The night.
Fangor the Fierce said:
"So, if you were able to fashion the arrows that we would use with the poison, to prevent us from poisoning ourselves, then we should be able to use it against them? Or would we still find the chance that we would be poisoned by its use?"
Verdin:
"Well. I can prepare arrows for you to use, but there is still a negligible chance that you will be poisoned when you draw and fire them. So you can use them at your own risk."
OOC: he can prevent the 5% chance that will poison yourself during application, but can't eliminate the need for a reflex save to be poisoned should you fumble the attack.
Fangor the Fierce said:
"Hightower? How are you with that chain in confined spaces? It's never been an obstacle, but I think the Temple would prevent you from using it as well as you could."
OOC: Hightower, only has difficulty with cover eliminating AOO. He can still take regular attacks against opponents with cover, but can't take attacks of opportunity versus arcanists or do his I-trip-you-and-kill-you-before-you-can-attack-as-you-close-to-me trick. Cover only applies to the one closer to the covering obstruction, so once he is adjacent to an oppenent they no longer get cover, so if he goes all the way up to them then he is fine. If they then back off, depending upon the angle, then he might actually be able to take advantage of the cover.
Looking over as the wayward partyfolk come back breifly. "Would you be able to relieve the effects of this poison before you go?"
Faris:
"Unfortunately, I only have cure spells prepared for today, and did not prepare a lesser restoration. Here, I will bind your wounds, at the least, before we go." She casts
cure moderate on Hightower and a
cure light on Rosa, bringing them both up to full hit points.
"We really must be going if we are to make any headway before nightfall." And with that, they go.
OOC: so Hightower gets first watch (4 hours), Rosa and Fenwick takes morning watch after they recover their spells (4 hours), and Trent and Verdin take a middle watch (4 hours)? That will cover about twelve hours, long enough to get you to early morning.
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Near the end of Hightower's watch, just before sunset, he spies a trio of Blackscales leave the temple. They hurry to the southwest, more or less away from your present location but toward the spot where the initial alarm was raised. He hears some wood-chopping sounds and great deal of commotion but the forest and great distance obscure their actions. Then he barely makes out a pair of blackscales carrying a 15ft-long slender bundle with one of them at each end. In the now deepening gloom he can't quite make out what it is that they are carrying, but is barely able to spy the third blackscale approach the large wooden cage near the western camp. The creature gingerly lifts the bar on the cage, and hastily sneaks back toward portico, surprisingly well hidden for a creature of its considerable bulk. With the last light of day gone, he can't see the cage open, but after a few minutes hears a series of grunts and then a terrible crashing sound as what he guesses is the cage being torn asunder. As the moons rise, he makes out the faintest outline of a large silver-backed shape move from hut to hut, searching. More grunts and noises ensue. After a time, the creature disappears from his sight.
Trent's watch is uneventful, and surprisingly relaxing. A cool night breeze seems to have drawn the mosquitos elsewhere and the noises of the jungle are surprisingly soothing. Verdin joins him during this watch, his keen eyes scan the moonlit jungle for threats as they converse. Trent gathers that Verdin is a true opportunist, but with time, he might be swayed to see the importance of the path of righteousness that Trent follows.
Rosa and Fenwick take their turns at their watches, with each taking a few minutes to gather their belongings and collect the proper state of mind for their spell powers to coalesce to something that they can manipulate later on that day. They witness the sunrise, and now from their vantage see visible activity under the portico. Several shapes seem to be working hurriedly at some task, but they can not make out for what. They note that the wooden cage seems utterly destroyed, as if a rock or a meteor had crushed it. Two of the blackscale huts seem damaged as well. The one to the south has a number of stones pulled from its walls and the roof seems to lean precariously. Indeed, they guess that several of the stones now lay amongst the remains of the cage. The hut to the west has had its roof dismantled, with thatch thrown about nearby. However, a few bits of straw trail off toward the south.
OOC: FYI you are to the east-southeast of the temple, due east from the spot where the alarm was raised.