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Showing posts from April, 2022

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 24)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Drax spits his borrowed sword out of his mouth and wipes the hot blood from his face, calm as an innocent man at temple. He gives a nod to his companions and wipes the blood from his face before retrieving and sheathing his blade. A smaller knife pierces the thick skin of the "bugbear" and slices upwards towards the abdomen. Finally, the venom sack is revealed. It is a yellow pouch, surrounded by layers of thick muscle. Having little option, Drax cuts some tendons and ligaments free and loops them around both ends of the sack before removing it completely. Once he has hands once more, he will harvest the venom properly. “Well," Kysek quips, "haven’t been pummeled quite like that in some time. I would definitely like to have my nimble elven body back now," as he attempts to regain his composure. “Do those things live in hives with others? Or are they solitary beasts, Abacus?” "They are quite ofte

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 23)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Cedron leans toward Abacus and asks “What in the realm is that amalgamation?”  The wizard gulps and mutters, " Bugbear !" Raven snarls and charges the winged bear. He leaps, sword clenched in his teeth, putting all of his body weight into the blow and slashes the beast across it's left hip. A backhand drives his pony body into the wall, splintering the stone and sending a spiderweb of cracks radiating out from the point of impact. Raven bounces off of the wall, keeps his feet under him and feints to the left again. The bear-bee pivots, keeping the warrior in front of it but leaves an opening for Kysek to strike at. The elf-icorn's borrowed sword gouges a divot in the monster's leg. Electricity crackles as his spell discharges through the blade, eliciting an angry roar vicious claw comes down, seizing Kysek's horn in one of its paws and hauling him into the air before slamming him back down onto the

Equestrian Bugbear

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This beast looks like a large, six-limbed black and white bear with translucent insect wings sprouting from its shoulders and glowing red eyes.  Its fur has colored striations like that of a bee and a wicked stinger in place of a tail. CR: 10     Huge Magical Beast HD: 12d8+72     Hp: 126 Init: +0     Spd: 40’, fly 60’ (average)     AC: 18 (-2 size, +10 natural); t: 8; ff: 18 Attacks:   (BAB +9; Grap +32) ;  +23  4 Claws: 2d8+10,  +17  Bite: 2d6+5, +17 Sting: 1d8+5 plus Poison SA: Improved Grab; Poison SQ: Low-Light Vision; Scent Str: 39 (+15)     Dex: 11 (+0)     Con: 23 (+6)     Int: 2 (-4)     Wis: 14 (+2)     Cha: 10 Align: N     Saves: Fort +14     Ref +9     Will +10 Skills:  Listen +11; Spot 11; Swim +17 Feats:  Alertness; Combat Reflexes; Endurance; Run; Weapon Focus (Claw) • Improved Grab (Ex): A bugbear that hits with its claw attack may start a grapple as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.  If it gets a hold, it may automatically inflict

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 22)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB)  Shadow calls back “Hey we got company coming.”  He then prepares himself for battle.  The sound of an obvious upcoming battle shakes Grotto's melancholy and raises his spirits a bit. He takes a quick mental note of where his party members are and readies his axe. "Abacus, Foil Hat, get behind me for protection!" The dwarf waits with eager anticipation ready to fight a fiend then to fix a friend!  Niklas takes in the odor of the oncoming animal and runs through his mental animal inventory to see if he can glean any insight into the animal. His equine nostrils breathe in, the pungent odor of a heavy, furred animal fills his lungs but, strangely, there is also a hint of something... sweet?  Kysek shakes his head. The elficorn whispers softly, “Whatever that is doesn’t sound happy to see us.” He concentrates, thinking his way through the words and gestures associated with a spell that delivers a powerful electric jo

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 21)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Kysek chooses to proceed in stealth mode. The elficorn blends to the shadows and eases his hoof steps to be as silent and invisible as possible. The former proves simple as a heavy carpet muffles the sound of his footfalls.  Raven stays even with Kysek, ears peeled for danger in the darkness. Foil Hat whispers sharply to Kysek and Raven, "Be wary. They say this place is riddled with booby traps and secret doors. One misstep and we could find ourselves on a one-way slide to our doom!" Abacus checks Foil Hat with his hip, "Seriously? It's been over one-thousand years. Any traps, if there were any, should be long rusted by now. And that brings up the question, how would the ponies living here have evaded the traps? It makes no sense, constantly having to disarm and re-arm any physical defenses so the scullery maid or the serving lad doesn't get a leg taken off by a falling spiked block or lost in a pit tr

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 20)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Sir Kysek Creepingshadow, Knight of the Barrie Grange approaches the iron-bound doors, “Knocking it would appear is the least of our concern at this point.” The elficorn turns his backside toward the door and blasts it open with a powerful kick from his hind legs. The door flies open and slams into the wall with a resounding bang that echoes through the empty hallways. “I’m ready to go home!” Shadow floats into the room beyond the door and calls out “HELLO!  Anyone here?” Ra’ziir makes his way up the stairs and enters into the structure with the others, sword at the ready. Cedron moves onward. “Lets go move forward “ says the minstrel priest. Raven will draw his borrowed sword and enter, moving forward to take point should something nasty appear to attack the party. He directs Abacus and Foil Hat to the middle of the group. Abacus clears his throat as he looks around nervously, "We need to find stairs leading down. T

Throwback Post - Arrival in the Grimmlands

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Once upon a time, there was nothing - no light, no sound, no worlds or stars.  There was no way to know how many infinities the nothing lasted for because there was no way to gauge the passage of time.  Only the dark goddess Shar existed and She was content. Then, one day, the universe began – filled with an infinite array of life, light and sounds and the goddess was wroth.  She sought to unmake everything and return to the primordial nothingness that existed before. The other gods and goddesses rose to oppose Her, both directly and through mortal agents.  One band of these agents did battle with Shar's minions in a hidden temple beneath the city of Tsuragol and put everyone of them to the sword . Shar swore vengeance, not because She cared for Her followers but because the adventurers failed to cower in awed fear before Her.  The goddess, bound by strictures dictating that She could not directly interfere in the realm of mortals, watched and waited. The adventurers continued th

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 19)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Niklas makes his way back to the group, “I believe our destination is ahead over a rope and plank bridge.” Grotto looks at the Bridge with a suspicious mind. "We probably should not ask try to cross it at once. Our weight may be more than it can take all at once", he says to the group. "I'll cross first to be sure it can at least hold one at a time." Grotto then readies his fly spell in case the bridge gives way underfoot and gingerly treads lightly over each plank. Shadow floats along beside Grotto, watching him in case the bridge gives out, and also to make sure that he doesn't cause any trouble. Ra’ziir concedes to Raven’s request, but keeps his gaze on the Horse-Dwarf. He quietly says to Raven, “If that dwarf’s mental instability puts us in jeopardy, I will end him.” With that, Ra’ziir falls in line with the rest of the party and makes his way toward the bridge. Kysek turns to Raven and re

The Thing That Lives Under the Stairs and Eats Children

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The Thing That Lives Under the Stairs and Eats Children CR: 2     Small Outsider (Evil) HD: 3d8     Hp: 16 Init: -1     Spd: 30' AC: 12 (+1 size, -1 Dex, +2 Natural), t: 10, ff: 12 Attacks: (BAB +3; Grap -1) ; +4 2 Claws: 1d3 and +2 Bite: 1d4 SA: Improved Grab, Swallow Whole SQ: Darkvision 60'; Fear Aura; Light Vulnerability; Subjective Appearance Align: NE     Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2 Str: 10, Dex: 9, Con: 10, Int: 8, Wis: 7, Cha: 6 Skills: Bluff +4, Diplomacy +0, Disguise -2 (+0 act in character), Hide +5, Intimidate +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +6, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +2, Spot +5 Feats: Ability Focus (Fear Aura), Multiattack Things That Live Under the Stairs and Eat Children, also known as "Dwellers in Closets" or "The Monster Under the Bed", are fiendish spirits drawn to places where children have suffered. They frequently haunt children's hospitals, orphanages, and schools, although a household with a long history

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 18)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Kysek turns to Raven and says, “Iron. Iron may be what we need. It would appear we have plenty with these ‘weapons’. If memory serves me correctly a simple touch with iron should reveal the true identity of any changeling.” Raven motions everyone ashore, except for Cedron, Compass Rose, and the real Shackleford.  Once that is done, he replies to Kysek, "Thorgim is made of iron. It would be perfect for stopping this creature should it come back. Doesn't some of your spells use iron, like Enlarge or Hold?" The elficorn slowly draws his borrowed short sword and first touches himself. He then touches the party members one by one to instill trust in our guides. As he gets to Grotto, he whispers under his breath, “For the sake of the gods, RELAX. We’ll figure this out. We always do.” He then moves on to the ponies who have joined the party. “This May or may not be definitive. At least it’s an attempt to set minds and

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 17)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB)  Grotto looks at Abacus with a furrowed scowl. A loud snort blows out of his pointy pony nose in disgust. "Tell us all you know about these creatures while you still can! You have not been forthcoming since we agreed to follow you! Now once again, tell us what you know!" Grotto clops menacingly toward the pony hoping to intimidate some information from him. "How can we be sure you are not a shape shifter leading us to a trap!"  Abacus looks back at Grotto, teeth clenched, amd snarls, "I have answered every question put before me. I have not sought to conceal anything from any of you and have even tried to teach your wizards an easier way to use their magic and yet, despite this, all I have received is accusations from you. If you haven't noticed, NONE of us wanted to enter these woods but we did it for you because you were travelers in need! So keep your threats to yourself because I have no proble

The Fake Ferry-pony

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Echo Aper (a.k.a. Shackleford Shore): male Changeling Pony Expert 5 The creature standing before you appears to be a horse but with a black, carapace-like, furless exterior, webbed mane and tail, blue non-reflective eyes, fangs, bent horns, jagged ears, insect-like wings, and holes in its legs. CR: 5     Small Magical Beast   HD: 5d6+5     Hp: 26 Init: +3     Spd: 30’, fly 30’ (average)     AC: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 Natural); t: 13; ff: 14 Attacks:   (BAB +3; Grap +4) ;  +4  Bite: 1d4+1 (20/x2) or +4 Hooves: 1d6+1 (20/x2) +6 Touch: 1d4 Charisma (Will DC17) plus Fatigue SA: Emotionvore SQ: Change Shape; Darkvision 60’; Rippling Mind; Stability  Align: NE     Saves: Fort +2     Ref +4     Will +7 Str: 13 (+1)     Dex: 16 (+3)     Con: 13 (+1)     Int: 10     Wis: 13 (+1)     Cha: 16 (+3) Skills:  Read/Write and Speak Common, Changeling and Equine; Bluff +13 (+23 to pose as somepony else); Diplomacy +9; Escape Artist +7; Gather Information +7; Intimidate +5; Knowledge (Arcana) +4; Knowledge (H

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 16)

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One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB) Despite the shocking discovery of the body and the transformation of what we thought was Shackleford Shore into an aquatic creature, Cedron maintains concentration on the tune, expecting its benefits to be utilized by the party soon enough. Ra’ziir searches the water looking for any sign of the escaping murderer. Kysek scans the water as well; hoping his pony vision is as keen as his elven. Drax shakes his head to clear it of the cobwebs that have filled it and scans the area. Grotto curses the fiend. He glances over at the body to see if his knowledge of healing could give some clues to what may have killed the pony. He then looks to our guides and asks "Does murder happen often here in pony-land? What are you leading us towards!" Grotto demands! Grotto then jumps on the treadmill to carry the ferry forward to the bank they were headed towards. Honey Bucket sees the dwarf-turned-pony take action and darts to the