DM's Log of Session Forty One
Huge jaws snapping forward, the T-Rex bit Ki, fangs pumping venom into the monks helpless form as he was lifted in its jaws up off the ground. Ben bounded forwards, hands pummelling the ground as the big ape raced to help, his claws opening a gash on one of the mighty lizards leg, while the crocodile failed to bite the towering dinosaur. From behind his animals, Masembe began summoning another ally, as Jebodiah charged past, his axe hacking into the Tyrannosaur's other leg. Aeron flies across the bazaar to hover abover a building nearer the fray and he cast a Ray of Enfeeblement at the big lizard, but it failed to do anything. Ash who had been brining up the rear of the party, headed into the courtyard and on seeing what they were up against, immediately cast a Bull's Strength spell on himself. Zamtap chanted out a prayer and cast Mass Lesser Vigor on Jebodiah, Ki, Masembe, Ben and himself and then moved in closer to the melee.
Tossing its head back, the T-Rex swallowed Ki whole, the monk groaning "Not Again!" as he slid down the creatures throat, it then stepping back. Masembe summoned another crocodile, but it vanished as soon as it arrived, the Tyrannosaur's jaws tearing it apart. The other crocodile and Ben closed the distance with the Rex, the croc again missing, but both of Bens claws raked across the scaly hide of one leg, opening further wounds. chanting non-stop, Masembe pressed on with summoning, calling for another creature to aid him. As the stomach acid of the T-Rex took its toll on Ki, so he used his wand to try and keep himself alive a little longer, closing some wounds even as more apeared. Jebodiah's axe hit but once, doing very little, while a volley of Magic Missiles from Aeron had no effect, the wizard growling about "goddamned magic resistant monsters". Moving towards the battle, Ash took the time to cast Divine Favour on himself, while Zamtap cast Prayer to boost his allies, but it failed to have any effect on the dinosaur in their midst.
the life slipped from Ki then as the acid in the T-Rexes stomach proved too powerful,. the monks soul departing for the Fugue Plane, as his killer contined its rampage, huge jaws snapping shut on Jebodiah and lifting the dwarf into the air to the muttered growls of "Gerroofff!" Another crocodile appeared and together both croc's bit and lashed the T-Rex with their tails, while Bens claws missed entirely. In the dinosaurs jaws, Jebodiah struggled but failed to break loose. Seeing that the group needed to win this fight soon before they all ended up in the Rexes's guts, Aeron casts Haste on everyone except himself, though he did speed up both of the crocs and Ben too! Seeing his friend about to be lunch brought Ash charging into the fray calling out "Jeb!!" as he smote the dinosaur, his vicious greatsword wounding the T-Rex and himself. Zamtap drew his warhammer and charged in but his blow missed.
"Arrgghhh" was heard as Jebodiah vanished down the T-Rexes throat, the crocs and Ben taking advantage of the dinosaurs attention being momentarily elsewhere to attack. While both of the crocs missed, Ben bit and clawed a leg. Swallowed but by no means no out, Jeb held his breath and hacled at the creatures stomach lining, cutting a bloody exit from its guts for himself. Seeing Jebodiah out, Aeron loosed off a Lesser Electric Orb, it hurting the beast as the wizard grinned "Can't resist that can you?", he called out trumphantly, as ash stepped in and tore the creature apart with his sword, cutting through one leg and then as the T-Rex fell to the ground, driving the blade to the hilt into its skull.
Together with Jebodiah, the paladin cut the remains of Ki out of the Tyrannosaur's guts, and the party then argued about what to do with the huge corpse, it being a very obvious sign of their presence. Ash was in favour of hacking it apart, while Aeron preferred to simply preserve it with a Gentle Repose. Zamtap chipped with with the notion of burying it entirely in stones, and ash and Masembe favoured simply moving on. In the end, they elected to drag the corpse (mostly done by Ash, Jeb and Ben) some distance away into a ruin with a roof, and use a Stonewall spell to seal it inside, with Masembe casting Plant Growth on the area of the battle to cover up all the evidence of spilled blood and guts. The party decided to camp that night at the bazaar in one of the old shops that still retained a roof, and though watches were posted the night went by without event.
The next morning as the party finished prayers and Aeron closed his spellbook, Jebodiah on watch in the doorway spotted a winged shape descending towards them, he growling back at the others "Ssvaklor!"
His hands and lips moving immediately, Masember chanted and cast Neutralise Poison on Jebodiah, as the creature landed and breathed out a torrent of poisonous gas at the dwarf and druid, Masembe choking on the fumes. Ash cast Divine Favour on himself and drawing his sword strode out to face the beast, Zamtap moving out also, but his Spiritual Warhammer missed, as did Aeron's Ray of Enfeeblement as the wizard moved out and immediately ducked into another doorway. Jebodiah stayed where he was and tapped his Shield of Faith brooch to activate it.
Masembe gestured and cast Neutralise Poison on himself and Ben, the druid and ape then moving out to join the others, with Ben clawing at the Ssvaklor but missing, though the dragon raked the ape in return. Ash moved in close and smote the dragon, while Zamtap's Spiritual Warhammer missed again, the cleric grunting and drawing his dragonbane warhammer, moving in closer to the creature. Jebodiah moved out of the ruin, as Aeron cast Mass Enlarge Person to boost the dwarf, Ash and Zamtap in size.
Ben claws again raked over the Ssvaklor's thick scaly hide but failed to wound the dragon in any way, Masembe chanting and casting Magic Fang on his ape companion, as the Ssvaklor tore into Ash, clawing him terribly, his teeth ripping into the paladin and poisoning him also. Staggering from his wounds, Ash swung wildly at his foe, both his attacks going wide though. The Spiritual Warhammer smacked into the dragon then, as did Zamtap's own warhammer. While Jebodiah hung back, Aeron waved a hand and sped things up a bit with a Haste spell to boost the rest of the party.
Growling, Ben clawed the dragon, his enhanced claws tearing easily through its hide this time. Moving around behind the group, Masembe placed a hand on Ash's back and cast a Cure Serious Wounds to help keep the paladin on his feet. The Ssvaklor backed away from the group, its mouth blasting forth a cloud of poisonous gas to envelope Ash and Zamtap, but affecting only the priest. However, it took a blow from Ash's sword in the process, and the paladin was not about to let his foe get away,charging after the dragon and cutting it down, as Zamtap cast Neutralise Poison on himself to cleanse his lungs of the remaining gas.
Having rested for the night, Zamtap knelt beside Ki's body and called to his spirit with a Speak With Dead, learning that the monk had no desire to return to life, a new adventure laying before him on the planes. ash and Jeb hauled away the Ssvaklor's corpse and hid it nearby. Returning to the others, the party decided that their best course of action was to rest up a day to recover from the poison, as well as see to burying Ki and dividing up whatever they weren't going to inter with him.
DM's Notes:
As can be seen, the problem with less enciunters but with more powerful creatures is their tendency to munch characters! So passes Ki Tendragion, a character whose phenomenal ability to dodge left him with a low AC and BAB and ultimately led to him getting eaten twice in one day by a Tendriculos and Tyrannosaurus. Hell of a way to go! With his death the party lose their last stealth oriented character, and since Tony intends on a cleric for his next character, it seems the group are about to reinforce their usual "Bull in a China Shop" approach of brute force and ignorance backed by massive spellpower and plenty of healing. Time will tell how successful this is, though if anyone can pull this off it will be my lot!
