Beyond surprised that her spell worked, Aldara has to stifle a surprised gasp.  Nonetheless, she reaches for her silver dagger, and complements it with a regular dagger in her other hand.  The mage looks from one companion to the other, to gague their reactions.

Preparing daggers.  Looking for reactions.

"I think they may be enchanted," Eoni said, slowly sloshing toward the larger of the bears with the collar.  "Remember the druidic symbols we found?  There may be one down here causing them to attack.  It would explain the magical trap on the door.

"Take a look around," she said, gingerly reaching for the collar.  "I'm going to see if I can get this off.  It may be what's controlling them.

"Aldara, I think you had the potion for animals.  Have it ready in case they wake up."

OOC: Assuming Aldara is the catch all carrier for unclaimed magical loot.  See loot sheet.

Also hoping that they didn't slouch in such a way as to begin drowning which would probably wake them back up.

 Marklin felt much better, after having the nice lady cleric cast a heal on him. But before he could say thank you, the Lady hedge wiz…that is to say, the Lady Sorceress put them to sleep.

  “Eoni, are ye daft? While I be grateful for the healing, ye don’t know what ye are doing here. Even if something be controlling these two beasties, it be a momma with her baby. She will fight til death. Better to slay both, while they be down.”

 The Warrior raised his spear to plunge it into the adult bear.

As soon as Marklin declares his intent and raises his spear aloft, the party hears the feral snarl of an enraged bear behind them. Wheeling around, it seems to come out of the very stone itself!

Moments later, an even smaller black bear emerges from the stone, roars menacingly, its mouth held wide open. Then, a jet of flame shoots forth from its open mouth, straight at Marklin!


OOC: Marklin, please make a save vs Breath Weapon. The flame breath will deal 19 points of damage (save for half damage, i.e., 9). Obviously a lot is at stake here. Good luck!

:)

Eoni cast Bless granting all PCs +1 on all to-hit and damage rolls for 6 turns.

The Beast "Mama Bear"
AC: 4
HP: -3/??

Beast Junior "Baby Bear"
AC: 6
HP: -7/??

Fire-Breathing Baby Bear
AC: 6
HP: ??/??


PC         AC   HP    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3
Aldara     8    7/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni       8  16/16  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin    5  -9/14  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Dying (Successes: 0, Fails: 0)
Sarah      4    5/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur    5  15/18  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14


OOC: PCs are UP

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:29, Sat 01 July 2017.

09:22, Today: Marklin rolled 10 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 9.  Saving throw.

 * I don't think that role comes even near what is needed. please pass the BBQ sauce.*
This message was last edited by the player at 13:47, Sat 01 July 2017.

The fire-breathing black bear charges out of stone and scorches Marklin before the fighter has a chance to plunge his spear into the sleeping Beast. There is little Marklin can do to prepare for the blast and he gets burnt to a charred crisp.

Marklin falls where he stands, unconscious and dangerously close to death's door.

The bear roars victoriously, casting its keen eyes about at the rest of the party to see who wants to be next...

"Aldarrra!" Eoni shouted as she splashed over to Marklin's motionless smoking body where it floated face down in the water.  He looked bad.  Really bad.

Trying to keep the torch above water with one hand, she dropped her staff and flipped the man over onto his back.  Cradling his head in her arm, she tried to keep his face above water.  It seemed it had born the brunt of the flames, scorched and burnt.  She could see his teeth through the ragged edges of his cheek, now seared clean through by the sudden gout of fire.  His eyes were crusted shut with charred skin and blood, his neck crackled as she struggled to keep him afloat.

He didn't seem to be breathing.

Without any consideration for the sleeping bears, Aldara hisses when the fire-breathing cub emerges, "Imbecile!"  And then Marklin collapses.  Her daggers clatter to the ground as she grabs her bag and quickly fishes out a potion she'd almost forgotten was in its confines.  Wasting no time at all, the mage quickly tears the stopper off and drinks its contents, suffering whatever smells and tastes accompany it.  Gods above and fiends below, was Marklin going to get a stern talking-to if he survived!

At the very least, his family would be told to stop procreating.

Her attention is now fixed on the bear cub, but her eyes scan the area for any other cuddly but vicious threats.

Prolly up to you to suss out how many Hit Dice of creatures are affected, GM.

"Marklin!"

Startled by the surprise attack, Valthur drops his axe. He quickly retrieves it and charges the bear, but barely has a proper hold on the handle when he swings. The result is a wild miss.

18:46, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 6 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 3.  Axe vs. fire breathing bear.


This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Sat 01 July 2017.

Sarah inches toward (but not out) the exit, and throws a dart at the new threat as she does.

11:55, Today: Sarah rolled 14 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 10.  Attack fire-bear (13 to hit).
11:56, Today: Sarah rolled 4 using 1d4+1 with rolls of 3.

Sarah hurls a dart at the fire-breathing black bear and a moment later Aldara's swirling enchantment causes the mysterious stone-walking, fire-breathing animal to fall into a deep slumber. The bear comes crashing down in a heap, its tongue lolling about as it dreams of whatever bears dream of.

And then, in the immediate aftermath of the battle, something odd happens. The most recently slumbering bear polymorphs into a diminutive, ruddy-faced and earthy humanoid, no taller than 3 feet, were he standing.

At first glance, and to the uninformed, the creature might look like a scrawny, deformed dwarf. But Valthur immediately recognizes the humanoid for what it truly is: a gnome.

The bulbous-nosed gnome snores heavily, louder than even Mama or Baby Bear.

Additionally, now that the threat of battle has abated, the party spots two bound humans in a nearby alcove: Ebermund's "lost" companions, victims of the Insatiable Savant's peculiar sense of humor. Both are very much alive and are struggling against their binding ropes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:35, Sun 02 July 2017.

*Gurgle,Gurgle.*

Sarah bends to the task of tying the gnome's hands.  Gently, so as to not wake him.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Sun 02 July 2017.

"Well that's new," Valthur concludes. "A gnome that turns into a fire breathing bear. No match for your magic, though, Aldara. He's sleeping like a baby now... A very dangerous baby."

The dwarf walks over to the two captives and draws his dagger, completely oblivious to the fact that it may appear to them that he intends to slit their throats. Any misunderstanding is temporary, however, as he starts to work cooperatively at the ropes.  "Here, let me get those. We're friends of Ebermund. You have any idea what this little gnome was up to?"

Not waiting for an answer, he looks over to Eoni and the fallen fighter. "How's Marklin? Will he be all right?"

Seeing the threat handled by Aldara, Eoni turned her attention back to the charred fighter.

"Avandra in your mercy," she chanted as she held the man's heavily damaged face above the water, "please grant this man forgiveness of his big mouth and rash actions and lead him back from the darkness.  He has a good heart and more to do in this life."

She prayed that she wasn't too late.

OOC: Eoni Daflin rolled 4 using 1d6+1.  Cure light wounds 2nd on Marklin.

Ebermund's companions,  Byron and Sharlayne, both dresses in circus finery, profusely express their gratitude while and after Valthur cuts the ropes that had held them in place.

Ebermund, who had been hiding behind the adventurers all along, runs up and hugs each of his companions, clearly happy to see both again after fearing the worst.

Sharlayne and Byron both claim the Insatiable Savant magically whisked them away to this cave when he grew impatient with their lack of tradeable information.

"One moment we were there, the next here," Byron offers in confusion.

They were first set upon by two bears, both of which growled quite angrily upon finding intruders in their den. "The big one would have surely mauled us, had that crazy gnome not stepped in..." Sharlayne adds in.

The two go on to relate the gnome calmed the two bears down and proceeded to tie both up, "for our protection he says," Byron adds in sarcastically.

"The gnome said he wouldn't allow us Carneys! Carneys mind you!?" Byron protests, "near Buschka and Panzi. That we couldn't have 'em. He'd see us fed to 'em first!" Byron spits out.

As it turns out, Byron is a sword swallower and Sharlayne is a circus side show curiosity, the DemonLady, as she has two small horns protruding from the side of her temples. Ebermund is a contortionist. The trio, as Ebermund explained earlier, are members of The Good Baron Hobnobble’s Beguiling Court of Merryfellows and Gentlewomen.

"I don't think the little guy is evil, just mad," Sharlayne adds in while looking in the sleeping gnome's direction.

Meanwhile, Sarah secures the gnome while the others talk and Eoni attends to Marklin. The big fighter will live, but perhaps have a few scars to remind him of this day.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:30, Mon 03 July 2017.

Sarah joins the others.  "His club glows.  Didn' want to touch."

While Aldara appreciates Valthur's praise for her magical ability, the mage can do nothing other than focus on the bears.  Her expression is nonetheless surprised at the events that are unfolding before her.

"Valthur," Eoni called over, "help me with Marklin.  He'll live but he's unconscious.

"Aldara," she continued, turning her attention to the other woman, "how much time do we have?"

The bears will be magically asleep for about two hours.

OOC: 4d4 turns, a turn being 10 minutes of time.

Valthur examines the sleeping bears. Certainly, they don't look as fearsome now as they did when they were awake. "Pushka and Bambi, eh? Or whatever he called them. We just going to leave them here? I know what Marklin would suggest if he was awake."


OOC: do they still have their shimmery not-fully-from-this-plane-of-existence look to them or did that disappear when they went to sleep?

"Long enough to get Marklin somewhere safe if we work together and fast, and to get all of us out of the sight of these bears.  I'd say we have over a half an hour."

Both sleeping bears look like normal sleeping bears, albeit one of them is wearing a strange collar. Closer examination of the collar reveals it contains the following inscription:

Buschka the Bear, Jingo's Traveling Circus

"We still have the tribe outside to deal with as well," Eoni said, letting Marklin's head rest on the dry ground they'd carried him to.  "Avandra teaches that everyone deserves their freedom both beasts and bretheren.  The gnome was just defending the helpless from Marklin's unthinking reflex to retaliate.

"We've found what we sought.  No one need die today."

The Sister of Avandra held her torch high and turned to the two newly freed to ask, "Did you see if there was another way out of here than the way we entered?"  She gestured toward their entrance through the shallow waters.

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 230):

The circus performers nod their heads in the negative when asked about other entrances or exits.

"The gnome and bears always came and went the way you came in," the man offers.