Island Exploration-The Undiscovered Country

[Acanous]

It is the year 1154.
(Copypasta from origional to follow)
Most of the worlds history up to about 300AD remains the same. The Greek Empire has fallen into disarray, the Persians are gathering might after their huge defeat, the Romans span almost all of Europe. Except for one very large change.

The Romans never conquered Britain, they could never cross the sea's. Any time they did, there was a fierce storm and ships were sank with all hands lost, as a result Ceaser died, and the Rubicon was never crossed, Rome is still to this day not an Empire, but democratically run. As such Christianity never seeped into it, and it still worships the original Pagan Pantheon.

The German forests have fallen to Roman might, and the tribes have been pushed to the sea and destroyed. As such there is no large threat to Rome for now, but they want Britain. The council is sure that there are magical secrets there and as such have tasked a small force of warriors to slip inside. They feel that a small force may slip through un-noticed.

(/copypasta)

Additional notes on timeline:
Various Roman attempt to cross the English Channel only run into horrible conditions, and entire armies are lost at sea. The English campaign is abandoned early, in favor of other prospects which appear more economically lucrative, such as Egypt, the middle east, Gaul (france), and their attention firmly on the nordic lands as one of the only threats to their expansion and rule. In the midst of their union with Greece, they decide against a monothesic system of worship, and prefer to maintain the Greco-Roman Pantheon, though with some small changes most likely. The pantheon is now a hybrid of the two, rather than having a largely Roman or Greek influence.
Egypt, once conquered or brought to heel, maintains it's old Pantheon as a line of Kings which likely serves to reinforce the ideas or rule by divine right. They adopt the Roman pantheon as the new Gods, the old Gods are merely revered heroes and kings of old, but still a rich part of their culture and myth.

The magical might of Britain continues to be a lure, however, and the more paranoid among the council see it as a possible threat, as well.

Enter the party. Their goal is to scout out the British Isles, especially England proper. They are looking for suitable invasion sites, political instabilities, and any settlements which would likely be sympathetic to Roman rule/religion/incursion.

Intelligence aquired from the Norse shows that any force of ships is destroyed by the storms, and any large warship is set upon by a fleet of corsairs.
The only ships to survive unmolested are trade and fishing vessels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

After requisitioning a fishing boat in the name of the Empire from a French port of call (not named Saint-Malo due to timeline change) you've been heading straight northward, ending up on the inside of the isles due to the current.

Your captain, Adelais Botolph, has been paranoid and superstitious since the day you left port, especially uncomfortable around Aislinn, treating her with barely checked hostility.

After three days at sail, the weather takes a sudden turn for the worse. The captain, cursing his luck, abandons the ship to swim for shore- claiming it makes him "Less of a target".

(Anyone with the skill, feel free to make a Profession: Sailor check to try to keep the boat intact)

The storm is fierce and wild, the heavens opening up with a torrent of rain that falls in sheets, making it difficult to tell weather the boat is above or below the waves.

A rocky ledge can barely be seen by the brief flashes of lightning cutting through the darkness.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan climbs out of where ever he had himself holed up, takes on looks around and smiles.
"This is my chance!", he proclaims, Stripping off his armor, and jumping over the side, hoping nobody heard or saw his through the storm.
[roll0] Once he is actually on shore he will return to the ship in hope of finding supplies, but meet the rest of the party instead, he'll watch to see what happens if he can.

[BobElliot]

Not hearing the splash, but seeing that there is one less body on the boat, Merovech calls out to Aislinn:
Try your best to steer this thing! I'll try to get this sail under control!

[roll0] aid another with pofession sailor

[jojolagger]

Knowing his life is in danger Iasal decides to help the man with the sail.
Aid another on profession (sailor) to boost not Merovech, as the IC text implies but Aislinn. [roll0]

[jojolagger]

apparently preview wipes rolls. [roll0]sould be -2 two for 18, I still succeded on aid another

[Jokes]

Edwin is noticeably green, clinging to the railings, occasionally hauling his head over the side to empty his stomach. He had known the sea would be rough, but there was no way he could have thought it would be like this. He watches bleary eyed as people start jumping overboard. He considers the cold embrace of the ocean would at least stop the churning in his stomach. He hears calls of the others trying to gain control of the ship, and decides he won't be going into the black until the ship does.

[Acanous]

(Going to take that 19 as the actual check)

Managing to cut the sails against the wind, Iasal gains tenuous control of the ship. Steeling yourselves against the lurching motions of the brakkish waters, you manage to weigh anchor in a small cove that seems to be taking less of a beating from the storm.

(Going to need about 3 swim checks from the barb, DC15. If you fail, you're not dead but there's going to be some penalties.)

[Krennel]

[roll0] [roll1] [roll2] wait i already made a save, so last one is out yeah, or did you mean 3 more?

[Acanous]

(Meant 3 more. Give me a fort save for that last one.)

[Freshmeat]

Marius

"We're safe for now!" Marius shouts to his companions, his clothes completely drenched. "Let's hope the weather calms down soon!"

He walks over to the ship's railing, doing his best not to fall on the slippery deck, and looks out across the great sea. He'd seen Wulfstan and the captain jump overboard, and was wondering how they were doing. Though he regretted their decision, he couldn't blame them much. They probably panicked and thought that if they stayed any longer on the boat, they'd all drown.

Spot: [roll0]

[whoiam]

Aislinn

Fresh from 'helping' steer the boat to shore, the cleric takes a quick look around at their new location. "I do not think we were on the water long enough to reach Britain or its islands. Which means we will probably have to go ashore here, both to find out where we are and to get a replacement sail or a rowing crew." Just a guess on Aislinn's part, but she could remember how long it took her to make the crossing when she first came to Gaul, and could guess from that if they'd done it in reverse. "I will check below. If we are leaking, we will have to try and beach this thing, and quickly."

[Krennel]

Wulfstan gets close to shore swimming powerfully, but a bit of kelp wraps around his leg, as the seas roar higher he starts to run out of strength.
With a roar he calls on his last ounces of energy to break free.
[roll0]

[jojolagger]

Having somehow guided the ship to safety, Iasal begins to look for Adelais([roll0]spot). If someone with no training can bring in a ship safely, surely someone trained would have had an easy time. He thought."Where is Adelais, the cowardly dog! Hired to sail us to Britain but jumping ship at the first sign of trouble. Let's see if swimming for the shore truly make him less of a target." He exclaimed.

Reason for Iasal's aggressive outburst.
Being the guy who likes to break stuff and being on a ship where you must not break stuff for several days leads to a bad mood. Being abandoned by a experienced seaman in situation an untrained person succeeds makes it worse. When the captain uses the word target when jumping ship he is just asking for it.

[Jokes]

"Urgh, by the Gods, I hope we die on this blasted Isle, just so I don't have to suffer that again." Edwin begins packing up his things so he can head for shore.

[Krennel]

Donning his armor again, Wulfstan checks to make sure Reaper's dozen is still at his side, then looks for the ships final destination.
Spot check: [roll0]

[Acanous]

Wulfstan manages to make it to the island, perhaps not any more waterlogged than the rest of the crew, but definately more salty for the wear.
(You still have your gear- you made the swim checks for it)
Taking a look around, Wulfstan not only spots where the ship rests nearby, but also two men coming down what looks like a hidden trail to the beach.
One of them seems to be saying something to the other (Listen check, DC 15)
They're both wearing loose fitting wool clothing, rough quality and apperently home made. They carry daggers, but wear no armor.

The boat is in fact leaking, but it's not serious. Some minor repairs would have it seaworthy again.

Marius spotted Adelais, swimming for the shore

[roll0][roll1][roll2][roll3] DC 15, if he made all 4, you see him make landing. 2 or more failures and he went down. 1 failure and he's on the beach, but unconsious.

Edwin's things are still in good order, no worse for the wear by being battered around a little in the storm.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan begins to feign boredom as he waits for the two coming down the path, but strains his ears to hear their conversation.
Listen [roll0]
Wulfstan is attempting to look like someone who has gone to inspect the wreck already, and is waiting for the scouting party to report. Assuming he can speak to them.

[Acanous]

first man, gesturing towards the beach: (and you on it)
"Rhywun ydy fyw."
Second man:
"Hefyd anhardd at bod bysgota"

(I checked your languages, just to be safe ;) )

[Jokes]

[Assuming we are close enough to land to not need swim checks.]

Edwin hurriedly grabs his things and leaps over the side, racing toward land. On the beach, he falls to his knees and praises the Gods that he is still alive.

[jojolagger]

Iasal
Realizing he has no chance of finding the captain from on the boat, Iasal heads to the beach and begins to drag those he can to shore.

[whoiam]

Aislinn
When Odin's cleric returned to the top deck, she was bearing her posessions and a piece of timber liberated from belowdecks. The two were tied together, granting her equipment a level of bouyancy it would otherwise have lacked. Coming to the edge of the boat, she shouts across to the shore:

Gallic: "Where have we holed up?"

Best to be sure of such things before trying to swim ashore, right?

[jojolagger]

Iasal
"Speak in Latin. I can't understand what you are saying." (spoken in Latin of course)He responded to the priest of Odin who was still on the ship.

[Freshmeat]

Marius

Frowning, Marius scans the horizon. Far in the distance, still in the midst of the storm, he sees Adelais go down among the waves, but realizes full well that there is little he can do for him but pray at this point. Of Wulfstan there was no sign.

Marius turns to see how the rest of his companions are doing, and breathes a sigh of relief when he can account for all of them.
"I think we'll be safer inland than here at sea," he says to no one in particular while removing his armor.

[Krennel]

Realiing he has no chance, Wulfstan yells at the top of his lungs "I will not be a slave again!" And growls at the approaching men, resting a hand on his sword. He yells bloody murder in what little Latin he know, which is mostly curses, and what he was told are curses.
[roll0] intimidate roll. What the rest of the crew will here in latin consists of "hooker, donkey, Yellow belly, fruit, cheese, and wife"

[jojolagger]

"Brilliant, really? Perfect. Does anyone now what language this crazy guy speaks?"
This isn't my job. Thought Iasal, Shouldn't that Edwin guy be organizing stuff? Still it is an interesting change from the norm.
Why is the CN guy the only one trying to sort things out?

[Acanous]

Edwin- Give me a listen check to hear Wulfstan.

Wulfstan- 1d20+1
DC is your Intimidate of 10. Success means roll init. Failure and they take off running the other way down the path. For simplicity's sake, I'll roll their init anyway. [roll1] [roll2]

Marius- you notice the storm begin to abate, and on the horizon you see what may be a large ship going down. The islet who'se cove you're borrowing is not very big- you can see where it curves north on both the east and west slopes. You also notis Edwin on the rocky beach.

Iasal- One of the crew is conducting a head count, looking a little pale. The rest keep popping belowdecks with tools.

Aislinn- You're close enough to hear what Iasal's saying. How you respond is up to you.
Land is close enough to swim to (Without a check) and the cove itself is protecting the beach from the worst of the storm (If it can be called a beach, really). Your decision to use flotsam to preserve your gear is a sound one if you have perishables.

[Acanous]

(rerolling VS intimidate because apperently I screwed up the tag)
[roll0]

[Jokes]

[roll0]

Edwin hears something nearby. Frabbing his longsword, he sets off to investigate.

[Krennel]

Seeing the two continue their advance, Wulfstan readies Reapers dozen, but doesn't draw it yet.
[roll0] init check

[Acanous]

Wulfstan- The first man draws his dagger, and seems to be waiting for something.
(You have higher dex, so go before the second)

Edwin- (Your longsword is liberally frabbed) You draw your sword, and as you head off to investigate notice Wulfstan looking aggressively up the ledge.

(Roll init, you'll join in next round.)

[Jokes]

[Beh, wrote my last post while at work and in a hurry. Took a while to realise what 'frabbed' meant :smalltongue:]

[roll0] {edit: Wow, 12 is a popular initiative roll}

Edwin (unarmoured and unshielded) hurries on towards Wulfstan, wondering what the strange man is in a huff about.

[Freshmeat]

"We should get ashore in case this storm picks up again," Marius says, addressing the ship's first mate. "How about some of us go and swim to the beach, see how things look from there, while you and the crew get everything on deck so we can transport it safely to the shore later. It seems like this storm has blown us off-course anyway, so we'll need to wait until this storm is over to get our bearings again."

Marius looks at the shore again and sees that Edwin has made it safely there, although something there has caught the latter's attention.

[Acanous]

"I'll take the boat closer, but we're in unknown waters. Unless you want to risk not being able to go anywhere for a while, we shouldn't pull too close to the shore."

He complies, shouting in ship's cant at the other sailors.

[whoiam]

Aislinn

Prudently, the cleric waits for the first mate to finish maneuvering the boat before trying to move onto the shore. The last thing she wanted was to have the boat whack her on the back of the head as soon as she was in the water...

[BobElliot]

Merovech follows the example of the Norse Cleric. As soon as they get closer to the shore, he climbs down to the water and slowly swims his way to shore (taking 10's). On his way, he tries to understand what the shouts he's hearing are ([roll0] listen). He can always use his scouting ability to learn what is going on, and report back just where the ship has landed to the ship.

[jojolagger]

Wanting to find the crazy yelling person, Iasal heads toward the source of the noise. Maybe something dangerous, like a fight, is happening, Thought Iasal, about time too. It's been a while since I got to shoot something. .
With this happy thought in his head Iasal broke into a run over to the crazy man.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan Tears off at a full run towards the pair, his sword drawn, shouting at the top of his lungs he attack the man who hasn't moved yet. He brings Reapers dozen crashing down at the mans head.
attack [roll0] Damage [roll1]

[Acanous]

The first of the two seemed to be waiting for Wulfsten to make a move, and swipes at him as the Barbarian charges towards his companion
[roll0]
Damage if he hits; [roll1]

Reaper's dozen takes a toll in blood from the unlucky foregner, spattering the local flora, Wulfstan, and his companion with a gushing spout of aortal blood.
The man is dead before he hits the ground.

(From holding his action, the first scoundrel's initiative drops to match Wulfsten's, so he's ALSO at a 12. Higher dex means both PCs go before he does.)

[Jokes]

"Wulfsten!" Edwin (presumably) sees the foreigner drop. Thirty seconds on the isle and already we are slaughtering the locals... "Wait, stop... uh" He begins cycling through a few words the barbarian might understand.

If Wulfstan holds until after me, or attacks and doesn't kill:

Edwin points his sword at the foreigner and in his most authoritarian voice yells, "Put down your sword." Knowing full well he probably wouldn't be understood, he tries to put as much aggression into it as possible.

[roll0]

[Freshmeat]

Marius is about to enter the water when he sees Edwin draw his weapon and yell at someone. While he finds it difficult to tell for sure at such a distance, he realizes that Edwin wouldn't draw his weapon unless something serious was up.

Without hesitation, he jumps overboard and swims to the shore to help out with whatever trouble it was that Edwin had run into. The ship seemed to be in safe hands for now anyway.

Taking 10 on my swim check for 13.

(I'm carrying only my longsword at the moment)
My armor and shield are still on board the ship.

[Acanous]

(You both rolled 12 init with a +2 dex mod. Technically you go in whatever order you like. In practice, whoever posts first goes first.)

(Roll VS Intimidate: [roll0] )

If Failure:
Edwin adjusts his stance and posture, and shouts in an authorative and threatening manner. The islander seems cowed, and (Assuming he isn't killed) Prostrates himself in surrender.

If success:
The Islander remarks to Edwin with a lopsided, taunting grin; "Rwyt ti'n Cega ydy Bert!" (And will act normally on his turn assuming he survives)

[Krennel]

Wulfstan had not meant to kill the first man, but resolves to take the second alive, if only to use him and any information he may have as a bargaing chip with his former masters.
Wulfstan brings the pommel of Reaper's Dozen into the natives chin with all the strength he can muster.
[roll0]
on a succesful hit nonlethal is [roll1]

[Acanous]

The unfamiliar change of weight on the upswing causes Wulfsten to underestimate his mark, and the attack hits nothing but air.

Seeing how the well-muscled Barbarian's weapon becomes less effective when used in unfamiliar ways, the islander takes a risky gambit. Squaring his stance, he moves in to try wrestling Wulfsten to the ground.
(AoO for Wulfsten)
Touch Attack: [roll0]
Grapple: [roll1]

[whoiam]

Aislinn

The norsewoman also goes over the side, kit, wood and all, and makes her way to the shore. Once there it is a simple matter to discard her emergency floatation planks and head in the direction of the 'disturbance'...

[Krennel]

Wulfstan moves to the side as the man lunges for him, and tries to smash the flat of Reaper into the mans crotch.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Jokes]

Edwin moves around the man, trying to outflank him.

[Double move if necessary. Swift action to activate Aura of Tactics. Wulfstan gets a +3 to damage while flanking.

If I can move and attack (unlikely, though), I'll try to subdue the enemy.

[roll0] (-4 nonlethal +4 Vexing flanker)
[roll1]

[Acanous]

Aislinn makes it to the shore easilly, the water in the cove being sharply shallower near the beach. Once there, she can make out Wulfsten and Edwin on a partially hidden path, standing about two prone forms.

Wulfsten's sudden counterattack catches the man off guard, and with a meaty thud, he doubles over in pain. A quick tap to the head from Edwin's pommel puts the man firmly unconsious.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan slings the body over his shoulder, backing away from Edwin with a distrustful look.

[Jokes]

Edwin looks at the barbarian, confused. He lowers his sword and turns to the fallen man. There is too much blood for the man to be saved. He bends over and lifts the dead man over his own shoulder. "Follow," he instructs the slave and makes his way back to the beach.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan drops the body behind him and draws Reaper's Dozen. He yells "Pay" In Latin. (Ooc: he ran errands for his master)

[Jokes]

"Pay?! You just murdered a man in cold blood!" He points to the barbarian "You," he points to the corpse, "pay him."

[Acanous]

(Ok, I lol'd there)

[whoiam]

Aislinn

The cleric heard the yelled 'pay'. She was somewhat confused by that - did that man not used to be a slave? Where would *that* habit have come from?

Still, work to attend to. Switching to Latin, she called "Are either of you hurt?" as she made her way along the beach to join then. If neither was, she'd have to shift attention to the still-breathing assailant. People could be a gold-mine of valuable information if you had enough people with swords standing around them when they awoke.

[Freshmeat]

As fast as his legs can carry him, Marius joins the others once he's out of the water. Seeing the corpse of an inlander, as well as his unconscious companion, he frowns and shakes his head wearily.

"What in the worlds just happened here?"

He seems equally surprised to see Wulfstan still alive. Covered in blood, no less.

[Krennel]

Seeing the priest approach, Wulfstan begins speaking to her in Norse. "I got knocked off the ship, when I came ashore I saw Trae two coming down the slope, one started to draw a weapon, when I could not chase them away I called out for help in the masters tounge. This one," Wulfstan looks at the uncoisus man, "drew first, so I charged the pair. I meant to capture the first, but I am not used to swords! I got the second though, as the master came up behind me and hit him over the head after i fought him, no doubt to take the glory. Now he tries to command me, but I will not heed him! He has no power here! They do, it was likely their magica that strated the storm!
Now I am free!"
I'm going with the government appointed pack mule back story. Also I had actually meant to take them both, like I said, but it hadn't dawned on me till after I'd written the post. Anyways the dirt part is a lie, so here's bluff check [roll0]

[whoiam]

What dirt part?
[roll0]
Incidentally, Wulfstan should be speaking Germannic instead of Norse. Makes no mechanical difference (Merovech and Aislinn both know both languages), but if we go to Germany later in the campaign, I think he'd enjoy being able to talk to his own tribe;)


Norse: "While all highly fascinating, I actually asked if you had taken an injury during the fight." Aislinn appeared less than amused at the German's need to explain himself. But that was because, unlike some of the Romans, she had absolutely nothing against the violent loss of life - to her the entire incident had been unremarkable. Indeed, the mythology shared between her lands, Wulfstan's, and that of Britain stressed death in battle as the highest of honours.

Latin: "He says the two of them jumped him when he washed ashore, and he killed the first one because he is not a skilled enough swordsman to reliably deal non-lethal blows."

Walking, briefly, to the side of the fallen one, she adds (in Norse): "I am sure Odin will have a place for you, however misguided your route to it."

Then she turned back towards Wulfstan.
Norse: "Lay him down. If he still lives I should be able to awaken him. He cannot answer questions unconscious."

[Jokes]

"I can attest to his lack of skill," Edwin remarks indignantly. "Nothing but wild flailing with a big sword. Completely undisciplined." He heads into the water to wash off any blood on him.

[jojolagger]

"Why is it I miss the fight?" asked Iasal as he arrived and saw the dead man. Then he looked at Edwin and said, "Your the military leader, what is the plan of action?"

[Acanous]

Aislinn: You can give me a Heal check to find out how long he'll be unconsious, or you can try magical healing. He's not waking up on his own any time soon, that much is readilly apperent.

[Jokes]

"We wait until he comes to." Edwin rings out his shirt. "Then we ask him a couple of questions, then send him on his way. I don't know how forthcoming he will be, considering his fallen comrade."

He nods to Aislinn. "You should make it quick, if these two were scouts and they do not return, then they might attract a larger force."

[Krennel]

Wulfstan looks up at Aislinn, then tenativley at the rest of the group.
"I-I am fast, I can take the path and see where it goes. For a while perhaps?" He looks back up at Aislinn for a sign of approval.
Behind his back his thumbs run over the pommel of Reaper's Dozen, sliding along the warm blood at the end.

[whoiam]

Heal Check to assess the man's condition: [roll0]
Magical Healing: Sacrificing her prepared 'Bless Water' to spontaneously cast a 'Lucky' Cure Light Wounds spell on the injured man.
[roll1]
[roll2]
Note: This was using the 'Lucky Spell' feat the Giant made up - it's in the 'Gaming' section. Basically I can reroll (spell level) damage or healing die per spell if I cast it as a lucky spell. I have to take the reroll, however, even if it is worse than the original roll. So in future I won't be rolling both at once.:$


Whichever Language we eventually settle on for Wulfstan: "I would put that man down first. But you may scout if you wish: I am sure we will be able to manage this prisoner without your aid."

Once Wulfstan had put the captive back down again, Aislinn took a moment to examine him before summoning the power of Odin to heal him. Hopefully back into the land of the conscious.

[Jokes]

"Please stay within earshot, and either call out or return here if you see anything." Edwin doesn't like the idea of the barbarian being alone again, but he figures it would be worse if he's around when the man comes to. He sighs, knowing that he's just as implicated in the man's murder as Wulfstan.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan nods to Aislinn like a puppy pleasing it's master and gently puts down the captive before tearing off down the trail. He pays no heed to anything on the path, instead he stops every 120 feet and listens closely while looking around. He does this twice, searching the secon d area as well, before turning around and coming back.
He speaks latin, so that we have a common language. Spot 1 [roll0] Spot 2 [roll1], Listen 1[roll2] Listen 2 [roll3] Search [roll4]. Any spot under 10 he'll take ten minutes to take ten on his way back

[jojolagger]

Iasal
"I'd better go make sure he doesn't kill another one. It's not like I can do anything here." says Iasal as he begins head down the path. "If you see me shoot straight up, there is trouble."

[Acanous]

Aislinn: He had taken enough nonlethal to leave him at -18. Your healing puts him at -8, he should be consious in 2-3 days. Less if you give him actual bedrest and care.

Wulfsten- You tear up the path, pausing every once in a while to look around. After your third such sprint, you notice the path takes a fork- one left, into the brush where the ridge reaches a plateau, or one to the right, which winds it's way towards the eastern side of the island.

Iasal- Wulfsten moves like Hades is at his heels, stopping every few seconds so you can catch up. You reach the fork a few seconds after he does.

Edwin- You, Marius, and Aislinn are still on the beach. The storm still covers the world in a misty half darkness, but the three of you can give me a spot check regardless.

[Freshmeat]

Marius watches as Aislinn heals the badly wounded back to a state that, at the very least, seemed a lot less critical. He wraps his cloak tightly around him, hoping that Wulfstan and Iasal would return soon from their scouting trip.

Spot: [roll0]

[Acanous]

(Alright, it's been more than 24, and since nobody else has replied to that spot check, it's a fail.)

The storm continues to calm, rain is now down to a light trickle instead of a torrent.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan turns to Iasal. "Which road do you wish to take?" he whispers, barely a sweat breaking on his forehead.

[whoiam]

OOC: -8HP of non-lethal damage would take a level 1 anything 8 hours to recover. Non-lethal damage heals faster than lethal damage.

Well, if you want someone back in the land of the conscious quickly... I'm gonna miss my ability to cast useful magic today.

Another Cure Light Wounds!
This time she's chucking away her 'Bless' for another Lucky CLW.
[roll0]
Edit: Taking the luck reroll. Heals 9HP + 9Non-Lethal Damage. Yay!

[jojolagger]

"Left. High ground is good." Says Iasal. "Besides the plateau might be a good spot for a temporary fort."

[Krennel]

"I'll take the right then." Wulftan says, charging down the right path at full speed.

[jojolagger]

"No I meant we should both..." Said Iasal as the barbarian ran off at full tilt. Sighing Iasal begins to head along the left path. So much for stay in a group, he thought.

[Acanous]

Aislinn: The man regains consiousness, sputtering a little in shock before shutting up and staring at the three people standing above him with weapons.

Iasal: The path continues deeper into the brush for quite a ways. Visability drops as the murky twilight left by the storm is swallowed by the faux-forest. Give me a listen check.

Wulfsten: Taking the path down the ridge, it snakes down a sheer drop, ending at what appears to be a cave above the waterline.

[jojolagger]

[roll0]I think I just failed a listen check
Edit: hey I rolled a 15

[Acanous]

You Fail, and the metal throws you down to the ground.

But seriously;

Iasal doesn't really notice anything other than the wind and the still pattering rain.. until he's set upon by four spearmen.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]

[Acanous]

(Damage is nonlethal. [thus the total modifier of -2])

Init:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[jojolagger]

Only one attack hits. sadly the one that does second most damage.
[roll0] init

[Acanous]

Ouch.

Caught by suprise, Iasal takes a spearhaft to the ribs, but the relatively difficult terrain and slim trail help him avoid the other blows.

Taking advantage of their suprised target, three of the men strike again.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[Acanous]

Confirm on the critical:
[roll0]
[roll1]

I do believe we may have a hostage trade negotiation in the near future.

[whoiam]

Latin: "Tell me if you can understand what I am saying."
Gaelic: "Tell me if you can understand what I am saying."
Germannic: "Tell me if you can understand what I am saying."
Norse: "Tell me if you can understand what I am saying."
Latin: "I certainly hope he recognises one of those..."

[Jokes]

Edwin kneels down in front of the prisoner. He holds his hands out, showing him he is unarmed. He points over to the ship, then out toward the ocean, roughly in the direction they came.

He then gestures toward the man killed by Wulstan. He places his hand on the prisoners shoulder and sincerely looks apologetic. He stands up, not really sure how to translate the next part into mime. "Uh, we," he points at his allies, "carry," he mimes picking something up, "friend," he points to the dead man, "uh, where?" he points in a few directions with a puzzled look on his face.

If required-
[roll0]
edit: :smallcool:

[Krennel]

Having found something to report, Wulfstan charges back up the path, and waits at the fork so he can tell Iasal and find out what he may have found.
Run speed at x4 is 160ft a round :smallcool:

[Acanous]

Aislinn and Edwin:
the prisoner looks up at you and shakes his head. Upon seeing Edwin attempt to make contact, he spouts off in very bad french;
"Parlez vous Francais?"

Wulfsten: Give me a listen check. You're about one round late, so if you're lucky you might hear something.

[Jokes]

Edwin makes a confused face, having no idea what the man said. "Was that the name of your village? Parlayvoo Fransay?"

[Krennel]

Wulfstan waits boredly.
listen [roll0], they speak french? cool! :smallbiggrin:

[Acanous]

(They're welsh pirates, and they speak it poorly. Most of the people they capture speak french, so they picked up a little bit. Oddly enough, some of them also speak spanish.)

Edit: And that's enough on the listen check that you hear SOMETHING moving down the trail, but no idea at what or how many.

[Freshmeat]

Much like Edwin, it's clear Marius didn't understand the captured islander either. Hopefully, he looks at Aislinn.
"Did you catch a word of that?"

[whoiam]

Latin: "I do not think we are on Britain yet. Or if we are, we have managed to capture the one person on the entire coast who does not come from there. I cannot understand what he says."

OOC: The one party member who should be able to understand this pirate is Merovech.

Listen Check: [roll0]

Latin: "Something is happening up on the path. We should take a look. Bring him along. If there are others near here who can speak a language we can understand, he will know them."

[Acanous]

(Alright, time expired for anyone doing anything other than tagging along)

Aislinn: You gather your allie and head up the path, where you find Wulfstan waiting, boredly.

Wulfstan: After about half a minute of waiting, you see Aislinn, Marius, Merovech and Edwin heading up the path towards you.

[Jokes]

Edwin looks at Wulfstan, standing alone. "Oh, you didn't kill him, did you?"

[Krennel]

Doing his best to look confused, Wulfstan looks up an asks,"Was I supposed too?" when no one laughs he points down the path Iasil took. "He went that way while I went the other, I Came back to wait for him."

[Acanous]

(Bump)

>.>

[Freshmeat]

Marius makes his way up the path, taking the prisoner along. He keeps a watchful eye on him in case he'd try to escape.

"We thought we heard something up here, but you seem to be okay." Then, as he realizes that Wulfstan and Iasal actually split up, he adds. "I don't like all of this wandering alone in unknown territory. We should proceed carefully and go look for Iasal. From what we heard at the beach we're pretty sure that something was around here only a few moments ago. Maybe a wild beast. Or perhaps friends of the guy you knocked out."

[whoiam]

Norse: "Maybe I should just chain them all together so they cannot get lost? What do you think, Odin?"

Latin: "If we are going, let us go. One of you warrior types can go first. I am sure your masculine pride would never recover were it to be known you let the girl go into danger first."

[Krennel]

Wulfstan nods to the priest. "I will go first. I am the biggest, so the first volley of attacks should hit me alone. It was my fault we split anyways..." Wulstan says, turning on his heel. and heading down the left path.

[Jokes]

Edwin follows behind Wulfstan, keeping an eye out of any tracks and clues as to what happened.

[roll=spot]1d20+2[/spoiler]
edit: Lol, mixed up my tags just a little bit. :smallwink: Rolled OOC, got a 4

[Acanous]

(How fast are you all proceeding down the path? Are you trying to be stealthy in any way?)

[whoiam]

Aislinn follows along close behind. Despite her words, and her not being a professional like most of the others were, Aislinn tends to get quite enthusiastic about exploration and combat both.

Well, how else was one to win their spot amoungst the Valkyries after death? Timidity would bring no exhultation...

OOC: Aislinn is not being stealthy, but she's letting Wulfstan set the pace.

[Krennel]

OOC: Wulfstan is moving at his normal pace, so a bit faster than everybody else.
and he is not being stealthy, though he is listening for anything out of place. listen [roll0]

[Freshmeat]

Marius stays close to Wulfstan, in so far as he can keep up. He keeps his eyes and ears peeled, hoping to find any sign of their lost comrade.

(OOC: not being stealthy either)

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Acanous]

(Alright, hold on while I do the Move Silently for the four brigands carrying Iasal. They're all the same class, with the same stat block- so I'm only going to make the one roll to make things easier :p)
[roll0]

[Acanous]

Wulfstan- After about a minute of walking, you hear something up ahead, it sounds like a group of people.
(Because he specified he was outrunning the party, the rest of you will get to him in a round. Marius will spot them then.)

[Krennel]

Wulfstan looks around and draws his sword, stopping dead in his tracks. He focuses his ears, trying to make out the number in the group, and readying himself for their attack.
listen [roll0]

[Acanous]

Marius, You just caught up to Wulfstan. You see what he hears.

Wulfstan, you hear four men put down something heavy and man-shaped, then ready spears.

[Krennel]

"In the Brush!" Wulfstan yells, charging in the direction o the sound of the dropping body.
init [roll0] imma get him to safety!

[Acanous]

Init!
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Acanous]

(Rest of party, roll init please :) )

[jojolagger]

[roll0]:smallwink:

[Jokes]

[roll0]:smallconfused:

[Acanous]

So far, it looks like the unconsious guy is going first :p

[whoiam]

[roll0]
Well, the men ahead of Wulfstan that Aislinn had yet to notice were not the only ones who could ready spears. Aislinn had one two, and boy was it ready now!

Better yet, she'd probably have a Wulfstan shaped hole to charge into.

OOC: Is she in charging distance yet?

[Freshmeat]

Initiative: [roll0]

Readied Crusader Maneuvers (*):
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3] (only if the above two rolls happen to have the same result)
* that system is so weird :smalltongue:

[Acanous]

Alright- the two men closest to the party both square up and seem to be waiting for you to close.

(OOC: Yes you are close enough to charge. Wulfstan actually goes after you, however. If you like, you may hold action to go after him- it's not going to make much difference in enemy turn order)

[Acanous]

(Aislinn has the init, waiting time begins now.)

[whoiam]

OOC: Oops!
[roll0] [roll1] - This includes the charge bonus.

IC:Well, charging then. To Glory! --Or, more likely, to a couple more scars and the necessity of mixing up another poultice afterwards! War seemed a lot less glamourous when you had to stitch people back together again afterwards.

Brythonic: "I hope Odin will like your company..."

[Jokes]

[I'm assuming the two enemies who delayed are going before me, right?]

[Acanous]

(Correct)
Aislinn runs towards the group of roughians, and the two who had been waiting for someone to make a move spring into action-
The one who was targetted sets for charge
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

The other gets no action, he was also readied to set for charge.

[Acanous]

(egads, it looks like Aislinn's at -6)
One of the men spears Aislinn as she charges him, his companion simply looking on with approval.
(Init progresses normally.)

[Jokes]

[Well, assuming my Aura of Tactics is still up, I'll delay until after Wulfstan (who has the same init roll as me)]

[Acanous]

(That's a day. Continue on. Wulfstan can go when he gets around to posting, on the initiative count he posts on.)

[Krennel]

Wulfstan charges the nearest man, swinging his sword as hard as he can.
Stupid homework >.> attack [roll0] damage [roll1] forgot to finish spoiler tag Edit again, its plus 4, not six, so 17 damage

[dara]

[roll0] init roll

Morganna casts a lv1 healing spell , healing those around her. She has appeared at the edge of the battle, her approach not noticed by any one in particluar.

[Jokes]

Edwin moves closer to the fight, but stays out of harms way for now, merely surveying the battle.

[BobElliot]

Merovech moves to within 30' and takes a shot at one of the foes.

I'm back from crunch week!
[roll0]
[roll1] damage (w/ skirmish)
I don't know when I'm going in the initiative, or what the aura of tactics does for me, or what everybody else has been doing (very difficult to read a battle backwards). However, my move will be pretty much the same regardless.
Edit fixed a tag I messed up.

[Acanous]

Wulfstan easilly rends asunder the man who speared Aislinn.

Edwin- you move closer. Are you readying a standard action? If so, post parameters in spoiler tags, please.

Merovech will go at the end of this round, (As you've got no init :p) and that's good enough to drop a second baddie.

Morganna will come in on her init count at the beginning of next round. What healing spell did you find at level 1 that's an AoE?

Two of the remaining pirates lash out at Wulfstan, eager to add him to the body pile

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

(Marius' init, After which, Merovech easilly takes down another with a shot to the back. Then it's back to the top of the round.)

[Acanous]

Confirm on the crit:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Freshmeat]

((I'm not entirely clear on the current battle situation to be honest, but I'll give this a shot nonetheless.))

Far from pleased at seeing Iasal captured and unconscious, and seeing both Aislinn and Wulfstan gravely wounded, Marius draws his sword and runs forward to join the fray.

Move Action: I move up to the nearest enemy, charging if possible.
Swift Action: Enter Martial Spirit Stance (every time I hit, I can heal someone nearby for 2 hit points)

Current Readied Maneuvers:
- Leading the Charge
- Stone Bones


Attack*: [roll0] (+6 if charging) [if I hit, I will heal Wulfstan for 2 HP)
Damage: [roll1] (wielding my longsword two-handed here)

* using Stone Bones: if it hits, I gain DR 5/adamantine for 1 round

AC: 11 (9 if charging)

Extra maneuver (granted at end of turn): [roll2] (1 = vanguard strike, 2 = douse the flames, 3 = crusader's strike)

[Acanous]

With a spatter of visceral fluid, another of the pirates is reduced to so much meat.
(I'll let you change that heal to Aislinn if you want, Wulfstan is still in the positives, the crit diddn't confirm off a 13. [AC 16-2 for charging] Granted, he's at positive 4, but I should have specified that.)

Morganna's init, top of the round.
Only one pirate remains in the positives. [roll0] DC 14
Another is down, but still breathing- with an arrow in his back. The other two are very, very dead.

[Krennel]

Wulfstan, angered at being harmed in the slightest, flies into a rage, cutting the last man to shreds.
attack [roll0] Damage [roll1]

[Freshmeat]

((Considering Wulfstan didn't get critted, I indeed heal Aislinn for 2 HP))

[Acanous]

(Right, that's time. Morganna skips, Wulfstan goes)

The final islander screams and tries to run, but Wulfstan cuts him down.
Entire party gains 200 XP a piece.

Aislinn and Iasal are both still looking rather unconsious.

[Freshmeat]

Marius immediately goes over to check on Aislinn, who seems to be worse off than Iasal. Trying to remember what little he knows of first aid, he tries to stop the bleeding.

Some Heal rolls:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Jokes]

Edwin silently drags the corpses off the road. He picks up a pair of spears and drives them into the ground near the bodies. He rifles through the bodies, looking for anything that would identify them, plus anything of value.

4 bodies worth of search rolls.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Taking the two remaining spears, he returns to the group.

"Come on, let's get them back to the ship."

[Krennel]

Wulfstan, still enraged, begins to cut the local fauna, and anybody satnding to close, to little pieces.

[Freshmeat]

Marius, upon seeing that both Iasal and Aislinn are already stable, nods to Edwin.
"Right, best to head back to the ship indeed. We shouldn't stray too far apart in hostile territory. We'll try to figure out what happened here and who these people are later."

With that, he heaves Aislinn on his shoulder and walks back down the trail they came from. He gives a look of mixed curiosity and disapproval at the raging barbarian, but thinks better of saying something and walks on.

[Acanous]

Marius, your heal checks will show the current conditions of both party members- Iasal is propably going to wake up later today, Aislinn is going to need some serious bed rest and care.

Edwin: You find [roll0] GP, four suits of leather armor, four spears, a dagger, and one very poorly constructed crossbow.

Wulfstan: after a while, you stop raging, but the party seems to have taken off without you.
You feel like you're being watched.

[Krennel]

Feeling incredibly tireds, wulfstan heads at his best break-neck speed down the path back to the boat.

[Jokes]

Before picking up Iasal, Edwin pulls out a handful of copper coins and places one over each of the fallen mens eyes. He takes takes the weapons but leaves the armour.

[Acanous]

It isn't long before you find yourselves back aboard the boat. The hull of the ship still needs some caulking, but the crew are optimistic about your chances.
(You may choose to wait for the ship to be fixed and then just leave if you like. Any further ventures ashore may be met with resistance.)

[Krennel]

Wulfstan paces aboard the deck, away from the others.
He loudly proclaims, "I'm BORED! LET'S KILL SOMETHING!"