With a deep breath, Elaric takes on the professorial air of an experienced lecturer and regales the party with a detailed description of ankhegs (noting all of the above information) and adding the following:
An ankheg can be both a blessing and a curse for farmers. With a small population, the ankhegs’ burrowing tends to aerate soil and help with crop turnover (by shifting nutrient rich soil toward the surface). However, for a farmer raising livestock, ankhegs are a particular bane as they tend to eat all but the largest of livestock in a single bite before disappearing below the surface.
The ankheg uses its powerful mandibles to dig winding tunnels deep beneath the ground. When it hunts, an ankheg burrows upward, waiting below the surface until its antennae detect movement from above. Then it bursts from the earth and seizes prey in its mandibles, crushing and grinding while it secretes acidic digestive enzymes. These enzymes help dissolve a victim for easy swallowing, but the ankheg can also squirt acid to take down foes.
As it burrows through earth, the ankheg leaves a narrow, partially collapsed tunnel in its wake. In these tunnels, one might find the remnants of molted ankheg chitin, hatched ankheg eggs, or the grisly remains of ankheg victims, including coins or other treasures scattered during the creature’s attack.
Though they are often extremely territorial alpha predators within their environs, Ankhegs are, for all intents and purposes, large bugs – they are not intelligent beyond basic instincts. If something is driving groups of them from their hunting grounds, it has to be bigger, tougher, and significantly meaner than an 800-pound armored worm with claws.
“In short,” Elaric concludes, “they are big, heavily armored, can sense surface movement while still concealed in the ground, utilize a highly corrosive substance that can eat through stone and skin alike, often have a network of tunnels, and they are likely not the worst creature we will face in this matter. Assuming, of course, that we acquiesce to Bruna’s request and come at once.” Turning to Wendell, Elaric grins. “What say you, ‘honest-to-gods hero’? Do you wish the humble help of your fellow heroes in this endeavor?”
Wendell rolls his eyes at the jest, "Regardless of my sister's opinion of our glorified extermination business... yes, I would greatly appreciate everyone's help."
He smirks, "Sorry, I'm doing this wrong, let me try again: Oh Great Heroes, Mighty of Arm and Strong of Heart, I do implore you to aid my kin in their time of most desperate need."
Then a more calculating look comes into his eyes, "As you said, the Ankhegs track prey by motion. Might a loud sound encourage them to shift away from the homesteads?"
Reigning in his sense of humor, Elaric gives Wendell's question serious consideration. "Well, I would first note that ankhegs do have eyes as well as the ability to sense vibrations. That said, a powerful enough set of vibrations could potentially convince them that a large creature or group of creatures is nearby. Whether that, alone, would be enough to scare them away is debatable - these creatures are not the brightest and do not scare easily."
After a brief pause, Elaric adds, "As I understand such things, creatures who perceive the world through vibrations most often do so via their physiology - it is not a supernatural ability to perceive all movement automatically. This would imply that such creatures still need to make an effort at perceiving vibrations, just as we would make an effort to see with our eyes. Should it prove necessary, it may be possible to sneak past their vibration detection."
"Or use it to lure them," says Guan Hao. "If we must kill the things, better to do it on ground of our choosing. Make enough of a din, and we can bring them to us - after setting up a suitable trap."
Finishing a sip of his tea, Elaric purses his lips, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, that could work nicely. Depending on the nature of the trap, we might even defeat several at once."
But there's still the issue of determining and dealing with whatever is causing this disturbance in the first place. Is it likely they could be influenced by a beast similar in nature to the creature we faced in the forest, or does it seem like the cause of the disturbance is likely to be more... physical in nature?
"It's going to be difficult to determine a root cause until we get there. My first priority is ensuring that the farming community is safe. After that, we can look to uncovering the source and preventing further infestations."
With an decisive nod, Elaric addresses the party, "Then let us not waste any time. I propose that we finish our meal, gather needed supplies, rest well, and leave at first light. Many of the shops in the market will remain open for another hour or so and I plan to make some final purchases before our trip." Standing, he adds, "If any of you wish to accompany me, I would welcome your company. If not, I wish you all a peaceful night and will see you here in the morning."
OOC: If anyone wishes to make final purchases, ask questions, or take any final actions, now is the time. When we start the live session on Friday, the party will have reached Pyrringham Village.
Gong would like to re-stock a few items. He needs to replace the 4 darts he has used in combat (4 darts x 5 cp/dart = 20 cp or 2 sp) as well as 1 use of his healer's kit (5 gp for 10 uses, used once already => should cost 5 sp to restock it for one use).
You watch in stunned horror as, with an ear-splitting shriek, all 25 feet of the violently writhing larval queen is dragged beneath the surface by a black blur of claws and muscle. Bruna and the village of Pyrringham had hired you to find out what was stirring up the ankhegs; it seems likely that you have found the source of their agitation. However, before any of the party begin to react, the ground rocks and shifts underfoot as four ankhegs burst forth, surrounding the party. Everyone please make:
As the ankhegs burst upward, all four attempt to catch a victim in their mouths. While stepping out of the way quickly, Wendell stumbles on loose soil churned up by his subterranean attacker. The ankheg’s mandibles clamp down around Wendell and he struggles futilely as the beast’s acidic saliva begins to eat through his robes.
Backflipping out of the path of danger, Gong dodges around, becoming a blur of movement and blows. Though the ankheg attacking him first manages to avoid its swift opponent, it focuses too much on Gong’s quarter staff and fails to defend itself from two deadly blows which end its life with a resounding crack-crack!
With a minimum of movement but surprising grace, Guan Hao calmly sidesteps his attacker’s charge, delivering two lethal swipes with his enchanted glaive as the ankheg lunges past. The creature hits the ground in a series of lifeless pieces. Turning to assist Wendell, he delivers two more devastating blows to the ankheg attempting to digest the wizard.
With the distraction provided by his companion, Wendell is able to land a mortal blow with his dagger, piercing the ankheg’s brain, ending his tenure as a “snack” for the oversized bug.
With a loud POP, the party turns to see Elaric’s ankheg go down in a fiery blaze of magic, its carapace cracked open from the heat of its bubbling innards. Standing several feet from his former position and free of acid burns, Elaric evidently avoided becoming an elf-shaped hors d'oeuvre for his ankheg.
Looking about in sudden alarm, the party begins frantically searching for Skoth. Their panic is brief, however, as they find the druid encircled by his friendly ankheg. It appears the charmed creature was attempting to protect its new friend by coiling itself around his body to the point that only his head sticks out above the protective barrier. The creature hisses in warning – apparently it does not want anyone coming close to its favorite human, hostile ankheg or not.
What does Skoth do?
[OOC: I will move the story along within 24 hours whether or not we learn how Skoth handles this situation, but will likely come back to address this retroactively once Asa responds]
Skoth growls at the overly friendly ankheg. "Ok, ok let me go now." Skoth glances at his comrades and the four dead Ankhegs. "Well good job guys!". He looks back at his new found friend. "I can take care of myself you know. You do not need to smother me with your insectile embrace everytime there is trouble." His tone softens somewhat. "I appreciate the consideration through."
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[Skoth does not interject.]
Gong does not interject.
With a deep breath, Elaric takes on the professorial air of an experienced lecturer and regales the party with a detailed description of ankhegs (noting all of the above information) and adding the following:
An ankheg can be both a blessing and a curse for farmers. With a small population, the ankhegs’ burrowing tends to aerate soil and help with crop turnover (by shifting nutrient rich soil toward the surface). However, for a farmer raising livestock, ankhegs are a particular bane as they tend to eat all but the largest of livestock in a single bite before disappearing below the surface.
The ankheg uses its powerful mandibles to dig winding tunnels deep beneath the ground. When it hunts, an ankheg burrows upward, waiting below the surface until its antennae detect movement from above. Then it bursts from the earth and seizes prey in its mandibles, crushing and grinding while it secretes acidic digestive enzymes. These enzymes help dissolve a victim for easy swallowing, but the ankheg can also squirt acid to take down foes.
As it burrows through earth, the ankheg leaves a narrow, partially collapsed tunnel in its wake. In these tunnels, one might find the remnants of molted ankheg chitin, hatched ankheg eggs, or the grisly remains of ankheg victims, including coins or other treasures scattered during the creature’s attack.
Though they are often extremely territorial alpha predators within their environs, Ankhegs are, for all intents and purposes, large bugs – they are not intelligent beyond basic instincts. If something is driving groups of them from their hunting grounds, it has to be bigger, tougher, and significantly meaner than an 800-pound armored worm with claws.
“In short,” Elaric concludes, “they are big, heavily armored, can sense surface movement while still concealed in the ground, utilize a highly corrosive substance that can eat through stone and skin alike, often have a network of tunnels, and they are likely not the worst creature we will face in this matter. Assuming, of course, that we acquiesce to Bruna’s request and come at once.” Turning to Wendell, Elaric grins. “What say you, ‘honest-to-gods hero’? Do you wish the humble help of your fellow heroes in this endeavor?”
Wendell rolls his eyes at the jest, "Regardless of my sister's opinion of our glorified extermination business... yes, I would greatly appreciate everyone's help."
He smirks, "Sorry, I'm doing this wrong, let me try again: Oh Great Heroes, Mighty of Arm and Strong of Heart, I do implore you to aid my kin in their time of most desperate need."
Then a more calculating look comes into his eyes, "As you said, the Ankhegs track prey by motion. Might a loud sound encourage them to shift away from the homesteads?"
Reigning in his sense of humor, Elaric gives Wendell's question serious consideration. "Well, I would first note that ankhegs do have eyes as well as the ability to sense vibrations. That said, a powerful enough set of vibrations could potentially convince them that a large creature or group of creatures is nearby. Whether that, alone, would be enough to scare them away is debatable - these creatures are not the brightest and do not scare easily."
Insight: 18
After a brief pause, Elaric adds, "As I understand such things, creatures who perceive the world through vibrations most often do so via their physiology - it is not a supernatural ability to perceive all movement automatically. This would imply that such creatures still need to make an effort at perceiving vibrations, just as we would make an effort to see with our eyes. Should it prove necessary, it may be possible to sneak past their vibration detection."
"Or use it to lure them," says Guan Hao. "If we must kill the things, better to do it on ground of our choosing. Make enough of a din, and we can bring them to us - after setting up a suitable trap."
Finishing a sip of his tea, Elaric purses his lips, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, that could work nicely. Depending on the nature of the trap, we might even defeat several at once."
But there's still the issue of determining and dealing with whatever is causing this disturbance in the first place. Is it likely they could be influenced by a beast similar in nature to the creature we faced in the forest, or does it seem like the cause of the disturbance is likely to be more... physical in nature?
"It's going to be difficult to determine a root cause until we get there. My first priority is ensuring that the farming community is safe. After that, we can look to uncovering the source and preventing further infestations."
With an decisive nod, Elaric addresses the party, "Then let us not waste any time. I propose that we finish our meal, gather needed supplies, rest well, and leave at first light. Many of the shops in the market will remain open for another hour or so and I plan to make some final purchases before our trip." Standing, he adds, "If any of you wish to accompany me, I would welcome your company. If not, I wish you all a peaceful night and will see you here in the morning."
OOC: If anyone wishes to make final purchases, ask questions, or take any final actions, now is the time. When we start the live session on Friday, the party will have reached Pyrringham Village.
Gong would like to re-stock a few items. He needs to replace the 4 darts he has used in combat (4 darts x 5 cp/dart = 20 cp or 2 sp) as well as 1 use of his healer's kit (5 gp for 10 uses, used once already => should cost 5 sp to restock it for one use).
You watch in stunned horror as, with an ear-splitting shriek, all 25 feet of the violently writhing larval queen is dragged beneath the surface by a black blur of claws and muscle. Bruna and the village of Pyrringham had hired you to find out what was stirring up the ankhegs; it seems likely that you have found the source of their agitation. However, before any of the party begin to react, the ground rocks and shifts underfoot as four ankhegs burst forth, surrounding the party. Everyone please make:
Gong's Initiative: 14
Dexterity Save: 25
Strength 1: 19
Strength 2: 21
+1 Quarterstaff for normal attack; Unarmed Strike via Martial Arts class ability
Attack 1: 24 Damage: 8
Martial Arts: 24 Damage: 6
Attack 2: 13 Damage: 5
Martial Arts: 12 Damage: 4
Attack 3: 11 Damage: 8
Martial Arts: 18 Damage: 4
Attack 4: 18 Damage: 10
Martial Arts: 24 Damage: 7
If it makes combat simpler, feel free to disregard his Martial Arts attacks
Wendell's Initiative: 10
Wendell's Attacks (Dagger): Attack: 7 Damage: 6
Wendell's Attacks (Dagger): Attack: 25 Damage: 8
Wendell's Attacks (Dagger): Attack: 7 Damage: 4
Wendell's Attacks (Dagger): Attack: 12 Damage: 4
Wendell's Dex save: 11
Wendell's Strength Save: 7
Wendell's Strength Save: 11
As the ankhegs burst upward, all four attempt to catch a victim in their mouths. While stepping out of the way quickly, Wendell stumbles on loose soil churned up by his subterranean attacker. The ankheg’s mandibles clamp down around Wendell and he struggles futilely as the beast’s acidic saliva begins to eat through his robes.
Backflipping out of the path of danger, Gong dodges around, becoming a blur of movement and blows. Though the ankheg attacking him first manages to avoid its swift opponent, it focuses too much on Gong’s quarter staff and fails to defend itself from two deadly blows which end its life with a resounding crack-crack!
With a minimum of movement but surprising grace, Guan Hao calmly sidesteps his attacker’s charge, delivering two lethal swipes with his enchanted glaive as the ankheg lunges past. The creature hits the ground in a series of lifeless pieces. Turning to assist Wendell, he delivers two more devastating blows to the ankheg attempting to digest the wizard.
With the distraction provided by his companion, Wendell is able to land a mortal blow with his dagger, piercing the ankheg’s brain, ending his tenure as a “snack” for the oversized bug.
With a loud POP, the party turns to see Elaric’s ankheg go down in a fiery blaze of magic, its carapace cracked open from the heat of its bubbling innards. Standing several feet from his former position and free of acid burns, Elaric evidently avoided becoming an elf-shaped hors d'oeuvre for his ankheg.
Looking about in sudden alarm, the party begins frantically searching for Skoth. Their panic is brief, however, as they find the druid encircled by his friendly ankheg. It appears the charmed creature was attempting to protect its new friend by coiling itself around his body to the point that only his head sticks out above the protective barrier. The creature hisses in warning – apparently it does not want anyone coming close to its favorite human, hostile ankheg or not.
What does Skoth do?
[OOC: I will move the story along within 24 hours whether or not we learn how Skoth handles this situation, but will likely come back to address this retroactively once Asa responds]
Skoth growls at the overly friendly ankheg. "Ok, ok let me go now." Skoth glances at his comrades and the four dead Ankhegs. "Well good job guys!". He looks back at his new found friend. "I can take care of myself you know. You do not need to smother me with your insectile embrace everytime there is trouble." His tone softens somewhat. "I appreciate the consideration through."