Return To The Ruins (Warlords Palace)

[silifi]

Sik approaches the swinish looking man, wary. Upon hearing his strange intonations, he sniffs the air, hoping to pick up a scent of sorcery about the corpulent creature. 4:12 chance to detect magic.

[OGRE MAGE]

Would you like to take an action as well?

[Belkregos]

Would you like to take an action as well?

Belloc is holding action and giving the newcomer space

[subaltari]

Cyril
"No bow but I have a sling? What did you have in mind?"

"Very well, but we must get much closer before we may use them," Magda says to Cyril and Drest. Meanwhile she is unwrapping her own leather sling from inside her sleeve.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"How many weird things are we going to encounter here?" He keeps the current pace.

Sorry for the delay.

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

Kain nods to the man. "I am Kainaxarthos Satani. It's a pleasure meeting someone who isn't trying to kill us down here. What is your name?"

He moves between Ceana and the large man and continues chatting. "Are you in need of aid?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Under The Zakath Desert
The Underborea?
No Idea On Time Or Day

As the rest of the group makes their way down the many switchbacks in the cliff towards the others, a discussion about their lack of bows is broached. (it will take the group another 2 full turns to reach the bottom, half that if you should decide to run the remainder of the distance)

Those near the giant mushrooms continue their meet and greet with this strange pig-like underworld fellow they just met, though only 2 of them decide to do any talking.

Belloc feels a strange sensation in his mind, but the professional Magician is able to fend away any attempts to take over his thoughts. He remains silent, keeping a distance from the possibly perilous porker.

Porky.jpg (47.56 KiB) Viewed 341 times

"Personally, I find it rather rude when lesser beings ignore my questions. Remember........fertilizer comes in many forms, my dear."

Despite him not making any threatening physical actions towards them, most still seem hesitant to deal further with this creature. The beast suddenly snaps his head towards the cliff where you can see the others are clearly descending, as evidenced by their glowing torch and lantern walking down the switchbacks.

The creature smiles awkwardly when Kain finally steps forward and introduces himself, before asking how to address his new friend. "My name? It can be difficult to pronounce for some, so for now you can simply call me master. And....I am actually in need of aid, which you can help me with right now. Those others approaching from up there.......please go intercept them at the base of the cliffs and tell them to wait there for a moment. All will be revealed to you very shortly, I assure you."

He thinks for a moment before looking to Ceana lastly. "Might you wish to go with him, friend?"

Actions?

Can I get a Sorcery Save from Ceana, please? This one is at a -2 (willpower adjustments apply) Failure will result in you doing as the creature asks for now.

Ceana (D3) FA:2 AC5 19/19 Torch
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:1 AC6 17/19
Taibhse (Sh2) FA:0(20) AC5 11/11 Torch
Belloc (M2) FA:0(20) AC6 36/14 Enlarge

Drest (Sc4) FA:3 AC7 16/22
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17
Akhilleus (F4) FA:4 AC4 19/35
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba1) FA:1 AC5 9/12
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, DM Torch

[Rex]

Drest

Drest continues to lead the group down at the same pace (no running).

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus keeps descending too.

[shaidar]

Xenos keeps up the others.

[Belkregos]

Belloc's gaze bounced between his companions. Their faces held a flicker of... something. A worrying complacency towards Pigface's demands. It sparked a cold dread in his gut, the same sensation that had gripped them when the frog witch wove her insidious magic.

His eyes darted, taking in the unsettling surroundings, grotesquely warped by Pigface's power. The corpulent form seemed to vibrate with an unnatural energy.

Gripping his staff until his knuckles shone white, Belloc steeled himself. His voice, though laced with a hint of tension, remained steady.
"Well, Mr. PigMaster," he began, enunciating each word carefully,
"it's clear you hold considerable sway here. A testament, no doubt, to your power. Perhaps you could concede that for us to have made it this far, we must be more than ordinary people. reasonably there could be room for cooperation.
You can choose to break your toys or play with them.
Surely, there is something you want, I can assure you, there's a lot we want."

[silifi]

Sik continues descending.

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

The druid feels like the pig man is trying to get her to do something. The suggestion to go stop her companions seems reasonable.
Sorcery (13): [1d20]=7
So, she nods and says, "Be glad to help you." And walks over to the stairs at the base of the cliff.
"The Pig Man says to wait here for a moment."

Ceana gets a +2 on Sorcery saves; it did no good in this instance, however.

[Belkregos]

Belloc's gaze bounced between his companions. Their faces held a flicker of... something. A worrying complacency towards Pigface's demands. It sparked a cold dread in his gut, the same sensation that had gripped them when the frog witch wove her insidious magic.

His eyes darted, taking in the unsettling surroundings, grotesquely warped by Pigface's power. The corpulent form seemed to vibrate with an unnatural energy.

Gripping his staff until his knuckles shone white, Belloc steeled himself. His voice, though laced with a hint of tension, remained steady.
"Well, Mr. PigMaster," he began, enunciating each word carefully,
"it's clear you hold considerable sway here. A testament, no doubt, to your power. Perhaps you could concede that for us to have made it this far, we must be more than ordinary people. reasonably there could be room for cooperation.
You can choose to break your toys or play with them.
Surely, there is something you want, I can assure you, there's a lot we want."

Belloc gives a look at Taibshe, hopefully he gets he is trying to buy them time to get away

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

He nods agreeably. "Sure. That makes sense. Come on Ceana."

Kain turns and moves to the path up with Ceana and seconds her request. "Hold up here for a moment. The Master is working on something."

[The_Wanderer]

It feels like it could not yet have been two full turns and I Cyril doesn't see an overt sign of danger...so would not be running. So maybe he is calling down to Kain and Ceana...

Kainaxarthos
"Hold up here for a moment. The Master is working on something."

Cyril cranes his neck over a boulder to look down at Kain and Ceana.
"What the blazes...?"

He calls out just loud enough for Kain and Ceana to hear. "Of course! But just WHO is the Master and what might he be working on with the rest of our companions?"

[Ahlmzhad]

Taibhse

Seeing Belloc's look, he moves to join Caena in heading to join the rest of the party.

[OGRE MAGE]

Oops! I wrote Turns when I meant to write Rounds. Sorry for the confusion!

Under The Zakath Desert
The Underborea?
No Idea On Time Or Day

As the others continue to make their way down the cliff face, Kain and Ceana move towards the path's base to meet up with them. Words are exchanged from a distance, Cyril's final question still echoing in their heads. Without having to be convinced, Taibhse decides to follow along as well. (at the end of this current round, you will all be assembled together at the base of the cliff, though still one round away from the mushroom area where Belloc is about to......)

The giant pig creature almost smiles when Belloc convinces Taibhse to follow along with the others, leaving the buffed up Magician behind all alone to fend for himself with no light around but the glow from the strange plantlife. The Master responds to Belloc's offer of cooperation. "Why, all I could possibly ask for is already right here for me. I have plenty of ruined areas to live and play in. The stinking Snake-men continue to sell me their delicious grubs to eat, and now I have come across a veritable feast that should provide enough food to last me for several weeks."

Before Belloc has a chance to digest these words, the Master lunges for him. Its appearance changes once the attack begins, suddenly sporting huge tusks that jut out from its bottom jaw. The massive pigman loudly snaps its ample jowls in the face of Belloc, who is just barely able to sidestep the vicious surprise biting attack. (stupid die roller)

Actions?

Belloc (M2) FA:0(20) AC6 36/14 Enlarge

Ceana (D3) FA:2 AC5 19/19 Torch
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:1 AC6 17/19
Taibhse (Sh2) FA:0(20) AC5 11/11 Torch
Drest (Sc4) FA:3 AC7 16/22
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17
Akhilleus (F4) FA:4 AC4 19/35
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba1) FA:1 AC5 9/12
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, DM Torch

[Rex]

Drest

Drest continues to lead the group down the steep trail.

[The_Wanderer]

If Cyril is within 120' and can see the attack he will cast hold person on the pig man.

Hold Person
Lvl: mag 3, cry 3, nec 3, wch 2; clr 2 | Rng: 120 feet Dur: 6 turns (1 hour)
Hold person victims are frozen still, motionless, paralyzed. This enchantment affects humans, humanoids, and giants. It can be cast at a single opponent or a group of individuals, so long as they are within a 10-foot radius of the spell’s primary target. When cast at a group, as many as four individuals may be affected, beginning with those closest to the primary target. Each target is allowed a sorcery saving throw to resist the spell; if but a single target is selected, its saving throw is made at a −2 penalty. Any targets of 9 HD or greater gain a +4 saving throw bonus. Saving throws are modified by willpower adjustment, if applicable.