” 
u-b
 "Date, well..."  - the question seems to have given Eliza some trouble -  "It's hard to tell time here. Have been... months? He has sure arrived later. And then nobody else but the skum." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches and listens as the party speaks with the two infected members of the original wave, his face falling into passive observation while his mind tries to grapple with everything. He takes several deep breaths, quietly gathering his thoughts, and then turns to inspect the strange, water-filled compartment. "   What is all this?   " he asks Eliza and Arkley after a moment. "   Does the water stay inside when the door is opened?   "
u-b
 "The water? Yes, it stays in. We use the tank to wet out skins. There's an elemental living in there, but it does not harm us." 
farothel
 "Interesting,"  Laurelata said,  "do you know how many of these fish people are around here?" 

It was not because they were at the top of the tower that there couldn't be a village somewhere nearby.  And then they would have to take that down at some point.
u-b
Eliza shrugs.  "I don't know. Dozens? They don't stick around here though." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at the tank suspiciously as the answer to his questions leaves him less confident of the party's safety. "   Dozens of fish people...we should go before they arrive. Are we going to try and help these two? Take them back to the colony?   " he asks his friends as he turns to look down the ramp as if concerned he will see more attackers approach at any moment.
farothel
 "I'm not sure what the reaction of the colonists will be,"  Laurelata said,  "I mean, they're just farmers and crafts people and they're not used to these strange things.  They might lash out when confronted with the unknown and you know that tension is already high at the moment.  On the other hand, we can't really leave them here either." 

She looked at Taz and Jessica.
 "You think any of you can speak with that elemental,"  she asked,  "maybe it can help us, even if it's only with information.  And at the moment we're relatively safe as we can pull the same trick as that fishman yesterday did." 
SanguinePenguin
Taz looks stunned by the request.   "Talk to... an elemental?  What does that even look like?"   She shakes her head.   "No, I am pretty sure I can't." 
DaOldeWolf
" But I am not sure baout leaving them here either. Are they really safe in this place? " Hewitt replies wondering about what to do with the newfound people. " As for the elemental, I am sorry to say that I dont even know what their native language even is. "
farothel
 "As far as I know each type of elemental has their own language,"  Laurelata said,  "but the more experienced ones will hopefully speak another language." 

She looked at the two first-generation colonists.
 "You have spoken with it?  If so, what language did it use?" 
u-b
Eliza shakes her head.  "No. We don't share a languages and it's not very sociable to begin with." 
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns thoughtfully.  " Surely the colonists would be pleased to have the original governor and another well-esteemed member of the first wave back.  Remember, they were expecting to  join  an existing colony, not start one. "

She turns to Eliza.  " You asked another question that we didn't answer yet. "  She takes a deep breath- if this is new information to Eliza, their discovery may not be nearly so fortuitous as she hoped.  " When we arrived, the colony was abandoned.  You two are the first survivors we've yet found.  Can you tell us  anything  about what happened before?  Surely you must remember something! "

At mention of an elemental, and the ensuing confusion over their speech, Jessica smiles winsomely.  " I ah- I actually might be able to speak with it, " she offers.  " It's been a while, but I spent some time with a pair of druids who taught me to listen to the waves.  It's hard to make sense of it at first, but really beautiful once you know how it... well, flows. "  After entreating Eliza, she approaches the indicated tank.  In Aquan, she calls out, " Hello in there?  Can we talk for a moment? "
u-b
Eliza shrugs.  "Sure we can. Something or the other, though I'm not sure we'd quite agree on what that should be. But maybe better to do that somewhere safe and for the record, if you don't plan leaving us here, that is." 

When Jessica tries to speak to the tank, Eliza notes:  "You should open the door if you want to have any effect." 
 
 Spoiler: If you open the door 
The water held in the tank does not rush out or anything. It just stands there as a vertical wall with a bit of ripple. Repeating the call is met with a distortion in the flow of bubbles in the depths of the tank, then near the open door and then... well, that's it. Nothing is said back at Jessica.

 "Not quite sociable, you see. I told you." 

Still, Jessica feels she gets  some  attention.
 
farothel
 "The elemental might be held captive here,"  Laurelata suggested,  "maybe ask and if it is you can offer to release it in exchange for information.  it might just not like being used as a bath to keep our friends here wet." 

She didn't know much about elementals and she couldn't speak their language.  And for now she wasn't going to spend her magic to understand, especially if the thing wasn't going to say something.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods,  of course.   With the door open, she continues, though she struggles to make sense of where she should be looking, and precisely what she's addressing.

" If you can communicate, and care to, I would offer you our help as much as these two.  I don't know what you might need, but I'm happy to offer what I can. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Diplomacy with the... water?  I'm not sure if this is getting more ridiculous, or less. XD

 (1d20+9)[ 20 ] 
 
u-b
The water near the door swirls a little and there is some sort of response.

 
 Spoiler: Aquan 
 "You will be punished. Stay here and await the master or you will be punished bad." 

This sounds more like an advise and less like a threat, but the elemental does not seem too eager to accept your offer.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica starts, wide-eyed.  After a moment, she blinks, taking some clear effort to process what she's heard.  " Sorry, everyone, it's been a while since I spoke, much less dialogued in Aquan.  And....  well,  ixithil  can be translated a few different ways.... "  She racks her brain for a moment longer.

" None of them are good, though.  So, I'm not at all sure if the elemental is kept here against its will, but these two folks certainly are.  There's something  it - " she gestures into the tank- " calls 'master', with a.... very unpleasant connotation.  It seems to think that our presence has already earned this 'master's' ire, and that if we leave now, it will be worse.  All things considered, I think its perspective is...  accurate, but I  really really  don't think we should wait here to find out what the master's punishment is going to be.  We need to decide what we're going to do, quickly- including with Eliza and Rayland here, and be about it.  I'd much rather enjoy the relative safety of walls and numbers than face such a threat in its own domain. "

She glances around the room, increasingly uneasy.  " let's head back to the camp, directly.  I'll conjure water to keep our friends here nice and wet until we're at the coast where they can do it themselves.  How does that sound to everyone? "
farothel
 "Sure,"  Laurelata said,  "but can you maybe quickly ask that elemental who its master is?  If there's someone here on the island that can control elementals, maybe we should know up front." 
SanguinePenguin
Taz turns to Eliza and Rayland,  "do you know who or what this 'master' is?  Have you encountered them?" 
 
 Spoiler 
Sense motive:  (1d20+1)[ 15 ] 
 
Farmerbink
" It doesn't seem real forthcoming...  I'll try. "

Jessica turns back to the water.  " Who's the master? " she asks, simply.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches and listens quietly for some time, but when a new threat is described he steps to the ramp, looks down, and calls to Lightburn urgently, "   Please help me guard the rear - I'd rather we not be surprised by this  master ...   " He then puts the two original colonists and the water elemental out of his mind as he creeps down a bit to get a better look of the floor below and any potential approaches.
u-b
Eliza shrugs and nods at the larger tank -  "Ask it if the master is the one from the tank."  - she then points at the smaller tank -  "I don't think I'll be able to help you with any descriptions or such." 

Rayland seems to ignore the question. Maybe he thinks that Eliza's answer is as good as it gets. The elemental, when questioned, says that the new master is indeed the one from the smaller tank, but refuses to disclose any additional information, seemingly out of fear for itself.
farothel
Laurelata had a look in the small tank to have an idea of who or what this master dude was.  She wasn't sure, but someone pickled and coming back to life sounded very undead to her.  They weren't equipped to handle an undead of that strength, so she hoped it would be something else.  But any clue was something or they might loose the entire colony.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods soberly, thankful for the information they're able to get.

" Well, Eliza?  Rayland?  Do you want to return to the camp with us?  I'm sure we can find a cure for your condition, given time to work on it. "
u-b
The small tank seems to be a very simple thing, if well-made: thick glass, a glass door with a fancy golden locking device attached to it (now opened), and that's about it. No pipes to run air or water through it, no other major features. Seems pretty much sealed when closed. There is no distinctive pickle smell, or any other notable smell, for that matter.

When you explain how you are going to transport them without them getting dry, Eliza and Rayland agree to return to the village.

 
 Spoiler 
Anything else to do in this tower or moving out and away?
 
farothel
Except for collecting the stuff she wants to take with her to the town (like those automaton heads and some other spare parts), Laurelata is okay with moving back.  she will keep an eye out for any ambushes and stuff like that on the way back, she she can't really help with keeping the two wet (except by using her waterskin, but the group too has to drink).

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 27 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
As the party (plus two) look ready to leave, Henri looks to Lightburn and asks, "   Shall we?   " Then with a deliberate, deep breath he begins leading the way down the ramp(s) towards the tower exit, possibly out of the ruins, and eventually towards the colony by the way they've agreed upon...
Farmerbink
Jessica is more than a little relieved to leave the strange tanks behind.  " It'd be a beautiful painting, actually, if it weren't so terrifying, " she muses with a final glance at the oddities.  " Gods willing, we'll come back under more pleasant- or at least less disconcerting circumstances.... "

As the party descends, she prepares mentally to conjure  lots  of water to keep their strangely-inoculated companions doused.  " This island just keeps getting weirder, " she murmurs quietly.
SanguinePenguin
Taz didn’t like this whole ‘master’ business.  For some reason, the water elemental’s desire to stay behind really got to her.  She also had a creeping suspicion that Rayland and maybe Eliza were not actually on their side.  Then again… what could she do about it?  All journey back, Taz helped to keep the two of them wet.  With her gifts, it was easy.  She also talked to the two of them - a lot - mainly because she wanted to remove that shade of doubt that was lingering.

  Sense Motive  - (1d20+1)[ 16 ] 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn nods at te mention by Henri and helps at the front of the party to hopefully detect any threats. Hewitt remains on the back wondering about the situation. Hopefully, they would be as if not more accomodating to fellow humans even if they were a bit strange. He shares his thoughts with Jessica about the setting " The worst part are the disgusting abominations on the area. I just cant help but fill that the worst has yet to come. "
u-b
When you get out of the tower you notice that there was a storm during the night and the weather remains fairly windy, cloudy and even a bit rainy. As you trek towards the village, the wind blows most of the clouds away so you have to start using magic to keep Eliza and Rayland comfortably wet. You make a stop to have lunch. Tazmara, who has been trying to talk with Eliza and Rayland basically nonstop, finally reaches her decision, about Rayland at least. And it isn't pretty.

 
 Spoiler: Tazmara 
Sense Enchantment: You can tell that someone’s behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect even if that person isn’t aware of it. The usual DC is 25,  but if the target is dominated (see dominate person), the DC is only 15 because of the limited range of the target’s activities .
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri tries to focus on his task, watching for threats and breaking a trail back home. In the back of his mind he keeps worrying about their new companions and their strange behavior, but he leaves that to his friends to deal with as much as he can. During lunch he sits and tries to enjoy a couple of minutes of peace as he watches and listens to their surroundings and, to a lesser degree, his party.
SanguinePenguin
Taz keeps talking to the two slimy people as she gets them wet, as they walk, and as they eat.  Finally, she reaches a conclusion about Rayland.  She waits until she has the opportunity, and pulls the other party members out of ear shot.  “Something is  wrong  with Rayland.  I think… no, I  know  he is being controlled.  His actions and behaviors are just not plausible for a person.  I am certain of this. I worry what will happen if we bring him to the colony with that master’s hooks in him.” 
DarkOne-Rob
"   You don't want to leave them, do you? Probably better to lock him up, right?   " asks Henri quietly.
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns, struggling to come up with a better solution.   " For now, it's enough that we know.  Don't trust him, and be ready to intervene.  Make sure everyone knows- one at a time so our guests don't get wise. "   As Tazmara makes her lingering rounds at lunch, Jessica steps up to conjure some water for their odd guests.

" I figured I would give Taz a break.  It's a bit of a walk still before we get back to the colony.... but I guess you must already know that?  We've managed to recover everything built by the first wave, though we had to drive off some large insects and a weird tentacle-y thing... "  She feels a bit awkward making small talk to cover for Taz, but only because she knows the danger.  Still, it's more than easy enough for her to ramble politely enough.
farothel
Laurelata had been scouting around to make sure they weren't ambushed.

 "Could that 'hook' be magical,"  she asked,  "maybe we can see what it is.  That at least could give us an idea on how to get it out." 

She looked at Rayland.
 "Say, what happened when you arrived down here,"  she asked,  "when we came here, as Jessica said, there were all kinds of weird critters.  When did those start to pop up." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

now she's warned: sense motive:  (1d20+6)[ 10 ] 
 
u-b
Rayland is slow to respond, but eventually says something.  "Wilderness. Local wildlife. As expected. We could do with that much."  Something they  couldn't  do with was left out of the answer, but it seems clear not to be local wildlife.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri snorts at Rayland's answer contemptuously. "   Then what happened to you two? What ran you out of the colony and into that tower?   "
u-b
 "Was knocked out asleep. Told you."  Rayland still does not seem very talkative. Eliza does a bit better.  "I was exploring the island. Would not say anything "ran me out of the colony". In fact, was planning to return to the colony after the trip, it just didn't happen." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   How long ago was that? Why didn't you go before we showed up?   "
DaOldeWolf
While Henri is speaking to the two, Hewitt decides to whisper to the rest of the party. "  I might have something that could potentially release our guest from this control but it might fail. And I dont know how ur guests would react to me casting or even approaching them to do it.  "
farothel
 "We'll distract him and you cast from behind him,"  Laurelata whispered back,  "no problem.  Maybe a bit closer to the town though." 
u-b
 "I've told you, it's been several months! Hard to track time there with no sun to tell the day from the night!"  Eliza seems a bit angry.  "How would you expect me to go in a state like this?! You have to use magic just to keep us alive!"  Then she seems to calm down a little.  "Besides, we still do not know what will come out of it." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri leads the party closer to town, occasionally "poking" at the enchanted man and his female companion with pointed, short questions. It seems his intent is to keep their attention focused on him so that Hewitt can cast his spell without being noticed.
farothel
 "We'll try what we can to get you cured,"  Laurelata said, trying to put them at ease,  "we have Jessica here and there's other clerics who might know what's going on and who can help." 
She keeps an eye on the surroundings, to avoid being ambushed.  With Henri, Jessica, Taz and Hewitt looking out for the two, she could look to something else.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 12 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt stays near to Lightburn as he waits for the time to cast his spell on the other side from Henri. Meanwhile Lightburn keeps himself on the front keeping its senses up for anything that might appear. Hewitt seizes the chance during a poke by Henri casting the spell and using it on the man.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Casting protection from evil and using it on the man.
 
u-b
The man seem to have noticed yet another spell cast at him, but does not seem to react to it one way or another.

 
 Spoiler: If anyone watches Eliza while this spell is cast 
Eliza seems quite worried for a moment, but then acts as if there was nothing amiss.
 
DarkOne-Rob
From where he's standing in front of the odd pair, Henri sees their reactions (or lack thereof) and frowns a little. Then he shrugs, clearly not understanding the magic used or its effects and continues leading the party and their two...guests?...back towards the colony.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt gets worried since nothing seems to have changed with the casting of his spell. He could try again later after the first one wore off but he wasnt sure about how many chances he would get before they were caught on.
farothel
Laurelata was surprised that there wasn't more reaction, although she was aware that the changes weren't necessary visible.  So she started talking to them, to try and see if there was an internal change.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

sense motive:  (1d20+6)[ 9 ] 
in case it's needed to avoid notice of what I'm doing: bluff:  (1d20+6)[ 18 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata notices no change in either Eliza or Rayland as you continue your way through the wilderness towards the village.

 
 Spoiler 
Going right there or still something to do along the way?
 
Farmerbink
Jessica shares her companion's observations and concerns, frowning thoughtfully.  " We'll just have to see how that goes, " she comments, ruefully, on Laurelata's heels.  " I will certainly do my best to take care of you both and find a cure, but this is  not  something I'm used to dealing with.  It may take some time. "

After a brief, concerned pause, she adds.  " Miss Eliza, do you have any idea how you both contracted such a disease?  It occurs to me we're not taking much precaution to protect ourselves, which could already prove to have disastrous results.  At the very least, I think we should maybe all quarantine together once we reach the colony.  If we're already infected, that ship has sailed, but there's no good reason to expose the whole second wave when we don't know what we're dealing with yet...  Perhaps we should make camp some distance from the colony proper, and send only one of us the last few hundred feet to report our discoveries and your rescue? "
farothel
 "Good idea,"  Laurelata said, picking up on what Jessica was trying,  "and no offense, but you look rather strange.  Knowing how some people will react, it will also be safer for you." 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt remains quiet for a moment. He still was trying to avoid giving much attention to himself in the current state of business. Hopefully, he could try again to break the control if it hadnt worked the first time. Maybe, with some help from the clergy. " We could ask the church for assistance on your healing while in quarantine.  "
u-b
Eliza is most certain she's contracted the disease in the tower and suspects Rayland got it there too. She does not provide more detailed information about the disease's origins or transmission. The pair agrees to remain quarantined, especially along with the group. The sun begins to set when you are back to the village. You stop a few hundred feet from the stockade and call for Marius, to whom you explain the situation. You manage to get two sufficiently large tents erected for you to live in. While you were at it, Marius informs you that during the stormy night all the goats were stolen and there are fresh choker footprints, but that is much less problematic than what you have encountered.

 
 Spoiler 
Resting for the night? Doing anything else or camping for whatever number of days? You will be provided food and water.
 
farothel
 "I think we best check on those chokers tomorrow,"  Laurelata said,  "it's best to leave the priests in the village to see for a cure and we can continue to protect the town and if they need to have some strange ingredients, we can go hunting for those as well." 

She would do her shift on watch that night, but also make sure she has enough sleep to be ready for the hunt the next day.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Recovering goats and killing chokers is something I can do, at least,   " agrees Henri with a meaningful glance at their two "guests." "   Curing diseases and... other  things is beyond me. I'll help after I stand the late watch tonight.   "
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt wonders about the goats and about whatever ugly thing that could have been behind it. " This is certainly something we should take in account. I suppose we should be ready to put extra defenses on the village on stormy nights just in case..... " Hewitt yawns feeling ready to go to sleep.
Farmerbink
Jessica is disturbed by the news, but puts a good face on it.    It won't help anything to add more stress to the mix...    That night she goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible- it's frustrating to sleep in a tent a few hundred yards from more comfortable lodging, and she's eager to do what she can to boost morale.  In the late evening light, she offers to recite a few of the deeds of Shelyn (traditionally historical entertainment, as I understand it), and begins painting a sunset scene as daylight wanes.

" I want to meet with the priests in the morning- at least from a distance- and see if they  can  help us find a way to cure this malady.  After that, I don't see any great reason to  not  hunt down the chokers.  We won't last long if our livestock keep getting snatched in the night. "
u-b
The night is not terribly comfortabe, but not worse than at any other wilderness camp. Those standing guard notice the fires burned through the night at the vilage and the guards changed occasionally, as per the previously established protocol. Both Rayland and Eliza wrap themselves in wet blankets, but still have to wet the rest of their skin fairly often, so they do not sleep well for both feeling cold and waking up often, but they seemed to be used to it.

 DAY 32 AFTER LANDING 

The morning is still a bit windy, but the clouds are fairly sparse and the sun shines, starting to dry the dew off the grass. Your tents are being watched by the guards, but so far no one is approaching. Eliza gets out of her tent and also gets Rayland out. They don't seem like they are going anywhere, just observing the village, which starts to get busy with all sorts of the usual activity.

 
 Spoiler 
I'd want to know how tight you stick to that "quarantine" thing. That is, to what extent it's for show, to what extent it's for real, whether you talk close and personal to any colonist(s), etc. Ramona would be certainly one to request a debriefing, whatever form that might take.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri is already awake when the others get up, having stood the last watch. He's got a fire going to cook breakfast and has been calling to the sentries along the wall of the colony to discuss getting food dropped off where the party can get it without entering the community. By all appearances he plans to take the quarantine seriously, though he'll defer to the others if they plan to do otherwise.
SanguinePenguin
Tazmara doesn’t like any of this.  She feels like  she’s led a pair of vile decapodes into their village.  While somehow persuading them to wait outside has bought time, they really needed a  solution , which they didn’t really have.  While she hoped Ramona could help, she also was worried about the possibility of people replacements that came from their discussion with Weatherbee.

Now back near camp, Taz decides to ask the hard questions that she had been holding off.   “So Eliza, I remembered that someone told us a story that you were held hostage by some statues.  Is that true?” 
farothel
Laurelata will do the breakfast cooking.  She considers Henri a nice guy and she wouldn't have anybody covering her back when they were out and about, but he certainly wasn't a cook.  At least not like she had learned.  Well, everybody their own strengths.  While she's making breakfast, she listens in on the conversations around her.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt remains unsure about what to do for the night. He goes to sleep and finishes his routine as always to recover his spells and summon Lightburn by his side. For the time being, he decides to wait for the moment to try casting his spell again.
Farmerbink
Jessica rises in good spirits.  She's happy to have found survivors, even if there hasn't been a great revelation of what happened to the rest of the colony yet.  She's optimistic it will come, and probably soon.  " Good morning, everyone! " she cheerfully greets as she rises languidly.  " Thank you, Laurelata for breakfast, and thank you to everyone else for being patient. "  She looks up to see Henri calling back and forth with the current sentry and forces a smile, though she's obviously aware of their predicament.  " Henri, have him call for one of the other clerics for me?  I want to discuss what we can.  I hate to make them do my work for me, but I can't very well isolate myself from the colony and simultaneously ask around if anyone has any ideas... "

She waits patiently for either of the other priests to arrive, content for the moment to enjoy a warm breakfast and a morning  not  spent traipsing about an uncharted island in immediate risk of death at every turn.
u-b
The priests arrive both. From the distance and the description, they do not recognize the condition affecting Eliza and Rayland. They say they neither of them can just cast the spell to remove the disease. They can cast spells to suppress the disease, but this needs to be repeated evey day and does not always work. Anyway, neither of them has this spell prepared. Kurvis proposes to concoct some generic + symptomatic therapy to see if it works. He asks permission to check if it is not a curse. Eliza becomes somewhat uneasy for a moment, but does not object. Rayland seems pretty much indifferent to the proposal. Kurvis casts  Detect Magic , observes the two in some surprise, then calls Jessica out to prepare the concoction. Eamon goes too.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
Kurvis asks Jess if she knows the two are affected by enchantment auras of  moderate  strength (well, technically, "moderate", but it is, like,  a lot ). Each one is affected by one aura, but the auras are  different .

If Jess would like to proceed with making the concoction to try to cure the two, she's asked to aid Kurvis, providing her opinion on the medicines and dosages (roll aid another on heal).
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   I can help gather herbs or animals or anything else you need for the cures,   " volunteers Henri. "   Or if you don't need any help with that, we could go look into the lost goats and the chokers who probably took them...?   "
farothel
 "Those chokers are close to home,"  Laurelata said,  "we can probably wait a few hours to let the priests create whatever concoction they think is needed and still have some time to go look for the goats.  Unless we need to be quick for chokers?  I don't know them all that well." 
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns at the revelation.  " Are you sure you want me approaching close enough to assist?  If you're confident that you're safe, I'm happy to help, but until we know more.... "  she lets the question linger for a few moments, joining only after confirmation that he would rather have the help than he is worried about contagion.

As she steps away from her quarantined companions, she adds, " Let's settle this before we address the chokers.  We should have time for both today, no? "

In closer quarters, she lowers her voice a little to address their discoveries more candidly.  " We hadn't really been able to determine much, " she readily admits to her colleague.  She begins preparing the temporary remedies, working with slow deliberation.  " That's part of why I wanted to keep them out here.  We're pretty sure they're dangerous- both have been mentioned in the writings we've found, but they seemed to be rivals at best from what we could learn.  Arkley here might as well be a zombie for all he's contributed to the discussion in the last day and a half.  Please pass word to Ramona- I'd like to have the militia at least on guard in case this goes badly. "

After a time, she comments in frustration: " There are answers here, if they exist anywhere.  But neither of them have been able or willing to tell us anything useful... "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Heal assist:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
 
u-b
Kurvis admits he wanted to get Jess off the tents to tell her about the enchantments without getting too close to whisper. Regarding the concoction, he only needs advice, he can well mix it himself, so no need to get close and personal. Kurvis says he'll tell Marius to post some of his men around the tents for the day, so the party would be free to do chokers. He'll tell them to go to the pen near Harcourt Carrolby's house. Anya Sandstrider would be there to brief them and everyone else would be told to keep well away. Eventually the concoction is ready and Jessica picks it up to administer it to the patients. They gulp it. There is no visible effect nor there should be. In the best case, some improvement might be seen tomorrow. In the worst case, the course will take a week and won't work.
farothel
With the cure (or at least the possibility of a cure) administered, they could get back to their jobs of defending the colony.
 "So, let's go and have a look at the chokers,"  Laurelata said to the others.  If they agree, she would let Henri lead, as he was a lot better at sneaking around in the countryside.  She was better at finding traps and dismantling them, but she wasn't really an outdoors kind of person.  While she had learned the basics while being here, she was aware of her shortcomings, so she decided to guard the rear of the group.  She did however look out for any traces of the chokers (or anything else really).

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

if we go searching for those chokers:
perception  (1d20+9)[ 17 ] 
survival  (1d20+4)[ 8 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica is a bit relieved to avoid close contact with Kurvis.  She dutifully recovers the mixture and takes it to their unusual guests.  Content that they've at least begun to pursue a solution there, she turns to Laurelata expectantly.

" I agree.  We can't forgo our duties elsewhere waiting to see if this cure will work or not. "  She turns to Rayland and Eliza apologetically.  " I know it's uncomfortable, but you'll be safe here.  Call for the militia if you need help, but otherwise it should be easy to stay wet in the stream here and we've plenty of food until we can make sure it's safe to return to the colony.  Is there anything else you would ask before we see to these chokers? "
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt still felt uncomfortable about the situation and he just watches from a distance with Lightburn. Lightburn remains vigilant on the possibility of threats keeping its senses up for the task.
u-b
Rayland and Eliza do not have any requests at the moment, so the team goes to Harcourt Carrolby's goat pen, which is a new thing near his house, which is the same house where you've found the first choker. You are met by Anya Sandstrider who is not coming too close, presumably being informed about the potential of disease. She says there was a stormy night, the torches had to be extinquised and the guards at the tower could not see well enough into this part of the village. In the morning all of the goats were missing. There were fresh footprints of some chokers (Anya is not sure how many there were), but only around the pen, the well, and that's it. Nothing leading in or out of the village. The well seems ordinary enough. Anya says she did not explore it underwater, waiting for your return as some of you seem to be better suited to it. The potential of the disease can make exploring the well somewhat problematic. That is, if you dive in, the colony might need an alternative source of fresh water if this is to be played safe, so she is not quite sure what to do.
farothel
Trusting her ability to see in very dim light, Laurelata looked down the well without going in, to see if she could see a tunnel coming out inside the well.  She didn't know if those chokers could swim, so she hoped they had just dug a tunnel that had come out into the well.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] 
 
u-b
Nothing over the water, that's for sure. The water is clear enough, though, for Laurelata to see in the darkness of the well what might be an entrance into the tunnel a few feet under the surface.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks down at tracks, the well, and finally into the darkness. "   The goats are dead. Collapse the well and dig a new one...or dig another anyway. We
should check this one. If we're sick use the new one,   " he says calmly as he looks around for rope or a ladder. "   Let's climb down. I've rope...   "
farothel
 "We don't know how long it will run underwater,"  Laurelata said,  "not to mention that those tunnels are rather small.  I think we best try to dig another tunnel a bit further and see if we can hit the one the chokers digged out." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   I don't see how that's less effort than digging a new well...   " says Henri with a dry tone, his craggy face largely expressionless in spite of the understated humor he's expressed. "   Can we summon something to check the tunnel, see how far it goes?   "
DaOldeWolf
 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne7141981 
 "   I don't see how that's less effort than digging a new well...   " says Henri with a dry tone, his craggy face largely expressionless in spite of the understated humor he's expressed. "   Can we summon something to check the tunnel, see how far it goes?   " 
 

" Unfortunately, most of my summons and I dont share a way for properly speaking which would make the exploration a fruitless affair even if they could breath underwater and walk on earth. There is also Lightburn. But  Lightburn has a limit on how far he can go without disrupting our connection and being sent back.... " Hewitt declares thinking about the situation. " ... but recently, I have developed a spell to take care of that limitation. The only issue is that we wont get any feedback from this journey until his return. Assuming he manages to make it back. "

Lightburn nods to the idea. "  You could increase my defenses before going in. I dont mind at all checking down how it is if everyone approves of the idea.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If everyone agrees, then Hewitt will cast Mage Armor followed by Unfetter on Lightburn. Then, sent Lightburn to check the tunnel. He can swim and breath underwater so it should be relatively easy to be on both earth and water.
 
farothel
 "Sounds like a plan,"  Laurelata said, not really wanting to go into small tunnels herself,  "but do come back instead of fighting, unless there's no other choice.  Hewitt, do you know where Lightburn is at all times?
 Maybe you can follow how the tunnel goes by knowing where he is?  Me and Henri can wait here at the exit to cover Lightburn should he have to come back in a hurry." 

She also checked what was needed to pull Lightburn out, or if he could come out on his own power.  If something was needed, they would rig it before allowing him to move in.  She would stand guard with her bow, ready to discourage persuit.
u-b
The well is equipped with a rope and a bucket, but Lightburn is too big to fit in a bucket, so it seems like you have to untie it and use just the rope. That way, getting Lightburn down the well would not be problematic except for the latest part of getting rid of the rope to continue on. Doable if you are not in a hurry or someone with actual hands goes down the well (not down the tunnel). Or he can jump dive, really, if you don't mind a splash. Getting Lightburn up without such a person's help would be much more problematic if there wasn't a trick of dismissing him and then summoning again on the ground. That way it's even easier than roping him up, if a tad longer. You weigh all pros and con and finally decide on the methods to use.

 
 Spoiler 
Please specify all the details of getting Lightburn down and then presumably back up, as per the options above.
 

Hewitt casts the spell and then, using the chosen method, you get Lightburn down the well. He dives and there is indeed a tunnel.

 
 Spoiler: Lightburn 
The walls of the tunnel are rough and uneven. Thay also seem quite old, contrary to the vertical walls of the well. The dark underwater tunnel leads a short distance east, then gradually turns north, about 50 feet in total before it rises enough that Lightburn can have his head above the water. The tunnel, complete with stalactites and stalagmites all over potential crystalline formations, seems to continue 50 more feet north where it splits in two. From where he is, Lightburn cannot see down either side of the split, but he can advance.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches and listens to the periodic updates from Hewitt. As the reports keep arriving he takes out his journal and begins writing and sketching notes, comparing what he's being told to what he sees above ground to try and see where the chokers might be if they've come back above ground at all.

As it becomes clear that they have a subterranean, underwater lair he frowns unhappily. "   I think we're swimming,   " he says simply as he starts to secure the well's rope to aid everyone in their descent into the hole...
Farmerbink
Jessica shrugs, her usually cheery disposition rapidly returning outside the immediate proximity of their unsettling rescuees.  " I don't mind swimming, so long as those Goblin-squids aren't involved. "
farothel
 "it also depends on how high the tunnel is,"  Laurelata said,  "a short while underwater is no problem, but fighting while crawling through a tunnel is.  Can Lightburn give an idea about that?" 
DaOldeWolf
" We can certainly hope so. He can see in the dark and he has some great senses. " Hewitt explains to the others. We can ask for details on his return.

__________________________________________________  ______________________________

 
 Spoiler: Lightburn´s tunnel adventure 
Lightburn tries to see if there are any crystals that could be taken. If not, Lightburn will continue by searching on the left tunnel since there doesnt appear to be any differences between the two tunnels. He makes a mental note of the places where one can breath. They could be useful for the rest of the party.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz looks down the well and says,  “second to Lightburn, I’m probably going to be the best equipped for this.  My powers have let me grow exceptional at swimming and I can breathe underwater.  The only drawback is I still can’t breathe while being choked.  Lightburn, if you run into issues and I can help, signal, but don’t if it’ll get me killed… since, well, I wouldn’t come back tomorrow.”   She double checks that her aquaphobic gear is in her waterproof bag and gets mentally prepared to rappel in if needed.
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Lightburn 
The crystals that could be easily taken seem to have been taken. But there got to be more under the limestone formations. Will take some digging, though.

The left tunnel smells of trouble. Lightburn sneaks in a bit further just to make sure, then is quickly back to theedge of the water. A larger cavern that has irregular walls opening to even more dark spaces. A suspicious-looking pile of bones sits in the center of the floor. An easily-recognizable scent of blood and viscera. And four young chokers somewhere around who smell just like themselves. Not a place Lightburn wants to visit alone.

 
 Spoiler 
Digging for the gems in this particular cave will yield x5 gp as a downtime activity until it is deplated. Digging in the surrounding rocks will yield x2 gp, but care must be taken not to undermine the village. Profession (Miner) is required to dig outside of the cave. For digging inside the cave it is optional.
 

 

Lightburn is back with a report. You presumably go down the well one by one, with the outer side of the underwater tunnel guarded first by Lightburn and then also Tazmara.
Farmerbink
Jessica brightens up as Lightburn reports his findings.  " Huh, I'd call that fortunate, though gold has less value out here than it might usually.  Still, a lucrative mine is a great find for the Venture Company.  We should make sure to note it carefully, Henri, so we can report to Ramona with details.  In the meantime, if we can go down- even one at a time- and handle this choker issue permanently, that's kind of what we're here for, yeah?  Here, let me cast a quick spell to simplify the trip. "

A little sheepishly, Jessica conjures a simple connection between herself and Tazmara, Henri (presumably their rear-guard), and Hewitt to enable communication.  She then dutifully follows Tazmara down the well, more than happy to be among the middle of the metaphorical pack.  " Sorry I can't include everyone, Laurelata.  I  think  I can add another person soon, but haven't figured it out yet...  Anyway, it won't help us talk when we're holding our breaths, but we can still hear, and that's worth something. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Jessica also has dark vision, so we can wait for the others to announce our presence with light.
 
farothel
 "No worries,"  Laurelata said,  "I'll stay in the middle then." 
She carefully packed her bow so the string wouldn't get wet and took only her armour and weapons and a rope (and her thieves' tools, just in case), leaving the rest in their house.  That way she could travel lightly.  Then she took her place, also in the middle of the group and moved down when it was her turn.  She wasn't all that happy on going underwater, even though she did know how to swim.

She was interested in the gems, as those would be worth something as soon as the next ship would arrive.  But first they had to get the chokers out.
DarkOne-Rob
Dutifully Henri takes whatever position that looks most needed. "   Nothing to attack us up here, though. I prefer the front - this bum leg slows me down...   " he says, waiting to confirm where the others really want him before going down.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri lacks Darkvision, so he's not best in the  very  front. He can swim and hold his breath well and is slower than most (Lame curse), so if he's near the front I think that's best. Swim modifier is +5, so here's some rolls in case it matters:  (1d20+5)[ 25 ] ,  (1d20+5)[ 22 ] ,  (1d20+5)[ 24 ] ,  (1d20+5)[ 12 ] ,  (1d20+5)[ 6 ] ,  (1d20+5)[ 25 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn smiles when he is thanked for the gems . "  I hope we find some more valuables down there. I will gladly guide the way.  " Hewitt also decides to be in the back since he is still a pretty decent swimmer to help anyone who might have trouble. Still, he wasnt exactly thrilled about getting wet.
u-b
You descend down the well and then swim through the narrow tunnel underwater. Those without the ability to breathe water it is a somewhat unnerving experience. Doubly so for those unable to see in the dark. Eventually you all gather yourselves together where the tunnel emerges from the water. Unless you make some light, some of you will be unable to see anything, but otherwise, Lightburn is ready to lead the way. Or something...

 
 Spoiler 
   
You are at the lower right, the rear guards being still some way in the water.
 
DarkOne-Rob
From his spot near the end Henri continues to prod and encourage everyone in front until everyone has their head above the water line. Once he's confident all can breath he whispers, "   Can anyone make a light? Everything is wet, so no torches...   "
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns, sheepishly.  " Uh, not directly.  I could summon a small being of fire, however.  That would be...  uhhh, short-lived, but bright.  And it could surely dry out a torch enough to light it? " she offers, in a manner she hopes is helpful.
DaOldeWolf
 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne7141981 
 From his spot near the end Henri continues to prod and encourage everyone in front until everyone has their head above the water line. Once he's confident all can breath he whispers, "   Can anyone make a light? Everything is wet, so no torches...   " 
 

Hewitt remembers he can actually do something about it. He takes one of the gems that he received from Lightburn from his first travel. He then casts a spell on the crystal to make it glow with light. " This should last for 30 minutes.  " He then passes it to Henri.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting light on one of the crystals that Lightburn obtained.
 
farothel
Laurelata is glad there is some light.  She can see quite well in low light, but low light still means some light.   Now they were above the water, she took the bowstring she had packed in a watertight package and put it on her bow so she was ready to shoot again.  Then she made the ok sign so they could move on, whoever was at the front.
u-b
And so, there was light. And there was an option to boldly go forth and shine it all around. And there were other options, which might or might not have crossed your minds.

 
 Spoiler 
If you bunch just move forward shining the light, I want perception rolls from everyone.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica ponders briefly before turning to her companions.   " Let's set up an ambush, "  she whispers.   " Laurelata and maybe Henri can go in with torches, pretending to be explorers.  When they get the choker's attention, they come back out where we can attack from multiple sides? " 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Don't chokers prefer ambushes, with prey spread out? They know these caves - we should stay close,   " says Henri as he gently disagrees with Jessica. "   Everyone should light something, so we can all see. Then we go slowly with at least one of us watching everyone else...   " It's more words at once than he usually prefers, but its clear Henri doesn't like the idea of one of the party suffering a surprising, choking attack from the long-limbed monstrous humanoids...
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to hear from the experts about the situation. "   I´ll gladly cast my spell again. Can each of you lend me an object? It will be faster that way.   " Hewitt whispers to the rest.
u-b
With lights up you move forward as one dense group. You turn left at the fork and then walk a twisty passage until you stop in a wider section of the cave. Its irregular walls open to dark spaces. Besides a couple of large boulders, a suspicious-looking pile of bones sits in the center of the floor, while the faint scent of blood and viscera has almost - but not quite - faded away. Two dead goats lie here still in recognizable shape, and there are fresh remains of, presumably, the rest. You don't see any chokers around, but there are shrieks coming from a passage to the south-south-west.
Farmerbink
" Well, if we had any doubts, " Jessica murmurs, glancing awry at the goat carcasses.  She glances around at her companions, uneasy despite her glaive and their own weapons bared.  " Let's just be careful, " she whispers, as she turns her attention to the ceiling.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 (1d20+2)[ 16 ]  perception
 
u-b
The ceiling of the cave was... somewhat high, particularly uneven, and apparently devoid of any signs of sizeable life. But there were what seems to be crystal formations and enough moisture to sustain smaller lifeforms.
SanguinePenguin
Taz frowns at the mutilated goats.  She thought back to her previous encounter with the choker that nearly killed Marius.   ”Sounds will carry easily along these natural stone walls.  If they know we are here, they will like try to ambush us,”  she whispers.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt and Lightburn keep watching around. Lighburn being mostly centered on the front and Hewitt ocasionally checking behind the party. Both having darkvision allowed them to be able to see in the dark. They probably were the ones that were the most prepared for this kind of enviroment.
farothel
Laurelata let Hewitt cast light on her beltpouch.  She had it on her belt, so she had light without needing her hands.  And putting her shirt over it could block most of the light should it be needed.

She kept at the back, bow ready.  In this environment the chance of man-made traps were very limited, so it wasn't needed for her to scout ahead.  She did keep on the lookout, with the light now going.  She did wonder what the shrieking was, but with elven patience she was sure that she would find out in due course.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 18 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Alright - they'll try to surprise us. Let's keep looking. Follow me,   " says Henri purposefully as he glances up overhead briefly and then walks towards the sounds of the screams from a moment ago...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception modifier is +9 - Henri will be moving slowly enough to make checks every round until he finds either a trap or an enemy. He'd like to lead the party to investigate whatever screamed, but he's not moving fast enough to get more than ten feet away from anyone else.

If you want a series of dice rolls for Henri's Perception checks:  (1d20+9)[ 14 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 24 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 17 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 10 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 14 ] ,  (1d20+9)[ 10 ] 
 
u-b
The large sections of the cave that you are in seems to be unoccupied by anything alive that would be large enough to warrant interest. You follow the shrieks, which, actually, are not prolonged, so you walk into what is sure to be either an ambush or another deserted room. It turns out to be the former. Lightburn warns of that much. No side is in any way surprised, and everyboby is totally ready to fight, but still some blows will be dealt before the others...

 
 Spoiler 
   
Young chokers: (1d20+8)[28]
Lightburn: (1d20+2)[22]
Henri: (1d20+1)[15]
Adult chokers: (1d20+6)[11]
 

 =&gt; Henri, Lightburn (any order) and then everyone who can beat an 11 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 1 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe  +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Natural)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"  Found them! To arms!  " says Henri, his voice booming in the caves as he speaks up to be heard by his allies. "  Lots of them here
- little ones behind!  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
5-ft step to  P29 , activate Power Attack, and strike at the adult choker adjacent: Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 21 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 24 ]  critical strike damage
 
farothel
As soon as Henri shouted out, Laurelata moved up to where he was and seeing the big ones, she shot the second one so as not to hit Henri by accident.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 1 

move to where Henri is on the map (he moved away)
shoot at the second choker:  (1d20+6)[ 12 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 6 ]  ( (2d6)[ 4 ]  extra holy damage if evil, and  (2d6)[ 8 ]  extra damage for sneak attack)
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn jumps into action. He attacks one of the bigger ones with its receiving jaws. Hewitt remians in the back keeping watch of any enemies that might try to ambush from behind.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 23 ] 
Bite Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz moves into to the room, pulls enough energy from her power source that she starts dripping, and then launches a jet of water at the nearest choker.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: add one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: to Q30
Standard: water blast on the choker
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 18 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 13 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Most of you rush in, trying to attack the nearest choker. That does not go too well: Henri hits the cave wall as he swings his greataxe and together with Lightburn they block the clear shot for Laurelata and Taz. Lightburn manages to get a solid chunk of the choker's leg for  6  damage, but by that time the blows start coming your way...

The wounded choker does his best to get the man with the axe. His best is, in fact, good enough, as he lands both hits on Henri's neck, for  7  and  5  damage, and holds onto the man. The other choker makes a bit of a detour to reach Tazmara and also gets a hold of the targeted neck after hitting it for  5  damage. The choker kids squeal with joy at their parents' success and rish forward before one another to get a hold on the "dog". One is able to both reach the "dog" and grab it, dealing just  3  damage in process, but right behind him there are more incoming...

 
 Spoiler 
   
Choker vs Henri: (1d20+6)[25] for (1d4+3)[7] grab (1d20+8)[27]
Choker vs Henri: (1d20+6)[24] for (1d4+3)[5] grab (1d20+8)[9]
Choker vs Taz: (1d20+6)[15] for (1d4+3)[5] grab (1d20+8)[28]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[20] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[18]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[9] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[22]

Henri, Tazmara and Lightburn are grappled.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  -1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  16,  Touch  9,  Flat-footed  16,  CMD  16,  Fort  7,  Ref  4,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Dagger  +5 (1d4+4, 19-20/x2)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, -1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition   Grappled 
 

"  Urk!  " grunts the half-orc scout as the choker's hands wrap around his throat in their signature attack style. Dropping his axe, Henri draws his dagger and slashes at the choker's body, attempting to gut it (and thus get free of the creature's grip)!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Free action to drop the axe, draw dagger, and attack (includes -2 penalty from being grappled): Dagger  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 24 ]  (19-20/x2),  (1d4+4)[ 6 ]  slashing or piercing damage,  (1d4+4)[ 6 ]  critical strike damage.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica storms forward, already drawing upon Shelyn's power.  " In the light of the Eternal Maiden, hold fast! "  A subtle, warm pulse of energy radiates out from her, uncannily missing the injured choker(s).

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 8/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Channel to heal, avoiding up to 3 injured chokers:  (2d6)[ 10 ] 
 
  10 HP channeled to allies  
SanguinePenguin
 “Hurk!  Mmhurgh!”  Taz struggles against the choker’s writhing limb. She then frees her hand, draws in some extra energy, and launches a jet of water at the choker’s belly.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: channel 1
Standard: pushing infusion water blast on the choker
Attack:  (1d20+2)[ 13 ]  (Choker should have dex -4)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 19 ] 
Bull rush:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  28/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
farothel
Laurelata stays where she is, takes aim and shoots at the choker holding Henri, now it's distracted by the grapple.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 2 

attack:  (1d20+2)[ 15 ]  (+1 point blank shot, -4 shooting in melee) for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 4 ]  ( (2d6)[ 5 ]  extra damage vs evil) (choker has -2 AC)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn roars anoyed by the annoying creature and tries to bite it to get it off.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Attack  (1d20+3)[ 17 ] 
Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 8 ] 
 
u-b
Henri attempts to stab the choker with a dagger, targeting (reasonably, as he had initially thought) something like the liver or just stomach in general. It turns out not particularly easy as the creature is able to maintain  both  the hold and the distance. Well, not a  lot  of distence, but getting out of the way of a stab is clearly what it is able to do. Jessica heals those needing it, inspiring some confidence in people's ability to hold on in their literal choke holds. Tazmara narrowly misses "her" choker and Laurelata misses the one having a hold on Henri. Lightburn, on the other hand, does quite well, biting an arm holding him for solid  8  damage and nearly off. The little choker breaks his hold and runs away while his siblings all attack the eidolon... they score four hits for  4 ,  3 ,  6  and  2  damage, and two solid grabs. Their parents have some mixed success. The one holding Henri is unable to crush the neck held as the half-orc forces his left hand into the hold and keeps it there. The one having a hold of Tazmara has some noticiable success as she is too busy with the adverse effects of her blasting to properly take care of defending herself, namely crushing the heck held in two hands for quite noticiable  11  damage.

 
 Spoiler 
   

 
 Originally Posted by farothel 
 attack: (1d20+2)[15] (+1 point blank shot, -4 shooting in melee) for damage: (1d8+1)[4] ((2d6)[5] extra damage vs evil) (choker has -2 AC) 
 

An extra -4 for soft cover for shooting from behind people's backs (no space-sharing in Pathfinder grappling rules, as far as I know).

Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[9] for (1d3+1)[4] grab (1d20+4)[13]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[18] for (1d3+1)[4] grab (1d20+4)[18]  - hit &amp; grab 
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[16] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[13]  - hit 
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[25] for (1d3+1)[3] confirm (1d20+5)[13] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[5]  - crit hit 
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[11] for (1d3+1)[2] grab (1d20+4)[24]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[12] for (1d3+1)[2] grab (1d20+4)[21] -  hit &amp; grab 
(the last of these succeed because the first hit also grabs, so Lightburn is at -4 dex; the confirm hits because of the same)

Choker vs Henri: (1d20+8)[11] for (2d4+6)[14]
Choker vs Tazmara: (1d20+8)[22] for (2d4+6)[11]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata felt she wasn't getting somewhere with her bow, even though it was her best weapon.  So she dropped it, drew her rapier and after a step against the wall of the cave, she tried to hit the one that was holding Henri

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 3 

free: drop bow
move: draw rapier
free: 5ft step to P28
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 7 ]  ( (2d6)[ 10 ]  if the choker is flat-footed while grappling) (choker has -2 AC)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
Farmerbink
" The Light stands with you!  Hold fast, friends! "  Jessica calls upon Shelyn's power once more, this time casting a spell to help bolster her allies efforts.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 8/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Cast Bless
Move to R/33 to flank the adult choker (I think it's grappling so can't AoO?  If not, I might learn today)

prepared to AOO if it triggers one:
 (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  glaive
 (1d20+5)[ 24 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 10 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 11 ]  crit bonus
 
  Bless for +1 to-hit and saves vs fear  
SanguinePenguin
 “Mmhurgh unhurg mmurn!”  Taz continues to draw energy and launches a jet of water at the choker’s belly, hoping to connect this time.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: channel 1
Standard: pushing infusion water blast on the choker
Attack:  (1d20+3)[ 14 ]  (Choker should have dex -4)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 16 ] 
Bull rush:  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  22/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn is breathing heavily with the continuous assault quickly wearing him down especially combined with the extra weight from the chokers. " Lightburn could really use the help. " Hewitt replies as he slowly approaches his team still keeping sight from behind.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Hewitt will move to Q27.
Lightburn will bite again the same chocker. Lightburn´s HP is now 9.
 (1d20+6)[ 10 ] 
 (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 3 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  -1,  HP  28/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  16,  Touch  9,  Flat-footed  16,  CMD  16,  Fort  7,  Ref  4,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Dagger  +5 (1d4+4, 19-20/x2)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, -1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition   Grappled 
 

Henri continues to flail and slash with his dagger, trying to find the right angle to stab at the choking-choker...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Attack (includes -2 penalty from being grappled) with the dagger: Dagger  (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  (19-20/x2),  (1d4+4)[ 6 ]  slashing or piercing damage,  (1d4+4)[ 7 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
Laurelata tries to stab a choker, Tazmara tries to blast a choker, Lightburn tries to bite a choker kid, Henri tries to stab a choker again... no one has any success whatsoever. Jessica blesses everyone, but so far that does not help either the attacks or your holding up against the emerging fear, which is, alas, completely natural...

The choker kids are mostly unable to handle Lightburn - the eidolon is much larger than them, strong, nimble, and only gets hit by one attack for  2  damage as he shakes around the tiny chokers hanging off him. The adult chokers have mixed success. The one holding Henri finally manages to wrest Henri's hand away and gets a solid grab on the underlying neck, crushing it for  9  damage. The one holding Tazmara is too busy evading the deadly water blast to do any real neck-crushing, but still prevents the proper airflow.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[12] for (1d3+1)[2] grab (1d20+4)[22]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+5)[6] for (1d3+1)[4] grab (1d20+4)[6]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+4)[8] for (2d3+2)[7]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+4)[9] for (2d3+2)[6]

Choker vs Henri: (1d20+8)[27] for (2d4+6)[9]
Choker vs Tazmara: (1d20+8)[10] for (2d4+6)[12]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
With the choker occupied, Laurelata grabbed the opportunity and squeezing past, she moved to a flanking position so it had to divide its attention and she could do some damage in vital areas.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 3 

move: to N29 via 028
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ]  ( (2d6)[ 8 ]  because of flanking) (choker has -2 AC from grappling and -2 from flanking)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn tries another instance of biting the same choker for the time being.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

 (1d20+6)[ 22 ] 
 (1d6+2)[ 5 ] 

Also, out of curiosity? Why couldnt Hewitt move last turn?
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz grasps at the claw around her neck with one hand and the furious misting about her calms to reflect her change in mental state.    This isn’t working.    The creature was too squiggly.  Fortunately, she can hold her breath for a very long time.  Aiming for the body has failed, so she shifts tactics.  The fury of the mist resumes as she fires a blast above the choker’s shoulder, hoping to remove its head.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 3 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: channel 1
Standard: pushing infusion water blast on the choker

Attack:  (1d20+3)[ 4 ]  (Choker should have dex -4)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 13 ] 
Bull rush:  (1d20+9)[ 16 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  22/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 4 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Dagger   +6 Melee, +4 Thrown (1d4+4, 19-20/x2)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

With a grunt of thanks Henri pushes over the downed choker. Then he lashes out with his dagger at the next closest, favoring targets he can flank...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Attack (please add +2, as I screwed this post up the first time and Henri is no longer grappled; if he can flank, please add another +2) with the dagger: Dagger  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 23 ]  (19-20/x2),  (1d4+4)[ 8 ]  slashing or piercing damage,  (1d4+4)[ 7 ]  critical strike damage.
 
Farmerbink
As the melee begins to break down, Jessica channels another pulse of warm energy. Then she approaches the choker younglings, preparing to strike them down as they scatter.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 3 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 7/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

channel energy to heal- avoiding up to 3 injured chokers (prioritize not healing adults if necessary)  (2d6)[ 3 ] 
Move as needed to threaten at least two littles

prepared to AOO if it triggers one:
 (1d20+5)[ 9 ] glaive
 (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 11 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 23 ]  crit bonus
 
  Bless for +1 to-hit and saves vs fear  
u-b
Laurelata circles the choker holding Henri and stabs him in the back and quite a way through. He collapses on the ground. Lightburn and Henry do away with a choker kid next to him. Tazmara finds herself unable to aim correctly as she is shaken violently by the neck. Some  3  healing comes in, but that feels almost like nothing compared with one's own only and actual neck crushed for  14  damage. The choker strangling Tazmara also shouts at the kids. They regroup. The only badly wounded previously re-joins the fight, cautiously grabbing Laurelata by a leg for  3  damage. One choker kid lets go of Lightburn and tries to grab Henri instead. It manages to achieve a contact for  3  damage, but not a solid hold. The other still continues strangling Lightburn, causing  7  damage to the eidolon's neck and nearly causing him to pass out.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Choker kid vs Laurelata: (1d20+1)[21] for (1d3+1)[3] confirm (1d20+1)[2] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+0)[20]  grappled 
Choker kid vs Henri: (1d20+7)[15] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[21]
Choker kid vs Henri: (1d20+7)[18] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[15]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+4)[24] for (2d3+2)[7]
Choker vs Tazmara: (1d20+8)[20] for (2d4+6)[14]

Lightburn is at 3 hp by my count.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelate was surprised the little one manage to get hold of her leg.  Using her experience in getting out of ropes and manacles, she tried to get out of its hold, before moving slightly so it had to divide its attention between her and Henri.  It worked with the previous one, so it might work here as well.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 4 

standard action: escape using escape artist:  (1d20+9)[ 24 ]  vs grappler's CMD
5ft step to M28

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  15/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 5 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri reaches down and snatches his axe from where it fell on the ground and turns to attack the young-choker beside Jessica. "   Move away from them - we need your magic to heal!   " he directs her, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Move action to pick up his axe. This will incur AoOs, I'm afraid, but I think it's worth it.


 
 Originally Posted by SRD, FAQ 
  Can you pick up or manipulate an object in a square within your reach? Does this provoke an AoO? Does it provoke even if the foe can reach the object, but not your space? 

The rules are a little hazy here, but to put it simply, you can affect objects and creatures within your reach. When picking up or manipulating objects, you generally provoke an attack of opportunity, but only against foes that can reach your space. 
 

5-ft step to  M30 .
Activate Power Attack and strike at the enemy in  M29 : Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 18 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 24 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 13 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 37 ]  critical strike damage.

If any enemies incur AoOs: Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 22 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 26 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 18 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 36 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
Laurelata breaks away from the hold and steps to the north-west to have all the scene before her and not all around. The choker kid now has it all around instead. Henri bends down to pick up his axe and gets some deep  3 -hit-point scratches on his right leg, but continues on, letting no hold attempt stop him from brutally executing another choker kid, who was wounded to begin with and now falls on the floor with the guts spewn out.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Choker kid AoO vs Henri: (1d20+7)[26] for (1d3+1)[3] grab (1d20+4)[7]
 

 =&gt; Rest of the party 
SanguinePenguin
Darkness creeps from the edge of Taz’s vision as do long struggling without fresh blood to her brain takes its toll.  She gathers what strength and focus she has left and fires again at the choker, not even sure where she is aiming.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 4 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: channel 1
Standard: pushing infusion water blast on the choker

Attack:  (1d20+3)[ 8 ]  (Choker should have dex -4)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 18 ] 
Bull rush:  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  11/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
Farmerbink
" Hang on, Taz! " Jessica calls, summoning more energy from the heavens

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 4 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 6/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

channel energy to heal- avoiding up to 3 injured chokers (prioritize not healing adults if necessary)  (2d6)[ 11 ] 

prepared to AOO if it triggers one:
 (1d20+7)[ 10 ]  glaive flanking?
 (1d20+7)[ 10 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 5 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 13 ]  crit bonus
 
  Bless for +1 to-hit and saves vs fear  
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt takes out his dagger and prepares to join the fight. He slowly tries to move forward while trying to still keep in check his back from possible attackers. Lightburn tries biting again the chocker kids.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Hewitt will move to Q27.

Lightburn bites:  (1d20+6)[ 20 ] 
Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 
 
u-b
The water blast misses again and Tazmara is in some serious fear for her life until the healing comes, delaying the problem. Lightburn bites the coker kid grappling him for solid  7  damage. The chokers start to visibly fear for their lives, which affects their attacks. One manages to hit Henri for  2  damage, but not to establish a hold. Two others continue to strangle their targets, but don't put forth sufficient effort, mainly looking at the way out, which is now blocked by Hewitt.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Choker kid vs Henri: (1d20+7)[10] for (1d3+1)[4] grab (1d20+4)[11]
Choker kid vs Henri: (1d20+7)[24] for (1d3+1)[2] grab (1d20+4)[12]
Choker kid vs Lightburn: (1d20+4)[12] for (2d3+2)[7]
Choker vs Tazmara: (1d20+8)[12] for (2d4+6)[12]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone (any order) 
Farmerbink
Without spending effort on speech, Jessica lashes out with the blade of her goddess, looking to put an early end to the combat.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 5 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 6/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
 (1d20+7)[ 27 ]  glaive, flanking
 (1d20+7)[ 25 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 8 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 23 ]  crit bonus

prepared to AOO if it triggers one:
 (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  glaive still flanking? (rolls do  not  include that +2)
 (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  CC (x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 6 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 19 ]  crit bonus
 
  Bless for +1 to-hit and saves vs fear  
farothel
 "Good one,"  she said as she saw Jessica carve the last of the big ones up.
With the two big ones dead, Laurelata will try to finish things up as quickly as possible.  She moves in and slashes at the choker engaged with Lightburn.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 5 

move: to O30
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 7 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  15/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 6 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

With a calm, singlemindedness born of too many times killing for the whims of some faceless leader (from his time in the continental armies) Henri continues his assault on the choker children. If he's saddened by this violence his craggy, stoic face doesn't show it very well.
 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at the enemy in  N31 : Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 10 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 26 ]  critical strike damage.

If any enemies incur AoOs: Greataxe  (1d20+6)[ 16 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 14 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 39 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn keeps fighting with the last bit of his strength encouraged by Laurelata´s own actions to help him. Hewitt stays in place and just takes out his weapon.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Bite:  (1d20+6)[ 8 ] 
Damage:  (1d6+2)[ 7 ] 
 
SanguinePenguin
With Jessica's fortuitous strike, the fingers clasped around Taz's throat slacken, and she gasps in breaths of precious air.  Stumbling back as she does so, she lines up a shot on the young and fires.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 5 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: step back to R31
Standard: water blast on the choker

Attack:  (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  22/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
With a swing of the glaive, Jessica cuts the last adult choker in half, and has some surprise at her success compared to the others. She is not sure if the killed choker was surprised as well. The kids visibly panic, but the lack of success by Laurelata, Henri and Lightburn continues. And then Tazmara, now free of the hold, blasts one kiddo out of existence. The last one turns to run. Past Lightburn, onto the wall above Hewitt and...

 
 Spoiler 
The movement provokes from Lightburn and Hewitt. If he survives AoOs, the choker kid is on the wall 5 feet up.

   
 

 =&gt; Two AoOs and then Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata rushed after the little critter and tried to stab it before it could get away.  She'd rather not do this again in a year or so, best to finish it right now.  And stabbing someone in the back didn't bother her all too much.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 6 

move from O30 to P26
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 18 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 4 ] 

I think that from O30 where I moved to last round, I also get an attack of opportunity when it moves away.
In case this is true: attack of opportunity:  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 7 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 7 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri realizes that he can't catch the fleeing choker child and again drops his axe, this time withdrawing his longbow and an arrow. "  Hewitt - down!  " he calls as he tries to get a clean shot...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Move to Activate  Q29 , drawing his bow while moving, and shoot at the last enemy, preferably  after  Hewitt gets out of melee with the choker child: Longbow  (1d20+4)[ 5 ]  to hit,  (1d20+4)[ 23 ]  (20/x3),  (1d8)[ 7 ]  slashing damage,  (1d8)[ 3 ]  critical strike damage.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz fires a shot at the fleeing youngster.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 5 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast on the choker  kid

Attack:  (1d20+7)[ 19 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 13 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  22/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Tazmara gets the running choker kit and its remains fly off the wall, including on Hewitt. The scene is messy, but then it's all calm as the massacre is finished.
farothel
 "That was heavy,"  Laurelata said,  "everybody okay?" 
She will start to look around for interesting things in these caves.  Maybe they could connect them to the town via another way and use them as cellars to keep food fresh.  Of course, after checking it all out and clearing out the gems they had found.  And if there were more of those, they could start some mining, although that would be tricky this close to the sea.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception to look around:  (1d20+9)[ 12 ] 
 
Farmerbink
" We're all still alive, " Jessica comments between haggard breaths.  " Gather round and I can heal us. "  She raises her symbol high as she calls upon Shelyn's grace.  " May the Eternal Rose restore our strength in unending service to her Grace and the beauty in all things! "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I can channel as many times as we need.  I'll start with twice:  (2d6)[ 4 ]   [roll]2d6[/roll    7 more  HP, all around!

(4/9 remaining)
 


" At least our livestock will be safer, " she adds, as her companions rapidly recover from the fight.  " While we're down here, lets make sure there aren't any other obvious threats.  That ore in the previous chamber is quite the find! "

True to her words, Jessica immediately begins looking around the room where the chokers apparently laired, not precisely sure what she's looking for, but eager to be thorough.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri takes a deliberate moment to check each choker for life - snuffing out any he finds - before bowing his head respectfully and receiving the healing power from Jessica's prayers. The stoic half-orc looks at the choker children for several long breaths, though it's impossible to tell if he sees them or is simply looking past them into his mind's eye. With a deep, weary sigh he turns and trudges back the way they came, looking around intently and trying to find any threats before the others do...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] . Henri won't go out of sight of the others in the party.
 
SanguinePenguin
The danger abated for now, Taz takes many long breaths, gently massaging her throat where the hand was clasped tight.  Though better equipped than most to endure that ordeal, it was very taxing.  She looks down at the choker corpses, these aberrations, with undisguised disgust.  All along, she knew that they had to deal with the threat from these chokers, that they needed to find their cave and end the threat, but it never occurred to her how close they were.  That they were breeding right underfoot and drinking their water upsets her.

 “Thank you, Jessica.  Let’s make sure there are no more of these and that the cave doesn’t run deeper.” 
u-b
Jessica's quick look around the room reveals there is a lot of various garbage, some clearly looted from the colony, that might or might not contain anything valuable, but at least digging through that will not be fast, that's for sure. So you follow the other plan, that is to first secure this whole cave complex. Lightburn provides a useful input mentioning that he had detected some creatures' smell on the way here. Namely, coming  from the right-hand side of the very first intersection where you have turned left. So you go there, illuminate the passage and advance by little... then you see the passage widen up even though you are not yet there... and then there everything suddenly goes dark.

 
 Spoiler 
Assuming you go as a tight group. You are still in a fairly narrow passage. Specify everyone's order 1 to 6. Those with darkvision can make perception checks. Everyone else see nothing. I want one round worth of actions from everyone.
 

 =&gt; Party 
Farmerbink
Jessica starts only briefly as the world goes black-and-white.   " Careful! "  she whispers urgently.  Without asking for input, she begins a complicated spell.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting summon monster 2 to summon a fire elemental.  I think I choose the location when the spell finishes? (beginning of next round).  Probably going to choose about 30' ahead of me (so 15' ahead of the front line)
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to cast a protective spell on Lightburn while Lightburn tries to cast his own magic to create light once more. The two were probably the best prepared in the current situation.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Hewitt will cast Mage Armor on Lightburn.
Lightburn will try to cast Dancing Lights as a spell like ability.
 
SanguinePenguin
Concern creeps in as the light goes out abruptly.  Although her dwarven eyes are well-suited for the absence of light, the change suggests danger - and likely close by.  As her eyes scan for danger, she instinctively affirms her connection to the source, and steels herself to fire a blast if she spots any danger.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 0 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: forward
Standard: ready water blast

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
farothel
As she didn't see much in the dark, Laurelata had taken position near the end of the line.  She still had her torch but all of a sudden that didn't seem to matter.
 "What the...,"  she started as she didn't see anything.  Then she shut up and tried to get some clues as to what was ahead by listening.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 23 ]  (I've rolled full perception.  Substract or add whatever modifier is needed for listening)
 
DarkOne-Rob
\ 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, One round of action 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri stays silent in the sudden darkness, straining to hear sounds of an attacker as he holds his axe high, ready to strike at any threat he senses...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and ready an action to strike at an attacker: Greataxe  (1d100)[ 35 ]  for miss chance (51 or higher has a chance to hit),  (1d20+6)[ 17 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 10 ]  slashing damage,  (1d12+9)[ 19 ]  critical strike damage.

If any enemies incur AoOs: Greataxe  (1d100)[ 85 ]  for miss chance (51 or higher has a chance to hit),  (1d20+6)[ 18 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 12 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,  (1d12+9)[ 19 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
Tazmara moves forward out of the passage and into a wider cave. She sees some stalactites moving and  detaching  and  flying  towards her on their leathery wings...

The flaps of leathery wings can be heard just fine. Lightburn and Jessica see the flyers approaching Tazmara.

 
 Spoiler 
   
AF11 and AE14 detach and attack. They'll end up in AH13 and AG14 if not intercepted.
 

 =&gt; Tazmara (readied action) 
SanguinePenguin
Attack AF11:  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  (+1 if bless still active) (+1 if aberration)
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 17 ] 
u-b
Tazmara shoots a stream of water that hits the ceiling (those unable to see it can recognize the familiar sound and the approximate location where it hits, to some large error margin). There is more leathery wings flapping in the direction you've heard Tazmara go. Descending or something...

 
 Spoiler: Those who can see it 
Two things swoop down on Tazmara. One has to dodge a jet and aborts the attack at the last moment when it becomes apparent that it would miss. The other slams Tazmara in the face and quickly wraps the tentacles all around the dwarf's head. Tazmara feels her neck being crushed  again , but also the leathery "wing" sort of thing all over the face completely blocks any sight.

   
 
 
 Spoiler: Mechanics for those who can see it 
Thingie 1: (1d20+3)[7] for (1d4)[3] grab (1d20+5)[21] constrict (1d4+4)[7]
Thingie 2: (1d20+3)[17] for (1d4)[ 1 ] grab (1d20+5)[25] constrict (1d4+4)[ 8 ]

In addition to all the usual options, Tazmara can  automatically  hit the thing grabbing her face if she is fine taking half as much damage herself.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, including Tazmara again) 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 1 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Silently Henri concentrates, trying to hear their attackers and swinging his axe in the direction he suspects they are...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception:  (1d20+9)[ 28 ]  to identify the right square to attack. Henri will then move adjacent, activate Power Attack, and strike at the enemy: Greataxe  (1d100)[ 92 ]  for miss chance (51 or higher has a chance to hit),  (1d20+6)[ 16 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 21 ]  critical strike damage.

If any enemies incur AoOs: Greataxe  (1d100)[ 87 ]  for miss chance (51 or higher has a chance to hit),  (1d20+6)[ 17 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 10 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 28 ]  critical strike damage.
 
farothel
Not being able to see anything, Laurelata decided to cast her detect magic spell to see if she could maybe detect and destroy the focus for this darkness.
Farmerbink
A sudden brightness appears as a small creature of  pure fire  winks into existence in the chamber ahead.  " They're going for the head again!  Watch your necks! " Jessica calls, as she worriedly witnesses Tazmara's face becoming wrapped in leather.  She focuses the blessing of her Goddess on the Dwarf, hoping to aid her efforts of escape.

  For 1 round, Tazmara rolls d20s twice and takes best  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, Round 1? 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Use bit of luck on Tazmara
move up with Tazmara (I'm not precisely clear on enemy locations, but she's hoping to take a defensive stance)
AoO if applicable (seems likely if they continue to attack):
 (1d20+4)[ 11 ]  glaive
 (1d20+4)[ 21 ]  CC (24, x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 7 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 21 ]  crit bonus

 Small Fire elemental  appears in melee with one of the creatures- ideally flanking, though I haven't included it.
 (1d20+4)[ 16 ]  slam attack (round 1 of 3)
 (1d20+4)[ 23 ]  CC 24, x2
 (2d4)[ 7 ]  damage  (1d4 slam, 1d4 fire)
 (2d4)[ 4 ]  crit bonus
If it, target attempts reflex DC 11 or catches fire for persistent 1d4 until it's out.
 
SanguinePenguin
With another gurgled choke as yet another aberration latched onto her head, Taz tries to fight it off.  She then tries to avoid smashing her own face with the water jet, but still tries to hit the leathery creature.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast
Not sure if blindness applies?
Attack:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ]  or  (1d20+8)[ 14 ]  Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
If kill it, 5ft step back to AG15

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  24/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt tries to help the dwarf in getting the thing of him. Lightburn on the other hand tries to bite the creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Hewitt grapple attempt  (1d20+3)[ 19 ] 
Lightburn Bite  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  Damage  (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
u-b
Henri moves forward, as that's where the action is, and hears quite well that the action is straight ahead of him. Some thing is flying further on, but right before him, as he absolutely is unable to see, Taz is being choked? Laurelata casts a spell and indeed there is magic. It will take some time to make sense of it. Jessica sends Tazmara her blessing and moves in herself to help both Taz and an appearing small fire elemental, which despite being "on fire" seems incapable of brightening the area. Taz hits the flying leathery thing holding onto her face, blasting away, like, a good half of it, but the remaining half of creature still holds on even as you can only wonder how it is going to "eat" anything... Hewitt hurries to help, but it takes him some time to get there. Lightburn is much faster, but his attack toes not get the struggling remains of the creature. By now Henri is pretty sure that, like, everyone is, like, everywhere around him, so he's not sure about swinging anything heavier than a fist. Should he try to do grappling?

The flying thing near Tazmara tries to find its place near or instead of the half-blasted thing, but Tazmara is able to shoo it away for the moment with a fake attack. At least now she can see what is happening! But half the thing choking her is still holding and, really, constricting, pretty damn tight for good  7  hit points of her windpipe. A thind thing detaches from the ceiling and, dodging a glaive swing by Jessica, tries to attack the priestess. It seems too busy avoiding the elemental, though, which it seems to fear more than the glaive, and so fails to connect.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Thingie 1: (1d20+3)[10] for (1d4)[3] grab (1d20+5)[11] constrict (1d4+4)[7]
Thingie 2: (1d20+5)[19] constrict (1d4+4)[7]
Thingie 3: (1d20+3)[6] for (1d4)[3] grab (1d20+5)[16] constrict (1d4+4)[6]

Tazmara still grappled, but at least she can see.

Henry can sort of see the glowing elemental, a silhouette of half the whatever grappling Tazmara and maybe a half silhouette of Jessica, but that's about it. It keeps being dark. Can attack AG14 with 20% miss chance; a miss because of that concealment targets Tazmara with 50% miss chance.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata moves forward slowly, while maintaining her spell to find the source of the magic.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

move towards source of magic.
maintain the detect magic spell to learn more.
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

"   Forgive me, Tazmara,   " says Henri seriously as he tries to attack the creature strangling her (and not hit her...).

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri will activate Power Attack and strike at the enemy in  AG14 : Greataxe  (1d100)[ 57 ]  for miss chance (21 or higher has a chance to hit  - if this is a miss, then  (1d100)[ 34 ]  to avoid hitting Tazmara, with 51 or higher   missing   her) ,  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 13 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 18 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 34 ]  critical strike damage.

If any enemies incur AoOs: Greataxe  (1d100)[ 98 ]  for miss chance (21 or higher has a chance to hit  - if this is a miss, then  (1d100)[ 89 ]  to avoid hitting Tazmara, with 51 or higher   missing   her) ,  (1d20+6)[ 24 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 9 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 35 ]  critical strike damage.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to try a different aproach to get those things off the party. " Lightburn, roar with all your might! " Lightburn nods as he roars with all his strenght.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Intimidate check to demoralize the enemies. +2 from the intimidating prowess feat.  (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
 
Farmerbink
" Tazmara, the goddess remains with you! "

  For 1 round, Tazmara rolls d20s twice and takes best  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, Round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Use bit of luck on Tazmara again.
Move to AF/12

AoO if applicable (seems likely if they continue to attack):
 (1d20+4)[ 6 ]  glaive
 (1d20+4)[ 19 ]  CC (24, x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 6 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 23 ]  crit bonus

 Small Fire elemental  appears in melee with one of the creatures- ideally flanking, though I haven't included it.
 (1d20+4)[ 16 ]  slam attack (round 2 of 3)
 (1d20+4)[ 6 ]  CC 24, x2
 (2d4)[ 8 ]  damage  (1d4 slam, 1d4 fire)
 (2d4)[ 4 ]  crit bonus
If hit, target attempts reflex DC 11 or catches fire for persistent 1d4 until it's out.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz accepts the blessing of Shelyn.  Through the continued choking, Tazmara strains to launch another blast as the creature on her.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Standard: water blast
Attack:  (1d20+8)[ 9 ]  or  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]   Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 19 ] 
If kill it, 5ft step back to AG15

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  17/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
The sources of magic are numerous, so Laurelata simply moves forward until she sees a lot of auras directly in front of her. All other senses suggest this is where the action is, and she even sees some silhouettes against what seems to be a small fire elemental. Henri makes a swing that's forceful enough to chop someone's head off. He misses any and all heads, but Tazmara cannot help but think that the swing still was too close to her to have peace and comfort. Lightburn roars. You hear it loud and clear and, in fact, it is mightily impressive. Jessica pronounces a blessing and with it Tazmara finally blasts the thing off her face. The things fighting you decide to flee. Or at least so it would appear from their actions. They flap their wings above your heads into the corridor.

 
 Spoiler 
   
They are out of the darkness, but that does not mean you can normally see them from within. Jessica can make up to two AoOs. Nobody else does.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 3 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

"  We can't let them go - they're predators and will just threaten someone else later,  " says Henri as he clumsily moves in the direction the creatures flew, intent on getting out of the magical darkness and into the light where he can attack them.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
If the nearest Darkmantle is low enough to the ground and Henri is allowed to charge through the slightly-turning corridor, he'd charge that one with his greataxe:  (1d20+8)[ 21 ]  to hit,  (1d20+8)[ 16 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 14 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 35 ]  critical strike damage.

If it is too high or he cannot charge, a double move will bring him to  AI23 , I think.

I did  not  include the effects of Charge in my stat block above, so please apply -2 to AC if he gets the charge off. If he cannot charge because the Darkmantle is too high he'd swap weapons too and take out his longbow after securing his axe.

 If he somehow gets an AoO:  (1d20+6)[ 7 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 26 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+9)[ 15 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 33 ]  critical strike damage.   Won't matter - natural 1... 
 
farothel
Feeling more than seeing the critters, Laurelata senses they move past her.  As she knows the darkness effect is gone back in the corridor, she heads that way as quickly as she can, but still careful.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

2 move actions as I assume I'll have to move slower in the darkness to get to the edge of it.
 
DaOldeWolf
" I suppose you are right. We need to take care of those things one way or the other. They could try to sneak on us to attack once again. " Hewitt adds in agreement to the plan. Hewitt stays in the back while Lightburn goes front to assist.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Just moving forward for Hewitt and Lightburn.
 
SanguinePenguin
Finally free of the wretched creature, Taz chokes down a gulp of air.  She then dashes down the hall quickly and fires a shot at one of the retreating creatures.   "They flee down the way we came!" 
 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 3 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: Move to AH18
Standard: water blast on AI23 (which is 30' away so PBS works)
Attack:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ]   Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 19 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  17/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
Farmerbink
" We can hunt them down later, if we have to! " Jessica calls as her allies dash off into the caves.  " Oh, darn it! "  She follows suit, chasing after both friend and foe alike.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, Round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

If Jessica can move and attack, she will:
 (1d20+4)[ 9 ]  glaive
 (1d20+4)[ 24 ]  crit confirm (24, x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 8 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 23 ]  crit bonus damage

AoO if applicable:
 (1d20+4)[ 6 ]  glaive
 (1d20+4)[ 5 ]  crit confirm (24, x3)
 (1d10+3)[ 9 ]  damage
 (2d10+6)[ 16 ]  crit bonus damage

 Small Fire elemental  chases for its last round of existence on this plane.
 (1d20+4)[ 10 ]  slam
 (1d20+4)[ 18 ]  crit confirm (24, x2)
 (1d4)[ 2 ]  damage
 (1d4)[ 2 ]  damage
If hit, target attempts reflex DC 11 or catches fire for persistent  (1d4)[ 2 ]  until it's out.
 
u-b
You chase the  thing  (and it's just one thing as the other is blasted off the air by Tazmara), which leads you into the big choker cave (where you have first met choker kids). There the thing invokes more darkness at your fire elemental and tries to hide among the stalactites on the ceiling.

 
 Spoiler 
Perception needed to spot which "stalactite" it is:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
You know the general area (if anything, Lightburn can still sniff it out there somewhere), but spotting the right stalactite might take some time. If anyone with darkvision makes it, everyone with darkvision can make one round of ranged attacks (too high for a melee, even with reach). If not, roll 1d12 to pick a stalactite (12 gets the correct one).
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 4 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri grunts in annoyance, but settles down to wait out the monstrous threat as his allies bombard it with ranged attacks. "   I'll stand back there where the ceiling is low,   " he says as he steps out of the darkness and into the previous hallway, intent on attacking the creature if it tries to flee again.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Move back to a clear spot, preferably out of the area of effect of the  Darkness  and ready an attack against the Darkmantle if it tries to fly past him: grateaxe  (1d20+6)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+6)[ 26 ]  (20x3),  (1d12+9)[ 17 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+18)[ 35 ]  critical strike damage.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz makes her best guess as to which stalactite is the creature, and fires a blast of water that way.

Random:  (1d12)[ 6 ] 
Attack:  (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
DaOldeWolf
Lightburn enters the viscinity with Hewitt just behind him. The two cant reach for the creature and instead decide to prepare for a counterattack.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Readying an action to attack from both of them if the creatures try to attack them.
 
farothel
As she doesn't see anything in the darkness, Laurelata waits at the entrance of the cave, bow ready in case the thing comes back out.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move to cave entrance where the thing (and the darkness) is.
ready action: if it comes out, I'll shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 8 ] 
damage:  (1d8+1)[ 8 ]  ( (2d6)[ 5 ]  good damage if evil)
 
Farmerbink
As the creature all-but disappears into the ceiling, Jessica is left scratching her head.  " This is foolish, " she murmurs, as Tazmara blasts the stalactites somewhat at random, and the others take up a defensive posture.

" Well, it's no threat to  us,  at this point, " she comments aloud.  " Let's build a bit of a fire and smoke it out.  It shouldn't take too much, since the smoke will rise in here. "  She puts her glaive down for the moment, and retrieves a torch.  " Might even do with just one, " she adds, as she begins to light the bundle.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, Round 3 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
 
u-b
Jessica barely begins to go about her plan when, after a second jet from Tazmara blasts a second stalactite, one of the neighboring stalactites gets the hint and tries to retreat again, now into a passage to "northwest". So far, you haven't been there, so how does this consideration affect your chase?

 
 Spoiler 
Tazmara: (1d12)[7]

Takes a run action, so likely you cannot move and use a short-ranged attack.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz gives Jessica a puzzled glare.   “This isn’t a bat or some cuddly cave creature, this is one of the aberrant beasts from the depths of the earth where untold horrors dwell.  We can’t let this thing be anywhere near our camp.  It could pass information to even more dangerous things below about us.”   Taz begins to head after the fleeing creature.
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 5 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

"   Right...   " Says Henri, stepping forward and following the creature into the new tunnel cautiously...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Double move to try and keep up with the darkmantle, but not too far that he cannot see the other PCs...
 
farothel
Laurelata follows the rest of the group, wondering where this is headed.
Farmerbink
" Please wait! " Jessica calls, quietly but urgently.  " We know the creature is here and dangerous.  We should proceed with caution.  Can we take a few moments for me to call upon Shelyn's grace for a  Blessing  before we charge off into the darkness anew? "

She pauses long enough to hear her companion's thoughts before beginning a simple prayer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Jessica has one spell slot unprepared.  If anyone has a more specific suggestion, I'm open to it.  But I don't see  any  reason, much less a good one, to charge off into somewhere we haven't been without trying to prepare as best we're able.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz sighs and relents,  “you’re right… wait!  I think I can…”  she trails off, draws some power, drops to one knee and fires a blast at the creature from down the corridor.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
move: channel 1
Standard:  extended range blast:  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  Damage:  (2d6+8)[ 14 ] 
 
u-b
The flying thing is blasted through the center, but somehow manages to remain in the air to sort of hobble along behind a bend and out of sight, leaving a distinctive trail of blood and minced intestines.
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt wonders about the sutuation.  Are we really being careful enough?  He mentally wonders to Lightburn.  I´ll try to cover for everyone to retreat if anything goes wrong and we need to retreat.  Lighburn responds asthe two keep following the group deeper in the cave.
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 6(?) 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  29/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri slows to stay within sight of the rest of the party and looks down the dark tunnels, his all-too-human eyes unable to pierce the darkness even as he hears the injured creature clumsily fly away. Nodding along with the wisdom of not getting too far ahead he waits for the others. "   Can't light a wet torch - can someone make my axe glow?   " he asks as the others catch up. "   They know we're here - no point in sneaking.   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Requesting a  Light  cantrip or similar from someone. Can anyone help?
 
farothel
Laurelata would follow the others, weapon ready.  If she spotted the critter, she would fire at it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move.
If I can see it and have my standard action still ready: shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 9 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 3 ]  (if evil:  (2d6)[ 6 ]  good damage).
else double move to keep up
 
Farmerbink
Jessica shakes her head ruefully.  " I don't struggle with darkness, so I don't usually prepare such magic, " she unhappily informs Henri.  " I can prepare a spell to that effect, but I haven't in some time.... "  She continues to work on the torch in hand, intent upon bringing torchlight and smoke to the darkness.
u-b
Magically, as that seems the only viable way, you illuminate your way following the creature. It does not take you far as just behind the first narrow spot the cave to your left gets much wider and you see a space that has clearly artifically been hollowed out and veins of various crystals exposed, refracting any light cast upon their surface. Small piles of rock are heaped on the ground nearby, where the earth has been carefully chiseled way to expose the potentially precious stones. There is also a narrow passage leading "north-west", but by the blood trail left you clearly see that's not the way to chase your mark. It seems to have nowhere to go out of the room, so you take a moment and yep, see some fresh blood drop off a stalactite...

 
 Spoiler: Lightburn 
The stones here smell funny. That is, they smell stone, but not just the way they do in the rest of the caves. Lightburn has no huge experience smelling sorts of stones, so he has not much to add.
 
 
 Spoiler 
The thing is "hiding", but you see it no prob. Short range.
 
SanguinePenguin
Ignoring potential dangers of the room, the moment she spots the aberrant stalactite, Taz fires off a shot at the creature.

 
 Spoiler: Action 
Attack:  (1d20+8)[ 20 ]  Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 16 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne7141981 
 Henri slows to stay within sight of the rest of the party and looks down the dark tunnels, his all-too-human eyes unable to pierce the darkness even as he hears the injured creature clumsily fly away. Nodding along with the wisdom of not getting too far ahead he waits for the others. "   Can't light a wet torch - can someone make my axe glow?   " he asks as the others catch up. "   They know we're here - no point in sneaking.   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Requesting a  Light  cantrip or similar from someone. Can anyone help?
 
 
 

Hewitt hears about the request and goes to help cast the spell. " Here you go. " Hewitt replies. Lightburn informs the rest of what he smelled. " For some reason I can smell the stone here. I dont know why. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting light as requested on the axe.
 
u-b
Tazmara blasts the "stalactite" off the ceiling. It lands in a number of places, deader than dead. So, are you done here? And now what?
farothel
Now the thing was dead, Laurelata took the opportunity to look around in the cave they were in, as they hadn't been here before.  She didn't put her bow away of course, but it wouldn't hurt to see who or what had dug out these caves, or if they were natural, who had been in here before (besides the chokers that is).

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

Perception:  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
knowledge(dungeoneering):  (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 
 
u-b
This section of the cave does not seem to be lived in - that is, there is no such thingies lying anywhere - but it sure as hell seems to be  worked  in. There are three heaps of stones in the center. First, a big heap of cracked rocks. Second, a small heap of precious stones. And third, a medium heap of... well, rocks to process? These do not seem to be old. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to name  any  lower bound, and cracking lots of rocks could well explain the smell that Lightburn was mentioning. You ask lightburn two questions. First, if the chokers were mining it. And the answer is "no". Second, whether he smells  any  miners. The answer is negative either. Looking around the cave some more reveals... well, not quite reveals, but the elves have keen senses, some even more so, and the southern wall does not quite  sound  right. Not "confined" enough? Laurelata tries to touch it... and finds nothing amiss.

 
 Spoiler: Laurelata 
Nothing to see here. Move along.
 
farothel
Laurelata isn't fully convinced, so she turns to the others.
 "I thought I felt something here,"  she said,  "anybody can check it out for magic?  I've already used my allotment of magic detection today." 

In the meantime she goes to check out what exactly they were mining here?
DarkOne-Rob
Quietly Henri leads the others into the cave and then follows about as he keeps his eyes peeled for threats. At the request for magical aid he shakes his head, but he does come close to the wall where Laurelata was searching. "   I don't  see  anything strange, but where did the miners go?   " he asks.
Farmerbink
Jessica responds eagerly to Laurelata.  " Certainly.  Let me just... focus for a moment. "  In relative safety, she does just that, and spends several seconds scanning the room for magical auras, and trying to discern what she can from any that she finds.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Detect Magic 
Cast the spell, focus as long as able (if there's nothing here, it'll be quick).

Attempt Arcana for any auras, starting with the most powerful?:
 (1d20+5)[ 24 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 16 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 14 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 13 ] 
 

Satisfied for the moment, she returns to investigating the room, proper.

 
 Originally Posted by u-b 
 There is also a narrow passage leading "north-west"... 
 

  " Probably over here, " Jessica calls, from beside a small opening, easily overlooked in the dim recesses of the chamber.
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
Most of the southern wall radiates Illusion all over it. Jessica concentrates, trying to see through it, and sees another wall several feet behind the fake one. And in between, standing perfectly still, two dog-sized  them ...

     
 
Farmerbink
" What the heck!? " Jessica literally jumps, scrambling away from the "wall" to the south to hide behind Henri.  " It's a trap!  Its a- It's.... "  She stammers for a moment...
DarkOne-Rob
Henri doesn't say anything, but barrels up to the front, getting between the rest of the party and whatever Jessica saw...
Farmerbink
" It's.. gotta be the miners?  That wall is an illusion, be careful! "  Gripping her glaive tightly, more like a security blanket than an implement of war, Jessica stammers out a warning as she tries to figure out what she's seeing.

" They're like... gemstone scorpions?  Except the size of a dog...  I don't know if they are even alive, it could be some kind of machine, maybe. "
DarkOne-Rob
With a scowl of confusion Henri turns his head slightly over his shoulder to ask, "   Are they doing anything? Do they care that we're here?   "
farothel
Laurelata took some distance from the wall and had another look at it, trying to pierce the illusion.
 "Maybe they can talk, like that critter we met up on the way to the tower,"  she said.  She wasn't sure what language, but it could be worth a try.
DaOldeWolf
" Well, we have seen a ton of strange machinery before, some of it pretty dangerous. " Hewitt reminds the rest. " ....still, we could use this chance to try to capture one if it turns outto be agressive.. " he suggests.
Farmerbink
Jessica watches the creatures with single-minded furvor, equal parts confused and wary.  " They... don't appear to be moving at all? " she murmurs.  " Perhaps they're constructs of some kind, currently turned off?  Be careful, either way.  They look like they could be dangerous, and if they made this pile of splintered rocks.... "
u-b
The wall at which Jessica looks at points does not seem like it does anything. Except for your warning shouts and the related discussion the cave keeps being quiet.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
Indeed, they don't appear to be moving. You are unsure whether this does or does not mean a thing.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz stares at the wall in confusion.  She couldn’t see what Jessica claimed to see.  She briefly considered that Jessica saw an illusion and not the rest of them, but that didn’t make much sense.  After staring at the wall for moment, she says,  “these creatures seem to just be hiding, they do not seem aggressive, and they certainly don’t look like aberrations, from your description.  Are these just local fauna?  If they are avoiding us and not eating our livestock or plotting our demise… maybe we should just let them be?” 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri keeps his attention focused forward, on the offending wall and the possibly-threatening things beyond it. "   Lots of questions - where are the masters of these things?   " he asks. "   While I guard this, someone else should look...   "
Farmerbink
Jessica stammers for a moment, struggling to compose thoughts into words.  " Who would we even ask?  Surely no one in the colony knows of this, or we would have been warned. "  She eyes the strange creatures/constructs/whatever for several heartbeats.  " They certainly look like they could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances.  We need to either leave and warn the colonists, or press the issue and at least see what we can learn... "
DaOldeWolf
" Kind of hard to evaluate. Well, if those things might activate, why dont we send a summon instead? See if they react to it. If nothing happens, we are probably safe. " Hewitt replies offering a suggestion.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If everyone agrees on it, Hewitt will dismiss Lightburn for a moment to summon a celestial dog. Then send it off to just check the creatures and see if they react to it.
 
Farmerbink
" I'd much rather do that than leave them behind without any answer, " Jessica responds quietly.
SanguinePenguin
 ”Is the dog even going to be able to walk through the wall?  If you want to try, go ahead.  This is next to the colony - maybe we should just report their existence to Ramona.” 
u-b
Hewitt summons a dog. And, for a start, he has some problems getting the dog into the wall...

 
 Spoiler 
Make two successfull Handle Animal checks to "Push" an animal (first one is to succeed and then the other can be attempted) at DC 25, namely to:
1. Get the dog move into the wall.
2. Get the dog attack the thingies.

The dog comes war-trained, but... "Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks."

Retries possible at cumulative +1 DC as the dog gets increasingly annoyed.
 
DarkOne-Rob
It is with some...distrust? Confusion? Ignorance?...that Henri watches the scene progress, with an extraplanar magic dog summoned and encouraged to try and move through an apparently solid stone wall. "   Never did understand this sort of thing...   " he mutters as he watches, his weapon still readied in his tireless hands.
DaOldeWolf
" I am unsure if this is actually working. Should I just dismiss the summon? " Hewitt replies from the poor results so far.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If yes, then he will dismiss the summon and begin the ritual to call Lightburn back.
 
farothel
 "We can try to throw some rocks,"  Laurelata said suddenly,  "they should pass through.  Or we can just ignore them and move on." 
u-b
Hewitt dismisses the dog and summons a small earth elemental instead. He does not know a word in Terran, so just points at the wall. The elemental goes there, right through. There is a sound of stone hitting stone. Again. And again. And then silence.

 
 Spoiler: Hewitt 
You sense your summon disappear.
 
 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
Jessica sees the one thing, approached by the elemental, to sting it. Then the elemental to hit it for some superficial damage, then the other thing steps closer and smashes the elemental with yet another sting. The things stand still again, seemingly ready for your further actions.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Thing sting: (1d20+7)[22] for (2d6+3)[11]
Elemental slam (1d20+6)[25] for (1d6+4)[7]
Thing sting: (1d20+7)[25] for (2d6+3)[12]
 

 

 =&gt; Party(?) 
DaOldeWolf
" Well, either the summoned elemental was dealt with or something magical dismissed it. " Hewitt replies worried.  Whatever the case, I am not sure we can handle it just yet. 
Farmerbink
Jessica gapes, wincing at attacks unseen by her companions.  " Uhhh... the good news is they appear to not care about what's beyond the illusory wall. "

She blinks a few times, before stammering out a conclusion.  " But it looks very much like that would hurt.  A  lot .  We should report them to Ramona, and make sure  nobody  comes in here anytime soon. "
farothel
 "Jessica, do they look like native beasts or constructs,"  Laurelata asked, wondering.  If it were constructs, they might be reprogrammable in the future to help out instead of being a danger.
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
Well, now that you see them sting and think about it and the illusory wall and the mining operation... well, you are pretty sure you know the buddies. They are  crysmals . And, thinking of their abilities, they can shoot their stingers so might be targeting some of you this very moment, not shooting only because of reasons of theirs. Also, if anyone cares, they should speak Terran.

 
 Spoiler 
Jessica know (arcana): (1d20+5)[25]
 

 
Farmerbink
Jessica blinks several times.  " Uh,  neither,  actually.  Now that I've seen them fight, I think I've heard of these....  They're sort of earth elementals- just especially drawn to crystals and other gemstones.  They tend to be....  um...  not precisely friendly, but also not prone to violence.  One of them almost certainly conjured this illusory wall, presumably to hide from us- " she glances over her shoulder, suddenly self-conscious- " or something else.  In either case, they could have attacked us- by surprise- any time now.  Let's uh- let's talk further away, ok? "

She begins to gently direct her companions to the opening in the other wall, still not quite turning her back on the crysmals.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods and backs up slowly, keeping himself between the illusory wall and the party. "   So...do you think there is anything else in here?   " he asks without turning back to look into the caves. "   If there's anything else here, we should deal with it.   "
farothel
 "At the moment they don't pose a threat to the colony, right,"  Laurelata asked, still not sure what they were facing,  "if so, I would just leave them for now and revisit later when we have more information or are better equipped to handle these kinds of things." 
u-b
The only part of the cave you have not already explored seems to be a passage leading out of this "room". You follow it and eventually emerge behind some bush under some hill. This seems to have not been used recently, but some time it was. You mark the location as it is a more convenient entrance into the cave than through the well. You then make your way back to report (or something).

 
 Spoiler 
What are your plans for the rest of the day and, if applicable, for later?

UPD: If you want to loot the choker section of the cave, you can consider it done if you spend some time.
UPD2: Do you take or leave the gems mined so far (apparently by these two elemental scorpion things)?
 
Farmerbink
Jessica is relieved to be back above ground.  " Well, at least we can rest assured that we won't be losing livestock to the chokers anymore.  Not sure what to do with those two crystalline critters, though.  At the very least, if we plan to drive them off, I think we need to call upon as much magical guidance as possible, and storm the place aggressively.  But I hate to do attack them just for money....  It's not even really that useful out here... "
DaOldeWolf
" If anything, I am more worried about its master. There are so many weird creations on this island, its hard to know when something has been here for a long time and what was just recently created. " Hewitt complains.
DarkOne-Rob
As the party settles on leaving the strange constructs behind, apparently hidden behind an illusory wall, Henri scowls unhappily. "   We need to warn the colony  and  do something to block the way. What about cleaning up the caves - don't want to leave corpses behind to attract scavengers...   " he says to the others. As they seem content to move on he looks for at least one volunteer to help him clean out the tunnels and set up a warning sign at the cave entrance.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'm content to have Henri spend the rest of the day clearing out the cave of corpses, loot, and crystals. Additionally, a sign or some barrier to keep hapless colonists from wandering in and getting hurt seems like a good idea. Will anyone else help?
 
farothel
 "I'll help out,"  Laurelata said.  She didn't have darkvision, but she could see quite well with just the light of a torch so she could look around for interesting stuff.
 "Maybe bring the chokers up so the colonists can see that they are gone,"  she suggested.
u-b
You start to loot the caves. It takes some time. Rummaging through the chokers' lair, you see a perfectly normal backpack stashed in a nook in the wall and filled with:
1. A porcelain tea set for 6, with three of the teacups now having broken handles.
2. A steel flask full of whiskey etched with an elaborate "R".
3. A beutiful silver mirror with a rose motif.
4. A set of dice in a wooden cup capped with leather.
5. Four star candle fireworks.
6. Two very similar non-magical vials of  something .
7. A magical small non-precious stone.
8. A magical belt.
9. A magical cloak.
10. Ten pounds of other gear, mainly clothing and household utensils.

There is nothing much else of value. There is also nothing in darkmantles' part of the cave.

You then turn your attention to the newly-mined heap of crystals. There is literally hundreds gp worth of them, but it would take better illumination and some more time to arrive at an exact figure. As soon as you start to bag the crystals, there are some stony clicks behind the illusory wall that still holds... and then you face not a pile of crystals, but a solid non-precious rock.

 
 Spoiler 
Will DC 13 if you try to handle the rock.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica absolutely gawks at the silver mirror, almost entranced by the fine workmanship.  Only after a few gentle nudges does she turn her attention to identifying the magical items.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Not that she's  good  at it, mind you, but she'll  try. 

Unknown DCs, know arcana with detect magic to identify:
 (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  magic stone
 (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  belt
 (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  cloak
 


Several minutes later, she eyes the pile of precious gems with obvious concern.  " I really don't think we should mess with any of that if we're not ready to fight for it, " she murmurs, glancing at the illusory wall and beyond.  " I also don't think they're unintelligent, so we better be serious. "
farothel
 "Good idea,"  Laurelata said as she looked at the solid rock instead of the pile of gems she was supposed to be looking at,  "we can always come back later." 

When they were back up with all the stuff from the chokers, she helped Jessica with identifying it.  She wasn't a magic user, but she knew some about it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

will safe:  (1d20+2)[ 17 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+4)[ 8 ]  on the items Jessica can't identify
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to take a look at the items himself in look for its possible monetary value especially for selling.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Appraise:  (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
 
u-b
You identify some, but not all of the magic items found. The function of the belt remains unclear. The appraisal gives Hewitt something to ponder as there is stuff for all kinds, expensive and not and for which is and isn't a market. Meanwhile, Laurelata is pretty sure the newly-appearing boulder is yet another illusion and can even feel the crystals inside it, but, putting some thought into it, you get the message and, leave the crystals to the crystal creatures, at least for now. You are then back to base or something...

 
 Spoiler 
1. A porcelain tea set for 6, with three of the teacups now having broken handles.  - now a tea set for 3 with a few spares thrown in, so maybe 20..25 gp 
2. A steel flask full of whiskey etched with an elaborate "R".  - in good shape, but it's just a flask so 1 gp or such 
3. A beautiful silver mirror with a rose motif.  - a piece of art, worth maybe 150 gp if you find the right buyer 
4. A set of dice in a wooden cup capped with leather.  - well-made and well-used, so 10 gp total 
5. Four star candle fireworks.  - 5 gp a pop 
6. Two very similar non-magical vials of something.  - it seems you will need a chemist 
7. A magical small non-precious stone ( thunderstone ).  - standard price 30 gp 
8. A magical belt.  - unclear (a typical magical belt should worth at least 1000 gp, often 4000 gp) 
9. A magical cloak ( shield cloak ).  - nominally 1000 gp, but there is hardly a market 
10. Ten pounds of other gear, mainly clothing and household utensils.  - maybe 10 gp for the lot and there is a good market for these 

It's some time afternoon, so what do you do?
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri does his part, often performing the heavy-lifting and manual labor stoically, until the crystals disappear under an apparent illusion. "   Weird - I don't like this...going put up a warning at the entrance...   " he explains as he walks away to do that, hopefully conscripting the aid of someone in the colony with the writing skills and supplies.
farothel
Laurelata will help moving the stuff and putting up the sign.  Now they have an easier entrance, she also proposes to close the way through the well, just to make sure there's nothing foul that can enter into the well that way.  She knows that the household utensils will fetch a good price in the fledgling colony as those are the types of items they need the most at the moment.  She selects some items she might be able to use in her food business.  The whiskey could also come in handy, but it's not enough really.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods, satisfied with their findings.  " I'd call that a job well done! " she exhorts.  " No more chokers to be stealing the goats, and I can't fathom the crystal fellas will be a problem for our water supply.  Seems they just want to harvest the crystals and without  some  market, I hardly see any value disturbing them. "

After only a moment, she frowns thoughtfully.  " Which brings us back to the matter at hand...  We've still  got Rayland and Eliza  to deal with, and not much of a lead.  We  could  find some excuse to continue camping out of town, but I don't know that that's a sustainable solution.  At best, we're mostly just delaying having to deal with that issue....  But I can't come up with any better solutions.  Without knowing what's going on with them, we're... we're still very much just floundering... "
SanguinePenguin
Taz nods, she was happy for an excuse to be away from them.   ”Right!  We need to break the enchantment on Rayland.  We could get someone in the colony to try to do that, maybe one of the priests?” 
DaOldeWolf
" I agree. Lets regroup for now. No point in hanging around here anymore " Hewitt replies hoping the extra treasure wont be too much bruden for the rest.
u-b
You go back to the village and have a guard call up the priests. The priests say neither of them can just break the enchantment, but there is this plan: the three of you can cast every spell slot as a  Protection from Evil . This is not guaranteed to work, but the chances are solid. Can be done as soon as tomorrow and, if not working, repeated the day after that.
DarkOne-Rob
"   I still can't help much, but will stay close, just in case,   " says Henri calmly as the others discuss magic and interrogations. Perhaps he could be a frightening, intimidating presence, if needed, but otherwise the quiet half-orc lacks the sorts of skills to help much...
farothel
There is little Laurelata can do in that as well, except keeping an eye out for any strange things.
 "These spells only last a few hours,"  she says to Henri,  "so we have to be prepared for him to revert back." 
DaOldeWolf
" I can help with the castings. I dont mind to asssisting on such matters with my magic in a safer environment. " Hewitt replies about the plan.
Farmerbink
" It's as good an idea as any I've heard.  I can cast protection from evil once today, but can plan to prepare more for tomorrow if we want to be more sure of it. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
To be clear, I'm content to do it today, especially if we can have the resident clerics prepared to add a few castings of their own.
 
u-b
The clerics say they have two more castings between them, so you could as well try today, but there is the risk of failing and giving the affected party more time to react before the next try.

 
 Spoiler 
Please specify when how exactly you are to do it. Right now the two of them are in the tent guarded from some distance by colonial soldiers (mostly one at a time, so that's likely enough to shout a warning at most if things start happening).
 
farothel
 "Maybe take them a bit further from the town, just in case," , Laurelata suggested.  She didn't know much about this, so she would defer to Jessica and the priests if they had other ideas, but keeping this stuff away from the other colonists might not be a bad idea.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods soberly before carefully considering the situation.  " I think we should go ahead and do it.  Maybe make sure there's an extra guard or two close at hand, and I'll prepare another  blessing  for us, before we begin, just in case. "  She then turns to the other clerics.

" Father Eamon, Kurvis, I fear this could prove more dangerous than we expect.  If you are willing, I would ask you to cast protection from evil on the man largely without warning.  We'll tell them that you're coming into the camp to help render aid, but I frankly don't trust them.  I think...  I  suspect  Eliza is... not being honest about who she is, and what she's doing.  I would love to offer more encouragement or information, but I'm afraid both are something of a shortcoming right now. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just to be abundantly clear, my suggestion is this.
1) we ask the guard to get a few more on hand- just in case.  They can stay as far away as they like- in fact, it might be better if they don't get close enough to prompt suspicion?
2) we reenter camp and tell them that the colony clerics have offered to come aid us.
3) Jessica casts bless (and anyone else their own preparations)
4) Eamon or Kurvis casts PoE on Rayland, and we hope something productive comes of it?
 
u-b
You approach the tent with Eamon and Kurvis, leaving Marius and two other guards behind to do a "new guard shift" procedure some 60 feet away. Both Rayland and Eliza are camping outside. Eliza stands up as you approach. Suddenly, Jessica casts Bless while Eamon, Kurvis and Hewitt all cast Protection from Evil on sitting Rayland. Eliza raises an eyebrow. Rayland blinks. Stands up. Draws the sword and swings it at an empty air that was Eliza just a moment ago.  "Ah, bitch!" 
 
 Spoiler 
Rayland will: (1d20+7)[19] (1d20+7)[26] (1d20+7)[14] vs DC 26
Eliza spellcraft: (1d20+11)[18] (1d20+11)[27] (1d20+11)[16]
Eliza bluff: (1d20+13)[28]
Rayland sword: (1d20+11)[24] miss (1d100)[28] for (1d8+4)[8]

Eliza casts a readied spell and is suddenly gone, but you can make perception checks, spellcraft checks or whatever...
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri, who has been watching closely from nearby, immediately focuses and tries to see signs of Eliza. He stays quiet, assuming she must have done something unnatural and magical to evade everyone's sight...

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
Henri doesn't have anything special to help him here, so a simple check is all he gets...  (1d20+9)[ 19 ]  to identify the square in which Eliza might be.

If he fails on his first check this round he will try again:  (1d20+9)[ 19 ] .

If he succeeds on the first check he will attempt to move to her for a grapple next round.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt casts Detect Magic and tries to check upon possible results of interest. Hopefully something that could hep them know that they suceeded.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Casting detect magic

Lets make both K. Arcana and Spllcraft checks
K. A.  (1d20+7)[ 8 ]  (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
Spellcraft
 
farothel
 "Just fracking great,"  Laurelata said as she drew her rapier and tried to see where Eliza had gone to and also what spell she had used.  She had already used her detect magic that day, so she couldn't go that way.  But being invisible didn't mean you didn't show yourself.  Tracks would still show up and if you walked through foliage, the leaves and stuff would move as you touched them.  So she looked for those signals mostly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 29 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+4)[ 24 ] 
 
SanguinePenguin
 ”Rayland - we know you are being controlled.  This freedom of your mind won’t last long, so talk.  We need to know as much as we can about what is going on.  Is Eliza being controlled too?  Tell us what you know.”   As she asks, she also watches for danger and braces herself to attack.

  Perception  - (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 
farothel
 "She's still there,"  Laurelata shouted, not seeing anything move around the location she had been.  So she took a wild stab in that area, hoping for a hit, but she didn't feel any resistance, so she had to score that one as a miss.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

miss chance:  (1d20)[ 5 ]  (11+ is hit)
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 18 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
 
Farmerbink
" Woah! " Jessica cries, lamely.  " I didn't think  that  was gonna happen! "

Not seeing anything hostile, at least to the party, at least immediately, Jessica lowers her glaive and focuses on Rayland.  " Rayland Arkley, you're among allies!  We're the second wave of colonists, sent to reinforce Talmandor's Bounty! "
u-b
Henri looks for Eliza and sees nothing much. Nothing notable at all. Laurelata sees the same, but she is  sure  when nothing means nothing. Like, the grass was  not  straightening up where the woman has stood just a moment before casting that spell Laurelata also recognises. She tries a stab at the spot, but the rapier meets no resistance. Hewitt also recognises the spell. Not quite trusting his eyes, he tries to locate Eliza by her magical aura, but that was going to take some time.

Meanwhile, Tazmara and Jessica seem to be more concerned with getting Arkley to talk.  "Controlled? You bet! But she is eager enough on her own, I will tell you! You shouldn't have brought us here! Oh, damn!"  He seems to try to spot Eliza, but soon gives up.

 
 Spoiler: Hewitt, Laurelata 
The spell is  Vanish .
 
 
 Spoiler 
Eliza's stealth check:  (1d20-4)[ 11 ]  vs hearing, +20 more vs sight

Rayland has more to say, with or without being questioned, but that is to take some time. 
 Spoiler: Anyone beating that check 
She's taking double move in a random direction away from most of you.
 

 
farothel
Laurelata felt that Eliza had moved, but she wasn't sure where, so she tried to hear and see where she went.  She heard something so she ran that way, trying to keep up.
 "This way,"  she shouted at the others

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 2 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 21 ] 

no shot, as not enough on the perception roll.  Double move to keep up.
If successful, shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 7 ]  (if evil:  (2d6)[ 10 ]  holy damage)
if needed, miss chance (11+ is a hit):  (1d20)[ 16 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica tries to keep up.  " Why not?  What happened here, Arkley?! "  The question isn't so much a demand as urgent need for information coming across less diplomatically than usual.

 
 Spoiler: OOC, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Jessica will move to keep up with Laurelata, readying her blade as she moves.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to give a brief explanation. " Low level invisibility like spell. Be on your toes everyone! " Hewitt informs the others.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Lets follow the group. Probably near the back of the group.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri tries to follow after the fleeing woman, intent on stopping her from escaping if he can pinpoint her location...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Perception:  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] , focusing on listening for her while keeping his eyes open to avoid the movement speed penalty from being unable to see (see the Blind condition).
 
u-b
As most of the grup give chase after fleeing Eliza, Rayland stays firmly in place. He takes a look at Tazmara.  "I think  we  won't catch her, will we? I'll tell you...  he pauses for a moment to come up for a plan of his speech  "She let that thing out, whatever that is. I think we have the control spells regularly refreshed, but I don't remember it cleary..." 
 
 Spoiler 
You (those with 30-ft base speed) start this turn some 10..15 feet from Eliza and then she takes a double move again.

Eliza's stealth check:  (1d20-4)[ 14 ]  vs hearing, +20 more vs sight

Rayland has more to say, with or without being questioned, but that is to take some time.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata knew that the spell had a limited duration, so if she could stay close to the woman, she would become visible at some time and then they could take her down for some questioning, even if it was with the 'speak with dead' spell.  So she kept running and if she didn't know where, the last direction she knew was correct.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 10 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri immediately realizes that his slower, crooked-limbed gait won't be enough to keep up with his allies. He continues to try, however, stumbling along as best he can...

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
 (1d20+9)[ 11 ]  to go in the right direction...
 
SanguinePenguin
 “Still, let’s try to not fall far behind.  What can you say about this ‘master’ from the tower?”  Taz scurries after and calls out a direction of the others are getting off track.

 
 Spoiler 
Double move after the others.

Perception:   (1d20+7)[ 17 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica glances between her allies and Rayland with concern clearly plastered over her face.  " What  thing ? " she stammers, still dividing her attention between the fleeing Eliza and the rest of her allies.

Without  too  much deliberation, she decides Rayland is the more immediately valuable asset, and stays by his side.  Still holding her glaive (but not threateningly), she reaches out a gentle gesture.  " There will be time to deal with everything later.  We have nothing but time here on the island, so long as we keep ourselves and each other safe. "

With delicate, careful motions, she offers to see to Rayland's immediate needs.  " What can you tell us about... whatever has been going on?  Obviously, you were possessed until very recently.  Do you know what did it?  Was it Eliza directly?  How? "

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 3 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 4/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5)  Active on all allies
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Jessica will stay with Rayland, beginning to deliberately focus more on his needs than chasing their invisible quarry.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt decides to stay too. It was better to leave this to the more combat oriented in his group. Without spells, he wasnt going to be much help. He decides to begin his ritual to cast Lightburn to his side in the meantime. No point in wasting time doing nothing.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Making the ritual to summon Lightburn to his side.
 
u-b
The problem with trying to follow someone invisible by going in straight lines, is, as Tazmara is barely able to confirm with her hearing, is that the invisible person sees you. And changes their course. Tarmara makes a correction to the direction she moves, but is increasingly lagging behind.

Rayland, meanwhile, looks at the chase, stands mostly still and responds to Jess:  "That thing from the tank. The smaller tank, I mean. I must have seen it, I think, but I am perfectly sure I cannot remember that part. So have not much to tell you. I guess that thing does... not quite possess... is the term "dominate"? It's not her for sure." 
 
 Spoiler 
Eliza's stealth check:  (1d20)[ 4 ]  vs hearing (or +5 that vs hearing if you attempt to run; 40 feet of the distance is figured in), +20 more vs sight

Rayland has more to say, with or without being questioned, but that is to take some time.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata tries to follow, using all senses to the maximum and trying to keep up as much as possible.
 "Over here,"  she shouted as she corrected her direction.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 18 ] 
run
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri turns to go in the direction indicated by Laurelata, unconfident in his own ears. The lame half-orc keeps moving as fast as he can, struggling mightily against his own body...
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns, trying to think through the implications without completely losing track of her companions.  " So... something dominated  her,  and she dominated you? "
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt is still in the middle of the ritual so he keeps on going ignoring anything around him.
SanguinePenguin
With Jessica staying behind Taz runs ahead as fast as she can to catch up.

 
 Spoiler 
 Run to the others and a bit past if possible
 
u-b
The three of you try to follow Eliza and have some success keeping up. The situation even looks positive to Laurelata as the invisibility spell is to expire sometime soon and the forest ahead is not dense enough to really hide, at least at short distance. If anything, it would be even easier to see Eliza trampling on assorted broadleaf plants as opposed to short goat-grazed grass. And then you hear another invisibility spell cast. You are all sure of it as it sounds exactly like the last time... and then she moves again?

 
 Spoiler 
Eliza's stealth check  after  she casts the spell (a single move action):  (1d20-3)[ -1 ]  vs hearing (or +5 that vs hearing if you attempt to run, but likely no point at the moment; 10 feet of the distance is figured in), +20 more vs sight
 

Hewitt remains busy enough while Rayland and Jessica keep on talking.

 "She?"  Rayland takes a moment to think.  "I cannot positively rule it out and not competent in those things to begin with, but no, nothing concrete hints at such a delegation."  Then he thinks a bit more and sheathes the sword, still looking at the chase.  "You might want to tie me, sooner or later." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri hears the spellcasting and stops running, huffing and looking pained from the effort. With a grunt of annoyance and shaking his head he turns to look back at the two PCs and Rayland. With a sigh he begins walking that way, silently listening to their discussion.
farothel
Laurelata was right on Eliza's tail when she heard her casting again.  she covered the distance, rapier drawn and tried to stab again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I heard where she is:
attack: [rol]1d20+5[/roll] for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
miss chance (50+ on d100 is hit):  (1d100)[ 16 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt keeps working on the ritual.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Since it takes one minute, I wont be doing much yet.
 
u-b
Laurelata stabs the empty air. Tazmara runs as fast as she can, finally catching up with her and preparing to blast, but then you hear, and actually see, the invisible Eliza running away at full speed into the sparse forest, trampling and pushing aside boadleaf undergrowth...

 
 Spoiler 
Eliza takes a run action. She can take at least a few more until it gets too dense. That is, if she's not overly picky about the direction. Laurelata would have no problem following (effectively alone, as she's the only one fast enough to keep up and Henri has given up already) OR shooting at the full-concealment target for, say two rounds, at ever increasing distance. I don't think we have to play this by the round, just do what it is.
 
farothel
 "This way,"  Laurelata shouts to the others as she follows Eliza a bit before trying to shoot her.  That would give them an aim point at least.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

move action: move 30ft closer
attack:
if needed, I can make another attack:  (1d20+5)[ 24 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
miss chance (50+ is hit):  (1d100)[ 79 ] 

bow damage in OOC topic
 
Farmerbink
 
 Originally Posted by u-b 
  "You might want to tie me, sooner or later."  
 

Jessica is obviously surprised by Rayland's comment.  " Oh!  When the spell lapses...  Here, I've got rope. "  She immediately sets to tightly wrapping the rope around his wrists.  " Henri?  A little help?  Rayland here suspects he'll be under her control again soon, but we've got more information now than we did before. "  She turns back to the man, eager to make the best of his brief lucidity.

" Since there's no point playing coy, we'll bring you into the compound.  We've got a few rooms we can repurpose as cells, and we can make use of the guards' efforts.  Do you mind letting us hold onto your weapons and armor for now?  I promise, as soon as we can we'll break her domination fully. "
farothel
As Eliza moved on, Lauralata followed more slowly but still shooting.  As the woman had an arrow sticking out, she could now follow easier.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

move 30ft in the right direction
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 25 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 8 ]  (add  (2d6)[ 11 ]  extra damage if target is evil)
miss chance 20% (above 20 is hit):  (1d100)[ 28 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata hits something invisible with one of her arrows and then, five seconds later, while she barely sees the fletching of the first arrow quickly move away, lodges another one right beside it. The fletchings seem to stumble, stop running and disappear behind a nearby bush.

 "Wait, wait, not so fast! If you want me to remove the armor, that's quicker done with my hands not tied..."  he drops the shield and the sword and then proceeds to remove the breastplate  "...how much time do we have?" 

He then adds while still busy.  "I do belive the domination needs refreshing. We'll just have to live long enough everyone."  And then adds to that...  "Can be problematic." 
 
 Spoiler 
Stealth:  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]  (considering two run actions minus two move actions, 180 feet of range penalties factored in; you still well know the spot where you've last seen her)

Anyone proficient with a breastplate can tell that removing it takes a minute or so, half that if somebody helps.
 

 =&gt; Party (up to two rounds if you give a chase, more if you do not) 
farothel
Laurelata has set a course, so she would follow said course.  Moving further and following the tracks and what she hears, she tries to follow Eliza.  She fires two more arrows, but both miss.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

round 1:
move 30ft in the right direction
perception:  (1d20+9)[ 19 ] 
attack:  (1d20+3)[ 19 ]  (-2 for range increment) for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 9 ]  (add  (2d6)[ 7 ]  extra damage if target is evil)
miss chance 20% (above 20 is hit):  (1d100)[ 15 ] 

round 2:
move 30ft in the right direction
perception:  (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
attack:  (1d20+3)[ 23 ]  (-2 for range increment) for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 4 ]  (add  (2d6)[ 5 ]  extra damage if target is evil)
miss chance 20% (above 20 is hit):  (1d100)[ 4 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri arrives back with Jessica and their...guest...? Once he takes in the task at hand he nods and begins to help the man out of his armor, his confident, experienced hands making short work of the process.
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns, obviously deeply concerned.  " I'm not sure we have time...  Throw aside your weapons!  Quick! "  She begins calling upon Shelyn to  Bless  herself and her allies, in preparation for a fight she hopes doesn't come.  " We should be able to subdue you without hurting your too much, if it comes to it... "

Clearly distraught, nonetheless she calls to the others, an any guards still nearby.  " We've got some answers!  Come help us make sure he doesn't get hurt! "
u-b
Laurelata mostly sees leaves and grass. She shoots two arrows... somewhere. She hits where she's aiming, but nope, no invisible Eliza at that point of space and time. She does maybe one extra try at that or another and then hears another time the same spell is cast. Behind the same bush Eliza has stepped. So, she didn't move after that? What she did?

Rayland, meanwhile, looks a bit surprised with Jessica's reaction. Looks at his weapon, which is on the ground, then shrugs and continues to remove the breastplate.  "Easy there. I'm still with you." 
 
 Spoiler 
The next time I post Lightburn will be up and the breastplate will be off.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri grunts at all the chaos as he steadily loosens straps and helps their prisoner...guest...precursor?...out of his armor. "   Less panic, steady...Slow is smooth, smooth is fast...   "
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt keeps the ritual going. Not much left before Lightburn could join and assist in protecting them all.
farothel
Laurelata stopped shooting and started listening, while moving around and trying to close the distance.  As soon as she heard the woman casting again, she would home in on the sound and shoot again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

first round: double move (60ft) towards the last sounds to close the distance.
perception:  (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 

second round: 1 move (30ft) and then shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 5 ]  ( (2d6)[ 5 ]  extra damage if evil).
miss chance (above 50 is hit):  (1d100)[ 17 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods unsteadily, a little soothed by Rayland's calm words.  " But you're gonna disappear any moment?  I mean, when the spell ends,  it  takes over again? "  She stands by, ready to re-cast the spell that brought Rayland to the surface in the first place.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Ready an action to cast protection from evil if Rayland attacks someone (assuming that such an action is indicative of being controlled again)
 
u-b
Rayland is done removing the armor. He's ready and willing to be bound. At Lightburn's appearance, he smirks.  "Can he sniff?"  He just nods to Jess, because what else is to be said?

Meanwhile, Laurelata finds herself alone some 30 feet from Eliza who's casting... something that takes time to cast. Laurelata is pretty sure about the direction and somewhat sure about the distance, but there is also a bush in between.

 
 Spoiler: Lightburn 
Lightburn probably needs to be briefed about the situation, but he sure can sniff these two. They both smell fairly distinctively, part-humanly, but also sort of fishy or what... Lightburn is not terribly familiar with the "or what", but he can move along the fresh Eliza's trail at double move and without a check.
 
 
 Spoiler: Laurelata 
The bush is just a bit of difficult terrain and/or a detour since Eliza already has full concealment.
 

 =&gt; Party (one round please) 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri quickly and with clear experience ties Rayland's hands behind his back. "   Sorry if this hurts, but it's got to be tight,   " he says to the man as he pulls the rope loops and ensures they won't be easily loosed. " I'm sure we can track her - she's messy... "
farothel
Laurelata moved so the bush wasn't in her way, just in case she would run again.  Then homing in on the sound of casting, she fired again, hoping to interrupt the casting.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

move 30ft to move around the bush (but still maintaining some distance, just in case).
attack:  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 2 ]  ( (2d6)[ 10 ]  extra damage in case she's evil)
concealment (50+ to hit):  (1d100)[ 44 ] 
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt explains about the urgency of the situation, mostly about the details about what the rest of the party were looking for. Lightburn then shares what he was sensing himself. Hewitt debates for a moment about leaving Jessica alone to help the rest of the party. He asks if Jessica would be fine left with Rayland so he could help the rest of the party.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
If Jessica agrees, he will leave immediately to help track with Lightburn. Otherwise, he will stay.
 
u-b
Rayland shrugs.  "It is not super comfortable, especially long-term, so let's hope you dump me some place with a bunk and undo this part." 

Lightburn gets the situation quite fast. In fact, he still can barely see Tazmara and, behind her, Laurelata shooting at somewhere behind some bush.

Laurelata, meanwhile, misses again and then things really start happening. First, Eliza appears. She has apparently completed a spell. An attack or something? But Laurelata can neither see nor feel any effect. And then Eliza casts another spell, this one Laurelata can certainly feel...

 
 Spoiler 
Lightburn can start his run. Unless anyone backtracks the thread and does the calculations, it will be three full rounds for Lightburn, longer for other people.

A spell with one full round casting time goes off at the start of Eliza's turn. It's Sleep targeting Tazmara.
Tazmara will: (1d20+2)[17] - saved

Then Eliza casts Mind Thrust II targeting Laurelata.
Mind Thrust II: (5d8)[19] (will save for half; spellcraft to identify works only for Laurelata and Taz)
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods, satisfied with his work, and turns back to look in the direction of the woods. "   They haven't come back...   " he says seriously. With a gesture to the others to follow he turns and begins shuffling as fast as he can in the direction of the ongoing conflict...
SanguinePenguin
Taz had tried her best to keep up with the elf, but wasn't sure exactly what Laurelata knew that she didn't, with her firing arrows into space and all.  Abruptly, Eliza reappeared and Taz felt like taking a nap, but decided against it in favor of blasting the woman.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Free: burn (3 NL damage)
Move: get closer (ideally 10 ft away)
Attack:  (1d20+6)[ 7 ]  Damage:  (2d6+9)[ 12 ] 
 
farothel
Laurelata felt as if her brain was on fire.  She screamed from pain, but managed to go on.  Now the woman was visible again, she moved closer and leveled her bow again, trying to take her down once and for all.  In her haze of pain she saw one of those elemental blasts Taz always threw around, so she felt lucky at least one of the others was still there.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

move to 30ft (so I can use point-blank shot)
attack:  (1d20+6)[ 23 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 3 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 12 ]  extra damage if evil)

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/8,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
A stream of water hits the turf a few feet in front of Eliza and then an arrow hits her in the shoulder. Not a life-threatening wound, it seems, but Eliza suddenly presses a hand against her chest and collapses to the ground.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri keeps moving in the direction of the conflict, hoping he can get there in time to help...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
About how far away is Henri to the scene? Things seem stable back with our bound "guest," and perhaps they are wrapping up with his "jailer" too...?
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods, understanding to Rayland.  " Go.  If you can help deal with her now, we might have time to get some answers! "

She continues to silently chant the words of her spell, keeping her focus on re-casting the protection spell that loosed Arkley once already.
farothel
 "She packed a mean punch,"  Laurelata said to Taz as she rubbed her temples from the headache she still had,  "but we're meaner.  Let's see if she has some information we can use." 
She moved closer to the body and searched it for anything they could use.
SanguinePenguin
 "We still don't really know what is going on here, and she probably has useful information,"  Taz says grabbing a strip of cloth.   "might not give it up easily though...  I'll try to keep her alive, but I... uh... don't really know what I'm doing." 

-------------------------------------------

Heal to stabilize:   (1d20+1)[ 9 ] 
u-b
Tazmara starts to bandage Eliza's wounds. There are three major wounds, each taking just a couple of seconds, but when Tazmara has finally stopped the blood loss and took time to examine the state of the patient, she's noticed that there is no pulse. And no breathing. And... well, there's one dead fishy woman as far as you are able to tell. Either you take her bodily back or loot her on the spot, there are the following items of note:
1. An empty vial on the ground nearby, with a lingering aura.
2. A full vial, with a faint aura.
3. A wand, with a faint aura.
4. Four large clay flasks.
5. A cloak with a faint aura.
6. A plain wide steel ring, with a faint aura.
7. A mithral ring engraved with with a pattern of rolling waves all over it, with a faint aura.
8. A few lingering auras on Eliza's own corpse.
9. A normal set of clothing.
10. A small pouch with coins, containing 178.4 gp total, most of which is in platinum. Normal issue stuff.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica 
You have just under two minutes to chat with Rayland, after which... 
 Spoiler 
Rayland will:  (1d20+7)[ 22 ]  vs DC 26
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
Several seconds later Henri arrives to find the corpse of the...woman?...and his two companions. Without hesitation he gets low to the ground, confirms the woman is dead, and then lifts the corpse and carries it back to the others in a fireman carry. Once there he helps to search the body and set aside everything for further examination as he watches Rayland return to his dominated state curiously. "   Without her around, what do you think he will be like?   " he asks Jessica quietly.
DaOldeWolf
" So, what should we do about this? " Hewitt replies meekly wondering about how they should handle the situation.
farothel
 "Well, what's done is done",  Laurelata said as she came back to the rest and helped searching for interesting stuff.
 "And she tried to kill me, so she got what was coming to her,"  she continued,  "my head is still hurting from that mental blast she gave." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Mental blast?   " asks Henri with a confused tone. "   What do you mean?   "
Farmerbink
Jessica fidgets nervously while her companions file back, bringing what appears to be Eliza's body with them.  " Is she dead? " she asks, unsure whether or not to be relieved.

Still struggling with her emotions, she turns back to Rayland.  " What can you tell us about what happened here?  When we arrived, the colony was standing, but we haven't found a single living soul aside from you two.  There's been issues with chokers and strange Goblins, but not enough to drive away an entire colony? "
farothel
 "Well, she cast a spell,"  Laurelata said to Henri,  "and next thing I know my head feels like it's splitting apart.  Not a lot of fun I must say.  As soon as this stuff is done, I'll ask Jessica for some healing." 
u-b
 "Well, the usual stuff. Native life forms. Goblins. Chokers, hm? Hadn't meet those. Eliza was twice late to come back, but that, by itself, wasn't very concerning, we've just had everyone avoid those stone gals and tell her not to go there anymore... and then I awake in that room with the tank, with some  huge  headache. And Eliza says she was to the stone gals  once . And... I cannot remember all the stuff, but I've come to suspect her of something. Eventually she was out of the room with some regularity, likely to consult with fish-men, but I was not myself by that time. Had no idea stuff has happened to everyone." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   That’s a thing? Ouch…   " mutters Henri with a concerned expression after learning of the mental assault.

Turning to answer Jessica he simply nods to affirm the other woman was dead. "   We should confront these fish men…   "
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns.  " I think we've met the stone women...  They didn't seem...  hostile?  It sounds like something bad happened to Eliza, too... "  She glances at the apparently deceased woman with an empathic frown.

" Ugh, " she sighs.  " I didn't think this trip was going to be this complicated.... "
u-b
 "Eliza has reported them as not-quite-hostile either. It's just that they do not respect the notion of you turning around and going your way." 

You maybe exchange a few other phrases and then Rayland's expression changes. He flexes his muscles as if surprised he's bound, looks around at you, at Eliza... and then becomes a generally inert version of himself you were used to know since you've met him. Jessica's readied spell does not change anything in the process, sans one extra look in her exact direction between this and that. You have been... observed?
DarkOne-Rob
"   And there he goes...   " mutters Henri unhappily. "   Is he...possessed? Or...dominated?   "
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns.  " I can't believe I didn't think to do this earlier, " she grumbles, pinching her nose.  With a word and a gesture, she casts a simple spell that will allow her to view magical auras directly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
A quick scan back to page 9 suggests that the only castings of detect magic with Rayland or Eliza in the intended field were done by the NPC clerics....  Let's fix that.
 
farothel
 "A couple of nice things,"  Laurelata said, still checking Eliza's corpse,  "maybe a few things we can use to get this island sorted out as soon a we know what it is. 
u-b
Jessica discovers most of  these auras  (you roll to identify) as well as some things currently on Rayland:
11. A breastplate with a faint aura.
12. A cloak with a faint aura.
13. A full vial, with a faint aura.
14. A full vial, with a different faint aura.
15. A full vial, with another faint aura.

Of more important and interesting note are the following auras on Eliza and Rayland themselves:
Eliza: one lingering aura.
Rayland: one moderate aura.

Jessica kind of suspects, but cannot positively determine, the magical school relating to these. Seem different, but then there is a difference in strength... anyway, this stuff is well above Jessica's pay grade. The question about possession vs domination is also unclear. Jessica  thinks  she's heard something about "exercising control" over a dominated person, but the details are also not something Jessica planned to get involved in anytime soon.

 
 Spoiler 
Jessica know Arcana: (1d20+5)[18]
Jessica know Arcana: (1d20+5)[17]

Jessica know Arcana: (1d20+5)[17]
 
DaOldeWolf
" So, what should we do now? " Hewitt asks the rest wondering what they should do next since things didnt exactly turned how they were hoping for.
Farmerbink
A heavy frown immediately falls over Jessica's face.  " I...  I really can't tell heads or tails about most of this, but we've got more questions now than answers....   Something  is controlling poor Rayland here.  We know, at least, that it's  possible  to break through it's control, at least temporarily, but without know what it is, and  where  it is... "  She pauses, seriously considering her next words.  " We do what we can to keep the colony safe, and when we're able to break through and talk with Rayland again, hopefully we learn more? "

She glances at Eliza's still form.  " I wish we could have kept her alive, surely she must know something about what's going on, as well...  Must  have  known, I suppose. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As mentioned OOC, I don't have a lot of good answers here.  Jessica is mostly tapped for the day, and we've done a lot "today" anyway.  I'm more than content to call it, for adventuring purposes.  I think we should keep Rayland under 24-hour watch, and bound, when not freed by Protection from Evil and a solid save.  With two NPC clerics and Jessica, we have several attempts a day, and I think not a whole lot else to do with those spells.
 
farothel
 "First we have to identify those items and see if they can be of use for us,"  Laurelata said, indicating what they had taken from Eliza,  "and then I would say we keep exploring the island in search for answers to our questions, although I guess we will get more questions instead of answers." 

She looked at Jessica and the other priests.
 "If you have some healing left, I wouldn't say no,"  she said,  "some of her spells had a nasty punch." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC statblock 

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/8,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   I'm always up to explore,   " says Henri simply, looking at Laurelata with what he hopes is a friendly-looking smile. "   Can't do much good here, anyway. Where do you want to go?   "
Farmerbink
" I can offer quite a bit of healing, " Jessica responds eagerly.  " I'm not so sure about continuing to explore, more or less blindly? "  She gestures to Rayland.  " We've finally got something like a promising lead, and indeed he's the only surviving colonist from the first wave we've found.  I think we should dedicate every effort into ridding him of this dominating influence, as soon as possible. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I've got 1 CLW and 1 CMW, plus 4 channels remaining for possible heals.  I'm quite sure that's enough to top us all off, but is anyone else injured?
 
u-b
With some divine assistance, it takes minimal time to be back to full health. Identifying all the stuff takes a bit longer, and involves help from other casters of the colony, but is complete in a reasonable time. Then there's planning. You spend the rest of the day, but still are not sure you have anything solid. As an example, Marius turns up quoting Jessica's request to keep Rayland bound for an extended period of time. He says that unless the whole "quarantine" affair is to be abandoned, keeping him bound will be highly uncomfortable and humiliating for obvious natural reasons. It might be solved if he's to be bound  to something  only and... actually,  where  do you want him to be kept? As another example, Ramona seems to be  really  freaked out by the parcitular way Rayland fell back under whatever's control. She hasn't seen it, of course, but your description seem to be quite enough by itself. Eventually, you have to call an end of this quite busy day.

During the night, nothing happens.

 DAY 33 AFTER LANDING 

Good morning.

 
 Spoiler: Magical stuff on Eliza 
2. A full vial, with a faint aura -  potion of cure light wounds .
3. A wand, with a faint aura -  wand of mage armor 16/50 .
4. Four large clay flasks -  alchemist fires .
5. A cloak with a faint aura -  cloak of resistance +1 .
6. A plain wide steel ring, with a faint aura -  ring of protection +1 .
7. A mithral ring engraved with with a pattern of rolling waves all over it, with a faint aura -   saltspray ring  .
 
 
 Spoiler: Magical stuff on Rayland 
11. A breastplate with a faint aura -  breastplate +1 .
12. A cloak with a faint aura -  cloak of resistance +1 .
13. A full vial, with a faint aura -  potion of cure moderate wounds .
14. A full vial, with a different faint aura -  elixir of swimming .
15. A full vial, with another faint aura -  silversheen .
 
DarkOne-Rob
As the day passes and no exploration occurs Henri helps manage Rayland, working to get his magical equipment removed, his dignity maintained, and ensuring he is manacled securely in a solo shelter with guards. The half-orc is matter of fact about it and his quiet confidence seems to help the guards who help him manage the process. When all is done Henri looks at Rayland seriously and explains, "   Don't know how this works, but if you're in there...we've done our best. We'll use your gear, but it's yours. When you're better you can have it back.   " He thinks for a moment and then sighs. "   Get  free  soon.   "

 

In the morning Henri rises as dawn peeks over the horizon and takes a brief swim in the sea to clear his mind of sleep-fog. Once done he checks on Rayland, presumably finds him much the same as before, and then ensures the man eats before breaking his own fast. When the rest of the party is ready to go exploring he is prepared and waiting with as much enthusiasm as they ever see on his craggy face. "   Wish we could help him...Maybe we'll find others alive. Where do you want to look?   "
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns at Marius' objections, though she finds no reason to argue.  " I think we can abandon the quarantine- I mostly didn't want to bring them into the colony without having some idea what was going on.  It....  never seemed like the affliction was meaningfully contagious, but we really don't know enough to be sure.  Do we have anything like a jail cell he could stay in for now? "
u-b
The closest thing you have to a jail cell is the guard tower. It is currently occupied by the goblins. The next closest thing is the storage room in your very house. It is the only storage room in the village that is not used to store stuff. Some of you do sleep in there though. The only way to house Rayland somewhere inside without evicting a ghost, a person, or a load of supplies would be to place him into some room of the government building. You are not quite sure it is the best idea to put this one prisoner next to active government business.
farothel
 "We can put him with the Gobbo's,"  Laurelata suggested,  "we also need to decide what to do with those goblins as well.  People are starting to get annoyed with them there." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   I still don't understand the point of keeping the goblins around. They aren't getting more friendly,   " concurs Henri resolutely.
SanguinePenguin
Despite her prejudices, Taz thinks it is best to get rid of them through any means necessary,  “maybe we should just give them some food and send them back to their camp.”   The suggestion coming mainly since ‘kill them’ would be poorly received by some in the party.
u-b
You evict the goblins just fine. They are quite willing to part ways and seemingly never to return. You put there Rayland and have the smith chain his ankle to a long thick nail to  really  limit his mobility. He does seem to be any better or worse in the morning. What now?
DarkOne-Rob
Satisfied with their…guest's (?)…accommodations, Henri gathers with the rest of the party to review the maps of the island and where they have explored.

 
 Spoiler: OoC, @u-b 
Where haven't we explored? I need a review of our remaining options, but Henri is comfortable being out more than one night at a time, so we can go a ways if the rest of the team is comfortable.
 

When it becomes clear that the party doesn't plan to go on any extended exploring trips until Rayland is himself again, Henri begins patrolling the area, both to pass time and better familiarize himself with the area nearest their home. He's back at lunch, ensuring Rayland eats well, and then gone again in the afternoon. When he's back in the colony he's usually working on his journal of maps and notes, comparing what he's found to the reports of others who spend their time about the jungles and beaches.
Farmerbink
 
 Spoiler: This won't work 
Jessica spends much of her time with Rayland, casting spells to attempt, even for a time, to suppress the domination taking hold of him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
This seems the most obvious loose-end right now, and while Jessica would have loved to continue trying (likely in vain) to foster a relationship between the colonists and goblins, I'm content as a player to let that angle die.

She has up to 5 castings per day of protection from evil, which isn't a lot if it takes a high save (presumably) to succeed at suppressing the effect...
 

 
farothel
Laurelata will accompany Henri as much as possible.  To learn more about nature, because she's also worried about things attacking their small colony and to gather herbs and hunt some small game (which she assumed Henri to be also quite good at) for her 'inn'.  She could then trade some of it with the farmer and fishers for the ingredients they had and she didn't to make better food for the colony, or at least those who didn't want to cook for themselves.  Some of the food she gathered was also traded for labour to get a front build at 'their' house so she had a place to sell the food.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I assume that Henri wouldn't object to some company.  Laurelata can be very stealthy if she wants to be.
 
DaOldeWolf
Hewitt asks the others about the possibility of any repercussions after the goblins leave. " I just hope we can manage to find some with with this. I wouldnt want things to end up going south. "
DarkOne-Rob
As the goblins are sent on their way and Rayland settled into the cell instead, Henri learns of the recent  Sending  the colony received and realized he hadn't sent a report to his secret-employers, the Eagle Knights. He makes his way to Ramona and provides her a short, handwritten note with the following report:


 Still exploring the island. Found some hostiles. More first wave colonists may be alive. Will keep looking. Working with team of problem solvers, not solo. Making maps for later use, will note dangerous places. Suspect hidden threats, will create cache of notes in case of worst. Any additional orders? Henri 

Once satisfied with his communication Henri excuses himself to identify a secluded place near the camp but out of sight where he can begin creating a weather-proof stash for maps, notes, and other valuable historical documents to store in case the party - and the colony - fail to overcome the unseen threats surrounding them.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
I don't know what needs to be done to mechanically do the above, perhaps some Survival checks? Please advise,  u-b . Thanks!
 
Farmerbink
Jessica finds herself spending most of her time tending to other people's needs.  More than content to be among normal people, helping them manage normal problems, she bears a nearly-constant easy smile.  Almost annoyingly chipper, she gladly goes from house to house, lending a hand with minor and moderate injuries, and helping to arbitrate disputes alongside Ramona.

During slow moments, she gratefully meditates on Shelyn's tenets while making colorful homages to her deity through the flowing, artistic fonts of calligraphy.  She shares her concern for Rayland's state freely with anyone who asks, and finds herself stopping by the makeshift prison regularly, both to check on his health and channel divine energy to help him recover if he shows any signs of injury.
u-b
You do what you do. Nothing much seems to happen. Henri and Laurelata do not notice anything suspicious on their patrols. They occasionally bag a bird or other animal, and regularly bring back fresh herbs. Laurelata's meals are becoming increasingly popular, though not everyone can afford them on regular basis. Rayland does not get any better or worse and no one seems to catch his disease, but there is quite enough other cases for Jessica to attend to, mostly about managing the stress of the new world, the unknown, and of long days of hard labor. Henri chooses the ground at the roots of plum tree to bury some notes, logs and other evidence. The place is mentioned in the papers the team has found, which probably will survive being found again, and no one in the village has a reason to dig around the plum tree. Packing the things together takes a few evenings, but is eventually done. Ramona notifies Henri that his message has been sent and there will be no contact until after the ship is expected to arrive.

 DAY 38 AFTER LANDING 
 
 Spoiler 
You can do 5 more days of actions, after which Rayland becomes himself, which you can also refer too, starting with day 43 afternoon.
 
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Make ONE unmodified perception roll each if you continue patrolling, DC 15.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri seems quiet satisfied with his efforts creating a stash of information and thanks Ramona at her report. Then he continues his patrols, enjoying the outdoors and relative peace for a little while.

When Rayland seems to break free of his enchantment on his own Henri seems happy. "   It's not right for a man's mind to be invaded. How are you feeling now?   " he asks as he delivers a meal to the original colonist.
farothel
Laurelata will continue as she was doing.  Moving around the colony to gather herbs, vegetables, hunt some meat if possible for her cooking and at the same time look out for any treats to the colony while she was there.  In the evenings after cooking she would sing, for free to keep morale of the colony up.  While she wasn't a professional singer, she could hold a tune and she would encourage others to join in.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rols 

perception as requested:  (1d20+9)[ 15 ] 

I'm not sure if I need 5 more rolls for 5 days, or just one, so I'll do 5 and the GM can see.
profession (cooking):  (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 
profession (cooking):  (1d20+7)[ 24 ] 
profession (cooking):  (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
profession (cooking):  (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
profession (cooking):  (1d20+7)[ 27 ] 
 
u-b
Henri and Laurelata continue to patrol the surrounding. So far, nothing seems to be amiss. You've both noticed that Thatu Linbast, female human seamstress, has become much less active gathering fruits and berries outside. She was active outside, as she said, because there was not much to do yet after she's done fixing the tents and adjusting what's left from the previous colonists. After all, the majority of clothing was brought with the ship and is still good. There is a new order from Laurelata, but it is not urgent and Thatu hasn't taken it either. You are not sure what she has chosen to do and it might well be none of your business.

 DAY 43 AFTER LANDING (EVENING) 

Rayland is not quite happy with his state of now being himself. First, because the guards have not rushed to unchain him, quoting lack of orders and lack of authority, so he's still there with a chain around his ankle when Henri sees him. Second, because the proposed "cure" for his disease does not seem to work. And third, because the prospect of getting oneself wet through all days and nights seems much more irksome when it is actually  you  doing it. Still he is glad to be himself, though he admits some of the memories are still missing. He asks if you have something in mind for him, other than letting him continue to sit in this cell. For one, he would be very interested in hearing any and all news about what has happened in his absence. What with the missing colonists?

 
 Spoiler 
It's one roll per day, but I can work with any rate. I'll resolve the downtime activities when I get to it, I'll say how the math plays out.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri delivers the meal and then acknowledges the man's desire for freedom. "   Be right back with a key,   " he explains as he excuses himself and gathers the other party members together. Once he's collected the key he returns with everyone to unchain Rayland and return him to freedom. "   There - better?   " he asks as the chains come off and the other man is allowed to step back out into the fresh air.
farothel
Laurelata went to see Henri after he had let Rayland.
 "Say, have you seen Thatu lately,"  she asked,  "I've not seen her the last few days and normally she could be find in the forest.  Have you seen her or tracks?" 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Nope, I haven't seen her,   " says Henri in response. "   I'll keep an eye out.   "
Farmerbink
Jessica is eager to talk with Rayland, and joins Henri as soon as she hears of his condition.  She eagerly shares their discoveries and concerns, hopeful that he'll have insight into any of it.  For the time, she offers to conjure water to simplify the chore of keeping him safely dampened.  " There's Ankhegs, chokers, monkey-Goblins, fish-Goblins, fish- men , exploding mechanical birds, weird crabs that turn people into zombies, a pair of statues that seems eager to  literally  lecture you to death, not to mention the weird tower with the water elemental inside!  I don't even really know how to describe the... uhh..  ball of... well, metal I guess. This island is an absolute wonder of ways to get oneself brutally killed! "

 
 Spoiler: OOC (note to self) 
Follow up on the Thatu thread
 
u-b
There is no lock on Rayland's chains - they were locked using strong metalworking tools and can only be undone by using the same. It toes not take long to fetch the smith and do it, though.

 "Much better, thank you."  says Rayland getting outside and taking a look at the sun.  "So, what's the plan? That is, if you trust me." 

Since Jessica  does  seem to trust him, he listens carefully and tries to make sense of it, occasionally inserting a comment or question. He says no need to stick around him 24/7 conjuring water every few minutes. He will be able to tend to himself. He won't like it, but this sure can be done. He recognizes the pair of statues that seems eager to literally lecture you to death, ankhegs, monkey-goblins, fish-goblins, fish-men and water elemental, but not the rest.

When Laurelata and Henri start discussing Thatu, Jessica is able to immediately point out that Thatu has been very active in the vilage these last few days. Meeting and talking with people, much like Jessica, but all by herself.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods, apparently satisfied with all the answers and resolutions to events. "   I'm out scouting most of the time. If I see you out I'll say hello,   " he explains to Rayland as he makes himself ready to go and do just that.
farothel
Laurelata was glad that they didn't have another disappearance on their hands.  She decided to stay in the town that day and have a look around to add a common room so she could better serve people.  She also decided to check with Hewitt and some others about setting up a brewery to have a more consistent flow of beer, instead of having to rely in ships bringing it in.  She did let Henri know so he wouldn't wait for her.
Farmerbink
Jessica muses quietly for a few moments, before adding. " You should really talk with Ramona.  She's in charge of this group of colonists, and will probably have suggestions for you if nothing else...  Can I lead you to her? "

Regardless of that outcome, Jessica takes some time in the afternoon to hunt down (metaphorically) Thatu.  " Good evening, Ms. Linbast! " she offers as greeting.  " Is there anything I can help you with today? "
u-b
Laurelata finds out that resources have been already allocated for the common room she was planning to build. The actual work is to start in three day and will take upwards of two weeks, so, completion is expected on DAY 62 or thereabouts. That is, if all goes well according to the plan. Laurelata's establishment enjoys increasing popularity even in its present form, and no one objects to building a  brewery , but with all the work done expecting a new wave of colonists and otherwise expanding the village, only that single team can be allocated to both projects, in succession. Laurelata will have to either pay 80 gp to the workers over the course of that time OR cook for them free of charge until both projects are complete (DAY 86 or so; the men will pay for or otherwise provide the ingredients).

Jessica meets Thatu near the well where she chats with a few other locals. She greets Jessica with a smile, and says she does need any clerical services and other than that... the life of an essentially jobless seamstress or of a solo gatherer of the wild berries is rather boring, so, maybe Jessica can join her to pick some of those fruits or berries or something in, say, three days from now? It's no problem if not, but there is really  no  other needs or requests.
Farmerbink
Jessica is happy to oblige Thatu.  " That sounds wonderful! " she exclaims.  " It  has  been... well, difficult on the island, not that I'm complaining!  It would be nice to find a middle ground between fear for one's own life and the monotony of tending to simple needs.  THere's value in it, but it's not always very exciting... "
u-b
 DAY 44 AFTER LANDING 

You wake up to another nice morning and proceed to to what you usually do. Namely, Jessica went around the village while Henri and Laurelata went on their usual route through the surrounding not-so-wild wilderness.

 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
You perform your patrol just as usual and nothing seems to be amiss when suddenly fishmen start to come running from behind a bush that you were about to pass. You see six of them, all armed with clubs. They don't seem to be terribly fast on land, but two still manage to end up right in front of Henri.

   
You vere going ESE to WNW. The fishmen came from around AB29. Two came running, the rest came double moving.
 
farothel
Laurelata had hoped to get some special meat, so she had her bow ready to shoot as soon as something appropriate showed up.  Something did.  Not appropriate to eat, but at least to shoot.
 "Oh ****,"  Laurelata said as she loosened an arrow at one of the ones fighting Henri,  "there's too many, fighting retreat." 
She moved away, ready to cover Henri as he did the same.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 1 

shoot into melee:  (1d20+1)[ 14 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 8 ]  (if evil:  (2d6)[ 8 ]  extra damage)
move 30ft back on the path towards the village (ESE on the map).
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 1 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri swings his axe at the attacker trying to flank him as he steps back to place himself between the others and Laurelata protectively. "  Can't run well - might have to kill them,  " he says, deep voice resonating louder than usual in his surprise. "  Don't wait for me if I fall!  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Initiative:  (1d20+1)[ 6 ] 

Henri will draw his axe, if needed, activate Power Attack, attack the enemy in  AM18 , and 5-ft step to  AO19 .

Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 22 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 13 ]  slashing damage,  (1d12+12)[ 21 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
With two good attacks, Laurelata and Henri bring down one of the fish-men, but the others continue to advance at their top speed, two towards Henri and two towards Laurelata. Only one reaches the goal soon enough to also swing a club, but he hits the breastplate. The one still close and personal attacks Henri in melee with club swing and face punch, but misses both times.

 
 Spoiler 
   
Two near Laurelata have ran. One near Henri has ran, one has charged, one has full-attacked.

This round you can also make Perception 15, Sense Motive 15 OR Profession (Soldier) 10 check.
 

 
farothel
Laurelata takes a step back and then shoots an arrow in one of them at point blank range.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 2 

free: 5ft step to AV20 (I think, just so I'm out of reach for both)
standard: attack  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  for damage  (1d8+2)[ 3 ]  (extra damage  (2d6)[ 4 ] ) (including point blank shot)
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

"  Go! Don't let them flank you!  " Henri says, loudly enough to be heard over the noise of battle as he tries to take his own advice and kill an attacker...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
 Last round I wrote for Henri to 5-ft step to  AO19 . He's trying to avoid them flanking him, so he's going to keep stepping towards anything that might allow him to fight with his back to something - a tree trunk or cliff wall or something. If there is nothing that good, he will continue to 5-ft step in the direction of Laurelata. 

Henri will then activate Power Attack and attack the enemy in   AN20  .

Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 18 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 19 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 39 ]  critical strike damage.

AoO, if incurred:  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 18 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 36 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Laurelata's attack goes wide, but Henri almost chops one fish-man in two. The fish-man attacks nonetheless, as do the other fish-men. They swing their clubs and punch, but most of the attacks do them no good - Henri is too well-protected and Laurelata is quite nimble on top. They  do  flank and get Laurelata, if only once for  5 nonlethal damage .

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+0)[2] (1d20-2)[-1]
(1d20+0)[13] (1d20-2)[11]
(1d20+0)[16] (1d20-2)[0]

(1d20+2)[18] (1d20-0)[17]
(1d20+2)[16]
(1d6+2)[5]

Dark brown are thick trees. There might be thin trees, but they largely are of no consequence and thus not shown. Dark green are thick bushes.
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 3 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

Henri growls as he notes the enemies flanking Laurelata. With a grunt he surges away from them and reaches her side. "   Back to back, take them out one at a time,   " he says as he readies himself to lay about with his axe...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri will withdraw to  AU20 . He will also activate Power Attack.

AoO, if incurred - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 22 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 47 ]  critical strike damage.
 
farothel
 "Good idea,"  Laurelata said, but she moved next to Henri to be out of the way of the two that were attacking her at that moment, while drawing her rapier and trying to skewer one.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 3 

free: 5ft step to AU19
move: draw rapier (keep bow in left hand)
standard: attack AV19  (1d20+5)[ 14 ]  for damage  (1d6+4)[ 10 ] 

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+4)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Henri withdraws to side more closely with Laurelata, who also repositions a bit, stabbing one fish-man for solid  10  damage. The three fish-men charge after Henri, and two others also switch to target the now well-flanked half-orc, but all of them totally fail to hit him even once.

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+4)[7]
(1d20+4)[15]
(1d20+2)[3]
(1d20+2)[6] (1d20+0)[1]
(1d20+2)[8] (1d20+0)[3]

AT20 and AV19 are the wounded ones.
 

 
farothel
 "I hope we get through this,"  Laurelata said to Henri as she kill to get the one she had stabbed before.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 4 


standard: attack AV19  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 4 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   Yup,   " Henri grunts as he swings his axe to try and kill a wounded enemy. "   Keep moving - make them work to flank us!   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at  AT20  - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 14 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 23 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 35 ]  critical strike damage.

Then Henri will 5-ft step to  AV20 .
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Laurelata's strike glances off the fishman's scales, but Henri finally splits his target in two. You start to see some concern in those fishmen still standing, but they remain in the fight. Three target Henri. One hits for  2 nonlethal damage . The one targeting Laurelata misses on both counts.

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+2)[13] (1d20+0)[15]
(1d20+2)[4] (1d20+0)[20]
(1d20+0)[13] (1d20-2)[14]
(1d4+1)[2] nonlethal

(1d20+2)[11] (1d20+0)[8]
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 5 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  2 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   Better,   " says Henri with a nod and a silent wince of pain from the fish-person's strike. He looks to the remaining injured attacker and tries to repeat his success with a slash of his axe...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at  AV19  - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 37 ]  critical strike damage.

If this enemy is killed Henri will 5-ft step to  AV19  afterwards.
 
farothel
 "got it,"  Laurelata said to Henri as she again tried kill to get the one she had stabbed before.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 5 


standard: attack AV19  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 5 ]  (as I think that 11 of Henri wasn't enough)

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 

If I kill him, 5ft step to AV19
EDIT: I doubt that mine will hit either.

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
You keep on fighting, but both sides continue to be much better at defense than they are on offense. Henri does manage to get hit again, for  3 nonlethal damage , and the fight goes on, with everyone standing their ground. At least, the breastplate keeps saving Henri from a fate much worse...

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+2)[5] (1d20+0)[11]
(1d20+2)[20] (1d20+0)[11]
(1d20+0)[14] (1d20-2)[16]
(1d6+2)[3] nonlethal

(1d20+2)[7] (1d20+0)[8]
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 6 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   I'm alright, keep fighting,   " Henri grunts as he takes another hit and tries to retaliate with lethal force...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at  AV19  again - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 10 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 14 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 32 ]  critical strike damage.

If this enemy is killed Henri will 5-ft step to  AV19  afterwards.
 
farothel
 "This is ridiculous,"  Laurelata said to Henri before she moved so they were on opposite sites of the critter and she could stab while it was distracted by Henri

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 5 

5ft step to AV18 (so I flank AV19)
standard: attack AV19  (1d20+5)[ 11 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 6 ]  (as I think that 10 of Henri wasn't enough) (add sneak attack  (2d6)[ 10 ] 

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
You manage to bring one more fishman down. And then the fishmen attack again, all targeting Henri. But now you notice something has changed. They swing their clubs more freely, add their bites to attacks and use claws instead of fist punches! Henti barely manages to ward off most of this, with the breastplate getting quite a number of hits, but he still gets his arm bitten quite bad for  6 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+6)[19] (1d20+4)[11] (1d20+4)[6]
(1d20+6)[17] (1d20+4)[8] (1d20+4)[23]
(1d20+4)[16] (1d20+2)[9] (1d20+2)[7]

(1d6+1)[6] damage
 

 
farothel
One more down, but this was taking some time.  She stepped to the one behind Henri and tried to run that one through

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 5 

5ft step to AW19
standard: attack AW20  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 9 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 6 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  24/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

As Henri strikes again at the flanked fish-folk he mutters, "   Now they're fighting to kill. Got to end this...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at  AW20  if it's not already dead - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 24 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 39 ]  critical strike damage.

If this enemy is killed Henri will 5-ft step to  AW20  afterwards.
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
With coordinated efforts, Laurelata and Henri got another fishman very dead. The remaining two fight out of desperation, targeting Henri as seemingly more dangerous one. One manages to land a club hit on the half-orc's head, for solid  7 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+4)[21] (1d20+2)[12] (1d20+2)[7]
(1d20+4)[12] (1d20+2)[5] (1d20+2)[10]

(1d6+2)[7] lethal
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 7 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  17/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

Henri raises his axe, trying to block the club and failing. "   Ow! If you left us alone we wouldn't kill you!   " he growls as he brings the weapon down at the fish-folk who struck him.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike - Greataxe:  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  to hit,  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 24 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 27 ]  critical strike damage.
 
farothel
Laurelata followed Henri and stabbed the same fishman as Henri had tried to attack, before she moved to the side to try to get around them.  Now the numbers were even they could start to surround them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 6 


standard: attack AW20  (1d20+5)[ 12 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 4 ] 
5ft step to AV18

if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 6 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
The fishmen barely evade your blows and keep attacking Henri as best as they can. They land a lot of scratches on the breastplate, one bite on the left hand, which was somewhat protected by the shaft of the greataxe, so only took  2 damage , and one rather strong club blow in the head for  8 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+4)[12] (1d20+2)[15] (1d20+2)[21]
(1d20+4)[20] (1d20+2)[9] (1d20+2)[16]
(1d6+1)[2] (1d6+2)[8] lethal
 

 
farothel
They were going on, but so were the fishmen.  Stepping behind them, Laurelata attacked again, trying to take one out and if not, distract it so Henri could take it down.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 7 


5ft step to AU19
standard: attack AW20  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 4 ] 


if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 8 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  7/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +5 (1d12+12, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

Taking advantage of the opportunity to flank, Henri steps to the side and swings his axe at the unfortunate fish-folk. "   Keep dancing round them.   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack, 5-ft step to flank, and strike - Greataxe:  (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  to hit,  (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  (20/x3),  (1d12+12)[ 20 ]  slashing damage,  (2d12+24)[ 38 ]  critical strike damage.
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Laurelata manages to stab one fish-man, but that is clearly not enough to stop him. Henri swings the greataxe too slowly, allowing the target to duck under the blow. Splitting up to flank the opposision cuts both ways as the fishmen also step to flank their target, which is still the half-orc. Henry easily defends against one, but then has another powerful knock in the head by very same club. He's down to the ground. Laurelata notices the fish-man stopped at that, either not caring, or not willing, to finish him off. Both of fish-men now turn their eyes to Laurelata...

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+6)[12] (1d20+4)[6] (1d20+4)[7]
(1d20+6)[22]
(1d6+2)[8] lethal

Henri is out and rolls to stabilize.
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 9 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  -2/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Unconscious and dying
 

"   ...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Stabilization check:  (1d20+1)[ 5 ]  vs DC 10.
 
farothel
 "Oh frack,"  Laurelata said as she saw Henri go down.  She already had to leave behind one companion at some point, she wasn't about to start again.  Even if the circumstances were different, she would try to save Henri if she could.  So she moved towards the fishman she had already wounded and stabbed him again, hoping that she could finish him off.  One on one she should be able to win.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 8 


move to AW17 or AW21 (I'm not sure which one I wounded before, but I can get to either spot without an attack of opportunity).
standard: attack AW18 or AW20  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  for damage  (1d6+3)[ 4 ] 


if crit: confirmation  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  for extra damage  (1d6+3)[ 7 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  18/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
With Henri lying there, Laurelata tries to win this fight alone against two fish-men by starting with quickly reducing their number. She stabs one of them, which she has already stabbed. The fish-man got another shallow wound that does not even bleed too much because of how narrow it is. The two fish-men attack to the best of their ability, landing just half of the attacks, but being clubbed twice in a row is nearly enough for Laurelata to pass out.

 
 Spoiler 
   
(1d20+4)[19] (1d20+2)[6] (1d20+2)[10]
(1d20+4)[19]
(1d6+2)[5] (1d6+2)[4] lethal

The wounded one is in AW18.

Henri is out and rolls to stabilize.
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 10 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  -2/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Unconscious and dying
 

"   ...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Stabilization check:  (1d20)[ 3 ]  vs DC 10.
 
farothel
 "Oh frack,"  Laurelata said again as the critter did manage to hit her.  Now she decided to get out and hopefully draw them with her.  So she withdrew to get away far enough from them to start shooting and maybe use her healing spell.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 8 


full round: withdraw (first step to AV16 and then double move away to the East)  I think that's AK16, but please check.

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  9/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata
 
Laurelata withdraws. The fish-men give chase. They have to run to not let her get a large lead, and for a few minutes are able to keep close, sometimes even try to come out ahead and surround her, but the elf knows her stuff about flanking and does nt let herself to be caught. Eventually, the fish-men began to breathe heavily, literally like fishes out of the water, and are unable to maintain the pace. As Laurelata nocks an arrow they exchange a few short words in strange language and part ways, one going left and one right.

 
 Spoiler 
Choose your distance and start shooting. Henri rolls until he's stable or dead.
 

 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Dying Rounds 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  -6/30,  5 non-lethal damage ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Unconscious and dying
 

"   ...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Stabilization check:  (1d20-1)[ 3 ] , or  (1d20-2)[ 7 ] , or  (1d20-3)[ 16 ] ,  or  (1d20-4)[ -2 ] , or  (1d20-5)[ 5 ] , or  (1d20-6)[ 7 ] , or  (1d20-7)[ -4 ] , or  (1d20-8)[ 3 ] , or  (1d20-9)[ 3 ] , or  (1d20-10)[ -2 ] , or  (1d20-11)[ 5 ] , or  (1d20-12)[ 7 ] , or  (1d20-13)[ -6 ]   vs DC 10.
 
farothel
 "Not so good on land, are you,"  Laurelata shouted at the fishmen as they fell behind.  When they were about 60ft from her, a distance she felt they wouldn't be able to cross quickly enough for her to get away, she started shooting, but also she kept moving if they came closer.  First she would try to shoot the wounded one to kill it off and then she would try and shoot the other one.  She also tried to stay as close to Henri as she could.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 


As I only have 1 attack per round, I can move 30ft per round to keep distance.  Shoot, move, shoot, move, etc.  if needed, one round of run to keep distance again and then shoot, move etc.
first the wounded one, then the other one.

shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 6 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 10 ]  extra damage if evil).
I'm not sure how many shots I have, so I'll add 5 extra rounds of shooting here.
shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 8 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 2 ]  extra damage if evil).
shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 9 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 2 ]  extra damage if evil).
shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 6 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 2 ]  extra damage if evil).
shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 4 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 8 ]  extra damage if evil).
shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 8 ]  (and  (2d6)[ 4 ]  extra damage if evil).

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  3,  Init  9,  HP  9/18,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  15,  Fort  1,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +2,  Base Attack Bonus  2
   Rapier   +5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +5 (1d8+1 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +5 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Henri and Laurelata 
Laurelata takes the wounded fish-man out with just one shot. The other one, too tired to run, tries to just hide, but gets shot right through the bush he was trying to hide in. It seems that you have won. Checking on Henri, Laurelata finds him still alive. Now the question is, what she does next about the whole situation?

 
 Spoiler 
Miss chance: (1d100)[69]

Normally, I don't roll stabilization for mooks, and won't do it this time, but you can assume some will survive if you let them.
 

 
farothel
As soon as the fishmen are down, Laurelata rushes to Henri to check up on him.  Finding him stable, she first checks on the fishmen to make sure they are really dead (and helping them to become that way if needed) and to see if they have something they can use.  Then she searches for two poles, or if not finding any ready, taking Henri's big axe, she makes two.  With those and the rope she has with her and her blanket (and Henri's if he has one with him), she makes a travois where she puts Henri on so she can drag him back to the colony without opening his wounds over the rough ground.  She takes one of the clubs so the others can examine it, just in case they might be able to learn something, like where those fishmen came from (if it's from wood that only grows on one place of the island for instance).

Upon arriving at the colony, she shouts for Jessica and the other priests to come and help with Henri first and than her own wounds.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travois 
 
u-b
It takes some time and some effort, but Laurelata is safely back to the colony, where the news spread like fire and everyone rushes to help or gawp or something.

The clubs, and the representative specimen that Laurelata has taken along, seem to have been recently made by some low-quality not-terribly-sharp tools. They seem barely used. Other than those clubs the fish-men have had nothing of value on them. In fact, nothing at all.
Farmerbink
With a short cry, Jessica runs up in decidedly unladylike fashion.  She falls to her knees, imploring the gods of Goodness and Light for their mercy.  " Don't let this be his time!  Come on, Henri, we've got you! "

She breathes a heavy sigh of relief as Henri comes to.  " What on Golarion happened!? " she insists- more forcefully than usual.  At word of the imposing fishmen, she scowls angrily.  " We better thoroughly investigate that area.  There could be more, and if there's not, we need to know why they came so close to the colony! "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Spontaneously cure moderate wounds with the prepared summon monster 2:  (2d8+3)[ 10 ]  HP  Maybe channel a few after that:  (2d6)[ 5 ]  and  (2d6)[ 7 ]  *until Henri is at least 1/2 healed
 
farothel
As Jessica calls down some healing, Laurelata stays in the healing effect, feeling her own wounds close as well.
 "Much better,"  she says,  "and you're right.  We weren't all that far from the colony.  The fact they are making these clubs mean they really want us gone and I think we have to investigate and try to find their base." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

those two channels also heal Laurelata up to max HP.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri comes back to consciousness to see Jessica standing over him, obviously distressed. Instead of surprise or concern he just leans back and smiles his broken, scarred smile and enjoys the feeling of his wounds healing. "   Thanks,   " he rumbles, quietly. "   Laurelata got me back, huh? Good job,   " he says with a thumbs up as he lays on the earth.

Perhaps it's his time in the continental armies, perhaps it's his rough, outdoors-oriented life, but Henri seems perfectly content to lay quietly still on the sandy ground as the others discuss what to do. He seems utterly unconcerned about his own bruises, scrapes, and cuts, instead listening intently and nodding at the good ideas. "   Five of them, a scouting or hunting party. Got unlucky...glad it was us and not a kid,   " he finally says, using more words than usual but still speaking very little.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri is at 16/30 HPs.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica leans down, her face still marked with concerned for her friend.  " Here, let's patch you up a bit more. "  With a word, a few more pulses of warm energy fill the air.

 
 Spoiler: Channel(s) 
 (2d6)[ 3 ] 
If that one is less than 9, we'll do another:  (2d6)[ 7 ] 
 


Satisfied, for now, with Henri's state she looks up at the gathered party.  " If we can, we should backtrack  now,  and see if there are others. "
farothel
 "Maybe best wait until tomorrow morning,"  Laurelata said.  Now the shock of the ambush had worn of and her companion was okay, it was time to start her brain again.
 "We might have a need for that healing you just used,"  she continued,  "so best wait until it replenished.  And the tracks will still be visible enough to track." 
DarkOne-Rob
With a grunt that's more emotionally-based than pain-based Henri gets up off the ground and stretches. "   Let's go together - safer. Turn around if attacked,   " he says as he gets ready to show the way to where they fought the fish-folk.
u-b
Having received some healing from Eamon and Kurvis, the party heads forth. It takes some arguing about which way exactly leads to battle site and maybe going wrong way. It ultimately turns out that Henri can backtrack the way more reliably than Laurelata can remember it. Still, you've lost about an hour. It starts getting a bit dark, but that is no problem for people involved. You try to make sense of the fishmen's tracks on site and leading to it. The following seems to be apparent:
1. They have been sitting for some time at the exact spot where they have ambushed you.
2. They went there more or less straight from the beach.

All in all, that seems too much like a dedicated ambush for you two at the specific route you have been frequenting.

 
 Spoiler 
Laurelata Survival (1d20+4)[5]
Henri Survival (1d20+8)[12]

Henri Survival (1d20+8)[15] (feel free to provide alternative or assistance and see if you can beat 20)
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz was by the dock when Henri and Laurelata returned.  Once she understood what had happened, she scowled.    ”I have been worried this ‘master’ would start sending lackeys ever since we brought them back to the colony.  I will join you.  We may need to reassess the colony’s security.” 

At the site, after she appreciates the targeted nature of the ambush, she asks incredulously,  “was this… personal?  For what we did at the tower?” 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri shrugs. "   Maybe,   " he says as he gestures to Lauralata. "   We've passed here everyday on patrol. Might be convenience.   "
farothel
 "or they just started to run patrols themselves to protect themselves from us,"  Laurelata suggested,  "those clubs seem quite new.  But no matter the reason, I think we have to find them and take them out.  Or at least 'convince' them to leave us alone until we can take them out." 
Farmerbink
Jessica looks around with her untrained eye, trying her best to make sense of Henri's seemingly-random wanderings.  " It seems too deliberate to be anything other than personal, " she mutters.  " Though it could just as easily be related to that cavern as the tower.  At any rate, we know that problem hasn't solved itself, " she finishes with a frown.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Unless aiding the survival attempt changes what we find, I don't have anything useful to add :(
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Damn. Came here to avoid wars,   " sighs Henri heavily. "   Should get back before night. Let's go,   " he says as he starts to trudge towards the town steadily, shaking his head sadly.

Along the way he doesn't say much, but can be heard grumbling to himself. If anyone asks he comments, "   Got to find them now. I'm good at that, just need time...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
With Survival +8 and time I'm sure Henri can find the place where the fish-folk came onto land. He'd go out, with more companions, to search beginning the next day until he finds them.

Once he's done that, if he can tell where their home is he's willing to lead the attack, though he won't be happy about it.
 
u-b
You are back to the village without any problem. You report to Ramona who is not quite happy with the whole situation, but agrees  something  probably should be done. She has no solid ideas, so will approve whatever plan you come up with.

 DAY 45 AFTER LANDING 

It is a fairly nice morning. There is a light breeze. The day seems to promise being neither too sunny nor too cloudy. A good day to go...  somewhere  and do...  what ?
DarkOne-Rob
Henri gets with the others and asks, "   Want to go swimming? Near where they left the water?   " between bites of breakfast.
Farmerbink
Jessica snorts quietly through her nose.  " I absolutely do  not  want to go swimming with those fellows, " she jokes good-naturedly.  She jokingly rolls her eyes, adding, " but since you asked so nicely, I suppose I will. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Only slightly better than even odds to assist.
 
farothel
 "We can't go after them on their own turf until we get access to magic that allows us to breath and move more easily underwater,"  Laurelata said,  "I think we have to make sure there's always guards on duty at the colony and nobody goes too far.  We can either do patrols in group farther out or we can go and have a look at those parts of the island we haven't looked at and see if we can find out more." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Oh, not saying we attack - just find their reef,   " explains Henri to clarify, since Laurelata seemed to think he was on the warpath. "   Help know where it's safe...   "
farothel
 "Those reefs are probably underwater,"  Laurelata said,  "and I'm not going there until we can work just as well there as those weird gobbo's can.  So were are we best going?  We still have part of the island that we haven't checked, but that's most likely a trip which will take a week or so to do properly." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri shrugs, maybe a little bit grudgingly, before saying, "   Somewhere else, then? Let's go - you take point.   " He rises, apparently ready to get out of the little colony and outside for the day.
SanguinePenguin
Taz thought for a moment.   “Hmmm… they may have come from the water, but that doesn’t mean they originated from there.  The only other place we’ve seen them was the tower where we found Rayland.  I think Eliza indicated that fish men would come and go.  While I don’t know whether we should believe anything she said, it is a better starting point then combing the ocean floor.  So either going to the tower or following along the coast seem the best approaches.” 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods. "   Follow the coast, check out the reef, then the tower...a week, maybe three...   " he says quietly, as if giving directions to the party on how much to pack. Then he proceeds to do exactly that - pack for two or three weeks away from the colony.
farothel
Laurelata would also pack enough supplies to get through two weeks of travel.  It would be a lot, but she had been gathering more than enough of it herself.  And by now she knew where to find herbs and vegetables to supplement the supplies.  She did inform the colony leader that they would be gone for some time on an extended exploration patrol, just so they wouldn't get worried and also they would have to defend themselves while the group wasn't there.
u-b
You walk along the beach that is on the western part of the island. It's not very straight and you take its turns. You have already done that, but the last time you have not been looking at the reef to your left, nor for the fishmen. You are past the noon and past the stream running from northeast into the ocean when you finally see something noteworthy. It's not on the reef, which is barely visible, it's to your right in the woods. Some fresh woddcutting seem to have been done here. Very limited, but also very recent. You know the collonists should not have been here. A closer examination reveals that the tools used were sub-par. Few trees were cut and most of them were left where they were cut. An even more close examination reveals some fishy people were cutting their clubs here, using stone, bone, or the like tools. You are perfectly sure about the "fishy" part because there their footprints on the ground. Not on the beach, those seem to have been removed by tide and waves, but on the ground under the trees - yep, fishmen footprints. The reef near the place does not seem in any way special and does not seem to sport any observers, short of a few seagulls and some occasional flying fishes. You leave it be for the moment and examine what you can on the land. You see more signs of woodcutting. Noticiably older to some different extents and mostly including trees that were thinner, in a more dense areas, and without most of them lying away. Were they coming here, again and again, to cut spears, javelins, fishing rods or suchlike? You are still not sure you want to be diving, but  if  you are ever diving, here would be one good spot.

It's late afternoon by the time you've finished with the land part of the area.

 
 Spoiler 
Henri: perception (1d20+9)[28] and survival (1d20+8)[28]
Laurelata: perception (1d20+9)[24] and survival (1d20+4)[6]
Tazmara: perception (1d20+7)[12]
 
Farmerbink
Jessica notes Henri and Laurelata's observations with interest, glad to be learning something  anything  about their apparent aggressors.  " If we want to come back tomorrow, I can prepare some spells to make swimming much less troublesome.  Or, well...  Breathing,  at least. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
When the time comes, Jessica can prepare Aboleth's lung, air bubble, and Marid's mastery to give us an edge.  That'll be at least the next day, in-character, though.  With Tazmara's default ability to breathe underwater, there should be some coverage for most of us.

That still leaves the whole swimming thing to be managed, which could be a dubious proposal.  Just offering suggestions.
 
farothel
 "I think it's too late to make it all the way back to the colony now,"  Laurelata said, looking at the sun,  "we could stay out here tonight, although not this close of course." 

She looked at Jessica.
 "How long does that breathing underwater spell last,"  she asked.
Farmerbink
" There's a few different ways...  Several minutes or several hours, but the longer one...  changes  you.  You won't be able to breathe air again until it runs out. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC: More details 
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/air-bubble
vs

 https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-s...aboleth-s-lung 
 
farothel
 "Minutes is not long enough I think,"  Laurelata said,  "we need time to look around, to fight if needed and to get back.  Will the spell also makes us move easy underwater?" 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Camp away from here, keep going in the morning. No swimming for now,   " Henri votes as he begins to deliberately trudge past the beach so that the colony is even further away. "   Need to find something more.   "

If the others follow he looks for a quiet spot, off any paths, where they can settle in relative comfort but focusing on the campsite being defendable and mostly hidden. "   No fire tonight. Listen, tune into the wilds,   " he directs the others as he begins to unpack only the barest of essentials and quietly sets about getting comfortable. He isn't rude, but it's clear he's advising everyone to speak a bit less and listen to the jungle around them, much as he tries to do.
farothel
 Fine with me,  Laurelata said.  She also looked for a campsite, letting Henri know if she saw something that was interesting, but letting him do the final choice.  He was the expert.  Sneaking up to people and picking locks was her thing, taking long walks in nature and sleeping there was his.  She did however gather twigs, leaves, dead branches and the likes and put it around the camp.  That way anybody who wanted to get to the camp would step on those and make a noise.
u-b
The way to the top of the volcano goes eitehr mostly along the stream you have crossed at noon or mostly through the jungle. You'll have to cross the stream sooner or later, but you have decided to remain away from the water for the rest of the day. So you go for about two hours, see a nice clearing without heavy undergrowth where there would be no concealment for anyone trying to approach, and call that place a camp. The middle of the night double guard shift goes to Laurelata and two other shifts are split between Henri and Taz. You don't burn a fire, but you don't have to: the weather is warm enough and your trail rations can be eaten as is. During the night, on Laurelata's shift, a boar comes past your location. He sees you, you see him, but unless Laurelata wants to do some hunting, the parties leave each other be.

 DAY 46 AFTER LANDING 

The morning is fine enough. You eat your breakfast and head generally east-north-east. After a couple of hours you hit the stream. It is not wide at that point, but it  is  fast enough for you to think it might be easier to cross it further up. You go along the stream and, early afternoon, you hit a place where it originates, well, sort of. Three streams seem to originate just a bit up the base of the bare part of the volcano. They all run in different directions and no one of them is as small as you might have hoped. There are some fishes in the streams, the same that you've seen downstream along your way, and which you all agree are perfectly normal trouts. The stream is about 15 feet wide and about 4 to 5 feet deep in the center, depending on how you are counting (the bottom of it is very uneven). It is moderately fast.

 
 Spoiler 
You spend the night where the tiny white dot is. Your goal is where the larger red dot is. The tree streams originate just NW from that.

 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri seems quite pleased with the party's progress exploring, with a lightness to his step that is entirely absent when he's surrounded by people or in combat. It's not hard to see why he likes the outdoors when they are as peaceful as they were last night. He leads the party along the stream, humming tunelessly to himself as he smiles at the clear water and the fish. "   Should catch some - dinner tonight,   " he suggests, his voice barely audible with the sound of the stream to their right.

At the strange headwaters he doesn't look frustrated or upset, but the half-orc scout does look confused. "   A spring below?   " he asks, gesturing to the point where the waters come up out of the earth. Then he shrugs and suggests, "   Keep going, cross downstream,   " and begins following the northern stream and looking for a way to safely cross without risking the less physically fit members of the party.
farothel
Laurelata kept an eye on the boar, but left it alone.  This wasn't the time to hunt as it was night, so difficult to hit, and an enraged boar could easily trample the sleeping party members.  She did mention it at breakfast though.

The following day she followed Henri.
 "Maybe we can set a few snares,"  she suggested,  "or another type of trap." 
That would probably be easier than hunting, which did take time.  Putting traps too, but once they were there they kept working.

When they were moving along the stream, she would look out for a tree or something that grew close to the stream on the other side which they might be able to use to attach a rope on so people could be hauled over (well, except the first, but they could attach the rope to him/her so they could haul back should it be needed).
u-b
You think about continuing on and looking for a place to cross, but then again, you'll have to cross  two  streams that way and are not sure exactly where you'll find the opportunity. You  do  remember passing some large tree bordering the stream you have walked along, about 20 minutes downstream.

 
 Spoiler 
That particular place would offer the following options to cross without incident:
1. Swim DC 15 (rough water, the same as almost everywhere; then Swim DC 10 if you have a rope).
2. Jump DC 15 (15 feet, the same as mostly everywhere, but you have surely seen it as narrow as 10 feet somewhere  without  a tree on the side).
3. Str DC 10 if you have a long enough rope (normally starts with DC 15, but you can throw the rope over a tree branch and hold onto it).
4. Climb DC 15 (a tree; then Climb DC 10 for everyone else if you have enough rope).
5. Profession (woodcutter) DC 10 (and some time and an axe; Climb DC 0 after that).

These can be mixed and matched as appropriate. Missing some of these might still get you across, as appropriate, but not without incident. You can opt to look for a better spot.
 
farothel
 "There was a tree a bit back,"  Laurelata said,  "I should be able to jump at that spot without too many problems, attach the rope and then the rest of you can cross on the rope." 
SanguinePenguin
Taz looks across the water.   “This is silly.  I will swim across and drag a rope.  You can all cross after me.  I can try to still the water a bit to make it easier.  If you run into trouble, I’ll come get you.”  Taz proceeds to swim across leaving the other end of the rope in her Allie’s hands.  On the other side, she concentrates on the flow of water, and works to slow the current in some areas, easing the passage for her allies.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
use her 50 ft silk rope
Swim:  (1d20+14)[ 32 ] 
Use hydrokinesis to calm the water (I guess lower DC a bit - actual effect unknown)
If someone had trouble, she’ll swim after.
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Tia a loop in the rope, put it under your shoulders,   " Henri says, demonstrating his intent by doing it with his own rope. "   Give me your gear, I'll carry it,   " he finishes, intending to use his mysterious power to walk on the water to make the crossing easier...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
Henri has  Fluid Travel  as follows:


 
 Originally Posted by SRD 
 Fluid Travel (Su): You can walk on liquid as if it were a solid surface. Walking on the liquid does not harm you; you can walk on acid or even lava (as if walking on a solid temporary crust), though you would still take fire damage from being near the lava. You can move across this surface at your normal land speed.  At 7th level, while this ability is in effect, you can instead go underwater, gaining a swim speed of 60 feet and the ability to breathe water.  You can use this ability for 1 hour per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments. 
 

I figure this means he can walk across the river easily enough, carrying everyone's gear and then spotting them as they go. However, he won't be able to use the power again today...
 
farothel
With Henri carrying her backpack, Laurelata took a running jump and easily cleared the river.  Taking back her backpack she also readied her bow just in case.
 "So, where to now,"  she asked as soon as everybody had crossed the river.
Farmerbink
Jessica watches in suitable amazement as her companions demonstrate multiple ways to cross the stream with relative ease.  " I- uh... I can't do any of that stuff easily, " she admits with a bit of an embarrassed blush.  Gratefully, she holds one end of the rope as her friends secure the other end (or just hold it).

" Alright, I'm coming across.  Don't let go! "  A bit uneasily she enters the water, but with her companion's aid and therapy, she's able to make it across without too much fuss.  As her simple linen gown drips heavily on the far banks, she frowns jokingly.  " Can I request a fire tonight?  I don't want to wait a week to dry out. "
SanguinePenguin
Taz focuses on Jessica’s clothes for a moment and the water is expelled onto the ground at her feet.
Farmerbink
Jessica all-but jumps as the water seems to leave her dress of its own accord.  " Woah!  You're just full of surprises, Tazmara, " she comments with a grateful smile.
u-b
The way up the old volcano is not too steep as the mountains go. You mostly have to walk up and occasionally climb up, but the climb is not too difficult at any one spot, just tiring overall. You have to make more than one break to catch your breath. By the time you've reached the ridge around the caldera, the sun is near the horizon. The caldera below is getting increasingly dark, but not too dark to see a lake there, with a tiny island with a tower with an... observatory? on its top. Anyway, if what is ontop of the tower it that, it is not operating at the moment, so there is no way to confirm that by just looking at it. What is perfectly clear is that the bridge leading to the tiny island is totally ruined. The lake is steaming mildly and smells the way a volcanic lake would smell. There is a trail built onto the wall of the caldera leading down to the ruined bridge, but that starts the NW and you are SW. Not taking that, there is an easy climb down right where you are.

 
 Spoiler 
The tiny island is just over 400 feet wide and is in the middle of a caldera lake roughly 1,000 feet across and maybe 120 feet deep at its lowest point. The shortest distance from the crater wall to the island is 290 feet from the northwest edge of the lake, following the path of the ruined bridge. You can take climb DC 0 at any spot, but you'll have problems if you need to do stuff while climbing. The lake seems warm, but probably not very hot. Dim light in the caldera.
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Wow,   " says Henri as he looks into the volcano crater. "   Could be interesting,   " he finishes with a thoughtful look around the caldera. "  Also dangerous. Easy trap...  "

Allowing the others some time, he takes out his journal and charcoal pencil, updating several maps and then drawing the scene in rough (but mostly accurate) strokes. Anyone looking will note that he specifically identifies all the interesting spots, ensuring that someone looking at his picture can tell that there are paths, ruined-bridges, and so on where all of the party can see them.
farothel
 "Wow indeed,"  Laurelata said as she looked at the surroundings,  "I think we best not go swimming in that lake, at least until we have a much better look.  Who knows what sits in there.  Of course, repairing the bridge isn't going to be easy either." 

She tried to see if they could maybe make a rope bridge with the remains of the current bridge.  Ropes were easier to bring here than tree trunks.
u-b
Henri starts to draw the maps and the pictures. Besides the immediate scenery itself, the things of note are...
1. Some old crater maybe a mile to the north near where the forest ends on the base of the mountain.
2. Some much larger depression, maybe also a crater, further to the northeast, overgrown with some bright red vegetation.
3. An overall view of the island, but the contours have already been marked by the ship, so just the experience of ovserving it all personally.

Laurelata thinks of how she would go about the bridge. The near side features a high enough wall of the caldera and the far side features some sort of a tower, so at least there are some things to secure the rope between. The problem is, that would have to be a quite long rope and, unless you go all in for building a proper rope bridge, you'd have to use all ~300 feet of it one by one, leaving aside the question of how you make that rope be in the first place. Looking at what remains of the bridge, it seems many abutments are still more or less intact, and often even above the water, but not all of them, so there are a few spans that are longer than would be the length of a practical...  something  that could be man-handled and placed to cross from one to the other. The ruined bridge is / was made of stone, so handling the pieces would be by no meants trivial, but at least the pieces seem not to have disappeared, if that helps you any. All in all, Laurelata sees no easy way to make a crossing without either bringing a boat here or most of you getting wet.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Pretty island. Too bad for the problems,   " sighs Henri, his expression melancholy in spite of the lovely views. "   Can't fix the bridge, should find a good campsite.   " Then he begins to take his own advice, looking around for a hollow from which they could defend themselves if they needed.
u-b
Good sites to camp are scarce here on the ridge of the caldera. You could maybe just camp right on the top - you'd have a good view and defending yourself with ranged weapons against climbers from either side would be as easy as humanly possible. The problem is, you would also be in good view, and would have no particular advantage against flyers. There is nothing like a cave in here. At most, there are some depressions covered from left and right, but not from all sides, and they all seem too steep in case you want to sleep in a horizontal position.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Back to the trees,   " Henri says as he turns to lead the party back down the slope, heading towards a secluded spot they passed on the way up...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Assuming there is such a spot...?
 
u-b
You climb down to tree level and camp for the night. By the time you are at the camping spot it is too late to go for extended comfort, so you are not exactly happy or overly comfortable, but at least the night passes without incident.

 DAY 47 AFTER LANDING 

Good morning.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri rises before the sun, his spirits obviously lifted by the camping and time spent exploring. "   Weird island, but pretty,   " he explains to anyone asking, shrugging and smiling openly at the fresh air and lack of civilization. "   Like it here, except for the attackers.   "

As everyone breaks their fast and gets ready to move he pulls out a larger piece of parchment on which is a map. It's obviously a work in progress, with (excessively) short notes in the margins and lots of open space. The area around the colony is fairly detailed, though, as is much of the way they've traveled over the last two days. He points to several places on the map - the places they've fought fish-creatures, the tower and ruins with the talking statues, the volcano, and then shakes his head good naturedly. "   Don't know where to go. The coast? North to the crater? Ideas?   "
farothel
Laurelata had a look around on the top.
 "Why don't we do the east bit between the rivers we're currently are,"  she suggested, "that way we don't have to cross any rivers... well, at least not any big rivers.
 We can then do the other bits later." 
Farmerbink
Jessica stands quietly for a time atop the caldera.  After a moment, her lips begin to move, though soundlessly.  Almost on the verge of tears, she slowly surveys the entire island: the grand forests, sweeping mountains, even the strange scarlet flora.  Finally, her gaze falls upon Henri's journal and pencil and she smiles broadly.

" Your eyes are a gift- your handiwork a treasure, " she whispers, not intending to be heard, but audibly nonetheless.  " I wish I knew how to capture that beauty as you have. "  Only begrudgingly does she retreat from the peak, still smiling languidly from the grandeur of their view.

" Were it not so full of danger, it would be a treat indeed, to see this island... " she murmurs, as she reluctantly makes camp.  As she falls asleep, she can be heard quietly whispering a hymn to Shelyn, thanks and praise for the day before.


 


Jessica stirs early, grateful to watch the sun rise over their vibrant surroundings.  " That red foliage in the crater looks bizarre, but interesting, " she murmurs.  " The caldera was glorious, but I wonder how good an idea it would be to swim to the island.  I don't know what I expect to find in the craters- or any of these other places, come to think of it. "

Frowning briefly, she glances to the south.  " I hope Talmandor's Bounty is safe in our absence... "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I feel like it's kind of a crapshoot, but I'm content to pursue any of those places.
 
DarkOne-Rob
 The night before 

Henri clearly doesn't exactly know how to respond to Jessica's compliments on his drawings. He smiles and shrugs, continuing without saying anything but with a twinkle in his eyes that isn't often there.

 New directions in the morning 

The half-orc scout nods at the ideas and says, "   East then, to the beach, then north to the red crater.   " He then finishes packing and makes ready to lead the party forward as they continue exploring.
u-b
You venture east. Your path goes downwards for some time, then mostly levels out. The tropical forest looks normal, as tropical forests go. It is full of life of all sorts, though the larger life is largely avoiding you or just not too heavily represented. Suddenly, Jessica and Laurelata notice that yet another patch of dense vegetation contains something probably not quite harmless...

   
 
 Spoiler 
Laurelata (1d20+9)[22]
Jessica (1d20+2)[22]
Henri (1d20+9)[10]
Tazmara (1d20+7)[15]

Know (Nature) to identify.

You are some 30 feet away from it and can, at your option, try to walk back and around to leave it be.
 
farothel
 "Hold,"  Laurelata said to the others,  "there's something there.  Wait a bit, it seems to be static." 
She pointed at the thing while trying to remember if she had seen the thing or read about it at some time.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

knowledge (nature):  (1d20+4)[ 10 ] 
 
u-b
It  looks like  a carnivorous plant, so maybe  is  a carnivorous plant, but Laurelata has no guess as to exact variety.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Good eye,   " says Henri as he glares at the plant intently...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Knowledge (Nature):  (1d20+6)[ 21 ] 
 
u-b
Pointed in the exact direction, Henri  does  recognize an  Assassin Vine  hiding among some other bushes and assorted undergrowth. A somewhet dangerous thing and even nominally mobile.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Assassin vine, steer clear and watch for more,   " Henri warns as he pulls out his notebook to write down this plant's location. "   It can move...   " he adds as he remembers it. Then, once his note is written he begins looking about the area more closely, peering carefully into the brush and shadows. "   Look - see the dead near the roots?   " he explains in short sentences and gestures. Then he pantomimes looking for more at the bases of the plants nearby to make clear part of how they can avoid them.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
One assassin vine isn't enough to have us turn around completely, but if there are more we should consider going a different way. This is probably just a random encounter, though, so if we give it a wide berth we should be fine.

Do we want to turn back or keep going in this general direction until/unless we find more?
 
farothel
 "Okay, you're the expert,"  Laurelata said, looking at the vine and staying well away from it,  "we can also kill it at a distance.  I doubt it will move quickly anyway.  If there's just the one it's easy to avoid, if there are more we probably best take some out." 
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns, surprised by the strange threat.  " I don't see any especially good reasons to pick a fight, " she murmurs.  " Let's try to go around. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
If no one strongly disagrees, I assume we can go around it with a wide enough berth to not engage this plant in particular?
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods and guides the party in a wide arc, keeping well beyond range of the carnivorous plant's ability to sense them. "   Warn the townsfolk - if attacked by one of those, run until it stops chasing. They're not smart, just stubborn,   " he explains. Then, once safely past, he continues leading along their previously agreed upon path.
farothel
Laurelata will follow Henri's lead in this, as he's the best outdoorsman in the group.  She will however continue to look out for more of the plants and other things of interest, whether good or bad interest.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
 
u-b
You leave the plant be and move on. The rest of the way to the shore does not bring any more incidents. You come to, basically, a low cliff of some length. You are not sure if it should or should not be of any particular interest. To your left, you can see a long beach with a long sandbar alongside it. The naturalist people of you can tell that should be interesting natural-resource-wide, but not necessarily otherwise. And then there's your right. A fine example of a coral of reef presents a sprawling series of twisting, serpentine ridges bristling with a vibrant rainbow of sea life. Tall stands of vermilion kelp drift in the ocean currents, schools of tiny fish glitter like a spray of silver knives as they swim past, and the multicolored symphony of coral polyps, spines, and pillars create an otherworldly landscape. In the distance, the dark hulk of a wrecked sailing vessel stands out against the sea of life and color.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Now  that's  interesting!   " exclaims Henri quietly as he sees the shipwreck. Shielding his eyes, the half-orc gazes at the reef and the ship, trying to see signs of danger. "   Tough to get there...should try though,   " he says thoughtfully as he turns to look for a path down from the cliff face towards the beach and the sea.
Farmerbink
Jessica gasps at the vast array of colors and motion.  She just watches the reef for several moments as the party gets their bearings.

At Henri's comment, she eyes the rough surf around the reef warily.  " I think I'd better keep watch from the shore, " she murmurs.  " Drying my dress is one thing, but if they couldn't make do in a ship, I don't like my odds.  Can we ask Ramona to bring the ship around next time one makes port?  It would be much easier with a skiff, at least. "
u-b
You take some walk to the right / south to be as close to the wreck as possible without getting wet. The wreck is old and not much besides beams is still there above the water. It seems to be resting on something, but looking down the clear waters near shore, it gets deeper than that between here and the reef. It seems, you'll have to do some swimming or sailing, and then, really, diving, because if there is anything worth mentioning, it has long sunk along with the ship.
Farmerbink
Jessica's unease is not reduced by a closer look.  " I'd love to see what we can find out there, but it seems  very  risky, without the right preparation.  Let's leave it be for now, but mark it down on your map, Henri!  This beach would be worth coming back, just for the view! "

She's eager to press on, but perfectly willing to give her companions time to look around more thoroughly before they do.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Nope,   " says Henri as he looks out at the hard swim through dangerous waters to the wreck. "   Not today.   " In spite of his words, though, the half-orc looks admiringly out at the scene for several moments. Then he says, "   Camp up there,   " and points back the way they came to the top of the cliff face as he leads back. Even with several hours left of the day, he seems content to sit on the heights and sketch, working on his notes and more artistic efforts with about equal enthusiasm. As the evening approaches he takes a brief dip in the ocean water, enjoying the feel of it on his rough skin and smiling at the peaceful sounds of the waves as the sun sets over the water.
farothel
 "Nice place to put a luxury inn for rich people,"  Laurelata remarked.  She would follow Henri towards the spot he picked for camp, but she would do a thorough recon around the camp for more of those Assassin vines or any other potential problem things.  She would also put twigs, dry leaves and the like around the campsite so anything approaching would make noise that the person on guard should be able to hear.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

Giving us a bonus (or anybody approaching a penalty).
perception:  (1d20+9)[ 28 ] 
 
u-b
You set up a camp, eat your dinner, schedule the guard duty and go to rest. The night passes without incident. Laurelata can see that the reef keeps living a full life throughout dark hours, up to and including some glowing things of presumably natural origin, but that in no way seems like it's going, or even looking, ashore.

 DAY 48 AFTER LANDING 

Good morning. There is a light-to-modetate breeze blowing from the west (the island) and to the east (the ocean), but it seems like it would still be sunny enough. You eat your breakfast and make plans for the day.
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Originally Posted by farothel 
  "Nice place to put a luxury inn for rich people,"  Laurelata remarked. 
 

Henri looks sad at Laurelata's comment. "   Too many would ruin it,   " he replies, mostly to himself as if resolved to the sad realization that she's probably right - and predicting the future of the lovely location.

 

"   North then? Still need to see the crater,   " asks Henri as he gets ready to lead the party as they further explore the mysterious island they now call home.
Farmerbink
Jessica finds the night astonishingly peaceful, graced by what she perceives as a colorful display of Shelyn's approval from the glowing creatures and plants offshore.  When she sleeps, it's deep and calm, with a pleasant smile brought on by the twinkling of stars and gentle ocean breezes.

She rises early, and practices some basic combat forms in the pre-dawn twilight.  Sweating slightly, she settles in to spend several long minutes meditating as the sun breaks the eastern horizon.  Thoroughly refreshed by the fairly peaceful day prior and brilliant sunrise before her, she rises with an unusual blend of steel and excitement in her smile.  " Let's do it! " she agrees enthusiastically.  " I'm eager to see what could make those plants such a brilliant red. "
farothel
 "I'm okay with it,"  Laurelata said,  "We have to explore the whole island at some point.
 Might just as well be now.  We best continue to be careful though." 
u-b
You head north along the beach covered from the ocean with a large sandbar. You see a lot of recent activity, mainly by crabs, seagulls and various other smallish animals, but nothing  really  deserving your immediate attention. You turn west as the shore makes a turn west. There seem to be a narrow bay here, going deep into the island, but itself too shallow to allow ocean-going vessels. There is also a lot of life here, also mostly harmless, but then you notice a trio of monkey goblins fishing in the bay, one old male and two young females, mostly naked. They use some sort of a seine, but it is, in your opinion, rather small as seines go, so they probably have to try multiple times and it's likely not very effective, but some earlier catch  is  present ashore. All three seem to be rather occupied with the process and you don't see weapons of them, though they are quite a bit in the water, so they might have something hanging on their belts or some such.

 
 Spoiler 
You can consider yourselves be anywhere at 100+ feet, try to sneak up closer OR just avoid the encounter. They are some 40 feet into the water, chest deep for them.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica eyes the strange Goblinoids with a distrustful frown.  " Good to know they're here too.  I don't see much reason in killing them just to make a scene or a point.  Unless you want to announce ourselves for some reason, let's move on.  Carefully. "
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at the trio of monkey-goblins fishing for a long moment as he listens to Jessica. "    Can  we leave them alone?   " he asks the others. "   Tired of killing...   " the half-orc sighs noticeably as he readies his axe, just in case...
farothel
 "It would be easy,"  Laurelata said, with her races' hatred for all that was goblinoid,  "and eventually we most likely have to anyway.  They will keep raiding.  Just a couple of shots with the longbow and it's done." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods sadly as he prepares himself to attack, intent that if he has to do so he does it fast and mercifully. That, and it's the best way to be sure the party has the fewest wounds...
SanguinePenguin
Taz stood by for a while, but this seemed too much,  “I have no love of goblins, but they are just… fishing.  They aren’t attacking us, they aren’t blocking us, they aren’t even taking our resources.  I thought we were trying to be peaceful with the goblins - we took their scouting party prisoner, but we’ll kill their fishermen?  It’s hard to justify this.”   She frowns and looks to the others,  “why don’t we just ignore them?” 
farothel
 "That wasn't my idea,"  Laurelata said, feeling where this was going.  She didn't like killing either, but it was something that in her mind had to be done.  And better in this way than in a big battle.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri, having made his argument clear already, stands waiting for the others to decide the fate of the trio of monkey goblins. His sad expression, clear in spite of his craggy, weather-beaten face, speaks volumes about how fatigued he feels at the idea of slaughtering other humanoids, especially when they aren't attacking or threatening anything he's protecting...
Farmerbink
Jessica frowns deeply.  " I'd much rather make the point that we  could  just so they can go home and know that it doesn't need to be this way... "
farothel
 "Fine,"  Laurelata grumbled.  She kept her bow in her hand, but that was mostly because there could be other dangers around the island.  Correction, there will be other dangers on the island.
 "Hopefully I don't have to tell you 'I informed you thusly' later,"  she added as she waited for Henri to take the lead to guide them around.  While she could, he was better moving in the woodlands.
u-b
You leave the fishing monkey goblins alone and go deeper inland, to where you've seen the red forest. Eventually, you cross a high, earthen ridge covered in scrubby vegetation that soon gives way to a steep descent thick with tall, ancient oak trees of a strange, bone-white coloration. The vibrant, scarlet foliage of these trees gives the impression that the entire forest is aflame. In the distance, at the center of the bowl-shaped valley, stands and rises above the rest of the forest a massive white tree with bowed branches like those of a weeping willow, but feathered with long, vibrant, red leaves.

 
 Spoiler: Assuming you venture forth 
It seems you are not allowed to wander the strange forest as you soon see some movement coming your way through the foliage. You have time to prepare for what comes and are not sure how what comes can pinpoint your location, but when the incoming emerges from behind the undergrowth, you see four strange... well, you are not sure you should call it "creatures"... the  things  are four assorted, deemingly dead bodies, overgrown with some plants, complete with bright yellow flowers. One walking corpse was formerly a dwarf, one a human and two were monkey goblins. Only the dwarf still has meaningful equipment and he leads the four towards you...

   
 
 Spoiler 
They are 40 feet away when you can meaningfully react to the sight, but you've had two more rounds to prepare for  something . Consider you have the initiative. You can roll know nature and/or religion.
 

 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Laurelata had her bow ready when they heard the movement through the woods, as most things here were hostile.  And she wasn't disappointed this time.
 "What the hell is that,"  she asked the others as soon as they saw the critters, hoping one of them would know.  She would move a bit back to see if any of the others wanted to talk to them.  She kept her bow ready though, ready to shoot if they turned out to be hostile.  If these were plant creatures, they would probably react more easily to Sylvan, a language she didn't speak.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Actions 

move back 30ft
ready action: shoot at any hostile action.   (1d20+5)[ 24 ] , damage:  (1d8+1)[ 6 ]  (+  (2d6)[ 9 ]  holy damage if appropriate).
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 1 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Longbow  +4 (1d8, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

Henri has his longbow out and trained on the woods well before the four figures appear. He doesn't wait to see if anyone else will talk, though, as it's clear these aren't friendly...since they're dead...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Knowledge (Nature, trained):  (1d20+6)[ 17 ] 
Knowledge (Religion, untrained):  (1d20)[ 14 ] 

Shoot at the nearest approaching plant-zombie-thing...Longbow:  (1d20+4)[ 24 ]  to hit,  (1d20+4)[ 18 ]  (20/x3),  (1d8)[ 7 ]  piercing damage,  (2d8)[ 4 ]  critical strike damage.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz can tell these aren’t friendlies, but she otherwise has no clue what she is looking at.    “Let’s bury these things and figure out what they are later.”  She grabs hold of the source and fires a thin jet of water at one of the targets.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
knowledge nature:  (1d20+5)[ 6 ] 
Free: burn (3 NL damage)
Move: gather power
Extended Range Attack:  (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  Damage:  (2d6+8)[ 20 ] 
 
u-b
Tazmara blasts the dwarf for  15 damage , making a huge hole in his chest, but not preventing the guy from trying to charge her. Laurelata puts an end to that attempt, but the shot in the dwarf's head almost seems like it did no real damage. Henri has shot another one, but again, this does not seem terribly effective. The remaining three  whatevers  charge at Tazmara and Jessica, who stood right besides her with a glaive ready. Unfortunately, Jessica was too freaked out to actually hit the things and only managed to dodge the one attack that was incoming. Tazmara had it much worse as both attacks quite painfully hit for  5 and 9 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
Jessica readied: (1d20+4)[8] for (1d10+3)[7]
Jessica AoO: (1d20+4)[12] for (1d10+3)[8]

(1d20+6)[17] for (1d6+4)[5] vs Taz
(1d20+6)[17] for (1d6+4)[9] vs Taz
(1d20+6)[10] for (1d6+4)[8] vs Jess
 
 
 Spoiler: Henri 
The plants seem to control these dead corpses and the corpses themselves seem to behave not unlike "ordinary" zombies, but they don't seem to suffer from rigor mortis  and  you are not sure if disabling a corpse also kills the controlling plant.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  30/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
 

"   It's the flowers, not sure how,   " Henri says as he drops his bow, readies his axe, and tries to lay into the nearest attacker that struck Tazmara. "   Don't touch the plants.   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at the nearest plant-zombie-thing (that hit Taz last turn) - Greataxe :  (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  to hit,   (1d20+6)[ 26 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 21 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 35 ]  critical strike damage .
 
Farmerbink
Jessica offers the fishing Monkey-Goblins another parting glance as the party (thankfully) leaves them be, for now.  She follows along in good spirits until they are confronted by a troupe of bizarre... zombies?

" Ack! Watch out! " she calls, stepping away from the savage foliage.

  Cast bless for +1 to-hit for allies  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Step away and cast bless.
 
farothel
Laurelata didn't know much about plants, but she knew they most likely didn't like fire.  So she stepped back, took a torch and lighted it.
 "Hold for a second,"  she shouted to Henri and Taz.

 
 Spoiler: OOC round 1 

5ft step back.
take torch and light it.
 
u-b
Henri cuts one of the "plant zombies" in half, which seems to be enough to take it out of the action. Taz steps back and blasta away, but does not hit anyone. Laurelata and Jessica do their things, which don't affect the two remaining attackers, who concentrate on Henri and manage to land one solid hit for  8 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
Water Blast: (1d20+7)[9] for (2d6+9)[19]

(1d20+6)[7] for (1d6+4)[9]
(1d20+6)[21] for (1d6+4)[8]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
With her lit torch, Laurelata stepped back in and stabbed at the plant/undead thing, hoping the fire would scare it off, or failing that, do extra damage.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

step back into the fight.
attack:  (1d20+1)[ 16 ]  for damage:  (1d3)[ 3 ]  bludgeoning (+1 fire damage)
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  22/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5 (+6 vs Fear),  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +7 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
Bless
 

"   Ungh   " grunts Henri, taking the blow on the shoulder and swinging his greataxe around to return the strike.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at the plant-zombie-thing that just hit him - Greataxe :  (1d20+7)[ 22 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 9 ] ] (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 11 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 30 ]  critical strike damage .
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz didn’t enjoy being in the fray, so she backs up further and fires again at one of the plant zombies.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: step back
Standard: water blast  (1d20+7)[ 8 ]  dam  (2d6+9)[ 11 ]  - clearly the dice gods are enraged that I missed a round…

 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
Farmerbink
From the relative safety of behind Henri's left shoulder, Jessica lashes out at the nearest zombie.

  Bless active for +1 to-hit for allies  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
 (1d20+5)[ 21 ]  glaive attack
 (1d10+3)[ 7 ]  damage
 
u-b
Laurelata hits a zombie with the torch for minimal effect - it seems the plants do not like the fire and wither around the point of impact, but beyond that there is no effect visible. Tazmara shoots a stream of water, but this time something goes wrong with the process and there is only a weak stream going well away from the targets instead of the usual effect. Henri and Jessica together dring down one of the remaining plant zombies, leaving only the other to attack Henri again. It does so, and hits, tearing a half-orc's arm for  very  noticiable  9 damage ...

 
 Spoiler 
(1d20+6)[19] for (1d6+4)[9]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
Farmerbink
Jessica blanches briefly at Henri's arm.  With grim determination she focuses the grace of Shelyn through the conduit connecting her to Henri.  " Get him, Henri! " she urges, willing her companion's arm to strike true.

  Bless active for +1 to-hit for allies  
  Bit of Luck on Henri for "advantage"  
 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (2/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
 
farothel
Seeing it didn't do much, but the plants being afraid of it, she moved slightly to the side and tried to hit them again, hopefully doing some damage this time.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

Step to the side if I can flank
attack:  (1d20+2)[ 21 ]  (extra +2 for flanking if it's applicable) for damage:  (1d3)[ 3 ]  bludgeoning (+1 fire damage)
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 3 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  13/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5 (+6 vs Fear),  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +7 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Power Attack
Bless
Bit of Luck
 

"   Hold the line...   " mutters Henri, mostly to himself, as if he's remembering orders from his time in continental armies. With another grunt of effort he slashes with his axe, continuing his own assault against the strange attackers...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Activate Power Attack and strike at the plant-zombie-thing that just hit him - Greataxe :  (1d20+7)[ 14 ]    or   (1d20+7)[ 10 ]  to hit ,  [roll]  or   (1d20+7)[ 26 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 19 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 34 ]  critical strike damage .
 
u-b
Laurelata burns a bit of the plant on the last remaining zombie, which seems to do, in itself, nothing much, but the plant zombie does not like it enough to get distracted and then cut in half by Henri's greataxe. The dead have all stopped moving and lie there as various pieces of corpses sporting some pretty nice yellow flowers. You might or might not wonder how these could smell...
DarkOne-Rob
Henri breathes heavily for a moment before looking down at the yellow flowers. "   Don't know how, but the flowers are bad. Keep clear of them,   " he says as he back further away and look to Jessica. "   Can Shelyn's grace heal my wounds?   " he asks humbly.
farothel
 "I guess,"  Laurelata said, also stepping back,  "but I think we best search the corpses as those are probably from the first wave and if we can figure out who they are, their families can know as well.  Do any of you know how those flowers 'infect' people?" 
She tries to remember if she had read anything about undead flowers, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

knowledge nature:  (1d20+4)[ 6 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri shakes his head, having already tried to remember more details about what he knows. "   Don't touch the flowers. Crush them before you check the corpses,   " he suggests, though he remains back away from the strange yellow flowers personally.
farothel
 "I'll burn them off,"  she said,  "Taz, could you stand by with some water so I don't burn all the forest down." 

Using her torch at arm's length she would start burning the plants off the corpses as much as she could, especially the flowers.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods " Of course, Henri. "  She begins channelling divine power for everyone.  " By Her grace... " she murmurs gently as the warm energy radiates from her holy symbol.  After a brief pause, she frowns at Henri's injuries and does it again.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
channel positive to heal:  (2d6)[ 6 ]   and   8 
 

She joins Henri and Laurelata looking down on the fallen villager with a sad expression.  " What a horrible fate, " she breathes, eying the flowers with obvious distrust.  " And what a horrible  creature  to twist nature's beauty so! "  With surprising hostility, she begins violently smashing the flowers with the butt end of her glaive and leather heel with apparent indifference for the details.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, post combat 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 7/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (2/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
 
u-b
Laurelata burns the plants off the corpses. This takes several minutes and is done without incident. Thinking it would be reasonably safe to search the corpses now, Laurelata does that. On the dwarf she finds the following:
1. A well-made warhammer sporting some dwarven runes.
2. A vial with some sort of liquid.
3. A ruined set of leather armor and clothing.
4. A total of 118 gp in assorted coinage, mainly minted in Andoran and around.

On the human you find:
5. Ruined remains of a belt pouch with mostly ruined contents, among which the only surviving things are...
6. A well-made set of marked pieces of bone of various shapes.

On the monkey goblins you find basically nothing at all.
Farmerbink
Jessica comes down from her sudden burst of zeal rapidly- almost deflating as her righteous anger leaves her feeling drained and perhaps a little embarrassed.  She looks past Laurelata with a mixture of curiosity, slowly mingling with thoughtfulness.  " Rich and poor alike pale in the face of death... " she gently murmurs.  She makes a small spiral over her chest in memoriam of the fallen first-wave colonists.

Calling once more upon the magical powers of her divine patron, Jessica begins perceiving the auras of the warhammer and liquid (and any others less-expected).

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Know (arcana) to identify the magic stuff with detect magic?  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  (hammer)
 (1d20+5)[ 16 ]  (vial)
 (1d20+5)[ 22 ]  anything else?
 
u-b
The hammer is a rather practical thing with no fancy effects, just +1 of enchantment magic. Its workmanship is a bit more notable in a sense that it is less... "generic" shall we say... and there are dwarven runes Jessica can read to mean some clan marks, but she is not familiar with dwarven clans and their specific markings, so... just some dude proud of his kin.

The vial... well, it  got to be  healing, at least nothing much else springs to mind looking at the aura, considering common stuff. But Jessica cannot confirm that positively... well,  some  sort of healing, probably, maybe.

The marked bones are not magical, but obviously intended as a divination aid. For one, you could use them for  augury .

Nothing else on or around the dead shines magical.
farothel
 "Interesting,"  Laurelata said as she also looked at the hammer as well, knowing at least the language.  She liked the money, as she couldn't really use the hammer except maybe for putting some nails in some wood and it was a bit too expensive for that.

 "Any of us can use that hammer,"  she asked,  "it's a good weapon." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at his greataxe and at the hammer. "   I don't use a shield,   " he says by way of explaining why he doesn't show more interest in the magic weapon. If he's uncomfortable with the dwarven make of it he doesn't particularly show it on his craggy, un-expressive face.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Henri is built for damage, and the +1 Warhammer is mostly a downgrade in that department. Maybe if there was a good shield to pair it with, but without...? Meh.
 

Content that the initial attack is over, Henri looks around with concern. "   Probably more of them deeper in...Let's come back later,   " he suggests, as they still have so much more of the island to explore.
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Laurelata 
If the markings are to be believed, the dwarf is/was from one of the ruling families of Kykar in Five Kings Mountains. That is just north of Andoran, so might explain the guy's involvement. Probably some N-th son you expect.

 
 Spoiler 
Know local: (1d20+7)[25]
 

 
farothel
 "It looks like the markings of one of the ruling families of Kykar in Five Kings Mountains,"  Laurelata tells the others,  "it might be worth something to the family to have it back.  Having the favour of a dwarven ruling family can always be useful.  But in the meantime, if Henri doesn't want to use it, can someone else?  I'm not familiar with warhammers, so I'm not going to use it, even if it's a better weapon than what I have now." 
SanguinePenguin
As is typical when encountering anything dwarven, Taz has a complicated interaction with the hammer.  At first she rather explicitly (and contradictorally) ignores it, but when Laurelata mentions Kykar, she suddenly perks up.    “Kybar?  That isn’t far at all from Taggoret, where I grew up.  Every dwarf can swing a hammer.  I don’t think I’ll use it much, but if no one else is interested, I can hold on to it.” 
SanguinePenguin
With her attention back to the strange valley and the stranger zombies, Taz offers an alternative,  “this dwarf at least must have been one of the colonists.  There might be some answers further in simply because other colonists may have met the same fate.” 
Farmerbink
Jessica glances back and forth between Henri and Tazmara, weighing the spoken concern with the unspoken implication.  " There have to be some answers somewhere, " she mumbles.  " Could be some here, could be elsewhere.  It took us a few days to get here, so if we can bear to press on, maybe we should? "
farothel
 "We still have quite a bit of island to explore,"  Laurelata said,  "we can indeed, as Henri says, leave this patch for now and search some other patches.  It's going to be a long time to explore everything." 
She looked at Henri.
 "What's the best direction to continue you think?" 
DarkOne-Rob
With a shake of his head Henri acknowledges and recognizes the group's decision. "   Stay close, go slow, don't trust plants to be nice,   " he says in his characteristic terse, blunt manner, and begins leading the party deeper into the strange area. For his part, he keeps a watchful eye out for either assassin vines or the strange yellow flowers, intent on not being surprised should either reappear...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri has Perception at +9 and will be moving at about half-speed (on top of his already slower than most speed of 20 ft per round). He's intent on not being surprised or ambushed without providing his group with an option to retreat...
 
farothel
Laurelata followed Henri, bow ready, moving slowly and looking around for any weird or interesting stuff.  She didn't speak when not needed, concentrating instead on spotting any problems before they became a problem.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+9)[ 19 ] 
 
u-b
You move deeper inside the strange red forest. Eventually, it becomes apparent that there are reasonably well tramplet trail running through it. This could be good or bad, depending on how you are counting. The plants outside the trail often seem all sorts of dangerous. These abnormal plants seem mostly stationary, and surely a minority in this forest, but they might be well-hidden among the rest of the plants and you might risk walking straight into them. The trails... well, they are mostly clear and out of contact with the flora, but some things are walking them, so it's your choice...

 
 Spoiler: Henri 
The footprints on the trails are mostly of natural creatures of  various  kinds, but that does not quite match natural habits of some of those creatures. The footprints are, like, totally absent outside of the trails.
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   This place is... wrong ,   " says Henri as he kneels down yet again to inspect the tracks on the trail. "   Dangerous plants, everywhere...everything walking the trails...not acting natural...   " he continues as he looks around, clearly deeply unsettled.

"   Don't like it, want to leave,   " he says finally, looking to the others in the party for their responses. If they ask for details he points out what he's seeing, obviously uncomfortable talking much, but willing to show - and teach - others about the craft of tracking and understanding what they see. It's clear he doesn't want to go deeper, at least not without a good reason beyond just exploring, but will follow the consensus of the party. "   Not a coward, but not stupid either...   " he explains, if anyone pushes. The observant will note he looks embarrassed at the admonition of his fear, but he's a soldier and will lead where he's "ordered."
farothel
Laurelata wasn't sure what to make of this.
 "If the plants are dangerous it's logical that everybody else stays on the path or that the paths are created by animals avoiding the plants,"  she said,  "but I agree we best leave this part of the island be for now.  We can always come back later.  Best tell anybody who's in a wandering mood to stay away from this part of the island for now." 
SanguinePenguin
Taz stares down the path.   “I don’t know.  I have a vague feeling there are answers this way, maybe even to questions we haven’t yet thought to ask… but it is very strange.  I vote we press on, but I also see the value in turning back.” 
DarkOne-Rob
As everyone votes and the majority seems inclined to leave, Henri again takes the lead, intent on putting this strange and dangerous place behind them. Once outside of the strangely colored "bloom" of plants he heads further north, intent on exploring more of their island home, at least for now.
Farmerbink
Jessica swallows hard, looking around the thick foliage with an unusually suspicious eye.  " You're the expert, " she willingly admits.  " I just wish we had any answers for all these questions piling up... "  A bit sullenly, Jessica follows close behind Henri as the woodsman leads them back the way they came.

" Do we head back to the  Bounty  for now?  Or do we have something else to look into first? "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
A relevant detail I overlooked the first time: Jessica can perform up to 2 Augury a week with her harrow-born trait.  It seems like we should be using that, but I'm personally so out of the loop and/or confused that I don't really know what to suggest.  I'll try to do some re-reading
 
u-b
You get out of the red forest safely enough. You don't even feel watched or anything. In fact, you have noticed the bird population there, while is not entirely absent, to be much more sparse and limited. A weird, weird forest. But now you have a perfect opportunity to decide  where to go next . Maybe back to the bay where the goblins were fishing? Or maybe a bit north to the river that is supposed to run to the ocean north of the bay? Or right across the river and... somewhere?
DarkOne-Rob
Once clear of the disturbing red forest Henri sighs audibly in relief. He looks about for a moment, consults his map drawings, and then begins leading the party north of the bay where they saw the fishing monkey goblins towards the waterway and beaches at the northernmost portion of the island. "   Haven't been this far yet, might as well see it,   " he explains to anyone who asks him for more details on his plan.
farothel
 "Sure, no problem,"  Laurelata said,  "we eventually have to map the entire island, so one direction is as good as any other." 
She would keep at the end of the group, letting Henri do the front scouting while she kept an eye on the backdoor.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

in case it's needed: perception:  (1d20+9)[ 13 ] 
 
u-b
You reach the shore when the sun is already down at the horizon. The jorney is largely uneventful, as far as these jorneys go, save for two observations. First, you haven't seen any monkey goblins when you passed the north side of the bay. Second, you've seen a jaguar resting on a large tree branch. It also saw the lot of you and  slowly  left the scene. You decided there is no pressing reason to chase it and so also were on your way. Anyway, you are on the edge of the forest on one side, and the beach on the other side, it will be  soon  quite dark, even though a quarter of the moon should be visible between the sparse clouds more often than not, so you should probably set up a camp or some such...
DarkOne-Rob
Henri admires the large cat and respectfully leaves it alone. From his expression he even seems a bit more comfortable with the more natural(?) wildlife present. "   Behind the tree line, a small fire, out of sight of the beach,   " he says by way of explanation as he sets out to find a good campsite and settle in for the night.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods with a bit of a forced smile and falls in.  She smiles more easily at the graceful predator and their respectful deference of one another.  " Perhaps this part of the jungle remains largely untouched, " she muses hopefully.

It's a bit of a surprise for her when the sun dips precipitously towards the horizon, but she dutifully begins to set up camp consistent with Henri's instructions.  " I'll take mid watch.  I'll let the fire die down some since I can see just as well without it, but I'll be ready to stoke it if needed. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Because she's an Aasimar, Jessica can see just fine in total dark.  She's also fairly invested in  protecting  the jungle, rather than imposing her will upon it, and would rather avoid notice than resist incursion.
 
farothel
 "Sure, fine with me,"  Laurelata said as she started looking around for some rocks they could use to put around the fire to hide it and to avoid it spreading.  She would also look around the campsite for small, dry twigs and leaves she would spread around so everybody approaching would make a noise the person on guard would hear.  While doing that, she would also look around for edible stuff to add to the rations.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

to search for edible stuff: survival:  (1d20+4)[ 24 ] 
 
u-b
You set a camp. It takes some time, but you are generally satisfied with the result. While searching for twigs, Laurelata has spotted a fairly large snake, a python or something, slowly retreating from her under a fallen tree. The dumb snake seemingly thinks that this should be enough and learns about its mistake the hard way when Laurelata is back with the rest of the group. There is enough of beheaded snake for everyone to eat through the whole of tomorrow. The night passes without incident.

 DAY 49 AFTER LANDING 

The morning weather is pleasant enough. You resume your way either along the edge of the forest or along the beach. After about 2 hours you have to cross the river flowing here from the sleeping volcano and through the depths of red forest. The river is about 20..30 feet wide depending on the peculiarities of its bending stream, and more or less swift. There is a waterfall on it, about on the edge of the forest, that might or might not make it any easier to cross.

 
 Spoiler 
If you are on the beach, you are about one hour's walk from the waterfall. If you move along the edge of the forest, you are as close as you like.
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri doesn't hesitate as he walks to the edge of the stream to get a good, long look at the waterfall. "   Won't stop me. I'll carry our gear...come back to help all of you,   " he rumbles as he gathers several extra handfuls of equipment and casually walks over the top of the stream as if it were solid ground. Once at the other side he deposits his load and begins to repeat the process, ending by willingly carrying any of the PCs who don't want to try to cross another way.
Farmerbink
Jessica lets Henri and Tazmara make the river crossing safe and easy (not accounting for more sentient threats).  She watches from the near bank as a few of her allies cross before letting Henri carry her across.
farothel
Laurelata covers the crossing with her bow until it's her turn to cross.  Afterwards she will again take a place at the back of the group to keep an eye on the backdoor, while Henri can do the scouting at the front.
u-b
A clearing in the forest reveals a thundering waterfall. Large, flat rocks covered in green moss dot the waterfall’s plunge pool, and a stream continues through the forest to the north. The pool’s basin is gradually sloped, reaching a depth of 10 feet where the waterfall hits the pool. The stream itself is only 5 feet deep at the center, but quite fast. As soon as Henri is on the other side and looks at the waterfall from there, he notices a cave behind the waterfal, that seems not easily noticiable. From where he stands, Henri is unable to tell whether that cave is deep or not and whether it's natural or not. So, would you ignore it or alter your plans?

 
 Spoiler 
   
 
DarkOne-Rob
After everyone is on the same side of the river Henri points to the hidden cave opening. "   Look there,   " he says. "   Cave. Worth checking?   " he asks as he puts down his camping gear, gets ready to fight, if necessary, and moves towards the entrance to look inside.
farothel
 "Best to have a quick look at least,"  Laurelata said,  "especially if we're camping around here.
 I'd rather not have some critters pop out at night." 

She would cover Henri with her bow as he moves closer, ready to shoot at anything that comes out of that cave.
Farmerbink
Jessica nods.  " It's at least worth checking whether it's inhabited, or indeed natural. "
u-b
The pool made by falling down water is considerably deeper than the stream flowing out of it. You are not totally sure how deep it is - the water is clear, but bubbly and swirly. At least you are sure there is some rocky floor below the water. From the left bank it is easily seen that there is a cave behind the faterfall, which is not seen from the right bank. But there is a narrow way to the waterfall (and possibly the cave, you are not sure from where you stand) going along the right bank. That, and the fact that the cave does not quite look untouched natural, makes Henri suggest either sloppy work or erosion. Quite possibly the waterfall should have extended further to the left.

   
 
 Spoiler 
You can see into the cave (and enter there without getting wet) by column E or row 24.

1. Everyone please position yourselves with Henri somewhere halfway to the waterfall by whatever route and everyone else further away.
2. Everyone roll perception checks, with optional area to watch in preference to the others (+2 / -2 to check).
3. Everyone make initiative (and dungeoneering too, if trained).
 
farothel
Staying a bit back and trusting Henri to look ahead, Laurelata looks more to the rear to make sure they aren't ambushed from behind.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I'll be around O11 (from the map, I assume the column is O, not E), watching the rear: perception:  (1d20+9)[ 16 ]  (if a +2 is allowed, add two to the result)

initiative:  (1d20+9)[ 10 ] 
knowledge (dungeoneering):  (1d20+7)[ 18 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri guides the party to the eastern (right on the map) side and towards the cave mouth along the broader path of sand. He lights a torch and keeps his eyes trained forward, not trusting his ears over the noise of the waterfall as he peers into the darkness.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
1. Everyone please position yourselves with Henri somewhere halfway to the waterfall by whatever route and everyone else further away. -  approaching  24/I  
2. Everyone roll perception checks, with optional area to watch in preference to the others (+2 / -2 to check). -   (1d20+9)[ 29 ]  (unmodified by specific directions - please apply if appropriate towards the cave). 
3. Everyone make initiative (and dungeoneering too, if trained). - Initiative:  (1d20+1)[ 7 ] , Knowledge (Dungeoneering, trained):  (1d20+4)[ 23 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica follows a few paces further back, obviously distracted by the beauty of the falls.  Something about sunlight glinting and refracting off the wet stones and gushing stream just commands her attention when perhaps she should be more focused on the task at hand.

Still, she picks her footing carefully, deliberately following the path set out by Henri.  Occasionally she meets Henri's eyes and smiles encouragingly, testing another step with the butt of her glaive.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I figure Henri is about O/20ish?  I would think Laurelata wanted to be closer than O/11 in that case, but if that estimate is even close, I'll put Jessica O/14.  Maybe a few paces further back or forward if Henri's further back or forward from O/20.
 (1d20+2)[ 4 ]  perception
not trained in dungeoneering.
 
u-b
While Laurelata stands the rearguard and looks mainly in that direction and Jessica is mostly in awe at the site itself, this leaves only two people to look where this is going. Unfortunately, Tazmara does notice what's coming. Fortunately, Henri does. He notices some stones(?) moving deep under the swirly bubbly surface of the water. Then they move up. And up. And, taking some distinctive shape, straight at him. By now it is too late to run, so Henri shouts a warning to everyone and gets ready for the confrontation. A large wet-stone-colored lobster thingie with claws almost the size of Henri himself sort of emerges from the water trying to grab the half-orc. The claw attack is successful,  grabbing  the half-orc right in the middle for  16  and a solid-looking hold. And Henri knows what the thing is then going to do...

   
 
 Spoiler 
   
Chuul stealth: (1d20+9)[18]
Chuul init: (1d20+7)[11]

Tazmara perception: (1d20+7)[16]
Tazmara init: (1d20+2)[9]

Chuul and Henri act in the surprise round. Chuul wins the initiative, is spotted while still underwarer, but then Henri has a surprise round worth of actions, which is not enough to evade Chuul's next round worth of actions.
Henri does recognize Chuul.

Chuul claw: (1d20+16)[24] for (2d6+7)[16] grab (1d20+19)[34]

Chuul and Henri are in Chuul-initiated grapple.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order,  and  Henri has a surprise round worth of actions before the thing is at him, a readied attack, total defense, movement, or any other kind) 
farothel
As the critter suddenly popped up, Laurelata swung around and fired a shot towards the critter.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

initiative:  (1d20+9)[ 17 ] 

attack:  (1d20+5)[ 10 ] 
damage:  (1d8+1)[ 6 ]  (if it's evil:  (2d6)[ 5 ]  extra damage)
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 0 and 1 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  14/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe (during the surprise round)    +6   +4  (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Greataxe    +6   +4  (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex  12   8 , Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Grappled, Power Attack
 

"  Look out!  " Henri cries as he readies his greataxe for a strike at the oncoming crustacean. When it grabs him he drop the two-handed axe and struggles against the pincers fruitlessly. "  Help! It's pulling me under!  " grunts Henri in pain as he grabs his battle axe and tries to take off the chuul's pincer arm at the base! He then takes a deep breath to prepare for the inevitable...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
(Surprise Round) Activate Power attack and use a readied action to attack with his Greataxe as the chuul approached:  (1d20+6)[ 15 ]  to hit,   (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+9)[ 11 ]  slashing damage,   (2d12+18)[ 32 ]  critical strike damage .

(Round 1)Activate Power Attack, draw his battle axe, and attacks:  (1d20+4)[ 18 ]  to hit,   (1d20+4)[ 7 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d8+6)[ 7 ]  slashing damage,   (2d8+12)[ 20 ]  critical strike damage 
 
Farmerbink
" Henri! " Without thinking, Jessica drops her backpack and dives into the river.  When she comes up for air, her green eyes have taken on a vibrant purple hue and gills have appeared on the side of her neck.  With attention only for ensuring Henri's continued survival, she swims with uncanny grace to behind the bizarre crustacean.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 1 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 0/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (2/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
Altar self: Gillman +2 str, swim speed (9 rounds remaining)

It being a racial, I'd like to play alter self as if Jessica doesn't precisely know what she did.  Regardless, nuts and bolts she's using alter self to take the form of a Gillman, notably gaining a swim speed of 30 ft and +2 str.

That leaves a movement action (assuming I can blend walking and swimming as both are 30 feet), taking her to K/18.

Hopefully she'll get a chance to opportunity attack:
 (1d20+5)[ 25 ]  glaive AoO (does not include flanking)
 (1d20+5)[ 17 ]  CC (25, x3)
 (1d10+4)[ 7 ]  damage
 (2d10+8)[ 18 ]  crit bonus
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz - disappointed she missed the creature, pulls strength from the air, and especially water.  The cloud of water droplet torrent about.  She blasts the creature with a potent jet of water trying to knock it away from Henri.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: maintain one point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: gather power 1
Standard: water blast + pushing infusion  (1d20+8)[ 9 ]  (+1 due to abberation) dam  (2d6+9)[ 14 ]  bull rush  (1d20+8)[ 25 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  33/33 (NL 3),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  2,  CMB  +3,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 PBS Water Blast   +6 (2d6+9, x2)
   Dagger   +3 (+4 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +3 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Bless
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Chuul intends to move Henri into the water and no one seems quite able to stop it, save for one minor circumstance... namely, that the Chuul is suddenly surrounded by very-very worried gillwoman. Chuul still got in the depths, but, his attention divided, fails to properly hold onto Henri and also gets hit in the rear end. It dives even deeper, out of immediate reach...

 
 Spoiler 
Is glaive damage halved underwater? It is a slashing weapon. But anyway, you hit the thing and it dives. Wanna chase?
 
farothel
 "Get over here before it comes back,"  Laurelata shouted at Henri and Jessica, readying an arrow just in case the beast came back.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

cover retreat, ready action: if Chuul shows itself again, shoot:  (1d20+5)[ 20 ]  for damage:  (1d8+1)[ 2 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
 
 Spoiler: Henri's Status, Round 2 
   Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  14/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe (during the surprise round)    +6   +4  (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None
 

"  Go! Get away!  " orders Henri as scoops up his dropped greataxe and flees from the monstrous crustacean. "  Don't let it get you!  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Get to shore (I think he's still got water-walking allowed for the day!), grab the axe, and run as far away as possible!
 
Farmerbink
Jessica is as surprised as anyone when the creature loses its grip on Henri and bolts to the depths.  " Let's go! " she sputters, shoving Henri towards the edge.  Propelled by her bizarrely webbed fingers, she has no difficulty moving in the water, and quickly joins Laurelata and Tazmara on the surface.

On solid ground again, she turns to face the turbulent water with her glaive at the ready.  " Are we all OK? " she asks, without taking her eyes off where she last saw the monster.

 
 Spoiler: Jessica, round 2 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 0/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (2/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 
Altar self: Gillman +2 str, swim speed (9 rounds remaining)

Move, move?  If possible ready an attack, but hopefully it won't matter 😦
 
u-b
You make haste to leave the pool and its immediate surroundings. You are not chased on land, but Jessica cannot help but notice that the giant lobster thing is now much closer to the surface and to the shore you are on. Jessica is not sure how much of that repositioning happened before and how much after she got on dry land, she was too busy for that, but it was still kind of unsettling. The sides thus not potitioned to easily attack one another, what do you do?

 
 Spoiler 
The Chuul is deep enough for full 8 AC worth of cover from most normal attacks. Combat time over, unless you insist.
 
farothel
Laurelata withdraws a bit further and, still covering the pond with her bow in case the big lobster wants more trouble.
 "I think Henri can use some healing,"  she said to Jessica,  "move on a bit, I'll cover you.  And we best mark this part off limits until we're good enough to take out this big lobster.  I wonder if it's good to eat.  You could feed quite a few people with a lobster that big." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri grimaces, in obvious sudden pain from his injuries with the chuul. He looks over at Jessica, still in a new form, with a curious expression but stoic calm. "   Ow...thanks. Need to get away. Worse far from the colony - go back?   " he asks, back to his quiet, under-expressed approach. The half-orc does wait patiently on Jessica, obviously hopeful for some divine relief from his pain.
SanguinePenguin
 “That thing was  terrifying …”  Taz shudders.   “Thank you for… well, for surviving it, Henri.  We should steer clear of here.  We should get away, but maybe that creepy forest is worth exploring while we are out here?” 
Farmerbink
Jessica glances around with a decided unconvinced expression.  " I don't feel like we're learning anything useful out here, " she murmurs.  " Unless it's useful to know that lobster monsters like that exist.  Let's head back and see how we can help out around the colony. "  She gladly offers healing to Henri (and anyone else still in need), before somewhat eagerly looking back the way they came.

 
 Spoiler: channels 
Plenty of channels left for now: We'll start with 2.  Let me know if you need more
 (2d6)[ 10 ]  HP
 (2d6)[ 4 ]  HP

7/9 remaining?
 
farothel
 "I think we best head back to the colony to check how things are there,"  Laurelata said,  "we can go a bit more west to head back to go over that area again, but I think we should head back." 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods eagerly with Laurelata's comment.  " Plenty of less deadly work to do, no doubt, " she murmurs with a bit of trepidation.
u-b
After some deliberation and conflicting opinions you decide to go back to the colony, but not along the beach like you went north, but cutting straight through the woods where you have not been all that much on the way here. While walking wouthwards to the east of the red forest and looking for a good place to camp, you suddenly stumble upon what seems to be an impact crater, only much smaller that that now featuring the red forest, something just over a hundred feet across. Did the impactor break before it hit the ground? Are there more impact craters to be found around? Anyway, this one is not all that far from the routes you have taken, but surrounded by jungle on all sides it is not very easy to notice unless you pass very close. You see that the impact struck something other than just wilderness: there are toppled stone blocks, crumbling pillars, and shattered statues obscured by the island’s lush flora. Small streams flow down from the mountainside into the yawning crater that descends into the earth.

 
 Spoiler 
 

On this map, you are just east of the mountain that is just south of red forest. There is enough light to see for maybe fourty minutes or so, but then it will be getting dark very quickly
 
farothel
 "A meteor of some sort has to have impacted the island,"  Lauralate remarked,  "or multiple ones.  Oooh, look, ruins.  Interesting, lets have a look." 
Without really waiting she started moving carefully towards the ruins, looking for traps, ambushes and other danger and/or interesting things.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]  (I have an extra +1 for ambushes and traps due to Danger Sense)
 
DarkOne-Rob
With a quiet sigh the craggy-faced Henri stared sullenly out at the ruins. "   Great...Be careful,   " he warned, settling down for a moment to keep an eye on the curious Lauralate from a position of relative safety.
u-b
Lauralata moves closer, slowly, and she indeed seems something strange. In fact, lots of things strange, namely:
1. Some humanoid-shaped silhouettes on the surface of some moss-covered stones. Somehow, the moss seems to have grown much taller inside the silhouettes than outside of them.
2. Related to this observation, there seems to be a whole humanoid skeleton partially fused into the rock with a blue gemstone on its neck, along with what seems to be some melted-down jewelry that has long since cooled down. The moss is uniform long on that part. Overall, the moss seems to be of two different heights here and there, not only on the silhouettes, but that does not form any concrete shapes, at least not small ones. As for large ones, you cannot tell, because there is a grass between stones and it is the same height throughout.
3. Trying as she might, Lauralata cannot  see  any actual dangers, but the place absolutely feels haunted.
4. Then there is a  wooden... sign(?)  past the crater on the southern side? Lauralata cannot see what it says or depicts from where she is.

When Lauralata points the moss stuff out to Henri, he can tell that the difference in its height is about two or three years worth of growing, he is not sure what that is supposed to mean.

 
 Spoiler 
 

You are somewhere north off the map.
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   "Don't like this. Those - shadows in the moss? Of what? Let's see the sign - keep clear of the hole,"   " says Henri nervously as his eyes dart all around looking for threats in the alien scene.
u-b
You take a detour around the crater and see a somewhat old pole with half of the top hewn off and the following letters cut in Azlant alphabet, still with some ocher left in them:


  ⠀NO GO
SKY FIRE  

The rest of the top of the pole also still has traces of ocher, but there are no other explanations or marks.

 
 Spoiler 
Over a couple and under a dozen of years, roll Survival or Profession (Carpenter) or some sort of thing to get a real date.
 
farothel
While Henri went to check out the sign, Laurelata had a closer look at the moss and more importantly, the jewelry.  She did a quick detect magic to see if any of it was magical (and if there were other magic auras close by).

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I would say knowledge(nature) for the moss:  (1d20+4)[ 17 ] 
and appraise for the jewelry:  (1d20+9)[ 26 ] 
 
Farmerbink
Jessica eyes Laurelata and Henri warily, keeping several paces behind the Half Orc as he ranges around the crater.  She peers curiously at the sign as it comes into view, translating the glyphs into the common tongue.  " Seems it almost has to be a warning from the first wave of colonists, " she murmurs.  " But...  Why would they use Azlanti?  And why such a vague warning?  Perhaps I'm thinking about this from the wrong angle.... "
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Laurelata 
Laurelata comes closer to have a better look on the moss and the piece of jewelry. The moss seems to be an ordinary kind, normally growing for a number of years until reaching its maximum height/thickness. It does indeed have different thickness in different parts of the stone slab that Laurelata is examining, so it's not just that the stone is uneven, which the stone is. There are traces of old ashes in between the shorter-grown moss.

The jewelry... well, there is a roughly 800 gp worth of a sapphire and some 20 gp of gold scrap, both completely non-magical.

There are other magical auras, though, and one such aura seems to be manifesting all around the site by the time the spell's cast. Looking around, Laurelata notices that the sky is getting darker quite a bit faster than she would expect with the normal sunset at least half an hour away...

OOC: Please disregard the other spoiler.
 
 
 Spoiler: Everyone else 
Laurelata seems to go take a closer look at some things, including the remains of some jewelry. She then casts a spell, looks around and at the sky, which seems to feature nothing new or of any immediate interest.

OOC: Please disregard the other spoiler and/or make Spellcraft and Sense Motive rolls to guess what Laurelata is casting or thinking.
 
farothel
She was about to take the jewelry - it wasn't as if it's current owner had any use for it - when she noticed the sky.  She quickly grabbed the jewelry and turned to the others.
 "There's something wrong,"  she called out,  "there's magic all around us and it's getting darker much quicker than it should be.  Some field or other." 
SanguinePenguin
Taz studied the moss from a distance, then looks up at the sky in response to Laurelata’s comment.   “Uhh, I don’t think the sky is getting darker… maybe get back here?” 
 
 Spoiler 
Nature:  (1d20+7)[ 15 ] 
 
farothel
Laurelata went back to the rest of the group.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Hmmm...sky fire?   " asks Henri curiously as he looks first at the sign, then the sky, and then the others. "   Don't understand, but sounds dangerous. Keep going?   "
u-b
As Laurelata returns to the group she sees the sky getting brighter, back to what she would expect given the sun's position.
farothel
 "Now it's gone again,"  Laurelata said to the others,  "a magic field of some sort I guess." 
She looked at the others who might know more about such things.
Farmerbink
Jessica starts briefly at Laurelata's sudden (and nonsensical?) warning.  She nods her agreement with Tazmara's comment, peering about in hopes of making sense of it.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
 (1d20+6)[ 21 ]  spell craft
and/or  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  sense motive
 
u-b
Jessica does not see any inconsistencies between Laurelata's behavior and the sky getting dark. The observation is that the sky does not darken though, and that might be explained by... magic of sorts? Well,  everything  can be explained by magic of sorts, so Jessica is not sure if that's helping.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri shrugs, unconvinced that there is anything to gain from poking around. "   Keep going? Or stay longer?   " he asks, obviously hoping to keep moving back towards the colony.
SanguinePenguin
 “You are certain the sky appeared to darken?”  Taz asks somewhat rhetorically.  She looks at the clearing, shakes her head and finally says,  “I’ll go see what happens.  I’ll try to describe it.  If it gets bad quickly, I’ll either leave that area, ask you to come help me, or ask you to  not  come help me.” . She takes a deep breath, walks slowly into the clearing and watches for changes.
Farmerbink
Jessica looks back and forth as Tazmara and Laurelata dialogue.  " If you insist, " she interjects, " let me grant you a few minor blessings. "  A moment later, she casts guidance and grants Tazmara a  touch of good. 

" There, that can only help. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Guidance is a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. You must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies.

Touch of good is a +2 sacred bonus on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws equal to half your cleric level (minimum 1) for 1 round.  This one will only apply for the immediate skill checks, but is a substantial bonus, I think.
 
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Tazmara 
Blessed by Jessica, Tazmara moves closer to the crater. At first nothing seems to change. Then, as Tazmara moves further in, the sky starts to get dark. Tazmara stops. The sky continues to darken. Nothing else seems to change. Eventually, the Tazmara is essentially at night, with something as dim as s moon where the sun was, and with clear dark starry sky everywhere around. Then Tazmara notices a tight group of stars to appear where she does not remember them to be and to slightly move away from one another... to quicker move away from one another, then the three central stars to get brighter  real fast ... by the time Tazmara comes to a conclusion that these are three falling stars falling directly at her, there is not much time left to dodge and shout a warning... the last thing Tazmara notices before the impact is that two of the three falling stars are going a bit to the side, to where the group of her friends is located...

 
 Spoiler 
Take some fire damage:  (6d6)[ 17 ]  reflex 14 half (at extra +2 for observing the sky)
 

 
 
 Spoiler: Everyone else 
Nothing much seems to change on your part. You see Tazmara walk, stop, look at the sky,  quickly  get very worried and...
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz looks up,   “sky is getting dark… very dark.  The sun looks like the moon. There’s lights, coming.  Fast. RUN!  DODGE!” . Taz leaps to the side.

 
 Spoiler 
Reflex:  (1d20+9)[ 20 ]  I’m guessing the +2 from touch if good wouldn’t be in effect still but maybe the +1 would be (neither included). I did add the +2 for looking up.
 
farothel
 "There's nothing here,"  Laurelata shouted back, but she had been in the field, so she did back up a little, just to be on the safe side.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks up, shrugs, and deliberately moves further from the crater...
Farmerbink
Jessica watches intently, confused and curious as her companion suddenly looks scared.  At her warning, it doesn't take much to convince Jessica to start moving away quickly. " What's going on? " she breathes, scrambling for anything that looks like cover.
u-b
 
 Spoiler: Tazmara 
Tazmara is able to dodge most of the fiery blast. She can maybe move away from the original crater now, but no more falling stars seem to be incoming at the moment. And outside... her friends are scattered around, amazed and unhurt. There is no sign of impact anywhere except the one centered where she originally stood, and even that does not seem to have left a crater, only some smouldering remains of various vegetation...
 
 
 Spoiler: Everyone else 
You spread out a bit, with varying feelings of urgency, but, well, nothing happens so far anywhere your side. As for Tazmara... it's strange. She seems like dodging something and then finally stands, smouldering, on the edge of a generally circular area, some 30 feet in diameter, of smouldering remains of grass and moss. It looks like a fireball hit there a moment ago, but you saw no fire in there...
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz flees the area and looks back up at the sky as she goes to see if any more lights are coming.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri watches silently, confused and unimpressed by both the actions of his companions and the sudden appearance of smoldering vegetation. Having already made clear his intentions, he waits until everyone is ready.
SanguinePenguin
 “Well that was… odd.  It really got dark, then it looked like three stars fell toward me.  At the last moment two split off like they would hit you, but I guess they didn’t?  The fireball that hit me, well I avoided the worst of it, but it wasn’t pleasant.  I don’t understand how they didn’t hit you.  It looked like it was targeting you.” 
farothel
 "I noticed it also becoming darker,"  Laurelata said,  "I got out earlier, so I probably didn't see anything come down.  Maybe we can best see how far it goes.  We don't have that long before we have to camp out anyway, so why don't we experiment a bit.  If you get out quickly enough, you don't get hit by stuff." 

Laurelata would go forward step by step and at each step wait to see if the effect triggers.  As soon as the sky started changing, she would mark that location and head back.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Make camp - trees, away from the hole,   " says Henri as he begins breaking down his pack and preparing for the night.
Farmerbink
Jessica looks at Laurelata with an odd blend of respect and confusion.  " I suppose if you don't mind the way it feels, I haven't drawn upon my connection to Shelyn much today, so I can ease quite a bit of pain, yet... "
u-b
Laurelata spends some time marking the now rather abrupt change to starry night and back as she steps back and forth around the crater. She is not hit by any meteors in the process and in the end marks what seems to be a near-perfect circle with a radius of about 45 feet centered on the crater. Meanwhile, Henri picks a spot some 500 feet away and makes a camp. Laurelata heals everyone who's in need of healing, you eat your meals, decide on guard shifts and rest for the night.

Some time around 5 o'clock, about at first light, the guard posted at that time notices a... well, a  gigantic heron  sort of thing flying from somewhere hill side to somewhere bay side. It's hard to tell the exact size as you do not know the exact distance and the bird, flying in first rays of the sun well above the still very dark forest, seems almost like it's made of brass. You are not sure if it has noticed you or not, but in either case it has not changed its course.

 DAY 50 AFTER LANDING 

The day is a bit windy, with sparse clouds. Good morning.
farothel
Laurelata had a good night a bit away from the strange crater thing.  She was quite refreshed and ready to move on.
 "I think we best get a move on quickly,"  she said,  "around the crater though." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri notes the massive bird during his watch. As everyone wakes he says, "   You missed a huge bird, maybe an hour ago. Flew to the water, might be made of brass? Don't know, was weird, didn't look our way...   "
Farmerbink
Jessica yawns, enjoying the vibrant colors of sunrise on the island.  " Well, we can see what's  in  the crater, or maybe try to find that bird?  Either way, let's do it under the protective wing of Shelyn's grace. "  She says a brief prayer, touching each of her companions in order to renew the bond that allows her to bless them more easily.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Bird,   " votes Henri, succinctly.
SanguinePenguin
 “Crater,”  votes the dwarf in response.
farothel
 "Back home to the colony,"  Laurelata gave a third option.  They could always come back here.
 "And if that bird came from the colony or was headed that way, they might need our assistance." 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Colony, then,   " responds Henri, changing his vote.
SanguinePenguin
Taz looked to Jessica expecting her to break the three way tie, but her eyes widen in surprise when Henri changes his vote,  “go back!?  If we don’t start mining one of these veins, our tunnel will collapse with nothing gained for it!”   She shakes her head, but having been outvoted, she acquiesces,  “I guess we should start heading back then...” 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri just shrugs, apparently happy to be moving towards (relative) safety as he prepares to keep leading the party southwards.
Farmerbink
Jessica's head whips around like a swivel as her companions voice very different opinions.  With a bit of a smirk, she nods.  " To the colony.  I don't feel like we've learned an awful lot, but we can always come back. "
farothel
 "Maybe someone at the colony has some ideas on what happens here,"  Laurelata added as she took her regular position in the line on the way back to the colony.  She did keep an eye out for anything suspicious or interesting.
u-b
The trek back through the forest is by no means fast. It would take the whole day and one river-crossing to arrive at the beginning of another river, the one which should lead you more or less straight to the village if you follow its right bank. The only major encounters you have during the day are with fresh boar hoofprints and fresh monkey goblin footprints. Assuming you do not pursue those, it would be about time set camp for the night.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri seems non-plussed about either the boars or monkey-goblins tracks, pointing them out stoically but not volunteering any interest in following them.

At the end of the night he helps set up camp, as is his routine, with the intent on it being another quiet night.
farothel
On the trip back, Laurelata will concentrate on any herbs that might be useful (as well as general lookout for attacks and the like).

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

so I have profession (cook) and heal and survival to find herbs:  (1d20+7)[ 18 ]  for cook and  (1d20+4)[ 11 ]   for survival and  (1d20+2)[ 19 ]  for heal
 
u-b
The day passes without incident and then the night, maybe somewhat surprisingly, passes without incident too. Well, you  do  spot numerous bright green and red perfectly-normal-sized frogs with electric-blue stripes on its hind legs living where the stream begins, but you don't bother them and they don't bother you, so no real incident there.

 DAY 51 AFTER LANDING 

The day starts quite a bit windy and gets increasingly windy as you make your way generally southwest along the stream. This is not much of a problem for you because it's still warm and the forest partially shields you from the wind. You manage to gather some herbs and blue mushrooms and shoot a few appropriately-sized birds, so you take a bit longer to reach the colony, but do not come back empty-handed at least in that respect. It is beginning to get dark when you finally arrive and you see the guards struggling to light up torches for the night, the flames blown wildly in the wind. The government building is already closed, so if you would like to report to Ramona today, you'll have to seek her in her house. Or you can wait until the morning or what not...
farothel
Laurelata will ask the guards if something had happened during their absence, in order to see if it would be opportune to bother Ramona or if things could wait until tomorrow.
u-b
The two guards that are currently on duty welcome the explorers back to the colony. One summarizes the news the following way:  "A fisherman was missing for two days, but then came back, so that's well and good. Someone seems to have rummaged through the governor's records a few days ago, that can as well wait one more night. Other than that, I'd say we are fine."  The other responds to that with:  "Well, fine, if you ignore people going political and making factions all over the place."  To which the first guard just shrugs.  "So what? That might be just as well. How many new colonies have you been through?"  To which the second guard fails to respond.
DarkOne-Rob
Henri yawns, apparently uninterested in the politics of the last several days. "   The fisher - what happened?   " he asks the guards quietly, suspicion audible in his short question.
u-b
The guard explains:  "Lost one oar to a squid. Managed to get ashore with the remaining oar, but some distance from here. Spent the night there and the day hiking on foot. We've sent a team there to recover the boat, but it must have been taken away by the tide, which means we have lost our last boat." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri nods soberly. "   Bad news. Anyone working on a new one?   "
farothel
While losing the boat was annoying, they could still find spots to fish from the shore, so that should be okay.  The faction thing worried Laurelata more, because, if she had read things correctly, that had taken down the first colony attempt.  Something to discuss with Ramona.
 "Let's head to sleep,"  she said to the others,  "we'll report first thing tomorrow.  And maybe we can see if we can get some continual light spell for those torches.  Makes it easier to keep them going.  I'm not sure if anybody here knows it, but it can't hurt to check." 
u-b
 "New boat? Not really. We expect to get one with the next ship which is already enroute. We maybe could make a kayak or canoe, but proper boats are not that easy. It would not have been ready before the ship is due anyway, so we have just chosen to wait." 
 
 Spoiler 
Anything else from two other players before I move the time on?
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz frowns,  “factions?  That is what happened to the first colony… perhaps we should go see Ramona tonight… I remember there was a boat sunk off the pier.  Maybe that could be made seaworthy again?”   She knew very little of boats, but the idea sounded reasonable.
u-b
 "Well, Teven said he won't be fixing it and won't be going fishing anytime soon, but yeah, Ramona also thinks that someone should take it upon themselves to fix it sooner or later. Can you fix boats?"  As for you seeing Ramona tonight the guard shrugs. He does not seem to think it's more urgent than yestarday or the day before that.
Farmerbink
Jessica listens patiently, nodding as the guard explains the various developments.  " To a point, some factoring is quite natural.  As long as we can keep everyone on the same page that we're all here depending on each other for survival, it shouldn't be too troublesome... "  She frowns a bit ruefully, but keeps any further thoughts on that subject unsaid.

" Did we ever haul that boat into the colony, at least?  If not, we should.  That might prove to be a critical oversight... "
DarkOne-Rob
Henri's craggy, unexpressive face somehow looks duller at all the discussion. "   Get it in the morning. Sleep now,   " he says, hopefully.
SanguinePenguin
Although she thinks the danger is pressing, one night night shouldn’t matter.  Taz says,  “okay.  Tomorrow then.  Thank you for the update.”   She adds in gratitude to the guards.
u-b
 DAY 52 AFTER LANDING 

You finally return to your house and rest for the night. It passes without incident as far as far as your rest is concerned, but in the morning you are summoned to meet Ramona before you've had much time to even prepare the breakfast. It turns out the night was  not  without incident. There is a small crowd at the government house, Ramona, Alba, Marius and maybe a dozen others. The story, as told to you, goes roughly as follows:
1. Concerned by strong winds and open fire, Alba goes out to check the torch near her house late in the evening before going to bed.
2. She finds the torch not placed to her satisfaction as far as fire-safety of her fire-bomb house is concerned (with straw roof, flammable chemicals, wind speed and direction, torch placement and all).
3. She blows out the torch and takes it inside her house along with the stand so that it is not to be relit during the night. She does not tell anything anyone.
4. Soon thereafter, the guards find a torch not working and missing. They make a big fuss out of it and start investigation right there at night.
5. They wake up and question a few neighboring people, including Alba, and soon find out what has happened.
6. They have a heated argument with Alba about the fate of the torch.
7. Ultimately the torch remains lit, Alba has a sleepless night and is now demanding the whole situation resolved for good threatening to shut down her business.
8. There are a few people also demanding this dangerous security feature be decommissioned.
9. More or less the same few people demanding that both guards of that shift be disciplined for their reckless behavior, and maybe Marius too, for good measure.
10. The guards say they were following orders that night just as usual and the night was not the time to appeal to authority able to alter those orders. They both deny they've had the authority to pick and choose the torches to be and not to be lit and, from now on, will follow whatever new orders they are given.
farothel
 "Does anybody know a light or even a continual flame spell,"  Laurelata asked,  "a few of those can mean we don't need torches at all.  And they won't burn things down and actually keep working in high winds and the like.  Continual flame you even only need to cast once." 
u-b
Ramona responds:  "This has been checked, in fact, some time ago, and the answer is "no". We have no wizard and the clerics say that continual flame is out of their reach. A light spell, on the other hand, is not scalable. Also, we cannot have our spellcasters busy all night refreshing the thing." 
DarkOne-Rob
Henri looks at the gathered people in obvious bewilderment. "   Not worth fighting about...   " he says quietly if anyone asks his opinion. "   Is everyone crazy?   "
Farmerbink
Jessica immediately steps forward, gently placing a placating hand on Henri's shoulder as she steps in front of him.  " Please, we can all recognize that there is reasonable concern aplenty, no?  It would do Alba little good to be protected from the dangers of the wilds only for her home and business to burn to the ground.  And by the same token, it would be the height of folly to leave ourselves unprotected overnight knowing what we do about the island's inhabitants.  Even if we cannot come to a conclusion that makes us all fully happy, we must remember that we're on the same team here. "

Turning to Marius, she addresses him (and the watch) directly.  " Can we perhaps space the torches a bit more, so as to minimize undue risk?  If it were to blow out, that would be sign alone that needs some attention.  Certainly, we are not together here on a deserted island to seek our own comfort.  We will all have to make  some  sacrifices. "  She glances at Alba and Ramona, hoping to see some meager sign of approval or at least allayment.

" It is worth noting, perhaps, that I have some familiarity with the spell continuous flame.  I have seen it used in the church before we left, though I never was graced with the power, myself.  However, a few of the other clerics were...  ah, akin to my current expertise?  I am hopeful that I may be able to contribute my efforts to resolving the situation more permanently in the coming days or weeks. "

" Can we, " she turns to Alba and Ramona in earnest " at least afford one another a bit of grace.  The benefit of the doubt, perhaps?  Without one another's aid, we will surely be overwhelmed by the oddities of our present challenge, so  please  seek answers rather than conflict? "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Mostly going for improving the attitudes of everyone present.  Jessica can cast continual flame in one more level, but that will take time.

Using inner beauty to boost the diplomacy effort:  (1d20+13)[ 23 ] 
 
farothel
 "I'm sure we can have a look at the location of the torches to make sure they don't threaten anything,"  Laurelata said,  "or have one being replaced by a light spell.  That shouldn't be too much trouble, updating one location." 
u-b
Alba does not seem to be readily convinced and outright does not believe you'll find people to refresh the light spell(s) every night for, like, weeks? She says moving a burning torch away from her shop would be a good start, she will make no more demands now and will be ready to reopen her shop for the public as soon as the torches are replaced with continual flame. It takes a moment for everyone involved to deduce that it means she won't open  right now  and, when asked to confirm directly by Ramona, she confirms her decision to take a break. So what, it's her shop, it's her business sort of thing... and since no one is  dying  for lack of alchemical stuff, no one can force her to open.

Having thus made her position clear, Alba intends to leave the meeting.

 
 Spoiler 
So, if you let her, proceed to have a chat with Ramona (and maybe with Marius, if you so desire).
 
DarkOne-Rob
"   Is everyone crazy now?   " asked Henri incredulously at the arguments and intractable positions of the colonists. His expression is one of bewilderment as he looks around at the people, unsure who is in their right mind and who isn't...

He makes no move to slow down Alba, instead looking to the colony leadership and other PCs for some direction on what to do now...
farothel
Laurelata was at a loss on how to solve this issue.  She had proposed solutions but if they were not viable, well, then someone else had to sort it out.  As soon as Alba had walked out, she started giving Remona a report of what they had seen during their foray into the unknown lands.
 "I hope the new ship arrives quickly,"  she finished,  "we can certainly do with some more people and supplies.  And we need to continue exploring.  There's some really weird stuff going on here." 
u-b
Ramona hears your reports and has her secretary write them down. This takes some time. She says that new people and more supplies would be good for the growth of the colony, but are not expected to to solve any problems that were not originally planned for. She says the whole political situation here seems to resemble that of the last days of the previous colonists and that is quite worrying. She is not sure what can be done about it though, so you are essentially on your own. That is, unless you know you need something, in which case she'll do her best to supply you. The doomstay plan, in case you lack a better one, would be to get a feel of the things here then get yourselves out into the wild, maybe going deeper through places you have already discovered or exploring new ones, and don't show up back here for some two weeks, when the new ship is supposed to arrive. She's sory that she does not have a better plan.
DarkOne-Rob
"   Doomsday, huh? Not good...   " says Henri darkly. "   Not much for it - let's go,   " he says to the others, more interested in trying to find something to help make sense of this crazy, beautiful island than stick around and listen to political squabbles.
farothel
 "Yeah, lets head back out,"  Laurelata said. She had hoped to have a bit more time in the colony to rest up a bit, but she would join the others.
 "Back to a location we've already done or head out to the part of the island we haven't checked yet,"  she asked.
u-b
Ramona hears and records your reports and also fetches the older records and starts to list the things that might possibly still be of interest:
1. Octopus-goblins. These haven't bothered the village for a while, so are not really a pressing concern.
2. Ditto for monkey-goblins.
3. The crystal cave under the nearest hill. This is potentially interesting, but you have reported some neutral inhabitants (or what), and it would be unwise to turn neutral inhabitants into hostile inhabitants unless you quickly turn them into dead inhabitants. The task seems to be well into armed robbery... uhm, shall we say, rightful conquest variety, so, overall, Ramona has no objections if you skip it for now, for one reason or the other. We certainly don't need more hostile lifeforms right next to our base.
4. The shipwreck off the east coast. Ramona is unsure about her interest in that one, but probably yes. The methods to handle it can be devised with the help of fellow colonists. For one, there is still a sunk boat next to the pier. For the other, there is magic.
5. The "sky fire" location. This is of great interest of the "ancient riches" variety, but your report also means someone bothered to put a warning sign there. You have already encountered some locals speaking that language. She is not sure about the statues, but the ettercap even told you he communicates with other locals. Maybe he could be bribed into telling you something? Thinking of possible bribes, healing potions and food delicacies spring to mind first based on your interactions.
6. The red forest seems to have had some interaction with earlier wave of colonists, so is of more practical interest. Ramona is unsure if it has something to do with their disappearance or is just some other local danger, but it certainly should be investigated to see which it is.
7. The volcano crater is also very interesting and is sure to be somewhere on your to-do list. Surely another thing to ask the ettercap about. The statues might know about it too, but their information wight well be outdated and you'll run into problem of disengaging from them. Ramona thinks the ettercap is your best bet about current news, again, with some bribes, but the statues might know more about the place's origins if you risk learning those that way.
8. The big bird... well, Ramona is unsure of its economic value in the near term. She's not inclined to plan for long-term profits at the moment.
9. The far end of the island is still unexplored, but is no pressing matter given the number of already known leads.

Ramona thinks you might, say, do 4, 5, 6 and 7 in about that order, with maybe a 3 before them, but please do consult the ettercap before finalizing the plans, and please make concrete plans and prepare before heading out. She can invite more people to discuss detailed plans if and when you would want to. Like, to think how to dispatch that chuul.

 
 Spoiler 
Spells of particular interest:  Air Bubble  and/or  Aboleth’s Lung , Summon Monster (both aquatic ant terrestial ones),  Touch of the Sea  (not a clerical spell, but there might be potions),  Resist Energy 
 
farothel
 "Well, we can have a look at the wreck,"  Laurelata said,  "as long as we have spells for underwater breathing.  Getting the boat out shouldn't be too hard either, but it will most likely have to be repaired and that will also take time.  So we get that one out and then head out to the wreck while it's being repaired." 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
Henri nods and says, "   Let's go.   " He then exits the building and begins walking towards the beach, intent on working on recovering the boat immediately so it can be repaired.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
What sorts of skill checks do we need here?
 
Farmerbink
Jessica joins her friends, perhaps disheartened by what feels like a very lackluster series of reports for Ramona.  She listens eagerly as the colony's leader demonstrates her aptitude- both compiling their previous reports into more usable information and offering much welcome guidance in evaluating the potential therein.

" Of  course  that fellow would know.  I'm not especially gifted in creating potions, but perhaps with one of the other cleric's help, we can provide him with enough value to make him into a truer ally. "  She nods resolutely.  " Henri, can you help recover that skiff without me?  I'd like to ask them right now, if you don't mind ."

With newfound direction, the young priestess almost literally skips to Eamon's lodging, confident she'll find Kurvis nearby, or be able to find him with the other cleric's help.  As an afterthought, she calls over her shoulder, " I can prepare those water breathing spells in a minute! "
u-b
Laurelata and Henri go to check the sunk boat. It seems to be still in its place. It takes a grapnel, a rope and a number of Marius' men to drag it onshore, disturbing some local life and taking some time, but overall is not  that  problematic. The boat seems to be mostly intact, so you don't have to have experience with shipbuilding to fix it. If you can do woodwork, you can see how it's done and do it that way.

Meanwhile, Jessica checks with the clerics about procuring the potions. This turns out less than reassuring. One of the clerics can scribe scrolls and the other craft wondrous items, but it is Alba who was supposed to brew potions. There should be some potions in store and every soldier was issued one and there might be some in possession of some other colonists, but you'll have to find out the details and persuade people to sell you those if you don't go through Alba.

 
 Spoiler 
It will take 2 Goods and 6 Labor to fix the boat, a DC 10 carpentry or shipbuilding (trained; rolled or taken) and a few days, depending on how many people will work on it (only one has to be actually trained). If you just ask the colonists to do it, that would cost you 2 Influence spent per 1 Labor gotten.

The hamlet's Base Value is 50, mostly because it's effectively cut from suppliers and people can't count on easy sell-and-restock, but I'd say it's full 200 of healing potions to  start  with, because that's very useful resource to have across the world, so you can buy up to four potions with no problem at all. After that, it's some Diplomacy (you can spend Influence to affect the check). You can also dedicate yours and replace them with scrolls, but that will only work for regular healing out of combat if someone is still in a condition to read them.
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
"   Good - got it. Who can fix it?   " asks Henri of the colonists who helped him dredge it up from the sea floor. "   I'll pay...   "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Henri lacks the skills, but if he has access to the Goods he will perform the labor and pay a carpenter to do the skill check...
 
farothel
 "I'm a cook, not a carpenter,"  Laurelata said,  "I can provide a meal for those who do the work though.  I think we best find someone who knows something about fixing boats.  We can help with the work, but we need someone to actually know what's going on." 
She would search in the colony for someone who could fix boats and who would be willing to help and checked with this person on what extra help was needed.

 
 Spoiler: OOC  

I have 14 goods and 9 labour (and 5 influence) if I'm not mistaken, so it shouldn't be a big issue to fix the boat.  We can help so we need less labour and/or goods.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica leaves her friends not precisely surprised, but a bit disheartened.  Still, buoyed by her ineffable optimism, she returns to Alba's home, eager to find a way to encourage the alchemist to contribute to their newest leads.  " I know you're eager to have the whole torch thing resolved, and I share your feelings there.  In the meantime, what can we do to help you stock up, perhaps in exchange for a few potions that we can then leverage for more information about the oddities we've seen out and about on the island? "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Using the 1/day trait for diplomacy:  (1d20+13)[ 21 ]  I guess it's making a request?
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz adds,  “I know almost nothing about boats.  I do have a lot of supplies stockpiled if they’ll help.  I can help though, and I may be able to call in a favor or two as well.” 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Life has been intense.  I also missed that there was a lot of action in the game due to missed forum emails.

According to the doc, Taz has 15 goods, she can give 2 easily.  She also has 8 influence, which can get us labor.  She can also labor herself I guess.
 
u-b
A small team led by team of two carpenters can fix the boat in three days, two days if you are to help (some processes cannot be accelerated further). You can easily persuade* Ramona to pay for the task.

Alba is... well, not terribly delighted to see Jessica at first, likely because of expecting her to have come to persuade her to do what she has chosen not to. But she gets more interested when Jessica mentions help providing the supplies. And seems surprised with the declared usage for the potions Jessica supposedly needs. She makes some tea and asks Jessica to explain about the potions and their usage to get information somehow(?) while having some tea with cookies. She then declares what she would like in return. It's oil, sulfur and saltpeter. The amount is debatable** and will affect the quantity of potions provided, but Alba is quite willing to onload "a lot".

 
 Spoiler 
*With Influence.

**It is (2 Labor + 3 Goods) per potion (talking spell level 1 caster level 1 potions), up to 10 times over. You don't have to pay for those labor and goods, Alba will, but if you do, you will get twice the number of potions.
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
Henri notes the help and effort from Taz with a broken, scarred smile. "   Thanks,   " he says quietly as they begin the work.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Henri will provide work, but I don't know that he has any stored in the way of either Influence or Goods. Can we begin the two-days of effort, @ u-b ?
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods, smiling warmly as she discusses the options with Alba.  " He's a curious fellow, to be sure.  I'm not entirely positive, but I get the impression he must be much  much  older than any living thing has a right to be.  And still, he carries a kindness about him otherwise totally absent amongst the ruins.  Even the strange teacher-statues were so focused on their task as to prove fatal to any but the most intrepid of learners....  I'm quite confident that he would prove an invaluable ally and source of knowledge. "

She bids her leave, content with her work as investigator if not negotiator.  After checking on Henri and Tazmara, she offers a wan smile.  " I can hold things steady if it's helpful, but I bet Ramona can get us some expert help with the details.  Let me go check with her. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Jessica never invested time nor effort in goods or labor, but she's got some influence to spend.  In the immediate, that will be her contribution to the efforts.
 
farothel
Laurelata will also help a bit to get the ship ready, even though she didn't know much about shipbuilding.  She would try to get some cooking in and check on the progress of the brewery.
u-b
A two-day effort by Taz, Henri and two carpenters, all supported by Laurelata, along with with an expenditure of some pre-existing wood planks, tar and stuff, negotiated by Tazmara, and you have a complete seaworthy boat* that can be rowed by two and optionally additionally steered by one, with some more men as passengers. You could have requested a sail to be fitted**, but that would require some actual skill to operate, so maybe you are better witout it, unless you hire someone.

The colony has no incidents during that time, so at least that- also seems good.

 DAY 54 AFTER LANDING 

The morning is quite nice, both for rowed seafaring and in general. The strong winds have subsided and don't seem be returning in at least two days, maybe more. What wind there is blows from the west and is weak enough you would have no problem rowing against it, at least in twos.

 
 Spoiler 
*Resources deducted.
**That would be 4 more goods and no extra time.

Jessica (and optionally the others) can spend any amout of their existing influence to supply Alba with stuff. Write it somewhere in here and specify who (you or me) is to modify the sheet. Or you can leave it for later, but then it'll probably take additional time.
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
"   Good enough   " says Henri as he surveys the party's efforts with their new boat. "   Keep it away from water when not in use,   " he continues as he thinks through things.

"   Want to see the sunken ship?   " the half-orc asks his friends, expectantly.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'm still unable to carve out the time to learn how Henri could collect the resources to spend on the boat, but he'd like to get it outfitted for a sail. It would give him something to learn (with his Background Skills) as the party continues to level up.
 
Farmerbink
Jessica nods eagerly.  Still outfitted in her simple linen dress, she hikes the skirt high enough to help shove the skiff into the surf without too much trouble.  " Might find some answers, or at least something valuable. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
With 2 castings of air bubble prepared as well as aboleth's lung being dividable-duration-among-targets, we should be able to investigate the sea wreck without worrying about actually dying to drowning.   Swimming  might be another issue, but we won't drown, at least XD
 
farothel
 "Sounds like a plan,"  Laurelata said, although she wasn't all that happy.  They would be quite disadvantaged underwater, breathing or not.  At least she had her rapier which was a stabby weapon, something that was still possible underwater.  But trying to swing a big axe would be very difficult and her bow would also be useless.  She debated not taking it, but they might need it on the way, so she decided to bring it.  She would follow the others out.
u-b
You expect the journey would take two days one way, and that is if you sail with low but non-negligible skill or do two days of rowing. Do any final preparations and be on your way.

 
 Spoiler 
If you think any of your characters is smart enough or informed enough, or consults with someone who is, please take a look at  underwater combat rules . Otherwise, please don't (and it would be a surprise). Make (and state) any final preparations and I'll have you on your way. Please specify who will row through the day, who will watch throught the night, etc, etc. Unless told otherwise, I will assume you'll want to camp before exploring the reef and the sunken ship. Please state if you want to camp in the same spot you were when you first spotted it, in some other place, or you don't really care. Also, I'll want fire/no fire decisions for day 1 and day 2 camps.
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
Henri gathers his pack and weapons, places them carefully in the little skiff, and settles down with a set of oars. "   Can we sail?   " he asks as his rough hands grip the wooden handles. For a moment he looks into the middle distance, not really seeing what is in front of him. "   Two days - fish meanwhile and cook it tonight...   "

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Henri will bring rations, all his gear, and his weapons. He's used to working hard, so he will row as much as the others allow - he's tough enough to pass most checks regarding fatigue and shouldn't struggle too much.

That said, he's going to be tired and hungry at the end of the day and would comfortably light a fire to cook with as long as they can dig a small pit to hide it from prying eyes, especially water-side. He wouldn't enjoy being attacked by sahuagin overnight. Also, he wouldn't want to be spotted again, so a new campsite makes sense.

If the other PCs will support it, Henri will take the last watch - waking up early and just staying up during day 2.
 
farothel
Before they left, Laurelata would go to the sea and try out a few things to see how things worked underwater while trying to hold her breath.  It wouldn't be the same as when they would be able to breathe but it gave a good idea of what it would be underwater.

 "I can't sail, but I can fish,"  she said as she put her stuff in the little boat,  "and we can best put a small hidden fire to cook on and then put it out at night." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Agree with Henri.  I think it's best if he rowed, maybe together with Taz.  Unless someone has profession (sail or sailor or something like that)

Taz will probably be our point on this, as she has a swim speed and has the least problems underwater.

Laurelata can take a midnight watch so the ones rowing can sleep in one go.  I don't have darkvision, but with a bit of moonlight and low-light vision we can do a lot.
I'm taking my equipment, but I'll see if I can leave my bow when we go underwater.  I can't use it there anyway, but I want it with me for above water stuff.
 
u-b
You depart to investigate the sunken ship, Henri does most of the rowing, with the lot of you taking shifts of varying length handling the other oar. The first day's trip is not quite eventful. That is, you see a lot of seagulls, some flying fishes apparently chased by something underwater, some dolphins (not chasing the flying fishes, but on a different occasion) taking a careful interest in your boat, and that's about it. You land for the evening and Jessica has to spend a spell on Henri's hands to make sure the half-orc is able to repeat the feat come tomorrow, but other than that, the evening is uneventful too. You choose a campsite away from the water, but in direct sight of it, because you cannot move the boat far ashore and you do not want to risk losing sight of it. You dig a smallish hole in the ground for the campfire, cook some recently caught fishes, erect a tent and mostly go to sleep. The night goes mostly fithout incident too, until some time before dawn, when Laurelata sees some activity in the water as signalled by the fish jumping out of it here and there trying to escape... more than one  something  down below? You sort of worry this is closer to the shore than you would expect from a large hunting  fish . Otherwise, this seems to be no immediate threat and you watch carefully to make sure your boat is not disturbed (it isn't), pack your camp, eat your breakfast... and the undersea activity seems to be still going on. So you either wait some more or depart anyway or do what...

Besides, good morning.

 DAY 55 AFTER LANDING 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
Sleeping soundly through the night, Henri wakes for his watch and notes that his already-rough hands have largely recovered from the previous day. He nods in silent appreciation and looks out at the little boat, the sea, and then into the darkness. After identifying his partner during this watch he says, "   I'll sit in the boat,   " before walking across the sand to do just that.

Once the others wake he points out the jumping fish. "   Something's up. Look first, or go?   "

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'm for looking and seeing what is threatening the fish  before  putting the little boat into the water. If it is dangerous we can deal with it first and not risk the vessel.
 
u-b
As Henri gets into the boat, he soon sees a number of (dog-sized) these guys...

   
...abandoning mucking around and taking an acute interest in his person without going anywhere near melee range. They seem to wait for what Henri would do.

 
 Spoiler 
 (1d4+1)[ 4 ]  of them and make two Knowledge rolls (dungeoneering AND nature)
 
farothel
 "Best check it out first,"  Laurelata suggested as she came closer to the water line to check things out.  She noticed the critters.
 "What the hell are those?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

knowledge nature:  (1d20+4)[ 6 ] 
knowledge dungeoneering:  (1d20+7)[ 18 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
"   Ugly...   " answers Henri as he draws his greataxe and looks at the clawed creatures...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Knowledge (Dungeoneering)  (1d20+4)[ 10 ]  (trained)
Knowledge (Nature)  (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
 
u-b
Laurelata and Henri discuss what they see. The resulting opinion is that these are...
1. Not any natural animals.
2. Most likely some yet another kind of aberration local to these waters.

Laurelata may even have seen it mentioned somewhere, but these sorts of weird creatures are difficult to remember all at once as they vary all over the place. Her semi-informed opinion is that these...
3. As aberrations, may be above animal intelligence, but she is not sure how much above.
4. May be more trouble than their size would suggest, for mainly the same reason as well as the spines and the claws.
5. May or may not be in any meaningful way evil.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
"   Don't like it. Wait or carry the boat?   " Henri asks his companions without taking his eyes off the creatures.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
My vote is wait, at least a bit. We don't have a strict schedule to keep...
 
farothel
 "Wait,"  Laurelata said, staying on the shore, but taking out her bow just in case,  "we have no deadline, so best take our time.  As this is something unknown, we best take notes so we can warn others about these." 
u-b
You wait. The lobster eels... well, they seem to understand that you wait, they do some waiting themselves, seem to get bored before you do, halfheartedly try to provoke you to do something, then finally get lost. Or so it seems. Not being completely sure, you wait some more, then get the boat on the water, then follow the shore line  very  closely for some time until you finally decide you probably are in the clear. Due to the delay, you are not able to reach your goal on day two, at least, not with enough daytime left to actually do investigations, so you don't push yourselves and set camp. The second night goes without incident and, as importantly, the morning also goes without incident.

 DAY 56 AFTER LANDING 

The weather still features a weak wind from the west, which should not interfere with your plans if you'll be able to keep your hold on the boat (if not, it will eventually drift into the ocean). In fact, it might be even beneficial, since the island blocks most of the waves. If you depart now, you will be at the ship some time around 11 am. The ship would be easy to locate with the top of the mast still above the water. The reef should not pose a hazard for a small boat like yours, at least not in this kind of weather... so, you can go ahead and execute whatever plan you can come up with?
Farmerbink
Jessica rises early on the second day.  If she's at all frustrated by the delay, she hides it well, and hums about happily preparing to break both their fast and camp.  " Thanks for all the work, Henri.  I figure we'd be some ways out yet without you bearing the brunt of it. "  She offers him a simple tin plate of fresh-seared fish before tidying the mess kit with apparently simple contentment of setting herself to the work.

" So... lobster eels.  Seems likely they'll find us again if they found us once.  Do we have anything remotely like a plan to deal with them when we're under water?  We're bigger than them, but I certainly don't swim  that  well. "  She stares into the ocean surf for a few moments, lost in thought, before coming back to her senses.

A few minutes later, as the party is preparing to take off, she calls them all together.  " Let me renew my bond with you all, please.  It'll be more important than ever if we run into trouble down there. "
farothel
 "We can hook up to the mast,"  Laurelata said,  "and start from there.  Should be the easiest I guess.  We can do whatever magic we need there and then dive straight in." 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
Henri smiles at Jessica and thanks her for the food. At the discussion of fighting the lobster-eels he shrugs and gestures to his weapons meaningfully. "   I'm ready,   " he says in response to Laurelata.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
My vote is wait, at least a bit. We don't have a strict schedule to keep...
 
u-b
You row the boat to the sunken ship's mast and tie a rope to the mast. It seems the ship got carried over some part of the reef, but not over the other part, so it now sits between them at some fairly low depth. It looks something like 20 or 25 feet from the surface to the ship's upper deck. The ship itself seems damaged, but mostly in one piece. It looks unlike modern andoren ships, more resembling a very large boat: there is, and it looks like there should be, only one mast, the single deck covers only part of the ship and so on. You are not much enough into ships to classify and attribute this, but you see that it  is  different. There are all sorts of fishes inhabiting the reef and the remains of the ship, as well as other marine life. There is also a trident-armed fish-man leving the proximity of the ship and heading north-west. The water is not crystal-clear and reflects the bright sky, so you lose the sight of him fairly quickly and come to no conclusion as to how far he is going to go.

 
 Spoiler 
Henri perception: (1d20+10)[29]
Laurelata perception: (1d20+10)[27]
Tazmara perception: (1d20+8)[26]
Jessica perception: (1d20+3)[9] - you are the only one who've seen nothing
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  None 
 
  
"   There - see?   " asks Henri as he points to the fleeing fishman. He watches for several moments as he considers his weapons carefully. With an unhappy sigh he stashes his axe and readies a dagger and his spear-like polearm. "   Swim? Deep breaths?   " he asks the spellcasters as he gets ready to jump into the water.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
We should be ready for a fight, but I don't know what else to really do to prepare...
 
farothel
Laurelata also lightened the load.  Her bow would have to stay behind as she knew she couldn't do anything with it underwater.  So only rapier and dagger, her armour, rope and grappling hook and thieves' tools and that was it.  Everything else she couldn't use underwater and some things would actually be ruined if she took them down.  Even the stuff she took she knew she would have to clean later, as salt water was really corrosive.

She had seen the fish-man and that put her on edge a bit.  She hoped they could talk with them, as fighting in their environment didn't really fill her with joy.
 "Ready,"  she said when she had put everything away.  It was a bit dangerous to leave stuff in the boat, but they had no other option.
Farmerbink
" Alright, Tax can breathe water without my help, right? " Jessica asks.  At the Dwarf's confirmation, the young priestess nods.  " This will give us more than an hour underwater, " she comments, " but be aware, you won't be able to breathe air until it lapses, so a few minutes before it ends, we'll need to start being careful and waiting near the surface. "

After making sure her clothes won't be an impediment, she tidies the skiff, including leaving her glaive aboard a bit unhappily.  She then casts a spell from the safety of the boat.  Suddenly a bit wide-eyed, she dives into the water to resume breathing as normal.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting  aboleth's lung,  dividing the 4 hour duration evenly among Henri, Laurelata and herself.
 
farothel
As soon as Jessica jumps in, Laurelata follows, looking around and trying to adapt as quickly as possible.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  
Henri accepts the spell cast on him with a gulp and a deep breath of air ahead of time. Once it takes effect he takes a moment to consider how it feels to try and breath air (when he can't anymore) and grimaces unhappily. With a splash he goes over the side into the water.

Once below the surface he suspiciously tries speaking. "   Don't like this...unnatural,   " he rumbles, bubbles coming out of his mouth as he expels the air from he last breath. He looks a bit ashamed and embarrassed, avoiding looking at Jessica as he shows his discomfort. After several hesitant...breaths...of seawater he resolves himself to take the lead and begins to swim to the underwater wreck...
SanguinePenguin
Taz nods in the affirmative about being able to breathe water.   ”It takes some getting used to, breathing water that is.  Assuming you don’t grow gills from the spell, no idea what that is like.  I remember there is a moment where everything in you assumes you are drowning, just know that it will pass.  Maybe if the spell gets used a lot it will fade.  The transition doesn’t bother me anymore.  I’ll go slow - Henri, let’s stick together.” 
 
 Spoiler 
Sorry about my even worse than typical posting lately.
 
u-b
One by one you get into the water. Breathing it felt quite unnatural, but doable and not  too  discomforting when you get used to it in a minute or so. There seem to be no significant currents here, so you swim down to the shipwreck with no problem at all. What you see in the open parts where there is no deck is the usual stuff:
- the benches
- the oars (very few of them, you suppose most got lost one way of another)
- the barrels (these all seem to have been opened up and now host seawater and some marine life)
- the shields (some of them, all round wooden ones, you think there have been more, but they got lost one way or another)
- the anchor

Other notable things are:
- there are no dead bodies anywhere
- there are three withy constructions near the ship that you guess are designated to catch crabs and such, complete with crabs in there chewing on something; you are not sure if there are more nearby, but these are the ones you can see without swimming away from the shipwreck
- the ship seems to be less populated than the surrounding reef, but not terribly so

You then check under the low deck. There are:
- a heap of chainmail (you are not sure about the details without digging through it)
- a heap of weapons (largely, spears, axes and knives)
- a large chest (this is closed and locked)

Overall, all the wooden things and all the iron things seem to have been completely ruined by time, seawater and marine life. The only exception seems to be the anchor, which still holds quite well.
farothel
Laurelata looks around.  When she comes to the chainmail, weapons and chests, she looks at Henri for protection and then, after a look for any traps or dangerous wildlife, she starts digging through the stuff.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+10)[ 21 ]  (add an extra +2 for trapfinding)
 
u-b
Laurelata counts  (2d6+2)[ 5 ]  of  these . All good for scrap metal only. She then counts  (2d6+2)[ 6 ]  longspears and  (2d6+2)[ 7 ]  battleaxes, all in the same condition, but still recognizable Ulfen style. She also finds a large, but simple, bronze key under the chainmails, that seems to be appropriate for the chest, which does not seem to be trapped. The key, in fact, fits, though rotating it requires some force. Opening the chest, you find the following:
- mithral spiked heavy shield (shines magical)
- a rusted decorated battleaxe (good for 20 gp of gold plating and 200 gp in gems)
- a rusted decorated winged helmet (good for 50 gp of gold plating and 400 gp in gems)
- 840 gp in various coinage (gold, silver and copper; primarily, but not exclusively, by various Linnorm Kings)
- ruined papers (two books and a case of scrolls)
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Greataxe   +6 (1d12+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  
Henri nods and first stays close to the other explorers and then stands guard as they consider the sunken treasure. "   Sunk long ago...   " he muses, based on the lack of bodies and rust on all the metal. "   We going below?   " he asks, less confident sounding as the currents make even his quiet words carry in odd ways...
farothel
 "Let's first get this chest back up to the boat,"  Laurelata suggests,  "the scrap metal can wait, although it can be useful as well in our small colony.  We can hold our water I assume just as we can hold our breath and quickly drop the chest in the boat.  Maybe if everybody grabs a bit, we can have most of the metal on top as well.  And then we can move on." 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  
With a nod Henri deliberately hands his polearm to Jessica and gets a good grip on the chest, intending to to the majority of the lifting. "   Help me,   " the half-orc directs his allies, not caring who exactly provides him some help balancing and swimming back up to the surface with the waterlogged box...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Any way you look at it, this chest is going to be heavy and tough to get up to the boat. If the other PCs help I suspect we can get it to the surface, but it might be easier to just carry it along the bottom to the shore... Henri will try either way to do the majority of the heavy lifting.
 
Farmerbink
      
    Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  

 


Jessica dives eagerly below the surface, visibly excited to be exploring in such a magical and exotic way.  In the absence of strong current, she easily swims down behind Henri, and begins exploring what remains of the sunken ship.  As Laurelata investigates the piles of (ruined?) metal gear, Jessica murmurs an incantation to detect magic items and auras.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Don't think perception or know(arcana) applies yet, but they're +3 and +5 respectively, if so.
 


 
 Originally Posted by DarkOne-Rob 
 "   Sunk long ago...   " 
 

" Sunk, but not abandoned, " Jessica responds.  " Look over there. "  She gestures to the crab traps affixed to the ship.  " Those crabs haven't even finished eating their bait.  We should be careful. "

As Henri and Laurelata open the chest and investigate its contents, Jessica's eyebrows raise appraisingly.  " That's a lot of metal to try and put into that little boat anyway.  Even if we  could  get it above the surface, I'm not sure it'll hold the chest and us.  Want to try to carry it to shore from here?  We could use the buoyancy to our benefit- at least until we reach the surf. "

She starts, a bit surprised by Henri handing her his weapon.  " What, you want to start now? " she asks.  At his nod, she hands the weapon to Laurelata and swims around to square her feet opposite him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC again 
Jessica is actually stronger than Laurelata, so on the off chance it matters XD
 
farothel
 "We will leave the traps alone,"  Lauralata suggested,  "and I'll cover you." 
carrying Henri's weapon in one hand and her own rapier ready in the other, she will keep a look out while the others move the chest.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  
Henri shakes his head as he realizes the weight of the chest. "   To the beach,   " he rumbles in the watery medium before starting to lift and/or drag the box towards the shore.
u-b
While Henri and Jessica are totally occupied with hauling the chest, which is no mean task because of its weight, size  and  very uneven and in some sense montainous coral reef footing, Laurelata and Tazmara do their best to look out. That is not very simple as well, because the reef hides a lot from plain view  and  the water is less than perfectly clear. Eventually, when you are still were about 2/3 way from the shore, Tazmara shouts a warning. Too late, you don't manage to locate the danger in time to react. Four trident-armed fish-men charge at you, two at Henri, one at Laurelata and on at Taz. Henri gets stabbed for  6  damage and Tazmara for  8  damage, the other two stabs are stopped by armor.

 
 Spoiler 
Fishmen stealth: (1d20+6)[17]
Lauralata perception: (1d20+10)[15]
Tazmara perception: (1d20+8)[20]

Tazmara has spotted them some than 30 feet from you.

Fishmen init: (1d20+1)[13]
Tazmara init: (1d20+2)[10]
Laurelata init: (1d20+9)[10]
Henri init: (1d20+1)[12]
Jessica init: (1d20+2)[3]

You've lost the initiative.

(1d2)[1] Henri 1 Jessica 2

Trident charge (1d20+6)[14] for (1d8+3)[5] vs Henri (flatfooted AC)
Trident charge (1d20+6)[24] for (1d8+3)[6] vs Henri (flatfooted AC)
Trident charge (1d20+6)[10] for (1d8+3)[5] vs Laurelata (flatfooted AC)
Trident charge (1d20+6)[16] for (1d8+3)[8] vs Tazmara (flatfooted AC)
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  18/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  22,  Touch  15,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  22,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect, +4 Dodge)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Total Defense
Aboleth Lung, 1 hour 
 
  
"   My weapon!   " grunts Henri as he drops the chest unceremoniously and reaches for his polearm. He carefully steps behind the chest, trying to keep some protection between him and the attacker.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Total Defense (+4 Dodge to AC)
 
farothel
 "Oh ****,"  Laurelata said.  She handed Henri his weapon and then stabbed the guy attacking her with her rapier.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

move: hand weapon to Henri
attack:  (1d20+6)[ 17 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  23/23,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  17,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz darts back in the water away from her assailant.  Her channeling creates only subtle effects from under the water, slight currents, over densities, and the like.  She fires a blast of water at the fish man.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 
Free: Take 1 point of burn - +1/+2 to att/dam of blast, also +5 cold resist.
Move: 5ft step
Standard: Blast  (1d20+7)[ 18 ]  +1 if aberration  (2d6+10)[ 14 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  39/47 (NL 4),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 PBS Water Blast   +7 (2d6+10, x2)
   Dagger   +4 (+5 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +4 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
Farmerbink
      
    Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 
 Spoiler: Conditions 
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Aboleth Lung, 1 hour
 
 
 
  
Jessica cries out in surprise as the chest falls to the sea floor.  She looks around briefly in distress as her allies are attacked, before closing her eyes and focusing on her magic.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting summon monster II for  (1d3)[ 3 ]   dolphins  to come help next round.
 
u-b
The fishmen all drop their tridents after the initial charge and fight with their claws and their teeth. Against Henri, that does not work well, or at all. The ones fighting Laurelata and Tazmara are to some extent wounded, but manage to land some hits. The lower part of Laurelata's rapier hand is bitten for  3 damage  and Tazmara got clawed for  3 and 6 damage  across both arms she's raised in her defense even despite the fact that the attacker had a large hole in the guts.

 
 Spoiler 
Claw (1d20+4)[6] for (1d4+2)[4]
Claw (1d20+4)[11] for (1d4+2)[4]
Bite (1d20+4)[8] for (1d4+2)[5]

Claw (1d20+4)[5] for (1d4+2)[6]
Claw (1d20+4)[10] for (1d4+2)[4]
Bite (1d20+4)[14] for (1d4+2)[3]

Claw (1d20+4)[10] for (1d4+2)[3]
Claw (1d20+4)[13] for (1d4+2)[5]
Bite (1d20+4)[20] for (1d4+2)[3]

Claw (1d20+4)[17] for (1d4+2)[3]
Claw (1d20+4)[18] for (1d4+2)[6]
Bite (1d20+4)[7] for (1d4+2)[5]
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order, also three dolphins appear) 
farothel
Laurelata wasn't happy about being bitten, so she tried to run the guy through with her rapier.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

attack:  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 5 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  17,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  3,  Init  1,  HP  24/30,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  18,  Fort  7,  Ref  6,  Will  5,  CMB  +7,  Base Attack Bonus  3
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflec)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
"   Behind me, Tazmara!   " grunts Henri as he strikes at one of the fishfolk who struck her, ignoring the one who took a swipe at him.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
Henri will 5-ft step (if able?) or move as needed to attack with his polearm, using Power Attack: Bec de Corbin -  (1d20+7)[ 15 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 21 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d10+9)[ 18 ]  piercing damage,   (1d10+9)[ 12 ]  critical strike damage .

I recommend Tazmara get some healing while we take down one enemy at a time.
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz grunts as her assailants strike at her again.   ”Right!”  she assents to Henri, stepping back and firing at a wounded attacker.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 

Move: 5ft step
Standard: Blast  (1d20+7)[ 8 ]  +1 if aberration  (2d6+10)[ 16 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  30/47 (NL 4),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 PBS Water Blast   +7 (2d6+10, x2)
   Dagger   +4 (+5 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +4 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
This time Henri is the only one to land a hit, but the hit is strong enough to take one of the fishmen fighting him well out of the game. The other seems to be rather impressed. Three dolphins suddenly appear behind the attackers. Two behind one fighting Taz charge at the fishman nearest to them. The fishman only manages to dodge one, it slammed by another and passes out from the pain, the strain and the guts in the wrong place. The third dolphin appears behind the fishman fighting Laurelata and slams him for  3  damage. The things do not seem to look good for the fishmen and so they try to withdraw. They exercise some care doing it, but the one stuck between Laurelata and dolphin could not get out of that cleanly so is slapped by the dolphin for  4  more damage. He looks badly hurt and only gets about 60 feet away from you by the time another is some 120 feet away (and might soon get quite difficult to see).

 
 Spoiler 
It seems the circunstances suggest that I bot Jessica, so here I do that. Two dolphins go help Taz, one appears to flank with Laurelata. Jessica readies a channel. Also, I think Henri's 30/30 hp are not right given  #885  above.

Charge slam (1d20+5)[10] (1d4+1)[3]
Charge slam (1d20+5)[20] (1d4+1)[4]
Charge slam (1d20+7)[20] (1d4+1)[3]
Slam AoO (1d20+3)[22] (1d4+1)[4]

They swim quite fast, but not as fast as the dolphins. All by themselves, the dolphins can likely get one of them, but not both. Jessica's channel does not trigger.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  37/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
"   Stop them! No reinforcements!   " orders Henri, with the tone of someone who has fought in battles with trained soldiers before. It's not a tone he's often used before, but he seems to be falling back on habits from his prior service back continent-side as his concern of being overwhelmed in an unfamiliar environment make themselves known. He does his part too, trying to reach a fleeing enemy and stabbing at them with his polearm.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
If there is an enemy in reach with a move/charge etc... Henri will move and attack. Rolls do  not  include Charging. He does use Power Attack, as usual.

Bec de Corbin:   (1d20+7)[ 9 ]  to hit,  (1d20+7)[ 20 ]  (20/x3),  (1d10+9)[ 16 ]  piercing damage,  (1d10+9)[ 18 ]  critical strike damage .
 
farothel
 "I'll try,"  Laurelata said, moving after the closest of the two fishmen.  She has no hope in getting the other one, so the dolphins will have to take that one.  She also hopes Taz can do something, as she's a lot better in water than she herself is.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I'm not sure if I can charge, but if so, I'll do it.
Charge attack on the one at 60ft:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 4 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  17,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz notes the fleeing assailants and fires a blast of water after the one more injured.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 3 

Move: gather power
Standard: Ranged Blast  (1d20+6)[ 17 ]  +1 if aberration  (2d6+9)[ 19 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  30/47 (NL 4),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 PBS Water Blast   +7 (2d6+10, x2)
   Dagger   +4 (+5 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +4 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Tazmara's blast tears the fishman in half. Guts, blood and stuff spreading out from his location. The dolphins charge the other one. They are able to reach him and slam him, but you are not sure from the distance what effect the attacks have. At least he's able to try to escape and is chased again and you lose sight of the chase.

 
 Spoiler 
Okay, you've got one  very  dead, two unconscious, one in unknown condition and unknown location (the dolphins would have disappeared after four rounds). So, what do you do?
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  37/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
"   Did they kill it?   " asks Henri as he deliberately ensures the unconscious fish-people won't be waking up. He looks about at the water, concerned that the bloody water might have attracted scavenging sharks. "   Need to move...   " he says, grasping the chest again and working to get it to the shore before they are attacked again...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
Finish off the wounded with some coup de graces (spelling?) and encourage one of the other PCs to swim over and see if the dolphins killed the fleeing fish-folk. Then begin working on the chest again, with more urgency this time...
 
farothel
 "Wait,"  Laurelata said as she moved in front of the one Henri wasn't occupied with,  "they live around here and can make life very difficult for us.  Maybe we can negotiate a treaty of some sort.  But then we need information." 
Farmerbink
[QUOTE=Farmerbink;26019952]      
    Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 
 Spoiler: Conditions 
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
See sheet for spells:  https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1453959 

Aboleth Lung, 1 hour
 
 
 
  
" We need to get out of here, too, " Jessica comments.  " This chest might be all we learn from the shipwreck- unless we can get one of them to tell us something.  I'd love to have less enemies about in general, but it seems most of our enemies aren't much keen on visitors. "  She frowns, and turns to Henri.  " Let's keep going on this trunk. "
u-b
The dolphins are charging and are easily seen. Tazmara is also not stealthy. The fishman... well, Tazmara sees him withdrawing, then she sees dolphins charging forward, then she does not see the fishman, but sees the dolphins chasing in roughly the same direction, but then down behind an edge of the reef... and when Tazmara is finally over that edge to see what is behind, she sees just the normal sea life, no dolphins, no fishmen in there. No fishman bodies too.

 
 Spoiler 
"It’s impossible to use Stealth while attacking, running, or charging."

Fishman stealth: (1d20+1)[15]
Tazmara perception: (1d20+8)[15]
 
farothel
 "Look, they attacked us and indeed, they should pay for that,"  Laurelata said to Henri,  "but if we can get to an agreement, we will have less fighting in the future.
 Otherwise we might have to fight every time we put a fishing boat at sea.  And one fishman won't make that much difference, while saving him might give us some goodwill and can give us some diplomatic opening.
 And we can always kill him later, should we have to.  Now, let's get that chest up to shore, our boat back and then see what we can do with this fishman and see if we can do some diplomacy." 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  37/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
Henri shrugs. "   Didn't work with the goblins, but alright...   " he says as he finishes one and returns to dragging the chest towards land, content to let others deal with prisoners.
farothel
 "I think these might be more intelligent than Goblins,"  Laurelata said,  "but first let's get that chest up on the beach and then we can see further." 
She will guard again and look out while Henri and Jessica continued with the dragging of the chest.
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 


The immediate hazard apparently settled, Jessica pauses long enough to reassess her allies.  " Does anyone need healing? " she calls, giving them time to gather before calling upon the blessing of Shelyn.

Then she squares her feet and bends her knees to brace on the chest once more.  " Let's get this to shore, " she says to Henri.  Hoping the rest of the trip is less eventful than the beginning, she prepares herself to raise the heavy, sodden trunk from the ocean floor.
 
 
  
u-b
Tazmara returns and reports that she wasn't able to locate neither the fishman nor his body. You take the surviving one and the chest, then head towards the shore. It takes some time and you cannot make it less without dropping something. Eventually, you approach the beach. As you poke your heads above the water to take a look, you notice a fishman head poking above the water some hundred yards behind you. The head disappears under the water. Two heads appear above the water in about the same spot. You (that is, the tall folk) are still about shoulder deep in the water and some 50 yards from dry land, which you probably do not intend to cover at the moment. Your boat is quite some distance behind the fishmen's heads.

 
 Spoiler 

 
 Originally Posted by Farmerbink 
 " Does anyone need healing? " 
 

Taz is 33/47 and everyone else is better than that. Roll for the channel if you do it.

I took a liberty to assume someone will poke their head. Can retcon if that would not be the case.
 
farothel
Laurelata had been checking things out, keeping an eye out for any trouble.  When she put her head out of the sea to check things out, she noticed some of the fishmen.  As she had dragged/floated the one they had captured with her, she pulled him up as well so they could see him and she waved them over.
 "Time to negotiate,"  she said to the others,  "there's more of them and they look around.  Taz, can you keep an eye out underwater, I'll keep an eye out on top." 

She looked up again and if the fishmen where there, she would hail them, calling for parley.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  37/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
Henri looks unhappy. "   Gonna lose the boat,   " he grumbles as he does what he can to manhandle the chest as far up to the beach as possible without suffocating on the air...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
How long until  Aboleth Lung  wears off? I don't look forward to fighting more fish-people underwater and suddenly being unable to breath...
 
farothel
Laurelata let the other ones know there's some fishmen looking at them.
 "Jess, you speak the old language from these fair isles,"  she said,  "can you maybe try to talk to them." 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 1/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 


Breathing heavily (oddly, under the water), Jessica nods.  " I do, and I'm happy to offer parley with them, " she responds.  " Stay a bit behind me, but be ready to help if they decide I look like easy prey. "

She helps Henri guide the chest to the the ocean floor- far enough from the deeps to be confident they can retrieve it (perhaps not easily) without having to breathe water later.  Then she turns and begins walking calmly towards the place where Laurelata had noticed the fishmen watching.

Assuming they let her approach close enough to talk, she will pointedly remove her dagger from its sheathe and plunge the tip a few inches into the spongy sea floor.  " May we talk? " she then calls in native Azlanti (and then Aquan, if they don't immediately respond), with her arms spread in a placating fashion.  As her linen dress billows gently in the pulse of the ocean, she waits patiently for them to respond.
 
 
  
u-b
The fishmen do not seem to do anything much when Jessica moves closer. They are somewhat suspicious, but since she comes alone, they are not particularly wary. There are seven of them, in a somewhat tight group, including one seriously wounded, one sticking his head above the water, and one very buff seemingly serving as a bodyguard to other one, who has a full set of high-quality gear and decorations all around. When they are addressed in Azlanti, that one says  "Wait here."  in Aquan and comes closer to Jessica, stopping some 15 feet from her (the rest of the group would be some 60 feet away). He does  not  disarm himself, but holds the ranseur in one hand, not ready for use. He does not answer Jessica's question, but he does indeed talk in a decent Azlanti:  "Why are you taking our things and killing our people?" .

 
 Spoiler 
The one with the ranseur will not be able it to, say, AoO you out of his turn, but I guess that is irrelevant. The rest have tridents and harpoons. Everyone has some sort of crossbows, you are not sure how these would work underwater, but no crossbow is currently drawn (they seem to be more prepared for melee). The leader guy has a well-made sharkskin armor with sharktooth studs.
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 


Jessica bows her head respectfully as an apparent representative approaches.  " I apologize, " she responds.  " We did not know these were yours, " she gestures to the chest, " and only meant to defend ourselves.  We are little more than simple explorers, looking to find and learn what we can of this island and the secrets its ancient inhabitants might have left behind.  If I may, would you let me heal your companion?  I have a strong connection with Shelyn, the goddess of beauty and protection. "

" Truly, I would like nothing more than to live in harmony with you and your people.  Surely the island has more than enough room for us to coexist peacefully, even in cooperation!  Please, allow me prove our intentions? " 
 Spoiler: OOC 
If allowed, Jessica would gladly use a few charges of channel energy to heal the injured fishman and hopefully demonstrate her goodwill in so doing.
Gonna use inner beauty for the bonus on the diplomacy check  (1d20+13)[ 31 ]  diplomacy
 (2d6)[ 5 ]  channel 1
 (2d6)[ 7 ]  channel 2
 
 
 
  
u-b
The fishman orders his wounded man to come closer. He is then healed to full. He is then ordered back to the rest of the group.  "To prove your good intentions, you leave our things and return our man that you have taken. As for cooperation and getting your boat back... a water naga lives in a cave nearby. We can lead you there. You kill her, you take her things, we be friends." 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 


Jessica nods.  " I will have to make sure my companions agree, but I am happy to do as you've asked, " she responds with a genuine smile.  These are the first natives that have proven the slightest bit responsive to cooperation!  " I will speak with them, and then we will let you guide us.  We can swim only with effort and some difficulty, and breathe water only with the aid of fairly powerful magic.  Your help finding the cave will be perhaps necessary. " 
 
  
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  37/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Aboleth Lung, 1 hour

Power Attack 
 
  
"   What do they say?   " Henri asks Jessica as she returns. He listens to her explanation and then scowls. "   Let's go kill the naga,   " he says after she explains, though he appears unhappy about it.
farothel
 "If that's what it takes to get friendly with these people, we can give it a go,"  Laurelata said, while trying to remember what she had heard about Naga.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

I'm not sure what knowledge it is, so I'll roll a d20 and give my modifiers for all knowledges I have.
 (1d20)[ 7 ]  (dungeoneering, local: +7; arcana, history, engineering, geography, nature: +4)
 
u-b
Laurelata knows a water naga would be some sentient serpent, either aquatic or amphibious, and can probably be classified as aberration. Probably dangerous, given that the locals have not dealt with it themselves. Tazmara wholeheartly agrees to the plan the moment she hears "aberration" and so you all have chosen to side with the fishmen. The fishmen lead you to a cave. That takes about an hour since you are not very fast and includes the less-than-comfortable process of switching from breathing water to breathing air, which amazes the fishmen to no end. You end up at your choice of a distance to the cave when the fishmen give their last instructions. They say the cave gets totally submerged during high tide, but now you would be able to either swin or walk at your option and it would be a few hours that way. The naga is probably in, but they have not confirmed it and suggest to wait for it there if it is out. Your best bet should be to surprise it and kill it before it escapes. They are about to leave you to it, unless you have any remaining questions.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  43/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition Power Attack 
 
  
"   I'll scout,   " says Henri to the others as he tries to creep into the cave, searching for signs of the serpent-monster.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and OoC 
Stealth +5, Perception +10
Stealth  (1d20+5)[ 14 ]  (if the water makes noise when Henri walks, he can walk  on  the water using his Fluid Travel oracle revelation to counteract any penalties)
Perception  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]  (low-light vision,  not  darkvision)
 
farothel
Laurelata nods to Henri and as soon as he has a slight lead, she would follow, also trying to be as quiet as possible, weapons ready.


 
 Spoiler: OOC Rolls 

stealth:  (1d20+9)[ 29 ] 

perception:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  (low-light vision)
 
u-b
Both Henri and Laurelata spot the coiled naga resting under the water inside the cave. Is seems to be quite large and brightly colored, but not all that easy to spot under the water on and behind the quite uneven cave floor and its various parts. In fact, the cave floor is another problem as Henri had to look down under his feet from time to time to avoid tripping and falling. The naga seems to be waiting to ambush him and is about to uncoil the moment Henri locks his gaze with it, letting it know it's been spotted. Laurelata is meanwhile well aware of the situation and can act before that...

   
 
 Spoiler 
Naga stealth: (1d20+16)[19]
Naga perception: (1d20+17)[20]
Naga init: (1d20+6)[16]

Henri init: (1d20+1)[3]
Laurelata init: (1d20+9)[23]

UPD:
Tazmara init: (1d20+2)[3]
Jessica init: (1d20+2)[22]

The naga is completely under the water, but it is not deep here, so plain cover unless you make a thrusting/piercing attack. It's difficult terrain unless you swim or walk on water. The small but numerous waves hitting the stones make enough noise for you to walk without being louder than ambient, so I had Henti walking on the rocks, but that can be changed. Let's say Henri is 20 feet from the naga and Laurelata is anywhere between 25 and 60. It is a bit dim in the cave, but not enough to cause any penalty.
 

 =&gt; Laurelata (and if there are shouts, everyone who can beat a 16  =&gt; Jessica ) 
farothel
Laurelata pointed to where the naga was so the others would know where it was and the pointed at Taz and at the entrance to the cave, asking the dwarf to block the escape so the creature couldn't get out without having to go through the dwarf, who was best suited for underwater attacks.  She approached cautiously, cursing the fact that her bow was still on the beach, although it wouldn't have been able to do all that much with the naga in the water.  She was ready to defend herself should the creature attack.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move: get closer (difficult terrain means I should be able to get to 15ft of the naga, which means I can get there the next round.
standard: full defense: +4 dodge AC

AC: 22 for this round.

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  22,  Touch  17,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  21,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  3,  Init  2,  HP  20/20,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  15,  Fort  4,  Ref  2,  Will  5,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  2
 Glaive   +4 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +4/+3 (1d4+1, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/9, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 5/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 

Her optimism at stark contrast to Henri's practicality, Jessica follows several paces behind him- plenty to give him room.  As soon as he stops, his stance gives away the monster's presence, and she begins casting a simple boon.

" Be   blessed   as the Eternal Rose guides your steps! " she calls, striding forward purposefully.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Standard action to Bless all allies.  Move action to approach as close as possible behind Henri.
 
 
 
  
u-b
The naga, never leaving the water, charges straight at Laurelata, who barely manages to sidestep the attack, thankful to herself for over-cautiousness.

 
 Spoiler 
(1d20+12)[20] for (2d6+5)[12] and Fort DC 19 vs poison

The naga is completely under the water, but it is not deep here, so plain cover unless you make a thrusting/piercing attack. It's difficult terrain unless you swim or walk on water. Let's say Henri is, like, 5 feet from the naga, but it  is  difficult terrain. The naga does not seem to have a long reach. Jessica is some 50 feet from the naga and Taz is some 60 feet.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  43/43,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  19,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Bec de Corbin   +7 (1d10+9, 20/x3) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition Power Attack 
 
  
"  To arms!  " rumbles the half-orc as he places his feet firmly and brings down his polearm (using it's reach) in forceful thrust at the naga!

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics round 1 
Activate Power Attack and strike at the naga:  (1d20+7)[ 23 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 27 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d10+9)[ 15 ]  piercing damage,   (2d10+18)[ 28 ]  critical strike damage .
 
farothel
Laurelata dodged the attack, actually glad that she didn't have to sludge through the water to get to the critter.  Taking immediate action she tried to run it through.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move: none
standard: attack:  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 9 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  22,  Touch  17,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  21,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
SanguinePenguin
Taz, really caught off guard at how quickly the naga appeared and attacked, starts to gather some power from her font.  She fires a powerful jet of water at the naga.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 1 

Move: gather power
Standard: long range blast  (1d20+8)[ 21 ]  (bless &amp; aberration included, pbs not, effects of cover not included)  (2d6+8)[ 15 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  45/47 (NL 4),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 PBS Water Blast   +7 (2d6+10, x2)
   Dagger   +4 (+5 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +4 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 10/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)
 

" Henri, Shelyn stands with you! " Jessica calls, drawing briefly upon her conduit to the divine.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Standard action to use Bit of Luck on Henri (for next round, I guess)
 
 
 
  
u-b
Henri inflicts a deep wound on the naga, but Laurelata only punctures a small hole in the creature's long dorsal fin, which does not seem in any sense vital or meaningfully affected by stabbing. Tazmara launches a long-ranged blast, which tears away a much larger part of that same fin and, more importantly, some adjacent scales and tissue. The naga does not seem to like that even one bit. It eels to Henri and slaps at his legs with its fairly powerful tail. Henri is tripped and falls underwater. He is not ready to hold his breath, but that is not  immediately  a problem. He then gets a nasty bite in the arm that he uses to cover his neck from the naga's follow-up attack.

 
 Spoiler 
Step, then full attack: trip (potentially provokes fron Henri only, but he has no weapon for close combat ready at hand) and bite. If you do not stand up now, please start holding your breath, exercise mode.

(1d20+7)[25] vs CMD or tripped
(1d20+10)[16] for (2d6+5)[14] and Fort DC 19 vs poison

The naga is completely under the water, but it is not deep here, so plain cover unless you make a thrusting/piercing attack. It's difficult terrain unless you swim or walk on water. Laurelata and Henri are adjacent to the naga. Jessica is some 30 feet from the naga and Taz is some 55 feet.
 
farothel
Seeing Henri go down, Laurelata attacked herself to try to give her companion the opportunity to get back up.  This time she managed to get a hit in, but she wasn't sure if it would be enough.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move: none
standard: attack:  (1d20+6)[ 23 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  22,  Touch  17,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  21,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  29+8/43+8,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  16,  Touch  9,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  19,  Fort  11,  Ref  7,  Will  7,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
  Dagger  +8 (1d4+10, 19-20/x2) 
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect, -2 Rage)
 Abilities  Str 22, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition Power Attack
Rage (1/7 daily rounds spent) 
 
  
"  Oof!  " grunts Henri as he falls and goes underwater. Though the rest of the party cannot see it through the churning sea water, Henri feels fury overwhelm him suddenly as he finds increased strength and resilience in the anger her feels at the naga's attack. When the creature bites he grimaces to resist the burn of the venom and draws a dagger from his belt, stabbing at the creature in a rage! He then tries to break the surface of the water for a breath before continuing the fight.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 1 and 2 
Raging is a free action,  so Henri will rage for the bonus to his  saving throw against the poison:  (1d20+11)[ 17 ]  vs DC 19.  (No rage bonus, so this was less by two, not that it mattered...) 

Maintain Power Attack and activate Rage in round 2
Dagger:  (1d20+8)[ 14 ]  to hit,  (1d20+8)[ 23 ]  (19-20/x2),  (1d4+10)[ 13 ]  piercing damage,  (1d4+10)[ 14 ]  critical strike damage.
Swim check to try to 5-ft step to the surface for a breath:  (1d20+7)[ 13 ] .

AoO (if one is incurred):  (1d20+8)[ 17 ]  to hit,  (1d20+8)[ 17 ]  (19-20/x2),  (1d4+10)[ 14 ]  piercing damage,  (1d4+10)[ 13 ]  critical strike damage.
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 10/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (5/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Move to adjacent to Henri and cast  air bubble  on him
 

As her friend gets yanked below the surface of the water, Jessica hurries forward.  " Hold on, Henri! " she calls, drawing power for another spell.  " You're OK! " 
 
  
SanguinePenguin
Taz wonders whether Henri has this, or if she should advance.  After some internal debate, she  pulls more energy from her source, lines up a shot, and fires another powerful jet of water at the naga.

 
 Spoiler: Taz, Round 2 

Move: gather power
Standard: long range blast  (1d20+8)[ 24 ]  (bless &amp; aberration included, pbs not, effects of cover not included)  (2d6+8)[ 16 ] 
 
 Spoiler: Taz stats 
   Tazmara Stonesong   
F NG Dwarf Kineticist (Aquakineticist),  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  45/47 (NL 4),  DR  Cold/pressure - 6 (1),  Speed  20 / 20 (swim)
 AC  15,  Touch  12,  Flat-footed  13,  CMD  14,  Fort  9,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 PBS Water Blast   +7 (2d6+10, x2)
   Dagger   +4 (+5 thrown) (1d4+2, 19-20/x2)
   Heavy Pick   +4 (1d6+1, x4)
   Studded Leather  (+3 Armor, +2 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
 Condition  Burn 1
Having a swim speed grants a +8 bonus on some swim checks (most others are not needed)
 

 
u-b
Laurelata stabs the naga, which does its best to ignore the wound. Henri, struggling for breath, is too distracted to hit anything. Jessica hurries closer and bestows some more luck on him to help fight off the naga... which gets another terrible blast of water in its side, breaks the close contact and suddenly disappears.

 
 Spoiler 
Jessica is some 10 feet from Henri and Taz is some 50 feet. The naga makes a step and casts a spell. You know where it was when it cast the spell.
 

 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  29+8/43+8,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  16,  Touch  9,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  19,  Fort  11,  Ref  7,  Will  7,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Dagger  +8 (1d4+10, 19-20/x2)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect, -2 Rage)
 Abilities  Str 22, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition Power Attack
Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent) 
 
  
Breaking the surface again with a spluttering, and unusually loud roar Henri takes a deep breath and asks, "  Where is it?!?!  " as he tries to grab his polearm from where it has been mostly-floating in the water.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 3 
Maintain rage and recover the dropped Bec de Corbin.
 
farothel
 "Look for ripples in the water,"  Laurelata said while she stabbed at the last location she had seen the critter, hoping to either hit it or spook it into moving that would show in the water.

 
 Spoiler: OOC actions 

move: none
standard: attack:  (1d20+6)[ 13 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 8 ] 
I assume I have a 50% miss chance if he's in that square:  (1d2)[ 1 ]  hit on a 1

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  22,  Touch  17,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  21,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 9/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Channel energy for heals:  (2d6)[ 2 ]  HP to all living things.  If she can use  selective channeling  to exclude the (invisible?) naga, she will.
 


" I can't see it! " Jessica answers.  At Laurelata's words, she does her best to stand still.  Instead of continuing to Henri's side, she instead raises her holy symbol and channels a burst of Shelyn's divine radiance. 
 
  
u-b
Henri stands up, armed and ready. Laurelata makes a stab that does not connect with anything. Jessica heals everyone a bit, but Henri feels it to be less than usual. Another water blast shoots past everyone. You are not sure if it hits anything, but if it does, there is no visible effect. The naga does not seem easy to notice.

 
 Spoiler: Perception 24 
If you'll have rolled this much I will consider range modifiers along the Naga's route and tell you what your roll is good for. Otherwise, you don't notice the naga.
 
 
 Spoiler 
Tazmara: Long range blast (1d20+8)[16] miss (1d100)[65] for (2d6+8)[17]

Jessica is some 10 feet from Henri and Taz is some 50 feet.
 
farothel
Laurelata looks around for any sign of the Naga and she suddenly spots it behind Taz before it dissapears again.
 "Behind you,"  she calls out, as she follows in that direction.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
double move to follow

if I succeed, attack:  (1d20+6)[ 19 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  31 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC   17 ,  Touch   10 ,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD   20 ,  Fort  11,  Ref   6 ,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor,   +1 Dex  , +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str  16 , Dex  10 , Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent) 
 Fatigued, round 1/4 (cannot run/charge, –2 STR/DEX)  
 
  
Henri stands, using his oracular powers to steady himself on the surface of the water in a way that would look strange had the party not seen it before. Taking deep, slow breaths he tries to recover from the rage he experienced. "   No good - be ready...   " he gasps as he grips his polearm and tries to look around.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 4 
Drop the rage, begin being fatigued for four rounds.

Perception:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  vs DC 24  (fail) .

Ready an action to attack the naga if it appears in reach: Bec de Corbin -  (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 26 ]  (20/x2) ,  (1d12+3)[ 4 ]  piercing damage,   (2d12+6)[ 20 ]  critical strike damage .
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 8/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 4/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Move to put the naga (as best she can tell) on the other side of Henri.  Channel again:  (2d6)[ 5 ] 
 


Jessica glances to her companions, and steps clumsily in the high water away from where Laurelata's looking.  " Let's try again, " she murmurs, raising her talisman high. 
 
  
u-b
Tazmara does not seem to notice the naga moving past her. Then, alerted by Laurelata, she looks behind her... and withdraws deeper into the cave closer to the remainder of the team.  "Where? I cannot see it!"  She gets promptly reminded where, in fact, is this naga - it casts some spell just behind where Tazmara was moments ago (you are no experts at pinpointing by sound), but does it  remain  there... At least, you notice no magical effects.

 
 Spoiler: Perception 24 
If you'll have rolled this much I will consider range modifiers along the Naga's route and tell you what your roll is good for. Otherwise, you only notice where it has been casting the spell.
 
 
 Spoiler 
Tazmara perception (passive): (1d20+8)[11]
Tazmara perception (active): (1d20+8)[23]

Jessica - Henri - 30 feet - Laurelata &amp; Tazmara - 25 feet - ???
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC   17 ,  Touch   10 ,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD   20 ,  Fort  11,  Ref   6 ,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor,   +1 Dex  , +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str  16 , Dex  10 , Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent) 
 Fatigued, round 2/4 (cannot run/charge, –2 STR/DEX)  
 
  
With a watchful eye, Henri continues to hold his polearm at the ready as he breathes heavily... "   Where...?   "
 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 5 
Perception:  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]  vs DC 24.

Ready an action to attack the naga if it appears in reach: Bec de Corbin -  (1d20+7)[ 25 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 20 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+3)[ 4 ]  piercing damage,   (2d12+6)[ 13 ]  critical strike damage .

AoO if incurred: Bec de Corbin -  (1d20+7)[ 22 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 15 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d12+3)[ 14 ]  piercing damage,   (2d12+6)[ 17 ]  critical strike damage .
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 8/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Bit of Luck on Tazmara, you know, just in case.
 


Jessica's stance relaxes only a bit as the Naga reveals itself (sort of), fairly distant from her.  Unable to place the thing, she instead blesses Tazmara with divine benevolence.
 
 
  
farothel
 "It was over there,"  Laurelata said, pointing at the last location she spot the Naga.  But now she had lost it, so she kept looking while moving to that spot, a bit more careful and ready to attack should the Naga come back suddenly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

perception:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
 
u-b
Not quite willing to let Laurelata wander alone, Taz joins her in the active search for the naga... and suddenly stops to unleash a powerful blast that shoots through the water at the stone floor of the cave, raising some mud and debris, that help you notice the presence of a long serpentine body, which quickly covers the few feet between itself and Tazmara and  attacks both the elf and the dwarf from a number of places at once ! Eventually, you do understand what's going on, but by that time Laurelata is tripped and Tazmara gets a deep bite in an arm.

 
 Spoiler 
Tazmara perception: (1d20+8)[28] (1d20+8)[21]
PBS blast (1d20+9)[24] miss (1d100)[42] for (2d6+9)[15]

At Laurelata: (1d20+7)[14] vs FCMD or tripped
At Tazmara: (1d20+10)[15] vs AC for (2d6+5)[9] and Fort DC 19 vs poison

Tazmara fort: (1d20+9)[25]

I rule that the naga still had effective total concealment, but not +2 for being invisible vs sighted opponent, because you've had  some  sort of visual warning. Unfortunately for you, that does not trigger AoOs and is exactly enough to trip Laurelata, who's now prone under the water. Then subsequent attack against Tazmara's regular AC, also hitting.

 ###############################
------------------NN-----------
-----------------TNN-----------
-----JH-----------L------------
-------------------------------
############################### 
 

 There are 4 mirror images all around the naga.

=&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC   17 ,  Touch   10 ,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD   20 ,  Fort  11,  Ref   6 ,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor,   +1 Dex  , +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str  16 , Dex  10 , Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent) 
 Fatigued, round 3/4 (cannot run/charge, –2 STR/DEX)  
 
  
"   There!   " gasps Henri as he starts to shuffle atop the water in the direction of the enemy, his polearm ready to strike if he gets a chance...

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 6 
It doesn't look like Henri can get to melee, so he will take a double move to get within striking distance for next round. (Please note that he has reach with his bec de corbin!)
 
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 8/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Bit of Luck on Tazmara again.  Single move action to stay close-ish to (but behind) Henri.
 


Jessica gasps as the naga reappears.  She trudges stoically through the water in Henri's wake, calling once more upon the conduit between herself and Tazmara.  " Get it, Tazmara! "
 
 
  
farothel
Laurelata had the presence of mind to breathe in before she was dragged underwater.  There she quickly found the ground, put her feet on and came back up, before trying to stab one of the Naga.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

actions:
move action: stand up
standard action: attack:  (1d20+6)[ 20 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 6 ] 
roll for image (1d4, a 1 is the real one):  (1d4)[ 3 ]  EDIT: I hit an image, so that disappears.

   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  20/23,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  17,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
u-b
Henri moves through shallow water. This takes some time. Jessica follows him, invoking another bit of luck on Tazmara. Laurelata is bitten for  14 damage  as she stands up, stabs an image and then gets tail-slapped again while Tazmara blasts another mirror image. The naga's main weapon, the bite, is used against Tazmara again, again for some real effect for  11 damage .

 
 Spoiler 
Henri's speed is 20 ft per round (x2 double move, x0.5 difficult terrain).

AoO (1d20+10)[14] for (2d6+5)[14] and Fort DC 19 vs poison vs prone Laurelata

PBS blast (1d20+9)[19] miss (1d4)[3] for (2d6+9)[21]

(1d20+7)[22] vs CMD or tripped vs Laurelata (provoking AoO and at a penalty if that is successful)
(1d20+10)[20] for (2d6+5)[11] and Fort DC 19 vs poison vs Tazmara
Tazmara fort: (1d20+9)[21]

 ###############################
-----------------NN------------
----------------TNN------------
--------J-H-------L------------
-------------------------------
############################### 
 

 Laurelata save vs poison and might be prone again. Tazmara is 20 hp down over two rounds, but luckily still not poisoned. A total of 3 naga + images left. 
 =&gt; Party (everyone, any order) 
farothel
Feeling the bite go through her armour, Laurelata calls upon the spell she has still in her mind and let it flow out into her, closing her wounds.  As the creature tried to attack her, she whipped out her rapier and tried to block the attack.

 
 Spoiler: OOC rolls 

standard action: use spellstoring (supernatural ability, so no AoO) to cast Cure moderate wounds on myself for  (2d8+3)[ 9 ]  HP healed

AoO: attack:  (1d20+6)[ 25 ]  for damage:  (1d6+3)[ 9 ] 

fortitude vs poison:  (1d20+1)[ 4 ] 
   Laurelata   
F CG Elf Rogue (unchained),  Level  4,  Init  9,  HP  15/23,  Speed  30
 AC  18,  Touch  13,  Flat-footed  15,  CMD  17,  Fort  1,  Ref  7,  Will  2,  CMB  +4,  Base Attack Bonus  3
   Rapier   +6 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
 holy, reliquary, Str+1 composite longbow +1 (20 arrows)   +7 (1d8+2 (+2d6), x3)
   dagger   +6 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
 masterwork, magical chainshirt +1  (+5 Armor, +3 Dex)
 Abilities  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
 Condition  None
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC   17 ,  Touch   10 ,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD   20 ,  Fort  11,  Ref   6 ,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor,   +1 Dex  , +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str  16 , Dex  10 , Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent) 
 Fatigued, round 4/4 (cannot run/charge, –2 STR/DEX)  
 
  
"   Ugh...   " groans Henri, still winded from his rage and trying to get to the naga on top of the choppy water.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 8 
Based on last turn, I think this is Henri's last round of trying (and failing) to get to attack. He can't charge or he might have had an attack roll this time...

Double move to where the naga is.
 
u-b
Laurelata stabs the tail slapping her and, my, does it hit true! Tazmara targets the same image, but this time the blast does not seem to penetrate the snake's tough skin. Henri closes in with the action but, looking how Laurelata gets repeatedly tail-slapped, leaves some space between himself and the naga, just as his weapon allows. Jessica follows him at a short enough distance and uses a bit of luck on Laurelata. The naga takes a last bite of Laurelata and tries to escape...

 
 Spoiler 
Laurelata hits: (1d3)[1]
PBS blast (1d20+9)[18] image (1d3)[1] for (2d6+9)[18]
Laurelata: take (1d2)[2] con damage
Naga vs Laurelata: (1d20+10)[22] for (2d6+5)[14] and Fort DC 21 vs poison  (1d2)[ 2 ]  con

The naga's turn starts like this:
 ###############################
-----------------NN------------
---------------T-NN------------
------------------L------------
------------J---H--------------
############################### 

Then it tries to move 50 yards east.
 

 Laurelata save vs poison and is knocked out under the water (has bit of luck on, which I'll allow to apply). Tazmara is still 20 hp down, but luckily still not poisoned. A total of 3 naga + images left. 
 =&gt; Party (AoOs from Henri, then everyone, any order) 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  21,  Fort  11,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent)  
 
  
As the naga flees, Henri lunges at it with his polearm. Then, taking a deep breath he begins to shuffle after it some more, unable to keep up with the faster creature in its natural habitat. "   Damn limp...   " mutters the half-orc under his breath as he tries to move atop the waves.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics during round 9 
AoO (last round): Bed de Corbin -  (1d20+7)[ 23 ]  to hit,   (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  (20/x3) ,  (1d4)[ 3 ]  re: Mirror Image (high roll of "4" means Henri hit the Naga, not an image),   (1d12+3)[ 12 ]  piercing damage,  (2d12+6)[ 14 ]  critical strike damage .

Double move towards the naga in the next round. With a movement speed of 20, Henri cannot keep up without magical assistance...
 
u-b
The naga manages to escape from melee just as Henri and Taz knock out the last remaining images. The naga tries to swim away at speed and is met by a salvo of short arrow-like projectiles, most of which miss. Most, but not quite all. The naga loses its momentum and you eventually see it's knocked out. Soon five fishmen emerge, one of them the boss you have already seen, all with their heavy crossbows reloaded and ready. They surround the unconscious naga. The boss says something and one of the fishmen swims in your direction to say this in somewhat passable Azlanti:  "You did not kill the naga. You cleared the lair. Yours the lair. Ours the naga." 
 
 Spoiler 
Long-ranged blast (1d20+8)[18] image (1d2)[2] for (2d6+8)[16]

Heavy crossbow (1d20+3)[11] for (1d10)[10]
Heavy crossbow (1d20+3)[10] for (1d10)[8]
Heavy crossbow (1d20+3)[7] for (1d10)[3]
Heavy crossbow (1d20+3)[8] for (1d10)[6]
Heavy crossbow (1d20+9)[24] for (1d10)[8]

Unless you disagree, the combat is over. If nothing magical happens, Laurelata is to do make a total of 8 saves at DC 21 vs 1d2 CON poison. Non-magical treatment will substitute for saves as usual and will accept trained and untrained aid as usual too.
 
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  21,  Fort  11,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent)  
 
  
With the naga under control, Henri turns and immediately fishes Laurelata out of the water.   Can someone help her?  [/COLOR]" he asks as he tries to ensure her mouth and windpipe are clear of water, but noting the obvious signs of poison at the site of her wounds.
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 7/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Convert an unspent 2nd level spell to Cure moderate wounds:  (2d8+4)[ 19 ] 
Then channel for  (2d6)[ 3 ]  for everyone
 


At Laurelata's unluck, Jessica stammers, stepping forward in the knee-high water.  " Of course, " she murmurs, already calling upon the grace of Shelyn as she trudges towards Henri and the unconscious rogue.

Jessica gently places her hands on Laurelata's shoulders as divine energy floods her being.  Relieved at the response, Jessica takes a long breath and raises her holy symbol aloft.  Once more, the familiar pulse of warmth emanates from her.
 
 
  
u-b
Jessica hurries to help. She does help - Laurelata regains consciousness. Tazmara, on the other hand, is  very  worried still:  "The poison! You must do something about the poison or she will die anyway!"  She tries to get the poison out of the wound, but Jessica sees utter lack of practice or training...

 
 Spoiler 
(1d20)[11] or (1d20)[17] or Tazmara: (1d20)[6] or take 2 CON
(1d20)[19] or take (1d2)[1] CON
(1d20)[16] or take (1d2)[1] CON
 

 Laurelata took 6 CON damage so far, with 5 rolls still to go. She's also healed 22 hp which is almost to her ever-decreasing "full". 
u-b
Despite everyone's effort to save her, Laurelata dies of massive internal bleeding and multiple organ failure. The fishmen... well, they don't seem genuinely upset, but they make at least some effort not to project their satisfaction at getting rid of the naga.
DarkOne-Rob
      
    Henri (no last name)   
Male True Neutral Half-Orc Ranger (Wild Stalker),  Level  4,  Init  1,  HP  36 +8 /43 +8 ,  Speed  20 ft
 AC  18,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  17,  CMD  21,  Fort  11,  Ref  7,  Will  5,  CMB  +8,  Base Attack Bonus  4
 Bec de Corbin  +7 (1d12+3, 20/x3)
 Breastplate  (+6 Armor, +1 Dex, +1 Deflect)
 Abilities  Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 7
 Condition  Rage (2/7 daily rounds spent)  
 
  
As he holds her Henri feels when Laurelata stops fighting. His craggy, scarred face doesn't show emotion easily and the seawater has been splashing, so it's difficult to tell tears from sweat and salt water, but the orc doesn't stop looking at her face. "   I think she's gone...   " he says, finally. "   We done here?   "

Without waiting for an answer, the ranger begins walking atop the water towards the shoreline, expecting the others to follow in their own ways.
Farmerbink
      
     Jessica Cooper     
 Spoiler: Current stats &amp; mechanics 
   Jessica Cooper   
F NG Aasimar (Angel-blooded) Cleric,  Level  4,  Init  2,  HP  25/25,  DR  Acid, Cold, Elec resist 5,  Speed 
 AC  11,  Touch  11,  Flat-footed  10,  CMD  16,  Fort  5,  Ref  2,  Will  7,  CMB  +5,  Base Attack Bonus  3
 Glaive   +5 (1d10+3, x3)
 Dagger   +5/+4 (1d4+2, 19-20,x2)
 Abilities  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
 Condition  +2 CL for divination spells
Augery 2/2 (weekly)
Inner beauty: 0/1
Alter self: 1/1
Channel energy: 7/10, 2d6
 Caravan Bond: (1/5) 
Touch of good: 5/5
Bit of Luck: 3/5
Talisman of good fortune: reroll natural 1 (once, then it crumbles)

Convert an unspent 2nd level spell to Cure moderate wounds: [roll0]
Then channel for [roll1] for everyone
 


As she begins to recognize the hazard of the toxins coursing through her friend's veins, Jessica begins tying off tourniquets with increasing fervor.  Desperate to minimize the damage, she cuts off circulation entirely to the infected limb, handing off the loose ends to Henri to pull them tight.  When Laurelata's breaths slow, she begins to tear up.  " No! Nonono!  Stay here!  Stay here! "  Her voice rapidly climbs to a fever pitch as she racks her brain for some why to stave off the inevitable.

Unfortunately, it fast becomes apparent that she hasn't the time.  As Laurelata's final breath rattles out Jessica hangs her head.  She chokes back sobs, staring into the rippling waves.
 
 
  