Master of Jade, Mistress of Iron - a World of Conclave adventure

Mal chokes violently on his tea, spews a surprisingly large amount of the warm liquid out his nose and across all those gathered around the table, and scrambles backward in an awkward attempt to get away from the whirling claw tipped arms. He stumbles over his chair, knocking it over in a crash of splintering wood, and claws an arrow from the quiver at his back and sends a three foot arrow thunking into the wood of the table where Vaal's teacup once rested.

[sblock=Actions]Initiative (1d20+3=21)

• Move: Attempt Acrobatics Check (Fail - so move draws AoO), move 20' away from table.
• Free: "Draw" bow and knock arrow
• Standard: Thell Longbow (1d20+6=10) (for Damage (1d10+4=5) if it hits).

[/sblock]
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[sblock=Stat Block]Malachite the Unfettered
Male DaQan Fighter (Archer) 1
CN Medium Outsider (native)
Init +3; Senses Darkvision; Perception +0
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 23 (1d10+1)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Greataxe +4 (1d12+4/x3) and
. . Dagger +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2) and
. . Dagger +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2) and
. . Cestus +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2)
Ranged Darkwood Thell Longbow (Str +3) +5 (1d10+3/19-20/x2)
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 17 (18 vs. Bull Rush, 18 vs. Drag)
Feats Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits Armor Expert, Rich Parents
Skills Climb +7, Survival +4, Swim +7
Languages Edraldi, Low Imperial, Thell
SQ Stone in the Blood, Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day)
Combat Gear Darkwood Thell Longbow (Str +3), Greataxe, Dagger, Dagger, Cestus, Arrows (40), Blunt arrows (20), Masterwork Chain shirt; Other Gear Backpack, masterwork (10 @ 23 lbs), Bedroll, Belt pouch (2 @ 1 lbs), Flint and steel, Grappling hook, Hammock, Silk rope, Torch (2), Trail rations (4), Whetstone, Wrist sheath, spring loaded (1 @ 1 lbs), Wrist sheath, spring loaded (1 @ 1 lbs)
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TRACKED RESOURCES
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Dagger - 0/1
Dagger - 0/1
Arrows - 0/40
Blunt arrows - 0/20
Torch - 0/2
Trail rations - 0/4
Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day) - 0/1
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Special Abilities
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Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into combat.
Stone in the Blood Gain fast healing 2 for one round anytime you are subject to acid damage.
Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day) Transform a 10-ft. radius patch of earth into difficult terrain.
[/sblock]

The thing is all twitching, thrashing arms and legs and Mal's aim is off. A clawed leg scrapes across his armour as he clumsily backs away.

[sblock=OOC]
Thing - AoO vs. Mal - miss.

The thing is AC 17, touch 15 should you wish to adjudicate your own rolls.
[/sblock]

"Capture the waitress, secure the kitchen! The killer is probably still here. I'll obliterate the monstrosity." commands Hang as he stands. His hands move quickly to the scabbard on his back, and with one fluid motion he unsheathes the sword and slashes at the creature, delivering a well aimed, if weak cut. Hang takes the blade back for seconds to assess the damage, putting the hilt next to his face, and the point towards the fiendish thing. His eyes narrow and seems ready to leap again into mortal combat.

Initiative: 6
Move: Stand up
Free: unsheathe falichon
Standard: Falichon attack: 24 vs ac for 6 (minimum -.- ) dmg

Hang slices off one of the many legs from the creature, but it has plenty more. Anyone heeding his words may notice above the general confusion going on that the waitress who handed Vaal the trapped tea-cup has leapt over the side of the Catfish into the fray of Thievestown.

[sblock=Running Bi, Sil]
The shifty men by the bar are also leaving - unlike most of the other patrons of the Catfish they are doing so calmly.
[/sblock]

Bi's affected calm crumbles the instant that the creature appears. Deciding quickly that the others are more capable of handling the monstrosity than he is, he backs away (5 foot step) and turns his attention to the men who were watching them before. He tries to catch Sil's attention and motions emphatically toward the men, hoping that they don't notice his motions in the confusion.

With a snap of his fingers, Bi targets one of the watching men with a sleeping hex. Insanely, all he can think as the salesman dies nearby is I guess I was right not to drink the tea!

[sblock=OOC]
Move: 5 foot step away from the creature, towards the mysterious men
Standard: If they are within 30 feet, follow that up with a slumber hex on the nearest one (DC 15)[/sblock]

With a quiet, slick sound; a set of razor sharp claws slid out of the tips of Sil's fingers, as she saw the men stand to leave and Bi's gesture. She nimbly leaped from her position, racing over the deck of the ship, to try to cut them off. "Stand where you are!" she barked out.

Typical, she tought to herself. This deal was already becoming more complex than she'd wanted.

Initiative: 9
Move action: Moving up to the men. Use a double move if necessary
Standard action: If a double move isn't required, ready an attack against the first man to try to get past Sil
Attack (if it happens): 9
Damage (if it happens): 2

Blue scrambles back from the table and the many-legged creature trying to ensure the thing doesn't have the chance to impale him with one of its legs.

"Gods and spirits!"

Once he's safely out of range of the deadly, impaling legs he'll study the men (and woman) around him to see who has the mien of a warrior and is taking on the creature.

[sblock=Actions/OOC]Full round: withdraw, though he won't back away too far.

Rolls for Mal below also. EDIT: So it was clear to Mal that Blue momentarily thought about bolting and might have outside influence of some sort.[/sblock][sblock=MiniStats][size=+1]Blue Eye Bellows[/size]
Initiative: +1
AC: 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 13)[/sblock]

"By the Great Mountain! It's a... (rolling EDIT Nat 20 awesome)." He-Mit says as he draws his shield from his back and slips it over his forearm.

[sblock=OOC] Rolling INIT and Know9nature) if he identifies this thing then he'll use a bardic performance to id the others.

Naturalist (Ex): An archivist who has identified a creature with a Knowledge check appropriate to its type can use performance to share strategies for defeating it with allies in combat. The archivist and any allies within 30 feet gain a +1 insight bonus to AC and on attack rolls and saving throws against exceptional, supernatural, and spell-like abilities used by creatures of that specific kind of monster (e.g., frost giants, not all giants or all humanoids). This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every six levels thereafter. This language-dependent ability requires visual and audible components.[/sblock]

[sblock=Status]
HP: 21/21
AC: 17 T: 12
Fort: +0, Reflex: +4, Will: +2
Conditions: none
Bardic Performance: 5/6

Spells:
Cantrips: detect magic, light, know direction, mending
1st level: comprehend languages, cure light wounds
Used:
1: (_), (_)[/sblock]

OOC: That's a handy ability, HM!

[sblock=He-Mit]
He-Mit proves his worth straight away. The creature is a palu devil, from the Palu Palo desert in the Hudan Technocracy. They live out the dry periods as inert cysts, but spring into life when exposed to moisture whereupon they undergo a frenzy of feeding and breeding before the next dry season. There is a larger, poisonous variant, the palu horror, but these have blue notes to their colouration. He-Mit is pretty sure this is merely a palu devil.

They are simple vermin - vicious with potentially lots of attacks but with no particular powers. They are, however, hard to get hold of. Whoever planted this, if planted it was, must have plentiful resources.
[/sblock]

Bi snaps his fingers, and one of the suspicious men at the bar collapses to the ground, knocking over a gaming table as he does so and causing another ripple of panic to spread through the Catfish. Sil darts across the floor and threatens the second man with her claws. He grabs a bottle of jinka rum from the bar and swings it clumsily at Sil. He misses but causes enough of a distraction to back-pedal away from the tlaxu towards the gunwhales of the Catfish.

Meanwhile, Mal and Hang are facing off against the palu devil whilst Blue and He-Mit are hanging back for now. The waitress who served the trapped tea is now a couple of boats away and fast vanishing into Thievestown.

The palu devil skitters forwards, dripping blood from its severed leg, and launches a flurry of swirling claws at Hang that he has to work hard to block (helped by encouragement and advice from He-Mit). Some scrape off his shield and armour but the assault is so fast and confusing that some get through, leaving him bleeding from several cuts.

[sblock=OOC]
Shady Character 1 - fails Will save, sleep for 1 round

So initiative order breaks down as:

Palu Devil - full attack on Hang. Attack 1 hits for 4 damage, attack 2 hits for 3 damage, attack 3 miss, attack 4 miss.

Mal
Shady characters - Shady Character 2 - attack Sil with improvised weapon, miss. Move away - I've used Sil's attack roll (which misses) as her AoO
Waitress
Bi
Sil
He-Mit
Blue
Hang
[/sblock]

The mountain born huntsman quickly regains his composure. Now calm, he pulls another clothyard shaft from his quiver, knocks and draws to the cheek. A deep breath in, half a breath out, and release . . . the bolt flies true, impaling the whirling mass of fur and legs dead center!

[sblock=Actions]Initiative (1d20+3=21)

• Move: None
• Standard: Thell Longbow (1d20+7=26) (Crit Confirm (1d20+7=22)) for Damage (2d10+8=12)

Crappy damage rolls, but a CRIT! Color me HAPPY![/sblock]
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[sblock=Stat Block]Malachite the Unfettered
Male DaQan Fighter (Archer) 1
CN Medium Outsider (native)
Init +3; Senses Darkvision; Perception +0
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 23 (1d10+1)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Greataxe +4 (1d12+4/x3) and
. . Dagger +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2) and
. . Dagger +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2) and
. . Cestus +4 (1d4+3/19-20/x2)
Ranged Darkwood Thell Longbow (Str +3) +5 (1d10+3/19-20/x2)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 16, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 17 (18 vs. Bull Rush, 18 vs. Drag)
Feats Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits Armor Expert, Rich Parents
Skills Climb +7, Survival +4, Swim +7
Languages Edraldi, Low Imperial, Thell
SQ Stone in the Blood, Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day)
Combat Gear Darkwood Thell Longbow (Str +3), Greataxe, Dagger, Dagger, Cestus, Arrows (40), Blunt arrows (20), Masterwork Chain shirt; Other Gear Backpack, masterwork (10 @ 23 lbs), Bedroll, Belt pouch (2 @ 1 lbs), Flint and steel, Grappling hook, Hammock, Silk rope, Torch (2), Trail rations (4), Whetstone, Wrist sheath, spring loaded (1 @ 1 lbs), Wrist sheath, spring loaded (1 @ 1 lbs)
--------------------
TRACKED RESOURCES
--------------------
Dagger - 0/1
Dagger - 0/1
Arrows - 0/40
Blunt arrows - 0/20
Torch - 0/2
Trail rations - 0/4
Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day) - 0/1
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into combat.
Stone in the Blood Gain fast healing 2 for one round anytime you are subject to acid damage.
Treacherous Earth (1 minutes) (1/day) Transform a 10-ft. radius patch of earth into difficult terrain.
[/sblock]