The Jade Frontier, part 2 (DM: THB, Judge: Lord Sessadore)

[Fragsie]

Chey fails to keep in her amusement at Firete's suggestive comment, falling into uncontrolled giggling.
After a few elongated moments, the energetic girl manages to bring herself back to a semblance of normalcy; "I'm up for taking a quick scout ahead, I think we should press on because time is an issue, but if our next fight is set to be the last chances are we'd be a lot better off for resting up. It all depends on how close to the mark we are as far as the weakening seal is concerned... Hmmm... I have an idea!"

Chey rifles through her backpack and produces the ritual scroll given to her by Valthrun back in Maoleth. "Perhaps, with the specifics contained in this ritual we could devise a way of sensing how weak the seal is currently. Yishim, Firete, with our combined arcane knowledge I think it could be doable, what say you?"

[sblock=OOC]Chey isn't spending any surges if we are continuing on. On that subject, if we only have the boss-fight to go then I'd rather take an extended rest first so that we are all fighting fit, but there are IC time issues that would dissuade Chey from doing so. In either case, Chey is prepared to scout ahead and get a better idea of what we will face next.[/sblock]

 

[pathfinderq1]

[sblock= OOC] I'm willing to let Chey scout ahead before we decide to rest or not. If there is really just one fight left, or if the bad guys are just about to break through the seal, Miranna is willing to press on. If there looks to be more than one fight ahead, I really think we ought to rest now.

In the meantime, a Short Rest seems in order- as noted, Miranna will spend one surge (leaving 2 more); with Firete's Song of Rest, that brings her back to full HP. [/sblock]

 

[Katana_Geldar]

That seems to be a good plan, Chey, Firete agrees. Might I have the scroll? If we can determine how this could be done, then when you scout ahead we can come to a better decision.

She examines the scroll carefully, trying to discern the parts of the ritual that could be useful to them, but fails to see anything.

[sblock=Arcana] Arcana (1d20+7=10) A little help?[/sblock]

 

[Fragsie]

Cheysuli quickly scans the scroll and relates the information she can discern from it, then as the rest of the party pour over the document, the warlock gives them a wink and slinks off into the shadows "I'll come back as soon as I find anything."

[sblock=Actions]Arcana 1d20+9= 18
Stealth 1d20+8 = 27
Rolls[/sblock]

 

[ronakshah2000]

Yishim also looks at the ritual, but can add nothing to Chey's analysis (arcana 12). Let's move closer to the stairs - far enough away to not disturb Chey's sleuthing, but close enough to come to her aid if somethiing goes wrong.

 

[pathfinderq1]

"Here, let me see the scroll," Miranna rasped, once the others had looked it over. Despite her fondness for the sword, most of her training was in the arcane arts (in theory, if not in practice).

OOC: Arcana 1d20+9= 26; roll Roll Lookup

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

From examining the scroll, even Miranna can't see a way to determine the relative strength of the rift.

The maze, as it were, soon ends in a chamber whose only noteworthy feature is a set of stairs heading downward. The rest of the party takes defensive positions as Chey descends downward.

[sblock=Chey]The stairs lead down to a fairly large chamber lit by torchlight. Even from your hidden location you can see a number of hobgoblins, perhaps six or seven, on guard duty. They are clearly armed, and while they currently aren't aware of your presence, you have no doubt that they would be quick to leap into action should a threat present itself.

The chamber itself has three exits, besides the stairs. There's a door to the west, a passage to the east, and another to the north. From your location in the south, you can only see where the north path leads: another room, in which you can see a cage. You can't quite see its occupant, but the long chitinous leg that occasionally probes through the bar is certainly a clue.[/sblock]

 

[Katana_Geldar]

[sblock=TwoHeads]What's the word on my hp? Does Brenwar's Lay on Hands include Song of Rest?'
And what the hell does "chitinous" mean?[/sblock]

 

[Fragsie]

[sblock=Katana]

And what the hell does "chitinous" mean?

An armoured exoskeleton I believe, like some insects, or tyranids![/sblock]

Cheysuli makes note of the hobgoblin's locations then; just as quietly as she descended the stairs, she creeps back up them.
When she returns to the party she shrugs her shoulders at the disappointed faces peering at the ritual scroll, "Oh well, it was just an idea."
The tiefling then relates to the group everything that she saw in the first chamber beyond the stairs, "... so it seems that there are yet more goblins for us to fight through before we get to the Seal, in light of this my vote would be for us to push on at least a little bit further before we sleep, I have another fight in me yet."

 

[Katana_Geldar]

Then why do we not bring the fight to us? Firete suggests. The path from there leads to hear, does it not? We can choose our ground and then let our presence be known to our enemies. We can atack them while they are advancing, and perhaps even Yishim could make things rather difficult underfoot for them.