[4E] Temple of the Serpent God (Hyborian Adventures)

[RTGoodman]

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, a mighty group of warriors destined to reforge the world. It is I, their chronicler, who alone can tell thee of this saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!


The caravan moves slowly through the arid desert, the fiery orb of the sun directly in your path as you head west. Along with a dozen or more slaves, all captured or taken in the last few weeks like yourself, you continue to strain your already tired muscles against the weight of the heavy wagons, full of strong steel weapons, casks of fine wine, and other items of luxury bound for the priests and kings of Stygia. The four slavers, strong warriors, ride ahead and behind, occasionally moving forward to whip a slave who falls.

Your tiresome journey comes to a brief respite for the day, though, as an oasis appears on the horizon. Though not a large resting area, it appears to have a few small huts on the outskirts, and a ring of ancient monoliths standing guard around the small watersource at the center. Eager to dismount and have a drink themselves, the swarthy slavers whip several slaves and call for you to hasten your feet.

[Ezeze]

(ooc: Looks like I was just in time :smallsmile:)

"No more of this." Isobel is speaking, quietly, to the person next to her. She strains against her harness, obviously not as strong as some slaves, but not as weak as some either. "If we kill the guards tonight, we can take the goods for ourselves, and sell them in Stygia." She doesn't whisper - whispering carries further than speaking quietly, and she has no desire for her conversation to be overheard.

[Vox Clamantis]

Njal

The tall, red-headed slave next to Isobel nods his head. Lanky and thin, only the color of his hair and the pale, freckled skin betray that he's of far northern descent. He lacks the stocky, broad-shouldered build of his people, but it's clear from the expression on his face and the set of his jaw that he's inherited their bloodlust in spades.

Strangely, he keeps looking to the sky as though expecting winged valkyries to ride out of a cloud to his rescue. Returning his gaze to their destination, he mutters a reply under his breath. To hell with their goods. I'd settle for vengeance.

[Don the Bastard]

A short girl in a straw hat and light cloth robes hauls a wagon up beside them, pulling it through the sand under nothing but her own power, throwing off the yoke she straightens up with a crack, though she still doesn't stand much taller than 5'. She tilts her hat back revealing olive skin, brushing her hair out of her face to reveal slanted black eyes, she addresses the pair "I have been waiting for the opportune moment, I had noticed one of the guards was favoring one leg, and another seemed a little ill after the last stint, perhaps now is the time to act, I believe if we can get to that cart" Rei points to a wagon hauling weaponry "We may have a chance... Rei by the way" she bows courteously.

[KIDS]

"Make no mistake. They must have some reinforcements in there. But the crows are waiting," Kalar whispers ominously. Despite their hardship, the handsome man seems almost jovial (if exhausted), certain in some private knowledge of his own. His hair, usually kept in a neat ponytail, falls up to his shoulders in dirty mops. Others have probably heard his name since they began this "journey", as he had not flaunted or hidden it. "Kalar Eshanti," he nods to the girl pulling the wagon with others.

As they travel, he examines his bounds. He has gotten out of worse situations. But he wasn't tired and in the middle of nowhere at that time.

OOC:
History on those monoliths? I've gotten a bit used to the Myth Weavers forums and forgot how to make dice rolls here. I hope it's the roll tag. It not, I might need some reeducation... [roll0]

[RTGoodman]

KIDS:
You know that monoliths and standing stones like these are pretty common and usually are associated with a god or with ancient peoples, but that's about it.

The oasis appears to be, strangely, deserted. Nothing particularly looks out of place, but the four of you, the four guards, and the eight other slaves seem to be the only people within sight.

When you arrive, the guards direct you to bring the wagons around the outside of the camp, and then start making a few small campfires for the night.

You and the rest of the slaves follow your normal routine, moving the carts in place then either collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, running to the cool water to assuage your thirst, or simply leaning against a cart or hut to catch your breath. You, of course, remain in your bonds - your feet are free, but your hands are tied with rope.

DM Roll: [roll0]

As you settle in with your allotted food, you notice the guards taking this opportunity to break open a small cask of wine for their own amusement.

[KIDS]

Kalar cooperates with the slavers' whims, pushing himself to haul some cargo more if needed, knowing that any false sense of security he sows will be welcome. He feels a terrible need to take a leak, for which fortunately bound hands aren't needed. Slumping down against the cart, he observes in silence, waiting for nightfall...

[Ezeze]

Isobel instructs the red-head in a soft whisper "stand infront of me. Don't make it obvious."

[roll0]
[roll1]
(trying to escape her bonds without being seen.)

[RTGoodman]

Isobel deftly slips from her bindings, her hands now free. One guard, about thirty feet away, turns his head and looks in her direction, but soon turns back to the cask of wine.

The sun begins to fall below the horizon, the monoliths and palm trees casting long shadows across the ground.

[Ezeze]

Once she is free, the woman starts on the redhead's bonds. She leans up to whisper "My name is Isobel, by the way" into his ear while she fumbles with his bonds as quickly as she can.

[roll0]

[KIDS]

Kalar observes the commotion on the other side for a moment, then turns away so to not draw attention to it. Not how I would have done it, but fine, he thinks. As he doesn't know whether this "escape" is merely a set up for a real escape when the sun sets, he waits and does nothing for now. However, if a distraction arises that will let him slip out of his own bonds and keep them loose for later, he will take the opportunity.

OOC:
If/Then, thievery. [roll0][roll1]
p.s. it should have been acrobatics (escape artist) instead of thievery, but conditions and modifier are the same

[RTGoodman]

As the sun finally drops completely below the horizon, Njal and Kalar, too, are free from their bonds, unnoticed by the slavers. The guards' revelry soon ends, though, as three retire to one of the lean-tos to sleep, leaving to other to stand watch. The other slaves, too, exhausted from their journey, soon settle in to rest.

I was assuming that you're all keeping your bonds "on," so everyone who's made a check or had one made for them so far is out. (That just leaves Rei, I believe.)

[KIDS]

With the cover of night, Kalar feels more secure in securing a release. He patiently waits for a guard to turn his back or patrol to the other end of the campfire before putting his hands up to his lips to signal silence and trying to untie Rei. Not springing into action just yet, he tries to locate any weapons or that cart for which they hope that might contain weapons.

Once everyone is ready, he has a deception in mind as fitting a good actor...

OOC:
Freeing Rei: [roll0]
[roll1]

If the Thievery roll fails but the attempt is not noticed, Kalar will try it again after a few minutes. Rolls for second attempt, if any:

[roll2]
[roll3]

[Don the Bastard]

OOC:Sorry guys, like an idiot I forgot to subscribe to this thread

When Kalar approaches to untie her, Rei meets his gaze with deep black eyes, she points a thumb to her chest (I), then raises a hand to her mouth, flaying her fingers out (will cry out), she then points to Kalar(you) and clenching her fists with the rope in hand like a garotte mimes strangling (garotte) she points back to the guard(the guard). She ends her little charade by pointing behind the wagon for him to hide(hide there).

She is going to look over the guard to see what he is armed with, so she can grab it in the surprise. She waits for Kalar's response before doing anything.

[Don the Bastard]

Should Kalar's attempt to free her fail, she will just try to break the bonds.
Athletics [roll0]

[RTGoodman]

Kalar easily makes quick work of Rei's bonds, leaving the four of you untied but still pretending to be chained up.

The guard on patrol at this time seems to be the leader of the group, and is armed with a large mace. He is dressed in leather armor below a dark purple shirt of purple material.

[KIDS]

Kalar can't say that he doesn't like the plan, though he doesn't particularly like it either. Still, how does one signal 'hasty'? Deciding that it just might work, the actor nods and slinks around the wagon, stealthily grabbing a dagger and disappearing there and ready for whatever trick Rei is about to pull off.

[roll0]

Would it be possible to sneak attack with an unarmed strike?

[Don the Bastard]

Positioning herself around 10' opposite the wagon and lieing fetal in the sand Rei cries out for the guard, masking her voice with false pain, she takes 2 handfuls of sand ready for him to come over and roll her over. She will continue to call out for the guard until he comes over out of curiosity or frustration (genuine concern is a little bit of a stretch)

OOC:Rei is preparing an attack to throw the sand into the eyes of the guard when he comes over to her, providing an extra distraction for Kalar to launch his garotte attack, as soon as possible after the grab attack she will try to wrest the mace out of the Slaver's hand (assuming he has the wherewithall to keep hold of it)

[RTGoodman]

I forgot to mention what was in the cart when one of you asked about looking in it.

In the cart, you can find a dagger with a 100% success rate. If you want something besides that, it'll be as follows:

Simple Weapon: 85% chance
Military Weapon: 75% chance
Superior Weapon: 50% chance
Shield (Light or Heavy): 75% chance

There's armor, but grabbing it is probably not a good idea because it'd take you too long to don.

If you guys would like to ret-con your last two posts to include a weapon, feel free. I'll update with other actions tonight when I get back into town.

[Don the Bastard]

I'll hide a dagger under me as well then, other than that I will stick to the plan.

[KIDS]

OOC: Thanks! I've edited my post to include the weapon. Kalar is perfectly fine with the dagger.

[Don the Bastard]

ooc:I think we should stick with garotting though, it will keep him from crying out to the other guards.

[Ezeze]

Lets get this going, eh?
[roll0]

[RTGoodman]

Hearing the ruckus, the guard moves towards Rei. He sneers at the young woman, "What's this then? Bad dream, princess?" He narrows his eyes and stoops to look at the girl.

He definitely doesn't suspect anything's up, and he doesn't notice Kalar hiding over by the wagon. Kalar and Rei can act in the surprise round.

For initiative, you can all roll separately, but I'm just gonna have you go all at the same time. (If an enemy rolls highest, they go first; if one of you roles highest, you guys do.)

Here's a map for you to start with.


http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd40/rtg0922/ToSG/ToSG1.png

Map Key:
Characters: C's are captives; S's are slavers; your initial is you (Rei, Kalar, Njal, Isobel)
Black Squares: Monoliths; solid, can block LoS, etc.
Green Squares: Palm trees/ferns; grant concealment while in the square.
Blue: Water (light blue, inch deep; medium blue, 1 ft. deep; dark, 5 feet deep).
Dark Brown: Lean-to; grants cover vs. opponents outside.
Light Brown: Wagons; 2 squares to climb, grants cover vs. enemies outside.
Fire: It's on fire; 1d8 fire damage when entering, and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends)

Any square with a delta/triangle in the upper corner is Difficult Terrain (costs two squares of movement to enter, blocks charging, etc.)


IF YOUR STARTING POSITION ISN'T WHERE YOU'D LIKE FEEL FREE TO START ELSEWHERE AND JUST TELL ME THAT.

[Don the Bastard]

As the footsteps come closer Rei tenses up, preparing for the possibility of a kick to the stomach, instead the Slaver stops next to her and speaks in his rustic drawl, as he stoops closer to her she rolls over, tossing the sand into the slavers eyes. She just hopes Kalar has the forsight to grab him now.

Adlibbing a bit here, I guess sand is a ranged improvised weapon attack, so [roll0], although I'm going for surprising and blinding him here is damage if applicable [roll1] also Initiative [roll2]

[RTGoodman]

As the stinging sand hits the man's eyes, he stumbles backwards, momentarily blinded.

Yeah, the rules for an improvised weapon are fine.

Also, I forgot that you can only take a single action in a surprise round, so I'll just say that he stumbles back one square diagonally, so he's adjacent to Kalar. That way Kalar can actually do something, since the guard would otherwise be too away to attack but too close to charge. :smalltongue:

Kalar's up.

[KIDS]

Kalar is a silent shadow as he slips out from behind the cart and strikes with the dagger instead of the rope he doesn't trust too much. He aims a precise attack for the man's spine, backstabbing to inflict as much harm as possible.

OOC:
Using Piercing Strike on the guard. Have CA because he is blinded. Thanks for moving him, indeed it's a Schroedinger's hole between charge and normal attack.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Initiative:
[roll3]

[KIDS]

OOC:
Something appears to be wrong with the rolls I made, perhaps because I clicked preview before posting. Sorry, I'm still getting used from the MW system :-| I'll repost rolls here.

Using Piercing Strike on the guard. Have CA because he is blinded. Thanks for moving him, indeed it's a Schroedinger's hole between charge and normal attack.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Initiative:
[roll3]

[RTGoodman]

As the man stumbles backwards, Kalar's blade slips deftly between his ribs, injuring him considerably.

He's not dead, but he is considerably bloodied.

Enemy Initiative: [roll0]



OOC: Everyone may now take their turn in whatever order they please. You have the initiative.

[KIDS]

Kalar goes for the throat this time, aiming to finish off the man before an alarm can be raised. But with a dagger in his hand, he still feels much more confident about facing even an army of slavers. If his attack does finish off the surprised guard, he slinks back to the kart and hides there, observing if anyone had noticed their actions.

OOC:
Still have CA, if not for blinded then for First Strike
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

If the man is down, get back to behind the cart and
[roll3]

[RTGoodman]

As Kalar attempts his second strike, the slaver's flailing causes him to thoroughly miss his target.

Ouch, natural 1. Sorry.

[Ezeze]

Isobel rushes to the wagons, looking for a weapon with some heft to it.

Will be happy with some sort of mace, club or dagger.

[RTGoodman]

Isobel Weapon Finding Attempt: [roll0]

Result: Success! You find a mace or club or whatever simple weapon you'd like.

You used a move action and minor action to get to the wagon and find a weapon. You have a standard action left to make an attack.


http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd40/rtg0922/ToSG/ToSG2.jpg

[Don the Bastard]

Sirrin stands, sand cascading off her shoulders and thighs, she steps up next to the slaver and wraps her right arm around his neck, squeezing tightly so he cannot cry out, she keeps her dagger in her left, ready to thrust into his ribs.

OOC:Move to O5, Grab attempt on guard at O4 [roll0] vs. Reflex (+4Str, +1 lvl, +1 lvl3 camp. bonus, +2 combat advantage)

[Vox Clamantis]

As I've said elsewhere, apologies for my absence. I wasn't actually absent, of course - I just wasn't getting automatically notified. My fault for relying on the forum tracker.

The tall, red-haired slave whose thin wrists had first been freed by Isobel has been stupidly ignoring the play for freedom, instead scanning the horizon like an astrologer waiting for the first star to appear. Now he gives a cry of success, and there is an answering shriek from not far above the camp as a hunting falcon nearly the size of a vulture stoops down and slams its talons into a slaver like spear-points.

Minor action to designate Quarry. Raptor charging down to N4. Gains CA.

[roll0] vs AC
[roll1]+[roll2] damage.

[RTGoodman]

As the raptor slams into the man, he lives long enough to let out a blood-curdling scream. He slumps down, and suddenly the desert is dead quiet for a few moments. The other slaves sit up straight, staring in your direction. A few scant seconds later, movement in the tent alerts you to the other slavers' presence.


OOC:
Alright, here's the deal - I'm moving tomorrow morning, and the internet folks say they can't come to my new place until Monday afternoon. Feel free to go ahead and post, Chain, since you're the only one left, and I'll get to the enemy actions at some point when I can steal requisition some internet access. (D&D from the library? I'm thinkin' so.)

The other guards will be in three adjacent squares outside the lean-to they were in on the most recent map.

[KIDS]

If Kalar is able to recover from his failed strike and act before the other guards rush out of their shelter, he darts behind the cart and disappears there. "Get ready!" he whispers to others.

OOC: Move to P1 and hide [roll0]. It won't grant him combat advantage if it succeeds because it would involve throwing the dagger which he won't do, but it might still be helpful. By the way, your map is awesome.

[Ezeze]

Isobel tests the weight of the mace she pulled from the cart experimentally, standing slightly behind and to the side of the others as they face the guards.

[Don the Bastard]

Rei picks up the mace that the slaver had dropped, weighing it in her hand, not quite the quality and grace in a weapon than she was used to, but it would do the trick, she spins the dagger round in her left hand, to a defensive position, stretchs the mace out behind her and spreads her feet out a little, preparing for the inevitable attack.

OOC:Minor action: retrieve a weapon, Move action stepping up to N4, Standard action: Total defence (+2 to all defences) also the first enemy that misses in close combat is getting Parry and Riposte from my dagger attack Str vs. AC[roll0] Damage[roll1] and if I hit they grant combat advantage to me and my allies until the end of my next turn

[Vox Clamantis]

Chain was the only one who was supposed to post actions...

[Ezeze]

What happened to our game? :smalleek:

[KIDS]

OOC: We're more or less waiting for the GM, though hope dwindles every day...