Despite being unharmed I knew my pitiful though consistent
damage was no match for 3 chimeras. Turning invisible and diving beneath the water
with a cure spell on hand a pulled helgas unconscious body under healing her
and swam away. When we surfaced ron was close behind dragging the others. It
seemed the chimera had made off with the gnomes body and were now out of sight.
We angled to shore and soon were back in our commandeered HQ.
It took some time but I was eventually able to resuscitate a very blue Dorian.
His back with us but doesn’t seem quite there, his focus is lost and though he
can cast the same what he casts seems only as powerful as when he started this trek.
After an uneventful night and some argument a plan was
decided upon. Despite tjs insistence that we should compromise our positioning
to avoid breath attacks I thought that wasteful as we were now all immune or
resistant. Though with the way dorian was losing focus I was initially worried
he might have cast the wrong resistance on me.
We snuck-up and made a irregular line along the rocky beach
with helga and dorian behind the two large rocks there. Some final buffs, two
pre-cast spiritual weapons hovering above dorian and ranged weapons out myself
and tj started to make noise to attract the chimeras ire. After 2 rounds of
making noise and ron lobbing impressive area stink bombs into the broken keep
the chimera came out. Unfortunately at the exactly same time six crocodiles, attracted
by the noise, attacked.
Three on me and
three on tj. After the crocodiles attacked me tj pointed out to his crocodiles
that ron was also making noise so one went and attacked him. I only wish he had
used his crocodile whispering trick earlier as 2 crocodiles each would be maybe
doable, 3 on me .. I was worried as being a caster with few muscles I would struggle
vs just one. Not to mention against every previous crocodile or grappler I had
struggled. I was however confident that having boosted others skills, rushed to
their aid, healed them, boosted them, lead them through traps and to treasure
they missed I would get assistance. That was soon shattered when aj laughed as
3 crocks bit me and one managed a grapple. Ironically the wimp then screamed
when one crocodile bit him. Would have thought crocodiles would get along
better than that!
As Helga de-buffed the male chimera while he and a female did
a wide loop the other female chimera came out of the stink cloud doing some impressive
3 way sick. Quick way to empty ones stomach I suppose. Ron attacked his croc,
tj his 2 and I hacked at my 3 after drawing my melee weapon. Dorian directed
his spiritual weapons, to my thoughts unwisely, on the main male chimera.
The two active chimeras breathed; noticeably the females’
breath was only a 20ft cone which seemed smaller than last time. The crocs
attacked this time with bites and tales and death rolled me. I knew at this
rate the party was heading for failure. Ron finished his, aj kept on with and I (on my last leg) almost dropped
the one that had hold of me. Helga and
dorian attacked the chimera. The chimera attacked Helga, dorian did a burst to
heal tj and I and most impressively also came up and touch healed me even as
his spiritual weapons slashed ineffectually.
Helga cast to appear decrepit and hobbled away, only the
male chimera not being fooled. Dorian was now surrounded. Ron lobbed a bomb which
damaged an unwounded croc on me and whose splash melted the one that had
grabbed me as aj managed to one of his after some horrible misses. I was grappled
again but hacked away as the chimera attacked dorian he healed himself and
escaped.
Ron killed a female chimera and AJ followed the male chimera
which moved off to get Helga provoking a stout blow from aj. Helgas sleep
failed as I failed to dispatch my wounded croc and was death rolled into
unconsciousness. As dorian and helga retreated,
the male chimera told the female chimera that was next to me (and the 2 crocks
to grab me and retreat to eat). Aj and ron ran off up the bank into the
undergrowth and dorian went after the male leaving me to my predicament.
As I dreamed of joining the akasta memory and living
another life as a archer paladin highly amused at the double win prospect of
making aj so evil that he becomes a null person preferably just after I get to
slay him in 1 round, max 2 if detecting evil was necessary.
Unfortunately first the croc and chimera fought over my
body and then Helga cast confusion. As she followed the male and the male
escaped dorian stunned her and aj and ron now unable to follow the male turned
to finish her. One croc died confused and the other (confused) and wounded)
dragged it off into the deep.
Dorian got me up and we looted. The ‘chimera horde’ was
well worth it, and thankfully we found the journal the gnome had. Both ron and
I felt really big after the fight.. almost like we were EIGHT feet tall!
After another uneventful evening, and some argument, we
stuck to the plan moving round the coast to the human area. We dot ron and ajs
remarkably similar agreement to not interfere and bite their tongues and dorian
was to be the mouth piece. I lead them round the waters edge to the start of a
wide avenue and no weapons out we proceeded. I waved my white feather as we
moved up the avenue. In a great ambush area some archers appeared and dorian
started to talk. After (with some gallant inspiration) i saved us from their
reaction to his babbling in some useless tounge and ajs idiotic suprise that
they were black we were taken to their leader.
seriously..^
Despite aj commenting trying his best the leader managed to
agree to trade. Early he seemed utterly
against us upsetting the balance of power as it might attract attacks. He got
over it and said he would help. He is happy about the bat, that was a pain to
their people.
If we return in two days he will have all the information
we require from his scouts about the other areas as well as having informed all
his people to leave us alone. In the discussion we found out a ‘radiant muse’
lives on the spire in his area and is a female winged snake. He seemed to think
it relevant to mention a female is a bitch but will talk to her in the next 2
days to make our pre-introductions.
Apparently each spire has a special power which he will also
get back to us on (as well as jeliks gear and a spell book from the chimera
hoard). It seems the spire here helps crafting if you can do a performance on
the top and channel energy from the right god. Our monster section has
something to do with trade etc. On our way out he showed us woodcut/mosaic or
something of the ‘monster’ in the water. It seems to be of the sea monster kind
we have already slain – only with spikes and evil looking eyes.. Also I managed
to allow him to let us stay in his area, on the edge nearest the monster area,
for the next 2 days. As long as we provoke nothing.
It seems we all feel good at crafting in this area and ron
feels 25% faster at crafting in this area so I figure it’s a good move. The
plan is to get some potions together and maybe explore the underwater ziggurat
while we wait. I do hope aj and ron can let things lie and allow the trade,
intel and craft to proceed. I did avoid mentioning our caravan but figure its
best to wait till he tells his people we are friends and after we provide some
service or he needs reinforcements.
