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Ok, can I make an assumption that Ameena would re-iterate what she'd see to the group? Because her perception rolls, then combined with Haynuus's knowledge rolls, work well together and I can post a faster and complete update assuming they get blended together. feel free to retcon how Ameena and Haynuus talk, but I'll assume they do...


Ameena has absolutely no idea what these creatures are. They look like swans and lizards, and therefore could be like either or neither. She has absolutely no knowledge with which to make any assumptions nor presumptions. Perhaps that is a good thing?

Instead, she simpy observes. Luckily, Haynuus is able to see and even to a lesser extent smell what Ameena's keen senses are pointign out to her when she points them out. Haynuus can make sense of the things that Ameena spots, and together the two can can then make many reasonable guesses as to the creatures and their motives.

The creatures have long necks. While some predators have such things, usually it is the greenery eaters who need to stretch to get out of reach leaves or - in the case of swans - the deep weeds. Ameena cannot see any teeth nor claws on the creatures, another point in the favour of them being herbavores to Haynuus's mind.

The feet are very wide, again to Haynuus more like a water bird's for moving in the water than for chasing after prey on land.

Finally, while the smell of the two creatures is getting stronger to Ameena, to her the smell has been present for quite a while. These creatres are not merely passing through, nor do they usually simply swim aroudn the river. These creatures seem to be at home in this blasted region, and more importantly seem to be quite happy to move around it.

It does not make Haynuus any happier about the region itself, just adds a mystery that not even the circlet can make anything of.

The reason the animals smelt weird to Ameena was because - like their scaly nature - they seem to have no 'warm blood' smell that could be associated with mammals. Most likely they are cold blooded, and therefore replites despite their bird-like quirks.


Mini-dinosaurs anyone? Hope you guys (well, Ameena mostly) are comfortable enough with the combined post above. And hope you think that's enough to be going on with!


Sadly, Petal has not seen nor heard of such creatures as this, not in all her classes, nor even in the storybooks she had read to her as a small pixie.

Haynuus seems to be able to make many insights into the nature of the creature that she can - as a woodsland dweller - see the logic of.

However, Petal realises something that the others - without their magical inclination - haven't. Neither have mentioned, and Petal can see no signs of it with her own faerie sight, any signs of contamination from the region. If they do indeed walk on the land here,
one might reasonably expect some small dangling plantlife, or the unsightly lump of rock. After all, the grak-grak seemed to be struck by the place within a few minutes of sitting on the bank.

There could be many reason for this apparent lack of contamination, but Petal's mind has a theory. She knows that some animal skins have magially resistant properties. Indeed, there are certain breeds of dragons - told of in tales, but tales of sorcerers to their students - that could shun both steel and magic without thought, requiring a blow to soft spots where their natural armour had weakened.

Could these creatures have such an exterior? If so, it might explain why the creatures would settle here. A lack of predators (presumeably) and an immunity to that which would keep others out would make this place a miniature paradise for them. Especially with a river allowing them easy travel.

It was an interestign theory, but also a worry. If violence happened, Petal was already worried aboutthe reaction of casting a spell. Would she find she had taken such a risk, only for it to be for naught against them?

Better to hope they were peaceful!

Deephold half-listened to the talk on the creatures, but was more interested when Petal and Haynuus discussed the possibility of their magic going awry.

"The magic of mortals can indeed be powerful, but that is why at times like this I know I am right to trust in the High Lords of Order." The dwarf did not seem to consider his own abilities, apparently, as coming form the same source as Petal. Whether this was true, or a dangerous assuption, Petal had no way of knowing.It was not her path, although she was sure the priests of the fey gods did not speak as if it was a different magic.

As the group regarded the creatures, finally the grak-grak seemed to spot them too. It opened its mouth, and a wordless and unplesantly breathy hiss escaped its Haynuus-shaped mouth. A disturbing contrast to the real Haynuus. The grak-grak leaned forward, hunched and staring directly at the thing on the bank. For the first time since entering this region, the grak-grak seemed to be its old self. And that self was predatory and malevolent.

As if sensing the threat, the two creatures finally stopped regarding each other, and seemed to notice the group. Perhaps it was the grak-grak, or perhaps it was the sheer number of creatures they saw. The one in the water drifted away, while the one on the bank shuffled closer. Both waved their long necks towards the group with swift moions. Both opened their thin snouted mouths and let out a loud, fog-horn like cry.

It did not sound friendly.


Wow, Friday tomorrow already! Weird. Anyway, a long update, hope it has some actually useful information for you guys. I will try and find time this weekend to get a decent map also up for you all. Not that you are about to get into a fight. Just I like drawing maps

Ameena's curiosity about the creatures increases as she compares thoughts with Haynuus and tries to work out what they are. Having decided that they're most likely plant-eaters, now she must determine whether or not the creatures are aggressive - they may see the approaching party as a threat and try to attack. After all, every member of the group resembles a predator, and travelling as they are their intentions may easily be misinterpreted. She wonders whether she creatures are sentient.
And then, of course, the grak-grak starts showing hostile intentions. Rather, Soorec does, through the grak-grak. Does he want the group to enter into combat with these creatures, then, or is he anticipating hostile behaviour on their part and simply trying to "get in first" before the bird-reptiles attack?
Ameena decides she'd better at least try to do something - after all, these creatures might easily be persuaded to let the group pass. And if Ameena herself can find out anything interesting about them in the process, so much the better - another new species, one she's quite sure no murafu has ever seen before! How exciting!
She swiftly turns to face the grak-grak.
"Umm...Soorec." she says. "Maybe we should check first to see if they're hostile. That is, they may just be seeing us as predators, because it's what we look like."
Then she changes focus slightly to address the group as a whole.
"I'm one of the smallest. I'll see if they're interested in just letting us go past. Maybe they can even tell us or show us something interesting about this place. But maybe you should back off a bit, and not stare at them, because they might think you're waiting to pounce on them."
Without waiting for an answer, since she knows that quick actions in this instance could well result in desirable effects, Ameena doprs to all-fours and moves forward cautiously, edging nearer to the nearest creature. She keeps her gaze just off to one side of its head, so as not to be staring at it in the manner of a predator. She moves slowly, but is careful not to let her movements resemble those of a creature stalking its prey. She puts her head to one side, then the other, trying to appear as curious as she feels. On impulse, she also turns her whole body slightly sideways, so that she isn't coming toward the creature head-on. She moves warily, ready to stop or move backward if the creature gives any sign that it's going to attack her.
"Hello." she says, in a quiet, calm voice. "We don't want to eat you."

OOC - If the creature puts on a more severe display of aggression (ie "Don't come any closer"-type behaviour, or even an attempted attack), assume Ameena will either stop moving or dodge backwards, depending on which is necessary in reaction to the creature. In case this interaction needs a Diplomacy roll, then here is one...17 (8+9).

Petal closes her eyes to avoid rolling them at the dwarf. Pixie priests were bad enough, but at least they understood that all mana, be it sorcerer, wizard, or priest came from the same Source. Where did Deephold think her magic came from? Herself? That she was making the mana from within her? Was he even listening to what she said about sorcerers using the natural flows of life? And where did that life-energy come from, if not the Lords on High. Idiot stubborn dwarf. She isnt even gonna try arguing with him about it, trying to explain to him that in her beliefs the Balance of the mana is most important. Chaos' mana is as valid as Titania's or Larethian's, as long as they were in Balance and Harmony, which at this time, Chaos wasn't. Chaos probably never would accept the Balance, as is his nature. It is why the Grey Lord fights him always. But still, he is a part of Being, and so therefore a part of Balance.

Petal smirks as she wonders what the dwarf would think that by her beliefs and training, if Larethian went out of control and started trying to alter the Harmony of Mana the way Chaos is....was?, she would be required to stop him. The Greater Good must always exist, what is good for as many people as possible is the Balance of All.

But she doesnt try to explain any of this to him as she doesnt think he'd listen. Perhaps she should explain to her other companions the danger of using mana here, that more people explaining to Deephold the danger might snap him out of it. She thinks over the words she is going to say, when suddenly the grak-grak jumped forward from behind her and starts menacing the odd creatures ahead of the party. When Ammena makes her intentions known, Petal looks around aprehensively.

"Warn you all, I must. Magic resistant their hide appears to be. A dragon it is like. Spells, i fear will work not on them. So, Ameena if go forawrd you do, be warned - magic will of no help be here" she says softly to the group, trying not to agitate the angry creatures any further with her voice.

Then the pixie watches, holding her breath, as Ameena shuffles forward slowly. She notices the murafus posture and body language is very similar to when two forest-cats encounter each other but do not wish a fight, or a mating. The body language of 'let me by, I mean no harm and only want to pass'.

Petal hopes it will be enough.

"Territorial" It simultaneously passed both through his mind and his mouth at the same time that sometimes got him into trouble. He wasn't going to interfere with Ameena's actions, but he thought that she was sticking her neck out a little bit too far. Too much naïvety perhaps... Or hope.

"Lets just hold off for a moment, Deephold. No magicky actions whatsoever, unless you want to wade over there into the water first." An image of the dwarf bathing himself in flames occurred in his mind.

He wasn't sure how to help her though, except just keep his mouth shut, watch, and keep pacing from foot to foot while they faff about with diplomacy[*].

[*] The work 'diplomacy' doesn't exist in orc vocabulary while the word negotiation did - someone always seemed to be on the losing side.

When Ameena tried to speak to Soorec through the grak-grak, she saw a spasm of something on the grak-grak's face. In Haynuus it might have been an expression of shame, and then an expression of anger directed at itself, and then it went back to missing, although it has moved back a step at the previous expression.

Perhaps Ameena was looking at this incorrectly. Perhaps Soorec was not directly controlling the creature. It might account for its odd behaviour. Of course, if Soorec wasn't in control of the thing... then things might get very ugly very quickly.


Ameena's actions were not met with instant hostility, but the creatures were certainly not backing down either. The water-bound creature floated out a little further, hooting again in a higher register. The land-bound creature extended its neck further, flicking it left and right as Ameena approached. Perhaps in defference to Ameena's passive body language, it did not move forward to attack. The neck pulled back, but the creature planted its body firmly, squaring off to her position.

Its head reared back, and its own hooting was deeper and resonant. It did not seem to register her words in any recogniseable way, other than to answer vocal noise with vocal noise.

Deephold, for the moment, seemed cowed by Haynuus's words. Or perhaps he was just distracted by the worrying ritual murafu and lizard0like creature were engaged in. He winced as the creature bellowed.

It was up to Haynuus and Petal to spot that the grak-grak had begun to move forward again, hunched lower and stalking sideways as if to get around the group and start on a path to creature.


Ameena's words to the grak-grak earned a small respite only. I think it's up to the other two standing around to perhaps do something a little more permenant to body-block or counter the violent grak-grak. Or perhaps you just let it do its thing?

Ameena, a diplomacy roll seems a decent option here, and a decent roll buys you a neutral reaction. You won't need to roll anymore, this will be down to ideas and RP from you.

Ian, raixel, you can still roll dice if you interact with the grak-grak or either of the lizard-creatures, as long as you back it up with some cool RP. Which I know you will anyway, so obviously I just like typing!

Oh yeah, and don't forgetr the dangers of arrogant dwarves

Have a good weekend, I assume we'll probably be posting about the same anyway?

Ameena feels encouraged that the creature doesn't immediately try to attack her, though isn't entirely sure what she can do to try to make the reaction even more favourable - clearly the creature isn't planning on letting her pass any time soon. As far as she can tell, the strange reptile doesn't seem to be sentient, though of course she knows she shouldn't make assumptions. The creature certainly seems territorial, or perhaps protective of something - she wonders whether it perhaps has some kind of nest nearby, containing eggs or young. There is a pair of these creatures, after all, and since they seem to be adult, she supposes that they might well be...whatever the word is that other creatures use to describe themselves when they decide to spend most of their time with only one particular member of their own species.
She wonders what she should do next. Since the creature is neither moving forward nor backing away, she risks a glance back toward the group, spotting with some alarm that the grak-grak seems to be edging around. She nervously wonders what she should do about it, and gives a rather nervous glance to her friends. All she can think to do is move herself over slightly, so that the grak-grak will have to change course to go around her if it continues moving in the same direction.
Then she returns her attention to the reptile-creature, eyeing it curiously and wondering again what to do next. She supposes, given that she hasn't been attacked yet, that either these creatures haven't met the rat-creatures from elsewhere in this udnerground realm, or at least haven't met them on bad terms. This could be a good thing - if the reptilian creatures are familiar with the rattish ones, then the fact they haven't attacked her yet means that either they realise she isn't one, or think that she is but won't behave too aggressively. And if the reptile-creatures aren't familiar with the rat-creatures, then she'll probably be a complete stranger to them anyway and so it won't really matter. Either way, she decides to try communicating with them using more rattish means, in case her use of the language known as "Common" is contributing toward their not-quite-friendly reaction.
She sniffs at the air, looking around innocently and snuffling at the ground a bit, to demonstrate curiosity. She can only hope that the grak-grak behind her won't cause trouble, and resolves to try and stop it from doing so if it tries anything. Somehow.
Meanwhile, she tries a little bit of Rattish speech, those squeaks, sniffs, and body-shuffles that make up the communicative repertoire of the species considered by some to be cousin to her own. She isn't really sure what a cousin is, but she's gathered that it means "related to".
In the language of rats (though her voice, naturally, sounds rather deeper than that of an actual rat, on account of her proportionally-larger size), what she says roughly amounts to "I sorry come here - want pass. Not want scare. Not want fight. I with friends. All want pass. But smell-bad-creature might not. Smell-bad-creature follow. Smell-bad-creature not friend. Smell-bad-creature make noise. Make hiss-noise. I try make smell-bad-creature not fight.", though takes considerably less time to say than if she'd tried to say it in Common. Meanwhile, she keeps an ear cocked in the direction of the grak-grak behind her, hoping that someone will do something if it tries to attack. She wonders why Soorec would have it do such a thing, but then wonders again whether the magic in this place might be interfering with it in some way. She realises she should probably have tried to ask Soorec about it (through the grak-grak, obviously) before they reached this place, but knows there's nothing to be done about it now.
She also vaguely wonders about Petal's warning to her about the use of magic - she has no magic, so she can't be of any inadvertent threat there. Maybe she was really speaking to Deephold - he is, after all, the only other member of the current group who can use magic. She distantly wonders again about how Westian and Aurek are doing, and wonders what Westian's nature-staff would make of this area and its inhabitants.
Meanwhile, she remains ever-ready to attempt to interpret the response from the nearby reptile-creature, and for the moment moves neither forward nor back.

Haynuus' circulet layed a heavy comment into his mind.

"Reptiles lay eggs... Rats steal them for food. This is nature." Perhaps our Murafu wasn't the best diplomat in this situation? It was then he realised that the grak-grak was advancing, in Haynuus's own form. Things could get very nasty!

"Hey, undead thing." He looks directly at the grak-grak, while pulling something out of his back pack. "I think you should leave Ameena to her work and stay at the back." And then showed the manufactured lump of rotting flesh his VI Potion, and motioned that he was going to drink it (Intimidate check (1d20+3=17)). The problem was, did the grak-grak actually care about it's own existence?!

Petal sees the grak-grak move forward and gets annoyed at it. How stupid was this creature? Not having much experience with undead, beyond reading stories of the good-hearted Elven spirits which guard elven royal tombs, the pixie has no idea if all undead are this single minded. But following this digusting thing sure was annoying. Just because it saw a creature it had to eat or attack it. Even a hungry ghartiil pack had more sense than this monster. Perhaps the fact that it could wear others' forms made it less concerned for its safety.

When Haynuus gets its attention, Petal moves forward with him and also pulls out her VI potion. The sorceress moves slowly and quietly to make sure she doesnt distract Ameena.

"Haynuus, if continue it does, this, you should take," she says as she holds out the bubbling blue potion to the orc-man.
"The formstealer, trust I not" she adds in a quieter voice. "Know not I where going we are. But, the mountain deeper in going appear we to be." the pixie sighs and shakes her head sligtly. "An ability to make flickering lights, my people have. Distracting they are. Think they do, the scholors that from before we had civilization, the ability came. For to predator escape. Use them on the strange creatures, I could. But know I not if the brokenness of the area affect it, it will. Also the stupid formstealer, attack them it might if distracted they were."

Ameena's manoeuvering seems to give the grak-grak pause in its tragectory. However, it is Haynuus's surprisingly quick-witted actions that stop the creature dead. The circlet could take no credit, this was pure Haynuus genious, and showed that all half-orcs really needed was a caring society to teach them how to be efficiently nasty! The grak-grak sized up Haynuus, as if to work out how best to bypass the half-orc's threat. However, if Haynuus's stance wasn't enough, Petal's appearance also seemed to seal the deal as she also brandished the obvious potion. This was, afetr all, the grak-grak that had felt the poison of a VI potion plunged directly under its skin, and the open wounds of that could still have been seen had the grak-grak let its disguise go.

Haynuus could see what Ameena saw before - that the grak-grak was acting oddly, not the same behaviour when the gnome's control was obvious. Something had disrupted the control, and the grak-grak seemed to be acting on its own - and oddly, even for that. Whether this was a good or a bad thing was, of course, highly debateable.


It's up to you guys if you think its cowed enough for one of you to go off and do something else. Of if one/both of you want to jsut take the opportunity to get rid of the thing once and for all, while it seems to be acting without Soorec's ability to direct.


Meanwhile, Ameena's latest endeavour seemed to be meeting with less success. Her squeaks and motions were not provoking attacks yet, but clearly an impasse was being reached. The water-bourn lizard-thing was keeping its distance, and as if mimicing Ameena's actions blocking the grak-grak, the land bound lizard moved a step to block Ameena's line of sight to the other. Again the creature was honking, defending its position with neck movements again. It seemed to be puffing out its chest aswell, spreading its toes wide as if planting itself. Ameena could spot that, for now, it did not actually seem to be planting itself, with no exchange visible with the world around it.


The universal 'I'm no threat' isn't working as well as one might hope. Will Ameena simply try to see if it is all bluff and walk further forward (there is kiiiinda a gap opened if the creature has moved sideways even closer to the bank) or will she try something else?

"Ameena! Go forward, do not!" the pixie says urgently. Petal had seen enough forest creature interactions to know as odd as these things looked, the meaning of the creature's display was clear. It wouldnt attack as long as they didnt threaten it or its territory. And with Ameena getting closer, the creature most likely will view her as a threat. And Petal doesnt want to see her good-hearted murafu friend hurt. The pixie watches nervously to see what will happen...

While keeping a careful eye on Ameena and the creatures, ready to start diving on the creatures to give Ameena time to get to safety if there is an attack, she motions to Haynuus. After getting his attention, she points to his weapons and then the grak-grak, finishing the guesture with a raised eyebrow. She also tries to get the other party members attentions without saying anything and if she manages to get them to look at her, she repeats the gesture for each of them.

Im assuming Im gonna have to do an innuendo for that one, so...Innuendo (1d20+1=6) OUCH! And Petal manages to tell the rest of the party that the grak-grak's feet stink... I was gonna put in spoiler tags what I was trying to say but I dont see a point in it now

OOC - Ameena doesn't like living things to be hurt - undead things are bodies whose spirits have gone, therefore aren't feeling creatures any more, but walking corpses animated by magic. Therefore they're not alive, they can't truly feel pain, so it doesn't matter if they're destroyed because they shouldn't really be wandering around anyway .

BIC - Taking the hint, even without Petal's warning, Ameena edges backward slightly. She is quite sure now that if these creatures don't have some kind of nest nearby, they are just defending their territory in general. She wonders, then, why only one of them has come forward. Maybe she's right - maybe they have Young, and the other is staying behind to protect them. Well, Ameena has no intention of harming them, or whatever's being guarded so closely.
From the sounds behind her, she gathers that Haynuus and Petal are probably keeping the grak-grak busy for now, or at least busy enough that it won't be able to simply charge forward and attack the water-reptiles. Ameena wonders how she can prove to them that she means no harm, and wonders whether one reason they are showing hostility is indeed because they see her as a predator. Well, that she may be, in a way, but she won't be predating upon these creatures, and besides, she doesn't just eat meat.
This gives her an idea.
Hungry though she might be feeling, she reaches slowly and carefully into a pouch and pulls out the apple Petal gave her earlier. This she holds in one forepaw and leans forward a little on her remaining three legs, depositing the fruit on the ground before shifting her weight back again and then moving back several steps. She keeps her body not-quite-directly facing the creatures, and puts her head to one side as she watches the nearest one, still constantly ensuring that she doesn't accidentally make eye contact. Perhaps this creature will accept the offering, or perhaps it will refuse it. Maybe the gesture will be wasted - the apple might be snapped up and the creatures still refuse to let her pass...but at least she'll have tried. She isn't really sure what else to do.

Ok, with a bluff its a 13. I will write like I failed it anyway.

Petal realizes that the grak-grak was staring right at her when she motioned to Haynuus, Ameena is still wrapped up with 'talking' to the creatures and didnt notice what was happening behind her.
The pixie tenses and whispers to Haynuus 'Ready you should be. Saw me, I think it did."

OOC - This is all going to go horribly wrong... I already know what the insidious DM is going to do. But!

The half-orc watches the apple offering with horror as the whole thing is about to go sour. Ho ho! Haynuus tosses the VI potion back to Petal although it was against his instinct[*]. She may still need it.

There isn't much to say about Haynuus's actions except that it involves a sword, a few quick steps and a chopping action (1d20+13=31, 2d6+4=14) that would cleanly part an apple in half, or a grak-grak's head. With Ameena in peril, and them fighting in an area that can suck your feet off, he was really uncomfortable about his situation. Attacking the undead fiend did feel momentarily good, though.


[*] Think about it for a moment... grak-grak is attacked, then decides to change into a menacing.... Pixie!

The creature Ameena faces honks once more as Ameena backs away. The apple bounces along the ground once the murafu proffers it, luckily not being spiked by a blade of grass, being sucked into mulch, or any of the other strange fates Haynuus had postulated earlier.

The creature seems uncertain, but a long serpentine neck flicks out to snap the apple from the ground in the blink of an eye. It waddles back a few steps, hissing with the apple still jammed into its jaws. Its head flicks back and force, as if to look at Ameena with each eye. It angles its body a little away from Ameena, and towards the river again.

The drifting creature in the water comes closer, maing a wialing sound too, although it seems to be directed towards the other creature.

It does not look like a mother and child, the two creatures are of similar build. Certainly, it could be a male and female defendng their territory, but why aren't both coming to the fore?

The land-based creature lets the apple fall from its jaws and roll its the eddies at the edge of the river. The other drifts forwards, and while regarding Ameena with distrust, the land-bound creature prods the apple towards it. The land bound creature then dips its snout oddly in to the river a few times too for no apparent reason. It then sways its head left and right.


And more weirdness for you, Ameena!

Wait. Does the grak-grak still look like Haynuus?

Petal backs Haynuus up as he charges towards the grak-grak, sword held and ready to chop down on the disgusting creature's head. She doesnt really know what to do, as she is afraid to cast any spells in this broken place. But, if her friends need her, she will risk it.

Then, an idea strikes her. Perhaps her innate abilities wouldn't ber affected, or if they were, hopefully it would be minor. She reaches within herself and summons an ancient part of her race, from back when they were little more than winged primative humanoids living in trees and cowering in fear from giant eagles and hunting-cats. An ability to control light to form into little balls that swoop around a target to distract it, thus giving the proto-pixies a chance to flee danger.

Petal will delay for now, and cast the dancing lights at the grak grak next round, if needed

OOC - Yes, the grak-grak is in Haynuus's form, but it's a bit of a more "primitive" copy than it might usually manage - it isn't acting particularly Haynuus-like, either.

Haynuus remembered how lethargic the OH blade had been in his hands when previously used. However, after Petal's insights, the circlet seemed to be able to whisper directly to the OH blade so that the thing was springing to life before Haynuus had fully formed his plan.

Haynuus leapt forward to strike the creature, perhaps hoping the disruption of magic would mean the reciprocal damage of the grak-grak would not happen.

Haynuus felt excruciating aony as the OH blade perfectly and powerfully smashed into his foe and caused agony in himself. For some reason though, there was a satisfaction to this/ The grak-grak's expression was so dull and dumb and aggressive. In a way, it was the exaggerated face of Haynuus as he had been.

Speaking of the grak-grak's expression, Haynuus recalled how these things had acted before when wearing their faces. They certainly seemed more switched on and arrogant, even when Soorec had been somewhat distracted in battle. This one jusy seemed animal-like, a much baser creature.

Haynuus's double leapt towards him, uncaring of the dangers of getting so close to the skillful half-orc. Haynuus was punched quite firmly in the face though, his many times broken and squat nose broken once more.


Haynuus, you take 7 damage plus the damage from your own attack. However, you can make an AoO for the unarmed swing it made, if you want to engage in some attrition Remember guys, while it looks like Haynuus - and yes, despite my Scottish accent I meant the creatue looks like Haynuus, just with much nastier expression and body language - it counts as being unarmed. Therefore you don't generate AoO yourself doing anythign with magic or potions.

If it drops its disguise though, it counts as armed when attacking and when you do things that generate AoO.

Deephold had been surprised, understanding something was going down, but apparently frozen between the udacity of it, and the danger of it. Only when action was happening did Deephold break from his frozen stance. The threat of the undead creature seemed greater to his own mind than the creature behind, and he left Ameena to her dangerous communications.

He strode forwards, mace raised, and planted his feet firmly in the ground as an unshakeable bloke. "Larethian smites you with his grace, foul creature!" he yelled firmly. However, despite the chills that the other two could feel at the powerful aura of the dwarf, the grak-grak seemed unphased. It was as if the creature was too focused or dumb to work out what Deephold was saying, still enaged as it was with battling its mirror image.

Ameena can't help but instinctively look around at the sound of something behind her being hit. She sees a wound appear on Haynuus equal to the one he's in the process of inflicting on the grak-grak with his magical blade, and hopes he'll drink a potion pretty soon - if things work the way she vaguely remembers they should, his doing so should have rather a noticeable effect on not just himself, but on the grak-grak.
However, she can't really spare much attention for those proceedings as she knows she should continue trying to communicate with the creatures. With Deephold aiding Haynuus in ridding the world of the nearby grak-grak, and knowing that the group has faced more of the creatures than that before and come through well enough, she decides that things should be alright for them, and that she's free, for now, to continue with what she was doing.
She returns her attention to the reptile-creatures, watching them curiously as they...interact...with the apple she's offered. Well, at least they took it - they could have ignored it and charged at her, or not understood that she was offering it to them, or...or something.
Having moved backward a little after offering the apple in order to give the creatures space enough to come and take it without having to come too close to her, she cautiously starts to move forward again into her original position, watching the creatures both closely and curiously as she wonders what will happen next. Do they like apples? Do they know the apple is food? Can they eat it? Might it even be bad for them? She hopes not. She again wonders whether the creatures are protecting some kind of nest, or whether they are simply two individuals who happen to be nearby. She hasn't heard any sign of any others - maybe they live in pairs a long way apart from other pairs, or something - there are so many species in the world, and so many ways in which different ones choose to live, that she won't be surprised if she should find that these live in a way completely new to her. They might be even more strange than, say, humans, who seem to find one fellow human that they like a lot and then live with them in the same dwelling for a very long time.
She then has another thought - what are the meanings of these head movements the creatures make? They appear to be some kind of communication, and Ameena wonders whether there's anything to gain there. She watches the creatures carefully, wondering whether she can interpret their signals.

OOC - Lol why didn't I think of this earlier...Sense Motive to try and work out all the body language stuff = 19 (8+11). Incidentally, note that Ameena will stop moving if either creature shows a sign that it doesn't want her to come as close as she did before. In grid terms (not that we have a map yet, unless it's up in the OC thread which I haven't checked at this moment in time), I suppose she moved backward about one square after putting the apple down, and is now attempting to move forward again into the square she was in before. If either creature displays any kind of sign that they have a problem with this, she'll stop moving and if necessary move backward again until the creatures settle down again.

It was now or never for Haynuus as his half thought out plan came to fruition.

"Feel the power of!...." Hold on what was it again? "VI! Yes that's it! Veeee!" And with that last mental fight to remember the name of the rune, he shoved the long neck of his VI potion almost completely down his throat, applying a dexterous flick of the tongue along the way to unstopper the container on it's route into pure guttural darkness.

Haynuus had high hope for the power of life magic over death, but it wasn't until the blood from his nose trickled down to where the bottle that was now stuck in his mouth that he could not only taste the blood, but see that the dwarf had been completely futile in his attempts to dissuade the creature of it's existence. Fortunately the bottle in his mouth muffled out any attempt to say "Now if Westian was here, he'd have had that creature scurrying off with it's ass on holy fire." but... He removed the now empty flask and returned it to his backpack and said, "You don't think the magic of this place effects the power of VI do you?"

It was then he gave a short belch. Oops.

Ameena had briefly though of pairings before, when wondering over a nest. Thinking again to it now she could get the feel of something that had not occurred to her before. Some creatures did strange things - dances and bright displays - when trying to pair up. The one in the water being offered something, and 'protected', perhaps was being approached for a pairing? If so, the other - usually a male - was perhaps being so overly aggressive to ensure he was not interrupted or seen to be weak.

While the creature was not displaying any overt body language or body parts, the head bodding seemed very strange, and was perhaps a ritual.


If this was the case, of course, it would mean the creatures had no young to protect. And indeed, if were given a wide birth, might not care the group were moving through the place they lives. Of course, the only way to avoid them would be to continue on the other side of the river, or at the very least swim aroud them!


Ok, will update Ameena there, and will put up the (sorry, quite horrible) map. I always hate the map for many reason. Seeing my 1' tiles at work reminded me why. A logical lay out in my head of floor grids is basically a 1/5 of the combat size grid, and so things tend to either seem stupid narratively when I put the map up, or else I can be true to the narrative's indications and give you guys no room to fight your battles.

Oh, and to be fair to Deephold, he actually rolled very well, just the grak-grak actually rolled superbly to resist. But, to be fair to OB, of course Westian is a far better option! Gotta make you miss your absent friends with inferior NPCs There's a reason you guys are the heros...

Anyway, here is the map:

At some point Petal is trying to hit tjhe grak-grak with dancing lights. Like....now! Yay!

As soon as Haynuus shoves a potion...wait...The pixie looks closely at Haynuus. Did he actually eat the whole potion? Then the half orc mutters something unintelligable. Something that sounds kinda like he's talking with a....potion bottle in his mouth.

The sorceress blinks a couple times as Haynuus pulls the empty potion bottle out of his mouth. Where did he put the thing? She looks at the potion bottle in her own hands, which to her, and Wuuf who it once belonged to, it is nearly the size of a bottle of pixie-brewed hops. Definately not something she could put in her mouth. Then she looks again at the half-orc's wide mouth, trying to mentally do the math required to put it in there. She gives up shortly as she was never any good at geometry and shrugs. Must be one of those litle mysteries of life.

She releases the energy she has buily up and sends the dancing lights twirling their way towards the grak-grak. At least she hopes they gpo that way. She is slightly afraid of what might happen.

"Know I not, if magic of VI affected here, be." she replies to the half-orc's question, now that she can understand him.

The grak-grak doesn't scream, but Haynuus's face contorts into a very good approximation as the real Haynuus downs the potion in one. Infact, in more than one.

The mask slips and 'Haynuus's skin melt off and his features are sucked into his face, until all that is left is a silently screaming grak-grak. It no longer looks in pain, and it does not look in any way, shape or form like a restrainted creature. Haynuus perhaps has a split second to recall the savage maulin Farel and Westian received when these things lost all mental faculties last time.

Suddenly, Haynuus's vision strobing lights infront of it. However, it is not from any blow - Petal uses a power natuive to her race to summon faeire lights, dancing orbs that can lead the false atray or disorient the fierce.

It is this second thing that happens now, the grak-grak slices the air left and right to try and destroy the ephemeral things that draw its ire. However, the group cannot rely on that for long. The creature will surely charge once it realises its current distractions are exactly that.

Petal is perhaps releived that she has cast her powers - and Haynuus has consumed the magical potion - without any ill effects occurring. Perhaps her friend had been overly cautious in warning her. Or perhaps her own fears had tried to get the better of her.

It was up to Deephold to disabuse that notion. "My feet!" he cried out in panic, "I cannot move my feet!"


Ok, the map stays the same then, Ian, you need to roll me some dice for that VI potion (I forget the strength) and tell me the value, and then restore than many points to yourself. The grak-grak is now looking like its ugly self, so it does not draw AoO anymore for attacks, nor get affected by you guys drinking healing potions. Vi potions used as bombs will have a very minor effect - you really would need to get it to ingest the stuff.

Anyway, I thought it easier to have Petal's lights spell cause a temporary stand-still to the grak-grak instead of impose a penalty. Oh, just relaised I didn't put initiative order on the map. WIll do thta next update.

Anyway, you have a dwarf down. Ish. Maybe. And a very angry grak-grak. But also a 'wounded' one. You've killed one befor,e can you do it again while perhaps looking after a fellow in trouble?

"Haynuus! The formstealer with you deal! Deephold see to I will!" Petal yells as she moves over to the dwarf. She flies dowb to where see can see the dwarf's sturdy boots, examining them to see if they have melded with the ground while making sure no part of her body touches any part of the landscape.

If it appears the dwarf's footwear (im assuming boots cuz he is a dwarf after all) has melded with the ground, she will go on

"Your feet feel you can still?" she asks him while drawing her dagger. "Try to cut your boots off, I will. Quickly we must move! Afraid I am, longer stand there you do, more 'bleeding' over there will be. Now, when cut the leather I do, your feet you should move. Stay in one place, do not!" she tells him as she begins sawing at the leather. She cuts along the edge of the sole or as low as she can if they have become rock like around the boot, trying not to go to deep and hurt Deephold.