[IC] SOLO - Toot's Adventure

[Toot]

Toot finds it very peculiar that all this time he has never heard any talking.  And them suddenly stopping was worrying.  While considering just running away and finding Boo, he shrinks himself down to the size of a Gnome toddler. 

[OoC:  Disguise spell can increase or decrease size by one foot.  So he's now 9" tall.  Hide modifier would become +12 for a total of +15]

Toot scurries backward 50' then waits for what they do next.  He's fully prepared to run away if they look too scary.

[DM Surranó]

The "toddler" hides behind a rock the size of a sugarmelon and waits for the worst to happen. Yet, he's fully surprised when he hears a croaked cackle behind himself. Gathering his willpower he turns around to see an elderly human in chain mail, holding a heavy shield and a warhammer, a cloak wrapped around his shoulders. How did he get here all of a sudden, without the slightest noise made?

The man grins malevolently, looking at the toddler, then suddenly stomps: Boo!
It looks like the old man enjoys scaring gnome toddlers. The yell alone would scare the jermlaine enough but the tone of his voice is so eerie that Toot feels the very air freezing around him.

In front of him is a man who could eat him in two bites. Behind him is a corner 65ft away beyond which he suspects more nasties of this kind.
Choices, choices...

And in this very moment Toot hears a slurring noise, like a furry creature rubbing tight against stone. It comes from behind the man. Maybe from the tunnel dug by the thoqqua?

[Toot]

Jermlaine are always in a perpetual state of high alert.  They had to be because everyone hates them as much, if not more than rats.  So it was curious how this human managed to make it past him so easily.  A Rogue maybe?  Toot was regretting the one thing that set him apart from his fellow Jermlaine, which was his curiosity.  So when the man suddenly stomps his feet and yells, 'BOO,' Toot can't help but produce a similarly sudden noise from his illusionary diaper. 

Toot resists the urge to run, for now, but allows his body to react naturally.  Toot's bottom lip begins to quiver and his huge cute eyes well up with tears which wash away the dirt, as salty rivers pour down his cheeks.  "No Mistwer. <Sniffle> Pwease no hurt. <sniffle> Me wost."

Toot hopes that's Boo making her way down the tunnel and not some other more dangerous creature.  Toot waits for what happens next...

[OoC: Toot will be readying to go into Total defense mode if he's attacked; Standard Action; +4 to AC.  Toot's move action would be to move in the safest manor toward the hole his Thoqqua made.  If Toot spots Boo (his animal companion) he will use a Free action to tell Boo to attack (in Jermlaine, which sounds like a squeak).  All Boo's tricks are in Jermlaine so people don't know what commands Toot give to Boo.]

[DM Surranó]

The man seems to be much abused and not even the least merciful about the gnome.

"Lost? Allow me to disbelieve, gnome." he says with a sarcastic tone. "Every fool knows you are innate illusionists and if you think I have much less urge to eat an infant than a grown-up gnome then you are wrong. Gods, you are soooo wrong..."

It seems that the pleasure he draws from watching the frightened 'minority' buys enough time for Toot to come up with something. By the end of his speech Toot spots Boo's familiar face. The doo-dad squeaks a command to attack and Boo takes a few steps towards the man from behind but then stops, hesitatingly. In an instant, Toot senses confusion and terror tearing into the trusted bear's soul before Boo backs off to where he was, a bit more than thirty feet behind the man.

(OOC - though I don't know whether it's written for animal companions anywhere but I assume (I always have) that the same empathic link as wizards have with their familiars should apply to companions as well, in a primitive way of communication by sensing each other's emotions)

[GM Marvel]

[Ooc: If Boo is backing off because the guy is undead or some other strange creature, I have paid the extra point to train him to attack anything not just humanoids.]

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[DM Surranó]

True enough Boo would charge a zombie dragon or even a low rank demon without hesitation. This is why Toot noticed instantly that there's some kind of repellant force in operation. Whether it's an aura or some kind of spell he couldn't tell yet... but if this guy was an undead, outsider, abomination or magical beast-- he was no ordinary cannon fodder and wielded a force powerful enough to keep Boo at bay. Alas, Toot is not well versed in creatures beyond natural so he cannot tell which one is the case. The bond between them is strong enough for Toot to force Boo take an action he wouldn't do normally but will Toot do it?

OOC - to clarify; I froze game time mid-turn because Boo's reaction is a new information that Toot has the wisdom (and you, i.e. the player have the opportunity) to evaluate and create a new action plan or stick with the original. I would like you to make this decision, not me.

[Toot]

Toot was not amused by Boo's failure to act but could kind of understand his hesitation.  If Boo was detecting an otherworldly aura coming from this being then is was good to know now.  However, Toot worried that this was another animal strangely disobeying orders like the Summoned Rat did back with the Crocodile.  Though, something to investigate later. For now Toot had to trust that Boo would Defend him without being given a command so instead he loudly squeeks, "HEEL!" [In Jermlaine] and withdraws toward the hole.

[OoC: Toot does a full withdraw action around the evil guy, past Boo and continues running.  So his first square isn't considered threatened.  Toot's speed is 40' x 2 = 8'.   The Trick: Heel, means Boo will follow Toot even to areas he normally wouldn't go.  Also, Boo knows the Trick: Defend, so Boo will automatically defend Toot from attack even without being asked.]

[OoC: If for some reason Toot and Boo can't do a full withdraw action.  Toot goes total defense (Standard action: +4 ac) and tries to move past Boo to use the animal companion as cover.]

[DM Surranó]

OOC - learned something new... always thought "heel" meant standing on hind legs...

Boo jumps at the command, obeying his (ooc - or he's a she?) master but as soon as he gets close (before getting into melee) he turns around and flees, whining. The man breaks out in laughter as he watches the gnome toddler scurrying around him with surprising speed. Boo slows down just enough for Toot to catch up and obeys the command while fleeing together.

The man waits the two to gain some distance before Toot can hear his voice,
"There's one thing better than hurting a toddler--
after a moment of dramatic pause, he finishes the sentence:
"-- is hurting his pet"

(ooc - next round)
Toot realises that while the man let them gain some advantage the laughter is getting closer now and as Toot reaches the tunnel he glances back and see the man is flying with blinding speed and will catch up to attack the bear in a round.
With the tunnel being five feet abovehead and Toot wants to leave that way, he must find the means to get up there, and do so fast. How Boo will make it is an even harder question.

[Toot]

Toot knew he should have listened to his gut and stayed back on the farm.  He could have pretended to be a lost puppy and had a wonderful life.  Now this thing which appears to be supernatural is talking about devouring him was convincing Toot to hang up his Explorers hat and retire.  

If Toot wasn't already, he makes a 5' step behind Boo and Hides behind his companion.  

Toot sensed (or hoped) that this creature wanted to saver its kill as much as possible.  So he hoped to take advantage of that and buy some time.  Toot cries out, "Pweeze don't hurt me mizter!  <sob> Pweeze! <sniffle> I will do anyting you want!"  It wasn't hard to act frightened since Toot was genuinely scared shitless.  He then begins to whisper a spell.

[OoC: Hide [Result 29] says it requires no action and is usually made as part of an action.  So when making the 5' step, Toot hides in Boo's shadow; Free action: Begging for his life; Full round action: Converting Sleet Storm to Summon 1d3 Small Earth Elementals [Result 2] but they don't appear until the beginning of Toot's next turn.  Creatures summoned have +4 strength and +4 Con.  So the Earth elementals will have: Strength 21, Con 17; hit points 15; Attack: Slam +7; Dam: 1d6+6; Fort +6, Ref -1, Will 0]

[DM Surranó]

Toot's calculations come to life as the guy stops.
"Noooo?"
Still, he's so close to bear and master that the bear can't hold his nerves and tries to jump up, back to the tunnel. However, it's too tight to simply squeeze in from this position and falls back. As he does so the man swings his warhammer and the vicious weapon slams deep into Boo's thigh as if it were thin air. The bear whines from the terrible pain. Toot feels as insanity surpasses terror in his pour soul. All four legs quivering, he runs away, past the tunnel entrance, to the northeast, revealing Toot from his hiding spot.

Boo barely gets forty feet away from the man (thirty from Toot) when the druid finishes his spell and two earth elementals appear out of thin air.
(OOC not sure if you should specify the location in advance but how about one appearing in Boo's place, the other one the other side, thus the two flanking the man? (except that the man is afloat...) )