Jest-Alt of Doom

[lostsole31]

*************************************************
EDIT (11JUL2009): With a new cast of characters, so too comes a new set of colors and roles. This table will also include the temporary tag-a-long of Jorr Natherson ...

{table=head]Character| Color| Race/Sex| Class/Abilities Known | Party Role
Grollf| Olive| Male 1/2-Human, 1/2-Minotaur| Bear Totem Barbarian4/ Totemist6| Party Tank & Shock Trooper
Samold "Soulsinger" Sarnadral| Green| Male Human (Quadling)| Naturalist Bard7/ Warlock7| Party Leader, Arcanist, Magical Ranged Combat Specialist, Enchanter, & Face-Man
Avralelrial| Indigo| Female Elf of Unknown Delineation, Tall w/ Odd Coloring| What doesn't she do?| Party Stealth Specialist, Scout, Runner, and Tactician; Secondary Everything Else
Sali'shasyl ("That's Miss Sexy Sunshine to you!")| Magenta (aka Pink)| Male High Elf (but he likes to be treated like a lady)| Cleric 6/ ????| Party Cleric, Healbot ("Let's Touch!"), & Undead Demolisher; Also, interesting fire and other protective abilities ("Gifts of a Sunny Disposition!"); Also, token Minority ("Don't shoot! I'm gay!")
Jorr Natherson| Purple| Old Male Human| Some sort of scout-type| Archer, Witchwood Protector, and Anti-Christ to Goblins
[/table]

[UserClone]

"I feel like sea green is a pretty awesome color for an Ooloi!"

Mih'lek (http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/profiler/view_char.php?cid=25436)(MY-leck) should be all set to go. Please scrutinize, and yes, I purposely included no (physical) weapons of any kind. Not her style.:smallbiggrin:

[lostsole31]

[I am going to do the best I can without Tangled Web. They are having d-base errors over there. Hopefully things will clear up within a day.]

For about nine months now, the three of you (or five, since there is Goln and Ihsan) have travelled and grown together. Not at the rate of standard "on camera" adventurers, but successfully conducting various small missions or acted as protective escort for other religious folk going in your direction.

The nature of your 'family' changed slightly, however, once Kioi found out that there was a powerful priest of Lyris in the Kingdom of Kett. With your permission (for it seems that Mih'lek is effectively the leader of the group), Kioi asked if the two of you would escort him as he pilgrimages to see that priest.

It turns out that High Visionary Algor deemed that it was 'fated' for Kioi to come. The old priest, once a warpriest who conducted many campaigns against giants in his youth but now too old to properly wield his old warhammer, was told through a spell that a foreign beast-man with different views of Lyris from his far-away land would come to see old Algor before he would be allowed to sleep his last and visit Lyris in her Hall of Heroes. When the three of you showed up - especially Kioi - he didn't understand that Lyris had a sect of nature worshippers, but he was elated.

Kioi mentioned his two-fold mission:

Overall, to protect the world from dangers that threaten the world from Beyond.
Personally, to travel as a protector to worthy seekers of wisdom.


Old Algor mentioned to Kioi that there was a way that even warrior-prince's unique (to Algor and anyone of this continent, that is) could be compatible with an old order of knights that performed the same missions as Kioi was already undertaking: the hospitallers.

The three of you ...Got a name for the group, yet? I was thinking something simple like, the Seekers, the Pilgrims, or maybe the Alan Parsons Project.:smalltongue:...stay for 17 days while Algor, re-invigorated to have a pupil to carry on the Old Code, tries to teach Kioi about worldly religions. Kioi is clever and a quick study of intuitive and observable phenomena, but has a hard time applying himself to such academic subjects as broad-based religious doctrine, theology, philosophy, dogma. Algor persists, but has trouble directing the younger man.

You and Soulsinger both enjoy your travels, it has been nice to find a place that is not too full of people. The area is nice, small, and there is an apothecary and veterinarian that is able teach you a few extra things for the price of you using your magics to aid where needed. Soulsinger comes into the village every so often to entertain at the quaint tavern with Goln but usually camps out at the lake to "sing to the stars" and practice his songs in privacy.

On the 17th day, Kioi is called to Algor's chambers where the old priest lies on his deathbed. It seems the old warpriest received a powerful vision of war descending on a faraway place called Elsir Vale under the banner of a clawed red hand. Elsir Vale is a long ride that exists on the distant and remote borderlands among Sterich, Geoff, and the Grand March. His youth fighting giants was important, but was nothing more than a prelude to being able to pass on Lyris' missive for it is Kioi's fate - and by extension your own - to combat this threat whose tendrils begin in the Great Beyond.

Algor, proud to have lived a life of service to his Lady, and believing this last - though less glorious than his past exploits - to be his greatest, smiles broadly and whispers a word to Kioi before he expires happily with the expectation to be accepted among those great heroes who came before him.

You and Soulsinger were at the door, and you ask him what he said. Kioi simply and grimly answers, but with a slight smile, "Victory."

Once you learn what is expected of Kioi, you naturally are quite horrified to realize that he intends to go to a place where there is expected to be great conflict. That seems to go against that which you set out to do yourself. It is Soulsinger (yeah, off-camera high-Diplomacy) that manages to convince you that to know that great suffering and pain is likely to occur and do nothing but hide yourself away would be to shun the gifts you have been given; that if the three of you can be instrumental in averting war or ensuring that at least the greatest safety is given to the innocent, that is the very essence of healing: to allow no harm to be done in the first place.

And so you have travelled for several weeks. In the evenings, Kioi desperately studying from a set of books on religion and theology that the assistant Lyran priest gave him before he left, to understand what he has allowed himself to be ignorant of up until now.

[UserClone]

What do you think of "The Seekers of Harmony," generally shortened to just "The Seekers?" Since Kioi and Soulsinger are principal characters as well, I'd prefer to call it something we can agree on, so if the name just doesn't jive for you, don't hesitate to say so, and suggest something else.

While Kioi does his studying and Soulsinger croons to the great dragon in the sky, Mih'lek prepares for the next day. Not for the battles surely to come, not for the journey as a whole, but just for the next day. One day at a time, she says in her head, repeating her daily mantra. For all Mih'lek tries to deny the call of organized religion and sacred ritual, she still has her own.

Slowly unraveling the long twin tails that trail from the back of her skull, Mih'lek's body actually cuts quite a stunning, if certainly exotic, silhouette against the light of the campfire. Shaking the kinks out of the loose head-tails, Mih'lek practices for nearly an hour, lighting a stone with her arcane magic, tossing it straight up in the air with a makeshift sling, attempting to catch it with the same, usually failing but sometimes succeeding. A few times, the rock would come crashing down and strike her. Once it hit her right above her left eye. But she just kept on practicing. When it was all over, she laid hands on the small cuts and bruises, healing them all with a glow of warming light from her fingertips.

Resting near the fire, now much lower in heat and light output, Mih'lek takes the mug out from her backpack and says a word into it, and the mug fills with cool, clean water. She pours this over her body, showering and grooming her head-tails and pouring some through her gills, for though she can breathe air, and even enjoys its many sweet and exotic fragrances, a breath of fresh water is to her a taste of heaven.

Her mind and body focused, Soulsinger returns just as Mih'lek's twin tails are being braided again for the next day. They say their goodnights and she thinks for one last time that night, One day at a time. She smiles slightly as she drifts into a peaceful trance, quiet whispers coming from her lips, unconscious prayers to make up for her conscious effort to stifle her inborn worship.

[lostsole31]

"The Seekers of Harmony", which is often just shortened to "The Seekers" is a great name ... I mean, I sorta came up with the first part, but your addition of the second part ("...of Harmony") makes a wonderful double-entendre ... the spiritual harmony you seek, the natural harmony Kioi seeks, and the musical harmony Soulsinger speaks.

Btw, Complete Mage has the invocation "Swimming the Styx" which is pretty much exactly the same thing as the Dragonfire Adept invocation "Aquatic Adaptation" with the exception that channeling of lower-planar creatures is done and the hands get webbed.

It takes some doing, but finally Soulsinger manages to get in touch with a merchant who has heard of Elsir Vale far, far to the south. You pass by the cities of the north on your way south, and end up convoying with caravans and the like for stretches of this late spring.

The three of you become invaluable to one particular caravan that is on its way to points farther south (and west) of your destination, but you help them ease the burdens on their resources as you cross the Endless Plains, a great windblown sea of grass that stretches for hundreds of miles east, north, and west of Elsir Vale before you take your leave and they continue more southwards. The plains aren't truly featureless; the land has a fair amount of rise and fall, and low-lying creek beds choked with undergrowth and briars cut deep gullies through the grassland. Lonely stands of tall, hardy trees dot the savannah-land. Nomadic human barbarians, tribes of gnolls, and bands of wild centaurs supposedly roam the Endless Plains, but the caravan is large enough to be left alone. This savannah, Kioi tells you, is very similar to his home though his home is flatter.

There is a cart-track you pass towards the end of The Endless Plains which the canny old caravan guard says is often used by those going to Elsir Vale as it dumps into the Old North Road, but you won't cut any time off going that way and he suggests you press on, and they could use your help. Thirty miles further down the route is a definte road, but the caravan guard tells you that is the Dwarfroad that runs through the Westdeep - a very old, dark forest with terrible terrors within. Beyond the Westdeep, the Dwarfroad passes through the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. The Dwarfroad, as you can see from its solid workmanship, used to be the main thoroughfare, but the guide tells you that the trail he will direct you to isn't as dangerous. The Dwarfroad's route through the mountains is overrun by various warring tribes of brutish humanoids and hasn't been a good road to use for decades.

A few days later, about 90-100 miles further south, is another cart-track. This is where you say your goodbyes. The guide tells you that he never got around to checking out a place known as the Vault of Vraath Keep. He hands Mih'lek an old map showing the location of a place called Vraath Keep, just north across the Elsir River from a town called Drellin's Ferry, and the map hints at a hidden vault containing a great treasure. He says that since the Keep is reputed to be haunted, that may be just the place for someone to be hiding out to stir up trouble in the Vale.

He recommends taking this cart-track for about 80 miles till there is a turnoff going sharply north where it fords the Elsir River, while the rest of the trail goes on to intersect the Old North Road in Drellin's Ferry. Once there, you parallel the Elsir River and the southern edge of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains until you see a settlement, and there will be an old trail that leads you 10 miles or so north to Vraath Keep.

Trusting the old guide, you do as instructed, figuring that an old keep is as fine a place as any to begin figuring out what might be happening in Elsir Vale. You'll just check out this Keep (if you can find it, the map isn't exact) and then plug into Drellin's Ferry for more localized gossip and news.

Elsir Vale lies in the subtropical latitudes. Summers, of which you are now entering, are hot and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm. And this summer is no exception to the norm as it is a hot, dry summer. Standard diurnal temperature is about 85 to 110 degrees F; nocturnal temperature is around 60 to 85 degrees F.

The afternoon sun beats down on you; the air is hot and still. The sparsely settled lands of Elsir Vale are starting to grow monotonous, with a seemingly endless line of dusty flyspecks of towns. The town of Drellin's Ferry lies a few miles ahead of you. It's a settlement hard on the borders of the Witchwood, and the best place to begin exploring the nearby forest.

What do you do?

[UserClone]

"I should think that we ought to visit the town first, and get ourselves settled, before we run off to do something foolish, like throw ourselves into danger," says Mih'lek with a smile and her best attempt at a wink.

[lostsole31]

"If we must, m'lady," says Kioi hesitantly. He is always the subject of stares for his exoticism. You can be expected to be exotic, of course, but as a human his entire outlook and overall 'look' is less human than your own.

"Thank you," says Soulsinger quietly and simply. While unusual among bards for having such a strange affinity for nature, and being far more shy than most bards, still he enjoys nicer things when he can get them ... such as a good bed or a fine meal. And shy or not, he does love to sing to an audience.

Because he is not only the protector and vanguard for the party, but also the most well-endowed for his senses, Kioi is astride Ihsan in the lead. There is ten feet of distance between Mih'lek so that she may dodge Ihsan's droppings and be less hampered by any smell, followed by Soulsinger and Goln hopping happily alongside his master immediately behind Mih'lek.

The road crests a small rise and descends into a dusty grove in a large, shallow dell. An abandoned farmhouse, partially visible through the trees, stands on one side of the road. You've passed a dozen spots much like this one already today, but this one feels wrong. Then you glimpse the glint of mail through the brush by the side of the road. Fierce warriors - tall, hairy humanoids with wide mouths and flat faces - are lying in wait!

Initiative...
Ihsan = 22 [Delaying]
R1 = 20
R2 = 17 (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R6 = 17
R5 = 15
R3 = 12
Soulsinger = 11
Mih'lek = 9
Kioi = 8.9
H1 = 7
Goln = 4
R4 = 2

R1T22: Ihsan sniffs the air and sees the creatures and instantly whinnies to alert for danger while finding "combat footing" (no longer flat-footed) but otherwise awaits Kioi's command.

R1T20: There are three humanoids on each side of the gully/road, approximately 15' from each other, paralleling the road (so 6 total). There is light undergrowth with the forest border, and each of these humanoids has cover with a tree. The first one shoots an arrow at Kioi but the arrow simply sinks into Kioi's enchanted heavy darkwood shield.

R1T17 thru 12: 4 more arrows come in from others of these humanoids, 2 missing or glancing off his armor, and another 2 being caught by his shield.

R1T11: Soulsinger realizes he is too late to try to negotiate with the perpetrators of this ambuscade, he directs Goln to attack the first one that fired (just ahead and to the left of Kioi) and directs his gaze at the one across the road from that one. He twists his hands in arcane fashion, and with words backed by power he says to that one "Go, find your leader and tell him we are here. Then hurry back to help us with this misunderstanding."

The humanoid looks at him, slacking his grip on his bow, and barks out, "Yes, sir!"

Soulsinger than says to The Seekers, "Looks like we are going to have their leader revealed to us soon enough ... will he or no."

R1T9: Mih'lek ... You recognize these warriors as hobgoblins. They wield well-strung composite longbows from cover. They have heavy shields at their backs and high-quality longswords at their sides. The first "rank" of hobgoblins (one on each side) is being dealt with ... to your left Goln has been sent to attack, to your right he has been charmed to excellent tactical purpose, you are 35' from the point that if you walked the middle of the road to where you would be in crossfire, and then they would be 20-25' on each side from that point. There are two more "ranks" of hobbos ... the next one 15' from the first, and the third another 15' from that group.

What do you do?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek waves her hands in a complex fashion, drawing a small white ovoid from her spell component pouch, which she breaks open, causing a nauseating green stinking cloud to appear, engulfing the rear two ranks.

[lostsole31]

Actually, you can't get the rear two ... but you CAN get two of them as long as you take two of them from one side. On the same side of the road they are only 15' apart, but across the road from one another, one hobbo is about 50' from his counterpart. It's a wide gully.

R1T9: Mih'lek

Mih'lek waves her hands in a complex fashion, drawing a small white ovoid from her spell component pouch, which she breaks open, causing a nauseating green stinking cloud to appear, engulfing the last two that are on the left side relative to the party - which is on the opposite side of the road from the farmhouse, and also allowing a clear field for the charmed hobbo to go do his task as directed by Soulsinger. Unfortunately, because of the foliage, she can't place it far enough into the woods but right at the edge of the road ... meaning that the road in that spot is engulfed and the Seekers - should they wish to continue, have to go around into the farmhouse-side foliage or barrel through it.
The stinking cloud will persist until the beginning of R7T9.

R1T8.9: Kioi is able to charge the second-rank hobgoblin on the right side (side of the farmhouse) with Ihsan. His lance obliterates the hobgoblin for 31 points of damage!!! Let's hear it for Spirited Charge feat! But he only gets it because of reach and his charge is stopped by the rise of the gully and the forest wall.

R1T7: From the south, a big, rust-red dog with glowing red eyes comes up the road but darts off the same side as the farmhouse when it sniffs (before entering) the stinking cloud. He passes among the foliage, last seen around the area of the final hobgoblin on the right (farmhouse) side.

R1T4: Goln bounds over to the left and ahead to that first hobgoblin on the left and tries to bite him, but Goln is having trouble getting to him because of the slope and misses.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

[lostsole31]

Initiative
R1 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R2 = 17, currently using Total Defense, with just shield in hand.
R6 = 16.9
R5 = 15, nauseated until end of R6T15.
H2 = 12.2
B/U = 12.1
R3 = 12 (engulfed by a stinking cloud), has taken 16 hp damage.
Soulsinger = 11
Mih'lek = 9
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9
H1 = 7
C/Z = 5
Goln = 4

R2T20: The hobgoblin that Samold charmed - the front right hobgoblin - disappears into the foliage towards the farmhouse.

R2T17: The front-left hobgoblin appears to be quite disciplined. Instead of scrambling for both sword and shield since he is pressed by a big toad, he drops his bow, readies his shield, but then begins conducting expert parrying defense in lieu of readying a weapon.He is conducting a total defense action.

R2T16.9: The right rear hobgoblin, because of a slight bend in the road, doesn't have a clear shot at the dreaded wood-knight, but aims an arrow instead at the bizarred fish-creature that just cast that spell, but just misses you.

R2T15: The left rear hobgoblin was totally taken by surprise and begins to vomit and backs deeper into the woods to try to escape the cloud as soon as possible.

R2T12: The middle-left hobgoblin, who was farther from the epicenter of Mih'lek's spell and was aware enough to momentarily hold his breath, quits the woods, coming out onto the road though still in the stinking cloud. He fires an arrow at Mih'lek, and only because of her enchanted sharkskin helmet does the arrow that strike her in the head not score a critical.The arrow did 3 points of damage.

R2T11: Soulsinger moves 30' down the road, 20' from the hobgoblin that hit you but still out of the stinking cloud and he lets loose with arcane energy that hits him square in the chest for 16 points of damage. The hobgoblin stands, but barely.

R2T9: Mih'lek ...

[UserClone]

Mih'lek drops prone, firing off a magic missile at the one that took Soulsinger's damage, and loosing the other two on Goln's target.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[lostsole31]

[OOC: Sorta. Warmage edge only applies once to the total damage output of a spell; i.e., you have to choose which missile (target) receives that extra point of damage. So do you want the extra point on Soulsinger's target, or Goln's?]

[UserClone]

((Ohhhh...In that case, I'll apply it to Soulsinger's.))

[lostsole31]

Initiative/ Status TrackerR1 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R2 = 17, currently using Total Defense, with just shield in hand.
R6 = 16.9
R5 = 15, nauseated until end of R6T15.
H2 = 12.2
B/U = 12.1, suffered 21 points of damage.
R3 = 12 (engulfed by a stinking cloud), felled after taking 21 points of damage.
Soulsinger = 11
Mih'lek = 9
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9
H1 = 7
C/Z = 5
Goln = 4

R2T9: Mih'lek

With a brilliant tactical investment (and trust in Soulsinger's own power) Mih'lek drops prone and shoots only one magic missile at the one her teammate blasted ... and drops it after doing only 5 points of damage. The other two magic missiles instead smack the lead hobgoblin in the chest for a total of only 5 points of damage, after the missiles lost some impetus swerving around leaves and his shield.

R2T8.9: Kioi comes out of the foliage by the farmhouse, and sees a tough-looking hobgoblin there to greet him with twin short swords as the charmed hobgoblin is there speaking with him. Kioi continues with his movement, though not charging, and scores a critical hit on this tough goblin with his lance for 21 points of damage. He keeps Ihsan from attacking, but invokes a double movement on the horse and speeds away into the foliage unabated while the duped lackey, with his bow still in hand, is unable to attack them while they pass. Kioi calls out: "There is a warrior leader with twin swords at the farmhouse!"

R2T7: A second later, he follows that with: "And a hellhound just got Ihsan good, and me as well, with his infernal flaming breath!"Kioi takes 6 damage, but Ihsan is hit so squarely (for 12 damage) that the [U]masterwork studded leather barding is torched/destroyed/ruined/totaled/ kaput. This happens at the same time as a loud "Whinny!" from Ihsan.

R2T5: Unknown.

R2T4: Goln is still hopping about, and unable to get a good bite with his wide mouth around the shielded, defensive hobgoblin.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three...

[lostsole31]

Initiative/ Status TrackerR2 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R1 = 17, currently using Total Defense, with just shield in hand.
R6 = 16.9
R5 = 15, nauseated until end of R6T15.
H2 = 12.2
B/U = 12.1, suffered 21 points of damage.
R3 = 12 (engulfed by a stinking cloud), felled after taking 21 points of damage.
Soulsinger = 11
Mih'lek = 9
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9
H1 = 7
C/Z = 5
Goln = 4
R3T20: The charmed hobgoblin comes out of the clearing at his original spot and calls out in gruff Common: "My Captain is on his way ... Hey! Guys! The Captain says he's coming to sort this out!"

R3T17: The beleaguered hobgoblin soldier fighting Goln now conducts the second phase of his tactic, but knows he can't last long with the fish-wizard blasting him and he unable to take 5-foot steps in difficult terrain while pressed by the big toad. He calls out something in his language at the top of his lungs while drawing his sword and attacking Goln, but Goln is quick and the soldier gets his sword caught trying to draw it in the what turns out to be relatively constricted space with the foliage.

R3T16.9: A hobgoblin soldier that was out of view due to the bend in the row has moved his way up the foliage, takes cover, and shoots at Mih'lek. Only because of her excellent use of prone position in a firefight did the hobgoblin not score a critical hit. The arrow misses her brachial artery as it hits her in the upper right arm for 5 points damage.That, and the fact that his confirmation roll was a natural '1' despite scoring a natural '20' on the attack roll.

R3T15: The nauseated hobogoblin's position is unknown.

R3T12.2: A hellhound bounds out of the forest and stops right by Mih'lek's right side before breathing fire on her for ... [Roll a Reflex saving throw, Mih'lek.]

[UserClone]

R3T12.2: A hellhound bounds out of the forest and stops right by Mih'lek's right side before breathing fire on her for ... [Roll a Reflex saving throw, Mih'lek.]

[roll0]

On her turn, Mih'lek stands up from prone, takes a five-footer away from the creature and casts fire shield (chill shield variety). She becomes immediately immolated in wispy [roll1] blue flames.

[lostsole31]

R3T12.2 (Cont'd): The speed of the creature, and her unfortunate positioning, makes it hard for her to roll and she takes a full 12 hit points of damage!! She screams long and loud as she gets immolated.

R3T11: Soulsinger yells out to Mih'lek ... "I will use my healing hymn to aid your healing magics, Mi! Don't stand up, just concentrate on not getting bitten while you cast a simple healing spell for yourself."

He then looks at the soldier and says, "Surrender and we will not hurt you."

With that, he begins singing one of many healing hymns he knows.You cast curative spells more effectively when he sings this song. It lasts as long as he performs and continues 5 rounds afterwards. It basically gives the ability to heal +9 hit points of damage with any conjuration (healing) spell.

R3T9: Mih'lek ... are you still going with your posted action, or are you going to take Samold's advice oh ye of only 10 hit points remaining?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek performs her action as stated, except that she first casts close wound on herself [roll0] for[roll1] points of healing.\

EDIT: That's IF she takes a hit on the AoO. Otherwise, she saves the swift/immediate action.

[lostsole31]

R3T9: Mih'lek

Mih'lek decides to chance the hell hound first before healing herself and goes to stand on her feet. Her swiftness and armor little helps her on the ground against the hell hound however and it bites her on the hand for 9 points of damage, plus another 6 for fire.Ouch. Max damage on both.

Mih'lek shrieks and the shock throws her into unconsciousness.

"Kioi! Mih's down!" Soulsinger shouts as he ends his healing song.

R3T8.9: Kioi and Ihsan come bursting out of the foliage and closes to lance the hell hound for 10 points of damage. "Get to her and help her! I heard you singing your song.

[UserClone]

((Nope. She's not down yet. She healed 12 points of that as an immediate action, to keep herself from dropping. Go ahead and read the spell description.))

And actually, it's [roll0]

[lostsole31]

[OOC: Okay, I thought that was silly of you. You made it very confusing with the following ...

EDIT: That's IF she takes a hit on the AoO. Otherwise, she saves the swift/immediate action.
That made it seem to me like you were going to stand up regardless and see what the AOO brings, and then heal yourself if needed.]

[UserClone]

((Yeah. According to the spell description, she can do it right as she takes damage to stop her going negative. If you are ruling otherwise, than she'd have cast it just before standing.))

[lostsole31]

((Nope. She's not down yet. She healed 12 points of that as an immediate action, to keep herself from dropping. Go ahead and read the spell description.))

And actually, it's [roll0]


R3T9 (Redux): Mih'lek

So, she casts the spell, gets back 12 [cause that's what you rolled the first time, buddy] hit points plus 3 hit points [for healing hands] for 15 total. She starts to stand, gets bitten for 14 hit points ... she now has 10 hit points remaining. She makes a 5-foot step, casts chill shield, and blue, wispy flames surround her.

[Soulsinger, obviously, does not comment that she is down.]

R3T8.9: Kioi and Ihsan come bursting out of the foliage and closes to lance the hell hound for 10 points of damage.

R3T7: Another hell hound bursts out of the foliage after Ihsan, but only manages to catch up to the horse this round ... and as it does so provokes an AOO from Kioi's lance for 10 hit points damage.

R3T4: Goln scores a solid hit, but drastically fails to make it a deep wound, doing only 1 damage. Still, the poison hits the bloodstream too fast for the hobgoblin's body to fight off effectively and the hobgoblin suffers 6 Constitution damage!

End Round Three...

[lostsole31]

Begin Round Four ...

[UserClone]

Actually, the 12 hp heal is impossible, because the spell was updated in Spell Compendium to be 1d4+level, max +5, INSTEAD of 2d4. Then I added the 9. That's a fourteen base, before the die roll, so minimum 15. You did point out the Healer's Hands, which I forgot to add in, though, so I rolled a 19. Or the minimum of 18. Your call. :smalltongue: Also, 9 bite damage + 6 fire is 15, not 14. Just keeping it honest.:smallbiggrin:

[lostsole31]

Thank you for letting me know about the update in SC. Normally, I would say "the heck with it" but Miniature's Handbook had a lot of problems in it and was kinda' broken (for a good example, see the War Hulk PrC). So yes, close wounds will be as per SC.

I actually did calculate 15 damage, but said 14. Mih'lek now has 17 hit points.

[lostsole31]

Begin Round Four ...

Initiative/ Status TrackerRein4 = 21
R2 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R1 = 17, wounded/poisoned, fighting Goln.
R6 = 16.9
R5 = 15, nauseated.
H2 = 12.2, took 10 damage.
B/U = 12.1
Soulsinger = 11
Rein3 = 10.9
Rein5 = 10.8
Rein1 = 10
Mih'lek = 9, using chill shield.
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9
Rein6 = 8
H1 = 7, took 10 damage.
C/Z = 5
Goln = 4
Rein2 = 3
R3 = 0 (engulfed by a stinking cloud), felled and dying?

R4T21: Another hobgoblin that you haven't seen before appears on the road to the south and hustles up to the southern (opposite) edge of the stinking cloud.

R4T20: The charmed hobgoblin shouts: "I trust in your word, human. I surrender."

R4T17: Suffering obvious, severed debilitation from Goln's poisonous bite, this hogboblin is doing poorly as his sword barely traces small scratches on the toad's warty armor. He cries in his language, likely calling attention too his distress.

R4T16.9: This hobbo, seeing a new and dangerous threat, stays true to his tactics and training and continues to target the weakened Mih'lek. He maintains cover, but he fumbles as he is still shaken by how close he came to getting trampled, and drops his arrow.

R4T12.2: The hell hound, infuriated by this newcomer and not wanting to tangle with the now cold-aura protected spellcaster, closes 5' on Ihsan and tries (poorly) to bite Ihsan but the horse is too quick for it.

R4T12.1: A hobgoblin bursts from the clearing and does a poor job tumbling to close Kioi without danger, but Kioi already responded with an AOO to the other hell hound. This hobgoblin looks significantly tougher and faster in all ways over the other soldiers. The elite champion clashes his blades together and calls out to Kioi in Common: "You! You dare to fight me, and then run like a coward?"

He is wearing masterwork studded leather armor, wielding two masterwork short swords. He also appears to show that he was pierced heavily, though the wound looks to be less than it should be. What's left of the gaping hole on the armor is a likeness painted onto his black armor of a great red, clawed hand set against a golden orb.

He spins those blades around in a defensive shell as he approaches and stabs at Kioi - getting the benefit of flanking with the hell hound that attacked you. It is a masterful lunges that finds a weakness in Kioi's armor, but as good as it is .... the attack is stopped cold by Kioi's prodigious hide. The hobgoblin is quite surprised to find that a mere human is so well protected.

"That's the leader!" cries Kioi. "But I hurt him severely before ... he doesn't appear to be wounded so badly anymore. Look for a cleric!"

R4T11: Soulsinger modulates the power in his voice from a destructive bolt to harmonic dissonance. As he sings this terrible song, the masterwork short sword in the hobgoblin captain's hands shatters!

R410.9 - 10: Three more hobgoblin reinforcements appear and move to the far boundary of the stinking cloud.

R4T9: Mih'lek's turn ... a hell hound is 2 squares away and flanking Kioi/Ihsan with the hobgoblin leader on the other side.

[UserClone]

Concentrating hard [roll0], Mih'lek blasts a small bright blue orb of energy at the hellhound right in front of her. [roll1] [roll2] She then concentrates again [roll3] to cast another close wounds for [roll4] points of healing.

With a very keen focus, Mih'lek blasts the unfortunate hellhound with a two-inch-wide, whipping blast of icy energy. She then concentrates on her wounds, and they miraculously knit themselves instantaneously. The only evidence of their having been there is a small singed hole in her armor. "Kioi!" she shouts. "Turn and strike the dog, and then together we can focus on the master! Do not be duped by his foolish taunting!"

((Can I ready a move action to occupy the hellhound's space if he drops it?))

[lostsole31]

R4T9 (Cont'd): As can be expected for a fire-breathing creature from hell, it appears to be particularly affected by the lesser orb of cold, actually taking 18 hit points damage.

No on the ready action request. A ready action is taken before your actual turn begins, and is always a standard action itself ... regardless of the type of action readied.

R4T8.9: Kioi nods at Mih'lek, prodding Ihsan to attack the hell hound. Ihsan rears up and comes down on the hound with both hooves on the hound's back and it falls.

He then spins Ihsan round to bite at the hobgoblin bladebearer, and Ihsan actually bites him on the buttocks for 4 damage.

Now that Ihsan hit the captain, Kioi focuses on the bond he and Ihsan share, and with one mind in two bodies, he steps Ihsan to the side 5' (to get reach again) and lances the captain in the right shoulder for 11 damage.

R4T8: Another hobbo to the south.

R4T7: The other hell hound closes and attacks Ihsan's flank. Kioi's excellent handling of his mount prevents a good strike.

R1T5: Mih'lek hears a disembodied voice somewhere around the bladebearer, whose wounds begin to heal significantly (though not fully).

R1T4: Goln bites his opponent on the right shoulder for 2 hp's, though he doesn't appear to be suffering any more horrifically from poison.

R1T3: Yet another hobbo to the south, making 6 reinforcements total.

End Round Four ...

[lostsole31]

Begin Round Five ...

Initiative/ Status TrackerRein4 = 21
R2 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R1 = 17, bitten & poisoned by Goln.
R6 = 16.9
R5 = 15, nauseated and not in view
Bladebearer = 12.1, wounded
Soulsinger = 11
Rein3 = 10.9
Rein5 = 10.8
Rein1 = 10
Mih'lek = 9, using chill shield.
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9
Rein6 = 8
H1 = 7, wounded
Invisible Cleric = 5, behind bladebearer and targetable with total concealment.
Goln = 4
Rein2 = 3

Dead or Dying: 2 hobgoblin regulars, 1 hell hound.

R5T20: The charmed soldier stands fast.

R5T17: Goln gets hit along his left side by his opponent's longsword for 3 damage.

R5T16.9: Hobbo shoots at Mih'lek from cover and misses.

R5T12.1: "You shattered a magical sword, you infidel! When I am through with your warrior friend, I will come for you, coward!" shouts the bladebearer, but without his second short sword, his aim is awkward and unable to penetrate Kioi's impressive defenses.

R5T11: Soulsinger closes to within 30' of his intended target, his eyes glowing with power as he lets loose with a deadly bolt of arcane energy at an unoccupied square. It resounds with the squelching of metal as he scores 14 damage on an unseen opponent behind the bladebearer.

R5T9: With Soulsinger's successful targeting using his see the unseen invocation, Mih'lek is now free to target an opponent. The opponent still has total concealment to her, so magic missile and other sure-touch spells won't work.

By now, four of the six reinforcements have disappeared off the road into the foliage on the farmhouse side.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek casts a persistent blade in the space opposite kioi, such that it flanks with kioi, and attacks with it. [roll0] I thought you could only shatter nonmagical objects?

[UserClone]

Whoops. [roll0]

[lostsole31]

Thanks for the reminder ... bladebearer's sword is fine. But even then, Soulsinger would say something that his song couldn't make the sword budge. I won't reroll the attack sequence because with a '16' on the roll and still not hitting Kioi with two-weapon fighting, it's just better for this guy to use his Two-Weapon Defense and use single attacks.

[lostsole31]

R5T9: Mih'lek casts a persistent blade in the space opposite Kioi, such that it flanks with Kioi, and attacks with it.I assume you mean flanking with the bladebearer. That's what's going to happen without better delineation.The dagger, unimpeded by the limitations of a joint's range of motion, swoops and turns and twists inside the able hobgoblin's defense of whirling blades to nick him on the neck for 3 damage.

R5T8.9: Kioi shouts, "Soulsinger, keep on that invisible cleric!"

Kioi attacks with his lance straight-on at the bladebearer. The attack might have missed the nimble warrior, but Kioi benefits from flanking, elevated position, and a special bond with his mount and the lance finds its mark in the hobgoblin's left shoulder for 12 damage.

Ihsan, also getting the benefit of flanking, whips his right hoof to smack the hobbo's lower left arm for 9 damage, then dips low to bite him in the left shin for 5 damage.

R5T7: The hell hound tries desperately to nip at Ihsan's fetlocks but fails.

R5T5: Mih'lek hears a spell being cast from near the bladebearer - ID'd as hold person - but you don't know who it was cast against (you think it must be against Kioi). Nothing happens as a result of that spell. Instantly, a hobgoblin pops into view. He wears banded mail, wields a light steel shield, also has blackened armor with the red-claw-and-gold-orb symbol. At this side he has a masterwork heavy mace. In his right hand, he holds what is likely some type of holy symbol (attached to his neck on a pendant) though his paws on the thing make it hard to see what it looks like.

R5T4: Goln takes another little nibble (1 damage) out of his opponent's right shoulder. Again, it looks as if Goln's poison had a powerful effect; Goln must have bitten - albeit lightly -into the brachial artery sending its poison quickly through the body. The hobgoblin can barely stand, though for a 'regular tough' warrior, he stands as an example to the toughness of his race.

R5T3: By now, all 6 of the reinforcement warriors to the south have skirted into the treeline on the farmhouse side - likely to avoid the stinky gas that was in front of them. You can expect to see them in a couple rounds, but the stinking cloud has actually been more useful not as a direct attack, but as battlefield/ terrain control.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six ...

R6T20: Charmed hobgoblin stands fast.

R6T17: Wanting to make every final breath heroic, the hobgoblin fighting Goln launches out with a furious slash at Goln's belly for max damage (9 hit points)!

R6T16.9: The hobgoblin shooting from cover fires at Ihsan this time, but his arrow misses.

R6T12.1: The bladebearer seems determined to die with honor despite being so badly wounded, and takes a single stab at Kioi, hitting him in the leg for 11 damage.

R6T11: Soulsinger, neither helped nor harmed by seeing the cleric, fires off another shot at him, smacking him in the right elbow with an eldritch spear for 13 damage. The cleric appears to be very badly wounded.

Initiative/Status TrackerR2 = 20, (currently charmed by Soulsinger)
R1 = 17, bitten & poisoned by Goln.
R6 = 16.9
Bladebearer = 12.1, badly wounded
Soulsinger = 11
Mih'lek = 9, using chill shield, persistent blade on bladebearer
Ihsan/Kioi = 8.9, Kioi is wounded
H1 = 7, wounded
Hobbo Cleric = 5, badly wounded
Goln = 4, wounded

Dead/Dying: 2 hobgoblin soldiers and 1 hell hound
Mih'lek, your turn ...

[UserClone]

Taking a step further back to survey the situation, Mih'lek decides precision is what is needed now. She fires off a series of magic missiles, two of them at the cleric and one slightly larger one at the hobgoblin trying his best to take out Goln. [roll0] [roll1] She then fires off a close wounds at either Goln or Kioi (whomever seems the most hurt; thinking probably Goln). [roll2]Yes, I meant flanking with Kioi, which is what I said, flanking the hobbo.

[lostsole31]

R6T9: Taking a step further back to survey the situation, Mih'lek decides precision is what is needed now. She fires off a series of magic missiles, two of them at the cleric and one slightly larger one at the hobgoblin trying his best to take out Goln.

The first two missiles impact the hobgoblin cleric and he goes down with a grunt.

The edged missile smacks Goln's opponent mercifully, for his body appears to have been wracked with great pain due to Goln's poison, and he goes down.

She then fires off a close wounds at either Goln, who appears more wounded than Kioi (especially with his fast healing ability, as he had already healed the damage he took from when he was burned by a hell hound). Fortunately, just enough of Soulsinger's healing hymn's power lingers in Mih'lek's heart, and she is able to fully heal the toad.[OOC: This is the last round of the healing hymn.]

R6T8.9: Kioi sidesteps with Ihsan to get back into reach, and lances the bladebearer's neck for 14 damage and he drops.

Ihsan kicks the hellhound twice for 17 damage, though the bite doesn't penetrate its hide.

R6T7: Furious, the hell hound snarls and bites into Ihsan's leg above the hoof for 7 bite damage and 3 fire damage (10 total).

R6T4: Soulsinger directs Goln to attack the hobgoblin archer across the road who has been trying (and failing) to take potshots. Goln hops over the other side of the road, but by the time he gets to face off with a nervous hobbo, he isn't able to attack.

End Round Six, Begin Round Seven ...

R7T21: A voice calls from the wood in hobgoblin, it sounds frantic.

R7T20: "There," says the charmed hobgoblin, "my brothers have seen that you have felled our officers, and they flee."

R7T6: The hobgoblin currently facing Goln performs a withdrawal, and Soulsinger shouts a command for Goln to stand down.

R7T11: Soulsinger says, "I release you. Go, and do not come again." And with that, the charmed hobgoblin picks up his bow off of the ground and moves into the forest out of sight. Soulsinger than sings a song of death and an eldritch spear smacks into the remaining hell hound for 12 damage, dropping it.

R7T9: Mih'lek's turn. Combat rounds remain for administrative purposes. Kioi shouts triumphantly, "We have won the field!"

He then looks at his comrades and says, "Great work! I shall maintain my watch on Ihsan while the two of you conduct post-battle operations. Just understand that I will not suffer these creatures - he points his lance at the hell hounds - to live; they are creatures of Hell that are allied with the soldiers here to corrupt them into accepting Hell's gifts. Let us send them back there."

Dying/Dead/KO'd: Bladebearer, Cleric, 3 hobgoblin soldiers, 2 hell hounds.
Wounded: Kioi (has fast healing) & Ihsan.
In case you go to do healing on the fallen enemies, be advised that in the past you have lost your healing powers temporarily for using healing magic on evil creatures whose being healed quickly was not required by the tactical situation. Healing skill is okay, but using divine magic to heal evil creatures - however merciful you may be - is seen as a waste of that divine magic.

[UserClone]

Of course Mih'lek does not offer any healing magic to the fallen hellhounds, instead Coup de Gras'ing any that are nearby. She has no love for fiends, and knows that they are not worth healing. Even she has her limits. Any hobgoblis get the heal skill as treatment, and she will hit one of them with cure minor wounds until such time as it is conscious, instructing it to take care of its fellows.

[lostsole31]

Kind of anal ... but I need a priority of who you go around to check/ stabilize first (the main reason I was thinking in a round system, though you aren't constrained to that.

Once you do triage (diagnose/ stabilize), I will let you know who the fatalities are, and how far gone they are ... this should help you better define whom you want to plink with divine magic, er, um, cure minor wounds.

[UserClone]

Alright, we'll start nearest to farthest, a check to stabilize for everyone. Then I'll CdG the hellhounds, followed by triage, and ending with said "plinking."

[lostsole31]

There should be no reason for you to coup de grace the hounds ... the others don't doubt that you would if you had to, but that is Kioi's domain. He actually performs a ritual to Lyris and the spirits of Oerth to protect this world against more of their kind before he ritutalistically slays them.

For you to do so would not be out of character if alone ... but horrific when others are there to do this grim task that a dedicated healer (warmage or no) should not perform. Even Soulsinger would be better fit for such a task than you; especially him, actually, since while Kioi is against any outside influence that would upset the world, including aberrations, but Soulsinger has a particular hatred of tyrannical regimes that inflict such extinctions of liberality and freedoms that they kill men's souls before they kill the man.

Still, Kioi does the task with religious trappings. He offers up the death of the hell hounds to Lyris, goddess of fate and victory, to keep such minions of the outer worlds from coming into our own.

Healing The first closest one that Mih'lek gets to is the bladebearer and she saves him. (-7 hp's)
The next is the cleric, and she stabilizes him as well. (-5 hp's)
After that is the hobbo (R1) that fought Goln, and she stabilizes him. (-4 hp's, but Constitution is phenomenally low.)
Lastly is the hobbo (R3) that was felled while coming out of the stinking cloud. It seems he was made of tough stuff and though near death managed to self-stabilize. (-7 hp's)
The hobgoblin that Kioi first attacked on a charge was killed on impact.

Who do you plink? Soulsinger recommends the hobgoblin soldier that was not poisoned; the other is too sick to be of any use. Kioi, on the other hand, recommends bringing one of the officers to wakefulness, though he recommends the bladebearer since he will be easier to charm (seems like a fighter type where clerics have strong minds), likely was the overall captain, and thus has the greatest tactical information to provide for information.

Kioi has taken great interest in the fact that the officers were wearing symbols of a great clawed hand ... and feels that the hobgoblins directly relate to his quest.

Soulsinger recommends bringing the hobbos out of the road and into the farmhouse: not only to not choke up the road with wounded and get them out of the elements and into shade, but also to search the farmhouse while keeping an eye on the wounded prisoners.

Here is what the prisoners have for possessions: Bladebearer: mwk studded leather armor; 2 magical short swords which Soulsinger believes are +1 based on enchantment power.
Cleric: mwk heavy mace; potion that you ID as cure light wounds (2 of them); 2 scrolls - one divine scroll of spiritual weapon, and the other is a divine scroll of summon monster III (Soulsinger was able to figure this out without magic.). Also, magical banded mail (+1) and a light steel shield. He has a holy symbol which none of you recognize.
3 Soldiers: Each had a potion of cure light wounds (so 3 total), chainmail, heavy steel shield, mwk longsword, comp longbow (Str +1), and a quiver of up to 20 arrows (actually only 52 remain).
Mih'lek, you take care of binding wounds and so forth while the other two conduct a thorough search of the farmhouse.

The farmhouse includes a recent kill of a woman and two men that look like guards, likely for the dead woman. There is a pouch sitting near the bodies that contains 355 gp. Each of the guards had studded leather armor, light crossbows and longswords (no bolts present).

The marauders appear to have a crude campsite set up in the main room of the ruined farmhouse, with dirty bedrolls, cook fires (now banked), and other such necessities, but nothing of interest or value.

[UserClone]

((Goddammit! My subscription never updated! I was waiting on you!))

Mih'lek feels like the officer is a better idea, and so, after seeing him tied securely by one of the others, and laying the other three wounded near him, she gets him up to 0 hp and awake, if possible. If not, just up to 1.


Before the plinking takes place:
Mih'lek suggests distributing the clw potions as follows: 3 to Soulsinger, and 2 to Kioi, since Soulsinger is more likely to be in a position to run over and heal her if necessary, and so that they both have a couple of potions themselves in case their healer is too far. Furthermore, she commends Soulsinger on his excellent choice of song in the battle. Mih'lek has no opinion on what to do with the other items.

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger says, "Two victims here. Drellin's Ferry probably knows about the marauders, but does not know how to take action, or can't. Grasping claw means Kioi's quest ... but war means there are a lot more than just these. Scouting party? We could give over what we cannot sell easily to Drellin's Ferry to their town's armory as a gesture of good will, and deliver the bodies and the prisoners."

Kioi adds, "Sure, but I lost Ihsan's barding in a hellhound attack and that is expensive."
.................................................. .................................................. ....
It takes two uses of cure minor wounds to bring the lead hobgoblin up to 1 hp since he required critical care.

And so, the distasteful task of interrogation begins. Distasteful to Soulsinger, since he is the only one who has a chance of being any good at it. He starts out trying to be diplomatic, and this meets with some measure of success, and he determines that trying to continue beyond making him simply unfriendly will be counterproductive.

The bladebearer's name is Uth-lar, and his lieutenant (the cleric) is named Zarr. He is an extreme religious zealot that claims to want to die before divulging anything, and this is very belieaveable. But with Samold's excellent prodding and self-deprecation, and even annoying tactics, he is able to learn the following key facts from Uth-lar: The warband's base is an old human castle in the forest.
The marauders serve the Wyrmlord Koth, whom Uth-lar claims is a mighty sorcerer.
Koth's chief lieutenant is Karkilan, "a bull-faced killer as big as an ogre."
More warbands are reaving the lands around "the human river-town" to prepare for the "Day of Ruin."
"You may have won today, stupid humans and fish-girl, but our day is coming! The Red Hand will destroy you all!"No further amount of wheedling, cajoling, or intimidating will reveal anything else, and Soulsinger thinks that charming him won't make him friendly, just more compliant but still close-mouthed since he's such a fanatic.

[UserClone]

Is there just nothing left of the barding? Theoretically, mending could at least bring it back to masterwork quality.

"There are times in a being's life when it is given a choice. Live or die? Kill or heal? These are the questions we must answer when the time comes. Today, we have chosen to heal. If you would choose life, we would free you from your bonds that you could administer aid to your fellows and tend to your dead. But I'm afraid that letting you go is simply out of the question, if your intent is to bring destruction down upon this valley. So which is it? Do you choose life, as we have? Or is killing the only thing that matters to you? Answer in your own time, Uth-Lar."

[lostsole31]

Is there just nothing left of the barding? Theoretically, mending could at least bring it back to masterwork quality.

[Only if the broken pieces are whole. And by RAW - which I follow in this instance - when an item is 'destroyed' because a natural '1' was rolled on a saving throw, it is just that - 'destroyed'. 'Destroyed' in D&D is not just a descriptive term, but denotes an item that is beyond repair and in ruins.]

"I choose death!" he says shockingly quickly and even a little triumphantly. Even more shocking is that he doesn't appear to have a second-later sink-in of what he said.

That is when a more dangerous truth sinks in to the lot of you: That the force directing others like this hobgoblin and his minions is perhaps more dangerous in its ability to inspire such fanaticism and devotion for its members to be so willing to die, rather than any intrinsic power.

[UserClone]

Looking to Kioi, she gives him a quick nod, then turns away.

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger escorts Mih'lek outside for the task is distasteful to both, especially hearing the task performed. :smalleek: "Uh, guys? Guys, I was just kiddin', right? No, really, I am very highly placed and can tell you ..."

"ROOAA-ARRRRRR!!!!"

*Shred*! *Slash*! *Tear*!!!

"Oh, gods, NOOOOOO! Ohh, the goblin-ity! Whirl-a-whirl, whirl-a-whirl!"

*Splatter*! *Crunch*! *Gick*!

.... "Belch."

OOC ... Just kidding. Really, sometimes I just can't help myself. :xykon:

[UserClone]

After stripping the valuables away,
Mih'lek suggests that the Seekers continue on.

[lostsole31]

While in town ... here is what happens with the spoils:

Weapons & Armor
Morlin Coalhewer, a rather pragmatic and outspoken dwarf, is the proprieter of Morlin's Smithy and really the only one to deal with for weapons & armor. Of the weapons and armor brought to him, he makes the following offers:

+1 banded mail : 665 gp - 110 gp cost for identify = 555 gp. Morlin likes the idea of having a piece of heavy magical armor for show, if not just for sale. He has magical breastplate, chain shirt, and heavy shield, but this touch of splendor will add a lot to his shop. He manages to outhaggle Soulsinger, though.
+1 short sword , qty. 2: Too expensive for direct sale. However, Morlin is willing to take them both in trade for 50 +1 arrows. Kioi likes that idea, as he has a lot of silver and cold iron arrows, but none magical. (Ihsan is going to be loaded down with a lot of arrows!)
mwk heavy mace: 160 gp.
heavy steel shield (3): 30 gp.
light steel shield: 4.5 gp.
52 arrows: Morlin will buy the lot for 1.4 gp.
This total means 750 gp, 9 sp earned for the group.


The remaining objects Morlin can't buy either because he doesn't like them, or he doesn't have any more money to do so:

mwk studded leather armor: Morlin won't purchase armor, even if well-balanced, that came from the bodies of dead hobgoblins. Bad for business.
mwk longsword (3)
comp longbow (Str +1) (3)
chainmail (3)


Soulsinger recommends offering the remaining weapons and armor to Captain Sorannah. The town will need every bit of help it can get. If you remember riding into town, the Sergeant had a chain shirt, but the militia men that were there only had leather armor and spear.

Magic/ Religious Paraphernalia

divine scroll of spiritual weapon: Soulsinger will hold onto that.
divine scroll of summon monster III: Soulsinger will hold onto that.
holy symbol which none of you recognize: Based on information you find, Brother Derny is a local priest of Pelor - the only real religious site in town. It takes him some looking in his books since he wasn't immediately familiar with it, but the holy symbol appears to be of Tiamat. He explains that Tiamat is reputed to be the Queen of Dragons, and the patron of all evil dragons. He doesn't really believe in all that dragon nonsense, so he figures this belonged to some cultist that got his power from a demon posing as the Dragon Queen.

[lostsole31]

[Sheets updated for loss of 1 sp due to ferry/ town taxes (yes, even to those who swim), though Kioi pays an extra 2 sp for his mount.]

750.9, divided 3 ways = 250.3. Soulsinger gets that in the following currency for each person: 24 platinum, 10 gold, 3 silver.

Brother Derny & the Shrine of Pelor
[Since you went there, this begs a little more description.]

This is a small temple of the same fieldstone-and-wood construction used by many other buildings in the town, and the shrine is in the care of Brother Derny. He has two acolytes who help him tend to the shrine and look after the folk of Drellin's Ferry.

Brother Derny himself is a stout old man. Although pompous, preach, and long-winded, he is a good and charitable individual at heart who goes out of his way to aid less fortunate folk.

In addition to the information (such as it is) he gives you on the ancient name Tiamat, he also mentions he has several scrolls for sale: bless, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, dispel magic, lesser restoration, and resist energy. However, if there is any other clerical spell of 3rd level or lower you need, you can commission him to scribe it.

By then, after all of the business with Morlin's Smithy and Brother Derny, it is getting late and time to head back across to the smaller side of town where the Old Bridge Inn is. [Sheets updated for ferry costs.]

Fishing is good along the Elsir, though not prominent as a trade, and Mih'lek is able to enjoy some sumptuous fish dish with good greens. Soulsinger also enjoys a chopped-fish-and-potato-and-leek stew, and Kioi tears into beef.

The place is lively with the halflings zipping to and fro, and Soulsinger asks Kellin Shadowbanks at the three-dragon ante table if he can entertain with singing. They haven't had a performer in here, other than local talent, for over a month so he is delighted to have somebody try to do something.

He sings, and provides for a memorable performance. [Check = 28] His bass-baritone bluesy sound is like nothing they have ever heard, though in truth it is not really "uplifting" music or necessarily peppy, yet people cannot bear to ask him to change to a different style because it is so hauntingly beautiful.

Time for bed, and Mih'lek says good night to her friends and heads down to a section of reeds along the river (the means to keep yourself in position) and sleeps and rests.

The next morning, she awakens refreshed, and does what she needs to do to gather her energies (and spells), then goes to meet her friends at the Inn. The Seekers gear up, and head to the Old Toll House to deliver the excess armor, bows, and swords from the hobgoblins to Captain Soranna to distribute to her militia to help with town defense, and she gives her gratitude.

It is agreed (either unanimously, or 2-1 with Mih'lek on the trailing end) that Jorr Natherson should be sought out since he knows the land so well in the area. The choices were to begin with the Witch Trail or to take the Dawn Way, and both of the men want to take the trail (those wascally nature-lovers!). And so instead of the well-paved Dawn Way (which likely would have been Mih'lek's personal desire), the Seekers head a little north through the farms and into the Witchwood along the Witch Trail.

As you travel, Soulsinger takes out a scrollcase he purchased in town to hold his new scrolls, but also where he keeps another little nugget: the map to Vraath Keep you were given by the old caravaner some time ago. He looks at you and says, "Two birds, maybe? We could at least ask this man."

The Witch Trail leads from the fields north of Drellin's Ferry. The Witchwood is crossed by a handful of old trails, most cut long ago by hunters, woodcutters, trappers, or travelers bound for one or another of the various ruins or old mines in the forest and the foothills of the Wyrmsmokes. If it weren't for Kioi, you know you and Soulsinger would be hopelessly lost if you dared to get off of the trails.

You get to the first big trail crossing and turn left along the southern edge of a creek, as per Captain Soranna's instructions. By noon, the trail leads past a small cabin in a deep forest glade. A ramshackle front porch is littered with fishing baskets and skinning frames. The cabin overlooks a dark bayou or lake, with old gray cedar-trees draped in moss rising out of the water. An old skiff is tied up on the shore nearby, and a little smoke curls from the fieldstone chimney.

Figuring this must be it, as you have traveled roughly seven miles from Drellin's Ferry, you approach the cabin. About 60 feet from the cabin, Kioi and Mih'lek spot three large hounds (equiv. to riding dogs) lying under the front porch. They perk up, and come bounding out to challenge you, baying loudly. They stop about 10 feet from the group and growl and snap ferociously but do not attack.

Initiative...
Soulsinger: 23
Hound #3: 21
Mih'lek: 19
Hound #2: 17
Kioi/ Ihsan: 13
Hound #1: 12
R1T23: Soulsinger, who doesn't have a weapon out, simply holds out his hands unthreateningly and begins to sing deeply and softly.

Mih'lek knows what he's doing and has seen this trick from both men before, though Soulsinger's less combative nature makes him a little better even than the druid-warrior, so we step out of initiative (unless Mih'lek is feeling particularly stupid for some reason, not likely with 20 Wisdom).

She and Kioi both notice a shuttered window open and a weather-beaten, older man peer out, but he doesn't do anything but watch in curiosity at the spectacle. For Mih'lek and Kioi's purposes, you know even that shouting at this point (such as to bring attention to yourself with the man in the cabin 60' away) would ruin Soulsinger's wild-calling.

The dogs don't give him doggy-kisses and many are wont to do after this, but after a minute of low, soft crooning, the dogs simply stop barking and head back to the cabin.

The cabin's door opens, and a lean woodsman of indeterminate age steps onto the porch. He has a seamed, leathery look to his face and arms, and a big curved knife sits in a sheath strapped to one thigh. "Don't get many visitors out here," he rasps. "Who're you, and what d'ya want with me?"

[UserClone]

"Are you the one known as Jorr Natherson?"

[lostsole31]

"That'd be me," he says warily, looking at the strange party ... Mih'lek most of all. "Whaddaya' want?"

"There have been goblin raids," Soulsinger says, "and Soranna said you know the forest. We were hoping you would help us figure where they're coming from."

"Goblins! I just can't stand 'em! Wood's rotten with 'em right now. All right, I'm your man.

"Now, I seen worg riders and troublemakers all over, especially along the Dawn Way."

"What's a worg?" asks Kioi.

"Damn unnaturally big and cunning wolves that the little goblins ride. Now, the goblins live up yonder in the Wyrmsmokes, but seems like we got a big war party in the forest. Maybe they come down from the Old Forest Road, or might be they came by the Skull Gorge. My money's on the Skull Gorge."

Soulsinger looks at Mih'lek and gives the "two birds" sign, then he takes out the map. "Would you know where Vraath Keep is?"

"Hey, I ain't stupid. Go west on out to the big road; keep's maybe eight miles north of there. Wouldn't be surprise me if some of the goblins are holed up there. Just the sort of thing those damn goblins would do."

[UserClone]

"Thank you, Mr. Natherson, you've been more than helpful," says Mih'lek with a smile. "I think it's time we should be moving on."

With that, the seekers march on towards the keep. As they reach the last of the eight miles. Mih'lek suggests they veer off the path a bit and try to stay low-key so as to avoid detection by any hostile creatures.

[lostsole31]

As they begin to walk off, Soulsinger asks Mih'lek softly, "Do you think we'll do alright without Natherson as a guide for this area?"

[UserClone]

"Are you kidding?" she replies. "And who exactly did you want to ask him to do that? No, he doesn't want to be disturbed; it wouldn't be fair to ask him to do more than give us information, which is more than he had to do for us.

I think we should stay with the trail for about five or six miles, as long as we're undisturbed, and then probably slide off to the side and stay out of the way of any goblins, like the ones Natherson suggests might be holed up there."

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger nods his head thoughtfully, knowing that while his compassion and simplicity can be its own source of strength, Mih'lek is far wiser than himself. And that Jorr fellow did seem to provide pretty good information. And Kioi would be too proud to ask for a guide, especially when half of the fun of this exercise for him would be the exploration of the Witchwood itself.

You travel for a mere 40 minutes (c. 2 miles), and you get to a main road. Looking at the map, this is probably The Dawn Way. The map doesn't really have any trails on it, though the trail you've been on continues on the other side (western) of The Dawn Way and back into the depths of the Witchwood.

You haven't crossed any major bodies of water, though you might find the odd tiny stream or rivulet here or there. The map shows that after The Dawn Way turns more north than west after Drellin's Ferry, you will cross Swift Creek, and that Vraath Keep is just inside the woods to the west of The Dawn Way and just south of the Old Forest Road (itself just before/south of Cold Creek). The Old Forest Road is a major cart-track road, unlike the somewhat paved Dawn Way.

Based on Jorr's advice, you should now get onto the "the big road" and head north 8 miles.

If you don't take Jorr's advice but do what you intended, you would head west, continuing on the trail you've been on and go out of your way.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek asks Kioi ans Soulsinger what they think they should do. "Kioi, would you rather take our time and go out of our way, possibly gaining surprise, or take the easier track, remaining fresh and getting there sooner? Soulsinger?"

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger shrugs.

Kioi says, "We could do both. The forest is too overgrown to take Ihsan off-trail, and we don't really know how else to get to the Keep. So I will be on this road where Ihsan can maneuver easily and I will be able to hold my lance.

"On the other hand, you and Soulsinger should tough out trying to parallel me - not too far in, of course; still in eyeshot - so that I and Ihsan will merely look like dangerous but weary travellers. Because we will be going half your speed so you can maneuver through the undergrowth. First volley/ salvo will be theirs and they'll give away their position. That is when the surprise will be yours.

"It looks like the Dawn Way goes directly up to Vraath Keep, so even with the both of you picking slowly through the old growth, we will still get there more refreshed and well ahead of any time spent all of us would make laboring through trackless, though beautiful, forest.

"Besides, I figure we might need to pick a spot to rest to freshen up regardless so we don't hit the Keep after a day of travelling."

[And this is where the smartest member of the group (also tied for wisest), who is also the fighter with the tactical mindset, shines through.]

[lostsole31]

Mih'lek trusts Kioi's tactical advice. She and Soulsinger creep about 10 feet into the treeline (on average) and shadow Kioi and Ihsan's movement on the road.

About an hour later, the Seekers come to a wide expanse of dark water that has flooded the woodland in this low valley. Trees still protrude from the calm, dark waters here and there, but many large reaches seem to be little more than open pools of algae-choked water. The trill of frogs and the whine of insects fill the air. The forest road leads right down to the edge of the flooded section, up to a rickety-looking causeway made of thick planks of wood lashed together with mossy rope. The wooden causeway runs for several hundred feet through the boggy patch, only a foot or so above water.

Up ahead you can make out the wreckage of a wagon, lying on its side and half-sunk in the flooded forest, about thirty feet from the causeway. The wagon looks as though it has not lain here more than a week.

What do you do?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek dips her gills into the water to see if it is breatheable.

[lostsole31]

[Nope. This is light bog, and there is plenty of little pools of standing water ... but not really something that you can "immerse" yourself into to breathe, or even swim. Just the little pool/puddles. Now, when you get closer to the creek that is the likely source of the bog, it should become thicker. Still, it is considered "land terrain" and not aquatic. This light bog is difficult terrain to move through if you got off the causeway. The dense bog will be 4 squares of speed/ square travelled of movement, but you're not there yet.]

[UserClone]

"I think we ought to ignore it for now in order to keep up with Kioi and Ihsan. We can always check it out later, on the way back. Be wary of ambush, though,"
whispers Mih'lek to Soulsinger.

[lostsole31]

Kioi (who overhears you with his keen hearing) and Soulsinger both nod. And so you make your way across the causeway with what stealth you can muster. Still, an element of caution is amplified by the fact that you are clearly visible with no obstructions.

The causeway is 10 feet wide, and somewhat uneven and slick. Most of the swampland consists of weed-choked water. Having stuck your head in it before, you recognize it is an average of about 2' thick. There actually are places you could hold your breath, but it is not a "pure breathing atmosphere" such as it is, and there is no way you could immerse and swim in it.

The wagon is about 35-40' or so to the NW from Kioi's position on the causeway (he has the lead position) when he suddenly stops. He and Ihsan look over in that direction. Soulsinger, also, is looking that way. Mih'lek doesn't see anything interesting.

"There's a big snake coiled over in the moss by that wagon," whispers Kioi. "Something doesn't seem right with its size. It's head looks larger than I expect for that coiled body."

Soulsinger, with a sense of dread and awe answers, "You forget, I am from the swamps. And while never near my village have I seen such a creature, I recognize it. We have been spotted, and we will have one of the toughest fights of our life.

"Unless I'm mistaken, there are more heads, and the water is deeper there: it looks like the head of a hydra. Kioi, cutting its heads off is the best way to kill it or drive it off; Mih'lek, trying to ..."

"ROAARRRR!!" cuts Soulsinger's advice off.

Initiative...
Goln: 22
Soulsinger: 16
Hydra: 14
Mih'lek: 11
Ihsan: 9
Kioi: 3

R1T22: Goln, frightened by the roar, instantly begins to take a more defensive position, but doesn't do anything until directed by Soulsinger.

R1T16: Realizing that this thing is larger than he wants Goln to try to handle, he speaks a command to Goln in Draconic: "Down." [I was wrong before. Soulsinger, despite being a naturalist bard, does not know druidic. The commands he gives are in Draconic.]

"Stay here, and don't do anything the hydra might see as offensive or sudden."

Kioi steps down into the light bog, and walks forward slowly to the hydra with his arms out, and begins to sing in Draconic. He continues his movement to get within range of the creature. As he does all SIX of the heads slowly come out of the water to hear him sing. After singing for a minute, he motions to you and Kioi to slowly move across the causeway as he continues.

You and Kioi [something happened on Tangled Web, and now I don't have his skills, feats, equipment, description, etc. I am very angry.] move along until Soulsinger is well behind. A few minutes later, he catches up to you and says, "It's a magical beast, not a dragon, but beyond the need for food - and it does require a lot - it is not as rapacious a beast as most think. Not aesthetic, but beautiful in its own powerful way."

[UserClone]

((I think you meant Soulsinger; why would Kioi sing to it?:smallconfused:))

Mih'lek gives Soulsinger a lingering congratulatory hug, the type that makes a man wonder about a woman, even one as exotic as she. Like whether she might have an interest in a human man. The moment is fleeting, and they continue on their path, wary of threats.

[lostsole31]

It is slow going, but about five in the evening, you see what you think might be your destination. Looming out of the shadowy woods ahead is a haunting sight - a ruined keep. The old castle sits on a small rocky hillock, and you can catch glimpses of a broken tower between the trees. A moss-covered stone at the side of the road you're following marks a footpath that looks like it leads up to the keep. Kioi believes that is is still several hundred yards away.

Kioi, wearing his tiger mask, bends down to inspect the overgrown track. "Numerous humanoids and several large wolves have been using this track recently."

Because of the hillock, the only way to get up there and lead Ihsan is to take the track. "Normal riding order - both of you back on the trail, but separate yourselves by 25 feet apiece."

Kioi knows that using a lance right now is difficult at best, and the trees will make it difficult for hard riding and mounted combat. He dismounts and bades Ihsan follow him, but he has his bow out and an arrow knocked.

The keep itself is only a 5-minute hike up the path. The old keep is in very poor repair. The gatehouse is partially collapsed, as is a section of wall to the south. A small wooden building sits next to the remains of a long-abandoned garden in front of the structure. The walls surrounding the keep are about fifteen feet high, with a two-story tower looming in the southwest corner of the courtyard within. Large boulders lie strewn amid the ruins of the two watch towers, and a massive humanoid skeleton slumps amid the ruins of the northern one. This skeleton wears tattered fragments of hide armor, and a large club lies next to one of its bony arms.
"Well, looks deserted, but for the tracks that prove otherwise. How should we proceed, Mistress Mih'lek?"

[UserClone]

"Stick to the plan. You find out where the tracks go, and take a look inside. We'll provide support from hiding, where we can ambush any of your would-be ambushers."

[lostsole31]

"I will leave Ihsan out here. There is too great a chance he will be trapped inside."

And with that, Kioi takes him just a little bit down and just off the trail, but keeps him saddled and readied. He also leaves his lance there.

He goes up along the road leading to the keep, with bow nocked and readied, and surveys the tracks before returning.

"There are a number of tracks leading into and out of the ruined keep. It looks like the tracks of large wolves, several goblins and hobgoblins, and at least one unidentified creature of Large size and generally humanoid shape. There's a courtyard with rubble just beyond the smashed main gates.

"I didn't see any tracks going to the rickety shack outside the main gate. I am going back to check out the courtyard."

[UserClone]

Mih'lek waits silently for his return.

[lostsole31]

Kioi returns.

"Courtyard is empty, but to the right (north, gate is on the east side of the keep) are double-wooden doors to stables and I hear a bunch of higher-pitched goblin voices laughing and caruousing, though I don't actually understand their speech.

"I am just not stealthy enough in my heavy wooden armor to be of any more use trying to scout ahead. I say we rush the stables and come what may. If it's alright, let's hide out in the woods for an hour while I maximize spells for this mission."

Kioi, wanting to make sure the others know of his capabilities, prepares the following spells:0 - detect poison, guidance (x2), resistance (x2); 1st - cure light wounds, faerie fire, jump, longstrider; 2nd - barkskin (x2), bull's strength, resist energy; 3rd - call lightning, greater magic fang, jagged tooth
Basically, his intention is to buff both of you with barkskin, and then himself with bull's strength, jump, longstrider, greater magic fang, and jagged tooth. He may hold off on the latter two until a more pitched battle, but he is specialized in transmutation spells so his buffs last longer than another druid of equal level. Also, he will put his shield on his back and go in with both claws bared ... ready to charge and pounce at will, leaping and bounding about like a leopard.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek rolls her eyes in exasperation at the idea of preparing one's spells before the battle, but agrees. She understands his plan and prepares to go in guns blazing. Kicking down the door is up to Kioi, "but," warns Mih'lek, "Stay out of the way for just a moment while I wreak havoc among their ranks."

[lostsole31]

Kioi laughs. "Tell you what, you adjust your many adaptable magics to suit whomever gets to their targets first."

In this past hour (and ten or so minutes), dusk has slowly been settling on the forest. Kioi goes so far as to let Mih'lek stand in front to get a clear shot for area of effect attacks, with Soulsinger in the rear. As you come to the keep's entrance, you note that the keep's gatehouse has seen better days. The watchtowers to either side have partially collapsed, and several large boulders lie strewn about. The decayed remains of two sets of large wooden gates lie in a heap on the ground.

Twenty-five feet from the keep wall, on the outside, and twenty-five feet off the track leading to the keep you see a small wooden shack by itself, near an overgrown patch of weeds that might have once been a fine garden.

Do you investigate the shack (no intel from Kioi), go into the keep to attack the stables (as planned), or do something else entirely?

[UserClone]

"I think perhaps we ought first to investigate that shack," whispers Mih'lek back to Kioi.

[lostsole31]

The shack is 10' x 15' and the three of you walk its circumference, looking at it carefully. Mih'lek is able to tell that it is very unstable due to years of neglect and misuse and might fall down at any moment. Kioi will note that no tracks go to this shack.

Do you go to investigate the inside of this shack? or go back to the original plan of sneaking into the courtyard to waylay the goblins in the stable?

[UserClone]

"I think we ought to take a look at the inside, if just for the sake of knowing there's no one in there."

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger offers to go first, since it is pitch black (and you are squishy in case there is something in there.

"Lot of debris in there," he says, looking in, "and weak supports." No sooner than he just gets all the way inside ... the rickety old shed collapses in on Soulsinger.

((Joe, my work computer crashed and I lost all my files ... or abilities to look at files ... as well as Website favorites. Can you please send me that "pifro/fax" or whatever site that has all of the v3.5 WotC sources on it, please?))

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger, deft of reflexes, moves out of the way of most of the timbers and only takes modified 2 points of damage (remember he has DR 1/ cold iron). That hurts his pride more than himself.

No, the real damage done is that stealth is gone because it made a terrible racket when it toppled.

Soulsinger stands up and throws debris off of him and takes a 5-foot step to stand next to you two. Kioi, knowing that battle is going to be joined well before the preparations were made casts barkskin on Mih'lek. (She gains +3 natural armor.)

On the "second round" of battle-prep, Soulsinger casts mirror image on himself (only 3 images), while Kioi casts barkskin on Soulsinger, also.

You can hooting and hollering and howling, and know that battle is about to be joined.

You (Mih'lek) have two rounds of preparations (if any) before initiative. You may not ready any actions.

[lostsole31]

I take it that Mih'lek (which is very likely, given her magics) is preparing nothing for those two rounds?

[UserClone]

Correct. She will spend this time instead positioning herself strategically behind and in between the others and making spot and listen checks to try to sense their attackers before they manage an attack.

[lostsole31]

In the second round of listening (if you remember, I give bonuses based on what type of action(s) are sacrificed when using Spot/ Listen checks) ... Mih'lek hears something that sounds faintly like big dogs barking, but as if muffled by a barrier.

[lostsole31]

R1T22: Assuming Mih'lek told her two friends what she heard ... Soulsinger says, "We need to move up and hold that breach so we can keep the riders from moving all around us and protect Mih'lek!"

And with that, Soulsinger moves up into the opening where the gates once stood, holding the "inboard breach". (That is, the space of the walls is 10' thick - and wide - and he is on one of the squares that is adjacent with an inner courtyard square. Getting there was only a move action (since he already moved out of the rubble of the shack), and he readies an action to blast an enemy.

R1T21: Mih'lek (and everyone) then hears howling without any barriers. [Dramatic irony until Mih'lek sees it: the stable doors are flung wide open.]

Soulsinger shoots off an eldritch spear while fighting defensively and Mih'lek hears a high-pitched scream. [Soulsinger got a goblin rider for a solid 16 points of damage!]

The worg/rider comes out of the stable and moves out into the courtyard. Mih'lek can see that the rider carries a bow and seems to carry it while riding as expertly as Kioi can ... meaning that these little b*tards don't intend to close but intend to conduct mounted missile fire.

R1T20.9: A door on the far side of the courtyard open and a hobgoblin warrior steps out. He shouts something in the goblin language, and then closes across the courtyard to stand right in front of Soulsinger.

R1T19: Another goblin/worg comes from the right of your visual vantage point (again, the stables) and this one shoots an arrow at you but misses.

R1T18.9: Kioi still hasn't had time to close up the breach yet, but you are 20' back from the second line (during the off-time preps your team still moved to sight-line of the courtyard). You can see both worg/riders (one goblin is badly wounded) and the hobgoblin soldier that is standing in front of Soulsinger. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Well, if there are any more worg riders in the stables, they're going to be hating life. Mih'lek launches a fireball into the stable.
[roll0]

[lostsole31]

R1T18.9: Mih'lek can either move up behind Soulsinger, in which case she can't see the stable but can blast the courtyard to get the majority of opponents ... or she can move up next to Soulsinger, where she can see one of the two double doors. If she chooses the latter, she will be threatened by the hobgoblin warrior(s) and then Soulsinger and Kioi can't protect you and keep you from melee (which is bad).

[UserClone]

((Okay, I really need a picture next time, at least at the beginning of a battle.))

She blasts the courtyard for 22 damage.

[lostsole31]

R1T18.9: Mih'lek places a fireball right in the center of the courtyard, which is just perfect to include the hobgoblin in front of Soulsinger without affecting Soulsinger himself.

None of the opponents expected to face something the likes of Mih'lek, and all goblins, worgs, and the hobgoblin soldier take the full 22 hit points damage as they all scream in pain! But as testament to the skill of your opponent, only one of the goblins (sorely wounded by an eldritch spear), is felled by the blast and now the worg is riderless.

The soldier in front of Soulsinger yells something in his language.

R1T18.8: From the open foor in a building across the courtyard, the same one wherein the first soldier came, comes another ... but not before he yells loudly into that building. The soldier double moves (dodging some big rocks that are rubble in the courtyard to stand next to, but one square behind, his comrade. These soldiers, btw, wear banded mail (unlike the chain mail of the soldiers you fought before), heavy steel shields, and brandish masterwork longswords.

R1T17: Yet another soldier comes out, but this one stands next to the one that just moved (on R1T18.8), which is directly behind the lead hobgoblin that is staring into Soulsinger's eyes with murderous fury.

R1T7: From an unseen vantage point (Mih'lek failed her perception roll), 6 javelin-sized quills shoot down at Mih'lek from above. Here are the results.
1 = miss
2 = 5 hp, left shoulder
3 = 8 hp, left hand
4 = 6 hp, left shin
5 = 10 hp, neck
6 = went through sharkskin armor, to be stopped by her natural armor.
That's 29 hit points total of damage in the round.Perched on top of the wall next to Mih'lek, the wall being 15' tall, is a creatue with a hideous face that is vaguely humanoid, the corrupted body of a hunting cat, great bat wings, and a tail that looks like a morningstar. This thing must be about 10 feet long or so. She has never seen its like before. If it has more quills (which seem to have come from its tail) like that, it will shred Mih'lek with one more volley, even though she now gets her Dex against it (she was flat-footed against the unseen opponent). Also, because of its position on the wall, it has the benefits of cover (+4 AC).

R1T6.9: Another hobbo soldier (4th one) comes out of that building, and is behind the one slightly to the side of Soulsinger.

R1T5: Soulsinger, seeing how badly Mih'lek is hurt, calls Goln up to fight aside him. "Kioi, spell up and take that big thing to keep them penned. I'll sing the healing hymn."

Goln bounds up next to his master, sealing the breach to the gatehouse. The toad bites the hobgoblin in front of Soulsinger in the chest for max damage (4 hp). This hobgoblin, however, is more than just well-trained like the soldiers you met in the forest yesterday. No, these hobgoblins are veterans of many conflicts and he fights off the poison's effect on his body.

R1T1: Kioi steps up next to Mih'lek and behind Goln, so that the breach is held by 2 allies deep. He casts a spell on himself. (You don't know what spell.)

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T21.1: One thing that Soulsinger has over Mih'lek in spells and spell-like abiliies ... and that is loads of concentration. He learned to endure several years of racist, jeering crowds in a place called "Shiz" to develop a mind that is absolutely devoted to singing. It is his means to escape, and right now he sings his song of healing. Already, Mih'lek feels her healing abilities amplified greatly.

R2T20.9: The soldier in front of Soulsinger strikes at his neck with a perfect stroke that only manages to dissipate one of the mirror images (2 remaining).

R2T20: The riderless worg moves to the right, out of view.

R2T19: The remaining goblin warrior shoots Mih'lek in the right shin for 4 hit points damage.

R2T18.9: You have 15 hit points remaining, though you feel your healing energies super-buffed by Soulsinger. What do you do?

Initiative Recap...
Soulsinger = 21.1 (2 mirror images remaining)
Hobgoblin Veteran #1 = 20.9
Worg #1 = 20
Goblin Worg Rider #2 = 19
Worg #2 = 19
Mih'lek = 18.9
Hobgoblin Veteran #4 = 18.8
Hobgoblin Veteran #2 = 17
Big Beasty w/ Spinytail = 7
Hobgoblin Veteran #3 = 6.9
Goln = 5
Kioi = 1

Felled...Goblin Worg Rider #1.

[UserClone]

((Well, cover is relative, so it can't have cover without my having cover from it, no?:smallconfused:))

Mih'lek shifts 5' away from the wall, exposing herself to line up her shot. She then blasts the creature with two scorching rays for [roll0] and [roll1] damage, respectively. She then heals herself via close wounds for [roll2].

Edit: :smalleek: Thank god I wasn't rolling a character!

[lostsole31]

((That's right ... no. No, cover is not relative. No, someone with cover doesn't provide cover for it's opponent. But nice try. :redcloak:))

R2T18.9: Mih'lek shifts 5' away from the wall (behind Goln now, rather than Soulsinger), exposing herself to line up her shot. She then sends two scorching rays towards the hideous creature, but both miss. She then heals herself via close wounds for 21 hit points.

R2T18.8: Hobgoblin Veteran #4 takes a 5-foot step diagonally to stand right in front of Goln and grazes Goln for 3 damage.

R2T17: Hobgoblin Veteran #2 delays his action, speaking to his comrades in goblin.

R2T7: The hideous winged creature maintains cover on the high ground and its tail snaps forward with a volley of spikes ... all pointed at Mih'lek (again). This time, however, Mih'lek is much more prepared and does a good job of dodging a majority of the spikes. Two get through, and even then she manages to only get struck in non-critical areas (the right forearm and left shin) for a total of 9 damage.

R2T6.9: Hobgoblin Veteran #3 delays, replying to the other speaker.

R2T5: Goln reflexively changes target to attack the one that hit him, but Goln misses.

R2T1: Seeing Mih'lek heal at a far faster rate than she is suffering damage, Kioi continues to cast spells on himself.This time, he cast greater magic fang on himself. You know from experience that Kioi isn't strong enough to make this version more powerful than the basic magic fang spell, but it lasts for hours and not minutes.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T21.1: Soulsinger prepares his shot defensively, and then blasts the wounded hobbo in the neck for 18 points of damage and that hobbo falls.

R3T21: Hobgoblin Veteran #2, who was delaying, steps into the hole left by his fallen comrade and swings at Soulsinger, but killing an illusory image for his trouble (1 image remaining).

R3T20: The riderless worg's whereabouts are unknown.

R3T19: Goblin/Worg #2 continue move behind one of the rubble-boulders in the courtyard for cover, and the goblin fires twice at Mih'lek. One arrow misses horribly while the other bounces off of her armor.

R3T18.9: What does Mih'lek do? She is currently at 27 hit points.

[UserClone]

[roll0]

Mih'lek hits herself with another close wounds, followed by retreating about fifteen feet to be well outside the radius of her great thunderclap, which she places square over the manticore.

[lostsole31]

R3T18.9: Mih'lek heals herself of all damage, backs up fifteen feet to clear datum from the spell she has in mind, and reaches to find the focus for the spell but realizes (after reaching for it, mind you) that she never did get an iron bell for this spell.Two Notes
1) A focus is not "ammunition" for the purpose of drawing. And no, it is not a weapon either so it doesn't matter what your BAB (or spellcraft, or what-have-you) happens to be. It is a "stored item" and requires an AOO-provokable move action.
2) Foci ... even those without a listed cost ... are not part of a spell component pouch. The only things you will find in a spell component pouch purchased off-the-shelf are "material components" that have no intrinsic value or cost.

That said: yes, I am going to be so cruel as to say that you attempted just as happened. You do not get a "take-back". You can chalk that up to either you once had an iron bell and you either gave it away or it was lifted off you by some thief or somesuch. Enough adventure stories have heroes reaching for something that isn't there anymore or, concerning the actions required, overstep the bounds of what the hero can actually do in a given period of time.

R3T18.8: Hobbo Vet #4, definitely a capable and strong swordsman, grazes Goln for another 3 hp.

R3T7: No longer having the advantage of cover (from Mih'lek), the creature on the ruined wall slings yet another volley of spikes at his quarry. Three spikes miss entirely, one grazes her armor, one gets through the armor but only barely nicks her spell-thickened skin, and only one spike actually hits her by grazing her left shoulder for 3 hp.

R3T5: Goln makes a pitiful bite attempt at the veteran hobbo in front of him.

R3T1: "I know you may wonder of me, milady," says Kioi, "but remember that we are looking for an army. I doubt that this handful, leaderless as it appears so far, is all that is offered. And so I trust in Soulsinger and you to hold them off until I am as enspelled as able to tear through whatever else may be here ... if not at least just to reach that creature on the wall."

Kioi then casts a spell you don't recognize upon his claws, and his claws become serrated.

End Round Three, Begin Round Four ...

R4T21.1: Soulsinger, seeing his spell about to fall any minute and that the swordsman in front of him is no mere grunt but a capable soldier, shifts his tactics slightly. He continues to concentrate defensively and shoot his eldritch spear, but does so defensively. His new fighting style nearly fails against the agile soldier, but his magic finds its home nevertheless ... blasting his opponent in the belly for 13 hp.

R4T21: The hobgoblin that just got blasted in the belly grunts something and withdraws 15', drops his sword and takes out a vial while ...

R4T19.9: The hobbo that has been delaying immediately steps into the gap created by his disciplined comrade. He swings his sword at Soulsinger, and the last mirrored image disappears.

R4T19: The goblin worg rider taking cover behind a boulder dare not pursue Mih'lek past her enemies - and likely could not anyway. He curses to himself since his shot will not be as sure and as painful at this greater range. But that knowledge removes any false bravado and provides him with focus as he shoots. The arrow arcs over the battle raging at the breach and nicks Mih'lek in the right shin for 1 hp.

R4T18.9: Mih'lek's turn. She notices that there are only enough spikes on the creature's knobby tail for perhaps one more volley. What does she do?

[UserClone]

((It's pretty ****ed up to have not told me this house rule from the get-go.:smallannoyed:))

Mih'lek runs forward and casts shatter, obliterating the vial in the hand of the hobgoblin.

[lostsole31]

R4T18.8: Mih'lek moves up to behind Soulsinger, grabbing a fleck of mica from her pouch and singing a bell-like tone as she does so. The vial in hobbo vet #2's hand shatters and the liquid splatters on him and the ground.
Seems I have problems still/again with TangledWeb. Please note "3/6" next to 2nd-level warmage spells.

R4T18.8: The hobbo fighting Goln once again grazes Goln for only 3 hp.

R4T7: Just as you figured, the last of the tail spikes are thrown your way. But while you are aware of the attack, having moved into the breach area in close-quarters plays against you as you get hit by 3 spikes for 15 hit points.

R4T5: Goln finally hits his target for 2 hit points in the right elbow. He must've hit the brachial artery passing through the joint area because almost instantly the hobbo vet looks very badly poisoned.

R4T1: Kioi casts another spell on himself. (Bull's strength.)

End Round Four, Begin Round Five ...

R5T21.1: Soulsinger tries to fight defensively, but fails to conjure his eldritch spear and thus is not "fighting defensively". Normal battle AC. You can't fight defensively unless you actually attempt some manner of battle that requires you to roll against an AC to hit or affect. Just letting you know now so you don't try to "fight defensively" and toss a fireball. Also, in this unique situation of Soulsinger failing to evoke what would have given him a chance to roll against an AC - he failed to cast defensively - this means that he ends up losing the benefits of fighting defensively as well.

R5T21: The hobbo whose vial was shattered pulls out another vial and downs it. The potion heals him nearly to full.

R5T19.9: The hobbo fails to capitalize on Soulsinger's error, his sword scraping against Soulsinger's armor.

R5T19: The worg rider behind cover shoots another arrow, this time once again enjoying being able to get better accuracy and damage. Mih'lek is hit for 3 hit points.Update your sheet as having 26 total hit points remaining.

R5T18.9: Mih'lek's turn ...

[UserClone]

Remembering to cast close wounds again, Mih'lek gains [roll0] hit points. She casts a fireball (DC18 Reflex) [roll1] behind the enemy, such that the entire enemy line is caught in its violent explosion. She then looks back behind her at the manticore, fearful of its catching her by surprise.

[lostsole31]

[TangledWeb is finally fully back for me, and I have edited all sheets - Mih'lek included.]

R5T18.9: Remembering to cast close wounds again, Mih'lek gains 19 hit points. She casts a fireball (DC18 Reflex, Damage = 26) behind the enemy, such that the entire enemy line is caught in its violent explosion. The goblin worg rider behind cover is blasted off of his mount. The badly poisoned hobbo in front of Goln manages to hold up his shield enough to still get burned but minimize damage. Everyone else (but the heroes) take the full brunt of the explosion.

She then looks back behind above her at the manticore ugly winged creature on the wall, fearful of its catching her by surprise. She sees, in the remains of arcane conflagration behind her, the fire reflected in the creature's big, round eyes as a hellish gaze transfixed on her with hate.

R5T18.8: The poisoned hobbo smacks Goln's hide hard with his longsword, but his crisped flesh and poisoned body has not the strength to penetrate.

R5T7: The creature swoops down at Mih'lek and claws her in the chest for 9 hp, roaring terribly as it does so. It is flying directly above Mih'lek and Kioi.

R5T5: Goln bites his opponent in the forearm for 4 hp. More poison floods the hobbo's body. The pitiful hobbo is barely standing, his limbs convulsing mildly and foam coming from his mouth ... yet somehow he stands.

R5T1: No longer needing his final spell since the creature has come down, Kioi roars! He plants both claws into the underbelly of the hideous creature, just missing a crit on the second, and scores a total of 26 damage! The monster howls like a lion in pain.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six ...

R6T21.1: Soulsinger casts/fights defensively and blasts the hobbo in front of him for 18 damage in the face! Badly wounded already, the hobbo drops. There is now a breach in the enemy line.HAMLET 2: "It's like being raped ... in the face!"

R6R21: The hobbo who drank a potion last round, takes out a third potion and downs it, healing himself of a lot of damage though he is still badly wounded.

R6T20+19: The worg behind cover, and the other worg (which is unseen) howl horribly and pitifully, but makes no effort to move or attack.

R6T18.9: Mih'lek?

[UserClone]

Taking a five-foot step back to make sure Kioi is out of the way, Mih'lek lets loose another scorching ray [roll+Damage]4d6 at the flying creature, trusting in Soulsinger and Kioi to take care of their problems on the ground.

[UserClone]

Whoops, on the off chance that it has a dex bonus of +1 or less, [roll0]

[lostsole31]

R5T18.9: Taking a five-foot step back to make sure Kioi is out of the way, Mih'lek lets loose another scorching ray at the flying creature, trusting in Soulsinger and Kioi to take care of their problems on the ground. As she gathers the energy, she fails to do so defensively since she is so focused on the offense, but trusts in her agility and armor and Kioi's spell to help her ... it is a good payoff and the flying creature's AOO misses Mih'lek.
R5T7 I mentioned it attacked you and was directly (that means vertically adjacent) to you, but I wasn't sure if either you didn't think about casting defensively or chose not to ... I took only the information given. As it was, it missed you.

The creature is quite agile, and it is too close in physical combat with Kioi for her to draw a proper bead and her spell misses.

R6T18.8: The wounded and debilitated goblin in front of Goln cries out in its foul language. You don't know all of what he said (some five or six words or so), but he started out with "Tiamat!..." He tries to swing at Goln, but can't muster the strength and his sword falls out of his hand as he follows to the ground thereafter.

R6T7: Instead of pawing at Mih'lek, the flying creature clumsily flaps to the outer part of the 15-foot-long breach opening and closes it off, as Kioi manages to tear a whole along its flank with his claws for 14 hp. It drops to the ground, and it and Kioi are now batting at each other with claws.

R6T5: Soulsinger orders Goln to fetch the lone hobbos sword. Goln moves forward 5', and then shoots its tongue out 10' to grab and retrieve the sword. Soulsinger then has him drop the sword on the ground.

R6T1: Kioi and the creature spar with each other, batting each other with claws, but Kioi has the advantage and slashes it for 12 hp on the first strike, and then stabs it in the forward underchest (crit!) for 28 hp! That last critical has the creature frothing blood at the mouth, and there is a slight whistling sound from his chest with blood-foam forming at the wounds. The creature's breathing becomes extremely labored.

End Round Six, Begin Round Seven ...

R7T21.1: Soulsinger lines up his shot and shoots the hobgoblin standing 15' away from him before it can draw its bow, hitting it in the cheek for 12 hp.

R7T21: This last hobgoblin yells something out loud ... not a final battle cry-sound like the other, but something in his speech sounds like he is passing along information to someone that can hear him yelling. He draws his bow, and fires on Soulsinger but misses.

R7T20&19: Pitiful cries of worgs continue, as does lack of action on their part.

R7T18.9: Mih'lek? Kioi looks like he will carve the flying critter in one strike. Soulsinger might take a couple shots to drop the last hobgoblin, who also is not in melee. (I mention that because you just missed the manticore only because at the time of your shot it was in physical combat/threatening you, Kioi, and even Goln and Soulsinger.)

[UserClone]

Mih'lek delays.

[lostsole31]

R7T18.9: Mih'lek delays ...

R7T7: The manticore begins to fly away to escape, but a light cut from Kioi downs it.

R7T5: Soulsinger sics Goln on the last hobgoblin. Goln bounds forward to bite the hobbo but fails.

R7T4: The worg that has been unseen this whole time charges at Goln but is rebuffed by the dire toad. The strain is too much for the worg and it drops.

R7T1: Kioi moves ahead and to the side of Goln and his claws scrape against the hobbos armor, leaving score marks but not harming the big goblinoid.

End Round Seven, Begin Round Eight ...

R8T21.1: Soulsinger is no longer defensive. He lines up his shot precisely between Goln and Kioi and blasts the hobgoblin in the left hand for 19 hp, disabling the soldier.

R8T21: The hobgoblin calls out the same battlecry as one of the other hobbos that made a last ditch attack before. He throws a gauntleted fist at Kioi, but Kioi cuts his arm off at the elbow as the attempt is made, blood spraying everywhere. The veteran drops instantly.

R8T18.9: Mih'lek? One worg remains, howling behind a rock, likely near death or disabled. All other enemies are down.

Kioi says, "I'll finish off the worg. Where is the 'bull-faced killer named Karkilan' and the leader of this place, I wonder?"

What does Mih'lek do?

[lostsole31]

We drop out of initiative, and Mih'lek places a cure light wounds on Goln while Kioi dispatches the disabled Worg.

Then, across the courtyard from the gate-breach, from the same door as came the hobgoblins, steps a massive minotaur. It is 9 feet tall, which is impressive ... but the real impression of power comes from obscenely bulging muscles, big sharp teeth, and wicked claws. The thick hair around the neck and head is different than you've ever seen a minotaur's before - different even from the fact it has claws and teeth that look serviceable; on a normal minotaur they help with tasks but are vestigial in combat. No, these natural weapons are pretty heady.

"Uh-oh," remarks Kioi. "This isn't going to be easy, milady ... someone must have mixed a minotaur with a troll ... you can tell by the ropy hair and over-large eyes."

The thing looks around at the destruction of its forces and yells something in the tongue of goblins.

[lostsole31]

InitiativeWyrmlord Koth = 18
Soulsinger = 14
Goln = 13.9
Kioi = 13.8
Karkilan = 9
Mih'lek = 6

R1T18: Coming out of what must be (have been) a barracks is a tall, muscular humanoid standing about 7 feet tall holding a wand and a masterwork quarterstaff. Is his possibly Wyrmlord Koth, the leader? He casts a spell on himself (shield), and says to the party: "You shall pay for your stupidity. Karkilan, kill them."Picture is here, but the main difference is that he has a masterwork quarterstaff vice a morningstar, and no buckler.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_gallery/95652.jpg

R1T14: Soulsinger pulls back to just outside the gate and casts mirror image. Perhaps it is the fear of the situation but he gets maximum images (6). In Draconic: "Goln, defend Mih'lek!"

R1T13.9: Goln hops over 5' in front of Mih'lek and readies an action to defend her.

R1T13.8: Kioi stays put, readying to charge Karkilan as soon as he is able.

R1T9: Because Karkilan is so big, the boulders in the yard prove to be obstacles more than hindrances and he has to go around (to the side where stables are). As soon as an opening is made, Kioi springs into action to pounce on him. As he moves in, Karkilan uses his superior reach to cut into Kioi's armor, but not through his hide. Kioi pounces on Karkilan with both claws for 24 hp damage.

R1T8.9: Karkilan bites Kioi on the right elbow for 17 damage.

R1T6: Mih'lek's turn.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek shouts to Kioi, "Wait a moment! Take out the caster! Ignore the monster if this works, Kioi!" and then she hits the massive minotaur with a calm emotions spell, setting the radius just far back enough to catch the monstrosity, but leaving Kioi just outside of the spell's grasp. (Will DC17)

[lostsole31]

R1T6: Mih'lek shouts to Kioi, "Wait a moment! Take out the caster! Ignore the monster if this works, Kioi!" and then she hits the massive minotaur with a calm emotions spell, setting the radius just far back enough to catch the monstrosity, but leaving Kioi just outside of the spell's grasp. While still defensive, Karkilan seems to be much more relaxed in his stance. Mih'lek concentrates on keeping the power, and this spell will end no later than the end of R7T6.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T18: Wyrmlord Koth casts a spell from his position (blindness) at Mih'lek. Mih'lek feels negative energy course into her, and while she tries to fight it, her vision grows dark and she is now blind.

R2T14: Mih'lek hears someone move past you (likely Soulsinger). He calls out, "Wyrmlord Koth, let's talk civilized!"

"Of course! Karkilan, stand down. I can't believe I nearly destroyed all of you, how silly of me," comes a gruff voice.

R3T13.8: Kioi withdraws to near Mih'lek's side. "Let's hope he's not trying to fool us, Mih'lek," the proud horseman says quietly to Mih'lek.

R3T9: Kioi continues, "Wow, what a great spell you used. Now Karkilan is like a little puppy with his master in tow."

R3T6: Does Mih'lek continue concentrating? Also, since this is a solo game, do you want to run the discussion with Wyrmlord Koth (a la Soulsinger) or stay in your box and have me do it?

[UserClone]

It's no use. If Mih'lek wants to see anything, she'll need to release her hold on the emotions of Karkilan. Doing so, she quickly casts remove blindness on herself, joining Soulsinger in the negotiations. She keeps a wary eye on the monstrosity, trusting in Kioi and Soulsinger to watch the caster.

[lostsole31]

[I guess what I was curious to know is would you like to run Soulsinger & Mih'lek for the purposes of the negotiations/chatting. It is a little odd for the DM to do that where the player(s) should be thinking up the clever things to ask. I can prod here and there, but since Soulsinger has the +22 Diplomacy ... it would be uninteresting as a player for you, relegating you strictly to the combat/heal aspect of the game.

Unless, of course, you don't really want to deal with the chatty aspect.]

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger: "I am Soulsinger, and this is my mistress Mih'lek, and Kioi of the Tsimehetiy Tribe. Oh, and that is my faithful companion, Goln.

"We are the Seekers of Harmony, come from very far away both to explore this very ruin for treasure, but also see about joining our fates with that foreseen by a member of Kioi's order. That fate is that he should come down here and meet with the symbol of a great red claw, and that in this meeting there will be the glory of war."

Wyrmlord Koth: "I'm Wyrmlord Koth, one of the commanders of the Red Hand, and this is my bodyguard Karkilan. Join fates in the glories of war, huh? Well, if it weren't for the fact that you're not a goblinoid, giant, or dragon ... perhaps we could have held this meeting with much less loss of my boys. Those four hobgoblins you killed were veterans of many battles, worgs aren't easy to come by, and the lil' b**tard goblins aren't half bad at what they do, either.

Still, looks like you might be a worthy substitute and the price might be worth it. I have several times this number out on patrols in the surrounding countryside on scouting and marauding missions."

Soulsinger: "I hate to say it, but we wiped out a patrol on the road just north of Drellin's Ferry when we were ambushed. We didn't have a chance to find out that we were supposed to be working with them, though I don't think they would have cared. They really seemed anxious and so desperate for battle, that I doubt they had your excellent eye for talent and opportunity."

Wyrmlord Koth: "Zarr and Uth-lar and theirs are dead, huh? Well, that's a blow but that goes to continue showing your worth if your willing to swear allegiance to the Red Hand. Thousands more where they came from."

There's an uncomfortable pause as Soulsinger swallows just a hair louder than silently as the words "thousands more where they came from" sink in, especially as casually as you were told. Soulsinger looks to Mih'lek, his mouth trembling some as he tries to keep from showing weakness as the concept that perhaps this mission is no longer about a few small warbands preying on a single town creeps into the party's now horrified collective consciousness.

Wyrmlord Koth invites you inside. Karkilan is ever at his side. He brings you inside the room where everyone (except goblins & worgs) entered the courtyard. The interior of this stone building is open and spacious. There is no light in here. Wooden timbers support the roof above, and here and there the remains of what were probably once interior dividing walls are evident. Two large boulders sit on the floor to the south, near a large hole that has been knocked in the southeast wall. Rubble from this hole has been piled in a circle to form a crude fire pit. Against the west wall of the room are arranged four double-bunk beds, each strewn with filthy covers. Another bed, this one larger, sits near the south wall, partially obscured by a badly damaged wooden screen. A poorly stuffed owlbear looms in the center of the room. "This is our barracks. Mind you we don't have a lot of soldiers since my job is to get information about the surrounding area."

There are three doors to this 25' x 35' space. You came in from a northern door, and there is another door on this north wall 15' away, near the outer wall. Across the froom, where the keep's single turret affects a roundness on the wall, there is a door ... ostensibly for the stairs of the turret.

He moves along the wall, leading you to the other northern door and opens that one, guiding you inside. A large table fills this room, barely leaving enough room for the dozen chairs arrayed around its edge. To this table, Wyrmlord Koth takes a rather large map he had stuffed in his backpack ("didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands when the alarm was first sounded, you know") and pins it to the table, getting the party's help to do so. Karkilan stands outside and guards the door since he is too large to come in here without knocking over chairs.

Here is the map...http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_maps/95685.jpg

The writing is actually in Goblin, but Wyrmlord Koth translates each section for you, chuckling when he gets to the "stabbing elves of Witchwood" part. (You get the idea that while he has a lot of personal authority, he isn't necessarily bright.)

As the true scope of what is in store really slams home, and the forces required for this surprisingly detailed war strategy to occur to be realized, all three of the Seekers of Harmony swallow involuntarily.

[lostsole31]

Cliff Notes of Phonecon Conversation with Wyrmlord Koth
The Red Hand Horde is gathering at Cinder Hill, preparing to march on Drellin's Ferry. The horde includes several thousand goblinoid warriors, under the command of fanatical priests of Tiamat.
Four commanders, or Wyrmlords, lead the Red Hand: Koth, a goblin ranger named Saarvith, a hobgoblin bard named Ulwai Stormcaller, and a hobgoblin Talon of Tiamat named Hravek Kharn. Koth knows that Saarvith has been sent to the ruined city of Rhest on a special mission, and that Wyrmlord Kharn commands the horde itself, but he isn't sure where Ulwai is or what she's up to. The High Wyrmlord who rules over them all is a fearsome draconic humanoid named Azarr Kul, a powerful cleric of Tiamat. Azarr Kul dwells in a massive temple in the heart of the mountains, but Koth does not know its exact location.
The Red Hand horde contains dozens of hobgoblin, goblin, bugbear, and ogre tribes from the Wyrmsmoke Mountains.
Several dragons serve Azarr Kul as advisors and subcommanders. Koth himself has had contact with only one of them - a green dragon named Ozyrrandion.
Skull Gorge Bridge is a key site in the horde's descent from the mountains. Destroying the bridge would delay the Red Hand's march by several days.
Drellin's Ferry is where the initial assault will fall on Elsir Vale. Koth intends to lead the attack personally. In his absence, he suspects Ozyrrandion or some other chieftain or champion will lead this attack. Simply taking Koth out of the picture won't save Drellin's Ferry.

[lostsole31]

R1T17: Recognizing that things are about to turn ugly, commands Koth, "It's true, we are here to stop you. Surrender, and you may yet live to know command in another army."

Otherwise, Soulsinger delays (and in turn, Goln "delays") until he knows Koth's mind.

R1T15: "That won't happen," says Koth. "Your friends have underestimated my hearing, but I will show them not to underestimate my power. We have use for you in the Red Hand, Soulsinger, but your friends must die. I am going to destroy them for their betrayal now, but if you do nothing to help them I will treat you comparatively well."

With that, he recasts shield.

R1T14: Soulsinger takes out a tiny tart and a feather from his spell component pouch, waving the feather in the air, singing a comic little ditty of arcane power, and throws the tart at Koth.

The tart splatters on Koth's face and he has a stunned look. Then Koth snickers, then chuckles, then chortles, begins laughing, and finally begins guffawing so hard, holding his sides, that he falls prone to the floor laughing.

Mih'lek doesn't know the spell, though she has seen Soulsinger use it on a few occasions, but she does now that when they come out of it several rounds later ... if they were charmed before they no longer are/will be.

R1T10: Mih'lek's turn. She can target the prone Koth, but because of intervening chairs he has cover unless she takes a 5' step. Remember prone bonuses to AC against missile attacks.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek casts a poison spell on the caster while he is down. [roll0] (including the +4 for a prone target) for [roll1] Con damage with a Fort DC16.


Edit: Too bad it's ability damage!:smallwink:

[lostsole31]

R1T10: As soon as Soulsinger sees that Mih'lek is about to cast a spell, he begins to laugh uproariously, adding his laughter to Koth's. Soulsinger nods his head to Kioi to do the same, but points and rolls his finger and in his laughter - in Draconic - says, "Better one opponent at a time."

You practically get on and over the big table to get to Koth easily, and hit him with a poison spell. Koth breathes so heartily that it works against him, as his convulsions speed along the necromantic energy through his body and he is obviously affected by the spell.

Still, he laughs.

R1T8: Kioi comes around to the other side of you and stabs Koth in the head with a crit for 17 damage ... laughing as he does so. It is a pretty macabre scene.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T14: Soulsinger moves to that point of the room that is furthest from the door (there are no other exits out of the War Room). He then takes out one of the scrolls he got off of the fallen cleric you killed outside Drellin's Ferry, looking at the door while laughing.

R2T10: Mih'lek's turn ...

[UserClone]

With a great laugh, Mih'lek casts protection from evil on Kioi.

[lostsole31]

R2T10: With a great laugh, Mih'lek casts protection from evil on Kioi.

R2T8: Kioi slashes Koth's upper chest for 5 damage, but the second claw gets through his signifcant magical protection but is stopped by Koth's natural armor. The claw that does get through, however, obviously hit a lung ... for Koth's laughing is mixed with frothy blood and coughing.

Kioi pricks up his head (something he does, even though his ears aren't on top of his head, when he hears something) and waves Mih'lek to go to the far end of the room with Soulsinger. Kioi is on the door side of Koth's fallen, laughing body; Mih'lek is on the "far side" of Koth, away from the door.

R2T5: Karkilan opens the door and sees what is happening. He throws in a claw at Kioi, smashing heavily against his armor, but it is the spell that Mih'lek threw on him that takes the power out of the trollish minotaur's fell attack.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T14: "Goln, sic 'em!" Soulsinger shouts in Draconic. He then unfurls the scroll and casts. Appearing suspended in the air above the ground but in front of Karkilan is a glowing, magical force-construct heavy military pick, adorned with vicious drawings, of five colorful, leering dragons. Soulsinger instantly guides the weapon to cut a little bit of fat off of Karkilan's belly for only 2 hit points. He then gets out the other scroll.Spiritual weapon, but remember that the scrolls was prepared by a cleric of Tiamat; so regardless of who read the scroll, that is how it was made. Fortunately, Soulsinger's total lack of ability in melee is made up for by the fact this is a spell, not a weapon. On the other side of the coin, the intuition and faith of the wielder guides the weapon, and Samold Sarnadral is not particularly wise.

R3T13: There only being one possible enemy, that just hit one of master's friends, Goln tries to bite Karkilan on the behind but the brute's strength is just too tough.

R3T10: Does Mih'lek move back to the far side of the room as Kioi motioned? What does she do? Karkilan healed all of the damage suffered before by Kioi (and vice versa).

[UserClone]

Mih'lek takes out her silvered dagger, focusing on it, and thrusts her hand at Karkilan, causing a dagger of force to appear above it and streak into the space directly in front of the doorway, across Karkilan from Goln.

The dagger attacks with a quick slash [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

Don't forget that as a Tiny object, Kioi can share the dagger's space without penalty.:smallbiggrin:

[lostsole31]

Mih'lek takes out her silvered dagger, focusing on it, and thrusts her hand at Karkilan, causing a dagger of force to appear above it and streak into the space directly in front of the doorway, across Karkilan from Goln.

The dagger attacks with a quick slash [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

Don't forget that as a Tiny object, Kioi can share the dagger's space without penalty.:smallbiggrin:

What spell? I'm tired tonight so please don't make me search.

[UserClone]

...? Oh, whoops, I forgot to write the spell name! My bad, it's persistent blade.

[lostsole31]

R3T10: Mih'lek takes out her silvered dagger, focusing on it, and thrusts her hand at Karkilan, causing a dagger of force to appear above it and streak into the space directly in front of the doorway, across Karkilan from Goln, and providing flanking for Goln. (Soulsinger is at the 10' distance, so he is not adjacent to Karkilan; the latter attacked him at reach.)

The dagger attacks with a quick slash, but Karkilan proves amazingly agile, much moreso than any in the party, and the dagger barely scratches against his hide.

R3T8: Kioi: "Mih'lek, good choice to start, keep him busy. But now, start blasting him. I will go defensive and hold the breach while you use what spells you can; Soulsinger, you're our best into-melee-sniper, get to getting!"

With that, Kioi readies his shield, steps up to the door, and uses his expert knowledge of tactical combat to maintain a highly defensive posture, though his single claw attack fails miserably.

R3T5: Karkilan fully heals the 2 hp he suffered previously. Karkilan fails with two claws, a bite, and a gore due to Kioi's impressive defensive combat.

End Round Three, Begin Round Four ...

R4T15: Wyrmlord Koth continues to laugh hysterically. It's all just so tragically funny.

R4T14: Soulsinger does a good job of attacking with the spiritual pick, but still cannot penetrate Karkilan's hide. He begins casting from the scroll he pulled last round. (You know that this scroll is the summon monster III scroll.)

R4T13: Goln attacks and misses Karkilan, merely biting ineffectually on the minotaur's hide.

R4T10: Your turn. First, attack with the persistent blade and include +2 for flanking. Then, conduct your action including rolls.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek casts a spell on herself (true strike, burning 2 0-lvl slots to do so), and her eyes glow momentarily.

[UserClone]

On Mih'lek's next action, she launches an ice knife over Kioi's shoulder and into Karkilan's chest.
Burning two lvl-1 slots(regular ranged attack, not touch)[roll0] [roll1] Fort DC17 or take 2 Dex damage.

[lostsole31]

R4T10: Mih'lek casts a spell on herself (true strike, burning 2 0-lvl slots to do so), and her eyes glow momentarily.

R4T8: Now that he has tested Karkilan's defenses initially, Kioi increases his offense-to-defense ratio only slightly. His attack is still pathetic, but he does the job of being a defensive wall for the rest of you.

R4T5: Karkilan appears to be a brilliant and seasoned fighter who is performing incredibly with several near misses. A lucky (or perfect shot) gores Kioi for 9 damage, but Kioi is too well defended for the beast to score a critical strike.

End Round Four, Begin Round Five ...

R5T15: They're coming to take him away, ha ha ... they're coming to take him away, ha-ha!

R5T14: The spiritual pick attacks again moderately well, but Karkilan's hide is too thick. Soulsinger finishes the scroll, and a dire badger appears next to Wyrmlord Koth across from Mih'lek. The dire badger manages to get a claw through Koth's impressive magical protection and strike his head for max damage (6 hp). Soulsinger then lines up his shot at this nice range, easily picking out a line of attack past Kioi and both the magical pick and blade, and nails Karkilan with an eldritch spear for 14 damage in the neck.

R5T13: Considering Karkilan's speed and thick hide, Goln's attack misses, but he gives Kioi a chance at success by continuing to flank.

R5T10: As expected, the persistent blade misses, but it is just more in-your-face attacking that will hopefully keep Karkilan in place instead of bull rushing Kioi out of the way to get to the squishies launching magic.

Mih'lek launches an ice knife over Kioi's shoulder and into Karkilan's chest. It sinks in easily, though the damage is not exceptional since his hide slowed the knife before it penetrated his actual flesh. Mih'lek looks to see if the phenomenally agile troll-o-taur is slowed. He doesn't appear to be slowed, nope.

R5T8: Kioi continues to slowly become more aggressive, healing some of his wounds as he goes. However, all of the arcane magic zipping around him is disorienting to him and he misses.

R5T5: Karkilan's wounds slowly begin to close. He is so angry, however, that his attacks are sloppy and none come close to striking Kioi.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six ...

R6T15: They say laughter is the best medicine. Wyrmlord Koth's wounds begin closing at an unprecedented rate.

Just kidding. But he liked the joke. One look at him guffawing on the floor will prove my point. :smallredface:

R6T14: The spiritual heavy pick manages a phenomenally lucky strike!!!! Karkilan takes all of the pick in the stomach for a whopping 16 damage. (Actually, for 4d8+4 on a crit, that sucks.) That's alright, though, because Soulsinger blasts Karkilan in the head for the exact same amount of damage! :smallamused:

The dire badger claws Koth again for another 6 damage.

R6T13: Goln misses Karkilan.

R6T10: Mih'lek, remember to roll for persistent blade. What do you do?

[lostsole31]

*Bump* :smallredface:

[UserClone]

((I made you a post, but the forum eated it.))

[roll0] [roll1] for the blade d'persistant.



Mih'lek suddenly realizes that while Koth is down for now, he isn't out of the fight entirely. She fires off a magic missile spell at the prone caster, dealing [roll2] total damage.

((...Wow. Four ones on five dice! What are the odds?))

[lostsole31]

R6T10: The persistant blade scratches lightly against Karkilan's tough hide.

Mih'lek suddenly realizes that while Koth is down for now, he isn't out of the fight entirely. She fires off a magic missile spell at the prone caster, dealing 7 total damage.

R6T8: Kioi's fast healing continues to serve him well. Kioi continues his probing attacks, increasing attack-to-defense ratio. This strategy works, as Kioi sees a crucial opening, stabbing his serrated claws into Karkilan's shoulder and upper chest, nicking the upper part of his lung for 21 damage.

R6T5: Troll blood may run through Karkilan's veins, but that last hit (and the magic that preceded it) is too much to heal quickly, and his wounds only knit a small fraction of the damage taken thus far. Karkilan slashes Kioi, and his claws cut through armor and nearly through all of Kioi's hide but Kioi turns at the last second to have the claw pass harmlessly, while the other claw bounces off of Kioi's expert shield block. This doesn't stop the beast from lunging forth with his fetid bite to finish on Kioi's claw hand what Karkilan's claw couldn't, and Kioi takes 11 damage, though Karkilan sacrificed a gore strike to hit the claw that struck him.

End Round Six, Begin Round Seven ...

The spiritual heavy pick disappears, though the spell got in two really good strikes on the minotaur while it existed, using the Red Hand's magic against its own subcommanders.

R7T15: Koth, bleeding badly and poisoned, continues to laugh hysterically.

R7T14: The dire badger struggles to get through Koth's magical protection but fails.

Soulsinger blasts Karkilan in the chest for 13 damage.

Wyrmlord Koth stops laughing, his guffaws petering out, until he falls unconscious.

R7T13: Goln bites Karkilan in left forearm for 3 damage. It's no surprise that while Goln's poison is virulent, it does not affect the tough and massive minotroll.

R7T10: Mih'lek's turn, and that of her persistent blade.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek gears up for another attack, her eyes flashing with insight.
((true strike, using 2 0-lvl slots))

[roll0] [roll1]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next round, Mih'lek unleashes a lesser orb of acid [roll2], dealing [roll3] damage, hoping that, like the ordinary troll she once helped defeat, acid defeats his regeneration.

[roll4] [roll5]

[lostsole31]

R7T10: Mih'lek gears up for another attack, her eyes flashing with insight. Meanwhile, her magical blade of force slashes Karkilan across the left forearm for 3 damage.

R7T8: Believing that the overall tradeoff favors him, Kioi drops his defensive fighting style and slashes at Karkilan, but the badly wounded creature bats his arm away.

R7T5: Karkilan heals a bit of his damage, and then attacks Kioi with a desperate fury. He slashes the man in his right forearm for 13 damage, his claws sticking in; his other claw then finds purchase in Kioi's right shoulder for 13 damage. Karkilan then tears outwards in each direction, rending nasty wounds on Kioi's right arm for 21 damage, practically taking his arm off as he does so! Kioi frantically bats away the monster's bite and horns with his shield, and seems to be terribly wounded.

End Round Seven, Begin Round Eight ...

R8T15: Treachery! Wyrmlord Koth was playing possum, and from the floor he casts a lightning bolt that hits the dire badger, misses the persistent blade, and also hits Kioi, Karkilan, and Goln!
Dire Badger: makes a magnificent dodge, but still takes 12 damage.
Kioi of the Tsimihetiy Tribe: He moves quickly, but just barely keeps from being able to minimize the damage due to his squat form. The electricity arcs around the wooden plate from the rear, cooks the human within, and goes out the other side. Kioi convulses so hard it you wonder if he broke his back as he arches backwards, arms flailing up in the air. As suddenly as he does that, there is a pause of two full seconds, and then he collapses.
Karkilan: The brute is shocked that his master subjected him to friendly fire when he is so wounded and doesn't move out of the way. Having last ducked his head down to bite/gore Kioi, the electricity goes through his body - but seems to cut through his neck. The brute falls to the side outside the War Room (in the Barracks).
Goln: Wasn't even aware a spell was being cast, so many bodies were in front of him, and he takes the full 24 damage.
R8T14: The dire badger, singed least of all those that were subjected to the powerful magic, yet flies into a berserk fury, yet it misses its target each time against the powerful force magic of Koth's defenses.

Soulsinger blasts Koth in the head for 17 damage. Koth reels from the heavy hit.

R8T13: Goln tries to chew on the fallen Karkilan, but is having trouble getting through his hide.

R8T10: The persistent blade dips down to stab Karkilan in the face for 2 damage.

Seeing the monster go down, Mih'lek changes targets to the most (and only) immediate threat, perhaps quicker than she would have liked. She sends a full-powered orb of acid zipping into the center of Koth's chest. The bugbear sorcerer screams horribly, as the acid eats through the center of his chest - through his heart - and out the other side til the dissolved remains goop on the floor with a huge hole in Koth's chest.

The stench is unimaginable.

Soulsinger says, "Check on Kioi, I'll finish Karkilan." Soulsinger runs over and puts a definitive tap through Karkilan's skull, killing the creature beyond chance of regeneration.

Mih'lek goes to the fallen warrior prince and checks him.

The battle is over, but Kioi is dead, electrically pressure-cooked in his armor.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek weeps, sobbing while holding Kioi's lifeless body.

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger sings a brief, soft song, but does not yet go full on the dirge since he has realizes he has to help you through this time before he can grieve properly at a funeral.

He sits, not sobbing, but allowing tears to flow from his eyes as he is touched as much by Mih'lek's sorrow as Kioi's death.

After a few minutes, he finally says, "Mih'lek, we have battle plans that we need to show Drellin's Ferry so they can evacuate immediately; but in the other direction, there is Skull Gorge Bridge which we agreed upon previously should be destroyed.

"Both lie in opposite directions, and we have to split up. If we don't, we won't have time to either destroy the bridge by the time of crossing, or we won't have time to get Drellin's Ferry appropriately evacuated. I am better at dealing with people when required, and you are better at doing mass damage, so I think the way we must go is clear.

"And we did come to this keep for a reason before all of this hobgoblin hoodoo and I do have a map. Let's at least find the treasure and make sure we can bury Kioi in state?"

[UserClone]

Still shaking, Mih'lek nods, motioning for Soulsinger to come and help her with moving Kioi's body to a safe corner of the room, just for now. When she collects herself, they go their separate ways, and Mih'lek sets off in the direction of the bridge, giving the main road a wide berth, keeping to the shadows, and moving somewhat slowly so as to maintain what stealth as she is able.

[lostsole31]

She's been up all day, and now it is night. She's burned a lot of spells, too. Leaving the keep was probably a good idea in case any patrols returned ... but how long will you go before you either rest or begin fatiguing yourself?

[lostsole31]

Mih'lek burns a CLW to heal up to full. In short order, she is at the crossing of the Old Forest Road (which is a cart track running east-west) as she begins to parallel the Old Dawn Way. She is hustling (2x speed), but being stealthy and going through undergrowth (1/4 speed, total ... 15' speed of advance per round, 1.5 miles/ hour).

Here is how things progress if you don't heal yourself in the interim ...
Hour #1 = Fine.
Hour #2 = 1 nonlethal for continued hustle, fatigued. Strength and Dex -2, which means that she is slowed for exceeding encumbrance.
Hour #3 = 2 nonlethal for continued hustle.
Hour #4 = 4 nonlethal for continued hustle.
Hour #5 = 8 nonlethal for continued hustle + 5 nonlethal for force marching.
Hour #6 = 16 nonlethal for continued hustle.
Hour #7 = She falls unconscious from exhaustion about half an hour into this time mark.

[UserClone]

Basically, she'll keep going until she's about to pass out from the exhaustion and then rest for a little while to regain her strength, while hitting herself with a lesser restoration to remove the fatigue.

[lostsole31]

So, let's amend that to ... not only for your actions, but also my newly read-up-on understanding of fatigue and exhaustion.

Hour #1 = Fine.
Hour #2 = 1 nonlethal for continued hustle, fatigued. Strength and Dex -2, which means that she is slowed for exceeding encumbrance.
Hour #3 = 2 nonlethal for continued hustle.
Hour #4 = 4 nonlethal for continued hustle. (7 NL total).
Hour #5 = 8 nonlethal for continued hustle + 5 nonlethal for force marching. 20 NL total, and Mih'lek is now exhausted. Exhausted means -6 to Strength and Dexterity, and 1/2 speed.

[ "... doing something else ..." Basically, the forced march - albeit spurned on by the same relative activity - is a different source of NL damage instead of just compounding flat rate hustling NL damage.]

Mih'lek rests for an hour, and doing so brings her down to 14 NL and fatigued. She casts lesser restoration on herself and the fatigued condition goes away, though the NL damage remains.

Hour #6 = 16 NL, bringing her to a total of 30 NL. She has never pushed herself like this before. Even though she cast lesser restoration and got rid of the fatigued condition previously, the counter/clock is stopped and not reset. A lesser restoration spell helps with not sleeping ... but part of the condition of being a Humanoid is the need to sleep, and a 2nd-level spell doesn't act as a "substitute" for sleep so much as a measure to surive without sleep than if you didn't have the spell. She is fatigued again.

Hour #7 = You travel a mere half-hour and you are at 46 NL total. You can barely stand. You realize that you have to actually heal the processes in your body to keep pushing. But you also realize that even if you do so without real rest ... things are only going to get exponentially worse.

You could do another lesser restoration. You could drop healing on yourself to get rid of NL damage. The question is ... what will you accomplish. It must be about 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. And if you reach your objective?

Wyrmlord Koth already told you that the Skull Gorge Bridge was watched over by Ozyrrandion ... a green dragon. You don't know jack about dragons. You didn't grow up with the myths of dragons that surface-dwellers do, so they are a complete enigma to you. Soulsinger studied dragons, but not you. One thing he did mention to you in the past is that dragons are one of the most powerful forms of life, pound-for-pound ... with a host of physical and supernatural power at their beck and call.

Your spells are about 1/3 to 1/2 depleted. You are alone. If you do boost your fatigue/ NL with spells ... a heavy sneeze could send you right back to tired and stupid. You have a good hiding area, that bed of leaves looks comfy, there's not much you can really do anyway, is there??? :smalleek: :smallsigh:

These are all of the things distracting your mind right now as your bodily processes begin to send signals to your mind to try to override your ego and cause you to do what the body wants: to sleep. But your mind is strong; your will is strong; your magic is strong. But you are so hollow and stretched thing right .... S**t, there you go again. :smallannoyed:

What do you do?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek will heal her NL damage with CLW, lesser restoration away the fatigue/exhaustion, and then finally take 20 on a hide in the leaf pile and get some much-needed rest.

[lostsole31]

You use lesser restoration twice, cure light wounds three times, and then top off with a single cure minor wounds (it was only three hit points off at the end of the last CLW, which is the same as your bonus to all heal spells). You are not fatigued/ exhausted, you have no NL damage, but it is time to heal what spells cannot.

You take some time with your distracted time trying to put together the best hiding spot in a hollow below a tree on a small rise, covering over with leaves. You take several minutes to fall asleep, since while tired you are wired from the days issues (and you just enspelled yourself to "feel" refreshed, even though your body needs sleep).

You cry yourself to sleep, thinking about Kioi's brave sacrifice and death, and wondering what you and Soulsinger will do without his powerful fighting skills. Worse, the situation you are running in might be hopele.... zzzz. :smallsigh:

[lostsole31]

Day 4

You awake, fully refreshed, though a sense of purpose makes you practically jump out of the leaf pile when, even despite the old growth forest trees overhead, you see the sun peeking through at points from nearly directly overhead! :smallcool:

If there is going to be any major combat today, however, even spells used just to level a bridge .... you can't go without your "weapons" ready. And so it is that you ready first your healing powers, and then your destructive ones. Sorry, buddy, but one-hour-fits-all doesn't work for me. You need an hour to pray for the spells of your first spellcasting class, and then an additional hour to meditate for the spells of your second spellcasting class. Only makes sense.

Do you continue with your hustle-but-stealth-yet-fatigued-but-spell-dope-myself method?

EDIT: It doesn't matter now, because you just topped off 2nd-level spells this new day ... but I imagine that as a precautionary measure Mih'lek would have cast gentle repose on Kioi before leaving him?

No, no evil DM stuff here ... but it just makes sense. True, the immediacy of the situation would have you wait for a proper funeral ... but it is just respect and there is no guarantee that you would come back alive to take care of him.

[lostsole31]

[I will still need to know your speed-of-advance (SOA), but I am typing this up now so as not to waste "post turnaround time" ...]

The forest grows more ominous as the Dawn Way winds deeper into the woods. You come to a spot where a wide track leads away from the road, heading (north-)west. A massive effigy of some kind stands here, a fifteen-foot-tall humanoid shape made from a sagging, moss-covered frame. The thing looks almost like a crude giant-sized skeleton. Birds nest in the massive barrel that served the effigy as a head.

Thanks to Kioi's tutelage (another reason to miss him ... for being the party warrior, he was quite knowledgeable), Mih'lek recognizes this the effigy as a territorial marker for a tribe of giants, though she can't tell what type. The wide track that leads away to the west seems easy to follow, despite years of neglect.

What do you do? Keep focused on the mission and stay just off the Dawn Way, or take the track leading to the northwest?

What she knows about giants...Kioi and Soulsinger have taught her that giants are from a much older time when the world was young, and were the guardians; though Soulsinger and Kioi often argued on the giants overall place in relation to dragons.

Nevertheless, giants come in all sorts of varieties, usually specialized to a particular type of terrain. As a rule, they are basically very tall humanoids, usually looking quite humanocentric with some differences. Befitting their size, they are of course extremely strong, tough, and resilient. Despite this, they usually depend so much on their raw strength, and their massive size, that they often do not have exceptional combat skills or toughness comparable to a human fighter if changed to their size. They are also usually unexceptionally skilled or capable at crafts ... unless that is their primary focus ... again because they depend on their strength to get what they want.

They are well trained in a variety of armament, but as they usually only have what they carry, it is hard for them to find weapons to suit them unless made by them. Armor technology and wear depends on the giant type but runs the full spectrum from nasty pelts to armor of amazing workmanship, depending on the species of giant.

Unlike normal humanoids, however, the larger orbs of a giant's eyes are better at taking weak and diffuse lighting and amplifying it. This means that a giant can see just fine in conditions of poor lighting, though not in complete darkness.

[UserClone]

((No, I didn't say I did it, so I didn't do it. Mih'lek was too distraught to remember to cast gentle repose.))SOA is a regular marching/hide this time, as Mih'lek figures she's better off going into battle fresh, whereas before she was strictly trying to make up ground.

Mih'lek's focus is singular, and she only catches glances at the territorial marker before sliding on by, straight along the Dawn Way.

[lostsole31]

(Understand ...)

You travel 2 hrs to get to the point listed above.

You didn't eat last night, so you will want to either create food & water or to forage for some berries to cast goodberry. The former is better for maintaining speed, but the latter is less spell power used.

Your SOA w/ a base 30' speed is as follows:30' speed, but not hustling = 3 mph.
1/2 speed for stealth = 1.5 mph.
1/2 speed for moving through undergrowth = .75 mph.It takes you another 7 hrs. (9 hrs. travel total) to get to the next major part. You force march an hour, but you keep up your fighting trim pretty well, so are not fatigued.

[lostsole31]

The ground has been rising for the last few miles, and finally the forest itself peters out as you step out into a clearing. Because the foliage is thick right before the exit, you weren't canny enough to notice before stepping out into the clearing first.That was a critical failure. It wasn't the roll, it was the result of failure on a DC 10 Spot check, even with a bonus for having a move-action "open" each round. This is one of those times when a success or failure in non-combat may well spell a character's doom.

Ahead is a stretch of barren ground, about sixty feet wide, ending in a gorge. Roughly a hundred feet wide at its narrowest point, the gorge drops away precipitously to a fast-rushing stream far below. The ancient Dawn Way crosses the cleft over a bridge of stone. Anchored at both ends to large stone towers with pentagonal roofs, the bridge seems sturdy despite its age. It is, clearly, the only easy way to cross, since the gorge continues as far as the eye can see to the east and west. The four stone towers that anchor the bridge are each forty feet high. A narrow wooden stairway winds around each, leading up to an open-air watchpost up top.http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_gallery/95653.jpg
Unfortunately, you didn't see the clearing before you popped out into it. (Randomly rolled that you are on the right side of the road, and you already defined a distance from road of 25'.)

R1T20: The SE Sentry (the hobgoblin in the SE tower, relative to you that is the close side, and of the two towers this one is on your right) raises a ruckus, using the wall of the watchtower to fire from cover. His arrow streaks down and stuns a surprised Mih'lek in the right shoulder for 4 hp.

R1T17: Hearing a warning cry from a cross the bridge, the NW sentry across the way also raises a ruckus, shooting an arrow into the center of the encampment.

R1T17.9: Now alerted, the hell hound on the north side of the bridge does a run action all the way across the bridge and the additional 60' to be right at the road. This puts the hell hound due west (to the left) of you by 25'.

R1T13: The SW sentry takes careful aimed at the flat-footed Mih'lek and lets loose an arrow. This one hits you in the left shoulder, but slams right into the brachial artery that branches into the arm from that point and you take 22 hp damage, dropping your remaining hit points by half!!!

R1T12: The NE sentry does not have a clear line of fire, since the SE watchtower is in the way, and Mih'lek is not so far from the road that she would be on the "outer eastern" side of the sentry's LOS.

R1T11: The hell hound on the south side charges Mih'lek, and leaps up to bite her on the right shoulder by the first arrow for 2 hp of bite damage (the arrow actually got in the way of a solid bite), though the heat and flame from its breath also do 3 hp fire damage.

R1T9: Mih'lek has been dropped to 17 hp. There's a whole encampment of soldiers that have yet to act (or she can't see actions they are taking), and the dragon itself has yet to respond. Things are dire, what does she do?

[lostsole31]

Before we continue on this battle ... we need to do your 7th level upgrade. After the night of rest and that weary walk, you leveled up.

[lostsole31]

R1T9: Mih'lek realizes that speed is less important that raw healing power, and she thinks about pouring as much healing as she can possibly do so into herself. In a split second, she realizes that tapping that area of power within her seems easier than before - that she does not have to worry as much about spellcasting healing spells while threatened as before. She goes to cast a cure serious wounds, praying for the best she can possibly muster.

She heals herself of 33 hit points, more than ever before. She realizes then that her trials to date have not been in vain, for she has now glimpsed and touched upon the 4th circle of healing, with greater experience to back that up as well! :haley:

Knowing that this beast is going to nip at her heels, she still steps back into the forest to gain some concealment before she unleashes a fireball. The hell hound barks and snaps, but slips on a stone and misses.

R1T1: The medium size dragon takes to the air, it flies in a very defensive pattern, but covers something 150' in one round. It is now flying directly above the southern edge of the SE tower.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T20: The SE Sentry fires an arrow but misses.

R2T17: NW Sentry has no shot available.

R2T17.9: The hell hound that did the run action now continues on the road and out of sight. A second or so later, it comes moving in from Mih'lek's rear, setting up for the other one to move forward and flank.

R2T13: The sentry on the SW tower is so cocky from his amazing shot from last round that he accidentally drops an hour over the edge of the tower and his shot is wasted.

R2T12: NE Sentry has no shot available.

R2T11: The hell hound that bit her moves forward, but not into the undergrowth and barks loudly while belching a sulfurous, reeking flame. Mih'lek is so shocked from the attack that it takes her completely off guard for maximum damage (12 hp). Worse, the fire is hot enough that her cloak of resistance +2 is burned away.

R2T9: Mih'lek remembers her mission: why she is here, what is at stake, the lives that will be lost, the evil that will gain greater foothold if this bridge is not taken to slow the horde.

She thinks about her best area of effect spell, combined with some of the precepts of magical theory that Soulsinger taught her, and let's her intuition guide her ... she is from the ocean, a liquid area. Certain humors, or ill-favored liquids, cause great damage. So, her amazing intuition leads her to extrapolate a means to focus acidic evocation power, rather than fiery, in a fireball's place. She continues to think about the malleable nature of magic that she has just tapped into, and defensively casts an acid-ball directly at the center of the bridge hoping to channel more acid than might be possible with the spell.

The spit of acid, so strange coming from the little bit of bat guano she flings, grows larger and larger and streaks with a dull green light to the Skull Gorge Bridge's center, exploding over the center of the walkway in a caustic airburst, to make up for her not being able to actually see the center of the walkway (for the sidewall). The acid splashes all over the center walkway and support wall in a 20-foot burst for 44 base damage!

Parts of the stone appear to be visibly affected, but Mih'lek knows that single spell isn't nearly enough against centuries of tough, weatherproofed dwarven engineering. It would take several more of those acidballs to take the bridge out.

R2T1: The dragon flies down to a height of 30' above the ground, hovering just outside the foliage (above the hell hound) and breathes. A conical cloud of greenish gas is belched out and instantly envelops you and both hell hounds, burning your skin, your eyelids, scoring your clothing, and even getting into your mouth and nasal passages as the atomized caustic gas dissolves whatever it contacts. The gas does 16 points of acid damage. [You have 28 hit points left.]

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T20: SE Sentry shoots an arrow and misses.

R3T17.9: Mih'lek hears that same sucking in of breath and ducks as the hell hound on the forest side breathes flame. She only takes 4 hp fire damage.

R3T17.8/ 16/ 15: Three hobgoblins start to cross the bridge. The lead is in the center, followed at 5-foot intervals by the others.

R3T13: The SW Sentry reminds himself not to be so cocky and fires another arrow. This one bounces off of Mih'lek's sharksin armor.

R3T11: The hell hound on the clearing side tries to bite her, it clamps on Mih'lek's arms but the sharkskin is too thick.

R3T9: Mih'lek's turn.

[UserClone]

Mih'lek dashes to find a better vantage point, hitting herself with a quick close wounds as she goes. [roll0] When she gets to a point where the lead hobbo is visible, she utilizes a regular fireball, recognizing that splitting herself between movement and casting like this will make it impossible to concentrate long enough to alter the fundamental energies of the spell. Nonetheless, the ball of flames deals a considerable [roll1] damage to the three hobgoblins trying to cross the bridge.

[lostsole31]

R3T9: Mih'lek dashes to find a better vantage point, hitting herself with a quick close wounds as she goes, but practically on the road now and out of the clearing. The hell hounds nip at her heels as she does so but miss.

When she gets to a point where the lead hobbo is visible (you are staring down the center of the bridge, but from where the Dawn Way hits the clearing), she utilizes a regular fireball, recognizing that splitting herself between movement and casting like this will make it impossible to concentrate long enough to alter the fundamental energies of the spell. Nonetheless, the ball of flames deals a considerable 26 damage to the three hobgoblins trying to cross the bridge. The lead hobgoblin, wearing mwk breastplate instead of banded mail, manages to duck enough to minimize damage. The other two take full damage, as well as the center portion of the bridge (but from fire this time, with hardness affecting).

R3T7/4: Two more warriors come onto the bridge, next to the two leading hobgoblins.

R3T1: While a clumsy flier, Ozyrrandion comes out of a hover (itself impressive) to conduct a double move action to fly to the NW tower and land.

End Round Three, Begin Round Four ...

R4T20: Dammit, that goblin on the SE sentry likes the right shoulder as an arrow hits you for 6 hp damage.

R4T17.9: The hell hound comes up on Mih'lek and tries to bite her leg but misses.

R4T17.8: The lead hobgoblin, different from the others in manners and appearance does a run action, crossing the bridge and 20' into the clearing from the north side, 40' from you. As he moves, he drops his bow at the southern edge of the bridge and draws a bastard sword.

R4T16/14: Both of these hobgoblins stop, take out a vial, and drink, which helps to heal them of their grievous wounds.

R4T13: The SW sentry fires at you and the arrow skims off your left torso armor.

R4T11: The other hell hound is also on your heels, next to to the other one, and misses you.

R4T9: You've heard dragons were confident, but you are attacking a major strategic point and blasting minions ... so it puzzles you that Ozyrrandion fled back to the tower. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek does another close wounds, (defensively) casting another acidball for [roll0] damage on the center of the bridge.

[UserClone]

Whoops, that's [roll0] healing as well.

[lostsole31]

R4T9: Mih'lek casts close wounds on herself for 11 hp healing, and then acidballs the center of the bridge for 27 base damage. Practiced at generating energy effects, none of the four hobgoblin warriors on the center of the bridge can find comfort, and one of the hobbos that was torched recently drops on the bridge. And the spell continues to eat into the bridge nicely.

R4T7/4: The two "new" warriors on the bridge both pull out potions and drink.

R4T1: Ozyrrandion reaches into the NW tower and pulls something out, putting it to its mouth, but you can't see what.

End Round Four, Begin Round Five ...

R5T20: The SE tower sentry shoots an arrow that sticks in the chest of Mih'lek's armor, but doesn't penetrate.

R5T17.9: A hell hound takes a 5' step to the side of you and bites right into the left side of your abdomen for 6 hp, and another 6 of fire.

R5T17.8: The exceptional hobgoblin, noticeably more thickly muscled than these others, charges you while wielding his bastard sword two-handed. He cuts you with a masterful stroke to the upper left arm, hitting the artery and cutting deep into bone, breaking the arm, for 17 hp damage!

R5T16: The warrior on the bridge who survived both conflagration and acid, but is barely standing, takes out a potion and downs it, though its effect is minimized since he is so wounded he only gets some of it in his mouth as his arm shakes.

R5T13: The SW sentry slams an arrow into Mih'lek's chest for 10 damage, disabling her.

R5T11: The other hell hound takes a 5-foot step to your right side, flanking with its companion. Today was a good day to have armor, as it bites deep into the armor, but not quite enough to hurt you.

R5T9: 0 hit points and disabled. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Mih'lek casts close wounds [roll0] on herself, running for the bridge as, with her newly knit arm, she casts cure critical wounds.[roll1] She is attempting to gain access to the nearest tower, to at least give her a bit of cover.

[lostsole31]

R5T9: Mih'lek casts close wounds for 12 on herself, moving for the bridge. Amazingly, both hell hounds and the hobgoblin officer miss her as she ducks around the officer and towards the SW tower. With her newly knit arm, she casts cure critical wounds, which heals her of another 26. She is attempting to gain access to the nearest tower, to at least give her a bit of cover, but right now she is only halfway to the bridge/towers (having moved 30 of the 60 feet).

R5T7/4: Both hobgoblins run off the bridge to your side, one stops in front of you, and the other stops just to your right. (It would have been more tactically sound to stop to your left, but they had to move in a straight line since they were running ... in banded mail.)

R5T1: Ozyrrandion drops off the tower roof, straight over the bridge and turns slightly and is 30 feet above Mih'lek. He breathes on Mih'lek, aiming his cone to not hurt the hobgoblins. Mih'lek has good aim and dodging of single weapons, but she just isn't prepared to dodge misted acid. She takes 24 points of acid damage.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six ...

R5T20: The SE Sentry fires at Mih'lek, but misses easily as he doesn't wish to hit his two comrades.

R5T17.9: One of the hell hounds charges Mih'lek and pounces on the back of her right shoulder (what, is there a magical bonus to hit that shoulder?!?), biting deeply for 9 damage, but mainly on bone so only 1 hp fire damage.

R5T17.8: The hobgoblin officer charges Mih'lek, ending his movement as the vertex of a 90-degree angle between the hell hound and the soldier that ran to your side. His sword sweeps low and catches you in the left Achilles tendon for 6 hp ...

... severing it as your head hits the ground and the shock and pain causes your world to go dark ...

... forever?

[lostsole31]

Avarthel, a member of the Keepers of Eth, the druidic circle of the Witchwood, and himself a druid that has taken residence at the old standing stones on the western bank outskirts of Drellin's Ferry, sends out a missive to have those heroes of the Witchwood who can get to Drellin's Ferry within the day to come to those standing stones to learn of what problems are plaguing the Witchwood and the whole of the land.

[UserClone]

Heeding the druid's call, an enormous shadow which blots out the sun is preceded by the *SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM* of gigantic feet plodding through the woods, shaking the very ground. The most disturbing thing about this sound is the frequency of those steps. Whatever has come, it was moving but fast.

Allowing the druid a moment for his eyes to adjust, Grolff plops his epic warhammer onto the ground next to him, actually bouncing the druid up off the ground about a half an inch. He wipes the sweat from his horned brow. A bellowing roar of a voice echoes forth,
"Is it strength of arm you seek, brother?"

[lostsole31]

Meetings, introductions, mission briefing, and acceptance, as per phonecon ...

[lostsole31]

*************************************************
EDIT (11JUL2009): With a new cast of characters, so too comes a new set of colors and roles. This table will also include the temporary tag-a-long of Jorr Natherson ...

{table=head]Character| Color| Race/Sex| Class/Abilities Known | Party Role
Grollf| Olive| Male 1/2-Human, 1/2-Minotaur| Bear Totem Barbarian4/ Totemist6| Party Tank & Shock Trooper
Samold "Soulsinger" Sarnadral| Green| Male Human (Quadling)| Naturalist Bard7/ Warlock7| Party Leader, Arcanist, Magical Ranged Combat Specialist, Enchanter, & Face-Man
Avralelrial| Indigo| Female Elf of Unknown Delineation, Tall w/ Odd Coloring| What doesn't she do?| Party Stealth Specialist, Scout, Runner, and Tactician; Secondary Everything Else
Sali'shasyl ("That's Miss Sexy Sunshine to you!")| Magenta (aka Pink)| Male High Elf (but he likes to be treated like a lady)| Cleric 6/ ????| Party Cleric, Healbot ("Let's Touch!"), & Undead Demolisher; Also, interesting fire and other protective abilities ("Gifts of a Sunny Disposition!"); Also, token Minority ("Don't shoot! I'm gay!")
Jorr Natherson| Purple| Old Male Human| Some sort of scout-type| Archer, Witchwood Protector, and Anti-Christ to Goblins
[/table]

This table is repeated in the very first post of this thread, since finding this post later may be problematic. Yes, Soulsinger's color has changed: Kioi is dead and Grolff's olive coloring is too close to Soulsinger's dark olive.

As you learn more about folks, the post #1 will be updated.

[lostsole31]

Soulsinger expects to meet up with another party member, one by the name of Mih'lek, once we get to Vraath Keep. First, however, he wants to stop by some old curmudgeon's place and seek his services as a scout and guide.

Avarthel feeds all of you with a delicious bounty of the forest, but instead of eating in the stone circle, he leads you down to the banks of the Elsir to enjoy the water rushing by.

He then gives you all the Earth's Blessing for luck on your mission. The group accompanies Soulsinger onto the ferry and across. Sali'shasyl rides a strong, fast horse. Soulsinger goes to the livery of one Delorra Zann, and older woman who looks like she might have been an adventurer when she was younger. Soulsinger picks out one of her few remaining light warhorses, including all tack. Once that's done, it's time to head out.

The afternoon is hot and still, but a line of thunderheads in the west promises a storm before long. The town bustles with activity, as a motley assortment of militiamen drill on the green. Then someone points up to the sky and cries, "Great Pelor, what is that?!?"

Townsfolk look up, and in a moment the town is overcome by pandemonium and terror. With shrieks of fear, people scatter, fleeing into buildings and pulling the shutters closed after them. A sinister winged shape soars over the town - a powerful three-headed monstrosity with vast, batlike wings. The creature lets loose with a horrible wailing cry and then dives toward the people running for cover on the green.

[lostsole31]

The battle starts with the party about 200' from the center of the green (albeit you can't travel in a straight line due to shops and such), and the creature is about 200' in the air.

R1T23: Soulsinger rides off in the direction of the green, covering 60 feet. He then stops and points his hand at the creature and apparently waits for something.

R1T19: What does Grolff do?

[UserClone]

Grolff double-moves towards the thing, seeing as without a straight shot, he can't run. He covers 80' of distance between it and him, and looses a bestial roar. ((It has recently come to my attention that I can shape that fourth soulmeld elsewhere, I merely can't bind it to any chakra other than Totem. However, since I haven't declared it yet, I'm waiting on the okay from you to do so.))

[lostsole31]

[Go ahead and shape that puppy!]

[lostsole31]

R1T19: Grolff double moves to cover 80'.

R1T14: Sali'shasyl looks at Grolff moving away at high speeds. "Wow, that was fast!" he remarks.

"Now here, darling," he says to Avralelrial, "let me warm you up a bit with Pelor's blessings. That chimera has a white dragon head and that means cold."

He prays to Pelor, and touches Avralelrial tenously on the very tip of the shoulder with the point of his finger. He then begins to trot off towards Grolff, covering a mere 20'.

R1T13.9: The beast in the air hears Grolff's roar from its vantage point, and is only to happy too oblige. It begins to descend in a diagonal dive, covering only 35' horizontally, but 100' vertically. This means it is only 100' off the ground, but some 165' from Grolff.

R1T13.8: An arcane missile of some sort erupting from behind Grolff rips in a straightline towards the creature, striking it in one of its heads - a head of some ferocious white lizard-creature of some sort - for 18 damage.

R1T11: "Yeah," says Avralelrial, trotting up to Sali'shasyl, "Grolff's not bad at jogging, huh?"

With that, having only travelled 20', she moves off at an unbelievable pace, rivaling that of a fast horse. She zooms past Grolff by as much as 40', while taking out a javelin.

"Ware the white head, Grolff!" she calls as she passes by him with his jaw dropping, "It breathes cold - or so Little Miss Sunshine says."

She then calls out something to the creature in a language you don't understand. Grolff does recognize that she seems to be calling it out or taunting it.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T19: Grolff, what do you do? (You didn't hear Sali say he put a spell on her ... that was too far away, but was included for fluff and continuity.)

Init/Stat...
Grolff: 19
Sali'shasyl: 14
Chimera: 13.9, took 18 damage.
Soulsinger: 13.8
Avralelrial: 11

[UserClone]

Grolff continues to hustle, moving forward another 60 feet. He pounds his chest and snarls at the pathetic little creature.

[lostsole31]

R2T19: Grolff continues to hustle, but only travels 60' (instead of a full 80'), allowing himself to be separated by Avralelrial by only 20' ahead of her ... good setup for wolf pack tactics. He pounds his chest and snarls at the pathetic creature.

R2T14: Sali'shasyl, just nowhere near as competitive in his funny-looking heavy armor as the mounted man and the two speedsters, hustles and covers a whopping 40' total (60' from his origin point, halfway to point-zero of the battle).

R2T13.9: The creature does a diving charge. A split second before it closes, the long-armed half-minotaur sends his maul out in a haymaker, catching the creature on the right foreleg for 22 damage. As powerful a hit as it was, the inertia alone sends the creature the last 5' to just ... barely ... bite ... through Grolff's armor and hide with the white lizard head, biting him around the chest and back for 11 damage. The creature, though not an agile flyer, yet has enough power in its wings to allow it to hover adjacent to Grolff, 15' in the air (basically one square in elevation above Grolff).

R2T13.8: Soulsinger rides up, but remains 20' behind (next to Avralelrial). Nice and close-in (for him, he manages to wait for wings to lift up again so he gets a clear shot at a precise point with his magic and lets loose with another magic bolt, hitting the creature square in the mid-flanks for 17 damage.

R2T11: Avralelrial stands for a few seconds surveying the fight, then she moves up. She goes diagonally to the side 10' and then moves forward. By the time she is done moving, she is 10' from the rear-right flank of the beast, but her time spent surveying the battle means she doesn't have time to toss her javelin.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T19: Grolff, you heal 3 hp. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Grolff takes a running start, running back 20 feet, then turns right back around and, running back, leaps five feet up into the air, using his reach to slam the beast with his maul. [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]

[lostsole31]

R3T19: Grolff easily gets his target height, and slams the maul into the creature's upper left foreleg, before Grolff comes down with both hooves onto the ground.

R3T14: Sali'shasyl double moves, and is now 20' away from Grolff, and adjacent to Soulsinger.

R3T13.9: The creature's lizard-head sucks in air, the act alone which seems to leech heat from around you (including you), and then the head juts forth with a frigid blast, doing a base of 11 cold damage, which continues back far enough to hit Sali'shasyl and Soulsinger (and the latter's horse).[NOTE: Sali'shasyl stabled his horse at an inn on the west bank before the group went shopping, since I totally forgot to account for the horse and had the little elf huffing-and-puffing this whole time.]Grolff: For some reason, despite having excellent reflexes, the beast seem particularly interested in Grolff. I wonder why. Full damage.
Soulsinger: The good news is the horse reared up in time and turned to minimize the damage. The bad news is that when the horse turned, Soulsinger took full damage in the back.
Sali'shasyl: Sali'shasyl, powered by the might of the sun god, takes half damage.Unfortunately, the creature does not appear to be finished simply with a breath. Grolff gets bitten in the neck by the draconic head for 12 damage.
The goat's head just barely misses getting a vital area, and Grolff is gored for another 12 damage.
As powerful a claw attack as it could muster tears at Grolff's chest for 9 damage, while the other claw rakes at Grolff's face for 6 damage.
In one round of full attacks, Grolff is definitely feeling a bit slammed around.

R2T13.8: "Healer, go heal," says Soulsinger simply. He then begins to sing this tune that makes Grolff's heart slow but his spirits lift. It has no effect, but Grolff can tell from the intensity that it carries some unknown bit of power.

R2T11: Avralelrial tosses her javelin, hitting the creature in the right wing for 6 damage. She then backs up 10', drawing another javelin as she does so, and disappears in the shadows of some downslanting hedgerows. You think there is no way any person in the world could do that, even with your keen eye for battle tracking foes. But sure enough she disappeared from view practically before your eyes when backing into weak shadows of the hedges with the sun blaring overhead.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

What'cha' do, Grolffy boy?

[UserClone]

Grolff drops his maul altogether, instead ripping into the beast with his full array of natural weapons, sacrificing some accuracy for power. He does this from his full reach, stepping back five feet if necessary.
[roll0][roll1]
[roll2][roll3]
[roll4][roll5]

((Well, yay for bad rolls.:smallyuk: got one solid hit, though.))

[lostsole31]

[Correction, it's round four.]

R4T19: Grolff (after healign a little) drops his maul altogether, instead attacking the beast with his full array of natural weapons, sacrificing some accuracy for power. He does this from his full reach, stepping back five feet. The beast is surprisingly agile, and one strike of Grolff's puncture's into it's thick hide ... but not through it. The beast is unharmed.

R4T14: Sali'shasyl moves up 15' to be behind Grolff. "Behind ya, you horny hunk, you! Now, don't be nervous. Fascinating, your wounds have already begun to scab over." He then begins praying something in a tongue you don't understand.

And with that, Grolff's ass gets pinched. But that pinch lingers a little too long as the fingers open slightly and it becomes the faintest caress.

A caress that heals you of 24 hit points!

"Your ass is hot, but then again ... so is the rest of you." With that last little bit, Grolff begins to feel peculiarly, though not uncomfortably, warm.

R4T13.9: The creature flaps forward five feet, still hovering with high ground advantage. The creature's lizard head bites Grolff, just barely, on the right shoulder for 10 damage. Little bits of flame erupts from Grolff when it does so, and the beast takes 2 fire damage. The creature roars in anger. The lion and goat heads attack, but too warily and your agility gets you out of the way easily of the now skittish creature.

But where the other heads were nervous, the creature figures its thick claws can handle something like that better, and a claw tears into your thigh for 12 damage (crit!). But again, the creature takes 2 fire damage. The other claw also crits your upper left arm for 11 damage. (Wow, two 20's in a row on that crit, and two 20-only crits in a row in an attack sequence.)

R4T13.8: Soulsinger stops singing, and fires another magical beam that goes right in-between your horns to strike the thing in the belly for
21 damage! The creature howls in pain and fury.

R4T11: A javelin comes streaking out of the hedgerows to hit the creature in a wing joint for 14 damage. Pretty good hit for something that looks like an oversized pin to Grolff. There crouches Avralelrial, who takes out another javelin.

End Round Four, Begin Round Five...

R5T19: You heal a little more. Both you and the critter are really beginning to feel the pain (in your case .... again). What do you do?

[UserClone]

Splaying his arms out and tipping his head back, Grolff shifts tactics (and essentia, pouring the max into his Midnight Dodge feat and his Frost Helm; 2 and 3 respectively. He also declares the creature his dodge-buddy.), stepping back fifteen more feet (incurring an AoO at AC31), and looses a high-pitched shriek from the hole in his head, the mandibles of his Frost Helm chittering along with the wailing of the frigid air coming out of the Helm. (Will DC 18 or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. If it is attacked, it is allowed another save at the same DC to break the effect. Once it saves or breaks the effect, it is immune for 24 hours).

[lostsole31]

[Correction: You had 1 essentia in frost helm before, which means you had cold resistance 5. I gave you back 5 hit points.]

R5T19: You move back 15', which basically means that - with moving 10' to clear the space you once held, and then the 5' Sali'shasyl occupies - you are standing behind the elf. The creature hit you as you went by, dropping you to 24 hit points remaining.

You make the trilling sound, and the creature is 100% unaffected, not even wincing at the sound.

R5T14: Sali'shasyl turns to glance at you, know that the the squishy elf is holding the front line, and flatly remarks "A real gentleman, I see."

He then turns back to the creature. "What a disaster. Three heads, and none of them match the other. But the best part is ... you don't seem to like fire. What about Pelor's fire, I wonder?"

Sali'shasyl moves forward 15' (10' from beast) and breathes forth a gout of flame that catches the monster unawares for 10 fire damage. It really doesn't like that.

R5T13.9: The creature charges the elf, taking a hunk out of his left shoulder for 13 damage, but taking 2 fire damage when he does so.

R5T13.8: Soulsinger lines up his shot and hits the creature squarely for 17 damage! It looks like it's about to drop.

R5T11: Avralelrial drops the javelin, takes out her greatsword on the move and charges the beast's flank but misses the erratically hovering creature.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six ...

Grolff?

[UserClone]

((I had 2, I promise.))

With a roar at his ineffective tactic, Grolff runs forward (charging if possible), shifting two points of essentia smoothly to his Landshark Boots, one from his Frost Helm, and one from his Midnight Dodge. Recklessly, he leaps upon his foe, tearing into it with abandon.

If charging is possible (leaping over Sali'shasyl's head in the process), that will be Grolff's preferred tactic, shifting power from accuracy into raw damage potential, but somewhat conservatively. [roll0]
[roll1][roll2]
[roll3][roll4]
[roll5][roll6]

If charging is impossible, Grolff will simply move in and swipe at its dragon-throat with a claw.[roll7][roll8]

In either case, he smoothly transitions back into movement (provoking an AoO at AC30), sliding over a good 20 feet from the creature, and in a 90-degree arc away from Sali'shasyl, presenting the beast with a choice of targets. He snarls and makes a guttural growl of challenge.

[lostsole31]

As the group assembles over the fallen chimera, Sali'shasyl remarks, "Strange. It seemed like a powerful enough beast, but to attack a town - a guard formation in the middle of drills at that - in broad daylight. I wonder what caused it to do that."

He then casts a spell on himself to heal himself fully. He then casts a spell on Soulsinger, and then his horse, to heal them both fully as well. Meanwhile, over the course of this and the next few minutes, Grolff heals fully.

"How on earth do you do that??" Sali'shasyl acts, interested.

Captain Sorannah Anitah ...http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_gallery/95649.jpg... comes up, along with a contingent of guards, and surrounds the heroes. Soulsinger assures her that all of you are heroes that helped fell this creature, and have been summoned at the behest of the local druid Avarthel to help in this problem. He introduces you all, and assures her (because Grolff makes folks nervous) that if the group stays in town, they shall do so at the standing stones with Avarthel.

Following somewhat behind her and the poor guards and militia is Townspeaker Norro Wistonhttp://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_gallery/95650.jpg

Soulsinger manages to explain what happened, and it is his opinion that either traditional hunting areas for larger game to sustain it have become untenable do to the large force that is amassing. Or, more likely - since it is his belief that the Red Hand horde has not yet fully assembled - that the chimera might even have been offered some treasure or food by the Red Hand to harry the town. It did know enough to go right for where guards were mustered out, after all.

You cross town to pick up Sal's horse, and then you're off to run an "errand" as Soulsinger calls it then it's to Vraath Keep to rendezvous with his dire toad and his teammate Mih'lek. It is Soulsinger's belief that Mih'lek is the most destructive wizard he ever met, and she likely brought down the bridge. He just wants to make sure she did it and survived against whatever guardians the bridge may have had.

The heroes travel along a footpath heading north-ish, then west-ish until you get to swamps bordering the forest. There is a ramshackle hut ... see Jorr Natherson's hut description in previous posts.

Soulsinger tells the rest of you to hang back while he talks with the owner. The dogs bark and yap, but then come up to him like an old friend. Soulsinger even plays with them some and rough-houses with them before Jorr Natherson - a weathered man of indeterminate age, but at least middle age - comes out to talk to them. They chat for a few minutes and the grizzled little man (5'3, no more than 130 pounds ... and closer to 120 pounds at that) goes back to his cabin. He comes out in less than a minute, ready to travel.

"I've hired Jorr Natherson here to act as our guide. And while he does not intend to go beyond the Witchwood, he wants nothing more than to get a chance to kill a few goblins on the way."

Jorr has very high quality longbow, dagger, and studded leather ... but not much else beyond a quiver of arrows and the clothes on his back. Not even a backpack or a bedroll.

The heroes reach the Blackwater Causeway (as Jorr calls it), and he tells you about a terrible monster with many heads that lives here. Soulsinger recounts having been able to calm the creature long enough to let his other friends through last time. Jorr has him up in the front with him.

R1T28: Jorr sees the creature's head basking in the sun, lying on the mossy side of an upturned wagon. He puts his bow up, holding his hands out, and moving out onto the causeway.

R1T19: Grolff, you see the head that Jorr pointed out. It must belong to something quite sizeable, and its eyes appear to be following the party. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Depends. Is Grolff aware that Soulsinger has encountered and defeated this creature before with his peace-battle?

[lostsole31]

The heroes reach the Blackwater Causeway (as Jorr calls it), and he tells you about a terrible monster with many heads that lives here. Soulsinger recounts having been able to calm the creature long enough to let his other friends through last time.

Please see last post.

[UserClone]

((My mistake. I read "recounts" and thought "recalls."))

Grolff will wait to see what this mysterious power is before he decides to do any combat.

[lostsole31]

Jorr does a good job in just motioning for the party to keep back and be still to wait for Soulsinger, knowing the effect his nature had on his dogs. (... otherwise, the monster would have attacked if he didn't have Soulsinger.)

Soulsinger begins to sing in a strange language that includes many complex syllables, sibilants, x's, z's, and growling-but-intelligent sounds. Fully six of these great heads come out of the water to hear the song. After a minute, Soulsinger continues to sing, but waves the rest of you along. The hydrais big enough to make even Grolff with his strength and confidence gulp deeply as he passes.

Still, the song has a particularly profound on Grolff - who while a monstrous humanoid has given himself over to delving into the power of magical beasts as a totemist. It is through this connection that Grolff realizes that if he were more beast and less intelligent ... the power of the song would have calmed him in his deepest frenzy.

Sali'shasyl, too, seems particularly smitten. His face is haunted and hollow and tears streak his face. Avralelrial has to bring his horse with him on the causeway or he would stay to hear the song.

Once the party is clear, Soulsinger ends his song. The hydra heads bend down to Soulsinger and he pats each one, saying something to each ear. The hydra seems to nod a few of its heads and they then all sinuously retract into the water.

Once the party is fully safely past, Sali'shasyl - who himself seemed partly in a trance - asks: "That was Draconic. I'm a student of all things such, and would love to know where you learned such, but my main question is ... what was that you just did?"

Soulsinger answers rather simply and without elucidation: "Dragonsong."

Sali'shasyl seems like a giddy boy about to ask a ton of questions when Avralelrial - who seems to sense something else - touches Sal's arms and shakes her head as if to tell him to leave off the subject for now.

You stroll at a brisk pace for a few more hours, and finally get to Vraath Keep after dark. You guessed your destination since even Jorr sensed something not right with smoke rising over treetops. When you get there, a carcass of a great leonine beast with bat wings and quills along its back and the remains of a skull which is vaguely humanoid - evidently killed in battle - still smokes slightly. You only get its shape, because it was burned. Still, some carrion birds pick at charred bits. Also outside the ruins of this old keep is a demolished shed.

You go inside, for the sense of death and quiet here is telling. Stacked in the middle of the courtyard like so much cordwood is a pile of small- and medium-sized bodies that were stripped and burned. Two of them are particularly large ... one of them comes to close to 7' tall, but the other is cut in half at the chest-up and really freaks Grolff out: it is the burnt remains of a minotaur.

"I burnt the bodies of the enemies to keep away bad spirits, send a message of doom to the patrols that surely would have returned, to keep away disease and the smell of death, and..." with this last bit there is a twinge of shame in Soulsinger's voice, "... in my wrath at the fall of one of my friends."

Soulsinger calls out in - what you can only guess to be from its spoken similarity to the song he used on the hydra - Draconic. Soon, a toad that is easily 5' high comes hopping in from the forest. He introduces the toad to you all: Goln, his companion.

He then calls out "Mih'lek! Mih'lek I am back!"

[OOC: :smalleek: :smallfrown: ]

He then sees that the spoils of victory are still there. Many suits of armor and swords of fine quality exist, as well as several vials. Sitting in the corner of this large, but cramped room (due to a big table and many chairs) is the body of a noble warrior with a tiger mask, dressed in heavy armor of enchanted wood and a darkwood shield. The mask remains on the face, and when Avralelrial goes to remove it to see, Soulsinger hisses at her.

"That is Kioi, a prince of the Tsimehetiy Tribe from far away. He was cooked from the inside out by a lightning bolt. He had a strong face, but it is marred. Let him lie in state until he can be buried properly.

"It seems that Mih'lek is not yet back from Skullgorge Bridge. I say we move out immediately to investigate."

And so the party is back on the road. Before long, Jorr - who knows the area well - directs the horses off the road. "We take the rest of the way on foot," he says.

[lostsole31]

The ground has been rising for the last few miles, and finally the forest itself peters out as you creep towards the edge of a clearing. The foliage is thick right before the exit, and Jorr guides you all carefully so you (the party) don't foolishly step out.

Ahead is a stretch of barren ground, about sixty feet wide, ending in a gorge. Roughly a hundred feet wide at its narrowest point, the gorge drops away precipitously to a fast-rushing stream far below. The ancient Dawn Way crosses the cleft over a bridge of stone. Anchored at both ends to large stone towers with pentagonal roofs, the bridge seems sturdy despite its age. It is, clearly, the only easy way to cross, since the gorge continues as far as the eye can see to the east and west. The four stone towers that anchor the bridge are each forty feet high. A narrow wooden stairway winds around each, leading up to an open-air watchpost up top.http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_gallery/95653.jpg
The important difference here is that there are tents on both the NW and NE towers - both still across the way - and apparently able to house approximately 2 to 3 times what is shown.

There appears to be two hounds, belching little gouts of flame every few minutes or so. Jorr observes them for a while as best he can, but he only has human eyes. Avralelrial notices there is a significant encampment on the other side, enough tents for maybe as many as two dozen or more soldiers.

And a dragon, greenish in the starlight, perched atop the NW tower across the bridge. The bridge itself seems to have some damage in the middle, but still more than sturdy enough for passage.

"I fear for Mih'lek," says Soulsinger, well ... soulfully. "That damage is probably her doing, but the bridge is still more than adequate.

"Here, Jorr, put this on." And with that, Soulsinger hands Jorr the tiger mask Kioi wore. "It is not for you to keep, but will allow you to fight by the starlight."

Avralelrial, Sali'shasyl, and Jorr all note that they have no means of bringing down anything like that.

That leaves Grolff and Soulsinger. Grolff is estimated to have the best up-front damage potential, but Soulsinger can snipe from this distance. He claims that he can affect the stone, but unfortunately while his blasts are powerful against creatures, against objects they are not as good.

"Our objective is to bring down that bridge, to slow the advance of the Red Hand."

Sali'shasyl says, and then is hushed to a whisper by the rest of you, "I can make Grolff's blows even more powerful - as well as the rest of you - but only in regards to hand-to-hand combat, not ranged."

"You know," Avralelrial says, "I can put little dents in the bridge, but since Grolff is the bruiser ... if we can get out onto that bridge I can protect him from just about anything for several seconds, and even help to attack the bridge. Of course, we can't 'finish' the job, or else we fall with the bridge."

[UserClone]

"And what of this 'powerful sorceress?' Supposing she is held captive on the other side?"

[lostsole31]

Jorr: "Quiet your voice, you silly cow! We'll gut every goblin we can. Y'know, to cut down on their forces, while we still have the means to do so. If'n we can save her, great! Otherwise, won't do nobody no good to get captured or killed. Can't do much savin' of t'other folk if'n we're dun fer."

[UserClone]

"Sali...Shals'i...ELF. Do your magic and let's be done with this business. Is there any means to set the tents aflame?"
Grolff shifts uncomfortably, anticipating Sali'shasyl's unnerving touch. He shifts his essentia to his Midnight Dodge feat (2), his Landshark Boots (2) and his Girallon Arms (1).

[UserClone]

*bump* whitetext

[lostsole31]

Huh. Neither Lost Caverns nor Jest-Alt updated on my subscription. :smallmad:

I've been busy, too ... and I'm too tired to get to this thread now. Sorry, should be good tomorrow. Good job noticing the 'small print' usage of speaking quietly. :smallsmile:

[lostsole31]

Avralelrial comes up with the battle plan.

"Sal, I want you to beef up us the best way you can. What do you have prepared?"

"Let's see, I have bear's endurance, bull's strength, eagle's splendor, and resistance. ... I do so like making others feel better."

"Excellent. I recommend loading up the physical buffs on Grolff, and the other on Soulsinger to make his charms better. In the meantime, I will place a few of my minor spells on us.

"Our objective is to bring that bridge down. I have two plans ... one involves stealth, and the second is brute force. My first plan is for me to sneak out there in wraithform where the hell hounds can't sniff me out. I am going to try to assess structural weak points on the bridge, and then return. If I am successful, then we will refine Plan #2, but otherwise keep its spirit. If I am discovered, we prematurely go to Plan #2.

"Plan #2 is simple, Grolff and I [regardless of my position] will race out to the bridge at all possible haste, out to the middle where it appears to be damaged, without regard for self defense. Once in position, then we will look to our defense. Grolff, I want you to blow through those hell hounds, whatever it takes, and suffer the nips on the heels; if that means you have to bowl them over or what-have-you, that's what we do. The bridge's destruction is vital.

"Once there, I will cast a spell that should keep us contained, protecting us from virtually anything which comes our way. Jorr, Soulsinger, and Sali'shasyl, you will not fire on the enemy ... even as they attempt to stop us from getting to either the center of the bridge, or to a weak area I designate. If you give your position away too early, then frustrated in attacking us while I have protection up will only lead the dragon to attack you instead.

"Once my protection falters, it should be obvious. At that point, I do want Soulsinger to fire on the weak spot (if visible) or at the dragon, the most dangerous combatant out there. Only if sorely pressed do you fire on local enemies, which includes those attacking Jorr. Jorr, harry whomever you feel most comfortable hitting. I would prefer you strike the dragon, but your arrows have to pierce armor; Soulsinger's magic does not. And I already gather that you have a fondness for attacking goblins. Regardless, both of you should use the cover of the treeline to help you.

"Sal, see if you can't cast sanctuary once my redoubt fails to get safely across the killing field, then provide healing as you can. You said you can make us beefier in combat - beyond just your spells - that's great. But you have already confided in me that the farthest you can do this is 30'. Again, wait in reserve until you see that we are no longer freely swinging at the bridge. After that, I look to you to use what wisdom Pelor has blessed you with to use your gifts to best effect.

"Grolff, that brings us back to you. You run to get to the bridge center or my designated weak point. Time wasted in travel and allowing the enemy to halt our advance and mire us in combat doesn't help. Bridges don't dodge, so you put every ounce of power you have into each swing. Now, I am a competent architect, so I will probably have a better feel for the bridge being weakened than yourself. When I say 'Clear the Bridge!', you do it, or you tumble to your death in the gorge below."

[UserClone]

Grolff just nods silently, and draws his maul from its strap across his back.

[lostsole31]

Grolff and Avralelrial burst out of the brush and come within 30' of the hell hounds.

R1T26: Avralelrial bursts past the hell hounds quicker than they can react, and with a double move is already out to the middle of the bridge.

R1T25: A hell hound on the north end charges her, covering 70-75' before leaping up to bite her in the face for 7 physical and 4 fire damage, as heat blasts into her face.

R1T24: One of the southern hell hounds charges her from the opposite side, but even with charging/flanking it fails to get a solid hit on her.

R1T21: Grolff, you realize you have to clear 20 feet horizontally to just clear the hell hound vertically. But you were prepared to leap this battle, and you handily spring over the remaining hell hound and continue down the bridge. You end your movement 10' from the hell hound on the south side, 15' from Avralelrial, 20' from the hell hound on the north side.

"It's alright," she yells despite the blood flowing around her teeth. "I will pen them in with us!"

R1T19/18: Jorr & Sali'shasyl remain in reserve.

R1T14: The other northern hound crosses the bridge to charge Av, but she is too fast and it bites empty air. There are now 2 hell hounds (20' from you) on the other side of Av, and one on this side of Av (10' away).

R1T14/13: Soulsinger and his companion dire toad remain in reserve.

R1T11: An arrow from the SW tower bypasses Goln's armor, but is stopped by his armored hide.

R1T9: An arrow is fired from the NE tower across the bridge, bypassing the hell-hound/elf-woman fight towards you, but misses.

R1T7: The remaining hell hound charges you and gets a lucky hit, but you are so thickly armored that only double-luck could give it a chance of really critting you. You get bitten in the back for 9 damage (max) plus 5 fire damage from the heat of its bite and gouts of flame that puff out.

R1T6.9: The dragon swoops off his perch on the NW tower, but heads in an angle towards the west of the bridge. It is now directly west of the bridge, right over the center of the gorge, and has by now wheeled around to face the middle of the bridge. It is 60' out from the western side of the center bridge ... and Avralelrial, whom it is facing now.

R1T6: Another arrow hopeless bounces off Grolff, this time from the SE tower.

End Round One, Begin Round Two...

R2T26: Avralelrial readies for Grolff to close.

R2T25/24: Two flanking hell hounds snap at Avralelrial but miss.

R2T21: Grolff's turn ...

[UserClone]

Grolff charges the bridge's weak point, leaping into the air and slamming his maul down upon the stone with all his might [roll0] for [roll1] damage, before hardness is applied. ((His AC is down to 23 until next turn from the charge.))

[lostsole31]

R2T21: Grolff charges the bridge's weak point, as the hell hound by him misses its AOO, and the half-minotaur leaps into the air and slams his maul down upon the stone with all his might for 37 damage. I noticed that you had "2" still in the "Misc" block of AC which was from Midnight Dodge previously against a single opponent. I removed that, and put in the charging penalty which drops you down to an AC of 21 this round. Also, you should choose a Midnight Dodge buddy.The stone cracks, and splinters of rubble skitter away.

R2T20.9: Avralelrial concentrates on something, but skillfully enough not to open herself up to the three hell hounds. "Get power behind your swing," she says, "but not so much that your maul goes above 10 feet."

R2T14: The non-flanking north-side hound breathes fire at Avralelrial and Grolff, but some invisible barrier turns the flame back on itself and its fellow hound, though for no apparent damage. It seems confused, and barks angrily.

Arrows come in from the various towers, plinking off an invisible barrer that surrounds you, Avralelrial, and the hell hound between the two of you. The hell hound that attacked you moves up until it bounces its nose off the same directly behind you.

The dragon flies in to just 10' from the bridge, and in Common shouts, "What trickery is this? More magic to attack my charge?!?"

It instantly disappears from its location, and reappears 10' distance, to inside the 'enclosure!' It appears in the empty square next to the hell hound trapped inside. It is not flanked, unless Avralelrial took a 5-foot step.

"Soulsinger, target the bridge! Target the bridge!!!" shouts Avralelrial.

R2T6.8: Jorr moves over 10', and shoots a double-arrow volley at the SW tower, missing with both.

R2T6.7: Sali'shasyl moves out of the tree line and closes the bridge, getting 45' from where the bridge begins.

R2T6.6: Soulsinger comes out of the forest clearing, sics Goln on the lonely hell hound, gets to 10' behind Sali'shasyl, and he sings a song that is uplifting but soulful.

R2T6.5: Goln hops out of the treeline and up to the hell hound on the south end.

R2T6: The SE sentry fires on the noisy bard, but misses.

It sounds like there is a whole lot of hubbub on the other side of bridge, coming from the hobgoblin encampment.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T21: Grolff's full power attack against the bridge (at the dragon's feet, no less) ... Maul = 39, Gore = 13 (max).

R3T20.9: "Valkar, God of Air & Courage, give me a touch of your power that I may smite these creatures!"

Avralelrial holds a hand away from her greatsword, and a powerful burst of lightning shoots out and snakes towards Ozyrrandion. The dragon, only Medium size, doesn't appear agile so much as quick, and is able to minimize the lightning effect enough to only take 16 damage. Still, the energy courses through it and comes out his side and belly to strike both the hell hound and the ground. The hell hound, and of course the bridge, are not so fast and also take 16 damage. The lightning throws up some loose gravel, but doesn't hurt the bridge. She then resumes her two-hand hold of her sword.

R3T11: SW sentry fires at Soulsinger and misses.

R3T7: The lone hell hound to the south snaps at Goln, but misses.

R3T6.9: "Foolish creatures," says the dragon, hissing mildly at the pain of the electricity. "I ate your fish friend earlier that gave me these trinkets, and for breakfast I will dine on elf and beef!"

It speaks words of power and wiggles its claws, and there is a faint disturbance in the air in front of it.

R3T6.8: Jorr moves out of the clearing 30, firing double arrows at the hobgoblin in the tower in front of him (SE).

R3T6.7: Sali'shasyl moves around enough to avoid the hell hound, and gets to 20' from the bridge on a double move.

R3T6.6: Soulsinger opens up his movement, and makes his way to the bridge directly behind Grolff, but blocked by the invisible barrier.

R3T6.5: Goln bites the hell hound in the forepaw for 2 damage, and the hell hound is poisoned.

R3T6: SE sentry fires at Soulsinger and misses.

R3T0: Some two dozen or so hobgoblin soldiers begin tramping across the bridge in tight formation, but are stopped by the hell hounds on the north side, who are stopped by the barrier.

End Round Three, Begin Round Four ...

R4T21: Grolff has healed 6 points since he last took damage. His maul does 36 damage to the bridge, his horns do 9 damage. Judging from his gore attack, the bridge has a hardness of 8.

R4T20.9: Avralelrial turns invisible.

R4T6.9: Ozyrrandion casts another spell, and his position in his square seems to shift randomly.

R4T6.7: Sali'shasyl opens up into a run, arriving next to Soulsinger. Goln now feels stronger than even before!

End Round Four, Begin Round Five ...

R5T21: Grolff does base 44 damage with his maul, and base 9 damage with his gore to the bridge. Another solid hit to the ground under Ozyrrandion's feet should drop that 5' section. Then, you will have to drop the adjacent 5' section (under the hell hound's feet).

R5T20.9: Ozyrrandion's form seems to flicker, and his position shifts again.

R5T7: Goln is bitten for 12 damage total.

R5T6.9: Ozyrrandion casts yet another spell, now he and the hell hound with you are both moving very quickly.

R5T6.8: Seeing the toad in a bad way, Jorr rushes out into the clearing, and does a double-arrow shot. One arrow misses, but the other crits the hell hound in the side for 29 damage. It drops.

R5T6.7: Sali'shasyl readies an action, and says something to Soulsinger.

R5T6.6: Soulsinger calls to Goln, and realizing that starting a new phase of work on the bridge isn't going to be quite productive, instead shoots at the sentry in the SE tower and hits him for 19 damage with an eldritch spear.

R5T6.5: Goln hops over to Soulsinger and Sali'shasyl, and Sali'shasyl casts a spell that heals Goln of 18 damage.

R5T6: SE tower shoots Goln for 10 damage.

End Round Five, Begin Round Six...

R6T24: The trapped hell hound turns on Grolff and bites at him twice, clearly moving faster than you think it should. The second bite hits him for a total ('tween bite and fire) of 6 damage.

R6T21: Grolff hammers the ground for a total of 41 unmodified damage. The five-foot section of the bridge with Ozyrrandion on it falls away. He falls down into the darkness, roaring as he goes. He is then able to gore the ground under the hell hound for 14 damage.

R6T20.9: The hell hound trapped with you suffers 18 damage to the head, as a broad deep cut appears on its crown.

R6T6.9: Grolff hears Ozyrrandion's angry roar and the flapping of wings, he comes up through the hole, but Grolff misses him on his AOO.

[OOC: I am exhausted, and this is as far as I can go right now ...]

[UserClone]

((Great job, buddy! I completely forgot to account for Mih'lek's "trinkets," so that was a welcome surprise. Looking forward to collapsing the bridge so I can have a toe-to-toe grapple-fest with this puny dragon.))

Grolff declares Ozyrrandion his dodge buddy, and shifts his essentia so that his Girallon Arms and his Midnight Dodge are maxed, and his Rageclaws take the remaining point.

[lostsole31]

Dunh-Dunh-Dunh! :elan:

R6T6.8: Jorr tells his companions, "I'll run up that SE tower and try to take out that sentry!" At that, he double moves to the SE tower and gets 20' up the stairs.

R6T6.7: Sali'shasyl maintains his position by Soulsinger on the other side of the invisible barrier behind Grolff, and casts a spell. His Pelorite tabard begins to take on an otherworldly glow, which slowly filters into and seems to cover Sali'shasyl as well.

"Target me if you dare, you cross-eyed cowards!" he yells to the tower sentries.

R6T6.6: Soulsinger knows that targeting a separate section of bridge will be pointless for him, and non-productive overall. He turns and looks around Grolff as best he can, and says words of fell power.

Ozyrrandion simply looks at him (as best as he can past Grolff's hulking frame)and says, "Was that the invocation of Charm? Fasincating. You must be a warlock of some sort. You know, if you convince your friends to die or be captured for me ... I will allow you to live so long as I have need to study you. Unlike most dragons who wait for their blood to awaken to their spell-power, I have studied wizardry. See my scales, my own permanent spellbook!!"

R6T6.5: Goln, pretty wounded, stays close to Soulsinger and hops about to defend himself from those stinging arrows.

R6T6: The SE sentry hangs over the edge to see Jorr, fires a shot into his belly, just missing critting him.

R6T0: The mass of soldiers on the otherside of the barrier string their bows and aim at the heroes trying to take out the bridge, awaiting Ozyrrandion's ability to end your lives or create an opening for them.

End Round Six, Begin Round Seven ...

R7T24: "Attack him!" shrieks Ozyrrandion. With that, the hell hound bites Grolff in the upper left leg for 3 physical and 5 fire damage.

R7T21: Grolff heals some and shifts his essentia around. Grolff does 41 damage with his maul, and 12 with his horns against the stone.

R7T20.9: Ozyrrandion suddenly doesn't seem to be moving superhumanly fast anymore. Ozyrrandion doesn't seem to be shifting within his square anymore. Ozyrrandion's muscle mass diminishes. Ozyrrandion is pissed and roars!

"If it wasn't for this buffoon, bit**, I would tear you apart first!" :smallfurious:

R7T6.9: Ozyrrandion's full attack sequence against Grolff:Bite = Miss
Claw #1 = Miss
Claw #2 = Miss
Wing #1 = Miss
Wing #2 = Lower left arm for 4 damage.

R7T6.8: Seeing the hobgoblin overextended to hit him, and no longer gaining cover, Jorr fires two arrows at him, but both miss. Jorr then makes it up to the top of the SE tower.

R7T6.7: Sal just continues to help Grolff with his hitting power.

R7T6.6: "So proud, and demanding, and humorless. Let's see if we can't change that," says Soulsinger.

He casts a spell at Ozyrrandion, tells a saucy joke, and then throws a little tart. Despite the barrier, the tart manages to penetrate and splat Ozyrrandion in the face. Humor doesn't translate well between humans and dragons, but Soulsinger must mean what he said about knowing 'dragonsong' for Ozyrrandion gives in to uproarious laughter ...

... and falls through the hole in the bridge. You hear his manic laughter disappearing far below.

End Round Seven, Begin Round Eight...

R8T24: The hell hound, seeing the dragon go through the hole laughing, is confused for a second, but then attacks Grolff again, missing.

R8T21: Grolff looks down to see Ozyrrandion laughing as he falls away into the darkness of the gorge. That was a hell of a thing to see, but you have a job to do. 41 damage with the maul, though your horns skitter on the deck and don't do anything. And you heal 3 more hp ...

R8T20.9: Avraleirial's voice calls out: "Friends, pull back some. This wall is going down in about 10-15 more seconds, and then we'll be archery targets! Except you, Sal!"

With that, the hell hound gets cut deeply in the side, and it falls over and through the hole, down into the gorge.

R8T6.7/6.6/6.5: As Jorr continues a pitched battle in the tower, Sal tells Soulsinger, "Sing me a song of healing, gorgeous!"

Soulsinger complies, and Sal heals Goln of 11 damage with a spell. The three of them (including Goln) do this "on the move" and cover 20' back towards the treeline, but then stop. Grolff still feels the strength he feels when he's near Sali'shasyl.

End Round Eight, Begin Round Nine ...

R9T21: Grolff does 42 damage with the maul, 20 damage with his horns!

R9T20.9: Avralelrial says in a loud strained voice, "It's ... no ... use. Can't ... hold ... it." And then she sounds like all the strength has left her and shouts, "The barrier's down, I'm sorry I couldn't hold it, Grolff."

"The barrier's down!" shouts a hobgoblin in Common. "FIRE!!!" As he says this, the hell hounds look at him in confusion.

Each and every arrow strung sounds like a horrible thrumming sound of death to come ...

... followed by all of them breaking against the invisible barrier.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" laughs Avralelrial. "You gullible bastards!" :haley:

And with that, she heaves her greatsword at the bridge. She does 12 damage (4 modified) ... but it helps.

"Seriously, Grolff, the barrier really is about to drop. I just bought us time, but very little. One or two more strokes should do it, then run like a raging bull! Don't swing make your next swing until after I tell you, so I can drop the barrier and we're not trapped for a second too long. Soulsinger, be ready for a final parting shot!"

R9T11: SW sentry shoots Sal in the upper right leg for 9 damage, though only 4 gets through.

R9T6.8: Jorr can be heard shouting from the top of the SE tower! "Whoo-hoo! I got mine!"

R9T6.6: Soulsinger readies a shot to finish off the bridge, if necessary. He sends Goln to hop away into the woods.

End Round Nine, Begin Round Ten...

Grolff understands that miscalculating this could mean death, he waits for Avralelrial to give the signal for split-second timing. "Now!" she says, and Grolff smacks his maul down, doing only a base of 33 damage. Soulsinger's shot comes in, but does no damage. Grolff has to use his horns, and does a base of 20 damage.

You hear Avralelrial's sword smack against the well-worked bridge, the little bit remaining, but it does nothing.

Just then, a streak of light comes from Sali'shasyl's hand to strike the last little bit of bridge, and even that does not help.

R10T0: A hell hound steps up next to where Avralelrial must be, and breathes across the weakened bridge to burn Grolff for 6 damage (max, but he saved). Grolff gets pelted by a hail of arrows, some hit and some do not, but by the end of the volley he is down to 34 hit points total.

End Round Ten, Begin Round Eleven ...

Grolff's turn. Does he smack the bridge? If so, in what manner, same as all before ... full Power Attack? Does he Leap Attack the bridge now that the barrier is no longer there?

[UserClone]

"RUN!" shouts Grolff as he slams the maul down full-force [roll0] for [roll1] damage. Then, collapse or no, he heeds his own advice and takes off at a clip, running back to the heroes' side of the bridge.

[lostsole31]

DAY 5

You wake up relatively refreshed in the mid-morning. You have fought a variety of beasts in the forest, and the occasional hobgoblin band or two before they became infestious vermin, but yesterday was the greatest battle of your life.

Pleased with yourself, you set down to meditate for the morning. Meditation takes longer than normal, because the first part is less meditation and more mentally recapping all that occurred thus far. The necessity of yesterday's battle, and what is further at stake, made you realize that the carefree wilderness warrior style - dodging to and fro and using brute strength and agility to overpower your enemies - will no longer be sufficient. You need to dedicate yourself to real combat training, not just fake it.

To prepare for meditation, you reason, you will tire your body to allow your soul and spirit to dominate and not be distracted. So you start working on a series of motions with your maul, especially as regards proper follow through. You are pleased to see that your control of your weapon and your combat positioning has gotten better just over the last week, and the maul is fast becoming a weapon that you have found a particular fondness for ... not just the weapon you found and taught yourself from that ogre's horde from so long ago; it was a weapon that was a trophy then, but you are getting to be expert enough with it that it would be a trophy for someone else to claim from you proudly should you fall.

Then, you realize that the battle on the bridge could have gone differently in so many ways. Even with your maul you may have had to hit someone a couple times to kill them, those hobgoblins looked like they were actually quite tough. But if you can use your strength and size for leverage, you can own the battlefield. Ha! Just imagine if you started changing your angle on the bridge and pushed hobbos and hell hounds off of the bridge! :smallwink:

Then it is time for your meditation. You allow your soul to meld with the magic inherent in the world, that suffuses and overlays the natural world of which you are fully a part. The hydra, the chimera, even the dead manticore that Soulsinger pointed out and told you about ... the power of these magical beasts still have a place in the Soul of the World from which you fortify your own soul, your own totems. You realize that this new knowledge has helped deepen your understanding of the world and your powers, and you even shape a mask based loosely on the chimera which you fought yesterday.

One thing is for sure, though. Many would not realize how knowledgeable you are about the natural world itself, but your powers are twofold: requiring knowledge of the natural world, but also the world of magic. It is with this latter area which you have noticed you are practically infantile compared to Sal'ishasyl. And Soulsinger seems to be a relative nonpareil in such matters - being solidly familiar with dragons and magical beasts AND brilliant in matters regarding the natural world. Now, if only you can get him to teach you his secrets.

[UserClone]

"Soulsinger," asks Grolff once he is sure the other is done with his own sorts of meditations, "How is it you know so much about magical beasts and dragons? Do you know anything about minotaurs?"

[lostsole31]

"My knowledge of such creatures, as well as other monstrous humanoids, giants, fey, and denizens of the natural world, actually exceeds my knowledge of magic-infused creatures. If only because magic is so much harder to understand.

"Where I'm from, I am part of a peaceful and simple people in what some would call a 'backwater' society. But those that oppressed my people took orphans to take back home to show a false face of kindness. So I was raised in the best circumstances and even went to a very prestigious school that helped me learn the more scholarly approach to the world of both magic and nature to complement my own, as well as to focus on my primary gifts: that of song. Still, while neither very clever nor very wise, I received an exceptional education at a place called Shiz.

"I ... 'escaped' ... my situation, and managed to learn Dragonsong from a travelling priest of the Great Dragon, also known as the Time Dragon. Agents of a powerful wizard tyrant were closing in on me, and my mentor managed to shunt me to this world.

"Last night, when my charm failed against the dragon but my laughing spell succeeded, that was the last thing I needed. A portion of his essence, not specifically the evil green variety but of dragonhood in general, accidentally made itself known to me. I now believe that I have pierced the veil into the mysteries of Greater Dragonsong."

With this last, he trails off in thought, as if happy to have achieved a great discovery within himself, but then he shakes his head to break from his reverie and says, "Why? Do you not know of your own people? How is it you came to be? I helped to kill a feral minotaur with Kioi and Mih'lek ... and I can tell from your particular gifts that you, too, are feral-born."

Later in camp, you will notice another member of the group with a distinct physical difference: Sali'shasyl. His skin has taken on a faint, flecked brassy sheen. And at closer look, it seems that his skin is covered in small, brass-gold scales.

[UserClone]

"I don't know much of how I came to be. I was raised by one fae being after another, at least until I was old enough, and big enough, to be beyond their control. I woke up one day to discover the entire community in which I had been living was just gone. I've since learned from the beasts I've encountered how to survive.

"In a very real way, I share the spirits of the creatures I've defeated in battle. Not consume, the way a lizardman consumes the hearts of his enemies to gain his strength, but share. These," and he gestures at his many soulmelds, "are called 'spirit links,' and each one comes from meditating on the fighting style and abilities, but mainly on the essence of what it means to be that beast.

"I've learned to control them to the point that I can bind one or more of them to my body physically, and by weakening one, strengthen another. The one on which I've focused the strongest is my 'totem,' and in this case is the many-armed ape. With its power, I have two additional arms, complete with vicious claws, though not as long or sharp as my own."

He offers a Girallon arm and hand for Soulsinger to examine.

[lostsole31]

"I've never seen or heard of its like before," Soulsinger says after he is done.

Jorr returns to the keep after doing some scouting. "I took you all on a side trek through trails yesterday, but I noticed a big effigy in the road belonging to giants. Anyone feel like findin' out if they're friendly or enemy?"

[UserClone]

"Hmmm...Giants could prove most effective allies, if they can be persuaded."

[lostsole31]

"Agreed," Soulsinger says simply. (Ah, what alliteration!)

Avarthelrial grunts as she steps out to greet the rest of you, having heard the tail end of the conversation. "Bah. Giants. Don't get too wrapped up into how persuasive you think you are, Soulsinger. Stories abound of their stupidity ... but also their rapacious and vicious nature. A giant that is stupid enough is too stupid - and dangerous - to be reasoned with. Still, if you think you can do it, Soulsinger, it'd be cool. 'Course, I don't know if there are currently giants, or how many, but who cares? It'd be fun, right?"

Jorr, also stepping out, says, "I haven't heard tell o' giants in the wood for some time. These big skeletons that are by the gate o' this castle are just such creatures, and the reason this keep fell so long ago, anyway. Makes me nervous thinking there might be some about, but I'm just the guide so I'll leave it to the rest of you."

Sali'shasyl, also having come out says, "Big ugly brutes, no thank you!"

Soulsinger looks at you, then the rest of the party. "We're still beat up and recovering, and now is the time for me to grieve for my fallen friends. I have a map that shows that treasure is here, which is another reason I'm here. Let's find any treasure we can, bury my friend, and go see about a giant.

"Jorr, you're a local and a guide. What do you know about this place?"

Jorr nods his head, and begins his tale ...

[UserClone]

Grolff listens attentively for as long as his short attention span will allow. Every now and then an insect or bird will distract him, or he will simply shift around in a sort of subconscious "nesting" motion, simply because he lacks the focus to just sit there and listen to the whole thing.

[lostsole31]

"Vraath Keep has a tragic history," he begins, "as the ruins and skeletal remains attest. For centuries, trade through the Witchwood used the Dawn Way, and the soldiers stationed at Vraath Keep were the primary defenders of the region. Their presence kept the road safe for merchants to travel.

"A few years before the fall of Rhest, an ambitious young man named Amery Vraath inherited control of the keep. After the Rhestilor kingdom dissolved, Amery laid claim to the entire Witchwood and sought to rid his new domain of its evil reputation. Chief among his targets was a tribe of forest giants that dwelt deep in the woods. Known as the Twistusks, these forest giants generally kept to themselves but raided merchants on the Dawn Way from time to time.

"The brash young lord gathered together an impressive group of mercenaries and adventurers, and early one summer day led his force against the Twistusks. The battle was furious, but in the end Amery's men won the day and forced the Twistusks to flee into the mountains. The soldiers burned the giants' steading to the ground and returned to Vraath, victorious.

"Yet their victory was short-lived. One week later, the surviving Twistusks returned and attacked Vraath Keep during a tremendous thunderstorm. The giants bombarded the keep all night long with hurled boulders and massive poisoned arrows. When the sun rose, four of the Twistusks lay dead amid the ruined keep - that's their remains by the gate and in the courtyard there - but none of the keep's soldiers or residents remained. Those who survived the battle were taken away to be eaten by the giants in their own victory feast - all except Amery Vraath. The young lordling retreated into a vault below his keep after he was shot by a forest giant's poisoned arrow, hoping to elude death, only to presumably perish slowly of his poisoned wound. Rumors persist that Amery's ghost haunts the ruins, and that those who dare to travel the Dawn Way at night say they sometimes hear the sounds of his anguished cries coming from somewhere deep underground."

"Well," Soulsinger says, "that would be what we came here to find - I and my two deceased companions .... the vault of this Amery, wherein supposedly lies treasure."

[UserClone]

"My domain is the spirits of magical beasts, not ambitious warlords. I am wary of trifling with ghosts. Are you sure this is necessary?"

[lostsole31]

Jorr says, "I was hired to help you get through the Witchwood ... and to kill goblins."

Soulsinger says, "I fear conquering armies more than ghosts. My friends died coming here from hundreds of miles away .... partly for this treasure."

"I'm game," says Avralelrial.

"And I can chase away meddlesome undead," quips Sali'shasyl.

"Jorr, if you help, you get an even split of any treasure we find that can be converted into cash," adds Soulsinger.

"Eh, okay," says Jorr.

"Grolff, sure you won't? I mean, you're pretty big, but I understand if you're afraid of ghosts and all ..."

[UserClone]

"GROLFF FEARS NOTHING!!" roars the beast, his Chimera Mask only a few inches from Soulsinger's face. Along with this hideously loud shout come a few flecks of spittle, and through the eyeholes of the mask, it is apparent that The half-minotaur's eyes are wide open and bloodshot with fury.

"I only meant to show the prudence you seem to think I do not possess," He hisses between gritted teeth. When he has collected himself after a few breath's pause, he states simply, "I go."


After a moment, he adds, "...in front."

After another pause, he looks back to Natherson.

"Er, which way did you say it was?"

[lostsole31]

[And that, my friends, is an example of the hi-Diplomacy/ Bluff guy in the party RP-ing his ability to press the right buttons on teammates to get them to do what you want ... :nale: ]

[lostsole31]

"Don't know," Soulsinger says flatly. "Map was only to get to the Keep, not where to go once here."

Avralelrial studies the basic structure of the keep for a few minutes. "We should start with the tower that contained Wyrmlord Koth's quarters. The foundations of these portions of the structure are strongest, affording the most likely reinforced area if the foundations continue for a panic room." Soulsinger made sure to give an information download to everyone about what happened previously... including discussions with Wyrmlord Koth.

Av uses her architectural savvy and skills to assist Jorr in searching for a trap door. They do an initial sweep, followed by a much more time-consuming attempt. She seems like she knows what she's doing and is structural-savvy, but Jorr berates her with a more common-sense, less uber-cerebral approach. The unlikely synergy works, though, for 20 minutes later they find a secret trapdoor in the western side of this circular room.

Once they open the trapdoor, all see a 5-foot-wide vertical shaft fitted with a rusty but sound iron ladder that descends 40 feet down. "Ain' no way, big 'un's gonna make it down without bustin' that ladder," remarks Jorr about Grolff.

"Well," Avralelrial says, "I don't know that he'd break the ladder, but the space is a squeeze already without it. Sorry, Big Guy, you get to protect our rear.

The two Skills chatter briefly about the obstacles of old vaults and such: Locks, Traps, Tricks, and Monsters. It seems in their little pow-wow, that Jorr is much more experienced with various traps ... he is a trapper after all; but Avralelrial has extensive knowledge of locks and locking mechanisms as an architect, while Jorr has none. Tricks are too varied to tell, but as far as monsters ... Jorr doesn't like it since he may have to fight in close quarters and he can't fight well with much beyond a bow.

"Sal," Av says to the elven priest, "you're coming with. Ghost-slaying guy you are and all that."

Sali'shasyl looks down the scuttle and looks back up at her, gulping hard. "D-d-down there?"

Sal'ishasyl looks down and makes a brief prayer. Down below, what seems like torchlight - but steadier - lights up the vault.

Avralelrial goes down first, then Soulsinger, followed by a crabby Jorr. Sali'shasyl is tied off and Grolff is asked to anchor him, in case the armored elf goes tumbling you can catch him.

And so, they disappear from sight except for Sal. Sali'shasyl is "on lookout" at the bottom of the ladder while the others do what they have to do ...

[lostsole31]

This portion is given for Grolff's post-action benefit, as it is not likely that anyone would leave him out of the loop ...
..................................................
The walls of this small vault are of worked stone, the ceiling twelve feet overhead. The air is thick and stale and smells slightly smoky. Three alcoves have been cut into the walls, two to the north and one to the east. Each alcove is sealed by an iron gate and locked with chains and a large padlock. Beyond one alcove are several alcoves bearing no less than ten small iron coffers. Beyond the second is a small desk and chair, the desk piled high with papers and books. Beyond the third sits a large single trunk.

A human skeleton lies slumped against the eastern alcove's gate. Still dressed in tattered chainmail and feebly gripping a sparkling longsword, the skeleton has a massive arrow protruding from its ribs.

"Must be Amery Vraath," Avralelrial comments to Jorr.

Jorr searches the locks carefully with Av's help on Amery's alcove. Once satisfied, Avralelrial goes to work methodically unlocking them. The whole process takes just under 20 minutes. Av and Soulsinger decide, to make it easier to cast detect magic, that they should open all the gates first.

The second set (with the 10 coffers) only takes 10 minutes to open. The final one (with the chest) takes a little more than 2 minutes (and that was mostly Jorr checking for traps).

Jorr checks each of the 10 coffers and the chest for traps: 22 minutes total. Avralelrial is able to open up all of them within that time or immediately thereafter. That, with the time it took to search for the trap door, brings the downstairs clock to 54 minutes. Sal calls up to Grolff and asks him to find something with which to make torches or light below, which is assumed to happen (and Grolff is successful).

So, here is what is found, counted, and figured ...
Magic

Magical Gauntlets: these are heavy, sturdy gauntlets weighing 2 lbs each. They are made of iron bound/studded leather. Soulsinger couldn't read the type of aura.
Magical Longsword: beautiful workmanship. The blade is quite chilly to the touch. Soulsinger they carry a moderate aura of evocation.
Mithral Chain Shirt: Carries a moderate aura of abjuration. Jorr is able to recognize markings on it that denote it as once having belonged to a hobgoblin chieftain or warlord of some sort.
Huge spiked gauntlet: moderate evocation, believed to be minimally enchanted, is bigger than even Grolff can make use of ... definitely designed for a humanish (read: giant) hand. It has many primitive designs upon it, and appears to have been made from bulette's teeth and claws. Embossed on the back is a distinctive symbol that looks something like a frowning tusked mouth.
Staff of Life: Can cast 7 heal spells, or one raise dead spell and 2 heal spells. The staff is made of white oak and carved to resemble braided brands of holly and oak boughs, twisted around a unicorn's horn at the end. This particular item is a HUGE FIND!!!


Cash
All coffers bear the Vraath coat-of-arms (a stylized 'V').

Six coffers: a total of 2500 sp, 2100 gp, and 120 pp.
Three coffers: contain notes of credit (long since expired).


Objets d'Art and Items of Interest

Last coffer: Deed to Vraath Keep. The holder of the deed is the owner of the keep. None of you are legal experts to really know the ins-and-outs, but it seems that by holding this deed, the party (or a chosen individual) now owns the ruined keep.
Skull of a young black dragon (both Sal - aiding, and Soulsinger -primary, got natural '20's in figuring this out!).
2 dozen forest giant teeth on a thick string: Big teeth, but Jorr only knew they were giant.

You actually helped (despite another natural '20' by Soulsinger) the party leader figure that these were 'forest giant' teeth. Forest giants are relatively peaceable giants that keep to themselves, but can be roused to terrible wrath when their homes are threatened. It is very likely that forest giants were the enemies - and studying the skeletons outside confirms this fact. The effigy, it is believed, is very likely that of forest giants. It is now an item of interest more than before, since finding any survivors - that would surely want their home not to be disturbed by a marauding army - would be tremendous allies if they could be persuaded to help.

Soulsinger muses, "Come, let's go see if we can't find forest giants. They have long memories, like their lives. We will offer the teeth and the gauntlet and let them know that Amery Vraath is no more, but then ask for help."

Regarding the staff of life, Soulsinger wants to raise Kioi. It was Kioi's quest originally to come down to fight the threat of hobgoblins, a divine missive if you will. He would be a great and powerful battle-ally for Grolff, though would be more interested in cavalry and open-field action. He also is a powerful and capable druid, something the party's current skills don't quite cover. Otherwise, Soulsinger recognizes that perhaps his friendship makes him cling longer than he should ... Kioi worshiped a goddess of victory, but she was also a goddess of fate.

Avralelrial, a proponent of Valkar, god of courage, believes that while the world has need of heroes, Kioi lived his time and died heroically. Bringing a hero who died back cheapens his death, can't guarantee another good death, and diminishes the glory for all.

Sali'shasyl, a radiant servant of Pelor, is very interested to raise the warrior. He believes that worthies should be given as many chances as Pelor might grant to continue the fight against evil ... whose numbers are greater than our own.

What does Grolff think?

[UserClone]

"Hm...why do you care what I think? And what of the fish-woman, the one who healed with the one hand and slew with the other?" Grolff rubs his chin in consternation.

((OoC: It would be kind of nice to have a more cerebral character for me to play as well as Mr. Hunk, I think. Plus it's a nice way to not have to skip out on things by being too huge. Kioi is cool too...))

[lostsole31]

[OOC: Unfortunately, you can't raise what ain't got a body ... she became dragon chum, chum.]

[UserClone]

((Ah. That hadn't been discussed. Why is it that every time one of my characters dies in one of your games, it gets eaten by someone? :smallconfused: How macabre.))

[lostsole31]

You're right. How terrible of the dragon to feast on the flesh of a worthy enemy in order to gain your strength (and magic) ... or because you simply taste great stuffed with crab meat, drizzled with lemon, and broiled in tin foil.

[UserClone]

Mmmmmmm...seafood...

Anyway, Grolff's of the opinion that it is disrespectful to the warrior who killed him to bring back a warrior. After all, wasn't it a Feral minotaur who slew Kioi?

((I am aware that it was actually the sneaky spell that did it; I'm just curious how Soulsinger would put forth the argument to Grolff.))

[lostsole31]

He doesn't put forth anything. He simply thinks about it, and then after several minutes says "Help me please, Grolff - everyone. We need to move Kioi out and burn his body so he cannot be defiled."

[UserClone]

Grolff hucks the body up onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

[lostsole31]

(Will post continuance later ...)

Soulsinger will sing over a funeral-cremation of his friend Kioi, Prince of the Tsimehetiy Tribe of a faraway land, with Sali'shasyl presiding as the priest.

[UserClone]

Grolff does not attend. Instead he wanders off for a while to hunt up something for lunch.

[lostsole31]

Grolff will not have had ample time to hunt before Jorr catches up with him to bring him back. "We're ready to move out," he says simply.

Once folks catch up with Grolff, he will notice that Jorr - who was down to only 4 arrows - now has an additional 2 quivers of arrows. Also he is wearing a mask - which Grolff saw on the dead hero "Kioi" - which is a hunting cat with stripes.

You catch up with the party, and the party moves north again, this time with Soulsinger and Sali'shasyl on their mounts, and Goln bounding alongside Soulsinger's mount.

The forest grows more ominous as the Dawn Way winds deeper into the woods. You come to a spot where a wide track leads away from the road, heading west. A massive effigy of some kind stands here, a fifteen-foot-tall humanoid shape made from a sagging, moss-covered frame. The thing looks almost like a crude giant-sized skeleton. Birds nest in the massive barrel that served the effigy as a head.

Jorr then leads you off the road along the western track. The old track comes to an abrupt end in the shadow of a fairly large hill that looms up from the surrounding woodlands. At the hill's base sits the collapsed ruin of what was once a massive and probably quite impressive wooden fortress. Entire trees were used to form the walls of this building, but now the whole thing is little more than a heap of moss-covered, rotting logs. A thin curl of smoke rises up from a great fire pit in the middle of the old walls, where an enormous boar sizzles on a spit the size of a lance.

A giant sits by the fire, turning the spit and muttering to himself in his own language. He is extraordinarily tall and lean, with stooped shoulders, earth-yellow skin marked by angry red blotches, and a wild mane and beard of tangled green hair. He easily tops ten feet, even while sitting on the ground.

He is 100' away, and Avralelrial repeats some of his mad mutterings:
"Not as good as owlbear, but good enough for an old bag of bones like me."
"Cook, you wretched little piggy!"
"All gone, all dead, all but me. Poor old Warklegnaw."

"Must be his name," Soulsinger muses. "Thank you, Avralelrial."

"Grolff, come with me, please," and Soulsinger rides forward.

(Assuming you do ...)

Soulsinger takes out the teeth and asks you to take out the Huge gauntlet ('cause you're the only one carrying that thing) ...

"Warklegnaw, we come to give a gift, tell you news, and ask for your help!"

Warklegnaw wearily stands up and fingers his club, muttering, "You little worms won't get me! You did for my kith and kin, but you won't get me!"

But he is old and tired, and seeing what was brought to bring him down ... and the present Grolff holds ... he smiles and invites you to share dinner.

The dire boar is surprisingly tasty. Sali'shasyl recognizes that Warklegnaw suffers from red ache and (with his permission) heals the old forest giant. It seems that Warklegnaw is the last surviving member of the forest giants that witnessed Amery Vraath's men's attack on his homestead. Once they had their revenge (Warklegnaw lost his right eye in the attack), his kin left for the Wyrmsmokes. He refuses to leave Bald Hill (his name for this site), as he was born here and wants to die here.

But, Soulsinger tells him the story of others like Vraath - but hobgoblins - who would route everyone from their homes. He expertly interlaces all that Warklegnaw hates and fears and then shows that the tattoo on his forehead is that of the spiked gauntlet. It turns out it is the object of status for a chieftain in his tribe. He is formally granted this gift, and with Soulsinger's words Warklegnaw promises to seek out his surviving kin in the Wyrmsmoke foothills to the west and to ask them to aid in repelling the Red Hand. With the gauntlet of the chieftain, he can get their ear pretty easily. He thanks your party for giving him purpose for he was waiting out his days to die, for retrieving this icon of the Twistusk tribe of forest giants, and for curing him.

Outstanding job to your fellows, as one of these guys - even this old and decrepit forest giant - looks like more than a handful. Even Grolff can tell that without the aid of the party old Warklegnaw might've lain him low ... and what of his kin? No, this is a great coup.

And here is where you camp ...

[lostsole31]

Day 6

That morning, Soulsinger tells you all that he wants to scout as close to Cinder Hill as possible, to get an idea of the size of the force. This way, he can report back to Town Speaker Norro Wiston with good intelligence on what force might be coming down from the mountains.

You head back to the ruined bridge, and Jorr acts as a guide again. You then walk east along the south side of the Skull Gorge about 10 miles, cross Skull Stream above the gorge where it's not so difficult, and come up on Cinder Hill that way.

The trail you're following crests a rugged ridge, sparsely covered with wind-twisted pine trees. From the ridge you find yourself looking across a broad vale, with a rugged knoblike hill or small mountain on the opposite side. The Dawn Way cuts through the valley, a ribbon of pale stone leading past the towering heights of the hill. The valley is filled with a great encampment. Hundreds of crude tents dot the valley floor, interspersed with bulky siege engines, groups of wagons, and pens for draft beasts. You can easily make out hundreds of warriors in view at any given time. Bands of goblin worg riders patrol the camp's outskirts, battalions of fierce hobgoblins engage in mock battles with martial shouts and the clang of steel on steel, hulking giants plod from place to place, and you even see a scarlet-colored dragon lazily circling overhead. This is the camp of an army numbering in the thousands. :redcloak:

"Pelor preserve us all ..." whispers Sali'shasyl.

"I knew there was an army," says Soulsinger hollowly, "but I had no idea."

"Kinda' changes all of our concepts of BIG army, huh?" quips Jorr, but without his normal mock-cheerfulness.

"We need to get word back to Drellin's Ferry as soon as possible," says Avralelrial.

[UserClone]

"I wonder what possible good that will do," muses the beast-man.

[lostsole31]

The party makes its way back towards Vraath Keep. It is very late afternoon by the time you reach the giant effigy, when a hideous screeching noise assaults your ears. Bounding out of the forest are two large creatures. They lumber on all fours, like bears, but are covered in feathers and have an owl's beak ... but as large as a lion.

InitialPositionJorr is 20' ahead.

Grolff
Soulsinger (mounted) & Goln, 10' length w/ mount
Sali'shasyl, 10' length w/ mount

Avralelrial, 10' behind Sal's horse.

R1T28: Jorr moves back to behind Grolff, and fires a double-arrow at the first critter. An arrow hits it in the head, and another follows in its left front foreleg for a total of 20 damage.

R1T21: The creature, having just bounded out of the forest on the "surprise" round, charges Grolff. It hits Grolff in the gut for 7 damage. It tries to hold onto Grolff's entrails, but slips out and doesn't hold him.

R1T17: The next one also charges, but misses.

R1T14: Grolff is now facing down to large-sized critters. What does he do?

[UserClone]

Grolff tenses, hefting his maul in preparation for battle.
[roll0]

[lostsole31]

[Ninja edit ... look above. Initiative was already rolled, and battle is underway.]

[UserClone]

Grolff uses the pain from the creature's bite to whip himself into a whirling frenzy.

His body seems to speed up to an almost preternaturally fast state, his movements becoming more agile and graceful and his muscles seeming to strain to keep themselves within his tough skin.

He takes a few lightning-fast shots at this particular creature with his maul, followed by a simultaneous slashing of the claws on his Girallon Arms as he brings his mighty horns to bear.

[roll1]
[roll2] [roll3]
[roll4] [roll5]
[roll6] [roll+Damage]1d4+5
[roll+Damage]1d4+5
[roll+Damage]1d8+5

Oops on the pluses instead of equals signs.:smallredface: Anyway, feel free to re-roll damage if any of those actually hits, obviously.

[lostsole31]

R1T17: These creatures came at him on all fours, but stood to attack. Grolff first swipes at the wounded critter's left shin with his maul for 25 damage. [Sorry buddy, "whipped into a frenzy" can happen for anyone. You gotta define rage or no rage for me ... and this battle won't matter that much. I hope.]

The thing has trouble standing, and Grolff brings his maul slamming down on its chest, cracking all of its ribs and instantly putrefying its internal organs.

[Cleave Strike...] Without loss of accuracy, Grolff allows the maul to bounce out of the dead creature's chest cavity to hit the other one in the abdomen for a critical strike. He knocks one half of the creature over as he rips through every internal organ and its spine, blasting out the back of its thick fur and feathers.

Both creatures are dead. And the rest of you stare in amazement. Your "frenzy" was more a mental focus ... you didn't even have time to truly become enraged. [Yeah, that's the ticket.] And you dropped two of these monsters within seconds (with a little help from Jorr on the first.

[UserClone]

((I understand that you're trying to save me from wasting my whirling frenzy for the day, but I did define it, by saying whirling frenzy, the name of the class feature (what do you want, I should capitalize it?). Trying to say I didn't, even though it benefits me to have not bothered with it, feels like cheating. Also, Grolff continues his full attack unabated, goring and clawing and mauling the corpses into pulp, until finally he realizes what he's done and ends his frenzy.))

[lostsole31]

Recap for DM's purposes ...

You push through the evening past Vraath Keep, stopping at the causeway for Soulsinger to "pay the toll" with the hydra, and finally to Drellin's Ferry.

Day 7

After spending a night in Avarthel's druidic circle, in the late morning you are visited by Norro Wiston and Dellora Zann. They invite all of you to Wiston's house for a Town Council meeting. It takes awhile, but you all (mainly Soulsinger backed up by Jorr's credible sighting of the army, Koth's map, and the trustworthiness of the rest of you in your killing the chimera) convince the Council that the only real action worth doing is evacuation.

That night, the attack happens as described...

[lostsole31]

R1T25: The hell hound bays loudly, pointing in Grolff's direction. It moves 80' along the street to run right up to within 20' of Grolff.

R1T22: Worg #2, with his rider atop, charges Grolff. The charge gives the worg just enough impetus to power through the feral minotaur's armor and thick hide, biting Grolff in the GROIN for 6 damage. Also, it is blocking Grolff from a charge or run action against the hell hound.

R1T21.9: What does Grolff do?

[UserClone]

Grolff slams his maul downward at the goblin riding the worg (and if he kills it outright, continues the downward momentum in an effort to break the worg's back.) [roll0] [roll1] [roll2] [roll3]

((Edit: Lan'sakes, thems' was sum durn poor rolls...cm'n, a 3 and a 1? Darn you, RNG! Darn you to heck!))

[lostsole31]

R1T21.9: Grolff swings his maul down to smash the goblin on the worg in front of him, but the goblin is able to just barely deflect the maul away from itself and its mount with its buckler.

R1T21: With impossibly fast movement, Avralelrial now zips to a flanking position with Grolff vs. the worg/rider. She makes a well-placed blow to the goblin's lower back for 23 damage. The goblin is barely conscious on the back of its mount.

R1T20: Sali'shasyl moves up to diagonal-front-left of Grolff (same, but right for Avralelrial). As he does so, Grolff feels warmth ... not like the feeling of a volcano under his skin (albeit comfortably so), so much as just general warmth. Unfortunately, Sal sends a terrible swordswing against the goblin and misses ridiculously.

R1T19: Suddenly in extremis, the goblin-rider (#2) calls to his buddy in his language, drops his mwk composite shortbow, and draws his mwk scimitar. He just narrowly misses critting Avralelrial as the scimitar digs into her chest for 4 damage.

R1T17: Figuring that the little bugger that is practically encircled is a done deal, Jorr - who was also spending a rare evening in town - comes to the fray. He moves 30' past Grolff, 70' from the other goblins, 10' from the hell hound. He fires an arrow at the hell hound, skirmishing all the while. The arrow hits the hell hound in the head for 11 damage.

R1T16: Seeing an exposed enemy archer, Worg #1 charges Jorr, but the older man is too spry on his feet and his moving combat style has him readied as the worg's jaws hit only air.

R1T14: Goblin #3 guides his worg in to a distance of 30' from Jorr and fires his bow. Even with the higher pace of movement to travel that distance, these goblin mounted archers are as gifted as their nemesis. Jorr is hit in the gut by a small arrow for 2 damage.

R1T13: Soulsinger moves in to just across Sal'ishasyl, meaning that the Worg/Goblin #2 are practically penned in by the heroes. He concentrates to cast a spell, and then casts it at the hell hound. The licks of flame that normally trail out of its mouth diminish greatly. He then sicks Goln on the hell hound.

R1T12.9: Goln charges the hell hound, but misses.

R1T11: Goblin Rider #1 fires at Jorr from point blank range, but misses as small movement from Jorr at this range equal higher targeting errors.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T25: The hell hound attacks Goln, and just manages to get through Goln's rubbery hide due to the fact it practically threw itself at the hound last round. It makes a nasty bite in Goln's right upper foreleg for 8 bite, but the licks of flames do not seem to have any effect on the toad.

R5T22: The covered worg recovers its balance after its charge, and then attacks Grolff again. It is a fine attack, but without the force of a charge it doesn't get through Grolff's thick hide.

R5T21.9: Grolff?

[UserClone]

Grolff full attacks the goblin/worg until they are deceased [roll0] [roll1]
[roll2] [roll3]
[roll=LC]1d20+10[/roll [roll4]
[roll=RC]1d20+10[/roll [roll5]
[roll=G]1d20+10[/roll [roll6], then moves five feet forward so that he is standing on their corpses.

[UserClone]

[roll0] (1d4+7)[8]
[roll1] (1d4+7)[10]
[roll2] (1d8+7)[9]

WTF, random number generator?? 3 3's, a 1, and a 14...:smallsigh:

[lostsole31]

R2T21.9: [The the rolls you gave are low in number, and you didn't account for flanking.] Grolff slams his maul with terrific force down upon the left shoulder of the goblin, smashing diagonally through its body for 28 damage, killing it instantly. The force of the maul is unabated, and continues to smash down onto the worg's back for 25 damage. The creature tries to howl, but has trouble getting breath after that blow as its lungs were instantly deflated. Grolff lifts his maul quickly and slams down onto the creature's back for 34 damage, killing it instantly ... and then some. He continues to rip through the fallen enemies with claws and shakes his horns wildly in the air, before standing on the bodies and giving a bestial roar.

R2T21: It is shadowy with moonlight out, but even then Avralelrial knows how to fold her body into the slightest shadows, being hidden even from your darkvision. And so she disappears.

R2T20: You gotta give the gay elf his due, he isn't cowardly. He charges the hell hound. Not a great attack, his charge simply bounces off the hell hound's hide. Still, with a dire toad and an elf, the hell hound is kept busy from burning any more buildings right now.

R2T17: Jorr rolls back 10', though the worg snaps at him and misses as even with unexceptional acrobatics Jorr is good at slipping through enemy lines. Jorr fires his bow at his current fire-fight opponent and hits the goblin in the upper right arm for 16 damage.

R2T16: The worg, having missed, doesn't relent and he charges Jorr. The man is spry, but not enough and he is bitten in the side of the chest for 8 damage. The worg shakes him about, but when it lets go, Jorr manages to stay on his feet.

R2T14: The other worg rider commands his mount to circle around to the back side of Jorr, and he fires point blank at Jorr and hits Jorr in the upper left arm for 5 damage.

R2T13: Soulsinger nods at Grolff, and moves up 15' (10' from the close-side worg/rider, 20' from the other flanking Jorr). He sees an opening and sends a very accurate shot past the first worg/rider combo, past Jorr, and strikes the wounded goblin on the far side in the foot with an eldritch spear for 25 damage. Its foot explodes and blood spurts out the artery at the end of the foot as it is topples off of its mount.

R2T12.9: Goln continues to snap at the hell hound.

R2T12.8: The worg on the near-side of the party flanking Jorr misses the man.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T25: The hell hound angles its mouth, and breathes fire. Nothing happens. Now you see what Soulsinger's spell did. :smallcool:

R3T21.9: Grolff, what do you do?

[UserClone]

Grolff drops the maul altogether, charging (and pouncing upon) the hellhound, bringing his natural ten-foot reach to bear.

[roll0]
[roll1] [roll2]
[roll3] [roll4]
[roll5] [roll6]
And in case the Girallon Arms share his reach (I am just plain unsure, since nothing says one way or the other, and in fact, nothing even says whether their damage die increases due to size):
[roll7] [roll8]
[roll9] [roll10]

[lostsole31]

Size & Melds Additions to your body do not increase in size and damage or any other benefits based upon a character being sized differently than Medium. Girallon arms still only do a base of d4 damage each, and still only provide the bonus to Climb and grapple checks as stated in the book.

[lostsole31]

I lost a bunch of what I had on my priming sheet, so the following is abbreviated.

The hell hound and near worg is slain, the goblin rider dismounted. The far worg (now riderless) chased Jorr to the middle of the street. There exists on worg and one rider. Sali'shasyl's foot would've gotten chopped off but something stopped the small scimitar under the armor at the same time Grolff no longer feels the warmth but rather supernaturally tough. Goln just charged the worg and bit it for only a point of damage, but it is now poisoned.

R4T21.9: What does Grolff do?

[UserClone]

If the worg is far enough, Grolff pounces. Otherwise, he simply walks over and smacks it with a huge paw. [roll0][roll1]
Pouncing:
[roll2][roll3]
[roll4][roll5]
[roll6][roll7]
[roll8][roll9]
So since it is a natural attack, and therefore doesn't specify, can I assume that Grolff enjoys his natural ten-fot reach with any natural weapon produced through a soulmeld, since that was the question that mattered most to me after all?

[UserClone]

[roll0] [roll1]

[lostsole31]

[Yes on reach with soulmeld.]

R4T21.9: Grolff shreds the last worg.

R4T20: Avralelrial comes up to the last goblin and bowls it onto its stomach and then clips it in the upper right leg with her greatsword for 13 damage.

R4T20: Something changes about the aura you have learned comes from Sal'ishasyl. Sal charges the goblin. It's a clumsy attack, but the goblin relied on its footwork and maneuvering and prone it is at a great disadvantage. Sal cuts it in the wound Av made for an additional 5 damage.

R4T17: Jorr plugs the creature at point blank range with 2 of 3 arrows, he fumbled once.

Soulsinger blasts the thing for good measure. It's dead, as are the rest.

Just as the battle ends, you feel aura from Sal change again. You are getting used to understanding these. Now that the battle has ended, he has imbued everyone with a Sense aura (+2 Spot, Listen, & Initiative). Meanwhile, Soulsinger has you stand lookout and to signal Soranna Anitah if she comes to investigate after putting fires out at the Old Toll House barracks.

Soulsinger sings a healing hymn. Sal casts four spells - 2 on Jorr, one on Avralelrial, and one on Goln - to heal everyone to full.

Five rounds after the battle ends, you see six hobgoblins come into view from outside of town. All are on light warhorses. Five of the hobgoblins are in medium armor and shield with "standard weaponry" (longsword, composite bow, etc.). The other one wears no armor and has a spear.

Grolff doesn't need to shout a warning, as the spear-goblin yells "BREE-YARK!" loudly enough for the rest of the group to hear.

R1T25: "I'll distract the leader, Av!" yells Jorr. Jorr moves forward 30' from what will be a 'forward line' of the hero-group, 30' from the spear-goblin. The arrow sails into the leader's left lower arm for 23 damage!

R1T20/19: Two hobgoblins fire arrows at Jorr and miss.

R1T18: As fate would have it (equal chance rolled for one other ally), Grolff is on the line 30' behind Jorr. This is important because the spear goblin takes out a glass stick of some sort and casts a spell. Lightning streaks out from this hobgoblin sorcerer and Jorr ducks completely out of the way. Not so for Grolff, though he does an impressive job of minimizing damage, taking only 8 electricity damage.

R1T17: Another hobgoblin fires at Jorr and misses.

R1T16: Soulsinger now moves up 30' and sends his own magical artillery at the sorcerer, but just misses. He then sics Goln on the first hobgoblin to have opened fire.

R1T15: Avralelrial smiles. See, Jorr is skilled at using his attacks to confound his enemies to set up flanking opportunities for his allies ... even from 30' away with a ranged attack. She moves 40' (20' away from the leader) while readying a javelin and tosses it ... hitting him square in the heart for 21 damage and killing him instantly as he is sent flying off his horse.

R1T13: Sali'shasyl changes his aura. You feel your skin toughen again, though your enhanced senses fade. Sal runs up 30' while drawing his shortbow, but instead of firing he yells and a line of flame issues forth from his mouth and hits one of the soldiers (R3, who hasn't gone yet) and its mount both for 13 flame damage.

R1T12: Goln charges his target, but misses.

R1T11.9: The hobgoblin on horseback next to the dire toad turns his mount away to run, but the soldier is bitten on the leg for 4 damage. Its unknown if he is poisoned, and he races off into the night.

R1T9: Grolff, what do you do? Do you work on some of your ranged combat because its getting a little rusty ... just to get into the spirit of this 'sport', or do you close and tear and smash as usual?

[UserClone]

Grolff gives chase to the hobgoblin who is getting away, in the hope of catching him before he reaches his base camp!

[lostsole31]

R1T9: Grolff tears off after the retreating hobbo, getting 100' behind the hobbo line. Only because of the hole left in the hobbo line and the sorcerer's moving off not to get run over by the minotaur does Grolff not get slowed down. After performing an all-out run to catch up, Grolff doesn't even see the horse within his 60' darkvision. Because he is pounding the dirt so hard in a run, he can't even hear the horse galloping anymore, either.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

Grolff sees/hears two horses bearing hobgoblins pass him at a full run and leave his darkvision and range of hearing. The horses, at a full run, far outstrip Grolff. (This is why people have horses.)

R2T9: Grolff's turn ...

[UserClone]

Realizing that this is getting him nowhere, Grolff beats feet at a run to get back to defending the town, if any nasties even remain.

[lostsole31]

Jorr and Avralelrial, both mounted ... zoom past Grolff and into the night before he can do much of anything about it.

Grolff passes a hobbo with an eldritch speared head 60' from the goblin line.

Back in town, Soulsinger and Sali'shasyl are conferring with Soranna Anitah. As you lumber up, she says, "You know heroes, most people stay on the other side of the river. Thank Pelor you were on this side to respond so quickly. Only outer timbers were affected at the Old Toll House. Small comfort since they'll be ransacked within the week, but for now they stand true and no one lost their life thanks to you."

Sometime later, Avralelrial and Jorr return with foamy horses and sweaty bodies. "Bah, they had an 80-yard headstart on us anyway," says Jorr.

Avralelrial shrugs. "They were better riders than soldiers. Would that were true for the whole army. It's not like we really needed to stop them."

Soulsinger says, "Each soldier had a light healing potion. The sorcerer had a lot of magic on him. I've collected it and will go through it in the morning. What I wanted to show you all was this ...."

The sorcerer's equipment was removed. His hobgoblin skin contains many blue scale flecks. Sali'shasyl and Soulsinger study it briefly and come to the same basic conclusion, with further analysis tomorrow: blue dragon heritage.
.................................................. ..................................................

Day 8

You await the counsel while Soulsinger and Sali'shasyl conduct their studies. Here are their findings...The hobgoblin sorcerer is only a distant scion of blue dragon lineage, but aspects of its blue dragon heritage were tapped likely as the hobgoblin studied its sorcererous nature and the source of its powers. It gave him slightly tougher skin, sharpened hearing, and allowed him to channel more powerful electricity spells.

Soldiers total
(3) potions of cure light wounds
(3) suits chainmail
(3) heavy steel shields
(3) masterwork longswords
(3) comp. longbows [Str +1] - Sal will take one. He donates his shortbow to Drellin's Ferry militia.
(50) arrows - Taken by Sali'shasyl.
(3) light warhorses - 2 of which are claimed, 1 for Jorr and 1 for Avralelrial

Sorcerer total
(2) potions of cure moderate wounds
(1) arcane scroll of fly
(1) arcane scroll of haste
(2) arcane scrolls of invisibility
(1) arcane scroll of summon monster IV
(1) ring of protection +1 - protects against weapons. Avralelrial recommends Soulsinger wear it since he is the most vulnerable member of the party. Soulsinger, on the other hand, believes Grolff should wear it since you are the party's frontline combatant and he's getting all of the arcane scrolls, with the exception that Sali'shasyl gets the SM4 scroll. Grolff gets the ring.
(1) cloak of resistance +1 - protects against non-weapon attacks. Avralelrial recommends it go to Sali'shasyl since he's squishy and can't dodge lightning bolts.
(1) masterwork spear - Avralelrial would like it as a precision softening up weapon.

All of the arcane scrolls will go to Soulsinger since he's the only one who can use them, though the obvious expectation is that they are for party benefit. The only difference is that Sali'shasyl will get the SM4 scroll since arcane script is not specific, and he has the opportunity in battle to hang back and use it.

Potions divvied as follows: CMW to Sali'shasyl and Jorr, CLW to the rest. Sheets updated as such.

The rest of the weaponry and armor will be given to Captain Soranna Anitah for distribution among her militia.

[lostsole31]

This morning (Day 8), the party realizes that most of those enjoying Soulsinger's voice and the company of your party (sans yourself) were non-uniformed militia staying behind to make sure the town is evacuated. It seems that most of yesterday was spent moving folks out, a task that doesn't take as long as it might seem since most people saw the writing on the wall and had the majority of their things prepared.

Today the wagon train of the majority, and last, of evacuees, leaves Drellin Ferry. The rest of the party offered their aid (once they woke up) to do so, and I imagine Grolff may have done the same ... but he doesn't have to and might just as easily been meditating.

Speaker Wiston and Captain Soranna seek you out at Avarthel's circle once the party regroups in the evening. Even Avarthel will abandon his circle to the hobgoblins to help his townsmen better endure the rigors of the road. Once Wiston and Soranna show, Avarthel bids farewell to you all.

"Well, I'm gonna do things my own way," says Jorr Natherson. He looks to the rest of you and says, "I'm not as spry as the rest of you, so I'm not hauling my butt around the countryside. I was born in the Witchwood, and I'm gonna die in the Witchwood. I'm just gonna take as many of those hobbo b-tards with me afore I go. Good luck, and Ehlonna speed your flight."

The others give their goodbyes to Jorr, for he has stated his position on this to Soulsinger before, and there's no way he's going to budge. And so the crazy old goblin-hating codger leaves you ... very likely forever.

The town of Drellin's Ferry is empty. Houses stare vacantly out at silent roads. The sun has just vanished behind the formidable scar on the horizon that is the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Speaker Wiston takes a deep breath and wipes tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "It seems we're about out of time," he says. "We'd best be going now if we want to keep ahead of the worg riders."

Captain Soranna nods to you. "You've already done us good, heroes. Without your warning, we'd have all been asleep in our beds when the horde arrived on our stoops. You've saved many lives today. For that you have my thanks. But I am afraid your work may not be done yet. There's nothing to stop the Red Hand before they reach the walls of Brindol."

"If there's anything more you can do to slow down the Red Hand, we'd be mighty grateful," the Speaker says. "I'll personally make sure that Lord Jarmaath knows what you've done for us."

"Who is Lord Jarmaath? Why is Brindol so important?" asks Soulsinger.

Wiston: "Brindol's the largest town in the vale. It's got a good wall, and a standing army. If we can spread the word and raise the country, we might be able to stop the Red Hand there. Lord Jarmaath is the Lord of Brindol. Now, I can't speak for Lord Jarmaath, but I'm fairly certain he'll reward your services generously for what you've done til now, and what you've yet to do."

"What are your plans now? What of the people of Drellin's Ferry?" asks Sali'shasyl.

Wiston: "I reckon we'll head east till we reach Terrelton. We'll soon see if the horde is following or not. In the worst case, we move on to Nimon Gap, and then Talar. We'll run all the way to Brindol if we have to. I've already sent some riders ahead to spread the news, warn the towns, and alert Lord Jarmaath to the dire news."

Sali'shasyl: "There's a lot of hobgoblins and other nasty beasts out there. Can Brindol's army really stop them?"

Soranna: "They'll have to. If we can't stand at Brindol, we can't stand anywhere."

Soulsinger: "Kioi's quest is now my own. How can we help?"

Soranna: "I suppose you could try to stay in front of the horde, keep the worg riders and such from slaughtering the folk of the vale-towns before they can flee. But what worries me most is the reports that the Old North Road and the Rhest Trail are blocked. If we're going to get reinforcements from outside the vale, they'll have to come in from the north. I guess I'd say go north and find out if there are any more hobgoblins marching from that direction."

Avralelrial: "What's the best way to get up north?"

Soranna: "Well, normally I'd say the Old North Road. But right now, I wouldn't recommend that route. You could take a boat up the Rhestwash to Lake Rhestin. Your other option is to head east toward Brindol. At Talar or Brindol, you'll be able to cross the Elsir River and head north along the Rhest Trail. It's up to you. The river route is probably more dangerous, but it's faster. If you head north from here, feel free to take any of the boats moored in town. We won't need them."

[Grolff, do you have any questions for them, or just following along? And what course of action do you desire or wish?]

[UserClone]

"The choice is clear. Speed is our only ally, so the river is our only course. The danger to ourselves matters less than the importance of clearing the way for allies to come."

[lostsole31]

Avralelrial asks Soulsinger to see Wyrmlord Koth's map again... http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rhod_maps/95685.jpg

Avralelrial: "On the map here, 'Saarvith' is conspicuously displayed, along with what looks like a castle or keep - in the same manner as Vraath Keep is marked - at the north end of the swamps to the east of Lake Rhest. Now, if I remember right ... Soulsinger, you told me that Wyrmlord Koth told us there are four Wyrmlords (commanders): himself (now deceased); Kharn, who leads the main horde; a goblin ranger named Saarvith; and, Ulwai Stormcaller. I also remember you mentioning that Koth said that Saarvith was sent to the ruined city of Rhest - I'm guessing that's the castle symbol - on a 'special mission.'

"So, why not head north like the good minotaur said and see if we can't find out what that 'special mission' might be and try to have ourselves a little fun at the Red Hand's expense?"

Sali'shasyl: "No, thank you. The Rhestwash's intersection with the Elsir River comes way too close to where the horde now has to cross ... thanks to our taking out the Skull Gorge Bridge. I'm more interested in saving the lives of the people we know will be affected ... not the lives of hopeful allies, though that's secondary. I vote we take our fast horses along the road to Terrelton, Nimon Gap, Talar, and Witchcross, and then take the Rhest Trail north to crest the Witchwood to get to the swamps. We'll warn people on the way and then maybe we can find a way to defeat the roadblocks ... which will have the advantage of helping any allies that might come, if there are any."

Soulsinger listens to all that has been said thus far and nods his head for all of you. Finally, he says, "Grolff spoke briefly but true. I have watched the stars, and we head north quickly. We take boats and head north to ruin Saarvith's mission when we find out what that is. I am sure that we don't have a very long time to do this if Saarvith is to provide any benefit to an army moving further away from him."

[lostsole31]

Speaker Wiston and Captain Soranna take you to the landing and show you two river barges suitable for the party and the horses. Some question is made about having the horses, but Avralelrial mentions that while it may be difficult to deal with horses in swampy wilderness ... what happens once mission is accomplished?

Sali'shasyl gives a Pelorite blessing over the Speaker, Captain Soranna, and the town. He blesses the first two for wisdom and leadership in guiding the exodus, and resilience for the latter that the conquerors do not put the town to the torch.

Grolff and Soulsinger, the nature-guys, will go with his horse in one barge. Avralelrial and Sali'shasyl will take their horses on another barge.

[lostsole31]

There is a barge large enough to take the entire party and their horses, with a pilot house for lodging. In the end, it is agreed that Avralelrial shall get the pilothouse for sleeping, and the rest of you all enjoy sleeping under the stars, anyway. Also, plenty of fresh provisions were available for everybody and their horses that as long as you have the barge to carry it ... food and drink is not an issue.

The heat can get pretty bad, so Sali'shasyl shifts his aura so that the heat has no effect on the party whatsoever, including the horses. Since no one knows the land, and Koth's map was based on ideas, and not real cartography, there is no idea among the group how long it will take to get to Lake Rhest by way of the Rhestwash, but no one doubts this is the fastest way to get there. Fortunately, the river is wide and sluggish through the Witchwood. You average about 1-1/2 miles per hour for each 8-hour day of travel, or 12 miles per day poling upriver.

Avralelrial's suggestion to Soulsinger remains ... cautious travel during the day, and hiding the barge on the eastern banks (across from where the horde is marching down from the Wyrmsmokes) at night.

You are on the river only 4 hours, before trouble strikes ... yet again.

[lostsole31]

Grolff, who is poling the barge for the most part, notices two creatures about 80' north along the river, drinking from the eastern side of the levee.

They are manticores, Grolff. You saw a skeleton at the Keep. These large buggers can fly up and attack with dangerous tail spikes while at range, and they are normally quite mean. One looks up from its drink and notices the barge. A crease of fury erupts over its hideous face.

R1T21: The manticore that spies you whips its tail and a volley of tail spikes comes flying in ... 3 at you and 3 at Sali'shasyl. One of them gets through your armor and gets stuck in your hide but doesn't penetrate all the way. Two spikes bounce off of Sal's sectioned armor. The creatures then flies out and up ... 15' high and now in the middle of the river, having wheeled around to face the barge.

R1T19: Soulsinger blasts the manticore in the chest 14 damage.

R1T15: Grolff, this thing is now 75' from you, 55' in front of the barge, and 15' over the water. Your poling this thing means the barge has a 10' speed, 20' for hustling, and no ability to take a 'run' action. Do you continue poling, drop the pole on the deck of the ship, tell someone else to do it?

[UserClone]

Can I try a Str check to add speed to the poling, since I'm using a lever with my arms to move this tub? If so, [roll0]. And if not, I'll hustle, shifting the boat 20'.

[lostsole31]

R1T15: Grolff poles significantly faster, moving the barge a total of 20' this round, and the lead manticore is now 35' from the front of the barge.

R1T14: The second manticore flies out and is side-by-side with its mate. It whips a volley of spikes all at Soulsinger ... one hits him in the chest for 5 damage, and one hits him in the groin for 9 damage. Grolff notices that, even though Sal hasn't had the wits about him yet to change his aura to a more combat-centric one, Soulsinger still manages to take a little less damage than he apparently should have taken.

R1T10: During the day, Avralelrial normally enjoys hanging out on the top of the pilothouse. She stands up from her resting position, gathers energy as the air crackles around her, and launches electricity at the first manticore. Seeing her gather energy, it was aware of the attack and manages to minimize damage to it, but as it is partially enveloped by the electricity, a secondary bolt blasts its surprised companion. Both manticores take 15 damage.

"If anyone knows what, and what type, of creatures these are, let me know!" Av shouts.

R1T9.9: Sali'shasyl stands up from his resting position on the barge. As he does so, you now begin to feel the full heat of the hot summer, but your skin seems tougher.By this point, you have gotten to note all of Sali'shasyl's auras. They are as follows ... Energy Shield (fire): 2 fire damage to those that strike you in melee.
Power: You do two extra points of damage in melee.
Resist energy: resist fire 10. This is his default during the day, so nobody suffers from heat stroke or exhaustion, including the horses.
Senses: +2 bonus to Listen, Spot, and Initiative rolls. This one is the normal default, and is still the default in the evening.
Toughness: You receive DR 2/ magic.
Vigor: You gain fast healing 2, but only when you are below half max hit points, and only until your current hit points are at half or better.
Sal answers, "Ugly creatures, with nasty temperaments, looking to harm us, that's what!"

Sal then bears his sanctified shield and casts a spell. Holy power comes down from the sky and envelops the manticores in a bright, white burst of light that disappears as quickly as it manifested. The holy energy does 19 damage to both manticores, as well as blinding them both.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T21: The first manticore yells, "Curse you, vermin!"

It flies upwards as quickly as it can while blinded, gaining 10' altitude and moving 5' towards you. He is now 30' from the edge of the barge, and 35' above the waterline.

R2T19: Soulsinger fires at it, hitting it in the left, back lower leg for 20 damage with an eldritch spear. "Magic beast, I think," Soulsinger answers Av. "Fought one at Vraath Keep, though I was more focused on hobgoblin soldiers at the time."

R2T15: Grolff, what do you do? You know the basics of a manticore ... magical beast, tosses no more'n 2 dozen tail spikes a day, clumsy flyer, likes to make strafing claw attacks.

[UserClone]

Grolff repeats aloud what he knows. "It's a manticore ... magical beast, tosses no more than two dozen tail spikes a day, clumsy flyer, makes hit-and-run claw attacks."

Grolff makes a 5' step forward and then tries his hand at drawing and throwing one of his enormous javelins at the manticore now 30' away. [roll0][roll1]

[UserClone]

(([roll0] [roll1]))

[lostsole31]

R2T15: Grolff, in trying his hand with a javelin, proves himself quite good as he crits the lead manticore in the chest for 22 damage! The creature drops and crashes into the water 20' in front of the barge.

R2T14: The second manticore, already badly wounded and blinded, simply tries to fly high to get away.

R2T10: Avralelrial holds out her hand towards the creature and concentrates, but nothing happens. "We gotta' try to kill that thing so it doesn't get away. I'm not saying they're part of the horde ... but Soulsinger DID say that he fought an allied manticore at Vraath Keep."

R2T9.9: "I was going to let it go, not kill it out of spite," says Sali'shasyl, unslinging his bow, "but you make a good point." His arrow misses, and the creature now appears to no longer be moving blinded.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T19: The thing is now 20' in the air and 25' from the barge. Soulsinger hits the clumsy flyer at PB range for 18 damage.

R3T15: Grolff, what do you do?

[UserClone]

Grolff draws another javelin and hurls it, hoping for the best.
[roll0][roll1]

[lostsole31]

Grolff hits it and wounds it heavily. As it continues to fly past and overhead, Soulsinger drops it with an eldritch spear.

Soulsinger takes off his excess gear, but still wears his armor (mithral breastplate) and jumps into the river without saying a thing. Everyone gasps, but about a full minute later, he hands Grolff his javelins as best he can (they're big). He seems to be in no distress whatsoever and doesn't not give heaving, gasping breaths.

That is when you realize that Soulsinger has some sort of magic or ability that allows him to breathe (and due to the distances between the two fallen manticores, to swim) like a fish. Considering this just became a river-based adventure, that is very useful.

[lostsole31]

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully, and to minimize a run-in with Red Hand forces, you post the barge on the eastern shore. Since it is warm, and with everyone able to see well at least in starlight, there is no need for a campfire. Some of the food would be better for it, but there is enough food that was packed as trail rations to make sure a fire wouldn't be necessary. Sali'shasyl, who enjoys a well-cooked meal, is not pleased. He invokes the sense aura while you are at camp.

Avralelrial wants to work with Grolff on combat training and sparring. You are both matched for overall combat experience, but your strength outstrips her. But where you are a brutal, straight-forward warrior, she makes up for it by being incredibly tactical. (Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm/ Initiative/ Trip, Hide in Plain Sight ability, sneak attack, expert tumbling). She also uses this time to get used to using the Sword of Amery Vraath. She doesn't know how to balance the sword well with one hand, but she fights two-handed just fine, as with her greatsword. She just figures it would be good for her to know how to use the magic weapon compared to her mundane greatsword. Still, you are the superior melee combatant.

She was pretty impressed with your javelin throws, and she'll try to give you some pointers on hand-eye-coordination with missile weapons after you are done sparring.

Durign this time, Sali'shasyl will be looking out over the river and doing 'breathing' exercises by trying to invoke a hotter flame with his breath weapon. If asked, he is attuned to the spirit of a brass dragon who once served as a warrior for Pelor; this spiritual gestalt gives him many abilities such as a line of fire he can breathe every 15 seconds or so if he desired.

Soulsinger will be off singing during this time, but comes back after you finish combat training to tutor you and Sali'shasyl about things arcane. You are more earnest about your studies, whereas Sali'shasyl (who knows vastly more than you do on the subject) uses this merely as a refresher and a chance to just discuss the subject. He is very happy to have a fellow 'student' and is pleased. To help you learn what Soulsinger teaches, Avralelrial begins to teach you how to read.

For the first time since you've all been together, a watch is discussed. Avralelrial tells everyone that due to her blessings as a Chosen Warrior-Maiden of Valkar, she no longer needs to sleep ... so she may be vigilant at all times. Considering that has darkvision and low-light vision and has the party's best senses overall (boosted by Sal's aura, even when he is asleep), that is a pretty good deal.
.................................................. .................................
Day 9 (Day Two River)

In the early dawn twilight, Avralelrial wakens everyone without too much noise. "Something evil coming this way ... big, 4-armed ape. Kinda reminds me of Grolff's extra blue arms."

As you get up with the others, you realize why Sali'shasyl's armor looks so funny. It had strange lines of extremely even interlocking articulation. Well, he is wearing armor now ... but not the full version, but enough for lighter protection to allow him to sleep comfortably but still protect him in times like this. Avralelrial is already at the expected point of entry for the monster, and disappears into the dusky twilight of a tree's shadow.

R1T29: Before getting to the tree, the girallon (for you recognize it as such) pauses to sniff the air. Avralelrial, guessing that it has a keen sense of smell from all the sniffing it is doing, doesn't wait to be found first. She scrambles around the far side of the girallon, and cutting with her new sword with some eye to defense. She stumbles rounding the tree (a problem sometimes when you move as fast as she does), and decides to abort the attack in favor of keeping up a solid parry when it attacks.

R1T17: Grolff, the creature is 30' away. You have had time to shift essentia as you desire and to ready whatever weapon you desire. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Grolff shifts maximum essentia to his Girallon Arms, with the remainder in his Midnight Dodge, which is applied to the Girallon. (so no change.)

He makes a leaping charge at the beast, pouncing on it with all four claws and his horns.
[roll0]
[roll1] [roll2]
[roll3] [roll4]
[roll5] [roll6]
[roll7] [roll8]
[roll9] [roll10]

[UserClone]

[roll0] [roll1]

Bahahaha! Natural twenty and a natural one, on a natural attack even. Naturally.

[lostsole31]

R1T17: Grolff shifts maximum essentia to his Girallon Arms, with the remainder in his Midnight Dodge, which is applied to the Girallon.

He makes a leaping charge at the beast, pouncing on it with all four claws and his horns. So furiously does he throw himself into his first claw attack he misses horribly, falls on the ground, and his horn hits hard against the ground, just barely stunning him.

You might cry "Havoc!" but you wanted it in another game but were voted down ... well, you got it here. I even gave you an additional Fort save to resist the stunning since a Dex should only cover you having fell, not having been stunned. For your wish in one, so you have in another. Actually, I am going to do this for all gestalt games to balance the scales some. Also, called shots are now open. This is not a punishment, it's an experiment based on the fact that you wanted it in two different games. (You originally voted for it in Starfall as well.)

To let you know what had to happen here
You rolled a natural '1' ... on your first attack, no less.
I then rolled another attack roll for you with the same modifiers, and it missed. This means a critical fumble.
I rolled a 24% on the critical fumble chart in Dragon Compendium. Since there are two separate entries, I used this line item for 'stunned 1 round' rather than stunned 1d4 rounds like the next repeated line item.
You failed a DC 20 Dex check, and fall prone.
You failed a DC 20 Fort check, and are stunned.
R1T16: Through the ringing in his head, Grolff feels that fire under the surface of his skin that tells him Sali'shasyl has shifted to his Energy Shield aura. Sali'shasyl opens his palm towards the creature, chanting holy power, and a beam of pure sunlight shoots out and strikes the girallon in the lower chest for 18 damage.

Then, he pulls out his bow and knocks an arrow while moving up to Grolff, 15' from the girallon.

R1T15: The girallon lets loose with a fury on the fallen Grolff. Grolff's natural hunting reflexes and powerful midnight dodge ability keep him from being totally defenseless, but being prone and stunned still works against him. The first claw misses as Grolff and his many arms furiously and almost blindly bat away the beast, but the second claw comes in hard and fast, slashing Grolff in the throat for max damage of 10. The third claw locks into his chest for 8 damage, and the fourth also coming into his chest for 8 damage. With a hold in neck and both sides of the chest, the creature rips its claws out and apart, rending Grolff for 16 damage. It then just misses critting your stomach for 9 damage. But for each strike it made upon you, it also took 2 fire damage from Sal's energy shield (8 damage total, rend doesn't count).

R1T10: Too late to calm it, and the creature too savage to charm, Soulsinger launches an eldritch spear. Only because of the creature's size does the surprisingly adroit monster get hit in the head for 18 damage.

R1T3: Goln is held back, as Soulsinger believes the creature too dangerous for his dire toad to handle.

End Round One, Begin Round Two ...

R2T29: Seeing you in such dire peril, Avralelrial calls on Valkar to giver her the power of heroes. She becomes sheathed in a blue-white aura, her muscles bulge and extend, and her stance and attacks become far more efficient, as if she were actually a trained warrior.

R2T17: You finally shake off the effects of being stunned, which helps your defense some ... but you are still prone at the end of your round. Your body begins to knit its wounds.

R2T16: Sal, just out of reach of the monster, calls upon Pelor's power to warm and nurture you with a caress, healing you of 21 damage.

R2T15: The girallon is infuriated that so many of its attacks are burning it and that you are healing. But girallon's are belligerent creatures that rely on sheer brawn and little tactic, and it continues its relentless and masochistic assault on Grolff, hitting him in the right hand for 8 damage, the left foot for 10, and just missing a crit with its last claw in your upper chest for 8 damage, rending for 12 damage, and biting for max damage of 11 damage. Of course, it took 8 fire damage from its flurry.

R2T10: Soulsinger blasts it in the low chest-abdomen for 21 damage.

End Round Two, Begin Round Three ...

R3T29: Infused with the divine power of the God of Courage, Av "scrapes" the thing in the back for 13 damage. But not only does the Sword of Amery Vraath cut keenly and deeply with a scratch (which is as much an effect of her ridiculously enhanced strength), but motes of blue-white light - a fine compliment to her spell - freeze the wound for an additional 2 cold damage. The she hits it in ther upper part of its upper left arm for 15 weapon + 3 cold damage, cutting open an artery at the same time it freezes the wound, blocking bloodflow to that arm. The creature howls and drops from the onslaught, seemingly unconscious from the pain.

R3T17: Grolff, you heal a little bit, and are prone, with the fallen creature next to you. What do you do?

[UserClone]

Grolff tears its throat open with his girallon arms, biting into its open neck wound and shaking his head like a dog breaking a rabbit's neck. The fury has overcome him, and all he wants is blood. This goes on for a long moment, and then Grolff remembers himself, and for the first time ever, a hint of shame can be found on his blood-smeared face.

Grolff's breath comes in heaves, and he begins grooming himself by licking his fur, studiously ignoring any sidelong glances or outright stares. After the first couple of licks, he looks up to his comrades from his position on his knees (or rather, he looks higher than he normally would since he's now at about eye level with some of the shorter ones) and says simply, "My thanks," with a slight nod. He then resumes his cleaning of his fur.

[lostsole31]

Day 10 (River Day 3)

Grolff's wounds heal as a matter of course. Meanwhile, you drag the girallon's body well enough away from the camp so scavengers don't track into camp.

The day itself goes by uneventfully ...

Avralelrial wants to test her sleight of hand skills, which is perfect since Grolff wants to test his awareness as well. She is good at misdirection and fantastically agile, but only minimally trained so you catch her 60-70% of the time. Sali'shasyl is amused by this game, but spends the majority of his time praying and boning up (pun!) on his healing abilities. Soulsinger quietly laughs at Grolff and Av, and just observes the whole thing.

Avralelrial takes the eternal watch, as usual. You have barely bedded down for the night, and just gotten into sleep when Avralelrial alarms you with a scream of anguish and pain.

R1T15: Sali'shasyl instantly snaps awake, "I heard Av screaming in pain, boys! Time to go save the damsel!"

Sal instantly switches to his Toughness aura, gets on his feet, and readies his shield.

R1T14: Unable to see around the stand of trees where he notes a ruckus, Soulsinger gets up and moves off in Avralelrial's direction, shouting for Goln to follow him.

R1T13.9: Grolff, you are wearing your wood armor, and items are to your side. Looking over 40' from camp, you see that there is a row taking place (and can hear it). Above the bushes where the fight is, there are some tendrils of what look like steam rising up. Meanwhile, you smell a very strong, powerful, chemical smell - like a rancid vinegar. What do you do?