Pathfinder Gamelog #2

Pathfinder Gamelog #2

In the last few games we have all but got to setting up the beginnings of a kingdom. As I detailed in the last log, we have a few obstacles to clear up, but are on our way. 

The story picks up as the “Band of Boar Lords” tries to strategize about how to cross the river to the island, where we think that some Lizardfolk have a young human boy from our Hinterland Outpost/Fort/HQ. We need the photo op, as there’s some mouthy Bard in town sowing dissent upon us for some reason. It’s also a noble quest of the old school variety, rescue a kid from evil lizards? Gotta do it!

Gloriana’s Travel Diary (entry # 45)

So there we were with our brand new war horses, feeling pretty good about ourselves when we saw, hey of course they’re on an Island, and why would there be a bridge, or a ferry, or a kayak or something. Ughh I was thinking, I hate swimming, as the summoner asked me if i had access to a water walk spell. I fear I turned red as I said:

 “Why yes, actually I have room for 3 such spells if need be, though I think one should suffice, it lasts a fair time.”

The Inquisitor (I get chills saying his name for some reason, the guy is too intense, I should teach him to meditate) responded in a way that most of us in the party do not, himself included: with forethought! He asked me if I could hold two such spells of Water Walking, so that once we’ve found the boy, we could return whether the first spell had worn off or not.

When he said this and I of course assented, I had the realization, nay epiphany, that we as a group who is trying to form and keep a kingdom going, don’t often have much in the way of strategy, when dealing with those (and “those” are many) who would keep us from our appointed task. We tend to rush in headlong to every fort, hut, underground lair and tree fort filled with sarcastic monsters of such a wide variety as I thought ever existed in myth and legend. That there are so many kinds of those annoying fey, alone, but What with the sarcastic Worgs, sassy Nymphs, and evil Druid wolverines, we have felt overwhelmed at times. 

Hell, I’m still pissed that I had to keep that Rogue’s rotting flesh preserved for all that time, only to find there’s no way we could afford to get him raised, anyways. Morbid, dragging that dead guy around with us for like 2 weeks.

Where was i sweet journal, yes, we Water Walked across the river at dawn, as the Eidolon, flew over to the gate, engaging and quickly slaying one of the two Lizardfolk guards, but letting the other escape, to warn his compatriots, which he did with aplomb.

Despite our Bull in the China shop entrance however, some of our smaller strategies did work really well. The four of us ran towards the guard ringing the alarum, whilst good old Eidolon ran headlong into “The Big tent” in the middle of the (cute little) compound made of small huts of bone fragments from Goddess knows where or whom. Great Feng Shui, to be certain. I was really hoping we didn’t “accidentally” destroy them all.

The Summoner followed close behind his Eidolon, and for once in his life was able to get off a “slow” spell. On, get this, The Lizard King (we later found out) and his two pet Crocs, none of whom I wanted anywhere near. I hung back nearby waiting for Galenko, that snarky Ranger to give me a clue as what to do. 

I’m no warrior, but am chosen by my goddess (apparently) to be here, so I’m telling myself. I really at this point feel like hitting something, and the Ranger he enters a hut himself, and he hollers out, “Naked Lizard Men at 12 O’Clock,” three of them.

He tried to engage them quickly, but they managed to get armed and armoured before he could land any blows. I followed him to the doorway where I managed for the first time in what seems like weeks, to land a solid blow with my heavy mace. It was the only strike I landed upon the evil that day, as I spent the rest of my time healing, and praying as usual.

Meanwhile, the Summoner was having a banner day, buffing us all up with “haste spells” and other sundry magics. I haven’t seen him smile so much during one of our battles before. Nice to see him getting into it more. There is something to the thrill of battle, that, or I’ve become “an adventurer”. Sigh, Goddess, give me a sign, I’m destined for greater things than looting corpses, and reaping fear?

I’m loathe to admit it in case someone were to read this journal and take this the wrong way, but even in the heat of battle, I threw my cards a few times. I needed to see where the whole thing was going, and indeed, they mostly steered me right, as my fellows were so far into their “battle modes” that I scarcely heard a direction from them, and was instead able to navigate myself to where I needed to be on the battlefield. I’m backup, and the cards are my backup.

The inquisitor visited a tent to the south of Galenko and I, lopping off Lizard heads like someone topping carrots, as he finished that tent, me and Galenko finished off (Well, mostly Galenko) the first tent. I noticed that the hut to the North had no entrance, (an animal skin curtain on all the other pretty bone huts) and wondered how they got in there. 

Just then 3 or 4 Javelins each just missed me as I stood there wondering about that hut, now behind me. Some larger Lizard Kin in nicer armour than the smaller Lizardfolk were hurling pointed sticks at myself and Marcus, the Summoner, whose Eidolon was kicking all sorts of “slowed” Lizard King ass. I’m not a fan of Dragons, but that Eidolon has saved our bacon more times than is polite to actually write down. And yet, I can never remember his name. That’s my new meditation: “Learn The Eidolon’s Name.”

The Ranger and the Inquisitor stepped up into that fray, removing the attention of the Bigger Lizards from us “Backup People”. The Eidolon emerged victorious from the big hut, and I swear I saw him dancing a little victory dance, though Marcus assured me later that, “Eidolons Don’t Dance.”

I know what I saw, and it was a grinning dancing Eidolon who was even more shocked (pun sadly, intended) than the rest of us, as a Will O’ The Wisp (which when we were discussing it later remembered that we had fought and almost all been killed by a Will O’ The Wisp on an evil island not two miles from this evil island) appeared from the nowhere of an invisibility spell and started to zap the Eidolon mercilessly, growing bigger, redder, and stronger as we (and by “we” I mean Galenko, and The Inquisitor) killed more and more Lizardfolk.

Eventually after I healed up both the Summoner and his Eidolon with almost all of my spells, we were able to (once Galenko and The Inquisitor had slain all the Lizards) bash at the stupid ball of pain enough times to crack it’s shell and smush it’s evil “brains” into grey goo. I hate those things. 

At this point we were hoping that they hadn’t Barbecued the kid before we got there and already licked his bones clean, or spent all that time we spent slaughtering this village torturing the poor kid or something. Well, sort of, it turned out. We found him in a hut north of that “doorless bone hut.” In front of him we also found, chained, and just out of snack range, two great big Monitor Lizards that were promptly dispatched by the sword boys. 

The poor kid’s hair had turned white with fear, his pants yellow and brown, also with fear. I tried some spells and some of that counselling training that I didn’t skip out on back at the Academy on the kid to keep him calm, and sane as the boys searched out all the belongings of this cute evil village for us to divvy up and use as our own.

It seems like there’s a lot of loot. I will have to get Galenko to cut me some croc skin for a pair of boots I want to get made back at the fort.

Coming Soon: Backstories for both Galenko, and Gloriana. I think I will alternate (unless I choose not to) between the two characters' voices for the logs - Josie